In the world of Connecticut manufacturing, navigating every facet of running the business can be a daunting challenge. That’s where Web Savvy Marketers steps in.

Web Savvy is not just a marketing agency, but also the founding member of the Connecticut Manufacturer’s Resource Group (CTmrg), an organization dedicated to helping build the strongest possible manufacturing environment by bringing together services and resources under one roof.

Through a unique blend of skill and resources, Web Savvy Marketers has proven to be more than just a marketing agency; they are a driving force behind their clients’ growth and development.

Let’s take a look at what Web Savvy has done for Radcliff Wire, a leader in high quality, custom-shaped wire manufacturing, as an example of what can be accomplished with a well connected marketing team.

Harnessing State Resources

Web Savvy harnessed the power of Connecticut’s great resources for manufacturers in a couple of ways to support Radcliff Wire.

1. Energy efficiency and savings: Beth Devine at Web Savvy, invited in the Southern New England Industrial Assessment Center, funded by the US Department of Energy and administered through UConn engineering faculty and students. Radcliff Wire underwent a comprehensive energy assessment, meticulously analyzing energy consumption and identifying areas of loss. Though the final report is still pending, the promise of substantial energy savings and sustainable practices showcases Web Savvy’s dedication to Radcliff Wire’s growth and environmental stewardship.
2. Funding through the Manufacturing Voucher Program (MVP): Through the stewardship of Web Savvy, the Manufacturing Voucher Program (MVP) has been a game changer in Radcliff Wire’s journey towards expansion. Thanks to Beth’s familiarity with the program and its application process, Radcliff Wire secured nearly $30k in funding. This financial boost fueled the acquisition of new equipment, laying the foundation for better productivity, efficiency, and quality.

In a survey conducted by CCAT after the MVP grant process, Charlie Radcliff, President of Radcliff Wire was asked how he would rate the process of getting the MVP funding. His response says it all: “It was really easy, I just gave it to Web Savvy and they took care of it!”

Transformative Marketing

Of course, Web Savvy Marketers is also an experienced marketing agency with a proven ability to improve brand awareness, increase top of the funnel growth, and even support talent acquisition. Web Savvy’s multifaceted approach has been yielding remarkable results for Radcliff Wire. Below are just a few of the projects and their current or expected results:

• Amplified Prospect Reach: Through strategic cold-calling initiatives, Web Savvy Marketers has expanded Radcliff Wire’s prospecting database by an astounding 400%. This amplified reach is opening doors to new opportunities and partnerships.
• Press Release Triumphs: Notably, two 2023 press releases captured sizable attention. The first press release – an introduction of Radcliff’s new medical product, mandrel wire, garnered coverage from 105 outlets, reaching an estimated 9 million audience members and bolstering SEO with valuable backlinks. Similarly, a press release regarding the visit of CT’s Chief Manufacturing Officer, Paul Lavoie, resulted in coverage by 140 outlets, with a potential reach of 25 million.
• Establishing Industry Authority: Radcliff Wire’s expertise was showcased through an article published in “Today’s Medical Developments,” solidifying their reputation as an industry frontrunner.
• Digital Evolution: Recognizing the importance of an online presence, Web Savvy Marketers spearheaded a comprehensive website redesign project, ensuring that Radcliff Wire’s digital presence aligns with its excellence in custom-shaped wire manufacturing.
• Enhancing Recruitment Strategies: Finally, in today’s tight labor market, manufacturing positions can be extremely difficult to fill. This is where recruitment marketing can make a huge difference. Starting with the basics, Web Savvy Marketers ensured that Radcliff Wire’s job descriptions were clear, interesting, and reflective of the company as well as the audience. They are now ready to go out into the world as compelling job postings.

“When we first started with Web Savvy,” said Charlie Radcliffe, “I thought we just needed support to promote a new product. But the more I learned more about Web Savvy’s wide ranging marketing expertise, the more confident I felt handing them whatever came our way – articles for professional publications, website updates, recruitment support. I knew Web Savvy would not only offer outstanding strategic advice, but they could also implement whatever tasks we needed to the highest level.”

