Did you know that 77% of small businesses use social media? The primary purposes are for marketing, sales, and social media. Are you using social media as a part of your freight social media strategy?
Whether you are thinking about creating social media accounts, or have them but aren’t sure what to do with them. We are here to help.
We are going to explain how you can put your social media to work so that it helps your business grow.
Support Not Replace
It is important to use social media as another element in your marketing efforts. You shouldn’t drop all other marketing avenues and solely pursue social media.
Social media works well to bring awareness to your brand and services. It isn’t a place for long-form communication. Think of it as a place you can make connections and start communications.
Then use other marketing strategies to take the conversation off of social media and onto a more personal level. This is where you can deepen the relationship and close the sale.
Choose the Right Platform
One mistake new businesses make is that they try to be on all social media platforms. Or they choose the wrong platforms to promote their business.
While Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok are all great for personal use, they may not be the right fit for your freight company.
You need to be on the platform that fits your business’ personality. It also needs to be the platform where your potential customers are.
One great option for Logistics companies is LinkedIn. This is where businesses and professionals go to network. So you are reaching out to an audience that is receptive to professional communication.
Focusing Your Efforts
Now, we mentioned trying to be everywhere. This is a mistake because if you aren’t consistently active, you do more damage than good.
It can get overwhelming quickly, having to create content, post, and engage with people on several different platforms.
You will do much better and be much more effective if you choose one or two platforms to start with. Then you can add on another as you see fit.
Stick With It
Do not create a social media profile and then totally neglect it. Or even worse, do not create the profile, start posting, and then trail off.
This will look as though your business is struggling or no longer in business. Now you are driving potential customers away.
You have a few options. You could assign someone within your company to post for you. This is an ok option. However, this most likely won’t be their main responsibility and often falls to the bottom of the priority list.
Before you know it, they have gotten busy on other tasks and three weeks go by without you posting.
A second option is to hire a social media manager. But do you really need an in-house social media person? There probably isn’t enough for that person to do to warrant them working for your full time.
This is why a third option is appealing. Hire an outside social media manager. This is someone who specializes in creating a content calendar, scheduling your posts, managing engagement.
The biggest benefit is that they are an independent contractor. So you have all the benefits of hiring an expert without the expense.
S.M.A.R.T.
If you aren’t well-versed in the world of social media, a good strategy to follow is SMART.
Specific
Measurable
Action-oriented
Realistic
Time-oriented
If you follow this guideline, you have a better chance of creating a successful freight social media campaign.
Ideas for Content
You can increase visibility for your customers by using your social media as an announcement board. For instance, if you know that certain lanes are experiencing major delays, then why not post about it?
This will encourage your customers to ship sooner rather than waiting until the last minute. You could also announce weather alerts. This is useful in winter when snowstorms are frequent.
If you know that certain lanes are experiencing a drop in price, then you can use this as content to encourage people to book their shipments.
All of these ideas are multi-tasking that checks off several boxes
- Unique content
- Directly related to your audience
- Time and topic relevant
- Delivers information
- Encourages action
Use the Right Content Mix
Do not fall into the trap of posting all promotional and sales-oriented content. This is a huge turn off to people and will cause you to lose both credibility and followers.
Instead, there is a formula you should follow when you are doing B2B marketing. You need to follow the 30/60/10 rule.
This means that 30% of what you post should be original content that you create. This could be photos, blogs, or videos.
Then 60% of the content you create should be curated. This means content that is not created by your brand. Maybe it is industry news or customer-created content. Whatever you post in this category, you need to include your own POV with the link to the original content.
Finally, 10% of your content should be promotional. This is where you put your call to action and sell your business and services.
If you can’t follow this exact formula, that’s ok. Just remember to keep the promotional posts the smallest percentage.
Stand Out From the Competition
The freight industry has been slow to adopt social media. The problem with this is that freight customers have not been slow to adopt. So why not stand out from the competition and be ahead of the industry in creating a social media presence?
At the very least, you could use these avenues as a method of customer service. We all know how frustrating it can be to get answers about a particular load. So why not make it easy for your customers by letting them send you a message through social media?
The trick to making this successful is to have the right system in place. For instance, you’ll want to have notifications turned on, so you know when someone reaches out.
Another great feature is to have automatic replies set up for common questions. This will automate a large portion of the process for you.
Get Help With Your Freight Social Media
If all of this sounds great, but more than you are willing to work on and do, I can help. By working with me, I can get take care of your social media while you focus on the freight.
I have one significant advantage over other social media managers. I have personal experience working in the freight industry. I understand the unique challenges that your business faces. I also can work with you to reach your target customers. After all, not all freight is the same, and you need to reach people and businesses that are most likely to use your service.
So let’s start working together to make your social media effective.
No post found!