Content marketing is not rocket science, when you apply content science.
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Content marketing for manufacturers has always been a priority. This has traditionally meant investing in blogs, which have often boasted a decent return on investment. That isn’t the case anymore, however.
Instead, manufacturers need a more multi-format content strategy if they want to keep seeing success. This takes time and effort, and even working with a manufacturing content agency.
At Red Fern, we’ve seen exactly what works, and this often means investing in the right types of content moving forward.
Why blogs alone don’t cut it anymore
Blogs have long been a staple in content marketing for manufacturers. They give you a platform to share technical insights, company updates, and industry trends. Blogs can help with SEO, helping to bring in more website visitors and expand your overall visibility.
But, they’ve become ubiquitous in the industry. Every manufacturer worth their salt is already investing in blog content.
Coupled with how buyers have evolved over the years, and blogs don’t have the same impact they used to.
Buyers now lean toward more visual and interactive content, which means blogs alone wouldn’t offer you nearly as much of a return on investment.
With a manufacturing content marketing agency, you can create a multi-format strategy that actually drives your authority and sales.
This spans multiple areas, each of which are worth going through.
What multi-format content marketing for manufacturers looks like
Video content
Videos are a game-changer in content marketing for manufacturing. They bring products, services, and processes to life in a way blogs simply can’t replicate. A short video highlighting a CNC machine in action, for example, showcases precision.
This can be appealing to technical buyers. Then there are the likes of product demos, plant tours, and customer testimonials, all of which can appeal to various potential clients. These can drive engagement, foster greater trust levels and lead generation in time.
Infographics and visual guides
Infographics help you highlight complex and specific information in an easy-to-digest and informative visual manner.
These can be great at explaining manufacturing processes, supply chain efficiencies, and specifications in an understandable way.
Visual guides, on the other hand, provide value to technicians and similar professionals. These can include step-by-step maintenance guides and similar content. These formats can help you boost your reach and engage potential clients quite well.
Case studies and white papers
Case studies and white papers have always been powerful tools when you’re focusing on B2B sales and marketing. Case studies highlight the practical, real-world applications of a product.
You can showcase how your tools improved a client’s efficiency, for example.
The case studies on the Red-Fern site have won us multiple six figure deals, these case studies are strategically structured and curated to build credibility and trust.
White papers, however, offer a deeper dive and include more data-driven insights for readers. Both of these formats help you build credibility and can be highly effective for lead generation and brand authority.
Podcasts and webinars
Podcasts and webinars tap into the growing demand for on-the-go and interactive learning. Potential clients can listen to them when they’re focusing on other areas. A series of these podcasts, including expert guests, helps position you as an industry expert going forward.
Webinars, which can often be hosted by a manufacturing content marketing agency, allow for more real-time engagement with potential clients and lets you answer more specific questions. Both formats help you become a thought leader and industry expert.
Interactive tools
Interactive content helps to generate clicks to your website, engage potential clients, and more, regardless of the industry you’re in. In manufacturing, there are multiple interactive tools you could use on your website, like ROI calculators and product configurators.
These shouldn’t just bring more viewers to your website. They’ll be much more engaging than a blog and help to establish industry expertise and authority. Tying these directly to what you offer also helps to drive overall sales and revenue.
Social content snippets
Short-form social content – such as LinkedIn posts and Instagram reels – delivers bite-sized value to busy professionals. A 30-second clip of a new product launch or a quick tip on optimising machinery can help to generate buzz.
These snippets can be repurposed from larger pieces of content, like the video content you could already be creating. This helps you maximise your reach and the return on investment you’ll see from your marketing efforts.
Work with a manufacturing content marketing agency
Blogs can still be a worthwhile investment, provided they’re part of a larger strategy. Content marketing for manufacturing should include videos, infographics, and multiple other formats.
While these take an investment, the return they boast makes them more than worth it.
Working with a manufacturing content agency – like us here at Red Fern – helps make creating a multi-format content strategy more straightforward.
