by tradesmeninsights | Jun 11, 2014 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Tools, Marketing Trends
Traditional marketers are still, for the most part, selling the features and benefits of their products and why they are better than the competition.
Look at any trade magazine for example, and look at the headlines. I’ll bet 80% of them are promoting just that fact.
To stand out in the crowd and really get some traction in the market, we need to put the WHY before the HOW. The reader wants to know or is searching for solutions to his problems. Ways to make his life better. Here’s an example of someone doing it right (disclaimer, they are a former client of ours).
Osborn is a global manufacturer of surface treatment solutions. In other words, they make stuff to remove and polish metal parts. They are one of the major players in the world, but like everyone else, they have a ton of competition.
A typical method of selling these types of products is on price since most users can differentiate the different levels of quality. It’s hard to make any margin if price is the topic of conversation. So what Osborn did was ask the WHY question to find out what kind of pain points their users are having. One identified they can help in the production process to get the most productivity out of their processes. Whether it’s in their facility or Osborn’s test lab, they can help find a solution.
It’s ironic that many of the performance issues aren’t with the product, but how they are running it on the equipment. Even though they are in the brush business, their ultimate goal is to help the customer. Thus their value proposition isn’t selling grinding wheels, but selling solutions. Do you think price comes into the selling equation now? Nope.
Their program identifies and talks to different end-user groups as well as a different message to their distribution partners. All directing them to specific landing pages.
So if you put the WHY before the HOW, chances are you’ll be noticed more, get more interaction and sell more stuff with price not being the leading topic of conversation.
by tradesmeninsights | Jun 10, 2014 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Trends, Traditional Marketing
I recently did a series of interviews and podcasts of contractors. The main focus was on what manufacturers could do to better support them in the field. These contractors were electricians, plumbers, HVAC and general contractors. There were some common issues from them that I thought would be useful to manufacturers:
- Quick response to questions – access to knowledgeable tech people for problem solving.
- Regular site visits – have your salesman make regular visits. Most contractors say they very rarely see the manufacturers. Great way to build relationships and identify possible product problems or shortcomings.
- Application training – quick tips on doing a process better/quicker. If not in person, via email.
- Best way to communicate with them – mobile phone or email.
- Don’t use/look at social media (Twitter, Facebook).
- Recognize that they are professionals.
It looks like there are some opportunities for manufacturers to up their game. There wasn’t a contractor I talked to that would turn away a visit from you. That sounds like an opportunity to me.
by tradesmeninsights | May 22, 2014 | Marketing Trends
By Matt Sonnhalter, Vision Architect
The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) and MarketingProfs recently released their fourth annual report on the content marketing practices of business-to-business (B2B) marketers working in the manufacturing industry.
In this report you’ll find answers to questions such as: What percentage of manufacturing marketers have adopted content marketing? What tactics are they using? How does their approach to content marketing differ from that taken by other B2B marketers?
This report also looks at how manufacturing marketers approach content marketing when compared with a wider group of B2B North American marketers representing a range of industry segments.
Here are some key highlights from this most recent study on manufacturing marketers and their content marketing efforts:
- 86% have adopted content marketing
- Only 30% say they are effective at content marketing
- Use the same number of tactics (13) as other B2B marketers
- 81% use YouTube to distribute content and rate it as the most effective social media platform
- Cite different goals for content marketing when compared with other B2B marketers
- Top challenges faced for their content marketing programs: 1. Lack of time, 2. Producing the kind of content that engages and 3. Producing enough content
- 46% plan to increase their content marketing budget over the next 12 months
Click here to read more details and download the full report.
by tradesmeninsights | May 13, 2014 | Marketing Trends, Social Marketing, Traditional Marketing
Interesting question, isn’t it? Back when I started in the ad business (back in the stone ages), the full line catalog was not only your bible, but one of your largest marketing expenses. It would take months to develop, and as soon as it was printed, some items were either added or deleted from the line thus making the catalog obsolete. Sound familiar?
Of course the web changes all that, and with the advent of databases, it’s easy to keep your catalog current and for users to search for the products they need. I’d say that over the years, as companies added a digital catalog, print runs started to decrease on average of 25-30%.
