The manufacturing industry is one of the most competitive industries out there.
Manufacturers must keep up with technology and innovation while maintaining high quality standards.
However, it doesn’t matter how great your products are if no one knows about them.
In today’s digital world, industrial companies cannot afford to ignore social media marketing as part of their digital marketing strategy, regardless of the company size or niche.
But what do you say about your industrial company on social media?
Do you say “Hey guys, I want to share something cool?”
Do you talk about your product? Do you talk about your customers? Or do you talk about yourself?
In this article, we will discuss some social media posts ideas for your manufacturing marketing team when you use the social networking sites to reach your current customers and leads for when marketing your B2B industrial business to increase sales and exposure.
Social Media Marketing For Manufacturing Industry–Why You Should Use It? 10 reasons
The manufacturing industry has a lot to gain from using social media marketing.
Manufacturing companies can use social channels to increase brand awareness.
Post frequently on Facebook and Twitter, respond quickly to negative comments, and publish user-generated content.
Use sponsored updates to promote your products or services, and cross-post material from related websites. Video is very popular on YouTube for this purpose.
The first thing you need to do before getting started with any of these things is to make sure that you have a good understanding of the people who visit your website.
This means that you should know who they are, where they come from, and why they came to your site in the first place.
If you don’t know anything about your visitors, then you won’t be able to target them properly.
Manufacturing companies can also use social media marketing to aid with customer service.
If your manufacturing company provides customer service, then you need to take advantage of social media marketing.
Customers love to interact with brands through social media, so give them a reason to do so by providing helpful answers to questions and responding to complaints.
The plus side of it is that if you have an active presence on social media, that means you can quickly resolve issues in real time and consequently improve customer retention.
Your customers will notice.
And they will talk.
If you sell products or services to other businesses, then you need to generate leads. You are a business, after all.
The best way to do this is through social media marketing. Create an account on LinkedIn, follow relevant accounts, join groups, and engage with others.
Your manufacturing company can create lead magnets through social media marketing. These include anything from free ebooks or whitepapers to webinars or surveys.
Reputation management is important for all types of businesses, but especially for manufacturers. Manufacturers often face criticism online, which can damage their reputation.
Social media is where people talk and you would want to monitor that.
If you are a manufacturer, then you should know that there are many ways in which social media can be used against you.
Having an active presence online is one of the first steps to deter that; not just to engage, but also monitor conversation.
If someone posts negative comments about your company on social platforms, you need to be able to respond quickly.
A good reputation management strategy includes monitoring conversations on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Google Business, and LinkedIn.
You can use social media advertising opportunities to promote your manufacturing products and services.
I recommend your manufacturing marketing team should speak with your sales team. The key here is to find out what works best for your particular audience.
For example, if you sell office equipment, then post pictures of your products, show videos of how they work, and link to reviews of your products.
Social proof is another great way to market your manufacturing products and services using social media.
People trust recommendations from friends and family more than they trust advertisements.
So, when someone shares or talks about your manufacturing company positively on social media, they are essentially giving your followers a recommendation.
People may not buy your product/service immediately, but they will remember that a trusted friend or family member recommended it.
Targeted traffic is yet another reason why industrial manufacturing companies should consider using social media marketing for manufacturing.
Social media advertising can be a great way to hyper-target your prospective buyers and get them interested in what you have to offer. And if done correctly, it can also help your lead generation campaign.
The last reason why you should use social media marketing for manufacturing industry is website visits. Social media marketing drives traffic to websites, that is why it is an essential tool in everyone’s content marketing strategy.
Manufacturers can use this traffic to boost their organic search results for SEO (search engine optimization).
There are many other reasons industrial companies should be invested in including social channels in their digital marketing strategies.
What social media platforms do manufacturing companies use?
According to research by Content Marketing Institute for the manufacturing industry, these are the top 5 social media marketing platforms that manufacturing companies use:
| 87% | |
| 82% | |
| YouTube | 80% |
| 75% | |
| 59% |
93% of manufacturers use these platforms for content distribution – and a huge portion of them, as you can see, use LinkedIn.
Manufacturers use these social media platforms for brand recognition and lead generation to help the marketing and sales teams.
Of those surveyed, more than half of manufacturers increased their resources toward social media channels and other online communities. posting ideas for social media ideas for industrial manufacturers?
Companies in the industrial manufacturing industry are typically seen as boring and not sexy.
This doesn’t have to be the case. If you can take advantage of social media marketing, you can create a strong reputation for yourself among potential clients.
