Manufacturing companies have access to amazing technology to create world-class products. But if you’re not connecting with customers, how will you get these products into the hands of your target audience to grow sales?
In today’s fast-paced business world, manufacturers need to adapt to the digital landscape. While traditional methods might have brought in leads in the past, many B2B sales leaders are now shifting focus to inbound marketing strategies to attract potential customers.
By getting strategic about using content to promote your brand, you can establish your business as an industry leader, address customer pain points, and drive measurable results.
Let’s explore the process of creating an inbound marketing content strategy tailored specifically to your target audience.
Why Manufacturers Need an Effective Content Marketing Strategy
The digital transformation is reshaping how manufacturers sell their products or services and interact with buyers. And the big driver is the behaviors of your audience.
Manufacturing buyers are becoming more autonomous and digital-first in their approach to finding solutions. In fact, 75% of B2B buyers prefer to perform their own research – such as reviewing your website and consuming blog content – before contacting a sales rep.
Manufacturers must cater to these self-reliant buyers by providing valuable content that speaks to their needs and answers their questions. A strong inbound strategy helps manufacturers:
- Build trust with their target audience.
- Improve visibility through search engine optimization (SEO).
- Reach decision-makers earlier in the buyer’s journey.
- Generate and nurture qualified leads through tailored marketing campaigns.
Need a Benchmark to Measure Your Engagement Efforts?
Manufacturers understand the importance of measurement in helping accurately transform raw materials into a finished product. In marketing, we use data to measure performance and see where improvements can be made.
For manufacturing companies, one of the most important measurements to evaluate your current inbound marketing efforts is tracking new prospects coming to your website. In other words, how effective are you in bringing potential customers to your website in hopes of converting them into a customer?
In our dedicated Databox group for manufacturers, Marketing Metrics for B2B Manufacturing Companies, we track a specific data point called New Users. This metric measures the number of unique, first-time users who land on your website each month. It helps measure the growth of your audience and identifies opportunities for acquisition and retention strategies.
In the chart below, you’ll find the current measurements for manufacturing companies in your industry:
- Low-End Value: 1,080 new users
- Median Value: 2,790 new users
- High-End Value: 7,600 new users
What stands out to you? Where does your company rank in comparison to fellow B2B manufacturers? Would you like to improve your position in the industry?
If you’d like to grow the number of prospects arriving on your doorstep, it’s important to develop an inbound content marketing strategy to effectively and efficiently pull potential customers to your site. Here’s how it works.
7 Steps for Creating an Inbound Marketing Content Strategy
Consider the following process to improve your prospecting efforts.
1. Define Your Buyer Personas
Successful content marketing starts with a deep understanding of your target audience. Developing buyer personas allows manufacturers to map out the needs, goals, and challenges of various decision-makers involved in procuring a product or service.
- Are you targeting engineers looking for technical specs?
- Are procurement managers concerned about pricing and delivery?
- Do you need to convince the CEO or CFO about the capabilities of your solution?
Understanding the thinking and desires of each persona can help identify pain points to address. You’ll also be more equipped to create valuable content that resonates with the buyer at each stage of their decision-making process.
2. Conduct Keyword Research
Keyword research is critical for creating content that performs well in search engines. You will want to identify the search terms your potential customers use to find solutions to their challenges. SEO tools can help you strategize:
- Topics to pursue
- Keywords to target
- Content to publish
Once you start publishing SEO-rich content, your website will start to improve your ranking in search engines, which will help bring more prospects to your website.
3. Align Content with the Buyer’s Journey
Harmonizing the buyer’s journey with your content strategy will help you deliver content into each to help prospects advance throughout the buying process. You want to fill each bucket with the right type of content:
- Awareness Stage: Potential buyers are becoming aware of their challenges or pain points. Use blog posts, video content, and podcasts to educate them.
- Consideration Stage: Prospects are evaluating potential solutions. Share case studies, whitepapers, comparison blogs, and webinars that highlight your expertise.
- Decision Stage: Buyers are ready to make a decision. Provide detailed product guides, testimonials, and a clear call to action to convert leads into customers.
- Success Stage: Customers can become customers again. Send out email newsletters to build repeat business and share information about other products to grow sales.
