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Adopting Workflow Automation to Reduce Manual Efforts Efficiently

Posted on by Cris Mark Baroro

In the face of swift technological evolution, agility – the ability to adapt promptly to market variations and evolving customer needs – has become more than a strategic advantage. It is now a business essential, integral to the survival and success of organizations. The principle that bolsters this nimbleness is workflow automation. Through this, businesses can streamline manual efforts, enhance efficiency, minimize errors, and imbue organizations with the resilience they need to excel.

Workflow Automation Demystified

Workflow Automation (WFA) incorporates the planning, executing, and automating of business operations where tasks, information, or documents transit from one participant to another based on a specific set of rules; much like a relay race. This transformative approach transmutes conventional business processes into systematic, tech-driven functions that liberate employees from the monotony of trivial tasks, focusing instead on their areas of expertise.

For example, an organization can automate a workflow for employee onboarding. As soon as a new hire is registered in the HR system, it triggers actions across multiple departments – ID assignment from IT, training schedule from the learning and development team, and benefits enrollment details from HR. Additionally, they can utilize virtual training videos and use an MP4 compressor to optimize them before they are distributed to employees. This minimizes the storage requirements and facilitates faster streaming and downloads, contributing to a more streamlined and efficient onboarding process.

Agility Unleashed

Agile organizations are buzzing, thriving environments that warmly welcome change. Embracing workflow automation allows businesses to reach an agility level that permits them to:

  1. Adapt Swiftly: WFA empowers businesses to respond rapidly and aptly to business environment fluctuations by continuously tailoring processes to align with changing needs and strategies.
  2. Minimize Errors: Automated workflows significantly cut down manual involvement, which subsequently curbs human errors, thereby promoting accuracy, reliability, and consistency in business operations.
  3. Amplify Efficiency: It aids in the seamless transition of tasks across stages, ensuring zero time wastage.

Harnessing Workflow Automation: Maximizing Productivity & Minimizing Manual Efforts

Improving Resource Management: 

  • Prioritizing Essential Tasks: Workflow Automation (WFA) technology enables experts to devote more attention to high-value tasks by reducing their involvement in mundane, routine activities.
  • Boosting Morale and Productivity: When employees are allowed to concentrate on important tasks instead of monotonous work, their job satisfaction and productivity can significantly rise.
  • Fueling Innovation: As individuals are given more time to focus on broader, more complex problems, there is an increase in opportunities for strategic thinking and innovation, creating a more competitive, forward-thinking organization.

Analytics and Insights:

  • Data Analytics Capability: Automation tools have powerful analytics capabilities that can process and interpret large volumes of data, making them invaluable for any business.
  • Continuous Monitoring of KPIs: These tools keep a constant watch on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as processing time, the status of tasks (both pending and completed), and productivity levels thus providing real-time updates.
  • Comprehensive Operational Overview: Through real-time monitoring and analytics, businesses gain a comprehensive, end-to-end view of their operations.
  • Agility in Strategy Modifications: By keeping track of the business’ pulse with real-time data, companies can readily adapt their strategies based on current operational status and future requirements, making them agile and responsive to changes.

Boosting Collaboration:

  • Transparency in Roles: Automated processes offer a clear understanding of individual tasks and responsibilities, ensuring every team member knows what to expect across various roles.
  • Effective Communication: By streamlining and automating processes, teams improve communication channels and make project management more efficient.
  • Responsibility Accountability: Automation promotes a sense of accountability for each task and reduces the chances of miscommunication or overlooked responsibilities.
  • Enhanced Teamwork: With a clear understanding of roles and smoother communication, teams can work together more effectively, share ideas, and achieve better results in a collaborative environment.

Scalability: 

  • Adaptable Workflows: Workflow Automation (WFA) can easily adjust to the changing requirements of a growing business, allowing for seamless expansions or contractions of workflows as needed.
  • Handling Peak Demands: During times of increased workload or peak demand, WFA enables businesses to quickly scale up operations without putting excessive strain on manual resources.
  • Minimal Effort Expansion: With WFA, companies can manage enhancements in their operations with minimal manual intervention, increasing efficiency and reducing operational costs.
  • Sustained Growth: By providing a flexible solution to accommodate varying workload levels, WFA fosters an environment where businesses can scale and support sustainable growth over time.

