Manufacturing marketing is essentially B2B marketing – although it has a longer and more complex sales cycle than B2C. These peculiarities often translate to unique challenges to this form of marketing.
Nevertheless, having a formidable manufacturing marketing strategy can increase lead conversions and brand awareness while establishing your business as a thought leader.
Following the six tips discussed in this article can help you create an effective manufacturing strategy.
1 – Write and Publish Content
Time and time again, the saying content is king has proven true for online marketers. Any information you publish on your site is content. Content contributes to several marketing efforts, including improving your search engine optimization (SEO), positioning you as a trustworthy manufacturer, and pushing people further down the sales funnel.
Because of human diversity, people engage with content in varying degrees. For example, some people prefer to read about a product, while some prefer viewing a video. Consequently, using multiple content forms on your site translates to increased sales.
If you have complex manufacturing products, it is advisable to publish several educative content for your potential client. This content may include videos, whitepapers, blogs, case studies, infographics, and slide presentations. Apart from convincing a person to purchase your product, a prospective client may also be trying to convince a stakeholder, and varying content forms can help them.
2 – Incorporate Email Marketing
Manufacturing marketing is not a short-term game; it is for the long term. Therefore, when potential clients review their options or re-evaluate their priorities, it is easy for your company’s message to get lost in the shuffle or even get caught up in daily operations management.
With email marketing, you can capture interested leads and send them emails periodically, keeping you fresh in their minds. Furthermore, email marketing is great for automation. Whenever a prospective client takes a specific action, drip campaigns can send a series of messages to them.
For instance, if a user visits their email to download a whitepaper about restaurant equipment, you can then send them automated emails periodically. These emails should cover information like how the product saves them time and improves the quality of their operations. Additionally, you can use a different CTA where you provide a quote or additional information with each email.
3 – Incorporate SEO
Although the path to purchasing a product is long and varied, the first step for many people is to start with an online search. Consequently, SEO is a top traffic driver. With quality SEO, your product shows up in search engines, helping you gain potential leads.
4 – Integrate Google Advertising and PPC
The problem with SEO is that it isn’t guaranteed. Showing up at the top of Google’s organic page results requires being committed to content, patience, and luck. That is why most companies prefer investing in Google and PPC ads.
Although including paid advertising in your marketing campaign can get your company to the search results pages in no time, you must ensure that the ads are effective. Therefore, it is best to research and understand the appropriate keywords to target. You also have to define your buyer personas and understand how they search for products online. Fortunately, LinkedIn advertising makes this easy.
As a manufacturing company, you can also targeting account using LinkedIn ads. This strategy is great for choosing and targeting a specific audience, driving growth, and increasing revenue.
5 – Test Your Site
It is best to test your website after creating content and adding the necessary functional elements to the site. If your site provides a subpar user experience, it invalidates your content. In addition, a prospective client may doubt your ability to provide quality products and service if your site is not seamless and easy to use.
When testing your site, one of the things to check is if all links and buttons work as planned. Ensure you check them on multiple devices and browsers. Also, test how fast your pages load. Studies show that 40% of website visitors will leave a site if it doesn’t load within three seconds.
Lastly, ensure that your site is mobile-friendly. Google takes this criterion very seriously because sites that are not mobile-friendly may be buried or delisted from SERPs. Furthermore, most prospective clients engage with your site first on their mobile, browsing and researching on their phones. So, you may not make sales if your site is not ready.
6 – Attend Trade Shows
The final tip in this article is to attend trade shows. As much as online B2B marketing efforts are great, it is ideal to market offline. Therefore, attending trade shows and other industry events is vital. With offline marketing, you can increase your brand awareness and also demonstrate that you care about others in the industry.
Furthermore, meeting prospects at a trade show is good for your budget. You get to meet multiple potential clients at a trade show while networking. Consequently, the cost of meeting these prospects is significantly less than when you have to meet them in their offices.