- Neal Lappe – WSI certified agency and co-author of “Digital Minds: A Strategic Approach to Connecting and Engaging with Your Customers Online”;
- Marty Greif – WSI partner, with over 25 years as a conversion expert;
- Steve Condit – WSI certified agency, with 30 years’ experience in manufacturing marketing.
You can watch the recording here, but check out our blog post for a summary of our discussion.
The state of the union in manufacturing
Here are some manufacturing marketing stats:
- 45% of manufacturers said that they were not sure how many leads convert on their website.
- Only 30% of marketers in manufacturing feel that they are using their web and social content effectively.
- 40% of companies say they saw significant cost savings by using digital marketing to promote their products or services.
- 75% of manufacturers plan to use video on their website.
What are the most common challenges and problems manufacturing business owners experience?
Historically, manufacturing businesses have relied on trade shows to attract business. Even post-pandemic, more and more of the buying process will be done online, with many decision-makers having grown up in the internet age. Combine these two factors, and it is no surprise that many purchasers only engage with your sales team once they have pretty much made up their minds.
Far more selling is being done virtually. Just as business travel and face-to-face selling are diminishing, so too is the interest in print material. Don’t think of your website as an online brochure – there is so much more that it can do. Proper digital marketing includes developing and plan with a strategy based on your business goals and measuring your results and tweaking your output accordingly for real economic value.
The keys to successful marketing campaigns in manufacturing
You need to share your goals and outcomes with your entire team. Get them on-board and then host monthly meetings to ensure everyone is accountable for tracking your various marketing campaigns’ success.
Develop a digital marketing blueprint plan that lays out the key strategies for lead generation and revenue growth. Work on both inbound marketing such as your website, blog, SEO, and digital advertising, as well as account-based marketing where you target specific high-value prospects with your solutions.
A website that is CMS-based offers more flexibility. With CRM software, you are better equipped to positively influence longer sales cycles and manage your leads more effectively.
The key is to unite all your efforts and work backward from your goals. When you know how many more sales you need, you can consider clients’ lifetime value and determine how many new leads you need.
Use your digital marketing blueprint as a guide to design all your digital marketing efforts around those visitors. Develop content with helpful information that is very much customer centric and from the visitor’s perspective. Spell out to them why your offering is the best solution and provides the best value for them.
That is best done with a well-crafted buyer persona of your ideal client – the decision-maker(s) or influencer(s). Knowing what values drive them will guide you to making better decisions at every turn – from SEO and content marketing to PPC and LinkedIn ads.
WSI – we are here to help you develop and implement a digital marketing plan and strategy to keep your business moving forward
For more details on all of the above, watch the recording from our webinar, “Digital Marketing Best Practices in Manufacturing” (posted here) and below.
