Many small and mid-sized manufacturers face the same reality. They want consistent marketing results. They want better-qualified leads. They want direction grounded in a real manufacturing marketing strategy. Yet they cannot justify the cost of hiring a full-time CMO.
The salary alone is high. Add benefits and executive-level overhead, and the numbers move out of reach for most companies under $100 million in revenue.
A Fractional CMO for manufacturers solves this problem. You get senior-level leadership without the full-time cost. You also gain something many manufacturers lack: strategic direction shaped by industrial experience.
My goal here is simple. I want to help you understand your options so you can make a confident, informed decision.
What a Fractional CMO for Manufacturers Really Is
A Fractional CMO is not a consultant who hands you a lengthy report and disappears. The role is much more involved than writing content or managing a few outside partners.
You get someone who drives execution across channels.
You gain senior-level clarity and ongoing direction
You pay only for the expertise you need.
This makes the model ideal for manufacturers who want expertise without a six-figure executive on payroll.
Why a Full-Time CMO is Out of Reach for Most Industrial Companies
Let’s talk cost with facts, not guesswork.
According to publicly available data from Salary.com, the average base salary for a Chief Marketing Officer in the United States is about $353,000 per year.
Total compensation often reaches $425,000–$475,000 when you include bonuses, benefits, and executive-level overhead.
Recruiting a CMO through an executive search firm can also cost an additional $100,000 or more, depending on the firm’s fees and retained search structure.
Most small and mid-sized manufacturers cannot sustain that level of investment—even those who can often question the ROI, especially if the hire lacks industrial experience.
This is a second challenge. Very few CMOs have deep knowledge of manufacturing. They may come from software, consumer brands, or service sectors. That creates long onboarding periods and unnecessary learning curves.
Why the Fractional CMO Model Works for Manufacturers
The fractional model addresses three major issues: cost, expertise, and execution.
You gain senior marketing leadership without paying a full-time salary. You avoid the risk of hiring someone who does not understand your technical world. You also eliminate the need for a large internal team because a Fractional CMO brings structure and direction to your existing resources.
Here’s the cost reality in simple numbers:
Full-time CMO: $350,000–$450,000 per year
My starting Fractional CMO retainer: $4,600 per month
That’s $55,200 per year, or roughly one-sixth of the cost of hiring a full-time executive.
The value difference is not even close.
Now add the impact of relevant experience. I bring a background that blends engineering and marketing. I am a Mechanical Engineer with an MBA in Marketing. I also bring 35+ years of hands-on experience working only with manufacturers, distributors, and engineering companies. That’s why I call myself a Marketing Engineer. So while I may not know your business on day one, my learning curve is far shorter than any generalist marketer you could hire.
This is why the fractional model delivers faster traction and more predictable results.
Key Advantages of a Fractional CMO for Manufacturing Companies
Here are the benefits most manufacturing leaders value:
Clear strategic direction
A structured roadmap instead of random marketing activities
Faster ramp-up because the learning curve is shorter
Focus on qualified leads, not vanity metrics
Alignment between Sales and Marketing
Guidance grounded in industrial buying behavior
Measurable results tied to revenue and pipeline
No long-term hiring risk or executive burden
Recent research reinforces these needs:
Thirteen percent of manufacturing content marketers say their strategy is not very or at all effective, and only 20% say it is very effective.
Sixty-six percent of manufacturing marketers say creating content that prompts a desired action is challenging. (Source).
These numbers validate what many manufacturers already feel. Marketing is harder. Buyers expect more. And most companies lack the leadership to guide them through this shift.
Fractional CMO vs. Full-Time CMO: Which One Makes Sense?
A full-time CMO might make sense if:
Your company exceeds $200 million in revenue
You maintain a full internal marketing team
You want someone present in-house daily
A Fractional CMO is the better choice if:
You want strategy before tactics
You want predictable results without the high overhead
You want someone who understands engineers and technical buyers
You want structure, accountability, and direction
You cannot justify a $350,000 salary
You need someone who can work closely with SMEs and sales teams
For most small- and mid-sized manufacturers, the fractional path offers greater value with lower risk.
What a Fractional CMO Actually Does for Your Company
Here are some of the responsibilities of a Fractional CMO and manufacturers rely on most:
Guide and coach your in-house small marketing team, or do it all for you
Accelerate execution with clear priorities
A Fractional CMO becomes the senior leader responsible for your marketing outcomes. You no longer need to manage vendors, chase projects, or push for progress. You get structure and clarity from day one.
How to Know If Your Company is Ready for a Fractional CMO
These are the signs I see most often:
Your website is not producing quality RFQs
You rely too heavily on trade shows or referrals
You lack a documented marketing strategy
Sales complains about lead quality
You need better messaging for engineers
You feel stuck in “random acts of marketing.”
You want a realistic and reliable strategy, but lack the time to build one
If these sound familiar, the fractional model can help you regain direction and momentum.
What to Look for When Choosing a Fractional CMO for Manufacturers
Look for specialized experience. Manufacturing is not SaaS. It is not real estate. It is not consumer packaged goods.
You need someone who:
Understands engineering and technical audiences
Knows how engineers search for information
Can work effectively with SMEs
Has deep experience with complex buying cycles
Brings proven industrial marketing frameworks
Communicates clearly and directly
Can produce measurable improvements
This is where your choice makes a significant difference.
Final Thoughts: Strategic Marketing Leadership is No Longer Optional
Manufacturers can no longer depend on referrals, trade shows, or outdated tactics. Technical buyers now research independently. They compare suppliers well before requesting a quote. Digital channels influence every major purchase.
You need strategic leadership to compete. A Fractional CMO for manufacturers gives you that leadership without the cost and risk of a full-time hire. You gain structure, clarity, and direction—at a price that makes business sense.
If you’re unsure whether a Fractional CMO is right for your manufacturing company, let’s talk. I can help you evaluate your challenges, explore your options, and determine the right next step. No pressure. Just a practical discussion.
Ready to begin? Start a conversation with me today.
Industrial marketing and sales should work hand in hand—but too often, they operate in silos.
This disconnect is a common challenge for small to mid-sized manufacturers. Even companies that consistently publish blog posts, invest in SEO, run digital ads, and build their marketing tech stack find that results fall short of expectations.
You generate Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs). Website traffic is steady. KPIs trend upward. Yet, your sales team keeps asking: “Where are the real opportunities?”
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Let’s be honest—industrial sales is complex and rarely linear, especially if you are selling custom-engineered solutions.
Your buyers are:
Engineers with long evaluation cycles
Procurement teams that are comparing vendors
Decision-makers from across departments
Risk-averse professionals who want proof before engaging
Bridging the gap between industrial marketing and sales is not about working harder. It’s about working smarter—with the right strategy to connect activities with outcomes.
Hard Truths: What the Numbers Reveal About Industrial Marketing and Sales
According to Forrester, less than 1% of B2B marketing inquiries actually convert into closed deals—a sobering reminder of how difficult it is to drive measurable revenue from marketing alone. (Source: Forrester)
Even when you generate solid MQLs, only 10–20% ever become Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs), according to industry benchmarks. (Source: GrowthDriverShow)
That means the vast majority of your leads won’t move forward unless there’s a clearly defined process for collaboration between industrial marketing and sales.
Understanding MQLs vs SQLs in Industrial Sales
What exactly is a qualified lead?
Marketing teams often celebrate MQLs—visitors who download a white paper, fill out a contact form, or subscribe to your newsletter. These actions signal interest, but they don’t necessarily mean the prospect is ready for a sales conversation.
Sales, on the other hand, is looking for SQLs—leads that meet specific criteria like budget, authority, need, and timeline (BANT). Without this alignment, it’s no surprise that sales often ignores leads passed from marketing.
Here’s why this matters:
When the criteria for MQLs and SQLs aren’t agreed upon in advance, both teams lose faith in the process.
Sales thinks the leads are junk
Marketing thinks sales isn’t following up
Valuable prospects fall through the cracks
This disconnect slows down your pipeline, frustrates your team, and weakens your ROI.
