Why Social Media Matters in Industrial Marketing: Turning Connections into Conversions

For decades, industrial companies have leaned on traditional marketing tactics—print ads in trade journals, trade shows, direct mail, and in-person sales calls—to build and maintain relationships. While these methods have served the industry well, their impact is steadily declining as more project decision makers turn to online research long before speaking with a vendor.

Part of the shift is generational. Baby Boomers are no longer the primary decision makers. According to Data USA, the average age of construction managers is now 45.5. That means many procurement managers, engineers, project leads, and even executives are in their late 30s to early 40s. They’re digital natives who expect vendors to not only have an online presence but to demonstrate credibility through strong digital and social marketing. If you’re not there—or not doing it well—you’re not even in the running.

This isn’t a passing trend. It’s the new reality. Today, one-third of decision makers are digital natives. Within the next decade, that number will rise to nearly 60%, according to The Future of Commerce.

Credibility is now built online, and buyers are paying attention. 62% of customers will ignore a business without a web presence (Web FX), and 85% of online consumers trust online reviews as much as learning about a business in person (BrightLocal).

Bottom line: If you want to stay relevant and grow, your digital presence isn’t optional—it’s foundational. That includes showing up where your buyers are already spending time: on social media. In this article, we’ll break down how industrial companies can use social media to build brand awareness, outline the essentials of an effective strategy, explain how to measure ROI, and share tips to keep your marketing evolving for long-term success.

How Social Media is Changing Industrial Marketing

Social media is reshaping industrial marketing in a few key ways:

• Generating qualified sales. Over 70 % of B2B marketers say social media improved sales over the past year, according to Social Media Marketer.
• Taking a cue from B2C (Business-to-Consumer), B2B brands are finding great success in using social media to gain exposure for their brands. While B2C audiences are reached via social media that appeals to their personal needs and emotions, B2B targets respond to social media that highlights trust, expertise, and industry authority.
• Building brand loyalty and thought leadership: Speaking of that trust and expertise, social media enhances brand loyalty through consistent engagement. By sharing valuable content and offering personalized interactions, your company can establish itself as a trusted and respected thought leader. It works: 94% of marketers say that a company that makes extensive thought leadership content available raises its brand perception (Content Marketing Institute). 

Top Social Media Platforms for Industrial Brands

What are the best social media platforms for B2B industrial brands like yours? That depends on your audience and your goals. We’ve broken down each of the most-used platforms to help:

LinkedIn

• Audience: Engineers, procurement (decision makers), C-level execs.
• Purpose: Builds credibility via thought leadership, whitepapers, and case studies/project highlights; helps to create/add to brand awareness; helps brands to stay top of mind.
• Why it matters: According to BusinessWire, LinkedIn is identified as the “most valuable social platform” by 84 % of B2B marketers. Additionally, Neil Patel asserts that 97% of all B2B leads from social media come via this platform.

YouTube

• Audience: Technical decision-makers looking for demos and walkthroughs.
• Purpose: Use dynamic video content to visually show brand differences, the progress of construction projects, and new product/service demos.
• Why it matters: Short-form video is 2.5 times more engaging than longer clips (SoCal News Group), which 78% of B2B marketers say has increased their sales (SoCal News Group).

Meta (Facebook/Instagram)

• Audience: Mid-level decision-makers, HR teams, and digitally active professionals interested in company culture, innovation, and behind-the-scenes content.
• Purpose: Showcase your brand’s human side through behind-the-scenes content, employee stories, and visual highlights.
• Why it matters: These platforms help industrial brands build trust and visibility through storytelling and targeted outreach, especially when using paid ads to reach specific audiences.

Creating an Effective Social Media Strategy for Industrial Companies

It all starts by identifying your target audience. Once you have clarity, you can tailor messaging and platform choices for each of the following personas:

• Engineers: Focus on technical specs, use cases, and product demos.
• Procurement managers: Prioritize ROI, lead time, and compliance.
• Executives/CEOs: Value strategic growth, innovation, and scalability.
• Project managers/operation managers/facility managers:  Search for resources to keep their projects on track.

