Why Marketing Is Still an Afterthought in Industrial Automation — and What It's Costing You

TL;DR

Industrial automation is one of the most mature sectors in Europe, but when it comes to marketing, the sector lags behind. Many suppliers are strongly product-oriented and pay little attention to marketing. That represents a major, largely untapped opportunity. Organizations that deploy marketing structurally not only increase their visibility, but also achieve higher revenue, higher margins, and stronger customer relationships. Success in this sector requires deep subject-matter expertise, credibility with technically trained buyers, and a strategy that looks beyond the next campaign. MiM has years of experience marketing complex B2B solutions. Our focus areas are knowledge and relevance, starting from a clear, broadly supported strategy.

Trends and developments in industrial automation

Industrial automation is anything but standing still. Several developments stand out:

•        Smarter, more connected systems. Sensors, control technology, and monitoring systems are increasingly becoming part of broader data architectures. Predictive maintenance and condition monitoring are shifting from the exception to the standard, driven by the desire to reduce downtime and maintenance costs.

•        Energy efficiency as a requirement, not a nice-to-have. Drive and control technology is judged on energy consumption and sustainability impact, partly due to rising energy costs and tighter regulation.

•        Consolidation and internationalization. Suppliers of pumps, valves, connectors, and instruments increasingly operate across borders, which raises competitive pressure and the need to differentiate.

•        A tight labor market. Technically trained personnel are scarce, on the customer side too. Buyers and engineers have less time and look for suppliers who get them to an answer faster.

•        Longer, more complex purchasing processes. Decisions are rarely made by one person. Purchasing, engineering, operations, and management are all involved, each with their own information needs.

What these developments mean for marketing

Every trend has a direct impact on marketing in this sector. Smarter, connected systems and the rise of predictive maintenance call for content that explains what that means in concrete terms for uptime and maintenance costs. Energy efficiency as a requirement shifts the conversation from specifications to total cost of ownership and sustainability impact; marketing needs to make that value explicit. Consolidation and internationalization raise competitive pressure, making sharp, recognizable positioning no longer optional. The tight labor market means buyers and engineers have less time to do their own research; content therefore needs to get them to the right answer faster. And longer, more complex purchasing processes involving multiple stakeholders call for content tailored by role.

These developments mean marketing is becoming more important than ever. Marketing translates subject-matter expertise into the right message, for the right stakeholder, at the right moment.

The state of marketing in industrial automation

Walk the show floor at an industrial automation trade fair and you mostly see technology: cutaways, demo setups, datasheets. That makes sense, since the sector has traditionally been product- and engineering-driven. Many companies were founded by engineers, are run by engineers, and sell to engineers. There is a great deal of subject-matter knowledge. The marketing function, however, is often underdeveloped.

In practice, we see a number of recurring patterns:

•        Marketing is treated as a supporting, execution-only function: trade show attendance, brochures, the occasional campaign.

•        Content is almost exclusively product-focused, while buyers increasingly want to understand specifically which problem a solution solves for them.

•        Positioning is implicit: “we’re good” is assumed, not explained.

•        Marketing rarely reports on revenue or pipeline, which makes it hard to earn a seat at the leadership table internally.

These patterns are understandable: the sector has been able to build on relationships, reputation, and technical superiority for decades. But buying behavior is changing. A growing share of the purchasing process happens online, and decision-makers already compare suppliers before the first conversation takes place.

An open goal: what happens when marketing does get priority?

Companies that approach marketing as a strategic function see effects that go well beyond brand awareness:

•        Shorter, more predictable sales cycles, because buyers enter the conversation with a well-informed picture already in place.

•        Higher margins, because strong positioning shifts the discussion from price to value.

•        Access to larger, more complex deals, because multiple stakeholders within the buying team can be convinced independently.

•        Less dependence on individual account managers, because brand and content take over a significant part of the sales work.

The payoff, then, is not marginal. In a sector where competitors are often technically close to one another, marketing becomes one of the most important ways to structurally differentiate yourself.

Critical success factors for marketing in industrial automation

Marketing in this segment succeeds or fails on a number of specific factors:

1.      Subject-matter credibility. Technically trained buyers and engineers spot superficial content immediately. Content has to be relevant and accurate down to the detail.

2.      Fitting a long, complex purchasing process. A single ad has no effect. Success requires a deliberate sequence of content and touchpoints that fits each stage of the decision.

3.      Serving multiple stakeholders. Purchasing wants insight into cost and risk, engineering wants specifications and reliability, management wants return. One message for everyone doesn’t work.

4.      Consistency over time. Trust in a technical brand is built through years of recognizable, consistent presence.

5.      Clear, differentiated positioning. Without a sharp answer to “why us, and not our direct competitors,” marketing remains wasted effort.

6.      Internal collaboration between sales and marketing. In a relationship-driven sector, marketing and sales need to go hand in hand.

MiM and complex B2B solutions: familiar territory

Marketing is Mensenwerk supports organizations that sell complex technical solutions. Thanks to years of experience in B2B marketing, we understand how technically trained audiences evaluate information and which arguments actually convince.

One challenge is always central: successfully positioning high-value technical solutions within long decision-making processes.

Why our knowledge- and relevance-driven approach makes the difference

At MiM, we build marketing on subject-matter knowledge, not generic marketing language. Within industrial automation, that’s essential. Content that doesn’t hold up is dismissed by an engineer immediately. Content that does hold up — that gets the application, the terminology, and the nuance right — earns attention and trust.

Our approach therefore always starts with truly understanding the product (and its benefits), the application, and the audience, before a single piece of content is written. That way, message and channel align with how technical buyers actually decide.

Strategy first, campaigns later

A common mistake in this sector is filling marketing with disconnected actions: an ad here, a trade show booth there, a newsletter too few people read. At MiM, we reverse that order. We always start with strategy: who is the audience, what is the differentiating positioning, what story needs to be told?

Only once that foundation is in place do we translate it into concrete content and campaigns. That takes more time upfront than launching a campaign right away, but it prevents budget being spent on output that doesn’t fit together or misses the target audience.

A strategic partner for the long term

Precisely because we start with strategy and build marketing from subject-matter knowledge, MiM becomes a strategic partner for companies in industrial automation. We think alongside our clients about positioning, about the role of marketing within the organization, and about how marketing and sales can structurally reinforce each other.

In a market where technology is becoming commonplace faster and faster, it’s ultimately not just product quality that determines who grows. Equally important is the quality of the story told around it. Strategic marketing makes the difference there.

Frequently asked questions

Why does marketing in industrial automation lag behind other B2B sectors? The sector has historically been product- and engineering-driven. Many companies are built around engineering and relationships. As a result, marketing was often treated as a supporting function rather than a strategic instrument, while customer buying behavior has since changed.

Is marketing even suitable for a technical, product-oriented sector? Marketing works well precisely in technical segments, provided it’s subject-matter accurate. Technically trained buyers are critical, but respond strongly to content that addresses their specific problem and demonstrably holds up in detail.

What does it cost a company in industrial automation to do nothing about marketing? Mostly missed opportunities: longer sales cycles, discussions fought on price instead of value, and greater dependence on individual account managers to close deals.

How does MiM start a project with a company in industrial automation? Always with a thorough strategic phase: understanding the product, application, audience, and competition, before any content or campaigns are developed. That way, everything that follows aligns with how the audience actually decides.