Manufacturers: Get social NOW

Social Media Can be Effective for B2B Companies

I recently read a well researched white paper on social media use in the industrial sector.  The paper’s survey data supports what I already knew: people in manufacturing and industrial service companies are not exactly jumping up and down over the idea of social media marketing.  Some reasons are valid – some are not.  It’s true, while there are many case studies in BtoB marketing of companies who successfully leveraged social media to increase brand recognition, improve the quality of their customer service experience, and even increase sales, there are very few of these in the industrial sector.  To many industrial marketers, social media seems like a waste of time and resources.  To those people I ask:  I wonder how many people in manufacturing companies thought they didn’t need a website 15 years ago?

The resistance of industrial marketers to investigate and embrace this technology doesn’t really make sense when you consider that millions of business professionals each day reach for their keyboard for just about everything:  whether it’s for business, personal shopping, or entertainment. Their needs are being met more and more through social media sites.  Did you know that YouTube is the second largest search engine on the Internet, second only to Google?  YouTube IS a social media site that’s used for marketing purposes, though most industrial folks I talk to think it’s just for posting funny videos.

There’s one big, huge reason why manufacturers and other industrial companies should care about social media.  Social media truly does represent a paradigm shift in how businesses service and interact with their customers.  It is not slowing down, or even peaking.  Its continued growth is staggering when you consider that 57% of all B to B marketers are using social media channels today, up from just 15% in 2007. At the very least, industrial companies should start experimenting with social media today so that they’re not completely left in the dust when EVERYONE is doing it.

Unlike more traditional marketing methods, industrial social media marketing requires actual representatives of the company to be involved in the execution.  After all, we’re talking about social networking.  You can hire someone to help you come up with a strategy; to set up your channels and accounts; to assist in writing blogs; to moderate LinkedIn groups; and even to manage and automate your basic posts on sites like Twitter and Facebook.  They will never know your business like you do.  For that reason, if you really want social media marketing to work for your company, it will require time and effort on your part as well.

For the next few weeks I’m going to write a series of posts about how industrial companies can get social NOW – without hiring a social media marketing strategist, and without spending any money.  That’s right, not one penny.  Some of my suggestions will be basic and easier to implement than others; but they will all help to make you more knowledgeable about how to use social media and more conversant with social media sites, marketing techniques, and tools to assist you.  I hope you come along for the ride!  Click here to subscribe to my blog and receive posts via RSS feed so you won’t miss any posts!