Capstone Effect of Workflow Automation: A Path to Economic Resilience

Businesses continue to chart unprecedented waters in the evolving corporate landscape. Economic resilience – the competence to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions, is the new gold standard for modern businesses. WFA, with its potential to minimize manual efforts, streamline operations, enhance collaboration, and promote swift adaptations, is set to play an indispensable role in building resilient businesses.

For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses with automated workflows were able to transition to remote working and maintain operational continuity swiftly.

The Future Beckons: Embracing Workflow Automation for an Agile Tomorrow

Unlike ever before, dependable agility is envisioned to rise as the pulsating heartbeat of each prospering and growing enterprise, especially when venturing into the boundless expanses of the corporate universe. In this vast realm, where constant change is as much a challenge as an opportunity, the driving force that propels forward momentum while ensuring flexibility is Workflow Automation (WFA).

Redefining speed and efficiency, WFA serves as the sector’s compass, stringing together a rich tapestry of myriad benefits – these range from decreased costs and human errors to improved productivity and redundancy elimination. To encapsulate it all, WFA acts as the cornerstone, integral to the unwavering purpose of reinforcing an organization’s agile muscles.

Consider, for example, a global retailer with intricate supply chains, a vast number of products, and diverse consumer trends. The introduction of WFA techniques, like predictive AI for inventory management or automated analysis for customer behaviors, fosters a new breed of agile organizations that are responsive to both macro-market trends and micro-consumer behaviors.

Structural digitization under WFA is about more than just hardening the foundation – it is about reinforcing the very skeletal framework of the organization’s operational strength. Harnessing the power of automation, businesses can construct a robust mesh of technology and innovation, bound together by the steely resolve to stay ahead in the face of adversity.

Moving ahead, we are paving the way for organizations looking forward to their journey toward an agile tomorrow. In this digitized future, they are not only prepared to embrace change, but they are also primed to anticipate it, chart the course of their journey, and successfully navigate it with assurance and precision. This digital transformation journey is about much more than survival – it’s about thriving and leading the way in a fluid and fast-paced corporate cosmos.

Conclusion

It is imperative to realize that workflow automation doesn’t just stand as a productivity enhancer. Instead, it serves as a strategic fulcrum pivoting businesses towards a future marked by heightened efficiency, unwavering agility, and robust resilience. Embracing workflow automation isn’t just about adopting a revolutionary tool but accepting a gateway to possible future success and an opportunity to contribute to a more nuanced, interconnected, and harmonious workspace.

How Should You Effectively Communicate Change in the Workplace?

Posted on by Adela Belin

Change is an ever-present reality in the workplace, requiring businesses to constantly adjust to many factors, including technological advancements, market dynamics, and internal restructuring. Within the workplace setting, these changes can disrupt established routines, generate a sense of uncertainty, and evoke resistance among employees.

However, successfully navigating change requires more than just implementation. It necessitates effective communication. Therefore, establishing a robust communication strategy becomes crucial to mitigate these challenges and foster a smooth transition. 

This article explores the importance of effective communication during workplace change, highlighting how it promotes understanding, builds trust, encourages engagement, and ultimately contributes to successful change implementation. 

1. Understanding the Change

Change in the workplace encompasses various types and is driven by different reasons. 

  • Organizational changes can include structural changes, such as mergers, acquisitions, or reorganizations, aimed at improving efficiency or responding to market demands. 
  • Process changes involve modifying workflows or implementing new technologies to enhance productivity and streamline operations.
  • Policy changes may occur to comply with legal requirements or address evolving industry standards.
  • Leadership changes, such as executive transitions, can bring new strategies and direction.
  • Economic factors, market trends, competitive pressures, or the need for innovation are common catalysts for change.

