Moshe Pesach, Author at StepUp Marketing

Best Practices of Digital Marketing for Manufacturers: Build Authority and Attract Qualified Leads

Posted on January 21, 2019February 26, 2024 by Moshe Pesach

Today’s industrial sector is well aware that digital marketing is an integral part of reaching and interacting with their target audience, prospects, and customers. And even though they are tasked with engaging in online and content marketing, the majority of manufacturers still fall short of demonstrating a positive return from their digital marketing activities.

In this article, we present the challenges that manufacturers face when it comes to digital marketing. We’ll also share our Industrial Marketing Methodology, a digital marketing strategy geared toward the needs of manufacturers.

The Challenges of Digital Marketing for Manufacturers

Even though manufacturers and B2B industrial companies recognize the value of engaging in digital marketing, they face several challenges in doing so:

Many manufacturers lack a clear plan on how to implement online and content marketing activities. A clear, actionable plan is the basis of all marketing activities.
Manufacturers rarely take advantage of tracking and measuring tools and therefore can’t demonstrate their digital marketing activities ROI (or lack thereof). As the saying goes, “you can’t manage what you can’t measure.”
In some cases, manufacturers don’t have the necessary experience on how to target, reach, and appeal to technical audiences. This results in inadequate planning and budgeting, as well as slow corrective or pivoting actions when it comes to optimizing their online marketing.

Dive Deeper: The Global Growth Methodology for Industrial Companies [read more >>>]

Marketing Transformation for Manufacturers

GlobalSpec’s 2019 survey on manufacturing content marketing demonstrates how engineers and technical professionals primarily use the internet to research products and services, before reaching out to a company’s sales team. This points to a meaningful shift in marketing that manufacturers have to make.

Digital marketing has become vital in the technical customer’s journey. Where taking part in trade shows and running trade magazine ads used to suffice, manufacturers must now shift towards digital marketing to achieve results.

The StepUp Growth Wheel

We at StepUp specialize in digital marketing for businesses, industries, and manufacturers that target highly technical audiences. In the last 4 years, our team has created a comprehensive Industrial Marketing Methodology, that guarantees company growth, generation of qualified leads, and building authority in the company’s corresponding industrial sector.

Here are the 7 steps of The StepUp Growth Wheel, chosen to help manufacturers dominate their market using digital marketing:

Brand Positioning: A determining first step is to set the brand positioning strategy & statement, market research, and annual marketing plan.
Infrastructure: Creation of clear visual and content guidelines, to maintain consistent messaging in all future marketing materials.
Content Strategy: Defining a comprehensive content plan based on target audience characteristics, such as the buyer personas and mapping of the buyer’s journey.
Media Distribution: Deciding on the most effective places and methods to publish and distribute content, in a way that resonates with your target audience.
Lead Automation: Employing lead qualification and nurturing techniques, together with marketing automation tools, to ultimately convert leads into satisfied customers.
Sales Enablement: The creation of seamless sales processes that guide prospects through your sales funnel and convert them into customers with minimal effort.
ROI Tracking and Reporting: Setting up the necessary infrastructure to properly track and measure all marketing activities, in order to continuously optimize and achieve the best ROI.

While some manufacturers are having difficulties implementing digital marketing tactics, others are seeing exponential growth, building authority in their sector, and dominating their market. Contact us today to arrange a free 30-minute custom digital marketing session to find out how you can utilize automated digital marketing systems that will guarantee your success for years to come.

5 Ways to Successfully Generate Industrial Sales Leads

Posted on January 2, 2019February 26, 2024 by Moshe Pesach

Wouldn’t it be great if generating industrial sales leads was as simple as emailing or cold calling? However generating industrial sales leads successfully takes a lot of time, requires more specialization, and let’s face it – know how – than regular leads.

Industrial buyers aren’t your standard run-of-the-mill prospects. They are qualified professionals, highly informed on a subject before reaching a buying decision. Read on to see how this transforms the process of generating and converting industrial sales leads.

Learn more about our Inbound Marketing Methodology for B2B Industrial companies >>>

How To Generate Industrial Sales Leads?

1. Trade Shows

Trade shows are an excellent source of generating qualified industrial prospects. The best way to get the most out of the trade show is to plan ahead with Before, During, and After activities. Beforehand, you want to try to bring a team of people with sales skills and technical know-how. Also, you can prepare equipment and marketing materials fit for the trade show, as well as a set of qualifying questions to help with prospect identification.

