Aerospace and Social Media: A Comprehensive Guide
Contents
- Introduction
- Why Social Media Matters for Aerospace Companies
- Choosing the Right Platforms: LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Moresome text
- X (formerly, Twitter)
- YouTube
- TikTok
- Crafting a Targeted Content Strategy
- Building Thought Leadership in the Aerospace Industry
- Maximising Engagement Through Visual Content
- Leveraging Aerospace Industry Trends and News
- Engaging with Engineers, Clients and Enthusiasts
- Utilising Data and Metrics to Improve Social Media Performance
- Collaborating with Industry Influencers and Partners
- Conclusion
Introduction
Though highly technical, the aerospace industry can still thrive on social media, provided they have the right approach.
By building an effective online presence, aerospace companies can showcase their innovations, connect with clients, and engage with a global audience.
This guide will explore the essential strategies for creating a solid social media presence in the aerospace sector.
Why Social Media Matters for Aerospace Companies
In today’s digital age, social media is crucial for companies in all industries, including aerospace.
Social media helps build brand awareness and provides a platform to communicate directly with potential clients, partners, and industry stakeholders.
It allows you to humanise your brand, share insights, and showcase your latest developments in real time.
From attracting investors to connecting with potential hires, an effective social media strategy opens doors that were once only accessible through traditional networking channels.
So, regardless of your company’s marketing, sales and business development objectives, there is always room for social media.
That being said—there are so many different socials to choose from, so how do you pick the ones that are right for your business?
Choosing the Right Platform: LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and More
First, not every social media platform is suitable for every aerospace company, so choosing the right ones for your goals is essential. Your target audience, business objectives, and resources will significantly influence which social media platforms are best for your business.
LinkedIn is arguably the most important social media platform for B2B companies. It is a must-have for all aerospace organisations and their employees.
This is the best starting point for a B2B social media marketing strategy as it is ideal for B2B networking, recruitment, and thought leadership.
Since you only have to post on LinkedIn around three times a week, it is a relatively simple social media to use and requires few resources to do well.
X (formerly, Twitter)
The dark horse of social media platforms, in part thanks to SpaceX’s CEO, Chair, and CTO, Elon Musk, X is a fantastic platform for sharing news and engaging in industry conversations.
Compared to other social media platforms, where posting should be done regularly but not daily, X should be used as often as possible. This maximises exposure, helping you to stand out as a key voice in the aerospace industry.
Useful for both B2B and B2C, Twitter is significantly more time-consuming than LinkedIn and should only be used if you know you have the time to dedicate to it.
YouTube
YouTube can be used in several ways, and all of them are useful, but unlike LinkedIn and X, content creation for YouTube is significantly more time-consuming—often requiring a full-time hire to do this well.
Whether you’re using short—or long-format video, YouTube is fantastic for product demonstrations, educational content, brand promotional material, interviews, webinars, you name it. If video is a major part of your strategy (which it should be), then YouTube is a must-have.
That being said, if you lack the time and resources to create quality YouTube content, it is best to leave well alone for the time being.
While often associated with lifestyle-orientated brands and content, it can also be an effective platform for aerospace companies with highly visual projects to showcase.
For Instagram, focus on releasing high-quality, aesthetically pleasing photos and videos of visually stunning aspects of the aerospace industry—an aircraft in flight, a rocket launch, or satellite testing.
For aerospace companies, Instagram is unlikely to be a priority, so unless you have highly appealing visual content, it’s probably not worth using it.
TikTok
TikTok is another social media platform suited to B2C that requires a lot of time and effort to produce a good ROI.
If you have the time and resources to dedicate to TikTok, it can be a fantastic channel. It's especially useful for producing quick explainer content, behind-the-scenes clips, and engaging with popular trends.
Facebook is arguably a dying social media platform, especially amongst the younger generations, but it is useful if you want to reach a broad audience or run meta ads.
Great for community engagement, longer-form content, and event promotion, Facebook still has a place in modern social media marketing but is undoubtedly in decline outside of advertising.
