Digital Marketing for Manufacturing Industry: Your Go-To Guide

The manufacturing industry has always been at the forefront of adapting new technologies to boost production, automating processes, and innovating products.

Check what’s in store for modern-day manufacturers in the coming years.

The Rampant Rise Of Technology in the Manufacturing Industry

Digitalization, automation, and AI (artificial intelligence) are steadily penetrating complex manufacturing processes, operations, and supply chain management, making the end-user experience extremely satisfying.

The value of digitalization and digital transformation in the manufacturing sector is estimated at approximately USD 367 Billion. This trend will increase 1.4 times or 140% in the next five years.

Marketing For The Manufacturing Industry

Marketing has been an area where manufacturers have relied more on traditional means and ways to meet their business goals.

That was until recently.

2024 and beyond will change the way the manufacturing industry markets, positions, and sells its products.

Here’s why? Appealing to the tech-savvy and always-online millennial customers could be tricky with old-school marketing approaches.

But why have millennials become such a crucial factor in the manufacturing industry?

Here’s a fact check: 73% of millennials hold key purchase decision-making positions.

With tech-savvy millennials comprising a significant B2B and manufacturing customer base, ramping up the digital game has become crucial for the manufacturing industry.

That being said, if a manufacturer has reaped the benefits of traditional marketing till now, by all means, they may continue with that. Moreover, a modern-day manufacturer should add digital marketing as a vital tool in their marketing strategy.

This comprehensive guide will highlight the importance of digital marketing for the manufacturing industry and how a modern-day manufacturer should establish a robust online presence.

If you are a manufacturer, we aim to explain everything you need to know about digital marketing for the manufacturing industry, including its strategies and tools.

So, let’s start with the most obvious question.

What is Digital Marketing?

Well, digital marketing means using digital technologies and platforms to convey your marketing message to your customers.

It involves using digital platforms such as social media, online tools such as emails, and online advertising to send your messages across.

Your marketing messages could be in texts, images, or multimedia, including how-to videos or engaging graphic visuals. You may aim to educate, inform, or engage with your customers and prospects with your messages. Thus, digital marketing gives you a vast canvas to play around.

Why Digital Marketing for the Manufacturing Industry Is Crucial?

Technological advancements and changes in market dynamics have forged some interesting transformations in consumers’s buying behavior in the manufacturing sector.

• Shift in Preference for Purchasing Transactions: Only 20% of B2B buyers want to return to in-person sales, even in traditionally field-sales-heavy sectors like pharma and medical products, indicating a clear shift in preference for online purchasing for B2B transactions.

(Suggestion for graph: Interaction with the sales representatives of suppliers.

• Online Big Ticket Transactions: 70% of manufacturing purchasers are willing to transact worth up to USD 500,000 digitally and remotely.

Add to that the unique benefits of digital marketing for the manufacturing industry, such as:

• Expanded Reach: It provides access to audiences beyond local or traditional markets, opening up the arena at a vast scale.
• Cost-effective Solution: It is more economical compared to traditional methods of putting across marketing messages such as print ads or trade shows.
• Advanced Targeting: Digital marketing enables manufacturers to reach out to specific audiences, including segmenting by industry, business size, the role of purchase decision-maker, etc.
• Personalized Marketing: It enables crafting marketing messages that resonate with the target audience.
• Repeat Customers: It helps establish and improve customer relationships and loyalty by actively engaging with them on digital social channels.
• Lead Generation & Conversions: It improves lead generation and conversion by using automation to deliver prompt marketing messages appropriately to customers using various digital marketing channels.
• Measurable Results: Digital marketing for the manufacturing industry offers real-time performance tracking of ongoing campaigns and optimizing marketing strategies through informed decisions.
• Gaining Competitive Advantage: Since the manufacturing industry is still heavily traditional marketing oriented, digital marketing offers a competitive advantage by being the early adopter.

What more?

If you are an industrial seller or a direct selling distributor of manufacturing goods, it’s time you should think digital.

A recent study reveals a surprising fact about the change in the B2B buying journey. Especially concerning vendors, suppliers, and manufacturers, 3/4th of the purchasers prefer a sales experience where there are no sales representatives.

Now, that speaks volumes about where manufacturing purchase transactions are heading!

Your WEBSITE – The Pillar Of Digital Marketing

Building a high-performance, mobile-responsive website with interactive content optimized for search engines and end-users. This is the starting point for your digital venture.

As a modern manufacturer, your website is the most vital digital asset around which all the other digital marketing activities revolve.

If your website looks dated, has a shabby design and layout, and does not open on a mobile device, then it’s time you get it redesigned.

Nevertheless, the website of a manufacturing business has some unique features. Your website should contain the following pages displaying appropriate content:

• Your history, mission, and values
• Products you offer (with product catalogs containing its specifications and features)
• Your team and their expertise
• A blog section
• An easy-to-find contact information

Modes of Digital Marketing for the Manufacturing Industry

When your marketing efforts involve using digital channels or platforms, it is digital marketing. There are a whole variety of options available.

Once you have your website in place, you can boost your digital marketing activities through various modes and methods. Below are the most effective types of digital marketing for the manufacturing sector.

1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is vital for any business. It helps improve website rankings in SERP (Search Engine Results Pages), which leads to higher organic traffic to your website. But, there is a catch.

