Marketing and branding in industrial engineering

Download our eBook for industrial engineering

Continue reading below or download the full ebook PDF here.

Engineering your market growth

Be your customer’s problem solver
As an industrial engineering business, your customers come to you for complex, innovative solutions that will help them become more sustainable, automated and efficient. But to illustrate just how valuable your solutions are, you can’t focus on product specs alone.

To capture the attention and trust of your potential customers, you must continuously communicate the greater value you provide both to them and the end-consumer. You don’t just provide a solution to a technical problem; you enable better business and a better quality of life for the community.

Engage the modern buyer
With a strong brand as a foundation, your sales and marketing teams must work together to address the transforming buyer journey. The typical B2B buyer now spends much more time educating themselves online before contacting potential suppliers. This means you need to translate your brand positioning into engaging, meaningful content that matches every stage of your customer’s buying journey.

Cross-Border Communications offers 40 years of experience and a unique understanding of the branding and marketing challenges inherent in the global industrial engineering sector. Here, you will find some inspiration from our industrial engineering client portfolio along with some practical tips for cross-border branding, lead generation and sales campaigns.

Branding: Unifying your message internally and externally

Unite your culture behind a strong brand
The foundation for your business is your brand; it provides direction and ensures a consistent customer experience. Your brand unites your business internally and differentiates it externally.

Internally, you need to unite your organisation behind the brand promise you make externally. Your sales organisation (including partners, resellers and local reps) should be able to understand and deliver on that promise.

A clear understanding of your shared mission will improve internal collaboration and efficiency. This is especially true of businesses with a broad brand portfolio, and for brands undergoing mergers or consolidation.

Build a brand that your customers believe in
On paper, your customer’s buying process is a rational one. But when making a tough choice between two equally competent suppliers, the ultimate decision may come down to a gut feeling. When it’s time to make their purchase, your customer will pay a price premium for a recognised and trusted brand.

To tap into your customer’s emotional drivers, you need to prove that your brand is smart, trustworthy and ready for the challenges ahead. The next step is turning positive expectations into positive experiences.

Branding starts with a few simple questions

• Is it clear what your brand stands for?
• Why should customers choose you over the competition?
• Does your brand unite your business internally?

Case study

Huntsman
Huntsman Advanced Materials, a division of the Huntsman Group, is a world-leading provider of advanced epoxy, acrylic, and polyurethane-based polymer products. Following a long internal process to clarify the company’s strategic direction, CBC developed the “Made Possible” platform as a vehicle for growth and to engage target audiences. Made Possible highlights how Huntsman Advanced Materials is an enabler for innovation that brings its customers’ ideas, potential, and products to life, and frames its brand and communications within a unique and powerful visual identity.

Read full case here

GEA
As a truly global organisation with thousands of employees and customers in virtually every market, the challenge for GEA Process Engineering was combining cross-market appeal with cross-border efficiency. We created a comprehensive internal and external communications platform that united and elevated GEA’s global brand profile. GEA now speaks directly to each relevant segment, highlighting the company’s responsiveness to customers and a deep understanding of their problems.

Read full case here

FLSMIDTH
As the leading supplier of complete solutions, equipment and services since 1882, FLSmidth was already a recognised name in cement. CBC’s task was to refocus the brand as the “size leader” and “single-source supplier” under the One Source promise – a strategy designed to unite the company under a single strong identity supporting all business units and product brands.

Read full case here

Client testimonials

“With a compelling creative concept and strategic roll-out plan, the campaign has succeeded in increasing our sales by 288% on a key product line. We are the ones driving the conversation around sulphur regulations in our industry – for us, this is only the beginning.”

Daniel Vengel Jensen,
Marketing Manager,
MAN PrimeServ

Market research and analysis: Understanding the customer journey

Address the new B2B buyer
The buying process in the industrial engineering sector is changing. Purchase cycles have increased significantly, and buyers are spending more time online researching their potential suppliers before reaching out to sales reps.

Your customers are out there searching for solutions, which gives you the opportunity to engage them with valuable content. By sharing content that supports the customer’s decision-making process, you will build relationships, differentiate from the competition, and ultimately drive leads and sales.

Dig into your customer’s drivers
In order to provide valuable content at the right time and on the right channel, you need to map the customer journey. Depending on your offering, you may need to know what drives your customer’s product development, procurement, maintenance, marketing and management teams.

