How Social Media Benefits Supply Chain!

Supply Chain as a Service (SCaaS)!

If your supply chain company isn’t active on social media, know that your competitors are and they are enjoying social media benefits.

Here are four ways social media can help the supply chain in improving processes and expanding your audiences.

Supply chain and logistics companies have typically been slower to embrace social media. Remember, social networking isn’t about being social; it is about facilitating communication and collaboration, distributing content, and engaging with target audiences. It’s about making processes more efficient using innovative technologies, like automation tools.

As part of a comprehensive content marketing strategy, social media can actually help your supply chain company meet ROI benchmarks. Utilizing social media increases your brand’s visibility and promotes transparency. The distribution of high-quality, thought provoking content will help your target audience see you as an industry leader, which will help you boost sales and increase customer engagement.

Here are four ways social media can help the supply chain improve communication, increase information sharing, and engage with new (and current) customers.

4 ways social media benefits the supply chain

1. Communicate

Supply chain companies often struggle with showing the more human side of their business. And with buyer’s continually seeking a more personal connection to brands, B2B companies have to get creative. Social media can help. Social networks allow leaders to communicate using language, images and sound to create an inside look into your brand. With the ability to ask questions and engage with followers, social platforms help to create a community around your products and services.

2. Gain Insight

Unsure how you are holding up against your competitors? Want to learn about market expansion opportunities or new technologies in your industry? Social media can be your window into the supply chain world.

Not only can you see what topics and trends competitors are posting about, but you can benchmark your current digital marketing strategy against what other brands are doing. Making adjustments along the way will only help to make your marketing efforts more successful. 

3. Educate

In a world congested with content, it’s important to make sure you’re joining social networks to add value to your followers. Creating posts that are educational, as well as entertaining, to audiences will establish your brand as a thought leader in the supply chain industry. Authors can either create these posts themselves or engage with a professional writing service for expert writing reviews.

Research the latest trends or cutting-edge technologies, highlight industry events, promote books, video media or podcasts that offer high-value content that will leave your followers wanting more. 

4. New talent

The supply chain talent gap can be felt throughout the industry. In fact, more and more articles are being written about the crisis of hiring and, more importantly, retaining supply chain talent. According to statistics, using social networks like LinkedIn can help boost branding for your supply chain company.

And though branding might not come easily for some supply chain management executives, it is key in today’s digital world for positioning yourself as a thought leader in your industry, as well as gaining positive traction as an employer.

Final thoughts

Don’t let the hype of social media deter you. A strong personal brand is a major asset to any supply chain company. It doesn’t have to be a chore. It can become a fun and fulfilling part of your work routine, and it pays off. 

Social media benefits article and permission to publish here provided by Katie Russell at fronetics.com. Originally written for Supply Chain Game Changer on June 19, 2019.