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The Value of The Manufacturing Directory Thomasnet® in Manufacturing

ABM, Websites /

With so many online tools, marketing platforms and media options, the resources available to manufacturers to market their company and generate leads is greater than ever. However, as options expand, so do the performance metrics that need to be evaluated to identify which marketing dollars are leading to return. Most veterans of the manufacturing space know about Thomas Register®, now ThomasNet. This former “yellow pages for manufacturing” has been around for decades, and their promotional tools and packages have struggled to evolve alongside today’s marketing and sales technology. Despite a revamp of the ThomasNet industrial suppliers directory in 2019, a quick search online shows that many manufacturers are frustrated with the limitations and trappings of the ThomasNet supplier search engine. Often, businesses report spending more and more money while not increasing their ROI. In recent years ThomasNet enlarged its platform and expanded its offerings to include more services. From online business listings to website design and even content development, this supplier search engine offers packages to handle these activities on your behalf. But time and time again, our clients report these services are highly templatized. In the world of B2B marketing, a stamp-and-repeat approach simply does not work, and can ultimately leave you with a website, search engine optimization, content, and marketing materials that don’t work effectively together. While ThomasNet has worked to position itself as a marketing and advertising agency for manufacturers, it is important to understand that agencies like Stifel Marcin are not competitors of this supplier search engine. Stifel Marcin offers a holistic approach to your marketing, customized solutions, and expertise that the industrial suppliers directory ThomasNet and its competitors simply cannot. We apply our team’s B2B marketing expertise to your company, your products, your services and your marketing goals. Our plans are tailored to your needs, and there is no “one size fits all” mindset in anything we do. Our B2B digital, content, marketing strategy and SEO capabilities are run by people who work like an extension of your company – your in-house marketing team that happens to not be “in” your house. Please note, there are times that ThomasNet can fit well into a marketing strategy, and for some companies they can generate leads and sales. This article is intended to provide insight and transparency, and we’ve compiled a series of tips to help you evaluate the value of the ThomasNet supplier search engine in your marketing. 1. Agency Website Development Services Build for Total Ownership While ThomasNet Database Can Limit Owner Control Manufacturers can sign on with ThomasNet to build their website and take care of updates and changes. This supplier search engine develops and integrates its websites into their backend databases, templates and network of directories. Often, this means they are building your website, but the backend is driving to their web properties. Most lead generating forms go through their system, placing ThomasNet as an intermediary to your leads. While this approach may make sense for some, it leaves you with a build that is highly-reliant on staying with ThomasNet. Often, working with another marketing partner to make changes or updates may be difficult – or even impossible – to do. There is virtually no option to move away from this supplier search engine as your website relies on your platform. If you use their website development services, you cannot download your site and move to another platform, without extensive rebuilding efforts. With Stifel Marcin’s website design services, your site – its text, images, optimization and databases – are all yours. These are tangible deliverables you control. Some ThomasNet customers reported that they feel as if their site is “trapped”. They must pay their fees to this supplier search engine in order to retain limited control of the site and the lead generation from it – no matter what the ROI is on that spend, or what other outside business factors that may be affecting a company’s marketing budget. Stifel Marcin has built our operations to act like your partner. Our marketing, SEO and web development teams collaborate with you to understand your business. We digitally-position your brand to maximize your return on the project and align your business for growth for years to come. 2. The ThomasNet Industrial Suppliers Directory vs. Organic SEO Services Organic search engine optimization (SEO) has changed how everyone does business. It levels the playing field in a way, favoring the relevance of your page content in the rankings. If your website and its content are developed correctly and include the right search keywords and phrases, you can place alongside competitors – and even surpass them in rankings. The beauty of SEO is that, when done well, you continue to reap the benefits of it long after you put the work in. Web pages, blog posts, educational content, and more can all continue to generate relevant traffic to your website if you have a thoughtful SEO strategy employed by experts who know what they are doing. ThomasNet claims it will help you rank on Google or Bing for keywords most relevant to your business and your offerings. But many companies find that, more often, their system ranks and drives traffic to their own web properties – listings on the ThomasNet industrial suppliers directory – as opposed to your company’s website. At Stifel Marcin, our search engine optimization is focused on enhancing the organic visibility of your website and its pages. Our experts work to ensure the copy on each landing page is aligned with a comprehensive keyword strategy. We create clear sales funnels and user experience paths. The goal is not only to increase traffic, but to increase the quality of that traffic, and to drive leads for your business. Our track record is proven – with two decades of industrial marketing and web development expertise. 3. A Data-Driven Marketing Approach Over ThomasNet Industrial Suppliers Directory Placement ThomasNet industrial suppliers directory pricing is usually based on the competition in your category. Often, there is little choice on what you will spend. Some of our clients have reported an approach like this: If you

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Four Considerations When Developing a B2B Content Marketing Plan

