Did you know that LinkedIn generates two new users per second? This network of over 330 million professionals is not just filled with people looking for jobs, but rather experts from various industries looking to exchange best practice tips and advice. The supply chain and logistics industries are no exception A quick search of the term “supply chain manager,” turns up over 300,000 results within my 1st to 3rd degree network connections. Aside from individual professionals, if you search the term “supply chain” under the “Groups” section, over 5,749 different groups covering the topic of supply chain come up in the search result. That’s a lot of people talking about supply chain management!
How about Twitter? Did you know, depending on the time of day, there are up to 228 tweets per hour that include the hashtag #supplychain? On the following graph, you can see when the majority of people are talking about supply chain management and approximately how many tweets per day go out on this specific topic (approx. 2,400).
This article is intended to help cut through some of the noise and provide social media newcomers in the field of supply chain management with a helpful starting point. If I do not include your LinkedIn group, blog, twitter profile etc. in the following sections, please do not take the exclusion personally. Instead, feel free to include your site/group in the comment section below. I am always happy to connect with new people and expand my network on the various social media platforms.
I have had some great conversations over the past three years with highly experienced supply chain managers in various groups on LinkedIn. When choosing groups to join and engage with, one of the key aspects is finding a group with excellent management. A group filled with discussions started by recruiters and marketers pushing positions and products will be less fruitful than a group filled with experts asking and answering questions (unless of course you are looking for a supply chain tool or job!).
The direction of conversation and posts lies solely in the hands of the group managers. Ensuring promotions land in the promotions section and the timely approval of topical discussions are two very important LinkedIn group management traits. Based on my experience over the past three years, the following four groups provide supply chain managers with an excellent platform for discussion (in no particular order):
If you truly are new to LinkedIn groups, start by joining just one group. Ask a question. Start a conversation.
A relatively new alternative to LinkedIn for supply chain and procurement professionals is Procurious. I have mentioned this platform before, but if you haven’t had a chance to check it out, I encourage you to do so.
Blog / News Aggregation
As a blogger myself, it pains me to promote the blogs of others, but as a social media manager, I also know it is important to give credit where credit is due. The following blogs and news aggregators do a great job of keeping up on what is trending in the field of supply chain management. So if you have some spare time after reading our articles, these five blogs offer some great supply chain management information:
- Logistics/Supply Chain on about.com
- Supply Chain Matters
- Talking Logistics
- Supply Chain Shaman
- Supply Chain Digital
These five sights post regularly and have a great grasp on what is trending in the field of supply chain management. Who do you turn to for your supply chain news and trend monitoring?
If you want to find out what is trending in the field of supply chain management, or maybe you want to share some exciting supply chain news, the place to do that is Twitter. This platform, which can be viewed as a real-time news ticker, will keep you on top of the supply chain ball. I already displayed the growing relevance of the topic of supply chain management on Twitter, and as seen by the 2000+ daily tweets, there is a lot of noise. Based on my personal experience and level of engagement, I recommend you follow these ten Twitter accounts (accompanied with their twitter bio):
Lora Cecere – @lcecere – Founder of Supply Chain Insights. Focused on helping clients improve value in their value chains. Writing a 2nd book, Metrics That Matter.
Gary Marion – @SpplyChainROSCO – Life is a metaphor for supply chain. Logistics/Supply Chain Expert for about.com. Seriously.
Fronetics – @Fronetics – We are a management consulting firm which focuses on strategy and inbound marketing for the logistics and supply chain industries. We help businesses grow.
Supply Chain 24/7 – @SupplyChain247 – Supply Chain 24/7 is the ultimate online business resource for Transportation, Distribution, Logistics and Supply Chain professionals.
CSCMP – @cscmp – Educating and Connecting the World’s Supply Chain Professionals.
Morai Logistics – @MoraiLogistics – Logistics can be messy. Let us take care of your cross-border, domestic & international supply chain needs. From intermodal, truckload, LTL to small package.
Martijn Graat – @LogisticsMatter – Bringing You News and Background on: Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Warehousing, 3PL, Shipping, Transportation, Lean, Sustainability, Social Media
Shameless self-promotion
My colleagues and I also enjoy sharing and discussing the latest supply chain trends on Twitter:
Kai Keppner – @KaiKeppner – Writer & Marketing Manager. Interested in high-tech trends, logistics, supply chain and politics. Tweets in German and English.
Karolina Maziliauskaite – @KMaziliauskaite – Supply chain & Inventory management blogger, UNICEF enthusiast
David Weaver – @Weaver_davidw – Online Marketing & Social Media enthusiast. California native. Expat in Germany. Blogger at the Huffington Post. Supply Chain devotee & blogger
The above mentioned accounts represent only a small fraction of the people tweeting about supply chain management. Conduct a hashtag search (#supplychain) for yourself on the platform and see what is trending now!
Closing Thoughts
In my opinion, it is never too late to join in on the various social media platforms. That being said, it is important to know what you want to accomplish before getting started. Do you want to expand your knowledge and gain deeper insight into specific supply chain topics? Subscribe to a blog! Are you trying to keep an eye on the latest supply chain trends? Join Twitter! Are you interested in exchanging best practice tips with colleagues from around the world, or maybe you need a specific question answered? Join in on the discussion on LinkedIn or Procurious!
As mentioned before, now it is your turn to share your favorite accounts on the various social networking platforms in the comment section below.
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