Social media marketing for B2B may be less straightforward than B2C marketing, but it’s just as important in building your brand and business.
In this blog post, we’ll walk you through which platforms you need to be on as a manufacturer, why it’s an important part of marketing for manufacturing companies, and how to form a manufacturing social media strategy.
Why Social Media for the Manufacturing Industry is Important
Not too long ago, social media didn’t seem like a necessity for B2B companies. However, as the workforce shifts towards a more tech-savvy generation, more and more key decision-makers are going to be looking online for more information before they decide to work with you. This makes social media for manufacturing companies an indispensable channel.
Having a polished social media presence is beneficial for many other reasons. Social media activity can help boost your SEO efforts, generate leads, aid with customer service, and much more.
If your social presence indicates you are a leader in the manufacturing industry and care about communicating with customers, it’s more likely you’ll stand out from your competitors.
Best Social Media Platforms for Manufacturers
Some social media platforms make more sense for manufacturers than others. Your customers will be less inclined to interact on more casual or “trendy” platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest, or Snapchat.
Here are the best manufacturers social media sites to help with your B2B marketing strategies:
LinkedIn is the best B2B social media site to pursue, with over 94% of B2B marketers on the platform. This is a great place for businesses to build thought leadership and develop significant connections.
LinkedIn also has a large number of decision-makers. 45% of LinkedIn members are in upper management. LinkedIn Ads allow for very precise targeting with filters such as job seniority, company size, member age, industry, and much more.
Most users on LinkedIn are on the site to connect with other people in their industry, so that’s already a key step in separating valuable leads from the crowd. LinkedIn also has a Groups feature where you can find, connect, and interact with potential clients in a very targeted pool. Joining a LinkedIn Group is a great platform to showcase content marketing for manufacturing companies, and a fantastic way to drive leads and traffic towards your company.
Having a page presence on Facebook is still a must. Without a Facebook Page today, your credibility may be questioned. In fact, it could even have a negative impact on local SEO for manufacturing companies.
Many customers will go on your page to contact you through Messenger or public posts and comments. This is a great way to connect with people and direct them to exactly who they need to speak with. These visitors could be looking for quick clarifications and initial questions so it’s important to monitor this channel closely. With over 2.5 billion monthly active users, your social media industrial marketing is bound to reach your target audience through Facebook.
YouTube
The possibilities of marketing for your manufacturing company on YouTube are endless. YouTube is a great way to showcase your company and its products to build brand recognition and improve SEO. The video assets you create on YouTube can also be included in your manufacturing website design. While YouTube technically functions as a search engine, many consider it a social media platform because of the engagement it facilitates.
Marketers could upload videos of customer testimonials, product tutorials and demonstrations, service walk-throughs, trade show appearances, and much more. Anything that tells your brand story is worth posting!
Social media marketing for manufacturers doesn’t always prioritize Twitter, but it’s still important to have a company Twitter account. Your role on Twitter should be an educator. Use this channel to share interesting and engaging information.
As a mobile-first platform, many of your clients on-the-go can view your posts easily. If there’s ever a crisis, Twitter is an excellent tool to get any message out quickly and promptly reply to others.
How to Form a Manufacturing Social Media Strategy
The first thing you should do when coming up with a social media strategy for manufacturing is to determine your audience. Which websites are they using the most and which ones are they interacting with you on? If you have no idea, it might be a good idea to investigate what your competitors are doing.
After you decide on which platforms to best reach your potential clients, it’s useful to come up with a content schedule. This way, you can post consistently and build a following that knows they can depend on you.
Make sure you monitor social media regularly so you can quickly respond to customer posts and inquiries. Spread out self-promotion amongst content marketing so long-term followers don’t get fatigued from the same content.
Struggling to Develop a Social Media Strategy? Call MARION Marketing Today!
MARION has years of B2B marketing experience from working closely with industrial manufacturers across Texas. If you need assistance with your social media strategy, our expert team of SEO and social media professionals knows exactly how to craft one customized for your business’s needs.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with a member of our marketing agency!
