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How do I choose the right CRM for a manufacturing business?

Choosing the right CRM for your manufacturing business

<p>B2B marketing involves the kinds of strategies and channels that are totally alien to B2C marketers. Many B2B manufacturers rely on RFPs as a primary method of generating new business. Whether public tenders or private opportunities, the RFP process is familiar to most industrial companies. Highly competitive and often tedious and costly to respond to, RFPs can deliver millions of dollars in contracts to your business—if you’re able to win them!</p>
<p>Our agency has extensive experience both responding to and writing for public and private RFPs. We do it for our own business as well as on behalf of our clients. We’ve had many successes (and failures!) through the years. Today, we’re going to share our top ten tips to help you close more RFPs. Let’s get started.</p>
<h2>#1: Review the RFP page-by-page</h2>
<p>One of the easiest ways to derail an RFP response is to jump right in without any preparation. When an exciting RFP lands on your desk, it can be easy to see dollar signs and skip straight to writing your response.</p>
<p>The problem is, RFPs are complex—sometimes on purpose. There’s a common teaching exercise you may be familiar with, where the instructor passes out a long list of instructions: fold this paper twice, then write your name on the back, then draw a cat on the front, etc.</p>
<p>The very last instruction will be something like “disregard all previous instructions and hand in the paper as-is”. The lesson? Read the instructions fully before you get started.</p>
<p>In our experience, RFPs include important details in seemingly unimportant places. It can be easy to miss a requirement or misunderstand an instruction if we aren’t thorough about assessing the RFP.</p>
<p>Whenever you receive an RFP, take the time to scan it thoroughly. Take notes as you go. Turn those notes into a document outline. It’s boring and time-consuming, but effective. You’re far less likely to miss something important if you commit to a review process.</p>
<h2>#2. Do a background search</h2>
<p>No, not a <em>criminal</em> background search. At the end of the day, RFPs get evaluated by people. People are messy bundles of bias, personal preference, and opinion. Knowing who is likely to read your RFP (and what makes them tick) can help you prepare a response that speaks to them.</p>
<p>If it’s a private RFP, do some LinkedIn research and see if you can identify the leadership team most likely to read your response. If possible, tap your mutual connections. See if you’re friendly with anyone who can give you the inside scoop on the organization. You’d be amazed at the insights you can glean from a 10-minute phone call with someone “on the inside”.</p>
<p>For public RFPs, it can be very easy to find who’s evaluating your response, or very difficult. For example, some public RFPs for municipal projects list exactly who will be responsible for scoring and evaluation. In other cases, it’s easy to infer from a staff directory on their website. For military, state, or federal contracts, it can be difficult or impossible to identify stakeholders. Still, do the best you can.</p>
<h2>#3. Spy on your competitors (then SWOT yourself)</h2>
<p>The other factor in every RFP response is competition. In many cases, public RFPs will include a list of companies that have downloaded the RFP documents, submitted a response, or requested information. During your background search, you may hear from a friend of a friend which companies are bidding, or even who the front-runner or existing contract holder is.</p>
<p>Even if you can’t get any competitor data, you can often infer who you’re up against. Which companies have established relationships with the RFP issuer? Are there any local service providers or major brands that are likely to be interested?</p>
<p>Once you have a real or imagined list of competitors, perform a SWOT analysis on yourself. Consider the prospective client’s needs in relation to the service offering of your competitors. We’re looking to understand how we can best stack up against competition. That means downplaying weaknesses and threats while emphasizing strengths and opportunities. This exercise ensures your selling propositions and value adds stand out among the competition.</p>
<p></p>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2402" src="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/Spying-on-your-competitors.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="727" srcset="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/Spying-on-your-competitors.jpg 1920w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/Spying-on-your-competitors-300x114.jpg 300w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/Spying-on-your-competitors-1024x388.jpg 1024w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/Spying-on-your-competitors-768x291.jpg 768w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/Spying-on-your-competitors-1536x582.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" />
<h2>#4. Score and prioritize opportunities (before you start writing)</h2>
<p>One of the most common issues we’ve seen companies struggle with when responding to RFPs is a poor selection process. Wayne Gretzky might say you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, which is good advice for most things. Not so for RFPs. A single RFP response might take a team a week to prepare—sometimes more, sometimes less. There is a heavy cost to be paid when pursuing no-win RFPs. What’s a no-win RFP? It’s any bidding opportunity where you estimate your chance to be chosen or shortlisted is less than 10%.</p>
<p>When the pipeline starts running dry and the sales team gets desperate, every RFP looks like a home run. Just keep in mind the opportunity cost of bidding on the wrong jobs. Not only will you not win the RFP; you’ll waste the resources of your response team, burning through budget that could be applied to fewer, better opportunities.</p>
<h2>#5. Spend more time on less writing</h2>
<p>No, you don’t want to submit a minimalist response that barely answers the issuer’s questions. No, you don’t need to stay within some strict page or word count to deliver an effective response.</p>
<p>But you do need to balance brevity with thoroughness. You must focus on delivering a quality, cogent argument for why the issuer needs to work with you specifically.</p>
<p>As we established in our previous point, it’s best to focus on relevance and winnability over volume. This is true for identifying opportunities, but it’s also true for content production. <a href="https://loopio.com/blog/rfp-statistics-win-rates/">Research shows</a> that the average RFP response time is over 30 hours. Some large companies spend 40+ hours writing each response. This is the level of investment, care, and attention required to achieve high win rates. Note that an increase in time spent writing does not correlate with an increase in document length. A 50-page response written in 40 hours will be more thoroughly edited and vetted than the same length document written in 20 hours, all else being equal.</p>
<p>It can be hard to justify the expense of a 30–40-hour RFP document, but remember what you stand to win. In the B2B manufacturing sector, many RFPs are worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. You only need to win one or two more RFPs than you would have otherwise to justify the high cost of submission.</p>
<h2>#6. Codify your content</h2>
<p>Motor enthusiasts might be familiar with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_R_engine">Toyota’s 22R engine.</a></p>
<p>The 22R was the last engine developed in Toyota’s long-lived R series, first released in 1982 before receiving an overhaul in 1985. Believe it or not, it’s an engine still in demand among Toyota enthusiasts. Well known for being near-indestructible while offering decent power and fuel efficiency, the R series of engines was in continual production for over 40 years. 40 years!</p>
<p>Toyota identified a winning formula and stuck with it, making slow and steady improvements over nearly a half a century to compete with newer platforms. This is how you should treat your RFP content.</p>
<p>If you’ve won RFPs in the past, hold on to those responses. See if you can interview anyone from the review team to find out what made you come out on top. Collect and standardize top-performing RFP response content so you can use it again later!</p>
<p>Too many inexperienced RFP teams start from scratch for every new response. Unless you’re responding to a completely new kind of RFP, you should lean on what’s worked before. It may not look “fresh” to your experienced eyes. Just remember that your audience will be seeing it for the first time.</p>
<p></p>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2403" src="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/codify-your-process.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="727" srcset="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/codify-your-process.jpg 1920w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/codify-your-process-300x114.jpg 300w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/codify-your-process-1024x388.jpg 1024w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/codify-your-process-768x291.jpg 768w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/codify-your-process-1536x582.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" />
<h2>#7. Compete on more than just price</h2>
<p>Some of the more pessimistic RFP respondents out there believe that it all comes down to price. No matter how shiny and new your response is, if you aren’t competitive on price, you aren’t competitive at all.</p>
<p>In our experience, this isn’t true. Early in our business journey, we started responding to lots of RFPs. Some we won, most we didn’t. At that stage in our business, we were confident that we weren’t just competitive on price—we were typically the cheapest vendor by far. Combining a low hourly rate with a keen desire to prove ourselves, we undercut expected bids just to build our portfolio.</p>
<p>And it usually wasn’t enough. We’d lose to huge agencies on the backs of their purported industry expertise—companies we knew for a fact were charging many times our rate.</p>
<p>When we won, I’m sure price was a factor. But it was far from the only one. We’d hear from RFP issuers about the quality of the design of our document, or our unique and personal approach to addressing their challenges. Ensure your response team has access to design resources, quality photos, and other visual enhancements to ensure each document they send is fully optimized for the reader.</p>
<p>All that to say, if you’re neglecting design, personalization, or other subtle value adds in your responses, you’re leaving money on the table—regardless of what you’re charging.</p>
<h2>#8. RFP responses are a team exercise</h2>
<p>Many of our clients are small and mid-sized businesses that don’t have the luxury of running a whole department for RFP management. Where large companies might have a team of up to ten people working on RFP selection and response development, many small companies have one person whose job responsibilities include (among many other tasks) responding to RFPs.</p>
<p>Regardless of the size of your team, it’s important to introduce more oversight and feedback in the response development process. An RFP is a complicated document; a response equally so. Find other people within your organization that can review the response with your writer. That could be company leadership, sales, or anyone else with a keen eye for detail and strong knowledge of your company. You never know what mistakes you may uncover, or what optimizations might be revealed by including more feedback.</p>
<p></p>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2404" src="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/work-as-a-team.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="727" srcset="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/work-as-a-team.jpg 1920w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/work-as-a-team-300x114.jpg 300w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/work-as-a-team-1024x388.jpg 1024w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/work-as-a-team-768x291.jpg 768w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/work-as-a-team-1536x582.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" />
<h2>#9. Ask good questions</h2>
<p>Most RFPs, particularly public RFPs, offer a question period for respondents to seek clarity about the project so they can bid accurately. This is a twofold opportunity for savvy bidders.</p>
<p>First, clarity is great! You have a chance to better understand the ins and outs of the project. You’ll hear from the issuer, in the issuer’s own words, about exactly what they want and need from you. This can give context clues about the selection committee—what’s the tone of their response? Are they thorough in answering questions, or brief?</p>
<p>Second, it allows bidders to get their name and contact information in front of the selection committee early. Asking good questions shows that you’re paying attention. In a sea of rapidly assembled templated responses, you’re looking to customize the solution for their exact needs. What RFP issuer wouldn’t want that?</p>
<p>Ensure your questions are logical and double-check that they aren’t answered in the text of the RFP. Asking a question that could be answered by reading the text is a good way to look sloppy in front of a prospective client. Try to ask leading questions with a strategic/value add angle. Ask about wish-list features or propose more effective methods to complete the task.</p>
<p>There’s little risk in asking questions, but the reward—whether it’s better intel to write a great response, or better brand recognition when it comes time to shortlist applicants—is well worth it.</p>
<h2>#10. Know where you’re going (and where you’ve been)</h2>
<p>Many businesses submit a response…</p>
<p>…then move on to the next one. No follow-up, no post-mortem. Get responses out the door <em>en masse</em> and hope for the best.</p>
<p>It’s okay to follow up, even if you lost the bid. You might get ghosted, but you’ll often get a response back with some details on where you scored poorly. In fact, it’s a great way to optimize future responses.</p>
<p>Speaking of which, if you don’t know where you’re coming from, you don’t know where you’re going. Tracking performance over time is the only way to ensure you’re getting better and making the right adjustments.</p>
<p><a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/implementing-a-crm-four-reasons-why-crms-fail">If you don’t use a CRM, you should.</a> If you do, you should consider creating pipelines and records for RFP responses, including follow-up procedures and detailed outcome reports. This empowers you with data. If you’re a manager trying to get more out of your team, you can show them that win rate is lagging and show them where you’re falling short. If you’re the response writer yourself, you can use data to validate and justify your company’s investment in RFPs—or even ask for a raise!</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>None of these recommendations are earth-shattering revelations. I’m sure many readers do most of what we’ve listed already. But if you’re reading this, it’s because you’d like to win more RFPs. Follow through on these ten recommendations and you <em>will</em> see an improvement in win rate. These are the ingredients for a great RFP response.</p>
<p>It’s time to get cooking.</p>
<p></p>