Understanding change is essential for maintaining a positive employee relationship. Organizations can address concerns, alleviate resistance, and foster a sense of trust and transparency by comprehending the reasons behind the change and its potential impact on employees.

Not to mention that recognizing common reactions to change, such as fear, uncertainty, and loss, makes it much easier for organizations to tailor their communication strategies effectively, promoting employee engagement and cooperation throughout the change process.

2. The Role of Leadership In Communicating Change

Leadership plays a pivotal role in effectively communicating change in the workplace. Leaders must demonstrate active involvement and unwavering commitment to the change initiative. 

By embodying thought leadership, leaders inspire confidence and create a sense of purpose among employees. Fostering trust and transparency is equally important. Leaders should clearly articulate the vision and goals of the change, openly addressing concerns and providing regular updates. 

Establishing open lines of communication and active listening to employee feedback also helps build trust and encourages a collaborative approach. When leaders effectively communicate change, they foster employee engagement, minimize resistance, and drive successful change implementation.

3. Crafting The Message

Crafting the message for communicating change in the workplace requires careful consideration. It involves identifying key messages and objectives that align with the company culture and resonate with employees. 

Effective and concise communication, utilizing formal writing words and language, plays a vital role in conveying professionalism and establishing credibility. It is crucial to tailor messages to different stakeholders, taking into account their specific concerns and interests. 

By customizing the message, it becomes more digestible and engaging. The message should clearly and articulately outline the purpose, benefits, and expected outcomes of the change while also addressing potential challenges. This, in turn, can create a shared understanding and foster a sense of unity among employees.

4. Choosing The Proper Communication Channels

Selecting the proper communication channels is essential to captivate the audience and effectively convey change in the workplace. The choice of channels should align with the nature of the change and the target audience. 

Channels such as company-wide emails, intranet portals, or town hall meetings may be appropriate for broad announcements or updates. Platforms like team meetings, small group discussions, or online forums can be utilized for more interactive and personalized communication. 

Social media platforms and digital newsletters are effective for reaching a wider audience. By carefully selecting communication channels, organizations can ensure the message goes to employees compellingly and engagingly, fostering better understanding and buy-in during times of change.

5. Creating a Two-Way Communication Process

Creating a two-way communication process fosters meaningful engagement, empowering employees to contribute their ideas and perspectives actively. 

By creating an open dialogue, organizations facilitate a smoother transition by ensuring that employees feel heard and valued. It promotes a sense of ownership and involvement, as employees are given opportunities to share their insights and suggestions.

This collaborative approach strengthens employee morale, enhances problem-solving capabilities, and cultivates a supportive environment where everyone is invested in the success of the change. 

Ultimately, the two-way communication process drives positive outcomes and facilitates a seamless transition throughout the change journey.

6. Training and Support

Identifying training needs is crucial to equip employees with the necessary skills and knowledge to adapt to the change effectively. Organizations should provide resources such as training programs, workshops, or online learning platforms to address these needs. 

Additionally, establishing a support team or mentorship program can offer guidance and assistance to employees navigating the change process. 

Investing in training and providing comprehensive support can empower employees to embrace the change, reduce anxiety, and build confidence in their abilities. This contributes to a better transition and enhances overall employee performance and satisfaction.

7. Overcoming Resistance and Conflict

Overcoming resistance and managing conflict is crucial for successful change implementation in the workplace. Organizations can employ several strategies to address opposition and handle conflicts effectively. These include:

  • Actively listening to employees’ concerns and empathizing with their perspectives.
  • Providing clear and consistent communication about the change, addressing misconceptions, and highlighting the benefits.
  • Involving employees in decision-making processes to foster a sense of ownership and engagement.
  • Offering training and support to help employees adapt to the change and build necessary skills.
  • Implementing conflict resolution techniques, such as mediation or negotiation, to address conflicts constructively.
  • Recognizing and celebrating small wins and positive outcomes to motivate employees and promote a positive change culture.

