Manufacturing currently accounts for over 10 percent of the U.S. economy—but this important contributor to our GDP is going through some changes. More manufacturing companies are attracting customers online than ever before, so an understanding of how to effectively market your goods or services in the digital sphere is now of the essence.
It should come as no surprise that B2B marketing requires a different approach than B2C. Still, share some key concepts, one being search engine optimization (SEO). B2B marketing strategies may seem quite as intuitive as a B2C campaign might, but trust us—they’re just as valuable. Let’s examine the perks of investing in SEO as a manufacturer.
Long-Term Benefits of SEO for Manufacturers
The internet may seem like an extremely transitory place at first glance—there are approximately 1.7 billion websites today, with more being created every minute—but sustained effort poured into a smart SEO strategy will produce lasting results in the long run. Here’s what manufacturing companies working with SEO can expect.
Accessing Long-Term Customer Search Data
Google is an analytics powerhouse; the company is constantly conducting research and development tests on the who, what, when, where, and why of what gets clicks. The Google algorithm evolves with customer search trends, especially if they’re searching for a particular keyword.
In short, the more you refine your SEO strategy and isolate the words that speak to your audience, the more Google’s algorithm will shuffle in your favor, with time and research. If there are particular products, services, or processes you want your business to rank for, SEO can help your site rise through the SERPs (search engine results pages).
Staying Ahead of the Competition
This one’s a given. If you’re working with essential products or materials, you don’t need to convince an audience that they need what you’re selling—your job is to convince them that they need your company in particular. That could involve everything from isolating your unique value proposition to growing your organic traffic. Whatever the case, if you want to keep a leg up on the competition, a solid SEO strategy isn’t just important; it’s crucial.
Luckily, there are multiple ways to implement SEO tactics. Not only can you execute a strategy on your company website; you can also pop those keywords into posts across your various social media platforms. You may even consider pairing with a reputable news outlet to get the word out about all your manufacturing team has to offer. You don’t have to be a corporate behemoth to outperform your competitors—you just have to be savvy to the ways your content appears on those online platforms.
Becoming an Authority in Your Industry
The higher your manufacturing business ranks, the more likely it is that you’ll be seen as an expert in your field, even by virtue of simply appearing more often than others. Of course, you’ll want to make sure your services live up to the hype, so continually refining that SEO content to reflect your message and offerings is a great way to remain credible and trustworthy.
Another aspect of remaining an authority in your business is continually engaging with your buyers—i.e., figuring out what they’re searching for, what they need from you, how you can best assist them, and so on. SEO allows you to track and respond to all of these things and more.
Committing to tracking all of this info, and from there, becoming an authority in your field, takes time and effort. Even if your marketing team is constantly churning out relevant content and uncovering new keywords, there’s no guarantee you’ll maintain your number one search spot forever. But regularly taking the time to review what words and phrases speak to your customers will go a long way towards making a name for yourself in the digital sphere.
Meeting—and Exceeding—Digital Expectations
Many manufacturers don’t take the time to invest in SEO, simply because they don’t believe they have much competition. As a result, B2B marketing is still something of a niche pursuit in the industry. Many manufacturing sites are pretty bland-looking and don’t have a lot of value behind them—meaning that it will just take the right strategy to outrank them.
Want to get other manufacturers to not only read your content but also engage with it? Accompany those SEO keywords with an intriguing writing style and insights that can’t be found anywhere else online, perhaps in the form of a weekly blog post. SEO tactics help to direct your potential customers to your site, and the written content surrounding those keywords is what gets them to stay. When used correctly, these strategies will make your manufacturing business a digital powerhouse that really, truly exceeds customer expectations.
Create a Powerful SEO Strategy With Snap Today
At Snap, we recognize the vast potential that B2B digital marketing has to drive traffic and revenue, and we’ve curated our service offerings to help manufacturers and other companies in backbone industries succeed. Through keyword research, content marketing, link building, and much more, we’re here to help you with all of your online needs. Contact us today to get started working with our award-winning SEO experts.