How to Choose the Right Firm to Generate Leads and Sales in Industrial Marketing

The industrial sector, comprised of general manufacturing, electric utility power generation, pulp and paper, water and wastewater, plastics, rubber, mining and a host of other market segments, has been hit hardest by the most recent recession.

Many of these firms have had to make some difficult decisions–scaling back operations, closing facilities or laying off staff.   Still others have incorporated lean manufacturing and supply chain management techniques to more efficiently run their operations.

Despite such efforts, most organizations are still finding the pace of economic recovery too slow. Instead, savvy manufacturers are turning to one of the most powerful business to business marketing tools available to them to improve their ability to compete domestically and internationally and (hopefully) outpace their rivals: marketing publicity.

Things to Consider

When choosing a marketing public relations firm for industrial marketing here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Beware of firms that only give lip service to specializing in the industrial sector

If you find a company that claims to be an industrial specialist, don’t stop there.

  • Ask for a list of industrial clients
  • Get testimonials and samples of recent results.
  • Ask to see copies of editorial articles they have produced that have appeared in the recent issues of the key trade publications you want to target.

If the marketing firm can produce ample evidence of their expertise in your industrial sector, you may have a winner.   If not, you may have a firm that only claims to be an industrial specialist, but doesn’t have the background to back up that statement.

2. Choose a PR or marketing firm that has the ability to understand complex, technical products and services

The pace of development in the industrial sector is as staggering – and technical – as anything in the hardware or software industry.   As microprocessor and software technology gets smaller, faster, and more powerful it is immediately applied to industrial computers, process controls, test and measurement equipment, quality control devices, and the like.

PR or marketing product publicity firms that work in this industry must be able to deal with “high tech” products and services so that they can create and run an effective promotional campaign.

3. Look for a PR or marketing firm that speaks your language

Your newly hired account representative shouldn’t respond with a blank stare when you mention variable frequency drives, PLCs, actuators or SCADA systems.   They should already be familiar with organizations and standards such as OSHA, EPA, AWWA, and ISO 9001; concepts such as lean manufacturing, the supply chain, and just-in-time manufacturing; or sales channels such as dealers, distributors, and manufacturers reps.

4. Find a marketing or product publicity firm that shares your attitude and sensibilities

At first glance, the words “Industrial” and “marketing” taken separately seem to go together like oil and water.   A recent survey conducted by Power PR showed that most prospects envisioned marketing and public relations professionals as fast-talkers with slicked back hair.

This stands in stark contrast to the industrial crowd – engineers, support personnel and executives that prefer straight talk; not to mention denim shirt and jeans over suit and tie any day of the week.

Most of our clients in the industrial sector are staffed by personnel who are extremely talented and innovative, but also down-to-earth and often conservative by nature.   They aren’t interested by ‘glitz and glamour.’

When selecting a company that will be responsible for communicating your core messages to your prospects, it’s better to work with a firm that shares your attitude and sensibilities.

5. Make sure that you do your homework, and find a firm to represent you that truly specializes in your market

At Power PR we have pioneered business to business marketing and product publicity within the industrial sector.   At any given time, 85% or more of our client roster is comprised of industrial clients who’ve benefited from the lion’s share of the 30,000 published articles we placed and the tens of thousands of qualified sales leads they generated.

Give us a call today and reap the benefit of a targeted industrial marketing and product publicity program.