Best Ways to Market your Manufacturing Business with Digital Marketing
The manufacturing sector plays an integral role in the global economy, with the ability to power–and affect–multiple other industries. Manufacturing is highly competitive, with businesses competing fiercely to draw the attention of potential customers. Effective digital marketing for manufacturing is critical for any business striving to remain profitable and competitive in the industry.
We will discuss the best ways to market your manufacturing business, including how to expand and optimize your MFG Manufacturing Profile, improve your search engine optimization (SEO), present a sophisticated, cohesive website that offers interest and value to your customers, and use social media effectively for your target audience.
Creating an MFG Manufacturing Profile
Creating and managing an engaging MFG Manufacturing Profile within the MFG Marketplace will make all the difference in connecting with potential buyers. Being listed in the MFG Marketplace is free to any manufacturing business after creating an account. Distinguish your business from competitors with compelling information that will stand out, helping you establish a strong online presence.
MFG is the perfect platform to showcase your manufacturing capabilities, the quality of your products, and your company’s story.
A full MFG Manufacturing Profile makes it possible for you to:
- Provide information about your team and the number of employees working on site, as well as the size of your manufacturing facility. Adding these details will improve your placement in directory search results, and help buyers understand more about your capabilities.
- Include your manufacturing location and website URL to increase your visibility in directory search results.
- Showcase machinery and services, and highlight your capabilities with images and videos if possible. List relevant industry certifications, also boosting your profile’s directory placement, and catching the attention of buyers who seek the promise of quality and experience– especially for projects requiring adherence to specific standards.
Completing your profile fully and maintaining it with up-to-date information can significantly increase your chances of being discovered by potential customers. Prospects who enter the MFG Marketplace are able to search by location, machinery, certifications, and more, so by having a full and updated profile, you are ensuring that buyers are able to find you when you match their specific criteria.
Offering a comprehensive profile also leads to more serious prospects who are likely to engage with your business because they already have a clear picture of what your shop offers.
Optimizing Your MFG Profile
MFG places value on various parts of a manufacturer’s profile, and adjusts rankings based on their completion. Here are some elements you can add to your Manufacturing Profile that will influence how high your profile is placed in the search results.
- Cage Code: A CAGE code provides a standardized method of identifying a given facility at a specific location. This is especially important to government buyers who must adhere to strict supplier protocols. Adding this provides a small boost to your placement in the directory search results.
- DUNS: Some buyers like to do their own research, and adding a DUNS number allows them to reference the Dun & Bradstreet database. Adding this to your profile will slightly improve your placement in the directory search results.
- Equipment Summary: The equipment you have on your shop floor can be valuable for a buyer to know, so adding this to your profile boosts your search results placement significantly.
- Photo Gallery: A picture is worth a thousand words, but a video is worth even more. Buyers love to see visuals of your work, of your shop, and anything that gives them a sense of who they are dealing with. Adding this to your profile boosts your search results placement significantly.
- Languages Spoken: Let the buyer know which languages you are able to work with and you will gain a moderate boost for your profile’s placement in directory search results.
The optimizations above are available to all customers, but you can unlock even more with a Premium account. Upgrade your free account today to receive other valuable features that can increase your placement even further! These features include:
MFG Verified: All Premium manufacturers on the MFG platform are verified by MFG, internally. This gives your profile a significant boost in the Manufacturer Directory search results.- 3D Shopview: Give buyers a virtual tour of your facility right from your profile. Adding this element to your profile will significantly move up your placement in the search results on the Manufacturer Directory.
MFG Verified: All Premium manufacturers on the MFG platform are verified by MFG, internally. This gives your profile a significant boost in the Manufacturer Directory search results.Search Engine Optimization for Manufacturers
Creating your MFG profile is only the beginning in maximizing your company’s digital footprint. As you add more information to your public manufacturer profile, it provides Google with more information to index— giving your profile a boost in Google Search results and increasing your visibility. This strategy is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and is an essential component of digital marketing.
Much of your success with SEO will depend on the quality of your website’s content and the effectiveness of keywords related to your manufacturing processes and services. The goal is to approach SEO with a strategy centered around accessibility and usability, quality and quantity of backlinks (directing users to your website), and excellence in the user experience. Just by understanding the basics and prioritizing SEO, you have the potential to bring in more traffic and grow your business.
Manufacturing Website Tips
Creating a website can be challenging– but extremely rewarding. To get started, try breaking the process down into the following organized steps:
- Determine your goals: Before designing your website, it’s important to determine what you want to achieve. Do you want to generate leads, increase sales, or simply provide information to potential customers? Having a clear idea of your goals will help you design an effective website.
- Design an attractive and user-friendly website: Your website should be visually appealing, easy to navigate, and provide a positive user experience. Use a professional design that is consistent with your brand identity, and ensure your website is optimized for users on all devices.
- Provide valuable content: Your website should provide valuable content that helps potential customers understand your products and services. This can include product descriptions, customer testimonials, case studies, and other types of content that demonstrate your expertise.
- Analyze and optimize your website: Use tools like Google Analytics to track your website’s performance and identify areas for improvement. Continuously analyze and optimize your website to ensure that it meets your goals and provides a positive user experience.
Beyond maintaining a website and/or your profile on MFG, there are many other ways to advertise your manufacturing business. This next section will go into how social media marketing assists with advertising your business and services.
Social Media for Manufacturers
Social media is a powerful tool that can help you connect with potential customers searching for a business solution. Platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook are ideal for promoting your business and gathering leads on prospective customers.
Advertising your MFG Manufacturing Profile and/or website through social media will allow you to get your business in front of an even larger audience!
Here are some tips for manufacturers looking to improve their social media marketing strategy:
- Identify your target audience: Before you start creating social media content, it’s essential to know who you’re targeting. Determine your target audience’s demographics, interests, and pain points to create content that resonates with them.
- Showcase your products: One of the primary goals of social media marketing is to showcase your products and their unique features.
- Engage with your followers: Social media is all about building relationships with your audience. Be to the point, but authentic and genuine in your social media posts and content. Show the human side of your brand and connect with your audience on a personal level. Respond to comments, questions, and messages in a timely and professional manner. Encourage user-generated content (UGC) by running contests, giveaways, or asking for feedback.
- Be consistent: Avoid being erratic, and get used to engaging at recommended hours; for instance, posts on Twitter are found to be more effective between 9 a.m. and noon, or from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Choose your words–and your times–wisely!
Social Media Marketing can be a powerful tool for manufacturers to expand their target audience and drive higher sales. By following these tips and continuously improving your social media strategy, you can build a strong brand presence, and achieve your business goals. To learn more about getting started on other social media platforms like Facebook, check out our blog, “How to Grow Your Manufacturing Business with Facebook.”
MFG.com is a powerful platform for manufacturers to market their capabilities and generate leads. By following our digital marketing tips for manufacturers and continuously improving your profile, you can increase your visibility, attract more business, and build long-term relationships with buyers on MFG and beyond.