During the show, avoid seeming pre-scripted or ‘salesy’ by building rapport and connecting with people before moving on to business. Present products & solutions fitting to their needs and seek a follow-up commitment for a call, appointment, or email, before saying goodbye.

After the show, establish trust and continued communication by promptly following up on leads and sending a thank you note along with any personalized materials discussed.

2. Website SEO & Organic Traffic

The importance of driving organic traffic to your website cannot be overstated. Practices like alternative image names and proper hierarchy structure are just a few items from a long list of SEO techniques required. Equally important is the content, requiring both keywords mastery and a well-written blog. The former means using suitable keywords, in the right places and in a strategic way. Regarding the latter, a blog with solid writing instills confidence and builds trust with your visitors, making them more prone to following a call to action and convert to sales leads.

3. Trade Magazines & PR

Trade magazines offer the option of both advertising and writing specialized pieces. When advertising, aim for a clean design that invites the reader to go through your ad. Increase ad engagement by prompting the reader to a call to action, such as contacting you. Publishing specialized pieces containing useful and original information is also effective. This way you come off as genuinely helpful, making your piece more credible and less like a sales pitch, gaining the reader’s trust.

4. Partner Newsletters

Effective partner newsletters employ professionally designed, aesthetically pleasing format with clear information hierarchy, that’s simple to browse through. Try framing the content based on your partner’s needs, while highlighting any promotional activities or calls to action. To optimize and focus on what works best, measure a newsletter’s performance in terms of audience reach and adapt accordingly.

5. Social Media (LinkedIn)

Social media platforms like LinkedIn are also a place where you may find and reach professionals. A paid strategy is direct advertising, which allows reaching prospective professionals in your industrial sector. An organic approach is posting updates regularly, which will be visible in all of your contacts feed. Similarly joining specialized groups allows you to share insights, demonstrate know-how, and expand your network. A key factor is keeping a steady rate of activity, appearing to your network’s feed regularly and building trust with your audience.

Converting Leads to Opportunities

You can benefit from the industrial sales leads generated, by converting them to sales opportunities through various techniques:

Lead Nurturing Emails: Customized email campaigns that deliver targeted messages and help prospects move forward with the buying process.
Social Media Branding by Remarketing: Remarketing is the practice of following your leads around the web with targeted ads, based on their history and browsing behavior. Combined with social media, it creates a strong brand presence, increasing brand credibility and awareness in the reader.
Content Strategy: Keep your audience educated, updating them on the newest trends and technologies. This way you develop a trustworthy company image, instill faith and make prospects more likely to convert to opportunities.
Direct Calling: Direct calling adds a personal touch in your communication. Especially for industrial leads, it can be beneficial as it can result in better understand your prospect’s needs.
CRM Platform: CRMs help make the whole sales process easy to record and access, resulting in increased conversions.

Now, What are You Going to Do?

Generating industrial sales leads is only a small part of company growth. At StepUp we specialize in inbound marketing for B2B companies for more than 10 years. Visit our methodology page to see how we can help you establish and maintain a clear marketing and sales strategy, producing predictable growth for your company.

Can Social Media Marketing Work for Your B2B Company?

Posted on May 30, 2018February 26, 2024 by Moshe Pesach

Social media is not just for consumer-oriented companies targeting millennial customers. As a B2B company, you can use social media marketing to position your company as a thought leader, generate leads, and attract high-quality talent.

In fact, according to research, 79% of B2B marketing specialists rated social media as their most effective marketing channel, while 38% said that if they had extra budget for next year, they would spend it on social media.

If you think that your industry isn’t suited to social media marketing, then take a look at pharmaceutical company Novartis. Instagram might not seem like a natural channel for this type of business, but the company has built up a large following by sharing pictures of the humane side of their work.

In this article, we discuss the key ways that social media marketing benefits B2B companies and best practices for creating a strategy that wins customers.

Think quality, not quantity

If you have 10,000 followers on Twitter, you may think you’re doing social media marketing right, but who are those followers and how much are they interacting with your company? It’s important to build a following of potential customers, as well as attract attention from your customers’ customers. From there, you can start to build relationships with these companies by engaging with them in a more direct way. The more useful and relevant content they see, the more likely they are to reach out to you, or visit your website, and the better you’ll be able to generate leads.

