Trade shows offer a variety of paid and sponsored opportunities. It can be overwhelming for manufacturers to determine which opportunities will have the most return-on-investment.  In our blog, we’ve written on the topic of trade shows for manufacturers from several angles. We have discussed how manufacturers can engage media, who should “work” the booth and even the use of social media at business conferences. As trade show exhibitors, there are several marketing opportunities you may have missed due to early deadlines or perhaps tactics you have not tried previously.

The goal of most, if not all, investments in trade shows is straight forward. Leads. Isn’t that the ultimate ROI for all our marketing efforts? Does this sound familiar? “So, we spent thousands to fly the team and machinery to a trade show, built a new booth, trained our staff, hosted a cocktail reception and even held a press conference…how many leads for new business did we get?” Have you been asked this question from the CFO or president?

Modern trade shows for manufacturers, whether led by a trade association or private company are often more than a 20’ x 20’ concrete slab and two chairs. They are multi-media extravaganzas that involve theatrics, special events, sophisticated mobile tools and print advertising options.

Download Your Free Trade Shows for Manufacturers eBook

If you have already signed up to exhibit, great. Download the exhibitor kit and read it cover to cover. Yes, get the basics ordered such as electric, Internet or special services such as catering. Still have budget? Great!

After all the free advertising options such as your online listing and directory entry have been checked off, see what the organization offers for an extra fee. Print advertising in show daily magazines helps impact name recognition and booth traffic as you can promote any engagement activities such as contests and demonstrations. Company sponsorships can range from private receptions to show properties such as an Internet café and on-the-show-floor receptions. Want to engage attendees on their way to the convention floor? Sponsor the shuttle. Want to reach them where they live? Do a hotel drop with signage inside the leading hotels complete with room gift of fresh fruit and your logoed trade show survival kit of aspirin, needle & thread and shoe shine kit.

The companies that run trade shows understand that lead generation is key. Basic online listing and trade show mobile applications can often be enhanced with featured exhibitor listings, lead capture ready for export and on-screen advertisements right on the device in every attendee’s pocket. Want a pro tip? If you have an idea for sponsorship of a key event that is not listed, offer to sponsor. Often this is unexpected income for the show with no structured fee (thus allowing you to create a truly unique promotion that can drive traffic to your booth for ultimate lead capture.

Trade shows, especially those hosted every other year are a unique opportunity to fill your sales pipeline for a long time. Make the most of your investment and explore as many opportunities as your budget allows.

Manufacturing referrals open doors to new business opportunities but getting your business colleagues to introduce you is easier said than done. Rather than asking for referrals blindly, you can improve your quality of referrals and odds of closing those referrals as customers by doing your homework. Below learn how to receive better, more frequent referrals that lead to sales.

Advance Search Your Business Connection’s Network on LinkedIn

Have a good relationship with a business connection? Why not ask them for a referral. Instead of asking them blankly for a referral, it’s better to see who they are connected to and ask for specific referrals, by name. If you read my last blog Hack that Eliminates the Need for LinkedIn Sales Navigator, you’ll know a how to advance search your connection’s contacts by a specific geographic area, job title, industry or company. The blog has step-by-step directions as well as a video that walks you through how to navigate this process. So check it out to find great contacts to be referred into.

Asking Your Colleague for a Referral

Now that you’ve mined through your strongest business connection’s LinkedIn network, it’s time to ask for a referral. Either pick up the phone or email the following:

“Hi [Business Contact], I see you are connected with [Name] on LinkedIn. After reviewing their website, I think they could use our products/services. Would you be willing to introduce us?”

If your contact agrees to refer you, reply “Thank you very much. Below I’ve attached a draft email introduction which you can use or tweak as you see fit.” Sending a draft intro is helpful for a few reasons:

1. You are taking the pressure off your contact to draft an introduction.
2. Your contact will be more likely to refer you in a timely manner since it’s as simple as a quick copy and paste
3. You can control how you are introduced and ensure that the first introduction to you and your company is as strong as possible.

Drafting Your Referral Intro

Stumped on how to draft your intro, here are some tried and true tips and tricks I learned from Caleb Townsend, co-founder of Factur—Manufacturing Referrals Network.

1. Keep it short and sweet 4-6 brief sentences. Nobody has times to read a novel so keep it straight and to the point.
2. Make your name a link to your LinkedIn profile and your company name a link to your website.
3. Don’t bury the lead- keep the ask in the beginning of the intro. People shouldn’t find out that your contact is looking to refer you in the last sentence.
4. Put a sentence about your differentiating factors in the paragraph.
5. Any notable awards or industry certifications? Include those in a sentence.
6. Soft close that puts the ball in their court and gives the person being asked the ability to say no.

Examples of Referral Introductions

Need some inspiration for your mock referral intro? Check out 2 strong examples below.

Mock Intro #1:

I’d like to introduce you to Jane Doe with Manufacturing Lubrications LLC. Manufacturing Lubrications is a direct distributor of ENI oils, greases, and lubricants as well as oil and grease systems. Jane is the product manager for light-duty to heavy-duty machinery and equipment. Combined as a team, Manufacturing Lubrications has over 60 years of hands on industry experience, including pumps, hydraulics, engineering, and lubrication. If you are interested in speaking with her, I would be happy to connect you.

