What Marketing Tactics Should Manufacturers Invest In

Identifying the Best Marketing Tactics for Your Business

When it comes to business, no two are the same. Every business has unique goals, and with different goals comes very different marketing strategies.

Remember the adage, “You have to spend money to make money?” In a nutshell, that is marketing.  A business cannot make money from marketing without investing in your strategy and executing each tactic.

Marketing also takes time. There are no magic words that create economic success. Although there are some marketing tactics that, if appropriately strategized, will be better worth your investment and provide a more significant ROI.

We cover some of the most useful and fiscally viable marketing tactics that can be a part of your  manufacturing company’s marketing plan, including:

• Social media
• Blogs
• Search engine optimization (SEO)

Social Media for Manufacturers

Manufacturing companies that effectively use social media marketing strategies to promote their products and services reach far more people than businesses that do not. Using social media marketing allows manufacturers to generate higher quality sales leads and build their brands.  It can be used to bolster your reputation as an expert, attract new customers, or broaden company reach.

With new platforms constantly emerging, finding the right platform for your company can be challenging. Your best bet is to start with one platform and expand your social media strategy once you are in the routine of creating content that helps customers find you. This approach is most widely recognized as organic, where customers find you based on relevant and helpful content.

The following social media sites represent the most popular throughout a mass segment of the population; however, depending on your business goals and marketing strategies, some will be more effective for your business than others.

YouTube

YouTube is the world’s largest video content platform making it a powerful search engine. Since YouTube’s algorithms suggest similar content to viewers, this platform introduces your company to people who will likely be interested. At the same time, display your videos to those who search relevant keywords or phrases (just like Google).

Take advantage of YouTube by regularly posting educational and engaging videos. Delivering informative content that draws interest will entice potential customers to learn more about your business.

Some of the keys to establishing a successful YouTube campaign include:

• Include keywords in your titles and video descriptions
• Answer your customers’ frequently asked questions
• Deliver product demonstrations or other helpful content
• Interview past clients to highlight the benefits of your products or services
• Include your employees in the videos to establish trust

LinkedIn

Since LinkedIn’s social media marketing platform reaches a wide range of decision-makers, it is an ideal tool for all types of manufacturing companies. LinkedIn is the perfect platform to connect with professionals, find new buyers, and build brand awareness. Some helpful practices to properly use LinkedIn include:

• Prioritize industry-related groups and engage on industry-specific boards to increase your credibility
• Share blog posts and other news to build brand awareness
• Keep your network informed about new product launches and other innovations
• Create conversations with your audience

Facebook

Facebook’s social platform lets you build relationships with your existing and potential customer base. You can react to client feedback by commenting on user posts or creating satisfaction polls and build brand awareness with curated content that informs and excites your target audience.

Overall, Facebook provides an excellent platform to promote your company culture and highlight your credibility within your market. Creative ways to effectively use Facebook include:

• Promote company culture and team by posting company highlights and announcements
• Share articles and other valuable pieces of content that highlights trends in your industry
• Interact with customers by liking their pages and sharing their success stories

Implementing Social Media Strategies for Manufacturers

The goal of any marketing strategy revolves around your overall business goals and growth. When you’re creating your social media plan and content calendar, make sure each post is aligned to the rest of your content marketing strategy and supports your overall marketing plan. Social media platforms assist manufacturers in the following ways:

1. Audience Identification and Attraction

Start your marketing campaign by identifying your best target audience. This is critical in engaging with potential customers and should be the first step in implementing your social media marketing strategies.

2. Connection and Engagement

Engage with your audience with applicable, noteworthy, and appealing content to stimulate their interests. Once high-quality content has been created, it is important to engage with your audience by responding to comments and questions.

3. Audience Growth

Engage with more potential customers by growing your company’s social followers. Expanding your reach to the right buyers, purchasing managers, MROs, and engineers will drive more qualified traffic to your site, creating more leads and increasing revenue.

Blogs for Manufacturers

Blogging is one of the most effective ways to create authority on a given subject. The more you share about your business and the fundamental tactics that drive it, the more site traffic you will generate. It is an opportunity to share your knowledge in an authentic manner that leads readers to view your company as a leader in the manufacturing industry. Whether you are posting on your company’s blog or answering questions via Reddit, LinkedIn, or Quora, blogging is a powerful tactic you can use to market your business. Some of the benefits include:

• Target keywords or phrases that you want to rank for
• Answer commonly asked questions
• Address trending topics related to your services, products, or audience
• Publish consistent content to your website
• Support larger marketing campaign objectives
• Provides your sales team with content to share and discuss with leads

To receive such benefits, it is crucial to follow blog best practices that adhere to Google’s algorithms while providing helpful information for the intended audience.

SEO for Manufacturers

Creating a marketing strategy that incorporates search engine optimization (SEO) takes time. Improving your organic search rankings and traffic requires dedicated time and expertise over a long period.

So why do we recommend investing in SEO?

Having your website or web pages show up in search results related to your services, products, or company is unparalleled. You don’t need to pay for search engine advertising or run aggressive campaigns, instead, your website will show up in front of your target audience organically. Yes, it takes time, but the results last longer than many other marketing tactics.

The most favorable approach to digital marketing and SEO is twofold. Either create a new site ready-made to serve Google’s algorithmic needs or embrace the long play of creating SEO-beneficial updates. Both are successful tactics, and selecting which one is right for your business depends on your current budget and the state of your website.

What Other Marketing Tactics Should Your Manufacturing Company Use?

In our free marketing ebook for manufacturers, we break down the different marketing tactics and when your business would benefit from them. We discuss how to create content so it performs better, how to support leads throughout your sales funnel with marketing, and how to automate the process – and much more!