Content Marketing /

As digital information has become a part of our everyday lives – the average person spends more than 8 hours a day in front of a screen – having a strategic B2B content marketing plan is more important than ever. The art of creating compelling messages that spur customers to act requires knowing what to say, how to say it and where your messages should appear. If you are developing content without a strategic B2B content marketing plan, here are four thought-starters to consider.  What Are Your Objectives? Start your process by clearly defining goals and map your B2B content marketing plan to meet those objectives. Are you aiming to grow brand awareness? Perhaps your main goal is lead generation. Customer retention may be number one on your list this year. Likely it’s a mix. Who is Your Target Audience? Your organization may have one or many audience targets you wish to reach. Your content should be tailored to suit the needs of each of those audiences. Take the time to develop detailed audience personas and craft content suited to meet their needs. What problems do they need help solving? Keep your target audience top of mind each time you are writing a piece of content. What Makes You Stand Out? In a crowded marketplace, understanding what makes your brand unique and weaving that story into your content is key. Why is this content you’ve created something a reader can trust? Great content that provides value to the reader and doesn’t spam them with sales pitch after sales pitch is paramount. Look at your competitor’s content. Chances are, there are many instances in which you’re both providing similar information. Determine how you can best deliver words and visuals that inspire action and brand loyalty. Have You Conducted a Content Audit? This is an important but often overlooked step. Look at your current arsenal of content. Are your blog posts crafted with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind? Take the time to look at performance metrics of your blog posts, social media and emails. A successful audit will provide insight into content that is both performing well and opportunities for improvement such as stronger keyword targeting, updating outdated content and increasing engagement. Turning Content into Results The right marketing can take your business to the next level. But building, executing and monitoring a strategic B2B content marketing plan takes resources and time. Our B2B content development agency is here to help. With careful research and understanding of your organization, we craft B2B content that helps your brand stand out and provides value to current and potential customers alike. Fill out our contact form and let’s talk.  Stifel Marcin – The B2B Marketing Agency Unlike many advertising and marketing agencies, B2B isn’t just something that we do, it’s all we do. We’ll work to help your brand achieve its goals through the strategic combination of creativity, communication and technology. Our focused client intake processes give us the ability to thoroughly understand your business, products and objectives, working to identify the competitive advantages and opportunities that will grow awareness, leads and sales. We develop innovative marketing plans with strategic, data-driven processes, presenting complex ideas and compelling messages that position your business ahead of the competition. As your cooperative partner, our integrated B2B marketing agency is dedicated to your success. Our content development agency team creates compelling messages that inspire the right target customers to act. Contact us today.

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Digital Advertising in a Cookieless World: What You Need to Know

Advertising & Media, SEO /

As online consumer data protection and subsequent privacy regulations evolve, cookieless tracking will continue to impact the future of digital advertising. While browsers like Apple’s Safari® and Mozilla Firefox® have already limited third-party cookies, tracking restrictions will soon be implemented by Google Chrome®, the internet’s most widely used browser. Combine these players with other digital platforms and social media sites, and one can envision a future where our digital paths are much more guarded. In addition, with less data tracked, that means less data shared. In recent years marketers have had access to huge data houses, most often through digital marketing platforms. These houses aggregated and combined user data – sorting, storing and sharing their Big Data with marketers. While none of these big players are ready to say exactly how they will change, without question, a huge shift in digital marketing has begun. With big changes come big uncertainties, and many marketers are now closely examining how to best tackle a cookieless world. What is a Cookie? As defined by the FTC, a cookie is “information saved by your web browser. When you visit a website, the site may place a cookie on your web browser so it can recognize your device in the future. If you return to that site later on, it can read that cookie to remember you from your last visit and keep track of you over time.” Cookies allow for a more personalized online user experience, but not all tracking cookies are the same. Let’s explore in more detail:First-party cookies are created by the website that a user visits.  For example, if visiting a website requires a log-in and password, first-party cookies will allow the user to sign again without having to re-enter their information. If you’ve shopped online, you’ve likely entered items into your shopping cart, exited the site without purchasing and then come back to the site to find the items still in your cart. That’s first-party cookies at work. Unlike first-party cookies that remain only on a single domain, third-party cookies track users around the internet, usually with the intent of serving online advertising. Going back to the example above, if you’ve left a shopping site after looking at items online, only to visit another site and see ads for the items you were exploring on the previous website, you’ve been tracked by third-party cookies (in this case served with a remarketing ad). It’s these cookies that are used for audience profiling and ad customization. And its third-party cookies that are soon to be prohibited by Google Chrome. What Does a Cookieless World Mean for Advertising? In short, by the end of 2023, marketers will not have access to data provided by third-party cookies. Marketers and advertising services that rely on third-party cookies to target users will have to now rely on first-party cookie data, which remains accessible, along with newly developed tools like Google’s own “Privacy Sandbox,” ad technology designed to personalize ads while honoring user privacy. With a cookieless world near, many marketers are exploring cohort-based marketing. As explained by Google, “a cohort is a group of users that fall under common criteria.” Instead of personalized targeting to users based on third-party data, cohort advertising would target users within a common interest group. Google has also proposed a new “Topics API” designed to identify a user’s top interests during a three-week time period based on website activity. Websites could opt-in to the Topics API to serve users with personalized ads involving topics like travel, movies, auto, beauty, etc. As of now, Google plans to start with 350 topics categories. Tracking and understanding user’s online behavior and interests will no doubt be more challenging. The lack of third-party data will impact numerous tactics, from behavioral targeting to ad retargeting. Building and securing your own first-party data becomes even more crucial and scaling your tech tools and teams for the new changes does as well. The Time to Test is Now As the old saying goes, the only constant is change. Cookieless tracking may not go into effect on Google until 2023, but marketers can and should stay ahead of the curve by planning and testing cookieless strategies now. Partnering with an experienced PPC advertising agency like Stifel Marcin can help your B2B business stay abreast of the changes, while optimizing campaigns for maximum ROI. As both a Microsoft and Google Partner agency, our team works to ensure marketing goals, technical benefits and an understanding of your unique target audience is included in all PPC advertising. Since mid-2021, marketers have been warned to prepare for a cookieless world. And entities like Google and Microsoft don’t change overnight. While 2023 might be the actual final implementation that requires cookieless tracking, many expect these changes to begin sooner. Already many of us have greater ability to block tracking through our iPhones, apps, website visits and personal devices – which present prominent messages about data handling. If you’re considering how to best pivot to a cookieless tracking ad strategy, we want to talk with you. Complete the form on this page or contact us and a member of our team will be in touch. Stifel Marcin – The B2B Marketing Agency  Unlike many advertising and marketing agencies, B2B isn’t just something that we do, it’s all we do. We’ll work to help your brand achieve its goals through the strategic combination of creativity, communication and technology. Our focused client intake processes give us the ability to thoroughly understand your business, products and objectives, working to identify the competitive advantages and opportunities that will grow awareness, leads and sales. We develop innovative marketing plans with strategic, data-driven processes, presenting complex ideas and compelling messages that position your business ahead of the competition. As your cooperative partner, our integrated B2B marketing agency is dedicated to your success. If you have questions about digital advertising, we’re here to help. Contact us today.

