Category: How-Tos
11 Things Aerospace Marketers Can Do to Work Smarter, Not Harder
We hear it all the time. Aerospace marketers are overwhelmed and overburdened. Many are at wit’s end trying to deal with a never-ending barrage of requests, requirements and demands on their time.
We get it. Many aerospace companies have cut budgets and raised expectations. At the same time, tried and true marketing tactics keep changing, and learning new techniques and technologies is one more thing to do.
For those who are committed to making a change, there are ways to accomplish more without working more, just by approaching things differently. Here are 10 ideas to get you started.
1. Set Goals
Having goals gives you focus, and by focusing on the desired results you can stop spending time and money on things that won’t get you where you’re going.
Using BDN as an example, we set annual sales and marketing goals that link directly to revenue goals. We use a few Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), both behavioral and performance based, to monitor progress and identify challenges.
New Breed Marketing outlines a step-by-step goal-setting process here.
2. Have a Strategy and a Plan
There are lots of tools and tactics — many more than you have time or budget to support. Having a strategy linked to goals will keep you from veering off course. It also helps you spend more time working proactively and less time reacting to someone else’s priorities.
We have five strategic drivers and six tactical areas of focus. One of those is emphasizing content-driven inbound and nurturing techniques. This supports a strategic effort to further refine and build our expert aerospace marketing positioning. With the exception of travel, the majority of our marketing budget is now spent on content development and delivery.
It’s time to start planning for 2016 now. This handy template may help you.
3. Start Measuring
Based on goals, establish three to five KPIs and track them at regular intervals. Your tactics are either moving you toward your goals, or they are not. Aim over time to build a measurement program that shows a return on investment for marketing. But don’t let yourself get stuck in the paralysis by analysis trap.
BDN has dashboards that measure the effectiveness of specific tactics with an overall emphasis on engagement and conversion. We also track things like customer turnover, close rates and average value of sale.
Marketo’s Marketing Measurement Cheat Sheet is a good place to start learning more.
4. Take Ownership
The ability to measure and track success, including ROI, puts you in a position of authority with senior leadership and opinionated colleagues. When you own the Marketing function and are recognized as the authority, you’ll be in a strong position to say no to the many requests that just don’t support organizational goals. Don’t let them think of you as the person who does brochures. Be the person who drives revenue.
Our plan is our bible, and while it doesn’t mean we can’t adjust if warranted, there needs to be a well thought out and strategic rationale for changing direction. Just having a good idea isn’t good enough.
Hubspot offers actionable advice here.
5. Re-evaluate
Ignore anyone who tells you “we’ve always done it this way.” Evaluate every expenditure and every opportunity with a critical eye. Why are we going to this trade show or convention? What did we get from it last year? What do we plan to accomplish this time? Ask hard questions and require a return on every investment.
Our marketing starts with a completely clean slate every year. This year, for example, we attended a Schedulers and Dispatchers event for the first time, but that doesn’t mean it will automatically be on the schedule for 2016. We don’t worry about what other firms are doing or what the market expects. We carefully invest in activities that work and that support our specific goals.
For comparison and context, here’s how other B2B marketers are allocating funds.
6. Learn to Love Technology
It will help you with everything from project management to analytics to social media scheduling. For example…
7. Marketing Automation
We use it and we love it — because it works, and it pulls everything together, using data and measurement to assess effectiveness of campaigns. Marketing automation, according to the experts at Hubspot, is software and tactics that allow companies to nurture prospects with highly personalized, useful content that helps convert prospects to customers and turn customers into delighted customers. It’s both automated and personal, a seeming contradiction in terms, while also being highly targeted, making it ideal for aerospace marketers who usually have clearly defined targets. Slice and dice the audience in any way that works for you, whether it’s by the missions they fly, the aircraft in their fleet, or their role in the organization, the sky’s the limit.
Here’s an infographic that may help make automation easier to understand.
8. Lists
Database maintenance is tedious and time-consuming, yet it’s vital to marketing success. Sirius Decisions Research reports that 10-25 percent of B2B marketing database contacts contain critical errors, which translate into a lot of missed opportunities. Someone needs to own, update and be accountable for this data and the painstaking work required to do it right. According to CMO.com, high-performing marketing departments have assigned owners of the data, often part of the marketing operations function, and an ongoing plan for assessing and repairing data quality. Make this part of your long-term core strategy, they advise, and you’ll see positive results over time.
