Top Industrial Manufacturing Marketing Challenges (& How to Overcome Them in 2025)

Industrial marketing isn’t what it used to be.

The days of relying solely on trade shows, referrals, and printed product catalogs are fading. In 2025, the manufacturing industry is seeing a dramatically shifting landscape shaped by inflationary pressure, global tariffs, talent shortages, and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). And at the same time, buyer expectations have advanced. Your prospects are doing more research online, expecting quick answers, personalized content, and a seamless digital experience.

The scale of the industry in 2025 makes this shift even more significant. According to Statista, global manufacturing output is projected to hit $50.84 trillion, with more than 157 million employees and over 5 million enterprises worldwide. Value added in the Manufacturing market is projected to be $14.34 trillion in 2025 and nearly $324,000 in labor efficiency per worker. The competition is strong, and the pressure to improve performance across every department, including marketing, is only growing.

For many industrial companies, that creates a major challenge: how do you stand out, generate high-quality leads, and stay competitive, all while staying under budget?

In this post, I’ll break down the top industrial manufacturing marketing challenges and, more importantly, show you how to overcome them. From adapting to a digital-first buyer journey to filling internal talent gaps and embracing new technologies, I’ll cover what you may need to focus on in this next chapter of industrial marketing.

Industrial marketing (also known as B2B manufacturing marketing) refers to how companies that sell products, parts, or services to other businesses promote their offerings. This includes manufacturers, OEMs, distributors, logistics providers, and industrial service companies—all targeting professional buyers instead of consumers.

Unlike B2C marketing, industrial marketing deals with:

• Longer sales cycles with multiple stakeholders

• Highly technical products or services

• Buyers who want information, not just inspiration

Instead of impulse purchases, these buying decisions are deliberate, data-driven, and often involve engineers, procurement teams, and C-suite executives. That means marketing efforts must go beyond branding—they must educate, build trust, and support the buyer journey every step of the way.

Why it Matters in 2025

Effective industrial marketing is more important than ever. Many manufacturers are feeling the squeeze from rising costs, hiring difficulties, and a constantly changing world. Meanwhile, buyer behavior has shifted. Industrial customers are researching solutions online, comparing vendors through digital channels, and expecting the same kind of seamless user experiences they get from consumer brands.

To stay competitive, manufacturers need more than brochures and booth space. They need to rank in search results, deliver high-value content, and leverage platforms like LinkedIn to connect with both buyers and talent.

And with AI now influencing everything from search engine algorithms to customer behavior, companies that ignore this shift risk falling behind. From predictive analytics to automated content creation and personalization, industrial marketers must adapt to stay visible and relevant.

Industrial companies are under more pressure than ever to do more with less—whether that’s generating high-quality leads, recruiting skilled talent, or proving the ROI of every marketing dollar. And with digital transformation accelerating, many manufacturers are still playing catch-up.

Below are some common industrial marketing challenges manufacturers face today, and what they mean for your strategy moving forward.

1. Long and Complex Sales Cycles

Industrial sales typically involve many decision makers, technical specs, and long-term contracts. It’s not uncommon for deals to take six months or more. And during that time, many potential buyers drop off due to a lack of follow-up or relevant content.

Without a well-defined lead-nurturing strategy and content that speaks to each stage of the buying journey, it’s easy for good opportunities to go cold.

2. Low Online Visibility

Many manufacturers still rely on traditional methods like trade shows, word-of-mouth, or cold outreach. But in 2025, that’s no longer enough. Buyers are starting their searches online, and if your business doesn’t show up in search results or lacks a modern website, you’re likely invisible.

According to the Spring 2025 CMO survey, marketers in the manufacturing industry currently allocate just 36% of their budget to digital, lower than industries like tech (53%) or healthcare (48%). That gap created missed opportunities to capture inbound demand.

3. Difficulty Hiring Skilled Talent

The industrial manufacturing industry is facing a widespread labor shortage, and it’s not just limited to marketing roles. From skilled tradespeople to engineers, machinists, and plant managers, manufacturers are struggling to fill open positions.

