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Every manufacturing company would want to attract more leads, gain more customers and boost their profits. One of the best ways of growing your industrial business is through a well-planned advertising strategy. In this article, you will learn what industrial advertising is all about, as well as the functions of industrial advertising.
Traditional advertising spending is projected to drop by 0.61% in 2021 – Statista
What is industrial advertising?
Industrial advertising simply refers to advertising that is directed to businesses that need products or services connected to the manufacturing industry. The products could be anything from fibers needed to make upholstery and clothing, to computer components like cooling fans and graphics cards. Industrial advertising is at times generally referred to as business-to-business (B2B) marketing, which basically means a business promoting products or services to another business.
For a long time, industrial companies have depended on traditional advertising strategies like direct mail ads, print ads, newspapers, trade shows, industrial print directories and trade magazines. While these strategies can still be effective in promoting products or services, you will get better results with digital advertising. Modern technologies have made it easier to target exact audiences and generate more leads. It has been said that 94% of buyers use online research at some point in the buying process.
In a January 2021 survey, B2B marketers were asked about their anticipated budget for traditional and digital media. Traditional advertising spending was projected to drop by 0.61% in 2021, while spending on digital advertising was expected to increase by 14.32%.
Spending on digital advertising is expected to increase by 14.32% in 2021 – Statista
Let us now look at the functions of industrial advertising.
Why your company should adopt an industrial digital advertising
The functions of industrial advertising are many. Here are a few reasons why your industrial company should invest in digital advertising:
1. Digital marketing allows precise targeting
An effective marketing campaign requires reaching the right people. You need to target individuals interested in what you have to offer. Targeting people using traditional advertising strategies is not easy. Your message will be broadcasted to everyone in the hope that the right people will respond. With digital advertising, you can specifically target people that are interested in your products, services or company.
Digital ads allow you to define your target audience by attributes like interests, hobbies, occupation, gender, age, and more. With platforms like Facebook Advertising, you can get even more specific with your targeting. This means that you can spend your budget more effectively and generate a good return on investment.
Facebook Ad Targeting Options
2. Digital marketing is measurable
Anytime you invest funds in a marketing campaign, you would want to monitor the outcomes. You need to know if a strategy is actually contributing towards the growth on your business. With traditional advertising, it is very difficult to measure the effectiveness of your campaigns. For instance, you cannot tell whether your leads originated from newspaper ads or trade magazines. Digital advertising methods make it possible for you to monitor the results of your campaign. You can use tool like Google Analytics, Kissmetrics, Adobe Analytics, Wix Analytics, SEMRush and Chartbeat.
From search engine optimization (SEO) to social media, you will be able to monitor the results of your campaigns. You can track metrics like shares, comments, clicks, impressions, conversions, and more. This way, you get to know how each campaign is performing and what improvements need to be made.
Digital Advertising Metrics to Measure Success
Digital advertising allows you to track metrics like shares, comments, clicks, impressions, conversions, and more
3. Digital marketing is cost-effective
Traditional marketing methods like TV ads, radio ads, billboards and magazine ads can be very costly. This makes it difficult for small businesses to compete effectively with larger, more established companies. The good news is that digital advertising levels the playing field. Whether you are a small or mid-size business, you can find a digital advertising strategy that is pocket-friendly. For example, with a budget of only $10 daily, you can run an ad on Facebook and reach hundreds of targeted prospects.
If you choose to work with an established digital advertising agency, the agency will work with your budget and offer a tailor-made strategy for your industrial business.
CHECK THIS: Best Digital Marketing Strategies for Manufacturers
4. Digit marketing allows you to make adjustments
Something unique to digital advertising is that you can make adjustments to your campaign as you go. With traditional strategies, it is not easy to make changes once you get going. When your billboard or newspaper ad is up, you cannot change it until the end of the campaign.
Digital advertising gives you the ability to make changes whenever you want. You can update your content, tweak your social media ads, update your PPC campaigns and optimize your SEO campaigns as the need arises. By adjusting your campaigns, you will be able to drive better results.