An upcoming edition of the Marketing Flight Manual will feature a BDN case study that clearly illustrates the importance of list building. You won’t believe what we learned and accomplished in just 30 days!
Suggestion: Lists, marketing automation and a robust Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system go hand-in-hand. Work closely with Sales (see No. 9) to maximize your chances of success.
9. Pay Attention to Your Website
Your website is the gateway to your brand. This is where buyers go first to learn about your company and capabilities, and it literally can make or break a sale. The Content Marketing Institute provides an eye-opening take on how websites can positively or negatively impact trust and credibility with B2B buyers.
If your website fails to make it easy for prospects to contact you and to quickly understand what you do, one-third to one-half of your potential buyers will leave and never return. As buyers ourselves, we should know how annoying it is to search a site for contact information, yet a lot of B2B companies still make it really hard to contact them. For an industry pulse, we checked the websites of a few firms listed on the Aerospace Industries Association website.
SAIC provides one phone number to reach corporate headquarters, but makes you fill out a form (a big no-no, according to the survey) for everything else.
Leidos makes it even harder – you have to fill out a form and select from a list of reasons you want to connect. They actually say, “Please select a reason for contacting us.”
Thales (USA) does not make anything easy to find, but if you dig deeply enough (under About Us and then US locations) you might eventually get what you need.
Embraer Hurray! A largely commercial company will surely be customer-friendly, right? Nope. Just one more form to fill out.
BDN As for BDN, we have a dedicated contact page that is featured in top-level navigation, making it easy to find without an exhaustive search. It does include a form, but we don’t force anyone to use it. Our phone, email and social media links are clearly presented and visible.
We randomly looked at a number of other industry websites and found no examples — not one — that provided contact information in an open, inviting, customer-friendly fashion. Our customers deserve better, and we as an industry should do better.
10. Partnerships
Externally, be open to partnering with complimentary businesses. Partnerships can act as force multipliers to help you extend your reach, budget and bandwidth. Consider the benefits of pooling data (See No. 7), sharing the cost of a mailing or sponsorship, or even raising your international profile.
Internally, make peace with the sales organization. By joining forces, sales and marketing can deliver a better sales experience and drive better results. A McKinsey survey provided insight into complex, multi-touch point sales processes, finding that the “most destructive” failing in sales is when the sales force lacks adequate product knowledge and contacts customers too frequently. The key is to have fewer, more meaningful customer interactions — and marketing can help shape that with the right content delivered at the right time — but it has to be a unified effort.
BDN has a well-defined sales funnel that mirrors how our customers buy, with key touch points, and our business development, sales and marketing teams are in lockstep, working as true partners toward a common goal. Learn more.
11. Get Help
Is it time to hire an outside marketing firm? This in-depth white paper examines the pros and cons of engaging external marketing resources and includes tips for finding the right fit.
Download the white paper here.
10 Unique Ways To Out-Market Your Competition
New technologies and techniques have the potential to revolutionize the way you market and sell your aviation industry products and services.
Here’s a list of 10 fresh ideas to inspire your transformation.
- Live Chat: Welcome customers to your website with a Live Chat feature to provide 24-hour support and assistance. It’s time for aerospace to leverage this capability, and customer service is an important differentiator.
- Product Reviews and Customer Forums: Inviting customers to publicly rate and discuss your products and services sends a powerful message about confidence and accountability. Worried about a negative review? Don’t be. It’s actually an opportunity to show the market how well you respond to customer issues and concerns.
- Flipbook: Our staff is high on Flipbook, a technology that can transform any digital page content into a virtual document where the pages turn on screen. It’s a quick and easy way to impress your prospects and the boss with interactive content that’s a cut above static PDFs. Ditch or minimize printed brochures — imagine how much you can save on printing and shipping: www.flipb.com
- CRM: Customer Relationship Management software brings accountability and transparency to the sales process. Used in conjunction with marketing automation, it’s a powerful way to attract, nurture and manage leads.
- Measurement: Having the ability to identify the marketing tactics that work best for your business is a really big deal, especially for resource-constrained organizations trying to do more with less. Be disciplined about gathering and analyzing data and stop investing in things that just don’t deliver.
