When we develop our clients’ B2B digital marketing strategies, the first step is always to identify those companies in the specific segment whose activities can be considered a benchmark in the market.
In this article, we analyze the marketing activities of companies that have outstanding marketing performance in the B2B industrial segment, according to the criteria set by Industrial Marketing. Let’s learn from the pros!
Digital strategies in industrial marketing
Every market is different, but it’s generally true that in industry, the goal is to be indispensable to decision-makers browsing the internet during the procurement decision-making process.
The essence of our strategy formulation process is to assess the circumstances that need to be considered in establishing this indispensable online presence.
With a comprehensive view of the digital strategy, our client gets guidance on
- the entry barrier – that is, the technological and overall quality standard,
- the intensity of competition – that is, how regularly marketing communication can prevail.
Typically, we establish 3-5 benchmarks at different levels, which provide us with a nuanced picture of the market to a practical extent. Based on a predefined set of criteria, we analyze how
- the identified benchmark companies perform, what solutions they use in the given area,
- how our client performs, what tools and capabilities they have in the area.
This forms the basis for the final digital strategy, from which the appropriate toolset can be selected for long-term implementation.
In our article, we generally talk about digital strategy because we primarily focus on the online space. However, this does not mean that we neglect offline marketing in practice.
Our benchmarking criteria include:
- Look & Feel – brand building
- Trust building and references
- Website structure, menu system
- Technology index & domain value
- Conversion points, navigation
- Content marketing
- SEO index and keyword research
- PPC campaigns and paid advertisements
- Social media presence
How absolute international benchmarks perform in the industrial marketing criteria system
For our analysis, we sought to select companies that are present in the international market and have a significant digital footprint, making them suitable for online customer acquisition and providing outstanding performance in various aspects of B2B digital marketing. Of course, this doesn’t imply that they have a perfect strategy or execution, but they still represent a strong benchmark for the B2B sector.
1. Look & Feel – brand building, value proposition, positioning
The KREMIN brand, a precision metalworking company, reflects high precision in every detail:
- with strong contrasts,
- simple font selection without frills,
- sharp angles in graphics,
- a simple, clean visuality,
- and very high-quality photos taken during actual machining.
Although it’s not apparent from our image, their website’s homepage background is actually a video, which, with its dark overlay, gives the company a modern, almost edgy appearance.
The company’s value proposition also emphasizes the highest professional standard: world-class metal machining from any material with the highest precision. KREMIN, with its modern, clean appearance and pinpoint value proposition, clearly positions itself among the best in the industry.
2. Trust Building and References
There’s no predefined recipe for trust-building; it can take many different forms, all aiming to create an image of high professional standards in the potential client’s mind. The appropriate tool for this can vary greatly by industry and market. While personal contact and warranty commitments are vitally important in most countries, mentions of well-known international clients or high-quality professional content can be more convincing in export markets.
In the domestic market, for example, we often encounter team photos, content presenting the company’s history, and well-known prestige projects alongside standard quality assurance information and certifications. In contrast, in the international market, even in the B2B segment, there is an increasing amount of professional, educational content, whether about the manufacturing process, a particular product, or its usage.
At FLEXFIRE LEDS, we see an excellent example of this, encountering:
- a knowledge base,
- installation guides,
- downloadable technical specifications and product brochures,
- results of photometric tests,
- etc.
The abundance of high-quality content strongly suggests professional credibility.
3. Website Structure, Menu System
Conscious website design isn’t often emphasized enough in most professional forums, but at Industrial Marketing, it’s definitely the foundation of a well-thought-out website. To develop the structure, we need to understand how the market knows and searches for the product/service. Grouping our products by the material used is pointless if the market searches for them based on where they can be used.
The thoughtful structure and menu system design during the analysis are based on two factors:
- the results of keyword research – i.e., we try to place the most searched keywords at the forefront in the URL structure,
- the construction of the websites of the benchmark companies identified.
The perfect examples of impeccable structure are the websites of companies where the product range is precisely represented in the menu system, aiding both the user’s navigation on the website among products/services and Google’s navigation as well.
Berlin Packaging’s webshop menu, with its clear structure, assists customers’ navigation. After selecting a product category, we immediately see the various product types within the category. It’s interesting to observe the applied URL structure as well. Berlin Packaging doesn’t use subfolders after the domain, i.e., larger categories like berlinpackaging.com/bottles/pet-bottles/, but rather displays the relevant keywords only in the slug, thus avoiding keyword stuffing: berlinpackaging.com/pet-bottles/.
In addition to a functionally effective website, careful UI design is crucial. The user experience is significantly enhanced by an aesthetically pleasing website in harmony with the brand book. A website mockup will help you visualize this, presenting the new website’s design as a visual plan.
4. Technology Index & Page Speed
For a good industrial website, the technological performance it offers is much more important than its aesthetics. Therefore, the technological index of the identified benchmark companies serves as a guide to
- the technological level their website was built on,
- i.e., the entry barrier in the market for organic success.
Since the website’s speed and user experience affect Google ranking, emphasis must be placed on these factors during the website’s design.
