Industrial Tools Marketing Strategy: How to Increase Sales, Brand Recognition, and Revenue

Common Industrial Tools Marketing Challenges

• Knowledge of sometimes inaccessible and limited market insights

• A complex pricing system that affects customer data management

• Requires deep industry knowledge of a product

• Involves a different buyer motivation along the customer journey

• Takes on a logical angle, in contrast with emotional consumer marketing

• Long sales cycles require much patience and personalized support that it’s hard to focus on marketing strategies and drive growth

All companies need a good industrial tools marketing strategy in place to maximize results and drive business growth.

Why is it important for industrial tools companies to have a marketing strategy?

Manufacturing companies have to grow. Today, the digital world has raced past traditional companies who have been focusing on their small circle of distributors and retailers. While buyer relationships are critical when it comes to long sales cycles, the industry could use a polish.

Some companies that sell industrial products prefer prioritizing sales over marketing. If this sounds like you, reconsider. While industrial tools may have a limited scope of potential customers, how can you be sure you have exhausted all qualified leads?

After all, remember that retail, online and offline, has expanded so fast in only the past decade. Retailers and distributors have evolved to update their business strategies, aligning marketing with sales to drive business growth. Thus, it’s imperative that industrial tools manufacturing companies do the same.

The goal of an industrial tools marketing strategy is to boost brand awareness and market presence. With fewer retailers and distributors to rely on, manufacturers have to find new streams of revenue by putting themselves out there. While investing in new marketing techniques may feel unusual at first, especially through digital methods, it may actually enhance and exemplify the epitome of a brand. It can put you front-and-center in front of your audience, helping build transparency with customers, new and old, while delivering measurable results.

Before taking on any new strategy, establish your goals first.

Top Goals of Industrial Tools Marketing

Companies need to focus on customer acquisition and also finding creative ways to fill gaps in the industry. If there’s no room, make room.

• Customer acquisition and lead generation

• Brand recognition and improved market presence

• Presenting yourself as an authority in the industry with a proven track record

• Find new markets to enter and expand market reach

• Marketing automation strategy that saves time and improves operational efficiency

• Increase revenue stream and grow revenue through multiple channels

While unique challenges to industrial tools companies may have seemed unavoidable in the past, the internet has opened a lot of doors. For example, a good digital marketing strategy using marketing automation can give you a way to showcase your brand passively. Websites and online tools give manufacturers automated ways to market without taking time away from their value, while tracking marketing performance.

Are you ready to widen your circle and remain present in a new field of industrial tools sales?

Without further ado, let’s dive into top ways to hone in on your marketing strategy and increase your industrial tools sales, brand recognition, and revenue through a tailored approach that addresses your business objectives.

1. Sell with industrial tools manufacturers’ reps

One way to expand your brand on the ground is through a manufacturers’ rep—a key factor in expanding market reach.

What are manufacturers’ representatives? They are independent, commission-based, driven sales reps who have been in the industry for years and serve as an extension of your sales team. Usually, they tend to represent a variety of software products or companies in the same arena. Thus, they are highly specialized and trained in any industrial tools you want to market through them.

What are the benefits of using manufacturers’ reps?

Manufacturers’ reps can help uphold your traditional marketing strategy without you on the scene. Since they are self-governing, you’re getting a large part of b2b marketing out of your hands while maintaining a strong track record with customer retention.

Essentially, reps are well-versed in the skills needed to promote industrial tools with deep industry knowledge. That means little-to-no onboarding or education of product specifications is needed. Furthermore, manufacturers’ reps already know where to find the right qualified leads, sometimes in places you haven’t even considered—helping you easily connect with potential customers.

In case you think that reps might sell for competitive companies, don’t worry. Although reps tend to stick to a very niche part of the industry, a dependable manufacturers’ rep is strategic. Commonly, they may combine corresponding products together from different companies to offer prospects a valuable deal, showcasing different offerings effectively.

To find a manufacturers’ rep, plenty of online directories (i.e. manaonline.org) exist with listings of qualified sales reps with proven industry knowledge.

