The industrial landscape is ever-changing. Industrial equipment manufacturers are facing new challenges that can inhibit operations and limit growth. To avoid stagnation, manufacturers must seek effective solutions that meet the demands of a dynamic industry. The insights of an industrial equipment marketing company are key. These solutions meet current challenges head-on to position industrial equipment manufacturers for success.

This process begins with an awareness of what manufacturers are facing in the marketplace today:

Top Growth Challenges Identified by Industrial Equipment Marketing Companies

• Sales cycles are lengthening. Completing a sale has grown more complex. The industrial sales process now involves a more sophisticated buying team and more involved purchase options. Potential customers spend more time researching purchases and investigating extensively online before making contact. Manufacturers may not even know everyone involved in this process and the ultimate purchase decision, yet they must address all concerns and goals. They must make effective efforts to keep customers actively engaged during this lengthy cycle.
• SEO is changing. Social networks and Google searches aren’t producing the results they used to for website traffic. Manufacturers cannot rely on click-throughs from these sources to maintain a productive flow of leads. Branding is becoming more important than ever to attract customers to a company website. Additionally, the site must be mobile-friendly, as this is crucial to rankings and indexing.
• Marketing costs are rising. Digital space may appear limitless, but it is not. As digital advertising becomes the norm, this space becomes more expensive. Marketers vie for keywords and search results, driving up costs for paid searches and social networking efforts. Bids must be targeted and strategic to create a digital strategy that offers significant ROI.
• Content marketing is expanding. It’s not enough to convey a brand with a consistent logo and slogan. Manufacturing customers are looking for more than a recognizable brand. They want to know a company can solve their problems. They need to be able to quickly assess what a business offers and perceive that it will deliver comprehensive solutions. Content marketing must address these needs by understanding who the buyers are and exactly what they are looking for.
• Data is misleading. Evaluation of marketing efforts is essential. However, proper organization and understanding of the data is challenging. The measurements used and the results found often mislead manufacturers. Traffic doesn’t always mean revenue generation. Exposure doesn’t always lead to growth. Companies must consider short-term and long-term goals and balance these to properly evaluate marketing data.

For industrial equipment manufacturers, these changing processes are intensified by margin pressure. A combination of macroeconomic and company-specific events can generate sustained margin pressure that limits a manufacturer’s growth.

To overcome these challenges and maximize potential, an industrial equipment marketing company: creates programs that align with current customer buying processes, reliably generates targeted awareness, and produces quality leads.

This is accomplished through a multi-phase marketing cycle tailored specifically to industrial equipment manufacturing. A key component of these phases is a marketing roadmap. This provides a guide that leads the business from initial analysis to ongoing improvements. An industrial equipment marketing company partners with manufacturers to develop this marketing roadmap. The map includes five key destinations:

• Customer research
• Positioning refinement
• Identification and prioritization of marketing activities
• Execution of marketing activities
• Evaluation and improvement

A manufacturer arrives at these destinations through the following cycle.

3-Phase Marketing Cycle for Industrial Equipment Manufacturers

Phase 1: Analyze

High-impact marketing begins with an analysis of current programs. What is the company’s messaging? How is the brand perceived in the marketplace? Are current efforts taking the company in a direction that matches its goals?

Once these questions have been answered, the next step is to identify any gaps. Where are efforts falling short? What additional knowledge of customers is needed for more effective initiatives?

Customer research during this phase should include developing a greater understanding of what motivates customers, what problems they need to solve, how they find services, and what strategies retain customers.

Lastly, performance metrics should be used to measure costs and profits of customer acquisition and retainment.

Phase 2: Strategize

Once a company has analyzed their marketing strategy and identified what has been working, it’s time to strategize future efforts. What changes should be made to make marketing more effective? Is the right technology in place? What software should be strengthened? What pieces need to be brought into alignment to fit with the big picture?

The company must also develop a strategy for the team. Is additional training required? Is the team the right size to accomplish the set goals? It’s time to make any necessary adjustments to ensure the team is properly equipped for the marketing tasks at hand.

The next step is budgeting. Based on strategies for technology and manpower, the company must budget appropriately. Determine the expected ROI and develop a realistic and feasible budget to carry out the strategy effectively.

Phase 3: Implement

After thorough analysis and careful strategizing, the final step is to execute the plan. However, this should involve more than a simple launch-repeat process. As plans are implemented, results should be monitored. Marketing initiatives must be adapted based on outcomes and new goals. Part of the implementation phase should always be a review process that continually pushes the company to better results.

Grow Your Manufacturing Business with a Leading Industrial Equipment Marketing Company

Not all maps lead to success. Not all guides are helpful. Choosing the right marketing partner is vital to overcoming challenges and arriving at the desired destination.

With more than 30 years of experience in the manufacturing sector, RH Blake leverages in-depth industry knowledge to design the road map you need for growth. We build winning strategies that guide equipment manufacturers to success.

Are you ready to start a conversation with the leading industrial equipment marketing company? We’d love to discuss how we can overcome industry challenges and build your company into an industry leader. Contact RH Blake today at 216-595-2400 or info@rhblake.com.