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Top “4” Industrial Internet Marketing Programs for Manufacturers

More than 90% of all manufacturing and industrial companies think about marketing their website after the site is already completed. Developing a new site or redesigning an existing site, is the best time to implement industrial internet marketing programs, because it is more cost effective and takes less time to design a site ground up with internet marketing in mind, than it does to have to modify an existing site, or in some cases, redesign the entire site.

Website - Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is one of the fastest growing marketing strategies being used by U.S. manufacturers. Within the last several years, there has been a significant shift in how industrial buyers find sourcing solutions. According to a recent Thomas Register survey, 90% of industrial buyers use the web to source for new products and services. These industrial and technical buyers are actively seeking for products, services, and solutions – they are ready to buy.

Website SEO is the art and science of blending technical and marketing skills together into a finely tuned website that is search engine-friendly, ranks well for specific keywords and phrases, and is tailored to specific audiences from a buyer’s and seller’s perspective. When an industrial buyer uses a search engine to find a specific product or service, the SEO goal is to rank within the top 10 search results for that search. The higher the website ranking, the more quality website traffic (self-qualified prospective clients) are generated.

Search Engine Optimization is a very cost-effective and proven industrial marketing strategy that has helped many manufacturing companies find highly-qualified prospective clients. When used in conjunction with other internet marketing programs (pay-per-click, press releases, or industrial online directories), the results can be extremely impressive. It is not uncommon to see marketing returns on investments in the double digits.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

PPC marketing programs involve bidding on specific search terms. The higher the bid, the higher the “ad” will be placed on that search engine and the more often it will be displayed. The only time a manufacturer pays for the ad is when someone actually clicks on it, hence “pay-per-click.”

The two most common industrial PPC search engines are Google Adwords and Overture. Both of these search engines allow bidding on specific keyword phrases and writing targeted ads. PPC marketing is a good strategy to use for manufacturers who experience slow periods during the year or are promoting events, products or services.

PPC programs work best if they are used with other online industrial marketing programs. According to a study conducted by Iprospect and Stratagem Research, 40% of the time a web searcher will click on the PPC ad on a search engine. The remaining 60% of the time a web searcher will click on the free listings (SEO). Together, these SEO and PPC internet marketing programs help manufacturers create the online visibility required to generate real industrial sales and sales lead opportunities.

Internet Press Releases & SEO

All manufacturing companies can benefit from utilizing Press Releases and specifically, press releases that are optimized for the search engines. When a press release is written for a search engine and its intended audience, the results are twofold: high search engine rankings generate quality website traffic, and the increased publicity gains the attention of the industrial media, which can lead to additional visibility and coverage.

There are many internet press release websites that offer targeted industry and geographic media distribution. Some of the most common websites include: www.prweb.com, www.prwire.com, and www.businesswire.com. If you would like to learn more about the marketing power of manufacturing press releases, I would recommend speaking to Tom Cutler of TR Cutler, Inc. He can be reached at www.trcutlerinc.com or by phone at 888-902-0300.

Thomasregister.com

Manufacturers can bid on various category listings; the higher the bid, the higher the placement within the category listing. Through pay-per-click marketing and search engine optimization, Thomasregister.com generates 1.3 million visitors per year to its online industrial buying directory. A recent Thomas Register survey found that approximately 40% of all industrial buyers used thomasregister.com to find relevant product information. The remaining 60% of industrial buyers relied on the major search engines, including Google, Yahoo, MSN, and others.

Conclusion

No one industrial internet marketing program is intended to be a stand alone marketing solution. To yield the biggest bang for the marketing dollar, it is always recommended to use a combination of some or all four industrial internet marketing programs discussed. With more and more industrial buyers relying on the internet to find sourcing solutions, the ability for manufacturers to capitalize on these recent shifts is critical to the growth and profitability of the U.S. manufacturing sector.

Author: Corey Wenger
Key Position Web Marketing, LLC
Industrial Internet Marketing Programs
www.key-position.com
317-238-3044
Corey@key-position.com