Content Marketing Strategy: How to Make Online Content Engaging for Engineers and Industrial Buyers

Industrial Marketing Today investigates marketing methods to engage an Industrial Manufacturing audience

By: Achinta Mitra, Industrial Marketing Today

Industrial content marketing is facing a big challenge because manufacturers are struggling to make it more engaging for their target audience. They have a good grasp of industrial content marketing’s contributions at the top of funnel but can’t quite connect the dots when it comes to measuring its effectiveness in driving sales.

The problem is not just a matter of better analytics and/or in-depth ROI reports from Marketing Automation. These marketing tools are a big help but can’t completely close the gap. The decision makers at these industrial companies want to know how industrial content marketing will increase their sales before they invest the money. In other words, they are saying, “Show me the money.”

Challenges with industrial content marketing strategy exist across different industries and varying company sizes. Consider these key findings from the sixth annual content marketing survey, 2016 B2B Manufacturing Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs:

• 81% of manufacturers in North America are using content marketing
• 87% said Sales was their number one goal
• 18% said they were effective (That is not a typo! Effectiveness was defined as “accomplishing your overall objectives” in the survey)
• 82% of manufacturing marketers cited creating more engaging content as their top priority

There is a big disconnect here between industrial content marketing and its impact on sales. (Continued at Industrial Marketing Today)

The problem is not with industrial content marketing

It would be easy to say that industrial content marketing is flawed and infective for industrial sales. I’ve had conversations with manufacturers where they have been very dismissive and frankly, frustrated with the lack of results. I’m being PC and polite here but someone once told me, “This s**t doesn’t work!” (Continued at Industrial Marketing Today)

Create content that engineers care about and trust

Creating more content is not the answer for engaging with engineers and industrial buyers. There is a big difference between content creation and content marketing. You are not going to win the mindshare of engineers and technical buyers or earn their trust with more marketing fluff. (Continued at Industrial Marketing Today)

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Content marketing assets that persuade industrial buyers to take action

Passive reading of your content is not going to help you generate leads that turn into RFQs and wins. You also need content assets that are time-savers for engineers and help them spec or “design in” your components. Listed here are some of the content marketing assets that usually lead to RFQs and build customer loyalty. (Continued at Industrial Marketing Today)

A part is ultimately purchased 77% of the time a CAD file is downloaded according to a 2015 engineering survey.

• Product configurators or sophisticated tools like visual Configurator Price Quote (CPQ) systems
• Parametric part number search applications
• “How to Order” part number builders
• Mobile apps and sizing programs
• Online maintenance data management, tracking legacy installations and managing spare parts inventory
• 2D CAD Drawings and 3D CAD Models
• Cross reference guides
• Evaluation and engineering kits
• How-to videos and maintenance manuals (after-sales support)

(Continued at Industrial Marketing Today)