By staying on top of the latest manufacturing marketing trends, you can at least have some direction on what strategies deserve your attention. The trends change quickly, so it’s possible that the channels and methods you’ve been using are already outdated.
Below are some of the latest trends in manufacturing marketing that you should have on your radar.
Personalization
Depending on your manufacturing niche one, or just a few customers, can generate significant revenue every year. Or, maybe you need many customers each month to maintain viability. This means that every lead is extremely valuable to your bottom line. Your marketing should reflect this.
One way to accomplish this is by taking a personal approach toward marketing. Things like emails, landing pages and text messages should all speak directly to the person who makes the buying decisions. Luckily, there are a variety of tools that make personalization easy and efficient.
Keep in mind that personalization goes beyond adding a name to your emails. It also involves taking the time to understand your target audience, the language they use and the challenges they’re looking to solve.
Marketing Automation
To stay on the forefront of your customers’ minds, you’ll need to be active on a broad range of channels. When your customers need a service, they’ll hopefully remember your business and how they can reach you.
It takes time to plan, implement and measure various strategies, so it may be helpful to use automation marketing software to schedule and deliver targeted messages based on your prospective buyers’ activities online. Not only will this save you time, but also it will allow you to perform your tasks efficiently, something that may be difficult to do manually.
Automation tools can make personalization easier. Instead of having to customize each email, you can use automation to send tailored messages to hundreds or thousands of people at one time.
Content Marketing for Manufacturers
Content marketing is a cost-effective way to promote your manufacturing business and the services you offer. You can create your own content in-house or you can outsource these writing needs to a Digital Marketing agency like WSI Net Advantage.
Blog content helps drive relevant traffic to your site and educates your customers on the latest industry trends. It’s also an excellent communication tool that keeps people in the loop and helps build trust. As you continue to engage your customers, you’ll learn more about them and the type of information they’re looking for.
It is important to work with a writer that writes clearly, speaks to your audience, and uses the right level of tech-speak to inform about what you do but not confuse. Many writers, tech and non-tech, create great content but do not understand the essence of search engines and how they work (it may not be as simple as they make it sound). Have your content reviewed by an expert or work with a team of experts from the start.
Responsive Web Design
Mobile traffic surpassed desktop traffic back in 2014. Based on this, you can expect the majority of your traffic to come from mobile devices. It’s important that your website meets the needs of this audience, otherwise they may leave your site for a competitor.
A responsive website design is the easiest way to make sure your site provides a good user experience for all visitors. This type of design adapts to whatever screen the user is on. Most web designs are responsive these days, but it’s still important to test your site for performance, speed and navigation. Just because you think your website is “OK” doesn’t mean the search engines think so!
Here are some features you’ll want your manufacturing mobile website to have:
- Large, easily readable font
- Thumb-friendly buttons
- Compressed images
- Simple design (users should be able to complete their desired action in as few clicks as possible)
- Fast loading web pages
- Local SEO – map, directions, contact info, etc.
Social Media for Manufacturers
Think social media is only for B2C businesses? Nope! Social Media Marketing a great way to connect with your B2B customers. You only need to be on the same channels your target audience is on, otherwise you risk wasting time and money on channels where you won’t see much engagement. So, the first step is to know your target audience and where they like to spend their time.
Use social media to share valuable content, attract leads, sharpen brand authority and build trust. These are all essential ingredients in a B2B relationship. Keep in mind that social media is not for pushy sales tactics. While you can do some light selling here, it’s mostly about sharing your brand culture and developing more personal relationships with your customers and leads.
Most importantly, spend your time where your prospective customers are. There are lots of options and lots of ways to waste time and money. Research before you start!
Video Marketing
U.S. adults spend up to five hours a day watching videos for business or pleasure. Video content is an easy and effective way to learn new things without having to make sense of written information. Viewers can sit back, relax and learn by watching others. This is why you don’t want to leave video marketing out of your marketing strategy.
So what types of videos can you create as a manufacturing business? Here are some ideas to get you started:
- How-to video on cleaning your parts or equipment
- Explainer video on the different terms your industry uses
- Behind-the-scenes look at your business and staff
- Event video that shows your attendance
- Informational video on why you’re different
- Sneak peek of upcoming changes
Email Marketing
Even though email marketing is nothing new, it’s still something that many manufacturing businesses haven’t invested in yet. Email is best for keeping customers in the loop. You can share the latest news with them and let them know about updates to your services.
For example, at the start of COVID-19, many manufacturers sent emails to their customers to let them know of changing hours and new protocols. Like your website, most people view emails on their mobile devices. Make sure your emails are mobile friendly, set a tone that your customers and prospects expect, and take advantage of segmentation by interest.
Conclusion
Manufacturing businesses get a lot of their business from repeat customers and word-of-mouth referrals, so some are hesitant to take the leap into digital marketing. But these days, more people are turning to the internet to find information. As younger people fill new positions, they’ll be looking online to find the manufacturing services they need. If you don’t have a strong presence, you could continue losing business to your competitors.
WSI Net Advantage has experience working with manufacturing companies. Let us help develop a strategy that meets your needs and budget, helps reach your goals and caters to your target audience. Contact us today at 510-687-9737 or fill out our short contact form to learn more.