In the dynamic landscape of Connecticut manufacturing, Web Savvy Marketers sets itself apart as an incredibly well connected and knowledgeable resource in so many areas a manufacturer may need support.

As a cornerstone of the Connecticut Manufacturer’s Resource Group (CTmrg), Web Savvy’s partnership with Radcliff Wire has exemplified the potential of collaborative marketing and resource utilization. From energy efficiency to strategic marketing, Web Savvy Marketers, alongside CTmrg, has propelled Radcliff Wire towards success.

If you’re a Connecticut manufacturer seeking a transformative journey like Radcliff Wire’s, Web Savvy Marketers is your partner in turning aspirations into reality.

For U.S. manufacturers, September through November is the busiest time of year for trade show participation. The nation’s largest industry show, the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS), is happening this week in Chicago.

Considered by many to be the Superbowl of U.S. manufacturing shows, IMTS runs every two years, but this year’s show will be the first since 2018, due to the COVID-related cancellation of the 2020 show.

The 2018 show featured 2,563 exhibitors and drew a record registration of 129,415 people. The cost to exhibit at this show can easily reach six figures, depending on the size of the booth, with some machine tool companies hitting the seven-figure mark. For many companies, this show alone will consume the majority of their annual marketing budgets.

Measuring the total Return on Investment (ROI) for this and other shows can be tricky. Many booth visitors won’t let you scan their show badges, so you can’t capture their contact information and follow up with them. How would you know if a conversation on your booth in 2018 culminated in a sale in 2020?

While you can’t capture every trade show touch point that leads to a sale, you can take steps to ensure you maximize your ROI. Pre-show planning and post-show follow up are two critical elements of the trade show process that directly impact ROI, and they are often the most overlooked.

Pre-show planning must include a pre-show media blitz. Plan to bring products that will entice booth visitors. Send press releases to all the vertical publications to ensure your booth and its offerings are well publicized prior to the show. Take advantage of every opportunity for free exposure on the trade show’s website. Send “Save the Date” announcements and invitations to your customers and prospects. Include free registration to the show if you can. Schedule meetings at the show with customers and prospects in advance. The morning of the show, drop several copies of your press release at the venue’s media center.

Post-show planning is equally important. Trade shows are exhausting, and by the end of the last day the marketing and sales teams just want to soak their tired feet and catch up on their sleep. This is not the time! Multiple studies have shown a direct correlation between the amount of time it takes to follow up with trade show prospect and the likelihood of that prospect becoming a customer. The longer you wait to follow up, the less likely you are to make a sale.

If you’re following up via email, include a photo of your booth to help your prospects remember who you are. They’ve likely visited countless booths during the show, and a photo will help them remember your booth and what you discussed. Whether you follow up by email or phone, try to secure another meeting on the calendar. It’s important to keep the communication momentum going.

Trade shows are a huge investment, but careful pre-show and post-show planning helps ensure you maximize your company’s ROI.

If you’re not getting an acceptable ROI for trade shows or other areas of your business, it might be time for a Needs Assessment. The Connecticut Manufacturer’s Resource Group (ctmrg.com) has vetted professional resources that can help determine what you need to do to ensure you’re making the most of your company’s investments. Contact Us to learn more.

How to get the message out

We’ve talked about how to formulate your message and how to keep it consistent while still targeting it to appeal to specific audiences. Now what? How do you get your message out to the people who need to hear it? Here are a few ideas:

• Website/Blog

First of all, you should focus on your website and/or blog. This is where you can be totally in charge of your message without a filter. The goal of all the other online efforts is to drive traffic TO your website so people can see in detail who you are, what you sell, and, of course, find a way to do business with you—so utilizing your website to present the right message is paramount.

A lot of you might have gotten disenchanted with the idea of a “blog” because it seemed frivolous—so it might help to think of your blog as your NEWSROOM. If you’ve developed a new technology or you want to comment on something that’s happening in your industry, a blog post is a great place to start. You control the message, and you position yourself as a member of the thought leadership in your industry. And blog posts, because they are updates to your website content, are great for search engine optimization.