- Interactivity: At AirVenture Oshkosh last month, several companies went the extra mile to provide customers with an immersive event experience. The Icon Aircraft exhibit featured a simulator, as well as iPads with special apps that allowed visitors to explore and learn about the product. And the Quest Aircraft website has a feature that allows visitors to design their own aircraft, including paint. See it here.
- 3-D: Say goodbye to boring banners and one-dimensional trade show graphics. Imagine how 3D printing could help you convey critical information and stand out from the crowd.
- GoPro: Give away a GoPro with every product you deliver, and ask customers to send you mission and operational footage. You’ll have a happy customer and a treasure trove of unique content for use on social media and other marketing channels. Of course, this isn’t right for every aviation company, but consider if it could work for you.
- Drones: Drones are being used by everyone from Amazon to dry cleaners, so maybe aviation marketers can use them, too. From capturing high-resolution video to drone-vertising products and services, just about anything is possible. A recent article in Adweek proclaimed that “having your brand associated with something so innovative and unexpected is a new kind of creative,” and “drones are a no-brainer.”
- Audio: White papers are used to provide factual information about complex products and services, so they are ideal for the aerospace marketing and sales process. A typical white paper is about 2,500 words, though, making it difficult for your growing audience of mobile viewers to view. Try providing them with a fresh option to access white paper content just as they would an audio book. They’ll be able to choose the format that works best for them while positioning your business as both up-to-date and customer-friendly.
You might also be interested in our other blogs: Military vs. Commercial: What to Know When You Market to Them Both or The Truth About Marketing to OEMs.
The Truth About Marketing to OEMs
Many aerospace companies tell us they want to sell their products and services to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMS), but have little success and lots of frustration.
The good news is that there are tools and tactics to help you meet your goal.
The bad news is that it will not be fast or easy. In our experience, people want a shortcut or a magic bullet — but the real solution takes us back to Marketing 101.
1. Branding
Start with a firm foundation. Your brand supports and defines every aspect of your marketing, so it has to come first and it has to be right. Someone once told us that, unlike marketing, a brand does not say, “buy me.” A brand is a spoken and unspoken way of telling people who you are and why you exist. It shapes the way your business is perceived and sets the stage for a successful marketing and sales effort. Audiences make judgments and decisions based on brand. Think about your own experience with a particular product, service, or organization. One company may be perceived as being “difficult to work with” or “expensive,” while another is viewed as “reliable” or “easy to work with.”
From the design of your website to the way you answer the phone, make sure your brand is saying the right things to every member of your target audience, including the OEMs. Your tactical choices also impact your brand. Consider the perception created by a small digital ad, crowded on a website with lots of other ads, and a more exclusive and distinctive high-level sponsorship at a flagship convention — which is more likely to catch the eye of an OEM target?
Tip: Hire a professional. This is not a job for your friend who does websites in her spare time or for an engineer who knows Photoshop. To assess the value of your brand, consider engaging a brand valuation professional.
2. Know Your Audience
In order to say and do the right things you need to know your audience. Who, exactly, are you targeting? Document the OEMs and the categories of people within the OEM (engineering, procurement, CEO, etc.) who will influence or make the buying decision. Find out what they care about, what they need, and what they look for in a supplier. Are they primarily driven by cost? Certified performance? Don’t settle for assumptions. Dig deep and find out what makes them tick. Then tailor your marketing messages and tactics accordingly.
Tip: Use surveys and interviews, and learn about personas: www.buyerpersona.com
3. Know your competition
Make sure you know who you are competing with, and what they are saying, doing and offering. Find out their strengths and their weaknesses, and keep them in mind as you determine your own positioning. This can help you stand out from the crowd.
Tip: See what your opposition is saying and doing on social media and mine their website. Find former customers and employees for unique and relevant insights. Consider employing online tools like Compete, Technorati and Radian6.
4. Distinguish Yourself
If you have multiple competitors it’s essential that you distinguish yourself with a compelling value proposition that is relevant and meaningful to the customer, specifically credible, and uniquely differentiating.
One way to get noticed is by showcasing your expertise and leadership. Iron Paper.com suggests creating content that directly communicates how your products and service offerings can help OEMs reduce costs, streamline operations, and improve efficiencies.
