Top Content Types for Manufacturing Companies
Manufacturing marketers continue to embrace innovation by creating great content for their inbound marketing initiatives. According to a 2018 Manufacturing Content Marketing Report released by the Content Marketing Institute:
- 59% of manufacturing marketers state that their overall approach to content marketing is more successful than the previous year
- 82% attribute the new success to better content creation
So, are there content types that work better than others for manufacturing marketing? There are, and we share the top ones here.
Videos Share Information and Build Credibility
Videos are the real workhorses of the manufacturing company content lineup. They can work at a high level to communicate brand messaging and can drill down to the execution level to show products in action. Videos are perfect for top-of-funnel work to engage prospects and are great tools to share with customers as solutions evolve and change. Testimonial videos are also great sales tools to share success stories that influence prospects and help convert them to customers.
Case Studies Provide the Breadth and Depth of Successes
Industrial solution sales are measured processes from the initial engagement to final sale. Case studies are important tools in the process because they share details on how other companies are using products to solve problems. There is a lot to be said for the influence that similar companies have on prospects because they can envision themselves in the place of success realized by those featured in the case studies.
Social Media Takes the Company to the People
The marketing and sales processes of manufacturing companies used to be a regimented RFP process, leaving little room for other activities. Today’s manufacturing marketers are viewing the process differently and behaving more like brand marketers, allowing them to explore other channels of communication. Social media may seem counter to the industrial style, but it’s perfect when you realize that you can take your manufacturing business to where people spend time today—social media platforms like Linked and YouTube.
White Papers, Articles and Blogs Share Thought Leadership
Manufacturing industry customers are not only interested in your solutions for them today—they want to know that you’re thinking about the future. Their investment in your business extends to wanting to understand how you will meet their needs as your relationship continues. White papers, articles and blog posts are great opportunities to talk about what is on the minds of business execs, product engineers, environmental specialists, etc. Showing that you are vested in product improvements as well as social and environmental responsibility encourages long-term relationships.
The growth in manufacturing industry marketing content is not only encouraging, but it’s also helping those businesses generate more revenue and customer loyalty. Industry expertise is now communicated in tactics rarely considered by industrial marketers, primarily because it works.
Creating a marketing strategy with constantly refreshed content breathes new life into legacy manufacturing brands. This encourages engagement with new prospects and customers who appreciate the ease of connections as they learn more and more about solutions that will change the course of their own businesses.
