MYTH: Manufacturing and logistics businesses can’t thrive online.
Walk-in trade shows and exhibitions are valuable and quite arguably, irreplaceable. But, who’s to say manufacturing and logistics businesses don’t have what it takes to establish an online presence and generate qualified leads?
With the right strategy in place, social media can dramatically expand a business’ reach, and this also holds true for the B2B industry. In this blog post, we’ll walk through the 10 can’t-miss steps for you to take your B2B brand to greater heights.
Many business owners, especially those in B2B industries like logistics and manufacturing, often believe that having an online presence is not worth the effort since they expect few qualified leads from online sources.
But is this really true?
I’ve observed that this conservative approach to social media and SEO efforts is prevalent not only in Asian markets but worldwide.
So, what steps should they consider?
For example, if you have a business in the manufacturing or OEM industry, you may currently rely on attending exhibitions to generate leads.
Walk-in trade shows and exhibitions are valuable and quite arguably, irreplaceable. But, who’s to say manufacturing and logistics businesses don’t have what it takes to establish an online presence and generate qualified leads?
But have you considered starting online webinars to showcase your products and services?
Let’s delve into how these things can be done.
1. Define your target audience
understand their interests, demographics, and psychology. These are more critical than anything else. If you’re not sure where to start, check out this newsletter -> LINK (I wish I knew about this sooner…(Global Marketing Secrets E2))
2. Identify their pain points and their needs.
Why are they struggling? What specific needs can you address? Why do they need you? Find those SEVERE pain points, and once you can showcase how well you can solve them, they will naturally become your fans.
3. Implement SEO strategy on your website.
I believe most businesses in the logistics, manufacturing, and OEM sectors have multilingual websites.Apart from the English version, what are your target countries for generating more leads and sales? Localize your content, copywriting, and SEO keywords. I understand your company has a significant presence in English, but especially when targeting a specific country where English is not the primary language, remember you’ll compete with local companies that understand their customers and languages better than your company. Localization is key, from your website to your content. Please discuss this with local marketing professionals.
4. Determine where you will build your email list.
You don’t want to lose potential leads. It’s true that Asian markets tend to be conservative about email lists (especially in South Korea and Japan), but it’s also a blue ocean that you can tap into. Why not give it a try? If it feels too experimental, you can create communities on platforms like Kakao, Line, and Facebook groups to avoid losing leads and then gradually build an email list.
5. Regularly publish blog content.
I recommend posting blogs on local search engines and LinkedIn or other social media at least once a week so that people can get updates and consider whether they really want your product or service. Be a supporter, help them in their journey, and you’ll naturally build trust and connections.
6. Cross-promote your products and services on social channels.
You can identify the most global users on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube in general. To effectively target your audience, even with a limited budget, identify where your customers are and start creating content on those platforms.
7. Host online webinars monthly, or at least quarterly.
Create your exhibition, provide value, subtly showcase your products, and offer an irresistible incentive at the end of the webinar. Think about what attractive free gift they’d want right now to persuade them to become your customers.
8. Regularly monitor and audit your marketing process.
In terms of SEO, social media, and ads, consistency is crucial. Even if your company is busy with other tasks, make sure to post at least once a week. Don’t give up within a few months, as most successful companies had to spend at least several years on their marketing journey to achieve significant results. The essential tools you should have include social media schedulers (e.g., Metricool), Hashtags tools (e.g.,Flick), Google Analytics, SEO tools (like SEMrush), Project management tools (like Asana).
9. Build your marketing strategy monthly with your marketing team, including the global and local teams.
Discuss what’s working and what’s not on a regular basis to ensure everyone understands the process. If your business doesn’t have a marketing team yet, consider seeking out global marketing professionals or agencies.
10. Be patient with your global marketing efforts.
When you decide to expand your business globally, remember that it takes time. You won’t experience rapid growth within several months. In the initial months, focus on growing your social media and SEO metrics as you’re primarily in the awareness phase. Please take a look at the picture below for a better understanding of the marketing ecosystem.
How was this newsletter? Do you have anything specific in mind that you’d like to learn more about from me? Please share it in the comments below! I’ll make sure to prepare the topic for the next newsletter.
Talk soon,
Hyein
Side note: I’ve included an affiliate link to Flick and Metricool but I’m not promoting anything related to those companies. I just love their services.
I'm an award-winning global marketing expert running HY Marketing in South Korea. We help businesses succeed in South Korea, Japan, and English-speaking markets through SEO, social media, and paid ads.
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