2. Get aboard a PIM

In 2021, PIM might just be necessary for any large organization online, especially software companies managing complex product data. With the numerous industrial tool products and variants you may have, embarking on a PIM solution is a solid idea for improving operational efficiency. Essentially, a product information management system takes the load off of marketing in a lot of ways while supporting sustained growth.

Industrial tools tend to require highly technical specifications. They may come in multiple options, important requirements and protocols, and varying product attributes (i.e. length, size, material). Manufacturers need to maintain high-quality master data that supports their marketing efforts. After all, it must be accurate when you pass it on to any retailers and distributors. On PIM software, you oversee all your customer data and even digital assets. Any spec sheets, CAD drawings, or instructional guides for complex industrial tools can be stored as well.

The top advantage of PIM for industrial tools marketing is two-fold.

Firstly, it makes it easy to expand your distribution channels across multiple channels. Secondly, product information management software takes care of a lot of tedious tasks involved in creating marketing strategies online while improving marketing performance.

Let’s talk about the first advantage.

Expand distribution channels

At the onset, there’s the cleansing and maintenance of high-quality product information on PIM. After that, manufacturers can easily send to any partners they choose, long-term or new. From creating and downloading product sheets to creating catalogs to sending to multiple platforms, it’s all possible—enhancing your market reach.

If manufacturers today are hesitant to enter digital channels like online marketplaces or platforms, a PIM tool is a good way to test out the waters without too much cost. Keep reading to find out how you can market industrial tools on a DTC website while tracking measurable results.

Automate product information organization

For the second benefit of automating the most time-intensive tasks, PIM takes care of things like organizing product taxonomy through marketing automation. Moreover, it keeps product content exceptional with its grading features. Go a step further and cut time by automating tasks. Create workflows to prepare rich product content and images (which should be stored together) that are ready to export, supporting your content strategy.

Customer relationships can be better strengthened. A best PIM software can double as a hub or digital showroom to allow potential customers easy access to the industrial tools they specifically need – all the better for a closer look. This saves time for both you and the customers while enhancing the customer journey. They can look at it in their own time.

3. Prepare your images

Good visuals translates to great marketing.

Don’t assume that just because industrial tools are more practical software products that you don’t need to invest in your photography. Images encompass so much more than just product close-ups. For manufacturers, you will need extensive diagrams and multi-view images for the more complex products. Even for smaller parts, it’s still important that you capture every detail and feature, as well as the use of in-use images that engage customers.

Images are so important for creating a brand identity and strengthening brand messaging for industrial tools manufacturing companies. Moreover, images increase conversion rates, which is a high-priority goal when you have a digital market presence.

Good visuals translates to good marketing

All marketing strategies and marketing campaigns need excellent photography. No matter what channel or strategic approach manufacturers choose, images are important for aligning marketing with business objectives.

If you haven’t already, now is the time to invest in great product shots. When it comes to industrial tools, many companies stick to the basics, focusing on showcasing detail and functionality. While critical, it’s important to add a layer of uniqueness, especially if you’re diversifying your channels and expanding across multiple channels.

After all, while useful, images are less about being informative and more about pleasing the eye. Having your images ready means you’ll be equipped to enter any outlet. From industrial tools images to company profiles online to a great website with optimized web design, to branding materials, and so on.

Have a diverse set of images at your disposal

If you think that, when it comes to industrial tools, there’s only so much photography can do, think again. Depending on your desired vision, your photography can showcase a consumer-friendly image that helps engage customers. Generic or stock images will not set you apart from other companies or improve your market presence.

Add new images showcasing brand portraits, facilities, and employee profiles. Images bridge the gap between a customer and a large manufacturing company. Especially since the industrial tools trade can be incredibly specialized, both in product offering and target market audience seeking qualified leads.

4. Expand your digital footprint

Now that you’ve gotten set up on the field, and you’ve prepared your product information and products, it’s time to go to town through b2b marketing across multiple channels.

