Industrial buyers are now making educated decisions faster than ever with the help of the internet. Yes, the internet can be utilized for more than fantasy football and cat videos. The power of the internet has enabled buyers and engineers to cross reference a number products nationwide within a matter of minutes. A recent study found that 94% of Industrial buyers conduct online research before purchasing a B2B product. Industrial buyers now have the upper hand in the buying process because the Internet provides them with unlimited knowledge on a particular product. Surprisingly, many manufacturers have been slow to adopt modern website development and invest little time and money into their digital presence. Furthermore, these “late adopter” manufacturers are seeing dwindling leads from the once tried-and-true method of tradeshows.
This change in buyer behavior creates an enormous opportunity for manufacturers who want to grow revenue and leave their competitors in the dust. In order to adequately leverage this opportunity the manufacturer must adopt and refine their digital sales strategies. Manufacturers who have invested in their digital presence are now reaping the benefits of worldwide visibility to garner sales-ready leads 24/7/365. Outdated “pamphlet” websites are transforming into digital sales associates that educate consumers and guide them through the treacherous buying cycle. Check out a few tips below to see how manufacturers can take advantage of the new-age industrial buying process.
Quality content will establish your company as a “thought leader” in your industry. When effectively producing great content, your site will ultimately be found before your competitors. Google loves great content and they will reward your company with higher search rankings because of your relevant subject matter. It’s important to get your entire organization involved in content creation. Your employees are experts in knowing your products and industry, let them share this invaluable intelligence with potential buyers.
Remember to align your blog posts to your buyer’s pain points. These industrial buyers are searching the internet because they have a problem, your content can be the unique solution they need. By combining dynamic copywriting with strong keyword strategy, your company will soon see increased web traffic that is interested in consuming quality content. Your business is successful because it solves a problem or a pain point, why should your content be any different?
Now that you are driving highly qualified visitors to your website, you will need a strategy to convert those visitors into leads. Landing pages that collect contact information are your best tools for initiating a follow-up conversation with a prospect. Industrial buyers aren’t willing to give their contact info to every website they visit, you need to entice them to do so. A “Call to Action” is an offer that will influence the buyer to submit their contact information. Depending on the stage of the buying cycle, a CTA example would be a whitepaper, case study or an ebook. These offers extend your conversation with the buyer on a higher level and give the prospect a better understanding of your business. Once your prospects see your offers as something valuable and your business as a trusted thought leader, they will be more likely to provide you with the information your sales team needs in order to be successful.
Performing the strategies above will greatly strengthen your company’s brand awareness, product offering reach, and thought leadership. However, I must warn you that executing these methods is far easier said than done. Content creation is often a vigorous and time consuming process. Furthermore, implementing successful landing page and CTA strategies will be an ever-changing practice. But don’t worry, we are here to help! We take a great amount of pride in turning a manufacturer’s outdated digital sales strategy into refined lead generating machines.