Social media for Logistics business – How to use, content ideas, examples

As a logistics business owner, you must have asked yourself how to promote your logistics business on social media? Which social media platforms are best for logistics business promotions? How to increase logistics sales and enhance customer experiences through social media? Social media for logistics is important. And we will take a look at some practical tips, strategies and social media content ideas for your logistics business.

Social media is a powerful platform to attract and retain customers, promote your business, and create brand awareness. Social networking for logistics companies therefore is a smart move for anyone who wants to build a presence and drive business growth in a strategic manner. So, if you are thinking how to go about logistics business social media promotion ideas, this is the right place to be.

How to use social media for logistics companies in India

Before you embark on a list of logistics social media content ideas, understand why you want to use social media for your logistics and trucking company. It’s not enough to have a bunch of truck driver social media post ideas, such as promoting freight opportunities, or sharing truck drivers hiring alerts, or trucking industry updates. You need to understand the different social media platforms, which platforms your customers are active on, which platforms your competitors are using. You will also need to design a logistics social media plan and allocate budgets for marketing and promotion.

Here are some marketing and promotion tips on how to use social media for logistics in India:

1. Branding and marketing promotions

This should be a part of your goal – the ‘how’ to use social media for logistics business. That is, what is the objective of using social media. For example, if you plan to start a trucking company business, your goal can be to use social media for creating awareness about your brand and promote your business.

This will involve you creating content on the types of logistics services you offer, fleet, value-added services, testimonials from customers, rate cards and special offers, etc. You can also run paid campaigns to reach a wider audience base. Don’t forget to talk about your business brand – that is, have videos from your founder’s desk, share your history, core values etc. Basically, use the platform for branding activities that tell your story to the audience and explain why they should choose you.

2. Audience engagement

You can also use social media to engage with your audience. When planning social media for logistics companies it’s important to understand how your audience will consume content. Take note of the platform and its features. For instance, if you want to use Instagram, use a mix of Reels, Stories, organic and Sponsored posts.

You should also dabble with different content concepts and ideas – e.g., use polls, AMAs, offer promotions, webinar invites, price cards, customer testimonials, route maps, about the company, fleet announcements, etc.

Keep check on your comments, shares, likes, and reply to relevant queries, compliments and comments. For instance, if there’s a query or comment on your post, always reply to it within 1-2 hours.

3. Lead generation and sales

Whether you are a freight forwarding company or a 3PL service provider, or involved in dropshipping, reverse dropshipping, export and import services, or any other – social media is a great platform to generate leads and drive sales.

You can run campaigns or generate leads through organic posts. For instance, if you have introduced new services, e.g., PTL services for movement of goods, you can:

• Run lead generation campaigns focusing on the USPs and benefits of the new service (e.g., PTL benefits, PTL pricing offered, shipping locations etc.)
• Post organic posts, e.g., carousels, GIFs, video content, static post, polls etc. to create awareness about the new service and raise enquiries

4. Customer support and services

One of the most common social media for logistics examples include using the platform for customer services and support. For instance, customers can send direct messages to your chat inbox with a query, or give ratings and post a review of your services (e.g., on Facebook). In many cases, customers may ask service or price based questions, and these opportunities can even be extended to close a sales deal.

In general, since most people use smartphones and social media, it’s convenient for them to connect with logistics companies via their social profiles. Social media can therefore be used to improve customer service in logistics in a prompt and efficient manner.

5. Business updates and knowledge-sharing

Social media is also a most apt way to share business updates by logistics companies. For instance, if your logistics company has received an award or recognition, this announcement can be shared on social media to gain trust and brand credibility. Similarly, if your business will be non-operational during festivals (e.g., Dusshera or Diwali), this information can be shared as a post and Story on social media.

Similarly, you can use the platform to share logistics and supply chain related information that is relevant to your audience and will be of value to them. For example, a carousel post (i.e., 4-5 images) on the difference between a consignor and consignee in shipping, or posts on latest logistics related government initiatives and programmes (e.g., the LEAPS India logistics programme by the DPIIT).

There are several such social media for logistics examples that explain how social media can be leveraged by logistics business to scale, grow, market and promote their business.