We’ll revisit this in the section on strategy. For now, just know this: Industrial marketing and sales alignment starts with a shared definition of what a lead actually means.
Why Marketing Attribution is So Difficult in Industrial Sales
In theory, marketing attribution should be simple. A visitor clicks an ad, downloads a brochure, receives nurturing emails, and then makes a purchase.
But industrial sales don’t follow a neat, linear path.
You’re selling complex solutions with long buying cycles and multiple stakeholders. That makes it incredibly hard to connect the dots between a marketing action and a signed contract.
Here’s why attribution breaks down in manufacturing:
Sales cycles often span 6–18 months, especially for high-value capital equipment or engineered systems
Multiple influencers—engineers, maintenance managers, procurement, and executive leadership—all weigh in at different times
Prospects may engage anonymously long before reaching out to sales
Decisions are rarely made in a straight line—they loop back, stall, and restart
What Can You Do?
To improve attribution in industrial marketing and sales:
Agree on attribution models (first-touch, last-touch, multi-touch) that reflect the reality of your sales process
Use marketing automation tools to track behavior across touchpoints
Encourage sales to provide feedback on lead quality and source
Document all interactions that contribute to pipeline movement—even those that don’t get immediate credit
Attribution in industrial marketing isn’t perfect. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore it. Even directional insight is better than flying blind.
Start With a Manufacturing Marketing Strategy—Not Just Tactics
If your marketing and sales teams are out of sync, the root problem may not be execution—it’s likely the lack of a documented, shared strategy.
I’ve seen it too often: A manufacturer hires a freelancer to write blog posts, launches a new PPC campaign, or updates their website. Each of these is a good step—but without a larger strategy, they operate in isolation.
Tactics without strategy often lead to frustration for marketing and sales, resulting in wasted efforts and money.
You can’t align marketing and sales if you haven’t aligned the why, who, and how behind your efforts.
A strategy-first approach also helps you adapt to changes in the digital landscape—including the next big challenge: AI-driven search.
Navigating the New Digital Landscape: AI and Declining Organic Traffic
Even when your industrial marketing and sales teams are aligned, there’s a new challenge you can’t ignore—AI is disrupting search behavior in a big way.
Google’s AI Overviews (formerly Search Generative Experience or SGE) and platforms like ChatGPT are changing how buyers find and consume information. Instead of clicking through to your website, users now get summarized answers right in the search results.
According to a recent study, AI Overviews now appear in 47% of Search Results. (Source)
AI isn’t killing SEO—but it’s raising the bar. That’s why quick fixes and disconnected tactics won’t cut it anymore.
You need a system that continually adapts to both your buyers and the changing digital landscape.
It Takes More Than One-Off Campaigns to Generate High-Quality Industrial Leads
Industrial sales don’t happen in a single click—or even a single conversation.
If you’re relying on a one-time campaign to fill your pipeline, you’ll likely be disappointed. Generating high-quality industrial leads requires consistency, iteration, refinements and long-term commitment.
Quick wins are rare. Sustainable results come from strategic planning, strong execution, and ongoing refinement.
That’s why more manufacturers are turning to outsourced expertise—especially when in-house resources are limited or stretched thin.
Why a Fractional CMO Makes Sense
As a Fractional CMO for manufacturers, I bring strategy, execution oversight, and continuous optimization—without the full-time cost.
Whether you have a small in-house team or no marketing staff at all, a Fractional CMO can help you stay focused on what matters: Driving sales—not just clicks and impressions.
Why Traditional Industrial Marketing Tactics Alone No Longer Work
Print ads, cold calls and other conventional marketing methods—these tactics still exist in manufacturing marketing. But they’re no longer the primary way buyers engage.
Today’s industrial buyers don’t want to be sold to. They want to research on their own, at their own pace—often long before they talk to a salesperson.
That’s why traditional industrial marketing alone isn’t enough. It needs to be integrated with digital strategies that reflect how your buyers behave in the real world.
When you align traditional efforts with digital strategies, you meet buyers where they are—not where they used to be.
Let’s Bridge the Gap Between Industrial Marketing and Sales—Together
If your sales team is frustrated by lead quality… If your marketing feels like it’s working in a vacuum… And if you’re tired of disconnected tactics that don’t deliver…
Then it’s time to connect the dots.
I’ve worked exclusively with manufacturers and industrial companies for more than 35 years. I don’t learn industrial marketing at your expense.
Whether you need a documented strategy, ongoing oversight, or execution support—I can help you close the gap between marketing efforts and results.
Digital marketing for manufacturers is crucial as they face increasing competitive pressures. External forces, such as cheaper international competitors, and internal challenges, like the need to do more with less due to budget cuts, are pushing manufacturers to rethink their marketing approach.
Yet, despite these pressures, only “32% of manufacturing marketers have a documented content marketing strategy. Without a strategy in place, too many manufacturers create content simply to respond to ad hoc requests, leading to scattered efforts and missed opportunities.” (Source).
Content, SEO, and social media all play vital roles, but without a well-thought-out strategy, they lack the cohesive power to drive real results. Here’s a formula based on my 35+ years of experience in industrial marketing:
Strategy + Implementation + Measurement = Success With Digital Marketing for Manufacturers
Starting with a clear, documented strategy ensures that all your digital marketing efforts—content marketing, SEO, or social media—align with your business goals. If you’re unsure where to begin, our Fractional CMO service can help you develop a strategic roadmap to guide your digital marketing initiatives.
Digital marketing for manufacturers involves using online channels to connect with industrial buyers, engineers, and other key decision-makers. From building awareness with potential customers to converting leads into sales, digital marketing enables manufacturers to target specific audiences in ways that traditional methods can’t.
For example, strategies like industrial content marketing, SEO, and social media increase visibility and help nurture long sales cycles typical in the industrial sector. Manufacturers can stay ahead of their competition by optimizing digital platforms for customer interaction, lead generation, and reaching new markets.
When combined with a robust strategy, these tactics drive higher-quality leads that are more likely to convert into paying customers.
Industrial content marketing is not just about creating technical content. You must focus on using content to create true differentiation, address the questions of various stakeholders at different stages of their decision-making journey and set the table for your sales team to have productive conversations.
Finding New Customers Through Strategic Digital Marketing for Manufacturers
Manufacturers are increasingly turning to digital marketing for lead generation. In-person events have indeed come back strong after the pandemic, and manufacturers are investing in them once again. However, the chart below shows that digital marketing channels still occupy the top spots.
Using tools like search engine optimization (SEO) and targeted online advertising, manufacturers can connect with prospects who are actively searching for solutions. Digital marketing makes pinpointing niche markets and targeting specific buyer personas easier.
For instance, a manufacturer specializing in industrial butterfly valves can use SEO to rank for long-tail keywords that match the precise needs of engineers in the oil and gas industry. With the help of generative AI tools, finding these niche keywords has become even more efficient, ensuring you reach the right audience.
Here’s additional proof of the importance of digital marketing channels. Gartner expects that by 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur in digital channels. (Source).
You’ve probably read that engineers and industrial professionals are passive participants in social media channels. So, How do manufacturers use social media?
Sixty-seven percent of respondents said their organization would invest in social media/community building in 2023, up from 40% the previous year. (Source: The CMI Report cited earlier). Instead of writing more words, I’ll let these two charts tell the story.
Achieving Digital Marketing Success in the Manufacturing Industry
Manufacturers must focus on measurable outcomes and data-driven strategies to succeed in digital marketing. Each marketing effort should have a clear objective: increasing web traffic, generating leads, or improving conversion rates.
Additionally, integrating marketing automation tools can help track leads, offer personalized content, and score prospects for better lead nurturing. These tools ensure that the marketing team aligns with sales objectives, creating a smoother journey from lead generation to sales qualification.
Planning Your Digital Marketing Budget Effectively
How much should manufacturers budget for digital marketing? According to the 2023 Insights for Manufacturing Content Marketing report, approximately one in four manufacturing marketers reported that their organization spends 25% to 49% of their total marketing budget on content marketing.
For smaller manufacturers, this might include a mix of content creation, SEO, and paid campaigns, while larger companies might invest more heavily in automation and advanced analytics.
