Manufacturing business owners tend to focus on core operations more than sales, marketing, and PR. On some level, this makes sense; manufacturers often have very narrow audiences to target and minimal competition to contend with. Improving productivity and efficiency seems to be the most important goal.
However, manufacturers should care about and invest in PR and marketing.
Why? And how should they do it?
The Advantages of PR and Marketing for Manufacturers
PR for manufacturers is focused on improving both your visibility and reputation with audiences that matter to you. It often integrates tactics like posting on social media, writing and distributing press releases, and even forming strategic partnerships with influencers, industry authorities, and other highly visible parties.
Marketing for manufacturers shares similarities. The goal of marketing is to drive more interest in your products and, eventually, more revenue. Press release syndication, partnerships with influencers, and many other strategies can be considered both PR and marketing, though there are strategies that belong exclusively to one category or the other.
The combination of these strategies can:
- Increase your visibility. You might be one of the best manufacturing businesses in your niche. Your quality, output, and pricing might be the best in the nation. But that doesn’t really matter if nobody knows you exist. With the combination of marketing and PR supporting your manufacturing business, you can greatly increase your visibility and, therefore, your reach. Hundreds to thousands of prospective customers can learn about your brand for the first time and realize the advantages of working with you.
- Support and grow your reputation. Together, marketing and PR can also help support and grow your reputation. Visibility is good for getting your foot in the door, but it’s still important to convince your customers that your manufacturing business is worth buying from. These strategies give you an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise, showcase some of your best products, and help establish yourself as a reputable partner in this industry. When people think more highly of you, they’ll be much more likely to buy from you.
- Secure new leads and customers. That leads us to our next point: PR and marketing for manufacturers can help you secure new leads and customers. Many manufacturing businesses rely on steady streams of traffic through traditional outlets, like networking and referrals. But if you exclusively rely on these old-school, steady streams, you’ll be missing out on massive revenue growth potential. If you’re interested in growing revenue and profitability, these are strategies you can’t afford to ignore.
- Aid your hiring and recruiting efforts. Even if you’re totally content with your current revenue and profitability, you’re likely suffering the pains of the current labor shortage. Manufacturers all over the country are struggling with hiring and recruiting, so you should know that an effective PR and marketing strategy can make your business more attractive to prospective applicants. Manufacturers who practice PR generally see far more qualified applicants in greater volumes.
- Fuel new growth. Are you interested in growing your footprint? Are you contending with major competitors who threaten your market share? PR and marketing are two of your best approaches for fueling new growth.
- Improve customer retention and existing relationships. It’s not just about new customers and generating new revenue, either. It’s also about improving customer retention and bolstering your existing relationships. If your existing customers see your name in the press and learn more about what you’re doing in the community, they’ll be much more likely to buy from you in the future and much less likely to leave you for a competitor.
- Future proof your organization. These strategies also play a role in future proofing your organization. If there are sudden supply chain issues or if there’s a sudden drop in demand, PR and marketing can help your business stay afloat.
Getting Started With PR and Marketing
So, how do you get started with PR and marketing for a manufacturing business?
- Take inventory. First, take inventory of any PRN marketing efforts you’ve already undertaken. Do you have a consistent brand? Do you have a blog or a social media channel? Do you have a website or any strategic partnerships? This will help you find a convenient starting point.
- Consider your strategic aims. Next, think about your biggest goals and overall strategic aims. For example, are you most interested in growing your business and generating more revenue from new clients? Or are you more interested in attracting new hires and retaining your existing customers? These goals, while similar, may demand different types of approaches.
- Consider working with professionals. Most manufacturing businesses benefit from working with established professionals in the PR and marketing industry. Working with a PR agency or building a team of experienced PR professionals is likely your best move.
- Start setting goals. Effective targets can bring clarity and focus to any PR or marketing strategy. What, specifically, are you trying to achieve, and how soon are you trying to achieve it? Once you have a vision for this, you can establish a budget and begin building a roadmap to get to that destination.
PR and marketing strategies are nearly indispensable for modern manufacturing businesses. Even if you’re currently making a consistent profit, if you’re not currently harnessing the full potential of PR and marketing, you’re artificially limiting what your business can accomplish.
