How Online Communities Can Foster Growth

The Manufacturing Executive · 11 Oct 2022 · 47m · Episode 123

What this episode covers

Brendon Forrest and Peyton Warren, strategists at the B2B marketing agency Gorilla 76, explain how manufacturing leaders can build online communities to foster growth and gain customer insights. They contrast their interactive 'Industrial Marketing Live' (IML) community with traditional product-pitch webinars, citing examples like weld.com and Industry 4.0 Club to show that even niche industrial audiences are active on platforms like Reddit and Facebook. The guests advise starting with small Zoom series, prioritizing value over sales, and using community feedback to drive content and product development.

Mentioned

Companies
Gorilla 76, Proto Labs, Greco Inc., Aptigy, Refined Labs
Products
Industrial Marketing Live, weld.com, Industry 4.0 Club
Tools
Zoom, Slack
Also
Reddit, Facebook, LinkedIn, Clubhouse

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Manufacturing Happy Hour · 20m

    BONUS: 4 LinkedIn Tips for Manufacturers

    Chris Lueck, host of Manufacturing Happy Hour, provides four strategic tips for manufacturers to leverage LinkedIn beyond simple sales outreach. He emphasizes shifting from a self-centered to a customer-centric approach by sharing content that educates, celebrates, or entertains, rather than just posting product updates. Lueck advises using tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator to connect with prospects by offering genuine compliments rather than immediate pitches, and stresses that timely, reactive content is more valuable than polished perfection. The episode highlights specific examples, including industrial automation memes and a rapid response to a water plant cybersecurity incident, to illustrate effective engagement tactics.

    5 chapters
  • Product Startup · 27m

    066: E-Commerce Platforms for Launching a Consumer Product

    Deirdre Tshien, President of Growth Boss, explains that hardware startups must build a community or 'tribe' organically before attempting to sell, warning that spending money on ads without an established audience is a common and costly mistake. She recommends using Facebook Groups to nurture this audience and leveraging TikTok influencers to create content that serves as effective pattern-interrupting ads for Facebook and Instagram. The discussion emphasizes that even niche products can build a loyal following by solving specific pain points, allowing founders to validate demand and generate revenue through direct-to-consumer channels like Shopify or Amazon.

  • Manufacturing Happy Hour · 22m

    How to Engage the Modern Customer Using Social Media

    Chris Luecke, host of Manufacturing Happy Hour, explains how manufacturing leaders can use social media to build brand authority and generate leads. He details six specific tactics, ranging from contributing to LinkedIn industry groups to creating smartphone videos and hosting live events. Luecke shares his personal journey of starting the show with an iPhone and selfie stick, which led to high-quality leads and connections with industry figures like Rockwell Automation CEO Blake Moret.

  • Product Startup · 19m

    192: The Importance of Building a Community for Your Hardware Startup

    Lloyed Lobo, co-founder of Boast.ai and author of 'From Grassroots to Greatness', explains how hardware startups can build iconic brands through community-led growth. He outlines a progression from audience to cult brand, emphasizing the 'CAMPER' framework (Connection, Autonomy, Management, Purpose, Energy, Recognition) and the importance of consistency over hard work. Lobo advises founders to define their ideal customer profile, map their circle of influence, and prioritize collecting email addresses to own their audience rather than relying on social media algorithms.

  • Manufacturing Happy Hour · 53m

    256: Timeless Industrial Marketing Strategies and New Ways Manufacturers Can Reach Their Ideal Customer featuring Wendy Covey of TREW Marketing and Joe Sullivan of Gorilla 76

    Wendy Covey of TREW Marketing and Joe Sullivan of Gorilla 76 discuss the evolution of industrial marketing, emphasizing that while fundamentals like expert knowledge extraction remain vital, the distribution channels have shifted. They highlight the resurgence of public relations as engineers distrust AI-generated content and seek credible third-party sources, and explain how manufacturers must build topical authority across platforms like Reddit and YouTube to appear in generative search results. The guests also address the common executive misconception that marketing should yield immediate ROI, advocating instead for long-term brand building and community-driven strategies like the Industrial Marketing Summit.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by The Manufacturing Executive. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.