Tune in to the Manufacturing Masters Podcast or watch it here!
The Marketing Retrofit Company For Manufacturers

New Year, New Word for Manufacturers

by | Jan 12, 2023 | B2B Marketing, Brand Strategy, Manufacturing, Marketing

It’s a brand new year, Trailblazer!

And, with each new year comes a ritual…a new set of words.

Those magical little triggers we strategically place everywhere a 🟨 post-it note will stick to motivate us and keep us on track for the next twelve months.

Last year, for example, our words were HEALTHY + WEALTHY + WONDERFUL.

These guided the way we wanted our clients and colleagues to feel and the results they’d ultimately achieve.

Except this year feels different!

As in, three words feels like two too many. Too much. Time to down-size and get laser-specific.

Felt’s ONE WORD for 2023 is 🥁 🥁 🥁 🥁:

[ FUN : bringing joy, positivity, and creativity to every task and situation. Imagine if every meeting, crucial conversation, trade show, Zoom, flight, errand, social post, and expense report had some fun sprinkled on it?! ]

Since all roads lead back to marketing for manufacturers, here’s how to uncover your WORD and how it will drive your company goals, strategy, and results this year.

 

#1 How You Want Customers To Feel

  1. If you’re trying to attract more engineers (your desired audience here), for example, decide how you want them to feel at every touch point.
  2. We know engineers are typically linear thinkers who like to feel informed, are curious, and analytical, and need someone to help them get from concept to completion. Oh, and they’re not fans of being wrong.
  3. Imagine if they felt EQUIPPED, INSPIRED, and/or EMPOWERED during every stage of the buying cycle with you/your business.
  4.  Let’s go with EMPOWERED.

#2 Content To Help Customers Feel This Way

  1. Generate helpful, informative, inspirational, and valuable pieces of content for each touch point:
    • TED Talks that relate to aerospace, design, medical devices, engineering, etc.
    • Downloadable (Opt in) white paper that contrasts and compares substrates, technologies, design approaches, etc.
    • Simple videos of your in-house experts sharing stories and/or case studies or answering FAQs
    • Have an expert from your team show up on a LINKEDIN LIVE 2x p/month to do an Ask Me Anything Segment
    • Video clips on each page of your site that walk them through each section or specialization quickly
    • Social posts that ask questions
    • Regular articles and blog posts that review industry trends and patterns
    • Regular eNewsletter that feels personal and addresses a topic
    • Free download just for subscribing to your newsletter (i.e. 17 Problems We Help Engineers Solve)
  2. Schedule and strategically place content “gives” at every touch point to earn trust and EMPOWER engineers before, during, and after purchase

#3 Package It (Campaign)

  1. Connected components are stronger than fragments
  2. Develop an over-arching campaign and share it with your Sales Team, current, and potential customers
    • T-shirts that say EMPOWERED by (your company logo here)
    • Create a POWER PACK and send to current engineering customers: T-shirt, sticker, USB drive with a video message, etc.
    • Copy on your home page talking about how you empower engineers to do XYZ
    • Create a ‘POWER HOUR’ 1 or 2x per month to do a live Q&A
    • Use phrases in social posts like “Engineers empowered here.”

#4 Measure Monthly / Adapt

  1. Measure monthly analytics and survey engineering customers regularly throughout the year.
  2. Adapt as needed; don’t set it and forget it.
  3. Year-end EMPOWERMENT recap

The most beloved and successful brands aren’t just seen and heard, they’re felt.
Connecting to the heart of your ideal customer.

 

🔥 TAKEAWAY: The ONE word that will drive your company goals, strategy, and results this year

Words are like goals—they’re powerful motivators to help us achieve our dreams. And, the dreams we have for customers.

Too many though and you’ll most likely not meet all of them. Too complicated. Too hard to remember. Too many directions.

One word can effectively ignite you and your team to guide customers to their hero state all year long. And, why shouldn’t it be FUN?! 😉

Because, after all, you’re the Trailblazing savior of their entire Universe.

Here’s to helping customers FEEL a connection with you and your brand. Making sales easier!

 

For more resources, tools, and tactics to make sales easier and more profitable by becoming seen, heard and felt, subscribe to WTMFG!

Or shoot us an email (allison@feltmarketing.com) to strike up a conversation and find out how we can help you improve your marketing system and make sales easier.

Sharing is caring!