The Social Media Mirage

Social media can absolutely play a role in modern marketing. But it’s not a marketing strategy in itself and treating it as such leads many companies down a dead-end path.

Social Media is not a marketing strategy, especially in technical industries

In the world of B2B marketing, particularly in technical sectors like automotive, defence, and off-highway, social media is sometimes viewed as a silver bullet. It’s easy to understand why: platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram offer seemingly “free” access to vast audiences. For engineering-led businesses, this creates the illusion that marketing can be done quickly, cheaply, and without much strategic thought – just post a few photos of a prototype, write up a case study, and the leads will come rolling in.

This belief is not just misguided, it’s dangerous.

We’ve encountered this thinking time and time again: manufacturers of specialist vehicles or armoured platforms who believe that LinkedIn is their primary sales channel. Engineering firms who think that content marketing begins and ends with a couple of Instagram posts showing a product in action. It’s not that social isn’t useful, it’s that it’s vastly overestimated in both influence and function, especially when viewed in isolation.

The reality is this: no customer in the B2B industrial or defence sector is placing a multi-million-dollar vehicle order because they saw a LinkedIn post. Not without prior knowledge of your brand. Not without research, referrals, technical documentation, commercial engagement, and trust – all built through a broader, integrated marketing and communications effort.

Why engineers and technical leaders misread social’s role

In technical organisations, especially founder-led or engineering run ones, there’s often a gap in marketing literacy. Brand is seen as “the logo.” Strategy is seen as “the website.” And marketing is often reduced to a series of tactical outputs – trade shows, brochures, social media.

To a mind trained in logic, function, and measurable outputs, social media feels appealing. It’s visible. It’s quantifiable. It’s low cost. And it feels like it’s doing something “we had 10,000 impressions this month!”

But impressions aren’t impact. Likes aren’t leads. And social engagement alone doesn’t drive growth, market positioning, or long term commercial value.

The real role of social media in B2B strategy

B2B Social media does have a place, but it’s a supporting act, not the main event.

Used strategically, social platforms can:

Amplify PR, thought leadership, or media coverage.
Distribute content that’s part of a wider campaign (e.g., video case studies, whitepapers, interviews).
Humanise your brand by showing real people behind the products.
Reinforce your market presence, especially in niche sectors where credibility matters.

But none of that matters without a strategic foundation. Social works best when it’s built on:

A clear brand positioning and message hierarchy.
A defined target audience and segmented content plan.
An integrated marketing ecosystem that includes lead generation, PR, CRM, SEO, trade media, sales enablement, and more.

In other words, social media should amplify, not replace. It’s a microphone, not the voice.

The cost illusion: B2B Social Media marketing isn’t cheap

There’s also a perception that social media is “free.” It’s not. Not if you want it to work.

Doing social media well in technical sectors requires:

Skilled and dynamic content creation that understands the subject matter.
Brand-consistent visuals and messaging.
Paid media strategy for reach and targeting.
Community management, analytics, and iteration.

It requires resource, either in-house or outsourced. And it requires time. If social feels cheap, it’s probably being done poorly.

The bigger picture: Strategy first – always

The truth is, most B2B companies in complex sectors don’t need more posts, they need more purpose.

They need to clarify what makes them different. They need to align their marketing with their commercial goals. They need a brand that communicates trust, a sales team that’s supported with the right materials, and a long-term view of market growth.

A strategy-led approach asks the right questions:

Who are we really trying to reach?
What do they care about?
What are the barriers to them choosing us?
How do we build brand preference over time?

Social media is just one of the answers and rarely the first one.

The Illusion of “Leads from Social”

We often hear companies say things like, “We generated this lead through LinkedIn” or “Our social post led to a sale.” But that logic collapses under scrutiny.

Yes, a contact may have messaged you on LinkedIn. But where did they really come from? What influenced them before that?

