If you’re like the manufacturers we partner with, you probably have a social media presence. You may have a social media strategy. And, yet, keeping up with best practices in social media for B2B manufacturers can be challenging.
This first post in our April series on Social Media Marketing for Manufacturers will get you up to speed on trends. Next week, I will cover 5 top ideas for LinkedIn optimization. The following week will focus on content ideas for other channels.
Social media marketing seems infinite in its depth and breadth. Then, once you have the core know-how in place, best practices shift constantly. It can feel like running after a train that’s already left the station!
You may be wondering “What’s the best way to use social media in 2022?”
We put time and effort into keeping up with B2B social media trends so our partner manufacturers don’t have to. We constantly learn from the top thought leaders and our client experiences. Then we pass that knowledge along to you.
This post lays out the latest data-informed recommendations for B2B manufacturing social media marketing.
We first posted “Social Media 101” for manufacturers in 2020. Some of the best practices from that post still ring true today.
Some social media marketing recommendations remain stable over time:
These timeless best practices in social media for industrial manufacturers will get you started. Next, let’s look at the latest trends.
Top channels for B2B marketing have changed. The latest research shown in the graph above indicates that B2B marketing has embraced Facebook. Also, image- and video-based platforms Instagram and YouTube now get more use than Twitter.
In terms of sheer use by B2B marketers globally, Facebook has overtaken LinkedIn with 40% of B2B marketers using Facebook and 35% using LinkedIn.
LinkedIn user data indicates that it remains on top as the best platform for most manufacturing companies.
This visual-based platform has outpaced Twitter in today’s image-driven marketing world.
YouTube has risen quickly as a platform for B2B social media. This video platform holds so much promise for manufacturing marketing that we ran a series of blog posts on using YouTube in your manufacturing marketing.
Twitter continues to play an essential role in B2B marketing. In addition to Tweeting and Retweeting, look into networking events hosted on the platform. One excellent example that we often join is #USAMfgHour.
This post summarized the essentials of social media for B2B manufacturers. I hope it has helped you get caught up on the latest trends as well.
For more manufacturing social media content ideas, watch for our remaining Social Media Optimization series posts.
Every Tuesday new B2B manufacturing marketing content lands on our blog!
We’re always happy to talk if you have questions we didn’t answer here or ideas of your own to share. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn or Tweet us.
—parin
Managing Partner
Image credit: Social Media Examiner data represented by Statista
With over two decades of experience, Parin leads an expert demand-generation agency, StratMg, that helps industrial manufacturing clients achieve unambiguous and quantified organic sales growth across the US, EMEA & APAC.
Parin has built & positioned StratMg to be a value-added marketing services provider that strives to create a culture of quantified sales-driven marketing initiatives leading to sustained business growth through channel management, diversification, new customer acquisition and retention strategies and tactical execution.