8. Monitoring and Evaluation

Collecting feedback from employees and stakeholders provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of communication efforts. By implementing surveys, focus groups, or one-on-one interviews, organizations can gather feedback on the communication’s clarity, relevance, and timeliness. 

Additionally, measuring the impact of communication on employee engagement, morale, and understanding can be achieved through metrics such as employee satisfaction surveys or communication effectiveness scores. 

For example, a study found that organizations with high levels of employee engagement during change initiatives experienced 22% higher productivity and 25% higher profitability than those with low engagement. 

Monitoring and evaluation allow organizations to make data-driven adjustments and improve communication strategies, ensuring continuous improvement throughout the change process.

Conclusion

In conclusion, effective communication is a crucial element in successfully navigating change in the workplace.

By implementing the strategies discussed in this article, organizations can create a supportive environment where employees feel engaged, informed, and empowered during times of change. 

Prioritizing effective communication during change will allow organizations to navigate transitions successfully, foster a positive work environment, and drive positive outcomes for both employees and the organization. As a result, employees can work better, increasing productivity and achieving organizational objectives.

Why Inventory Software Is Crucial To Business Management

Posted on by Matt Bernot

Every successful business needs to know its stock levels for all of the different products it sells. In a digital landscape, business management software makes the process of inventory management more efficient and accessible to business owners. Inventory software syncs data in real time and integrates processes to ensure the business owner’s peace of mind when it comes to tracking orders. 

Different industries demand different requirements from businesses. It is important to look for the inventory software that serves you and your business the best and most fully. Once you integrate this kind of software into your business, you will find that not only are you improving the accuracy in tracking quantities, shipments, and materials, but also saving valuable time that your business can use to increase profitability in other areas.

Important Features of All-In-One Inventory Management Software

In order to find the right inventory software that serves the specific needs of your business, it is important to take into account some of the key features of inventory software. These include but are not limited to:

Inventory software keeps you on top of your orders and sales in an organized fashion while keeping you informed about all of your crucial KPIs in real-time. This is a proven method to avoid errors and discrepancies. For example, with the right business management software, you can improve your manufacturing processes by creating a bill of materials and labor, easily calculate material costs, update your inventory with new items, and create tasks for your staff.

inventory software

In terms of order management, you are able to instantly create purchase orders, control vendor costs, record tracking and shipping information, and add images and notes to items. Integrating an inventory management system within all of the departments of your business can assure you understand all of the ins and outs of your finances in real time, most importantly your profitability.

On top of these features, a great business management software is able to be customized to suit your specific needs, allows your customers and vendors to communicate with your business representatives, provides an intuitive applicant tracking system and a complete inventory management system. It is recommended to look for an inventory software that is both comprehensive with optimized tools and can automate many routine and repetitive tasks. Also, it is important to consider the usability of the program to ensure that the management of your inventory becomes seamless and largely automated.

You may find that some software is easier to use than others. Some software focuses on enhancing work orders and B2B sales channels, while others adapt to a variety of business types. Automating processes and reducing costs to maximize profitability should be a staple of any easy-to-use inventory management software. Business management software systems can reduce operational costs as well as administrative costs, while increasing on-time deliveries.

Wrapping Up

Decisions about software are difficult when taking into account all of the seemingly unpredictable variables that may arise over time. For this reason, it’s crucial to know what your business needs and seek solutions that serve it best now and in the future. The best inventory software will support your process of buying and selling products to help your business succeed. The tools a business management software brings to the table allows you to operate your business more efficiently using automated real-time updates to quickly sell products and services while leaving customers completely satisfied. It is a proven way to increase sales and increase profits.

Inventory Tracking Software: Why Growing Business Owners Are Choosing This Kind Of Solution

Posted on by Matt Bernot

“Do I have any of this product left in stock? Did the order arrive on time? What are our customers saying? How do I track down the one specific product I need amongst the rest of my products in my inventory?” 

