Marketing technology continues to advance as rapidly as production technology, and we here at CoreElement were interested in knowing whether or not industrial manufacturers have been keeping up with the times. Do more with less isn’t optional. Marketing is no exception. The latest tools offer intriguing possibilities when paired with new media. The question is whether manufacturers are adopting and adapting to this new world. So we decided to ask - from presidents to CEOs to VPs to sales managers - industrial manufacturers all about their marketing strengths, weaknesses, strategy and tactics. Here are some of the findings. For full survey results go to http://Core-El.com.

1. Industrial Marketing 2014:
International Survey of
Manufacturers
A CoreElement Special Report
core-el.com

2. Survey Purpose: Answer This Question
1
How are Industrial Manufacturers
Adapting to the New World?
For full survey results visit Core-el.com

3. 380 responses: The Questions
2
Respondents answered 40 questions on 7 subjects:
• Sales Techniques & Tactics
• Marketing Strategy & Intelligence
• Marketing Automation
• Website Design & Function
• Social Media Commitment
• Social Media Usage
• Optimization

4. 380 responses : Respondents
3
Sales managers, presidents, managing directors & CEOs
from middle market industrial manufacturers that:
• Span 4 continents
• Have annual revenues ranging from less than
$10 million to in excess of $500 million
• Employ from fewer than 25 employees
to over 10,000
Most are private, family held businesses
and two-thirds have international reach.

5. Respondent Economic Outlooks: Company Confidence
4
Nearly
74%
are “confident” or “very confident”
in the outlook for their company.
How confident are you in the outlook for your company?
1%
7%
18%
44%
We will have our
share of problems
30%
Worried

6. Respondent Economic Outlooks: Economic Concerns
5
Manufacturers remain uneasy about the slow economic
recovery in the U.S.
What are your current economic concerns?

7. Sales Techniques & Tactics: New Customer Sources
6
The chosen sales and marketing strategy of most industrial
manufacturers remains predictably “old-school.”
Which of the following are sources of new customers for your company?

8. Marketing Strategy & Intelligence: Marketing as a Budgeted Activity
7
Is marketing a budgeted activity for your company?
2%
1%
23%
43%
31%
31%
Nearly a third of industrial
manufacturers do not treat
marketing as a budgeted item.

9. Marketing Strategy & Intelligence: Marketing Management
8
84%
of manufacturers are doing all
marketing in-house.
Marketing departments may be
undermanned and overworked.

10. Marketing Automation: Lead Conversion Satisfaction
9
60%
A majority are unhappy with
their lead conversion rate.
Yet...

11. Marketing Automation: Awareness
10
...45%
are unaware of marketing
automation.

12. Website Design & Function: Opinion of Current Site
11
Which most closely matches your opinion of your company’s current website?
10% 4%
20%
40%
26%
66%
Roughly two-thirds use their
website as lead generator or
sales tool, yet many are outdated
and lack mobile capability.
Q: Biggest website frustration?
“Too little actual lead generation.”
- T.S., USA

13. Social Media Commitment: Staffing
30%
About
12
reported making a real commitment to social
media from a staffing perspective by using
full-time staff, an external firm or a freelancer /
subcontractor.
How is your company managing your social media program?
Committed to Social Media

14. Social Media Commitment: Attitude
13
What is your general attitude toward social media for industry?
9%
3%
37%
14%
15%
22%
Worth considering
Currently testing
Positive results
May work for some,
not us
Not for industrial
companies
Should have started
sooner
23%
believe social media is either
not for them (or for industrial
companies).
The majority don’t have social
media programs or aren’t
tracking results.

15. Social Media Usage in Industrial Marketing: Platform
46%
14
nearly half, are sharing content
via Twitter.
Which social media platforms are your company currently using?

16. Search Engine Optimization: Analysis
15
How would you grade the quality of your company’s SEO analysis?
6%
6%
32%
25%
31%
We don't perform
analysis
Good, it provides
useful information
Fair, it's interesting,
but we're not sure
how to use the data
Excellent, it
contributes to our
decision process
Poor, the analysis is
useless
62%
state search engine
optimization (“SEO”) is
critical to companies’ overall
marketing strategies.

17. Key Findings
16
1
2
3
Industrial manufacturers are unaware of, or have not
embraced, marketing automation, nor new strategies,
including content marketing.
They remain rather “old-school” with their tactics,
relying heavily on trade shows and cold-calling as
new customer sources.
Industrial manufacturers are not dedicating the time,
money or manpower necessary for finding marketing
success, particularly in the area of social media.

18. 17
Marketing Strategy & Planning
CRM Implementation & Administration
Marketing Automation
Lead Generation / In-bound Marketing
Content Creation
Social Media
Website Design
Search Optimization
Email Marketing Campaigns
Tracking: Statistics & Analysis
CoreElement creates and implements
effective industrial marketing programs for
manufacturers that leverage the power and
intelligence of the internet.

19. For full survey results
visit Core-el.com
Call: 216-400-8201
Cleveland, OH USA 44119
sales@core-el.com
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