Finding the right industrial manufacturing marketing agency can be challenging. As a manufacturer, your marketing needs differ greatly from those of a consumer-facing business.
Industrial products are often complex. In your marketing materials, you need to speak to a technical audience using industry-specific terminology. You also need to demonstrate the value of your product and how it solves common problems in your industry — and you need to do that with data and evidence, such as customer stories and case studies.
To help you develop a successful strategy, the agency you choose needs to help you look at the long game: fostering ongoing relationships with clients and customers, taking a business-to-business (B2B) approach, and understanding that many people and personas are often involved in B2B purchasing decisions.
Why Industrial Marketing Is Different from Other Sectors
B2B marketing differs greatly from consumer-facing marketing. As B2B marketers, we believe it’s important to develop personas and create content that targets people in specific job roles, such as CTOs or technicians — but with the understanding that in most cases, that person alone will not be making the decision to purchase your manufacturing product. To be successful, a B2B marketing campaign must communicate the value of your manufacturing product to individuals within a target customer’s buying group.
Convincing a group of people to form a consensus and pull the trigger on a purchase decision takes time, so a successful strategy takes a long-term view focused on the customer journey. Based on our experience, here are a few hallmarks of a successful B2B marketing strategy:
Target niche audiences and personas
First, we work with manufacturers to identify their target customers and the personas who are most likely to guide purchasing choices. At this stage, it’s important to listen to customers’ concerns and problems and discover how and where they talk to each other, what kind of content they consume, and where they are most likely to go to find it. Based on market research, we develop detailed personas based on this research that help you create a content strategy.
Plan for long sales cycles
B2B sales cycles are typically long — two months or more, on average — and may require several touchpoints to nurture leads along the path to becoming customers. At Kuno, we design your entire content strategy, from networking to SEO research, advertising, and content development, with that long game in mind.
Develop technical content
Creating content such as blog posts, white papers, and customer stories that speak to your target audience helps to keep them engaged. Our content team focuses on addressing common challenges and pain points in your industry and leveraging internal subject matter experts (SMEs) at your company who can add value to the conversation with original thought leadership.
Key Marketing Challenges in the Industrial Sector
Building a successful marketing strategy for industrial manufacturers often involves unique challenges:
Complex buyer journeys
The journey from initial interest to purchasing the product can be lengthy and complicated for B2B customers.
Limited market size
In a niche market, you might struggle to reach potential customers through traditional means such as advertising.
Precise targeting
Creating content that’s specifically targeted to customer personas — and then distributed via outlets where they are likely to see it — can be tricky.
Most industrial manufacturers choose to partner with a marketing agency instead of placing the burden of market research, persona identification and content creation on an in-house team.
Essential Services To Look for in an Industrial Manufacturing Marketing Agency
When you’re looking for an industrial branding agency, you’re looking for a partner. From developing a strategy to executing it to attract leads and convert customers, B2B marketing is a long-term effort requiring significant time and expertise. Here are some essential services to look for when vetting a marketing agency:
Comprehensive Digital Marketing Strategy Development
Any agency should be able to develop a full-service digital marketing strategy with manufacturers in mind, covering areas like:
- Competitive analysis
- SEO keyword research and strategy
- Persona development
- Content ideation
- Content creation and distribution
Look for an agency with extensive B2B marketing experience — one that’s able to articulate their approach to industrial marketing and offer clear explanations and case study data to back up their claims.
Expertise in Industrial Content Marketing
Technical content such as case studies and white papers are vital for engaging B2B audiences. Look for an agency with proven ability to produce and promote industry-specific content that resonates with technical buyers both in and outside your company’s market.
Industrial SEO and SEM
Search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) or paid media are important components of a successful B2B strategy. Keyword research and careful copywriting can help you optimize your paid media campaigns, blog posts and web (both on-site and zero-click social) copy, reaching your target audience and drawing more leads to your content.
Lead Generation and Nurturing
A successful B2B marketing agency should be well-versed in developing lead generation strategies tailored to industrial clients, including targeted campaigns and personalized follow-ups. Also, look for an agency that understands the role that marketing automation — using software and AI tools to streamline tasks such as email marketing, contact qualification and social media management— can play in nurturing leads through a complex sales funnel.