While many growing businesses find themselves seeking a simple solution to the questions above, what sets the average business apart from the exceptional one is choosing the right inventory tracking software solution for their business. Inventory tracking software is an all-encompassing system integral to ensuring that your customers receive the product they desire and that you, the business owner, can efficiently restock, distribute, and follow up as to the location your product has been received.

To assist in selling physical goods, some form of inventory tracking technology is used by most types of businesses including retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers. This technology can range from free tools to expansive (and *expensive*) systems. While there are businesses already utilizing the best inventory tracking software for their business, many fail to recognize the importance of implementing this kind of solution.

Inventory Tracking in Optimizing Business Efficiency

Inventory tracking software allows you always to know which  SKUs you currently possess, where they are physically, and what quantity is available at each location. According to Gene Tyndall, a well-known supply chain thought leader, “If a product is in your inventory, you should know where it is in your system—in China, on a ship, in a distribution center, or with a retailer waiting to be sold.”

An inventory tracking system allows for improved fulfillment accuracy, increased warehouse productivity, faster shopping and deliveries, more savings, and better customer satisfaction.

inventory management software

Inventory tracking helps to alleviate typical business woes of disorganized inventory, poor picking and packing processes, and lack of stock control. Additionally, inventory tracking software can help in detecting theft and administrative errors that would otherwise be difficult and time-consuming to deal with. Your warehouse inventory management software will help your employees always to be able to know the levels of all existing stock items and their specific locations.

Inventory Tracking Methods and Applications

Inventory management software covers the acquisition, tracking, and shipping of products, can serve as a forecasting tool for customer demand, and it’s able to offer alerts and notifications to improve operational processes such as cycle counts. It effectively organizes inventory to make the picking and packing process more efficient, automates the order-picking process, and also helps you to determine the operational performance for each item in your catalog while offering inventory reports.

Inventory tracking is useful not only to producers of physical commodities but to a wide variety of other industries as well. For example, a restaurant owner needs to be able to accurately track their store’s inventory to ensure that they are able to sell their customers the food they would like to order.

inventory tracking software

Overall, inventory management software is the most effective manner in which to track inventory—easy-to-mishandle card systems and disjointed spreadsheets simply don’t cut it anymore for growing businesses.

 Inventory Tracking Software Helps Your Bottom Line

A solution for inventory tracking means your business reaps monetary benefits due to your operations being efficient and organized. Optimizing your warehouse or facility means you can accurately estimate the space you’ll need in the not-so-distant future. Additionally, labor costs are mitigated as staff becomes more efficient and able to help get your orders out in a more timely and accurate manner. It helps to save staff from going through the trouble of carrying out inventory recounts and prevents stockouts. Also, implementing an inventory tracking solution will make it easier to retain a large base of loyal customers, as your business will be able to happily boast about having both a great product and a great track record for customer service.

Takeaway

Inventory tracking software allows businesses to stay ahead of their competition and meet the increasing demands of their customer base. With the right system, a business can efficiently restock their supplies right when they are in need of them, ensure accurate and timely deliveries, and even protect themselves from theft and errors. All in all, inventory tracking software allows for time to be spent on other crucial aspects of your business as well as Helping you make better decisions for the company in the future.

Maximize Efficiency with the Right Job Management Software

Posted on by Brian Kinney

Some growing businesses find themselves asking the question, “Do we need job management software?” After all, job management software (aka project management software) involves practically every department of a business. From sales and scheduling to inventory and finance to purchasing and customer service, and on and on.

For historically blue-collar service trades such as plumbing, electrical, HVAC, house painting, pool & spa, glaziers, hearth & chimney, landscape management, solar, locksmithing, and roofing—really every business-to-consumer (B2C) company working primarily with homeowners—job management software helps a business keep track of every job, even jobs of enormous complexity that rely on dozens of highly-skilled craftspeople. The right job management software system is indispensable for field service businesses in every trades industry.

project management software for the trades industry

Job management software helps improve the overall business operations of a company and allows employees to complete a variety of tasks with better accuracy, efficiency, and accountability. From job assignment and scheduling to compiling and analyzing data, to managing budgets and orders, job management software allows businesses to work better. Without taking advantage of the benefits that this kind of software has to offer, growing businesses may see an impediment in their business’s long-term development. By utilizing job management software, a growing company can make the most efficient use of its resources.