Share content your customers care about

What works for B2C companies, and across social media in general, won’t necessarily work for your B2B organization. That’s why you need to work out exactly what your followers are looking for, and what matters to them. If you share content that isn’t relevant to your customers and followers then they will either unfollow or just not engage with your content. When you’re starting out, you may not know what kind of content this is, which is why you need to test posts, and measure your success. Make sure you’re tracking metrics beyond simple likes; it’s also important to track click through rate, shares, and engagement.

Pick the right platform

Before you rule out Instagram and solely concentrate on LinkedIn, it’s important to take into account social media usage at a local, rather than global, level. For example, while most US B2B companies focus their marketing efforts on LinkedIn and Twitter, and leave Facebook for B2C companies, Facebook and YouTube are used professionally in countries such as India. Then take China, where Facebook and Twitter are blocked or use is limited but WeChat dominates. Make sure you research your markets first to ensure you’re using the right channel for your customer base.

Position yourself as a thought leader

Your company is unique, so you have unique and useful insight to share with your followers. Through social media marketing, you can harness this insight to position yourself as a thought leader. By posting on LinkedIn, you can give your customers actionable insight and information that helps them improve their business while showing off your expertise in your industry.

Attract high-quality talent

If you want to attract and recruit the best possible applicants, then it’s important to create a social media presence that portrays a positive company culture. To do this, you need to be sharing content that represents who you are, what your values are, and how this impacts your workers.

Let’s take the example of Novartis again. The company shares photos of the core values of its company, and the kind of activities their employees–who share these values–do. This makes it easier to attract the kind of people who would work best in their business.

Do you need help creating a social media strategy? Get in touch with us, and we can help tailor a plan for your business.

Our top 5 tips for last minute trade show ROI

Posted on May 1, 2018February 26, 2024 by Moshe Pesach

Choosing to exhibit at or attend a trade show such as Biomed or Agritech Israel means you’re making a big investment in marketing. Just bringing your team in to walk the floor and meet people represents time and expense. Putting together a booth and bringing in your sales team is an even larger outlay in expense for your company. So as you prepare for the Agritech or Biomed trade show this month, consider these five tips for getting the best ROI.

Download our guide to email follow up after a trade show.

#1 Know Your Target Buyer

Identifying and understanding your target buyer will help you prepare for the trade show. You’ll have the right literature on hand and your sales team will be prepared to answer their most pressing questions. Even if your business is in the early stages of gaining FDA or other regulatory approval, if you’re going to a trade show you need to start thinking about who you want to talk to and why they should be interested in you.

#2 Get Social With Your Customers

If you can find your target buyer online, connect with the socially and take the time to actually talk with them. Social media is a great way to get the word out about your product and the fact that you’re attending a big trade show, but it’s also a good forum where you can actually listen to your customer’s thoughts and concerns. LinkedIn is ideal for companies with a global focus, while Facebook can be effective for the local market here in Israel.

#3 Spread Information About the Show

When you’re attending a major trade show, you want to get the most mileage possible out of the event. A series of focused blog posts before a major show like Agritech or BioMed can help raise awareness among your customers of your attendance and bring in new customers looking for information. Similarly, during the show, you can share what you’re learning at the event on your website and social media. This is a great way to further engage with the audiences you’ve built and to remind your target customers that you are just an arms-reach away.

#4 Prepare Your Event Follow-up

If you’ve caught someone’s interest during the event and collected their information, then they’re expecting you to follow up with some additional information. Prepare these marketing materials beforehand so your sales team can tell customers what to expect. Catalogs of the products you offer, detailed specifications, or white papers about your products are great follow-up materials.

#5 Get Some Marketing Support

Especially when dealing with complex and regulated industries such as agtech, biotech and medtech, it’s vital to build a marketing system that addresses your unique needs, challenges and goals. Consider working with experts in complex marketing – you want a team that understands the challenges you face, the timeline driving your products, and the unique specifications of your product and market.

The experienced marketing team at StepUp Media Group is here to help you build your agtech, biotech or medtech marketing system. Get a taste of the work we do by downloading our Best Follow-Up Email Templates for use after a trade show, and get a head start on planning your trade show follow-up for maximum ROI.