Crafting a Targeted Content Strategy
A successful social media presence relies on a well-planned content strategy that reflects your audience’s interests.
Aerospace companies can create diverse content, from technical deep dives to visually engaging product showcases.
Remember that your audience could include engineers, government officials, aerospace enthusiasts, and business decision-makers.
By crafting content that speaks to each segment of your audience, you ensure that your posts are relevant, engaging, and informative. This diversity in content keeps followers interested and increases the chances of engagement.
Furthermore, each social media platform is tailored to specific audiences, so it is advised to create a strategy that plays to each platform's strengths.
Building Thought Leadership in the Aerospace Industry
One key benefit of social media is the opportunity to position your company as a thought leader in the aerospace industry.
Posting original research, expert opinions on industry trends, or detailed white papers helps build credibility.
Thought leadership content attracts followers who value your expertise and are likelier to share your insights.
Aerospace companies can also create content discussing the industry's challenges, offering unique solutions or insights demonstrating thought leadership.
Not sure what thought leadership content to post? Look at what questions your clients are asking and the problems they’re facing, and create content that either answers their questions or gives them a solution to their problems.
Maximise Engagement Through Visual Content
As mentioned previously, visual content can make complex concepts more accessible and engaging, making it perfect for the aerospace industry.
Use bespoke videos, including 3D animation and CGI, high-quality images, and infographics to explain processes, showcase new technology, or demonstrate how your products work in action.
For example, a time-lapse video of an aircraft being built or satellite testing footage can captivate your audience, making your content more shareable and boosting engagement.
Don’t underestimate the power of visuals in driving social media success.
Are you in need of bespoke video content for your aerospace business? Book a call with us today.
Leveraging Aerospace Industry Trends and News
Keeping up with industry trends and news is essential for remaining relevant on social media.
Aerospace companies should regularly share content related to the latest regulatory updates, technology breakthroughs, and industry events.
Commenting on trending topics helps position your company as an informed, up-to-date player in the industry.
Use hashtags and participate in conversations around popular topics, such as #SpaceTech or #AerospaceInnovation.
Sharing your insights on these trends keeps your content timely and enhances engagement.
Engaging with Engineers, Clients, and Enthusiasts
The aerospace audience is diverse, ranging from highly technical engineers to clients and space enthusiasts.
Engaging each of these groups requires a tailored approach.
Engineers may respond well to detailed case studies or technical content, while clients and decision-makers may prefer content focused on ROI and project success.
By understanding who you’re speaking to and adapting your content accordingly, you’ll increase the likelihood of a positive interaction and keep your followers coming back for more.
Utilising Data and Metrics to Improve Social Media Performance
Like any good marketing, sales or business development strategy, the key to success is data—track your performance and optimise based on the results.
Regularly reviewing metrics like engagement rates, follower growth, click-through rate, etc., will help you understand what resonates with your audience and what doesn’t.
Warning: While impressions are important, they are not the best measure of performance. If a post with ten thousand impressions only gets ten engagements, it’s not good.
Aerospace companies should focus on which posts drive the most engagement and use this data to refine their content strategy.
You can use analytics tools to ensure that your social media efforts are data-driven and continuously improving.
Collaborating with Industry Influencers and Partners
Partnering with influencers, industry experts, or other aerospace companies can help amplify your reach and increase engagement.
Collaborations, whether through co-hosted webinars, joint content, or guest posts, allow brands to connect with new audiences and build credibility.
Seek out thought leaders in the aerospace industry who align with your brand values and have a following that would benefit from your insights.
Collaborating with respected voices in the field can significantly boost your social media presence.
Conclusion
There you have it. Aerospace companies can and should use social media regardless of their company objectives.
Adding social media marketing to your current marketing strategy gives you another fantastic avenue for lead generation, sales and brand awareness.
Furthermore, by following this comprehensive guide, aerospace companies can develop a strategic, engaging social media presence that resonates with their target audience, builds credibility, and drives meaningful engagement.
Need video content to take your social media marketing to the next level? Book a call today.