This challenge isn’t going away any time soon. As older workers retire and fewer young professionals enter the trades, competition for talent continues to grow. According to the CMO survey, nearly half of all marketers are seeing increased costs due to inflation, and labor is a major part of that equation.

The pressure is now on marketing teams to support hiring efforts, not just sales. That means showcasing company culture, creating career-focused content, and leveraging platforms like LinkedIn to reach potential candidates with the same level of intention used for lead generation. To be most effective, marketing and sales teams need to align their strategies, sharing insights and collaborating closely to attract both customers and top-tier talent.

4. Lack of Internal Digital Marketing Expertise

Many industrial businesses simply weren’t built with digital in mind. As a result, they either have no in-house marketing team or one that’s more traditional in skill set. That leads to:

• Underutilized or mismanaged SEO
• Inefficient ad spend
• Missed opportunities in analytics and automation

And without the right skillset, it’s difficult to scale efforts or justify budget increases.

5. Inaccurate or Incomplete Customer Data

Data is at the heart of every successful marketing strategy. But for many manufacturers, it’s messy, outdated, or nonexistent.

Whether it’s a CRM full of stale contacts or a lack of segmentation, poor data hygiene makes it harder to personalize messaging, run effective email campaigns, or retarget website visitors. That means wasted spend and fewer closed deals.

6. Inflation and Tariffs are Squeezing Margins

Global economic conditions are directly impacting marketing departments. Tariffs, labor costs, and material shortages are pushing costs up, and when margins tighten, marketing is often the first area to face cuts.

But here’s the irony: now is the time to invest in smarter, more measurable marketing efforts, not scale back. Doing so helps offset rising costs with improved efficiency and conversion.

7. Difficulty Measuring ROI

Measuring marketing ROI is notoriously tricky in B2B marketing, especially in industrial sectors with long sales cycles and complex user journeys.

Only 30% of manufacturing marketers in the same CMO survey reported using marketing analytics to guide decision-making. Without the ability to track what’s working, it’s difficult to defend budgets or optimize campaigns.

8. Poor Lead Quality and Low Conversion Rates

Even when website traffic increases, many industrial businesses struggle to turn those visits into qualified leads. Common culprits are:

• No clear calls-to-action
• Overly technical or generic content
• Lack of alignment between marketing and sales

In many cases, traffic is there, but the funnel isn’t built to convert.

9. Falling Behind on AI and Tech Adoption

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing how marketing works and how industrial buyers discover, evaluate, and engage with brands.

From AI-generated content outlines and predictive analytics to automated email workflows and chatbots like ChatGPT, AI is now the new standard.

One of the biggest shifts? The rise of AI Overviews and AI Mode in Google Search. Instead of showing traditional link-based results, Google is now generating AI-powered summaries that often answer a buyer’s question without ever requiring them to click a website. That means your brand may not show up at all unless your content is structured and optimized for AI consumption.

Many industrial companies haven’t adopted it yet, whether due to limited resources, lack of awareness, or concerns about accuracy or security. But waiting to “catch up later” only widens the gap between your business and more agile, tech-savvy competitors.

At the same time, Google still prioritizes high-quality, human-written content—especially when it demonstrates expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). Striking the right balance between AI optimization and authentic, people-first content is essential for long-term visibility.

To stay relevant, manufacturing companies must rethink how they create content, show up in search, and use tools like AI to work smarter, not harder.

While the challenges facing manufacturers in 2025 are real, they’re not insurmountable. The key is to embrace change, modernize your marketing approach, and build the right infrastructure to support long-term growth.

Some tips on how to move forward:

1. Strengthen Your Website and SEO Strategy

Your website is your lead generation tool. To compete, industrial companies need a fast, mobile-friendly site that’s optimized for both traditional search and AI-driven search engines.