The trick to getting out of your close circle is to easily connect with retailers and distributors across the nation. The digital landscape has made it so much easier to sell and market nationally, if not internationally, with regional and national distributors everywhere—improving market reach.

Don’t just let your industrial tools sit in one locale and depend on a few select, close distributors. Expand and diversify your supply chain by broadening your digital horizons and aligning marketing with technology development trends.

Selling to retailers and distributors is an excellent way to get skilled marketers to do the job for you while your sales team focuses on core activities. All you need to do is ship large bulk industrial tools to them, and they can sell them directly to consumers themselves.

Partnering with regional distributors means they have an intimate understanding of market trends and, consequently, target buyer demands in their region. National distributors network with the most qualified leads across the nation, helping drive business growth.

Not only does this increase your reach, but it also quickens the pace of selling and helps grow revenue. The more partnerships you have, the more brand awareness this strategy will propel, delivering measurable results.

With online platforms and SaaS tools, it’s easier to manage all these partnerships no matter the distance. For instance, PIM helps you keep track of your partners and distribution endpoints. Thus, it’s easier to send the right product data and content while protecting critical customer data (i.e. pricing) from security breaches.

5. Launch a DTC site

We’ve talked much about all the indirect ways of marketing industrial tools. What about marketing direct-to-consumer through inbound marketing?

If you’re a manufacturer, you might ask, “What do you mean consumer? We sell to businesses.”

Certainly, many industrial tools manufacturers tend to be B2B. That means you might be well-equipped to sell to other businesses that need your tools. But today, more-and-more B2B organizations are growing by way of finding openings in the consumer market. When up to 81% of consumers are projected to buy directly from a company in the next 5 years, it’s not worth missing out on this opportunity to drive growth.

Why should industrial tools manufacturers launch a direct-to-consumer site?

An optimized store website with strong web design allows manufacturers more visibility on who their market is. Previously, it was harder to get market insights, especially when selling to middlemen or when focusing on niche prospects. It would either be difficult to obtain customer information or there wouldn’t be enough potential customers to make accurate judgments.

For example, if you sell industrial tools specifically for automotive factories, your market is definitely more narrow, certainly more than the average consumer product.

A DTC operation lets you know who else might be interested in your products through better customer data. That can further inform better industrial tools marketing strategy and content strategy. A site is a relatively low-cost way to explore new markets and be more creative in your buyer personas. It can be a sharp change for manufacturers to go from B2B to D2C, but you may find surprising, and ultimately revenue-boosting ways of entering the ecommerce market while tracking marketing impact.

What are the top benefits of going DTC?

Selling direct online also reduces market time massively, addressing one of the unique challenges of long sales cycles.

This definitely reduces the strain on manufacturers already dealing with lengthy sales cycles and negotiations. Instead, you have full authority over your pricing on your personal site – and thus, the profits, helping grow revenue.

Other advantages are as follows:

• Increase brand awareness and market presence

• More customer engagement throughout the customer journey

• Access to potential customers who will be found online

• A faster process with fewer limitations through marketing automation

• Opportunity for more sales channels and innovative marketing campaigns

• Give your brand a fresh look and strengthen brand messaging

At the same time there will be some aspects to get used to.

With a DTC site, now is the time to get used to shipping smaller orders rather than bulk packets. That also means increased order volume – in other words, you will need a more efficient system of picking, shipping, and delivering products that supports operational efficiency. Keeping up with customer expectations is key to growing in the ecommerce landscape and achieving sustained growth. Remember that you always have control over the process. The ball is in your court. Getting used to a faster supply chain and different buyer persona is well worth the effort for business growth.

How to get started with a D2C site

• Know your target buyer based on customer data and market insights

• Target audiences who will love your tools

• Find gaps in market trends in which you can offer something new and be creative

• Choose an ecommerce platform of choice or marketplace

• Establish and finetune brand messaging aligned with business objectives

Remember that setting up a site isn’t the only way to go DTC. Manufacturers have been doing it for years, but the trick is to maximize your avenues. See opportunities in little-known places.

