— Case study
StoryMatters and the electrical industry
Radim Roček · Sales and Marketing Director, Phoenix Contact
Phoenix Contact develops and manufactures more than 100,000 products for the electrical industry — from connectors and terminal blocks to industrial electronics and solutions for e-mobility and cybersecurity. The company operates in 60 countries and manufactures in 10. LinkedIn became a measurable sales channel with a direct impact on closed deals.
— Results
- relevant business meetings per year from LinkedIn
- 50+
- of major new projects come from LinkedIn
- 50 %
- post impressions annually
- 800,000+
- conversion rate on acquisition messages
- 25 %
— Interview
What does Phoenix Contact do, and who are your customers?
We focus on the electrical industry. We develop and manufacture more than 100,000 products — from PCB connectors and terminal blocks to industrial electronics such as power supplies, surge protectors, and converters, through to automation with our flagship PLCnext, I/O modules, industrial switches, and proprietary industrial cybersecurity solutions. A significant and fastest-growing area is e-mobility — we develop everything from control units and electronics to cables, sockets, and complete charging station equipment. Our target customer base is very broad: from electronics manufacturers and switchboard builders to companies in machine automation and energy.
In how many countries does Phoenix Contact operate?
We have offices in approximately sixty countries. We manufacture in ten countries around the world — the main effort is to produce where we also sell. We primarily supply products from our plants in Germany and Poland, where we recently opened our third large production facility focused on e-mobility.
How long did it take before LinkedIn started paying off?
I started a year or two before anyone believed in it. It wasn't until the end of lockdowns, when I was reviewing newly opened major projects, that I discovered half of them came from my LinkedIn profile. Only then did we realize we needed to approach it consistently. Today I publish roughly three to five posts per week and reach around 10,000 weekly impressions.
Do you see LinkedIn primarily as a marketing or sales tool?
The initial expectation was marketing visibility — we said we needed to be visible as a company and brand. Gradually we realized it's not really a marketing tool but more of a sales one. For me it's 90% sales and 10% marketing. But we had to go through that evolution ourselves. And I'm glad our competitors haven't fully realized it yet.
Who would you recommend LinkedIn to?
Our company operates in B2B, in a very conservative segment. If it works for us, in my view it will work in other areas too. LinkedIn is not for someone who finds it unnatural — that comes through in the communication. Even if someone dislikes social media and is nowhere else, it's about tuning in and realizing this is a work tool and a work matter.
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