Keep in mind that digital marketing isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. A tailored digital marketing strategy based on your company’s unique goals will help you allocate resources effectively.
Choosing Between In-House and Outsourced Digital Marketing Teams
Many manufacturing companies wonder whether to handle digital marketing in-house or outsource to an agency. Both approaches have their pros and cons:
In-house teams offer more direct control but require long-term investments in specialized talent and tools.
Outsourcing offers access to a broader skill set and scalability without the overhead of hiring full-time staff.
For small to mid-sized manufacturers, outsourcing to a Fractional CMO or digital marketing agency can be a cost-effective solution, ensuring you get the expertise you need without the full-time cost.
Overcoming Digital Marketing Challenges in Manufacturing
Digital marketing for manufacturers comes with unique challenges, such as long sales cycles, multiple decision-makers, and highly technical products. Overcoming these obstacles requires a strategic approach tailored to your industry.
There are many challenges when it comes to marketing to engineers and technical professionals, so much so that I have written several blogs on this topic. Here are one of them:
Choosing the Right Digital Marketing Partner for Manufacturers
Not all digital marketing partners are created equal. Finding the right industrial marketing agency requires evaluating their manufacturing sector experience, understanding your unique sales cycle, and the ability to create a customized strategy.
Tiecas has over 35 years of experience helping manufacturers leverage digital marketing to drive sustainable growth. Whether you’re looking for a comprehensive strategy or specialized services, we can help you achieve your marketing goals. Visit our case studies for real-world examples of how we’ve transformed digital marketing efforts for manufacturers.
As a manufacturing marketing expert with over three decades of experience, I understand the challenges and opportunities that digital marketing presents for manufacturers. Whether you’re looking to build a robust content marketing strategy, enhance your SEO, or improve your social media presence, digital marketing is a powerful tool to achieve your business goals.
If you’re ready to leverage digital marketing for your manufacturing business, let’s have a conversation. Contact me, and together, we’ll create a roadmap to measurable success.
Industrial marketing agencies are the strategic advantage for manufacturers aiming to thrive in globally competitive markets. Unlike general marketing firms, these specialized agencies have a deep understanding of the manufacturing industry – from the complex B2B industrial sales cycles to the technical nature of products and services.
In this blog post, we’ll explore how partnering with an industrial marketing agency can drive superior results for manufacturers compared to general marketing approaches, helping you unlock new growth opportunities and achieve your business objectives.
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Understanding the Unique Challenges of Industrial Marketing for Manufacturers
B2B industrial marketing in the manufacturing industry presents a unique set of challenges compared to consumer marketing. Sales cycles are often longer, and buying processes involve multiple stakeholders, and products or services can be highly technical. This requires a deep understanding of the industry, its terminology, and the specific needs of its target audience.
Industrial Marketing Agency vs. General Marketing Agency
While general marketing agencies may have broad marketing knowledge, they often lack the specialized expertise needed to navigate the complexities of industrial marketing. Industrial marketing agencies, on the other hand, possess:
Industry-Specific Knowledge: They understand the intricacies of the manufacturing sector, including industry trends, regulations, and terminology.
Technical Expertise: They can effectively communicate complex technical information in a way that resonates with engineers and other technical decision-makers.
B2B Marketing Experience: They have a proven track record of developing and executing successful B2B marketing campaigns for manufacturers.
Established Networks: They often have strong relationships with industry publications, trade shows, and influencers, allowing them to reach a wider audience of potential customers.
Industrial Marketing Strategies That Deliver Results
To achieve superior results, industrial marketing agencies emphasize the importance of developing a strategic roadmap before implementing any tactics. A well-defined roadmap aligns marketing efforts with overall business goals, ensuring that every action taken contributes to the desired outcomes.
Industrial marketing agencies leverage a variety of lead generation tactics that cater to the specific needs of the manufacturing industry. Some of the most effective approaches include:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Enhancing website visibility in search engine results to attract potential customers actively seeking solutions. Don’t be hung up on getting to the first page of search results (SERPs) and expect search volumes to be low for highly specialized terms.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: Running targeted ads on platforms like Google and LinkedIn can be effective for standard industrial products and consumables. However, PPC may not always be the most efficient approach for custom-engineered systems.
Social Media Marketing: Social media platforms like LinkedIn can be an excellent source for promoting new content, such as blog posts and white papers, and driving webinar registrations. While engineers tend to be passive participants on social media, they still value platforms like LinkedIn as a source of industry news and insights. (95%of manufacturing marketers use LinkedIn, and 62% found it to be extremely useful. Source)
Email Marketing: Email marketing remains a highly effective tool for lead nurturing in the manufacturing industry’s long sales cycles. The key is to create personalized, relevant content that educates and informs prospects without being overly salesy or pushy. Avoid batch-and-blast email tactics, which can be seen as spam and damage your reputation.
By strategically combining these tactics, industrial marketing agencies can create a comprehensive lead generation strategy that delivers high-quality leads and supports the long-term growth of manufacturing companies.
Industrial Content Marketing for Manufacturers
Today’s industrial buyers are in the self-serve and self-select mode, meaning they prefer to conduct extensive research online before engaging with sales teams. This makes industrial content marketing a critical and effective component of any successful marketing strategy for manufacturers.
Industrial content marketing is more than just creating content; it’s about strategically developing and distributing content that educates, informs, and engages potential customers.
Creating Technically Accurate Content
One of the biggest strengths of industrial marketing agencies is their ability to create technically accurate content that resonates with engineers and industrial professionals. This requires a deep understanding of the industry, its terminology, and the target audience’s specific needs.
Many manufacturers find regularly creating good industrial content challenging. Are you struggling with the same problem? For help, explore our industrial content creation services.
Choosing the Right Industrial Marketing Agency
Selecting the right industrial marketing agency is a critical decision that can significantly impact your company’s growth and success. Here’s what to consider when evaluating potential partners:
Qualities of Top Industrial Marketing Agencies
Industry Expertise: Look for agencies with a deep understanding of the manufacturing industry, including its unique challenges, terminology, and target audiences. They should be able to speak your customers’ language and understand their pain points.
Proven Track Record: Explore the agency’s project portfolio and case studies to see how they’ve helped other manufacturers achieve their goals.
Understanding of Your Business Goals: The agency should take the time to understand your specific business objectives, target audience, and budget. They should be able to develop a customized marketing strategy that aligns with your overall business goals.
Transparent Communication: Open and honest communication is essential for a successful partnership. The agency should be responsive to your questions and concerns and provide regular updates on the progress of your marketing programs.
Data-Driven Approach: Look for agencies that use data to make strategic decisions. They should be able to track and measure the results of your campaigns and make adjustments as needed to optimize performance.
Cultural Fit: Choose an agency that shares your company’s values and culture. A good cultural fit will ensure a smoother working relationship and better collaboration.
Partnering for Success
Choosing an industrial marketing agency is not just about finding a vendor; it’s about finding a partner. The right agency will be an extension of your team, working collaboratively with you to achieve your marketing and business goals. They should be invested in your success and willing to go the extra mile to help you achieve it.
Ready to discover the difference an engineer-led, industrial marketing agency can make for your manufacturing business? Contact Tiecas today for a free consultation and discover how our industrial marketing expertise can help you achieve your growth goals.
A documented industrial marketing strategy is critical for success. Did you know 80% of successful content marketers have a documented content marketing strategy? (Source)
Unfortunately, only 32% of manufacturing marketers have a documented content marketing strategy, even though one in four manufacturing marketers reported that their organization spends 25% to 49% of their total marketing budget on industrial content marketing. (Source)
Why is that? In my experience working with manufacturers and industrial companies, too many are in a rush to pump out more content without a strategy in place. Implementing hit-or-miss content marketing tactics is not likely to produce the results you want.
Bottom line— A documented industrial marketing strategy provides clarity, alignment, and measurable results.
What is an Industrial Marketing Strategy?
Industrial marketing strategies often encompass multiple channels like trade shows, SEO, and targeted paid advertising.
