“ Let ’ s say I ’ m the Burns Delivery Company , and we specialize in medical specimen deliveries ,” he said . “ Ultimately , I want my company to be positioned as an expert in this vertical . Suppose someone from my company posts educational and informative content about recent developments that will impact those in the medical sector or examples of work we do for our medical-specific clients . In that case , it ’ s going to position us as experts . We might post videos of our company doing deliveries , showing that we understand the requirements for different temperature environments . We could feature the certifications we have to do this type of work . Those posts will not only attract new business , but they might also appeal to drivers who have done medical deliveries . It might get the attention of another courier company wanting to outsource their medical work to us . All this builds an online library that shows our capabilities , builds trust and makes it easy for someone to get to know us .”
While social media may be new to your company , the idea is familiar . It ’ s just another way to do what all successful businesspeople have done forever – build a trusted network . “ We all realize that people do business with people they know and trust ,” says Burns . “ I think using social media consistently and strategically helps to break the barriers to trust . Yes , they can go to your website . But when people visit your website , they know it will say wonderful things about your company because you wrote it . But when it comes to social , it ’ s almost like you ’ re meeting the person in a different way , and there ’ s credibility that comes from it . When someone from the Burns Delivery Company uses their LinkedIn page to talk about how the company handles highly critical specimens , they feel more connected . They want to learn more . They want to engage deeper . It differentiates them from the rest of the pack .”
More Than Just Posting – Engagement is the Key
Advice about when and how often to post is plentiful . Ask , “ How often should I post on social media ?” and Google will give you ten pages with various answers . While Burns is a big believer in consistently posting , he measures success by the engagement he gets on those posts . “ If you want to build trust , it ’ s all about engagement ,” he says . “ If you get good engagement on your posts , people will see that . They will see the comments on your posts , the reposts , some back and forth on a question you pose , or the number of likes your post gets . That says somebody ’ s listening . It ’ s saying that other people are interested in your content . That validates what you ’ re saying and promoting . When they see that type of engagement from other people , you get higher credibility .”
Burns is a big fan of the analytics that LinkedIn offers . “ What ’ s really cool is that LinkedIn gives you analytics on these posts ,” he says . “ They tell you the number of minutes people who have engaged with them . I can see my engagement by geography . I can see it by job category and by job type . I can tell whether an executive or a manager is viewing my content . It even shows me new people who came to my profile due to a specific post . That ’ s about the warmest lead you can ever get in business . So for everyone who ’ s looking at these videos and then looking at my page , I ’ m immediately following up saying , ‘ How can I be of help to you ?’”
Not a Sales Pitch
Content that ’ s consistently self-serving about the company or the person posting does not help build trust or what ’ s called in the online world as “ social currency .” Burns does not believe in thinking
summer 2024 I customized logistics & delivery Magazine 39