Industrial Companies - Why Your Marketing in 2018 Should Be Riveting

In a global economy, where competitors are no longer just in your backyard, but also a click away, Industrial companies have to think smarter to achieve their share of the market. Industrial companies are starting to understand the necessity of increasing their marketing initiatives to innovate and improve sales targets. Harnessing the power of captivating, informative marketing will drive more leads. Let’s talk about tactics that smart industrial companies are embracing.

A site that hasn’t been updated since Ken was in Accounting won’t generate sales and will actually hurt your credibility as a company. Some of the most successful industrial companies are realizing that the large scale projects and clients they are trying to attract will hit up your website the minute they receive your proposal or after they meet your sales rep. What does that site say about you? Does it matter? Absolutely. Is your site dated, highlighting systems and projects that were designed and built more than three or four years ago? The client will relate this to how your company operates: with dated technology and old school tactics. Not ideal for winning that bid. Designing your website used to be an epic endeavor, demanding considerable resources, but web development these days doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Not only that, an up-to-date site will increase your engagement, presence, and ROI. Think of it as the ultimate sales tool. The companies that have the new, modern, mobile site are well..winning. Those that don’t….point made.

Industrial companies that blog and post regularly about project success, new equipment, and client acquisition can see double the lead volume compared to companies that put content and social media on the back burner. You can generate double the lead volume without leaving the office, yet Industrial companies are often the worst culprits when it comes to non-responsive sites with outdated content and a terrible User Experience (UX). How clients will find you in 2018, or not, depends on your website and SEO. Google searches are the mainstay for leads in the mining, forestry, engineering and industrial sectors. Time to toss that little black & white ad. To start branching out into uncharted territory, you can pick targets (realistic keywords) for each of your web pages. You can use the keyword planner in your Google Adwords account, but if this makes your head hurt, just think of how you want to be found. By placing these keywords in titles, headers, URLs, blogs and a few times throughout a page, you can give yourself a fighting chance to show up in organic searches and crush your competition. Shooting for that number one spot might take a bit more work. In addition to an organic search strategy, you’ll want to take advantage of Google Adwords which is an easy way to immediately boost your ranking in Google’s paid results. You only pay for click throughs to your site so why not. Add on a Google Business page with all your updated data and you’re off to the races. Continue to take advantage of the power of Google and you’ll be guaranteed top spot in no time.

Facebook is a great avenue for prospective employees and clients to get a glimpse of your achievements and corporate culture. Develop a social media strategy and share engaging content. Some great social posts are new equipment, milestones, zero lost time, initiatives, community involvement, employment opportunities, project cases studies and photos, staff profiles, new builds and shared content from other industries. So many industrial companies are using social media to highlight their success. LinkedIn is also a great resource to see what’s going on within your industry. Every industrial client seems to have a LinkedIn page for their company representative, but organizations need to create company pages too. Make sure everything is up to date — this includes a headline, bio, photo, and experience. Once both are taken care of, both can research and join relevant groups. This will increase exposure and show your clients that you are relevant and will serve as a very powerful recruitment tool as well. Plan content to position your company as a thought leader, and even send personalized invitations to begin connecting with like-minded professionals. Just remember to use LinkedIn for what it is; you want to come across as helpful and human, not annoying.

Make sure they are an accurate representation of who you are. Have them professionally designed and update regularly. Marketing has changed.  Clients have shorter attention spans and judge your company on your digital presence. You invest in your equipment, training, staff and facility so don’t forget about your marketing! If you need help – reach out. We’ve made it our goal to understand the wide spectrum that makes up today’s industrial landscape. Let us make your company a competitive force in 2018! Suzanne Christie – CEO, Shout-Media