The meteoric rise of social media and various platforms have given individuals and organizations a uniquely valuable opportunity to connect with others, generate content to raise awareness, as well as participate in conversations about the most prominent trends and relevant topics impacting the world.
While establishing, developing and maintaining a successful social media program can be a challenge for companies of all sizes and types, certain strategies and behaviors can drive desired results and positively impact an organization’s profile and standing within the industry.
With that fact in mind, AEM recently sat down with Mike Anderson, marketing manager for AEM member company Cleanfix North America Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of German-based Hägele GmbH, to discuss the organization’s approach to social media, how small companies can make their voice heard on the industry through various social strategies and tactics, as well as where social media is headed in the future.
AEM: Can you provide some background about Cleanfix’s approach to social media and what you hope to accomplish through your social media efforts?
Anderson: Looking back a few years, Cleanfix really made a concerted effort to try to raise its exposure in North America, having been quite conservative in that approach prior. From a social standpoint, when things really got going was in 2018. Working for an agency that acted as a third-party provider in support of the company’s social efforts, I helped get things going with Twitter, expanded on the company’s Facebook presence, as well as did some work on Instagram and a little on LinkedIn.
It didn’t take long for our efforts to gain some traction, and I think it was because someone was paying attention and moving things along from a social standpoint. I ended up joining the Cleanfix staff full-time in June of 2019 and, since then, it’s been all about expanding on what we were doing prior. Now, I spend a significant amount of my time as a Cleanfix employee working on social media. And ultimately, Cleanfix North America is handling all of the company’s social media initiatives itself now – including the bulk of the global organization’s social media presence.
Our approach to social media is that we are unabashed fans of the equipment industry, and we work to express that in both a business and personal sense. For us at Cleanfix, we have a strong appreciation for those in this industry, and we are unafraid to congratulate people on their successes. Yes, we are a small component manufacturer. But through our growing social media presence, we have tried to stand up and tell the world that we love and celebrate the industry as much as anyone else. So, when we see some good things happening out on social from fellow equipment manufacturers, or from an association like AEM, we like to call it out in a very positive manner. That’s been our approach, and I believe it has served us well.
"Our approach to social media is that we are unabashed fans of the equipment industry, and we work to express that in both a business and personal sense. At Cleanfix, we have a strong appreciation for those in this industry, and we are unafraid to congratulate people on their successes. Yes, we are a small component manufacturer. But through our growing social media presence, we have tried to stand up and tell the world that we love and celebrate the industry as much as anyone else." -- Mike Anderson, marketing manager, Cleanfix North America
AEM: What have been some successes the company has experienced due to that approach and the work that’s been done over the past few years?
Anderson: The most direct and obvious success is when we receive a Twitter message from someone we have not had direct contact with, and he or she comments on some information about our reversible fans, or the person is looking for additional product information or even a quote. That has happened both within North America and globally. And, thanks to the immediacy of social media, we’re able to pass along those international contacts to our office in Germany and they can get on it very quickly. From a social media perspective, and as a company that doesn’t possess an extensive social media history, those are feel-good moments for us at Cleanfix.
Then, from the standpoint of helping advance the idea of our industry as a community, social media has allowed us to build comradery with our partners that we do business with or our customers. Just the back and forth that we have on social media is very encouraging and supportive. And, ultimately, we’ve found that the more we put into social media, the more we get out of it.
AEM: From your perspective, what holds certain organizations – particularly smaller ones – back from investing time, effort and resources into social media efforts?
Anderson: In experience, it really comes down to people being very busy. There are good intentions on the part of many organizations to follow through on social media efforts, but it just doesn’t get done consistently in some cases. So, it’s almost not worth it if you’re not going to commit to being diligent and consistent.
For us at Cleanfix, it’s a challenge at certain times, because we’re a company that essentially offers a single product, so we must be creative and try different tactics to let the industry know we are out there. It can be easy for smaller companies to look at the equipment industry on social media and say it’s a playground for larger organizations, but it really doesn’t have to be that way. And for us, we’ve ultimately found a lot of our efforts have been noticed by larger companies. That’s been really encouraging.
AEM: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 prevented organizations from being able to leverage face-to-face networking opportunities for a while, opening the door for social media to emerge as the primary means of getting your voice out to customers and industry peers. What was that experience like for Cleanfix, and how did the organization work to make the most of what was a difficult situation?
Anderson: It was a huge interruption for us as an organization. Cleanfix North America has been a fairly traditional marketer, historically. We attended a lot of trade shows even as a small staff – about 40 events per year. Suddenly, all of that stopped in March of 2020, and we didn’t exhibit at another show until September of 2021. That was a massive interruption, but social media has allowed us to keep our brand and logo out there a little easier than it would have been in the past. In addition, because we weren’t spending money on shows, we were afforded the opportunity to invest in upping our game on social. So, in that sense it was a positive, though the face-to-face networking is something we very much missed.
AEM: Any predictions as to where social media is headed in the short term and long term? Also, how is your organization going to try and keep up with its growth and evolution?
Anderson: That’s the million-dollar question. Just when you think you’ve figured out a trend like social media, it changes. And while change can be frustrating and challenging, it also provides opportunity.
A lot of people wake up every morning trying to come up with answers regarding where social media is headed next, while the rest of us try and keep up the best we can. Ultimately, we believe there will continue to be an emergence of different platforms. Some will take leadership roles, some will fall off, and some will maintain their place. That’s why it’s so important to stay educated about various platforms and what they have to offer, and then build your strategy in response and take advantage of the opportunities available. In short, it all comes down to being willing to accept the constant learning that needs to take place, and then being willing to go out and do the work – day in and day out.
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