If You are Planning for Agritech Israel (or Another B2B Trade Show), Remember 3 Key Tips for Maximum ROI

Posted on March 20, 2018February 26, 2024 by Moshe Pesach

Attending a tradeshow like Agritech Israel (or any major B2B show in your industry) is a serious commitment of time, money, and other resources. In the past, trade shows used to be the main source of lead generation for B2B companies. While they are still vital to any B2B marketing plan, in order to achieve maximum ROI it’s vital to approach trade shows differently than you did 5, 10, or 15 years ago.

To get the most out of your trade show investment, think of it as a complete marketing campaign rather than just an event. You’ll need to actively market your presence both before and during the trade show to ensure potential leads walk your way. Then you’ll want to follow up after the event to nurture your leads once the event is over. Done correctly, a trade show can be a great chance for you to talk with new potential customers, spend time with existing clients, and build your brand. Here are just three tips to maximize your ROI.

Pre-Show Marketing

Identify who you want to connect with at Agritech Israel and prepare a marketing campaign to reach out to them before the event. You may have an existing client or lead list that is your primary target or you may want to build a list. Your goal is to create a buzz around your company through email, press, and social media. You can promote promotional giveaways, an event you’re hosting, or new technology you’ll be showcasing to get people’s interest and make sure attendees see your brand name a few times before they arrive.

Be Different at the Show – Inside and Outside Your Booth

The location, size, and setup of your booth play a large part in whether people walking by notice your booth and feel invited to stop and chat for a few minutes. You want your booth to grab the attention of people passing by and encourage them to look closer. Don’t be afraid to do something different, bold, or wacky – a trade show is a great temporary environment to test out a new marketing strategy.

Don’t forget that the trade show itself is not just about the booth. Attendees often steal breaks to drink a coffee and check their Facebook and LinkedIn. Catch them online with focused paid campaigns and turn digital traffic into foot traffic with compelling offers related to the trade show – a demonstration, giveaway or personal consultation are all valuable offers.

Follow Up Strategy

Once Agritech Israel (or your industry’s main trade show) is over, you want to make sure you continue to maximize the effort you spent at the trade show by promptly reaching out to leads. Your sales team should reach out to promising leads promptly and everyone should receive either an email or a letter from your company, or both, shortly after the event. You can continue to follow up with information they might find helpful such as white papers, company catalogs, and other educational content.

"Download >”/>

Attending a trade show is a huge investment, so you want to ensure your strategy encompasses both pre- and post-show outreach in order to maximize the number of times a lead interacts with your brand and the ROI of the event. If you’re interested in working with an experienced industrial marketing agency that can help you design and implement a high-quality strategy and metrics to track its success, reach out to StepUp for a free marketing and sales strategy consultation.

An Inside Look at Successful B2B PPC Campaigns – And What Makes Them Work

Posted on March 13, 2018February 26, 2024 by Moshe Pesach

Setting up a pay-per-click (PPC) ad campaign can be a huge investment, so it’s important to look at what strategies actually work. One advantage of building marketing systems for numerous B2B businesses is that we work on many different types of campaigns simultaneously and when we find something that is working well for one client, we can apply it to others.

Setting Expectations

First, it’s important to note that the process of generating a lead is more complicated than it seems. Leads rarely do a search, see an ad, click on it, and make a purchasing decision, especially in a B2B marketing setting. It takes more time and generally several interactions with the same lead before they’re even ready to start the quoting process.

B2B PPC campaigns can also be very expensive. In an effort to not only cut costs but to have a more effective marketing program, it’s important to pair your PPC campaign with a remarketing campaign. Once a lead visits your website, you can place a cookie on that lead’s device. This cookie then allows you to target them as they visit other websites that display advertising including social media.

It generally takes a lead several times seeing your ads before your presence really begins to sink in and remarketing is the best way to continue to target the same leads without hoping they stumble onto your more expensive PPC ads regularly. It’s important to set expectations accordingly. While PPC allows you to sit front and center before a desired lead, simply serving up ads for a day is unlikely to result in increased sales.

Educate and Raise Awareness

The process to go from the first click on a PPC ad to buying decision can be a long one, so it’s important during that time to help educate and raise awareness of your brand for the potential lead. This means you may create and promote educational content that is connected to awareness keywords to help your leads better understand what your business does, the value you offer, and most importantly, how you can help them solve problems.