Mock Intro #2

I’d like to introduce you to my colleague John Smith, business development manager at Yes Metals Inc.  Yes Metals is worldwide metals distributor which distributes a full-line of over 46,000 products to more than 22,000 customers. Currently they have 8 US service center locations, 11 additional satellite facilities.  The company offers supply chain solutions through value added processing, inventory management/VMI, logistics support and lean buyer. They are ISO 9001:2008 and AS9100 Rev C certified.  Would you mind if he reaches out to you directly?

3 Ways To Get Great Manufacturing Case Studies

Manufacturing case studies are an amazing way to show your prospects and customers your skills and capabilities. Case studies add third party credibility and could be the difference between your prospects choosing you over your competition during the decision process of the buyer’s journey.

Yet, many times when I ask my business-to-business manufacturing clients if they have case studies, a surprising number of them will answer: “We don’t do case studies. Our customers won’t agree to work on them with us.” I cringe, as they are not only losing a valuable content opportunity for both their website and even the industrial trade media, but missing an opportunity to deepen their customer relationship (hence turning them into promoters). Below are some ideas to combat the dreaded case study feature dilemma.

Highlight The Benefits For Your Customer

Many times, companies will approach a customer for a case study feature like it’s a favor. This is a major no-no, as your customers already feel they are doing enough for you giving you their business. Instead, approach the case study as a win-win that will benefit both of your companies. Make sure you promise to spend a significant portion of the case study highlighting the benefits of your customer’s products, processes, and services.

Also, let the customer know your intentions to distribute the case study. A simple write up on your website is fine but agreeing to pitch the case study to publications, trade associations, or websites that reach your customer’s prospects and customers makes a case study seem more valuable. As an agency, we have honed the art of making our customers’ customer comfortable with how the trade media works and will feature their company.

Make It A Low Pressure Commitment For Your Customer

After presenting your customer with the benefits of a case study feature, explain the amount of time or effort required on his or her part to bring the case study to fruition. Offer to have someone from your company interview them, write the draft and submit it to the customer for final approval. If you have an established PR professional facilitating the case study, your customer should only have a 45 to 60 minutes time commitment for the interview. Whether you have a PR professional onboard or a marketing professional in house, it is important that whoever is facilitating the interview has a technical background. Remember, always be sensitive to the time commitment.

Make Sure Your Customer Loves The Finished Product

Engage your customer throughout the case study writing process. Email them questions during the writing process to check for accuracy, double and triple check to ensure you aren’t giving away anything  your customer wouldn’t want the public to know and ask for photo suggestions from your customer, all the while making sure nothing proprietary is being shared. Show your customer you value their opinion and want to promote their company in the best light possible. Remember to send the final print article or, even have it framed as a gift to your customer. Then, when you come back in a year or so and ask that customer for another case study feature, your customer will be more inclined to accept.

Interested in learning more about the power of PR for manufacturers? Check out these blogs: Why Manufacturers Still Need PR in a Digital World and Why Your Manufacturing PR Firm Should Be Sales Focused

Manufacturing is booming in the United States, yet there is one major concern holding companies back from growing to their full potential: manufacturing workforce. We exclusively work with business-to-business manufacturers and at every single meeting, regardless of whether we’re discussing trade shows, content development or publicity, the topic eventually turns to talent acquisition.

Manufacturers across the country continue to struggle with attracting qualified workers. Manufacturers tell us workers do not have the skills needed to operate a more advanced machine, many are lacking soft skills for the work place and worse, many cannot simply pass a drug test. Is this an epidemic? You tell me…a recent meeting with a colleague revealed they could add one million more in sales if they had the workers to produce the goods.

So, why is your talent on third base looking for signs from their coach? It’s summer and school is out. Before we know it the lazy, hazy days of August will turn to the Labor Day picnics and the beginning of another school year.

Now, not three months from now, will be the time to plan your Manufacturing Day events. Teach students, parents and educators why manufacturing is a strong and worthwhile career. Demonstrate your capabilities while you recruit future talent.

Not sure how to begin? Here’s a few stories to get you started:

Planning articles: It’s Time to Start Planning Manufacturing Day 2016 Events and I Don’t Work In Manufacturing So Manufacturing Day Doesn’t Matter

Past events: Manufacturing Day Campaign 2015 and, always photos: Facebook photos from past events and tours

Make sure to invite your local reporters. Local stories help recruit talent. While discussion the media release on a recent plant expansion, we reminded our colleagues that the local press is what your neighborhood workforce is reading. Product sales might come from trade publications, but home town news provides the buzz in your city. The business media loves to report on positive manufacturing news:Local Manufacturing Day events aim to produce buzz for industry

Lastly, don’t forget to list your event. Yes, search engines love listings and Manufacturing Day is a national event. List your event on the Manufacturing Day site Felber PR & Marketing Event