Powerful graphics & visuals in B2B marketing for manufacturers

Ed Marsh | Sep 12, 2014

More than just .dwg files

Often chatting with manufacturers about the visual content they have, or would consider, we focus on a very narrow scope.  

Photos of products and downloadable drawing files are the types that are both available and comfortable.

Unfortunately that substantially restricts both the reach of content in terms of personas and prospects, as well as the value and impact of graphics.

It's easy to say "Be creative"....
But check this out!

WhosplayingwhoVisualizationofthe2014NFLSchedule_53fbe695319ac_w590

That's a great visual tool - and one that begs interaction no less.

How about infographics?

Infographics can be an incredibly effective tool....or a cheesy waste.  What's important is not some visual representation of your product, but rather an illustration of some point of insight about your target personas' business or world.

For instance if you sell a product which streamlines manufacturing, then show before and after workflows.  Or if you provide a service that addresses an operational risk, create an infographic of major points of commonly unmitigated risk along a workflow.

Obviously the goal is capture the attention of folks by helping them recognize a problem which won't get their attention with another lengthy whitepaper.  It's a quick and effective tool to help time starved managers intuit a point from their perspective.

Then make sure your infographic gives them the opportunity to learn more about the problem, and of course......to learn a bit about a possible solution!

And of course video

Video is an awesome tool.  (Read a couple previous articles here and here.)  Execs consistently convert at a higher rate on video than written content early in their buying journey.  And technical buyers as well as 'visual learners' (vs. auditory or kinesthetic) instinctively prefer video and graphics.

Often companies get hung up on fancy editing and production, and fret about the topic.  And once they do take the step of creating a video it's something dry and formulaic.  

But you're wondering how there could be a "fun" video for your traditional industry?  How about this one!!??


Still wondering whether you could make your product interesting to a wider range?  Seriously?

Perspective

But whether you're talking images, infographics or video the key is a deep understanding of your prospects' businesses.  Simply entertaining them is of minimal value (perhaps a bit more in B2C).  If you don't contribute meaningful business insight then your content has failed - visual or text.

Want to chat about the business perspective which needs to inform your B2B marketing if it's going to succeed?