This document provides advice for marketing a manufacturing business. It discusses 6 main points: 1) conducting internal marketing to get all staff on board with the strategy, 2) putting communication channels in place to talk to customers and prospects, 3) supporting distributors by providing them information about products and processes, 4) focusing on company branding through the website to establish credibility, 5) using personal branding to build expertise and trust, and 6) capturing "invisible buyers" who research online without direct engagement. The overall message is that marketing must align with the changed business world and focus on communication, credibility, and capturing early stage prospects.

1. DAVE PANNELL
MCIM BA(HONS)

2. Dave Pannell
MCIM BA(Hons)
 Dave Pannell  @daviepannell
Over 20 years of marketing and
branding experience and ambassador
for CIM Yorkshire

3. The world of business has changed.
How we communicate, how we
manufacture, how we buy......

4. ... so why are
you still trying
to find sales like
it’s the 90s?

5. Report: Wolters Kluwer Health
Point-of-Care Survey (2011)
DOCTORS
Nearly half frequently use
search engines for diagnosing
their patients

6. Report: How Engineers Find
Information (Q4 2016)
INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERS
Nearly 70% turn to search
engines to find information
(only 14% use trade shows)

7. At the start of their buying
decision.
Once they have narrowed
down the options to a couple
of manufacturers.
Only to confirm pricing and
delivery details.
20%
25%
55%
At what point industrial buyers
look to engage with suppliers
BUYINGDECISION

8. THE INVISIBLE BUYER
Visits your
website, takes
your information
and writes you off
without you ever
knowing you were
in the running

9. The five main challenges of marketing
a manufacturing business

10. GENERATIONAL
BUSINESS
• How things have always
been done - insular perspective
• Person in charge of marketing
isn't a marketer, it's a family
member or the MD / SD
Challenge 1

11. • Aging and high-seniority
workforce can be
change-resistant
• Need to market to your
own workforce before
the customer
CHANGE-RESISTANT
WORKFORCE
Challenge 2

12. • Company not attracting (or
retaining) the best candidates
because of poor image
• Senior engineers remain hands-
on instead of working on the
wider strategy of the business
LACK OF TRADE SKILLS
ENTERING INDUSTRY
Challenge 3

13. Challenge 4
20%
80%
80% of the profit
(or 80% of the trouble!)
Customer
base
• Sell in a reactive way,
going after whatever they
come across
• Promising what engineers
cannot easily deliver or
chasing undesirable work
LACK OF SALES
STRATEGY

14. Challenge 5
• Markets move, the
company's sales message
doesn't
• Globalisation seen as a
threat not an opportunity
• Inertia though lack of
leadership
NOT REACTING
QUICKLY ENOUGH

15. So... how do you create a
marketing strategy for a
manufacturing business?

16. If you are competing on price then you
have failed to establish the true value of
what you make in your customers' minds.
If a customer perceives your product as
just a commodity that is no different from
your competitor's, they will buy whichever
is cheapest.

17. Pay per click
Landing pages
Nurturing
Follow-ups
Email capture
Re-marketing
SEO
Email marketing
LinkedIn
Personal brand
Social
Branding
PR
Direct sales
Strategy

18. 6 main points in marketing
your manufacturing
organisation...

19. 1. INTERNAL MARKETING
• Having all staff
on-board with a
single strategy
means people can
understand the
reasons behind the
changes they are
being asked to make.

20. Get EVERYONE
to be part of
your strategy

21. • Have communication
channels in place that talk
to all your contacts - include
past, current and future
customers.
• When you do have a message
to push out, you can do it
quickly to a warm audience.
2. PUT A COMMUNICATION CHANNEL IN PLACE

23. • The embarrassing moment
when the buyer knows
more about your product
than your distributor.
• Give them the full picture
- from the process basics
through to the story behind
each product
3. SUPPORTING DISTRIBUTORS

24. Give agents and
distributors all
the digital tools
they need

25. People make their mind up
about a company from their
website within 3 seconds.
You can't prove your credibility
in that time using words.
4. COMPANY BRANDING

26. A typical manufacturer

27. Amarketleader(thesamecompany!)

29. People buy
from people -
and they buy most
from the people
they like
5. PERSONAL BRANDING

30. Expertisebecomesthebrand

31. THE INVISIBLE BUYER
6. CAPTURE THE INVISIBLE BUYER

32. Pay per click
Landing pages
Nurturing
Follow-ups
Email capture
Re-marketing
SEO
Email marketing
LinkedIn
Personal brand
Social
Branding
PR
Direct sales
Strategy

33. Dave Pannell
 Dave Pannell
 @daviepannell
 dave@tdmuk.com