10 tips to make your next RFP response stand out from the crowd

<h2>Introduction</h2>
<p>Fractional marketing services are a trending topic in the B2B marketing world. Many businesses need some marketing support throughout the year. They don&#8217;t want the cost and complexity of an in-house marketing department. For businesses like this, fractional marketing is perfect. A fractional marketing engagement gives businesses flexible part-time support from marketing leaders.</p>
<p>The most popular fractional marketing role is the CMO, or Chief Marketing Officer. Let’s look at fractional CMO engagements. We’ll discuss the nature of the role and the benefits a fractional CMO provides. Then, we’ll dig into the details of BlackBean’s very own fractional CMO program.</p>
<p><em>Looking for general information on fractional marketing services? Check out our full guide, <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/fractional-marketing-team-in-house-marketing-without-the-overhead">Fractional Marketing: In-House Marketing Without the Headache</a>.</em></p>
<h2>What is a fractional CMO?</h2>
<p>A Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is an experienced marketing professional. They are usually a current or former executive. They provide part-time strategic leadership to your business on a contract basis. This role offers high-level marketing guidance for B2B companies. They are usually cheaper than a full time chief marketing officer.</p>
<p>A full-time CMO is an integrated part of your leadership team. Fractional CMOs provide coaching and strategic oversight without becoming a permanent team member. They are ideal partners for sales and marketing audits. Fractional CMOs are perfect when assisting with new marketing efforts and campaigns. They help oversee major organizational change of your sales and marketing department.</p>
<h2>Responsibilities of a Fractional CMO</h2>
<p>A fractional CMO may offer a range of services, including:</p>
<ul>
<li>Leading and guiding the marketing team to achieve strategic goals.</li>
<li>Developing and executing positioning, segmentation, and messaging strategies.</li>
<li>Taking charge of product pricing, go-to-market planning, and launch strategies.</li>
<li>Enhancing and optimizing clients&#8217; online presence for most impact.</li>
<li>Establishing and maintaining marketing and sales automation infrastructure.</li>
<li>Crafting prospect onboarding and nurturing programs for lead conversion.</li>
<li>Creating customer retention and loyalty campaigns to boost satisfaction.</li>
<li>Managing branding, public relations, and trademark strategies.</li>
<li>Spearheading content marketing initiatives and thought leadership efforts.</li>
<li>Overseeing both paid search and organic search marketing strategies.</li>
<li>Identifying and recruiting top talent while ensuring seamless onboarding.</li>
<li>Preparing marketing materials to support fundraising efforts.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Why choose a Fractional CMO?</h2>
<p>A fractional CMO is more than a part-time marketing team member. You will work with a marketing pro on targeted initiatives to grow your business. A fractional leader is an experienced business owner or manager. They know the ins and outs (and ups and downs) of running a business. They can act as a trusted high-level partner and sounding board for your leadership.</p>
<p>A fractional engagement is short term and targeted. They offer benefits that a long-term employee cannot. Fractional CMOs aren’t afraid to ruffle some feathers. They commit to growing your business, not to making friends. This frees them up to provide candid, direct advice. A fractional CMO can see the forest for the trees.</p>
<h2>Who should work with an FCMO?</h2>
<p>Established businesses benefit most from a fractional CMO. A fractional engagement can hit the ground running with your historic marketing data. They can find top opportunities for growth, then act decisively. A fractional CMO will help you focus on actions to achieve marketing clarity. They strive to increase performance as fast as possible.</p>
<h2>What to look for in a CMO</h2>
<p>The most important part of choosing a fractional CMO is fit. There are many experienced and talented CMOs to choose from. You need to find the one that suits your needs and working style best. Even though their engagement with your company is short, it&#8217;s impactful. Your F-CMO will need access to sensitive information and may need to work closely with your team. You need a trustworthy partner with experience in your industry.</p>
<p>When evaluating a CMO engagement, consider the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Will you enjoy working with them? Your enjoyment may not be the ultimate goal of the engagement, but it matters. If you dislike working with the CMO, you may not commit to their suggestions and initiatives.</li>
<li>Does their professional experience align with your needs? If you work in hospitality, you should find a CMO familiar with the industry. No two verticals are alike. Find someone whose skills are most relevant to your needs.</li>
<li>Can you afford their services? Pricing for fractional CMOs varies based on experience and reputation. While a reputable CMO is likely to do good work, make sure that your budget can support their high price tag.</li>
<li>Does their process suit yours? Some businesses need more high-level, conceptual support. Others need hands-on, practical intervention. Don&#8217;t hire a high-level consultant if you need a hands-on manager! Have an alignment call before making any commitments.</li>
</ul>
<h2>The critical value of expertise</h2>
<p>A fractional CMO isn’t a freelance marketer. They are executive staff with executive experience. A good CMO should understand the complexities of running a business. Fractional CMOs often specialize in particular industries. They may excel at specific marketing tactics and strategies. It’s critical that you find a CMO that suits your industry and your needs.</p>
<h2>Coaching &amp; consultation for business growth</h2>
<p>Besides guiding your marketing team, fractional CMOs offer personalized coaching and consultation. Many business owners and executives enjoy peer-to-peer discussion, advisement, or even debate! The idea is not to hire a “yes man” who will tell you what you want to hear. A good fractional CMO can challenge your leaders to grow and adapt.</p>
<h2>Advantages of Fractional CMOs</h2>
<p>The primary benefits of hiring a fractional CMO include cost, efficiency, and flexibility.</p>
<p>A fractional CMO engagement is less expensive than hiring a full-time position. It offers your business a chance to test the waters. Use a fractional engagement to test whether a permanent CMO role would add value to your team.</p>
<p>Fractional CMO engagements are efficient. The goal of a fractional CMO is to oversee, coach, and consult. By focusing on these services, they deliver value even within a limited schedule.</p>
<p>Finally, hiring a fractional CMO is flexible. Some clients want a short, intense engagement with several consultations per week. Others want monthly check-ins over the course of a year or more. A fractional CMO will work with you to find a cadence that works best for everyone involved.</p>
<h2>What does a Fractional CMO cost?</h2>
<p>Pricing structures for fractional CMOs vary. Many fractional marketing companies offer packages for as-needed marketing support. For example, you may pay $1,000 for 5 sessions as needed throughout a calendar year.</p>
<p>Other companies work on a contract or retainer basis. This could be a structured engagement or an unstructured &#8220;bucket of hours&#8221;. A structured engagement might include one call each week plus labour time. An unstructured retainer allows you to spend more or less time each month as needed. This can be useful when the client&#8217;s needs aren&#8217;t immediately clear, or change. A typical hourly rate for fractional CMOs can range from $100/hr to $500/hr or more based on their experience.</p>
<p>Contracting a fractional CMO can be a good idea to oversee critical projects, like adopting a CRM. In this case, you may pay a project rate based on the scope and difficulty of the implementation. This is usually a flat fee with an expected start and completion date. CRM setup, training, and onboarding might be a $20,000 project billed over one business quarter.</p>
<p>Finally, some fractional marketing companies charge based on their performance. Say a fractional marketing company launches a campaign on behalf of a company. They may charge commission on all sales attributed to the campaign. If specific, agreed-upon marketing benchmarks are met, they may charge a performance fee. This kind of fee structure can be very appealing to companies. You only pay full price if goals are met! It&#8217;s important to remember the cost of risk. Performance fee marketing companies with may demand higher payment than rate-based companies.</p>
<h2>BlackBean’s B2B Fractional CMO Services</h2>
<p>We are currently accepting applications for fractional CMO engagements. Curious about hiring a fractional CMO? get in touch with us today for a free no-obligation consultation.</p>
<h3>Global Focus</h3>
<p>Our team’s specialized background make us a great fit for B2B industrial companies. We have lived and worked in cities around the world, from Hong Kong to Milan. We apply our unique insights into the global business community to every recommendation.</p>
<h3>Tailored Engagements for Each Client</h3>
<p>No two businesses are exactly alike. We customize every CMO engagement to best suit your needs. We accommodate for your schedule, communication style, and your company’s needs. The nature of our engagement ranges for each client. Anywhere from personal one-on-one consultation to group discussions, workshops, and free-form brainstorming sessions.</p>
<h3>Access a network of marketing professionals</h3>
<p>We&#8217;ve been lucky to work with skilled freelance marketers, and you can tap into our network. We&#8217;ll assist you in getting freelancers to help with your marketing needs.</p>
<h3>Simplify marketing complexity</h3>
<p>Do you ever feel like there’s too much to learn in one lifetime? You’re an expert at what you do—whether that’s sales, operations, or any other part of running a business. We’re marketing experts. We pride ourselves on our ability to simplify marketing concepts. We help you make informed marketing decisions without needing a marketing degree.</p>
<h3>Take action for sales growth</h3>
<p>Every business wants to boost sales. Many don’t know how they can use their marketing budget to do so. We find efficient ways to spend your marketing money. Our focus is on tangible demand generation. We provide marketing with measurable impact for every client.</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>A Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) offers part-time strategic leadership without full-time commitment. Fractional CMOs offer tailored advice to help businesses grow.</p>


Fractional CMO Guide: What to Expect From a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer

<p>Our free ebook reveals 10 ways to maximize the benefits and drive growth with a fractional CMO. Find out how to leverage resources and optimize marketing performance.</p>


Unlock the power of fractional CMO for your business!

