
One of the challenges we face at Weidert Group is convincing clients in industrial and manufacturing segments just how valuable a blog can be.
They are intrigued by the blog, but often don't see how it can possibly benefit them because "that's not how people in our industry work." You can point out all the benefits a blog brings to their marketing efforts, from establishing expertise to improving the company website's SEO - all of which are important to attracting prospects, leads and customers - and often times they just can't see the value.
Especially if no one else is doing it.
I recently stumbled across a blog on ProBlogger by Dominick DalSanto of Baghouse, a California company that sells industrial dust collection systems that illustrates our point. He was a doubter when his company decided to invest in online marketing efforts that included a blog. His company lacked experience with the web and blogging, faced stiff competition from some Fortune 100 companies and, at least from his vantage point, had a very limited audience of industry professionals.
Now, after some learning and adaptation along the way, his company ranks #1 for five of the best keywords in the industry when it comes to search results, and Baghouse has seen an overall increase in traffic, qualified leads and conversions.
Here are the lessons he says can help you do the same:
DalSanto and Baghouse succeeded because the Internet is now where people start their search for solutions, whether it's a consumer looking for a new product, or an industrial engineer looking to reduce dust particles in emissions. By regularly blogging and working on its SEO, Baghouse was able to establish itself as a leader in both its marketplace and the search rankings.
Need more? Read Tami Wessley's post on why manufacturers should be markting online in 2012.
Not sure how to get started or what to write about, we have some great tips here:
The bottom line: your business can benefit from a blog even in the toughest of industry niches. And if it happens to be a market space where no one else is making these efforts, wouldn't you want to be first?