Signals from the Field

The internet has the farthest reach of any advertising medium so if you want to get to the farthest corners of your market, generate good content about your products so those potential buyers can find you. We often hear that a manufacturers’ products are so niched that the best way to reach a target market is through networking and at tradeshows. Networking with current and prospective customers in-person will never be wrong, but remember that your prospects and customers ARE on the internet, searching for solutions to their daily manufacturing problems. Nearly 70% of engineers say they use supplier websites to research products and services (Trew Marketing & Global Spec 2022 Survey).

Just like you, they read emails and social posts from leaders in their industry to learn about the latest innovations and market trends. They are searching for ways to improve production, reduce costs and impress their boss with the newest industry information. In addition to your networking efforts, your website is a 24/7 research tool; that if set up well, with robust content, will provide answers that put you in the spotlight as the subject matter expert. However, if your site does not answer product questions, or worse, is not ranked for the key search words and phrases, then your competition could snag your leads.

In our 2021 survey of equipment manufacturers, content marketing ranked by far the digital marketing tactic that they were having the most success with.

Credit unions have long been talking about fintechs and their implications for the financial industry. WebStrategies has been deeply curious about this as well so we hired an outside research firm to dive deep into the public's perception of credit unions and online-only banks, among other things.

We experienced quite a show in Atlanta on January 25 and 26 at the International Production and Processing Expo! If you missed it, here are some highlights of the event: 

WebStrategies works with all kinds of equipment manufacturers. From food processing equipment that places pepperoni on frozen pizza to equipment that wraps pallets of goods to be distributed around the globe, we understand that manufacturing clients have to identify incredibly niche markets to sell their products.

And yet, we often hear manufacturers claim that their product is too unique to be marketed online. In fact, that is not the case at all.

Is your credit union advertising meeting organizational goals? 

Manufacturers may face challenges when adopting and implementing a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. We’ll address four digital marketing challenges for manufacturers and explain how your business can overcome these obstacles.

Credit union marketers can face resistance within their organizations regarding the use of digital tactics to acquire new members and increase share of wallet. Whether it is coming from the board or the C-suite, credit union marketers often have to convince others within the organization that their digital marketing efforts help the credit union meet its goals.

How should marketers respond to skeptics within their organizations and convince the doubters that digital should actually be expanded? 

WebStrategies Director of Business Development Kristin Harrison recently appeared on the CU 2.0 Podcast to answer this question. The conversation alongside 1st Advantage FCU VP of Marketing Amber Callahan and host Robert McGarvey revolved around how to develop a comprehensive and strategic digital marketing plan and obstacles that can get in the way, but ultimately why digital marketing has untapped potential for credit unions.

Here are the highlights from the podcast:

We sometimes hear from equipment manufacturers that they have tried digital marketing in the past and it didn't work for their business. We are always disappointed to hear this because we've seen digital marketing increase qualified leads for manufacturers time and time again.

WebStrategies recently appeared on credit union talk show CUbroadcast. The show featured CEO Chris Leone and Head of Digital Advertising Emily Niedermaier discussing digital advertising pitfalls that credit unions should avoid.