In today's digital age, manufacturing marketing is not just about showcasing products and capabilities. It's about storytelling, building trust, and providing value to your audience. That's why creative content is such a vital part of your marketing strategy. Content marketing for manufacturing companies offers several advantages. It can enhance brand awareness and customer engagement, help position you as a thought leader in the industry, boost traffic to your website, and help you to generate and convert more leads.
But content isn't confined to just articles, blogs or guides.
Here, we share five creative content marketing ideas that will help give your manufacturing company a competitive advantage.
Countless statistics, studies and surveys show that video is currently top of the list when it comes to content that people notice and engage with. Did you know, for example, that including video on a landing page can increase conversion rates by 80%? Or that 92% of mobile video consumers share videos with others?
As a medium, video cannot be ignored and has to be considered a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal. In fact 90% of manufacturing marketers reported they used video in the last 12 months - and that it produced the best results for their content marketing, according to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI).
But if you are looking for something a bit different, how about creating a video of your production processes in your factory or factories? This could be just the manufacturing process itself, or it could include the design stages at the beginning and the delivery to the customer at the end.
For instance, you could guide viewers through each step of your assembly line, explaining the roles of different machines and workers along the way. This is not only engaging and informative but also a powerful way to build trust by showing transparency in your operations.
If your production process is commercially sensitive, or you feel it’s not particularly exciting, focus in on one aspect you can show, or that is interesting and make a video of that.
Another powerful content idea is to shine a spotlight on your employees. Showcasing the hardworking individuals at your contract manufacturing company bringing OEMs products to life could help to build a deeper connection with your audience. These features can take various formats, from written interviews published on your blog to video features shared on your social media platforms.
By highlighting different roles within your company, you can illustrate the diversity of skills and the level of expertise that contributes to the creation of your products. This provides a behind-the-scenes view of your operations and emphasises your company's values and culture.
Case studies and success stories are potent tools in your content arsenal. By presenting real-world applications and results of your services, you can demonstrate their effectiveness and the outcomes they offer. This not only adds credibility to your claims but also helps potential customers visualise how you could help them.
Each case study should outline a challenge faced by a customer, explain how your service provided a solution, and highlight the results with tangible metrics. These stories can be published on your website, distributed via email newsletters, and promoted on social media.
Infographics can be an effective way to simplify complex manufacturing processes or data. An infographic can condense a wealth of information into an easy-to-understand, visually appealing format. They're shareable, digestible, and perfect for communicating your value proposition succinctly.
If you like the idea of an infographic, another great basis for one is to conduct original research or to gather various industry statistics together in one place. OEMs are always looking for facts to back up their decisions, so good solid data, clearly presented, is always sought after. As well as an infographic, the information can also be repurposed as an ebook or report.
And if it proves popular, then update the same information every year so your audience can see trends. If your survey is exclusive, then you will often find it gets picked up by industry pundits and news sites – spreading the brand and the influence further. A good example of this is Hubspot's annual State of Inbound report.
Embrace the power of LinkedIn's carousel posts to add an interactive element to your content strategy. Carousel posts allow you to share multiple images or slides within one post, telling a more comprehensive and engaging story. This can be particularly effective for manufacturing companies looking to dive deeper into their products, services, or industry insights.
For instance, use a carousel post to take your audience through the product development process, from concept and design to production and distribution. Each slide could represent a step in the process, filled with compelling visuals and succinct descriptions.
Alternatively, use the carousel format to break down complex topics. If there's a technical aspect of your industry that your audience may struggle to understand, a step-by-step carousel post can simplify the concept and make it more digestible.
Carousel posts are also great for showcasing a range of services or sharing multiple case studies in one go. Not to mention, they encourage viewers to engage with your content actively, as they have to click through the slides.
Getting started with creating manufacturing content doesn't have to be daunting. The key is to approach it strategically, taking into account your audience and your brand.
First, consider who you want to reach. What are their needs, pain points, and interests? Understanding your audience is the foundation of any successful content marketing strategy.
Next, define your brand voice. This is how you communicate your brand's personality and values. It needs to be consistent across all your content, as it helps to create a strong brand identity that your audience can connect with.
You'll need to create a content calendar to map out your strategy and keep track of what content will be published, when, and on where. This will ensure consistency and make the content creation process more manageable.
You may have people in-house who can create content. Your marketing team, for example, may include content creators. Or, you may want to partner with an external content marketing agency who have expertise in writing, design and video production. These professionals can bring a fresh perspective and specialised skills to content creation.
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, so should your manufacturing marketing strategy. By incorporating these creative content ideas you can connect with your audience on a deeper level, build trust, and effectively communicate your brand story.
Remember, the goal of your content should be to provide value, whether that's by educating, inspiring, or solving problems for your audience. By doing so, you'll position your brand as a thought leader in your industry and a reliable partner for your customers.