The rules are no longer set by the manufacturers alone. Yes, you still have control over production (MOQ), the price, and the terms, but buyers have a stronger buying power now. With hundreds to even thousands of manufacturers all over the globe, not to mention worldwide shipping is easier and more affordable now. Which means buyers can easily switch suppliers if they’re not happy with you.

So, how do you keep them interested in you?

Build relationships, not just transactions.

Remember that behind all corporate facades, it’s just people doing business with each other. The procurement team aren’t machineries, they’re not robots that you can simply keep however long you want. They are also being courted by other manufacturers, whether it is longer payment terms, discounts, or better quality products. Don’t just focus on making a sale, build connections with your customers and show them that you also care about their business and their success. Make sure that your salespeople are really good at engaging in conversations beyond the transactions and are making a good impression on your clients.

Make it easier for them to work with you.

From placing an order, to tracking shipments and deliveries, to processing payments – make everything as seamless and hassle-free as possible. Make it seem like you’re the easiest go-to choice for them. Aside from using technology and automation to improve efficiency, you can also impress them with excellent post-purchase customer service.

Deliver on your promises.

Have you ever heard of “underpromise and overdeliver?” It’s a saying that holds true in the business world. The bottomline here is: Don’t make promises that you can’t keep. Be transparent as possible and deliver on what you say you will. If there are any issues or delays, communicate with your customers immediately and work towards finding a solution.

Principle #2: Know the people behind the buying process

The procurement team won’t be the only group of people involved in the buying process. Sure, they send out the purchase orders, but before they analyze suppliers’ offers, there are people along the line who determine what needs to be purchased, the specifications, and the budget. This group may include machine operators, production managers, maintenance managers, plant managers, engineers, and even top-level executives.

If you are able to understand the needs and pain points of each key person in the buying process, you’ll be able to win their approval and they will vouch for you when the need for a purchase arises.

We’ve already talked about building relationships with your customers, but how about your potential customers who are casually browsing the internet for products or services? How do you capture their attention and make yourself interesting?

Of course, one way to make heads turn is by offering freebies or lead magnets. These can be useful ebooks, guides, or even infographics. This not only positions your company as an industry expert and trustworthy source of information, but also keeps your audience engaged with your brand.

But beyond that, how do you create more value for our prospects?

Personalization

Personalization goes a long way in creating more value. Using data and insights to understand customer preferences and behaviors, you can offer personalized experiences. This allows you to craft experiences that resonate deeply with the market, from spot-on product recommendations to content that speaks directly to them whether it’s a case study, a webinar, or even a podcast. The content should be tailored around your target audience’s needs and pain points.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Today, consumers are also leaning towards organizations that have tossed aside the cookie-cutter model for one that displays responsibility and societal consciousness. As a manufacturer, your company’s sustainable practices, philanthropic efforts, and broader CSR initiatives can guide these value-seeking consumers to your company.

Day in and day out, your team tackles tough problems, innovates your processes, and skillfully makes their way through the complex maze of the manufacturing world. That’s precisely why you chose them to be part of your company.

But, how much of their invaluable expertise are you sharing outside the four walls of your company?

Remember, your engineers, your production managers, and your quality assurance experts all have something to say. They can educate, entertain, and draw in the exact customers you’re looking to connect with.

That’s the heart of what we call expert-driven content. It’s a strategy rooted in the belief that the in-depth, technical know-how of your subject matter experts (SMEs) can form the cornerstone of how you present your company to the world.

Here’s how to do it:

Turning an idea into something tangible means taking a few thought-out steps to craft content that truly resonates with your audience:

Spotting the Gems: It all starts with understanding the unique hurdles your customers face. Once you’ve got that down, you line it up with the specific areas where your team’s expertise can be used. This ensures that the content you produce does more than just inform—it solves problems and adds real value.

Creating with Intention: After zeroing in on what you’re going to talk about, it’s time to put pen to paper. We’re talking blogs, white papers, case studies, and yes, even those engaging tutorial videos. Your aim? To take your technical know-how and distill it into something that’s engaging, easy to digest, and above all, incredibly useful for our audience.

Distributing Wisely: With our content locked and loaded, the next step is getting it out into the world. It’s all about placement—be it on our site, blasted through newsletters, or shared across social channels. You want to make sure it lands in front of the people who will benefit from it the most.

By transforming the knowledge of the brightest minds into something tangible, you hit several key milestones. Not only do you reinforce your position as an industry leader, but you also forge a deeper trust with current and prospective customers.

With everything that we’ve talked about so far, you might be thinking about how to start all of this from scratch.

Great news—you don’t have to.

