Social media has become one of the best channels to market businesses in all industries, and manufacturing companies are no exception.
There are many social platforms you can use to market your manufacturing company – each with its own unique set of benefits.
On this page, we’ll give a basic overview of the benefits of using social media for your manufacturing company, and specifically how you can use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn to reach your target audience and generate new leads.
Why use social media as a manufacturer?
When you use social media marketing for your manufacturing company, there are many advantages including ease of use, a large audience, and cost-effectiveness.
It’s easy to use
The biggest advantage of social media marketing for manufacturing companies is that it gives your business the ability to reach an extraordinary number of people with the click of a button. For example, with platforms like Facebook and Twitter, you can reach hundreds (or even thousands) of followers with a single post. And when you count shares and retweets, which can exponentially increase your post’s exposure, the potential on these platforms is hard to overstate.
It gives you access to a large audience
Another advantage of social media marketing for manufacturing companies is that it is used by the majority of the world’s population that has access to the Internet. The Internet has 3.17 billion users, and there are currently 2.3 billion social media users. So if you market on social media, you can essentially reach over half of the Internet’s population.
It’s cost-effective
Finally, social media marketing for manufacturing companies is cost-effective. Simply posting on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn costs nothing, and it can help you increase brand awareness and reach your target audience.
What are the best social media networks for manufacturers?
Each social media platform has its own advantages, and these four are some of the best for manufacturing companies.
One of the best things a manufacturing company can do on Facebook is to share useful information. When you share information that users can benefit from, you’re showing that you care about meeting their needs before they even buy one of your products.
Your posts can include industry information, links to your latest blog posts, or a free guide to using your products.
You can also write posts to let your followers know important company information. Simple posts that inform your audience about an event you’re sponsoring or a giveaway you’re having can boost awareness and send visitors to your site for more information.
You should also aim to include visual content like photos, videos, or graphics in all of your posts. Visuals are much more enticing than blocks of text, and are far more likely to catch users’ attention as they scroll through their feeds.
Twitter can be a great place to market your manufacturing company because it allows you to share your site content, post photos and videos, and engage with other industry leaders.
Since it’s acceptable to share a few updates per day on Twitter, it’s also a great place to interact with your followers in a conversational manner. And if you tweet often, you can entice followers to start a conversation with you about your company or your industry as a whole.
You can also use Twitter to share important industry news by retweeting other manufacturing companies that provide useful information.
You can also learn a thing or two from industry leaders and how they’re marketing their own brand on Twitter – especially if they have an impressive following.
YouTube
87% of manufacturers have adopted video as a medium to market their business, and there are many different topics you can explore in video to give your potential customers are better idea of what you do.
For example, you could create a video giving a tour of your facility to show viewers how your products are made. You could also film videos of your products being used, as well as client testimonials and employee interviews.
The best thing about videos is that once they’re created, you can share them to nearly any other social media platform or embed them in your website, which increases their exposure and views.
They also get customers more interested in your brand, and make them more likely to engage with you online for a longer period of time.
LinkedIn is known as a social media platform that caters to professionals, which can produce a lot of qualified traffic to your manufacturing company’s website, and help you network with other industry leaders.
You can join a group on LinkedIn that is specifically open to manufacturing companies, which can allow you to have informed, beneficial conversations with others in your industry.
After you create, or become a part of a manufacturing group, don’t forget to promote it on your own page so that other manufacturers can contribute.
Social media tips for manufacturers
There are a few rules you should always follow, no matter what social media platforms you choose to utilize. These three tips will help you make the most of your social media marketing strategy.
Make your logo your profile picture
If you want to create brand awareness for your manufacturing company, you should always use a highly optimized photo of your logo for your profile picture across all of your social media accounts. This shows that your company is cohesive, and makes it easy for your brand to stand out and be found based on your logo.
Build Out Your Profile
Don’t skimp when it comes to filling out your profile. If you leave any fields blank, it can hinder customers or industry partners from learning valuable information about you and your company, and prevents you from being fully rounded as an online presence. Build your profile in a way that allows users to see everything about you – your location, contact information, how many employees, etc. Each missing piece of information creates the opportunity for customers to select a company that does provide that information.
Integrate Social Media
Creating a social media presence for your manufacturing company is one thing, but if you stop there, you’ll be missing out on even more opportunities. If your website has a blog, be sure to mention your social media handles, or if you send out email newsletters, mention your profiles in your signature.
Do You Need Help Using Social Media to Market Your Manufacturing Company?
If you’re interested in a social media campaign for your manufacturing company, WebFX can help. We have a whole team dedicated to creating well-rounded social media profiles for hundreds of businesses.
Contact us today for a free quote!