Industrial Content Marketing for Manufacturers

For manufacturing companies, content marketing (or inbound marketing) is one of the strongest strategies to not only attract customers but also to keep the interest of existing customers. It not only boosts your SEO and helps your industrial company be found online, but it also educates your prospects so they can make informed decisions about their purchases. The key to industrial content marketing is creating content for search intent. 

With 70% of B2B buyers completing their research online before even reaching out to a potential vendor, it’s imperative that you’re creating the right content for your buyers at the right time. A buyer has different motivations at each stage of their buying process and is therefore looking for different types of resources. If you’re developing your content with the intention of helping and educating your prospects vs. selling them on your business, you’re already halfway there to nailing your industrial content marketing strategy!

Let’s look at some different content marketing for manufacturers at the different stages of the sales funnel:

Top of Funnel Content Marketing

The top of the sales funnel for industrial content marketers is all about creating awareness. Buyers are just beginning their search and are looking for high-level information, answers to questions, or solutions to a problem. Content at this stage can cover a wide array of topics and can attract a range of buyers. That’s not to say you should write about any given topic that comes to mind though – Don’t skip out on your keyword research!

• Blog Posts  – Keep your readers up to date on the latest industry trends or educate them on their most frequently asked questions.
• eBooks  – eBooks offer expert knowledge on a topic in an easily consumable, and visually appealing format.
• Manufacturing Podcasts – Online podcasts are a rapidly growing content strategy among industrial manufacturers, even surpassing webinars in the B2B industry.
• Industry Research – Offering insight beyond capabilities can position you as an industry thought leader. Ready to stand out from your competitors? Try putting your research into an infographic format!

Middle of Funnel Content Marketing 

This evaluation and consideration stage is typically the longest process, so for industrial content marketers the name of the game is “lead nurturing”. But buyers at the middle of the funnel require more in-depth and topic-specific content. This is where your manufacturing business has a chance to stand out from the competition and prove your value. 

• Comparison Guides – These guides can clearly and quickly educate buyers on which option is right for them, whether that be a product, size, material, or even competitor. 
• Video Content –  Once a costly method to produce, video has become more casual in the manufacturing industry and a cost-effective way to interest buyers. Video can be utilized for your factory tour, product demo, or even a client testimonial. *Pro tip: Video can also be optimized for SEO!

Bottom of Funnel Content Marketing

When a prospect has reached the bottom of the funnel they are just about ready to make their decision. That means this stage is your last chance to push them over the line and close a deal with your industrial business. It’s okay to get a little more sales-y in this stage, but continue to keep the primary focus of your content on how you can benefit your buyer. 

• Case Study – Great for sharing stories of how your product or service has helped a customer and allows prospects to relate. Plus, this is a great opportunity to share your customer testimonials. 
• Product Specification Sheets – Spec sheets offer both high-level and detailed information about the individual components of a product in order to be used for quotes. 
• Buyer’s Guides – Creating a buyer’s guide is another way to strengthen your relationship with your customers, and usually contains the need-to-know information on the product or services they’re looking to buy.

Creating an Industrial Content Marketing Strategy

With all the types of content options out there for manufacturers, how do you know where to start? The answer: Start with your customers! Find out what they need, their concerns, and their pain points. Learning from your existing customers is the best way to get insights into what your prospects are searching for. Supplement customer interviews with thorough competitor and keyword research to identify new industrial content marketing opportunities. 

Ready to start planning your content? To begin mapping out your content strategy, utilize this Free Content Planner Worksheet as your guide. This customizable worksheet will help you map out your strategy based on the three sales funnel stages: Research, consideration, and purchase. If you find there’s just not enough time in a day to manage content creation and content promotion, reach out to us and our pros will get you set up for industrial content marketing success!