Let's try to identify the main challenges that Italian manufacturing companies have faced in the last few years, with a particular focus on marketing and sales, digital transformation and internationalization, and to explore how the adoption of an integrated platform like HubSpot could provide valuable support to overcome such challenges.
Table of contents
- Context
- Key challenges in marketing and sales
- Digital transition
- Internationalization and globalization
- HubSpot, a powerful ally
Context
The sector of Italian manufacturing represents a fundamental component of the national economy, showing a remarkable ability to adapt and grow. This resilience and ability to create value, especially during times of crisis, highlights its importance and potential for further development.
Nonetheless, the current global economic context is characterized by increasing complexity, unpredictability and risk, amplified by recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical conflicts. Long-term forecasting is thus becoming more difficult and product lifecycle is shortening. In this fast-changing environment, digital transformation trends and the importance of international markets for business growth are taking on an increasingly central role. Italian manufacturing companies are facing the need to navigate these trends, overcoming significant challenges to maintain and improve their competitiveness.
Key challenges in marketing and sales
The Italian manufacturing sector stands at a crossroads in the marketing and sales landscape. On one hand, attending offline trade fairs events remains a key aspect for showcasing products and fostering direct relationships. On the other hand, the need to adapt to the digital marketing era is becoming increasingly urgent.
The table bellow summarizes the main differences between traditional and modern marketing channels for the Italian manufacturing sector, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses:
| Channel | Description | Strengths | Weaknesses | Relevance |
| Trade shows and offline events | Participation in trade shows, exhibitions and industry conferences | Direct contact with potential clients, physical product showcasing, networking | High costs, limited geographic reach, complex ROI measurement | High |
| Traditional Advertising | Ads in specialized magazines, print, radio, television | Reaching a specific industry audience | High costs, difficulty measuring effectiveness, declining audience | Medium |
| Direct Sales | Internal and external sales force | Personal relationships, in-depth product knowledge, management of important orders | High costs, limited scalability, geographic coverage dependent on sales force | High |
| SEO (Search Engine Optimization) | Website optimization to improve search engine ranking | Relatively low costs, qualified organic traffic, long-term visibility | Requires specific skills, results are not immediate, high online competition | High |
| Social Media Marketing | Creation and management of business profiles on social media platforms | Wide reach, direct interaction with audience, targeting possibilities | Requires time and resources for content creation and engagement, ROI not always clear | Medium |
| Content Marketing | Creation and distribution of valuable content (blogs, guides, videos) | Attraction of qualified leads, building authority in the sector, lower costs | Requires writing and production skills, medium to long term results | High |
| Email Marketing | Sending targeted communications to contact lists | Low cost, high personalization, precise results measurement | Risk of ending up in spam, need to build and segment lists | Medium |
| B2B E-commerce | Sale of products and services through online platforms | Access to new markets, reduced transaction costs, 24/7 operation | Requires investment in infrastructure and security, logistics and payment management | Medium |
The challenge lies in effectively integrating digital marketing strategies with traditional methods, creating a synergistic approach that maximizes the reach and impact of marketing activities.
Personalization
An additional complexity lies in the need to evolve from offering standardized products to provide increasingly personalized customer engagement, even in the B2B context. The modern consumer, whether individual or business, no longer passively accepts standardized offers. Even modern B2B customers expect tailored experience, requiring manufacturers to adopt more sophisticated marketing and sales approaches that focus on individual needs. This trend is amplified by the growing importance of e-commerce in the B2B landscape. Italian companies must necessarily overcome their traditional reliance on direct and offline sales channels.
Competition and globalization
The advent of digital tools such ad the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, big data and artificial intelligence offers significant opportunities to reduce costs and overcome communication barriers. However, this digitalization also leads to an increase in competition, as it reduces physical and logistical constraints, enabling more companies to compete in the same market. Therefore, Italian manufacturing companies must not only adopt these technologies but also use them strategically to differentiate themselves and create a sustainable competitive advantage.
The globalized market presents additional challenges, with an increasing number of variables to consider in marketing strategies.
- Companies operating internationally must navigate through different marketing mix strategies, organizational models, market entry modes, and cultural contexts, requiring careful and tailored management for each country.
- In this context, it becomes essential for Italian companies to find new strategies to seize opportunities in non-traditional markets and maintain competitiveness in the face of global uncertainties.
- Exclusive reliance on traditional export markets may no longer be sufficient, making geographical diversification and the ability to quickly adapt to new market opportunities essential.
Power dynamics between brand and distribution
Another crucial aspect is the changing role of distribution. Unlike in the past, distribution groups have gained greater independence, influencing market research and product choices. This forces manufacturers to establish specific agreements with retailers to reach the end consumer. As a result, the intermediary distribution marketing becomes an important marketing target, just as much as the consumer market, requiring a strategic approach to convince retailers to offer companies' brands.
Overcoming the obstacles of digital transition
Digital transformation represents a crucial opportunity for the Italian manufacturing sector, but its path is filled with significant obstacles.
Resistance to change and skills
One of the main challenge is the natural resistance to change that manifests within the workforce. Fear about job security or changes in professional roles can create apprehension towards new technologies. Therefore, the announcement of a digital transformation requires support that dismantles these fears and amplifies the benefits, educating and empowering employees while updating their skills to make them more inclined to embrace innovation.
Another critical challenge is the need to bridge the digital skills gap. While the goal is often to retain the existing workforce and train them for new roles, digital transformation inevitably creates the need for new professional figures with modern skills, whose availability can be problematic.
Security, technology, data approach
With the introduction of digital technologies, cybersecurity takes on primary importance. With the spread of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), companies find themselves managing real-time data that plays a critical role in resource management. The convergence towards an IT infrastructure and the proliferation of networked devices make it necessary to adopt stringent measures to ensure that communication channels are secure and protected at all times.