Evaluating an Industrial Marketing Agency’s Experience and Expertise
When you’re comparing marketing agencies, start by making a list of your company’s top priorities.
- What are you looking for in a marketing partner?
- What are your goals?
- How would you define your target market?
Answering these preliminary questions will help you assess the options. Once you’ve described what you are looking for, use the following list to vet potential partners:
Industry-Specific Case Studies and Success Stories
Start by reviewing an agency’s past work, focusing on case studies that demonstrate success in the industrial manufacturing sector. Look for clear evidence with data that shows measurable results in areas like increasing website traffic and boosting quote requests.
Agency Team’s Industry Knowledge and Technical Expertise
While not every marketing agency will have experience in your exact market, it’s important to find a partner that speaks your language. Seek out an agency with team members who have a deep understanding of the industrial sector. Their technical expertise will help you ensure accurate, relevant content creation — and make every conversation easier because they already understand the unique marketing challenges manufacturers face.
Proven Track Record in B2B Marketing
Find an agency with a proven track record in B2B marketing, with examples of long-term client partnerships and sustained success. B2B can be very different from B2C, so it pays to connect with an agency that specializes in B2B and can offer clear evidence of past wins on behalf of clients in your sector.
Measuring Success: Key Performance Indicators for Industrial Marketing
As you connect with a B2B marketing agency and begin to work together on a strategy, spend time clearly defining key performance indicators (KPIs). This process goes beyond identifying your marketing goals to asking, “How will I measure success toward those goals?”
Defining Clear Marketing Objectives and KPIs
Without clear, measurable goals, you might get down the road and realize you don’t know if the marketing strategy you’ve embarked on is working or not. That’s why before you begin, you need to set specific benchmarks for industrial marketing campaigns. Common KPIs for industrial marketing include:
- Lead generation metrics
- Lead quality (based on company size, job title, and budget)
- Sales cycle length
- Conversion rates
- Website traffic and content views
- Revenue
- Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
- Brand awareness metrics (mentions, review sentiments)
Ongoing Performance Monitoring and Optimization
As you move forward with a content strategy, ensure that you have access to data for continuous monitoring of campaign performance — and the agility to adapt strategies based on insights that emerge along the way.
For example, A/B testing — designing two or more versions of an advertisement, subject line, or other variable within a piece of marketing, then testing the results — can be a great way to generate data to guide your decision making and continuously optimize your efforts.
Kuno Creative Is the Right Choice for Your Industrial Manufacturing Marketing Needs
With years of hands-on experience delivering manufacturing marketing solutions, Kuno Creative’s innovative in-house team shortens the learning curve and equips clients with streamlined industrial marketing strategies focused on shortening sales cycles and increasing revenue.
Proven Expertise in Industrial Marketing
Our extensive portfolio in the industrial manufacturing sector means we have a deep understanding of the unique challenges you face. Pairing our understanding of the manufacturing industry with the specialized services of a manufacturing marketing agency, we’ve helped industrial clients innovate and achieve sustainable market growth. A few examples:
Blackline Safety
A Calgary, Canada-based wireless location technology company increased website traffic by 164% while decreasing cost per conversion.
Big Bolt
An emergency specialty fastener manufacturer, Big Bolt saw a 40% increase in traffic with branding, website redesign, SEO and content marketing strategies.
Amerline
A connector manufacturer saw a 450% increase in website sessions and 1,800% jump in quote requests.
iCONN Systems
Manufacturer iCONN Systems achieved substantial organic website growth through a successful SEO campaign.
Tailored Marketing Solutions for Industrial Manufacturers
At Kuno Creative, we believe in customization. We take time to understand your company, culture, and goals and create a personalized strategy that aligns with your specific needs. We place a strong emphasis on achieving measurable results through data-driven approaches while remaining agile, making recommendations and updates based on the data.
This approach allows us to work with you to achieve your goals —whether that’s reducing the cost of customer acquisition, generating more high-quality leads, or increasing brand awareness.
Get Started With Kuno Creative
Are you ready to upgrade your manufacturing company’s marketing strategy? Schedule a consultation to learn more about partnering with Kuno today.
