In the last decade, 3D printing has been used in different sectors, including manufacturing, education, aerospace, and medicine. But despite the rising popularity of this technology in many industries, the marketing space seems slow to adopt its use. Even so, the success of several promotional campaigns using 3D printing has opened the eyes of brand managers and decision-makers to the exciting possibilities of using this tech in marketing.
For now, many brands who want to use 3D printing may not be able to invest in the machines or technology directly. Instead, it’d be more feasible for them to buy finished 3D-printed marketing materials from B2B companies that make them. In essence, many companies offering 3D printing services would be like managed service providers (MSP) that offer turnkey IT solutions to other businesses of all shapes and sizes.
3D Printing In Marketing
Suppose you’re a B2B company offering 3D printing or managed IT services to other companies. In that case, you need a robust MSP marketing services provider if you want to grow your business and improve recurring revenues. After all, 3D printing enterprises and IT service providers shouldn’t be that far off from each other regarding marketing requirements.
In 3D printing marketing, behavioral segmentation allows for targeted messaging and strategies by categorising customers based on their specific behaviours, preferences, and usage patterns, enabling companies to effectively reach and engage their target audience.
As the economy begins to take off, more businesses will need to boost their marketing. And 3D printing technology is in the perfect position to take advantage of the situation, at least in the marketing sphere. That said, a B2B company offering 3D printing services—or any business, for that matter—can expect that 3D printing is the next big thing in marketing goods and services. Below are the reasons why:
Innovative Method To Introduce A Product
Launching a new product can be a terrifying moment for a business because you don’t have a clue whether the public will love it or not. For a business startup with limited capital, taking on substantial working capital business loans to fund manufacturing and marketing will make much more sense only after getting feedback from their target market.
With 3D printing technology, you can make prototypes and launch promotional campaigns on a smaller scale to see what people think of your new product. You can then use the initial feedback to aid further product development. So, instead of spending a huge chunk of capital creating molds or machines to launch new products, companies could save a lot of money by first using 3D printing to build prototypes before investing in large-scale manufacturing.
Low-Cost Advertising Materials
One of the reasons why experts predict that 3D printing is the next big thing in marketing is the technology’s ability to build marketing materials for shop displays and other promotional items at a low cost. If you participate in a trade fair, you can use 3D printing to create beautiful and intricate displays to make you stand out.
This strategy is also effective in the construction and real estate industry. For instance, Dubai plans to construct 25% of its buildings via 3D printing by 2030. While that may be a lofty goal for any private property company, you can still take advantage of the technology by creating scaled replicas of the buildings and real estate development you’re selling. Through these 3D printed models, you’ll enable customers to see even the most intricate details of your projects.
New Potential For Customization And User Interaction
One of the most significant marketing potentials of 3D printing is product customisation. How often have you walked into a shop and wished that you could change the colour or tweak the design of the item you’re holding? With 3D printing, you can provide customers with an opportunity to make the product design their own, or at least have a say on the colour or shape of the product.
Aside from customization, 3D printing is also an excellent way to encourage user interaction. You could create marketing buzz by enabling users to design a new product or improve on an old one. This move could give you a pulse of what people need or what they like about your product. If you have the budget, you can 3D print the suggested designs from market participants and send them samples. You can bring a 3D printer and do the printing onsite to draw a massive crowd to your booth in a trade show.
Exciting Opportunity To Present Products To Customers
Many customers want to touch and see a product before they buy. Technology will significantly affect marketing over the next decade through 3D-printed physical samples that consumers can test and inspect. If you’re an online seller of high-ticket items, sending potential customers samples of your product is a cost-effective approach to encourage people to buy what you offer.
Bottom Line
More and more large corporations around the globe have shown the different uses of 3D printing for their promotional and advertising campaigns. Thus, it’s not surprising that experts predict smaller brands and marketing service providers will adopt this relatively new technology for their marketing in the coming years.
About Manufactur3D Magazine: Manufactur3D is an online magazine on 3D printing. which publishes the latest 3D printing news, insights and analysis from all around the world. Visit our 3D Printing Education page to read more such informative articles. To stay up-to-date about the latest happenings in the 3D printing world, like us on Facebook or follow us on LinkedIn.