Adopting a "tech-first" approach can present difficulties. Simply extracting or generating data is not enough; it is necessary to use it effectively to identify problems or introduce automated operations. In the manufacturing sector, which can produce large volumes of data, it is essential to have proportional processing capabilities to extract meaning from it. Therefore, digital transformation requires the adoption of various tools and techniques, making it crucial to establish a technology-oriented mindset at all levels of the organization. Digital transformation can affect the very foundations of a manufacturing company, requiring a complete restructuring of the business model to embrace it. These changes, which may include investing in digital tools and technologies to reshape the entire business, are not easy to manage and require persistent effort and thorough planning.
Despite these challenges, there is a growing investment in digital technologies by Italian manufacturing companies. Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are among the technologies generating the most interest. Medium-sized Italian companies, in particular, are at the forefront of the digital and green transition, with a forecast that nearly all of them will have invested in digitalization by 2026, with an increasing use of artificial intelligence. This indicates a growing awareness of the benefits of digitalization and a willingness to invest for the future.
Facing the complexities of internationalization
Internationalization represents a key growth driver for Italian manufacturing companies, but the path to global markets is filled with challenges. First and foremost, "Made in Italy" companies must constantly seek new strategies to tap into demand in non-traditional markets. Expanding beyond established export markets requires a proactive and innovative approach for entering new geographical contexts.
It is crucial to deeply understand the cultural and market dynamics of target countries. True internationalization requires a profound cultural shift within companies, integrating a global mindset into every aspect of the business. This involves not only adapting sales strategies but also revisiting corporate governance choices to seize the opportunities offered by the global market and to engage with foreign investors and clients.
In this context, digital tools play a strategic role in expanding international reach. E-commerce, online advertising campaigns, and digital export activities enable companies to optimize sales and reach a broader audience, overcoming geographical and logistical barriers. Technologies like blockchain can help trace supply chains, certifying the authenticity and quality of "Made in Italy" products and counteracting the "Italian sounding" phenomenon.
Internationalization also requires adaptation to different market demands and cultural contexts. Marketing mix strategies, organizational models, market entry modes, and cultural contexts vary significantly from country to country and must be managed with great care.
Italian companies, armed with their unique heritage of quality and history, must know how to innovate and promote the international evolution of their brand. While quality and tradition are important distinguishing elements, it is not enough to rely solely on these factors. Continuous innovation and a forward-thinking approach are essential to maintaining competitiveness in the global market.
HubSpot as a catalyst to overcome these challenges
In the outlined context, HubSpot presents itself as an integrated platform capable of addressing the critical challenges faced by Italian manufacturing companies in marketing, sales, digital transformation, and internationalization.
HubSpot’s CRM offers an intuitive system to centralize and personalize contact data, automatically recording every interaction. This centralization provides a unified view of all customer relationships, regardless of the communication channel. The ability to track deals, manage activities, and integrate with email and other tools enhances the productivity of the sales team and improves the overall customer experience. For manufacturing companies, HubSpot CRM can effectively manage leads generated during trade shows, allowing for the manual addition of contacts or the use of integrations with scanners or apps for information collection.
HubSpot for marketing in the manufacturing sector
HubSpot’s Marketing Hub provides a comprehensive suite of essential tools for manufacturing companies looking to enhance their marketing strategies.
- Lead Generation: HubSpot offers tools for lead generation, allowing businesses to capture the interest of potential customers through various channels. This includes creating custom forms for websites, implementing conversion-optimized landing pages, and integrating with lead capture tools used during offline events such as trade shows and conferences.
- Marketing Automation: marketing automation is a key feature of HubSpot, enabling companies to automate communication with leads and customers. This includes sending personalized follow-up emails, creating workflows to nurture leads along the buyer's journey, and automating social media marketing activities.
- Email Marketing: HubSpot makes it easy to create and send targeted email campaigns, allowing businesses to effectively communicate with their audience. Personalization features enable businesses to send relevant messages based on the characteristics and behavior of their contacts.
- Social Media Management: the platform offers tools for managing social media, enabling businesses to schedule, publish, and monitor their content across various platforms. This helps maintain a consistent online presence and interact effectively with the audience.
- Content Creation: through the Content Hub tools, HubSpot supports the creation of valuable content such as blog posts, guides, videos, and webinars. These assets can be used to attract potential customers, educate the market, and position the company as a thought leader in its industry.
Integration of online and offline
For manufacturing companies, integrating online and offline marketing activities is essential. HubSpot enables seamless linking of offline interactions, such as those occurring at trade shows, with the online CRM database. For example, leads gathered through scanners or paper forms can be easily entered into the system, allowing the automation of follow-up emails and delivering personalized content based on the interests demonstrated during the event.
HubSpot for sales
HubSpot's Sales Hub is designed to optimize sales processes, improve pipeline management, and boost the productivity of the sales team.
Key features useful for sales executives, sales managers, and those handling sales within manufacturing companies include:
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Visual pipelines for managing and tracking deals.
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Tools for automating sales emails, re-engaging inactive customers, and scheduling appointments.
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Forecasting and detailed reporting of sales performance.
For manufacturing companies participating in trade shows, the Sales Hub can be used to manage follow-ups with acquired leads, tracking their progress through the sales pipeline and ensuring no opportunities are lost. AI-powered tools can assist in preparing for meetings and analyzing sales performance, providing valuable insights to improve sales effectiveness.
Whether you're considering HubSpot for the first time or looking to improve the results of your current implementation, AND EMILI is ready to assist. Together, we can optimize your CRM, marketing, sales, and customer service strategies. Request a consultation today.