In the packaging world, great engineering isn’t enough. Plenty of companies can produce strong materials or flawless structures. What separates the ones that scale from the ones that stall is something far simpler: the clarity of their message.
The best packaging companies create the demand. They treat marketing with the same discipline they bring to production, which is why their pipeline feels steady instead of unpredictable.
In this article, you’ll learn the steps to build a packaging marketing strategy that creates steady demand, strengthens customer trust, and supports scalable growth.
What Is a Packaging Marketing Strategy and Why Do You Need It?
A packaging marketing strategy is the simple plan you use to get your packaging business in front of the right buyers and clearly show why they should choose you. It guides how you present your services, build trust, and reach brand owners and buyers who are already looking for packaging help.
Without a clear strategy, you rely on luck. With one, you make it easier for customers to find you, understand your strengths, and contact you with real project requirements.
Here’s why it matters:
- You show up where buyers actually search. Most people start with online searches, most preferably Google, not trade shows or cold calls.
- You explain your capabilities simply. Buyers want fast clarity on what you make and who you serve.
- You build trust early. Case studies, photos, and certifications help buyers feel confident before reaching out.
- You attract better-fit clients. Precise positioning brings brands that need exactly what you offer.
- You avoid competing on price. A good strategy highlights value, not just cost.
A focused packaging marketing strategy helps you stand out in a crowded market and turns interest into real orders without relying on chance.
9 Strategies For Growing and Scaling Packaging Companies
A simple strategy ties together four things: what you sell (capabilities), who you sell to (audiences), why they should pick you (value), and how they find you (channels). Below are the core areas explained, and how you can implement them:
Position Your Packaging Offer Clearly
Positioning simply defines what you do best, who you do it for, and why they should choose you.
Ask (and answer) questions like:
- By format: Are you strongest in corrugated, folding cartons, flexibles, labels, thermoforms, rigid plastics, metal, or a mix?
- By market: Food & beverage, cosmetics, pharma, electronics, industrial, D2C brands, etc.
- By value: Are you best for speed (short lead times), complexity (multi-component packs), sustainability (recyclable/compostable materials), or cost-efficiency at volume?
Turn this into a simple positioning line you can repeat everywhere. For example:
“Short-run printed cartons for fast-growing D2C brands in the U.S.” “Food-grade flexible packaging with recyclable structures for mid-sized FMCG brands.”
A sharp position makes content ideas, outreach lists, and ad targeting much easier.
Reach the Packaging Buyers Who Need You
Build an ICP and keyword plan that matches real search intent across brand, procurement, and engineering teams.
Build A Website
Your website is often the first meeting a buyer has with your company. A packaging website must behave like a structured, technical guide that helps buyers understand your manufacturing capabilities, materials, certifications, and fit.
Elements of Website for Packaging Companies:
- Process and capabilities pages that speak human + technical
- Show formats (e.g., “Folding cartons”, “Pouches”, “Labels”) with real photos.
- List core specs: substrates, print methods, coatings, typical volume ranges, lead times.
- Explain your process step-by-step from enquiry → artwork → proof → production → delivery.
- Application/Industry pages
Show how your packaging works for different industries, like cosmetics, food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, electronics, etc.
- Explain the specific problems you solve: tamper-evidence, barrier properties, shipping durability, and retail presentation.
- Add mini case examples and photos.
- A High-Quality Quotation Form
Good quotation forms filter out mismatches by capturing:
- Volumes (monthly/annual)
- Substrate needs
- Required certifications
- Timelines
- Artwork files
This protects your team from poorly defined or low-value enquiries.
- Technical resources
- Downloadable dielines, material comparison charts, print guidelines, and sustainability statements.
- These attract serious engineers and designers and differentiate you from generic “brochure” sites.
Treat every page as if it needs to convince a busy buyer in under 30 seconds that you know what you’re doing.
Build SEO Around Solving Problems
SEO for packaging involves creating pages that match real searches. These searches look like:
- “Custom printed corrugated boxes for ecommerce”
- “Food safe flexible packaging supplier”
- “Folding carton manufacturer [country/region]”
What to do:
- Create pages and blog posts around use cases (“how to choose a pouch structure for oily snacks”), industries, and common questions (MOQ, lead time, certifications).
- Use simple, descriptive page titles instead of clever names.
- Add internal links between capability pages, industry pages, and forms.
SEO is slow but powerful: once pages rank, they bring in a steady stream of qualified visitors without ongoing ad spend.