SEO can lead to quick conversions for websites of consumer-focused businesses. However, SEO for B2B manufacturers and suppliers does not quite work that way.

As a manufacturer, your target audience is mainly purchase decision makers of other corporations and businesses. Hence, your SEO strategy should play the long game, steady and slow, guiding the decision-makers toward a conversion.

Your SEO strategy should invariably include thorough keyword research, optimization of on-page elements, and a lot more. These will glide your website visitors into being a regular visitor and eventually lead to conversions.

2. CONTENT MARKETING

It’s crucial to create high-quality engaging content implemented with a proven SEO strategy. It will help attract a steady flow of potential clients to your website.

Consistently creating informative, attractive, and engaging content and distributing and delivering it to the right people at the right time through the appropriate channels.

3. SOCIAL MEDIA and INFLUENCER MARKETING

Build awareness about your brand, evoking curiosity and excitement about your product, and informing and engaging with people in online social platforms through social media marketing.

Collaborate with influencers (people with massive online followers) to market and promote your products to their followers.

4. EMAIL MARKETING

Build an income-generating, long-lasting email list (and meaningful customer relations). This platform gives you an edge to craft personalized emails to the people who matter the most to your business. You may keep them informed and engaged through newsletters, targeted email campaigns, etc.

5. PPC (PAID ADVERTISING)

Invest in high-precision, result-driven online paid advertising to target specific audiences for your products. Google Ads, Bing Ads, and LinkedIn Ads are some of the most effective ways to feature your ad copies to the millennial manufacturing purchase decision-makers.

6. VIDEO MARKETING

Creating some easy-to-consume, informative videos can be a dynamic way to showcase your manufacturing products, their use, and their technical capabilities.

You may use it for product demonstrations, virtual tours of your manufacturing facilities, etc. This enhances online presence, increases engagement, and effectively conveys your manufacturing brand’s story to end users.

Steps To Start Digital Marketing For The Manufacturing Industry

Before you set out to launch your manufacturing business for people to find you in the online world, sit back and draw up a solid digital marketing strategy. But, even before that, you must analyze a few vital parameters.

Every manufacturer works differently than others. Therefore, understanding the essentials of digital marketing for the manufacturing industry is crucial before launching your digital campaigns.

1. Set Your Marketing Budgets

If you are venturing into digital marketing for your manufacturing business for the first time, you must allocate a portion of your marketing budget to digital activities.

Focus your budget allocation on your business goals, planned digital campaigns, and the anticipated return on investment for the marketing activities.

2. Define Your Objectives for Digital Marketing Activities

A lot is possible with digital marketing for the manufacturing industry. But focus on one thing at a time. Also, having a clear and well-defined goal for your marketing efforts is paramount.

Do you want to increase online sales of your manufacturing products or improve brand awareness amongst B2B purchasers? Increase the customer base by reaching out to as many potential customers as possible beyond the local markets and geographical boundaries.

Experienced marketing professionals suggest revisiting your brand mission and values can help get the answers to those questions.

3. Understand Your Audience

As a manufacturer, it’s important to understand what your customers want.

Once you understand your customer’s needs, wants, preferences, behaviors, demographics, etc., you can segment them accordingly to digitally tailor and direct your marketing activities.

4. Analyze Your Current Digital Presence

Review your existing online presence and digital assets, like your website, blogs, list of email addresses of your customers, your business’s social media standing, etc.

It’s important to assess your present digital position and compare it with your goals to precisely identify any gaps. This will enable you to develop a plan to reach your marketing objectives and determine the strategies required to succeed.

5. Choose The Right Digital Channels

Choosing the right digital platforms for your business involves understanding how your digital marketing messages will communicate, inform, and engage with your customers. Knowing your audience is a crucial factor here. Knowing where you can best reach your customers is as essential as well.

Select the right social media platforms that fit your marketing objectives based on your research about market dynamics and customer demographics, including their preferred social media platforms. It will help you reach your target audience and deliver your message effectively.

6. Choose Your Marketing Team

At this stage, you may have to deploy a team to execute and deliver your digital marketing strategies on the ground. Your team could comprise an in-house marketing team, or you may partner with a professional digital marketing agency like B3NET Inc.

It’s vital to consider factors such as costs, expertise, track record, and experience while deciding on your marketing team.

Digital Marketing For the Manufacturing Industry: Transforming The Business Landscape

Modern manufacturers are realizing that digital marketing for the manufacturing industry is not a fad anymore. It is a strategic necessity to be at the forefront of the digital transformation to survive, grow, and thrive in the manufacturing industry.

Setting up a robust online presence and achieving the marketing objectives for your manufacturing business through digital marketing requires some innate understanding of marketing dynamics and the digital landscape.

When done correctly, it can boost customer base, market reach, lead generation, and conversion capabilities, yielding a substantial return on investment (ROI).

Since 1999, our team of expert digital marketers at B3NET Inc. has been delivering exceptional results for clients.

With expertise and experience of more than 20 years in the digital arena, we are a perfect fit to become your digital marketing partner, where we strive to significantly position your manufacturing business digitally, empowering it to leap to the next level.

Client empowerment has been our sole motive every time we shake hands on a new venture. Contact us for any digital marketing needs for your manufacturing business, and we shall work together to make your business a success.