Manufacturing content marketing allows companies in this competitive industry to truly shine.
A brand's content strategy can make or break a business, no matter the industry--and that includes the manufacturing space.
While you may not associate content marketing with being of high importance in the manufacturing space, we promise you it is!
The main reason? Every business can benefit from a content strategy. It's a way for consumers to connect to your brand while also driving business (and far more, so keep reading).
Let's dive into manufacturing content marketing and why it matters so much for your 2024 plan!
What is Manufacturing Content Marketing?
Manufacturing content marketing refers to the creation of copy across company channels. The goal is to ultimately improve brand recognition and trustworthiness to attract customers.
An effective content marketing strategy will target key audience members. As in, those who are already interested in manufacturing companies.
When crafting a content marketing strategy, manufacturing brands should focus on the following:
- Blog posts
- Case studies
- Whitepapers
- Infographics
- Social media posts
These are all great examples of digestible content that users can read and interact with. As people continue to consume a brand's content, it's more likely they will become customers.
Recent research backs this up, with 44% of people reporting they consume three to five pieces of content before doing business with a brand.
Why Content Marketing Matters to Manufacturers
To expand on the points we discussed above, we'll now review some specific reasons content marketing is important for manufacturing companies.
Building Brand Awareness
An effective content marketing strategy for manufacturers will generate significant brand awareness.
Content marketing lets manufacturing companies show off their services and industry knowledge to a broad audience, leading to increased visibility.
As you can tell, successful brands need to have a significant amount of visibility to thrive. Not only will a good content strategy create more awareness--but it will also establish these brands as thought leaders in their industry.
Educating Customers
Content marketing works to inform and educate audiences about a specific topic.
Since manufacturing can be especially complex, it's important these businesses spend time making their content easy for people to understand. For example, informative content within this space can go in-depth into products and services.
Key points to cover here would include product...
- Features
- Benefits
- Applications
As a result, customers will be able to make informed decisions about their purchases.
Generating Leads
It's no secret that one of the top benefits of a good content marketing strategy is lead generation.
After all, informative content attracts potential customers. And just as quality content can attract customers, poor content can just as easily push them away from a brand! This is why it's so important content is not only well-written but targeted towards the correct audience as well.
Building Trust and Credibility
Content marketing also builds trust between a brand and consumers.
This is especially key in the manufacturing industry, where high-value products and long-term contracts are the norm. When manufacturing brands consistently offer valuable content, customers will associate them with offering high-quality content. This not only strengthens relationships but boosts sales, too.
Differentiation
In such a competitive market, manufacturing brands can differentiate themselves through an outstanding content strategy.
Standing out from the competition is key for a brand's continued success as industry trends evolve. To stand out, brands can show off unique value propositions, expertise, and additional industry insights through their content offerings.
Supporting Sales Efforts
Sales teams can also benefit from a good content marketing strategy. By having quality content at hand, sales teams can rely on valuable resources to better their interactions with customers and prospects.
This can be achieved through different forms of content like whitepapers, case studies, or even product demonstrations. Using these materials as a reference, sales teams will be able to effectively communicate the value of manufacturing services and products.
Improving SEO and Online Visibility
Thriving websites all have one thing in common: a solid SEO strategy to increase their online presence.
Content marketing plays a key role in this, with the proper keywords and copy driving organic traffic to manufacturer websites. Manufacturing brands can expect to see improved search engine rankings along with more qualified leads.
Manufacturing Content Marketing Trends to Try in 2024
As the manufacturing industry continues to evolve, so will its content strategy. Below, we've compiled some content marketing trends to keep an eye out for in 2024.
Interactive Content
Consumers typically enjoy different types of interactive content.
This type of content can be anything from quizzes to polls to calculators and helps to promote user engagement. Using these tools, customers can better communicate their needs and preferences.
Additionally, manufacturing brands can create interactive product selectors that will aid customers while they look for solutions specific to their needs.
Video Content
Videos are a key part of a brand's content marketing strategy.
Using video content, manufacturers can showcase product demonstrations, customer testimonials, processes, and thought leader spotlights.
Aside from effectively showing off a manufacturer's offerings, videos also help them engage with their audience in real time through live streaming and interactive video services.
Content Surveys
Conducting content surveys is a simple and effective way of measuring how successful a brand's strategy is. Gathering valuable insights from a brand's target audience, content surveys will reveal what works and what doesn't.
With the survey data, manufacturers will be able to learn more about their customer's preferences. As a result, they can create targeted content based on accurate data. Making informed, data-driven decisions like this provides peace of mind that a brand is on the right track.
User-Generated Content (UGC)
It's important for customers to share their experiences with a brand--not just for positive word-of-mouth referrals but for content, too.
By providing this user-generated content (UGC), customers are helping to build brand advocacy and authenticity.
UGC comes in many forms, including the following:
- Product reviews
- Unboxing videos
- User-generated photos
- Social media testimonials
To encourage more UGC, manufacturing brands can incentivize efforts through contests, giveaways, and user rewards programs.
Personalization
Customers will naturally gravitate towards content that's personalized for their specific needs.
When manufacturers release this type of content, they can expect higher engagement and conversion rates. To segment their audience, manufacturers can also leverage data analytics and marketing automation tools to deliver content specific to consumer needs.
This segmentation can be used to target audiences based on industry, job role, purchase history, and browsing behavior.
Voice Search Optimization
As voice search optimization grows in popularity, manufacturing brands can explore the use of voice-activated devices and virtual assistants. By using these tools, manufacturers can optimize their content for voice search queries as well.
Common examples of this include...
- Conversational language
- Answering frequently asked questions
- Optimizing content for long-tail keywords
- Natural language queries
Final Thoughts
Establishing a content marketing strategy is an essential business move for manufacturing companies in 2024.
Using content, manufacturers can effectively educate consumers on their offerings and related industry news. As a result, customers begin to develop a trusting relationship with manufacturing brands.
Since manufacturing companies offer very specific services, informative content is essential for customers to have as a reference. Manufacturers can use blog posts, social media, white papers, or any of the other forms of content we discussed.
Our opinion? Manufacturers should be offering all of these content forms!
By offering a wide selection of quality content, manufacturing companies can expect to see improved customer experiences, sales, and overall business initiatives.
Contact Our Content Marketing Company
Drive Research is a market research company based in New York. Our team is experienced in all aspects of content marketing and will work with your manufacturing company to create an effective strategy to drive business.
To learn more about the market research services we offer, reach out to us through any of the four ways below.
- Message us on our website
- Email us at [email protected]
- Call us at 888-725-DATA
- Text us at 315-303-2040
Lark Allen
As a Content Marketing Specialist, Lark has a strong background and passion for creative, professional, and journalistic writing. She is also a self-proclaimed music freak and 90s enthusiast.
Learn more about Lark, here.
