Sales cycles in the manufacturing industry are more complex today than ever before, leaving many in-house marketers in uncharted territory when it comes to spending their marketing budget most efficiently.

Sure, there’s an array of options for manufacturers in terms of which channels and tactics to use. But if you have a limited amount of money to spend on a specific marketing tactic, prioritize inbound marketing. Here’s why inbound marketing should be your go-to choice as a manufacturer.

Reason #1: Get Found Sooner

Inbound marketing is all about getting your product or service to a place where potential buyers discover it. Enhance your online visibility with marketing content that drives organic search engine traffic and helps customers discover your products and services quickly.

The types of content that improve your discoverability include:

• Blog posts
• Videos
• White papers
• Case studies
• Webinars

As a manufacturer, you must ensure your products are discoverable on search engines like Google and Bing. When potential customers are looking for the solutions you offer, they shouldn’t have to look far to find them.

Reason# 2: Hire the Salesperson that Never Gets Tired

Inbound marketing is like having your very own super-energetic sales representative who never takes a break—always at work attracting potential customers, no matter the time of day or night.

With inbound marketing, your content is always live, working hard to get people interested in your business, 365 days a year. Your potential customers get the best of both worlds: a passionate, informed salesperson who expertly demonstrates why your product stands out, and evergreen content to refer to when they have questions.

Reason #3: Earn Trust Sooner

Creating and publishing organic content through inbound marketing demonstrates your commitment to giving your customers helpful information (not just trying to make a sale). This approach encourages consumer confidence and trust in your products and services, and in your brand.

Business buyers are much more likely to do business with companies that show genuine interest in helping them out rather than just trying to make a quick sale.

Reason #4: Meet Your Buyers Where they Are in their Buyer Journey

With inbound marketing, you meet potential customers where they are at various stages of the buyer’s journey.

Make learning part of your content strategy by creating educational pieces that address common questions, issues, and areas where buyers need help. You’ll stand out as an accessible source for reliable answers, positioning your firm at the forefront when people are looking for their perfect solution. This builds trust with potential customers and gives them more insight into how your products and services solve their problems.

Reason #5: Give Customers what they Prefer–Education Over Pitches

You don’t want to bombard customers with sales pitches or ads that pressure them and don’t provide value. Business buyers these days prefer content that educates them on topics related to your industry or products.

Investing in inbound marketing creates content that offers valuable insights into topics related to your products and services, something that your potential buyers are already looking into. You engage with current and potential customers informatively without pushing sales pitches or advertisements on them when they’re not interested.

Reason #6: Lower Your Cost Per Lead

Outbound marketing tactics, such as cold-calling, cold-emailing, print ads, and direct mail campaigns are costly and time-consuming. Inbound, on the other hand, typically has a lower cost per lead than outbound because you’re targeting only those buyers who have already expressed interest in what you have to offer (typically through their search terms).

Instead of wasting money on leads who are not interested in what you are offering, inbound marketing boosts your ROI because those who click through to your content are already interested.

Reason #7: Lower Your Customer Lifecycle Costs

Speaking of costs, inbound marketing is also an effective way to reduce lifecycle costs. Compared to outbound tactics that require more resources and time, inbound marketing reaches potential customers at a fraction of the cost.

Creating highly targeted content that resonates with your target audience generates leads that are more likely to convert to customers—without you having to pay for costly advertising campaigns or other high-cost tactics.

Reason #8: Generate Leads Passively

An inbound marketing strategy has significant payoffs by turning the standard tactics of lead-seeking upside down. Instead of going out and finding leads yourself, inbound marketing attracts customers to you.

By explicitly designing content and campaigns to attract potential customers who are already interested in your offer, inbound marketing turns passive leads into active buyers without expending additional effort or resources chasing after them.

Reason #9: Gain Better Mileage than Outbound

Traditional outbound marketing tactics have their place but aren’t as effective when capturing leads as inbound strategies. Inbound campaigns have the potential to expand beyond your intended target audience, unlocking opportunities for previously untapped customers with persuasive and tailored messaging.

Reason #10: Accelerate Your Sales Cycle

Finally, inbound marketing accelerates the sales cycle by helping prospects move along your sales pipeline faster since they already know about you before even speaking with a salesperson. Leads generated through inbound tactics tend to close faster than those generated through outbound methods—resulting in quicker revenue growth for your business.

Two Drawbacks of Inbound Marketing

Admittedly, there are a couple of drawbacks to inbound marketing. For one thing, it’s harder to measure. Inbound marketing is less direct than outbound strategies, making it more challenging to determine its impact on sales (particularly sales attribution). For another thing, inbound takes longer to build momentum. But despite these drawbacks, don’t be discouraged. The rewards of inbound are gratifying once you surpass the initial hump.

Generate More Traffic and Convert More Leads with RH Blake

Investing in an effective inbound marketing strategy is essential for any manufacturer looking to stay competitive today. RH Blake is here if you’re looking for help with your inbound marketing strategy. We partner with manufacturers to develop targeted campaigns and content that resonate with potential customers. This drives more leads through the door and converts to more sales.

Let us show you how our inbound marketing for manufacturers services helps you reach your growth goals sooner. Contact us today to learn more.