2018
Essential Tips to Leverage Social Media in Transportation Logistics
Introduction •
Transportation and logistics is a field that is booming. The business is a moneymaker and a cornerstone of day-to-day functioning. It’s one that has been present for centuries. We are well past the Age of Discovery, but transportation and logistics companies carry on the torch of moving products that people need and desire around the world. One might wonder if the sultriness of the Silk Road and the Spice Trade has lost its allure and sexiness
The Supply Chain and Logistics Industries are Recent Adopters •
Social media use is relatively new for companies within the logistics and supply chain industries. 64 per cent of survey respondents reported that their company has used social media for between one and five years. Thirty-six per cent of respondents reported that their company has used social media for less than one year.
Motivations for Use • Why have companies begun to use social media? The survey asked respondents to rate statements on why their company uses social media. • Increasing the visibility of their company (95 per cent); • Improving brand image (90 per cent); • Establishing the company as a thought leader (86 per cent); • Attracting new leads and customers (82 per cent). • Benefits and challenges
Benefits and Challenges • • • •
Increased web presence Increased customer engagement Heightened internal communication Staying up-to-date on industry trends
Increased Web Presence •
In any business environment, it’s often the small things that have the greatest impact, especially when it comes to communication with partners, customers, and vendors. Simply maintaining a regular routine of social media posts – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or GooglePlus – can do wonders for raising a company’s online profile which can in turn helps drive sales, increases profitability, and encourages robust, sustainable growth.
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Managing an effective supply chain is about much more than simply filling orders and keeping tabs on shipments of products from one hub to another. It’s also about building relationships with customers and providing a steady, reliable stream of supply that meets expectations and deadlines and provides customers with the peace of mind they need to conduct business operations day-in and day-out.
Heightened Internal Communication •
Imagine a severe weather system moving across a region has created a supply disruption as shipping and freight through that region have been disabled. Wouldn’t it be beneficial if a SCP could communicate en masse in real-time with a number of different supply chain partners that additional products will need to be shipped via alternate routes and methods to maintain delivery schedules and overall customer satisfaction? Using Twitter and Facebook to distribute up-to-the minute information about supply breakdowns, inventory levels, altered departure and arrival times for deliveries, and not only allows for more costeffective decision-making, but also promotes better and faster communication at all points of the supply stream.
Staying Up-to-Date on Industry Trends •
Ask a number of Twitter or Facebook users about who they follow and many of them will list off news organizations, local media outlets, magazines, industry publications, and other mass media entities. These users leverage social media platforms as more than just a way to connect with friends or clients, opting to engage Twitter and Facebook as vital sources of up-to-date, of the moment information feeds. Manufacturers and suppliers should view social media in a very similar light as a source of key information about the supply and logistics industry.
• Cale Villano is a successful businessman who provides the useful and important tips to leverage social media in transportation and logistics through which you can increase the web presence and attract the new leads & customers.