Over the last year or so I’ve had a lot of conversations with members about their business use of social media. Responses and activity level vary up and down the scale, from “yeah, we’ve got someone dedicated to that” to “I’m just not sure I see how useful this is for our industry.”
This article is more for the latter vs. the former, so let’s start by talking about what social is NOT:
A direct pipeline to immediate sales
Quantifiable in the same ways as traditional marketing
Something that you can or should ignore
And here is what good business social media IS:
A place to show more of who you are (to customers, prospects and even prospective employees)
A means to engage with customers (including customer service) and other partners
Where your expertise and thought leadership can shine
What about ROI?
Measuring social ROI is a struggle even for the most savvy marketers. But in defining your social media program’s goals, it’s important to think beyond just money. There is the larger umbrella of brand awareness, but also building community and touches with existing customers.
Bear this in mind: Most people aren’t spending time on social media when they’re immediately ready to buy something. Instead, most are looking for information. That’s why it’s wise to avoid tying a revenue amount to the time spent executing the program. Instead, consider some other goals you might use to quantify your social efforts:
Email list signups and contact form completions
Downloads – white papers, catalogs, etc.
Customer touches, such as service inquiries
Product trials
Leads generated
All of those goals are measurable, quantifiable, and offer context to your social efforts beyond “vanity metrics” such as simple follows, likes and impressions.
It’s all about the platform:
Chances are you already know this, but not all social platforms are created equal. The type of content and audience will vary greatly from one to the next. Businesses in the manufacturing technology industry are likely to find the greatest success on two vastly different platforms: LinkedIn and Instagram. (And to a lesser degree, Twitter.)
Your executives should be posting regular thought leadership updates to LinkedIn. Did they speak at an event? Read a great business book they want to share? Have something great happen at the company that merits congratulating the team? Post it, post it, post it. Your company account should be sharing thought leadership articles relevant to the business, company news releases and news mentions, and welcoming new hires on board. You can also use LinkedIn to post job openings.
Meanwhile, Twitter is great for your PR/media relations efforts, as it’s the top social platform that journalists use when looking for story angles. Tag journalists directly when posting your news releases and other company news. Beyond that, use it to engage with customers and partners, and also as an entry point for customer service. Make sure your corporate profile prominently lists how to reach your service team.
Finally, while you might think Instagram is just a place where teen girls post pictures of their unicorn Frappuccino, I want you to go there right now and look up the hashtag #instamachinist. No, your eyes don’t deceive you – there are 255K+ posts that have used that hashtag, and a lot of what they’re showing off are parts made with your and/or your competitors’ equipment. Imagine how great those folks would feel to get a shout-out from your company’s corporate Instagram account!
(Shameless plug: After you look up that hashtag, would you give a follow to @AMTonline? Thanks!)
What about Facebook? Yes, it’s good to have a presence there. Maintain a company page and post periodic updates with company news and events. But for this industry, the best primary use for Facebook is likely through the Messenger platform as an entry point for customer service.
A fond farewell:
After nine years, it’s with a mixture of sadness and excitement that I’m announcing my departure from AMT. This will be my last column for AMT News. Thanks for those who took the time to comment on what I wrote in here – and thanks for everything you taught me over the years.
