Whether you are targeting business owners, financial executives, salespeople, or engineers, your writing must always focus on your audience. One particularly difficult audience to target is engineers. Whether they are mechanical, electrical, civil, or chemical, all engineers like facts, not fluff. Engineers, especially those under 40, have taken to the web to research, find partners, and solve problems.

Your task, which is increasingly difficult in a fast-paced, internet dominant world, is to capture their attention. Engineers can influence the use of technology, position your products ahead of the competition, and often are the main gatekeeper to adopting your products. 

Three key factors to include in your content for manufacturing engineers is:

• Data-focused information that clearly features specifications and facts
• Content that conveys trust and authenticity 
• Tools and assessments

Just the facts…Whenever possible, use charts, infographics, and video demonstrations. You are appealing to their engineering brain. Analytics, third-party lab results, industry standards are all a must to include when writing for the engineer. If they are putting their name and reputation on the line to recommend your product, they will want to have evidence to back it up. Make the evidence easy to access, download and understand. Need content help?

Trust is critical. Make sure to convey your company history, past success, and standing in the industry. Do you have associates holding positions in key industry trade groups? Has your CEO or lead engineer been featured in a magazine? Are you involved in peer-reviewed research? Use your involvement to portray a company that will not let them down. In all sales, they will not work with you until they trust you. 

Online assessments. If your product allows, this is a great place to include online calculators, surveys. and quote builders. Provide the information they need quickly and efficiently and you will be leaps and bounds ahead of your competition. Use email to send them their results. They will save the email for reference and have your contact information too. You’re painting a picture of a company that has been there and is experienced in the problems they face. Demonstrate this whenever possible. 

Now, just because your content is filled with facts, figures and charts do not mean the quality of the writing is secondary. We hear it all the time, “I am an engineer, not a writer.” No worries. We have a team of technical and journalistic writers that are very skilled in sorting facts from fluff and crafting content engineers will want to read. Have a project or case study you need to be wordsmithed? Give me a call or send me an email. RobFelber@felberpr.com  or (330) 963-3664.

When manufacturers mentioned relationship-building years ago, the first thought that would come to mind is holding multiple face-to-face-meetings with key stakeholders. Fast-forward 2021 and, well, you know that storyline!  However, over the last decade, many manufacturers have shifted their sales strategy digitally to attract more leads, build relationships with prospects through content and email nurturing, and closing them quickly and more efficiently.

While face-to-face interactions still have value, manufacturers who are utilizing inbound marketing are optimizing their sales process by identifying who the leads are on their websites, what solutions they are looking for, and ultimately, when they are ready to talk to sales in their decision process.

Below, learn 5 effective strategies to strengthen your manufacturing company’s digital presence and increase lead generation and sales.

1. Tie all marketing back to the buyer personas

In order to have a successful B2B manufacturing inbound marketing strategy, you must first have a clear understanding of who your target audience is and also, who the various decision-makers are at the companies you are targeting. At Felber PR & Marketing, we stress to our manufacturing clients that in order to see success from your digital marketing campaigns, you must personalize your buyer’s experience with your brand.

To highlight this principle, let’s use a fictional fastener manufacturer ‘Fallon Fasteners’ as an example:

Fallon Fasteners may have a few different buyer personas or “ideal buyers” they target. We choose fun and easy to remember names to identify the different personas our clients are targeting. One is ‘Mechanical Engineer Eddie’, a late 30’s engineer with 5 direct reports at an automotive company. Another is ‘Buyer Betty’, an early 40’s purchasing manager at a marine company. Eddie and Betty should be served different content because their goals in choosing a fastener company are different. Eddie will be compelled to work with the Fallon Fasteners by being sent industry research, technical blogs, white papers, and customer testimonials because he is driven by bringing the most effective solution to his company. In contrast, Betty will be compelled to work with Fallon Fasteners if she is sent content that showcases cost-savings or just-in-time manufacturing because Betty’s performance at her job is evaluated by saving capital and choosing vendors that deliver products or parts in record time.

Our blog, ‘Why Buyer Personas are Invaluable for B2B Manufacturers’, walks you through the process of creating buyer personas at your company!

