As a company operating within the ever-evolving logistics industry, you may find yourself facing the dilemma of whether it is it important or not for your business to undertake social media. As the world continues to embrace digital technology, it is definitely a consideration that needs to be discussed in order to remain competitive. Here are a few key facts that may help with that all important decision.

LinkedIn was created over 13 years ago in 2003 and is now the world’s LARGEST professional network. According to research by Digital Trends there are reportedly 433 million users with 2 users registering every second. Twitter followed in 2006 and is said to have 310 million users with 100 million active on a daily basis. Finally more recently, Facebook went live in 2008 with 1.65 billion registered users and a daily amount of 1.09 billion active users.

These statistics clearly demonstrate the popularity of social media utilisation by the world’s population. So in answer to the initial dilemma you will most certainly soon come to the conclusion that YES social media is a valued and necessary tool for any organisation, not just those involved in logistics.

With the decline in favour of traditional marketing techniques, online social media marketing is now becoming one of the most effective ways to increase brand awareness for all types of organisations worldwide. Due to the ability to reach your target audience across the globe, 24/7 and at the touch of a button it is a cost effective method in promoting your company. However consideration does need to be given to the content you promote.

No one likes to be sold to, and therefore educational and informative content is key. In order to engage and keep the attention of your followers and connections a steady stream of useful tweets, posts and blogs need to be created.

According to a survey conducted by Fronetics Strategic Advisors with individuals within the logistics industry, Social media use is a relatively new concept with 64% stating that they have used social media for between one and five years, but a staggering 36% have used social media for less than one year. The survey revealed that the main reason for using social media was to increase the visibility of their company (95%), followed by improving brand image (90%). Other popular reasons are to establish the company as a thought leader (86%) and attracting new leads and customers (82%).

Atlas Logistics UK Ltd as part of their re-branding are incorporating social media into its marketing strategy going forward and are keen to share industry trends and news with its customers and supply partners.