Content Marketing for Manufacturers
Content marketing is much more than a buzzword you’ve heard at a trade show. It’s a critical part of any manufacturing marketing strategy. Whether you make palletizing robots or specialize in fully automated laser cutting, digital content can help you reach new customers.
Today, 66 percent of manufacturing marketers are pushing out online content but only 36 percent have a documented strategy. It’s not easy, folks.
That stat may be disheartening, but there’s good news as well: if only 36 percent are executing a content marketing strategy, chances are your competition isn’t doing it yet.
In other words, you have an opportunity to separate yourself from the competition. And as luck would have it, Ivor Andrew—a full-service integrated marketing agency that focuses on B2B manufacturing—is here to help. Grab a beverage and get ready to scroll, because we’re covering everything from the basics of content marketing to designing your own strategy.
Welcome to Content Marketing for Manufacturers.
First Things First. What Is Content?
Content is how customers engage with your brand online, which means it can be anything—the pages on your website, blog posts, white papers, case studies, press releases, videos, podcasts, emails, social media and more. Whew. Long list.
Now, the important thing is that content helps prospective customers make decisions, from the initial research phase through the purchase and beyond. And great content helps them choose you.
What Is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is all about relationship building. It’s the strategic process of drawing your ideal customer to you by publishing helpful and informative content.
We like to call this the “Teach, Don’t Sell” mindset. Rather than focusing on sales, teaching your customers will make you the expert they go to when they have questions. A relationship with trust at the foundation can soon follow. So, when purchase time comes, guess where they’ll look first?
The great thing is your sales and customer service teams are probably already doing this. If they’re getting questions about the differences between models or the right approach to take when running a certain application, then someone else is probably searching for those same answers online.
To put it simply, take the work you’re already doing to help customers, polish it, publish it and share it online to bring in new customers. Secret number one, dropped.
The Benefits Of Content Marketing For Manufacturers
If it’s not clear yet, you need to start content marketing now. It’s one of the most cost-effective ways to grow your business. Here are three reasons to make content a part of your overall manufacturing marketing strategy.
1. Get in front of buyers while they research
Today’s buyers don’t want to give up their contact info. They get too many emails, calls and texts already. But they do want instant information.
The average B2B buyer will conduct 12 different online searches before engaging with a website. Then, 53 percent of B2B buyers will look at between three and five pieces of content before they first contact a salesperson or fill out a website info request form.
Bottom line: creating quality content is the best way to be found during the initial research phase and to stay at the top of your buyer’s mind until they’re ready to purchase.
2. Generate more sales and leads
Who doesn’t want more sales and leads? Per dollar spent, content marketing generates three times as many leads as traditional outbound marketing. And B2B companies that blog regularly have 67 percent more leads monthly compared to companies that don’t.
Marketers who prioritize content and blogging received 13x more ROI than companies who did not. The answer is clear here: content marketing brings in leads.
3. Increase brand awareness
When we use the phrase “manufacturing content,” people both inside and outside the industry instantly assume it’s going to be boring. Often, it is. But it doesn’t have to be.
It might have been a while since you remembered this, but this industry is cool. Your equipment and the things you make are the real deal. Your people probably are too. Content is a great way to show off your personality and let the people on the other end connect with the ones who represent your brand.
Half of all content created by B2B marketers is focused on brand awareness. And for good reason. 60 percent of creators who publish B2B and manufacturing content believe it has enhanced their brand’s reputation.
Manufacturing Your Content Marketing Strategy
There’s more to content marketing than pumping out blog posts or YouTube videos. Real, lasting results come from a strong content strategy. Here’s how to make that happen.
1. Know who’s behind the screen
You can’t help your customers if they’re strangers to you. Get to know them as if they were your friends—that’s the key to putting together a content marketing strategy that targets the right people.
To do this, ask yourself: who are they? What industries are they in? What types of content do they prefer? What are their problems and how can you solve them?
Talk to your sales team and distributors. No one knows your customers better than the people who work with them everyday. Learn about their concerns, the questions they ask, why they choose you and why they might choose a competitor.
