Are you dragging your feet into social media? Think it’s just for sharing cat jokes and vacation pictures, with no advantage for real businesses like manufacturing?
Join the crowd. According to a 2011 Forrester survey, 30 percent of manufacturers planned to increase their spending in social media marketing for 2012. Compare that to 50 percent from other industries.
A 2013 survey conducted by the Manufacturing Leadership Council suggested that “13% of manufacturing executives plan to digitize their design/production processes, and social media tools represent an important component.” That percentage is set to rise to 53 percent, but that’s not until 2023.
Still hesitating? Consider this: The more you shun Twitter and its social brethren, the more damage you may subject to your brand. People not only accept Facebook and Twitter and YouTube from businesses, but they expect it.
Odd as it sounds, if you’re not doing social media, you run the risk of folks thinking you’ve got something to hide.
What Makes Twitter a Manufacturer’s Choice?
Like Facebook, Twitter is an enormously popular network. Unlike Facebook, Twitter prides itself on brevity. Those “tweets” run 140 characters each – the equivalent of just a couple of sentences. But it’s a gateway that links to blogs, white papers, videos, your website and other business-building content that your customers might like.
What else is in it for you?
- It Gets Your Name out There - That’s no small claim on the Internet, where untold millions of people are searching every second of every day. When you craft your Twitter page around the words and phrases your target audience is most likely to use in a search engine, you’ll get better Google search results. Even more significant, Twitter and other social sites are an equalizer – a small business can compete with the biggest names in the business on the same playing field.
- It Gives Your Company a Personality - The engaging content you provide through Twitter, and the way you position it, gives a sense of character to your business. And the engagement goes both ways; in social media it’s often beneficial to “give as good as you get.” Show that you are paying attention by recommending and re-tweeting news and insights from those you’re following.
- It’s a Vehicle for Fast-Breaking News - A new product or service, a special discount, a trade show appearance – all are fair game for Twitter feeds. Your followers will get this information faster than they would through other media, and it demonstrates how active your company is in the marketplace.
- It Enhances Engagement - You can speak directly to customers, vendors, prospective employees and the industry in general through Twitter. Even a customer tweeting a complaint is an opportunity to shine. When you respond quickly and decisively, you show that you put satisfaction at the forefront.
Done Right, Twitter Does Work
Just ask Channellock, a Pennsylvania tool manufacturer. Channellock jumped into the social scene with Twitter, Facebook, YouTube videos and a blog.
Not only did the company win bragging rights with a PRism award for multi-faceted marketing, they enjoyed what Channellock Communications Manager Michele King called “a direct line of communication to the people who use and enjoy [our products]. It affords us the opportunity to ask questions and get answers.”
Try getting that kind of feedback with brochures or cold calls.
Getting up to Speed
The best way to get to know this network is through immersion. Your family and friends are natural choices, but expand your network into industry Twitter feeds – including those of your customers, vendors and, yes, even your competitors. How better to know what they’re talking about?
Create your company’s Twitter page with the same attention to detail you’d put on any other marketing vehicle. At the very least, populate it with your logo, a brief SEO-friendly description, tons of contact information, and photos of your plant, products and people. You got one big shot at a would-be follower, so make it count.
Then start loading content. That doesn’t mean ads, pleas for business or self-congratulations. That means informative blogs, videos that demonstrate a product, downloads to industry-focused white papers and other high-value pieces that highlight your expertise in the industry.
Finally, visit your Twitter page frequently – daily! Watch for retweets and comments, and offer some feedback to the pages you follow. You want to keep your page fresh with new Tweets daily. Your inbound marketing consultant can help you there.
Tweet on ...
There is a place for Twitter in manufacturing – because Twitter is where your current and would-be customers and employees are.
Give it a shot ... give it some time ... and you may be surprised what Twitter gives back to you.
