Selling heavy machinery is far from different than selling your smartphone or the latest tech gadgets. You must market them to a specialized audience, and these products are not exactly shareable in the same way. Even so, this does not mean that you cannot benefit from social media marketing to sell raw material processing equipment. If you do it right, you can build your brand and increase your online presence.
Get to Know Your Audience
Before you can craft any social media marketing campaign, you must know your audience. Research the content they like to consume, whether it be videos, photos, or text, and post accordingly.
You also want to know the people you are trying to reach. For instance, quarry owners are a much different demographic than recycling plant managers. Thus, they will want to consume different types of information.
Finally, learn where your audience hangs out and focus your efforts there. Facebook may be more useful for local business owners, while LinkedIn may be more suited for industry professionals.
Content is King But Do Not Make It Boring
You can best believe that nobody wants to go on your social media profile just to read a dry list of specs. You must prove that your equipment has value and grab the attention of your followers. Provide videos of your machinery in action and take some eye-catching photos. Grab some testimonials from previous customers and display them, as this can help you to build trust and credibility for your brand. Sharing industry news and current trends also positions you as a knowledgeable resource. Finally, provide some safety tips for using your equipment.
Engage
While posting content is important, so is engagement. Participate in discussions with your followers, respond to inquiries, and be present. This is how you build a strong online presence.
Use Your Hashtags Wisely
Since hashtags are like keywords for social media, you want to use them wisely. Be sure to choose those that are most relevant to your products. This ensures that you are targeting the right people. For example, if you want to reach miners, you will want to use hashtags, such as #mining, #miningindustry, #miningtechnology, #mininglife, and #miners.
If you want to narrow things down even further, use the features on social media platforms that allow you to target content to specific locations, demographics or industries. This is particularly handy if you are running ads because you will not waste money because of the wrong people clicking them.
Remain Consistent
If you want to have any measure of success in the social media world, you must remain consistent. Posting once in a great while is not going to help your cause in the slightest. Make sure you post regularly. Daily is best. If it helps you, create a content calendar and stick to it religiously.
Have a Clear Call to Action
While creating stellar content is critical, you must not forget about your call to action. Each of your posts must have a clear call to action that provides guidance towards taking their next steps, such as downloading a flier or brochure or visiting your website.
While selling raw material processing equipment requires that you take a much different approach compared to selling consumer goods, the correct strategy can ensure your success. Social media can serve as a powerful vehicle that will enable you to drive sales, build brand awareness, and network with potential clientele.