Once you have your answers, it’s time to start working on buyer personas for each product line you offer or industry you serve. Creating buyer personas will help you tailor your messaging to meet the needs and concerns of your target audience at each stage of their decision making process.
2. Establish goals and KPIs
Every good strategy starts with goals. Goals hold you accountable, guide your budget and help you evaluate performance.
Content marketing goals should be actionable and measurable. It’s not enough to say your goal is to increase brand awareness. How are you going to measure it? Are you going to look at impressions? Are you going to look at the search volume on your brand name? Decide on the metrics that you’re going to use now to help you evaluate campaign performance later.
Setting benchmarks and establishing a schedule for reporting will help your team stay on task and reach those goals.
3. Dig deep for gold-star content
Before you begin creating new content, take a look in the vault to see what you already have. You might find something you can turn into gold.
Do you have a blog? How is it performing? Use Analytics to see which resources are doing the best and which need some work.
Evaluate the topics you’re currently covering. Where are your strengths and what are you missing? Is your content really broad or really specific?
Think about how each piece you have relates to those uniquely crafted buyer personas you built. Is your content going to help them?
But most importantly, would you want to read it? If it feels like a chore to drag your eyes across the screen, there’s your answer. Your customers won’t want content you don’t even enjoy seeing.
And remember, customers at the start of their search look for different things than customers at the end. Someone researching surface grinders is not in the same place as someone who is searching for 6-axis grinding center specs.
Do you have content that addresses each state of the buyer’s journey, and do you have content that will lead the first searcher to where the second one is?
4. Do your keyword research
Remember when we said the average B2B buyer will do 12 online searches before engaging with a website? Identify the words and phrases buyers use in those searches to make sure you appear at the top of Google.
Tools like SEMRush and Ahrefs will tell you how many times a given phrase is searched in a month, the level of competition around those terms and an estimate of how difficult it will be to rank for them.
Is your company running Google Ads? Great, then pull the search query data (or ask your agency to share it). The Google Keyword Planner is usually for paid search, but it can also be a great source for new keywords and content ideas. So can tools like Ubersuggest or Answer the Public.
You’re not just looking for the most popular terms, you’re looking for terms that offer the best mix of search volume and low competition (this is another top secret nugget right here).
There might only be ten people per month searching for a five-axis machining center with HSK63A spindle, but if two of them convert then that keyword could be a lot more valuable to you than turning center.
5. Develop a list of core topics
Now let’s take those keywords and start building a plan. We’ve said it before, but it’s worth saying again: you want to create content that directly addresses the concerns of your customers at each stage of their decision making process.
Start with broad, top-of-funnel content that attracts potential customers who are just starting their research. Then, you’ll want to narrow it down by creating more focused content offers designed to convert those prospects into leads for your sales team. To help close the deal, you’ll want some strong sales content that highlights why your product is better than your competitor’s.
You might be tempted to stop here, but you’re not done. You’ll want to create some pieces designed for your existing customers. Keeping them engaged, informed and entertained will ensure they come back to you in the future.
Finally, adapt this content strategy for each of your buyer personas.
6. Ditch the editorial calendar
Some manufacturing marketing agencies will recommend creating an editorial calendar. It sounds nice, but we prefer to ride the wave.
The wave is a reminder to create and promote what’s important on a recurring basis in a variety of ways, instead of focusing on one topic for a month at a time. The crest is peak promoting, and the trough is the quieter promotional period.
The real magic happens when you have overlapping sine waves ebbing and flowing in a natural rhythm. When one is cresting, another is troughing. Ideally, overlapping waves can be structured to maximize impact and have a steady flow of compelling and diverse content that addresses each of your personas at each level of the decision making process.
It’s Go Time
Congrats, you’re finally ready to start making content! Grab a microphone and record, jump behind the camera and film or sit down and write.
Remember all that keyword research we just talked about? Use your newfound bedrock of topics and keywords to sharpen your content so it’s exactly what your ideal customer is looking for. Now, use those terms a couple times in your writing, but don’t go crazy. The best search results come from creating really great content. Remember the simple test: if you don’t want to read it, no one else will either.
