It's not exactly a secret that most manufacturers aren't Internet-savvy. Many seem to actively avoid online activities, and the manufacturing sites they DO have are bare-bones and old-fashioned.
In fact, according to Inprela, 79% of manufacturing websites aren't even optimized for mobile.
Now, if you're one of those not-so-Internet-savvy manufacturers, you're probably wondering why that even matters. We'll go over that and other website necessities in a minute.
If you're not familiar with some of the marketing terminology we're using, here is an Inbound Marketing Dictionary for reference.
For now, let's talk about why it's a good thing that your industry is behind the Internet times.
Buyers are now turning to the Internet before making ANY purchasing decisions.
According to the 2014 State of B2B Procurement Study, 94% of B2B buyers report that they conduct some form of online research before purchasing a business product.
So, either you're there... or you're not. If you're not online, you'd better hope your competitors aren't online, either. If you ARE online, your situation looks a lot more appealing:
(Though you should always "go big or go home," as the kids say these days.)
You can't ignore the Internet, even if you're already meeting your revenue and client goals.
Since the majority of the manufacturing industry is slow on the uptake, having a strong online presence makes you modern and approachable in comparison.
First impressions are the most important. If you immediately make a good impression, your buyers are more likely to think of you later in the buying process.
Along with making a great first impression, you're shooting out of the gate before the gun even fires (totally legal in web marketing).
If you can start working on your buyers before your competitors get to them, that's a huge advantage.
You can show off your expertise, your products, and your customer service at the very beginning of their purchasing process. If you do it right, you'll be able to guide them through the rest of their research and decisions.
Then, when they're ready to buy, they'll think "Hey, remember Company Y? They've been really helpful and awesome this whole time. Maybe we should look into them more closely."
One of the biggest misconceptions around marketing for manufacturers is that well, they already know where to find us, and we mostly connect with customers in real life anyway. We're doing just fine without the Internet.
No matter your industry, there are ALWAYS more buyers to be found online.
Not to mention, younger (and more tech-savvy) generations are entering the upper tiers of the workforce. The people who are more comfortable with print mail and radio ads are retiring - soon, the young'uns will be running the whole show.
If you want to get the new management on board, you have to meet them on their own turf.
What does that have to do with dilution? There are very few manufacturers with strong online marketing strategies. That means the marketing efforts you make are more likely to be seen and less likely to be drowned out by millions of other manufacturers vying for business.
You're more likely to reach those younger generations - that's your first leg up on the competition - and you're going to snatch up those online buyers before they even know you have competition.
But the online manufacturing world won't stay diluted forever. As soon as your competitors realize what they're missing, they'll be on board so fast your head will spin.
If you don't have a strong web presence already, you're going to start with the very basics:
This is going to be the biggest section of the article. Why? Because an "optimized website" is actually made up of a ton of smaller components that make the finished product.
An optimized website is also THE most important thing for beginner web marketers. So listen up, recruit!
The way that people see our designs strongly effects the meaning that they take away from them. - Ahmed Hussam
...As users are drawn deeper into your site, it will be harder for them to leave. They will feel somewhat committed to your website, and with every page they read, they gain trust, security and familiarity. - Tom RossRecent trends in web design focus on transmitting that meaning and building trust as quickly as possible. These trends are popular for one big reason: they work. So follow them!
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Why do you need these? Kinda sounds like we're trying to bring a Disney fairytale to life, right?
You need to find your business's story and voice. This is different from your personal story and voice. The voice of your business should resonate with your buyer persona(s) and appeal to your best buyers.
This story and voice will guide all of your content creation. If your buyer personas like a bit of humor, you can throw in some one liners on your website, in your blog, and everywhere!
If your buyer personas appreciate hunting and fishing, try using fishing metaphors to explain difficult concepts.
"But I don't understand fishing metaphors!"
People like people who are just like them, and they are more likely to buy from companies with shared values.
If you're having trouble defining a story and voice, remember that you want to sell by not selling. Promotional content is fine every now and then, but buyers don't like being bombarded with ads.
Start with educating your visitors. Write about your business's values, product how-to guides, and industry standards/statistics. The more you write, the easier it will be to pinpoint your most successful content, your story, and your voice.
This is your mission for one month, should you choose to accept it:
This one-month social media guide will build the foundation for your future social networking efforts. In this first month, you're trying to build the habit of checking and maintaining your profile.
After you're in the habit and familiar with your chosen site, you can move on to other social media sites.
Ultimately, all of your social media profiles will be used side-by-side with your website, blog, and other marketing tools.
We just couldn't leave out our good old friend, email marketing.
Younger people seem to be moving away from email communication (instead opting for social media and other forms of instant messaging), but email is still huge in the professional realm.
Up above, we talked about using CTAs and landing pages to capture your prospective buyers' contact info. The most important information they will give you is their email address.
That's your in. Once you have the email address, you can enter it into your CRM (customer relationship management) system and send out personalized lead-nurturing emails.
Those lead-nurturing emails will nudge them (gently) towards becoming your customer.
Most of the other things we've listed here are focused on attracting and hooking your buyers. Email marketing becomes especially important if you want them to move beyond potential customer status and into paying customer territory.
(We call that movement from potential customer to current customer the buyer's journey, which is a great thing to look into once you've conquered the basics!)
This is what you miss out on when you only market offline. Just because manufacturers have traditionally grown their businesses with offline marketing doesn't mean it will continue to work.
Offline marketing has been on the decline for years, and we guarantee it won't be making a comeback. We rely too heavily on technology to slide backwards (barring some freakish techno-apocalypse that destroys our incredible progress as a species).
Let's recap the benefits of getting your business online:
Remember: Rocky or the skinny weak dude. Wouldn't you prefer to be Rocky when you face off against your competitors?
The sooner you start marketing your business online, the sooner you'll start bulking up those valuable Internet muscles. It's never too late to start... but you're going to miss out on customers the longer you wait.
So, GET GOING and GET GROWING!