It may have only seemed like a minor blip on the radar to most people, but I think the change in Twitter’s basic question — from “What are you doing” to “What’s happening” — is actually pretty significant for B2B communicators.

This rings especially true for me after attending the Association of Equipment Manufacturers Annual Conference last month. Digital media was the biggest theme of the educational sessions during the event, and was certainly the buzz of the various networking receptions I attended. And I had to smile because I kept hearing that common phrase I’ve heard so often from social media skeptics — it always goes something like: “I just don’t care if you are going to the store, going to the bathroom or going to bed… !”

But the change in Twitter’s basic question seems to reflect the increasing transition of that platform from a social site that promotes personal dialogue (or as many seem to think — individual narcissism) to a forum for sharing relevant business and professional information. (Shameless plug — follow me at @manufacturingpr to learn more.)

It’s a trend that everyone in the equipment industry — and many others, by the way — should really take note of. I have to say I was pretty surprised by just how little it seems the equipment companies have adopted digital media to this point. Yes, it’s a very “old school” industry. But it’s a sector that also includes some really large companies with sophisticated PR and marketing communications departments. And you just can’t ignore the trends showing that nearly every professional audience — from farmers to engineers — is beginning to embrace digital/social media. OK, even if those customers aren’t right there today, they probably will be soon.

The good news for these companies is that they remain on a level playing field. Even if they haven’t begun using these tools just yet, neither has their competition. And that’s where the opportunity lies.

Perhaps the best presentation of the event, even if it was only about 15 minutes, came from Geoff Craig, the leader behind the groundbreaking Dove Campaign for Real Beauty campaign, which features one of the best-ever YouTube videos. He encouraged his team at Unilever, and everyone at the AEM conference, to “create their own highlight reel” by “doing something remarkable.” One such “highlight reel” performance comes from CWS Toilets, which produced this exceptional and hilarious viral video to market its new product. Now if a toilet company can do something this creative and effective, then an equipment manufacturer definitely can.