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Keyword Research Tips for Your B2B Organization

SEM, SEO /

Effective B2B keyword research helps marketers determine which “key words”, or best phrases, can be used to help you meet your marketing goals. Careful research, strategic thinking and data-driven analysis can help hone your PPC placements – and therefore your spend – to be sure your ads are in the right place with the right presentation. While keywords might seem obvious, our clients are often surprised by the results. What many companies use internally as standard terminology are often unknown to customers. From descriptive statements, to application-specific “long-tail keywords” (see terms below) to generic terms related to a product category, knowing where to place and how to bid effectively, are critical for success. Some media will present PPC advertising like a quick and easy way to increase your leads. Google even offers recommendations and tips on how to run your campaigns. But remember, Google is a for-profit company driven by revenue… their tips are not necessarily designed to maximize your ROI (return on investment). And more importantly, they are not offered with a detailed understanding of your products and services – which is vitally important when working in a B2B space. Here are a few keyword research tips so you can maximize your targeting to improve click-throughs and ROI. Of course, the best approach is an expert approach, and our Google Certified team is always ready to help your company in its digital and PPC marketing, with our expertise in manufacturing, industry, medical and technology verticals. Data-Driven. Human-Focused A plan for B2B keyword research involves analysis and interpretation – combing data with input from your sales team to identify the words and phrases that will lead customers to your site and your products/services. We want to build a bridge between your keywords – a search query typed into a search engine – and the content you have on your website. Effective B2B keyword research is not just about getting visitors to your site. It’s about getting the right visitors to your site, those who match your target customer, meet your marketing goals, and are the most likely to make a purchase. Let’s assume your marketing team already has the right input from sales and leadership and is clear on your company’s target audience and business goals. The first step is to brainstorm an extensive list of potential terms to target. Next, we use that list to determine important data points that can help us identify which B2B keyword targets will work best. We look at information like: Keyword Expansion and Refinement Now that you have key data points, we want to expand and evaluate. If some terms are too broad (or too expensive), look deeper at the opportunities. Are more specific phrases available with good search traffic volumes? Are some keywords showing lots of search traffic and relevancy, and we should explore similar phases, synonyms, etc.? One effective strategy to help determine keyword viability is to simply conduct a Google search – see the results that appear and be sure what you expected to appear is what is displayed – and appropriate for your marketing goals. If more than 50 percent of search results are not relevant – especially when using a long-tail B2B keyword phrase – this should be a signal. Either you have identified a great opportunity, or you are not using the right phrase. The more irrelevant the expected search results are, the more likely the target that you want is going to change their search query and re-check a new phrase. Getting a final keyword target list is time-consuming. It takes evaluation, review, additional research and discussion. Balancing the Right Types of B2B Keywords When evaluating your B2B keyword list, you want to be sure you have included a variety of terms. While highly-focused, long-tail keyword phrases probably are very specific, very relevant and will use your budget effectively (due to low bid estimates), you may have an extensive campaign with very little traffic. Balancing short, medium and long-tail B2B keywords can help you get good quality clicks, but also increase your website traffic. If you maintain positions in the preferred top-three search results, sometimes a simpler phrase will serve your ad to a customer who is just starting on their buying journey – you will be first to capture their click, and then can drive them into your sales funnel. When evaluating your B2B keyword mix, one should consider these keyword types: Short-Tail Phrases: Usually consisting of one or two words, and are the broadest keywords, typically with the highest search volumes. These terms can be useful for brand recognition or to increase clicks to your site, but it is sometimes difficult to discern these users’ intentions. These short terms typically have a higher bounce rate (people who only view one page of a website) or may be people who are early in their purchase journey and not ready to convert to a lead. A small selection of these terms can be useful when building out a new campaign, or when your marketing goal is to increase the number of clicks. Actively reviewing these terms is very important and can also provide other relevant data. Medium-Tail Phrases: These are keywords that typically utilize three or four words. While more specific than short-tail phrases, they will also have lower search volumes. Often these users have a clearer sense of what they’re seeking. This makes it easier to optimize your ad content, connect with the consumer, and direct them to the right content on your website. Additionally, if one manually reviews the full scope of search queries, marketers can often find new keyword opportunities. Long-Tail Phrases: Usually a long-tail phrase consists of four or more words and are highly-specific, tend to have the lowest search volume and low competition levels. Statistically, these keywords usually result in higher-quality leads because they capture people later in the sales process and/or are highly-qualified, and potentially ready to convert. Balancing your business goals – brand visibility, increasing site visitors, promoting specific products/services and increasing qualified leads – are all important