2. Focus on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy

Manufacturers often put considerable effort into developing a beautiful new website and great content but if it is not easily discoverable on the web, you will not see optimal lead generation. By utilizing strong on-page SEO tactics, such as image alt-text and strong meta-descriptions on all pages and content, you can improve your website’s ability to be found by your ideal buyers.

What is alt-text?

Also called “alt tags” and “alt descriptions,” alt text is the written copy that appears in place of an image on a webpage if the image fails to load on a user’s screen. This text helps screen-reading tools describe images to visually impaired readers and allows search engines to better crawl and rank your website. This HubSpot blog showcases what good and bad alt-text look like.

What is a meta description?

A meta description is the brief snippet of text that appears below the blue link in a search engine result. This description summarizes the content of the webpage linked above it, and although it is not an official ranking factor in Google search results, it can be edited to encourage people to click through to the webpage. This HubSpot explains how to write a meta description that drives SEO.

Looking to create an SEO strategy but don’t know where to start? Check out this resource HubSpot created with a helpful template included!

3. Boost Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns with great content offers

While you can generate strong leads through organic search traffic alone, we recommend integrating paid advertising via Google Ads and social media advertising (LinkedIn Ads), to ramp up the lead generation for our clients. In the manufacturing space, our customers do very well with paid content offers on LinkedIn.

PPC campaigns allow you to target your ideal audience and distribute your content to the right people, companies, and professions. With a strong PPC strategy, manufacturers can reach new prospects, old customers that ‘went dark’, or current customers that you would like to sell additional products or services based

A great way to increase conversion on your paid ads is by offering a great piece of content. Read: 7 Lead Generating Content Styles All B2B Manufacturers Should Implement. Your prospects are much more likely to fill out your forms if they are getting something valuable in return.

Our manufacturing clients have seen great success by offering the following pieces of content in their pay-per-click ads:

• eBooks
• Technical/White Papers
• Capabilities Documents

 

Check out ‘Why Your Pay-Per-Click Ads Aren’t Working’ for more helpful PPC strategy tips!

4. Leveraging LinkedIn to Drive Lead Generation

Selling is a social process – we are often quoted saying “people do business with other people.” And LinkedIn is one of the most valuable social tools in a B2B manufacturing sales professional’s toolkit.

Top manufacturing salespeople may spend hours a week on LinkedIn because of the promise of significant ROI. You probably spend a lot of time cultivating valuable connections by prospecting on LinkedIn but how do you take it a step further? How do you take those contacts from LinkedIn connection to engaged prospects and ultimately, close them as a customer? Our latest eBook, Leveraging Linkedin for Manufacturers 2.0 answers those questions and many more including:

• Optimize your LinkedIn profile
• How to increase recommendations and endorsements
• Ways to Grow your network
• Content marketing on LinkedIn 101
• How to sell better with LinkedIn

Download our Leveraging LinkedIn for Manufacturers 2.0 eBook here for helpful tactics and valuable templates!

5. Measure ROI & Monitor Campaigns Effectively

In order to have a successful inbound marketing strategy, you must be able to easily have access to data and be able to analyze what tactics are working well and which are underperforming, so that you can adjust your marketing and sales efforts for ultimate ROI. How are you currently tracking the effectiveness of your blogs, landing pages, web pages, forms, emails, social media posts, and advertising?

Can you easily track individual tactics and tie it all back to a campaign in order to measure return-on-investment? Your marketing, sales, and customer service team needs accurate information, and they need it now. Our clients utilize HubSpot, which is a helpful tool that ties all teams together and provides everyone access to the same, central database. No need to wade through multiple platforms on different servers.

Check out our blog, ‘Why B2B Manufacturers Should Utilize HubSpot’, to learn how your clients are tracking ROI from sales and marketing strategies on the platform.

At Felber PR & Marketing, we work exclusively with business-to-business manufacturers. We help our clients drive quality leads, determine the best tactics for their unique goals, and integrate HubSpot with our manufacturing clients in order to track net new leads and customers acquired from your marketing and sales tactics. Interested in ramping up your inbound marketing strategy? Contact robfelber@felberpr.com or (330) 963-3664 to get started!

 

 

 

 

A strong, lead generating inbound marketing plan must include content that helps prospects in all stages of their buying process. Below, learn 7 types of content you should implement now for ultimate success.

After the year we just came through, we now know that we can accomplish much more than we thought just 12 months ago. Pick just one of these content tactics and start your 2021 with a fresh approach.

