Your Company Is Cutting Edge. But Does Your Brand Show It?
There are two elements to every business: the impression and the reality. Sometimes the impression matches the reality—and sometimes it doesn’t. In any event, customers will always gather an impression of your business before seeing the reality. Always.
That’s why it’s so important for manufacturing companies to look the part. There’s a stark difference between being cutting edge and looking cutting edge. Even if your company embodies innovation, your brand needs to communicate this. Otherwise, you’re missing out on valuable opportunities that should be yours for the taking.
As a manufacturing branding agency, we know how important it is to stay relevant in this industry. Manufacturers invest so much time and money into their products and technology. But are they selling themselves short with an outdated brand? Are leads gathering the right impression of your company and converting into customers, or backing away before they can see the reality?
In a recent article for Industrial Marketer, we interviewed several manufacturing companies to hear their perspectives on branding and the role it plays in their industry. Some of the interviews included Barclay A. Townsend, president of Townsend Machine, Inc., Steve Rowe, director of marketing at Esco Optics, John Callahan III, president of Day Tool & Mfg. Inc. and Josh Kurz, director of sales at AK Stamping. Despite their different backgrounds and markets, all of them agreed that it’s absolutely crucial for manufacturers to look as cutting edge as they are.
In an industry that’s so future-focused, why is it that most manufacturing brands look like they’re from the ‘70s? Manufacturers place so much emphasis on building the right reality that they overlook their brand and the image it gives them.
You’ve Already Done the Hard Part
If your brand appears outdated, it probably means you’ve been in business for quite some time. And that’s no easy feat, especially in such a fast-paced and competitive industry.
This means you’ve already done the hard part. You’ve built the business, made the connections, invested in the technology. You’ve done everything you needed to do to create the right reality. But you can’t stop there. You need a brand that showcases the truth you’ve worked so hard to create. Otherwise, you could be passed up for a company that looks more cutting edge than you—whether they actually are or not.
What Does Your Current Brand Say About You?
We put a lot of pressure on meetings. After all, first impressions are everything. But more likely than not, your leads have already gathered an impression of your business long before meeting you.
Prospects have already qualified you based on your logo, your website, your print collateral. There are so many ways to learn about a company before picking up the phone and calling. But there’s one thing that all of these approaches have in common. Whether leads are looking at your website or your print collateral, your brand will be front and center on everything. So if your brand looks outdated, you can’t blame prospects for considering other options (i.e., your competition). Two or three seconds is all you get to make that first impression. So in order to win that meeting or phone call, your brand needs to do the heavy lifting!
Position Yourself for the Future
Regardless of industry, the most successful companies understand the importance of branding and looking the part. That’s why they continually invest in their brand, even if their products and services stay largely the same. Companies like UPS, Apple, McDonald’s—none of them ever look the same for too long. All of these companies are old and could have left their brands alone. But if they did, they likely wouldn’t be where they are today.
Our Case Study, Cimquest
Just how far ahead should you go with your brand? We believe that your new strategy should be aimed to take you into the next 20-50 years.
Cimquest is a perfect example. The company manufactures 3D printers and manufacturing software. After more than 30 years in the industry, Cimquest knew it was time to refresh their brand and replace it with one that was much more modern and even futuristic. So they revamped their logo and carried over the new branding to their website, collateral and other marketing.
Cimquest’s focus on advanced additive and subtractive manufacturing helped shape the new brand. The refresh needed to reflect everything that defined Cimquest: innovation, originality, technology. The company even looked to the gaming industry for inspiration and futuristic overlaps.
Make It Easy for Leads to Choose You
It’s time to ask yourself this crucial question: Does my manufacturing company look cutting edge? If it doesn’t, you could be missing out on some real opportunities and not even know it.
Don’t give prospects a reason to overlook your manufacturing company. When you present a brand that reflects your truth and your value, you’re doing more than just looking good. You’re nailing the first impression and giving leads every reason in the world to choose you over your competition.
For the full story, check out our article featured on Industrial Marketer.