94% of buyers use online research at some point in the buying process – Fronetics
5. Digital advertising enhances your conversion rate
Generating a lot of traffic is meaningless if you cannot convert it to leads or paying customers. Since digital marketing allows you to specifically target people interested in your company, products or services, it enhances your chances of making conversions. A conversion happens when someone takes a desired action like filling out a form, signing up for a free newsletter, installing an app, creating an account or making a purchase. The more conversions you make, the more your business grows.
SEE THIS: B2B PPC: How to Use Paid Search to Drive Business Leads and Revenue
Industrial Digital Advertising Strategies
When it comes to digital advertising methods, there are many options to choose from. Let us explore a few:
LinkedIn advertising
A recent survey revealed that LinkedIn is the most trusted social media site in the US. The network has over 722 million members, with 61 million being ‘senior-level influencers’. In addition, there are 55 million companies on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn offers three types of ad formats for industrial advertising:
- Text ads: Text ads on the LinkedIn network are very similar to those which appear in search engine results. They are ideal for driving traffic to landing pages, targeting B2B buyer personas and generating leads
- Sponsored content: These kinds of ads run on the news feed alongside the content other members are sharing or posting. Sponsored content therefore generates more engagement and drives qualified leads to your landing pages
- Message ads/Sponsored InMail: Message ads deliver a targeted message to your audience with a single call-to-action (CTA). You can even add a lead generation form to your messages to gather leads directly from LinkedIn. LinkedIn message ads drive stronger response and engagement than traditional emails
LinkedIn is the most trusted social media site in the US – Insider Intelligence
Webinar advertising
According to recent webinar statistics, 73% of B2B marketers agree that a webinar is a great strategy for generating high-quality leads. In these COVID times when in-person meetings are restricted, webinars are a great way of connecting with your audience. With B2B webinars, there is no limit on the number of people you can reach at once. They are a great platform for live product launches and demonstrations. You can engage your audience in real-time and answer questions about your company, products or services.
73% of B2B marketers agree that a webinar is a great strategy for generating high-quality leads – Outgrow
SEE THIS: Webinar Marketing in B2B: What Marketers Do Wrong and Why It Is Still Worth the Effort
Email newsletter advertising
Statistics reveal that 77% of B2B firms use an email marketing newsletter as part of their overall content marketing strategy. An email newsletter is a very effective tool for nurturing relationships with your customers and prospects. It can also boost your company’s reputation by positioning you as an authority in the industry.
However, don’t make the mistake of bombarding your audience with sales pitches 24/7. Instead, provide customer-focused content like industry news and trends, technological developments, case studies and solutions to common problems. Use a compelling headline and keep your emails short, simple and relevant. And remember to add a relevant call-to-action at the end of your email. To automate the entire process, consider using email campaign management software like MailChimp and Constant Contact.
RELATED: 15 Email Marketing Checklists: Grow Your Sales By 114%
Online business directories
Getting listed in online business directories will make it easy for prospective buyers to discover your business. Since such directories offer backlinks to your site, it will help improve your search engine ranking. The listing will also strengthen your reputation as a trustworthy, high-quality business. Finally, getting listed on local business directories will boost your visibility to local customers and prospects.
Here are the leading online directories for manufacturing companies:
- Kompass
- MFG.com
- McRAE’s Blue Book
- Zycon
- IQS Directory
- Industry Net
- Engineering360
You could also try other general online directories like Google My Business, PR.com, Yahoo! Small Business, BizJournals, Yellowpages.com and Yelp for Business.
77% of B2B firms use an email marketing newsletter as part of their overall content marketing strategy – OptinMonster
Conclusion
Now that you are aware of the functions of industrial advertising, it is time to implement an industrial digital marketing strategy. However, you might not have any idea where to begin your campaign or what advertising strategies are right for your company. If you are looking for a digital advertising agency to work with, don’t look any further. The team at ONEIMS can design and roll out a custom advertising strategy that will generate leads and boost your sales. Get in touch with us.
