Whether you are a business owner, business development lead, or marketing professional, you’re responsible for critical questions that impede the success of your business such as: Can you accurately comprehend your customers’ needs? Can you confidently assert that customers trust your manufacturing capabilities and technology? Have you been attentive to the feedback and messages customers share about your product quality and services?
The single word that addresses all these inquiries is marketing. The significance of marketing for your business lies in its ability to raise awareness about your manufactured components or services, engage your target audience, and ultimately encourage their purchasing decision. A well-crafted marketing plan, an integral part of your business strategy, plays a vital role in generating and sustaining demand, enhancing your brand’s reputation, and staying competitive in the market. Therefore, understanding the pivotal role of marketing is essential for successfully managing and operating a profitable business in today’s competitive landscape.
Marketing encompasses a wide range of activities aimed at informing people about your manufacturing capabilities and persuading them to select you over another supplier. While advertising is the most recognizable facet, marketing also includes customer feedback, brand design, and various other elements. Notably, sales are not synonymous with marketing; instead, sales are the outcome of effective marketing efforts. This underscores the necessity of comprehending the significance of marketing for businesses and the B2B marketing strategies they encompass.
At Vive, our clients seek us at various points in their marketing journey, but the following are the most utilized marketing channels the manufacturing audience understands are essential in their brand storytelling:
1) Messaging with Purpose Statements: Many companies don’t know what to say about themselves, or their messaging is outdated, or irrelevant. Starting with WHY you’re in business with concise statements that encapsulate the core message, values, and purpose of a brand or product, is a responsible beginning. An updated messaging platform is used to communicate your brand’s identity, areas of expertise, and value proposition to your specific target audience.
2) Logos: A refreshed, modern logo tells your audience that you’re up with the times, connecting them visually to an identity that aligns with your offering and purpose. Advancing from a tired logo serves as a visual identifier and is an essential part of the brand story. How old is your company’s logo?
3) Websites: We live in an Amazon world, making buying decisions before an engagement with a sales expert. Websites act as a company’s virtual front door – a 24/7 sales arm promoting what your company does differently than the competition. A well-designed website with an effective user experience can serve as a digital storefront and a hub for online marketing efforts.
4) SEO/PPC: SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and PPC (Pay-Per-Click) are critical online marketing strategies. Perhaps you’ve just updated your corporate website, but now it needs constant attention with fresh content. SEO involves optimizing a website’s content and structure to improve its visibility in search engine results. Most of Vive’s clients invest in PPC for increased traffic from advertisements that appear when specific keywords are searched online.
5) Sales Tools: Even though not every company prints brochures these days, having a digital sales tool to illustrate with distinction, what your company offers allows your sales teams to engage with potential customers, close deals, and drive revenue, even if attached digitally. This can include presentations, brochures, updated line cards, and yes, direct mail pieces.
6) Trade Show Support: Trade shows are effectively utilized in our industry to promote services and make connections. Vive supports the pre-during-post show strategy for clients which could include booth designs, creating promotional materials, and communication follow-up with attendees to generate leads and promote new business opportunities. Our clients’ most popularly attended shows include: NPE, MD&M, Shot Show, and D2P.
7) Content Marketing: Even though we don’t make the rules, we have to follow them, and Google says, give me new and creative content. This comes in the form of blogs, case studies, press releases, and social media campaigns. Content marketing is a strategy that involves creating and sharing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and engage a target audience, sometimes unique to the market segment.
8) Digital Marketing: Vive’s clients engage in digital marketing with a broad range of online marketing tactics and channels, such as social media marketing, email marketing, videography, iconography, SEO, PPC advertising, and other forms of advertising. A healthy balance aims to reach and engage audiences at different times and communication conduits, keeping your brand top-of-mind.
Takeaways
These communication channels are all integral parts of a comprehensive marketing plan aimed at promoting a brand or manufacturing service to a target audience, whether online or offline. Each plays a specific role in building brand awareness, attracting customers, and driving sales and growth. When you thoughtfully manage each element of the marketing mix to ensure they’re working together cohesively, businesses can create a strong competitive advantage. As I’ve always said, marketing is a marathon, not a sprint, and therefore your strategy needs to operate at a consistent pace. Just make sure you’ve got the best running shoes for the job!