 

1.  Blogging

Blogging consistently (we shoot for 2-4 new posts for ourselves and clients per month) is a great way to boost organic SEO and make your brand pop up when your prospect searches for a product or service you sell. By sharing helpful and educational content, your company will be able to build a relationship with your prospects that turns them into engaged leads and eventually customers. Felber PR & Marketing Blog (since 2008).

 

Not sure what content to write for your blog? Are you looking to establish yourself as an industry leader, increase brand awareness, generate leads, and close customers? Blogging is an excellent way to showcase your company’s expertise and create relationships by sharing your knowledge.

 

Struggling to develop content ideas? Check out our blog 10 Ways to Reignite Your Manufacturing Blog with Great Content for a list of great ideas!

2.  Comprehensive 101-Style eBooks

Would you like to cover a more in-depth topic through written content that makes sense in a blog and capture qualified leads at the same time? Then, you should consider developing an eBook.

 

We’ve utilized ‘101 style’ eBooks with many of our clients which essentially take multiple blog posts and compile them together to create an eBook.  Check out our client Grand River Rubber & Plastics who developed a Custom Gasket Design Guide that was developed using this concept.

Developing an eBook using a blogging strategy is powerful for a  few reasons:

1. We’re developing blog content with the end goal in mind (developing an eBook)
2. We map out the chapters of the eBook and write them as stand-alone blog posts that we utilize to drive SEO to our client’s websites
3. Once we’ve finished all the blogs (aka chapter content), we can easily put the content together, expand on certain chapters if necessary, and put a professional graphic layout.

 

We preach to our clients all the time that content can be used more than once! Just because you’ve used a piece of content one way, doesn’t mean it can’t be utilized again in another facet. Do you have 5-10 in-depth blogs on a topic? That could be a great eBook in the making! Need more examples? Check out our free ebooks.

 

3.  Product or Process Comparison Documents and InfoGraphics

Above: Client Process Comparison Example, Fabrisonic

When your prospects are searching for a solution to their manufacturing challenges, they will compare processes or products. For example, let’s say oftentimes, prospects are between utilizing injection molding or 3D printing. Why not develop a document or webpage that breaks down the pros and cons of each process? This will not only be extremely valuable to your prospects but also will help you establish your brand as an industry expert.

4.  Sales Literature

Your prospects will want to have a clear understanding of your capabilities and expertise. Having spec sheets and brochures available to download on your website is critically important. Also, sales literature provides an excellent way to capture leads on your website.

 

Don’t be afraid to gate the content, or require someone to fill out a form to download it. However, it is important to note that your form shouldn’t be too long. Rule of thumb, your form length (information you are asking for) should always match the value of the content provided.

 

For more technical pieces of content such as white papers, you can ask more in-depth questions about the prospect. However, for a sales literature piece, even just asking for their email address does wonders from a lead generation standpoint. If you are utilizing HubSpot, you can then track that prospect’s behavior on your website from their first time on your site.

 

You can also enroll them in automated email campaigns. Also, don’t worry. Your HubSpot forms are smart and you can gather more information about your prospect when they fill out forms to download pieces of content or contact a sales rep in the future!

 

Check out our client General Die Casters Sell Sheet here

 

5.  Video

Video is an incredible tool to use in the sales process for manufacturers. Many manufacturers have not incorporated video because they feel fancy equipment, editing software, and production are required. While professional videos are highly effective, you can also develop videos from your computer for sales purposes.

Nonprofessional Videos We Recommend Manufacturers Try:

 

We (and our clients) have been using a free video platform called Vidyard (which integrates with HubSpot) for our newsletter, sales efforts, and client training. Vidyard allows you to easily take videos from your webcam or phone.

 

We suggest manufacturers utilize Vidyard for the following:

 

1. Newsletter videos
2. Personalize videos for sales emails
3. Quick and personalized customer tutorials
4. LinkedIn videos (how-tos, customer stories, list-style tips, and tricks)

 

Professional Videos We Recommend Manufacturers Utilize:

1. Product or equipment demos
2. Virtual tours
3. Customer testimonials
4. Company overview videos

Client Example, General Die Casters Overview

6.  Case Studies

Case studies provide your manufacturing company an incredible opportunity to showcase your expertise, product value, and customer service. Case studies are valuable because they give your company third party credibility.  Unlike a testimonial, a case study is meant to be in a long format. An excellent case study really allows your audience to get to know your customer, understand your company’s relationship with them, and fully explains in detail your work together. Then, your customer can get a better picture of what it would be like to work with you!

