B2B and Manufacturing marketing

B2B and Manufacturing marketing

B2B and Manufacturing marketing

B2B and Manufacturing marketing comes with distinctive challenges. From intricate internal and external relationships to prolonged sales cycles and the unique nature of complex products. Navigating this landscape requires tailored strategies. Here are some of the specific hurdles faced by manufacturing marketers and some solutions to combat these issues.

1. Complex Relationships:

The Problem:

B2B marketers face unique challenges, including complex relationships within the organization (e.g., with sales) and external connections with vendors, supply chains, and clients. According to Hubspot data, only about half of B2B marketers feel effective collaboration with sales teams.

The solution to this:

Using a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system can help a lot if you’re a B2B or manufacturing marketer dealing with complicated relationships. This tool keeps all your important info in one place, helps you work better with others, gives you insights from data. So, it makes handling tricky connections easier, helping everyone in the team work together better.

2. Contracts are already in place:

The Problem:

Most B2B businesses already have a preferred supplier who they have a good relationship with. Many are not looking for a new supplier and will only do so when something goes wrong with their current supplier.

The solution to this:

Proactively focus on building brand awareness and credibility. Create informative content, actively participate in industry events, maintain a strong online presence, and gather client testimonials. By consistently showcasing your expertise and unique offerings, you increase the likelihood of being considered as a valuable alternative, even when businesses are not actively seeking a new supplier.

3. Specific Needs in Manufacturing:

The Problem:

Manufacturing marketers have specific needs. Unlike consumer marketing’s emphasis on website traffic, manufacturers can’t solely drive traffic to a site; considerations include business niche, limiting public-facing information, and customizing client interactions.

The solution to this:

Create helpful content about your industry, like blog posts and case studies. You can share this content on social media and via email. This way, you don’t have to rely only on website visits. Plus, it lets you talk to clients in a way that suits their needs, making the brand a go-to source in the industry.

4. Long Sales Cycles:

The Problem:

B2B business often involves long sales cycles, where B2B marketing focuses on brand awareness and lead generation. Leads generated require nurturing over weeks, months, or even years before deals close. This puts pressure on the ROI with your marketing.

The solution to this:

A solution is to implement a strong content marketing strategy. By creating valuable content tailored to different buyer journey stages, such as guides and case studies, marketers can keep potential clients engaged over time. Additionally, fostering direct and personalized communication through regular check-ins and industry events contributes to building trust.

5. Complex Products:

The Problem:

Manufacturing businesses selling complex products may not succeed in direct online sales to B2B buyers. Consideration of buyer interactions in the early stages of the buying journey is crucial.

The solution to this:

For manufacturing businesses dealing with intricate products and services, the personalized touch beats just putting everything online. Engage directly with buyers, take the time to delve into their unique needs, and offer tailored advice to enhance their specific situation. This thoughtful approach goes beyond a standard online transaction, fostering a more meaningful connection with clients.

6. More Stakeholders to Convince:

The Problem:

Business buying decisions in medium and large companies involve multiple steps, requiring continuous marketing support throughout the process.

The solution to this:

A content-driven marketing strategy is key. Generate insightful content like case studies and thought leadership pieces emphasizing the unique benefits of choosing your business. Share this content strategically across different channels to consistently reinforce your value proposition. Additionally, prioritize personalized communication, tailoring messages to address the specific needs of potential clients. By establishing your brand as a reliable and valuable partner over the long term, you can influence business buying decisions, even in the presence of preferred suppliers.

 

In summary, marketing in manufacturing, presents unique challenges requiring tailored strategies. From intricate relationships to specific needs and prolonged sales cycles, success lies in adaptability and innovation. As we conclude, we salute the resilience of B2B and manufacturing marketers navigating this dynamic landscape.

Small business marketing outsourcing

Small business marketing outsourcing

Why Small Businesses Should Outsource Their Marketing: A Cost-Effective Guide

In today’s competitive business landscape, small business marketing outsourcing is becoming important. Finding and retaining skilled staff can be a daunting challenge for small businesses, especially in manufacturing. As you explore ways to boost your market presence, consider the benefits of partnering with an outsourced marketing agency. This blog will walk you through the compelling reasons to outsource your marketing efforts, offering a cost-effective solution that can help your business shine.