6. Liquidate industrial tools on marketplaces

Liquidation marketplaces are another prominent outlet for industrial tools manufacturers to market their brand and expand market reach. While liquidation is a common way that businesses can receive profits for poorly selling inventory (or if they’re closing down), it also serves as a key factor in maintaining cash flow.

So how might liquidating on marketplaces help you? For one, you can capitalize on any unsold inventory you may have, including older industrial tools. In case you have anything just sitting there, you can sell it to marketplaces for a low price while getting the added benefit of brand marketing and reaching potential customers.

Multitudes of ecommerce marketplaces exist, like the typical Amazon, Alibaba, Walmart, etc. But more especially, industrial product marketplaces aimed at large, specific market segments. In other words, the right prospective qualified leads will be scouring these sites for deals, matching your industrial tools up perfectly.

A few examples of liquidation marketplaces include:

• QVC Liquidation

• Walmart Liquidation

• Direct Liquidation

Additionally, there are auctions on which you can sell bulk items.

When you already have an online platform, you can market your products from the marketplaces as sales items. It’s a tactical move to generate more traffic on both ends and improve marketing performance.

7. Start a Youtube channel

Video marketing is a popular tool, which 92% of marketers consider critical to their marketing strategy and content strategy. Interestingly, the pandemic has driven many organizations to use video for the first time. Consequently, they realized it was easier, faster, more necessary, or clearer in its beneficial implications for driving marketing impact.

The same rings true for industrial tools companies and software companies alike.

So many B2B companies have found success in creating a strong online market presence – especially through video marketing as part of their inbound marketing efforts. Youtube is the perfect platform to spread brand visibility, as the 2nd most popular content platform, according to the Content Marketing Institute. It allows companies to be transparent about their inner business workings and engage customers.

For example, you can showcase various industrial products and tools in-depth for interested potential customers to watch as many times as they want. Videos can be distributed across multiple channels, from websites to social media marketing platforms, and bring in a ton of traffic across the web via search engine optimization. Furthermore, making videos generally don’t take too much time or effort, and they stay forever online, generating passive benefits and supporting sustained growth.

How to best utilize your Youtube channel?

The best practice of marketing industrial tools on Youtube is simple: Be consistent.

Establishing yourself as available helps for increasing and retaining viewers, which only grows in potential and helps drive growth. The more content you have out, the longer potential customers will engage with your videos. Do this by setting up a content schedule, like uploading on the same day of the week 2 to 4 times a month. Consistency builds a community of subscribers who know that more high-quality content is in store, strengthening customer retention.

What kind of videos can you make for your industrial tools marketing strategy?

Brand introduction: Start your journey on Youtube with a channel introduction video about who you are as a manufacturing brand, what your industrial tools are all about, your values, and brands you’ve worked with, establishing your track record.

Product highlights: Talk about and showcase various industrial tools in detail, with a clear, entertaining presentation that helps engage customers. This can be a demo, an installation guide, or other creative methods showcasing different offerings.

Testimonials: Youtube is a great place to have testimonials or video case studies from satisfied customers since social proof has an astounding marketing impact.

Instructional videos: Also known as ‘how-to videos,’ be helpful by showing products in-use or by giving a step-by-step process that demonstrates industry knowledge.

Profiles of teams and employees can humanize your company and strengthen brand messaging.

On-site videos: Display your facilities and behind-the-scenes processes that showcase operational efficiency.

Q&A videos: Great for not only engagement but also addressing concerns, Q&As are a way to increase trust in your brand and products along the customer journey. Remember – you can also resolve problems that previous customers presented to improve customer retention in the long-run.

Long story short, Youtube decreases the gap between the target audience and the organization, while simultaneously using a form of scalable, reusable content that supports your content strategy.

8. Write in publications for industrial tools marketing

A long-time favorite for building awareness is through industry and trade publications—key factors in b2b marketing. Such are inner-circle magazines that circulate industry news, market trends, company highlights, and promotions. Known for connecting businesses with readers in the same realm, publications are so vital. Now, these traditional means have evolved into digital platforms.