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Content Marketing for Industrial Companies: 6 Proven Tips for Success

Content Marketing /

Today’s B2B audiences require highly-targeted information from highly-trusted sources to shape their perceptions. While content is all around us in multiple forms, in the competitive B2B space, a comprehensive content marketing strategy can help cut through the noise, reaching the right person at the right time with the right information. What is Content Marketing? B2B industrial companies are often looking to convey complex concepts and unique technical services to engineers, project managers, purchasing agents and more. Strategic, well-crafted content marketing distills this information into easy-to-read formats, with eye-catching visuals designed to meet an intended audience at its point of understanding, and where they are, whether via digital or traditional mediums. Content marketing, at its core, is about adding value. What’s in it for the reader? Why would they want this information? When developing content, it is always critical to remember, it’s about them and not you. Whether it’s to educate, inspire or entertain, your mix of assets should have your target prospect at the center (more on that below). What are the Benefits of Content Marketing for Industrial Companies? In a recent study, more than half of B2B buyers said they are more likely to make a purchase from a brand after reading their content. That’s not an insignificant statistic. Done well, content marketing can benefit your company in many ways, including: • Building affinity• Increasing brand awareness• Positioning your organization as a subject-matter authority• Making your brand a source for knowledge and resources• Improving SEO• Generating leads and conversions• Creating assets that can be shared across multiple channels and re-purposed in the future• Furthering engagement opportunities to stay connected with customers Six Content Marketing for Industrial Companies Best Practices While there are many steps that lead to excellent content marketing results, we’re breaking down six must-do’s to achieve success: 1. Start with Your Data Content and data go hand in hand. While data is certainly important in results measurement (see #6 below), approaching content development with a data-driven approach is a smart use of time and resources. Data sources, like Google Analytics, will shed light on web site traffic, sales funnels and best performing content (and likewise, what may be missing the mark) and much more. By thoroughly examining your data points, such as bounce rates, time on page, keyword rankings, etc., you’ll have a clearer understanding of the type of content your prospects find most valuable, the channels that provide the best ROI and even who may be potential brand ambassadors. 2. Clearly Identify Your Target Personas Understanding who your target audience(s) are is a critical step when developing a content plan. There may be many stakeholders involved in these discussions, from leadership to marketing to sales. With your data in hand, you can make insightful decisions about your ideal customer and how to best reach them through campaigns and content with information that they need and want. 3. Create a Strategic Plan According to The Content Marketing Institute, “40 percent of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy.” That means that 60 percent do not. Arming your organization with a comprehensive content marketing plan is essential to keep content aligned with overall business goals. Also be sure your plan has clear objectives, like increased awareness, qualified leads and sales. Content marketing for industrial companies requires consistency, measurement and refinement, and by making sure your team is on the same page with business development and management, your company can reap many of the benefits noted above. From strategy to distribution to measurement, if you need help developing a content marketing plan, connect with us. As a full-service B2B marketing agency, we are ready to help. 4. Diversify Your ContentCreating compelling messages that spur potential and current customers to act requires knowing what to say, how to say it and where your messages should appear. Consider that the average person in the U.S. spends over 10 hours a day in front of a screen – having a strategic mix of content formats can create impact and more touchpoints in the sales cycle. When thinking about content marketing for industrial companies, many might first think only of a blog. While that may be right for your business (again depending on your goals, data intel and resources), also consider a healthy diversity in distribution channels such as: • Email• Social Media• Video (including video optimized for YouTube)• Webinars• Infographics• White papers and case studies• Website optimized for SEO• Influencer marketing Taking an omni-channel approach also allows for re-purposing of content, deepening your well of assets. For instance, an infographic on your website can be broken down into several social media assets, while a video may serve both a digital campaign and your website. 5. Write for People, Not Algorithms In today’s world of SEO analysis and ever-changing search engine algorithms, it is sometimes difficult to remember that what resonates best is what moves the hearts and minds of your prospects, not what’s most important to an SEO formula. That’s not to say that content produced with search engine optimization in mind isn’t important. Properly planning, implementing and maintaining an SEO strategy is critically important to help position your brand more prominently in the marketplace. But, gone are the days of choosing a keyword and “stuffing it” within the content with the hopes it will drive better search results. Consumers are savvier than ever. They are looking for high-quality content that provides value and connects them meaningfully to your brand’s benefits and technical offerings. Simply put, write for humans first, and strategically use keywords to help lift your content in SERPs. 6. Don’t Forget to Measure Results Content marketing for industrial companies isn’t about “set it and forget it.” And it’s not a task you “check off” as done. When you created your strategic plan, ideally you included goals and KPIs (key performance indicators) such as time on page, open rates, click rates, engagements, conversions and more. By monitoring your content’s performance and regularly evaluating its results, you can better understand what is resonating

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Why Your B2B Organization Needs a Brand Standards Guide