<h2>What is Fractional Marketing?</h2>
<p>Before we define fractional marketing, let’s set the scene. The B2B world is awash in bad marketing. From poorly designed print ads to set-and-forget ad campaigns, B2B companies around the world waste billions of dollars each year on ineffective marketing strategies. Why?</p>
<p>Most B2B businesses could benefit from marketing support, but they don’t necessarily need a full in-house team. Consider some of the primary marketing activities for B2B companies: trade shows and exhibitions, webinars, demos, whitepapers…</p>
<p>Marketing for B2B companies can be more sporadic than for consumer brands. It can be tough to justify full-time salaries and benefits for a team that might only be tasked to capacity for a few big events each year. What many businesses really need is an experienced part-time marketing department.</p>
<p>Here’s the challenge: experienced marketing teams usually want full-time work! It’s hard to hire quality help on a part-time or short-term basis. Businesses either over-hire, adding bloat to their marketing department or executive structure in order to cover their bases, or roll marketing responsibilities into an existing administrative role.</p>
<p>Enter fractional marketing. A fractional marketing agency is a well-rounded team of marketing professionals that provide services to multiple companies—hence “fractional”. Each company they work with receives a fraction of their total working hours each week for the course of their engagement. This provides companies with the option to maintain a long-term relationship with a marketing team while avoiding the payroll overhead of hiring in-house.</p>
<p>Hiring a fractional marketing agency can mean hiring a whole team, or hiring individual members of the team if you only require specific marketing services.</p>
<h2>Is a Fractional Marketing Agency Right For You?</h2>
<p>There are many factors that influence whether fractional marketing will work for your business. If you meet some or all of the following criteria, you may wish to consider fractional marketing services.</p>
<h3>Small and mid-sized businesses trying to scale</h3>
<p>SMBs can experience growing pains when trying to take the next step. As businesses grow, their overhead expands. Increased investment in marketing is crucial when looking to scale, but adding the long-term expense of a full-time marketing department can derail progress. Fractional marketing provides a great middle way between contracting and hiring in-house.</p>
<h3>Temporary or cyclical demand for products and services</h3>
<p>Many businesses in the industrial sector have high and low seasons for their marketing. Perhaps you do most of your selling during trade show season, or maybe your product is highly seasonal. In either case, it can be difficult to justify a marketing team year-round. A 3-6 month annual engagement with a fractional agency may be a great fit for seasonal businesses.</p>
<h3>Structured for remote work</h3>
<p>Over the past several years, many businesses adapted to partially or entirely remote work environments. These teams are primed to work with fractional marketers as they already have the skills, tools, and expectations needed. If your team hasn’t successfully navigated remote working in the past, fractional marketing may not be a good fit.</p>
<h3>In need of consultation and outside voices</h3>
<p>In some cases, a fractional marketing team can provide a second layer of consideration and oversight working alongside an in-house team. If you need a new perspective on your sales and marketing challenges, a short or medium-term engagement with a fractional marketing agency may be a good idea.</p>
<h2>Benefits of Fractional Marketing</h2>
<p>There are a number of benefits to fractional marketing, including:</p>
<h3>Lower Risk</h3>
<p>When you hire an employee, you’re taking on a big risk. Beyond their salary, employees are expensive! You need to account for benefits, payroll tax, equipment and software costs, and much more. Depending on labour laws in your area, it can be tricky to fire or lay off staff after their probation period.</p>
<p>Fractional marketing reduces risk. By negotiating a short-term “trial” contract, you can evaluate the performance of the fractional marketing team before committing to a long-term relationship. Since you’re hiring a contractor, you will not be subject to the same labour laws and added expenses of hiring an employee directly.</p>
<h3>Faster onboarding</h3>
<p>Hiring an employee means committing to an onboarding process as you get them up to speed. They will need to learn your rules and regulations, working and communication styles, and best practices. It will take time for them to integrate into your team and start performing their best.</p>
<p>While fractional marketing teams aren’t immune to onboarding, they are explicitly intended as a drop-in marketing solution for enterprise. Provided you remain focused on outcomes and results rather than micro-managing processes, fractional teams can get up to speed within days and provide immediate high quality support.</p>
<h3>Flexible and scalable</h3>
<p>Your relationship with a fractional marketing company can ramp up or down depending on your needs. For instance, you could start with just a couple hours per week of strategy and consulting, increasing to twenty hours per week of design and print management during peak trade show season.</p>
<p>If your needs outstrip a fractional company’s available supply, don’t fret. Many fractional agencies can scale their own capacity through trusted subcontractors, providing additional support during periods of very high utilization.</p>
<h3>Focus on what you do best</h3>
<p>When compared to sales and operations, marketing tends to be an afterthought. It’s still really important!</p>
<p>If a business hires a marketing person or team without marketing leadership in place, it can turn into a make-work problem for your executives. The marketing team will go to your company leadership for approval on initiatives, distracting them from focusing on their own expertise.</p>
<p>With a fractional marketing team, leadership comes baked in. After onboarding with your company, our fractional team will work with your leadership to confirm and verify goals and objectives. Then, they’ll get to work under the direction of our experienced CMO. You can keep doing what you do best, only involving yourself in marketing during scheduled check-in calls.</p>
<h2>Drawbacks of Fractional Marketing</h2>
<p>Of course, not every business is a good fit for fractional marketing. Here are a few reasons why fractional marketing may not be for you:</p>
<h3>100% alignment isn’t possible</h3>
<p>The nature of a fractional team straddles the line between a typical contract agency and an in-house team. However, it cannot offer the same level of alignment that an in-house team does. Fundamentally, it is a remote team with its own best practices, working in a siloed environment. If you prefer to have total control over processes, workplace composition, or other elements of your marketing team, a fractional relationship may not be a good fit. However, if you’re focused on outcomes and prefer to stay hands-off when it comes to process, fractional marketing is a great fit.</p>
<h3>Shifting priorities/availability</h3>
<p>For businesses seeking a years-long relationship with a marketing team, there is some risk that the business composition and priorities may change. A fractional agency has an impetus to satisfy the needs of their existing clientele before adding new clients/removing hours from their available labour pool. However, availability is tough to guarantee over the very long term. As your business (and the fractional agency) grow and change, you may fall out of alignment.</p>
<h3>External dependencies can introduce risk</h3>
<p>Some businesses may not appreciate the risk of operating their marketing through an external partner. Should the relationship sour or unexpectedly come to a close, companies can find themselves scrambling to replace their marketing team. It’s worth noting that the same issues may arise from internal teams: a disgruntled employee or unexpected retirement can derail operations for in-house teams just as easily. Nonetheless, it’s worth considering contingency plans when working with a fractional partner.</p>
<h2>Fractional Marketing Roles</h2>
<h3><a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/fractional-cmo-guide-what-expect-fractional-cmo">Fractional CMO</a></h3>
<p>A fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) provides strategic oversight and industry expertise at a high level. This is a great fractional role to explore for businesses that have the capacity to produce marketing assets and run campaigns, but lack an experienced leader to oversee these activities.</p>
<p>Hiring a fractional CMO offers flexible support and big picture planning without the typical cost of an executive salary. It’s very popular for businesses conducting marketing audits or preparing for change in their marketing operations.</p>
<h3>Fractional Marketing Director</h3>
<p>Marketing directors operate below the executive level while still providing high level marketing leadership. A fractional marketing director “leads from the trenches”, directly involving themselves in campaign and asset development and taking an active role in planning, design, configuration, and reporting.</p>
<p>Fractional marketing directors are ideal for companies with strong executive leadership but limited hands-on marketing experience. They may provide mentorship, spearhead new initiatives, or improve existing processes from within your existing marketing team. Consider a fractional marketing director when you require hands-on leadership in a more direct way than what a CMO typically offers.</p>
<h3>Fractional Design Team</h3>
<p>Not all fractional roles are at the leadership level. A fractional design team can provide you with a consistent bucket of hours each week for developing high quality visual assets. Outsourcing design to a remote fractional team is particularly useful for businesses with a clear vision of their marketing. If your business has strong leadership but limited production support, a fractional design team may be the missing piece in your marketing.</p>
<h3>Fractional Web Development</h3>
<p>Work never stops on the world wide web. From evolving security and privacy standards to emergency support and routine updates, web development is an often-overlooked expense for modern businesses. Fractional web development services provide consistent and timely support from a dedicated account manager for all manner of web and IT services. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your website over time, build a custom feature for your clients or team members, or just want to rest easy knowing your website’s fast and secure, fractional web development might be a great option for your business.</p>


Fractional Marketing Team: In-House Marketing Without the Overhead

<p>Discover how to get the benefits of a full-time CMO without the overhead in this free ebook. Learn ten proven insider techniques to unlock the power of a fractional CMO and maximize your return.</p>


Get 10 expert tips to get the most out of your fractional CMO!