There are already people out there looking for what your manufacturing business has to offer. You just need to be there when and where they’re searching. That means meeting them where they are. And today, the digital sphere is an excellent platform for capturing the demand that already exists. You may have the best offerings but, if your customers can’t find you when they are looking, opportunities slip through the cracks.

This means that knowing the ins and outs of digital marketing is crucial, so much that it’s almost imperative for manufacturers to thrive and survive. Think of digital marketing as your extended arm that reaches far and wide without the limitations of traditional approaches.

That’s where SEO comes in. 

Simply put, SEO optimizes  your online presence to increase your website’s visibility for relevant searches. Through careful keyword research and by creating content that resonates with your audience, SEO can help your business appear right where your customers are searching.

Once you’ve successfully captured the attention of those with a pre-existing demand, the next step is to make sure they see the real value you can offer. From showcasing rave reviews and positive testimonials, to providing clear and concise information about your products or services, make sure your potential customers realize why your business is the answer they’ve been looking for.

Now, while you’re not necessarily starting from zero, not everyone is ready to immediately move forward with a purchase. And yet, that doesn’t mean you can take them out as riffraff. They simply represent potential customers who are at a different stage in the buyer’s journey, but that doesn’t mean you can’t capture them–you still can but not at the moment.

Take these leads as opportunities for long-term engagement. They can help you understand the varying customer timelines and the importance of nurturing relationships regardless of where they are in the buying process. Here, you might want to segregate them and put them in a different funnel.

Buying decisions, especially in the context of business, are hardly ever impulsive. They’re the result of careful consideration, research, and often, a healthy amount of time. By discarding leads that are currently not ready to purchase, you risk losing potential future customers who, with the right nurturing, could convert into valuable long-term clients.

Hence, you would want to engage them with insightful and targeted content that addresses their unique needs and answers their questions. By maintaining regular contact, you stay top-of-mind. So, when a lead is ready to move forward with a purchase, it’s your brand they’ll recall and trust.

Effective business operations hinge on one key aspect – regular and clear communication with your sales team. Your sales team are your frontliners and they carry practical and invaluable information that you can’t get from sitting in your office. That being said, maintain an open, ongoing dialogue involving daily interactions or weekly meetings as necessary to keep everyone informed and aligned. This way, you can make sure you’re working on the same goals. 

How do you ensure regular communication? Establishing routines can help. Schedule daily stand-ups or weekly briefings. Use tools available at your disposal, such as email, office chat programs, or collaboration platforms to facilitate communication. And always encourage feedback – it’s a two-way process. It’s a way for you to promote a healthy environment where every individual in the sales team is heard.

Steering your marketing strategy takes precision and, most importantly, patience. Your key tools here are metrics that help measure your results. But remember, marketing isn’t about quick wins—it’s about long-term success.

The What, Why, and How of Measuring

What to Measure: Start with the basics. Website traffic, lead generation metrics, conversion rates, and engagement levels on social platforms are your cardinal points.

Why Measure: Think of it as checking the health of your strategy. Is it fit and thriving, or does it need a bit of a jog to get up to speed? Without these health checks, you’re sailing blind in the eddied waters of the market.

How to Measure: Equip yourself with the right tools — Google Analytics for web insights, CRM software for lead tracking, and social media analytics for engagement reports.

Why You Need Patience

Now, onto the patience part. You’ve planted a seed (your strategy), and you’re watering it (executing the plan). You wouldn’t yank it out the next day expecting a sapling, right? Marketing efforts are strikingly similar. They need time to break the soil, sprout, and grow.

So, for now, celebrate the small wins. If your website traffic goes up or if you generate a few more leads than last month, you’re most likely doing something good. These milestones are signs that you’re on the right track, even if you’re far from your ultimate goal.

But the real magic of measuring isn’t just in tracking progress; it’s in the insights you gain. Found a strategy that isn’t working? That’s your cue to pivot. Notice an unexpected win? Double down on it. This dynamic approach—measuring, learning, and adjusting—is your compass through the whole journey.

The eight principles of manufacturing marketing for 2024 underline a transformative approach for manufacturers to embrace marketing as an essential component of their strategy. Moving away from the traditional insular focus on production, these principles emphasize the importance of building genuine relationships, leveraging expertise as content, personalizing customer engagement, and utilizing digital channels to capture and nurture leads.

They also advocate for comprehensive internal communication and the judicious measurement of marketing efforts. In this era of intensified competition and digital prominence, manufacturers who adeptly adopt these principles will find themselves not only surviving but thriving in the new market dynamics.

If you ever find yourself struggling to keep up with this changing landscape, you can always reach out to us so we can help you beef up your marketing. Feel free to schedule a consultation with us today!