2019 Marketing Trends | IEEE GlobalSpec

2019
Trends in Industrial
Marketing
GlobalSpec.com/advertising
How Manufacturers are Marketing
Today

Trends in Industrial Marketing Survey..............................................................3
About the Survey Respondents..........................................................................3
Highlights from Survey Results .........................................................................4
Key Takeaways.......................................................................................................5
Recommendations..................................................................................................6
Marketing Goals and Challenges......................................................................7
Marketing Channels and Programs...................................................................12
Marketing Budgets ................................................................................................19
Marketing as a Profession....................................................................................20
About IEEE GlobalSpec........................................................................................22
IEEE GLOBALSPEC
2019 TRENDS IN INDUSTRIAL MARKETING
Contents
GlobalSpec.com/advertising | sales@IEEEGlobalSpec.com

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Trends in Industrial Marketing Survey
IEEE GlobalSpec recently conducted its annual Trends in Industrial Marketing survey. We asked
marketing and sales professionals in the industrial sector to address marketing trends, challenges,
and expenditures within the engineering, technical, manufacturing and industrial communities.
This report analyzes and presents the results of the survey, and, offers recommendations to
industrial marketers to help them allocate their budgets, develop a sound marketing strategy,
and plan effective programs and campaigns.
About the Survey Respondents
Of the 326 survey respondents, six percent are CEOs, 29 percent are in marketing management,
21 percent are marketing coordinators and 20 percent are in other management. Fifty-nine percent
work for a manufacturer, 16 percent for distributors and 12 percent for service providers. This group
represents a variety of company sizes, and a range of annual marketing budgets.

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Highlights from the Survey Results
• Year after year, customer acquisition is the primary goal for industrial marketers.
• Industrial marketers’ most common challenges include having too few marketing resources,
not generating enough high quality leads for sales, and the need to improve marketing
ROI.
• The most common ways to measure marketing success are leads, customer acquisition,
and sales attributed to marketing programs.
• The emphasis of marketing teams over the next five years will be focusing on the customer
(engagement, retention), digitally-focused initiatives, and content creation and distribution.
• Eighty-one percent of industrial marketers use both push/outbound (email, tradeshows)
and pull/inbound marketing initiatives (corporate websites, online catalogs), but only a
quarter of survey respondents are satisfied with their marketing mix.
• The top industrial marketing channels in 2019 are tradeshows, organic social media, and
content marketing, followed by search engine optimization (SEO) and email marketing
using in-house lists.
• Company websites, social media, and content creation/distribution are the top channels
for increased marketing spend.
• Thirty-seven percent of respondents state they have a content marketing strategy in place
and 52 percent are increasing spending on content creation and distribution.
• Industrial marketers’ satisfaction with their company’s online marketing efforts is up by 15
percentage points from last year to 36 percent.
• The primary uses of social media are for branding and content delivery.
• Thirty-one percent of respondents will spend more on marketing this year than they did
last year.
• Twenty-three percent of survey respondents indicated that measuring the ROI of their
efforts is the greatest challenge in their profession; 21 percent said they don’t have enough
time and/or resources to accomplish their goals.
• Marketing headcounts are stable, and most companies do not have a dedicated social
media employee.

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Key Takeaways
• Marketing is no longer a guessing game.
Marketers are under steady pressure to demonstrate ROI for their marketing programs.
The need to improve ROI is one of the top challenges industrial marketers face. To meet
this challenge, marketers use leads as their number one measure of success. But generating
high-quality leads for sales is also one of the top marketing challenges. This may sound
like a vicious cycle, and some marketers would agree, but the point is that measurement
matters. Other measures of success include customer acquisition and sales attributed to
marketing campaigns. Marketing automation software, which can improve tracking and
measurement capabilities, is used by only 37 percent of industrial marketers.
• Marketing resources are in short supply.
The leading marketing challenge is lack of resources — in terms of dollars, people and
time. It was reported as a top-three challenge by 37 percent of marketers, and as the single
biggest challenge by 21 percent. Headcounts and budgets are staying steady for the
majority of companies, further constraining resources. Only 25 percent of companies are
adding marketing people; just 31 percent are spending more on marketing.
• Content marketing’s role continues to grow.
Sixty-one percent of industrial marketers currently engage in content marketing and the
majority are increasing spending on content marketing. Content creation and distribution
will be the second biggest area of emphasis (after customer focus) for marketing teams
over the next five years. Forty-five percent re-purpose content so it can be used in different
formats. None of these results are unexpected—relevant, educational content helps an
engineer make a smart, informed buying decision. Marketers are tuning into the information
needs of their audience.
• Marketers are mixing it up.
These five tactics are being used by more than half of industrial marketers in the upcoming
year: email marketing using house lists, content marketing, SEO, organic social media, and
tradeshows. Other popular tactics include online directories/websites, company blogs,
and trade magazine advertising. Eighty-one percent of marketers use both push/outbound
(email, tradeshows) and pull/inbound marketing tactics (corporate website, online catalogs),
but the majority believe they could be diversifying more. Spending is increasing on company
websites, social media, and content creation/distribution.