1. Cost-Effective Marketing Solutions for Small Businesses

Outsourcing your marketing activities can often prove to be a more budget-friendly choice than hiring an in-house marketing team. By choosing the outsourcing route, you can sidestep the hefty costs associated with recruiting, training, and maintaining an in-house workforce. These expenses include equipment, benefits, and salaries, which can quickly add up for small businesses.

2. Access Specialised Marketing Expertise

Small businesses may lack the in-house expertise needed for a robust marketing strategy. Outsourcing to marketing agencies and consultants provides access to specialized knowledge you might not possess internally. These professionals often boast experience in diverse industries and marketing techniques, bringing a wealth of wisdom to enhance your marketing strategy.

3. Scalability: Tailor-Made for Your Business Needs

The flexibility offered by outsourced marketing allows your small business to quickly adapt and adjust marketing efforts as circumstances demand. For instance, you can collaborate with an agency for a specific campaign or project, eliminating the need to expand your workforce.

4. Fresh Perspectives and Objectivity for Effective Marketing

Outsourced marketing agencies or consultants introduce an invaluable objective outlook to your marketing endeavours. They bring fresh ideas and insights that an in-house team, closely aligned with your company’s culture and goals, might overlook. This objectivity can lead to more creative and successful marketing strategies.

5. Focus on Core Competencies: Business Growth Over Marketing Hassles

Small businesses often excel when they concentrate on their core strengths and priorities. Outsourcing marketing tasks frees up valuable resources that can be channelled into product development, enhancing customer service, or strengthening other critical areas of your business.

No matter the size of your business, an effective marketing campaign is essential to make your presence known in the market. Consider outsourcing your marketing efforts for a cost-effective, expert solution to help your small business shine. With this approach, you can reach your target audience and achieve business growth while staying competitive in the manufacturing industry.

Remember! A good story lasts years. Start telling yours!

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Reasons to book your Assertive Marketing consultation

 

 

  • It’s a completely free, no-obligation consultation.
  • You’ll get info on what your competition is doing online.
  • We will visit your company
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The importance of having good customers

The importance of having good customers

The importance of having good customers

How to get good customers, especially when we are just starting out.  We all know that as a small business the first thing we need is customers. Every business must build on its first few sales. In doing this you build both financially and in confidence. However, a bad customer can destroy them both. It is cash flow and confidence that carries a small business through the hard times. Although it all sounds great to have only the customers of your choosing, it’s often the case that you need any customer you can get. However, it is important to note that as you build confidence you will start to understand that there are the right customers to deal with.

What is a Good Customer?

A good customer is one that understands the value that you or your product bring to the transaction. For example, if you sell a high-quality service or product a good customer understands that haggling for a better price is not the best way to approach the transaction. Instead, they understand that quality has a price. Therefore, it is so important to understand what value your business has to the “good customer”.  If you can understand why you do what you do, that message becomes clear. It will then attract the right customer. Back to the example, if someone is after a cheap product then they know they can’t get it from you. They will get it from someone else who sells a cheap product. Once you understand your offer then you can target your business to the right customer.

Finding a Good Customer before the sale

First, you must listen to what a potential buyer is saying to you. The way they approach the transaction will determine the value they place in you. This will give you signs of the way they treat you when they are a customer. Here are a few things to look for before taking on a new customer:

  1. The way they talk about the price – Haggling or giving you quotes from competitors
  2. Are they aggressive? – Do they give threats about the service they require (do this or else)
  3. You give them a price and then you have to justify that your product is worth it. This should have been done before the price is given
  4. They want you to drop everything for them

These are just a few things and obviously not binding on all parties, but if you have had a bad customer remember the way they approached the sale. The saying “something left a bad taste” You must remember what it looked like before you tasted it. There are signs that things will be hard work if they continue. We must remember as a small business who you deal with will affect your whole life, (family, lifestyle, etc.).