Social media marketing is a powerful tool for industrial manufacturers to reach customers and potential customers.
But it’s not always easy to come up with relevant content that works well on social media.
That’s why we’ve created this list of social media post ideas for your marketing campaigns to help promote your products and services on various social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google Business, Instagram, and more.
So let’s begin…
Industrial manufacturers posting ideas for social media
Share photos of your products
Sharing pictures of your products on social media helps customers visualize exactly what they’re buying.
This tactic is useful for industrial companies who sell complex machinery.
If your company sells heavy equipment, share photos of your machines working hard in the field.
If your company makes custom parts, show off your finished product.
Here are other examples of how you can use photos for your social media posts:
Use images to highlight important dates
When you want to make sure that your audience remembers an important event for your manufacturing company, use images.
Images are great because they allow you to emphasize specific details without taking up too much space.
You can use images to show when a product was released, when a promotion ended, or when a deadline passed.
Create a photo gallery
If you have a lot of photos that you have accumulated based on the first social media post idea above, use these images to create a photo gallery of your company’s products.
You can even take photos of your products before they are made. This gives you an opportunity to showcase in a gallery your factory’s design wok. (Hint: images are helpful for SEO, too).
Once you’ve created your photo gallery, add captions describing each image.
For example, you could write something like “Our new product was designed by our team of engineers such as______”
Alternatively, instead of images, post videos about your products
With so many video tools apps available, videos are easy to create – and distribute on social media.
According to Hubspot, “Studies show that 54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support.
Videos are one of the top 3 types of content that manufacturing companies make.
86% of businesses use video as a marketing tool — up from 63% over the last three years.
wyzowl.com
This is a great social media post idea for manufacturing companies that don’t have a lot of money to spend on social media advertising.
Here are some examples of how to use video for your industrial manufacturing social media post:
- Refer to examples listed above. Simply replace “photos” with video/s.
- Company mission statement. Post a video about your company mission statement to allow viewers to understand your company’s values and goals. This helps them understand why they should work for or buy from your business.
- Explainer video. Create an explainer video on how your machine operates.
- Cinemagraph. If your company makes custom parts for other manufacturers, create a cinemagraph showing how your product fits into the larger picture.
- History and culture. Post a video about your company history and company culture.
- Factory tour. A factory tour video is a great way to show potential customers what your business does and how it works. It can be a very effective marketing tool if done right. Also, if you’re holding an open house at your factory, upload a video tour of the facility. There are many ways to create a factory tour video. You can film yourself walking through your facility, showing off all the different parts of the production line. Or, you can hire a videographer to capture footage of your entire process.
Use live streaming for product updates
Live streaming is becoming increasingly popular among consumers. They watch it longer than other video types.
Consumers watch live video 10–20 times longer than on-demand content.
IBM
Try live streaming to connect with your customers. You can do this through various ways such as answering questions, giving away prizes, and sharing information about upcoming events.
This helps them feel closer to your company and allows them to learn about new products or services.
As long as you stay consistent with your live stream, you’ll build trust among your audience.
Include links to relevant pages
One of the best strategies that you can do with your social media posts is to include links to related pages to help drive the social signals for your business web pages.
Put a relevant link after your social media copy when appropriate.
So readers can easily find more information about your business.
Make sure that your links lead back to your website, but don’t be afraid to link to any pages on your site – or other sites that are important to you.
For example, say you run a manufacturer of heavy equipment. If you write a blog post about the benefits of using hydraulic pumps, include a link to your page about hydraulic pumps.
Don’t forget to add a call-to-action (CTA) at the end of each link. This ensures that visitors know where they should go after clicking through from your post.
Add hashtags
Hashtags are keywords that are preceded by a pound sign (#).
By adding hashtags to your social media posts, you increase the chances that your message will get seen by relevant audiences.
To find relevant hashtags, check out Twitter’s search bar or Instagram’s hashtag search tool.
For example, let’s say you manufacture heavy equipment. You could tag your posts with #heavyequipment, #manufacturing, #industrial, etc.
ProTip: In some cases you may be manufacturing for a hyper-niched industry. Use your niche’s hashtag still, but combine it with broader hashtags.
These tags will help your followers see all of your content about heavy equipment.
Once you’ve found some good hashtags, share them on your social media profiles.
This helps ensure your brand stays visible across different platforms.
Write engaging social media captions
This one is super important to me. Photos capture attention, but social media captions should work as your headline to lead-in people to what you wanted to say, whether that is a mere social media post or to a web page.
So, make sure that they grab attention.
If you’re writing a caption for a photo, try to keep it short.
