Comprehensive Campaign Management to Accelerate Competitive Edge

Sherri Swabb, Director of Marketing - Americas, Yaskawa Motoman

Sherri Swabb is Director of Marketing - Americas for Yaskawa America Inc. – Motoman Robotics Division (Yaskawa Motoman), where she combines over 30 years of business strategy and technology expertise to guide all aspects of marketing. Working closely with all departments, Sherri ensures that all product development and subsequent initiatives align with core company goals and keep consistent with corporate brand guidelines. She is a graduate of Wright State University with a degree in Marketing, and she holds an M.B.A. in International Business from the University of Dayton.

The accessibility of the digital world may be the biggest asset a corporation has when it comes to leading a generation. Providing the power to reach a larger swath of target audience for increased sales and revenue, it seems like a no-brainer concept. However, for many marketing departments, this avenue is not explored or dropped for multiple reasons, opening the door for competitors to capitalize.

As marketing leaders look for ways to revitalize their efforts in a post-COVID world, they would be wise to adopt (or revisit in some cases) the use of digital campaigns. Whether through social media, push e-mail, online webinars, or other interactive means, leveraging digital tools in today’stech-driven landscape is key. That said, here are four basic yet vital concepts for marketers to keep in mind for campaign management:

Appeal to Your Audience

Perhaps the easiest concept to embrace is the idea of creating compelling content that appeals to current customers and potential end users alike. For advanced technology sales, including robotics, this should entail a plethora of informative content that answers key questions, such as, “What tools or robots are most effective for my workspace?", "How can advanced technology improve my product throughput for on-time delivery?" or "When do I know it's time for a technology upgrade?" Helping current customers and prospective buyers to effectively visualize and see beyond their current production layout – whether through creative text, visual imagery, customer testimonials, or other methods – is elemental.

Marketers unsure of where to start when it comes to content should reach out to subject matter experts within their organization. A simple conversation with a lead engineer, sales professional, product manager, maintenance technician, etc., will go a long way to addressing the key issues product end users face. From here, a campaign outline that facilitates the creative process can be generated.

Maintain Consistent Messaging

Maintaining a fluid flow of applicable yet engaging content is a monumental challenge for many marketing departments. While creative burnout, employee turnover, unmet quotas, fluctuating budgets, and more can discourage adhering to a regular campaign schedule, where content is pushed out regularly, it is imperative to stay the course.

“In fact, companies that embrace innovative hardware and software platforms have a top advantage that can maintain a competitive edge”

For those looking to take the messaging leap, offering bi-weekly or monthly online webinars in conjunction with following a stringent blog, push e-mail, and social media calendar is an ideal place to start. Not only will this help establish an organization as a thought leader, but also, it helps to create shareable content that answers key questions about the product being sold. While current customers or potential prospects may not initially respond, ‘seeds’ are being planted for future product exploration and sales growth.

Use Multiple Channels

As suggested, targeting audiences through different methods is best. While certain individuals may react well to a blog, article, or webpage, others might prefer to consume content by listening to webinars or podcasts. Similarly, short videos that promote product application usage are extremely valuable on both websites and social media platforms. Thus, embracing a multi-channel approach for marketing product content is extremely important.

It may also be helpful to create specific content geared toward a target segment of the overall audience. For robotics, that means creating content specifically for material handling versus welding or other application, then sending out appropriate content to targeted lists – these are typically generated from the company’s customer relationship management (CRM) platform. 

Doing this is a fantastic way to create a more personal connection with customers, as it often pinpoints specific ‘pain points’ and answers key questions that often surface in conversations between end users and product experts.

For targeting prospects, utilizing an Account Based Marketing (ABM) Platform to execute strategic digital ad display campaigns to drive segmented prospects to the same targeted content mentioned above is beneficial. This keeps the ad budget focused and reduces unnecessary spending. ABM campaigns help promote the reuse of existing specific content and provide opportunities for reinforcement of key topics that assist in converting prospects into leads.

Stay on Brand

'Keep it simple' is perhaps the best advice a marketer should apply where branding is concerned. From logo and website colors to the words and images used in messaging, all parties should easily understand content. Moreover, this content should always reflect back to the organization's mission and vision – doing this will help create ‘the voice’ of the company, lending itself to greater brand recognition throughout the industry being served. Not only does brand simplicity facilitate robust recognizability, but also, it helps portray an organization as dependable. And, in an industrial landscape where great customer service is often a competitive edge, showcasing the expertise and reliability a company can offer is beyond helpful.

To facilitate this brand recognition, every company should have strategic brand guidelines that everyone follows. From the CEO on down, each employee should help maintain the integrity of the overall look and feel of the company's branding. This includes a color palette, logo usage, font appearance, and other style regulations.

Failing to utilize the capability and accessibility the digital world has to offer can greatly hinder the marketing efforts of an organization in today’s tech-savvy world. In fact, companies that embrace innovative hardware and software platforms have a top advantage that can maintain a competitive edge. Ultimately, consistent multi-channel messaging that stays on brand and appeals to key audiences is the biggest allay to in-person lead generation– as it reiterates core strategic goals.