Job Management Systems in Workflow Management

So, from a job software perspective: what is a job? Simply put, every job or project is made up of a collection of individual tasks that must be performed by a particular person at a certain time. A major benefit of job management software is the ability to effectively assign tasks while also keeping track of task completion and scheduling. The best job management software assists in matching the most suitable person to a task by matching the skills of employees with assignments that benefit the most from those skill sets.

According to Forbes, one of the top three reasons employees quit their jobs is because they didn’t feel valued by the company. But there is a solution to this dilemma—when you build job roles that clearly define responsibilities and focus on employee skills, they will feel valued.”

Job management systems help with the hiring process to ensure that the best candidates are being presented to employers for any new positions. Job management systems can offer insight into employee performance so that companies can recognize valuable members of their teams.

Additionally, job management software tracks work completion and manages employee and sub-contractor timesheets, and sends pertinent info and reminders through notifications, ensuring that tasks get done on time. Tasks are able to be easily completed with the ready made templates that a job management software system provides. With a coherent document-sharing interface built in, job management software is essential for any project.

Job Management and Data Integrity

Job management software is useful for not only analyzing individual employee performance, but it helps businesses better understand the overall data sets and analytics of a growing business. For a growing business, this is excellent news.

job management software system

An estimated 80% of an analyst’s time is spent solely on discovering and preparing new data, which is an inefficient use of time.

Job management software keeps track of data and even utilizes past data to improve future projects, which will lead to reduced spending, faster decisions, and the ability to quickly adjust projects to new data.

When a business is hoping to expand, these efficiencies play an even bigger role. A growing business means more data to keep track of, and job management software is the ideal way to keep track of all of that data because it keeps the data centralized and easily accessible to everyone that needs it. A company doesn’t have to go through multiple software systems to get all of the data it needs, it can always access the most up-to-date data in real-time.

An added feature to data control that job management software helps accomplish is security and threat prevention, protecting your company by reducing the risk of cyber attacks, of which 43% happen to small businesses.

43% of cyberattacks happen to small businesses

Job Management Software and Finance

Job management software also helps businesses from a financial perspective. Job management systems can calculate quotes and estimates, as well as track purchase orders, allocate costs, and keep bills up to date. Additionally, they can offer insight into overall productivity, equipment efficiency, and transportation costs. In essence, job management software takes care of budgeting for a company, so there is less to worry about between managing orders, overhead costs, unexpected payments, and any other budgeting concerns.

small business accounting software

In addition to that, quality job management software lets you provide outstanding, five-star customer relations. By centralizing information, keeping in contact with customers, and receiving feedback from happy homeowners, job management software keeps customers in the loop and, through automatical email and texting, alerts them to any notification that they need to see. In both the short- and long-term, a single software platform that manages all of a business’s processes decreases the overall spending on technology. Since the right job management software oversees a variety of components of your business there is less need for multiple software applications to accomplish the same tasks.

Takeaway

The biggest advantage that job management software provides growing businesses is the ability to manage operations more efficiently and effectively. Job management systems allow companies to make better decisions about their overall business operations and do so in real-time, without the need for wading through separate software. Job management software is essential for any growing business, improving workflow, managing data, and keeping track of job costing, finances, or any number of things a business needs to track, either day-to-day or long-term.

How Partnerships Can Impact Sales

Posted on by Gina M. Tabasso

In the manufacturing sector, we all are reliant on strategic partnerships with our suppliers, dealers, distributors, freight and rail vendors, and customers. Success is dependent on the entire network. If one link in the chain fails, we all fail.

