One of the costliest marketing mistakes industrial companies make is not having a great website. For many businesses in the sector, not much time, thought or strategy is put into developing their website – it’s just something that has to be done. There’s also a misconception that a big budget is needed or that the bigger the budget, the better the website – but this, too, is false.
You don’t need a massive budget to have a great website. Ultimately, there are some rapid, simple, and relatively quick points you can action to make your website stand out from your competitors.
To help, we’ve included five examples of great industrial manufacturing businesses to give you some inspiration for your website.
1. Rud - https://www.rud.com.au/
Rud has done a great job of putting together their website. The first thing that strikes you is that there is character. They utilise colour well and don’t keep to the usual brand colours of black, white, and blue common in the industrial sector. They use colour as a clever way to catch the eye.
They have crafted a strong message around global engineering excellence with the local expertise you need to support it. There is also significant social proof (client testimonials), and they have fantastic imagery. They are using their own photos, not stock, so you get a more authentic feel for what they do and the quality of what they provide. You start to get a sense that they are leading the industry, and then they back it up with claims of world-class facilities, decades of experience and a globally established business.
They also break it down by industry, making their messaging more strategic for the audience they are talking to. They have testimonials and case studies that illuminate that targeted experience and expertise.
2. Stenhouse Lifting - https://www.stenhouselifting.com.au
Stenhouse Lifting is similar to Rud but quite different in how they operate. One of the things that stands out most for me with Stenhouse is their messaging. In full transparency, Stenhouse is our client, and we did have a hand in helping them craft their messaging (so excuse the brag here). But I mention the messaging as it engages emotion. If you watch the video, it’s a great brand story and a well-crafted ‘why’. This is a compelling competitive advantage – and they don’t just say it either; they genuinely live by it in all they do.
The other great point about their website is that it builds credibility through social proof and critical statistics. Statistics like the following establish their experience and expertise:
- 1,600,000 assets inspected and tested
- 379 years of combined experience
- 67% of SEQ and North NSW local government use them as a preferred supplier
- 18 qualified service technicians available
In addition, Stenhouse makes excellent use of imagery and video throughout its site, and it includes plenty of helpful tips and guides to provide greater value to clients and potential clients. Overall, it’s an incredible user journey and experience.
3. Dulux – https://www.dulux.com.au
The next website is Dulux. This is a bigger and more well-known brand, so there are bigger marketing budgets at play, but in saying this, the key areas they excel at can be duplicated without massive costs.
Dulux embodies our advice of becoming a library for your customers and potential customers to give them access to everything they could need to know about your industry and products. The extent of their inspiration ideas under their Projects and DIY Ideas tab is incredible. This is the staggering number of how-to guides that cover everything from choosing your paint and colour to tools, application, clean up, and special effects.
Not only is this helpful for the audience they are targeting, but it also ensures that the website ranks well from a Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) point of view. It will take time to build a library of information to this level; there’s no question about that! We recommend adding one new piece of content to your website each week (then you have 52 content pieces added to your website each year!).
4. Plex - https://www.plex.com
Plex is a global Rockwell-owned brand, so it is a much bigger player. Like Dulux, it gives visitors a substantial amount of free information. It also has excellent social proof, showing detailed, value-driven case studies to build trust and credibility. It also has great statistics that showcase its experience, expertise and competitive advantage – the ‘8 billion transactions’ statistic alone demonstrates its size and that it is a leader in its industry.
One of the biggest takeaways from Plex’s website is that it is customer-focused. They write to their customer using ‘you’ and ‘your’ much more than they use ‘we’, ‘us’, and ‘our’. This is a critical point to implement in your website. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care – and you demonstrate this by talking directly to them in their own words.
Another point to note is that they have great messaging. They explain what they do clearly and concisely and also use imagery well to represent what they do visually.
5. Graco - https://www.graco.com/us/en.html
Graco has great messaging. Take their opening paragraph as an example “We pump peanut butter into your jar, and the oil in your car. We glue the soles of your shoes, the glass in your windows and pump the ink onto your bills. We spray the finish on your vehicle, coatings on your pills, the paint on your house and texture on your walls. We’ve been a part of your daily life for more than 90 years.”
It clearly describes what they do while being clever and a little cheeky. It’s engaging and I naturally want to know more about them. It also taps into emotion – demonstrating the role they have been playing in your life without you realising it.
Another point to take note of is their Product tab. They categorise this section by the key audience. Each target market can access personalised information and relevant product ranges.
So, there you have it, five examples of great industrial websites. Here are five critical tips to make your website great, too!
- Focus on your customers – Make them the hero of your story, not you. Write in a way that makes them feel you are speaking directly to them and their situation.
- Social proof – Don’t just say it, prove it. Use testimonials, case studies, and credibility-building statistics.
- Messaging – Create great messaging that is engaging and relevant. Tap into emotion, and don’t be afraid to give it a bit of personality!
- Build a library of information – Become your industry encyclopedia, supplying your customers and potential customers with everything they could possibly need to know.
- Don’t neglect the visuals – Ensure your website is well designed and easy to navigate, and you utilise high-quality imagery and videos.
