Why Manufacturers Need to Rethink Their Marketing Strategy

Cold calling is no longer generating any decent sales leads. The last four trade shows we attended delivered zero results. I have a website but I have no idea how it’s performing and I definitely don’t get any leads from it. These are some common difficulties we hear from our manufacturing clients. The way people are buying is evolving, traditional marketing is no longer working, so why not change your marketing plan? Makes sense, doesn’t it?

The clients we serve in the manufacturing space tend to be the ones who most strongly believe that inbound marketing will not prove to be successful for them. Their business is B2B focused. Their prospects are not spending time online on social media or reading blogs. The reasons why inbound WON’T work seems endless.

The reality is this: over 90% of B2B purchasers start their research on Google. Even if your company’s target market consists of very serious people trying to make the right decisions about complex products and technologies (engineers, scientists, chemists, plant managers, operations specialists, etc.), you need to be found online or this prospect will never consider you for their next purchase. 

So, how do you get there? You build and leverage a digital ecosystem that includes engaging in content creation, blog writing, social media, SEO, etc. By following a strategy with aligned tactics while giving the entire process time to come to fruition, you can be successful and generate strong leads with inbound marketing. This includes taking the time to create the content that your target market needs to make a smart decision.

Instead of focusing on the reasons why inbound marketing won’t work, let’s focus on why industrial manufacturing companies need to embrace why it can work. These reasons include:

1. Your prospects are trying to make effective, valuable (and the best) decisions on an important purchase that is more than likely a costly one. This inevitably leads to your potential customers putting a lot of time into their research prior to making a decision. The more visible you are during this research stage, the better. You need to get on that short list of considerations. 
2. Due to the nature of your business, your best prospects (and even current customers) are actively looking for better solutions and lower prices on a regular basis. They will more than likely engage on social media as they search, so your presence on these networks is essential to your ongoing success. Be available if a prospect wants to reach out. 
3. You sell complex products and solutions that may cause your prospects some challenges during their buyer journey. Think of this as an opportunity to create almost limitless content about your products/solutions’ features and benefits. Your prospects will be looking for this content as they navigate the landscape of options. 
4. Still convinced that trade shows, cold calling and other traditional marketing tactics deserve a place in your marketing plan? Having a solid inbound strategy can actually help improve the success of these more traditional tactics. 
5. Paying attention to your customers and prospects in terms of how they talk about your business offerings will help you to develop a list of long tail keywords that will bring targeted traffic to your website.
6. It works. If your inbound strategy is executed correctly and you can remain committed for the long haul, you will see results. But they don’t come easy, it will take work and time! 

Still not convinced? We have proof- read our two case studies on how we helped two manufacturers attract, engage and close new business using inbound marketing. 

Have you seen success using inbound marketing for your manufacturing company? Please share your advice in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you.