Recently though (last 7-10 years), printed catalogs have been declining even more. Think of all the trees we’ve saved and the number of printers we’ve put out of business.
I recently read an article in Industrial Distribution magazine’s online edition that cited a study done by United Stationers that shows that end users preferences have changed to online.
Now you may ask what does a study by an office products company have to do with the industrial and construction market. Well let’s not forget that they also own ORS NASCO in the industrial sector and Lagasse Sweet in the Jan/San sector. I have to believe the office products trends are not so much different from the markets we play in.
The study also showed that smaller, more single-category-focused printed pieces are on the rise.
Contractors and MRO professionals – they are/were still apprehensive about giving up printed material. I think that’s changing a bit. Let me clarify my statement.
Yes, the old timers (55 and older) probably prefer a printed book. But you might be surprised, at even that age group, they want current info and aren’t afraid to go on the Internet to at least find something. Let’s face it, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to use Google.
Now distribution might be another story. Countermen, for sure, prefer the printed piece for day-to-day inquiries. If you don’t believe me, next time you’re in a distributor look at some of them.
Most of these contractors not only have access to computers, but have tablets and smart phones on job sites where they can access info immediately. So I’d feel safe in saying that most of us have some sort of online presence.
So if you buy into my premise, here are a few things you can do:
- Create a digital strategy and fund it with the money you save from not printing all those full line catalogs.
- Create single category pieces whether they are product or market focused.
- Create good meaningful direct mail pieces that will inform and inspire your target audiences.
Do I think the print catalog is dead? No, but it’s on its last legs.
What are your thoughts?
by tradesmeninsights | Apr 22, 2014 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Trends, Traditional Marketing
I recently read an article in eMarketer.com that dealt with sales stats in 2013, and that almost 40% of the sales forces weren’t making their numbers and it floored me. I sure wouldn’t want to be running a company based on sales of XXX and then the sales force under-delivers by that large of a difference-Yikes!
2013 wasn’t a bad year for the economy (we’ve seen a lot worse), and I can’t help but wonder what their issues were in closing the sale. One of the biggest reasons given was the sale ended in a “no decision.” What does that mean?
Here’s an interesting graphic:
It sounds to me like either the leads weren’t qualified correctly or the salesman didn’t do his homework in determining where the prospect was in the sales funnel. It also sounds like there were multiple decision makers in the process and possibly they all were not included in the sales pitch. A few other things bother me as well:
- What I can’t understand in this report is that 31% were unable to effectively communicate value to a prospect – yes, you heard me right.
- 26% had content that wasn’t aligned with the buyer
- 20% didn’t have the necessary content or resources for selling
This sounds like a great opportunity for marketing to step in and help fill the content voids they are talking about. It also begs the question of whether these results were from a traditional selling model versus that of one using social media as part of the mix.
If you had good content that was searchable on the internet, chances are the right people will find that info long before they identify themselves to you as a prospect and get a lot of their basic homework done first. You’d be able to show your expertise in a market segment so they think of you as an industry expert, which will help set you apart (value of your brand) when they finally decide to contact you. Marketing can help answer those questions ahead of time if we know the different stages of the selling cycle and what’s important to address at each level.
Am I missing the boat here or do you agree?
by tradesmeninsights | Apr 8, 2014 | Marketing Trends, Social Marketing
B-to-B purchases are usually more complex and the selling cycles are longer with multiple decision makers in the mix.
I recently read a post by Heidi Cohen, B2B Purchase Process 2014: What You Need to Know, that highlights findings from the DemandGen’s 2014 B2B buyers behavior survey.
Here are some points of interest that would relate to Manufacturers:
- Purchasing process teamwork – 55% include 1-3 people and 37% include 4-7 people.
- 72% use social for research – they are looking for recommendations, expert advice and connecting with potential suppliers.
- They’re not looking for information, but quality content.
- 46% of buyers use search engines to start their purchasing process.
- 37% ranked white papers and infographics on manufacturers’ websites to be the most important info.
So based on these stats, what are you doing to make sure you’re being found and considered?
