Why should industrial manufacturers and distributors start to think like a media company?

It's hard not to notice that video content dominates our daily lives nowdays when it comes to communication strategies. Content, in particular video content, plays an important role in any marketing strategy and can have a dramatic effect on the sales cycle. In an industry that relies a lot on demonstrations, trade shows and word of mouth to acquire business, manufacturers and distributors of Industrial equipment stand the most to gain through producing content.

As a business owner you're faced with the challenge of generating new business and attracting potential buyers everyday. Generating leads - both high in quality and quantity - should be an important objective when trying to grow your business. A successful lead generation engine is what keeps the funnel full of sales prospects while you sleep.

Tips to gaining an advantage in a competitive industry

Why Marketing Majors Struggle to Find Jobs

Just earned a brand new marketing degree? Ready to start your career as a marketing professional? It wont' be as easy as you think.

It is hard to predict the future of the marketing industry, as it is technology based and ever-changing. Last year’s views and strategies are different than present ones, and to succeed one must stay current and master new marketing trends and tactics.

During college, marketing majors hone their skills with lectures and textbooks. And for what? With the marketing industry's constant evolution and tecnological changes, a marketing degree can become devalued and useless when job hunting. As a result, marketing majors have been having a tough time finding jobs. 

After spending 10-30 years in the classroom and not in the real marketing world, one can question if your professor can even teach about the current trends in marketing or if the schools curriculum even reflects todays current trends. They can certainly read about SEO, social media, content marketing, video marketing, video SEO, inbound marketing, but in reality, they've never lived in that marketing world.

Customer (business or individual) behavior is rapidly changing. A wealth of knowledge is immediately available to people, just a swipe or click away. Laptops, tablets, and smartphones have changed the game, and it’s not going to change back. The customer is in control by doing most of the leg work formerly done by Sales, putting the ball in Marketing’s court.

The line between Sales and Marketing used to be bold. Neither could, or wanted to do, the other’s job. Now, that line is blurring as potential customers are armed with more information - companies must evolve or perish. In order for the salespeople to have a chance to do their jobs, a shift to persuasive marketing is necessary. Sales and Marketing need to work more closely together to create a direct path to purchase for the customer. In turn, this new integration will maximize revenue.