As a distributor in the middle of the funnel, we rely on our international suppliers for their subject-matter expertise, product inventory, training, and marketing materials. They rely on us for our sales and marketing expertise, technical support, and local customer relationships. The customer relies on us to provide an accurate and on-time order to supply their manufacturing process so they can manufacture and deliver to their customer. There are so many interdependencies in a distribution channel. 

crm manufacturing software

How can manufacturers or distributors develop these customer relationships? Well, first we need to generate leads to nurture and, eventually, convert into customer relationships and sales.

7 Ways Manufacturers (Or Almost Any Industry) Can Build Partnerships

1. Phone Calls

Yes, cold calling still is a thing. And as people tend to ignore email messages and social messages, sometimes picking up the phone and having an old-fashioned chat is the best method. In the past year, phone calls often have become video calls via Zoom, Teams, and other digital platforms that allow us to replicate face-to-face meetings à la The Jetsons.

2. In-Person Meetings

One of the best ways to build a partnership is a handshake and sit down. We tend to buy from people we like. If someone can see your body language and hear your tone of voice, he or she is more likely to develop a relationship with you as a person. The email can be the introduction or open the door, but the personality usually closes the sale. The inability to do so in the COVID-era has spawned the advent of video meetings that tend to be more cost- and time-effective, as well as sanitary. No hand gel required. That leads us to…

3. Tradeshows

This tried-and-true method of collecting leads went away in March 2020, and most people in the industry found that virtual tradeshows just weren’t as effective. By now, organizations have returned to in-person tradeshows.

4. Email Marketing

Email and messaging,Email marketing campaign,Working process, New email message

This tried-and-true method of collecting leads went away in March 2020, and most people in the industry found that virtual tradeshows just weren’t as effective. Happily, organizations have since returned to in-person tradeshows.

You can email your existing customers or qualified leads who have opted in from your website or a tradeshow, but don’t purchase lists! These people have not opted in. You can get shut down for spam. So, how do you get new leads? Read on!

5. Social Media

Posting on social media is a good way to develop brand recognition and get to know people who become your advocates. Join groups that are specific to your industry. Then you can use LinkedIn Sales Navigator or paid ads on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, or Google and do pay-per-click campaigns to further identify interested leads.

6. Trade Publications

If you have the budget (that you’ve saved from tradeshows and salespeople out on the road), you always can go the route of placing digital and print ads or even a low-cost spend of a listing in directories or guides. A more expensive, but effective, option is to deliver a webinar that the publication promotes. This will give you a list of new leads that you CAN add to your CRM and email marketing campaigns. Another route is contributed content. This means looking at the journal’s editorial calendar and pitching the editor with a thought-leadership article. If accepted, it costs you nothing but the time to write it. It gets your name in front of potential customers and positions you as an industry leader while familiarizing people with your brand. Also, a free listing (yes, FREE) with Thomasnet will drive some traffic to your site.

7. Trade Associations and Online Forums

One organization that can help with resources for small- to mid-sized manufacturers is your local Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). On a larger scale, there’s the National Association for Manufacturers (NAM). Additionally, industry-specific and regional trade associations can get you in front of customers. Think about pitching a technical talk or webinar and presenting to the organization’s membership rather than just attending meetings and handing out cards. This can show your value and expertise. Join some online forums where people are looking for information, for instance, Reddit, Quora, or industry-specific forums. It’s all about positioning the brand as an industry leader.

Next Steps

Some of these methods require content. Content is necessary for marketing. You can take that article you wrote for the trade pub, host it on your website, gate it behind a sign-in, then promote it on social media or with a PPC campaign. This will allow you to capture leads. We’ve all entered our name, company, title, and email in those fields on a website to download some content that we thought would be useful. 

It’s time for manufacturers to ramp up their digital games and jump on technology in order to build partnerships to generate leads that turn into sales. Technology can be your partner.

all in one manufacturing software

The future is here and is only going to get more complex. If you didn’t notice it before, you saw it in 2020 during COVID when in-person meetings ground to a halt and lead generation tapered off or plummeted. We need to embrace it to grow our businesses and remain viable in the digital age. If we don’t, we will go the way of the dinosaurs, or our business will plateau. If you want growth, then things need to change.