Grant Marketing Blog

Digital Marketing Remains a Powerful Strategy for Industrial Manufacturers

Many of the marketing trends for 2022 focus on digital components. A strong online presence has never been more important, the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technology is expanding, and there are more social media options than ever before. In addition, trends toward specialized company content and personalized content are proof that in the marketing world, content is (still) king. Here are six of the top marketing trends for the coming year—relevant and applicable to all sales pipelines, not just industrial manufacturers.

The Look of Manufacturing in America
Even if you have a sales force, marketing manager, social media expert, or an event coordinator, they all need collateral to help sell your product or services. Your investment in machinery, technology, and expertise deserves the best visual representation through professional industrial photography. As well, you’ve spent all that money to be the best in your industry—people should see it in all its glory.

Is Your Brand Your Greatest Asset?

If you asked your management team, employees, and customers “who” your company is, what would they say? Would internal and external perceptions align? Would customers agree that the value you provide is the value they feel they are getting?

6 Steps Towards Starting Your First Inbound Marketing Plan

Are you tossing around the idea of starting an industrial inbound marketing plan, but don’t know what the methodology is and aren’t sure how? Great news, there are clear steps to the strategy that you can easily learn!

Why Your Sales Team Needs to Be Your Most Authentic Brand Advocate

Are your sales and marketing functions copacetic? Or are they more like two ships that, if you’re lucky, pass in the night? Aligning your company’s marketing and business development functions:

• Unifies your team
• Builds strategic cohesion
• Keeps the sales pipeline flowing

Branding the Past for the Future—A Family Affair

Does your company have a distinct brand, based upon a thoughtful brand development process? Or is your company’s brand more of an extension of the founder’s personality?

Because Your B2B Brand Strategy May Still Need Fixin’

We hear all too often the strains of, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” reasoning for not updating brand messaging or revising outdated websites. What you aren’t doing, in reality, is adhering to a consistent and congruent brand development strategy. But do you really know how many opportunities you may be missing out on by not making these changes? What is your gauge for broken? If you don’t remain relevant and contemporary, prospects may be passing you by because you look “broke” to them. Your assumptions may be shortsighted and costly. 

Your Logo Represents Your Company Brand

Nike’s swoosh, McDonald’s golden arches, and Apple’s semi-eaten apple. What do these three have in common? They are all widely recognized logos. When you see the swoosh, you know what it symbolizes. You might think that industrial brand strategy for your company doesn’t need to include a logo. But just how important is a logo for your industrial manufacturing company? The short answer is: a logo is very important.

Branding Basics

Forbes.com contributor Scott Davis puts it best: a brand must inspire how people feel, influence how they behave, and compel them to act. How do you achieve this? Through the successful implementation of a solid and focused brand strategy, of course! This applies across industries and business models—from B2C to B2B. It’s just as relevant for industrial manufacturers. A strong industrial branding strategy is the most important aspect of your marketing efforts. Indeed, it is the foundation that supports and informs all of your marketing messaging. Without an integral brand, your company will blend in with the competition. Use brand development to differentiate yourself from competitors and to communicate your promise to customers. Not only is it your brand’s job to deliver your brand promise, but it should also be directly connected to consumer needs, emotions, and competitive environments. After all, you want your brand to be distinctive to create value and connection among customers.

Emphasize Employee Awareness of Your Brand

Brand Development encompasses a complex and multi-tiered approach to showing the world who you are. It defines what your business stands for and explains how your products get delivered to and are experienced by customers. It also involves the “why” behind your customers’ purchasing decisions. More importantly, brand development backed by brand strategy helps you differentiate yourself from your competitors, which creates recognizable brand loyalty in customers’ lives. In industrial branding, it is important to keep your customers in mind. But, it is also crucial to get your employees involved.