A marketing strategy for a manufacturing company fits on two pages: who you want to sell to, what you want to be known for, the three or four activities that will reach those buyers, a budget and how you’ll measure enquiries. Most manufacturers don’t need more marketing. They need fewer activities, chosen on purpose and kept going.
Most manufacturers we speak to have done their marketing in bursts. A new website five years ago, a trade show every other year, a brochure when the old ones ran out. Each was reasonable on its own, but nothing joined them up and nobody could say what any of it brought in.
A marketing strategy fixes that, and it doesn’t have to be long.
Start with the orders you want more of
Look at the last two or three years of sales. Which customers were profitable, paid on time and came back? Which industries and order sizes suit your plant? That is your target.
It’s usually narrower than “anyone who needs machining”, and that helps, because a narrow target is easier to reach. Write down the industries, the size of company and the job titles involved: the engineer who specifies, the buyer who places the order and the director who signs off a new supplier.
Decide what you want to be known for
Buyers shortlist a supplier for a reason they can say in a sentence. Tight tolerances on small batches. Short lead times. A process few others offer. Approvals for aerospace or medical work.
Pick the one or two that are true of you and that your best customers would agree with, and put them at the front of everything. Quality and service don’t count, because everyone claims them.
Choose a few channels and do them properly
For most manufacturers the list is short.
- Website. Every other activity sends people here. A manufacturing website needs product or capability pages, specifications, accreditations and a clear way to enquire.
- Search. Buyers search for the process, material or part they need. Each one you want to be found for needs its own page.
- Email. Existing customers and old quotes are the easiest place to find new orders. A short update every month or two keeps you in mind.
- LinkedIn. Posts about real work: a new machine, a finished job, a person who joined.
- Trade shows. One or two a year, planned as campaigns with follow-up.
- Film and photography. Buyers want to see the plant before they visit. Use images of your own floor, not stock.
Set a budget and a calendar
Decide what you’ll spend for the year and split it between the channels above. Then put dates on it: the shows, the month each email goes out, when the case studies get written, when the website gets reviewed.
A plan with dates gets done. A list of ideas doesn’t. Name one person who owns it, even if most of the work is done outside the business.
Measure enquiries, not activity
Count the enquiries that come in each month and where each one came from: search, email, a show, a referral. Track form submissions and phone clicks in your analytics, and ask every new enquirer how they found you. Then follow them through to quotes and orders.
After six months you’ll know which activities to do more of and which to stop.
Common questions
What should a manufacturing marketing strategy include?
Your target customers, what you want to be known for, the channels you’ll use, a budget, a calendar and how you’ll measure enquiries.
How much should a manufacturer spend on marketing?
There is no single figure. Set the budget from what a new customer is worth to you and how many you want to win, then check the results against it every few months.
Do manufacturers need social media?
LinkedIn is worth doing for most manufacturers, because buyers and engineers use it. Other platforms only matter if your customers are there.
Where to start
Write the first two parts this week: the customers you want and what you want to be known for. Everything else follows from those. For specific activities, see our marketing ideas for manufacturing companies.
If you’d like help turning it into a plan, get in touch, or read more about our marketing for manufacturers.