<p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">If you&#8217;re looking for new marketing solutions for your manufacturing company, you&#8217;ve come to the right place. In today&#8217;s digital age, industrial marketing strategies have become more complex than ever, and it can be confusing. But don&#8217;t worry; we will help you figure it out.</p>
<p>I have been asked many times: what does &#8220;digital industrial marketing&#8221; mean? It is a term that refers to using digital channels to promote the goods and services of companies in the industrial sector, such as manufacturing, heavy equipment, chemical or ag-tech. Marketing for these types of companies includes various activities such as search engine optimization (SEO), social media advertising, email marketing (think newsletters and email blasts), trade shows and content marketing. These strategies target businesses in the B2B market, generate demand and drive sales for manufacturing companies.</p>
<p>One of the key advantages of this type of marketing is that it allows organizations to reach a wider audience than ever before. By leveraging online channels, manufacturing businesses and companies in the industrial sector can connect with potential customers across the globe and expand their business beyond traditional geographic boundaries. This can benefit small and medium-sized businesses looking to scale up their operations. How do we do this? Let&#8217;s get into it.</p>
<h2>How to market a manufacturing company</h2>
<p>Digital industrial marketing requires a unique set of skills and expertise. Unlike traditional B2C marketing, which focuses on creating brand awareness and driving consumer sales, industrial marketing strategies aim to establish long-term partnerships with other businesses. Creating a strong value proposition that speaks to potential customers&#8217; specific needs and pain points is essential.</p>
<h3>Play the long-term game.</h3>
<p>Industrial and manufacturing typically have long and complex buying processes. Digital industrial marketing allows companies to build stronger customer relationships over time. Manufacturers can establish themselves as trusted partners in their industry by staying engaged with customers through regular email newsletters, social media updates, and other forms of content. This can increase loyalty, repeat business, and positive word-of-mouth referrals.</p>
<h3>Track your marketing dollars.</h3>
<p>Digital industrial marketing also allows manufacturers to measure the success of their campaigns with greater accuracy. By tracking metrics such as website traffic, click-through rates, and conversion rates, companies can gain valuable insights into which strategies are working and which ones need improvement. This <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/an-introduction-to-data-storytelling">data-driven approach</a> can help manufacturers make more informed decisions about where to allocate their resources for maximum impact.</p>
<h3>Understand the difference between inbound and outbound industrial marketing.</h3>
<p>Inbound marketing involves creating valuable content that <em>attracts</em> potential customers to your website or social media platforms. This can include blog posts, e-books, webinars and other resources that provide useful information to your target audience.</p>
<p>On the other hand, outbound marketing involves <em>reaching out</em> to potential customers directly through channels such as email, social media advertising and telemarketing. While outbound marketing can effectively generate leads, it is often more expensive. It can be seen as intrusive if not executed properly (like those awful cold emails in your inbox).</p>
<p>Both inbound and <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/launch-a-google-ads-b2b-lead-gen-campaign-step-by-step-guide">outbound marketing strategies</a> can be effective for manufacturing people, depending on their <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/power-up-your-b2b-digital-marketing-with-smart-goals">specific goals</a> and target audience.</p>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1552 size-large" src="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/Types-of-marketing-760x1024.png" alt="Outbound vs Inbound marketing activities" width="640" height="862" />
<h2>Inbound Marketing Tactics</h2>
<p>Inbound industrial marketing is a highly effective strategy that helps manufacturers to attract, engage, and convert potential customers. Unlike traditional outbound marketing tactics, which involve interrupting potential customers with ads and cold calls, inbound marketing takes a more customer-centric approach by creating valuable content that addresses their needs and interests.</p>
<h3>Content marketing and thought leadership for manufacturers.</h3>
<p>One effective manufacturing marketing strategy is to create <em>relevant</em> and <em>valuable</em> content that educates and informs potential customers about your products or services &#8211; or what you might call &#8220;thought leadership.&#8221; With the rise of AI-generated content (<a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/why-chat-gpt-is-bad-for-seo-content-generation" target="_blank">hello, ChatGPT!</a>) and <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/googles-sge-update-will-change-seo-forever" target="_blank">Google&#8217;s upcoming SGE search</a>, producing quality content is more important than ever to differentiate from competitors.</p>
<p>By providing great information on your website, in videos or on LinkedIn, you establish yourself as an industry leader and build trust with potential customers. This approach is particularly useful for industries that require technical knowledge, such as engineering or electronics. You can demonstrate your authority and credibility in the field by sharing your expertise and insights often and consistently (don&#8217;t post 3x a month and then nothing for four months). This can be done through blog posts, whitepapers, case studies, and webinars that showcase your knowledge and experience. Make sure to capture contact information through gated content and nurture leads through targeted email campaigns!</p>
<p>Don&#8217;t stop creating the content; actively promoting it through social media channels and email marketing campaigns is important. This allows you to reach a wider audience and attract more potential customers to your website. By using targeted keywords and optimizing your content for search engines, you can also improve your visibility and rankings in search results.</p>
<h3>SEO marketing and manufacturing</h3>
<p>We wrote a whole article about <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/industrial-manufacturing-seo-what-you-need-to-know-about-seo-for-b2b" target="_blank" >SEO for industrial manufacturing,</a> so read that if you would like to understand better what search engine optimization is. If you already have a solid understanding of it, you&#8217;ll know that manufacturing companies can benefit greatly from a strong SEO strategy that improves their online visibility and helps them attract more traffic to their website.</p>
<p>One key aspect of SEO for manufacturing companies is conducting thorough keyword research to understand the search terms potential customers use to find products or services in their industry. This helps manufacturers to optimize their website content accordingly and improve their chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). In addition, building high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites can further boost a manufacturer&#8217;s online visibility and credibility. Industrial marketers should also ensure that their website is mobile-friendly and has a <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/website-marketing-performance-why-simpler-is-better" target="_blank">fast loading speed</a>, as these factors can impact their search engine rankings and overall user experience.</p>
<p>In addition to these technical aspects, manufacturers can also leverage local SEO to target customers in specific geographic locations. This is particularly important for companies that sell products or services that are location-dependent, such as ag-tech, construction materials or heavy equipment.</p>
<h3>Social media marketing for manufacturing businesses.</h3>
<p>In addition to content marketing, social media is another essential tool for digital industrial marketing. LinkedIn is a particularly valuable platform for B2B marketing, as it allows you to connect with potential customers and industry influencers. By sharing relevant and valuable content on LinkedIn regularly (2-3 times a week) and engaging with your audience, you can establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry. Other social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram can also be effective for manufacturers in building their online presence and engaging with potential customers.</p>
<p>However, it’s important to tailor your approach to each platform and understand which types of content resonate best with your target audience. For example, Twitter is a great platform for sharing quick updates and industry news, while Instagram can be used to showcase product photos and behind-the-scenes glimpses of your manufacturing process. Personally, I like Instagram as a talent/HR marketing tool; showcasing company culture, team events, etc., can go a long way to make sure you attract the right fit candidates to your manufacturing company!</p>
<h3>Hosting useful webinars for your addressable market.</h3>
<p>Webinars have become an increasingly popular manufacturing marketing strategy for industrial companies, offering a highly effective way to generate demand and attract potential customers. By hosting webinars, manufacturers can showcase their expertise, share valuable insights, and provide solutions to common industry challenges. This not only positions the company as a thought leader in the market but also creates a sense of trust and credibility among the target audience. Plus, webinars allow businesses to reach a global audience, expanding their reach beyond traditional geographical boundaries and tapping into new markets with minimal investment.</p>
<p>In addition to being a cost-effective method of reaching potential customers, webinars offer real-time interaction and engagement. Attendees can ask questions, share feedback, and participate in live discussions, creating a dynamic learning environment that fosters strong relationships between the company and its audience. Furthermore, webinars can be recorded and repurposed as evergreen content, providing a long-lasting lead generation and nurturing resource.</p>
<h3>Lead magnets for manufacturing marketing.</h3>
<p>A lead magnet is a powerful marketing tool designed to attract and engage potential customers by offering valuable content or incentives in exchange for their contact information. The primary goal of a lead magnet is to convert website visitors into leads, allowing manufacturing people to nurture these prospects through targeted marketing campaigns and ultimately convert them into <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/mql-vs-sql-vs-sal-explaining-3-b2b-lead-scoring-terms" target="_blank">sales-qualified leads</a>.</p>
<p>For manufacturing organizations, incorporating lead magnets into their inbound marketing strategies is essential for several reasons. First, it allows them to build a database of potential customers who have shown interest in their products or services. This helps segment the audience and deliver personalized content tailored to their needs, increasing the likelihood of conversions. Second, lead magnets help establish the manufacturer as an authority in their industry by providing valuable, informative content that addresses common pain points and challenges their target audience faces. This builds trust and credibility, which are crucial factors in influencing purchasing long, complex and consultative decisions typical to the industrial sector. Furthermore, lead magnets enable manufacturing businesses to stay top-of-mind with their prospects, fostering long-term relationships that can result in repeat business and <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/6-ways-to-earn-more-reviews-for-your-industrial-business" target="_blank">positive word-of-mouth referrals</a>. By leveraging the power of lead magnets, industrial organizations can significantly enhance their inbound marketing efforts, driving sustainable growth and success in today&#8217;s competitive market.</p>
<h3>Building referrals programs for your industrial customers</h3>
<p>Your company can build strong referral programs for their clients by offering incentives and rewards to both the referrer and the referred party. This can be in the form of discounts, exclusive access to new products, or even cash rewards. By providing tangible benefits, companies can encourage existing customers to share their positive experiences with their network, ultimately driving new leads and potential clients. It&#8217;s essential to make the referral process simple and seamless, allowing customers to easily share referral links through various channels such as email, social media, or even direct messaging.</p>
<p>Another crucial aspect of building a successful referral program is nurturing relationships with existing clients and fostering a sense of community in the industry. Industrial companies can achieve this by regularly engaging with their customers through personalized communication, celebrating their successes, and soliciting feedback on improving their products or services. By actively listening to their clients&#8217; needs and making them feel valued, companies can create brand advocates who are likelier to promote the business within their network. Furthermore, providing excellent customer service and consistently delivering high-quality products will solidify the company&#8217;s reputation, making it easier for clients to refer others confidently.</p>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-1551 size-large aligncenter" src="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/Inbound-Marketing-Tips-1024x950.png" alt="List of tips for a successful outbound industrial marketing strategy" width="640" height="594" />
<h2>Outbound industrial marketing tactics</h2>
<p>As we just saw, it&#8217;s important that manufacturers have strong inbound marketing strategies in place to reach potential customers and increase sales. Especially in the world of B2B marketing, outbound industrial marketing is still an effective way to promote your products or services. In this section, we will explore outbound marketing strategies for manufacturers and how they can be used to reach potential customers who may not be actively searching for (or even aware of) their products or services.</p>
<h3>Is cold-calling worthwhile for your sales team?</h3>
<p>Cold-calling, while once a popular outbound marketing strategy, may not be the most effective approach for sales teams in manufacturing companies today. In an era where consumer marketing means they are bombarded with information and have become more discerning, cold-calling can be perceived as intrusive and impersonal. This method often results in low conversion rates, as potential customers may not have the time or inclination to engage with unsolicited sales pitches.</p>
<p>Furthermore, cold-calling can consume significant resources and manpower, making it an inefficient use of a sales team&#8217;s time and energy. By focusing on more targeted and personalized marketing strategies, such as digital advertising, content marketing, and social media engagement, manufacturing companies can better connect with their audience, build trust, and ultimately drive higher sales conversions.</p>
<h3>Direct mail to influence the buying process</h3>
<p>Direct mail continues to play a significant role in influencing the buying process for manufacturing B2B clients. Despite the growing prevalence of digital marketing, direct mail offers a tangible and personalized touch that can effectively capture the attention of decision-makers within the target market. By integrating direct mail into a comprehensive marketing strategy, manufacturers can cut through the noise of online advertising and deliver tailored messages that resonate with their audience. This approach enables B2B target audiences to better understand the value proposition of the products or services being offered, fostering trust and credibility. Moreover, direct mail&#8217;s ability to incorporate visually appealing elements, such as brochures and product samples, enhances the overall impact on the recipient, ultimately driving engagement and influencing their purchasing decisions.</p>
<h3>A strong presence at trade shows and industry events.</h3>
<p>Trade shows and industry events are a great way to connect with prospective customers face-to-face and build relationships with other businesses in your industry. But you can&#8217;t just go, shake hands and call it a day: you need to <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/how-to-make-your-next-trade-show-a-success" target="_blank">plan for the &#8220;before&#8221; and &#8220;after&#8221; of your trade show</a>.</p>
<p>A well-thought-out presence at these trade events is important, including an engaging booth design, informative materials, and knowledgeable staff who can answer questions about your products or services. Consider offering demos or product samples to showcase the value of what you&#8217;re offering. Most importantly, follow up with leads after the event to continue the conversation and move them further down the sales funnel in your CRM (you have a CRM, right?).</p>
<p>A strong presence at trade shows and industry events is a powerful tool for building brand awareness and driving sales for your B2B manufacturing company, so do it right. Oh, and track your leads!</p>
<h3>Print advertisements in trade publications and magazines</h3>
<p>Print advertisement offers lots of benefits for manufacturers, providing an excellent platform to showcase their products and services. By choosing the right publications, manufacturing people can target their desired audience and enhance brand visibility. Trade publications and industry-specific magazines are valuable resources that cater to niche markets, allowing manufacturers to reach potential customers who are already interested in their field. The tangible nature of print ads also adds a sense of credibility and permanence, as readers can physically engage with the content, leaving a lasting impression.</p>
<p>Moreover, incorporating QR codes in print advertisements enables manufacturers to bridge the gap between traditional and digital marketing. By scanning the QR code, potential customers can be directed to a dedicated campaign page, which not only provides them with more information but also allows manufacturers to track ROI and gather valuable data on consumer behaviour. This seamless integration of print and digital platforms makes it easier than ever to measure the success of advertising campaigns, optimize future strategies, and maximize return on investment.</p>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1550 size-large" src="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/Outbound-Marketing-Tips-1024x950.png" alt="List of outbound marketing tips for a manufacturing company" width="640" height="594" />