I’ll focus on industrial content marketing in this post since it is the dominant strategy used by most manufacturers and industrial companies.
Let’s start with a short definition of content marketing. It is…
“Content marketing is a strategic approach focused on creating valuable content … to drive profitable customer action.
Understanding the last part of the definition is critical—it’s where industrial and manufacturing content marketers face their toughest challenges.
The hurdles in industrial marketing strategy for manufacturers can seem daunting because the long and complex sales cycles involve many stakeholders, from engineers to purchasing and executives. Each one has different content needs at different stages of their buying journey.
Creating content for the buyer’s journey, aligning sales and marketing, and internal communication are significant challenges manufacturing marketers face. 62% of manufacturing content marketers cited this as their biggest challenge. (Source)
Product datasheets and technical specifications are essential when your core audience is engineers and technical professionals. However, you have to go much deeper and broader than just that to logically move your audience through the funnel with relevant content.
An industrial marketing strategy defines your goals, audience, and content mix.
Why Document Your Industrial Marketing Strategy?
A documented industrial marketing strategy provides the roadmap and guardrails you need to navigate the complexities of your market. It eliminates guesswork and fosters purposeful action, even during unexpected shifts or changes.
Clarity & Focus
Targeted precision: Documenting buyer personas ensures laser-focused content and optimizes channel choices for niche industrial audiences.
Avoid scattered efforts: Written goals prevent reactive tactics, streamlining decision-making in long sales cycles.
Smart allocation: Documenting prioritizes tasks and budgets, crucial for maximizing ROI with technical content.
Accountability & Measurability
Prove ROI: Clearly defined KPIs make it easy to justify marketing investment in manufacturing/industrial contexts.
Early course correction: Track metrics against written benchmarks to pinpoint strengths/weaknesses, minimizing wasted effort.
Data-driven decisions: Documented data procedures ensure reliable insights for critical technical decisions.
Agility & Adaptability
Pivots with purpose: A strategy becomes your baseline during change, enabling informed strategic shifts.
Confident innovation: Document past wins/misses to build on what works and improve future campaigns.
Weathering crises: A plan provides a framework for proactive communication, protecting brand reputation.
Collaboration & Consistency
Team alignment: Bridge the gap between sales, engineering, and marketing with a unifying document outlining shared goals.
Seamless partnerships: Streamline onboarding and set expectations for industrial marketing agencies or external vendors with clear guidelines.
Smooth transitions: A well-documented strategy allows for knowledge transfer, minimizing disruption during personnel changes.
How to Document Your Industrial Marketing Strategy
Start with a simple, achievable document. Even a basic outline brings clarity and helps you measure results against defined goals. As your strategy evolves, your documentation will too.
Key Elements to Include in your documented industrial marketing strategy:
Industrial buyer personas: Detail who your ideal customers are, their pain points, and where they seek information.
Goals mapped to the buyer journey: Outline SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) for each stage of the long industrial sales cycle.
Channel mix: Prioritize where you’ll reach your audience (website, trade shows, SEO, etc.), focusing on those your buyers use most.
Content calendar framework: A simple structure for content planning and consistency.
Need help turning your strategy into a tangible action plan? Our Strategic Roadmaps provide a clear path with expert guidance to achieve your industrial marketing goals.
Beyond Content—Aligning Your Industrial Marketing Strategy
Job #1 for industrial marketers is creating realistic sales opportunities for the sales team to have meaningful conversations and close more deals. This is why close alignment between Sales and Marketing is vital. Neither can do it alone since today’s industrial buyers prefer to complete a large portion of their buying journey on their own without ever contacting the supplier.
Your industrial marketing strategy should support that journey with:
Sales enablement: Ensure salespeople are equipped with case studies, thought leadership content, and competitor analysis tools for successful conversations.
Strategic trade shows: Pre-show promotions and post-show follow-up driven by your strategy will maximize trade show ROI. (in-person events made a strong comeback in 2023).
Demand generation: Targeted campaigns aligned with your strategy drive qualified leads and build a robust pipeline.
Need a partner to seamlessly integrate your marketing initiatives across all channels? Our Strategic Roadmaps ensure your industrial marketing strategy drives success.
The challenges of B2B industrial marketing are unique and can frustrate even the most seasoned marketers. From complex sales cycles to niche audiences, understanding the hurdles facing manufacturers and industrial companies is the first step toward developing effective marketing strategies.
This post takes a deep dive into the solutions to overcome some of these B2B industrial marketing challenges.
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The Long and Complex Sales Cycle in B2B Industrial Marketing
One of the most significant challenges of B2B industrial marketing is the lengthy and complex sales cycle. Unlike consumer purchases, industrial products and services often involve multiple decision-makers. Engineers might assess technical specifications, procurement teams negotiate pricing, and executives make the final call. This process can drag on for months or even years.
Strategies to Shorten the Sales Cycle
While there’s no magic wand to instantly close industrial deals, there are strategies and tactics to reduce friction throughout the sales cycle.
Lead nurturing: Stay top-of-mind with potential buyers through targeted emails, valuable content offers, and invitations to webinars or demos.
Buyer stage content: Instead of generic brochures, create content specifically addressing decision-makers’ concerns at each stage. Engineers want technical details, procurement cares about cost, and executives need ROI justification.
You may want to consider our Industrial Content Creation service if you have trouble writing technical content that will resonate with engineers and industrial professionals. It is a common problem among manufacturing content marketers, and content creation is the most outsourced industrial marketing task. The problem is finding the right partner who has the necessary industrial experience.
Marketing and sales alignment: Ensure smooth lead hand-offs and prevent potential buyers from falling through the cracks with a pre-determined quantitative lead scoring system and a clear communication plan between marketing and sales teams.
Want to explore these tactics (and more) in depth? Our pillar post offers a comprehensive guide to overcoming the long sales cycle hurdle in B2B industrial marketing. An entire section in that post is devoted to understanding lead nurturing with an example workflow.
Difficulty Finding and Targeting the Right Audience in B2B Industrial Marketing
Your target audience in B2B industrial marketing isn’t the general public. Instead, you are dealing with a specialized group of buyers with niche needs who know their specific requirements. It could be engineers designing a new manufacturing process, MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Operations) managers looking for replacement parts, or procurement agents searching for suppliers.
Failing to identify and understand your ideal customer can make finding the right audience a significant challenge. Compounding the problem is that the pool of qualified prospects is limited, and the global competition is fierce.
The Power of Buyer Personas
Detailed buyer personas are the key to unlocking effective audience targeting. A buyer persona is a semi-fictional profile representing your ideal customer. It goes beyond basic demographics and delves into their:
Job responsibilities and titles
Pain points and challenges
Information sources (industry publications, websites, etc.)
Balancing Technical Detail with Relatable Expertise in B2B Industrial Marketing
B2B industrial buyers don’t want superficial marketing fluff, but neither do they want to be treated as if they don’t know their own industry. After all, you are dealing with engineers and technical professionals who know their subject matter. Striking a balance is key.
Industrial content marketing is a proven strategy to address the pain points of your buyer personas at different stages of their buying journey. This strategic approach increases the likelihood of your message resonating and attracting qualified leads.
Here’s how to cut through the noise while demonstrating your understanding of their world:
Translate features into benefits
Absolutely include product specifications—those are essential. But go a step further by explaining how those specs directly translate to benefits for the buyer, solving their pain points or optimizing their operations. This shift makes even a highly technical product relatable.
Use jargon strategically
Don’t talk down to your audience by avoiding industry terms altogether. Instead, use common acronyms and terminology judiciously. Assume a baseline of knowledge, but always provide context or explanations when introducing more niche terms.
Thought leadership content
Demonstrate your company’s expertise and innovation through formats like:
Case studies: Focus on real-world results with quantifiable metrics.
In-depth blog posts: Address complex industry challenges or explore emerging trends your audience cares about.
Webinars led by in-house experts: Share insights or facilitate discussions on relevant topics.
Lack of Engaging and Effective Content for B2B Industrial Marketing
Let’s face it—much of the B2B industrial marketing content can be dry and boring. Focussing solely on product features fails to connect with your potential buyers’ real-world needs and concerns. To truly stand out, create industrial content that addresses their specific pain points and offers valuable insights throughout their decision-making journey.
