Social media allows industrial professionals another vehicle to connect with their existing client base and showcase their expertise while attracting new prospects. It has been playing an increasingly important role in today's digital transformation of sales and marketing.
Posting regularly on your social media platforms using the right hashtags helps to gain broader brand awareness. But to really get the most out of social media, you need to truly engage your audience.
Unless you stopped paying attention to how humans work when you were back in middle school, you know that talking about yourself nonstop is a terrible way to keep someone’s attention. Likewise, constantly promoting your products and bragging about solely your company is not a sound strategy for manufacturing marketing.
Proper social media marketing requires a commitment beyond the weekly Facebook post or the occasional Twitter retweet. You’ll need to maintain a constant stream of updates and, since you shouldn’t just be talking about your own company 24/7, let's discuss the mix of social media content that has been working for manufacturers and industrial companies.
The 50/30/20 Rule For Social Media Content
The good news is you don’t have to come up with all of this content yourself. In fact, half of your content should come from outside your organization. About 50% of your social media activity should be curated, shared content. Another 30% should be original content that you’ve created yourself. And for the final 20%, you get to talk yourself up with promotional content. Let’s take a closer look at each of these categories.
Provide Value With Curated Content
Since curated content is going to make up half of your social media presence, make sure it’s relevant to your specific audience. All of this content should be useful and insightful, providing your audience with real value. This is a chance to show that you know your audience and understand what they need, positioning yourself as a knowledgeable, helpful source of information.
However, since you didn’t create the content yourself, you need to give credit where credit is due. Be sure to tag the outlets you’re sharing, and make obvious note of the authors. It’s the right thing to do, and this nod to the creators will allow you to organically connect and establish goodwill with other industry influencers.
If you’re struggling to curate content, Feedly and other similar tools can help you build your content curation.
Showcase Your Knowledge With Original Content
As useful as curated content is, nothing truly establishes you as an industry expert like original content. Not only does this give you the opportunity to prove that you really know what you’re talking about (while subtly plugging your brand), it also gives other folks the opportunity to use your content in their own curation, sharing your posts with others in the field. In this way, you can catch the attention of potential clients who would not have otherwise discovered you.
Original content may include videos, blog posts, eBooks, guides, webinars, and podcasts. Videos, especially, are becoming more and more popular, allowing companies to engage more personally with their client base while creatively sharing a story. Plus, posting high-quality, engaging videos shows that you’re a professional, cutting-edge leader with your finger on the pulse of new technologies and trends.
See these 14 industrial video examples for inspiration that help increase clicks and close sales.
Display Your Offerings Tactfully With Promotional Content
Some self-promotion is acceptable on social media. In fact, it’s expected, so be sure you’re highlighting promotions and sales and keeping users in-the-know about product rollouts and exciting company news. If something special is going on for your customers, you should be letting them know.
You can also share good customer reviews, awards, and industry honors to showcase your commitment to quality and excellent customer service. Press releases and demos also fall under the umbrella of promotional content.
Be creative about the designs of the content pieces you share. See how the Instagram post above is visually appealing but speaks to the craftsmanship of the work? Choose assets that build your brand, create an emotional connection, and differentiate your company.
Read More: How Manufacturers Can Build Their Brand To Connect With More Customers
Learn More About The Basics of Social Media For Manufacturers
One of the keys to keeping current clients engaged while attracting new leads and establishing your company as a trusted industry leader is with valuable, quality content. Whether that's on your social media posts, blogs, or landing pages — all your messaging has to be aligned. What that simply means, is that you can't copy and paste your content on each platform.
Learn the type of content that works best on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and more with "The Complete Guide To Social Media Marketing For Manufacturers." You'll discover how each platform is designed different, the success we've experienced with our own social media networks, and some content examples from manufacturers.
If you need a partner along the way to help you sort through it all, the industrial marketing experts at Thomas are here to help. Our team is made up of degreed engineers and strategists who can take your complex content and turn them into compelling content your buyers will engage with. Contact the team today to discuss your options and learn more about social media for manufacturing marketing.
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