Marketing Strategies for Manufacturers: How Building Community Helps Build Your Business

From more remote monitoring and maintenance of equipment to virtual sales calls and digital marketing instead of trade shows and on-site visits, much has changed in the manufacturing industry since the onset of the pandemic. Many of those changes, driven by younger, digital savvy staff, look like they're here to stay.

Some of these employees may not have established personal business networks yet, and others might have shifted their behaviors and approaches based on past circumstances. Social media channels only go so far to connect you with potential clients, mentors, or industry experts. In-person networking remains a powerful force for building relationships and finding opportunities in the manufacturing sector.

These factors led us here at the Alaska MEP to launch a series of Manufacturing Mixers to help manufacturers and service providers come together to build relationships, share insights, and foster collaboration. We've held two so far, and due to the overwhelming success and positive feedback, we will be turning this into a quarterly event and visiting other areas of the state. But more on that later.

Let's first talk about networking and community building as a holistic and sustainable approach to business. The reality is none of us want to be "sold to." We want to be part of a conversation with like-minded people. That's why influencers can be so effective, provided they are authentic. Your people - staff, suppliers, and customers - can help you build a bigger audience with minimal effort and costs.

The importance of networking and community building

Relationships are a prelude to authenticity, and networking is a great way to build business relationships. Networking may come easy for some of us, and even introverts can connect with someone they just met in a business setting by sharing details about things such as:

• What your company is doing or aiming to do
• Your successes
• Your challenges

Don't be afraid to speak up! As I like to say, "Closed mouths don't get fed."

But there also are many intangible benefits to networking, such as:

• A test bed for ideas
• Finding mentors and mentees, which, if nurtured properly, lead to long-term relationships where you receive help on deeper business issues
• Meeting entrepreneurs who are problem solvers and who may have related experience
• Engaging and relating to others boosts your confidence and is good for your mental health

It's important to link business goals to your networking efforts. The first building blocks of your network marketing strategy are to develop relationships and build your audience.

The marketing dilemma of starting with a deeper or wider audience

Manufacturing leaders often are intensely focused on operations, and it's common for them to be hesitant to do more networking for two reasons:

1. They are concerned about the time required for networking activities to have a return on investment.
2. They struggle with the classic business to business (B2B) dilemma of how to prioritize breadth of audience with depth of relationships.

If your networking (or marketing in general) starts with trying to reach a wider audience, it increases the chance of encountering potential partners and clients. This exposes you to a wider range of ideas and perspectives for building a deeper audience. However, managing a large network is time-consuming and can get expensive. It can also be harder to build trust when the time you can devote to each individual is shorter than if you had a narrower focus.

If you start by trying to develop deeper ties with a smaller audience, you are more likely to build stronger connections that are more meaningful and likely to lead to referrals and trusted partnerships. The flip side of that is you might miss out on opportunities from additional connections you didn't make.

Using a hybrid approach

Our Manufacturing Mixers are structured to ensure everyone meets a wide variety of people and gets to share their stories, concerns, and needs. At the second mixer, the "job shop" people initially sat together at one table, which was not a surprise as some knew each other and held common interests. And while there definitely is value in sharing expertise, by rotating everyone at the mixer from table to table we were able to facilitate more introductions. The structured approach helps people identify individuals they would like to follow up with. It felt like the business networking version of speed dating!

The hybrid approach for networking includes larger, less personal settings. Consider going to manufacturing trade associations and trade shows (though you can't just walk around, you have to engage - remember closed mouths don't get fed!). Also consider:

• Startup and entrepreneurial leadership events
• Economic development and workforce board meetings
• Local chamber and community events

Have a plan for every event you attend. Do your research on the people you're meeting, have a pitch ready to introduce yourself and your business, and be a good listener. The key is in the follow up and building more meaningful connections.

Success stories from our manufacturing mixers

In our first two events, we have already seen:

• A direct match for immediate action
  A company that collects data in harsh conditions connected with a company that has a three-week window every year to collect birch water from trees. The ability to monitor the birch water data would be incredibly helpful in scheduling their work and optimizing the quality of the water.
• Help with a referral
  A startup company is developing a weather-related system for aviation. It wants to work with as many local manufacturers as possible, but it has struggled to find someone who does injection molding. While there is not a lot of injection molding work done in the Anchorage area, the startup company now has others reaching out to help them find a vendor.
• Common interests lead to collaboration
  High shipping costs are a common concern for manufacturers in Alaska. At the mixer, a group discussed forming a collective or co-op to leverage their bargaining power.

Your local MEP Center can help you develop a networking strategy

Networking and community building should be part of your marketing mix, and you may find that approach can be less expensive than the cost of other acquisition efforts. Your local MEP Centerhas more connections than you can imagine. Give it a call to help you get started with a networking strategy.

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