According to this SBN Interactive study, more than half of surveyed B2B manufacturing companies indicated they use social media as part of their manufacturing marketing plan. A closer analysis of a recent study on B2B marketing by Brightcove shows that 87% of B2B brands engage in some form of social media marketing — but despite social media’s widespread use by B2B companies, marketing professionals remain largely unsure about its effectiveness.

This lack of confidence boils down to one thing – manufacturers don’t know how to effectively use social media to market their products and connect with an audience.

So Let’s Talk About The Oscars For a Minute

In 2014, the Oscars broke Twitter. Literally. Ellen DeGeneres' Oscar selfie was seen by 37 million people worldwide and received 3 million retweets. The selfie, sponsored by Samsung, has been valued at $800 million to $1 billion in revenue for the company.  

Because the Oscars generate such a large audience and offer an opportunity for viewers to engage on several social media platforms, the event can even make    unsponsored    hashtags go viral, such as #LupitasLipBalm. The Academy Award-winning actress pulled a tube of HydraQuench Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm out of her bag during the event, and, according to a release from the company, the product “almost sold out across the country overnight.”  

Lupita Nyong’o pulled a tube of lip balm out of her bad, and millions of viewers decided they needed to buy that product.  

What does that have to do with manufacturing?  

Manufacturers Need to Understand How to Develop an Audience  

Although the Oscars have had a ready-made, eager audience for years, they’ve transitioned to the social space well — Ellen’s selfie was a specific call-to-action encouraging viewers to share a picture for a specific goal. #LupitasLipBalm hashtag was used in official Oscar channels as a way to connect with the audience.  

The moral of the story? Social media is a key component of engaging with an audience — in the manufacturing space, your audience is ideally composed of prospective customers, current clients, and peers. While you may never break Twitter, you can develop social media content and relationships that will grow your company (and increase your bottom line, as well).  

In short, if you’re not focusing on how social media can help your manufacturing company, it’s time to #B2BBetter.

Want to #B2BBetter? Tweet your #B2BBetter marketing questions to @Cleriti. We’d love to talk to you about how to improve your manufacturing marketing social media plan.