Why Should You Buy a CNC Machine During the COVID-19 Period?
Signs are not good, and given the current circumstances, it seems like COVID-19 is here to stay for a substantial period. Further, it is bringing worrying news with each passing day. Last week alone, it threatened to reach a million marks. Perhaps, it is fitting to say that no one really expected this virus to penetrate this deep, or do we?
Nevertheless, this pandemic has impacted all big and small businesses quite significantly. The market is at its all-time low, sales are down, and revenues are hard to come by. Hence, this showcases the bold prediction of the inevitable economic slowdown made by the economists a few months back.
All is not lost! If there is a problem, then there is a solution. This is the time to be receptive to the upcoming changes in the industry. If one has to progress, they have to change their perspectives. In this way, we will not blindfold ourselves from the unique opportunities that can arise through these tough times. Inventiveness, instincts to protect, adaptation, and perseverance will play a key role in determining the economic growth of any company or individual.
Manufacturing Market Scenario
The outbreak of COVID-19 has just created tremors in the manufacturing sector of the world. Import and export are on hold until further notice. And, the worse part of the situation is that there is no ray of hope in terms of controlling the current situation. The outbreak has also become an unsustainable terrain for many manufacturers across the world.
However, things are slightly different for CNC machine manufacturers. Research conducted by modern machine shop suggests that the effects of COVID-19 on manufacturers across all the industries show that 58% of manufacturers experienced no change in their business. Still, there were two moderate changes in parts availability and supplier lead times. As per the study, 16% of the manufacturers were experiencing changes in the supplier lead changes as compared to 24% of their previous study. And, 9% of them have experienced changes in the availability of parts as compared to 19% of their previous findings.
Besides, the most prominent change observed in the manufacturing industry has been travel-related changes. Last week itself, 47% of the businesses deemed to adjust to the current changing travel scenario.
These figures clearly signify that the changes observed in the manufacturing unit are related to things in which traveling is involved. Hence, showing the severity of the pandemic’s impact was relatively unchanged on the manufacturing businesses.
What can be done from Home to Ensure a Smooth Recovery
Though the studies support that the manufacturing industry is not seeing drastic changes as compared to other industries, yet it is in the best interest of CNC manufacturers/workers to prepare a comeback strategy to combat the aftermath of the pandemic.
It’s time to pave your comeback with these steps:
● Build/Review your shops’ site. Make sure that it is working aptly for both desktop and mobile.
● Build/Nurture your relationships with your customers. Feed them with useful content regarding the present time. Besides, try to gain insight into your past work and what they expect of you in the future. This is the time to show them how much you care for them.
● Prioritize a plan, work with your backroom staff, and trusted ones to figure out how you will come back and execute your ideas once things improve.
Considering the seriousness of the upcoming challenges, it is pretty important to work a little extra on the last point. Yes, making a plan and executing it has to top your list during this pandemic. Nevertheless, it will be counter intuitive for your business if you develop an offensive strategy in the middle of this pandemic. So, it will be very crucial to understand and access the situation before deciding anything to increase your CNC shops’ sales.
How Can You Increase Your CNC Shop’s Sales?
According to the Fortune Business Insights report, titled “CNC (Computer Numerical Controls) Machine“ Tools Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis, the value of the CNC market in 2018 stood at USD 83.56 billion. Adding to that, the global CNC machine market size is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 5.5% and reach USD 128.86 billion by 2026.”
This shows that the total CNC machining market is safe from any turbulence and is expected to grow through this rough period.
In spite of that, reaching your potential customers and keeping your current customers is going to be the same as it used to be. The pandemic, as stated, has changed the travel scenario of the world. So, this implies that changing your industrial habits won’t be the only thing you have to.
To increase your sales, you have to take your CNC business online, if you have not. And, if you have, then optimize it in such a way that it can generate a lead, make your website a weapon of arsenals which can, in turn, make your shop a brand, hence, improving sales.
So, where to start?
The first step in working to increase your sales is to evaluate your current sales metric. How well customers have responded to your service. In short, see, what were the methods that brought you success. Understand your past methods and research for the new one meticulously. These methods will determine your increase in sales. Last but not least, work around your goals, document them, and find ways to support them.
Lead Generation Strategy
Your business goals need to be well-defined. This is an important part of defining your unique selling proposition. Explaining your prospects how your business and what you do is unique and why it stands out among your competitors will not only help you in getting more leads but also give your customers an assurance while they decide to work with you.
Mentioning and creating updated and effective methods of your business will enable you to grow over time. Besides, working with digital experts or your CNC industrial business partners will guide you through the lead generation process of this industry. They have a handful of experience in this area and are working to enhance business like yours.
The next step in your lead generation is documentation of your lead strategy. This helps you visualize your present state, allows you to plan for the future, and presents an opportunity to see where your business can improve. Along with this, you can also get a grasp of how you can target customers who are specifically searching for your business and display your ads accordingly.
Make Your Website a Weapon
A strong online presence ensures that your business drives more sales. Though most of the CNC workers depend on offline marketing techniques to drive their revenues, yet this pandemic has posed them a challenge of working from home. The banner of “stay at home” requires many businesses to work on their online presence in order to safeguard their position in the market.
Hence, asking you to make sure that you build your website into a weapon. More like an intimidating salesman who can deliver in any scenario. Ensure that your website has all the tools required to make it a dream salesman. Your website should be able to educate your prospective customers with all the resources you have. How will you do this?
Put images of you working or best, put videos and DIY hacks of CNC machines that provide an insight into your knowledge of your business, as well as a message that you care for the customers and are ready to provide these pearls of wisdom that to anytime and anywhere.
Focus on your content. That is the best way you can reach and market your services to your prospects. Ensure that your content is engaging, crisp, clear, easy to understand, and share. Your website should feel like a playground for a customer rather than something where he/she might feel lost and confused. Due to that, customers are likely to continue or engage in doing business with your shop, as they feel that your shop can produce consistent resources. Hence, equating to the possibility of more sales for your business.
How You Can Use Branding and Digital Marketing to Improve Your Sales?
For a CNC machine shop, branding and digital marketing are very crucial. However, the reality is that there are still many workers who have not accessed the digital power. They are still shying away from investing in new digital tools. Nevertheless, it’s not rocket science for a CNC worker to realize that more buyers, engineers, and even procurement managers are plying their trade online. Furthermore, big industrial companies are complementing their offline methods with digital marketing to produce growth and increase their brand awareness, which eventually drives more sales.
Here are some 4 ways CNC machine shop workers can work in this pandemic to increase their sales via branding and using digital marketing.
● Make a free company profile on platforms like LinkedIn to ensure that that your new customers, as well as existing, can find you easily.
● Focus on content marketing with images, graphics, and video content to showcase your prowess and knowledge along with the shop floor to your potential customers.
● You can provide options for newsletters or email subscriptions on your website; in this way, you will be able to know who visited your website and how many of them converted into real customers.
● You can devise a new strategy for search engine marketing and SEO. In this way, you can focus both on organic and paid searches as well as ads on different socializing platforms and sites where buyers are searching for services like that of yours.
Though the market is in a critical position yet, you can devise new strategies and work on your digital marketing, which is a sure thing to bring you a lot of business in the after-phase of this pandemic.