Content for every stage of the buyer’s journey
The best industrial content strategies cater to buyers at all stages of their journey:
Awareness: Blog posts, infographics, and videos explaining common industry challenges.
Consideration: Case studies, comparison guides, and webinars diving into solutions and benefits.
Decision: Product demos, detailed spec sheets, and personalized consultations.
Effective content formats for the industrial sector
Not every content format is a good fit for industrial buyers. Here are a few proven winners:
Technical whitepapers: Showcase your expertise and provide in-depth information engineers and decision-makers seek.
Case studies with metrics: Quantify results to illustrate the ROI of your product or service.
Explainer videos: Break down complex processes or product features in a visually engaging way.
Proving Marketing ROI: A Challenge in B2B Industrial Marketing
Another major hurdle in B2B industrial marketing is demonstrating a clear return on investment (ROI) for your marketing efforts. Long sales cycles, complex attribution models, and the difficulty of directly correlating marketing with revenue make ROI hard to isolate.
Let me give you two examples:
1. In the industrial sector, you often deal with two types of buyers—The Specifier (Design Engineers) and the Functional Buyer (Purchasing Personnel). They have different needs that you must address. You can’t ignore the Design Engineer because they may not have the final buying authority, but unless your industrial component is “designed in” into their BOM, you are not likely to get the email for an RFQ from Purchasing.
2. Take the case of MRO professionals. They may not have any influence over the initial purchase, but they can make or break your repeat business.
Metrics that matter in industrial marketing
Traditional marketing metrics like website traffic and leads are important but don’t tell the full story in industrial marketing. Look beyond vanity metrics and focus on indicators like:
Lead quality: Are you attracting the right kind of leads (engineers, procurement, etc.) that are more likely to convert?
Pipeline influence: How much does marketing contribute to generating and moving qualified opportunities through the sales pipeline?
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Analyze the long-term revenue potential of customers acquired through marketing efforts.
Tracking these metrics will help you gauge the true impact of your industrial marketing campaigns and make data-backed decisions about resource allocation.
The challenges of B2B industrial marketing are significant, from navigating complex sales cycles to targeting niche audiences and proving ROI. But with the right strategies and a focus on creating valuable content that resonates with your target buyers, you can overcome these hurdles and achieve your marketing goals.
Ready to take your B2B industrial marketing to the next level?
As a Marketing Engineer with over 35 years of experience working with manufacturers, distributors, and engineering companies, I understand your unique challenges. Let’s discuss your specific goals and explore how I can help you develop a data-driven marketing strategy that attracts qualified leads, shortens your sales cycle, and ultimately delivers a strong ROI. Let’s have a friendly chat!
B2B industrial marketing presents unique challenges compared to other forms of B2B marketing. Longer sales cycles, complex technical products, and a highly analytical buyer persona are just a few factors that set it apart. If you’re a marketer at a manufacturer, distributor, or engineering company, you know this firsthand.
So, what can this post offer that you couldn’t find with a simple Google search?
Answer: My personal thoughts and experiences as an industrial marketer and consultant.
As the Founder and President of Tiecas, a B2B industrial marketing agency in Houston, TX, I’ve spent the past 35+ years immersed in industrial and manufacturing marketing. I’ve witnessed countless industrial companies’ challenges and frustrations firsthand.
Probably the most common complaint that I hear from Sales is that “Marketing just doesn’t understand engineering problems, and they generate ‘crappy’ leads that are not ready to buy.”
But I’m not just another marketing consultant. As a Marketing Engineer (a Mechanical Engineer with an MBA in Marketing), I understand the engineer’s mindset and the complexities of the industrial buying journey. This isn’t just marketing theory – it’s wisdom born from decades of hands-on experience.
Need proof?My team and I helped a mid-sized valve manufacturer increase leads by 31% by rewriting and revamping their product-centric content to address engineers’ real-world challenges.
Ready to dive into a perspective you won’t find anywhere else? Let’s go!
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B2B Industrial Marketing—Overcoming Common Challenges Faced by Manufacturers
In the industrial sector, the days of relying solely on your ace sales team to generate leads and close deals are dwindling. Engineers and technical buyers are empowered by ready access to information and prefer to do their own extensive research before engaging with suppliers. Industrial buyers rely heavily on supplier/vendor websites for in-depth product and service information.
Gartner’s prediction that 80% of B2B sales interactions will occur digitally by 2025 underscores this shift. [Source]
So, what does this mean for B2B industrial marketers?
Sales & Marketing Alignment: As mentioned earlier about my conversations with manufacturers, the “more leads” cry is often a misdiagnosis. Building an integrated sales and marketing machine is essential. Neither department can succeed in isolation within this new environment.
Engineers are Skeptical: Don’t mistake their thirst for information as a love for more marketing fluff. Trust is earned slowly. Your content needs to be technically sound, solution-oriented, and backed by data or proof points.
The ‘Seller Beware’ Era: Buyers hold the power, dictating the pace and terms of engagement. Your marketing must enable buyers to self-educate, building confidence in your solutions long before a sales conversation happens.
How to Succeed: A Mindset Shift
Here are three key focus areas for B2B industrial marketers that recognize this transformed buyer behavior:
Become an Information Hub: Produce content that answers potential buyers’ questions, from technical specs to implementation case studies and post-sale support examples.
Emphasize Problem-Solving: Frame your product/service as the solution to the buyer’s pain points, not just a list of features.
Build Trust with Proof: Testimonials, case studies, and even unfiltered, engineering-focused FAQs demonstrate your expertise and track record.
Important: This isn’t about overwhelming visitors with endless content. It’s about offering a clear, structured path guiding them through their buying journey.
How can you reach engineers where they seek information and what content do they consume? I once collaborated with the Director of Applications Engineering with a manufacturer of leak testing systems. Our goal? Find and secure guest blogging opportunities in industry portals with a captive audience of design and production engineers from the automotive and medical device industries.
Let’s get specific—in the next section, we’ll dive into the strategies and tactics that translate this understanding into results.
Proven Industrial Marketing Strategies & Tactics Learned From the Trenches
The order of the words “strategy” and “tactics” isn’t accidental! While I understand the urge for quick results, I strongly believe in developing a strategic roadmap before launching any marketing initiatives.
Your roadmap is your compass for reaching your destination, and at my agency, we take a strategy-first approach. B2B industrial marketing is a long game – consistent effort with a clear plan leads to sustainable results.
Quick fixes like Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads can be effective for standard industrial products, consumables, and parts. However, those who manufacture custom-engineered systems sometimes struggle to see the same effectiveness from PPC.
Tip #1: Bring your SMEs to the Forefront
Engineers relate to other engineers! It’s a powerful way to establish credibility. Your marketing team can do the heavy lifting but publish posts and articles under the byline of your Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). For more on this, see my previous post: Industrial Blogging Lessons Learned from Working with Technical SMEs. (By the way, I published that post in 2013, and it is still pulling in traffic. It proves the longevity of blogging.)
Don’t expect your engineers to hand you polished content. Your job as an industrial marketer is to interview them with well-thought-out questions to extract valuable insights and turn them into cohesive content.
Tip #2: The Right Content for Industrial Buyers
According to a recent survey [Source], the top three content formats engineers value most are:
Datasheets (40%)
Technical publication articles (29%)
Product reviews/testimonials (26%)
It’s important to note that testimonials can be tricky in industrial settings due to NDAs or competitive concerns.
Engineers get bombarded with product-focused marketing. They crave solutions! I worked with a manufacturer of pre-engineered metal buildings to create their content. Instead of highlighting their latest robotics, we focused on the technology-enabled outcome: pinpoint accurate framing systems for hassle-free installation. This resonated with their customers, who cared far more about saving time and money than the tech itself.
Understanding Industrial Lead Generation, Nurturing & Marketing Automation
Balancing information with lead capture is key. It is a balancing act because you may be tempted to ask for every piece of information you think you need to qualify a lead. The resistance increases exponentially the more fields you force people to fill out.