As you remarket to a lead, creating value for them even when they are not ready to buy means they will associate your brand with that information and value. Spend time thinking of the common questions your leads ask and answer those using blogs, infographics, or white papers. A blog post that gives an overview of an answer to the question can then link to a detailed white paper that a lead can download in return for their email address. Once you’ve captured an email address, you now have the ability to reach your lead directly with educational content or be even more personalized and have a member of your sales team reach out and see what their needs and concerns might be.

Setting up a PPC campaign can be an integral part of your overall digital marketing strategy, but it’s important to understand that it’s only one piece. To learn more, reach out to the team at StepUp to learn what components your business needs to build a successful marketing strategy that brings in the right leads.

Why Hiring a B2B Lead Generation Company is Not Enough to Help Your Business Grow

Posted on March 5, 2018February 26, 2024 by Moshe Pesach

If your business is looking to grow its digital marketing footprint and really use the power of the Internet to generate business, it takes a lot more than just finding the leads to turn them into customers, even if you’ve got a great sales team. After all, the first time a lead hears of your business, they may not be at the point where they want to make a purchasing decision or they may want to do more research and get to know your business first. For these reasons, growth is about more than just generating leads through a B2B lead generation company – it’s also about educating, nurturing, and staying in touch during those early stages of your lead’s buying process.

Generating Leads

Finding good leads and qualifying them is the first step. Many marketing services bill themselves as B2B lead generation companies, believing that just getting the leads is the most important step. Finding and qualifying the leads is absolutely a big deal and there are a number of different strategies you can use, from trade shows to quality downloadable guides to pay-per-click advertising to generate those leads. Identifying and qualifying “ideal” leads is a process best done together with sales – they know best when it comes to identifying the leads that are ready to buy. Once the lead is identified as “sales qualified,” it can be turned over to your sales team to work.

Educating Leads

It’s rare that you find a lead that’s ready to buy, especially in a B2B setting where the sales cycle can be technically complex and months long. Instead, it’s time to educate leads and remarket to them in order to position your company as the main industry thought leader. In many industries, suppliers are already considered the experts by their buyers – it’s a natural leap for the suppliers to provide technical and compelling industry news. This can be done a number of different ways, but it requires creating high quality educational content that provides value. Figure out what common questions leads have before they reach you and as they interact with your sales team and then create content that addresses those questions in creative ways. You can then post this content on your website for an SEO boost, send the content out in email blasts, or use it to remarket and raise awareness.

Nurturing Leads

As you collect leads, you’ll notice that even leads who seem like ideal buyers – the right companies, the right markets, the right job titles – are not always reaching you at ready to make a buying decision. Some of these leads can turn into great future customers, but they need to be nurtured for a while. Your sales team can certainly reach out on a periodic basis and touch base, but having an email newsletter with compelling content or another marketing campaign that keeps your brand at the top of mind ensures that when they’re ready to make that decision, your company’s name comes up first.

To accomplish your marketing goals, there are a number of different highly effective online marketing strategies your business can use. It’s important to remember, however, that lead generation offers the best ROI when it’s done in an “inbound” way – understanding what makes a quality lead, and understanding how to educate and nurture those leads with valuable content and consistent outreach. Contact the team at StepUp Marketing for a customized B2B marketing strategy session to see how our system could work with your B2B company.

How We are Preparing Our B2B Marketing Agency for GDPR Compliance

Posted on February 26, 2018February 26, 2024 by Moshe Pesach

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will go into effect on May 25, 2018 and will require all companies that collect personal data of EU citizens to take many new measures to protect that data. As an inbound marketing agency we believe that increased data protection is a great thing, and can help build the relationship of trust between company and client that we work hard to establish through creation of valuable content and other aspects of our work. We are working hard to achieve GDPR compliance in our marketing agency by May 25.

The GDPR requirements are demanding, so appropriate planning has been important. We’ve listed below the steps we are taking. While we are happy to share our own process, you should not take this information as advice for your company. It is essential that you consult with a knowledgeable legal authority to be certain of the specific steps you must take to be GDPR compliant.

