Manufacturing marketing, for a long time, has been dominated by a traditional approach: heavy outbound sales initiatives, and suppliers who hold their product information tightly behind their reps.
Prospects found mostly through word-of-mouth and casual reviews from business acquaintances. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this way to market a manufacturing company. There’s a reason they’ve worked for as long as they have.
That said, there’s another way to approach manufacturing marketing. A way that can both respect tradition and embrace the changing of the tides. Society is moving forward, and businesses want to work with other businesses that are moving forward as well. The first step toward doing that is by making sure your manufacturing company has a solid online presence. The next step? Learning more about online and digital marketing.
To get you started, we’ve answered some of the most commonly asked questions regarding online marketing for manufacturing below.
Why does manufacturing marketing matter?
If you’re reading this post, it’s more likely than not that you work in manufacturing, and need to market your products or company. This means you’re already familiar with the fact that a large percentage of manufacturers tend to stick to sales teams and word-of-mouth referrals to bring in new business. It’s worked for decades, so why change now – right? Right, but also… not quite. The idea that communication and connection are the cornerstone of any successful marketing efforts is true. It always will be. The way we communicate, however, is changing. Drastically.
According to data gathered by Statista, in 2020 already, more than half of all web traffic is conducted via mobile devices. That means that there is a more than 50% chance that the engineers, CEOs, and decision makers you’re trying to reach want to be able to find you on the web. They’re busy, so they don’t want to spend too much time trying to do it. Google has found that, even in industries like manufacturing, 67% of purchases made are influenced by digital. What these numbers mean are that, in order to stand out and succeed, you need to be able to communicate in new ways. Namely: online and through mobile means.
How do people find you online?
We’ve already said it, but it’s worth repeating: word of mouth happens online now. That means, when someone has a question they need answered, they’re far more likely to seek out a web-based source than any alternative. Making sure people find your company online depends first on knowing where they’re looking for information. Places like:
- Google and other popular search engines. Everybody Googles everything these days. What are people finding when they search for your business online? Well… it depends. This is the sort of information that can be found via search engine results when a business is searched for by name:
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- Paid ads
- Organic search results
- Google My Business listings
- Your company social media accounts
- Reviews
- Absolutely nothing (if you don’t spend time crafting an online presence)
- Social media. In manufacturing, you’re less likely to be interacting with potential leads via clever one liners or hand-crafted memes. However, that doesn’t mean that social media is irrelevant for the industry. Social media accounts on websites like Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn can give you an opportunity to be an accessible information source. You can answer questions quickly, show support to loyal customers, and generally remind partners and prospects of your relevance.
What can you do to increase your chance of having digital marketing success?
Being found through a named search is one thing, but being found for the services you provide is another. Having a general online presence alone is great. It’s a way for existing customers to build loyalty. Using tools like search engine optimization to make sure you’re showing up for those who don’t already know you is one of the most helpful uses for online marketing. How do you do that? Well…
- Become familiar with the terminology. There’s a lot of it. You’ve already learned about search engine optimization. That’s a good start. Online marketing isn’t defined by just one thing, though. You don’t have to know everything, but you will want to know what conversion rates are. You’ll want to be able to ask about the CTR of your paid ads. Don’t be afraid to take the time to learn, research, and ask questions. In fact, if you have any questions about how to market a manufacturing company, you can always give us a call.
- Pay special attention to the consistency of your online messaging. One important thing to remember about creating content online is that it never really disappears. You’ll have to make sure that the information you’re putting out there is correct. Don’t put yourself at risk by rushing blogs, paid ads, or similar content. Otherwise, search engines will reduce your ranking success. You don’t want that.
What should I do first, and what are my next steps?
First, pat yourself on the back. You’ve taken a very important step toward helping grow your business. That isn’t easy. Next, it’s time to dive a little deeper. When it comes to embarking on a new journey, especially a commercial one, you want to be as prepared as possible. The information we’ve covered in today’s post is a summary of a very helpful and useful white paper written by our very own founder, Kathy Mrozek. That white paper, dubbed The Download, is an official marketing playbook, sponsored by our friends at Constant Contact.
The same expertise that went into the creation of The Download is available for you, right now, courtesy of Windmill Strategy. If your version of diving deeper includes talking with a pro, we’re currently offering free digital marketing consultations on how to best get started. All you have to do is get in touch. We can work together from there.