How are plastics companies using social media? And what are they getting from their efforts? Pam Aungst Teubner, e-commerce manager at E&T Plastics Manufacturing Co. Inc., recently took a look at what some innovative companies are doing in social media. Today she posted a report on the topic in her company's blog, titled How Plastics Companies Are Using Social Media. Pam interviewed mostly smaller to mid-sized companies for the report, so many Plastics Blog readers should be able to relate to their experiences. I'll highlight one of the findings, on the unexpected benefits that companies are experiencing as a result of their efforts. Here's what a few companies had to say:
- "Through social media, we've been able to connect with other marketers in related fields. In addition to nurturing business relationships, our social media communication helps us find new ideas and tricks for promoting our company." - Ashley Jernigan, UniTherm International.
- "It was quite a learning curve fitting a plastics manufacturer into a social media environment. But as we started and continue to connect with other SMBs we were provided with more ideas than we could keep track of. By engaging more, we found more ways to engage." - Johnny Bravo, PolyPak America.
- "At first I thought social media was all about promoting our product, but we have found a couple of really good suppliers and freight companies [through social media] that have actually saved us money! We have also formed some valuable relationships from some very supportive businesses." - Jennifer Toolis, ABC Plastics, Inc.
- "We were actually surprised at the number of leads that came in within the first few months of participating in social media. Knowing that an effective social media presence can take time to build, we really didn't expect to get leads through these efforts as fast as we did. It just goes to show that you don't have to be out there for a very long time in order to get people's attention; you just have to be there at the right moment when they need you!" - Pam Aungst Teubner, E&T Plastics.
