The relationship of SMEs with Trade & Tech media can be a bit awkward but with a little effort can be immensely rewarding on both sides. Just like any other relationship it needs a connection based on equal trust. In a PR sense this involves playing our part by regularly providing interesting/valuable material in a form that can be published with the minimum of effort. Being responsive to editorial requests – a feature article at short notice can really help meet media deadlines.

And of course like any business they can’t survive on air so if you want the media to help you – expect to spend some money with them in a focused way.

I am interested that the Green Agenda is getting more attention now – as the inheritors of the first industrial revolution wouldn’t it be great if UK manufacturing could help save the planet while regenerating itself. There are so many opportunities in renewable energy, renewable materials, product repair and recycling, waste recycling, and so on.

These are great business opportunities and the mood seems to be right.

I have been reminded in a number of conversations recently that our manufacturing industries are engineer led – unlike much of the internet and social media we are involved in talking to people who are very focused, jargon savvy and highly educated/intelligent. This means that we are able to quickly convey valuable information – things like performance, savings, capabilities, new features etc. to people who like an “in-depth read”.

It also means that a lot of recommended internet practices may be counter-productive, especially if it means we end up “talking down” to our audience.

If you are in industrial marketing or tech media how do you deal with this issue?

I am delighted to see that there is a lot of talk about re-investment in our industry – capital allowances and special loans and so on being made available. So I believe now is a good time to support by ramping up marketing activities.

We all know that there is a lag in the system – it takes time to build a presence and to get good results from any campaign – something like six months to a year in my experience. So now is the time to invest in the most cost-effective promotion I know of, by working with the trade and tech media. Low-cost PR, content marketing, SEO or whichever term you prefer, has enabled specialist manufacturers to survive and thrive through past recessions – so if you want results in 2021 I suggest you start your marketing right now so it is working for you when you need it.

I wonder what magazines you read – and what your relationship is with the press? From 40 years personal experience I have seen just how innovative and proactive our media scene is in the UK. We have probably the best B2B media in the world so let’s consider how we can all work together to rebuild our industries after the Covid recession.

We can support them with news about products, feature articles, application stories, interesting images – photos and graphics, technical information, advertising spend (however small). Trade & Tech media is a brilliant channel to pass on valuable information so that we can all regrow.

We believe that good execution of Industrial Marketing involves a process that offers manufacturers of components, assemblies and equipment a lifeline in times of survival and an opportunity in times of growth, by ensuring that client company products and services are continuously presented to potential customers and to existing ones.

This involves the presentation of news and new perspectives regarding product information, applications, technical updates, ideas and services.

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For SMEs considering what to do in economic recovery I would suggest that we can see that for the past decade or more traditional media have offered an important route to the internet. This has been both independently and via search engines such as Google, greatly enhancing the online presence of companies far beyond the reach of just their own website alone.

Good industrial PR facilitates this communication process by providing valuable information from the suppliers of products and services to reach the potential customers who want to read it – via established and respected media vehicles whatever their format.

In recent years we have seen the incorporation of social media, blogging, content marketing and SEO under the umbrella of the established PR mix.

At The Industrial Marketing Agency we foresee a great future for UK manufacturing industry in the Green Agenda – our clients are addressing this. We believe it is the way forward to sales and jobs so this is the time we can all re-structure to help meet zero carbon for the benefit of the planet. Going Green can be the next industrial revolution but we do need to promote to a new audience in print and online with PR and social media and all the other channels available to us.

Lets discuss with a phone call or email

I have heard concerns about marketing voiced as “I know I need to do something but I don’t know what” and then “we tried it ten years ago but the guy didn’t do anything” or again “we did an advert a few years ago but it didn’t work” – ignoring for the moment the huge difference between an advert and a PR or Social Media campaign, interestingly these statements have led to relationships of 10 years – even 25 years.

The problem seems to focus around the issue of trust, understanding of what is being done and concerns over the level of financial commitment involved – these are significant matters – but as with any new project can easily be clarified and quantified.

Building trust with a supplier starts with a phone call – or an email.