As manufacturers adapt to a digital-first product experience, how can industrial distribution channels evolve to add value to the chain? In this episode of The Kula Ring, Sean Donovan, Digital Channel Manager for the Americas at MSA – The Safety Company, says most manufacturers are interested in investing in distribution channels that want to grow their brand versus commoditize their products. He shares examples of how distribution channels can help manufacturing brands come to life and provide value beyond the spec sheet.

Manufacturers who offer a broad range of solutions rely on face-to-face conversations with prospects in order to find the best fit, but the pandemic has reshaped the sales relationship into a virtual experience. In this week’s episode of The Kula Ring, Brian Wellhouse, Supplier Marketing Manager for Sensor Products at TTI, talks about how virtual prospecting drives the conversation to be more action-oriented sooner. He talks about how his company conducts virtual prospecting with engineering teams, how they use LinkedIn to find new prospects, and what kind of marketing materials they develop to find engineers on LinkedIn.

Video marketing is not new, but many B2B manufacturers are still searching for a strategy. In this episode of The Kula Ring, Allison Wagner, Marketing Communications Manager at Morrison Container Handling Solutions, shares how she helped make video the company’s biggest marketing tool. She talks about the resourcing effort, why video is important for manufacturers to invest in, and how Morrison leverages video content to help prospects envision how to use their solution.

As younger prospects prioritize digital spaces for information-gathering and networking, how can manufacturers create influential, opportunity-generating content? In this episode of The Kula Ring, Adam Peek, Business Development and Channel Partnership Manager at Fortis Solutions Group and Host and Founder of the People of Packaging Podcast, talks about using social platforms to build a personal brand and how he translated visibility gained from the podcast into new business opportunities. Additionally, he talks about how his experience as a former pastor and full-time packaging industry expert plays into his podcast content and he shares tips for how to create and own content that no one else is talking about.

How can manufacturing marketers repurpose existing content for Account-Based Marketing (ABM) campaigns? In this episode of The Kula Ring, Renee Tarnutzer, Marketing Director for Digital at Kerry for North America, talks about reviewing the company’s bank of content marketing in order to make it fit an ABM model. Additionally, she shares their process for compiling target accounts and optimizing content to serve different verticals.