Manufacturing, engineering, and design have a profound—yet often hidden—impact on the world around us. Manufacturing powers our society and plays a vital role in strengthening the economy and community—both here in Minnesota and across the U.S. As manufacturing marketing leaders, you see the impact every day, and the latest stats prove it:
- Manufacturing represents the single largest private-sector component of Minnesota’s GDP, with 325,000 Minnesotans working in the industry1
- The Midwest accounts for 60% of US exported manufactured goods2
- Manufactured goods represent approximately $1.4 trillion in US exports, accounting for 83% of all US exports of goods3
- Manufacturing accounts for 60% of all private-sector R&D in the US, fueling innovation and advancements in technology4
That’s why we’re excited to sponsor the 2024 Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Manufacturing Summit, celebrating the successes and tackling the latest trends and challenges in our thriving manufacturing sector.
This year’s event will also include the first awards for the “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota,” showcasing the most innovative and unique products designed and produced in our North Star state. During the event, we’ll hear stories from manufacturing leaders across Minnesota—stories of overcoming market challenges, stories of ingenuity, customer success stories, innovation histories, and the motivations that drive people to design and build the things we use every day.
Storytelling as a marketing strategy
We believe that as important as manufacturing is to our economy and our communities, storytelling is equally critical to industrial marketing strategies. And we know that there are so many stories in manufacturing waiting to be told—stories of creativity, resilience, and transformative impact.
Shining a light on the people and paths behind cool products and innovations that power our society is not just a noble pursuit, it’s a smart marketing strategy. Storytelling in manufacturing is about capturing imagination and emotions using compelling narratives. Layering in the human element helps brands communicate value propositions, educate customers, and motivate audiences. Not to mention, it makes your brand relatable and memorable. Here are four ways storytelling in manufacturing accomplishes those goals:
- Simplifies complexities: Storytelling conveys complex ideas and information in a more approachable way. While technical content has an important role to play in the marketing and sales cycle, simplified storytelling translates complex concepts into relatable narratives that resonate with people who are more interested in the overall value and why behind your products than technical engineering specs, like business decision-makers.
- Differentiates your brand: In a market littered with product sheets, instruction guides, material specs, and widget features and benefits lists, storytelling can help your brand stand out and create an emotional connection with audiences. Smart storytelling leads with customer-centric messaging focused on broader challenges, trends, and headwinds your audiences face and aligns them with your brand’s unique solutions.
- Builds trust and credibility: Storytelling is an authentic way to illustrate your brand’s dedication to a purpose, such as quality or sustainability, prove the value of your products and services through testimonials and success stories, and showcase expertise with narratives about how technologies are transforming industries. Demonstrating your value proposition with action and proof points instead of telling the world why your product or service is the best builds trust and credibility.
- Humanizes your brand: Storytelling allows you to incorporate the people behind the brand, products or processes, creating an emotional connection and bringing a level of humanity to content in a way that brand, company, or product information cannot. This makes the brand more authentic, approachable, and relatable.
See you at the Summit!
Storytelling is a fundamental aspect of the human condition. So is solving problems with creativity and ingenuity. That’s why we believe manufacturing is storytelling.
If you agree, meet us at the Minnesota Manufacturing Summit and tell us your story. While you’re at our booth, get a copy of “Blake Explores Manufacturing! Manufacturing a Kid’s Experience,” a children’s book to inspire the next generation of manufacturers, and meet one of the authors, Amanda Gregory, who will also be signing books. We will also be handing out custom wooden “Manufacturing is Storytelling” bookmarks produced by WOODCHUCK USA.
2024 Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Manufacturing Summit
Tuesday, Oct. 8 | Mall of America | 9:00 am – 1:15 pm CST
- https://mnchamber.com/coolest-thing-made-minnesota ↩︎
- https://www.bea.gov/news/2022/gross-domestic-product-second-estimate-and-corporate-profits-preliminary-third-quarter ↩︎
- https://www.bea.gov/news/2022/gross-domestic-product-second-estimate-and-corporate-profits-preliminary-third-quarter ↩︎
- https://www.bea.gov/news/2022/gross-domestic-product-second-estimate-and-corporate-profits-preliminary-third-quarter ↩︎
