If you are in the manufacturing business vertical, you will realize how difficult it is to find a good and dependable marketing company for your business. While some agencies may claim to have experience in the manufacturing domain, it’s rare to find one that understands what it does.
That being said, having a good marketing agency by your side is critical to boosting ROI. So, to help you out, we have created this blog where we will explore how to identify and select the best marketing agency for manufacturing businesses. So, let’s begin.
What to Look For in a Manufacturing Marketing Agency?
Here are some key considerations that you must keep in mind while identifying and choosing the right agency for your business.
1 . Determine your budget and required service level
The foremost thing to consider is the level of service you require from the chosen agency. This will help to define your relationship with them. Additionally, it will enable you to segment agencies that will work on specific retainer commitments.
Now, to understand this better, consider asking yourself the following questions:
·  Do you need an agency to manage a one-off project requirement, such as website revamping? If yes, you will need a partner that specializes in that specific project type.
·  Do you need an agency to take one particular segment of your overall marketing strategies, such as Facebook ads or SEO for manufacturers ? If yes, you will need someone that offers a project-based pricing model.
·  Do you need any agency to take complete ownership of your marketing efforts? If yes, you will need a partner you can trust and fully rely on. Also, this partner must have proven results in implementing a successful marketing strategy.
Once, you have determined the level of service needed, you can use it as a reference point to assess a budget amount.
2 . Determine the agency’s level of expertise
When you are running a manufacturing business, it is crucial to choose an agency that has experience and expertise in your specific domain. And to ensure that, you must consider the following:
·  What clients does the marketing agency work with?
·  Is the agency B2B or B2C-centric?
·  What is the experience level of their team?
·  Do they have experience with any manufacturing automation platform, CRM, email service provider, etc.?
·  What kind of manufacturing business metrics do they track?
·  Do they have any case studies or testimonials that certify their expertise?
3 . Check out their web content
One of the best ways to determine the expertise and skill level of your chosen agency is by evaluating their own website. Remember, a good digital marketing agency will have a robust content strategy that sets them apart from their competitors/
While exploring their website, make sure to check the following:
·  If there are any manufacturing blog posts
·  Case studies related to manufacturing clients
·  Research studies to help out manufacturers
·  Inbound links from high-authority manufacturing companies
·  Dedicated manufacturing content web pages
A presence of these on the marketing agency’s website will ensure they are reliable and know their job well.
4 . Set up a meeting with the agency
Now that you have done your research and shortlisted a couple of marketing agencies for your manufacturing business, it’s time to meet with them in person. This will help you better understand their service offerings and make sure they are the right fit for you.
Make sure to ask the following questions before finalizing any agency:
·  How long have you been in the marketing business?
·  Do you also serve any other industry other than manufacturing?
·  Do you have any case studies or testimonials to show?
·  What are your online ratings?
·  Can you give me the contact of any manufacturing client that you have worked with previously?
·  What is the team structure followed?
·  What is your onboarding process? How long does it take to get onboarded?
·  What are your pricing models? If our retainer needs flexibility in the long term, would that be acceptable?
Asking all these questions will get you a better perspective of the company’s processes and service offerings.
5 . Evaluate the intangibles as well
Working with a manufacturing agency requires a great deal of trust. You must have complete faith in the agency’s promises and services to have a good working relationship with them. And for this reason, you must evaluate the following:
·  Did the agency make you feel good after the sales call?
·  Do you feel the agency truly listened to you and your business requirements?
·  Do you feel that the agency works with professionals who are experts in their specific fields?
·  Do you feel the company is open to experimenting with new ideas or are they simply the order takers?
Selecting the Right Manufacturing Marketing Agency
Choosing the right manufacturing marketing agency is a lot of hard work. It involves a lot of research, talking to many different agencies, and vetting the chosen one to ensure the best outcomes.
If you are a B2B manufacturer and are looking to take your marketing strategy to an altogether different level, you can get in touch with the experts at StratMg. It is among the leading manufacturing marketing agencies that specialize in services like content strategy, email & social campaigns, sales, and much more.
