I hear it often: “Social media is a waste of time in our industry.” This sentiment has been uttered at industry functions, among trade association members, and by thought leaders within the rotational molding community.
This viewpoint is understandable. Rotomolding is somewhat “old school”—we’re largely business-to-business marketers. Many believe that manufacturing isn’t viewed as appealing to the younger crowd; meanwhile the industry demographic also holds an “I don’t do Facebook” mindset.
As an outlier advocate of social media within our industry, I’ve always felt a little put off by these dismissals, primarily because we’ve had quantifiable success deploying a multi-platform marketing strategy. By utilizing traditional print advertising (RotoWorld magazine), our blog, and our social media platforms that include Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram—Avantech has gained many new business opportunities.
So I decided to dig in to better understand what’s driving the vehemence of these anti-social media statements. What I discovered (in my highly non-scientific investigation) was hardly shocking—those most vociferously opposed to using social media as a promotional tool for our industry simply don’t use it.
It harkens back to my steel industry days when—after months of investing in the development of an absolutely killer ad campaign—forces (mostly internal) conspired to kill the killer campaign. Months later, an accounting colleague, channeling his inner Einstein, remarked, “What a waste of money.”
Indeed, one surefire way to absolutely guarantee the failure of an ad campaign is not to run it.
I believe the same can be said of our industry’s social media naysayers. You can unequivocally prove the self-fulfilling prophecy that social media doesn’t work by not using it. While I don’t believe that Avantech’s Twitter account, all on its own, is the answer to our marketing prayers, I do find affirming Social Media Today’s assertion that 71% of consumers are likely to purchase an item based on social media referrals.
To be clear, I don’t believe that social media will replace personal interaction as our most-effective marketing tactic. But when we complement traditional, face-to-face marketing with social media, we augment our marketing effectiveness and maintain relevance with the growing legions of social media-influenced consumers.
If you don’t follow us on social media already, we encourage you to check out our Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram pages. Take a look at what we’re posting, see how easy it can be, and maybe even get a few content ideas for your business’s social media posts.
Here’s to more rotomolding social media action in 2016. Cheers!