Digital Marketing Strategies for Manufacturers

<p>I didn&#8217;t always do SEO. In fact, there was a time where I was largely skeptical of the process. When I started my marketing career, I did a little bit of search marketing here and there. But my first role was as a copywriter, then a sales support team member, then an advertising manager. In the years since, my role&#8217;s continued to evolve to adapt to the changing tides of online marketing. And over the past several years, that&#8217;s required adding SEO to my toolbox. It&#8217;s just too essential to avoid.</p>
<p>In the early days, I made a lot of mistakes. That&#8217;s bound to happen. Part of the <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/why-good-b2b-industrial-websites-break-the-rules">learning process</a>, right?</p>
<p>Today I want to share with you what I learned, in the hopes you&#8217;ll make fewer mistakes than I did! Without further ado, here&#8217;s my top five lessons from working in <a href="/insights/top-manufacturing-marketing-agency">B2B industrial SEO</a>. May they serve you well.</p>
<h1>“Obvious” keywords won’t get the job done</h1>
<p>So your business sells model planes. That means your target keyword is “model planes for sale”. Just write about that. Boom. SEO solved. Next?</p>
<p>Of course that’s not how it works in practice. One of the lessons I’ve learned managing SEO for niche industrial clients is that the effective keyword strategy means going way beyond the obvious.</p>
<p>If we view SEO <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/big-tent-or-small-tent-how-your-audience-size-affects-your-marketing-strategy">through our customer’s eyes</a>, we realize that our top purchasing intent keywords aren’t bloggable. What value does a blog post about “model planes for sale” have for our customer? They want to arrive at an e-commerce store for model planes, or get directions to their nearest hobby shop.</p>
<p>Now, we can optimize the website for that purchasing intent keyword, but once we hit the limits for that keyword, we have nowhere to go… unless we get a little weird with it.</p>
<p>First we have the easy answers for expanding the model planes topic. “2023’s best model planes buying guide”. “5 great model planes to build with kids”. These are good, but likely competitive topics. They aren&#8217;t terribly specific, and make for pretty obvious marketing fodder.</p>
<p>What if we get deeper? What are the pain points that our customers experience? Maybe modeling glue is really finicky. We could write about the best brands of modeling glue, new kinds of applicators that are more precise and easier to use. Maybe we know that model plane builders tend to be older adults. Are there topics about making the hobby easier for people with impaired vision, arthritis, or other age-related ailments?</p>
<p>Provided your website does a good job of pushing people from blog content to purchasing pages, newsletter sign-ups, or other valuable actions, we can extract a lot of value from “purchasing intent-adjacent” content. Get away from the obvious, and add value for users by understanding their needs.</p>
<h1>Lead gen can improve… even when volume drops</h1>
<p>What’s the number one metric for SEO?</p>
<p>If you said clicks, page views, or website traffic, that’s the popular answer. It’s also wrong.</p>
<p>For B2B companies, it’s lead gen. Plain and simple. Leads attributed to organic search should be the primary goal pursued by every industrial SEO campaign. Everything else—click volume, click-through-rate, search impressions, even <em>search rankings</em>—are used by SEOs to optimize lead generation. For business owners and sales managers, they’re nice-to-knows at best.</p>
<p>That’s because not every click, nor each user, is created equal. Barely making the first page for an insanely competitive keyword can provide much more value to a business than getting the top spot for a low-competition informational keyword.</p>
<p>I’ll give an example. A former client worked with an SEO agency to increase website traffic, and traffic went up, big time. But the biggest increase in traffic was to a handful of articles focused on DIY repair. The articles they published actively undermined their business by teaching potential customers how to complete the repairs themselves. The client effectively paid an agency to teach their customers <em>not</em> to purchase from them.</p>
<p>Conversion data revealed that these pages never generated a single lead. Not one recorded conversion, despite tens of thousands of clicks. Literal negative value.</p>
<p>An SEO agency focused on your profitability may make changes that actually <em>decrease</em> your traffic volume while improving lead generation. Replacing irrelevant but high traffic content with low traffic, ultra-high intent content, for example.</p>
<p>SEO reports can feel like a shell game, where the objective keeps getting shuffled around. <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/top-five-manufacturing-websites-in-2022-and-why">Keep your eye on the prize</a>: how is SEO affecting your business goals? Everything else is window dressing.</p>
<h1>It’s dangerous to make assumptions about your audience</h1>
<p>One of the interesting things about SEO is that it’s (largely) untargeted, outside of keyword selection. Sure, there’s some targeting baked in by language selection, writing style, or location-based content (”best hvac company Detroit”). Regardless, SEO content can reach anyone on the web who searches your target term and clicks your listing.</p>
<p>As a result, unexpected users visit your website. We’ve had clients reach potential customers in entirely new and unexpected regions as a result of search engine marketing. And not just reach them—<em><strong>close them!</strong></em></p>
<p>I can think of specific examples: Colombia, Lebanon, the United Kingdom. Places they’d never targeted before where they found valuable new customers. SEO can actually inform other marketing activities, passively reaching people you’d never profile as a high-value prospect.</p>
<h1>Your competitors suck at SEO (but so do you)</h1>
<p>An SEO article wouldn’t be complete without an audacious claim, so here it is.</p>
<p>Particularly within the industrial sector, one of my biggest lessons was that SEO is not as competitive in this sector as it is in many others. Industrial and manufacturing companies often deal with niche topics that only their competitors and customers use. Perhaps as a result, most industrial websites just don’t take SEO seriously. They’ve never had to.</p>
<p>Until you, their competitor, decides it’s time to try something new.</p>
<p>The truth is, in almost every industrial SEO engagement we’ve ever done, the client’s starting from the ground up. That’s ok! I’ve learned that industrial SEO involves a lot of fundamentals before it ever gets that strategic. There’s a laundry list of technical issues to fix for most clients, followed by tons of content best practices to implement, conversion tracking to be set up, reports configured…</p>
<p>If you’re an industrial company embarking on an SEO journey for the first time, you can expect a long road of preparation and clean-up before your SEO performance really takes flight… but once you do, it’s entirely possible to own your niche outright on Google.</p>
<h1>5 hours of thinking beats 5 hours of writing (almost) every time</h1>
<p>Despite all the best-laid plans of marketers and the<a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/services-and-industries/energy"> businesses they serve</a>, generating winning SEO content can feel like gambling. Even following every best practice, some articles just don’t win—at least not immediately.</p>
<p>It can be tempting to view SEO as “content roulette”. The more spins you bid on (articles you publish), the greater the chance that one of them hits big. So, dedicate all resources to content production, targeting your top keywords. Go, go, go!</p>
<p>This attitude is understandable, but not very effective. Let’s go back to the roulette analogy. Spending all your resources on content production is like bidding on ten different numbers each spin. You could win big, but every spin costs so much that breaking even, let alone profiting, becomes difficult.</p>
<p>Investing that time and energy into planning and strategy means a lot less content gets out the door, but the odds of that content winning are far higher. It’s more like you’re counting cards at the blackjack table. Sure, you can’t guarantee wins, but if everyone else is playing straight, you’ve got a significant—and profitable—advantage.</p>
<p>So if you have five hours to spend on your SEO this week, try spending four of them on research, analysis, and generally understanding the issue. Find the right content gap, choose the right keyword, and publish one article—not five.</p>
<p>In the end, that’s the care and attention that produces content your customers want and need. More consideration equates to better quality, which is what the SEO game’s all about.</p>


