Social media marketing for manufacturing companies can be a game-changer for building your business. In fact, 84% of B2B marketers use some kind of social media marketing for business development.
Whether you’re an OEM, tier-one supplier, contract manufacturer, or small job shop, your potential customers, partners, and competitors are on social platforms—and you should be as well. But how can manufacturers use social media effectively?
In this article, we’ll explore social media strategies for manufacturing companies that will help you stay competitive, connect with your audience, and build a stronger online presence.
Why Social Media Marketing for Manufacturing
For manufacturers, social media offers opportunities to increase brand visibility, connect with key audiences, demonstrate industry expertise, and engage your employees. When done right, it helps you showcase what makes your company stand out and fill your sales team’s pipeline with customers who are ready to buy.
Think about it: by sharing photos of your products in action, posting updates about new innovations, or simply interacting with your followers, you’re putting your brand in front of people who might never have found you otherwise.
An active social media presence keeps you top-of-mind for past customers and prospects in your sales funnel. Long sales cycles are common for manufacturers, and decisions like choosing a new supplier can fall through during the day-to-day shuffle. Appearing in the social media feeds of your contacts can remind them of the benefits of switching to your services sooner rather than later.
Best Practices for Social Media Marketing for Manufacturing
Before you build your social media strategy, there are a few best practices to keep in mind:
- Understand your audience: A great first step is to talk with your sales team to learn what pain points you can address for prospective clients. What questions do they need answered? What’s keeping them from closing the deal? What proof do they want to see to feel confident about choosing you? These can all help you do well on social.
- Maintain a brand voice: Your posts should be worded in the same way you talk to customers. This is your “brand voice,” which keeps your messaging consistent across marketing channels, helping to build trust and recognition.
- Take a multi-channel approach: Use different platforms strategically (LinkedIn for B2B, YouTube for product demos) if you’re able to. If you’re just starting out on social media, it’s okay to just focus on one.
- Create a consistent posting schedule: Regular posting keeps your brand top-of-mind and shows reliability. A steady schedule ensures ongoing engagement with your audience and is rewarded by social algorithms by making your content appear more frequently.
- Measure key metrics: Focus on metrics that align with your business goals. Whether you want to bring in more traffic from social media to your website or you want to improve your social media following, remember that they should all tie in to your greater marketing goals.
By following these best practices, you can build an effective social media presence that fosters engagement and is part of a system that drives business results.
Social Media Strategies for Manufacturers
Now that you understand the best practices for social media, let’s dive into strategies that will help you stand out from the crowd.
1. Showcase Your Expertise
If you already have a company blog, sharing your articles can help you demonstrate expertise and build trust. By posting insights on industry trends, solutions, or case studies, you position your business as a thought leader while driving traffic to your website. You also build credibility with potential clients and partners.
2. Share Your Work
Showcasing your products and services in action is a great way to capture attention. Share photos, videos, or case studies that highlight your recent projects or unique manufacturing processes. This both builds awareness and gives potential customers a tangible sense of what you offer.
3. Customer Testimonials
Customer testimonials are a powerful form of social proof. Share success stories and reviews from your clients to build credibility and trust. You can easily use the text from a 5-star Google review as a post for your social feed. Or, if your client has the resources, a video testimonial can be great to highlight as well.
4. Behind-the-Scenes
Give your audience a behind-the-scenes look at your operations. This can be a facility tour or a look into your production process, but posts that feature people tend to perform best. Highlighting your team members on social humanizes your brand and doubles as a way to share individual talents and accomplishments.
5. Follow Client Companies
Following and engaging with your client companies on social media helps you stay connected and builds stronger relationships. It also opens up opportunities for collaboration and staying informed about your clients’ needs and developments in their industries.
6. Repurpose Older Content
You wouldn’t make a pair of shoes expecting to only wear them once. The same mentality should apply to your content. You can easily repurpose old content and share it in different ways. This not only saves time, but also keeps your social media feed fresh with minimal effort.
Social Media Mistakes to Avoid
It’s just as important to avoid common mistakes when implementing your social media strategy. Some of those mistakes include:
- Not responding to follower comments, mentions, and messages.
- Posting at irregular intervals.
- Mainly posting promotional and sales content.
- Adopting social media trends that aren’t aligned with your brand messaging or marketing goals. The latest meme format may be fun and appealing to a younger demographic, but if you’re target decision-makers, that may not be the best approach to reach them.
Keep these pitfalls in mind and you’ll be able to avoid complications that reflect poorly on your brand.
Start Making Strides With Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is a powerful tool for manufacturing companies, helping you connect with customers, showcase your expertise, and build brand recognition. By choosing the right platforms and focusing on strongly representing your brand, you can create a social media strategy that drives real results.
Whether you’re just getting started or you’re looking to improve your social media presence, GBG has got you covered. Our team has extensive experience working with manufacturing companies to build marketing plans that are sustainable, data-driven, and will fill your sales team’s pipeline.
Book a 15 minute strategy call and we’ll help determine the best next steps to achieve your marketing and business goals!