Content Can Differentiate Industrial Companies When There’s Parity in Value Propositions

A Value Proposition plays an important role in differentiation, which in turn affects lead generation. Yet, if you read the content on most industrial websites, they tend to sound similar within each industry. Most manufacturers and industrial companies make generic claims that are often copied by their competition and lack validation.

How do you rise above the noise when there is so much parity in Value Propositions?

There are experts who are more qualified than I am in crafting a Value Proposition that is so unique to a company that it cannot be easily duplicated by others. However, my clients look to me for answers for overcoming their lead generation challenges using my knowledge and experience in industrial marketing.

One strategy that has consistently produced good results for my industrial clients is using the power of industrial content marketing. You’ve probably heard that before so what’s different about what I’ve just said?

Let me answer that by giving you some specifics:

• A mix of free (no registration required) and gated (registration via landing pages) content. Free content addresses the self-serve needs of early stage visitors that are at the top of the funnel (ToFU). Gated content or higher value content such as white papers are used for lead generation where the company provides a tangible benefit in exchange for the visitor’s contact information. These work best for middle of the sales funnel (MoFU)
• Case studies and testimonials for proof of performance
• Blog posts to highlight knowledge of the subject matter(s), create thought leadership and provide direct interaction between readers and in-house experts such as engineers
• Application notes and articles for more in-depth technical content (See my post, Thought Leadership: Marketing Engineering Services with Technical Articles)
• Webinars for middle to late stage lead nurturing content
• Videos that tell a complete story about the company and short ones that show services and equipment capabilities
• Project galleries with photos that have informative captions describing the work done, size and the location of each project
• CAD files, Engineering Kits and online design tools for help with specifying and designing prototypes
• Parametric search applications and cross reference guides for finding the right part number or component

The last three items are some of the most visited pages and can be tracked directly to RFQs.

The kinds of content that I have listed here are not easily copied by the competition. Even if they tried replicating your content marketing strategy, knowledge, experience and expertise are not easy to buy. Sure, they can do some of the same things but not without putting in the same effort and investing the money in their content marketing as you have.

Do you use content as part of your industrial marketing strategy to differentiate your company from the competition?