• LinkedIn/Social Media

These are also great channels for demonstrating thought leadership. Once you’ve done a blog post, you can share it on LinkedIn or your other selected social channels. (You should put some thought into which channels make sense for you—there are a ton of options depending on who you want to reach and what you want to say.) But remember that we’re basically talking about word-of-mouth. How many times have you said that word-of-mouth is your best marketing tool? Social media sharing is online word-of-mouth. People “like” you, they follow you, and they share interesting information about you.

• Email

Done right, email is still an incredibly powerful tool for connecting with your customers and employees—and people whom you want to become your customers and employees. A few quick tips about email marketing:

1. Update your database to make sure you are reaching the right people.
2. Don’t overdo it. If you email too much, people will unsubscribe.
3. Craft your messages in the way we talked about before. Be consistent with your brand and always keep in mind what matters to THE READER.

• ThomasNet and CTmrg

There are resources out there that are pulling together stories about how companies are contributing during the pandemic. People need this information, and ThomasNet and CTmrg are two websites that are curating those stories. Make sure they have your information AND that the information exists on your website or your blog so they can link back to it and drive traffic for you.

• Press Releases and Industry Publications

There is opportunity right now to get your message to a broader audience than you might think. If you are making NEWS, if you are doing something different than anyone else, if you have developed a new product or are doing something in a whole new way in the face of COVID-19, people want to know about that. That deserves a press release.

There are also many, many industry vertical publications out there that might be open to publishing articles about that kind of thing. Most of them are especially interested in success stories or case studies. What is a specific thing you did that solved a specific problem? These pieces can’t be in marketing-speak, but they are needed. Publications are looking for relevant content right now. Look through some of the industry publications you get—you probably get several of them, either in physical form or electronically. What kind of stories do they contain? Do you do similar things? Look for opportunities to share stories of what you are doing well.

We’ve talked about the importance of creating a segmented database and determining the “voice” of your different messages depending on the audience you are targeting. Now let’s discuss what is worth saying. This is probably the biggest challenge our clients face. What should we talk about?

To help them answer that question, we’ve found that interviewing them on a regular basis can be beneficial. Most of the time, the interview starts with a simple, “What’s new?”—and the response is usually, “Same old, same old.” That’s to be expected, but because we approach these interviews from an “outsider” perspective, we’re able to help the clients uncover topics that might be interesting to their audiences even if they aren’t so interesting to the clients themselves.

A 15-minute chat can often yield three or four great ideas to write about. If you don’t have access to someone from the outside to do interviews like these, have one of your employees do it. Just sit down and talk about what the business is up to, and you’ll probably find that the process will help you to formulate messaging.

It’s a common theme among manufacturers—they are so busy with day-to-day operations that they don’t realize that what they are doing can be really interesting to someone from the outside, particularly prospective customers. For example, maybe you just bought a brand-new piece of equipment and brought it online. Does it increase your capacity or give you a capability that you didn’t have before? Customers and prospects will want to know about that! Is it a great new technology? Employees and recruits might really get excited about it!

You also should think about what you are doing in relation to what’s happening in your industry or in the world at large. Since early spring, the focus of almost every aspect of our lives has been the pandemic. What did you do during this time? Did you focus on helping, like encouraging volunteering or making donations? For instance, several manufacturers in Berlin created a Local Lunchtime Challenge in which they purchased lunches for their employees from local restaurants. It demonstrated their appreciation to their workers, who were going above and beyond to keep the manufacturers going despite the overwhelming challenges, and it also funneled business to restaurants in the community. And by making it a “challenge” and sharing it, they encouraged as many companies as possible to join in. That is a great story!

If you can’t come up with a story from inside your business right now, you can always share other information that you find interesting. Look for articles about manufacturing, business ownership, COVID-19, or anything else that you find informative and helpful. Simply write a quick introduction about why you find the piece worthwhile and then share a link to it. People always appreciate good, practical stories that give them information they need.

So, when you set out to create a message to share with your network, look for something that falls into one of the three categories we’ve talked about:

• What are you working on?
• What is going on in the industry or the world? (e.g., COVID-19)
• What is something I’ve found interesting and helpful?