Is marketing using social media for meat processors really necessary?

Tomorrow I’m giving a presentation on social media marketing at the American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP) national convention in Reno, NV.  You might be asking yourself why meat processors need to use social media?  How could it possibly benefit them or help their business grow?  Social media marketing is for more main stream, popular businesses like restaurants, clubs, and popular stores, like clothing stores… right?  WRONG!

Social media marketing can be used for any business and it can certainly work for any business.  Blogging is one of the top social media marketing tools.  So let’s take a look at the blog done by Butler Sheetmetal.  Why would a sheetmetal business do a blog?  That’s the first question.  The next question is how could a sheetmetal business possibly benefit from blogging?  This is a great example of the effectiveness of just one social media marketing tool.  Butler Sheetmetal has a blog on their website called The Tinbasher.  .    The blog posts talk about the sheetmetal industry of course.  But there are also posts about the everyday life of the owner and his 5 employees.  The business had a 100% increase in business, 33% of which could be directly attributed to their blog.  The blog worked because it gave readers a chance to get to know the staff on a personal level.  People buy from people they feel they know and trust.  The blog built relationships for Butler Sheetmetal that couldn’t be created in person.  

Any type of business can benefit from blogging and other social media marketing tools including meat processors.  If you previously thought social media marketing wasn’t for your business, tell me, did the sheetmetal case study change your mind?