Many manufacturing companies still rely on pre-Internet strategies to find new business, but with customers becoming unwilling to directly engage with a supplier until late on in their decision-making process, traditional opportunities to directly ‘sell’ have become limited.
Few manufacturers have the marketing experience to engage with these new buying behaviours. Manufacturing for Manufacturers explores the culture clash between marketing and manufacturing and looks at some of the strategies you can employ to capture these Invisible Buyers.
Download the accompanying 24 page book for free here:
www.tdmuk.com/marketing-for-manufacturers
2. The world of business has changed.
How we communicate, how we
manufacture, how we buy......
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3. ... so why are
you still trying
to find sales like
it’s the 90s?
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4. Report: How Engineers Find
Information (Q4 2016)
68% of engineers
looking for information
turn to search engines
Only 14% used
tradeshows to source
information
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5. 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
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6. THE INVISIBLE BUYER
Visits your
website, takes
your information
and writes you off
without you ever
knowing you were
in the running
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7. The five main challenges of marketing
a manufacturing business
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8. 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
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9. • Aging and high-seniority
workforce can be
change-resistant
• Need to market to your
own workforce before
the customer
CHANGE-RESISTANT
WORKFORCE
Challenge 2
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10. • 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
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11. 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
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12. Challenge 5
• Markets move, the
company's sales
message doesn't
• Globalisation seen
as a threat not an
opportunity
NOT REACTING
QUICKLY ENOUGH
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13. So... how do you market a
manufacturing business?
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14. 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.
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15. 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.
1. COMPANY BRANDING
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20. 3. 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.
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22. • Digital and modular marketing
material can be updated
quickly without having to
replace a whole brochure
• Modular material can be
tailored to only include
information relevant to that
specific client or sector
4. MODULAR MARKETING MATERIAL
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24. • 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.
5. PUT A COMMUNICATION CHANNEL IN PLACE
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26. • 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
6. SUPPORTING DISTRIBUTORS
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31. 2% Ready to engage
18% Decision-making
80% Passive
80%
18%
2%
VISITORS TO YOUR WEBSITE
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32. Limbo Deciding
Trigger
point
SaleAware
of a need
Visits your site
for first time
LinkedIn
request
LinkedIn Articles
Clicked on
link in email Meeting
Email
exchange Follow-up call
Email marketing
Download
PDF
capture
email
BUYING DECISION
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33. 2. Download the
information they
need in return for
their email address
1. State their
industry
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43. Scroll down for organic results
Scroll up for adverts
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44. Organic listings don’t appear until
half way down the results page
Scroll up for local results
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1
2
3
2
3
1
4
5
4
45. Google is in charge
(Not you, and not an SEO 'expert'!!)
Mobile search favours mobile-
friendly sites
Can only target one keyword per page
Slow: off-site and on-site techniques
require long-term strategies
SEO (SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION)
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46. Instant results
Controllable at all levels
Only pay when someone has a
genuine interest
Can directly target all keywords
(even competitor product names and brands!)
PPC (PAY-PER-CLICK)
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47. Any marketing will
only get you...
90% OF
THE WAY
TO A SALE
IT'S ALL IN THE FOLLOW-UP
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