Social media has a huge footprint in Canada and the USA, but is it a good fit for you? Here are our best social media tips for a transportation and logistics company.

In an increasingly technology-driven world, virtually all businesses are turning to social media more to market their products and business. With the right platform and posts, social media can take any business to the next level, including your transportation or logistics business.

How can social media help your business?

The first question to answer is why does your transportation or logistics business need social media? Social media can help your business in the following ways:

• Business growth
• Reaching new potential customers
• Reaching new potential employees
• Prove your expertise
• Build your brand awareness

No matter what step your transportation company is looking to take next, social media can help you achieve the goal.

What social media platforms are best?

The shortest answer is all of them. But, if you're just entering into the social media world for your business, a good idea is to build a strong social media presence on one platform and then move to new ones. This allows your dedicated followers to view more content, and gives you an established page to reference on other platforms (to show your brand and expertise). Consider the following as a potential starting point for your business:

• LinkedIn (a company page, as well as the pages of your key stakeholders and employees)
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Twitter

Each of these platforms has strengths that can help build your company, so learn a little about each one before you decide where to start.

LinkedIn is a great all-around tool that can be used to build your brand awareness and expertise in the professional world. It's also good if you're looking to build your staff, as it can link you with potential employees in your field. Consider this if you're looking to expand your business partners, employees, or overall business awareness. LinkedIn has a robust audience targeting capabilities built in to their advertising options.

Facebook is still the most popular social media platform. Most people have a Facebook account, so if you're not familiar with other social media platforms, this might be a good place to start. Think about creating or joining groups specified for your transportation or logistics company to build contacts and connections with users who are interested in your field. Facebook also has good audience targeting capabilities built in to their advertising options.

YouTube is a wonderful platform for video outreach. If you have any kind of informational videos or promotional material for your transportation and logistics company, this is a platform to seriously consider.

Twitter is extremely fast-paced and good at connecting with customers. If you're good at short, catchy marketing, tweets are perfect for you. It's also the birthplace of the hashtag and this strategy is good to reach many people at one time.

How to get started with your social media platform

Once you've chosen which platform is best for your company, now it's time to get to work. First, get to know the platform, then start posting! Posting is free and the best marketing tool. Consider the following when posting on social media:

• Tailor the message to your audience
• Video content is very engaging on social media.
• Join or create a group, if applicable to your platform
• Promote your posts or pay for an advertisement
• Learn about keywords and use them

Keywords will immediately set your business apart from others. If your transportation business specializes in flatbed hauling, then use flatbed vocabulary to get your profile viewed more than your competitors. Not only will you get more social media visibility, once a consumer clicks on your profile, your expertise will shine. This builds brand awareness and customer trust, because you've shown them that you know the business.

Build your brand awareness

Consider the following when wanting to build awareness for your company:

• Tell the customer what they can expect from your business
• Share any events that you have planned
• Develop a voice for your company
• Use customer reviews/testimonials
• Interact with your followers, customers, and business contacts
• Use hashtags
• Post consistently
• Use live streaming capabilities

Demonstrate your expertise

Consider the following when wanting to demonstrate your expertise on social media:

• Use keywords
• Offer resources to your customers - share links or blog posts
• Teach what you know
• Join conversations and be engaged
• Answer questions on your page
• Share FAQ sheets on topics related to your business

Recruit new drivers or employees

Use social media to connect with potential employees by doing the following:

• Use LinkedIn and advertise
• Use your existing employees - build a community
• Use hashtags to promote the job posting
• Personalize your recruitment and reach out to people individually

No matter what your company's goals are, consider the benefits of social media platforms to take your transportation or logistics company to the next level. Contact us with all of your marketing, website, or social media questions.

Kerin Donahue

You may notice that Kerin spells her name a little differently than most. It happened in Grade 4 when there were a bunch of other Karens in her class. She changed it to stand out and has been standing out ever since.