3 Things You MUST Get Right with Industrial B2B Marketing

Industrial brands make the world go around. But being so tied into big industry from manufacturing and construction to energy and mining means these B2B companies also get hit the hardest by swings related to the economy and world events. Long sales cycles, complexity in the buying process, and entrenched/emerging competition can all gum up the works for industrial businesses that want to grow. How can you leverage marketing to help?

Lean Times Require Resilient Marketing

If you cut your marketing budget every time you experience a downturn, you will have to “rewarm” the market on the next upswing. This means you are going to be behind your competitors on every deal, at every turn.?

Instead, use the slow sales times to focus MORE on marketing. Here are some practical ways to do that:

1. Focus on building and maintaining brand presence even when your buyers have their budget on hold. Fortunately, brand awareness is usually less expensive than lead generation campaigns. So, you can make smart spending go pretty far.
2. Figure out how to help them solve their “slow time” problems and you will be top of mind when things speed up again. Put your efforts into helping them get access to the tools, resources, and answers they need to be successful right now.
3. Be CONSISTENT! Use automation to nurture your market (existing and future prospects) during the slow season. Those cold leads will be back in buying mode soon enough.

Want an even deeper dive into Industrial B2B marketing? Watch this!

Make the Most of Opportunity When the Good Times Roll

What about the boom times? Missing out on this is just as big a risk if you aren’t prepared with marketing. You need to have scalable sales activation campaigns ready to capture rapid revenue growth. This should literally be the flip of a switch so you can launch and optimize right away.?You want to be able to scoop up as much revenue as you can while times are good.

• User and brand experience is key if you want to avoid stalled deals or losing out to competitors. Be aware that priming your market (exposing them to your advertising) greatly increases closing ratios in B2B marketing.?
• Never take success for granted. Pay attention to what your competitors are doing, even if your revenue is going gangbusters. They may be spending on innovation and preparing to capture YOUR market share if you aren’t careful.?
• Build a SYSTEM to maximize conversions and sales. Visibility into trends is often low in industrial B2B companies because of long sales cycles. This means you must be doing MORE tracking, not less. This includes your CRM, analytics, and much more. When you can't see what is going on with your customers, your prospects, your competition, and your market, you will be caught off guard. Don't let hidden trends and changes in buyer behavior take you down!

Need help figuring out how to budget for B2B marketing? Watch this episode of The Marketing Blender Show.

Create the Bold, Striking Brand You Deserve

Industrial brands have the opportunity to be visually striking, and they SHOULD be. Most of their competitors are missing the boat on memorability. You likely make tangible, heavy duty goods that leave a tactile impression. You make things that are built to last. Find a way to make this reality interesting visually and through brand storytelling. Never believe people who say industrial companies are boring. That is a choice!?

Here is an example of from one of our long-term clients of how industrial B2B branding can really stand out.

When you create a visible and recognizable brand, your reputation skyrockets. In today’s buying environment, the relationship industrial buyers have with your brand is just as important as the one they have with your sales team. People come and go from every organization. As buyers become younger and the old guard retires, you MUST build a brand reputation that serves to anchor attention and trust.

We Know Industrial Marketing Inside and Out

At The Marketing Blender , we have been working with B2B industrial brands for over a decade. To talk with our CEO, Dacia Coffey about how our Fractional Chief Marketing Officers and digital team can help grow YOUR brand, book a time here.