Tools like progressive profiling and marketing automation help you collect valuable buyer data gradually. This is where understanding the difference between Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) and Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) is essential.
Example Workflow:
Blog Post: Offer a downloadable guide as a call-to-action
Webinar: Invite guide downloaders to a technical webinar with your SME
Drip Campaign: Email webinar recording + a case study download + invitation to ask SME additional questions
Result: Qualified RFQs with an estimated 17% conversion rate
This is a simplified example–adjust it based on your sales cycle length and specific offerings.
Organic SEO for Manufacturers
Organic traffic is the lifeblood of sustainable B2B industrial marketing, but achieving top rankings requires strategic keyword research that goes beyond generic keyword research tools.
The Niche Keyword Challenge: Traditional keyword tools might suggest broad terms like “conveyor belt” for a conveyor belt manufacturer, missing out on valuable, targeted searches.
Generative AI Advantage: Using a generative AI tool can reveal long-tail keywords like “heat-resistant conveyor belt,” “food-grade conveyor systems,” or “conveyor belt replacement parts.” These terms signal higher purchase intent.
Trade Show Marketing: It’s Not Just About Showing Up
The Content Marketing Institute’s recent study highlights a resurgence of in-person events. 60% of manufacturing marketers reported they used in-person events to get in front of their audiences versus only 28% in the previous year (Understandably due to the pandemic). More than half (55%) expected their budgets for trade shows and in-person events to increase.
Investing strategically in trade shows can pay off for B2B industrial marketers, but only if you go beyond just ‘showing up.’
Here’s a quick pre-show, during-show, and post-show checklist:
Pre-Show:
Develop an enticing offer targeted to your show’s audience (demo, consultation, etc.)
Promote your booth presence and offer across social media, email, and even targeted ads.
During-Show:
Capture leads with interactive elements, not just brochures.
Have a quick follow-up plan in place for hot leads.
Post-Show
Nurture all leads, not just those deemed “sales-ready.”
Analyze data: Which show activities yielded the best ROI?
We did a trade show campaign for an international manufacturer of bandsaws used in the metal casting industry. They wanted to make a big splash at a tradeshow to showcase their products to the North American market. Here’s a direct quote from the client:
“We had another very successful day yesterday also. At least 50 groups came to have a demonstration of the saw and I would put 30% of those as interested to know more. I am just sending emails to some of the red-hot leads. Fair to say the metal casting industry knows about us now!!” (See testimonials).
Measuring Success in B2B Industrial Marketing
Let’s be honest, C-suite executives care about more than just traffic and TOFU lead counts. They want bottom-line results. I once set up an online store for a manufacturer of safety equipment serving the refinery, marine, and cheese processing industries. This generated a new revenue stream and made the buying process frictionless for their customers.
Proving the ROI of your industrial and manufacturing marketing efforts can be a major headache. Here’s why:
Long Sales Cycles: The journey from awareness to purchase can stretch over months or even years. Attributing wins solely to recent marketing activities is inaccurate.
Multiple Touchpoints & Stakeholders: Today’s industrial buyers interact with your brand across various channels and engage with multiple decision-makers. Pinpointing which marketing actions had the most influence is challenging.
Disconnect Between Metrics: While marketers track website traffic and leads, C-suite executives want to see revenue impact. Bridging this gap is essential.
The ‘Last Click’ Trap: Too often, credit is assigned based on the final touchpoint before a sale, undervaluing the marketing efforts for nurturing that happened earlier in the buyer’s journey.
The Data Dilemma
This problem isn’t just anecdotal. According to a Content Marketing Institute study, 48% of manufacturing marketers struggle to connect their content, data, and measurement across platforms. It’s clear that traditional analytics fall short in the complex B2B industrial landscape.
What Can You Do?
Embrace Attribution Models: Go beyond ‘last click’ by using multi-touch attribution models that assign value across the entire buyer journey.
Align KPIs with Business Goals: Don’t just report on vanity metrics. Develop KPIs that demonstrate marketing’s direct impact on revenue and customer acquisition cost.
Implement Closed-Loop Reporting: Robust marketing automation platforms can track leads from source to closed sale, giving you a much clearer ROI picture.
Measuring success isn’t about finding the one magic metric. It’s about a continuous process of tracking, analyzing, and refining your marketing efforts.
In the next section, we’ll explore emerging trends shaping the future of B2B industrial marketing. Understanding these shifts will become critical for making data-driven decisions and demonstrating your value to leadership.
The Future of B2B Industrial Marketing
“Manufacturers should continue embracing digital transformation to contribute to a competitive and resilient future and to help tackle ongoing manufacturing challenges.” That’s a quote from the 2024 manufacturing industry outlook published by Deloitte. Manufacturing and the industrial sectors are in a state of exciting changes.
Here are a few key trends that will shape the strategies of tomorrow’s successful industrial and manufacturing marketers:
Trend 1: Personalization Gets Smarter
B2B industrial buyers demand relevant, tailored experiences. Generic marketing blasts just won’t cut it anymore. Marketing automation tools enable dynamic content delivery based on a buyer’s behavior, industry, or decision-making stage.
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) takes this even further. ABM is a strategic approach focusing resources on a set of high-value target accounts. Campaigns are meticulously designed with personalized content and outreach designed to engage key decision-makers within those specific companies.
Tools Matter: Platforms like HubSpot, Act-On, and others are essential for sophisticated personalization and ABM strategies. These tools let you track behavior and deliver the right content at the right time to the right people.
You could also consider a simpler and less expensive tool such as MailerLite. It has robust capabilities for automation and drip campaigns.
Trend 2: Video’s Dominance
Video is no longer optional for industrial marketers. According to the Content Marketing Institute, 90% of manufacturing marketers used video in 2022, and 80% plan to invest further in this format. It’s easy to see why, considering how engineers consume information.
Show, Don’t Tell: Videos demonstrate complex industrial equipment in action, providing far more clarity than lengthy descriptions.
How-Tos for MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Operation): Short videos are invaluable for maintenance professionals, saving time and potential frustration.
Mix of Formats: Offer short, engaging clips, in-depth demos, and webinars to cater to buyers at all stages of their journey.
B2B industrial videos don’t always need to be dry and technical. When appropriate, injecting a bit of humor can make them far more memorable. Need an example? Check out Fluke’s hilarious video for their clamp meter: ‘Fluke 376 FC True RMS AC/DC Clamp Meter with IFlex Review’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH8ewYS6Te4).
Need to explain a complex technical concept in an informative and relatable way? Take a cue from B&D Industrial. Their “Tea with B&D” series tackles topics like mechanical seals in a surprisingly engaging format. This creative approach transforms a potentially dry subject into something memorable. Check out their video: ‘Tea with B&D-Episode 5: Mechanical Seals.’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taU-bug5b1w).
Trend 3: The Rise of Generative AI
Generative AI is poised to transform industrial and manufacturing marketing. Its impact goes beyond automating content creation:
Predictive Analytics: AI can analyze vast datasets to identify emerging trends and predict buying patterns.
Streamlined Workflows: AI can automate routine tasks, freeing up marketers for higher-level strategy.
The Engineer + Marketer Advantage
While AI offers exciting possibilities for B2B industrial marketing, understanding the nuances of engineering needs and industry challenges requires human experience and expertise. This is where the Engineer + Marketer (moi) combination becomes a true competitive advantage.
My team and I can combine technical knowledge with marketing savvy to create strategies and targeted industrial content that resonates with your audience. I ensure that these AI tools are used wisely to craft authentic messages that truly resonate with engineers and industrial buyers.
The B2B industrial marketing is evolving rapidly. With my unique mix of engineering knowledge and marketing expertise, I help my clients by:
Cut Through the Noise: Implement strategic and proven marketing tactics without sacrificing the technical accuracy and trust-building that engineers demand.
Data-Driven Yet Relatable: Use analytics while crafting compelling content that speaks to engineers’ analytical minds and the need for problem-solving solutions.
