You’ve faced undercutting competition and over-demanding customers. You’ve seen market highs and product fails. But this is bananas.
So where do you go from here? Rather than dwelling on the question, let’s evaluate needs. Needs of customers. Do they need new solutions to start manufacturing a new type of product the market is demanding? Are customers looking for new partners and equipment due to broken supply chains? Is there an innate mandate in the marketplace for the products and processes you are producing? Yes—on all accounts—and to top it all off, not everyone is aware of it right now.
In this series, IMTS – International Manufacturing Technology Show leaders will guide readers through what marketing looks like on this side of 2020 – from first steps to revised visions.
Step 1: Discover the New World
Ensure your marketing plan from last year is in the compost pile. The world has changed. The rules have changed. Start to seize opportunities (we promise; they exist) and build brand awareness (trust us; it has never mattered more) in arenas that may seem wholly foreign to the marketing plan that once was.
First, and most importantly, you must accept that there is more than one way to market manufacturing technology. No matter what you are selling—from specialty parts to behemoth machines—you can reach your customers using different platforms and approaches.
Step 2: Follow the New Rules: Trade shows work. We know that. IMTS – International Manufacturing Technology Show, has been proving that for 91 years. Seeing technologies and networking in-person are proven and effective ways to sell manufacturing technology.
Trade shows are a time-tested and honored marketing vehicle. They provide a reliable and desirable experience. In fact, they are similar to shopping at a big box store. You know what you will see, and you know you’ll see a lot of it. There will be choices! There will be lots of chances—chances to see and buy!
But right now, trade shows simply cannot happen safely. The good news is that trade shows will happen again soon. (This is us waiting patiently, leg sewing-machine bouncing, endlessly.) Digital marketing works. Digital platforms can be effective vehicles for marketing manufacturing technology. However, they must be built with a purpose and a clear intent. Throwing product descriptions on your website and blindly sending mass emails will not get the job done.
We all engage with effective digital marketers nearly every day. You might have a box from one on your porch right now. But these big name .com experiences are carefully planned and based on detailed algorithms.
Most importantly, these powerful online marketplaces are not simply digital copies of physical stores. The tools, the spaces, and the experiences are vastly different than the big box stores. That is why AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology and GBM – Gardner Business Media are launching IMTS spark, a comprehensive digital destination. IMTS spark is not a digital IMTS; it is not a virtual trade show.
Instead, IMTS spark is a manufacturing technology expert—in the form of a digital platform. It is a place to access solutions, collaborate with peers, network with potential partners, and gain insight from experts. In addition to viewing and engaging with relevant content, participants can visit over 2,000 exhibitor showrooms and experience live demos of products and processes.
IMTS spark was purpose-built for manufacturers. It is a tool for our time. IMTS 2020 exhibitors already have their foot in the door, as they were provided a seat on the platform. Upgraded opportunities are available now so that marketing efforts can be maximized on the IMTS spark Showroom. Whether you were planning to be in Chicago this September or not, you can register now at IMTS.com/spark to see the exhibitors, the technologies and the opportunities. The full IMTS spark experience ignites on September 21, 2020, at IMTS.com/spark.
There is room for more than one tool. Covid-19 accelerated a transformation that was already happening—the move to more sophisticated and interactive digital spaces. But the advent of these spaces does not mean the end of the trade show. The two can co-exist. They fill different needs and serve diverse purposes—much the same way that big box stores and big online retailers do. The experiences and expectations are vastly different.
But at the moment, manufacturers are retooling, upgrading, and replacing capital equipment, and looking for the right technology to build what their customers demand. You make that equipment. Time to tell them about it. Start taking the first steps forward now. We’ll see you online on IMTS spark, and we look forward to seeing you in person at IMTS 2022. Visit
IMTS.com to get started.
Need more information? Phone: 703-827-5215 Email: info@imts.com
THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY IMTS ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2020.
