Available Online at www.ijscia.com | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | Jan-Feb 2021 12 Social Media in The Chemical Industry Matthew N. O. Sadiku 1* , Tolulope J. Ashaolu 2 , and Abayomi Ajayi-Majebi, 3 and Sarhan M. Musa 1 1 Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX, USA 2 College of Food Science, Southwest University, Tiansheng Road Beibei District, Chongqing, 400715, P.R. China 3 Department of Manufacturing Engineering, Central State University, P.O. Box 1004, Wilberforce, OH, USA E-mail: sadiku@ieee.org; ashaolut@gmail.com; ajayi-majebi@centralstate.edu; smmusa @pvamu.edu *corresponding author details: Professor Matthew N. O. Sadiku; sadiku@ieee.org ABSTRACT Social media may be regarded as any website that provides a network of people with a place to make connections. It is a tool that helps individuals (consumers) to share ideas, content, thoughts, and relationships over the Internet. Many organizations and companies are using social media to spread their message and extend their presence more than traditional marketing can do. This paper briefly presents the use of social media in the chemical industry. Keywords: social media; social networking; chemical industry INTRODUCTION Traditional social media include written press, TV and radio. Modern social media, also known as social networking, include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. Both the traditional and modern social media are illustrated in Figure 1 [1]. Modern social media began in 1978 by Ward Christensen and Randy Suess who created bulletin board to inform friends of meetings, announcements, and share information. Since then, social media has become an integral part of our life [1]. Social media gives companies another means of reaching people in ways that traditional media cannot. They allow your company to boost their brand. What can be done of the social media is illustrated in Figure 2 [2]. The chemical industry is lagging behind with integrating social media effectively within the overall marketing strategy. This is perhaps to the perception that social media is a bad fit for companies that operate in a business-to-business (B2B) environment [3]. Chemical companies must find new ways to add value and differentiate their offerings. The chemical industry cannot continue to deploy traditional approaches to selling, despite rising expenses. It is high time that chemical companies build up a positive reputation using social media. Social media allows you to define the way customers perceive your company, instead of the conventional media defining your company. By building a strong presence on social media, companies are able to interact directly with customers to gain their trust and support. When accidents occur in a chemical company, having a strong social media presence can help dispel customer fears, address their concerns, and increase customer satisfaction [4]. SOCIAL MEDIA BASICS Social media is consumer-generated media that covers a variety of new sources of online information, created, and used by consumers with the intent on sharing information with others. It employs mobile and web-based technologies to create, share, discuss, and modify consumer-generated content. Consumers are most likely to leverage their power in social media to be more demanding of marketers [5]. The four most popular social media platforms are described here. • Facebook: This is the most popular social media in the US and the rest of the world. It was launched on February 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook can sensitize individuals (consumers) about many products and services. A chemical company can use Facebook to communicate their core values to a wide range of customers. • Twitter: Twitter was launched on July 2006 to provide a microblogging service It allows individuals and companies to post short messages, share content, and have conversations with other Twitter users. Many Twitter posts (or "tweets") focus on the minutiae of everyday life. • LinkedIn: This a networking website for the business community. It allows people to create professional profiles, post resumes, and communicate with other professionals. LinkedIn is where chemical manufacturers see the largest audiences. • YouTube: YouTube has established itself as social media. It was launched in May 2005. It allows individuals to watch and share videos. YouTube may serve as home to aspiring filmmakers who might not have industry connections. YouTube can be both a blessing and a curse for some companies. Other social media include Instagram, Reddit, Pinterest, Flickr, Snapchat, WeChat, and Vine Camera. IMPLEMENTING SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY To implement a social media strategy, your company should take the following five steps [6]: 1. Pay attention You want to provide value to conversation that facilitates sales but does not sell directly. The key is to engage customers and be a valuable sounding board for them. International Journal of Scientific Advances ISSN: 2708-7972 Volume: 2 | Issue: 1 | Jan - Feb 2021 Available Online: www.ijscia.com