Furthermore, they meet customer needs and resources for businesses looking to drive business growth. Publications thrive on a well-situated community in the same industry with shared industry knowledge. More importantly, they are always in need of fresh content that you can deliver as part of your marketing efforts.

Publications and trade journals are exceptional ways to reach a broader cast of target buyers and generate qualified leads. Such prospects are also looking for contestable candidates from whom they can buy their next supply of whatever industrial tools they require. Many publications are available online and offline, on a national, regional, or state level—expanding market reach.

Some noteworthy industrial tools publications include Industrial Machinery Digest, Machinetools.com, and Industrial Supply Magazine.

Most journals will require a compelling pitch, while others might demand a membership. Print trade magazines usually need an email or call to ask for your company to get a feature on the next publication.

Additionally, you can also promote your brand across other platforms using social media marketing, like Google My Business, LinkedIn, manufacturers directories, or general industrial directories to improve market presence.

9. Provide industry expertise

Create an industrial tools marketing strategy that includes opportunities to extend your specialized industry knowledge. The best way to sell, sometimes, is to teach—a core principle of inbound marketing.

Buyers of industrial tools want manufacturers who know their product and have a proven track record. If you are a manufacturer, you know that your customers and potential customers value your expertise. The basis of the entire sales process during long sales cycles is showing yourself as trustworthy and proficient in your industry. Industrial tools marketing, as mentioned before, is not an emotional process. Rather, it requires less persuasive language, and more authoritative, logical, valuable language. The goal is to further build upon that reliable image digitally while demonstrating measurable results.

How can you offer expertise as an industrial tools marketing strategy?

First of all, recognize that you have industry-specific knowledge in a niche field. That immediately gives you an advantage over other eCommerce industries and software companies. After all, it’s easier to create new, original content that potential customers will be glad to find.

Some might wonder, “Who would want to learn more about our industrial products?”

Well, the answer is this: the right people. That’s why it’s the perfect marketing strategy for lead generation. Already, your extensive experience connects you with the exact target buyer that is looking for your product or service.

How to offer expertise on your industrial tools online?

We already touched on a few methods in this post, but there are so many more methods to do so as part of your marketing campaigns:

• Industry and Trade Publications

• FAQs on landing pages

• Videos through social media marketing

• Blog content optimized for search engine optimization

• Whitepapers showcasing industry knowledge

• Email newsletter through marketing automation

• Online course

• Webinars to engage customers

• Case studies demonstrating your track record

• Social media across multiple channels

Only you can conceive of potential topics to provide expertise about. Consider the years you spent face-to-face with customers, comprehending their pain points and needs along the customer journey.

Draw on those common unique challenges and contribute accessible solutions. Interested potential customers will be able to tell the difference between authentic information and run-of-the-mill content with researched information aggregated from different sources on the web. Your authentic industry knowledge will shine compared to the rest, delivering marketing impact.

Industrial Tools Marketing: Create your Gameplan Today

Industrial tools brands are not left out of the marketing equation. Online channels have opened up the door for a multitude of ways to propel recognition of industrial manufactures and drive business growth. Now, it’s possible to find customers in the most unexpected of places. Considering the pandemic, manufacturers and distributors have no choice but to attempt new marketing avenues through a strategic approach. With the barring of in-person product showcases, sales meetings, tours, and trade shows, it’s necessary to create unique ways to grow revenue.

Whether that is by opening a direct-to-consumer channel, taking advantage of marketplaces or publications, or attempting a multitude of content types through your content strategy, or even all of the above, manufacturers have options. Even more, the digital space is more flexible, making exploration affordable with high ROI potential and measurable results. Further simplify your marketing journey with the help of tools like PIM software that enable marketing automation and improve operational efficiency.

If you’d like to maximize the marketing impact of your industrial tools marketing and achieve sustained growth, check out Catsy to schedule a demo today and see how it can streamline your marketing content process, support your sales team, and help grow revenue through improved marketing performance.