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Recommendations
• Improve ROI measurement.
When industrial marketers were asked about the single biggest challenge of their profession, the
most common response was measuring the ROI of their marketing efforts. Leads generated is the
number one way to measure marketing success, followed by customer acquisition and sales
attributed to marketing campaigns. Marketers can improve their ROI measurement efforts by focusing
on channels and tactics that provide metrics that go beyond lead generation counts. Impressions,
clicks, time on page, shares, and other metrics can measure visibility, branding, and engagement,
which are key contributors to ROI calculations. Additionally, consider working with media partners
whocantrackmetricsthatarealignedwithyourgoalsandwhocanprovidetimelyandcomprehensive
marketing performance reports.
• Diversify channels and tactics.
The most successful marketers use a mix of push/outbound (email, tradeshows) and pull/inbound
marketing tactics (corporate website, online catalogs), but the majority of industrial marketers (57
percent) say they could be diversifying more, and only 24 percent are satisfied with their mix of push
and pull marketing. Marketers are also similarly dissatisfied with their online marketing efforts. These
results indicate an opportunity for marketers to diversify their mix more, especially when it comes
to online channels. An optimized mix of channels and tactics is crucial for connecting with technical
professionals who use a wide variety of digital resources to find suppliers, products and services.
• Gain momentum through content marketing.
Only 27 percent of industrial marketers are satisfied with their company’s content marketing efforts,
and 37 percent say they are just getting started with content marketing. Many marketers may need
to increase their content marketing skills to ensure their investments produce the desired results.
Start by developing a content marketing strategy based on achieving specific, measurable objectives;
only 37 percent do that now. Produce content for all stages of the industrial buy cycle; only 21
percent do that now. Repurpose content for use in different formats across different channels; less
than half of marketers do that now. Track where and how customers access the content. Create
a content publishing calendar to keep you on track. These actions will help you gain some content
marketing momentum.
• Get creative to solve the resources challenge.
There are never enough marketing resources— that’s simply the reality of the situation for many
marketers. Budgets and headcounts remain mostly steady while marketing complexity increases.
Technical professionals use more channels than ever to aid their buying process, and marketers
must allocate limited resources across an array of marketing channels and programs. One way
to help alleviate the lack of resources is to find a trusted, expert media partner. They can help you
optimize your mix and get the most out of your budget while allowing you to free up some internal
resources for other efforts.
• Be proud of your role.
Marketing is both a demanding and rewarding profession, and marketers should take pride in their
role in supporting company strategy. Thirty-six percent of industrial marketers say that marketing is
an integral and valued part of their organization. Just 16 percent of respondents have trouble
justifying their plans and expenditures to the top leadership. You play an important part in your
company’s success. Take a moment to reflect on that and appreciate the hard work you do.

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Marketing Goals and Challenges
Year after year, industrial marketers (42 percent) say that customer acquisition is their primary
marketing goal. Demand generation (22 percent) and brand awareness (21 percent) come in
second and third, respectively.
In keeping with past years, the majority of respondents say that the quality of products/services
offered is their organization’s main differentiator. Only four percent of companies say that price is
their key differentiator.
What is your primary marketing goal?
What is the key differentiator for your organization in the marketplace?
53%
18%
17%
8%
4%

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Having too few marketing resources, not generating enough high quality leads for sales, and
the need to improve marketing ROI are the three most common marketing challenges. Fewer
marketers stated that competition is one of the top challenges. Social media, a primary challenge
back in 2015, is no longer a major concern. Industrial marketers seem to have figured out social
media’s place in their marketing mix.
Please choose your top three marketing challenges from the list below.

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When asked about the biggest single challenge in their profession, 23 percent of respondents said
it was measuring the ROI of their efforts and 21 percent said they didn’t have enough time and/
or resources to accomplish their goals. Marketers struggling with these challenges should seek
a trusted media partner that can provide timely and accurate reports on marketing performance
and help fill in the resource gap.
As a marketer, what do you consider the biggest challenge in your profession?

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Fifty-seven percent of marketers said they use leads to measure marketing success, making leads
the number one metric tracked. Customer acquisition and sales attributed to marketing campaigns
(both selected by 48 percent of survey takers) are the next most common measures of success.
Both of those measures are also closely related to leads. Only 10 percent of respondents have no
method to measure success, which is a dangerous way to run a marketing program.
How do you measure the success of your marketing initiatives?
Check all that apply.

