Marketing for Manufacturers:

It has been a challenging time for many UK manufacturing businesses. Whether facing a drop in demand or struggling to maintain output with a covid-safe workplace, we have all encountered difficulties in one form or another. There is a silver lining though because the chaos of this year is having positive effects too.

From spurring innovation and pivoting to meet demand for new products through to diversification, in many ways UK manufacturing is rising to meet the threat. But in the heat of the moment, it is important not to lose sight of what your company stands for and why it exists.

Provided your company is maintaining profitability, now is the perfect time for reflection. Think about your successes and failures thus far, objectively analyse how you have adapted to unforeseen circumstances and consider the future. We are now two months away from 2021, what is next?

Simon Sinek, author and marketing guru, summarised his idea of ‘golden circle’ communication by saying: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

When thinking about your business, starting with ‘why?’ provides a fundamental focus and acts as a compass, guiding every decision. It defines markets, highlights opportunities, attracts the right people and shows customers the approach that you take to everything that you do.

In many ways, the world has changed. Heading into 2021, do you have a vision? Does your company’s mission statement still bear relevance to what you do?

Vision – a vision statement is a forward-looking inspirational statement that tells the world what the company would like to achieve and how it is seeking to make a difference. It illustrates your larger purpose and plan.

Mission – a mission statement is a written declaration of your company’s core purpose that usually remains unchanged over time. It encapsulates your product or service, your audience and the problems that you solve.

These last months of 2020 are the perfect time to revisit each of these for your business. Doing so will help to clarify how you can prepare and plan for 2021, with a better appreciation for the direction you wish to move.

One development area for many manufacturing businesses is upskilling their team, especially when it comes to marketing. While many manufacturers are incredible at what they do, when it comes to designing and implementing a cohesive marketing strategy, they can struggle. We have helped many of them through our consultancy work, but there are other (longer-term) solutions. Through training, manufacturers can cultivate these skills in-house.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of marketing courses online. Many of these are quite good, we have even tried a few ourselves. Almost none of them have been built from the ground up specifically for manufacturing businesses.

Having spoken about it with many of our clients, we saw the need for a comprehensive and straightforward marketing course that tackles the key challenges that manufacturers face – historically, now and into the future.

Marketing for Manufacturers is a nine-week programme designed for manufacturing businesses to upskill their staff and develop practical marketing solutions. It is guided by support from experts with a track record of helping manufacturing companies increase their market share and establish themselves as ‘thought leaders’ in competitive sectors.

With nine distinct modules, downloadable resources and strategic webinars, Marketing for Manufacturers will help you understand your business better than ever before. Just remember, it all starts with ‘why?’

If you would like to register for the course or learn more about what is involved, click here. Alternatively, feel free to get in touch on 01926 754061.