As marketers focused on the manufacturing industry, Web Savvy has seen many manufacturers make the same mistakes over and over again when it comes to marketing.
While Connecticut’s larger manufacturers typically have marketing departments (or at least an agency contract), the majority of our state’s smaller manufacturing companies do not. When asked why, they’ll typically say it’s because they’re “too small”, so it’s not in their budgets. They see marketing as more of a luxury than a necessity – and they couldn’t be more wrong.
Opportunities are lost when marketing takes a back seat. Companies that say they are too small today are likely to remain small tomorrow.
Marketing can help these manufacturers stand out and reach potential customers simply by increasing awareness of their company and products. Also, since most people conduct online
research prior to making a purchase, marketers work to ensure these businesses and their products can be easily found during an online search.
That’s where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes in. A good marketer will ensure your website and all other online content contains the key words and phrases that website users most commonly use when searching for products they want to purchase. And that’s only a small piece of the marketing pie, which can include customer and competitor research, advertising, digital marketing, social media, trade magazine articles, industry shows, etc.
Marketing for manufacturers isn’t the same as mass marketing, either. The former typically applies a Business to Business (B2B) marketing strategy, while the latter uses a Business to Consumer (B2C) approach.
While some marketing tactics are common to both, B2B marketers (i.e., manufacturers) must take a different approach because:
- There are usually two or more people involved in the buying process
- The sales cycle is longer
- There are fewer customers
- There is typically greater sales volume per customer
- Product features and technical specifications are more important to customers than a company’s brand/image
For these reasons, manufacturers’ marketing strategies are more targeted. They’re also focused on developing and maintaining strong relationships with multiple people within a buying company. Leads must be systemically nurtured throughout the sales cycle, which includes post sale communications to ensure 100% customer satisfaction. Manufacturers know that one lost B2B customer hurts their sales revenue more than one lost B2C customer impacts a company that sells products for mass consumption.
In advertising and PR, manufacturers should focus less on their brand’s image and more on their product’s features and capabilities. Learning a potential customer’s pain points and succinctly
demonstrating how your products can solve them is the most effective marketing approach.
Web Savvy Marketers only works with B2B manufacturers. It’s our niche, and it’s what we know best.
If you manage a small to mid-sized manufacturing company that’s “too small” for a marketing department, contact us today for help. We’ll help ensure your business doesn’t stay small.
A steering wheel and gas pedal are both necessary to operate a car but have different functions. The same can be said for marketing and sales. To operate a machine various pieces and parts are necessary; a machine will run smoothly if it has the proper maintenance and parts operating it. Similarly, the same is true with marketing and sales.