Stay tuned for more posts where I’ll delve deeper into these B2B industrial marketing strategies and tactics. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Marketing Matters (See form in the footer), to get the latest insights delivered straight to your inbox.
Ready to future-proof your industrial marketing strategy? Explore our approach:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a disruptive and transformative force in B2B marketing for industrial companies. By leveraging AI, industrial businesses are streamlining operations and redefining how they engage with their customers. This technological advancement offers unprecedented opportunities for personalization, efficiency, and insight- and data-driven strategies, enabling marketers to meet the complex demands of the industrial sector.
As we dive deeper into AI’s role, it becomes clear that its integration into B2B marketing strategies is not just an option but a necessity for staying competitive in today’s rapidly changing industrial marketplace.
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Unlocking AI’s Potential: Top 5 Questions Answered for Improving B2B Marketing for Industrial Companies
B2B marketing for industrial companies is dynamic, and changes are inevitable. Throwing AI into the mix is both super exciting and a bit daunting. Manufacturers are keen to tap into AI’s potential to boost their industrial marketing game, but they’re also hitting pause and have a bunch of important questions. It’s like they’re standing at the edge, ready to dive into the AI pool but wondering about the water temperature, depth, and even if there’s a lifeguard on duty.
From what I’ve seen and experienced firsthand, here are the top five burning questions on everyone’s mind when it comes to using AI in B2B marketing for the industrial sector.
1. How Can AI Improve Lead Generation and the Qualifying Processes?
Manufacturers are keenly interested in how AI can streamline the lead generation and qualification process. Traditional methods can be time-consuming and may not always identify the most promising prospects. AI technologies can analyze vast amounts of data to identify patterns and predict which leads are more likely to convert into sales.
This improves the efficiency of lead-generation campaigns and ensures that B2B marketing for industrial companies’ efforts are more targeted and effective.
Marketing Automation (MA) technology is a good example of how Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs)are qualified and nurtured into Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) through a quantitative, data-driven approach. MA uses smart algorithms to score leads by how they interact with your website, emails, and content. (See Industrial Lead Generation – MQL vs SQL).
This scoring is based on actual data, making it easier to see which leads have shown an intent to buy without guessing. This means sales teams get leads that are not just interested but genuinely ready to have a meaningful conversation, making the whole sales process smoother and more efficient while shortening the long sales cycles.
2. What Role Does AI Play in Personalizing Industrial Marketing Efforts?
Personalization in industrial marketing is crucial for cutting through the clutter and engaging with engineers and industrial buyers. This audience is knowledgeable, has technical expertise, and has specific needs. They value content that speaks directly to their unique challenges and requirements.
Manufacturers are exploring how AI can tailor marketing messages to individual prospects based on their behavior, preferences, and engagement history. This level of personalization helps in creating more relevant and compelling marketing content, which can significantly enhance the customer experience and boost conversion rates.
By tailoring marketing messages to address their specific work-related interests and concerns, companies can capture their attention more effectively than with generic messaging. This targeted approach demonstrates an understanding of their professional challenges. It helps provide them with the right information at the right time they need to make more informed decisions.
Personalization helps build trust and credibility, key components in nurturing a relationship with a highly knowledgeable and skeptical audience.
3. How Can AI Help in Organic SEO for Manufacturers and Industrial Companies?
AI helps industrial marketers identify trending topics and keywords by leveraging advanced data analysis and machine learning algorithms, significantly enhancing their organic SEO efforts. Here’s how it works in the context of organic SEO for industrial marketers:
Data analysis and pattern recognition: AI can identify patterns and trends in user behavior. By examining how engineers and industrial buyers search for solutions online, AI can detect shifts in interest or emerging problems these professionals are trying to solve.
Semantic search understanding: AI enhances the understanding of semantic search queries, which means it can interpret the intent behind searches, not just the literal keywords. This is where organic SEO is today as compared to the past when it was more about stuffing keywords in your content. This allows marketers to identify broader topics and questions their target audience is exploring beyond exact keyword matches.
Competitive analysis: AI algorithms can monitor competitors’ content and keyword strategies, offering insights into what topics are gaining traction in the industry and which keywords drive traffic to competitors’ sites. This information helps marketers optimize their content to improve their SEO ranking.
Content gap analysis: AI tools can quickly and efficiently identify content gaps. This enables marketers to produce and/or repurpose content to fill these gaps, targeting new and trending keywords their audience uses, thereby improving their visibility in search results.
Incorporating AI into their organic SEO strategies enables industrial marketers to stay ahead of the competition, ensuring their content is both relevant and easily discoverable by engineers and industrial buyers actively searching for solutions. This strategic approach enhances their online visibility and builds authority, positioning their companies as thought leaders and building trust within their target audience.
4. How Does AI Impact Industrial Content Creation and Distribution?
Content marketing is a vital component of B2B marketing strategies for manufacturers; aimed at educating and engaging technical audiences. There’s a significant interest in understanding how AI can assist in creating good industrial content that resonates with engineers and industrial buyers.
According to the Content Marketing Institute,59% of manufacturing content marketers said their organization outsourced at least one content marketing activity. Technical content creation was the most outsourced marketing activity.
However, it is not about finding cheap content creators; the biggest challenge in outsourcing is finding partners with adequate topical expertise (60%).
AI-driven tools excel in generating content ideas, optimizing SEO, and automating distribution to hit the right audience in a timely manner. However, they can’t replace human writers and editors, whose skills are crucial for crafting the tone and establishing credibility, underscoring that the blend of technology and human expertise is essential for creating impactful and authentic content in digital marketing strategies.
5. What are the Ethical Considerations and Potential Risks of Using AI in B2B Industrial Marketing?
As manufacturers consider the possibilities of using AI in B2B marketing for industrial companies, questions about ethical considerations and potential risks arise. There’s a concern about data privacy, AI predictions’ accuracy (AI Hallucinations), and AI’s potential to spread biases. Manufacturers are looking for guidance on navigating these challenges responsibly, ensuring that their use of AI aligns with legal requirements and ethical standards while maintaining customer trust.
That is not to say there aren’t challenges in implementing generative AI in B2B marketing. I read an informative article published by Forrester that discusses the opportunities and challenges ahead.
Incorporating AI into B2B marketing strategies for industrial companies offers a path to more efficient, personalized, and insightful marketing efforts. However, manufacturers must also consider the implications of AI technology, including its ethical use and the need for continuous learning and adapting.
Ready to elevate your strategy and drive results from B2B marketing for industrial companies? With over 35 years of hands-on experience working with manufacturers and industrial companies, we bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table. Plus, we understand the unique challenges of marketing to engineers and industrial buyers – we don’t learn industrial marketing at your expense. Reach out to Tiecas today.
As we approach 2024, I cannot overstate the importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies for manufacturers and industrial companies.
In this blog post, I will discuss the most effective SEO strategies for manufacturers and industrial companies for the next year and beyond. I will provide actionable insights to help you elevate your online presence and beat the competition by using proven SEO strategies based on my experience and industrial marketing expertise.
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Focus on user experience (UX)
In 2024, the success of SEO efforts will hinge on optimizing websites for user experience. Google’s algorithm prioritizes seamless browsing, so manufacturers and industrial companies should focus on easy navigation, fast-loading, and valuable content. Continuous UX optimization involves addressing user pain points in real time, tailoring messaging and design to engage the target audience, and reducing bounce rates.
Google confirmed the role of UX in SEO by incorporating Core Web Vitals into their ranking criteria — an initiative that measures elements of web usability such as loading time, interactivity, and the stability of content when loading. (Google, 2020)
A study by Forbes reported that for every dollar invested in improving UX, the return on investment could be as high as 9,900% – a powerful testament to the impact of effective UX design on your bottom line.
Prioritizing UX should be a part of effective SEO strategies for manufacturers. This will improve search engine rankings, increase site traffic, and ultimately drive business growth.
Topic clusters and pillar pages are a powerful SEO strategy for manufacturers. By creating a central pillar page that covers an overarching topic and related subtopics, search engines can better understand the semantic relationships within your website’s content. This “hub and spoke” model has gained popularity in manufacturing content marketing for its effectiveness in organizing and optimizing information.