They wisely suggest case studies; product specs and definitions; webinars; FAQ content; white papers; data sheets; and blog content. Build your content around OEM pain points, goals, interests, and needs, which you will have already defined (refer to step 2), and make sure the OEM prospects know the content was specifically designed for them. Using a strong headline like this: “How Outsourcing Saves this OEM “$400M a Year” is important.
Tip: Before going public test your draft value proposition against this checklist.
5. Keep an Open Mind
While building relationships at events and participating in organizations where OEMs have a presence is essential (see No. 6), your website and social media are important, too. The dynamics of B2B sales is changing. According to McKinsey & Company, B2B buyers are starting to act more like consumers, meaning they access more sources of information and touch points as they independently research, evaluate and select providers. A closer look at your sales process and organization may also be important to ensure relevance and effectiveness.
Tip: B2B companies across industries are moving toward journey-based sales strategies. Read this McKinsey article on OEM marketing, “Do You Really Understand How Your Business Customers Buy?” for even more in-depth information.
6. Don’t Forget
Aerospace is an industry of relationships, and the right referral can change the game for your business. Do everything you possibly can to build your network and relationships on a personal (meaning beyond LinkedIn) level. Never underestimate the importance of networking and face-to-face communications. Meet, greet, and repeat!
Are You Ready?
Before you get started, make sure your marketing effort has adequate budget and staff, and set realistic, measurable goals to monitor success.
A dedicated focus on marketing to OEMs will bear fruit if it is based in strategy and supported by appropriate messaging, tactics, and resources. But it’s going to require change. Are you ready?
You may also be interested in: Best Practices in Aerospace Marketing
Best Practices in Aerospace Marketing
Two decades spent in aerospace marketing have provided BDN with a great vantage point to identify trends and to see what works and what doesn’t for our clients and for ourselves. These are the 3 essential best practices necessary for successful aerospace marketing.
1. Be Different
Walk around an industry trade show or event. Look at a few websites. Page through some collateral. You’ll notice that most companies look and sound a lot alike. Blue is the color of choice. Many use complex graphics, too many words, and too much technical jargon. Grainy photos abound. Most are a little conservative and a little behind the times.
The messages are not much different. Everyone talks about passion, commitment, trust, and dedication — and don’t forget value, efficiency, and innovation.
It’s the same thing over and over and over again, so when someone presents a brand in a different way, it’s hard not to notice. Here are 3 ideas to begin standing out from the crowd.
- Rethink Color Don’t be afraid. Bold color can be a marketer’s best friend. Think about how you might spice up your palette with an unexpected hue. There’s no reason to be afraid. The folks at Leidos Holdings, Inc., have paved the way. We couldn’t help but notice their pink and purple exhibit at this year’s Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit. Pink and purple is an unlikely choice, yes, but with first quarter revenues of $1.2 billion, Leidos seems to be doing just fine.
- Simplify Retool your messaging to be simple, bold and powerful. Get the audience’s interest quickly, with crystal clear visual and verbal communications, then drive prospects to your website (where you can track them) for more information and technical detail.
- Quality Matters When you use photography, use only top quality, high-resolution images. A grainy, out of focus shot of your pride and joy widget is always a bad idea. It says that you don’t care about quality, and makes you look homegrown. No matter how you are presenting yourself, do it right, or don’t do it at all.
2. Don’t Make it About You
The best marketing is customer- and audience-centric. Too many aerospace marketers are writing copy simply to please their bosses. We see it time and time again, and the result is company- and capability-centric messaging that fails to resonate with anyone but senior leadership. Understanding your audience’s needs and pain points, and tailoring messages to show how you can help, is the key to success. Taking a fresh look at all of your marketing from your customer’s perspective could change everything.
The folks at Guidance Aviation are doing a lot of things right. On their website, for example, they clearly state who they are and what they do, and immediately transition to simply presented customer-focused navigation, messages and calls to action. This is how it’s done: www.guidance.aero.
3. Up Your Game & Stay Current
Slowly but surely, aerospace marketers are shifting from doing what has always been done, to doing what works now.
Splashy, classy, and cool, Airbus Helicopters’ H160 Heli-Expo unveiling set a new standard in product launch events.
The most conservative defense contractors, and even the DoD itself, are Tweeting and Facebooking, and their posts are becoming increasingly interesting and relevant. The U.S. Army, for example, is active on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Flickr, and SlideShare, and even has a live blog.
