by Fronetics | Jan 20, 2015 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Social Media
Content and social media are integral to business growth
Editor’s Note: This is a guest blog written by Kecia Gray, Vice President, Corporate Marketing & Communications, Transplace. Transplace is a premier provider of transportation management services, intermodal, truck brokerage, and SaaS TMS solutions. Transplace successfully leverages social media and content to expand the company’s brand awareness and thought leadership. The company’s LinkedIn page, Facebook page, and blog were named as “favorites” in a survey conducted by Fronetics.
At Transplace, social media has become an integral part of our marketing and communications strategy and key to expanding our brand awareness and thought leadership in the logistics and transportation space. Our marketing and communication team has had the opportunity to utilize multiple social channels, including:
While we consistently post content to all of these channels, what has been and continues to be important to our social strategy is creating our own original content and utilizing it within a more aggressive approach on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Sharing content on these channels has allowed our newest blog to achieve fast success in under a year’s time.
Content Is King…
Within any industry, there is always significant opportunity to create original thought leadership content that is informative and insightful. When developing a social media strategy, our foremost goal was to establish a thought leadership blog resource for the market, in addition to providing engaging and personalized content across social channels that was easily sharable. Our main objectives focus on connecting with customers, and creating content that resonates with the members of our industry and provides value to their businesses. By distributing this content across our social channels to foster sharing, conversation and engagement, we’ve continued to gain influence with our targeted audiences.
…And Metrics Are Key
Because of the rapid pace of developing content, it’s important to track and report on levels of engagement to optimize and repurpose information. We created a social plan that included a comprehensive calendar to capture the topics and content items we’d be working on throughout the year. For maximum integration, we purposely aligned new pieces to marketing campaigns and corporate objectives such as events, transportation services and current industry issues. In addition, we established benchmarks and metrics that were important for us to track, such as followers and level of engagement. Analyzing the data allowed us to regularly monitor and evaluate our program, maximize what worked and adjust areas that did not meet expectations.
Incorporating Talent for Quality Thought Leadership
We have also taken advantage of the significant opportunity for Transplace employees at all levels to contribute quality thought-leadership posts across a number of channels. We’ve learned that the best place to utilize this content is on the company’s logisticallyspeakingblog.com. Some of the posts we’re most proud of turned out to be the most popular of 2014, including:
- A motivating guest blog post highlighting our dedication to our customers – from George Abernathy, our president and CCO.
- An insightful commentary on the growth of Transplace in light of a recent acquisition – from Frank McGuigan, president of transportation management at Transplace.
- An informative infographic recap of our signature event, the annual Transplace Shipper Symposium, highlighting some amazing speakers.
To ensure we always stay up-to-date and focused, our team holds quarterly meetings in which we share key highlights, metrics and snapshots of the program quarter by quarter. The time is used to plan for what’s coming up in the future, brainstorm new ideas and make changes as needed. We always make the utmost effort to continually update our program and assess our short and long term goals – an important aspect to any social program!
How is your organization utilizing social media and thought leadership content?
by Fronetics | Nov 12, 2014 | Blog
What the supply chain industry needs to know about proving social media ROI
Eye for Transport
by Fronetics | Nov 12, 2014 | Blog
What the supply chain industry needs to know about proving social media ROI
Eye for Transport
by Jennifer Hart Yim | Nov 4, 2014 | Blog, Leadership, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
Within five years social media literacy will be the single greatest factor distinguishing top performing procurement leaders from the rest.
Now don’t get me wrong – that’s not to diminish the importance of superior financial skills, sourcing, and/or change or people management abilities, but simply to say that social media will add a new dimension to these existing critical competencies.
For Roland Deiser and Sylvain Newton, authors of McKinsey Quarterly ‘The six social media skills every leader needs’, social media has created a dilemma for executives: “while the potential of social media is immense, the inherent risks create uncertainty and unease.”
For those schooled in 20th century management theories, social media’s unscripted approach to conversations, horizontal collaboration and fragmented power structures, is undoubtedly unsettling.
But the transformative power of social media is too big, too loud, and simply too pervasive to miss.
Today, Procurement Leaders are expected to ‘do everything.’ Is social media just ANOTHER thing to add to their To-Do list?
Yes and no – but that doesn’t mean it has to be a thorn in your side. Instead, why not utilize the seemingly transformational power that social media represents? Not only will it allow you to manage change more effectively and maintain costs, but it will also negate the risk of unruly online behavior.
If you’re hoping social media is really just an issue for the Chief Marketing Officer (or perhaps even just your teenage daughter and son), this next statement is going to hurt: Every leader – regardless of industry or profession – needs to be social media savvy, and the expectations for CPOs to be masterful (not just literate) are ever greater. Here’s why:
1. Procurement needs to create 360 degree visibility
Social media visibility will help position yourself as a connected thought-leader in the eyes of not just your team, but your Board and suppliers too.
