Content marketing for manufacturers should now be part of standard industrial marketing techniques of companies in technical or industrial sales. If you are creating content, whether on your own or through a manufacturing marketing agency, you should think of your content marketing strategy, first and foremost.

If you start producing content without thinking of your content strategy, you’ll end up posting content randomly and not getting any views or engagement. It’s not going to do what you expect it to do in terms of revenue and brand awareness, and you might decide to just stop producing content altogether.

Let’s go through the proper steps of coming up with effective strategies in content marketing for manufacturers.

Think of your WHY in content marketing for manufacturers

Ask yourself, why is content manufacturing for manufacturers important? Why are you putting money and effort into creating content? You need to have a strategy behind your why or you’re not going to be successful at it. There are three main categories of why you should be doing content marketing:

1) Industrial SEO

When you start content marketing for manufacturers, think of SEO. SEO is how your website is going to get new traffic and visits. Plan your SEO using new keywords, new themes, and new trends that you want to go after.

Your website should be set up already for SEO from the start. After it is set up with the main themes and phrases you’ve set up from the beginning, then you can also go after long tail keywords, new trends, or dive deeper into a specific product or service. You’ll need to create a lot of content and this is going to support the foundation of your overall industrial SEO plan. A manufacturing marketing agency can help you create the content that you need.

Look at industrial SEO as a pyramid. Your main keyword theme and phrase is at the top and the supporting foundation is all your content, including blog posts and articles. Your goal with industrial SEO is to show Google that you’re a content expert. The tens of thousands of words and the hundreds of minutes of video talking about specific topics will keep boosting your rankings. Some content may not provide a ton of value to readers but it will show Google that you know what you’re talking about and push you to the top of search rankings.

Want to get the most out of your industrial marketing strategy? Consult the experts here at MFG Tribe. We are a specialized industrial/manufacturing marketing agency that understands the ins and outs of your product and what you do.

2) Brand Awareness

Content marketing for manufacturers is also meant to create brand awareness. You want to be seen as a subject matter expert to your target demographic. For example, if you are targeting purchasing officers of industrial companies, produce content that keeps this audience in mind. Create blog posts, videos, or articles that talk about something they are interested in. Produce a lot of content that is valuable for your target market.

The internet, especially social media, can be very noisy. If you just produce or post content once in a while, you will get lost in all the noise. Pump out valuable content that will get you noticed.

3) Advertising

Advertising is also part of content marketing for manufacturers. You should also produce a ready piece of content as an ad that can be put in front of anybody as needed. Create different versions for different platforms and include a call to action. Whether you want them to click on a landing page, watch a video, or read a white paper that you wrote. If you need more help on this, working with a manufacturing marketing agency will help.

Now that you know the three “whys”, it’s time to move on to the “what” in content marketing for manufacturers. What kind of content should you produce?

These are the types of content you should produce:

• Written content, such as blog posts and articles
• Videos
• Audio, specifically podcasts
• Branded graphics

Although video gets more engagement, many people still like to read content. When you write for a blog, keep in mind that you are not writing a research paper. It should be something easy to digest, and something that can be read in an easy manner. If you don’t have the talent for writing, hire an industrial advertising agency or manufacturing marketing agency to handle it for you.

Videos are great because they can be produced by a smartphone. You don’t need a fancy set up or a big budget to produce good videos. They also get the most engagement among the different kinds of content.

Podcasts have been around forever and are also gaining in popularity. If you decide to produce content in this area, make it light and something that people can listen to in the car, while running, or doing household chores. It would be great if you could also have other personalities on your podcast, adding value to your content.

Lastly, branded graphics are an image with text or your logo over it. You should have this handy and use it as needed. As an easy Instagram post or if someone asks for an image or the logo of your company. This is best done by a professional manufacturing marketing agency because they can keep it consistent across all collaterals and platforms.

The last step is to think about who you are making content for. Think about it from either a prospect or sales standpoint. Your content needs to target specific demographics, such as title functions, buyer personas, and anyone you are going after. Consider if your target is someone from a Fortune 500 company or a start-up. You won’t show them the same content because they have different needs. Produce content that’s targeting them specifically and giving them the value they are looking for.

The content you produce can also lead to other people asking you to become a resource person for them, which leads you to becoming a true subject matter expert. It gets you out there in front of your target demographic, and grows your brand awareness. Ideally everything you do comes full circle and eventually leads to sales.

Content marketing is more than a recent trend in industrial marketing. It is among the best marketing strategies for manufacturing companies. Think of your content strategy and start producing content as soon as possible.

Industrial marketing strategies don’t develop overnight. And the best ones require years of experience and tactful planning. If you feel stuck, consider reaching out to an industrial marketing agency with expertise in your industry. If you want the best in the business, contact MFG Tribe Industrial Marketing Agency to learn more!