This is the second year that GlobalSpec has surveyed engineering, technical, industrial and manufacturing professionals on how they are using social media. You can download a free copy of the complete report here: http://tinyurl.com/4wcq8nf.
The survey shows that for work-related purposes, this audience is slow adopters. This audience is largely passive in that it prefers to read and watch content as opposed to creating it. They are increasing in certain areas, but aren’t progressing as fast as the rest of the world.
This is good news or bad news depending on how you look at it. I’m an optimist, so I’ll take the good news angle. This is a great opportunity for those of you who have this segment targeted. Why, because you know in most cases, engineers and manufacturing folks are meticulous when it comes to getting/evaluating info. They are slow to move and want to be sure that both the product and the company are meeting their overall objectives which takes time. Social is an additional tool that can give you more face time with potentials, help position yourself as an expert and eventually engage them to ask questions.
So the question you have to ask yourself is, how can I use social to attract potentials? Here are some suggestions:
- Blog about interesting application or trends in specific industries.
- Create a LinkedIn group, then network with users of those products to start discussions.
- Company Facebook page that shows your fans about your company’s involvement in the community.
- YouTube video that shows your product in action.
- “Customer only” forum where they can talk to each other.
- A Twitter account to send followers links of interesting products and industry news.
Think of this as a good opportunity to touch your potential customers in another way.