Manufacturing companies are getting innovative with their marketing. Whether it's paid advertising or content marketing, the options are endless. The opportunities are vast, so taking advantage of the various marketing strategies to increase visibility, connect with the audience, and establish expertise is a sound business strategy.

Successful manufacturers are extending the depth of their digital marketing efforts and are continuing to evolve to the growing expectation of consumers to provide solutions to their needs in a readily accessible way online. Continue reading to learn about some of the best digital marketing strategies manufacturing companies are using right now.

Paid advertising

One of the go-to marketing strategies is the use of paid advertising.

PPC or pay per click advertising allows you to only pay for the ad when it is clicked on. It is a cost-effective way to get your company in front of your ideal client. You can easily target your audience based on physical location and demographics to increase the odds that those clicking on your ad are more likely to take action.

Paid advertising also offers a high return on investment (ROI). Since you're targeting your ideal client, they are more likely to lead to the desired conversion. Also, since you're only paying for clicks, each penny spent on advertising comes from an action taken by someone interested in the service.

Another benefit of paid ads is it helps you to appear at the top of the search engines while you're building your SEO. If you already appear on the front page of Google, this might not be as impactful, but if you do, it can make a significant difference in the traffic you receive.

Video content

Video is one of the most powerful forms of marketing today. It tends to convert better and connect with your audience better. That's why pretty much everywhere you turn, there's video incorporated into content. Video is especially well suited to manufacturing companies, and they should undoubtedly follow suit.

When planning your content, consider incorporating different types of video for your business.

• Behind the scenes: Share what goes on behind the scenes of your company. Include your staff, your office space, new offerings, and other glimpses into what goes on in your company.
• Testimonials: Written testimonials can be powerful and very persuasive for potential clients, but video testimonials take everything to a new level. Ask your clients or customers to record and share a video testimonial. You can even offer a time to have multiple customers record their testimonial using your professional equipment and chosen background.
• Case studies: Case studies are similar to testimonials but more in-depth. Consider turning a written case study into a video format. You can share the same information but present it visually to appeal to those who prefer video.
• Tours: Providing a tour of your facilities or new equipment is a type of behind the scenes footage. It can be used to humanize your brand and/or showcase your offerings, depending on the type of video you create.
• Marketing videos: Marketing videos are straightforward. Their goal is to market your company, products, or services directly. There are many ways you can create a marketing video, but it can be a powerful way to connect with your ideal client and convert them.
• How-to videos: How-to videos show your audience how to do something related to what you offer. This can help ease the hesitancy related to how a product or service works. When you have a clear video showcasing the steps, it provides much-needed clarity.

Email marketing to customers

Email marketing is a very common marketing strategy for a reason. Simply put, it still works, and still generates one of the best returns on investment from your marketing spend.

Email allows you to stay in contact with your current and past customers, as well as prospective customers that you might need to nurture throughout a long sales cycle. You can share information and various resources, but you can also reward them with discounts and gifts over time.

Maintaining a connection with your customers helps improve their experience with your company and increase the likelihood that they will refer you or become repeat customers.

Thought leadership strategy

If you want to set yourself apart from other manufacturing companies, you need to implement thought leadership content in your marketing strategy. Thought leadership is the process of establishing yourself as an authority in your field. You can do this in various ways that position you as an expert, such as the following.

• Write articles: When you write articles for your website related to your industry, it gives your website visitors a plethora of information to show your expertise in what you do. Alternatively, you can publish your articles on sites like Medium or your LinkedIn profile.
• Be active on LinkedIn: Speaking of LinkedIn, the platform has become much more than a job seeking network. By posting educational content that adds value to your target audience and establishes your credibility as an expert, you start to build trust with potential customers. You should also engage with other people’s posts and content in industry groups, being careful not to be promotional, and you’ll start to see those consistent efforts paying off.
• Pitch articles to major publications: Another option would be to pitch your articles to be featured in major publications that your ideal client would be reading. This is more prestigious than writing articles for your site because there's a sense of exclusivity when your writing is featured in these publications.
• Secure interviews: When you are interviewed by a publication, podcast, or other media outlet, you are seen as an expert. It's a reliable way to build your thought leadership and show what you know.

Website optimization

While you will incorporate various marketing efforts into your business, your website is your company's hub. It's the one part of your online presence that you own, and you want to ensure your efforts will optimize it to perform at its peak.

The goal should be to improve your organic traffic. This is the traffic that comes to your website without the need for paid advertising. The best way to drive organic traffic to your website is by improving your search engine optimization (SEO). When your website is optimized for SEO, it will rank higher on Google, so when your ideal client types in a relevant keyword, they will see your site first.

This is even better than paid advertising because of its organic nature. Buyers tend to trust organic search results more than paid search results, so it increases the odds that they will find your website and believe the content because it's good, not because you paid it to be there.

Leads nurturing

Finally, one of the best marketing strategies for manufacturers is to simply nurture their leads.

Not everyone is ready to purchase from you when they come across your website or find you on social media. Instead of giving them two options - buy now or remember to go back and check on the company later - nurturing your leads gives a third option that works better for most people.

You can connect with them via email marketing and stay in communication by informing and nurturing them until they are ready to purchase. This takes a lot of effort away from the traditional sales process.

Even if they ultimately decide not to buy, in nurturing them, they're more likely to refer your company to someone who is.

Deciding on the Best Marketing Strategies for Your Manufacturing Company

When marketing as a manufacturer, you want to look at the best marketing strategies being implemented by others as inspiration for your company.

Whether you are establishing your thought leadership, conducting email marketing or improving your organic search results through SEO, you need to consider your ideal client, your ultimate business goals, and how you can use marketing to bridge the gap between them.

Visit our Manufacturing Marketing Resources page for more of the marketing strategies that manufacturers should be considering.