 

Are you saying to yourself, this is great but I’ll never be able to get my customers to participate in case studies, don’t fret.  Check out our blog, How to Convince Your Stubborn Manufacturing Customers to Participate in Case Studies for our tried and true tips to get your customers to say yes!

Check out client Grand River Rubber & Plastics Case Study, ‘GRAND RIVER RUBBER & PLASTICS HELPS RESTORE 1913 ELEVATOR AT HISTORIC SAN DIEGO HOTEL’

7.  Technical Papers

Technical papers are excellent to assist your prospects through their buying process. They also provide an excellent opportunity to gather more information about your prospects via forms. We suggest having your technical papers gated, meaning behind the form for ultimate lead generating potential. When you have a valuable content offer like a technical paper, you can ask more in-depth questions on the form.

 

For example, our 3D metal printing client, Fabrisonic asks this question on their recent Space-grade 3D metal printed heat exchangers technical paper:

How are you currently manufacturing your heat exchangers? Select all that apply:

• CNC Milling
• Brazing
• Powder Bed Fusion

 

When developing form questions for your technical paper forms, ask yourself, what are the top 3 questions our salespeople or engineers need to know to best assist a prospect?

We hope you choose to implement one or more of the  7 content ideas in this article. To have a successful inbound marketing strategy, it is important to have a variety of different content that appeals to your buyer personas (or ideal buyers) and answers their questions throughout their decision-making process.

 

Looking to ramp up your content marketing strategy? Do you have a great team of engineers that are not writers? We can help. At Felber PR & Marketing, We Get Manufacturing. Since 1993 we’ve helped manufacturers develop strong content that generates leads, moves them through the sales cycle, and closes those leads as customers.

Call Rob Felber (330) 963-3664, RobFelber@FelberPR.com, or click here for a free assessment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salespeople around the world just might be able to exhale a collective sigh of relief.  Why? Because today there are more effective strategies to reach buyers at exactly the right time in their purchasing journey, than conducting endless (and frustrating) cold calls.

First, let’s define what a cold call is.  Cold calling is a traditional sales technique that involves calling people with whom you have no existing relationship. You may suspect they use your products and services, or might in the future, but you have absolutely no idea if they are currently in the market for your offering.

                           “Cold calling is ineffective 90% of the time”

                                                            ~Harvard Business Review

Instead, I offer the term “warm calling”.  Warm calling, by contrast, means you have established contact with a prospect before you pick up the phone and try to sell them something. “How”, you say, “are you supposed to do that?” Well, it requires flipping the script.

Here are three tips for approaching the situation in a completely different way:

1. Share helpful content online that is relevant to your prospective customer.

 When someone is in the market for a product or service, what do they usually do?      They “Google it”.  Having your content on the web is one of the best ways to drive new leads to your company website. How to develop strong downloadable content offers that generate leads

2. Encourage visitors to self-select or opt-in for more information.

You must have a way to capture and segment lead information once a prospect has bounced over to your website.  This can be accomplished by inviting them to sign up for your newsletter or blog postings by simply supplying their name, company name, and e-mail. For more valuable content like a white paper or e-Book ask for a little more like title, industry, and perhaps, the number of salespeople at their organization. Here are a few eBooks we’re proud to offer:

3. Implement a customer relationship management tool (CRM).

Tools like HubSpot, track prospect engagement, and can notify you in real-time when a lead has interacted with your company content. This activity signals they have entered into the buying journey.  Reaching out during this phase is a lot less daunting for you and less intrusive for them.  Additionally, the chances of securing an appointment, and ultimately closing a deal, increases significantly. Here’s another article about what to do when they do visit your site: Top Tips for Cold-Calling Prospects on Your Website

In short, let the buyer dictate when they should be contacted. Don’t be “that” salesperson who constantly interrupts them with unwelcome phone calls and irrelevant offers.  Use your website, social media channels, e-mail campaigns, blogs, and newsletters as a lead generation machine that helps and informs.   Your potential customers will appreciate it and be more receptive when you do reach out to them.

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