How Has Marketing Changed for the Manufacturing Industry?

“If you do not change, you can become extinct!”

                     ~ Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?

In his book Who Moved My Cheese?, Spencer Johnson describes how mice in a maze had grown accustomed to finding their cheese at the predictable spot everyday. Then one day the cheese wasn’t there. It wasn’t there for days, but the mice were afraid to move from the spot that they had always found the cheese.

Many manufacturers are facing the same predicament that the mice experienced. Their cheese (customers) have moved and they aren’t really sure what to do. They understand that they have to change but they aren’t sure what that change looks like, so they continue to limp along.

Marketing That Has Gone Kerplunk!

The truth is that the traditional methods for marketing and sales that manufacturers have used in the past aren’t producing the same desired results. Most traditional manufacturers are sales-oriented and dependent on referrals and repeat business. Historically, reseller channels, sales reps, print ads, and trade shows were the ticket. Today, buyers search for information long before they ever talk to a sales person.

So Where Is the Cheese Now?

Where are the customers? Forrester Research showed that 90% of B2B buyers begin their search for solutions/products online. In order to intercept those potential
buyers, manufacturers need to be searchable – they need to have relevant content that shows up in these searches. And they not only have to be found online, they have to appear as experts in their field as well. That means that digital marketing needs to play a much larger role for manufacturers than it has in the past.

Your Customers Are …

1. On Your Website

Your customers are online looking for your company’s website. When was the last time you had your website redesigned and updated? Can your customers navigate your site easily and logically, or are they getting lost and confused? Can they quickly find the answers they’re looking for, or are they frustrated with slow load times and/or broken navigation links? According to KISSmetrics, “47% of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less.” If it doesn’t, the chances of them waiting till the page finishes loading are slim.

When it comes to marketing, customers have changed – they aren’t a target for blind traditional marketing like cold-calling. When they need something, they will search for it online. With the wealth of information on the internet today, customers want to be educated about products and services so they can make wise choices about purchases. Your company website should appear as the most attractive suitor amidst the competition.

2. On Their Phones

According to this study, 56% of online traffic is coming from mobile devices. You know what that means for you? Your website visitors expect your site to be mobile friendly.

Search engines want your website to be mobile friendly as well. Recently, Google rolled out an advertising technique that helps mobile web users find what they’re looking for. When they search for a business in Google Maps, they are instantly offered the choice to get directions to the company’s location, visit their website, or make a phone call directly. The more convenience you offer your online visitors, the more likely they’ll want to do business with you.

3. On Alternative Devices

The tools traditionally used for marketing have changed – and expanded. Online viewers aren’t limited to PC desktops anymore – or even their smartphones. They’re on ipads, kindles, oversized desktop computer monitors, and 10” or 7” tablets. Websites must now include what’s known as responsive design – the ability for the screen to adapt, or respond, to the size of the device that it’s currently being viewed on. Few people have the patience to browse a website that doesn’t adapt to the size of their 4 inch screen.

4. On Social Media

In the past, business and social were considered separate entities that should be kept exclusive from one another, but that mindset has changed within the past decade. Customers want to see companies as an open book. They enjoy seeing an entrepreneurial approach to doing business, and social channels offer the ideal avenue for this approach.

According to Statista, “In 2016, 78% of U.S. Americans had a social media profile, representing a five percent growth compared to the previous year.” Why does this statistic matter for your company? Social channels like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn represent a host of opportunities for your brand to connect with people we are already engaged with social media. Since potential customers are already on social channels, your company’s social profile is yet another avenue to get your brand recognized among the public.

What Hasn’t Changed? The Necessity of Marketing

Marketing for the manufacturing industry isn’t easy, but it can be done. More importantly, it has to be done. How has marketing changed for the manufacturing industry? The answer is, it hasn’t yet, but it needs to. If you don’t change, as Spencer Johnson said, you will become extinct.

With today’s level of competition in the manufacturing industry, it’s not enough to simply be online. In order to gain the most traffic from your ideal audience, you need to show up first online. Your website should rank on Page 1 of Google. Your social pages should encourage viewers to like, follow, tweet, comment, react, share, etc. Customers should be willing to – and want to – engage with your brand.  

If you don’t take action with your online marketing, you offer up your customers to the competition. Your target audience will go to who they’ve heard about. So if time goes on and your online marketing doesn’t create the results you want, it might be time for you to outsource your marketing to a digital marketing agency.

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