How can a small marketing team achieve more?
Manufacturing companies operate in a highly competitive and complex landscape where effective marketing is essential for achieving business success and driving sustainable growth. Effective marketing can bring numerous benefits to manufacturing companies, helping them thrive in the competitive marketplace and achieve long-term success.
However, the nature of the manufacturing industry poses specific challenges that can make it difficult for companies to develop and execute a comprehensive marketing strategy.
Marketing challenges faced by manufacturing companies:
Limited Marketing Expertise
Manufacturing companies often have a primary focus on production and operations, which can result in limited marketing expertise within the organization.
Resource Constraints
Manufacturing companies typically allocate a significant portion of their resources to production, logistics, and operational aspects of the business. As a result, they may have limited budgets, personnel, and time to dedicate to marketing efforts.
Targeting Niche Audiences
Manufacturing companies often serve niche markets with specialized products or services. Without the necessary marketing capabilities, companies may struggle to connect with their intended audience and generate enquiries.
Marketing vs Sales distinction
Sales function is NOT marketing or branding. 50% of the customer buying journey is completed before the buyer meets the salesperson. Brand and marketing needs strengthening and focus.
Product – service – project mix
Manufacturing companies have different verticals in the organization. Bringing them all to the marketing activity requires strategy.
This is where outsourcing marketing to a manufacturing focussed B2B marketing agency can make a significant difference.
Outsourcing marketing offers cost savings for manufacturers by avoiding expenses related to hiring, training, benefits, and marketing tools. They can allocate a fixed budget to external professionals, retaining control over their marketing spend.
Manufacturers can outsource their marketing function, either wholly or partially, by hiring external resources like marketing agencies, rather than relying solely on an in-house team.
In this blog post, we will explore some of the most commonly outsourced marketing functions and six compelling reasons why manufacturing companies should consider outsourcing their marketing efforts to experts.
6 reasons why manufacturers should look at leveraging outsourcing in marketing
1. Alleviating Bandwidth Issues
Marketing executives in manufacturing companies often have multiple responsibilities, making it challenging to dedicate sufficient time and resources to marketing.
By outsourcing to a B2B technical marketing agency, manufacturing companies can extend their bandwidth by adding specialized team members who can assist with marketing planning, strategy, content development, and more.
This not only helps alleviate workload issues but also brings an outside perspective to the marketing efforts.
2. Reducing Overhead Costs
Maintaining an in-house marketing team can be expensive. The costs associated with recruiting, training, benefits, and overhead can quickly add up.
Additionally, certain marketing initiatives such as trade shows or product launches may require a temporary increase in marketing efforts, leading to resource constraints.
By outsourcing marketing to an agency, manufacturing companies can access a complete and experienced marketing team without the burden of overhead costs. This allows them to scale their marketing efforts efficiently as needed.
3. Leveraging Industry Expertise
B2B marketing agencies specialize in marketing and stay up-to-date with the latest tactics and trends.
By partnering with an agency, manufacturing companies can tap into this expertise and benefit from a fresh and informed perspective on their marketing activities.
Furthermore, agencies often have niche areas of focus, such as working exclusively with engineering and technical companies.
This specialized knowledge can be invaluable in developing effective marketing strategies tailored to the manufacturing industry.
4. Augmenting the Team
Every team member has different strengths, and the needs of a manufacturing company’s marketing department can vary from year to year.
B2B marketing agencies are flexible and can adapt to the changing needs of their clients.
They can seamlessly integrate with an existing marketing team or provide support in areas where expertise is lacking.
Whether it’s strategy development, content creation, or execution, agencies can fill the gaps and become an integral part of the manufacturing company’s marketing team.
5. Ensuring Continuity
Staff turnover is a common challenge faced by manufacturing companies, which can disrupt marketing efforts and consistency.
When companies outsource marketing to an agency, they establish a consistent voice and presence in their marketing activities.
The agency becomes a reliable partner that can maintain marketing momentum even during periods of staff churn.
This continuity is essential for building brand reputation and maintaining customer engagement.
6. Gaining Clarity on the Big Picture
Sometimes, being too close to a product or company can result in tunnel vision, making it challenging to see the bigger picture.
Outsourcing marketing to an agency brings in fresh eyes and an external perspective.
Agencies can provide valuable insights, innovative ideas, and constructive feedback that manufacturing companies may not have considered on their own.
This outside perspective helps to break free from internal biases and drives strategic decision-making.
Should you outsource Marketing?
Outsourcing marketing can be a strategic decision for manufacturing companies looking to optimize their resources and achieve better results.
Before making that decision, it’s important to ask yourself key questions to evaluate the potential benefits of outsourcing.
By assessing these factors, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your company’s goals and objectives.
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Conclusion
By outsourcing marketing, companies can leverage the expertise and resources of specialized professionals who are well-versed in the latest marketing strategies, tactics, and technologies.
This approach allows businesses to access a broader skill set and industry knowledge that may not be available internally.
It also provides flexibility in terms of scaling marketing efforts up or down based on specific needs and budget constraints.
Additionally, outsourcing marketing functions can provide an outside perspective and fresh ideas to the company.
External professionals bring a different viewpoint and can identify opportunities or challenges that may have been overlooked internally.
They can bring new strategies, creativity, and innovation to the table, helping the company stay competitive in the ever-evolving marketing landscape.