It’s highly likely they:

Heard of your brand via word of mouth or a trade show months ago
Read a PR article or case study
Visited your website several times
Subscribed to your email newsletter
Saw one of your engineers speak at an industry panel

It’s often more likely that then, and only then, did they click on a social post and get in touch. Social may have been the final nudge, but it wasn’t the start or the core driver of their interest.

Without understanding this broader journey, companies risk making poor marketing decisions based on a skewed view of how customers really behave.

Rethinking the funnel: It’s not linear anymore

Traditional marketing models are often built around the idea of a funnel – awareness at the top, consideration in the middle, conversion at the bottom. But modern buyer behaviour is far more erratic, especially in B2B and technical sectors.

Buyers today don’t necessarily enter at the top. They can bounce in and out of touchpoints over weeks or months. They might:

Visit your site but not engage
Read third-party reviews or industry commentary
Interact with your team in person
Return later via a targeted ad or social post

This fractured path means that social media often plays a mid-funnel or late-funnel role, rather than acting as the first spark of awareness. Yet many businesses attribute success to the most visible, last-click channel like social, while ignoring all the deeper brand building and demand generation activities that actually moved the buyer along.

The result? Over reliance on a channel that can’t carry the weight of long cycle, high value sales alone.

The AI Effect: Even social metrics can’t be trusted anymore

With the rise of AI-generated content and AI-powered user engagement, the picture gets even murkier.

An estimated 71% of social media images are now created by AI.
Social platforms are flooded with AI-generated comments, “virtual influencers,” and content farms that mimic real engagement.
AI-optimised posting schedules, A/B-tested headlines, and predictive analytics make content more performative but not necessarily more valuable.
Even reports are increasingly AI-generated, using sentiment analysis and engagement summaries that look convincing, but are often shallow.

This matters because it further distorts the perceived impact of social media. Your analytics dashboard might show a spike in likes or reach but how much of that is real? How much of it came from human buyers with commercial intent? And how much of it came from bots, content scrapers, or non-decision makers?

In this AI inflated environment, marketing teams need more than good looking numbers. They need clarity. And that starts with strategy.

Why Strategy, not AI, must lead

For engineering focused B2B companies, AI is a tool, not a strategy. Here’s what to do:

Validate your metrics. Know where data comes from: bots? genuine users?
Blend AI with real-world evidence. Partner analytics with human intel, webinar feedback, tradeshow interactions, SERP visits.
Invest in attribution clarity. Full-funnel tracking (e.g. multi-touch attribution) reveals which channels truly drive leads.
Focus on quality over scale. A smaller audience of real, qualified buyers beats massive engagements by AI farms.

So what is the role of B2B social media marketing?

Social media does have value – lots of it, when used correctly.

It can:

Support brand visibility
Amplify thought leadership
Keep your business top-of-mind
Humanise your team
Reinforce trust mid-funnel
Provide validation and social proof

But it generally cannot:

Replace the need for a clear value proposition
Stand in for brand positioning, content strategy, or targeted demand gen
Substitute for PR, SEO, events, or account-based marketing
Be your only channel for engaging buyers
Social is an amplifier, not a foundation.

Summary: Social alone won’t build your brand or your pipeline

Too many technical, engineering, and industrial firms are leaning on B2B social media marketing because it feels low cost, fast, and visible. But that’s a short-term illusion. In reality:

Most leads are multi-touch journeys – social is just one piece.
Metrics are often misleading, especially in the AI era.
Real business value comes from a holistic marketing strategy.

Social should complement your efforts, not define them. And without brand clarity, commercial positioning, strategic communications, and long-term content planning, even the best LinkedIn campaign won’t deliver lasting ROI.

A personal note before I end…

Yes, I’m aware of the irony in writing a post questioning the value of social media… that I’ll then go and promote on social media. But that’s exactly the point. This isn’t a rant against social, it’s about putting it in its proper place in the marketing mix. Used well, it’s a powerful tool. Used as your only tool? Not so much. So no hard feelings, LinkedIn – I still think you’re a bit overrated, but you’re not totally useless. 😉