Corporate Branding /

Many companies know they should have a Brand Standard Guide. What they may not fully understand is why it is so important. In fact, it may be the most important marketing asset your company uses. A Brand Standards Guide does more than provide a reference for vendors or employees to make certain that all materials conform to corporate standards. The Guide is a preservation tool – a brand preservation tool. Many studies show that there is a definite “inconsistency impact” on brand loyalty, where customers lose trust in their favorite brands when they notice differences in visual or verbal communication. These subtle inconsistencies can create an image of instability and internal confusion, and even when seemingly insignificant, can have dramatic impact. Creating a Brand Standards Guide preserves your brand and builds the loyalty of your customer base. From a branding standpoint, it might be the most important tool to ensure the growth of a company. Cost vs. Benefit of Brand Standards Yes, creating a Brand Standards Guide does involve a marketing spend. But the cost of not creating and utilizing brand standards may be more significant, and far more than the cost of any marketing expenditure. Remember, it costs more to attract new customers than it does to nurture existing ones. Losing your loyal customers is a cost no company can afford. When thinking of the value of a brand, it’s important to consider how long it took for that brand image to be developed. Each customer touchpoint – every website visit, every service call, every business card – presents your brand. Building a brand can take years and, in all seriousness, can be destroyed in an instant. As a Forbes article explains, “You have to create brand differentiation in your customers’ minds and have them ‘feel’ there is no good substitute for your product or service. If you don’t, then you will compete on price all the way to the bottom.” What your brand image is has an incalculable value. And at the root of virtually any brand, are positions of professionalism, reliability and dependability. Ensuring the visual presentation of that brand as professional, reliable and dependable is critical. Maintaining and Controlling the Brand Most companies have a variety of vendors, and sometimes distributors, who create materials across many mediums. Brand Standards save time and money by providing a go-to resource for sizes, specs, colors, as well as how you want your company to be presented. Costly mistakes without standards often are significantly more expensive than creating a Brand Standards Guide in the first place. Your corporate marketing department and your lead outside agency should be the points of contact for approvals, libraries of images, usage questions and other matters related to brand governance to ensure accuracy. With the ever-increasing availability of digital tools, the ease at which marketing materials can be developed, changed and shared via social media, is rapidly increasing. Setting and controlling your valuable brand is critical in the modern age. As a company grows, its staff and needs grow, and controlling how each piece of marketing and sales collateral is created is more important than ever. Purpose of a Brand Guide Think of your Brand Standards Guide as an essential tool. It is a central repository where brand information can be easily referenced, in clear and direct language. An effective Brand Guide clearly spells out the “brand rules” – what you can and cannot do – as well as provide links to assets, images and contact information for approvals. Making sure your Brand Guide is the automatic reference point for creating any asset avoids costly mistakes. What a Brand Standards Guide Should Include While every B2B Brand Standard Guide is developed based on the company, its needs and its unique marketing initiatives, there are some core assets that virtually every guide will contain, such as: Why Brand Standard Development is Critical for B2B For manufacturers and industrial clients, technology and innovation is often critical in brand positioning. It’s important that imagery and text be controlled to convey your company’s story – highlighting its technological edge. Marketing materials that don’t adhere to these standards dilute this important position. In the manufacturing and industrial sectors there are often even more instances where brand standards are important, such as plant signage, tradeshow displays and internal campaigns designed to recognize employees or announce workplace accomplishments. Maintaining standards for these important touchpoints is just as crucial, especially as many of these brand impressions are in-person. Setting Up Your B2B Brand for Growth and Expansion Even more important for international companies, these standards keep the image of your company consistent across multiple locations, multiple languages and multiple countries. And there’s also this important internal motivation to consider – when your brand is instantly recognizable in any environment it reflects corporate pride and belief in what your company has created. Think of the effect of this consistency on not just your customer base, but also on your workforce, and the workforce you hope to attract. As Forbes explained in an article on the critical importance of Brand Standards: “A style guide is essential to keep your brand identity consistent, recognizable and ownable.” Your team has worked hard to build a brand that represents quality, expertise, and positive customer experiences. Make sure at every touchpoint that you own it. Expert B2B Brand Standard Development If you’re ready to take your brand to the next level, whether you need some help developing your brand marketing, producing impactful creative assets or establishing brand standard guidelines, we are here to help. With more than two decades of B2B branding expertise, we can help put you on a path for future growth. Contact us today to learn more or discuss your needs. Stifel Marcin – The B2B Marketing Agency Unlike many advertising and marketing agencies, B2B isn’t just something that we do, it’s all we do. We’ll work to help your brand achieve its goals through the strategic combination of creativity, communication and technology. Our focused client intake processes give

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Email Marketing for B2B Lead Generation: 8 Tips for Success

