Rethinking Business Models for Manufacturers

The current pandemic is a massive disruptor for the world economy, as we all know. For the manufacturing industry, it looks something like this: factory closures, supply chain disruptions, reduced production capacities, and remote work, among many other things are significantly impacting businesses in manufacturing. Let alone companies struggling with illness—and even death—among their workforce. (Of which, we offer our warmest thoughts.) While the world will eventually return to face-to-face interactions and normal shipping and production schedules, the habits that are being formed now will set a new baseline for our behaviors and expectations as consumers and professionals.

Topics: B2B Marketing, B2B marketing strategy, Industrial Manufacturing Companies, Industrial Manufacturers, Marketing for Manufacturers, Covid-19

What Is ABM and Is It Right for You?

Account-based marketing (ABM) has vastly grown in popularity among B2B sales and marketing teams over the years. According to a 2019 ABM Market Research Report by Engagio, 93% of respondents are either using ABM today, or are planning to soon. If you have not yet implemented ABM at your organization, learn about the six indicators that ABM is right for your manufacturing company.

Topics: B2B Marketing, Industrial Marketing, Industrial Marketing Strategy, Industrial Manufacturers, Marketing for Manufacturers, ABM

6 Steps Towards Starting Your First Inbound Marketing Plan

Are you tossing around the idea of starting an industrial inbound marketing plan, but don’t know what the methodology is and aren’t sure how? Great news, there are clear steps to the strategy that you can easily learn!

Topics: B2B Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Industrial Branding, Inbound Marketing Strategy

4 Ways an Effective Industrial Marketing Strategy Helps Boost Sales

Creating a sales strategy starts with one extremely important component: the assumption that you will have a steady flow of leads working their way through your sales funnel. From awareness to purchase, each stage of the buying journey is impacted by inbound marketing tactics. This can be particularly challenging in more traditional businesses such as industrial manufacturers, where the majority of your business in the past may have come through cold calling. People are increasingly wary of answering the phone if they don’t recognize the number, making it more difficult than ever to break through the clutter and get attention.

Topics: B2B Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Industrial Content Marketing, Inbound Marketing Strategy, Marketing for Manufacturers

Learn About the Key Components of a Successful Inbound Marketing Methodology

Inbound marketing has proven to be one of the best strategies for achieving measurable ROI. In 2018, 79% of marketers cited inbound marketing[i] as their organization’s primary approach to marketing.

Topics: B2B Marketing, B2B Inbound Marketing, Inbound Marketing ROI, Content Marketing Workshops, Marketing for Manufacturers, Inbound Marketing Assessment

How to Ask for Referrals from Existing Customers and Earn New Clients

People aren’t shy when it comes to speaking about their experiences with brands. According to Google, “Over 2.4 billion conversations about brands take place every day in the United States”—clearly illustrating that world-of-mouth marketing is not dead. In fact, the power of word-of-mouth continues to grow and is becoming an ever-important asset for companies to exploit. But how do we as marketers influence the narrative of these conversations to positively portray our brands and help us gain more customers?

Topics: B2B Marketing, Industrial Marketing, Growth-Driven Design

Does Social “Selling” Really Work?

The dynamics of B2B selling have changed dramatically from the days when the sales person controlled the sales process. Technology has put the buyer in the driver’s seat, with the ability to access a wealth of information and data about a product or service they are interested in.

Topics: B2B Marketing, Social Media, Inbound Marketing Strategy, LinkedIn marketing, Social Media Marketing

4 Marketing Strategies That Help You Effectively Manage Your Sales Funnel

A common question we hear from our B2B clients is, “Do I really need a marketing plan if my sales pipeline is full?” First of all, congratulations—achieving a full sales pipeline is no easy task. But let’s pump the breaks for a second: why is your sales pipeline full in the first place? Unless your company has a team full of cold-calling gurus, then your saturated pipeline is most likely a result of previous marketing efforts.

Topics: B2B Marketing, Industrial Marketing, Industrial Marketing Strategy, Content Marketing Strategy, Sales Enablement, Inbound Marketing Strategy, Marketing for Manufacturers, Inbound Marketing Assessment, Buyer Personas

Are You Answering Their Questions and Solving Their Problems?

The B2B sales cycle is typically an in-depth process that can involve multiple decision makers, and in some cases, takes months or years to complete.

Most buyers are well down the sales path before they even talk to your company. A recent survey found that 71% of buyers had conducted research, and 70% had developed an informal list of potential providers, prior to being in contact with prospective suppliers.[i]

Topics: B2B Marketing, Content Marketing Agency, B2B marketing agency, Industrial Marketing Strategy, Content Marketing Services, Sales Enablement, Inbound Marketing Strategy, Sales Enablement Strategy, Marketing for Manufacturers

Leverage Existing Customers to Improve Your Bottom Line

Leveraging existing customer relationships—by creating a digital marketing strategy tailored to your customer’s needs—can yield measurable ROI. You likely have a pretty substantial inbound marketing list …1,000, 5,000, 10,000+ contacts. Of that list, somewhere around 10-20% may be active customers.

Topics: B2B Marketing, Industrial Marketing, Content Marketing Strategy, Business Development Marketing Strategies, Growth-Driven Design, Marketing for Manufacturers