Over the years in marketing strategy, every client I have come across has one marketing objective in common, and that is: ‘Get Leads’. It is obvious that every company needs to increase sales, and now that marketing technologies have moved so far along, this objective is ever more achievable.
As an industrial marketer, I constantly battle with lower quantities and higher quality when it comes to my clients’ target markets. The target individuals in industrial markets are more conservative than their consumer counterparts. They are not always willing to just hand over their contact details, let alone have time to absorb the marketing message.
Ok, Now what to do with our marketing strategy?
How do you reach this high-level individual? Industrial brands need to offer value for the leads they want to receive. The company has valuable information that should be provided to the potential customer. This does not have to be monetary, but could be intellectual property that only your business has access to.
If, for example, you have an audience on Social Media, work hard to think of value-adds that you can give this audience. It can’t just be ‘sell, sell, sell’ all the time. We need to grow confidence and trust for the brand with the audience. Do this consistently over time, and the audience will repay you by not only considering your solution when it is time to buy, but also recommend and defend you to friends and colleagues.
It’s a brave new world out there. Industrial brands need to roll up their sleeves and do something they have never really done before: Have a conversation with their customers.