Email Marketing, Lead Gen Tactics /

Is email marketing for B2B lead generation still a valuable use of time and budget? It’s a common question asked by many marketers, given that more than 306 billion emails are sent and received each day. With so much competition within users’ inboxes, it may feel daunting to get your message to stand out in the crowd. Here are eight strategies that you can implement quickly to improve your email marketing effectiveness for increased leads, sales and retention: 1. Build and Segment Your List Segmenting, or categorizing your email list, allows for highly targeted messages to specific audiences. Examine your target personas and where they might be in the sales cycle. Emails can and should be created with the reader’s interests and demographics in mind (region, job role, market, etc.). If you’re frequently sending emails to your entire list, you’re missing the opportunity to share messaging that matters to that prospect in that moment in time. Working with an agency partner like Stifel Marcin can be particularly valuable when developing and segmenting lists. We’ll work with you to identify your marketing goals and key demographics to develop a list and overall distribution strategy that maximizes open and click-through rates. 2. Leverage Email Automation in Your CRM If you have the benefit of a CRM platform that collects your data, leverage that user data to automate your email marketing. It takes time to carefully plan email trigger points and identify the right content to send based on that user’s interaction with your content – typically your organization’s website. If you’re using email marketing for B2B lead generation, ask these questions about those trigger points: • Is a user at this stage in our marketing funnel likely to submit their personal information? • Why would someone offer their information? In other words, what can your email offer in return for that valuable lead? Is it a call-back from your sales team? Perhaps it’s a price estimate. • What user interactions are worthy of an email? Filling up someone’s inbox won’t lead to positive brand experiences, so carefully planning when and why to email someone is important. If you are using email marketing for B2B lead generation, then select engagement actions that a customer is most likely to do just before they convert to a sale. It could be the CTA to download product information or consider offering any visitor the opportunity to sign up for your newsletter. Whatever your logic, most people agree that the best thing about email automation is just that – the automation. With software powering the email send function, sales and marketing teams no longer need to plan the campaigns. Your CRM is sending email marketing for B2B lead generation without any real action needed. 3. Ask the Question “Is This Valuable?” Reiterating one of the points above, before ever hitting send, one of the most important questions you can ask is “why should the reader care about this message?” Without a doubt, you should have that answer. If you don’t, your target customer certainly doesn’t either. Providing customer-centric content that is poised to help educate, solve a problem, or provides an incentive for them to take further action should be top of mind. If you are focused on email marketing for B2B lead generation, then ask yourself, what can I offer that a recipient will find worthy of offering their information? Personal data is highly valuable, probably even more now than in the past as we prepare for increased data protections. If you are asking for contact info, then be sure you clearly define what the reader will get for it. 4. The Subject Line Matters More Than You May Think In many cases, your email subject line (yes, just a few chosen words) is what makes or breaks an email being opened. In fact, a recent study showed that 64 percent of email recipients decide to open an email based on the subject line. The content you deliver within your email matters, but if your subject line doesn’t earn the click, then that carefully crafted content never reaches its intended audience. Subject lines are a great way to A/B test your emails as well. Here’s a tip: personalize the subject line with the recipient’s name to your A group, while not including a name in the subject line to the B group. Or try two different subject lines all-together. And then look at your data to help inform future tactics (more on data evaluation below). And remember to avoid click-bait messaging. No one wants to open an email expecting one thing and receive a completely different message. It’s a surefire way to earn your way into the junk folder and create a negative perception of your brand. If you’re doing email marketing for B2B lead generation, then a poor brand experience is only going to make your work harder. 5. Make It Mobile Friendly Are your emails designed with mobile in mind? With studies showing that nearly 50 percent of emails are opened on a mobile device, they should be. But according to SuperOffice, nearly 1 in 5 email campaigns is not optimized for mobile. It can’t be underscored enough that if your email isn’t easy to read with a user-friendly layout, your email will very quickly find itself in a deleted folder. And when a recipient clicks on your email, be sure you have also tested your website’s mobile experience. Beyond basic responsiveness, how are your landing pages optimized? With email marketing for B2B lead generation, having a page that is designed for conversions is critical. Users who need to scroll and click to submit their information, are likely going to tire quickly and abandon your marketing funnel. More on that below. 6. State Your CTA Clearly and More Than Once No one wants to take the time to read an email and be confused about what to do next. The best way to move your reader to the next step in your marketing funnel is

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Digital Marketing for Manufacturers: A Roadmap for Success

