Industrial Marketing and Sales Across Generations - Dan Ott on Marketing to Millennials
Dan was loving life as a young college kid, playing football and following the path he'd heard young people were supposed to follow. Getting a degree.
But financial reality intruded. He couldn't afford it, and a chance discussion with a relative who worked in manufacturing opened his eyes to work and career opportunities in the trades.
Beginning as a machinist, Dan gradually learned his new trade and industry and then moved from the production floor to the front office to begin working in marketing. His employer supported his return to college, and he graduated with a marketing degree.
Today Dan is the Creative Content Manager at the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA) - the trade association for machine shops. He's spending most of his time on three activities. First, helping the very traditional machine shops understand how industrial content marketing can support various business goals. Second, specifically helping them understand how marketing is an important tactic in attracting and retaining skilled workers. And third, participating in conversations to help surface and overcome biases in how generations view marketing and sales - often boomers and millennials.
In this conversation, we cover many aspects of content marketing, video, media, and generational bias.
Dan is emphatic that humility is required from both sides, and that each has important perspectives on marketing, sales, content, and relationship building.
Connect with Dan to follow his journey of bridging generational business divides with industrial marketing and sales content.
Website | | |
Humility vs. Pride - Challenging Generational Bias to Create Effective Content - Dan Ott on Industrial Growth Insitute Episode 22
Episode Recap
Summary
In this episode Ed Marsh interviews Dan Ott, the Creative Content Manager for the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA). They discuss the challenges faced by middle-market industrial manufacturing companies, particularly in the machine shop industry, and the need for a shift in mindset and marketing strategies.
They also explore the importance of building relationships and trust with customers, the role of content in industrial marketing, and bridging the generational gap in the industry. They cover various topics related to marketing in the manufacturing industry and touch on the role of marketing in attracting production talent.
Other topics include:
- importance of showcasing clean and organized manufacturing facilities to attract talent and change misconceptions about the industry
- generational differences in marketing and sales activities, emphasizing the need for humility and open-mindedness on both sides
- role of marketing in building and maintaining relationships with customers
- importance of creating success content
- value of trade associations like NTMA and the need for active engagement to fully benefit from membership.
The conversation concludes with a discussion on the role of AI in marketing and the importance of flexibility and adaptability in the industry.
(I contribute regularly to the NTMA's print magazine "The Record" and spoke at the Annual Meeting of the LA Chapter. If you plan to visit IMTS in Sept, please reach out so we can connect there.)
Takeaways
- Middle market industrial manufacturing companies, especially in the machine shop industry, face challenges in adapting to changing market dynamics and technology.
- Traditional marketing strategies in the industry, such as emphasizing years of experience and facility size, are no longer effective.
- Building relationships and trust with customers is crucial in industrial marketing, and content plays a key role in facilitating conversations and establishing credibility.
- There is a need to bridge the generational gap in the industry, with older generations being more resistant to technological changes and younger generations needing to develop in-person relationship-building skills.
- Content in industrial marketing goes beyond written material and includes various forms of communication, such as videos, online courses, and knowledge bases.
- The machine shop industry can be made more appealing and enticing through creative content that showcases the capabilities and intricacies of machining processes. Clean and organized manufacturing facilities can help attract talent and change misconceptions about the industry.
- Humility and open-mindedness are essential for successful marketing and sales activities, especially when bridging generational differences.
- Trade associations like NTMA offer valuable networking, learning, and advocacy opportunities for manufacturers.
- Flexibility and adaptability are key in the manufacturing industry, both in terms of work arrangements and marketing strategies.
Takeaway Quote from Dan Ott
- "I honestly think that the two biggest things that get in the way, even the biggest thing is just pride because they've done things for so long and it's worked for so long that the idea that someone would come in and tell them how to do what they've done for 20 to 30 years is just completely out of left field."
Outline
00:00 Challenges and Mindset Shifts in Middle Market Industrial Manufacturing
14:38 Building Relationships and Trust in Industrial Marketing
21:33 The Role of Content in Industrial Marketing
25:22 Bridging the Generational Gap in the Machine Shop Industry
36:39 Expanding the Definition of Content in Industrial Marketing
43:32 Making the Machine Shop Industry Appealing and Enticing
46:23 Bridging Generational Differences
48:53 Overcoming Pride and Embracing Humility
52:43 The Importance of Listening and Learning
54:48 Creating Success Content for Customer Retention
56:39 The Value of Trade Associations
01:02:31 Flexibility and Adaptability in Work and Marketing
01:10:32 AI in Marketing: A Tool, Not a Replacement
01:18:17 Preparing for In-Person Events
01:25:05 Final Thoughts on Industrial Marketing
Bias and Projected Preference May Both Reduce Effectiveness of Industrial Marketing and Sales Content
Integrated Industrial Marketing and Sales to reach across personas and generations with the Overall Revenue Effectiveness™ Framework
