There's no getting away from the fact that self-promotion is an essential part of business. You can have the best engineering company in the world, but you'll struggle to thrive if potential customers are unaware of who you are and what you can offer them.
The modern business landscape offers so many opportunities for self-promotion that engineering companies of yesteryear could not utilise. With the world now being more connected than ever, it's never been easier to reach a large audience of prospective new clients than now.
If you're looking to grow your engineering business, fill upcoming capacity, or simply attract new customers, the following tools may be the answer you're looking for:
Use Social Media:
Social media is without a doubt one of the best ways to promote your engineering company to a widespread audience of potential new clients. Some of the most successful posts gain hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of views. There is no other medium that can offer the same level of exposure than social media - the trick is coming up with interesting content that grabs your audience's attention.
If you're new to social media, it can all feel a little confusing. However, social media has become an almost essential business tool, meaning that it's important to learn how to use it if you aren't already.
There are multiple social media platforms you can use to draw attention to your engineering company, each offering different benefits, audiences and niches. If you're keen to sharpen your social media skills, we've put together a series of articles that instruct you how to use each platform to its full potential, which can be accessed below:
Using LinkedIn to Grow Your Engineering Business
Using Facebook to Grow Your Engineering Business
Using Youtube to Grow Your Engineering Business
Using Twitter to Grow Your Engineering Business
Using Instagram to Grow Your Engineering Business
Exhibit at Engineering Shows:
The engineering industry offers some absolutely amazing exhibitions, giving engineering companies an invaluable opportunity to get in front of decision makers who are sourcing for active requirements. With several major exhibitions occurring each year, those who are looking to exhibit will not be short for choice when it comes to selecting an event that fits their needs.
Regional exhibitions such as Southern Manufacturing and Northern Manufacturing are great for reaching more local audiences, whereas national exhibitions such as Subcon and Advanced Engineering attract buyers from all over the country and even farther afield. These shows have proven wildly successful for many engineering companies and it's not difficult to see why.
At the start of every year, we publish a guide to upcoming engineering exhibitions which you may find useful if you're looking for inspiration. It's worth noting that many of 2020's shows have been delayed until 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic - our 2021 exhibitions guide will be published on Friday 8th January.
Build a Great Website:
The internet is often the first port of call that buyers turn to when looking for new suppliers, which is why a company website is vital if you want to promote your engineering business effectively. However, it's not enough to simply bodge a website together in ten minutes and hope for the best - the quality of your website will speak volumes to potential customers, meaning that you need to invest time in building a website that gives a great first impression.
Your website should always include your contact details so that interested visitors can get in touch with you. It should also look aesthetically pleasing and avoid being too cluttered, as well as outlining exactly what your engineering company can offer (uploading a plant list is always a good idea). If you want your website to perform well for you, it's also a good idea to brush up on your search engine optimisation skills, or work with a specialist who can ensure that your website ranks well in Google searches.
If you decide to build your website yourself, then the following article will show you exactly how to create a website that stands out from the rest:
Engineering Website Design: How To Build a Great Engineering Website
Make Sure You're Listed in Online Directories:
Online directories are extremely popular amongst manufacturing buyers who are actively seeking a new supplier. Therefore, making sure that you're listed in as many online directories as possible is a great way to promote your engineering company. If you move premises or your contact details change, it's extremely important that you update your listings accordingly - otherwise, directory listings will work for you with minimal upkeep or maintenance.
Qimtek's online engineering directory offers UK engineering companies the opportunity to list their company for free. With thousands of visitors each month, our directory focuses exclusively on engineering and manufacturing, meaning that it's become an important tool to plenty of manufacturing buyers when sourcing. For more information, visit the link below:
Qimtek Free Listing: How Can I Make It Work Better For Me?
Get Testimonials From Your Current Customers:
Word of mouth is a timeless way of promoting your engineering business and what better way to achieve credibility than asking your existing customers for testimonials?
When all is said and done, your customers come to you for a reason and they must be satisfied with your services in order to keep using you! By asking your existing customers for testimonials, you help to illustrate the quality of your services to potential new clients who may be considering placing business with you. Working with a new supplier is always something of a risk to purchasers as it can feel like a drop into the unknown. Testimonials help to alleviate their concerns and place their trust in your business until they know for themselves that you can be counted upon.
Testimonials are also powerful marketing tools that can be used across any number of platforms. For instance, you may attract your next big customer by posting them on social media, whilst testimonials also make a great addition to any website. There is no end to the ways they can be used and most of the time, your customers are more than happy to oblige - especially if they're delighted by the service they've received!