You’re in a unique position – as the facilitator of connectivity you should rightly take the lead when it comes to all-things social. Suppliers can benefit from simple initiatives like creating private groups that can be used as discussion areas.
2. Procurement needs to be a Customer of Choice (and stay ahead of sales during negotiations)
Your marketing team has probably been using social media to connect with customers for years. Although the use of social media to connect with suppliers is still in its infancy (although eMarket places are rapidly growing), be assured that sales executives are already scanning social media to understand your industry (and you as a customer) better.
3. Procurement needs to mitigate the risk
So here comes the scary part – while the benefits of social media are real, so too are the risks when it comes to issues of commercial in confidence and defamation.
Procurement (and your suppliers) deal with highly sensitive issues on a daily basis. CPOS must understand social media in order to develop and manage an operational social media policy that stimulates collaboration, but adequately mitigates risk. And don’t even think about a social media blackout…your employees, your suppliers, your customers are online so it pays to stay one step ahead.
4. Procurement needs to upskill… or die
There has never been a more pressing time to engage, retain and upskill existing procurement talent.
The labor market is tightening, bringing with it new risks.
Luckily social media breeds collaboration, making approaches such as peer-to-peer learning a viable (and cost-effective) option to procurement professionals looking to develop.
What’s more, by its very nature online learning is highly accessible and available across a range of devices and form-factors. At the time of writing, all of Procurious’ training modules are free to members. So go and get them while they’re hot!
If the thought of social media literacy has you thinking fondly of the ‘good old days’ of cost-downs and low hanging fruit, there is good news: like any skill, social media can be taught so start by mastering the basics, start with understanding:
- The different social media platforms – start with: Procurious; LinkedIn; Facebook; YouTube; Twitter; and Instagram. Think about their intended purpose, how they differ; their reach and their impact
- Basic Twitter functionality
- Simple social media terminology – start with: hashtag; retweet; like; follow; mention; blog; podcast; RSS feed. I recommend checking out Buzz Billboard’s Social Media Glossary here: http://www.buzzbinpadillacrt.com/social-media-glossary/
Now if all this sounds time consuming, well it can be…but it doesn’t have to.
Much like exercise, learning to juggle or learning the guitar, the key is usually to start small and be consistent. At Procurious, we recommend ‘The Daily Habit’ – it takes 15 minutes and can be done as you sip your morning double-shot skim latte:
Scan the Headlines – 5 min
Check the latest news and blogs, keeping your eyes peeled for “water cooler moments”, mentions of your suppliers or competitors in the headlines and be ready to dazzle colleagues and stakeholders with the factoids and market intelligence you’ve found.
Share – 4 min
What did you find that was interesting? An article? A comment? A quote? Well, post it to social media and get people reading and talking.
As procurement people we in fact have access to great, shareable content – in fact many of the best stories come out of buyer/supplier relationships: weird categories sourced; inspiring social procurement stories; and photos from Supplier Awards days.
Ask (or be) an expert – 4 min
One of the busiest parts Procurious is our Discussions area. Most social media platforms will have similar groups or boards where you can throw out a question to the network…..you’ll be impressed by the willingness of people to share their learnings….or at the very least, realize you’re not alone in your challenges!
Grow your network – 2 min
To be the world’s best at procurement, you need to be the most connected. Be referred. Invite people to join your social media networks – on Procurious, you can narrow this down by geography, industry and category which means you can connect with like-minded peers from across the globe. Aim to connect with 10 new people a day across your networks.
Change management, financial literacy, sourcing, vendor and people management will always be core to procurement. Social media, however, allows you to approach these tasks with far greater reach, influence and a superior market intelligence.
Lisa Malone is the General Manager – Procurious – the world’s first online business network for procurement and supply chain professionals.
If you’d like to learn more about how to grow your social media literacy, connect with her on Procurious at (it’s free to join and participate) or follow on Twitter @lisajoymalone.
by Jennifer Hart Yim | Nov 4, 2014 | Blog, Leadership, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
Within five years social media literacy will be the single greatest factor distinguishing top performing procurement leaders from the rest.
Now don’t get me wrong – that’s not to diminish the importance of superior financial skills, sourcing, and/or change or people management abilities, but simply to say that social media will add a new dimension to these existing critical competencies.
For Roland Deiser and Sylvain Newton, authors of McKinsey Quarterly ‘The six social media skills every leader needs’, social media has created a dilemma for executives: “while the potential of social media is immense, the inherent risks create uncertainty and unease.”
For those schooled in 20th century management theories, social media’s unscripted approach to conversations, horizontal collaboration and fragmented power structures, is undoubtedly unsettling.
