Within the industrial manufacturing arena “Marketing” seems to be in a period of once again being poorly understood and undervalued, this is a fashion that cycles around every few years.

It seems to be considered that everything has changed with the Internet. It has not – the basics and the principles have stayed the same – sadly the baby has often been thrown out with the bathwater and new marketing embraces much that is a fashionable (and expensive) new gimmick, while forgetting proven old ideas simply because they are old, without realising that they are also very effective.

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I have been reading a bit about how the last two years have been marked by change in the industrial/B2B/SME marketplace and how our websites should help potential customers through their research and selection process with perhaps a zoom call occasionally with a salesperson to iron out any problems.

Really? Hasn’t it always been the case that customers want the quickest route to identifying a solution to their purchasing questions? What is clear is that instead of interrogating a catalogue and a sales rep or telesales today the process is much shorter. People are less receptive to speculative calls – actually, most are unreachable since they are working at home with their phones off. This means that the old role of the sales rep no longer includes seeking out new business – they are now needed to follow up when invited or to present an onsite presence in sorting out detailed specifications or dealing with problems.

The front end conclusion, therefore, is that it is ever more important for suppliers to get their online profile in front of engineers seeking products and processes, and that means appearing on page one of your favourite search engine organic results – unless you want to pay, which is also an option, but probably more difficult and expensive than it appears.

Which brings us to the world of Press Relations (PR) and Social Media – frequently dismissed (perhaps because of old prejudices) but actually one of the few ways where we can present design and production engineers with a steady flow of useful or even valuable information that helps them to resolve their questions. We do this by joining the established media flow which presents a steady and timely data stream from suppliers to customers – a communication channel including the web and print media. When our clients stand out in this channel their website traffic and RFQs increase – also giving an opportunity for an interpersonal sales discussion. The process hasn’t really changed but the emphasis has, making PR and Social Media so much more important to the whole industrial marketplace.

Critical to this information flow is the presence of an established and respected trade and tech media in the shape of proactive publishing houses that address the many niches that exist.

Once again we hear that industrial commodities are in short supply and pricing has gone up for any one of many reasons – this is a cycle we have seen before of course and will settle out in time. Do you remember the year that the Chinese bought up all the scrap steel on the planet – or the time that copper theft was a major crime wave?

What it indicates of course is that manufacturing has rebounded from COVID and we will now be in a period of shortage with extended deliveries and increased pricing – but it will be important to remember that everyone is in the same situation. So it is not a good idea to stop marketing on the basis that “we can’t deliver” because neither can anybody else.

Now is the time to keep your marketing going, do your best for every customer and they will thank you for it when business rebounds.

“The Deficit Myth” by Stephanie Kelton – a clear read which explains Modern Monetary Theory and how our governments could do a load of things differently. Fascinating and inspiring – well worth a read. and interesting that (some) economists are working with a different and very positive perspective.

It seems to me that industrial marketing is like talking to an interested audience in a small room – it is not necessary to raise your voice too much to have a big effect.

Trade and tech media are very helpful in this as they specifically focus on the very engineers, specifiers, and buyers who make up this niche.

It is similar in fact to a very large national trade exhibition where all your potential customers come together – but re-run 24/7 using the impact of print media and the convenience of the internet.

One of the things that drew me to marketing originally was the element of planning – and the present situation is a great example. The media are all looking ahead planning what they can do over the next year and that is what we are also recommending to clients.

Marketing is always a matter of trying to understand your market and where it is going – for me the interesting thing often is that industrial markets run differently from the high street. This means that it is important to stay focused on the positive – when business is down then that is the time to make marketing plans and to initiate action.

There are timing lags in every system and industrial marketing is no different – what is the time lag in your business process?

Multi-channel marketing has been a feature of promotional work for a very long time but it is true to say that its character has changed with the growth of the internet. This was pointed out recently by Chris Rand on his daily blog where he suggests that more people are now involved in decision making than before.

This corresponds to the way that now everybody can become an expert overnight and anyone with the least interest in sales/marketing can participate in decisions about these areas. Each person has their own preferred route to knowledge so it is important for a company to be present across as many as possible. This means that Multi-channel Marketing is even more important now because everybody is a stakeholder in decision-making.

As we all pull together out of yet another major economic downturn it is worth considering the vital aspect of teamwork and the role of respect in that process.

We all have different perspectives which may conflict but need to be respected. For example, the sales team is generally focused on getting orders today – marketing on getting orders tomorrow, or next month, even next year. Because the time frames are variable it is important to respect that difference.

It is all very well me and others talking about a massive recovery, but how can industrial SME’s afford to market themselves after a year of economic downturn? Well, after more than a few years in the business may I suggest that PR with Social Media will be the lowest cost and most cost-effective promotion available.

Start there and see how it goes – your advertising and exhibition budgets can follow and build on your media presence. The combination will build a flexible, dynamic program that allows you to recover and promote as the recovery progresses.

Such a program is not only very cost-effective but also enables you to support the people who support you with true long-term benefits all round.

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