Web-Kare specializes in marketing to industrial companies and we have been doing so since 2000. One of the many questions we get asked is, “Why is marketing to industrial different?” Usually this is asked by vendors trying to sell us their one-size-fits-all services.
So, let’s start with the purchasing cycle. While a consumer or even a small business owner may fall prey to impulse buys, this is not the case for industrial. Engineers, specifiers, and purchasing agents are given specific tasks and follow a specific order to make a purchase. Every purchase requires some kind of approval. As a result a “sale” item is not likely to attract an industrial company to make that purchase unless they have a requisition for that specific item at the time of the sale.
The industrial “audience” for a website and marketing campaign is either an engineer, a specifier, or a professional buyer. The company trying to sell in this market knows very well who he is trying to reach. Web-Kare takes that knowledge and translates it to the Internet. The days of “cold calling” on buyers is long gone for most industries and they are adapting to the age of digital marketing. That means the website needs to “speak” to their target market in their own language and demonstrate the benefits of their products or services in a way that shows benefits for the prospect company – not an individual.
Online tools that will assist the industrial website visitor can be very advantageous in this market. So, while a calculator for dampers may be boring to most website users, it could be very handy to an engineer or specifier. While YouTube goes “viral” with funny kitty videos, industrial websites only go viral within the industries they serve and only when they have useful content. Content that Web-Kare has built for our industrial clients includes, online conversion calculators of all sorts, part number builders with or without pricing, and product sizing calculators. Now, as we enter the new age of Progressive Web Apps (PWA)- a hybrid of a website and a phone app, we see great potential for industrial companies to have their website literally in the pocket of engineers and specifiers. Many of these dynamic calculators can be converted to a PWA and downloaded to phones, laptops, tablets, and desktops.
Most of our clients make products that are custom engineered and go into another product or OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) product. When you purchase your car, for instance, one company did not make all the parts for your car. Think of the Takata airbags – they were found in all types of vehicles from all auto manufacturers. Your car’s manufacturer did not make those airbags, or the brakes, or windshield wipers, or any number of items in your vehicle. The industrial audience is generally selling industry to industry which could be another manufacturer or a distributor.
So, what makes marketing to industrial companies different? Everything. A successful marketing program requires someone who understands that.