Imagine your world without marketing, Are you doing it? Now, whilst the marketers of the world are having visions of an apocalypse, others may struggle to distinguish between that world and their own. What will we do without all that colouring in?! Joking aside, marketing is highly misunderstood, and it’s power underestimated by industrial sectors. Many see marketing as the reserve of consumer markets, selling shampoo and shirts. Marketer, business owner, manager; you should all share the same view of a world without marketing….It’s not pretty.

We’ve posted some pretty heavy articles in the past few weeks, so we decided to change gear a little with this one. With the holiday season well and truly kicking in, people returning home, re-engaging with their roots, we decided it was time for a post that did the same.

A clear understanding of where you’ve come from and why you chose your path is not just a good idea, it’s a vital ingredient to achieving your goals. It’s a regular failing within many industries, but ever prominent in the Manufacturing Industry. The problem is a lack of strategy, and it’s rooted in not understanding fundamentally why marketing is an essential part of running a Manufacturing business.

Marketing professionals employed by UK Manufacturing businesses would do well to keep this post as a reference to remind people of how critical the work you actually do is!

So Why Is This World Without Marketing So Scary?

Sales and Marketing are Intrinsically Linked

Marketing comes in many shapes and forms, and is an essential tool in making your business visible. If your business isn't familiar with the words "Sales & Marketing Pipeline”, a good way to explain marketing is as the first step in the sales journey; in order to be able to inform customers of what your business does, or even just the existence of your business, you need to market it. In this way marketing and sales and intrinsically linked. Is that world without marketing “picture” becoming clearer?

Leaky Pipelines Lead to Droughts

It is also important to note that marketing is different from advertising. Whilst advertising is a direct push for your business, or specific capability, marketing is more about communicating what your business can do, and why it is special, rather than pushing a direct sell. However, marketing is just as important a part of the sales pipeline as any other step in the sales process. Think about it this way. If the pipe is leaking, no matter where, opportunities are escaping your business. A good marketing strategy can eliminate a lot of leaks.

Relationships don't just grow, they need nurturing

The first, and one of the most important parts of marketing is making contacts. Whether they are business contacts, a direct link with a customer, or even just a post online mentioning your business and capability, all marketing strategies are dedicated to reaching people and making your company and your brand known. Many businesses have been started and built off the back of a strong network. This however is just an ingredient, these are sewn seeds in a field for later harvest. It’s important to keep planting new seeds, as well as nurturing those already sewn. Is the apocalyptic vision of a barren field in a world without marketing coming into focus?

Word-of-Mouth is Confusing, not always Compelling

You could have the best capability on the market, but if nobody knows about it, your business will not be successful. Some businesses rely on customer feedback and personal recommendations, or ‘word of mouth’, and even this is a type of marketing, and is very valuable. However, this alone isn’t a complete and reliable strategy, as it has a very limited outreach; namely, only the people who talk to your existing customers will hear about you, and only if your customers actually mention your business.

Let’s not forget, you have little control over what “words” those customers are using to describe your business. They may be positive, but they may not be consistent. Inconsistency spells confusion in the eyes of the customer. If you don’t take control of the customer perception, you’ll find customers wandering off in all directions like post-apocalyptic zombies.

You’re Motivated, Now You Want Some Next Steps

So we’ve painted a picture. Burst pipes, barren lands, starvation and zombies. The world without marketing is not a place where anyone in business wants to be. Now I’ve got you all sufficiently scared, many of you will have a reignited energy and motivation to keep on track with your current strategy. Many will be thinking, “What strategy?!” If neither of these apply to you, we obviously haven’t painted a clear enough picture!

If you’re in the “What Strategy?” camp, good news. We’ve got some steps to get you started. If you’re in the former camp, feeling re-energised and motivated we’re not finished with you yet. You can skip the next part of this post, but only one part. If describing barren lands and burst pipes will more than likely get you laughs and chuckles, rather than praise and applause we’ve got some more examples you can use to remind those around you how extensive the reach of marketing is.

So You’re in the “What Strategy?!” Camp...

In order to ensure people hear about you and your capability, you need to have a marketing strategy in place. That means piecing together a number of tactics, like the one’s described, and utilising the right one at the right time. This can sound very daunting, but it can actually be quite a straightforward process, and infinitely valuable.

To start, ask yourself three questions:

1. 1. Who do I want to sell to?
2. 2. Why should they buy from me?
3. 3. How am I going to inform them of my business?

These three steps are a simple way of starting to think about marketing, and what it can do for you.

1. Who do I want to sell to?

Once you have answered this first question, you have identified your market. This could be a particular industry, a particular area of the country, or even just identifying competitors, and investigating their customer base.

2. Why should they buy from me?

The answer to the second question is your USP, or unique selling proposition. This question should get you to think about what makes your business stand out, and what your strengths are. This is what you need to be highlighting in your marketing campaign.

3. How am I going to inform them of my business?

Finally, the third question will help you identify how you are going to put your marketing campaign into practice. The first question, ‘who do I want to sell to?’ will have helped you to think about who your proposed customers are, and where they’re located. Is there a particular website they use? Are they typically users of social media? From this information you can then work out what the best platforms for your marketing strategy are. The platform(s) you choose could be any of a multitude that are available, from SEO companies, to social media sites, to blogging. The main thing to consider is what you think would best reach your desired customer base, and how best to promote your brand.

Once all these things are in place, you can settle down to working out how best to use the platforms you have identified to market your USP. This is often a process of trial and error, and will involve working out what your marketing budget is, and how much time, and how many resources you have to dedicate to it. The main thing to focus on is making contacts, and building a dialogue with potential customers, so that when they are considering what businesses to contact for their next job, it is your business they think of.

So Now You’re in The “How do I Show Others?” Camp...

We like to bring some credibility to everything we write, and this is a takeaway for you to use from one of the most credible guys in small business marketing, John Jantsch.

His definition of marketing is:

“...Getting someone who has a need, to know, like and trust you”

John Jantsch - Duct Tape Marketing

Marketing therefore is all about how the “market” of potential customers perceive you, whether they are aware of your existence, whether they like the fact that you exist, and whether they trust you enough to actually ask you for your assistance.

So how do you impact this perception? With every communication you have with the outside world, from the clothes you wear, the way you introduce yourself, the way you talk, the way you spell, your tone of voice, your tone of writing. How technologically up to date you are, the decor in your office, your email signature, how quickly your reply to a request, how quickly you respond to issues, the packaging of your finished goods…

The list could go on. The truth is you are marketing without even knowing it. A customer will have a perception of you regardless of whether you are trying to control it or not.

So why does your business need marketing? Because with thought and focus, you can drastically impact the perceptions of your existing customers, the market and potential new customers.

A world without marketing, would be a world without human perception and the sad fact is, we can’t help but judge.

So if you’re responsible for the marketing in your manufacturing business, whether it be a full time focus of part time, always keep in mind “why”. Whether it be for personal motivation, or to justify your strategy to the doubters around you, remember the post-apocalyptic world without marketing and how you must stay the course.

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