Author: Kari Reidy, NIST MEP Marketing and Communications<\/p>\n
Are you frustrated with the number of leads in your pipeline? Are you unsatisfied with the lack of brand awareness for your organization? If you answered \u201cyes\u201d to either of these questions, you have opportunities to leverage your marketing efforts.<\/p>\n
Getting your products in front of your target audience is critical to achieving sustainable growth. Although larger competitors may have bigger budgets, small- and mid-sized manufacturers can remain competitive and drive sales growth through strategic marketing initiatives.<\/p>\n
Manufacturers can always benefit from tips on how to develop a continuous pipeline of new sales to achieve growth, so here are four more ways your business can better enhance brand awareness and generate new leads.<\/p>\n
In today\u2019s competitive environment, people are constantly looking for valuable information. By developing valuable content, you can make some serious inroads with your target audiences. Helpful content isn\u2019t your sales pitch and information about your company, products, and services, it\u2019s about helping your customers navigate their business challenges and guiding them towards finding solutions to their problems. Here are some examples of content that you can develop:<\/p>\n
These types of content pieces take longer to develop, but have the potential to generate leads for your business.<\/p>\n
Blogging has become an increasingly important part of a company’s marketing strategy. Blogs can help you\u00a0significantly increase traffic to your website. Blogs consist of numerous entries on topics which are important to your target audience, so it can also help you establish industry credibility. To launch a blog effectively you will want to:<\/p>\n
Blogging can help you consistently provide fresh content for your website and attract individuals who are searching for information. Try launching a blog to boost your online presence.<\/p>\n
SEO uses techniques to help your website rank higher when people search for terms in various search engine sites. When your prospects are typing in key terms and phrases related to your products, parts and services, you want your website to rank higher than your competitor\u2019s.<\/p>\n
SEO is technical and complicated, but one of the biggest drivers is consistently high quality content for your website. The words you include on your pages will help determine if your website gets found. However, there are other factors such as the location of your keywords in your content, the usage of headers on your page, title tags, meta descriptions, inbound links to your pages, and more. Consider setting a budget for paid search to complement your SEO initiatives.<\/p>\n
Videos can be an effective way to visually demonstrate the power of your products and convey your company brand. Did you know that YouTube is the second most frequently used search engine on the Internet, after Google? Whether you have someone in-house who can manage creating videos, or if you use the services of a vendor, use your videos to convey your brand.<\/p>\n
The topics for your videos will depend on your specific business needs, but they should have a purpose. If you\u2019re looking to create a video, you should be able to answer the question, \u201cHow does this help my customers or prospects?\u201d Showcase what makes you unique, but don\u2019t try too hard to be funny or meaningful if it\u2019s not a natural fit for your company culture. Your videos should also have a \u201ccall to action\u201d at the end so viewers have a next logical step after watching. And after your video is created, promote it across multiple marketing channels including your website, social media sites, and e-mails if appropriate.<\/p>\n
DVIRC helps manufacturers in various capacities, including business growth efforts such as the development of sales and marketing strategies. A comprehensive marketing program is essential for developing new business and achieving sustainable growth. Learn more<\/strong><\/a> about DVIRC can help you with your marketing and sales efforts, or contact us here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n