Manufacturers, as a general rule, don’t crop up in the minds of average consumers in most cases. A few notable exceptions include vehicle manufacturers, fashion manufacturers, and some lifestyle brands.
The reason is straightforward. Most manufacturers don’t sell directly to consumers. The downside of this is that manufacturers often downplay even basic marketing strategies in favor of old-school networks of known associates. As the world becomes increasingly digital and interconnected on a global scale, marketing for manufacturing must evolve with those realities in mind.
If your marketing plan feels woefully out of date, keep reading for some key tips on how to upgrade for the digital environment.
1. Audience Focus
Before all other things, you must understand your intended audience. If you still sell exclusively to other businesses, such as retailers or even other manufacturers, your marketing must reflect their needs and expectations.
They won’t care about things like celebrity endorsements or social influencers. They will, however, expect that they can find relevant information about your business and products online.
For example, your website must provide up-to-date information about your current product line and what kind of volumes you sell. If your minimum order volume is 5000 units, visitors need to know that.
2. Digital Marketing Sanity
Digital marketing for manufacturers is a different beast than for most consumer-facing businesses. For manufacturers, the volume of visitors or the number of followers you have matters a lot less. Throwing money into pay-per-click for this style lathe probably won’t attract more customers than putting that lathe on your website with a correct description.
The digital marketing strategy for a manufacturing company needs more nuance. It must focus on channels that bring in the right audience, even if only in low volume.
3. Website
You need an SEO-optimized website that makes life easy for potential customers. That means that you have a properly labeled link on every page that takes customers to your product page.
Your product page must remain up-to-date at all times. One of the fastest ways you can lose a potential sale is if you leave a product on your site that you don’t make anymore.
The site must include accurate sales information, such as the correct phone number or email address for inquiries.
4. Content Marketing
Content marketing for manufacturing companies is a go-to method. Content marketing lets you inform customers with the exact level of public information you want to provide. It also helps establish your company as an authority in your field and competent in related industries.
Marketing for Manufacturers Today
The old style of marketing for manufacturers won’t go away overnight. Yet, manufacturers must address the fact that more and more people in the industry grew up as digital natives. Those digital natives bring certain expectations to the table.
You need a digital presence in the form of an easily navigable website. You should also make use of content marketing to establish credibility. Don’t dive into flashy marketing strategies like PPC, because those won’t attract the right kind of audience.
Looking for more marketing tips? Check out the posts in our Business section.
