How Social Media Impacts B2B Industrial Manufacturers’ Business Development

The rise of social media

The rise of social networks has been nothing short of revolutionary, as you already know.

Social media marketing is now the most effective form of digital advertising.

And while it is no secret, social media sites are changing the face of businesses, it’s still up to the businesses themselves to make the most of the opportunities available. Would you agree?

As per the latest statistics provided by Nielsen, “the average American spends about eight hours a day using some kind of technology.”

That’s a staggering amount of time!

If you consider the fact that almost half of those users are millennials (people between 18 and 34 years old), then you realize just how much time they spend online.

With so many people spending so much time online, it makes sense that they would turn to social media sites to connect with others.

According to Pew Research, over eight out of ten Americans use social media daily.

This means that if you want to be seen by your target market, you need to be present where your audience hangs out.

So, what does this mean for industrial manufacturers?

It means that you should invest in social media marketing.

Why?

Because social media is one of the best ways to reach your target market.

How Important is social media to the B2B Industrial Manufacturing Industry?

With more than half of all U.S. consumers using it to research products and services before making a purchase decision, this means that if you want to be able to reach your potential buyers, you need to make sure that you’re on top of the game.

Social media marketing is one of the best ways to do this.

Here are three reasons why B2B manufacturing companies use it.

Reason #1: Social media marketing is the new frontier of business development

If you want to sell anything at all, then the use of social media platforms is an absolute necessity.

In fact, according to HubSpot, 85% of marketers use social media marketing to promote their brands.

Studies on the B2B buyer say that 82% of buyers stated that social media content has a significant impact on the purchase decision (Ancillai et al. 2019; Minsky and Quesenberry 2016).

So, what does this mean?

Social media marketing can help you reach out to millions of potential customers. It is an excellent way to promote your product or service.

It allows you to build lasting relationships with your customers for your customer service efforts, establish yourself as an authority in your industry, and generate leads for future sales.

But more importantly, it helps you connect with your existing buyers and potential buyers at precisely the right moment.

Utilizing the social media marketing platforms can build customer loyalty, improve customer satisfaction, and establish stronger customer relationships, making it one effective marketing strategy in the present times.

Reason #2: Social media as a powerful business development tool for industrial manufacturers

According to a study by HubSpot, “Social media has upended traditional marketing tactics, and today’s best-performing campaigns rely on more than just email blasts and print ads.”

The same study found that nearly 80% of companies surveyed said that social media was essential to their overall marketing strategies.

Industrial manufacturing companies need to take advantage of these trends and leverage social media marketing to grow their businesses.

Reason #3: Social media brings with it better advantages than traditional marketing for the B2B industrial manufacturer 

As mentioned above, social media marketing provides several benefits that traditional marketing channels cannot offer. Here are some of them:

• Real-Time Results
• Low Costs
• Targeted Audience
• Easy Measurement
• Ongoing Value

Let’s look at each one of these points in more detail.

Real-Time Results

One of the biggest advantages of social media tools is that it allows you to see immediate results.

This means that you will know immediately if your social media plan is working or not.

You won’t need to wait weeks or months to find out what happened with your campaign.

With traditional marketing, you may spend thousands of dollars on an advertising campaign only to find out that nobody saw it.

On the other hand, with social media marketing, you can always check how many people clicked on your link, signed up or read your ad.

If you notice your numbers aren’t high enough, then you can adjust your social media plan accordingly.

Low Costs

Another major benefit of social media marketing is the fact that it requires little effort and investment.

Traditional marketing channels, such as print ads and trade shows, require large amounts of money upfront.

On the other hand, social media marketing can promote a product or service inexpensively.

Targeted Audience

Unlike traditional marketing methods, social media marketing targets specific audiences.

Your goal should be to target the audience that is most likely to buy from you.

With social media, you can easily identify who your ideal buyer is and make sure they get the message.

For instance, if you want to promote your product to small businesses, then you should focus on social networks such as LinkedIn.

In addition, if you sell products for B2B prospective buyers whose audiences are on Pinterest, then you should try to get on sites such as Pinterest.

Ongoing Value

The last point we would like to mention is that social media marketing has long-term value. 

Think of the results of social media efforts as an equity that grows. The more you invest in it, the greater your return (ROI) will be.

Over time, as you continue to produce quality content and engage with your audience, you will see your social media following grow.

This increased following can then be leveraged to achieve your business goals, whether that is generating leads, boosting sales, or growing your brand awareness.

So, if you are patient and strategic with your social media marketing, you will be rewarded with long-term success.

At this point, you are probably asking this…

Which social media platform is best for B2B industrial manufacturers?

There are a plethora of social media platforms. Presently, there are 120+ social channels.

But must your B2B industrial company be in all of them? The answer is no. In fact, you probably only need 2 or 3.

That’s right.

You don’t need to be on every single social media site if you want to market yourself effectively.

When marketing your B2B company, it is unnecessary to have a presence on every social media site.

It is more important to focus on the social media platforms where your industry’s buyers are most active and to employ an effective social media strategy that will work for you.

Every industry’s choice of social media platforms depends on your unique goals, the target audience, and the products or services being marketed.

Here are three popular social media platforms that B2B industrial manufacturers should consider:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

Now, let’s look at each one of those platforms individually.

First, Facebook.

Facebook is by far the largest social network.

According to Statista, Facebook had 2.9 billion monthly active users in April 2022. That means that almost everyone who uses the internet has an account on this platform. In other words, there is a huge potential customer base out there. And this is especially true for B2B industrial companies.

Why do B2B industrial companies use Facebook?

B2B industrial companies use Facebook for several reasons.

• First, Facebook is used by almost everyone. Most of the people that you meet on the professional networking site, LinkedIn, are most likely on Facebook connecting with their friends and family. That means that there is an audience out there who is interested in your industry.
• Second, Facebook allows you to easily communicate with your current and potential customers.
• Third, Facebook offers great analytics capabilities. This gives you insight into what works and what doesn’t work on Facebook.
• Fourth, Facebook helps you build strong connections with other businesses.
• Finally, Facebook offers a wide range of advertising options. This includes paid ads, sponsored posts, and promoted posts.

All of these can help B2B companies help you get the word out about your products and services.

B2B customers found on Facebook are often already interested in buying from you.

Next up, we have Twitter.

According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, around 1 in 5 U.S. adults are active on Twitter and it has remained consistent over the years.¹

“Among U.S. adults who use Twitter, the top 25% of users by tweet volume produce 97% of all tweets, while the bottom 75% of users produce just 3%, according to an analysis conducted over a three-month period in 2021.”

The Pew Research Center²

Think about that opportunity if awareness and thought leadership are in your business goals.

Like Facebook, Twitter also provides an excellent opportunity for a B2B Industrial manufacturer to connect with its target audience.

B2B companies use twitter for many reasons.

Why do B2B industrial companies use Twitter?

Because Twitter is a very effective way to stay connected with the target audience.

Besides helping them promote their own brands, companies use Twitter to find new clients, gain exposure, and grow their networks.

Some examples include:

• Promoting a new product launch
• Getting feedback from customers
• Finding influencers within their industry
• Gaining attention for a specific event
• Engaging with followers

You can post quick messages (called Tweets) that contain links to articles, videos, images, and webpages.

These Tweets allow you to share information quickly and efficiently, improving your customer relationship performance.

And, because these Tweets are so easy to send, you can easily keep in touch with your audience.

Finally, we have LinkedIn.

65+ million business decision makers are on LinkedIn