Marketing, websites and systems built for manufacturers.
A manufacturer sells to engineers, buyers and dealers who research for months and decide in a meeting you are not in. The website has to carry the spec sheet, the certification, the lead time and the RFQ path that a distributor's rep once carried in a binder. Most industrial sites were built as brochures, the CRM holds trade show badge scans nobody worked, and the dealer network markets the brand inconsistently or not at all. We build the demand system: a site that lets a buyer qualify your product without a call, search and professional network campaigns aimed at the titles that specify, dealer programs with co-branded assets and lead routing, and CRM and ERP integration so a quote request becomes a tracked opportunity. We have built for manufacturers and for the dealers who sell them.
Questions this page answers
- Who is the best marketing agency for a manufacturing company
- Industrial marketing agency for B2B lead generation
- Manufacturer website with product catalog and RFQ forms
- How do we generate leads for our distributors and dealers
- HubSpot or Salesforce integration for a manufacturer's quote process
- Manufacturing SEO for product and application searches
Get a plan for your manufacturers business.
- A senior operator reads it and replies within one business day.
- You get a written point of view on where to start, not a sales sequence.
- Everything we build stays in your name. Month to month after the first term.
Rather talk? (512) 222-7805
Where growth is won or lost in manufacturing.
An industrial sale begins with a search nobody sees. A design engineer needs a component with a specific tolerance and material, or a plant manager needs a supplier with the right certification and capacity. They read catalogs, download drawings and shortlist suppliers weeks before procurement gets involved. Ticket sizes range from a repeat order of standard parts to a multi-year program, and the cycle can run months or a year. The people who answer the phone are inside sales and territory reps who also manage existing accounts, and a quote can cost engineering hours before any order is placed.
Demand is lost in quiet ways. A catalog without specifications sends the engineer to the supplier whose site has them. An RFQ form routes to a general inbox and waits. A trade show produces hundreds of badge scans and a handful of follow-ups. Dealers carry old line cards and price below policy, and the manufacturer cannot tell which partners generate business. The previous agency delivered a brand refresh and a social calendar, the sales team could not point to a single order it produced, and marketing became a cost center defended once a year at budget time.
We rebuild the path from search to order. The catalog is structured for engineers and for search engines, with specifications, drawings and certifications where buying decisions are made. RFQs and configurators write to the CRM with territory and product data, and the ERP syncs quotes and orders back so every source has a revenue number. Dealers get a portal, assets and routed leads. Campaigns run on part numbers, applications and job titles, and trade shows feed a follow-up sequence that starts the same week. Reporting is quoted and invoiced dollars by source.
The problems we fix in manufacturers.
The site cannot answer an engineer.
Product pages without specs, drawings, tolerances, certifications or lead times send the engineer to a competitor's catalog. The sales team fields questions the site should have answered, and the RFQ arrives late in the process.
Leads die between marketing and sales.
Trade show scans and web forms land in a spreadsheet. Inside sales works the obvious ones, territory reps never see the rest, and no one can trace a closed order back to the campaign that started it.
Dealers market the brand unevenly.
Distributors and dealers have stale product data, unauthorized pricing and their own idea of the logo. The manufacturer has no view of which partners generate demand and which only take orders.
Marketing reports activity, not pipeline.
Impressions, followers and catalog downloads fill the monthly deck. The plant manager wants to know quoted dollars, win rate and which product lines the demand is for, and the answer requires a manual pull.
Web, marketing, creative and systems for manufacturers.
Built on your accounts, wired into the tools your team already runs, and measured to booked work.
- Product catalog with filterable specs
- Application and industry pages
- Capabilities and equipment
- Certifications and quality
- RFQ and configurator
- Where to buy
- Resources and technical guides
- Application stories
Each page answers one intent, carries one call to action, and lands the lead in your CRM with the page attached.
Websites and digital product.
Product families with filterable specifications, downloadable drawings and data sheets, certifications, lead times and compatible parts, structured so search engines index every part number.
- RFQ and configurator flowsQuote requests that capture quantity, application, drawings and timeline, or a configurator for standard options, written directly to the CRM with the right territory attached.
- Application and industry pagesPages built around what the buyer is trying to accomplish and the industry they are in, linking to the products that fit, which is how engineers actually search.
- Capabilities and certificationsProcesses, equipment lists, tolerances, ISO and industry certifications with document downloads: the page procurement checks before approving a new supplier.
- Dealer and distributor locatorWhere to buy by region and product line, with lead routing to the partner and a fallback to direct sales when no partner covers the territory.
