Many manufacturing companies still rely on traditional methods of marketing such as trade shows, referrals, and industry publications. But times have changed, and so have your customers buying habits.
Paid search advertising, social media, content creation and other digital marketing tactics have quickly changed the marketing landscape in ways that are measurable and scalable. And marketing automation has taken digital to the next level, essentially doing the work of multiple salespeople.
Just as manufacturers utilize the latest technologies to help design and build their products, they should also employ the latest inbound marketing techniques to help bring awareness and sell their products.
Technical Buyers Do Their Research Online
Technical buyers, like engineers, do the majority of their research online and perform multiple web searches when looking for a product or solution for an upcoming project.
They locate possible suppliers and base their decisions on information they gather from content like articles, guides, case studies and product comparisons. Investing in content pays off in dividends by helping to establish your company as a thought leader, while also supporting your sales process. It’s a win, win!
It Captures Prospects Early in the Sales Cycle
Typically, the longer the sales cycle, the more research prospects will conduct. From initial awareness to final decision, the sales cycle involves multiple interactions with prospective suppliers and a number of consideration points.
Digital and inbound marketing helps nurture prospects throughout this cycle by keeping in touch and sending relevant information for whatever stage they are in. This makes it a perfect fit for manufacturing companies, whose success relies on higher levels of research and trust in a product or service before making a purchase.
It Generates Highly Qualified Leads
Because prospects have been thoroughly educated through the entire sales cycle, digital and inbound leads are more qualified and sales ready than traditional marketing leads.
If you’re using marketing software like HubSpot, your sales team will benefit from the lead intelligence allowing them to view a detailed history on each prospect and which content and products they are most interested in.
It’s Cost Effective
Forrester reports that nurturing leads through digital marketing costs a third less than traditional marketing and typically generates up to 50% more manufacturing purchases. From SEO and Paid Search to email marketing and social media, digital marketing offers a variety of strategies to help you reach both current customers and prospects, spanning the entire buyer’s journey.
It’s Scalable
With digital and inbound marketing, it’s easy to walk before you run. You can start a campaign with a test budget and then scale-up when you see positive results.
If you’re using marketing software like HubSpot, you’ll have access to valuable analytics, like cost-per-lead, cost-per-customer and the individual ROI of each marketing channel. This makes it easy to see which tactics are your highest performers and where to place your effort and budget.
Next Steps:
Brainstorm Studio is well versed in leveraging the benefits of digital marketing for manufacturers. Contact us today for a free consultation to learn how digital marketing can help you grow your business and stand out from the competition.