Marketing for Manufacturers

It’s been a month since Manufacturing Day and to mark the occasion market researcher Nick Giraldo offers some marketing tips for Wyoming manufacturers.

As the state celebrates National Manufacturing Day, manufacturers around the state can seize the moment to review and improve their marketing plan. Here are some fresh marketing ideas for manufacturers we got from Gardner Media’s 2015 Media Usage in Manufacturing report, which revealed the demographics and media usage trends of today’s manufacturing technology buyers.

Buyer profiles are changing – Buyers over the age of 50 are dropping out, while the number of their younger counterparts are growing. Other changes include more 3 to 5 member buyer teams, as well as more buyers identifying as corporate management. Key Takeaway: Manufacturers should keep marketing towards to senior level decision makers, but also include other channels to communicate with the next generation.

Print advertising and trade shows still work, but digital media continues to grow – Trade show appearances and print magazine ads continue to be very useful advertising channels. Other channels, such as websites are proving helpful in communicating brand message as well, especially if it contains key product and technical information. Key takeaway: Manufacturers can strike a balance between outbound marketing, like print ads and trade show appearances, and inbound marketing done via websites and search results to create an effective integrated marketing plan.  

Crafting an enticing message – The survey found buyers place a premium on service, followed by technology and price. Key takeaway: Crafting a message that puts service and user benefits first will line up with what buyers want and create a more focused marketing message. 

Using these key insights, Wyoming manufacturers can craft a marketing message that speaks to the needs of decision makers, and via the media channels they prefer. 

We want to hear from Wyoming manufacturers, have you been seeing the same trends, and are you changing your marketing to line up with these trends?