Logistics social media content ideas and examples

Now that you understand the role of social media in logistics marketing and promotions, let us look closely at some content ideas for logistics social media. These are generic ideas that can be used by all types of logistics companies:

1. About Us posts

When you start a new logistics business, social media can be a great platform to promote your business and find customers. And hence, it’s a great place to talk about and introduce your company – the people, the mission and vision, the types of services you offer, any logistics partners or 3PL or 4PL businesses you work with, areas served, etc.

The idea is to basically let people know about your company and its offerings, and in doing that build trust and interest.

For instance, company-specific content ideas for logistics social media can include:

• A carousel post on top 3 services offered
• AMA or Ask-Me-Anything on IG Story
• A poll or quiz on services offered or 3PL partners

2. Testimonials, reviews and feedback

Another popular content idea for social media logistics is testimonials and reviews. Here’s how to go about it:

• If feedback is through email/WhatsApp or Google Reviews, take a screenshot, hide the contact details (i.e., phone number and email) and share the screenshot. In platforms like Instagram this can be stared as a Story and then added to Highlights with the heading ‘Client Testimonials’. Remember, a Story is live for 24 hours only. When you add it to Highlights it stays.
• If you are using Facebook then customers can directly add their reviews and ratings
• If it’s a repeat customer, then they can be requested to send a video testimonial recording expressing their experience working with your logistics company.

3. Deals and offers

Any discussion on logistics social media content ideas is incomplete without discussing about the latest offers and deals that your company has to offer. Social media is a reliable platform to showcase your best offers. Since it reaches a wide audience base, it’s likely to drive more enquiries than other channels.

Promotional social media for logistics examples can include:

• Special offers and discounts, e.g., Get up to 10% off on your first order with code NEW10
• Referral programme discounts, e.g., Refer 3 people and get additional 5% off on the next 3 orders
• Loyalty programme, e.g., Get 10% off on every 5^th, 10^th and 15^th order

4. Tips and key insights

Another logistics business social media promotion idea includes using tips and insights for promoting your business. The goal here is to establish you brand as a logistics knowledge-hub. If you have a website, you can use the space to write detailed blogs and share the link on your social profile. Or simply, use your social profile to share strategic insights and tips for relevant audiences.

For example, if you are a trucking company, your truck driver social media post ideas may include:

• Images on types of trucks and key details on them (e.g., brakes, weight, steering, etc.)
• Carousels and short write-up on drivers training and safety measures
• Image based posts on truck driver’s training and learning centres, government initiatives etc.
• How to videos, e.g., how to drive in night time, how to quality check your truck before a trip, etc.

5. Memes

When talking about social media for logistics companies, you can’t ignore the power of a good laughter and meme. Laughter and memes can bring relief on a stressful day, it can engage audiences, and take your posts viral.

For instance, some memes on social media for logistics in India can be on:

• Delayed delivery, e.g., showing a person sitting on a chair waiting for his shipment with 1-hour ETA, now with beard and long hair as he is still waiting
• Shipping damages and transit insurance, e.g., showing a long phone bill with caption that explains the number of calls one has to make to get shipping damage insurance
• Hidden charges, e.g., showing a person inspecting the shipping bill with a magnifying glass to read the T&C and understand the hidden charges in the final invoice details

6. Contests and giveaways

Contests and giveaways are a great way to get new leads for your business. However, when it comes to logistics, the secret is to understand how to design the contest/giveaway.

Examples for logistics social media contest/giveaway ideas would include:

• Run a quiz-based contest about your company or the logistics industry in general, e.g., Ask 5 MCQs for 5 days in a week, give 3 winners a Flat ₹1000/- on their next logistics shipment
• Giveaway 2 movie tickets to 5 winners when they tag 3 friends and have them follow your brand on social media

Logistics company social media marketing and promotions: What’s in it for you

In the world of marketing logistics, you have to understand that social media is a powerful tool to brand and market your logistics and supply chain business. It’s a cost-effective channel but this does not mean that you ignore the traditional channels that have a proven success record.

Social media content is readily to access and consume, making it a suitable platform for you to share information, engage, interact and get new customers. Care should be taken to:

• Keep information relevant and easy to consume
• Use multiple languages i.e., any 2-3 preferred languages
• Mix and match different content formats and concepts
• Be consistent, reliable, and selective when sharing content i.e., be respectful and keep audience sensitivities in mind