Today’s B2B buyers are more averse to sales representatives than ever. They prefer to research on their own, ask questions at their own pace, and prioritize solutions from companies that can meet them where they are: online.
To get ahead of this trend, your company needs savvy digital marketing solutions for manufacturers that can put the right content in front of the right buyer at the right time.
However, with so many solutions online, it’s not clear where to start expanding your digital marketing strategy.
To help cut through the noise, we look at four digital marketing solutions to help any manufacturing company grow.
Key Takeaways:
- Digital marketing will only become even more important as buyers become more technologically proficient.
- The best way to reach buyers who research at all hours of the day is through digital marketing that never sleeps.
- Shanahan can help you put together a smart digital marketing strategy that includes all of today’s solutions and much more.
What Are Digital Marketing Solutions for Manufacturers?
Examples of digital marketing solutions for manufacturers include the following:
- SEO audits and improvements
- Paid advertising on search engines, websites, or social media
- Website creation and optimization
- Customer relationship management (CRM) platforms
Creating a digital marketing strategy shares the same objective as traditional marketing: You’re trying to generate awareness, turn awareness into leads, and convert leads into buyers. The difference is that digital marketing focuses on reaching modern buyers who prefer to use search engines and social media to find solutions.
Why B2B Manufacturing Companies Need Digital Marketing
Each year, more and more millennials are filling the ranks of design engineers, MRO managers, and procurement officers. These workers prefer to do their research online. Many even prefer to avoid speaking with a sales rep at any point.
These buyers are looking for solutions at all hours of the day, from the office or from home. This makes it difficult to determine the best time and place to reach your target buyers. Using smart digital marketing solutions, you can bridge this gap and establish a strong online presence to connect with these buyers wherever and whenever they seek solutions.
For a detailed breakdown of digital marketing for manufacturers, check out this video by OneIMS:
Source: OneIMS on YouTube
4 Digital Marketing Solutions for Manufacturing Companies
Here are four digital marketing solutions that are effective for any manufacturing company.
1. Email Marketing
Email marketing is a non-obtrusive and flexible tool to reach B2B buyers at any time or place. This makes it one of the most effective ways to advertise in the digital age, boasting an ROI of up to $45 for every dollar spent.
You can use email marketing to promote your products, websites, or even other marketing content. Moreover, emails can be automated and sent out on a regular basis to prospects you hope to keep warm.
You can also personalize emails, making them suited for 1:1 marketing. Alternatively, you can use more generic messages and focus on mass distribution to generate awareness among many buyers at once.
Keep these tips in mind when crafting marketing emails:
- Use pointed and relevant subject lines specific to the buyer
- Segment your email list using categories like job title, buyer journey stage, and company name
- Consider automated email marketing tools to optimize your process
2. Video Marketing
Video is the best way to tell a short story that engages buyers on a personal level. Since video also allows you to easily present tons of information in a short time, we recommend video for manufacturers that sell products that need thorough explanations.
Videos are versatile and can be posted across multiple platforms, including your website and social media.
If budget permits, you can contract video production companies to make professional-level videos featuring your factory floor or products.
However, you can also learn to make effective marketing videos with just a few smartphones and some creative inspiration. Keep these tips in mind when making your own marketing videos:
- Low-quality audio will degrade the video and make it appear unprofessional. Use a separate device to record video and audio to optimize both.
- If you’re using a phone to record, landscape (horizontal) is preferable to portrait (vertical).
- Take a look at marketing videos of other B2B companies and manufacturers for inspiration on what to produce.
3. Account-Based Marketing
Account-based marketing (ABM) involves creating marketing content specific to individual buyers.
ABM stands in contrast to traditional marketing, which seeks to generate awareness among a large population and follow up with the leads that come in afterward.
With ABM, you’ll be more likely to address a buyer’s needs if you create content for them directly. It’s also the best way to ensure the buyer will be engaged at every step of their buyer journey, which builds your authority and allows the buyer to trust your solution more. That extra layer of trust can be the key to converting high-value B2B buyers into customers.
4. Lead Tracking
No matter how your business generates leads, it’s a great idea to track them with hard data. You should easily be able to pull up information on your leads, such as:
- Lead conversion rates
- Pipeline velocity
- Lead sources
- Communication history and notes on specific leads
Many valuable B2B lead tracking software solutions, such as Salesforce, Hubspot, Zoho, and Pipedrive, offer flexible pricing options for companies of all sizes.
You can also track leads on your own with a spreadsheet. Just make sure you capture important information, such as dates of communication, revenue generated, names, contact information, and relevant notes or comments on each lead.
Accurately capturing lead data can help you optimize your sales pipeline and develop more effective buyer journeys.
Optimize Your Digital Marketing Strategy with Shanahan Strategy
The digital marketing landscape is vast and ever-changing. If you lack the time to dedicate to a full-time digital marketing strategy, consider partnering with a digital marketing agency like Shanahan Strategy.
We specialize in helping manufacturers optimize their digital marketing strategies using proven techniques like SEO, content marketing, and website development.
We take a strategy-first approach to digital marketing. By carefully planning out the best course of action, we are able to recommend solutions that help you generate more leads and boost the website traffic of your manufacturing company.
Start a conversation with us today and find out if Shanahan is the right partner for your digital marketing strategy.