Infographics are a great way to showcase expertise and thought leadership. Kudos to the marketing team at Honeywell — their visual presentations are interesting, informative and audience friendly, and worth a look.
Here are 3 more ideas for creative approaches that may work for you.
- Presentations PowerPoint is dead. At the very least consider Keynote or Prezi — you’ll make a better first impression. Or, try this. BDN recently created a landing page in lieu of a conventional presentation, and the prospective client couldn’t stop talking about it. After our meeting we simply gave them the link to review at their convenience, then tracked their activity and areas of interest every step of the way.
- Personalization Someone at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) gets it. The organization recently sent out a personalized eblast message, and their attention to detail did not go unnoticed. Personalizing your marketing is important because it works. Personalized emails deliver six times higher transaction rates, but 70 percent of brands fail to use them.
- Live Chat Don’t just talk about your company’s great customer service. Steal a page from the consumer marketing playbook and use a live chat feature for your website. It sends a powerful message about your customer commitment, strengthens relationships as problems are solved, and provides valuable information about your customer’s needs, questions and pain points.
Confronted with unprecedented pressures and changes, aerospace is an industry in transition. Weak and less strategic businesses can’t survive, and those who remain now find themselves competing at a higher level. Those who survive and thrive will distinguish themselves with smart, strategic marketing that is firmly founded in these critical best practices.
Growing Opportunities in Digital Marketing
Digital marketing opportunities are expanding beyond just SEO, paid advertising, and social media.
For example, by 2017, 74% of all Internet traffic will be video-centric. The good news is that most aerospace marketers are already using video in their marketing efforts. But the bad news is that we are using one-dimensionally, primarily at trade shows and events. We’re really just scratching the surface of its potential marketing power.
There are so many new and creative ways to take our digital marketing in exciting new directions. Not just because they are exciting and new — but because they work.
Here’s an overview of what’s possible, and specific ideas about how to make these new approaches work for you.
Interactive content is a creative and effective way to engage and interact with your audience. Interactivity helps audiences find and engage with content that is specifically of interest and relevant to them, at the same time providing marketers with valuable insight and information about customers.
Examples of interactive content include design tools (ex. design your own aircraft livery and interior) calculators (ex. how much time or money can I save by installing your product?), quizzes and questions (ex. what aircraft upgrade will most benefit my specific operation?), interactive whitepapers or infographics (ex. show maintenance intervals and costs for every component in your product), or contests and sweepstakes. It may seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. There are numerous tools and services to help. Ion, Marketo, and Snapapp are several to consider.
Video marketing has exploded in popularity and effectiveness, with consistently high levels of engagement, and video is an ideal way to communicate the value of benefits of aerospace and defense products. From high-quality branding productions that showcase the sex appeal of an aircraft in flight, to technical pieces that explain the inner workings of a product – having the ability to show and tell your story is a marketer’s dream. Videotaping and sharing customer testimonials is also worthwhile, because trusted recommendations are highly influential with B2B buyers.
Once you have the video assets, put them to use strategically and creatively to reach a range of audiences as part of your overall marketing program.
Looking for inspiration? Check out BDN’s own newly released video program.
You may also be interested in You Need Great SEO, And Here’s What You Need To Know To Get Started or 8 Best Practices for Email Marketing Success.
Social Media Image Sizing Cheat Sheet
You wouldn’t put a blurry photo on the cover of a printed brochure, so don’t even think about putting one on the cover of your social pages. Represent your business well by using and sharing imagery sized appropriately for each channel. Use this infographic for easy reference — it has everything you need to know.
You can also download the full cheat sheet here.
YOU NEED GREAT SEO, AND HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO GET STARTED
If prospective customers don’t know about you, they can’t buy from you.
If prospective customers know about you but can’t find you online, they won’t buy from you — because most B2B buying decisions happen online.
MarketingProfs.com shares that 71% of buyers prefer to conduct research and purchase on their own, with an access to a sales representative only if needed.
Today, your website is arguably the most important part of your sales and marketing effort. But if your website has not been optimized to achieve top search rankings, it’s wasting time and money. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is important to all industries and all marketers, including aerospace.
We notice that SEO is a term that gets tossed around a lot. But what does it really mean?
