• by Ray Schultz , December 8, 2017

Email is the most popular channel among industrial marketers, according to a study by IEEE GlobalSpec.

Of 503 firms surveyed, 60% cite email to in-house lists as a channel they are using in 2017. In addition, 17% list email to purchased or rented lists. 

The second most popular channel, utilized by 57%, is trade shows. And 55% are active in social media.

In contrast, only 28% are using direct mail to in-house lists, and 12% to rented or purchased lists. And 32% are relying on that old B2B standby: trade magazine advertising.  

It is all part of a growing — if slightly halting — use of digital channels in this B2B sector. There are many challenges, including lack of resources for marketing.

Of the manufacturers polled, 42% say customer acquisition is their primary marketing goal this year. Another 23% are focusing on demand generation, 18% on brand awareness, 12% on customer retention and 5% on the category “other.” And an overwhelming majority see excellence as their most important asset.

Of those surveyed, 54% cite the quality of their products and/or service as their main market differentiator. In contrast, only 16% cite the variety of products they offer, and 15% cite their customer service/experience. Only 6% see the main differentiator as price.

Overall, savvy industrial marketers recognize that “we know so much more about customers because of the digital footprint they leave,” and are focusing their strategies accordingly, states Don Lesem, vice president and chief design officer, IEEE GlobalSpec.

In line with this, respondents say their focus over the next five years will be on the customer, building brand awareness and content.

IEEE GlobalSpec also asked respondents how they measure their marketing success. For 53%, it’s customer acquisition, while for 48% sales attributed to marketing campaigns.

These marketers also rely on customer satisfaction (45%), customer retention (39%), leads (34%), and sales generated from up-selling and cross-selling (33%) and revenue per customer (28%).

However, the study also found that industrial marketers face many challenges, which include:

• Too few resources (dollars, people and time available for marketing) — 36%
• Not generating enough high-quality leads for sales — 34%
• Increased competition making my marketing job harder than ever — 27%
• Need to increase the effectiveness of my content marketing program — 27%
• Need to drive more customers to my company’s website — 26%
• Need to increase the effectiveness of my content marketing program — 26%
• Need to improve my marketing ROI — 25%
• Uncertainty in the marketplace — 22%
• Not enough customers finding our company, products or services when searching on the Internet — 22%
• I know I should be doing more online but I’m not sure what is really working best—15%

Here are the top ten channels used:

1. Email marketing using in-house lists — 60%
2. Trade shows — 57% 
3. Social media (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Facebook) — 55% 
4. Search engine optimization (SEO) — 47%
5. Online directories/websites — 44%
6. Public relations — 42%
7. Internet banner advertising on individual sites — 39% 
8. Content marketing — 36%
9. Video — 32%
10. Trade magazine advertising — 32%