About 94% of B2B customers do extensive research before they buy a product. The statistic is particularly relevant to technical buyers, who buy equipment, architectural products, components, equipment, materials, and other technical services. Wendy Covey, CEO & Co-Founder of TREW Marketing, says that “Technical buyers spend more than half of the buying process online before engaging with sales, and those under 45 years of age spend even more time online than their older counterparts”. With this shopping scrutiny, industrial marketing is a key component of sales.
Industrial buyers are seasoned buyers with in-depth expertise and a keen eye for detail. Industrial items are evaluated by engineers and procurement departments based on measurable specifications, data, lead time, and return on investment. Industrial salespeople, on the other hand, don’t necessarily speak directly with the people who make the final purchasing decisions. “Today’s industrial buyers are in self-serve and self-select mode, wanting to stay anonymous for the majority of their buying experience,” explains Achinta Mitra, President of Tiecas, Inc. and founder of Industrial Marketing Today.
Industrial products necessitate specialized marketing. In light of this, statistical market research approaches don’t always discover the proper data, and finding the right title and seniority level when targeting campaigns might be difficult. “One of the most important pieces of advice I can give is to consciously choose an audience segment,” says Joe Sullivan, Thinker & Founder of Gorilla 76. “If you don’t, your content won’t resonate with anyone in particular and won’t gain the traction you need to make progress”. Furthermore, industrial buying processes can be lengthy, with buyers’ decision times from months to years. Marketing for the industrial business-to-business items must gain and keep customer interest for longer periods of time than for consumer goods, necessitating a focus on engagement.
Selling resources, products, and components with B2B marketing methods is a complex and creative process. Master industrial marketing by delivering the correct information to design engineers at the right moment.