Let’s say you are a mid-size MRO provider working to increase sales. Your brand is fairly well known, but you aren’t one of the really big guys, and you have a lot of competition. If you Google a relevant phrase, like “helicopter engine overhaul” and your business name does not appear on the first page (preferably in the top three positions) your prospective customers won’t find you, but they will find your competition.
You need great SEO, and here’s what you need to know to get started.
- Google rankings are based on more than 200 different factors, but essentially they all come down to content and credibility.
- The more frequently you add relevant, quality content (blogs, white papers, videos, photos, links, news) to your website, the more your rankings will improve.
- Building links to your site from other trusted sources, and updating search directories, social media and other website promotion tools to establish credibility will also improve your ranking.
- Finally, address basic optimization activities, such as updating meta titles and meta descriptions, creating a proper URL structure, and optimizing internal links.
Achieving better rankings does not have to be complicated, and you don’t necessarily need an SEO consultant to be successful, you just need the dedication to producing a quality website that your customers care about. As with all good things, there are no short cuts, and the cheaters get caught — and punished — by Google.
Don’t be afraid of SEO. You just need to get started, stay focused, and update your site. It won’t happen overnight. When it comes to SEO, slow and steady wins the race, the rankings, and, ultimately, the customers.
For more information, take a look at this graphic. It’s a BDN favorite for explaining SEO.
You may also be interested in:
Aerospace Marketing: What Not to Do
While it’s helpful to be inspired by great work, sometimes the fear of doing something really, really bad can be even more powerful.
The Bad Pitch Blog pulls no punches in outing terrible PR people and their cringe-worthy work, including news releases with headlines like “Black Author’s Book Teaser Will Make Your Kids a Slave to Reading.”
We can’t make this stuff up, you guys. See for yourself at badpitchblog.com.
Then refresh your skills by downloading the BDN PR Toolkit: http://bit.ly/1ALKXdj. It will help you work more effectively with the aerospace and defense news media – and, hopefully, keep you off the badpitchblog.
Up next? Bad advertising.
This is the purview of adrants.com. In fairness, Adrants covers everything – the good, the bad and the ugly. And while there are plenty of businesses exercising poor judgment, when it comes to aviation, more than a few airlines are getting it wrong. Air New Zealand promoted low prices by saying, “Fares lower than your grandma’s boobs,’ with an unfortunate graphic to help make the point. Sadly, many of the airline examples are not just bad, they are misogynistic, too. But let’s not pick on the airlines – the aerospace industry as a whole has plenty of “what not to do” examples, including these from AgustaWestland and UTC Aerospace Systems.
Finally, let’s close on a positive note.
While marketers may find it interesting to look at bad ad work, perhaps our time would be better spent learning about tools and techniques that can actually enable sales. That means trading our sledgehammers for magnets, and enticing customers with content marketing. It also means listening to advice from people like Jay Baer at convinceandconvert.com, and getting inspired exploring information-rich websites like hubspot.com and marketo.com. These are some of our team’s go-to resources, and we hope they help you, too. Don’t forget — the BDN Marketing Tool Kit has tons of useful resources, too. It’s definitely worth a look, and everything is available free of charge.
7 Keys to Breakthrough Messaging for Aerospace and Defense Marketers
Memorable, iconic messaging looks effortless, but it’s anything but. Drafting the right three words (like “Here Comes Hope”) may take three minutes – or three hours – but is essential to effective marketing.
But how do you do it? Well, the truth is, most people aren’t wired to write goose bump-inducing copy. It can’t be done by committee, and it is less likely to come from someone within the company. I’m not sure it can be taught – but do know that understanding how to recognize it is important for all aerospace marketers.
7 Keys to Effective Messaging
- Tells a story, succinctly
- Makes you feel something
- Is audience-centric
- Feels authentic
- Does not require an explanation
- Transcends the expected and the ordinary
- Has something extra – a spark of creative genius – that elevates everything and makes the message sing. We call it the X factor. And you can’t have effective marketing without it.
The United States Armed Forces consistently delivers exceptionally strong marketing campaigns anchored by some of the best messaging in our space.
We’ve featured a few examples here, but you can easily find more with a couple of quick searches. They more than meet our criteria for inspired messaging. Do you agree?
You’ll find even more information about messaging in our Value Proposition Guide. It’s an in-depth resource that includes actionable insights, a checklist to evaluate your own value proposition, industry examples, and more. Or, take a look at our Portfolio, to see work examples and inspiration, all specific to aerospace and defense.
