Does Social Media Work?

Does social media work?

It was about a year ago during a networking reception at the AMBA conference when a man came up to me and said, “I see you and MoldMaking Technology all over social media, so I had to introduce myself. I really like your content.” That man was Charlie Daniels, the chief financial officer of Wepco Plastics, a small company specializing in lower-volume plastic injection molded parts and rapid aluminum tooling. Charlie quickly became an industry friend and a valued resource. He even contributed a few business articles on determining mold prices, creating budgets and making sense of income statements, and the company was a guest on the MMT/The Manufacturing Alliance Podcast.

So long story short, to me, social media works. And Charlie is just one example of a person “finding” me or the brand through social media, who then turns into some form of quality content. The bottom line is that social media connects us with readers and technology suppliers, who are current and potential customers.

You have probably heard me say before that mold manufacturing is a community, and one that we have been privileged to serve. Over the years, we’ve had to get to know you and allow you to get to know us by meeting you where you are — whether that is at a convention, a trade show, an industry meeting, a shop tour or even a party. Today, social media offers another way of meeting you where you are, so we can serve you better. In this social world, that means LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

 

Today, MMT has a presence across these platforms. How to most effectively use each one is an ongoing journey of discovery, and we are currently using analytics to help us streamline and plan our social media efforts. Many of you are already using social media, as I see you posting and sharing good content (read here to learn about the social strategies of several shops), but for those who have not entered that world yet … it’s time to start socializing. Only then can you begin to figure out how best to use social media as a tool to meet your customers where they are and to engage with your peers. Let’s face it, this is communication for the next generation, so it’s not going anywhere.

There is no right or wrong way to do it, just set up your company accounts and follow MMT for starters. Meet us where we are.