The number one tip from our senior copywriter is to have fun. Be unique. Show off your brand’s personality. And if you’re blogging, don’t forget to write good sentences.
Need help creating? An agency partner can help. Hint hint.
Time To Promote
Here’s a truth that some might not know when starting out: content marketing isn’t done when you hit publish. To make it work, you have to work it. Here are five ways to get your new content in front of your target customer and drive leads.
1. Optimize for conversions
Getting people to your content in the first place is great, but getting them to take the next step is even better. So let’s use your content to promote your other content.
With every piece you publish, think about what you want users to do with it once they get there. You should have a pretty good idea about their interests and where they are in the decision making process based on the content they chose to engage with. Offer them something else that will nudge them towards more of your content.Were they reading an article about vertical machining centers? Promote a white paper about your key VMC, or a case study of a machine shop who experienced success with it. Did they watch a video about cylindrical grinders? Ask them to subscribe to your channel or promote other relevant videos that highlight the advantages of your machines compared to your competitor’s.
Each piece should inform and lead prospects to another piece that will help them choose you in the end.
2. Harness the power of social media
Social media offers some great opportunities for manufacturing marketing as long as you know where to look.
LinkedIn can be a great place to connect with C-suite decision makers and industry influencers. YouTube is the best place to share videos and develop a following of your own if you craft compelling videos. Forums like Reddit, Practical Machinist, The Machinist Board, and many others are great for sharing your expertise and engaging with others in the manufacturing industry around the world. And Instagram is a surprisingly crucial platform for the industry, with manufacturers all over the world showing off what they made on a daily basis.
Remember to be your buyer’s teacher; content marketing is all about helping. People go to social media looking for information, not a sales pitch. Focus on informing rather than selling and you will be rewarded with more new business the longer you stick with it.
3. Don’t forget about email
Your lists of prospects and customers are a great audience to promote your content to, because they’re already engaged and are more likely to share. And if you can segment your list based on interests, that’s even better.
When you publish a new blog, case study, video or other piece, email it to your list. Include a brief teaser encouraging click throughs and a strong call to action encouraging shares. You can always schedule a monthly newsletter that promotes all your recent content. Find the schedule and email cadence that works best for your buyers.
Three to five days after you send the email, pull a list of everyone who didn’t open. Resend the email to non-openers with a new subject line. You’d be surprised by how many clicks you’re missing out on by only sending once.
4. Spend a little and get a lot more
It’s probably not a surprise, but paid promotion is a great way to get in front of people who otherwise might not have found you on social media or through search engines. Careful targeting can help you reach the right buyer when they’re making a decision.
LinkedIn offers a number of targeting options so you can build an audience around people with interests like CNC machining, people who work in industries like automotive or aerospace, or even people who have specific job titles like Director of Engineering or Head of Purchasing.
With Google Ads, you can promote your content on search results, YouTube and other sites all over the world. You can choose placements based on specific industry websites or hundreds of different interests and demographics.
Many ad platforms will even let you upload your current customer list or build remarketing audiences out of prospects who visit certain pages on your website so you continue to engage and stay top of mind.
5. Bring your sales team into the mix
Content marketing and sales should go hand-in-hand. If you listened to our advice earlier in the article, you talked to your sales team before you started creating.
They’re in contact with your customers every day, so they’re the perfect people to share your new content. When they take a call about a product, they can follow up by sharing your latest white paper.
In all likelihood, they’re doing something like this already. Making it a part of your content marketing and promotion strategy will only lead to better results.
Analyze, Rinse And Repeat
Now that you’re creating and promoting content, don’t lose sight of your goals and KPIs.
Keep track of how your content is doing. Are certain pieces performing well? Are others struggling?
Identify your gaps and continually adjust your plan to hit the right topics and get in front of the right customers.
It’s an ongoing process, but when you do it right, it can be more successful than you ever imagined.
Final reminder: creating compelling content isn’t easy, especially when you have a full workload of tasks to do on top of it. Thankfully, that’s exactly what we at Ivor Andrew do for a living. Contact us and get ready to see how content marketing can boost a manufacturer’s brand awareness, leads and revenue.