Focus on:

• Keyword-rich content aligned with buyer intent, backed by extensive keyword research
• Product and service pages optimized for featured snippets and AI overviews
• Clear CTAs for demos, quotes, or spec sheet downloads
• Structured data to help Google and AI tools interpret your content
• Clear internal linking strategy pointing directly to products or services you offer

💡 If you happen to be going through an SEO site migration, now would be the time to clean up your SEO. Check out our SEO site migration checklist to support SEO before, during, and after launch.

2. Create High-Value Education Content

Technical buyers don’t want fluff; they want information that helps them solve a problem, and fast. Create content that addresses their pain points, builds trust, and supports long buying cycles. Ensure any new content is optimized with the right keywords, schema, and more to make it visible for potential customers.

Content ideas can include, but are not limited to:

• Explainer videos and demo walkthroughs
• Application-specific blog posts
• Whitepapers, CAD files, and downloadable spec sheets
• Customer success stories with real ROI data

3. Leverage LinkedIn for Lead Generation and Hiring

Your buyers–and future employees–are on LinkedIn. And they are looking.

Use it to:

• Promote open positions with targeted job ads
• Share behind-the-scenes content to showcase your company culture
• Retarget past website visitors with educational content
• Build thought leadership through expert posts from engineers and executives

LinkedIn is not just a platform for networking, it’s a powerful tool for recruitment, brand building, and driving high-intent traffic to your site.

4. Invest in AI-Powered Marketing Tools

AI can give you a serious advantage. But only if you know how to use it. Whether it's speeding up data analysis, automating follow-ups, or using predictive analytics to guide campaigns, the right tools can help your lean team do more with less.

Start with:

• AI-enhanced SEO tools (ChatGPT, Semrush, Ahrefs)
• Chatbots for common sales or service-related questions (Manufacturing Chats)
• CRM automation for lead nurturing and follow-up
• AI-driven content platforms to help with outlines for product pages or ads (with human oversight)

But remember—balancing the power of AI with the human element is the key to winning in SEO. Authenticity, industry insight, and brand voice still matter, and the best results come when technology supports, rather than replaces, human creativity and strategy.

5. Clean and Connect Your Data

If your CRM is messy, your marketing will be too. Take time to audit your customer database, segment your contacts, and ensure your systems (like CRM and marketing automation) are working together.

Benefits:

• Better personalization
• More effective campaigns
• Clearer insights into what’s working (and what’s not)
• Reduce wasted spend

6. Partner With a Digital Marketing Agency that Specializes in Industrial Manufacturing Marketing

You don’t have to do this alone.

Many industrial companies don’t have the internal resources, time, or expertise to manage a full-scale digital marketing strategy—and that’s okay! That’s where partnering with a digital marketing agency for manufacturers can make all the difference.

An experienced industrial marketing agency understands the nuances of your industry, from long sales cycles and technical content to the channels and tactics that actually drive results in B2B.

When you work with a team that specializes in B2B marketing for industrial companies, you gain:

• A proven inbound marketing strategy customized to your sales process
• SEO programs that are designed to rank your products and services in search results
• Paid media (or PPC) campaigns (Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Microsoft Ads) that target your core target audiences
• Content that simplifies complex technical topics for non-technical buyers
• Lead tracking and reporting through advanced analytics to prove ROI and support future growth

Whether you’re looking to improve your website performance, increase qualified leads, support recruiting efforts, or launch a new product, a manufacturing agency can help you get there faster and with less guesswork.

Industrial marketing in 2025 isn’t easy, but it’s never been more important. As competition grows, margins tighten, and buyer behavior shifts online, manufacturers must evolve their marketing approach to stay visible and relevant.

By investing in your digital presence, leveraging platforms like LinkedIn for both hiring and lead generation, and embracing technologies like AI and marketing automation, your business can drive more qualified leads, build trust, and grow.

Connect with our team and see how a dedicated industrial marketing agency can help you build and execute a digital marketing strategy that works. We will also provide you with a complimentary analysis of your current marketing efforts to ensure we find opportunities that are unique to your business.