Schedule Consultations or Book a Meeting With HubSpot’s Meeting Tool
Offering free consultations can be a great form of marketing for manufacturing companies. But there’s nothing more awkward than having to flip through your calendar when a customer calls to schedule an appointment.
Wouldn’t it be great if your prospective customers could pick a time that works for both of you right from your website? Fasten your seatbelts because HubSpot offers a great meeting scheduler that makes it possible.
The platform’s meeting scheduler easily syncs with your (and your team’s) Google or Office 365 calendar. That way, visitors will only be able to choose from appointment options during the time slots when you’re available.
You can embed the meeting scheduler on your manufacturer's website or even add it to your email signature. When you connect the tool to your HubSpot account, it will also automatically add the contact info of everyone you meet with to your contacts database.
HubSpot’s meeting tools can go a long way toward taking the hassle out of working consultations into your busy schedule. From a prospective client’s point of view, it makes it much easier to take advantage of a free consultation and shows that your business is all about providing a great customer experience.
Streamline Your Manufacturing Marketing Strategy
Effective digital marketing for manufacturers is all about working smarter, not harder. Sometimes, a few simple adjustments to your website can make all the difference when it comes to boosting your lead generation metrics.
As you can see, all our CTA tips and tricks have one common thread – making it as easy as possible for potential customers to convert into leads. By focusing on providing visitors with a customer-centric experience, you can up your conversion rates and, ultimately, your profit margins.
Different Ways to Do Lead Generation for Manufacturers
Lead generation CTAs can go a long way toward making it easier for prospects to reach out. But let’s talk a bit more about how to get on their radar in the first place.
Lead generation for manufacturers starts by ensuring that potential customers know two things - that your company exists and the type of solutions that it offers. If your current marketing strategy sometimes feels like a soul-crushing series of cold calls, then it’s time to find a better solution.
Here are some inbound marketing strategies that can help bring the right customers to you.
Attract leads with high-quality content
Sure, the lead generation CTAs we discussed above can help you make the most of every website visitor. But the question remains - how exactly do you get the site in front of as many potential leads as possible?
Simply put, you build a website worth visiting. Offering helpful and informative industry content can be a powerful form of inbound lead generation for manufacturers.
Think of each piece of high-quality content your site offers as another opportunity to draw in more leads. You might choose to offer content in a variety of different formats, from blog posts and videos to industry news articles or reports.
Offer gated content in exchange for contact info
Every now and then, you may create a piece of content that’s just too good to give away for free. In this instance, you might consider using it as gated content that prospects can only access in exchange for their contact information.
While this can be a powerful strategy for lead generation, there are several things you’ll need to keep in mind if you want to pull it off effectively.
Make it worth it
There’s nothing worse than handing over your contact info in exchange for a subpar piece of content. Keep in mind that lead generation for manufacturing is largely built on trust.
Don’t blow it right out of the gate by making your prospects feel like they’ve been tricked into handing over their details. Instead, take the opportunity to wow them with an eBook, webinar, white paper, or any other valuable piece of content.
Keep it simple
Remember, the goal of gated content is to collect a lead’s contact info, not their entire life story. That’s why you’ll do yourself a favor by only asking for basic information, such as your contact’s name, email address, and phone number.
Depending on the situation, you might also ask for their company or industry. But the bottom line is that the shorter your form is, the more likely a lead is to fill it out.
Inspire confidence
Most of us don't need to look any further than our spam folders to understand why many people are so hesitant to hand over their contact info. It’s never a bad idea to reassure potential leads that any information they provide will not be sold or shared.
It’s vital to honor the trust a lead has placed in you by keeping their information safe and confidential. Additionally, resist any urges you may have to use the info for spam - the worst of all marketing tactics.
Use email contacts wisely
While spamming is the fastest route to a lead’s trash folder, that doesn’t mean you can use those hard-won email contacts at all. Email is actually one of the most popular and profitable forms of digital marketing.
With the right strategy, it can also be a great form of lead generation for marketing companies. The good news is that there’s no need to spend hours crafting the perfect message, not to mention figuring out the perfect time to send it.
Tools like HubSpot offer plenty of great tools that can help you make the most out of any sales email campaign. HubSpot’s free tools include customizable sales email templates, complete with built-in reporting.
Such tools can be a handy way to make sure you send each lead the right message at the right time. You can even connect your free HubSpot account to your existing email address to send templates right from the inbox of your choice.
Increase your company’s online visibility
While a strong website is fundamental to your company’s success, resist the urge to stop there. Taking Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services can be a strong long-term strategy to increase your site’s odds of appearing in relevant search results.
SEO is a bit of an art unto itself, but HubSpot has some great tools (and even a free training course) that can help you get started. Otherwise, don’t hesitate to reach out to a professional for help.
Additionally, take the time to set up a free Google Business Profile to make your company easy to find on Google Search and Maps. You can customize your profile with your business hours, photos, reviews, and more to easily connect with new leads.
Establish a targeted social media presence
When it comes to lead generation for manufacturing, not all social media platforms are created equal. When it comes to those most likely to yield results in your industry, we’d recommend starting with YouTube and LinkedIn.
The Content Marketing Institute recently ranked video as one of the most popular and effective B2B digital marketing strategies of 2024. And what better place to cash in on the trend than YouTube?
Create a company channel and use it to offer product demos, answer questions, or even give a virtual factory tour. Best of all, YouTube makes it easy to share your videos or embed them directly on your website.
Then there’s LinkedIn, a professional networking site that can connect you with top decision-makers in relevant industries. But the platform also offers advertising options that were built with B2B customers in mind.
For instance, LinkedIn’s Lead Gen Forms make it easy for leads to fill out your forms by automatically generating the data from their profiles. LinkedIn also offers powerful targeting options that can help ensure that your campaigns are presented to the right audience.
Leverage your existing client base
There are a few different strategies that can turn your existing clients into a powerful source of lead generation. The first is to embrace the power of B2B customer reviews.
A recent study by G2 Research revealed that “nearly 9 out of 10 (89%) buyers who read reviews relied on them either ”often "or "always,” suggesting that most value depends on the experiences of their peers when making a purchase.”
Whether it be on your website, your LinkedIn profile, or your Google Business Profile, don’t be afraid to embrace customer feedback. Feel free to also share the best and brightest on your website.
Another great way to boost word-of-mouth marketing is to develop a client referral program. Simply offer your existing clients a reward or discount in exchange for any new leads they manage to bring on board.
Referral rewards can come in all shapes and sizes. One example, Paperless Parts, a manufacturing quoting software company, offers cash rewards.
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