Lumetrics: A Case Study in Content Success

Not too long ago, Lumetrics, a Rochester N.Y. based company who makes high-precision thickness measurement and gauging systems, was spending around $3,000 per month on Google AdWords. The clicks were there but the leads weren’t. With only 2-3 new leads per week, Lumetrics’ leadership knew that their marketing strategy had to change. At the advice of Launch Team, Lumetrics began using the HubSpot Marketing Platform for an inbound rather than outbound marketing approach. Lumetrics’ engineering team began developing technical application notes meant to drive not just web visits but new leads as well.

Though Launch Team has been presenting at Photonics West for the past five years on the topics of sales and marketing, the questions that we are asked are a bit different each year. Many of these questions relate back to the topic of inbound marketing. This concept addresses the tremendous increase in online research that is done by the buyer before they engage with your company on an individual level. In order to be found by or attract leads who are searching for technical information, and to nurture these leads to a point of readiness and beat out the competition for the sale, technical content has become almost essential to success.

Your end user is changing, and so is the way they access information. Today's customers want easy, quick access to content such as product documentation, application notes, and white papers. The design of your website (mobile-first, clear navigation) as well as your content (visual, customer-focused) can help keep customers and prospects engaged with your company. 

There’s no doubt that inbound marketing strategies are critical to the success of today’s businesses. However, traditional outbound strategies can still play a role in capturing your audience’s attention.

B2B companies can drive buyer awareness and action with print advertising in highly targeted industry publications, but without good design, ads can go unnoticed.

Bringing Customers to You

Blogging has been recognized for years as an important aspect of any marketing campaign. For Launch Team clients, the most immediate impact is in the short-game of lead generation. Blog posts are used as part of an inbound marketing program to direct readers to longer pieces of content like white papers, eBooks, and tip sheets that are form protected and used to generate leads. The blog post is designed to attract leads early in the buying process, those at the top of the sales funnel. Promoting blogs in strategic locations across the web is the most effective means we have of attracting new leads.

Technical Writing that Generates Leads

One of the first things we discuss with clients after positioning is their content. Content includes blog posts, white papers, tip sheets, and any other pieces of writing or video that are educational in nature as opposed to sales-related.

It was Michele, Aimee and Mandy’s turn to attend HubSpot’s INBOUND conference this year in Boston. Each year we send part of our team while the rest hold down the fort at the office. While every member has been through HubSpot’s extensive training and certification, the conference offers the chance to interact with thousands of HubSpot agency partners and customers and to hear their experience with inbound marketing. Here’s what we learned:

More and more companies are realizing that they can get better ROI from inbound marketing than traditional outbound strategies. In an age when most buyers prefer to do their own research before engaging your sales team, providing informative content is key. Content marketing is especially important in technical industries, where sales cycles are longer and engineers are often making purchase decisions. Yet many high tech companies still rely on an outbound marketing approach.

For this Beer & Blog we spoke with Scott Bass, Managing Director of Advanced Language Translation, a company that provides translation and localization services to growing businesses. Scott offered valuable advice for companies looking to adapt their websites and content for global markets.

MTOTW #53: More people are now using mobile for search, but it varies by industry. Find out how your customers search before jumping into a web redesign.

Well established companies face a unique set of challenges when entering a new market. Although these companies have already proven their ability to launch and sell their products or services, this experience can actually be a hindrance. Overconfidence from success in other markets can breed oversight.

MTOTW #41: Using video as part of your content marketing can help you tell your brand story or explain a product application. But poor production can detract from even the most compelling story. Here are some tips to improve video quality.