As customer demand evolves and marketing trends for manufacturing companies change, manufacturers must adjust their marketing strategy for success. Hiring a marketing agency for manufacturers can help streamline this process.
Manufacturing is a complex industry consisting of technological products and services that need a detailed explanation for B2B consumers. With 20% of manufacturers engaging in e-commerce, today’s companies must implement digital marketing for manufacturers that targets the right people with relevant solutions. This demands research, content that resonates, and an omnichannel approach that reaches people where they spend their time.
Keep reading to learn about hiring a marketing agency and the questions you should ask to ensure you’re working with the right partner for the best results.
Key Takeaways
- A marketing agency is a third-party team of experts who manages all facets of your marketing responsibilities so that you can focus on other aspects of your business.
- Hiring a marketing agency for manufacturers allows you to modernize your approach, allocate more time to other responsibilities, and save money.
- From industry experience to ownership rights, there are five questions you should ask a marketing agency before hiring them for your projects.
What Exactly Does a Marketing Agency Do?
A marketing agency is a third-party company that helps promote your business through:
- Help you define and understand your ideal customers
- Perform competitive research to assess how you stack up to your top competitors
- Developing effective marketing strategies to maximize ROI
- Executing and managing campaigns for the best results
- Tracking metrics to determine which strategies are working and what needs improvement
- Advise you as a trusted partner based on their experience in your industry
A marketing agency for manufacturers will learn who your audience is and help develop campaigns that meet their unique needs. This helps drive website traffic for manufacturing companies and generate quality leads that are more likely to convert. A truly effective marketing strategy will have an omnichannel approach, using various methods to cast a wider net and attract more business for clients. This includes:
- Brand marketing for manufacturing companies: Ensure your company name, logo, corporate colors, and tone of voice consistently secure brand identity for brand awareness and customer loyalty.
- Content marketing for manufacturing companies: Create custom content that addresses your audience’s specific needs and provides useful solutions to their problems.
- SEO basics for manufacturing and industrial companies: Build quality content that provides value to your readers and earns high SERPs from search engines for greater visibility.
- Website must-haves for manufacturing companies: Webpage layout and design are essential to providing a positive user experience for new and returning customers.
Marketing agencies essentially handle all your marketing and promotional responsibilities so that you can focus on other aspects of your business.
Why Hire a Marketing Agency for Manufacturers?
Hiring a marketing agency for manufacturers offers numerous benefits. The following video explains why you should consider hiring a marketing agency for your business:
Source: Giant Partners on YouTube
A third-party agency enables you to reach your full potential in three major ways.
1. Modernize Your Approach
There was a time when companies would bring products to the customer and woo them with low prices. Today, the internet empowers consumers to seek out the companies they want to patronize. More than 2 billion people worldwide shop online, so it’s important to stay up-to-date with current trends in marketing for manufacturing companies.
Marketing agencies can help achieve this with a modern marketing approach that includes:
- Mobile integration
- SEO and keyword research
- Targeted email campaigns
- Social media advertising
- Data analysis
By keeping in tune with technological advancements, marketing agencies can ensure your campaigns reach today’s consumers.
2. Save Time for Other Duties
Marketers spend the majority of their time on reporting duties, with just 18% of their time focused on creating and developing new ideas. Hiring a marketing agency means someone else is handling all those details so you can focus more on innovation, developing lasting relationships with customers, and managing day-to-day tasks that keep your business running smoothly.
It also means you don’t have to train staff in a marketing role. Marketing agencies are already experts in their field, with a variety of experience and expertise that enables them to handle practically any marketing issue or scenario that could arise. When you hire a marketing agency for manufacturing, you know you can trust them to deliver results, so you can put marketing concerns out of your mind.
Save on Payroll Costs
The main reason 70% of businesses choose to outsource tasks is to save money. Hiring a marketing agency for manufacturers eliminates hiring full-time staff, saving you significant costs. After all, when you hire team members, you have to pay for:
- Onboarding: Costs average a total of $4,425 per employee.
- Salary: You can pay a marketing agency per project or on an as-needed basis.
- Benefits: Third-party agencies don’t require healthcare and paid time off.
- Office Space: You don’t need to furnish an on-site office, so you save money on electricity, supplies, and equipment.
Hiring a marketing agency helps you complete your projects affordably and efficiently.
5 Questions to Ask a Marketing Agency
Hiring a marketing agency is essentially hiring a partner to help propel your success, so it’s important that you choose your marketing agency for manufacturers carefully. Just like any other individual who works on your behalf, there are certain questions you should ask to determine whether they’re a good fit for the job. Here are five questions to ask your prospective marketing agency.
1. Do You Have Experience in the Industrial and Manufacturing Industry?
As a manufacturer, you usually have a highly niche audience. It’s important to hire a marketing agency that can relate to your audience and provide the facts and figures needed to gain the confidence to convert. Ensure an agency has experience successfully promoting other manufacturing companies and that they realize what it will take to effectively reach and communicate with your audience.
2. Do You Work With Any of My Competitors?
It’s one thing to promote other businesses in your industry. It’s another to promote your direct competitor. Hiring a marketing agency whose growth and success rely on how well they boost your competitors could pose a conflict for your business. Consider working with a marketing agency that wants (and needs) your business to succeed.
3. Can You Explain the Process of Our Campaigns to Me?
If an agency cannot explain your strategy and campaigns in terms that you understand, it’s likely they won’t be able to effectively communicate your message to prospective customers. When it comes to marketing, communication is key. Hire a company that understands what you do, what you’re trying to accomplish, and what it will take to earn the business of your audience.
4. Who Owns the Creative Material?
Some agencies maintain ownership of the files they create for your campaigns, from the artwork and photos to the coding and brand assets. It’s important to know who owns what so that if the relationship ends, you understand what you’ll still have access to and what you’ll need to re-create. Generally speaking, you should avoid agencies that won’t give you ownership of your materials.
5. What Do You Expect of Me?
Nobody knows your business, your products, and your customers like you do. Set expectations from the beginning. Do you need to be available for questions or materials? Do you need to respond within a certain timeframe to meet deadlines? What’s the best way for you to help them leverage your experience? Determining this from the beginning ensures a positive, symbiotic relationship that makes you both successful.
Hire a Qualified Marketing Agency for Manufacturers
Shanahan Strategy helps build effective digital marketing strategies for manufacturing and industrial companies to develop sales and revenue growth.
Contact Shanahan Strategy today to learn how we can help you manage your marketing responsibilities for ultimate success.