When analyzing the technological index, we consider factors that later affect the website’s Google ranking:
- loading speed on both mobile and desktop,
- mobile performance and mobile user experience.
For example, a rubber industry supplier whose website provides an excellent user experience on both desktop and mobile as seen below. Such outstanding value on both desktop and mobile is very rare among industrial manufacturers.
5. Conversion Points, Navigation
Identifying conversion points gives us an idea of the processes companies use to serve their customers. When a structured data processing process has not yet been established, requests for proposals often occur in person or by phone. The more sophisticated the contact, or conversion, points are, the more structured the business process they suggest in the background. However, there are industries where traditional, personal contact remains inevitable, and digitized conversion points still play a prominent role.
FireFlexLeds is a particularly illustrative example, as we encounter several conversion points right on the homepage. However, this is not always a prudent strategy, as the inquirer can easily get lost among the contact options. But let’s go through the conversion points:
- a request for quote button in the header, which navigates to a form where photos and documents can be attached to the request,
- phone number,
- webshop,
- chat, which is misleading as it also leads to a form,
- ‘ask us’ menu item.
Generally, we recommend that you start with one well-identifiable and measurable conversion point, which can then be expanded and adapted following the acquisition of business goals and user experience.
6. Content Marketing & Content Production
In the field of content marketing and content production, Flexfire LED stands out, accumulating a significant amount of professional material on their website. On the one hand, as mentioned earlier, this significantly contributes to building trust, and on the other hand, it’s essential for the company to achieve a prominent position in Google search results for relevant keywords.
In the competitive US market, often considered the most challenging, we achieve first-place ranking for highly important and high-volume keywords such as:
- “above cabinet lighting”
- “architectural led lighting”
- “cove light”
- “custom led lighting”
- “led ambient lighting”
- etc.
How does Flexfire LEDs accomplish this?
- They have an abundance of professional content for relevant keywords
- Their product pages are optimized for specific keywords
- They possess a significant quantity of backlinks, amounting to 24,000
- They place emphasis on both continuous and systematic SEO optimization and content production – this year alone, they nearly doubled their number of backlinks
7. SEO Index & Keyword Research
A strong domain value forms the foundation for organic reach. The stronger and more mature a website is, the more it’s favored by search engines.
Building a high domain value (SEO index) naturally takes time. Acquiring valuable backlinks in professional circles is best achieved organically, through high-quality content. However, this is not the only way to attract visitors, and we don’t want to intimidate our clients right away.
If our competitors have high domain values, as newcomers, we might initially rely on paid advertising to acquire customers. However, if the digital footprint in a given segment is still low – which is often the case in the B2B sector – we can achieve organic success in the medium term through regular content marketing.
For instance, a Berlin-based packaging company in the B2B segment boasts an exceptionally high domain value of 50, thanks to more than 3700 backlinking domains. Search engines list their website for 12100 keywords, indicating a very deliberate keyword and content marketing strategy.
8. PPC campaigns and paid advertisements
Alongside organic customer acquisition, revenue can be scaled continuously with paid advertisements. The most common method we recommend to most of our clients is Google ads, as they allow us to reach ‘already interested’ prospects. Typically, someone searching for a professional industrial keyword has a problem or question and is looking for a solution. If we can introduce our product or service at this stage, we become part of their purchasing decision.
Of course, there are numerous alternatives to paid advertisements in the B2B sector, and their relevance varies by product and sector, requiring independent evaluation.
For example, the Google advertising model of Berlin Packaging speaks volumes about their strategy. Their ads indicate a strong focus on the American market, with campaigns for 2800 keywords, while in Australia, they run only 4, and in the UK, just 1. This makes sense when we know that they are a US-based company.
9. Social Media Presence
A presence and advertising in social media are now crucial strategic elements for B2B brands as they are suitable for:
- Building brand awareness,
- Educating the audience and market,
- Enhancing credibility and trust,
- Maintaining ongoing engagement with the market and customers.
For instance, Kremin has profiles on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube, regularly communicating:
- Job offers, company news, and videos on Facebook and Instagram,
- Informative videos on YouTube.
With active presence, they simultaneously build trust in potential customers and future employees, educate the market, enhance and maintain brand awareness, and position the company as an absolute expert in their industry.
At the very least, it’s advisable to consistently publish content from our blog on our channels, as it has marginal cost but significantly strengthens our digital footprint.
Summary
In conclusion, it’s important to note that in B2B digital marketing, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. It’s worth experimenting and trying different approaches, keeping in mind the preferences of our target audience.
However, it’s very practical to learn by observing our market. There’s no significant cost involved, but it greatly helps in understanding market conditions and the competitive landscape, for which numerous free or low-cost tools are available today.
In addition to the initial questions, it’s important for us to confidently justify our responses to the following questions for our clients:
- What kind of complex menu system is required for the website?
- What technological foundations are needed for the website?
- What level of content marketing activity is necessary?
- Is there a need for sophisticated branding?
- What kind of content should be initially published on the website?
- What SEO efforts should be considered?
- Is it worth thinking about PPC advertisements?What costs can be anticipated for achieving organic results (Google page 1 ranking)?
Naturally, we always phrase our verdict as a recommendation.