What does every successful marketing strategy have in common? Look closely and you'll find these 5 traits in every aspect of the campaign:

1. Pertinent
2. Profitable
3. Practical
4. Provocative
5. Plugged-in

By integrating these 5 P’s into your marketing and content creation efforts, your company will be better poised to reach new customers and re-engage with your current client base. 

1.  Pertinent

When we have the power to choose, we'll consistently choose the things we care about -- the things that are relevant to our circumstances. 

When readers absorb content online, they pick and choose content to interact with. Buyer behavior has changed; content may be king, but the customer is the one who holds the power.

What does your customer care about in manufacturing? Why would they interact with your content? 

Here are a few common motivations:

• It helps them be better in their roles (career or personal)
• It entertains them
• It reaffirms their beliefs
• It tells them how to be successful
• It makes them feel good
• It makes them feel understood
• It helps them solve a problem
• It helps them take advantage of an opportunity
• It answers a question
  
  

2.  Profitable

In addition to being relevant, your content also needs to be profitable for your audience. Readers should be able to take your content and use it to grow their business, make a better product, or save money on a purchase, among other things.

Your content should also show your target you understand what value means to them.

A potential customer's definition of "value" will vary between individuals and industries. To get a better idea of what your buyers value, create buyer personas as part of your strategic marketing efforts.

Graphic from Buyerology

3.  Practical

Theories and ideas are helpful to incorporate in your digital marketing strategies.  

Your target market isn’t always looking for the abstract; they are looking for immediately actionable information to help them produce results now. 

In outlining your brand strategy, your marketing campaign, or your inbound content, ask yourself: Could I use this information and immediately apply it to my business?

4.  Provocative

Content you create should produce an emotional reaction from your audience. 

Emotions do come into play in B2B purchasing decisions, though it might not seem like it. 

In B2B buying, consumer decisions are driven by emotional responses such as:

• Confidence
• Trust
• Value
• Skepticism
• Doubt. 

Those feelings can make all the difference in a potential buyer’s decision to purchase your company’s products or services. 

Research has found that "...B2B purchasers are almost 50% more likely to buy a product when they see personal value for them in the form of confidence in their choice – or a positive impact on their career. They’re also 8x more likely to pay a premium for that product.”

While it’s important to produce content that evokes an emotional response, it’s critical that it also produces the right emotional response. Your content should help instill feelings to make the consumer easily take the next step on their buyer’s journey with your company.

5.  Plugged-in

The next generation is stepping up into the roles of buyer, executive, engineer, and even the talent you might hire. To reach those targets, speak their language.

Manufacturers are now integrating news, social media, and even memes to make their marketing content more relatable.

Your company should also have a command over understanding the trends in your industry as well as those in your target audience's industries. You should also be up to date with technology, both personal and industrial. 

Beyond the 5P’s

Check out these additional resources on improving your marketing efforts or growing your manufacturing business:

• The Manufacturer's Guide to Inbound Marketing

• Great News! The Manufacturing Industry Is Internet Challenged  

• 30 Greatest Lead Gen Tips, Tricks, and Ideas

Looking for more tips to create a sustainable manufacturing marketing strategy? Check out this free guide to inbound marketing for manufacturers below:

A note from the editor: This blog post was updated in March of 2020 to reflect modern tactics.