People skim over longer captions, so cut down on the words as much as possible.
Use Twitter polls
Twitter polls are a great way to gather feedback from your customers.
By using a poll, you can ask questions like “What features would you least like to see in an application?”
Polls are a great way to find out what your users need, so you can improve your product.
You can even run a poll to gauge customer satisfaction after a particular event, such as launching a new product, a service or a webinar.
Answer to a frequently asked question
I am sure your customers have frequently asked questions that your customer service team has culled.
Why not repurpose it as social media posts one question and answer at a time with a link back to your FAQ page so they get more information?
These questions might include “How much does it cost?”, “What is the refund policy?” and “Do you ship internationally?”
However, there are other questions that you may not have think of. These questions include “Can I use this product for commercial purposes?”, “Is this product safe?”, “Does this product come with a warranty?” and “What is the return policy?”
Ask your customers to submit their own questions
Besides answering common questions, you could also ask your customers to submit their questions.
The best part is that you’ll be able to curate the best questions and answers for future posts.
Showcase your team’s achievements
Your team members are the heart and soul of your company.
They deserve recognition!
Use social media to highlight your team’s accomplishments.
Write a blog post about one of your team members’ latest projects.
Or, find someone at your company who has recently been promoted or received an award. Share this news on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. with that team member holding their achievement.
Include a caption that reads “We couldn’t do it without our ________ .”
Posting photos of your employees helps humanize your brand. Also, it shows that your company cares about its employees and values their contributions.
Share a manufacturing trivia
Manufacturing trivia is a fun way to share information about your company or the industry.
This type of content is fun for the curious minds and very engaging.
People love learning new things. They want to know how something came into being. This is why people enjoy watching documentaries or reading books about history.
You can also use this opportunity to show how your product is made.
So to speed up engagement and build awareness, add this type of post to your social media marketing communication toolbox.
Use Instagram Stories to promote your product line
Instagram Stories was newly introduced in 2017. This feature allows users to share photos or videos taken using the app directly within the story itself.
Users can choose to add text, location tags, and even stickers to their stories.
These features make Instagram Stories perfect for sharing quick clips of products, events, or anything else that would benefit from being shared quickly and easily.
Post a listicle
A listicle is a post that consists of several short lists or bullet points. It is easy to post on social media sites like LinkedIn and Facebook.
Why is it a great social media post?
Listicles are very easy to write and read. They are perfect for sharing on social media platforms because they are quick to read and don’t require too much attention.
Use lists to describe your products and services.
You can include links to more detailed information if needed.
Promote upcoming events
If you want to get the word out quickly, consider using social media posts to announce your event.
There are many ways to promote your next big event.
Whether it’s a trade show, conference, or any other event, hosting an event can give you exposure to many types of people.
With just a few clicks, you can start reaching a wide audience easily.
This will help your followers plan for your event. Or for some of them, they can help you share your event.
To keep things simple, you can simply post a link to your event page on your website.
If you have a large following, you may wish to consider creating a dedicated hashtag for your event.
- Using hashtags makes it easier for people to search for related topics.
- When searching for #youreventhashtag, users will be able to see all relevant posts with that hashtag.
Share a study or white paper
Sharing a case study and white papers are a great way to show your potential audience how you solved a problem or overcame a challenge.
You can use this type of content to show your expertise and knowledge about your product or service.
If you share a case study, you can potentially gain followers and increase traffic to your website – and get more leads.
#MadeInAmerica Hashtag
#MadeInAmerica is used by consumers and brands alike.
Many people don’t realize that American manufacturing is still alive and well.
This tag helps consumers identify products made in America. If your industrial manufacturing company has products that are Made In the U.S. A., then use this hashtag when posting on social media.
Share manufacturing funny memes
Memes are funny content shared online. And they often include pictures and text.
They’re great because they make everyone laugh. Funny posts get liked and shared often.
If you’re looking for something to share on social media, then consider sharing a meme.
Here are some examples of texts that you can use:
- “My boss just gave me a promotion!”
- “This is why I love my job!”
These memes are perfect for showcasing your workplace culture in your manufacturing company.
Similarly, you could post a humorous image of an employee standing next to a machine. This would remind others they need to be careful around machinery.
These memes can help reinforce safety procedures and prevent accidents on your factory floor.
Share curated articles from the manufacturing industry
Industry-specific articles are another great social media post idea for industrial manufacturers.
For example, if you work at a steel mill, then share articles about steel mills.
Or, if you manufacture medical equipment, share an article about the latest advances in healthcare technology.
