Congratulations! Your manufacturing business is doing stellar in its home region, and you want to expand. We’re well aware of how challenging manufacturing markets can be, so give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back.
However, what works in your home region isn’t necessarily what will work best when you branch out. Here’s our take on how to achieve manufacturing business growth on a multi-regional scale.
1. Identify Manufacturing Markets With Great Potential
Now, we know you don’t want to plop your business down in the middle of nowhere with a next-to-absent demographic market. You also probably don’t want to expand to a region where there’s way too much competition and you can barely tread water, let alone thrive. Instead, find the areas with the most promising demographics and, if you have competition, ask yourself if you’re a worthy competitor.
If not, how should you adjust your approach so that you can compete? Document your plan and focus primarily on the data, such as the latest sourcing trends from engineers, procurement, and distribution.
2. Prepare to Reintroduce Yourself
Yes, the internet exists, so customers outside of your region may have already heard of you. But much like moving to a new town and not knowing anyone, your ad campaign should be new and fresh for those just making acquaintances.
Identify your unique selling points, develop intro posts and videos for social media, or even host a webinar to introduce yourself. We’re especially fond of webinars and visual media for breaking down complicated manufacturing products and processes into a digestible format. And if your budget’s a little tight, a good ole press release with flawless copy works, too.
3. Address Region-Specific FAQs
We have no doubt that new regions will have many questions about the new manufacturing business that’s headed their way. And those questions aren’t necessarily the ones that your central region has. Develop and monitor a separate FAQ page for your new audience, and respond via phone, email, or direct messaging when possible.
Here are example FAQs for manufacturing businesses expanding to new markets:
- Why expand to this region, specifically?
- What does expanding this manufacturing business mean for current employees? What about current customers?
- What will be challenging about expansion for those living in this region, and what will be rewarding?
- How can I place an order at your new business?
- Now that we’re operating in the same region, how can we start a partnership?
Adjust your responses as needed for B2B, B2C, and residential clients.
4. Fortify Your Digital Marketing Presence
Ideally, your impressive track record alone would bring you manufacturing business growth in new regions. But in today’s world, you need an online presence to match. Here are some ways to strengthen your digital marketing:
- Write blog posts about region-specific production. Is the market you’ve just expanded into booming? Why or why not? Why is your manufacturing business beneficial for that new region? Is it the convenience of service? The shipping? The overall cost?
- Develop a keyword strategy for that region. SEO is great for those region-specific blog posts we mentioned above. You can also use local SEO when crafting your Google My Business page or responding to customer reviews from that specific location. And don’t forget to tailor your SEO to voice search, which is hugely popular for local searches!
- Learn Your ABCs. In other words, the architecture, backlinks, and content of your website. While “backlinks” are pretty SEO-specific, there are endless ways to refine the architecture (i.e., structure) and content of your manufacturing website.
I’m on a Budget—Where Should I Pivot My Spending When Expanding to New Regions?
Expanding to new manufacturing regions can, indeed, be cost-effective. Here’s how:
- Social media marketing is actually pretty cheap. Between bidding prices for clicks on LinkedIn and budget parameters on Facebook ads, social media advertising is excellent for manufacturing business growth.
- Invest in AI. That may sound expensive, but AI is actually predicted to save us $150 million by 2026. And let’s face it, AI’s quick and effective communication will help smooth out what could be a bumpy transition to a new region.
- Swap your B2B trade show budget for a digital marketing one. B2B trade shows are expensive—and if your region still suffers from COVID pitfalls, you may not see the turnout you’re looking for anyway. Why not funnel that money towards your online presence instead?
Go Forth Into New Manufacturing Markets With Confidence
Social media marketing. Keyword strategy. Blogging. Webinars. Expanding your manufacturing business is no small feat. Why not let us take some of the load off your shoulders? Chat with us today about the best ways to grow digitally. We can’t wait to hear from you.