Here are the steps we are taking at StepUp to be GDPR compliant:

1. Getting explicit consent before collecting information, and enabling easy withdrawal of consent

For us at StepUp, the data we collect is straightforward and not sensitive. However, the GDPR requires us to make sure that when we collect leads for mailing lists, consent is simple and clear. We are implementing “opt-in” consent on all our forms so that any person who interacts with us will understand what they are signing up for, and how they can withdraw consent through a simple and easy “unsubscribe” process.

2. Putting a process in place to make sure we can (if requested by a contact):

Confirm if and how any personal data is being used
Provide leads with their personal data
Transfer their personal data to another company
Erase and forget their data

3. Making sure we are ready in the event of a data breach

In our marketing activities, we don’t collect highly sensitive information such as financial or medical data, but we need to be ready to act in the event of a data breach anyway. GDPR requires organizations to notify their supervisory authority of data breaches within 72 hours of discovery of the breach. (For organizations which do collect sensitive data, such as medtech or fintech companies, it is also necessary to notify contacts directly in the event of a data breach.)

4. Putting policies in place to make sure data protection is a core function

We are reviewing internal policies and procedures to protect the data of our leads. For example, we work with HubSpot as a marketing automation platform, because we are aware that Hubspot’s platform is already conducive to the protection of the data of all the leads we collect and store.

5. Collecting only the personal data necessary to carry out the work at hand

Every time we create a new landing page, form or conversion point, we ask ourselves, what information do we really need from these leads? We aim to be thoughtful in the collection of data rather than gathering personal information “just because.”

6. Limiting access to personal data to the people who need it to carry out the work at hand

When we assign users within our marketing automation platform and CRM, we make sure that only the people involved in each project can see the contacts. HubSpot helps us set reasonable access parameters for each member of our team.

7. Appointing a Data Protection Officer [DPO] and a representative in the EU

Under the GDPR it’s not enough to make technical changes. It’s also essential to appoint a qualified professional to handle ongoing protection issues and to systematically carry out record-keeping and monitoring functions.

8. Have an informed IT lawyer on speed dial

We know that our own in-house research is not enough, so we have our lawyer involved as a central part of our GDPR compliance. Because the directives are new, and not clear in many places, and because their implementation depends on the specific position of each organization, we view access to competent legal counsel as the most important part of our GDPR compliance – and you may want to as well.

GDPR Compliance in Your Company

We hope that your company will benefit by knowing how we have approached the changes required by the GDPR. Make sure you outline a thorough plan in advance and run it by your lawyer. Ultimately, your leads and customers will appreciate your efforts to protect their data – both those that are required by GDPR and those imposed by other authorities. Compliance keeps you on the right side of the law, protects you from financial penalties and reinforces your company’s image as thorough and innovative.

At StepUp we work with a number of companies that collect varying levels of personal data, and it’s important to us that the information we collect on behalf of our clients is gathered lawfully and protected carefully. If you’d like to work with a marketing team that puts data protection at the center of your marketing plan, reach out to our team to schedule a free consultation and strategy session to learn how our inbound marketing methodology can help you grow your business.

Our Top 10 Industrial Websites – And What Makes Them Work

Posted on February 12, 2018February 26, 2024 by Moshe Pesach

When you visit a website for the first time, whether for work or for fun, you are probably hit with a feeling of “this works!” or “this doesn’t work!” But it’s harder to understand what exactly causes that feeling in the initial 30 seconds of exposure to a website. You may be particularly interested in understanding this feeling if you are considering a website redesign at your B2B or industrial company. We’ve taken a look at some of our favorite B2B industrial websites and broken down what exactly makes them work.

Clear Explanation of Complex Topics

Industrial products and processes are often complex and use high-tech materials and machines to create unique products. Even if your website is B2B, showing how your products move from business to business to consumer by showing examples of end products in different segments helps increase understanding of what a company does and how that fits into the final product.

Building materials supplier Martin Marietta sums this up nicely in their logo, “It’s not just what we make. It’s what we make possible.®” Dow has a number of products in vastly different business areas, but their websites has them clearly divided by market and even sub-market with pictures to showcase each of their solutions. Bechtel, meanwhile, showcases their products through a clear slogan featured in their URL, brand video, and beautiful explanatory graphics.

Focus on Key Value

Your business has certain differentiators that set it apart from the others. When your website focuses on those key values or a company mission that sets you apart, you’ll be able to convey not only what you do, but one important fact you want potential customers to associate with your brand.