The goal here is to show people that there’s plenty of information available for your industry.
And that you are the best source of that information. So, they should come back to you to stay up to date with industry news and anything else that applies to the manufacturing sphere [- including your posts].
Customer Service Alerts
If your manufacturing company provides customer support, then you should use this type of post to inform users about any recent changes.
For example, maybe you’ve added a new phone number or changed your hours of operation.
You want to let your customers know so they can contact you easily.
Be sure to provide all the details, including a link to the page where they can find more info.
Include a picture of someone from your team answering questions.
This shows that you have a real person behind every message. It also gives them a sense of who they can talk to if they have questions.
New Product
Your team may be working on a product that is coming out soon or was recently released.
Either way, these types of posts are a good idea for social media marketing.
You can create a photo collage or video montage showing off the finished product.
Then, you can add captions describing the features of the product. For example, “This is our newest product. It’s a high-tech device that makes life easier for busy professionals like you.”
Then, you can link to the website where you can learn more about the new product.
This is also a great opportunity to highlight the benefits of using your product over competitors’ offerings.
In addition, you can encourage potential buyers to sign up for updates so they can hear when the product becomes available.
In these cases, you can use social media to alert your customers.
Here are some examples:
- “Our new product has been released!”
- “We just added a new section to our FAQ page.”
- “We just launched a new service to our clients.”
Share customer reviews
Business customer reviews are a powerful tool for promoting your industrial products or services.
People trust other people’s opinions, and this is especially true for businesses.
So, whenever you receive good feedback from one of your business customers, be sure to share it on social media.
P.S. Make sure you are not breaching NDA with your client.
Share your blog posts
It is a great way to educate potential customers about your products, your expertise, and who you are.
These are content that should feed any social media platform.
Blog articles are gateways for your leads to know more about you.
Showcase your company culture
This is a great social media post example that helps a potential user and the purchase understand why they should choose you over your competitors.
So showing off your company culture is a great way to attract new clients and to build a community around your company.
You can showcase your company culture through photos, videos, and interviews.
A few tips to consider:
- Make sure your employees are happy – and relaxed while taking pictures.
- Don’t take too many selfies; instead, ask your employees to pose with their colleagues and friends.
- Be careful with the image background. Make sure there is no back-light.
- Respect your employees’ privacy. Check with your HR if your employee/s have signed a media release for your company. If not, get explicit permission.
Tell Stories
There are many reasons telling stories is one of the best social media post ideas for industrial manufacturers.
First, stories are a great way to humanize your brand and connect with your customers on a more personal level. By sharing stories about the people who work at your company, the customers who use your products, or the communities that you serve, you can create a more intimate connection with your audience.
Second, stories are a great way to show off your company’s expertise and knowledge. By sharing customer stories, or stories about your own products or services, you can show off your company’s strengths and help your customers learn more about what you do.
Lastly, when you tell a story, you invite your followers to get involved by commenting on the story, liking it, sharing it, etc. You can then interact with those comments and likes, which helps keep your audience interested in reading more of your posts.
BONUS TIP: Be consistent
Growing your B2B social Media over time
An industrial manufacturer must be consistent in its social media content strategy in order to engage its target audience effectively.
In order to create a successful social media campaign, create a social media strategy and plan that includes voice and tone for its messaging that is consistent across all social media networks. This will help to create a recognizable and trustworthy brand.
Additionally, it is important to be consistent in the content that is shared on social media sites. Sharing relevant and engaging content consistently will help to keep followers interested in the brand and will help to build relationships with potential customers.
If you are looking for ways to improve your business through social media, here are a few tips:
First, don’t expect instant success. It takes time to build trust and credibility.
Second, keep your content fresh. Don’t just rehash old material.
Third, always offer value. Your followers will appreciate you for sharing useful information.
Finally, don’t forget to interact with your followers. They love to hear from you.
Social Success Team marketing for B2B manufacturing industry
Social Media Marketing is a great way to reach out to potential customers. However, it takes consistency and continuous learning and adaptation to stay ahead of the competition. This is why savvy B2B companies leverage our experience and adaptability to get a leg up on their competitors.
Our team has a combined experience of doing social media marketing and optimization for almost 20 years. We are always on the pulse of what is happening – so we can help our clients perform quick strategic pivots as things change.
If you would like us to run a social media marketing campaign for your business, contact us today! We offer consultations so that we can discuss your needs and goals.
We also provide a variety of social media management packages that include everything from posting content, monitoring engagement, scheduling updates, managing ads, creating graphics, and much more.