If you want to be the trusted source of knowledge in your market, you need to conduct research to understand what’s really on the customer’s mind. Relying on experience and instinct isn’t enough anymore.

Taking a data-driven approach to market research will give you a more nuanced picture of your customer’s needs and processes, and your brand potential. Conducting qualitative and quantitative market research will help you stay in tune with the market, know where to focus, and prepare your next move.

Research your customer

• Surveys and interviews
• Workshops and events
• Social listening
• Mining historical customer data

Client testimonials

“We were blown away by the creative execution and final results of this campaign. We set ourselves an ambitious sales target – and sold a staggering 400% of that initial target in just 12 months.”

Susanne Køhlert Jacobsen,
Marketing Communication Project Manager,
Strategic Marketing, Brüel & Kjær

Case study

MAN Energy Solutions
With the 2020 Global Sulphur Cap regulations just a year away, MAN Energy Solutions saw an opportunity to create a sense of urgency around the deadline, and to position itself as the engine partner with the expertise and engine solutions to guide businesses through this transition.

With a compelling creative concept and strategic roll-out plan, the thought leadership campaign succeeded in engaging the industry in the conversation around sulphur regulations, and increased sales by 288% on a key product line.

Read full case here

Terma
CBC’s assignment was to rebrand Denmark’s foremost aerospace, defence and security company around a clear value proposition. Creating a strong identity was seen as central to competing in an increasingly global and cost-conscious marketplace. The resulting campaign presented Terma as a company at the leading edge of engineering innovation with a core understanding of customer and partner needs.

Read full case here

Content creation and lead generation: Filling the customer journey with value-adding content

Turn data into insight
With a strong brand and solid market research to support you, you can create content that demonstrates experience and industryspecific insights and speaks directly to your customer’s needs.

Using content in combination with marketing automation will allow you to generate more leads and move them through the pipeline faster. With digital targeting tools, you can micro-focus on your audience.

Convert opportunities into revenue
Once someone exchanges their contact information for your content, you can quickly determine if they match your lead criteria and keep nurturing them with targeted content until they’re ready to engage. With the ability to track the entry point for each lead, you learn more about the buyer journey and can clearly demonstrate the ROI from your branding and marketing budget.

It’s essential your teams understand that content marketing is an iterative process which requires ongoing commitment. Tracking and evaluation will allow you to see what’s working and what’s not, enabling your brand to become stronger over time.

Client testimonials

“We were impressed with CBC’s abilityto gain a strong understanding of our customers’ challenges, and their focuson turning a complex proposition intoa communication platform that our customers could instantly identify with.”

Dorthe Friberg,
Marketing Manager,
TICRA
Ticra.com

Case study

Brüel & Kjær
Brüel & Kjær is known worldwide as a leading provider of solutions for measuring and managing the quality of sound and vibration. To demonstrate that Brüel & Kjær is at the forefront of progress, we helped develop a thought leadership campaign looking beyond tomorrow at the role sound and vibration will play in the future of product development.

Providing integrated marketing support at every stage, we helped Brüel & Kjær engage more than 1000 high-level decision makers in the industry report and generate more than 77 C-suite leads. The project culminated in an event at Brüel & Kjær’s headquarters, where the results were presented to 300 customers, industry experts and partners.

Read full case here

Danfoss
Danfoss, the world leader in engineering district energy networks, wanted to promote this technology as a solution to lowering emissions and energy consumption. CBC recommended creating demand by engaging new stakeholders – political and urban development leaders – with a content marketing campaign. The Ecopolis campaign associated Danfoss and district energy to a wider sustainable cities movement, presenting it as an essential component in sustainable development.

Read full case here

Huntsman
Huntsman Advanced Materials is a leading global chemical solutions provider with a long heritage of pioneering technologically advanced epoxy, acrylic and polyurethane-based polymer products.

The client’s goal was to increase sales of specialised adhesives within the wind energy, marine and outdoor industries. We helped Huntsman create a white paper on the topic of optimising the maintenance and repairs process.

Promoted on Facebook, LinkedIn and with Google Ads, the white paper drew in over 400 leads.

Read full here

Client testimonials

“CBC initially proved their worth during our divisional rebranding project, which has been instrumental in communicating our value. When it came to digital lead generation, I could not be more pleased with the approach taken and what has been achieved so far together. CBC brings a level of professionalism, expertise, and creativity that we have not found elsewhere.”