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Focusing on the customer (engagement, retention, etc.) will be the most common area of emphasis
for marketing teams over the next five years. Digitally-focused initiatives and content creation/
distribution will also be areas of emphasis. Some strategies—collaboration with IT and the use of
marketing automation—are receiving more attention than in the past, signaling marketing’s need
for technology to support their efforts.
How will the emphasis of your company’s marketing team fundamentally
change over the next five years? (On a scale of 1 - 7, 1 = no emphasis, 7 = very
strong emphasis)

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Marketing Channels and Programs
More than three quarters of industrial companies (81 percent) use a balanced approach of mixing
both push/outbound marketing (e-newsletters, direct mail, etc.) and pull/inbound marketing
(corporate website, online catalogs, etc.). However, industrial marketers want to diversify their mix
more—only 24 percent are satisfied with their marketing mix.
How would you describe your mix of push/outbound and pull/inbound
marketing initiatives?
57% 24%
12%
7%

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The most used marketing channels are tradeshows, social media, content marketing, SEO, and
email marketing using in-house lists. While tradeshows are used by more companies than in any
year since 2014, four of the top five channels used are digital channels, indicating that many
marketers understand the importance of devoting resources to a mix of digital channels. The least
popular marketing channels are podcasts, telemarketing, and direct mail using rented/purchased
lists.
Which of the following marketing channels are you utilizing?
(Check all that apply.)

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For the most part, marketers expect to keep their mix of channels and tactics stable in the near
future. Email marketing using in-house lists, content marketing, SEO, social media, and tradeshows
are in the plans for more than half of industrial marketers.
Which of the following channels/tactics do you plan to utilize in the near
future?

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The top three channels that will see increases in spending this year are the company website,
social media, and content creation/distribution. Top channels for reduced spend include direct
mail using rented/purchased lists, trade magazine advertising, and printed directories.
Compared to last year, how has your spending on the following channels
changed this year?

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Thirty-seven percent of industrial marketers state they have a content marketing strategy in place.
The same number also state they are just getting started with content marketing. However, the
message is getting through that content marketing has become an essential marketing tactic for
industrial marketers. In the previous survey, 21 percent said they didn’t include content marketing
in their plans. This year, that percentage is down to 11 percent. Forty-five percent are making the
smart decision to repurpose content so it can be used in different formats.
Describe your content marketing efforts. Check all that apply.
Industrial marketers’ satisfaction with their company’s online marketing efforts is up from 21 percent
last year to 36 percent this year. This is likely due to marketers gaining increased proficiency in
online tactics and achieving measurable results. This percentage should continue to grow over
time.
How satisfied are you with your company’s online marketing efforts?

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Almost half of marketers are neutral about their level of satisfaction with their company’s social
media efforts. The rest are split between being satisfied and dissatisfied.
How satisfied are you with your company’s social media efforts?
The majority of industrial marketers understand that social media marketing is most effective
when used for branding and content delivery.
How do you currently use social media in your marketing? Check all that apply.

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Thirty-seven percent of industrial marketers use marketing automation software. This percentage
should begin to increase as marketers embrace more technology to get the job done and
accurately measure results.
Are you currently using marketing automation software?

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Marketing Budgets and Planning
Industrial companies tend to include multiple stakeholders in marketing planning and decision
making. They also get a head start on the planning process during the previous fiscal year.
Twenty-four percent still have no formal planning process in place.
How would you describe your marketing planning process for this year?
Check all that apply.
The majority of companies expect to spend about the same on marketing in next year as they did
this year. Thirty-one percent will spend more.
How do you anticipate that your marketing budget next year will compare to
this year?

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Marketing as a Profession
Thirty-sixpercentofcompaniesconsidermarketinganintegralandvaluedpartoftheirorganization.
For 27 percent, overall company strategy dictates marketing plans.
What statement best describes how marketing fits into your company?
Half of companies have 2-5 people on their marketing team, while 25 percent have no marketing
team or only one person in that role.
How many people are part of your marketing team?
36%
27%
21%
16%
25%
51%
14%
6%
4%

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There is little anticipated change in headcounts in marketing departments in the industrial sector.
Sixty-eight percent of marketing departments remain stable, while 25 percent plan to increase
headcounts.
How do you anticipate headcounts for your marketing department to change
over the next twelve months?
Most companies (79 percent) still do not have a dedicated social media employee. Only three
percent are looking to hire one.
Do you have a full-time employee dedicated solely to social media?

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About IEEE GlobalSpec
IEEE GlobalSpec is a provider of data-driven industrial marketing solutions designed to help
companies promote their products and grow their businesses.
Our audience of engineers and technical professionals relies on the IEEE GlobalSpec family of
brands as trusted resources for content, community and engagement at all stages of the research,
design and purchasing process.
We deliver deep industry intelligence, customized marketing programs and measurable campaign
performance.
For more information about IEEE GlobalSpec, visit www.globalspec.com/advertising.

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IEEE GlobalSpec:
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