Be Found When Buyers Search for Packaging Suppliers
Strengthen your SEO so your capabilities and categories show up for high-intent searches.
Paid Search For High-Intent Buyers
Paid search (Google Ads, Bing) helps you appear for high-intent searches while SEO grows.
- Target terms like “corrugated box manufacturer [region]”, “custom blister packaging supplier”, “sustainable packaging manufacturer”.
- Drive clicks to focused landing pages that mirror the keyword and include a clear form.
- Use negative keywords to avoid student projects and tiny one-off orders.
You should evaluate ads based on qualified leads, not impressions or clicks.
LinkedIn + Email For Direct Outreach
Your buyers are on LinkedIn and in email all day. This is where “printed circuit boards direct marketing” and packaging marketing are similar: it’s about targeted, helpful contact.
- Build lists of target companies (by industry, size, region) and roles (packaging engineer, procurement manager, brand manager).
- Send short, technical messages: a relevant case study, a guideline PDF, or a quick note about how you solved a similar problem.
- Follow up by email when appropriate, referencing something specific (a product line, sustainability goal, or recent launch).
The tone should feel more like an engineer sharing something useful than a salesperson pushing a brochure.
Industry Platforms And Marketplaces
These platforms give buyers quick visibility into the suppliers they are comparing. Your presence must be complete and technically accurate. Buyers still search on:
- Directories (Thomasnet, EUROPAGES, packaging-specific directories).
- Trade association listings.
- Quotation portals or industry platforms.
Make sure:
- Your profiles are complete, consistent, and aligned with your positioning.
- You use strong photos, a clear capabilities summary, and links back to your best landing pages.
Use Content To “Pre-Answer” Buyer Questions
Great packaging content solves the exact questions buyers wrestle with before they even think about suppliers.
Content Ideas
- Design for manufacturability guides: “Common carton design mistakes that slow down production”, “How to choose the right board grade for heavy products.”
- Sustainability explainers: Clear explanations of recyclability, certifications, and trade-offs between materials (e.g., mono-material vs multi-layer).
- Cost and lead time explainers: “What really drives packaging unit cost”, “How lead times change with volume and complexity.”
- Visual case studies: “How we reduced damage rates for XYZ brand by changing corrugate spec,” with photos and numbers (where allowed).
Distribute this content via your website, LinkedIn, email newsletters, and as attachments in one-to-one outreach. It builds trust long before any contact.
Share Content That Proves Your Packaging Expertise
Create guides, comparisons, and case examples that answer buyer questions before they reach out.
Using Trade Shows Effectively
Events like PACK EXPO, interpack, and regional packaging shows still matter. Buyers walk floors, compare suppliers, and collect cards.
The difference between “expensive booth” and “profitable booth” is prep and follow-through:
- Before the show:
- Email and message target accounts you’d like to meet.
- Offer specific reasons to stop by: new machinery, new sustainable material, live demos.
- During the show:
- Capture structured data (roles, interests, project timelines), not just badge scans.
- Take notes on each conversation so follow-ups are personal.
- After the show:
- Send tailored follow-ups with relevant content, not generic “great to meet you” emails.
- Track which conversations turn into real orders.
Think of shows as a concentrated lead-generation sprint that feeds your ongoing digital nurturing.
Turn Interest Into Qualified Opportunities
Your marketing strategy must filter, qualify, and nurture enquiries so your sales and engineering teams spend time on the right opportunities. Your packaging marketing strategy should also:
- Filter out bad fit: Be upfront about your sweet spot (e.g., “best fit for ongoing orders above 50k units per SKU”).
- Make it easy for good fit enquiries: Short, clear forms, direct contact details, and fast acknowledgement.
- Respond with clarity: Quick “we’ve received your brief” messages and realistic timelines for quotes.
Measure what matters:
- Marketing-sourced pipeline
- Number & value of qualified orders
- Quote-to-order win rate
- Time-to-quote and time-to-order
- Customer lifetime value
These metrics show whether your marketing is producing real commercial value.
Final Notes
Your packaging company already has value. Marketing is just how you make that value visible. And when you do it well, you stop blending in and start becoming the supplier buyers remember first.
Clear communication turns confusion into interest. Real proof turns interest into trust. Consistent visibility turns trust into new orders.
Ready to Turn Interest Into Qualified Orders
Get expert guidance on building a packaging marketing strategy that supports real opportunities.
.webp)
.webp)
.svg){kind=icon}
.svg){kind=icon}
.svg){kind=icon}
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.png){kind=small}
.svg){kind=icon}