Digital Marketing for Manufacturers
What is your manufacturing organization’s largest obstacle to executing an effective digital marketing campaign? One survey mentions that approximately 1 in 3 B2B marketers have a difficult time delivering quality leads. Combining social media, email nurturing, organic search optimization, paid search, and/or display advertising can create a comprehensive digital promotional mix to best reach your target audience to drive leads with trackable ROI. Pushing out relevant, high-quality content through these online platforms will lead to the success of your digital marketing campaign in attracting qualified leads. Now let’s discuss seven effective ways to drive quality digital marketing leads.
1. Build meaningful relationships with your target market through effective content marketing
Showcasing engaging content is key to successful digital B2B marketing efforts. The different types of content you can promote on varying digital marketing channels include videos, white papers, infographics, case studies, and webinars. Examples of engaging content you could present to your customers and prospects on social media include industry award nominations, manufacturing floor tours, and equipment how-to videos. Avoid featuring content with a heavy product focus and instead shift your marketing message by describing how your product solves the customer’s need. Your marketing pieces should tell a concise story while simultaneously teaching the viewer an educational lesson. Ensure you are presenting varied digital marketing content pieces to build deep connections and interactions with your prospects.
2. White papers provide recommendations to solve key customer challenges
In a 2017 survey, B2B marketers reported that white papers generate the most revenue for their company, while webinars came in at a close second. Technical white papers should begin with an introduction that summarizes the main challenge your customer may face within the industry. The main bulk of the white paper should compare various methods to solve the customer’s problem. Additionally, providing a real-world example and/or data to support your claims is crucial to building validity within your white paper. The conclusion should include the recommended solution the reader should implement to solve the problem, which should consist of a brief reference to your specific product name and model. The final section of your white paper should include a strong call to action such as a vanity URL directing the reader to visit the recommended product’s page on your company’s website.
3. Gate your white papers to drive qualified leads
It is important to “gate” your white papers, which means that prospects that wish to view the white paper must fill out a brief form to download the full white paper. These longer, more complex marketing pieces that take significant time and resources for marketers to produce should be gated as they are the most likely drivers of quality leads.
4. Use case studies as proven customer testimonials
Case studies work well for persuading potential clients to choose your services, by showcasing an example of a successful project. These marketing pieces serve as customer testimonials that prove your company can provide a viable solution with a high return on investment to address the customer’s challenges. One survey shows that 41% of B2B buyers used case studies/testimonials to evaluate a set list of solution providers.
5. Webinars promote thought leadership and enhance company credibility
Webinars are an effective means for building thought leadership. Webinars should feature subject matter experts (SMEs) who do most of the speaking. Additionally, a moderator should be used to facilitate the event by introducing the speaker and topic, monitoring questions sent via the live chat, and closing the webinar with a Q&A as well as a call to action. Keep in mind that webinars should be no longer than 1-hour, otherwise you may lose the attention of most listeners. A good webinar is typically well attended when offered free of charge. Webinar sessions enhance the credibility level of your company by offering expert educational sessions attended by prospective and existing clients.
6. Email nurturing provides personalized messaging to better connect with prospects and customers
Email nurturing campaigns are a key component of an active inbound marketing strategy. Did you know that companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales-ready leads? Additionally, nurtured leads tend to make 47% larger purchases than non-nurtured leads. Nurturing campaigns gives your company an opportunity to build a beneficial relationship between your company and the customer by providing segmented, personalized messaging. Email campaigns also build brand loyalty through an educational process and awareness approach. A tip to keeping your email list growing is to ensure that your newsletter sign-up form is easy to locate on your website and social media pages. When managing your email database, be sure to abide by regional communications opt-in laws. Email nurturing is a cost-effective method to create qualified leads with a high potential for revenue generation
7. Promote new products and build brand awareness through paid search and display advertising
Paid search or display advertising should be used to highlight new products and to build brand awareness. Be sure that display advertisements appear with consistent imagery, branded colors, and messaging so that prospects can start recognizing your brand and products when browsing online. Display advertisements should have minimal text, include your company’s logo, and offer a clear call to action. Example call to action verbiage could be “Get Started” or “Free White Paper.” Paid search and display advertising are beneficial tactics to use to build the visibility of your brand and product offerings.
To build out a successful digital marketing program that attracts quality leads, an integrated marketing approach can be implemented. Content marketing, email nurturing, and paid digital advertising are all examples of approaches that can be used concurrently to generate leads with a high return on investment.