What Industrial SEO Teaches Us About Search Marketing

Development

Design

<p>BlackBean Marketing is a full-service <a href="/industrial-marketing-agency">B2B marketing agency</a> specializing in <a href="/b2b-marketing-case-studies/manufacturing-association-rebrand">marketing for manufacturing</a> and industrial companies. We provide website design, advertising, graphic design, and lead generation services to industrial businesses like yours.</p>
<h2>Why You Need an Industrial Marketing Agency</h2>
<p>As a manufacturer today, <a href="/industrial-marketing-services">digital marketing</a> is essential for gaining visibility and driving sales. Digital marketing is a tool that can help you boost your <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/how-to-generate-manufacturing-leads-for-b2b">manufacturing business</a> to the next level. With an understanding of how marketing for manufacturers works, you can unlock its potential to reach new customers, enhance brand awareness, and optimize customer engagement. Read on to learn more about the power of marketing for your business!</p>
<h2>Digital Marketing for Manufacturers: Types of Manufacturing Marketing Services</h2>
<h3>Search Engine Optimization (SEO) For Manufacturers</h3>
<p>Many businesses rely on traffic from search engines to drive their online marketing. Improving your visibility in search engines is one of the best ways to accelerate your website marketing. For B2B manufacturing companies, SEO can provide relevant, lead-generating at scale. By optimizing your website with targeted keywords, you can attract potential customers who are actively searching for products or services that your business offers. Additionally, SEO can help build trust and credibility with your audience by improving the overall user experience of your website, including its speed, usability, and mobile responsiveness. This can lead to increased engagement and conversions, ultimately driving revenue growth for your business.</p>
<p><em>Check out our SEO article, <a href="http://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/industrial-manufacturing-seo-what-you-need-to-know-about-seo-for-b2b/"><strong>SEO Explained for B2B Manufacturers.</strong></a></em></p>
<h3>Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC) For Manufacturing Lead Generation</h3>
<p>Pay-Per-Click advertising, sometimes called PPC, CPC, or search advertising, is a fast and effective way to scale online marketing performance. SEO takes time and long-term commitment to deliver value to your business. PPC is like a shortcut to lead generation. B2B manufacturers may use PPC campaigns to promote special offers, improve the visibility of new products, or even to leap-frog competitors in Google search by bidding on their top keywords.</p>
<p><em>Check out our case study on PPC advertising: <a href="/b2b-marketing-case-studies/construction-distributor-google-ads"><strong>Distributor scales digital marketing to 7.5x ROI with search ads</strong></a></em></p>
<h3>Content Marketing For Manufacturing</h3>
<p>Content marketing goes hand-in-hand with SEO. B2B manufacturers sell complex products with equally complex selling propositions. Helping your customers understand what you offer and why your product is the best fit for their business requires great content! Manufacturing content market extends past the blog page. Print articles, case studies, white papers, and brochures all fall under the umbrella of content marketing. Use attractive and well-written content to establish trust with your customers, explain complex offers, and increase the visibility of your business, both on- and offline.</p>
<p><em>Read about how you can make your content go the extra mile with <a href="/insights/b2b-omnichannel-marketing-use-your-brand-to-grow-your-business/"><strong>omnichannel marketing strategies</strong></a></em></p>
<h3>Cold Outreach Marketing for Manufacturers</h3>
<p>Cold outreach is about more than just phone calls. Sometimes, you can&#8217;t wait for leads to come to you. Outbound marketing, such as cold outreach on social media and email, can be a cornerstone of your lead-generation efforts. By establishing a targeted outreach strategy, you can reach the right people at the right time to maximize the chances of making a sale. Through the power of marketing automation, follow-up and lead nurturing is a breeze.</p>
<h3>Trade Show Marketing For Manufacturers</h3>
<p>For many manufacturers, annual trade shows are their marketing mecca. Are you getting the most out of the shows you attend? Implement tools to track leads better, attract more visitors with exceptional booth design, and learn how to make your brand stick out in a sea of other exhibitors. Trade shows can offer incredible ROI or be a huge sink of time and money. Strategy makes all the difference, so <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/how-to-make-your-next-trade-show-a-success">make sure you make your next show a success</a>.<br />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-429" src="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/trade-show-infographic.jpg" alt="how to nurture a lead at a trade show" width="2500" height="1315" srcset="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/trade-show-infographic.jpg 2500w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/trade-show-infographic-300x158.jpg 300w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/trade-show-infographic-1024x539.jpg 1024w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/trade-show-infographic-768x404.jpg 768w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/trade-show-infographic-1536x808.jpg 1536w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/trade-show-infographic-2048x1077.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /></p>
<h2>Benefits of Digital Marketing Services for Manufacturing Businesses</h2>
<h3>Increased Brand Awareness and Visibility</h3>
<p>When it comes to brand awareness for manufacturers, there&#8217;s one goal every business should strive for: to become the Kleenex of their industry. What does that mean? It means being the brand associated with your category, the way John Deere means &#8220;tractor&#8221; and Dawn means &#8220;dish soap.” Through a combination of messaging, branding, and design, we can help you establish yourself as the go-to product for your industrial and manufacturing niche.</p>
<p><em>See how we took a manufacturing brand from outdated to cutting-edge with a brand overhaul in our<a href="/b2b-marketing-case-studies/manufacturing-association-rebrand"> <strong>EMC case study</strong></a></em></p>
<h3>Improved Customer Engagement</h3>
<p>Not all customers are created equally. The best customers are the ones that buy-in. They believe in what you do and connect emotionally with your products. These are the customers that share your product with friends and <span class="discussion-level-1 discussion-id-eeae180d-59c4-4aac-8c73-5aba94b46748 notion-enable-hover" data-token-index="1">spread your brand by word-of-mouth if you have a <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/6-ways-to-earn-more-reviews-for-your-industrial-business">process to earn reviews from those happy clients</a></span>. Digital marketing can help you find and engage these high-quality customers by connecting with them where they live online: on social media, through their inbox, or through videos and podcasts.</p>
<p><em>We helped a career readiness group engage more users through targeted website adjustments. Find out how with our <a href="/b2b-marketing-case-studies/building-the-right-website-for-the-job-through-ux-excellence"><strong>Skills Centre case study.</strong></a></em></p>
<h3>Increase in Website Traffic</h3>
<p>Website traffic isn&#8217;t the best measure of success for a business, but it&#8217;s a good place to start. Getting a high volume of the right users to your website fills up your sales funnel and keeps your team busy. Whether through SEO, paid search advertising, or social media campaigns, we can help you scale website traffic to new heights.</p>
<h3>Targeted Lead Generation</h3>
<p>All the traffic in the world doesn&#8217;t mean a thing if it&#8217;s the wrong traffic. Through careful content planning and marketing strategy, we work with you to grow the audiences that matter most. The ones that fill out lead forms and make purchases. We&#8217;ll also help you find the kinds of leads that help you grow the way you want to. Have a target industry you want to reach? A new position you&#8217;d like to test? We&#8217;ll consider everything to craft strategies that get the best leads through your door.</p>
<h2>How to Choose the Right Manufacturing Marketing Company</h2>
<p>Fit is important when working with an agency. The right agency will be a trusted partner that furthers your success through collaborative, cost-effective, proven campaigns and strategies. <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/how-to-hire-the-right-industrial-b2b-marketing-agency">An agency can be great and still be a bad fit for your business.</a> If you&#8217;re considering entering a relationship with B2B marketing manufacturing agencies, consider the following:</p>
<h3>Experience and Reputation of the Agency</h3>
<p>Reputable agencies will have an experienced team and a product focus. General marketing agencies may lack the B2B expertise required to grow your marketing performance. Inexperienced teams can end up spending your budget to educate themselves on the issue. BlackBean is a specialized manufacturing marketing agency with decades of combined marketing experience. Our team of B2B marketing experts understands the needs of industrial companies: long buying cycles, elusive audiences, and complex positioning. That experience pays dividends!</p>
<h3>Portfolio of Work For Manufacturing Companies</h3>
<p>Though every agency has to start somewhere, most great agencies will have a strong portfolio of similar work for you to explore. Check out the agency&#8217;s website. Consider the style of their own marketing materials and the strength of their portfolio. This is a good way to evaluate the quality of their design department in particular.</p>
<p><a href="/b2b-marketing-case-studies"><em><strong>Check out our portfolio of B2B clients here.</strong></em></a></p>
<h3>Pricing Structures and Best Fit</h3>
<p>Some businesses have champagne tastes but Diet Coke budgets. That can be a problem when it comes to finding the right agency! Higher-priced agencies can sometimes offer better ROI due to their experience and proven capacity to deliver. But if the agency&#8217;s pricing is way outside your budget, it may be a sign that your expectations aren’t aligned.</p>
<p><em>We offer custom engagements as well as powerful marketing packages. <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/working-with-us"><strong>Check out our pricing page for more details!</strong></a></em></p>
<h3>Get References from Other Clients</h3>
<p>Whether through reviews or direct outreach to known clients, try to understand how the agency operates and what their clients like and dislike about them. Both positive and negative reviews can provide context to help you determine whether the agency may be the right fit for you.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1495 size-large" src="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/wireframes-1024x996.webp" alt="" width="640" height="623" srcset="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/wireframes-1024x996.webp 1024w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/wireframes-300x292.webp 300w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/wireframes-768x747.webp 768w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/wireframes-1536x1495.webp 1536w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/wireframes-2048x1993.webp 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></p>
<h2>See What Services We Can Offer Your Manufacturing Business</h2>
<h3>Comprehensive SEO Strategy for Manufacturing Lead Generation</h3>
<p><a href="/b2b-marketing-case-studies/emc-website-redesign">SEO strategies for manufacturing businesses</a> require insight into B2B lead-generating strategies and deep industry knowledge. Your customers have complex needs. SEO strategies for manufacturing involve speaking to those needs with relevant, high-quality content.</p>
<p>We can help your business develop holistic content marketing programs emphasizing SEO performance. You’ll receive more website visits from highly relevant users while building a portfolio of useful content to assist with sales and customer retention.</p>
<h3>Pay Per Click (Search Ads) Lead Generation</h3>
<p>Every sale begins with a lead. For many manufacturing sales teams, lead generation comes from cold calling and industry events. What about the power of inbound lead generation?</p>
<p>Our expert team of marketing strategists has a proven track record of delivering affordable leads through search campaigns. Whether your business operates locally or internationally, we can fill up your sales pipeline with inbound leads through the power of paid search.</p>
<h3>Trade Show and Event Marketing</h3>
<p>Trade shows and events are a huge investment of time and money. Ensure that investment is worth it by upgrading your trade show exhibit, marketing materials, and strategies. We offer trade show packages, including booth design, custom swag/merch packages, marketing document design, and trade show strategy. By working with us, you’ll offer each visitor a memorable branded experience… and capture more leads while you do so.</p>
<h3>Powerful Cold Outreach Campaigns</h3>
<p>Go beyond picking up the phone. Cold outreach can be intimidating but often essential for manufacturing/industrial companies. We make it easy. We can help you prospect relevant lead lists, run LinkedIn campaigns that actually convert, and get more out of your cold emailing tactics through superior design and tracking technology.</p>
<h2>Full List of Our Manufacturing Marketing Services</h2>
<p>Our agency offers a full suite of services for industrial companies, including:</p>
<ul>
<li>SEO for manufacturers</li>
<li>PPC and print advertising campaigns</li>
<li>Fractional CMO services</li>
<li>Graphic design for print and web</li>
<li>Custom lead generation websites</li>
<li>Landing pages and microsites</li>
<li>Booth and banner design and print management</li>
<li>Swag/merch design for trade shows</li>
<li>Marketing strategy for product launches</li>
<li>Marketing consultation packages</li>
<li>CRM training and management</li>
<li>Marketing automation services</li>
</ul>
<h2>Do I need a marketing agency, an in-house team, or a marketing consultant for my manufacturing company?</h2>
<p>If you&#8217;re wondering whether your manufacturing company needs a marketing agency, an in-house team, or a marketing consultant, the answer depends on various factors.</p>
<p>An in-house marketing team can be a good option if you have the resources to hire and manage a full-time staff with expertise in all areas of marketing, from SEO to email campaigns. This can be expensive and unsuitable for smaller businesses or those running as lean as possible. It&#8217;s also a long-term commitment. It&#8217;s harder to fire an employee than to fire an agency if you&#8217;d like to go in a different direction.</p>
<p>A marketing consultant can be a more affordable option for companies with more limited budgets or who only need occasional assistance with specific projects or campaigns. A consultant can provide expert advice and guidance on a project-by-project basis without the long-term commitment of hiring an in-house team. We offer consultation services for marketing and sales teams. We also offer fractional CMO services if you require expert marketing leadership for your business.</p>
<p>A marketing agency can offer the best of both worlds, providing a full suite of services and expertise without the overhead of maintaining an in-house team. When choosing an agency, look for one specializing in marketing for manufacturing and industrial companies, with experience in SEO, PPC, trade show marketing, and other key areas.</p>
<p><em>Want to learn more about marketing consultation and fractional CMO services? <a href="/b2b-marketing-consultation"><strong>Schedule a call with Laura today!</strong></a></em></p>
<h2>FAQs</h2>
<h3>What types of services can manufacturing marketing agencies provide?</h3>
<p>A manufacturing marketing agency provides an array of specialized marketing services tailored to the needs of manufacturers. This includes a mixture of design and print management services for trade shows and events, website design and development services emphasizing B2B lead generation, and advertising campaign services, both print and digital.</p>
<h3>What are the benefits of using a manufacturing marketing agency?</h3>
<p>When you work with a manufacturing marketing agency, you receive expert support from a marketing team that understands your industry needs. Many marketing companies focus heavily on B2C (business-to-consumer) marketing, which is ineffective for B2B manufacturers. Most marketing companies do not have the experience or passion for manufacturer marketing that we do!</p>
<h3>How do I choose a manufacturing marketing agency?</h3>
<p>If you’re reading those, we hope you choose us! Choosing the right manufacturing marketing agency is all about trust and fit. Read their case studies, explore their portfolio, and determine whether you’d enjoy working with their team. When in doubt, reach out for a no-obligation discovery call. Take your time and ensure you’re comfortable before you move forward with an agency relationship. The most effective agency relationships are long-term mutually beneficial partnerships.</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>As a manufacturer in today’s world, digital marketing services are essential for gaining visibility and driving sales. Industrial digital marketing is a tool that can help you boost your manufacturing business to the next level. With an understanding of how industrial digital marketing works, you can unlock its potential to reach new customers, enhance brand awareness, and optimize customer engagement. Read on to learn more about the power of industrial digital marketing for your business!</p>