How to get the Good Customer

Here are some ways to get a good customer:

  1. Know your offer – understanding exactly what you will bring to a potential customer
  2. Know who your offer fits best – Target the right customers so there is no mistake or misfit.
  3. Have a certain procedure that you must go through before you deal with a potential customer. – It could be a certain set of questions that you ask them before going any further. We use the Why questionnaire as it shows us the level of commitment someone is willing to take to work with us.
  4. Identify the good customers you already have and reflect on the transactions you have with them – what is it about them that makes them so good to work with.

Running a small business is hard work and takes a lot of dedication and confidence. There is really no such thing as a bad customer. There is, however, a certain customer that may not fit your company. This can lead to bad experiences. Gaining any customer takes a lot of effort so if you already have good customers look after them. They are hard to find.

What is Marketing for Small Business

What is Marketing for Small Business

What does Marketing for Small Business mean? I was at a football club reunion the other week and a friend asked me what I did. I said to him that I run a marketing company. He looked at me and said, “yeah but what do you do?”. So I started to tell him all of the things that I do. He looked at me with confusion and said, “I didn’t understand a word of what you just said”. I then thought about how many other small businesses out there are confused about what marketing companies do. So, I’ll explain.

Marketing Communicates

A marketing company will help you communicate your business to the right audience. That means we understand what your offer is, who your potential customers are and find the best way to get your message to that potential customer. It’s as simple as that.

It is how we do this that becomes confusing. For example, there are digital and traditional ways. Let’s break that down:

Traditional

Traditional marketing is print advertising, sales promotions and physical items that help promote your message.  For example, brochures, handouts and talking to people.

Digital

Digital marketing is getting your message out there online. Methods used are websites, Google optimising and online advertising on Google and social platforms.

What should a good marketing company do for you?

Firstly, they should understand your business, your market and why people will buy your product or service.

Then we find out the best way to get your message out to your audience via the best method be it digital or traditional.

Analysing Your Target Customers

Analysing Your Target Customers

Analysing Your Target Customers

Establishing who is your perfect customer by going through your current customers. If a customer is good to deal with then look for more like them. 9 out of 10 times these customers will be aligned with your own company values. They think like you do. From this information, you can start to work out your target customer. Things to do:

  • Make a list of potential businesses that will fit into what you offer
  • What value will they gain from your business?
  • What are their needs?
  • Does your product or service fit into that need?
  • Can you satisfy or fulfill that need?
  • Continue to add other potential customers who fit into the profile

It is important to note that not all of your customers will be that perfect one. By profiling the good customers, you can find potential customers that are similar. Here are ways to do that:

Customer What needs do they have? What product or service fulfills that need?
Customer A Need A Product A, C
Customer B Need B Product B

The next step is to analyse your own products to see what will be able to fulfill these needs.

Your key Features and Benefits

Make a list of the key features and benefits that your products/services will offer this potential customer.

Product/Service Features Benefits
The name of the product What are the features of this product What benefits can be gained from this product
     

It is always good to make a list of the features and benefits as this will allow you to create any marketing documents that may be used in the selling and promotion of your products. The next step is to take these benefits and features and match them with the customer.

Customer Needs and Fulfilling Them

Now that we have established what we offer and why we offer it we can now match them with what the customer’s needs are. There is never a successful sale unless the product/service that you offer matches the needs of the customer. Keep doing this until the products are satisfying the needs of your target market. It is important to note that not all products will be perfect for every customer. If your product does not fill the need then do not offer it.

Customer Need Product to satisfy need Benefit to the customer
Customer A Need B Product B Will satisfy Need B by doing…
       

This process looks complicated but if you know your product and your market, and I know you do, then this is simply a matter of writing it down.

What have we learned

  • Establish who is your perfect customer.
  • Go through your current customer list and find out who that customer is.
  • If this customer is good to deal with then it is a good idea to start to look for more like them.
  • They will most times be aligned with your own company values. They think like you do.
  • From this information start to design the target customer.
  • Make a list of potential businesses that will fit into what you offer.
  • What value will they gain from your company?
  • What are their needs?
  • Does your product or service fit into that need?
  • Can you satisfy or fulfill that need?
  • Continue to add other potential customers who will fit into the profile.
  • It is important to note that not all of your customers will be that perfect one. By profiling the good customers you can find potential customers that are similar.