Building Credibility in an Engineering Business - Part Two
13 October 2023
Engineering businesses have amazing products and services that benefit their customers, and they often believe that the product/service will speak for itself. But you must build credibility with your customers before they even look at your product. Credibility is essential in every business, and even more so in technical areas like engineering. Here in this blog series, I talk about some of the ways you can build your business’s credibility.
Demonstrate that you are a knowledge leader
This is Part Two – you can find Part One here. In Part One of this blog series, I outlined what credibility is and why it is important, especially for engineering businesses. We’ve already discussed how you can tweak your content and get case studies and speaking engagements to build your credibility. Now it is time to illustrate how you can demonstrate yourself as your industry’s knowledge leader through PR and Awards.
This is Part Two – you can find Parts One here. In Part One of this blog series, I’ve outlined what credibility is and why it is important, especially for engineering businesses. We’ve already discussed how you can tweak your content and get case studies and speaking engagements to build your credibility. Now it is time to illustrate how you can demonstrate yourself as your industry’s knowledge leader through PR and Awards.
PR (Public Relations)
Put press releases together whenever you have something interesting to say. Many companies only do press releases for new product launches. But these press releases often only get a tiny corner in the magazine. Do you have an opinion about how your target market should approach a problem? Perhaps you know something that could make your customer’s life easier? Write it up! For one, you will find it easier to get this type of press release published, and such articles might also spark something in your customers.
With Public Relations, it is about more than who reads the magazine article because that will be a relatively small number of people. The important thing is to blast it all over your channels to boost your credibility. Talk about it in person, share it on all your social media channels, and shout it from the rooftops: “We’ve been featured in this fantastic magazine.”
But how do you get that press release published?
First of all, getting PR within the sphere of what you do will be easier if you make friends with editors and journalists. Twitter used to be the land of journalists, where you could easily engage with members of the press, but there may not be many industry publications relevant to what you do. So, make sure to engage with them at trade shows and that you are present at events run by editors and journalists.
Secondly, a common misconception is that magazines will only print stuff if you pay for an advertisement. That is not the case. However, it does make it more likely that your PR content will get published if you’ve already been advertising with a magazine and, therefore built a good relationship with the editors.
Keep in mind that trade magazines can no longer afford a large team because people don’t pay a fortune for physical magazine subscriptions. They don’t have the same budget they did twenty years ago and rely more heavily on income from advertising. Therefore, nowadays, these publications are more likely to operate as a one-man show, where one person is literally responsible for everything. The editor is also the journalist and the person who handles advertising. So, get on their good side.
Awards
Enter awards. You might think that it’s expensive, but it’s not really, compared to what you get out of it. Even being nominated is incredibly valuable. So, enter awards and follow the process. It is usually clearly stated what they are looking for, but there are also agencies that specialise in helping companies with award applications. Examples in Scotland are the CeeD Industry Awards run by CeeD (Centre for Engineering Education and Development) and the Scottish Engineering Awards run by Scottish Engineering. There are many across the UK, including the MX Manufacturer awards by the IMechE and the Engineering and Manufacturing awards. Every country will have similar examples There are many other awards specific to your sector if you are willing to do a little research.
If you are shortlisted or nominated, make shout about it. You should tell everyone on every channel. Many people don’t talk about award nominations unless they win. But even just being shortlisted for an award is a massive achievement and will build your credibility. Again, the awards aren’t just about the people who are there on the night. If you tell the world about it, it will increase your credibility overall. Then, of course, if you do win the award, shout about it even more. Tell EVERYONE!
Finally, the award ceremony itself gives you an excuse to talk to your customers about it. Invite your customers as well as members of your team. Obviously, your team has worked hard and deserves to be there, but make sure to invite your customers as well. Have a list of your most important customers in order of whom you want the most to know about your nomination and that your company is amazing. Invite them, even if it is unlikely they will attend the awards ceremony. Even the invite is valuable. For one, they will know that you have been nominated, you got shortlisted, etc. But more importantly, they will feel special because you invited them, which will help build your relationship. And even if your customers don’t come to the awards ceremony, the invitation gives you an excuse to let them know afterwards, for example, if you win.
Closing thoughts
Don’t underestimate the value of human connections. Engineering companies often overlook the importance of this factor, but at the end of the day, people still buy people. And emotions play a huge part in any decision. So, nurture your business relationships, including those with the press. And use awards to not only increase your credibility but to show your team and your customers that you value them.
If you would like to discuss promoting your expertise and making your complex simple, email me at samantha@labrakita.co.uk or call me on 07791 521439.