The Thomas Blog

6 Marketing Challenges Manufacturers Struggle With (And How To Fix Them)

In the early days of the internet, few manufacturing companies dedicated resources to online marketing. This created a distinct competitive advantage for early adopters of digital marketing efforts to increase market share.

Today, most manufacturers have invested resources in at least some digital engagement form, even if those efforts are limited to a website or directory listing. But some manufacturers are still finding themselves challenged selling new business and bringing on new customers. 

Here are the most common marketing challenges manufacturers struggle with and how to fix them.

The Ultimate List Of B2B Manufacturing Marketing Statistics

Like macaroni and cheese or a song and a dance, some things work better together — even marketing and sales. Without alignment, it hurts your business across the board, and it doesn't just hit one of your departments. A study from Forrester found that 43% of CEOs believed that misalignment had cost them sales. Furthermore, according to Forrester Research, companies that take the time to properly engage and nurture leads improve their sales outreach at a rate of 50% while spending 33% less.

Inbound Marketing vs Traditional Marketing: For Manufacturers & Industrials

Industrial marketing and advertising have come a long way over the years. In the past, buyers were relatively uninformed about their options; they simply didn’t have access to the wealth of information they do now. They couldn’t turn to Google for company reviews and testimonials, and they couldn’t access company websites for easy comparison, quote requests, and general industry information.

The Manufacturing Leader’s Step By Step Guide To Building A Strong Digital Presence

One of the most significant changes in the digital space is that people are becoming so conditioned by the digital experience in their personal lives, they are beginning to expect the same level of ease and satisfaction when dealing in a professional capacity. 

3 Reasons Manufacturers Should Work With A HubSpot Diamond Partner Agency

If you’ve decided it’s time to get on board with partnering with a marketing agency to grow your business better and more efficiently, congratulations! You’re on the right track to use digital marketing to be ahead of competitors and get more qualified leads your sales team will appreciate.

During your evaluation process vetting through marketing agencies, you may have come across some that are HubSpot partners. While all marketing agencies can produce results, some are equipped differently than others. Let’s go through the reasons why manufacturers and industrial companies should partner with a HubSpot Diamond Partner Agency.

Inbound Marketing ROI: For Industrial Companies & Manufacturers

As the digital world continues to shape the industrial world, marketing budgets shift from trade shows to online efforts. According to Engineering.com's annual survey of engineering marketers, twice as many respondents reported that their budgets were growing rather than shrinking in 2017. The latest Thomas Industrial Survey assessing the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on North American manufacturing revealed that 21% of companies are less likely to invest in trade shows while the use of webinars & virtual events (20%), search & social media (14%), and website (12%) all increased in light of COVID-19. 

Like with any investment, marketers and manufacturing companies want to ensure that they receive a positive return. We’ve outlined the effectiveness of inbound marketing in tracking ROI and why it's important for manufacturers and industrial companies today.

Pitching Digital Marketing To Your Manager (For Manufacturers)

Digital marketing has become the most scalable, measurable, and effective channel to drive sales. As technology continues to advance and marketing best practices evolve, industrial companies are continuing to adopt digital marketing tactics at a much higher velocity — further sped up in 2020 by COVID-19 and the cancellation of trade shows. Thus, more manufacturers are using digital marketing to match their competitor’s ability to connect with buyers in the digital space.

Why Brand Marketing Is Important For Manufacturers

When it comes to branding, the major players probably come to mind first — Amazon, Coca-Cola®, Disney, and so on. The strength of their name recognition is immense. When these names come up, you immediately see their logo, and even if the logo doesn’t bully its way into your brain, you at least know what they’re selling. It doesn’t matter whether you consume their products or not; you know them. They’ve seared your mind with a branding iron. (See what we did there?)

Many manufacturing and industrial companies, however, don't think that they need to worry about branding. Some still prefer to rely on word of mouth marketing and referrals to attract new business, and they feel that branding isn't important in their space. 

But there's a better way to grow your business.

How To Use Digital Marketing To Get Customers In The Defense Industry

To help the manufacturing industry be appropriately equipped for change, we launched Thomas Industrial Data earlier this year.

Our sourcing activity data coupled with our Thomas Industrial Survey results, reveals interesting insights with North American suppliers shifting their businesses to meet the new normal.

• 55% of survey participants being likely to very likely to invest in Production Performance Automation in the next 12 months
• 69% of companies across the manufacturing and industrial sectors are likely to bring manufacturing production and sourcing back to North America
• 12% increase in website usage by manufacturers and industrial companies to connect with more buyers and customers