Changing the Perception of Manufacturing
Around this time last year, we solidified our niche in manufacturing. This year, we’ve redefined our mission to reflect that: Strategy House is changing the perception of manufacturing, one story at a time.
We provide brand management services for manufacturers going through digital transformation. Our methods help manufacturers grow sales, attract talent, and achieve data transparency.
Our commitment to this mission inspired our new brand manifesto:
Strategy House Brand Manifesto
Manufacturing is the backbone of our country. Creating, building, running the world, all in the background, without fanfare. It’s not glamorous, but it’s necessary.
We see you. We see the unparalleled expertise of your team, we see the way you treat each other like family. We see the immense pride in the quality of your products and that the customers who know you, come back to you, time and again.
We see you, and now it’s time for the world to see you.
The way people connect with brands has changed. They want to know why. Why should I work with you or for you?
We need to connect the rest of the world with your story, your people, and your products.
It’s time to change the perception of manufacturing, one story at a time.
Brand Management for Legacy Manufacturers
We help manufacturing leaders take their business through digital transformation to improve their brand perception. Why brand? To position for growth, manufacturers focus on two things: sales growth and strategic talent initiatives. Brand recognition, whether as a top producer or as an employer of choice, helps manufacturers achieve their growth goals.
Brand recognition, whether as a top producer or as an employer of choice, helps manufacturers achieve their growth goals.
Our dedication to brand came about as our direct response to what we are hearing from our customers and the industry.
The legacy manufacturers we work with have reputable brands that have existed for 30+, 50+, even 100+ years. They employ some of the brightest minds in their niche industry, their products and brands are valued for their quality, and their customers are committed to them and rave about their customer service.
But, outside of their employees and current customers, no one knows what they do, who they work with, or anything about their culture – because they struggle to tell their story. They’ve never prioritized their brand or marketing beyond sales collateral.
Today, they are committed to bringing their company into the digital age and building their brand reputation among prospects, candidates, and within their niche market.
Modernizing Legacy Sales Strategies
At our core, we’re a people-focused company, so it follows that the sales strategies we set are customer-centric.
The buyer’s journey has shifted in the last decade. Buyers are doing more research before ever reaching out a salesperson. Manufacturers who want to stay competitive need to update their digital presence to align with the type of information buyers are looking for while on this journey.
Today’s buyers are smart, tech-savvy, and overloaded with information. A survey by ThomasNet uncovered 139 jobs that industrial buyers perform when they’re selecting a supplier for a needed product or service.
Strategy House designs strategies that align your sales process with the buyer’s journey, then we develop the content to support your buyer through the sales cycle and improve brand perception, and lastly, we improve processes and increase data transparency by leveraging technology tools.
Defining Employer Branding to Address Labor Shortage
It’s no secret that manufacturing is currently struggling to address labor shortages due to the dwindling workforce. Wisconsin manufacturers are especially concerned about how to attract and retain key talent.
In response to our customer’s growth plan, we’ve added Employer Branding as a core service offering. After all, the strategies to attract new customers and retain your best customers mirror digital strategies designed to attract and retain key talent.
It starts with telling your story.
Build a clear and consistent brand message to build your content around. Understand your target audience with ideal profiles of candidates, tailor content to where they are in their journey, and then make sure you’re connecting with them where they look for information. Sound familiar? It should. It’s modeled after the sales strategies we’ve used to help our clients hit their sales growth goals for the last three years.
Now, we apply our three brand pillars – strategy, technology, & content – to help our manufacturing clients achieve their talent attraction and retention goals by defining and promoting their employer brand.
Looking Forward: The Agency Facilitating Digital Transformation in Manufacturing
We’ve spent the last year streamlining our own operational processes, including adopting agile methodology to ensure we have quality measures in place, and to help us set data-driven strategies.
We’ve expanded our team to include the skill sets we know are most valuable to our customers in manufacturing and the trades. In addition to strategists and content development, we now also offer in-house data clean up, analysis, and management, website design, and development, and brought on an internal brand expert with Fortune 100 experience. Furthermore, we expanded our writing team and strategically partnered with a full-service video agency.
The industry needs a rebrand, and Strategy House is excited to be part of changing the perception of manufacturing in America.