4. Choose the Right Content Formats
Manufacturers can engage their target audience by diversifying their content creation efforts. Some of the most effective formats include:
- Blog posts for showcasing thought leadership and boosting SEO.
- Video content to offer visual insights into products, processes, or customer success stories.
- Case studies that provide real-world examples of how your solution has driven results.
- Email marketing campaigns to nurture leads and keep your brand top of mind.
- Social media posts to engage directly with your audience and share updates about your product or service.
- Podcasts can help educate your audience and draw them in early in the buyer’s journey. (Check out this information on whether starting a podcast is right for your manufacturing business.)
5. Develop a Strong Hand-off From Marketing to Sales
Once prospects land on your website, become engaged, and show interest in your product, making a clean transition to the sales team is critical. We have found that it’s beneficial to invest in developing sales enablement content to make it easier for your sales team to close deals.
This type of content bridges the two teams and ensures that the valuable leads generated by marketing efforts are not lost. This content can include elements such as case studies, product demos, sales scripts, and presentations.
Also, having a reliable hand-off process can help improve conversion rates. By providing sales reps with relevant and high-quality materials, they are better equipped to address any objections or questions raised by prospects. This effort can result in a smoother transition from prospect to customer.
6. Use Analytics to Improve
Any great inbound marketing strategy is rooted in data. After you implement the content marketing strategy and strengthen the marketing-to-sales process, you will want to track key performance indicators (KPIs). These metrics may include:
- Website traffic (especially New Users, as we discussed above).
- Traffic sources (e.g. search engines, email newsletters, social posts, paid media, and referral websites).
- Time spent on page.
- Conversion rates from blog posts or video content.
You can use this data to refine your content creation efforts, ensuring your content strategy aligns with your target audience’s latest buying habits.
7. Engage with a Digital Marketing Agency for Maximum Impact
Building and implementing a successful inbound marketing content strategy can be daunting, especially if your internal team is focused on other initiatives. Working with a digital marketing agency experienced in manufacturing can help in many ways:
- Help identify new customer opportunities in the market.
- Map out the buyer’s journey.
- Develop a robust inbound content marketing strategy.
- Craft content tailored to your audience.
- Monitor SEO and website performance.
- Execute marketing campaigns that deliver results.
- Use data to measure results and refine the strategy.
Take the Next Step To Grow Leads for Your Manufacturing Business
Every manufacturing company is at a different stage of the digital transformation. You could be dabbling in digital marketing, producing content on a regular basis, or simply looking for a good starting point.
No matter where your company is starting from, you can always focus on creating valuable content that attracts prospects and converts leads.
Interested in learning more about starting or refining your approach? Our team of B2B digital marketing experts is ready to discuss the process of creating an inbound marketing content strategy that fits your business needs.
– If you like data as much as we do, you can start with a simple benchmark evaluation. In this free consultation, we will review your website metrics and make a few recommendations.
Book a consultation today to see how your performance compares to similar B2B manufacturers. We look forward to hearing from you!
FAQs
- What is inbound marketing, and why is it important for manufacturers?
Inbound marketing focuses on creating valuable, relevant content to attract potential customers to your business organically. For manufacturers, it helps build trust, increases brand visibility, and nurtures relationships with prospects.
- How can content marketing benefit my manufacturing business?
Content marketing can help you establish authority in your industry, educate your audience, and showcase your expertise in solving their unique challenges. This strategy can lead to higher engagement, increased lead generation, and stronger conversions.
- What types of content should manufacturers create as part of their strategy?
Manufacturers should focus on creating content such as blog posts, case studies, whitepapers, podcasts, videos, and webinars. These formats address different stages of the buyer’s journey while providing value to your target audience.
- How long does it take to see results from inbound marketing efforts?
Inbound marketing is a long-term strategy. While some initial improvements may be noticeable within a few months, significant and sustainable results typically take 6 to 12 months, depending on the effort and consistency of your campaigns.
- Do I need a professional team to develop an inbound marketing strategy?
While some manufacturers may manage their content marketing efforts internally, partnering with a professional team ensures a tailored strategy, improved efficiency, and optimized results. A digital marketing agency can help align your marketing goals with overall business objectives for maximum impact.
