I recently had a good friend critique my 11-step plan to dominate an online industrial niche. He is former President of global manufacturing company. He is in his mid-50’s, Midwest born, with an engineering degree and MBA in marketing and management. His comment was, “Tom, this is great stuff. Your outline is critical for any business today. The problem is this fast-changing information does not get filtered up to guys like me that come from a traditional marketing background. However, this is marketing’s tip-of-the-spear in today’s world”.

I’m confident this is also the case for owners of mid-size industrials (10 million to 1 billion in sales) as well. They need a coach with different skill sets or mindset than traditional marketing. Most mid-size industrials simply do not have the marketing knowledge or marketing resources for today’s online world. From my experience and research much of this information does not get pushed up to the leaders of these industrials, as my friend said. Yet, all the marketing data tells us all your customers are constantly on the web looking for specific answers.

So … are your company’s branded sales materials there to greet them? Be honest with yourself, now! I have found that most owners of mid-size industrials think it is important to be on the first page of Google, but next to impossible to get there.

I beg to differ.

It is just the opposite… with some help from a knowledgeable resource. Most B2B industrials are thinking exactly what you are thinking. They build nice looking websites and then do not take advantage of the opportunity Google has given all of us in the B2B industrial space.

For every one of the unique industrial niches have researched over the years there is very little competition for top spots in Google. Sure, you and your competitors may be on the first page of Google for a few important keywords or topics, but that is typically by default. It is not because of consistent, strategic marketing efforts. For example, I recently researched a B2B specialty parts supplier to the bottling industry. The owner gave me 5 keywords that matched their specialized products. When I searched the 5 keywords, 4 out of 5 returned #1 in Google. This was because the keywords were unique and non-competitive for their specific niche. Then the web developer, either knowingly or unknowingly, placed the keywords in the page’s title tag and voila’. Their web pages popped up in #1 position. Real world searches don’t work like that now. Google will focus on the semantic search for specific keywords or topics. For example, when I searched using a real-world question related to these products, “How can I improve the leakage on my bottling line?”, their pages were nowhere to be found. Not good for brand visibility and lead generation in the age of search.

If my narrative rings true, maybe you need a coach, a digital guide? There is plenty of marketing data that recommends my approach for web development & SEO specifically. “Those who use third parties rate the third party’s effectiveness higher than their internal skill. SEO and web design/development particularly skew towards third parties being more effective.” If you find your marketing department or your marketing agency is not versed in the steps outlined below, it is time for outside help. The Repp Group would love to coach your championship team to take the burden of online marketing off your shoulders. I’m open for interviews and would love a look at your talent.

Want to know the entire 11 step plan that can elevate your industrial brand to the top of your industry? Download Do Your Brand & Sales Materials Greet Your Buyer on the 1^st Page of Google? or fill out the form for a free analysis of your industrial brand’s visibility within your industry’s unique niche.