OEM Marketing Strategy: What Is It, How to Build One and Why It Matters

Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) marketing strategy is the foundation on which businesses build to stay competitive. In this guide, we look at OEMs, their significance, key elements of an auto marketing strategy, sales techniques that convert, and how trade shows and events can help forge relationships with manufacturers.

What is auto OEM?

Auto OEMs are companies that produce parts or vehicles sold under a different brand. It’s common for an OEM to partner with auto manufacturers to produce leading products that enhance features and performance. The dynamic between the OEM and manufacturer is predicated on rigorous quality standards and the industry’s best engineering specifications.

Why Auto OEM Is Important

The strength of auto OEMs is related to the automotive industry’s commitment to both efficiency and innovation. OEMs introduce cutting-edge technology that can impact safety, fuel efficiency, and overall performance. Speaking of innovation, OEMs contribute to more than just the manufacturing side of things. They also have helped usher in new technologies like autonomous driving systems. Now, with the increased pressure to go electric, OEMs are changing the way manufacturers like Xiaomi and Oppo approach automotive design and functionality.

Understanding The Auto OEM Market

Market Dynamics and Trends

The auto OEM market is not immune from industry changes. For instance, there’s an increased demand for sustainable practices and materials. Consumer demand has spurred the use of eco-friendly materials and practices. Both can help OEMs reduce their carbon footprint while wooing socially conscious buyers.

The advent of advanced technology like artificial intelligence and machine learning has changed the manufacturing game. This technology can enhance safety and make the driving experience more enjoyable. Changing times mean OEMs and their teams of marketers must rethink how they approach research and development and even how they frame their value in Google advertising in terms of keyword selection and SEO.

Key Players in the OEM Industry

The giants in the auto OEM market include Tesla, General Motors, Ford, Toyota, and others. These brands have collectively elevated product quality, innovation, and supply chain efficiencies. Smaller OEMs have had to respond to keep pace. In addition to large automakers, many specialty OEMs have found success with niche markets. Their size makes it possible for OEMs to respond quickly to market demands and advance the manufacturing industry as a whole.

Customer Needs and Expectations

Customers today expect quality but also transparency, sustainability, and unparalleled service. They expect OEMs and manufacturers to respond to the changing times by introducing innovations and focusing on user experience. Seamless connectivity, intuitive interfaces, and personalized services are becoming the standard. OEM marketers need to pay attention to these consumer trends.

4 Important Elements of an OEM Marketing Strategy

SEO and SEM

Two elements in a marketing strategy, search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) can help OEMs get found and reach the right types of customers through targeted advertising. By adding the right keywords to their website, OEMs can bring in the right kind of advertising and SEO traffic from Google and amplify their reach.

SEM, often in the form of paid advertising campaigns on advertising platforms, helps OEM marketers target specific groups of people and geographic locations. This narrow focus helps mobile marketers reach the right audience with the right message. Google Ads can provide marketers with strategic insights into the performance of campaigns in real time and act accordingly to make adjustments that will improve return on investment.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is still a great way to get the word out about new products, events, and promotions. Marketers at OEMs can use segmentation to reach specific interests of different customer groups at any given time.

Consistent communication helps OEMs nurture leads and keep customers in the loop. Both can increase brand awareness, conversion rates, and loyalty. Keep in mind that sending personalized messages can lead to more favorable open and click-through rates. Looking at the analytics can help OEMs craft Google ads and email campaigns that resonate and ultimately lead to customer longevity.

Social Media

Social media should be a two-way street. OEMs can see impressive results through polls, Q&A sessions, and live demonstrations. Partnerships with industry influencers can help OEMs penetrate new audiences, cultivate brand awareness, craft compelling ad campaigns for Google, and lap their competition.

Brand Identity

A brand identity reflects values, quality, and ideals. In communicating their point of difference to manufacturers, OEMs can build trust and solidify their reputation.

Be sure that your marketing channels—from your website to advertising campaigns—maintain a cohesive brand image that resonates with the target audience. Furthermore, investing in visual elements such as logos, color schemes, and fonts can enhance brand awareness and create a lasting impression.

3 Effective OEM Sales Strategies

Understanding the OEM Sales Cycle

Mastering the OEM sales cycle is what it takes to come out ahead. Marketers will need to have a firm command of the principles of lead generation, qualifying prospects, negotiation, and conversion. Each of these stages merits consideration and optimization of ad messaging for various platforms to achieve the outcome of nurturing relationships with potential manufacturer clients like Xiaomi.

Key Sales Techniques for OEM Businesses

Not all advertising and sales techniques and tactics will land. However, consultative selling, which places the emphasis on salespeople as trusted advisors, can work. That’s because it stresses understanding clients’ unique needs and how you can deliver customized solutions that strengthen relationships.

Training and Development for Sales Teams

It’s important that sales teams and mobile marketers remain current on industry trends, product updates, and customer relationship best practices. Regular training can reinforce these concepts and help them succeed even when the OEM and manufacturer landscapes change.

Utilizing Trade Shows and Industry Events

Participating in trade shows and industry events offers numerous benefits. They provide a backdrop for OEMs and their mobile marketers to feature products, network with prospects, and establish strategic manufacturer relationships. These venues allow them to engage directly with a target audience and glean instant feedback on new products they can integrate into a marketing strategy.

How To Effectively Showcase Products at Events

To make the most of live events, OEMs are best served by making a presentation that invites engagement and dialogue. Demos, virtual reality experiences, and hands-on advertising displays are proven ways for mobile marketers to connect with audiences and leave a lasting impression.

Post-Event Follow-Up Strategies

Having a presence at such an event isn’t enough; OEMs will need to do their due diligence to close the deal with manufacturers like Oppo and Xiaomi. With that in mind, OEMs and their marketers should approach manufacturer contacts after the event with techniques like personalized messages to continue the conversation.

Transform Your OEM Marketing Strategy

Using marketing automation tools can make this process less daunting and more effective. Podium helps OEMs interact with manufacturer customers and prospects, request and manage reviews, facilitate customer acquisition, and even track SEO leads and customer interactions across various channels and ad platforms.

Optimizing your OEM marketing strategy with Podium’s suite of tools can take your OEM to the next level. Take the next step here.