Global Logistics Industry Off Mark When Using Social Media

Global Logistics Industry Off The Mark When Using Social Media

Too many companies involved in the Logistics Industry don't fully understand the effects of Social Media on business.

There is however a strong sense that if they don’t jump aboard the Social Media train they will get left behind. Sadly, some company’s don’t seem to care. Their philosophy is, "we have been in business for 20 years and we don’t need Social Media to stay relevant." Clearly, this is a very dangerous approach.

The global recession has had a significant impact on the Logistics industry. As such, the industry has turned inward where a dollar saved is more important than a dollar worth of sales.

Most companies with a strong market presence and cash reserves have either acquired struggling businesses or invested heavily in technology. Smart companies have also taken the opportunity to embrace Social Media to more fully engage with, and understand their customer's needs.

Globally, most industries have embraced Social Media. In particular, the Hospitality, Health, and Technology industries.

So why is the Logistics Industry lagging behind?

A recent survey carried out of 1,000 Logistics and Supply Chain Professionals indicated that over 80 percent believed Social Media is going to become more and more relevant as a key sales tool. However, what is more interesting is that most believed that Social Media should be tagged as a Marketing function.

Yet in delving deeper, we discovered there is an increasing disconnect between the Sales and Marketing Departments when it comes to the responsibilities of Social Media functions.

Another interesting finding is that companies that see Social Media as a key tool use it to push information as opposed to pull information. Let’s take the three largest freight companies in the world and look at their Twitter accounts.

As at 18th of October 2012:

DHL has 8027 Twitter Followers, they only follow 217
UPS has 21,331 Twitter Followers, they only follow 840
FedEx has 124,916 Twitter Followers, they only follow 2,027

What this demonstrates for the Logistics Industry, is that Social Media is effectively a one way street. While most companies see Social Media as a way to engage and develop a deeper relationship they only use it as a megaphone.

So the key question is this; do Logistics companies really care about what people are saying about them?

Most will tell you they do, however this cannot be further from the truth. Most companies we surveyed do not have a process that filters information that is gathered through Social Media back to the departments that need to hear it. The reason for this is that the role of Social Media has not yet been defined.

Over the coming weeks we will release more information from the survey. What we can tell you is that companies associated with the Logistics Industry have a long way to go to fully understand and utilize the power of Social Media.

Nigel Lewis
CEO – Global Logistics Media
www.globallogisticsmedia.com

About Global Logistics Media (GLM)
GLM delivers all of the latest breaking news, information and opportunities impacting the logistics sectors of the world's leading economies. GLM delivers running commentary from industry experts (including case studies and news updates), features an integrating business directory, jobs board and product listings.

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