Why Millennials Matter to Aerospace Marketers
I’m continually surprised to see how many aerospace, aviation and defense marketers are failing to embrace new techniques and tools, especially social media and especially when millennial matter to aerospace marketers. While we’ve encountered some refreshingly open minds, far too many are stubbornly opposed to new media and dismiss it as a viable marketing tool.
Shame on them. Understanding your audience and tailoring messages and tactics to address their pain points and preferences is Marketing 101.
By focusing their attention on methodology that makes them uncomfortable, and choosing instead to do what they have always done, these traditional marketers are missing what really matters. Their audience.
Here’s the thing: If you work in aerospace marketing, you need to know that your audience is changing. The old guard is disappearing and the old ways are becoming obsolete.
It’s a new world. And the millennials are in charge. A 2014 study called “The Changing Face of B-to-B Marketing” showed that 18-34-year olds now account for almost half of all b-to-b purchase decision makers. That’s a big jump from just 27 percent three years ago.
If you’ve been targeting campaigns to the C-suite, it’s time to take a fresh look at everything you think you know about aerospace marketing. According to researchers, 81 percent of non-C-suite employees now have a say in purchase decisions. Perhaps even more surprising is this — 24 percent of final purchase decisions are now being made by non-C-suite employees.
These decision makers think and act differently, and in order to reach and influence them, we need to do the same.
Here’s a cheat sheet for reaching this new generation of b-to-b decision-makers.
Get Online.
Always remember that that millennials were raised on social media and use their smart phones for everything, more than 40 times a day, on average. From Facebook and Twitter, to YouTube, Instagram, and search engines, this generation is constantly connected to all things online. It’s where they live, work and feel most comfortable, so it’s where successful marketers need to be, too.
Be Real.
Millennials want nothing more than transparency and authenticity. Be honest and real in your communications. Find your voice and then use it consistently. They enjoy exposing hypocrisy. And they love personalization.
Go Mobile.
Millennials do everything with their smart phones and tablets. Soon they’ll add watches to the mix. This group is twice as likely as 45- to 55-year-olds to use a mobile device while researching b-to-b purchase decisions, and they’re three times more likely than those over age 55. So, if your website is already optimized for mobile viewing, you are heading in the right direction. And if it’s not, you are leaving money on the table.
Explain Why.
Many millennials genuinely care about causes. They thrive on being part of something larger than themselves. That’s why your brand should stand for something more than making money. Having a clear purpose and acting accordingly forges a powerful connection with this generation. Simon Sinek talks about the importance of answering the question “why?” in this Ted Talk, and it’s worth a watch. http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action
Be Helpful.
No one likes a hard sell. But millennials actively reject traditional sales and marketing techniques. Gimmicks and special offers are viewed with enormous skepticism. That’s one reason advertising to millennials is not a good investment. Instead of pitching them, help them by providing valuable information and actionable content they can really use. Get to the point quickly, though. They’ll lose interest if there’s too much text.
Inform & Entertain.
If you work in aerospace, video is your friend. Airplanes and helicopters are cool and sexy — it’s every marketer’s dream. And guess what? Millennials love videos, too. Last year, 70 percent of b-to-b buyers used video to aid their decision-making, up from 46 percent in 2012. But proceed with caution. This audience has high expectations and an old school corporate video won’t fly. You need to be informative and entertaining, like this Virgin America safety video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtyfiPIHsIg
Act Now.
Start now and you’ll still be behind, but unless ignoring half of your decision-makers is an option, you have to start somewhere. Get out of your comfort zone. See what your competition is doing. Become familiar with Hubspot, Marketo, and other free online resources, and refer to them often for advice and counsel. You can’t afford to wing it. Most importantly, stay focused on what really matters, by defining your audience, learning what makes them tick, and communicating on their terms.
You may have a bumpy start, but don’t give up. The skies are always friendly when you know who you’re flying with.
Does your marketing program target millennials? Is social media part of your marketing mix? We invite discussion and welcome your comments.
Free Downloads
Once you’ve identified your audience, reach them with the right plan, messages and tactics.
Here are three resources you can start using today:
Planning: A step-by-step guide tailor-made for Aerospace and Defense businesses
Messaging: Learn how to crush your competition with a compelling value proposition