Brand Marketing: An Industrial’s Guide
Make your mark for steady, sustainable growth.
“I created this guide to clarify the role and brand value of modern industrial marketing. I hope you enjoy the read and gain some value. Maybe boil the kettle; you’ve got about seven minutes ahead of you.”
– Jim
Unlock your Industrial Branding Potential
Seth Godin has one of the sharpest minds in marketing.
He's a renowned thinker and prolific writer and has reached 'legend status' in the marketing world.
I’m a fan of Seth.
Throughout this resource, I’ll share a few nuggets of his marketing wisdom that can be applied to your industrial brand strategy.
Here’s number one:
"The function of all marketing is to develop and sustain a robust referral network." - Seth Godin.
That's it.
That's his summation of what marketing is.
That ultimately, we must establish and nurture a community of people who will spread the good word about us through their network.
It's an idea that’s simple, timeless and true.
Because some things never change.
And what people say about us matters.
Seth Godin: Marketing legend, I’ll leave it at that…
Despite the advances in digital technology, we must still engage and generate trust with a human network to succeed.
That means building a genuine brand.
Personal, professional or both.
And that requires us to explore our stories warmly, share them generously, and engage with our audience meaningfully.
Because some things will never change.
⚙ Why do referrals matter?
They are the source of inbound leads that underpin steady, predictable business growth.
An algorithm or online platform can't take away or control referrals.
Warm, inbound leads will consistently outperform other marketing channels, enabling higher conversion rates and longer, stronger relationships.
Building Your Brand Equity
At the highest level, industrial marketing is split down the middle. It’s either Brand or Direct.
While both elements can effectively support a referral network, there are crucial differences.
Brand marketing tends toward consistency and a steady hand. It aims to achieve relevance and stay top-of-mind with an audience.
By contrast, direct marketing must be measurable in its application, campaign timeline and performance.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the two.
Overview: Brand Marketing
If they were twins, brand marketing would be the unsexy yet sensible one.
She’s defined by a genuine, reliable character and for taking the long view when others (direct) focus on the latest shiny thing.
With big-dollar, highly complex, and status-sensitive work, our brand identity gives us a seat at the table.
Because we’ve put in the brand-awareness work to build trust and affiliation with our audience.
“What you say isn’t nearly as important as what people say about you.” - Seth Godin
In practice, brand marketing is a collection of actions and assets.
Critical factors like service quality, time in the market and achieving success for your industrial customers all contribute to our brand performance, as does how we answer the phone, the door or an email.
We use brand assets such as websites, email lists, social media, digital marketing channels, and hard marketing material.
Although, crucially, branding requires us to show up with the message of what we do, who it’s for, and why it matters, day after day, week after week.
⚙ Here are some common tactics found in a successful industrial marketing strategy:
Articles and blogs (Thought leadership)
Social media content (A digital pulse)
Trade shows and events (We are your tribe)
Collateral, merch and giveaways (Real-world reminders)
Email marketing (We value your attention)
Overview: Direct Marketing
By contrast, direct marketing is the flashy, famous, yet short-lived twin.
It’s where big-budget ad campaigns can either rise or fall.
Direct is the home of direct mail (spam), paid ads and the dreaded cold call, but it’s also where Return On Investment (ROI) is measured in multiples.
“A successful direct marketing campaign can give rise to a new household name.” - Seth Godin.
Direct marketing tactics may apply to most industrial teams performing high-ticket, large-scale, and detailed work, but only as one piece of the puzzle.
Direct is unlikely to provide an end-to-end solution.
Why?
Because if landing a string of five-, six-, or seven-figure clients could be done with online ads, a billboard next to the freeway, or spamming 10,000 emails, I’d be out of a job.
It’s far more likely that a mix of brand and direct will serve your business best.
Branding blends multiple tactics under a steady, consistent brand marketing strategy.
Brand marketing blends multiple tactics under a steady, consistent strategy.
When Brand Positioning is the Product
Emotions are critical drivers in human decision-making.
And when *reputation* and *status* are on the line, our brand identity matters.
Leading marketers suggest that with costly, complex and high-emotion deals – as many of you negotiate – our brand strategy comes into focus and even becomes the product.
This struck me.
When a decision is crucial, our brand guidelines are the glue that binds our values, mission, and vision together and becomes our vital reference point.
Here’s a quick checklist for you:
⚙ Is brand marketing your game?
Your Client Lifetime Value (CLV) is high: 50k+
Purchasing from you involves significant CapEx or OpEx
Onboarding new clients is time and resource-heavy
Referral and repeat business is a big slice of your pie
Your customer numbers are relatively low, but so is the churn.
Tick a few boxes?
I thought so.
Whatever your business, whether you’re building, blasting, measuring, making, consulting or crafting, we’re firmly in the brand marketing realm.
Big projects and big dollars pose a risk to reputation and status, making brand awareness and trust essential.
Securing Your Industrial Marketing Foundations
Trust is the foundation of a strong brand.
We need to establish trust to support those we seek to help.
So it’s on us to bring our brand into focus and gain it.
To do this, we must aim to be top-of-mind with our audience, lodge there, and be prominent for decision time.
Because our work matters.
The commitment required to undertake steady branding work is made worthwhile by the rewards:
Big value jobs
Brand loyalty & long-lasting relationships
Predictable business growth
And, above all, getting to do our work.
We must spread the word earnestly and show up regularly to achieve the goal.
We can’t be fair-weather friends who only show up when the sun shines.
With consistency and time, our brand recognition becomes a beacon of our work in a sometimes hazy, convoluted and complex world.
Something solid, understandable and dependable.
Our brand should be a champion of our ambition, vision and commitment to our work and to those we seek to help.
These qualities drive emotion, and emotion drives decision-making in business and everywhere people are involved.
They always have and always will.
And this is Industrial brand marketing.
Whether you’re building, blasting, measuring, making, consulting or crafting, we can help your business thrive.