For example, you create a “Pillar Page (Hub)” on a central topic, for example, ANSI Centrifugal Pumps. Then, create and publish articles related to that central topic that address subtopics of interest to your audience. These are your “Spokes.” For example, Industry Applications of ANSI Centrifugal Pumps, ANSI vs API Pumps, How to Spec and Select the Right ANSI Pump, ASME B73.1 standard and ANSI Pumps, etc. The list of subtopics can be as long as you want it to be.
By interlinking these pages, you enhance the user experience and navigation and signal to search engines that you are a subject matter expert. This powerful SEO strategy can significantly enhance manufacturers’ digital footprint, improve search engine rankings, and ensure competitiveness.
Be careful; overusing the same keywords across multiple pages can dilute your SEO efforts, impact your site’s authority, and ultimately weaken your overall visibility in search engine results. This is known as keyword cannibalization, which poses a significant risk to your SEO strategy, confusing search engines about which content to prioritize and rank.
Leverage the power of Generative AI to improve SEO strategies for manufacturers
Generative AI is gaining widespread adoption in marketing and is expected to see accelerated growth in 2024. Its impact on SEO for manufacturers is significant as it enables the creation of highly targeted and personalized content. This advanced technology generates human-like text based on input, allowing manufacturers to engage engineers and technical professionals effectively.
The key takeaway is that AI bots could generate human-like text based only on the information they are given. The better the prompts you provide, the better the output. Some refer to this as prompt engineering. I like it!
The GIGO principle definitely applies here. The human touch is still missing from current AI tools but is getting better.
AI provides powerful benefits in data processing and pattern recognition. Using AI can enhance content relevance, improve search rankings, streamline keyword research, and forecast SEO trends. Stay ahead of the competition and deliver valuable content that resonates with your target audience.
Don’t just copy and paste the output from AI. A skilled manufacturing content marketer with editing expertise should carefully review and enhance the content to ensure a human touch. Also, having in-house Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) review the content for accuracy is crucial before publishing.
Using 100% AI-generated content may also have legal ramifications (Copyrights and IP).
Embrace video marketing for better SEO
Video marketing is becoming increasingly important in the industrial sector. According to the 2023 Manufacturing Content Marketing Report by the Content Marketing Institute, video content is quickly gaining traction. The report highlights that 90% of manufacturing marketers have used video content in the last 12 months.
Moreover, 57% of manufacturing content marketers who use video content find it effective in their marketing strategy.
To optimize videos for SEO in 2024, prioritize high-quality, relevant content that addresses your audience’s work challenges. How-to videos are effective for technical and MRO professionals. Optimize video descriptions and titles with researched keywords and create a video sitemap for easy indexing and ranking on Google.
Optimize for mobile—A crucial part of SEO strategies for manufacturers
Mobile optimization has been crucial for SEO and will continue in 2024. As more people use phones to access the internet, industrial companies must ensure mobile-friendly websites.
Google prioritizes mobile optimization as part of its mobile-first indexing policy. Mobile responsive websites gain an advantage in Google’s SERPs, highlighting the importance of optimizing your website for mobile devices. This optimization can significantly impact your online visibility and overall success.
To optimize for mobile, manufacturers and industrial companies should focus on creating responsive websites that adjust to different screen sizes and optimize loading speed. Content readability and mobile navigation are also crucial considerations.
My experience with manufacturing clients is slightly different. The bulk of their site traffic still comes from desktops. Your mileage may vary. You still have to please the “Google Gods!”
SEO strategies for manufacturers are vital for online success in 2024 and beyond. By prioritizing user experience, harnessing the power of Generative AI, embracing video marketing, and optimizing for mobile, manufacturers and industrial companies can strengthen their online presence and surpass their competitors.
Tap into my extensive knowledge gained over three decades of hands-on experience working with manufacturers and industrial companies, from understanding the buying journey of engineers and industrial buyers to implementing highly effective SEO strategies customized for your business.
Contact me today, and together, we can unlock the full potential of your online presence and set you on a path to sustained success. Don’t let your competition outperform you in search rankings.
As someone who has been creating industrial content and blog posts for engineers and industrial professionals for many years, I understand the difficulties and the importance of creating high-quality content that is informative, engaging, and easy to understand.
In this article, I will share my thoughts and insights on creating industrial content to help you connect with your audience and establish yourself as an authority in your target industry.
Industrial content creation: what sets it apart?
Creating industrial content is different from other types of content creation in a few key ways. First, industrial content is typically more technical and specialized than other types of content, requiring a deep understanding of the subject matter and the industry in question.
Second, industrial content is often targeted at a specific audience of engineers, industrial professionals, or other technical experts. This requires a nuanced approach to writing, using industry-specific language and terminology to communicate your message effectively.
Finally, industrial content often provides practical insights and solutions that can be applied directly to a specific industry or technical challenge. This requires a deep understanding of your audience’s needs and pain points and a commitment to providing valuable, actionable information.
“Manufacturing marketers struggle with creating content for the buyer’s journey, aligning content efforts across sales and marketing, and communicating internally among teams/silos.”
If it is any consolation, as you can see, you are not alone in your struggles in creating industrial content.
Whether you are writing for engineers, industrial professionals, or other technical experts, your goal should be to provide them with valuable insights and information that they can use to improve their work and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies.
The last sentence is the key—your content must be relevant to their work-related challenges and fill their knowledge gaps. In short, don’t write about your perceived solutions in search of real-world problems.
Why understanding your audience for industrial content is so important
I’m sure you are already familiar with the advice, “Get to know your readers.” It becomes even more important in creating industrial content because of the audience you are dealing with—they already have some knowledge of the subject matter, sometimes more than you do.
Therein lies the challenge. Someone can be good at marketing but weak in understanding technical concepts. It is hard to find both in one person or a marketing agency unless you are like me, a Marketing Engineer. 😊
How do you discover challenges faced by engineers?
Unless you have experience in the field, you’ll need to do your homework before creating industrial content. You’ll only understand your readers’ challenges by talking to your in-house Subject matter Experts (SMEs) and customer-facing people within your company. Ask them about the kinds of questions prospects and customers ask in their conversations.
To conduct in-depth research for your industrial content, you should start by identifying credible sources of information. This might include academic journals, industry publications, and reports from reputable organizations and associations. It would help to consider interviewing industry experts and thought leaders to gain insights and perspectives you might not find elsewhere.
Get your draft reviewed by your SMEs before you publish anything. A word of caution here: SMEs are busy people doing what they do best. Don’t expect them to drop everything to help you. Refer to the chart above, 41% of manufacturing content marketers said they had trouble with “Accessing subject matter experts to create content.”
Writing good and effective technical content is about communicating complex information clearly so that your target audience comes away with a good understanding and gains insights that s/he did not have before. You’ll have a sure winner if you create an “Ah-ha moment” for your readers.
You often hear advice such as “Use simple and concise language: Avoid jargon and technical terms your readers might not understand.” I don’t wholly agree with that.
At the heart of creating industrial content is the ability to break down complex concepts into simple, easy-to-understand terms. However, that doesn’t mean you need to dumb down your copy. After all, your readers are engineers and technical professionals, not 5th graders. Using standard industry acronyms, such as ASME, ANSI, DSP, etc., is okay. You may spell it for the first use for clarity, but there is no need to avoid them altogether.
Consider using short how-to videos to explain the complex workings of a manufactured product instead of writing thousands of words.
According to the 2023 Manufacturing Content Marketing report I cited earlier, “Ninety percent of manufacturing marketers reported that they used videos in the last 12 months. They also said video produced the best results for their content marketing. In addition, 80% said their organization will invest/continue to invest in video in 2023, making it the top area of content marketing investment.”
Creating industrial content relevant to your audience is a critical and valued skill for manufacturing and industrial marketers. By creating high-quality, engaging, and informative content, you can establish your industrial company as an authority in your industry and become a trusted source of information that your readers are searching for and want.
If you need help creating industrial content, please reach out. Let’s talk about how I can help you create engaging and informative content that will help you connect with your target audience and achieve your business goals.
