Manufacturing industry is one sector that is totally dependent on innovative technology, the lack of which can affect their business, increase production cost and slow down the manufacturing process. The advancement in technology has made the manufacturing process more efficient, making it easier for manufacturers to deliver orders on time and keep the production costs low at the same time.
Manufacturing is the first most important phase of any manufacturing company, an equally important phase is the marketing of the manufactured good. As meticulously as a production process is carried out, a manufacturing marketing strategy requires the same amount of focus and energy to ensure the product reaches their consumer. So when it comes down to the question as to who is responsible for reaching out to the final consumer, producer or distributor, the responsibility mostly lies on the manufacturer's shoulders.
It is the manufacturer who is responsible for marketing the product as it is their brainchild. There are two ways of marketing a product, the first one requires a manufacturer to approach the target audience themselves, through telemarketing and trade shows, to get exposure and increase awareness and demand for their product. The second approach involves hiring a distributor to do product marketing for the manufacturer. The first approach is more costly and requires more resources, whereas the second takes the load off of the manufacturer and transferred to the distributor who is responsible for generating demand for the product. In the latter approach, manufacturer equips the distributor with complete information and knowledge about the product. Hiring a distributor is a cost effective and efficient way to market your product without losing focus of the production process.
There are many manufacturers who take a more hands on approach when it comes to marketing their product and reaching out to the final consumer. They turn to PR agencies or manage an in-house PR department, which is responsible for all the advertising and product launching events.
New developments have taken place in the digital world which have proven to be of particular interest for the manufacturing sector. With online social media platforms, businesses can reach out to millions of customers with a click of a button. Manufacturers may have heard the terms, SEO, customer service, PPC, e-commerce, email marketing, social media, etc, but which inbound marketing tactic is going to actually deliver results, for B2B lead generation and B2B sales for them?
Manufacturers who are interested in the use of multiple channels (marketing mix 4Ps) to reach out to more and more customers may find marketing automation the perfect solution to their marketing needs. Market automation is a contemporary, extremely efficient and cost-effective way of not only streamlining but also automating the B2B manufacturing marketing process, that improves efficiency, boosts sales and generates revenue.
Market automation is a brand new concept that is still in its infancy and is expected to take over online marketing by the year 2020, where approx. 85% of customer relationship will be fully automated. Recent research suggests that the use of market automation will result in qualified leads, guaranteed to convert into sales. It will enable multiple campaigns to be scheduled several days ahead, which will save up considerable time and effort. Marketing automation is being considered the next big thing in online marketing that manufacturers must not miss out on especially if a manufacturer wants multi-channel, measurable marketing campaign.