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Digital marketing has rapidly become a necessity to remain competitive in today’s manufacturing marketplace. With many B2B buyers turning to digital platforms to research, purchase, and engage with products and company leadership, manufacturers must take advantage of digital marketing strategies to reach potential customers and stay ahead of the competition. By utilizing the power of the web, social media, and other digital marketing tools, manufacturers can create an effective and efficient strategy that will help them reach more customers, build awareness of their products, and increase their sales. What is Digital Marketing? Digital technology is front and center in our daily lives. Digital marketing allows companies to interact with consumers in a more direct way, in real time, and where they are at – on screens. With Americans spending 10+ hours a day on a screen, savvy marketers have increased their digital marketing tactics, serving messages to prospective and current customers where they’re spending valuable time. There are many online tools available to help promote your products and services through paid campaigns, digital placements and website experiences. But knowing the right way to use these tools is critical for success. Expert digital marketers know how to create results – and typically at a lower cost than traditional marketing methods. Digital marketing tactics include: • Search engine optimization (SEO)• Pay-per-click advertising (PPC)• Remarketing• Content marketing • Email marketing• Video marketing• Social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn ads• Apps and interactive tools, and more. How Does Digital Marketing Benefit a Manufacturing Business? Excellent question! Digital marketing for manufacturers can reap many rewards, including increased brand and message awareness, more leads and conversions and improved loyalty. Perhaps the most notable benefit is that it provides a unique opportunity to customize a user’s experience. Unlike brochures or print ads, digital campaigns can be highly targeted and designed for various customer targets, ensuring a more personalized brand connection to your prospects. Digital marketing is typically more cost-effective as well. Especially beneficial for manufacturers with limited resources, digital services can be strategically combined based on business goals, targets and budget to maximize impact.  Not to be understated is the ability to measure your marketing results. With any marketing spend, being able to analyze and measure results is invaluable. As we always say, “data tells a story,” shedding light on web traffic, content performance, and more. Data sources like Google Analytics® allow marketers to make insightful decisions – showing ways to increase performance when campaigns are yielding positive results and knowing when and how to pivot when there are opportunities for improvement. Digital Marketing for Manufacturers: 8 Tips to Maximize Results and ROI Below we explore eight digital marketing best practices to help set your organization on the road to success: 1. It All Starts with a Plan To meet your marketing goals, you first must define them, and plan the strategy to help you achieve them. Establishing clear and measurable KPIs (key performance indicators) – like lead generation, brand awareness or customer engagement – can help ensure that your marketing plan is aligned with overall business goals. Important during the planning phase (and refining along the way) is the identification of your target personas. Understanding who your ideal customers are, their pain points, and best ways to reach them are key pieces of information for your action plan. Creating a strategic digital marketing plan can seem daunting. Our work in digital marketing for manufacturers can create unique opportunities tailored to your company’s needs and deliver quantifiable results. Reach out, our experts are ready to help. 2. Review Your Website for Conversion Opportunities Evaluating your website for conversion potential (or CRO – conversion rate optimization) is an important step in improving your online presence. Looking for potential barriers to conversions, such as unclear calls to action (or asking too many), slow load times or difficult navigation, can help identify areas of your site that are working optimally or those that need improvement. Your CRO ultimately should relate to those KPIs that we discussed above. For instance, digital marketing for manufacturers may include goals like achieving higher search result rankings, increasing web traffic, growing customer engagement, and improving your pipeline of qualified leads. Reviewing your website with these goals in mind can ensure that your online presence is optimized for success. Do you have clear CTAs? Are forms easy to find and fill out? Some simple website improvements can lead to more conversion opportunities. Our website design experts can help you achieve your goals and set your company apart from the competition. 3. Implement SEO to Drive the Right Traffic to Your Site SEO (search engine optimization) is a critical part of any successful digital marketing for manufacturers strategy. Not only does it help businesses reach target audiences by increasing visibility but, when smartly executed, it can lead to increased conversions, leads and sales.  An added bonus – organic SEO typically tops the list when it comes to the best long-term ROI. SEO provides your marketing team with valuable data that can help you understand: • Key search terms prospective customers are searching online.• Pain points and challenges that prospects need to solve.• Types of content that will best serve their needs.• How current and new competitors are ranking.• How to plan your website to expand your traffic, and ultimately, your sales. Eighty-nine percent of B2B buyers research information about potential purchases through online search. If you’re looking to step up your SEO efforts, check out our tips at “How to Improve Your SEO Ranking on Google: 6 Tips from Our Experts.” 4. Create Engaging Organic Feeds Today’s digital age makes social media marketing an increasingly critical component of an integrated digital marketing plan for manufacturers. With 84% of B2B leaders using social media as a source in making purchasing decisions, it’s important to craft an organic social plan that elevates your brand as knowledgeable and responsive. Engaging social media feeds help build relationships with potential customers and followers, while providing an opportunity to improve brand recognition and trust. Social media is one place where you can have direct, two-way conversation with your

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The Rise of B2B E-Commerce

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Tips on How to Turn Your Existing Website into a Sales Generation Tool In recent years the growth of digital engagement has grown dramatically, as have customer expectations for what a digital experience looks like. These changes have presented challenges for some B2B organizations, which have had difficulties integrating new technology into existing sales processes. With a systemic shift in the way organizations are doing business, B2B e-commerce platforms and strategies not only continue to rise in popularity, but in many cases have become a necessity. Sixty-three percent of U.S. employees work remotely some or all the time, a number which averaged more than 40% even before the pandemic. This is fertile ground for B2B companies to reach target prospects. Many manufacturers are in a unique position which allows them to turn their existing websites into B2B e-commerce tools – increasing their sales and supporting production lines. With people’s social and digital platform interactions being redefined, B2B marketers need to consider how their websites and lead pipelines can be reengineered to reach prospects and convert them to sales. Set-Up Your Website for B2B E-Commerce Success Now is the time for B2B companies to explore ways to make their website, and its e-commerce functions, user friendly. Most manufacturer sites are already rich with product details and the technical documentation that engineers and purchasers need. Whether you have an existing product database that supports your website content, or you have static content, many B2B organizations are in a unique position to integrate e-commerce functionality. Work with your web development team and your sales team on ways to add e-commerce functions. Most often those additions will fall into two categories: The Rise of Resellers & An Amazon-Like Approach While many manufacturers and B2B organizations have worked for years with distributors, there has been strong resistance – by some – to reseller platforms. Much of this resistance is well-deserved, and most of us marketing veterans have heard of problems with pricing and inventory management using outside resellers. However, times are quickly changing, and the need to provide e-commerce solutions has become more critical. Platforms like Amazon have already primed themselves for increased activities in the B2B sector and have addressed (or at least made more apparent) the challenges faced by some manufacturers selling on their platform. For companies that don’t have the resources to build a B2B e-commerce solution internally, the proven technology and advertising capabilities of an organization like Amazon may be a good choice that will let you respond quickly to prospects’ demands for pricing, information and purchasing. No matter what your opinion of companies like Amazon, many manufacturers will need to develop an e-commerce solution that prevents the loss a critical marketing share – because winning that business back from competitors who work with Amazon will be costly and difficult. Make Your Website User Experience Customer & B2B E-Commerce Friendly According to Garner®, approximately 77 percent of B2B customers find the typical buying process complex and difficult. When it comes to e-commerce for B2B websites, the customer journey needs to be user friendly, fast and clear.  First, this means building a website architecture that is understandable, easily navigated, and allows users to quickly find the right products and right information to support their purchasing decision. Product filters, clear categorization, and minimal clicks are key. But, this also means establishing trust in your brand and transparency in your pricing, so that your target prospects are willing to complete B2B e-commerce transactions. Many B2B companies find online pricing difficult, often because orders are based on volume, and because detailed variables (sometimes which are apparent until late in the order process) affect total costs. But difficult does not mean impossible, nor does it mean it shouldn’t be done. With the need for solutions for e-commerce for B2B rising, solutions that provide customers with an understanding of the variables that affect pricing may be enough. For others, this could be a simple scaled pricing model, where the prospect would get a general idea about costs and would then get a final quote from a sales representative. Automated Increases to Support Customers Very few B2B organizations can fully-eliminate the need for people in the sales process, even with the best e-commerce solution. As you build your e-commerce for B2B capabilities, look at how you will support customers during the purchasing process, both with order-related and technical questions. Often dedicating a small amount of human resources (sometimes even the same people who answer customer questions on the phone), can yield good return as large portions of the process remain in the e-commerce system. The growing usage of chatbots will likely be important for many B2B e-commerce websites. Chatbots provide 24-hour service, instant responses, and gather information on your behalf. These functions are in fact robotic software, with algorithms that support data-based responses, identify customer needs and help with some common questions. As with B2C e-commerce websites, B2B e-commerce websites chatbots can provide detailed and specific information – such as available inventory, the projected date of completion, invoicing, account standing information, and all historical information related to an account. AI learning continues to advance these functions every day. Customer Follow-Up & Nurturing E-Leads To further enhance the customer journey, and ultimately increase sales conversions, B2B companies can establish interactions between ERP systems and e-commerce websites for clear visibility of customers’ orders. As you ramp up your sales via e-commerce solutions, B2B buyers will need support about their purchases. From communications about shipping times, invoicing and even follow-up communications on quotes that never turned into orders – relying on software to help improve the customer experience and follow up with leads can increase sales in the long-run. Also, self-service online payment solutions for B2B buyers will be valuable. Emailed invoice reminders or online payment collection functions can help empower your target prospects to pay their invoices independently while reducing time-consuming work and manual order processing for your accounts receivable department. Security & Compliance in B2B E-Commerce As with B2C, B2B buyers need assurance that their personal and corporate data is protected. This means establishing best practices in security, maintaining every aspect of your website’s backend and

