There’s a growing trend in the manufacturing industry of business owners who are tired of spending time and money on unqualified leads not ready to buy and of demotivated sales teams.
Manufacturers are turning to inbound and to updated marketing strategies. They are getting savvy in the digital world, using social channels, upping their game regarding website design and SEO and they mean business.
Here are some of the questions we get asked by manufacturers before they become inbound advocates and eat their competition for breakfast…
Why is Inbound the way forward for my manufacturing company?
Sales executives only work business hours and only in one country at a time when your website is working for you 24/7, 365 days a year and is available simultaneously/ continually in all countries. Inbound capitalises on this and uses your website, blogs, social feeds etc., to attract sales leads.
How can I take the heat off my sales team and still increase sales qualified leads?
Use the forces of attraction and qualification and remove the onus on your sales team. Use your website to answer customer queries and problems online prior to a sales call. There’s no need to suffer the adverse affects of telephone sales alone anymore. With the inbound methodology all queries and problems have already been answered before you speak to your lead. Your sales team only connect with those potential customers who are ready to buy.
How is that even possible?
The CRM that’s connected to your website tracks what your leads are doing when they meet your criteria for qualification. You are then automatically alerted to a lead that is ready to buy.
That sounds miraculous so how do I attract more website visitors?
Your website should be well designed with a slick, polished look and an easy to use interface. It must be carefully considered with a specific customer journey mapped out (also see our blog about converting website traffic into leads: "Is Your Website Easy to Use? Make it Friendly in 7 Steps"). Then you must place signposts all over the web so that search engines can easily direct visitors to your site. Use blog posts, social etc., become an authority in your field. You could use Adwords to initially market your company which can be phased out as your organic status grows therefore eliminating the need for it.
Does this replace traditional marketing methods such as exhibitions and trade shows?
No! In our experience when we first meet with manufacturers they tend to lean heavily on exhibitions and trade shows to market themselves. This is their comfort zone so few are leveraging digital. Although they tell us “this has always worked for us”, ultimately they contact us to get more leads and increase sales. They are also still competing with similar organisations. As margins become tighter we are seeing an increasing shift in manufacturers looking to inbound and digital strategies for their lead generation. 'The Midlands Assembly Network' is a prime example of manufacturers leading the pack in the Midlands. The group helps to market Manufacturing organisations by grouping them together and is very savvy in the way it selectively uses digital. Another useful guide is in our blog post: "Why Midlands Manufacturers Shouldn't Turn their backs on Social Media".
Stat’s on why inbound is the way forward
The industry average return on investment using inbound is a monthly increase of x4.10 more visitors, x3 times more leads per month and 72% of inbound users saw an increase in sales revenue in one year so this is definitely the way forward for manufacturers. But before we even start attracting new visitors as in this case there’s often a huge opportunity to convert existing audiences.
Case Scenario of a typical manufacturing company before inbound:
“We have 7500 people visit our website every month but we don’t know what’s happening to them? We only get 3 leads per month. What’s happening to the other 7497 visitors. Where did they go, why is that number so low?”
How can we nurture the leads we have?
In short with a solid digital strategy and the right marketing automation tools. With HubSpot CRM and a structured, defined approach to lead management, email automated marketing and Hubspot Sales software there will be no stopping you.
There is no magic list of contacts; leads are attracted and nurtured with good quality content, social outreach and automated workflows. You know what a good lead looks like, so use this intelligence to flag up when one visits your site. Recognise a qualified lead in manufacturing when you see/receive one.
And if a lead isn’t ‘ready to buy’ don’t reach out to them, nurture them with additional content that convinces them you’re the supplier they should be working with.
The behavior of buyers has shifted, pre qualification happens online. Every purchase and every sales decision is thoroughly researched before you even pick up the phone. Inbound helps you capitalise on this and use it to your advantage.
If you’re in manufacturing and looking to get more from your website and sales process we’ve prepared a handy guide for you to download.
Alternatively call one of our inbound professionals for an exploratory call on 01789 608015