Plastics Unlimited features their focus on quality and service in bold right on the front banner of the website. Dyntex wants you to know that they’re pushing boundaries in a variety of areas that tie into both their products, their technology, and their company culture. National Lien and Bond lets the construction industry know they are there to help them get paid, and builds a relationship of trust right from the first interaction. Acme Hardesty features beautiful graphics and a video to tell their brand story.

Your website is a reflection of your company, so you want the design to be

professional, friendly, and easy to work with. Even for businesses offering complex products to multiple industries, a focus on designing and organizing your website is key.

DRTS features a clean design with bright pops of color designed to draw attention, easy-to-follow navigation, and a scrolling front page that conveys the basic information about the company in clear bites. Koniku, meanwhile, uses interactive graphics to explain a complex topic and its potential applications in easy-to-understand and attractive detail.

Creativity

Who says B2B has to be boring? There are brilliant and creative people behind industrial processes and design, so bring some of that to the forefront of your website. Procurement and purchasing agents are still people who appreciate and respond to clear communication and creative design.

Bechtel’s interactive graphics featuring specific examples of their work showcase both their products, how they’re used, and how they impact the lives of the end consumers. The hands-on video in Cochran’s Lumber takes you inside the workshop and paints a vivid picture of their high quality product.

If you think it’s time to bring your B2B website up to speed and give your potential customers the feeling “this works!” when they first visit your website, reach out to the team at StepUp for a free consultation. We will review your current website and help you explore new possibilities for a user friendly interface that works for your specific business and industry.

5 Things AgTech Investors Are Looking for in AgTech Startups

Posted on February 5, 2018February 26, 2024 by Moshe Pesach

Investing in any business is a risk that investors take when the potential ROI is evident in the new product or idea, and AgTech investors are no different. They want to make sound investments and so there are certain key aspects they’re going to look for in any AgTech startup to ensure the company has a chance of success and their capital is secure. However, in a highly technical field like AgTech, there are some unique aspects of early stage development that are key to building a successful plan and raising capital. If you are part of an AgTech startup or are an investor considering the industry, here are some important things to consider as you build your startup or weigh your potential investment.

Team

No matter the size of the startup, investors want to see that the company has the expertise it needs to accomplish its goals. Having founders or team members who are familiar with the industry and have the skills to develop the proposed solution is key. As the company grows, founders also want to see team members with management experience and sales abilities. A stable team is particularly important in a technical field like Agtech, where you may need to prove that you have an expert in agriculture as your CTO, an engineer as your COO, and a veteran entrepreneur as your CEO.

Rules & Regulations

Depending on the location of the startup and its product, it’s likely subject to a number of different rules and regulations. Agtech investors are looking to see that the startup has a clear understanding of the rules and any processes they need to undergo in order for their products to be approved for use in agriculture.

Early Adaptors

In a highly technical field like Agtech, it is easy to remain exclusively focused on product development and technical details. Even at the early stages, AgTech startups should focus on talking to farmers or other end consumers to get validation of their idea, and on building a community of early adaptors once the regulatory and technical challenges are overcome. Will it really help a large enough number of customers to make it a business? How much are those customers willing to pay? These questions should be answered initially through on-the-ground market research, and revisited periodically to ensure the startup is on the right track.

Think Big

While your company may initially start out focused on smaller co-ops or recreational farms, you need to have a vision for how your business will grow. There are a number of different routes to do this within AgTech. While focusing on a niche is a great way to get initial adoption, having a clear path for the future is a great way to get investors.

Resilience

Just as farmers want plants to stand up to hot sun or disease, investors want to put their capital in startups that will roll with whatever comes their way and keep going. Some investors look at serial successful founders for this trait, others like to see it demonstrated from the beginning through creative problem solving.

AgTech is a growing industry as more and more technology is developed or adapted for this major and important market. Investors are savvy enough to know that it takes more than just a knowledge of farming or technical expertise to succeed in the marketplace. That’s why having the right team and the right plan matters so much. Don’t make the mistake of leaving marketing out of your initial business strategy and waiting until your product is almost at market to figure out how to actually market it. At StepUp our focus is exclusively on helping B2B manufacturing companies, particularly in the fields of AgTech, MedTech and CleanTech, build smart marketing systems that save time and increase leads. If you want to learn more about marketing automation and strategy for AgTech companies, contact us today for a free B2B marketing strategy review.