On September 2, Bpifrance published a new survey, the result of 13 interviews with executives from small and medium-sized industrial companies that are pioneers in the industry of the future.
The goal? To provide concrete examples to "continue and accelerate the movement toward an innovative, export-oriented industry that creates value and jobs in French regions."
This has enabled us to identify seven priority areas for French manufacturers to focus on. Three of these areas are of particular interest to us, as they are central to the work we do with our clients on a daily basis.
> "Rethinking business development"
Source: Bpifrance survey
This includes making strong strategic choices in terms of positioning and differentiation. To achieve this, it is essential to take a step back and gain a thorough understanding of your market, your competitors, and, above all, your customers. Many industry leaders with solid experience are "content" to rely on strong, tangible signals to adapt their offerings. However, to truly differentiate yourself and bring value to your customers, it is essential to take the pulse of the market in a more precise and detailed way.
This is what we do inqualitative studies. We schedule interviews with customers, market experts, etc., which allow us to validate (or invalidate) hypotheses, identify new development opportunities, and more. These marketing studies are extremely valuable for defining strategy and positioning—take our word for it (or ask us for references who can attest to this 😉)!
Of course, once this foundational step has been completed, it is time to focus on visibility and commercial effectiveness.
> "Developing your ecosystem to create more value"
Source: Bpifrance survey
Once again, marketing has a role to play! It facilitates the development of your ecosystem. How? By creating a favorable environment and improving the visibility of your assets. We are not here to make misleading promises, but rather to highlight what is already in the DNA of an industrial SME or mid-cap company. Here are a few examples of "quick-win" actions to start boosting your ecosystem:
- Video portraits of employees. The objectives? Attract talent, unite teams, improve your "employer brand," differentiate yourself from competitors, reassure customers, and more.
- Success stories with your customers, written or in images.The objectives? To give them visibility, increase loyalty, and fuel sales pitches with this new "evidence"...
- Articles in the press to showcase your products/services. The objectives? To highlight your investments (and investors), forge partnerships, and attract the interest of public stakeholders.
If you want examples, we will be happy to provide them!
Of course, marketing levers such as research, communication, and PR can (and should) also be used for other identified priority areas. For example, to "Reinvent subcontractor and client relationships,"an inbound marketing strategy that highlights technical and human expertise is an excellent way to differentiate yourself and find new opportunities.
We could write hundreds of lines about how our business can help you become part of this "innovative and conquering industry"that is so dear to Bpifrance , but it would be betterto talk about it in person, don't you think? 🙂
