Profitability for manufacturers is as elusive as it is for other business sectors this year. The GlobalSpec 2009 Marketing Trends survey found that 68% of manufacturing concerns expect a sales decline in 2009. To address the problem, many CEOs are planning changes to their marketing budgets and strategies.
Here’s what manufacturers say their marketing goals are in 2009:
- Customer acquisition 44%
- Lead generation 29%
- Customer retention 13%
- Brand awareness 11%
Many senior executives also noted that they have begun the migration to online marketing and plan to use the following top channels this year:
- Online directories/Web sites 70+%
- E‑mail using in-house lists 70+%
- Search engine optimization 60+%
- Online newsletter sponsorships/ads 50+%
Survey respondents also indicated plans to shift larger amounts of their marketing budgets to online efforts as necessary. Nearly 3 in 10 commit half of their budget to online efforts while about half expect to spend 1/3 of their money online. These changes, executives hopes, will generate higher quality leads and eventually restore revenue levels and profitability.
[Source: GlobalSpec Industrial Marketing Trends Survey, 2009]