marketing – MarketingMaven

September 4, 2012

The Mobile Opportunity for Industrial Marketers

In a recent survey of industrial professionals, GlobalSpec inquired about their use of mobile devices for work-related purposes.

In asking, “Do you use a smartphone and/or tablet computing device for work-related activities?” we found that there was a 50/50 split between those who use one or more mobile device for work-related activities and those who don’t use any mobile device.

30% Yes, I use a smartphone
8% Yes, I use a tablet
12% Yes, I use both a smartphone and tablet
50% No, I use neither a smartphone nor tablet

Twenty eight percent of those who use mobile devices for work-related activities do so at least “a few times a week.” When asked what types of specific activities are performed on mobile devices, respondents were relatively split among the following:

21% Research and/or source parts
21% Read work-related articles or papers
20% Watch work-related video
20% Receive engineering and technical news feeds
18% Play engineer-related free games

When we isolate the most active mobile users, those who use a device at least a few times a week, we find they most commonly “receive engineering and technical news feeds” (30%), “read work-related articles or papers” (26%) and “research and/or source parts” (24%).

That being said, it is likely that active mobile users would also watch more work-related videos if there were more work-related videos available. The amount of B2B-related video, let alone video related to the industrial manufacturing industry, as compared to B2C-related video is small.

In the future, it’s the use of tablet computing devices that is most important for marketers. It is likely that the percentage of tablet users will outpace smartphone users since tablet devices better accommodate work-related activities. This opens up a variety of opportunities for marketers.

Ensuring your brand’s website(s) are mobile-friendly
Allowing users to subscribe to your blogs and news feeds
Developing content, especially video, that reinforces thought leadership and/or demonstrates product benefits
Creating apps that offer tools and resources for your customers and prospects while allowing them to engage with your brand on a more profound level

How have you incorporated mobile into your industrial marketing strategy? What companies or brands have you seen that are strategically targeting tablet or smartphone users? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Mobile Marketing

July 15, 2011

— Leave a Comment

There’s Still Time to Make Tweaks To Your 2011 Marketing Program

Believe it or not, now is the perfect time to evaluate how well your 2011 programs are performing – because if the results are less than stellar there’s still plenty of time to make tweaks and achieve the ROI you need by the end of the year. To get a sense of marketing program performance you’ll want to evaluate several key items, including:
• How much did you invest in various marketing channels?
• What was the return so far, in terms of quality lead generation?
• Are your marketing programs achieving visibility among your target audience?

If your programs have metrics in place to measure results you should be able to get a sense of how well they are performing. And if you find you do need to make adjustments – here are a few points to keep in mind:

1. Maintain a persistent, comprehensive marketing presence.
It is essential that manufacturers and suppliers get found in the early research phases of the notoriously long and complex industrial buy cycle, when potential customers are looking for vendors who can meet their needs. Otherwise, you may be shut out of a number of business opportunities. In order to be found early in the buy cycle, you must maintain a persistent marketing presence where buyers begin their products and services search—online. Research shows that buyers have significantly reduced their reliance on traditional information sources such as printed catalogs, trade shows, and trade magazines, in favor of online resources. The Industrial Buy Cycle Survey reported the top three most frequently used sources for searching for products and services to purchase are search engines, supplier web sites, and online catalogs. From the beginning to the end of the buy cycle, the supplier that is eventually selected is exposed to the buyer many times. The company may have first become visible through an Internet search, or exposure to its online catalog, or a banner ad on an industrial site, or any number of other ways. Therefore, build a comprehensive and persistent online presence to reach buyers and increase opportunities to gain customers.
2. Commit to marketing programs that deliver real leads, real fast.
While branding and visibility do play an important role in marketing, lead generation is still a top priority. Your best bet is to invest in lead generation programs that deliver more than anonymous clicks to your Web site. Your sales people can’t do anything with those—and neither can you for follow-up marketing purposes.
You’ll also want to avoid marketing programs that deliver leads after they’ve already gone cold. Your prospects are on Internet time, and if they express interest in your company and products, they expect a response in 24 hours or less. If they don’t get it, they will move on to other vendors.
Seek out marketing programs that provide you with leads containing full contact information and area of prospect interest. Programs like this will allow you to contact a “real, live leads” and it gives you the ability to reach out to these potential new customers in a timely manner.
3. Discuss your marketing challenges and goals with media partners. Hopefully you’re working with a marketing partner that is open to regular evaluation and revisions to your marketing mix – if not you may want to consider shopping around for a new partner – and find one you are comfortable with and who offers the best programs to meet your needs.

