Manufacturing marketing: 4 challenges and how to tackle them

I was sitting in a meeting room above the factory floor, talking marketing with the finance director, MD, and sales team. And it struck me how similar the marketing challenges are for UK manufacturing companies at the moment.

This article looks at key common denominators – and how we’re helping companies address them.

Challenge 1: Moving up the value chain

This is particularly common in the Midlands because so many manufacturers have relied on the automotive industry as their primary customer base.

However, with changes to the automotive supply chain and Tier 1 and 2 putting more pressure on margins, manufacturers are recognising the need to move up the value chain, moving away from commoditised widget production and towards value-added services (like design support, more advanced tooling and prototyping).

95% of the time, manufacturers are driving innovation and adding value day to day but not telling the world about it. We joke (with more than a grain of truth), that the most common image you see on manufacturer websites is a photo of the outside of their building. Case studies focus on plant used during the manufacturing process, along with any standards adhered to.

This approach doesn’t showcase your value-add efficiently.

Start by reviewing your positioning and online ‘show window’. Look at your website from a new customer’s perspective (or better yet, have an objective third party look at it for you). Analyse everything from the structure to the wording to the imagery – does everything accurately reflect the value you add?

If not, it’s time go back to basics, marketing-wise:

• Make sure you’re communicating your value proposition in the right way
• Articulate key messages specific to your ideal customers, so you’re telling them what they want to know
• Ensure your sales team has the collateral (online and print) to back up their strategy
• Tell stories about innovation, not just commoditisation

Challenge 2: Expanding into new sectors

The combination of supply chain disruption and geopolitical instability in recent years has pushed supply chain resilience to the top of virtually every procurement conversation. According to The Manufacturer, the trend toward regional sourcing is already creating openings for UK-based suppliers who can offer reliability and proximity advantages that overseas alternatives simply can’t.

UK manufacturers have a genuine story to tell here and can use it to diversify their client base. 75% of customers are in automotive, but you see growing opportunities in rail (for example) – and your capabilities easily cross over.

The solution is similar to Challenge 1 – you need to show prospective customers that your offering is relevant and valuable. There are simple tweaks that reinforce this – like changing the hero image on your homepage to one relevant to your target industry.

You can also expand your website to include a sector section, where you have one page for each major industry, giving you an opportunity to talk about the specific benefits you offer to each one. This can expand into your brochures, with a brochure for each sector (or a main creds brochure that has a section for each sector).

Look at sector publications and what they’re talking about. Are there issues you can comment on, either in social media posts or in blog articles for your website? What about industry events you can attend, either as an exhibitor or delegate? If you’re serious about growing market share in that area, it’s worth investing in on-stand collateral and banners with messaging specific to the industry.

Challenge 3: Making sustainability credentials work commercially

ESG credentials are increasingly part of tender evaluation criteria, with customers under pressure to demonstrate the sustainability of their supply chains. So whether it’s waste reduction, recyclability, energy consumption, or emissions, you need to show how you’re contributing. The same goes for health and safety. Especially if you’re innovating in these areas, they can be quick marketing wins.

When we take factory tours, we’re always surprised that the care and thought going into health, safety and environment aren’t featured in marketing. The ISO certificates will be on the website, and brochures will have the badges – but there’s a missed opportunity to promote the detail behind the certifications.

Have you refined a process or invested in new machinery that’s had a positive impact on safety and/or the environment? Have you taken a new approach to tooling, prototyping or mass production that’s contributed to more carbon-efficient manufacturing for customers?

Then shout about it.

Have a news article on your website, include it in a case study, feature it in a brochure and include it in your sales presentation. Also tell your professional associations, so they can promote your successes, too.

Challenge 4: Positioning for the AI era

A few years ago, this section would have been headed “Industry 4.0.” The conversation has moved on – and if anything, it’s moved faster than most manufacturers’ marketing has kept up with.

AI is no longer a future aspiration for UK manufacturing. According to Make UK, 82% of manufacturing executives now view AI as a core growth driver. The question is no longer whether AI matters, it’s whether your marketing reflects what you’re actually doing with it – and what that means for your customers.

The trap most manufacturers fall into is either over-claiming (“innovative AI-driven solutions”) or under-communicating (not mentioning it at all). Both are problems.

Over-claiming is a credibility risk in technically literate audiences. Under-communicating means you’re invisible to customers who are actively looking for supply chain partners with digital capability – and there are plenty of them. Geopolitical disruption and supply chain volatility have made visibility and predictability more important than ever, so customers want partners who can demonstrate data-driven reliability, not just promise it.

How do you strike the right balance?

Get specific. “We use AI-driven analytics” won’t cut through. “We use real-time production data to predict maintenance cycles, which means our customers have never experienced an unplanned line stoppage due to a component failure” is a message.

Practical approaches include:

• Write a news article or blog post explaining the specific investment or technology you’ve implemented and its measurable impact on quality, throughput, or delivery
• Update the business overview you use in tenders to reference relevant digital capability and investment
• Use LinkedIn to share your perspective on industry developments – comment on relevant research from The Manufacturer, Make UK, or the AMRC – and position your business as an informed voice, not just a production resource
• At exhibitions, have material that connects your technology to customer outcomes – not just a list of capabilities

The manufacturers who will stand out in the next couple of years are those who can articulate not just what they make, but what their digital capability means for their customers’ supply chains. And that’s a content and messaging challenge as much as it is a technology one.

A knowledgeable and objective perspective helps with all these marketing tactics

“You can’t read the label from inside the bottle.”

That’s a quote from a client, when we were discussing his difficulty getting his marketing right. When you’re immersed in your business and processes, you suffer from the curse of knowledge – it’s hard to separate yourself from what you know and put yourself in the shoes of someone who doesn’t know you.

An objective expert helps with this. Copywriters help you tell your story effectively, so your marketing works harder to support the goals the business is trying to achieve.

We work across the manufacturing supply chain – from OEMs and Tier 1–3 suppliers to trade associations and specialist equipment manufacturers – with the sector knowledge to understand the nuance and the copywriting expertise to communicate it effectively. This includes work repositioning the Aluminium Federation, supporting sales and investor relations at the Middle East Paper Company, and communications for the Confederation of British Metalforming (and more here).

We help articulate value propositions and key messages that communicate the right message to the right people. We help structure and write websites, create brochures and presentations, draft articles and case studies, and craft sustainability reports. That way your bottle has the label it needs to communicate your value-add, appeal to new sectors, and promote your authority.

Contact us for a (confidential) chat about the specific challenges the business is facing – and what strategic and tactical solutions will help you overcome them.