But the transformative power of social media is too big, too loud, and simply too pervasive to miss.
Today, Procurement Leaders are expected to ‘do everything.’ Is social media just ANOTHER thing to add to their To-Do list?
Yes and no – but that doesn’t mean it has to be a thorn in your side. Instead, why not utilize the seemingly transformational power that social media represents? Not only will it allow you to manage change more effectively and maintain costs, but it will also negate the risk of unruly online behavior.
If you’re hoping social media is really just an issue for the Chief Marketing Officer (or perhaps even just your teenage daughter and son), this next statement is going to hurt: Every leader – regardless of industry or profession – needs to be social media savvy, and the expectations for CPOs to be masterful (not just literate) are ever greater. Here’s why:
1. Procurement needs to create 360 degree visibility
Social media visibility will help position yourself as a connected thought-leader in the eyes of not just your team, but your Board and suppliers too.
You’re in a unique position – as the facilitator of connectivity you should rightly take the lead when it comes to all-things social. Suppliers can benefit from simple initiatives like creating private groups that can be used as discussion areas.
2. Procurement needs to be a Customer of Choice (and stay ahead of sales during negotiations)
Your marketing team has probably been using social media to connect with customers for years. Although the use of social media to connect with suppliers is still in its infancy (although eMarket places are rapidly growing), be assured that sales executives are already scanning social media to understand your industry (and you as a customer) better.
3. Procurement needs to mitigate the risk
So here comes the scary part – while the benefits of social media are real, so too are the risks when it comes to issues of commercial in confidence and defamation.
Procurement (and your suppliers) deal with highly sensitive issues on a daily basis. CPOS must understand social media in order to develop and manage an operational social media policy that stimulates collaboration, but adequately mitigates risk. And don’t even think about a social media blackout…your employees, your suppliers, your customers are online so it pays to stay one step ahead.
4. Procurement needs to upskill… or die
There has never been a more pressing time to engage, retain and upskill existing procurement talent.
The labor market is tightening, bringing with it new risks.
Luckily social media breeds collaboration, making approaches such as peer-to-peer learning a viable (and cost-effective) option to procurement professionals looking to develop.
What’s more, by its very nature online learning is highly accessible and available across a range of devices and form-factors. At the time of writing, all of Procurious’ training modules are free to members. So go and get them while they’re hot!
If the thought of social media literacy has you thinking fondly of the ‘good old days’ of cost-downs and low hanging fruit, there is good news: like any skill, social media can be taught so start by mastering the basics, start with understanding:
- The different social media platforms – start with: Procurious; LinkedIn; Facebook; YouTube; Twitter; and Instagram. Think about their intended purpose, how they differ; their reach and their impact
- Basic Twitter functionality
- Simple social media terminology – start with: hashtag; retweet; like; follow; mention; blog; podcast; RSS feed. I recommend checking out Buzz Billboard’s Social Media Glossary here: http://www.buzzbinpadillacrt.com/social-media-glossary/
Now if all this sounds time consuming, well it can be…but it doesn’t have to.
Much like exercise, learning to juggle or learning the guitar, the key is usually to start small and be consistent. At Procurious, we recommend ‘The Daily Habit’ – it takes 15 minutes and can be done as you sip your morning double-shot skim latte:
Scan the Headlines – 5 min
Check the latest news and blogs, keeping your eyes peeled for “water cooler moments”, mentions of your suppliers or competitors in the headlines and be ready to dazzle colleagues and stakeholders with the factoids and market intelligence you’ve found.
Share – 4 min
What did you find that was interesting? An article? A comment? A quote? Well, post it to social media and get people reading and talking.
As procurement people we in fact have access to great, shareable content – in fact many of the best stories come out of buyer/supplier relationships: weird categories sourced; inspiring social procurement stories; and photos from Supplier Awards days.
Ask (or be) an expert – 4 min
One of the busiest parts Procurious is our Discussions area. Most social media platforms will have similar groups or boards where you can throw out a question to the network…..you’ll be impressed by the willingness of people to share their learnings….or at the very least, realize you’re not alone in your challenges!
Grow your network – 2 min
To be the world’s best at procurement, you need to be the most connected. Be referred. Invite people to join your social media networks – on Procurious, you can narrow this down by geography, industry and category which means you can connect with like-minded peers from across the globe. Aim to connect with 10 new people a day across your networks.
Change management, financial literacy, sourcing, vendor and people management will always be core to procurement. Social media, however, allows you to approach these tasks with far greater reach, influence and a superior market intelligence.
Lisa Malone is the General Manager – Procurious – the world’s first online business network for procurement and supply chain professionals.
If you’d like to learn more about how to grow your social media literacy, connect with her on Procurious at (it’s free to join and participate) or follow on Twitter @lisajoymalone.