Top Manufacturing Marketing Agency: B2B Marketing For Manufacturing

<p>Google’s I/O 2023 event just wrapped. Dozens of bold products were announced at the multi-day tech expo, ranging from AI music generation tools to more immersive Google Maps navigation tools.</p>
<p>Among them, Google announced its pending rollout of Search Generative Experience,<strong> a new AI-powered search interface expected to roll out through the remainder of 2023.</strong></p>
<p>Google rolls out lots of search engine changes big and small through each calendar year, but this one is different. The Search Generative Experience (SGE from here on out) is a total product <strong>transformation introducing deeply integrated AI chat search, emphasis on social and video content, and significant alteration to the way ads and organic rankings get displayed to users.</strong></p>
<p>SGE has some SEO experts in a panic. When ChatGPT and other LLM tools rolled out last November, it was an obvious <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/understanding-change-management-the-science-of-change">game-changer</a>. The power and promise of a broadly applicable text generation tool like ChatGPT guaranteed that content creation, online advertising, and SEO would never be the same. The only question was, <strong>what would an AI-powered internet look like?</strong></p>
<p>Google is proposing a complete overhaul of the search interface, featuring prominent AI-generated answers as well as a built-in feature to find user-generated content like reviews and social media/forum discussions.</p>
<p>The impact of these changes? <strong>For many B2C businesses, it could signal severe drops in search traffic as AI-generated content undermines the need for blogs and informational articles. For B2B companies, the future of SEO is less clear.</strong></p>
<p>Let’s look at the information we have so far. This article will discuss the pending changes to Google search, the likely marketing implications of those changes for businesses, and predict methods for B2B marketers to mitigate the impact of Google’s Search Generative Experience.</p>
<h1>Search Generative Experience (SGE): What We Know So Far</h1>
<h2>Three Key Changes to Google Search</h2>
<p>There are three major changes coming to Google Search as SGE comes online. Most visible is the addition of AI-powered search, much like Microsoft’s Bing chat tool. Other major changes include the addition of a Perspectives filter that provides a new experience for exploring social and user-generated content, and the inclusion of various AI-powered productivity tools such as image editors and Google’s Bard chat AI (distinct from the AI search tool).</p>
<h2>Google as both journey and destination</h2>
<p>For as long as Google has existed, it’s served as the primary gateway to the world wide web. Users search for a term, Google delivers relevant results. Users click results and arrive at their destination.</p>
<p><strong>Google’s SGE update intends to keep users on Google longer.</strong> Generated answers will appear at the top of most search pages, with the ability for users to follow up on their questions to refine the provided answer. Their Perspectives feature indexes and organizes user-generated content on social media through a layout reminiscent of Pinterest. <strong>The Perspectives feature may become something of its own content platform</strong>, aggregating the best results from Reddit, TikTok, YouTube, and elsewhere on the web.</p>
<p>When this new experience rolls out, Google may be involved for a much longer portion of each user’s journey. If their generated answers prove to be accurate and useful, <strong>many users will begin and end their journey on Google.</strong></p>
<h2>Protected content categories will not get the AI treatment right away</h2>
<p>Compared to the cavalier approach taken by Microsoft with their <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/what-bings-chaotic-chat-rollout-revealed-about-ai-and-search">Bing chat</a>, Google is playing it safe. Google’s AI search product will hit the market without the ability to comment on certain risky topics.</p>
<p>For a long time, Google’s had more stringent policies for what they call YMYL content.<strong> YMYL stands for “Your Money or Your Life”</strong>, and refers to topics including:</p>
<ul>
<li>Emergency notices and urgent breaking news</li>
<li>Highly sensitive medical, legal, and financial topics</li>
<li>Information about significant life events like buying a home or having a child</li>
<li>Potentially sensitive social and political topics such as race, religion, and sexuality</li>
</ul>
<p>These topics receive added scrutiny from Google. Where less critical topics may be slightly inaccurate without posing a risk to a person’s safety or financial well-being, these topics must be discussed in a factual and transparent manner.</p>
<p>AI-generated answers are fairly accurate, but language models suffer from “hallucinations”, where they occasionally present misleading or false information as correct. Google knows this, and will not allow AI to address these sensitive topics until such hallucinations are eliminated.</p>
<h2>General informational content will lose its SEO value</h2>
<p>We’ve actually discussed this idea before in our “<a href="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/blog/why-chat-gpt-is-bad-for-seo-content-generation/">is ChatGPT bad for SEO?</a>” article. Now we’re going to see that idea tested at scale.</p>
<p>Generated answers will be able to quickly address basic informational queries without requiring the user to leave Google. I<strong>f the answer is right there in front of them, why would users click through to your blog post on the same topic?</strong></p>
<p>As SGE comes online,<strong> we anticipate a drop in traffic for simple Q&amp;A articles, basic how-tos, and explainers.</strong> The rule of thumb is this: if ChatGPT or an equivalent technology can provide users with as good or better an answer than your article does, your article will likely lose out to a generated answer.</p>
<p>Address this challenge by being better. Offer more value per article. Dig deeper into the topic and provide the kind of insight and information that a general chat AI cannot. If there’s a silver lining to this search overhaul, it’s that <strong>high quality, thoroughly researched content ought to be rewarded</strong>—just as cheap, quickly assembled content ought to be punished.</p>
<h2>Another algorithm update</h2>
<p>In addition to all the new features and layout changes, Google will be rolling out another major algorithm update for their conventional search results. This is an update aimed at further filtering low value content from search, while rewarding thorough, accurate, and user-friendly pages and articles.</p>
<p>Algorithm updates range in level of impact from near imperceptible to totally game-changing. We’ll need to wait and see what happens here.</p>
<h2>SEO and user satisfaction: Google wants to offer a better experience</h2>
<p>One of Google’s motivations for making these changes seems to be course correction. While spammy SEO tactics of days gone by are dead, there’s a common perception among users that Google results have never been less useful.</p>
<p>Though Google has many fingers in many pies, its core product remains its search engine. <strong>Over 50% of Google’s total annual revenue comes from search advertising alone.</strong> If users don’t feel that Google offers the best search product on the market, they lose market share, which significantly affects revenue.</p>
<p>To this end, <strong>Google’s changes seem targeted at addressing common complaints from its users.</strong> Many users feel that the only authentic and truthful reviews and discussions happen on social platforms like Reddit and TikTok, so Google’s integrating social media more deeply into its search. Users feel that top search results are untrustworthy, as widespread SEO practices have resulted in many topics being dominated by marketing pages intended to sell a specific solution. So, Google offers its own generic informational answers as a counter-balance to all the marketing speak.</p>
<p>If it seems like Google’s at war with SEO, there’s some truth to that. SEO is ultimately about gaming the system, finding ways to edge out competitors while driving business results. At its extreme, this is at odds with providing a good search experience to users. <strong>This feels like Google punching back, re-establishing themselves as the premium information service on the internet.</strong></p>
<h1>Anticipated impact on search advertising</h1>
<p>These significant layout and functionality changes will result in <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/google-ads-vs-seo-which-lead-generating-channel-is-best">changes to advertising placements</a>, as well.</p>
<p>Currently, search ads appear in one of two packs on the results page. There are several possible paid placements above the organic results, then several placements at the bottom of the page. E-commerce products may also appear as visual shopping ads. Advertisers compete amongst themselves to receive top billing.</p>
<p>The new SGE layout will incorporate search ads in prominent placements as always, though exactly how they will appear is not yet clear. Shopping ads will be seamlessly integrated into generated responses in a new comparison-style layout, but conventional search ad placements have not yet been revealed by Google.</p>
<p>Google has stated that ads will continue to include indicators that they are paid placements rather than organic listings. In general, what we may see is a shift toward requiring visual elements for all search ad types rather than just shopping ads. Google’s new layout appears to more visually oriented. It’s possible that search ads will appear much the same as shopping ads, which may require rethinking how ads get planned and composed.</p>
<p><strong>It’s also possible that businesses will be able to pay to be included as highlighted citations in AI-generated responses.</strong> Google says that ads will display in the new interface as soon as it launches. However, advertisers will have to wait to see how the new layout affects performance. During the initial rollout of SGE, Google Ads will not differentiate clicks on the new experience with clicks on the old one.</p>
<p>As search ads remain Google’s number one source of revenue, <strong>expect them to focus on advertising performance in order to retain their existing customers.</strong> Search ads should continue to be strong lead-generating tools for the foreseeable future.</p>
<h1>B2B SEO considerations for SGE</h1>
<h2>Carefully monitor performance (starting now!)</h2>
<p>If you aren’t already monitoring organic search performance, now’s the time to start. <strong>The honest truth is we don’t know precisely what will happen to organic traffic until we have users interacting with the new layout at scale.</strong> Algorithm changes will be more immediately measurable.</p>
<p>Watch for which of your pages and articles fall and which ones rise. Test the new experience as soon as you’re able to understand the way users find (or don’t find) you. Collecting, organizing, and understanding search data is vital to plotting a safe way forward through this massive change.</p>
<h2>Consider alternative channels for content generation</h2>
<p>It will be interesting to see how users engage with the Perspectives filter, and what impact it may have on the role of social media in B2B interactions.</p>
<p><strong>If Perspectives becomes the go-to for product research, it will make it much more important for brands to exist organically on platforms like Reddit and TikTok</strong> to maintain some control over the conversation. This is, of course, anathema to the idea that user-generated content provides a less biased perspective than content straight from corporate websites. Heavy-handed tactics will be met with hostility from consumers, but subtler engagements may be possible.</p>
<p>It is likely that brands will need to become more comfortable representing themselves authentically in less controlled, corporate spaces. Social media savvy may become one of the most important skills for tomorrow’s marketers and SEO pros.</p>
<h2>Be an early adopter</h2>
<p>A natural reaction to disruptive change is to reject it. It’s easiest if we can do the things we’re comfortable with, the things we’re good at.</p>
<p>This attitude won’t cut it for SEO going forward. It’s known in the search advertising world that jumping on new features and technologies provides a competitive edge. Google wants their new features to be adopted, which may (in some cases) result in marketers that embrace new trends being rewarded for their efforts with better search rankings and more visibility.</p>
<p>Try stuff out. If you see a new feature rolling out and it’s not too expensive to implement, give it a shot.<strong> The future of internet search is unclear, so explore every feasible avenue.</strong> After all, it’s better to lead the charge than to follow your competitors.</p>
<h2>Adjust your content calendar and campaigns</h2>
<p>We know that some kinds of content are, at minimum, going to experience new competition in the form of AI-generated answers. <strong>If you have this kind of content scheduled for development this year, pause that project and re-allocate those resources.</strong> Focus on unique, high-quality pillar content. Anything that an AI will struggle to understand or summarize for a user is fair game. Anything else should be considered very carefully before proceeding.</p>
<h2>YMYL content will remain less impacted… for now</h2>
<p>If you produce content related to medicine and healthcare, law and finance, or anything impacting health, safety, and financial security, or if your content discusses sensitive topics like war, social issues, or politics, you’re less likely to experience immediate disruption to your organic traffic.</p>
<p>Such topics fall under YMYL rules (”Your Money or Your Life”) and will not immediately receive the AI answer treatment. <strong>While both algorithm and search page layout changes will certainly affect many online businesses in YMYL niches, the impact will be less profound for now.</strong></p>
<p>Eventually, Google will likely change their YMYL policies to allow for AI-generated answers like other topics. That would require another leap forward in the LLM tech powering their chat AI, so it’s unlikely (but not impossible) to happen within the coming weeks or months.</p>
<h1>Our prediction: B2B companies don’t need to worry, but they DO need to prepare!</h1>
<p>As the new features discussed in this article are yet to launch to a broad audience, our suggested approach for now is to monitor, learn, and prepare for change.</p>
<p>But that’s a bit boring, no? We pride ourselves on making bold predictions based on our expertise in B2B digital marketing. In fact, our <a href="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/blog/top-digital-marketing-trends-for-2023/">marketing trends for 2023 article</a>, originally written and published in late 2022, instructs readers to “embrace the weirdness” of AI marketing. Well,<strong> here comes the weird.</strong></p>
<p>B2B companies should be aware of changes coming to search as it will inform marketing strategies for all industries. However, B2B companies have an advantage over B2C companies and online publications: <strong>no amount of AI features or social sharing can replace a quote form.</strong></p>
<p>B2B customers need to engage in conventional search and continue visiting websites directly in order to express interest, access documentation and resources, and complete more thorough research. A B2B purchase can run millions of dollars. <strong>At that level of investment, Reddit comments and AI-generated answers will not suffice.</strong></p>
<p>We predict that B2B manufacturers that keep an open mind, follow the data, and make smart, targeted adjustments will ride out this SEO storm better than many other sectors.</p>
<p><strong>Change is coming. Marketers can roll with it, or let it roll over them.</strong></p>


