The Case for Creativity in Marketing for Manufacturers

You see a fun advertisement while watching the Super Bowl. It’s fresh, it’s compelling, and it’s funny. You share it on Facebook, maybe show your friends at work while getting coffee, and possibly even look into buying the product next time you’re at the store. These ads are mostly made by businesses marketing to us (the consumers). Can marketers who market from a business to another businesses have fun too? I think so! In fact, there’s a strong case for creativity in industrial circle marketing. Read on for the case for creativity in marketing for manufacturers.

The Case for Creativity in Marketing for Manufacturers

Working with Customers:

To approach marketing in a creative way, work with your customers. This means that you’ll view marketing as a collaborative effort, not a one-sided endeavor. Talk with them, not at them. Practically speaking, this means asking for your customers’ input and advice. You can also create content that is interactive—worksheets, images that are repost-friendly, and email questionnaires, for example.

Thinking like a start-up:

The world of marketing is a fluid and ever-changing place. Even in industrial, B2B marketing, forward thinking is necessary. What does this look like in real life? This means that you as a marketer should operate like a start-up marketer. Think of new ways you can make an impact while focusing on building a strong brand. In addition to these thought patterns, creating strong goals and plans are very important. Creative goals and plans produce quality results.

Exploring new channels:

B2C marketers tend to be more adventurous than B2B marketers. This includes exploring new platforms to advertise on. While not every platform is industrial-friendly, keep your mind open while choosing marketing platforms. The two places to focus on that are underused in B2B marketing (but have good results) are podcasts and emails. Both of these venues have a strong B2B following that can increase your company’s reach exponentially. Advertisements or sponsorships of these channels builds the name recognition of your manufacturing company to an interested audience.

Providing the unexpected:

This point is most applicable to the top of the marketing funnel. Providing the unexpected is a way to grab a potential customer’s attention so they want to learn more about you and your company. Details and specifications of your products and services will come later down the funnel, but creative attention-grabbers can flourish up here at the top of the funnel.

Focusing on branding:

To fully embrace a creative approach to marketing if you’re a manufacturing company, focus on branding. This is another tactic that benefits the top of the marketing funnel. Once again, the details of your products are important but can come later on down the marketing funnel. Building a strong brand grows the reach of your company. With a wider reach, a potential customer might realize that you have something to solve a problem of theirs that they didn’t even know existed yet.

Dipping into blogging:

A focus on narrative and story-telling is a good way to get creative with content. This is easy to weave into blogging content as blogs are usually a long-form written piece of content. A blog that draws people in (through compelling and helpful content) is a key creative marketing tool. Keeping a consistent blog with regular posts does two main things. First, it shows your potential customers you keep to a deadline and are consistent with your products. Second, it builds a basis for thought leadership in your field. If people are going to you for information and insight, they know they can also trust you with their manufacturing needs.

If you’d like to talk with us about these (or other) creative marketing options you’re considering, give us a call at 262-363-4238 or reach out to us at [email protected]. Our services include branding, marketing, and website development with an emphasis on industrial sector companies. We’d love to talk with you!