Industrial Marketing from the Heart
I spoke to a few company owners and managers in the manufacturing and industrial arena this past month and a few things boggled my mind. With all these tools available to get the word out about their products and services, none of them were using any. I was kind of baffled. I know it is hard to dedicate time to grow your B2B reach but when your potential client is looking for what you do and you are not out in from to of them how in the world are you going to get business from that? There will always be your current and recurring client pool but to tap into the twilight zone of untapped potential is the key to growth. If you want to grow you have to reach out and maybe do something that is uncomfortable, but it works.
Share Your Passion with People
If you manufacture monkey wrenches then make it the most sought after wrench in the industry! Make videos with it. Build a brand around the tough and feel of it and why a craftsman would want one in their hands when they are doing their job. Create a culture. The possibilities are endless, but my point is if you keep cranking out your message on social media, blogs and videos you are going to sell a hell of a lot of wrenches!
Create Excitement!
Your first thought is what is so exciting about a bent piece of metal, a circuit board, a battery, an electrostatic precipitator, a forklift, etc. Well, the answer is everything! The thought of combining all of these elements that create a consumer product or a service that helps clean the environment is completely and utterly fascinating! I hope it is not only me that feels this way but let me tell you something, the more you get pumped up about what you do or what you provide it will translate into sales. The money will follow. Obviously the goal is to make money and stay in business but if that is not your focus it will come naturally and follow. It is hard to explain the jolt and following you will get from providing relevant content and interest.
Don’t be Scared
Worried about what people will think? Why bother! You are on a different mission than they are. Put blinders on and march forward. Do what you feel is right and run with it. There is no right or wrong way to record a video except by not doing it at all. That would be a shame. If you have not made a video yet for your business you are missing the cruise ship. If you get jealous or get bummed out when you see one of your competitors videos that are all polished with a lead in and a cool graphic that is animated, great overlay music and an ending the is good enough for the Super Bowl, don’t. I am sure their first video was a bit generic but it worked. There are a ton of free (and paid) tools to make a video look cool. There are even some apps for the phone that will help you create and publish a professional looking video in minutes! If your excuses start piling up you need to knock that pile over. There will never be enough time, there will never be enough money, etc. Flip the script and just get it done. In a short time you will look back at what you were reluctant to do is now a piece of cake and slightly addictive.