It’s a common challenge facing marketers at manufacturers: how do I balance my marketing efforts with those of the retailers selling my products? Do I need to advertise on my own, or will the retailer’s marketing be sufficient? What are the best approaches for navigating these complex relationships?
These questions are important ones to answer for any marketer who has traditionally relied heavily on retailers, brokers, or any channel partners regarding online advertising.
Lever Interactive has excelled in showing profitable and scalable growth in digital with our manufacturing clients. We get it; we’ve been working with manufacturers and similarly-structured clients for over 17 years now. We have a great deal of empathy and respect for how important these businesses’ partnerships are with their retailers and brokers.
But one of the great things about digital is there is always an opportunity! Through advancements in digital marketing technology and with some creative, strategic thinking, we have been able to help many clients with complex business situations successfully and profitably put their brand first and execute their own digital advertising strategies without jeopardizing their valuable business partnerships.
3 Reasons to Move Forward with Your Own Digital Marketing Strategy
Why is moving forward with your own digital marketing strategy the right decision? Here are three of the most important reasons:
1. Retailers also have relationships with your competitors
No matter how solid the relationship you may have with your retailers, they still have strong relationships with other brands too. Most likely, some of those are your main competitors. And at the end of the day, they have their own interest in mind first. If the retailer’s strategy determines your competitor’s product is going to get them the sale, guess who wins the eyeballs of that consumer.
2. Consumers are researching more than ever
In today’s digital, mobile-first world, consumers are researching brands before buying more than ever before. Plus, expectations when they engage with a brand, are higher than ever before. Consumers demand relevant, valuable, and timely information, and they respond to advertising that is transparent and trustworthy.
It is critical to protect your brand online and be certain you are messaging it correctly, providing value to your consumers, and ensuring you appear – not your competitors – when consumers are looking for your brand.
To be able to do this involves an in-depth digital advertising strategy that is built on your data and a comprehensive understanding of your consumer. Leaving something this critical to your retailers is a major gamble.
3. Controlling the message
If a brand isn’t growing and moving, it’s most likely declining in relevency. The latest news, updates, offers, products, messaging, etc., from your brand need to be findable online for your consumers – while it is still the latest. Retailers have a lot going on, and their sales matter first. Are you certain they are able to keep up with your business’ updates? Are your retailers currently showcasing your most up-to-date messaging, offers, or products?
Getting Started
1. Set goals
First, determine if this is something you have the resources and capabilities to take on in-house or find a partner like Lever Interactive that specializes in this so that you can spend your time on your business.
You also need to clearly identify and communicate what your goals are for your own digital marketing strategy. Are you looking to start selling directly through e-commerce, grow an incentive program, or build brand awareness? The best digital marketing strategies are built with a goals-first framework. Clearly defining what your business goals and objectives are will determine your strategy and start building alignment with your retailers.
2. Communicate your goals with your retailers
The second step is always maintaining clear and open communication with your retailers on what your goals and objectives are.
3. Align your goals with their strategies
Through that communication, align with your retailers on areas of “right to play” to avoid competition and cost inflation.
Are you only looking to promote one product line and have the retailer stop selling that product? Are you going to sell on Amazon only, and our retailer owns Google Shopping? Should the retailer not be bidding on your brand terms?
A great retail partner is one that will work through these logistics with you to benefit both parties.
Real-Life Approaches
What are some innovative digital marketing tactics we’ve run in these situations?
Controlling the message
We already touched on this briefly, but we always take ownership of our clients’ brand strategies first. Across all channels from paid search, SEO, social, video – owning top positioning and controlling the message for our clients’ brands is priority. We find innovative ways to ensure we never provide any competitor the opportunity to profit on your business’ consumer demand.
Utilizing our clients’ 1st party data across channels and devices
These are consumers who have connected with your brand directly, not your retailer’s customers. Lever Interactive has the ability to incorporate our clients’ CRM data into all digital marketing strategies across search, display, and social. And with consumer privacy in mind, we can also share these lists with retailers to exclude these consumers from their ads.
Launching co-op shopping campaigns
For our manufacturing clients that do not yet have e-commerce capabilities, we can launch co-op shopping campaigns where you can share the cost of Shopping advertising with your retailers to drive sales. For example, let’s say Retailer X is one of your authorized dealers selling your products through online Shopping campaigns. Working with Lever, we can partner with Retailer X on your behalf to share the cost of any clicks on your promoted products. This ensures your products receive priority positioning, with up-to-date offers and messaging, in your consumers’ search results, driving sales of your brand over your competitors.
Establishing “swim lanes”
We also look to establish product/search term/seasonality/etc. “swim lanes” with retailers regarding when, where, and how you will be advertising your brand and products. We then develop cross-channel digital marketing campaigns targeting those swim lanes and ensuring retailers are not playing in those spaces.
Guidance on Digital Marketing for Manufacturers
This is just an overview of some of the strategies your business can implement to start effectively growing your brand through digital marketing. Lever Interactive would be more than happy to discuss your business’ unique situation in further detail and provide a custom strategy that works for your business. Contact us to find out more.