For a manufacturer, making successful sales isn’t easy. It’s a matter of many small things coming together just right.
You need to have a product that meets the needs of the customer. The supply chain must ship materials on time, operations needs to deliver an error-free, high-quality product. Lead time has to meet the delivery schedule of the customer. On top of that, there are a multitude of other requirements that need to align for a successful sale — production data requirements, sourcing information, regulations and more.
Even if you get all that right, you aren’t guaranteed success. The struggle for many companies isn’t meeting these requirements but taking the additional steps you need to overcome a tight market. That includes seizing every opportunity for brand promotion.
What Is Brand Promotion for Manufacturing?
With brand promotion, a business creates a strategy to influence or persuade a customer to purchase a service or product from a brand.
Companies, and the people who work for them, like to purchase from businesses they know. The brand of your business is how customers and the public perceive you. That perception is constantly being shaped, with or without your influence. A successful company recognizes the importance of brand, of perception, and takes strategic steps necessary to promote their brand. They take control of perception, rather than closing their eyes and hoping people like them.
Why Brand Is So Important for Business and Manufacturing
Brand is an important element in any buying decision.
The more a customer knows about your company, the more they feel they can trust you when it’s time to make a purchase. When a customer or prospect has a problem, you want them to know your product or service can help. A strong brand will help them remember you as a potential solution. Trust in your brand makes it easier for them to place an order. That trust, and your brand, can help motivate them to purchase more, and more often.
Every time a manufacturer isn’t seizing a brand promotion opportunity, they are letting potential sales slip through their fingers.
Protective Packaging and Brand Promotion
Protective packaging has long been a staple for manufacturers. Safely shipping product to the customer is critical for completing a sale. You not only need packaging that’s cost-effective, but also packaging that increases durability and limits damage for shipments.
For many manufacturers, adding a logo to a box and the shipping paperwork is the extent of brand promotion on packaging. Often, even that simple step is skipped if it adds complexity or cost to a project. Brand promotion isn’t a priority.
Low-cost packaging provides minimal protection and even less opportunity for branding or promotion. What does a torn, flimsy brown box say about your business or the value or service you can offer the customer? What will a new prospect that sees the packaging think about your company?
These questions highlight a problem that you may have with every order you ship.
Breaking Down Costs and Benefits of Protective Packaging and Brand Promotion
Consider the benefits of making better use of packaging to your marketing efforts. For a few cents more on each shipment, you can provide your customers more durable packaging that better protects their order. You have more opportunity for brand promotion, using a higher-quality logo or a short tag line that better illustrates your brand message.
How much do you pay for a billboard, digital or print ad? That ad may or may not be seen by a potential prospect. Your shipping container or package is being sent directly to your primary customer. It is not only being seen but being handled and used by the customer. This is an opportunity that shouldn’t be wasted.
For an extremely low cost, you can not only provide more value to customers, but also jump-start your brand promotion efforts and get critical messaging in front of customers and prospects using your product or service.
Protective Packaging and Manufacturing
There are so many moving parts when it comes to making a sale. So many pieces need to align to sign a new customer. So many touchpoints are necessary (according to recent data, it takes eight or more) just to get an initial meeting.
Missing opportunities at brand promotion hurts your business.
There is tremendous marketing potential waiting to be unlocked in your packaging. Talk to the marketing and operations experts at GO2 Partners to discuss your business and review the opportunities waiting for you in brand promotion and updated protective packaging.
We’re here to help.