Edward Wynne Morris,
Communications Director,
Huntsman Advanced Materials

Case study

Huntsman
Huntsman Advanced Materials is a leading materials solution provider that enables businesses across virtually every industry to address global engineering challenges. With the focus set this time on the aerospace industry, we helped Huntsman promote and present a webinar exploring how manufacturers and operators can reduce costs and improve processes.

Promoted via LinkedIn, Twitter and email, the webinar drew in more than 200 registrants and over 100 attendees for the live event, with a high level of live audience interaction. Content from the webinar was adapted to create a whole range of collateral to further engage Huntsman’s audience.

Read full case here

C.C.JENSEN
C.C.JENSEN saw an opportunity to increase its sales of oil filtration systems for crushers, an important piece of equipment at any mine site. Our strategy was to create an inbound system starting with a short PDF e-book that was activated in a targeted lead generation campaign on LinkedIn.

The LinkedIn campaign generated 180,000 impressions, 1,300 clicks and 190 marketing qualified leads in the first month alone, surpassing C.C.JENSEN’s goals.

Read full case here

Cobham SATCOM
Cobham SATCOM, a leading technology and services innovator, needed to create preference for its maritime firefighting radio.

The strategy was to use content marketing to influence purchase specifications, with a campaign that centred around two core user missions: viewing hard-hitting video content and downloading a thought-leadership white paper. In 12 weeks, the campaign created 1,300 indications of a strong intention to buy and a 32% surge in actual sales. Conversion rates across the marketing funnel far exceeded expectations with a campaign ROI of 850%.

Read full case here

CBC = B2B

A specialist resource for international B2B marketers
Do you need help growing your brand? Do you want to make your marketing efforts more profitable? Our experienced team is ready to help you get there faster.

At Cross-Border Communications (CBC), we combine an international mindset and a creative approach with a deep knowledge of B2B marketing gathered over more than 40 years of experience. We offer a full spectrum of branding, marketing and communications services that will help you engage your audience, boost awareness, generate leads and drive sales.

Our B2B experts in Denmark, the UK and Singapore have been handpicked for their specialised knowledge in international branding and communications. This means you always get an effective team behind your project with no need for long consultation processes.

If you’re ready to take your brand and business across borders, talk to us.

Client testimonials

“The ‘Innovation transferred’ launch campaign was a game-changer for us. The approach redefined the way we manage strategic product launches. The launch strategy, creative platform and channel plan have had a big impact.”

Thomas Heide Jørgensen,
Marketing Manager,
Danfoss District Energy

CBC takes you from complexity to clarity to commercial results

Brand development
CBC helps you define the cornerstones of your global B2B brand: a solid brand position and clear value proposition; a strong visual identity; and the Big Idea that makes you relevant and compelling.

Our brand communications platforms, built on 40 years of B2B sector expertise, deliver strategic insight, razor-sharp copywriting, and world-class design.

You need this to:

• Refresh or rebrand your company
• Clarify your brand hierarchy
• Update your digital brand experience
• Create a more relevant identity
• Improve your value proposition
• Align your brand after an acquisition
• Communicate customer-centric messages

Marketing activation
CBC is an international team of dedicated B2B experts who get the complexities of your business and will develop tactical campaigns tailored for your markets and KPIs.

Whether you need greater brand awareness, stronger product marketing, or tighter internal alignment, we help you connect with audiences and increase your marketing ROI.

You need this to:

• Increase brand awareness
• Launch a new product or service
• Reach more customers online
• Get more from your marketing ROI
• Enter a new segment or market
• Secure internal stakeholder buy-in
• Attract new talent

Digital engagement
CBC enables you to drive digital lead generation with high-value content via ABM and marketing automation programmes that deliver the right message, in the right format, at the most influential moment in the buying journey.

Our engagement activities are tailored for your business to create both qualitative and quantitative inbound results.

You need this to:

• Generate more business leads
• Create better quality content
• Find new ways to engage prospects
• Give your sales teams greater support
• Drive and convert online traffic
• Improve your sales activities
• Optimise your online sales

Let’s talk

If you’ve got a particular challenge to solve, a target to reach or you’re simply looking for inspiration, please feel free to contact CBC Managing Partner Ralph Krøyer on +45 35 25 01 75 or send him an email at rk@cbc.dk