As a refresher, here is a checklist of questions to ask media partners:
• Do they have the attention of your target audience?
• Can they keep your company visible to prospects and customers at all times? In other words, help you maintain marketing persistence.
• Do they offer a variety of integrated marketing solutions aligned with your goals rather than trying to fit you into cookie cutter programs?
• Do they deliver targeted, quality leads with full contact information in a timely manner?
• Do they provide reporting you can use to measure the performance of your marketing and justify your marketing investments?

And remember – there’s still time left to have a successful year – so get on with evaluating and tweaking your marketing mix!

Marketing, General

December 3, 2010

— 2 Comments

5 New Year’s Resolutions Worth Sticking To.

As marketing mavens, of course we can think of more than five resolutions to stick to, but let’s be realistic. Change is tough.

#1 Spend less time planning and more time reviewing. Often, we get so wrapped up in what we need to do that we forget to understand the results of what we’ve already done.

#2 Synergize to optimize. Go out to lunch with your sales team on a regular basis. Stay fresh with what’s really being said out there.

#3 Make some mistakes. Get your hands dirty with testing new ideas.

#4 Avoid repeating them. This will take some true reflection, but growth is the point.

#5 Wear the right shoes. Make sure that they look an awful lot like the pair your prospects and clients are wearing this year.

Share your resolutions with us. We need to go shoe shopping…..

Industrial Marketing and Sales Marketing, General

November 22, 2010

— 2 Comments

Becoming a Thought Leader: What’s in it for You?

Positioning your company as a thought leader establishes credibility and positions you as a trusted advisor and partner – benefits beyond what a marketing or advertising program can deliver on its own. And while thought leadership is not a strategic objective on its own, it can certainly support other objectives such as lead generation, growth of market share, increase of share price—or all of these.

But just what does becoming a thought leader mean? It’s more than just a buzzword – thought leadership means having a reputation in the market as a company with unique, innovative, and important ideas about your industry, the forces shaping it, the challenges confronting it, and the future awaiting it.

To get started, you’ll need to develop a unique point of view for your company – one that will be new, relevant, valid, and practical. A point of view that meets these criteria and that brings something new to the discussion will motivate people to follow you and take actions that you recommend.

If you’d like to learn more about how to develop a successful strategy for becoming a thought leader in your market space, download “How to Become an Industry Leader in the Online Era,” a complimentary white paper from GlobalSpec. This paper provides insight into establishing a thought leadership position, and answers the following questions:

What exactly does it mean to be a thought leader?
How does your company gain – and sustain – a thought leadership position?
What tactics will help you become a thought leader in the online era?

You’ll also get a checklist of seven questions to help you determine your company’s thought leadership point of view. Download your complimentary copy now.

Have you already taken steps to becoming a thought leader? How did you accomplish this? What are some of the benefits you’ve experienced as a result? Share your story with us!

Marketing, General

October 14, 2010

— Leave a Comment

Survey Results Show Preparation For Growth

The 2010 GlobalSpec Industrial Indicators Survey provided some hopeful data about the industrial sector. 67 percent of industrial professionals stated that their company revenue is above or on target for 2010. The worst of the economic downturn appears to be over, with many companies now focusing on growth-oriented initiatives they were unable to support last year. For example:

18 percent of industrial companies have increased headcount, compared to only five percent a year ago.
Almost twice as many companies have increased spending (13 percent) this year compared to a year ago (7 percent).
15 percent of companies are increasing research & development spending, a 50 percent increase over last year.

What areas of business are beneficiaries of this growth-oriented spending? 47 percent of companies are focused on improving production efficiencies, 42 percent on quality and 39 percent on new product development.

In order to support the development of new products and improvement of production processes and quality control, companies will need to spend on components, parts and services in the second half of 2010. 71 percent of survey respondents stated that the component and services spending they directly purchase or influence will increase or remain the same in the second half of 2010 compared to the first half, indicating stable or increasing budgets.

The takeaway for suppliers and manufacturers is to continue to market or ramp up efforts so that their company, products and services can be found by customers and prospects. Be sure to include online marketing as an integral part of your marketing mix, as research has shown that over 90 percent of engineers use the Internet to locate suppliers, components and products.

Industrial Marketing and Sales Market Research Marketing, General