When it comes to creating a digital marketing strategy for a manufacturing company, a solid starting point involves knowing common mistakes so you can avoid them and allocate resources efficiently. Keep reading to find out which are the most common marketing mistakes manufacturers make.
Digital marketing for manufacturers: 6 mistakes to avoid
1) Pushing Products Instead Of Answering Questions
Your website isn’t just a place to post your brochures or catalogues. Sure, marketing is about driving sales. But if your content exclusively focuses on self-promoting products, you’re missing an opportunity to differentiate yourself through value. Visitors come to your website with questions, so ensure your content meets that need. A wide-ranging content strategy that targets leads at every stage of the customer journey can help balance sales needs with customer needs.
2) Thinking Too Much, Acting Too Little
Paralysis by analysis is one of the reasons why many manufacturers don’t have a solid marketing strategy. There are many good ideas out there, but you need to make a conscious effort to see them through to the end if you want to see results. Creating a review schedule for every new and old piece of content can help you keep moving forward.
3) Overlooking Social Media
“We’re a manufacturing company, social media is not for us”. Unfortunately, this is a common misconception. Social media may not be for you, but it certainly is for your customers, and you don’t want to miss a chance to reach them using their favourite sources of content. Platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn can support digital marketing for manufacturers particularly well. In short: social media is a tool, and you can tweak it or use it to your advantage.
4) Not Doing Research
Every successful marketing plan for a manufacturing company must be data-driven. Knowing your customers is not enough, what matters is knowing how their needs and preferences evolve over time so you can place your products in a relevant context. Extensive and ongoing customer research can help home in your message and efficiently use your budget.
5) Not Updating Your Website Regularly
This is a big no-no for every business, but especially for manufacturers. This industry is known for its reliance on technology and cutting-edge approach. But if your site has an outdated design or content hasn’t been updated since it was launched, this will undermine your credibility as a leading company. Even worse, an irregularly updated website may not function well on the latest mobile devices. Make sure you add an annual website review to your marketing strategy.
6) Operating In a Vacuum
Marketing is a marketer’s job, but not exclusively. For optimal results, you want to gather input from all your core departments, from engineering to sales. In other words, a digital marketing strategy for manufacturers must be an aligned and collaborative effort.
Find out more
If you need help creating a digital marketing strategy that takes into account your goals as a manufacturer, let's talk about your sales and growth goals today.
Image Source: Pixabay