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The Benefits of an SEO Audit

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A thorough search engine optimization (SEO) strategy is crucial for any business looking to achieve higher search engine results page (SERP) rankings, therefore increasing the probabilities of increased online leads, conversions and brand awareness. But once the strategy is set in motion, don’t think “we’re done!” Just like a car needs regular oil changes to help that engine to keep running smoothly, your website should undergo scheduled SEO maintenance, including planned audits. There are many benefits of an SEO audit – the task of analyzing your website’s performance to evaluate areas of the site that are performing well, and opportunities for improvement – including improved user experience (UX), increased understanding of competitor rankings, optimal keywords and more. Let’s explore more closely: Improved User Experience An audit can showcase any issues that may negatively impact the user experience, allowing you to make necessary adjustments. Is the website architecture easy to navigate? Do meta titles and descriptions lead to the correct content? Are links still viable and not leading to a 404-error page? Items such as form locations, links, CTAs, and content organization can all be evaluated for performance. It’s worth noting that while you’re working to improve UX, search engines are as well. Keeping up with changing best practice standards for code and UX, which search engines like Google and Yahoo regularly update, can ensure your site is viewed favorably by their ever-changing algorithms.   Where Do You Stand Next to Competitors? One benefit of an SEO audit that is often overlooked is competitor analysis. Examining where your competitors rank for identified keywords, especially the ones that may be higher on SERP rankings than your site, can help identify areas of improvement and give insight into what users are searching for. Over time, you’ll get a picture of how current and new competitors are ranking by comparison and how to rank above them in the SERPs. Make Sure Your Keywords are “Key” for Your Users Keyword research is critical throughout the life cycle of a website. An audit allows for review of the target phrases currently used and how they rank, as well as keywords you’d like to rank for but currently do not. Analysis and review can also evaluate the likelihood that your site will rank for specific keywords. A good keyword audit gives a clear picture of what users are searching for, giving you an optimal opportunity to provide content to help solve their problem or answer their question. And That’s Just the Beginning  There are many more benefits of an SEO audit than just listed above. Audit results can help you identify ways to improve: Our Agency is Here to Support Your SEO Efforts  If you are ready to examine your SEO, our team is here to support you. With two decades of experience, we can examine data points such as rankings, user performance, conversion optimization, competitive analysis, and an array of other data, to ensure your SEO is fully optimized and working to drive sales for your business. Contact us and experience the benefits of an SEO audit.  Stifel Marcin – The B2B Marketing Agency Unlike many advertising and marketing agencies, B2B isn’t just something that we do, it’s all we do. We’ll work to help your brand achieve its goals through the strategic combination of creativity, communication and technology. Our focused client intake processes give us the ability to thoroughly understand your business, products and objectives, working to identify the competitive advantages and opportunities that will grow awareness, leads and sales. We develop innovative marketing plans with strategic, data-driven processes, presenting complex ideas and compelling messages that position your business ahead of the competition. As your cooperative partner, our integrated B2B marketing agency is dedicated to your success. Interested in learning more about SEO and the benefits of an audit? Our team can help. Fill out our contact form above and we will be in touch shortly.

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