Inbound Marketing for Manufacturing

Inbound marketing for manufacturing can transform how many B2B companies reach new prospects and convert them to new customers.  Inbound marketing is the process of getting found by your target customers, of being where they are looking for information, with the information they need, when they need it.  

Inbound marketing combines content that matters, with information distribution where people want it, and search engine optimization to deliver your message to your target audience.  Studies show that the cost per lead and cost for new customer acquisition are drastically lower for inbound marketing than for traditional outbound or interruption marketing.

If you can answer "yes" to any of these questions then you should consider implementing an inbound marketing effort:

• is your website a catalog of products?
• is your sales collateral a list of product specifications?
• do you sell a component or part and compete mostly on price?
• have your leads decreased?
• does it cost more sales and marketing time and dollars to get the same or less revenue?
• are you doing more quotes and closing less business?
• do you go to trade shows and get less business at increased cost?
• are you advertising and are not sure if it is working to drive revenue?

If you answer "no" to any of these questions then you might need inbound marketing:

• do people find my company online?
• do we rank highly in Google search for our top keywords?
• do we know what top keywords people search to find our types of solutions?
• are we producing interesting content that addresses the issues our customers face every day?
• do you have a system for nurturing leads and following up with them to help them through the sales process?
• do you develop online and social media connections to other industry leaders, influencers, and potential customers?
• do you know how you stack up against your competitors online?
• do you know what marketing activities generate the best ROI in terms of revenue?

Inbound marketing works.  Inbound marketing is an investment that compounds.   Efforts today will last for years and become the platform to go even further and broaden that marketing investment to bring more potential customers right to your front door.