Are Midsized Manufacturers Doing Enough? Easing your way into better marketing.

Manufacturers rarely sit still. They innovate to remain competitive. But does that innovative thinking transfer to their sales and marketing? Many of the manufacturers we meet are using best-in-class production equipment and processes while revenue generation is pieced together by several people who don’t have sales or marketing in their job title.
Are you doing enough?
A quick and easy way to determine if you’re doing enough on the marketing side is to compare your marketing budget to some industry benchmarks. For example, according to Deloitte’s Annual CMO Survey, marketing constitutes 7.3% of a manufacturing company’s total budget in 2023, a 3.9% increase from previous years. A separate BDC study suggests small businesses average 2-5% of revenue on marketing spend.
Another study showed that in 2022 manufacturers planned to allocate 45% of their marketing budgets to digital channels, with the remaining 55% dedicated to non-digital marketing efforts. This distribution, while significant, lags behind the majority of other sectors, where digital channels dominate.
Given these insights, where should manufacturing companies focus their marketing efforts, regardless of how big their budget is?
Where to start doing more
This list might look daunting, and it is – especially if you’re not doing much marketing today. That’s why we suggest picking 1 or 2 initiatives that you can do well and will contribute to your bottom line. Create consistency in your messaging and cadence, build processes and momentum, and then expand your efforts when it makes the most sense.
Here are a few things to consider adding to your marketing playbook.
Building Awareness: Establishing a Strong Brand Presence
In the competitive manufacturing landscape, where technological advancements and global connectivity reign supreme, building brand awareness is paramount. You want clients and prospects to recognize your company’s name and associate it with trust and reliability. It’s all about giving prospects an idea of what it’s like to work with you before they sign a contract. Here are key strategies for boosting brand awareness:
- Content Marketing: Develop and distribute high-quality content that showcases your expertise, industry knowledge, and commitment to innovation. Blog posts, articles, whitepapers, and infographics can position your brand as an authoritative voice in the industry.
- Social Media Engagement: Social media platforms are an opportunity to engage with your audience. Share industry updates, success stories, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of your manufacturing processes. Social media serves as a powerful tool for humanizing your brand and connecting with potential clients on a personal level.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Enhance your online visibility through SEO strategies. Optimize your website content, use relevant keywords, and invest in link-building initiatives to improve your search engine rankings. This ensures that your company is easily discoverable when clients are actively searching for manufacturing solutions.
- Public Relations (PR) Campaigns: Actively participate in digital PR campaigns to showcase your company’s achievements, milestones, and innovations. Securing media coverage in industry publications enhances your credibility and exposes your brand to a wider audience.
Lead Nurturing: Sustaining Relationships and Building Trust
Building awareness is the first step, but sustaining and deepening relationships with your audience is equally crucial. Lead nurturing involves consistently engaging with existing and potential clients, earning their trust, and differentiating your brand from competitors. This is especially critical if finding good salespeople is a challenge in your location or industry. Here’s how manufacturing companies can effectively nurture leads:
- Email Marketing Campaigns: Implement targeted email campaigns to provide valuable content, industry insights, and updates to your audience. Personalize your communications based on the recipient’s interests and engagement history, fostering a sense of exclusivity and relevance.
- Webinars and Educational Content: Host webinars, workshops, and create educational content to position your company as a thought leader in the industry. By sharing knowledge and insights, you demonstrate your commitment to client success and contribute to the overall growth of the manufacturing community.
- Customer Testimonials and Case Studies: Showcase success stories through customer testimonials and case studies. Highlighting real-world examples of your products or services solving clients’ challenges builds credibility and instills confidence in prospective clients.
- Personalized Marketing Automation: Utilize marketing automation tools to deliver personalized content and experiences based on user behavior and preferences. Tailoring your messaging to individual needs enhances the likelihood of conversion and fosters a stronger connection with your audience.
The Bid Process: Why Marketing Matters Even More
If you secure most of your work through a bid process the importance of marketing may seem diminished, but it is, in fact, more critical than ever. Here’s why:
- Establishing Credibility: Even in a bid-driven environment, clients are more likely to choose a vendor they recognize and trust. Consistent marketing efforts build credibility over time, making your company a familiar and reputable choice during the bid evaluation process.
- Differentiation: In a competitive bidding landscape, differentiation is key. Effective marketing allows you to showcase what sets your company apart – whether it’s a commitment to innovation, exceptional customer service, or a track record of successful projects.
- Pre-bid Engagement: By actively engaging with your audience before the bid process begins, you position your company as a proactive and invested partner. This engagement can include participating in industry events, sharing relevant content, and maintaining an active presence on digital platforms.
- Post-bid Relationship Building: Marketing doesn’t end with the submission of a bid. After the bidding process, continued marketing efforts help build and strengthen relationships with clients. Regular communication, updates on industry trends, and sharing success stories contribute to long-term client satisfaction and loyalty.
Your marketing should find a balance of both awareness and nurturing leads. Find those tactics you can realistically manage and that make the right connections with your customer. Whether securing work through a bid process or cultivating long-term relationships, the impact of effective marketing builds over time even when you’re taking small steps.
If you’d like some help with your marketing, get in touch.