Google’s SGE Update Will Change SEO Forever

<p>First released to the public on November 30, 2022, ChatGPT is everybody’s new favourite artificial intelligence app. In its short existence, OpenAI’s new chatbot has already integrated into the modern office. It’s used to write documentation for software, to brainstorm headlines for ad copy, even to generate boilerplate code for developers.</p>
<p><strong>In marketing, it’s a topic of heavy debate. Where is it OK to use AI generated content? What is the role of the copywriter in a ChatGPT world?</strong></p>
<p>Today, we’ll take a closer look at one of these debates: the role of ChatGPT in SEO.</p>
<p>I don’t like burying the lede, so if you’re looking for a short answer, here it is: ChatGPT content is horrible for SEO. It is a useful tool to add to any marketer’s <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/marketing-for-talent-pt-1-know-your-audience">toolbox</a>, but it should be used with care and consideration.</p>
<p><strong>Let’s look at the case for and against ChatGPT for SEO.</strong></p>
<h1>Why ChatGPT is bad for SEO</h1>
<p>First, let’s consider what SEO aims to accomplish. <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/industrial-manufacturing-seo-what-you-need-to-know-about-seo-for-b2b">If you don’t know anything about SEO, start by understanding what SEO can do for B2B companies.</a></p>
<p><strong>SEO, at its core, is a competitive marketing discipline focused on <a href="/b2b-marketing-case-studies/website-traffic-increase-web-design">outranking other websites</a> in the search index by offering a superior experience.</strong></p>
<p>You may quibble with that definition. Superior experience for whom? The user, or the crawler bot? Some high-ranking sites feel awful to use, so SEO must be about <em>something else</em>. If it were all about making better websites, the best websites would win, and they often don’t.</p>
<p>I’d push back by saying search ranking algorithms are imperfect. They strive to be an objective quality ranking, but fall short of reaching their goal. SEOs may exploit imperfections in the system, sometimes delivering poor quality results to the top of the search page.</p>
<p>That does not change the core philosophy of SEO, from the search engine’s perspective: <strong>to deliver better and more thorough results.</strong> That is the product they offer to drive their revenue-generating ad services.</p>
<h2>In SEO writing, differentiation is key</h2>
<p>Google doesn’t index billions of web pages so they can show <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/marketing-for-talent-pt-1-know-your-audience">users</a> the same thing over and over again. They want a search index of unique answers, different opinions and ideas. That is, after all, the promise of internet search. Creating a way for people to navigate an immense web of user-generated content.</p>
<p><strong>If you’d like to outrank a competitor, ripping off their content verbatim won’t work.</strong> Google can see it’s duplicate content. Your page won’t get indexed, or you may even suffer long-lasting penalties for stealing content. Re-writing that content <em>could</em> work, if the re-write also improves upon the original. <strong>The output must be unique and of high quality, or it won’t <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/does-seo-work-we-answer-your-most-searched-seo-questions">move the meter for SEO</a>.</strong> This has been good practice in SEO for years.</p>
<h2>If everyone uses ChatGPT…</h2>
<p>Have you ever seen the Pixar movie <em>The Incredibles</em>?</p>
<p>The villain, Syndrome, wants to level the playing field with technology. He wants to create a world where “everyone is super… so no one is.”</p>
<p><strong>A world where ChatGPT-generated content becomes standard is a world without differentiation in quality.</strong> It’s not a world of super content — a half-decent writer will out-perform ChatGPT, at least for now. It’s a world of homogeneous content.</p>
<p>Consider this: if AI-generated content gets published to your website, why would your target audience not simply open a ChatGPT window and ask the question directly? The output would be similar if not the same.</p>
<p>Now extend that problem to your competitors. What if they generate articles with the same topic using the same AI tool? The differentiation is gone. <strong>Because the content will be extremely similar, you will need to outperform your competitors solely through things like backlinking and technical SEO, both of which are smaller pieces of the pie than content itself.</strong></p>
<p>That is, if your AI content even reaches the index. If you’re late to the party, Google may not even want your AI article. Your competitor already published the same thing. Why index two identical articles? A lack of differentiation is a key reason why ChatGPT’s usage in SEO should be controlled.</p>
<h2>ChatGPT is a liar, sometimes</h2>
<p>Another problem with relying on ChatGPT for SEO content generation is its general inaccuracy. ChatGPT content is always confidently written and often incorrect — a dangerous combination. Ultimately, the software assembles readable content using a fancy version of predictive text, the same thing you may use to assemble a text message on your phone.</p>
<p>Just as predictive text on an iPhone can lead to crazy, nonsensical statements, ChatGPT makes sometimes-subtle mistakes in its generated output. Code snippets that use insecure libraries, or facts that aren’t quite right. One interesting example is its inability to count words and characters. Ask it to generate ten headlines for a new blog post, all 50 characters or fewer. It will spit out ten headlines of completely arbitrary length, while assuring you that the length of each is within your parameters.</p>
<p><strong>If ChatGPT were consistently wrong, that would be one thing. It’s almost more dangerous that it’s only wrong sometimes.</strong></p>
<p>The screenshot below displays a chat in which I requested 5 headlines not exceeding 50 characters. Every generated headline exceeded the maximum length. When asked how long each headline was, the response was incorrect. When asked to count the length of a headline again, the value changed from the previous evaluation.</p>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1475 size-full" src="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/ChatGPT-is-bad-for-SEO-BlackBean-1.jpg" alt="misleading conversation with chatGPT about lengths of generated content" width="771" height="939" srcset="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/ChatGPT-is-bad-for-SEO-BlackBean-1.jpg 771w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/ChatGPT-is-bad-for-SEO-BlackBean-1-246x300.jpg 246w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/ChatGPT-is-bad-for-SEO-BlackBean-1-768x935.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px" />
<p>At the same time, it accurately counted my 9-character string. In a later chat, it accurately counted a 23-character sentence, but failed to count a different sentence of similar length.</p>
<p>It even lied about how it calculates string lengths, claiming to use a Python function to generate its output. This is a lie, if we can anthropomorphize a text generating robot in such a way, but would a less technical user spot it?</p>
<p>Without verifying its answers, human users may accept AI’s suggestions at face value, accidentally spreading false information or relying on incorrect assumptions. <strong>If your content team begins to rely on AI for article generation, you might contribute to misinformation completely by accident.</strong></p>
<h2>Editing ChatGPT content only gets you so far</h2>
<p>Have you heard the phrase “like lipstick on a pig”?</p>
<p>ChatGPT’s capacity to generate content in a variety of tones is impressive, but ultimately superficial. It can explain well-known concepts and provide fairly accurate factual information, adapted to suit the style of your website content.</p>
<p>That isn’t good enough for SEO, in most cases.</p>
<p><strong>For most competitive topics, simply explaining facts and basic concepts isn’t sufficient to <a href="https://blackbeanmarketing.com/insights/dont-gamble-on-your-seo-strategy">displace the pages at the top of the index</a>.</strong> Anyone with sufficient industry knowledge can offer the same or better insights as ChatGPT. No matter how much you re-write AI content, it’s structurally, fundamentally incapable of creative thought.</p>
<p>We return to the concepts of differentiation and quality. If AI content can only re-write what’s already been written, it cannot offer true differentiation. If its information is of questionable accuracy and lacks thoroughness, it cannot offer quality.</p>
<h2>Where AI CAN help with SEO</h2>
<ol>
<li><a href="#writer-block">Overcoming writer&#8217;s block</a></li>
<li><a href="#brainstorming">Becoming your brainstorming buddy</a></li>
<li><a href="#tech">Offering marketing tech support</a></li>
</ol>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1476 size-large" src="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/BB-infographics-chatgpt-1024x788.png" alt="Best ways to use chatgpt for SEO infographic" width="640" height="493" srcset="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/BB-infographics-chatgpt-1024x788.png 1024w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/BB-infographics-chatgpt-300x231.png 300w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/BB-infographics-chatgpt-768x591.png 768w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/BB-infographics-chatgpt-1536x1182.png 1536w, https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/BB-infographics-chatgpt.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" />
<h2 id="writer-block">Document outlines to overcome writer’s block</h2>
<p>Blank page syndrome is common among humans, yet non-existent for robots.</p>
<p>Despite this article’s focus on uniqueness, many website pages and articles will — and should — follow a similar structure. For example, we have an article describing SEO for B2B companies, using a tone and style that resonates with customers like ours. Its insights aren’t unique, nor is its structure. It is an opinionated piece, one where certain concepts get highlighted over others, but its purpose is similar to many articles on the web.</p>
<p>AI is a great way to build document outlines and kickstart your content writing process.</p>
<p>Say you’re working on building out a new content cluster for your website. You have ten article ideas that support your selected keywords. Instead of asking ChatGPT for an article about each, ask it for a bullet point article outline. Paste the output into each article draft document. These outlines are great references to keep your article on-message. Having a clear outline also reduces the mental burden of writing. It’s many times easier to fill out an outline than it is to write a complete article free-form.</p>
<h2 id="brainstorming">ChatGPT, your brainstorming buddy</h2>
<p>Depending on the size of your team and your preferred level of collaboration, content writing can be lonely work.</p>
<p>Sometimes, writers need a sounding board. Another brain to bounce their ideas off of. ChatGPT may be a mindless auto-complete robot, but in a pinch it does the trick.</p>
<p>Trying to find the perfect headline for your latest article? Ask ChatGPT to generate ten exciting headlines for it. The output will probably be bland and general, but that’s not the point. Somewhere in that list of headlines, you’ll find a structure that jives with you, or a synonym that you couldn’t quite pin down.</p>
<p>For more complex debates about subject matter and strategy, <a href="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/blog/4-ways-to-profit-from-a-marketing-agency-relationship/">you’ll need a real human to collaborate with</a>. For everything else, there’s ChatGPT.</p>
<h2 id="tech">Always online marketing tech support (buyer beware)</h2>
<p>SEO isn’t just about content. There’s plenty of strategy to be done, much of which relies on data and the analysis of said data. Then there’s reporting.</p>
<p>For some SEOs, this is the stuff they live for. Give me a CSV and a text editor and let’s bust out some regular expressions!</p>
<p>For others, every word in the previous sentence was more painful than the last. For those SEO specialists, ChatGPT can help.</p>
<p>Regular expressions are confusing blobs of text that look like this:</p>
<p><code>^[a-zA-Z0-9]+(?:\.[a-zA-Z0-9]+)*@[a-zA-Z0-9]+(?:\.[a-zA-Z0-9]+)*$</code></p>
<p>They allow us to match complex patterns in strings of text. The regex (slang for regular expression) above will match with most email addresses, regardless of the email name or provider URL.</p>
<p>Learning to write good regex isn’t easy, but it’s a perfect job for ChatGPT. Provide it a prompt like “generate a regular expression that will match any URL containing the word ‘product’ on the domain example.com”, and it will get to work.</p>
<p>Similarly, SEOs and marketing professionals often have to work with basic website scripts. <strong>ChatGPT can make editing scripts or even generating new ones from scratch quite easy.</strong> In some cases, you can even paste broken scripts into ChatGPT and ask it for a fix. It doesn’t always work, but with a little trial and error you can often find a workable solution with AI’s help.</p>
<p>Now for the big huge warning: <em><strong>don’t ever put AI-generated code into sensitive areas of your websites and apps.</strong></em> Remember how AI can lie sometimes? It can also generate very scary, insecure code. Be very careful not to use any code unless you’re fully confident that it works, it’s secure, and/or it doesn’t touch any critical part of your business. Pasting regex into Google Search Console? Go ahead. Adding a custom PHP file to your WordPress site? Absolutely not.</p>
<h2>Google’s Foray into AI Search (featuring Microsoft)</h2>
<p>As of writing, news of Google’s Bard AI Chatbot has just begun to circulate. A direct competitor to ChatGPT expected to roll out within the coming weeks, beginning with Google insiders, Bard is Google’s attempt to catch up to OpenAI’s explosive growth.</p>
<p>What’s even more interesting is Google’s proposed AI-powered search, which CEO Sundar Pichai says will “distill complex information and multiple perspectives into easy-to-digest formats.” How that will work is not yet clear. Are users expected to navigate to websites from the search index, or will the new AI feature making browsing websites obsolete? The answer to that question, and many more, will dictate the future of SEO.</p>
<p>Not even 24 hours later, another edit is required: Microsoft’s Bing plans to introduce AI search in the same fashion as Google has proposed. In fact, due to the mature nature of Microsoft-funded Chat GPT, it may arrive sooner than later. If Microsoft pulls off AI search first and best, Google will have a tall mountain to climb in order to remain the internet’s go-to search engine.</p>
<p><strong>For now, all we can do is what we’ve always done in SEO: focus on quality first, quantity second. Plan, strategize, and react to <a href="https://partners.blackbeanmarketing.com/blackbean2023/blog/top-digital-marketing-trends-for-2023/">emerging trends</a>.</strong></p>
<p>The more the game changes, the more it stays the same.</p>
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<p><strong>Do you have a burning AI question?</strong> Send it our way! We&#8217;ll be your guide on this technological journey. Let&#8217;s embrace the future&#8230; together.</p>