Beyond these personas, you also need to understand your audience’s pain points and preferences. Often, our online search habits are influenced by the generation we belong to. For example, millennials and Gen Z buyers expect relevant content on social media, as they’re digital natives. In contrast, Baby Boomers may still rely on phone calls and email. Segment your communication accordingly.

Content Creation and Management

As you build your strategy, you must determine what mix of content you’ll create and how you’ll share it. Here are a few examples of possible content:

• Case studies & success stories – Real-world impact gets attention.
• Project walkthroughs – Especially via video.
• Blogs – Ideal for LinkedIn lead generation for those eager to learn about your expertise.
• Behind-the-scenes & employee stories – Humanizes your brand.

As you develop these materials, you must strike the right balance between educational and promotional content. We recommend adopting a 70/20/10 mix: 70% educational (insights, how-tos), 20% company content (employee profiles, history, behind-the-scenes, and culture posts that allow your consumer to connect with your brand on a human level), and 10% direct promotion. Just like in the real world, it’s always best to build trust before asking for business.

Measuring Success and ROI of Social Media Efforts

Just as you track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of your business, you should also set and track the key metrics of your social media campaign. Here are a few ways that you can determine your social media success: 

• Engagement metrics: Also known as likes, comments, and shares, these statistics indicate relevance and reach.
• Lead generation metrics: Are visitors following through on what you’re offering? This may include form fills, click to your portfolio page on your website, and requests to be contacted.
• Website traffic and conversions: Where are your visitors coming from? Can you attribute visitors and sales back to your social posts?
• Followers & social reach: A strong indicator of brand awareness growth

Analyzing Data for Continuous Improvement

As you know, becoming successful isn’t a one-and-done process. The long-term success of your company’s social media marketing efforts depends on careful review of data and using the following tools and strategies to improve your reach continually.

Analytics Platforms: Dashboards such as LinkedIn Analytics and Google Analytics are utilized to track post engagement trends, audience demographics, and the quality of referral traffic. 

Iterative Content Strategy: You can double down on content that drives high engagement and leads to conversions. Continue experimenting with A/B test formats, such as video vs. text, long vs. short, and live vs. recorded. Then, refine the posting schedule based on when your audience is most active.

Benchmarking: Internally, you can measure month-over-month and quarter-over-quarter trends. As for external measurements, aim to outpace industry benchmarks, such as LinkedIn engagement rates and site click-throughs.

Paid social: Social media marketing is a competitive field. Often, to be seen, you must use paid ads. This will also allow you to be laser-focused and target the most important subsets of your potential clients, buying social media advertising by location, demographic, and interest. 

Conclusion: Embracing the Digital Shift for Future Success

The industrial sector is entering a new era, one in which social media is no longer optional. It’s vital to your brand’s digital presence. By adopting a strategic, persona-driven approach, creating valuable content, and measuring results, you can transform follower counts into a legitimate lead-generating source for your company. Thoughtful planning and measurement turn content into revenue, but mastering social media takes time, talent, and consistency. 

Yet, you may have already discovered that managing social media effectively – including strategy, content creation, scheduling, and analytics – is a lot to take on internally. Partnering with a marketing agency like Bold Entity, which specializes in results-driven social media management for industrial brands, can be transformative and yield the best ROI when marketing dollars matter.

We take on this load, without straining your resources, so that you and your team can concentrate on your operations. We can do all of this — and more — often for less than what it costs to hire an intern:

• Custom strategies that align with your buyer personas.
• Engaging content—from videos to case studies—that turns followers into leads.
• Scheduling, posting, monitoring, and reporting.

Best of all, we’re data-driven, optimizing every campaign for both ROI and growth. If managing social media feels overwhelming or if you’re ready to elevate your industrial brand in the digital space, let’s start a conversation. Contact Bold Entity and explore how our Social Media Marketing (SMM) services can fuel the next chapter in your growth: boldentity.com/contact.