- Google and Microsoft SearchAlways on, expanded as catalog pages index
- LinkedIn AdsAlways on, heavier around product launches
- Industrial SEO and technical contentContinuous, with quarterly content sprints
- Thomasnet and directoriesAlways on, listings audited quarterly
- Trade shows with capture and follow-upShow calendar, sequences within seven days
- Email nurture to the CRM databaseMonthly, plus launch announcements
Demand, search and reputation.
Google and Microsoft campaigns on part numbers, specifications and application terms, with negatives that block consumer and job-seeker traffic, and RFQ tracking on every keyword.
- Professional network and account-based campaignsLinkedIn Ads targeted to job titles and target accounts, with content built for engineers and buyers rather than generic brand messaging.
- Industrial SEO and technical contentApplication guides, comparison pages, tolerances and materials content that earns links from engineering communities and ranks for the questions that precede an RFQ.
- Directory and marketplace presenceThomasnet and industry directories kept accurate and monitored for leads, and Google Merchant Center for manufacturers selling standard catalog items online.
- Trade show demand capturePre-show outreach, booth lead capture that writes straight to the CRM, and post-show sequences that turn badge scans into meetings within the week.
- Brand for an industrial companyIdentity and standards that read as precise and durable, with rules for product naming, part numbering and co-branding with dealers and distributors.
- Product and facility photographyShot lists for the floor, the equipment and the product in application, replacing stock imagery with the actual operation buyers want to see.
- Technical sales collateralSpec sheets, line cards, application stories and trade show materials designed once and versioned for dealers in their own co-branded formats.
- Video for the processShort facility and process videos that show capability and scale, the content buyers forward to their engineering and procurement teams.
Brand, photography and collateral.
Identity and standards that read as precise and durable, with rules for product naming, part numbering and co-branding with dealers and distributors.
- Product and facility photographyShot lists for the floor, the equipment and the product in application, replacing stock imagery with the actual operation buyers want to see.
- Technical sales collateralSpec sheets, line cards, application stories and trade show materials designed once and versioned for dealers in their own co-branded formats.
- Video for the processShort facility and process videos that show capability and scale, the content buyers forward to their engineering and procurement teams.
Comes in from
- Website forms
- Tracked calls
- Ads and LSA
- Google Business Profile
Lands in
- HubSpot
- Salesforce
- NetSuite
Comes back as
- Per-source attribution
- Automated follow-up
- One weekly scoreboard
Built to your system of record, not around it. Nothing is re-keyed by hand.
Integration, automation and data.
RFQs, quotes and orders synced between HubSpot or Salesforce and NetSuite or Epicor, so marketing source follows the deal through to invoiced revenue.
- Lead routing to territories and dealersRules by region, product line and account size that send inquiries to the right rep or partner, with response tracking and reassignment when nobody acts.
- Data enrichment and account listsZoomInfo and firmographic data appended to inbound leads and used to build target account lists for outbound and account-based campaigns.
- Dealer portalPartner logins for co-branded assets, product data, MAP-compliant pricing, lead claims and co-op marketing requests, replacing the endless email chain.
- Pipeline reportingQuoted dollars, win rate and revenue by source, product line and territory, pulled from the ERP so marketing is measured on orders.
What a great manufacturing website contains.
The pages that do the selling for this kind of company, and what each one has to do to turn a visit into a call.
Product catalog with filterable specs.
Families and part numbers with specifications, drawings, certifications and lead times, indexable page by page so engineers land on the exact item.
Application and industry pages.
What the product solves and for whom, linking to fitting products, capturing the searches that happen before anyone knows a part number.
Capabilities and equipment.
Processes, machine lists, tolerances and capacity, the page a buyer checks to confirm you can actually make the part.
Certifications and quality.
ISO and industry certificates with downloadable documents and audit dates, satisfying procurement's supplier approval checklist.
RFQ and configurator.
A quote path that captures drawings, quantities and timelines or configures standard options, routed to the right rep or dealer instantly.
Where to buy.
Dealer and distributor locator by region and product line, with lead capture that routes to the partner and tracks response.
Resources and technical guides.
Material comparisons, design guides and installation documents that earn engineering traffic and links, gated only where compliance requires it.
Application stories.
Anonymized problem, constraint and solution write-ups by industry, the proof buyers forward internally, without naming customers.
Careers and facility.
Plant tours, shifts and open roles, because the same site has to recruit machinists and engineers in a tight labor market.
Where the demand comes from, and when.
The tools manufacturers already run on.
We build to your system of record rather than around it. Leads, calls, jobs and revenue land where your team already works, with the attribution attached.
HubSpot.
Inbound RFQs, lead scoring, territory routing and campaign attribution through to closed deals.
Salesforce.
Enterprise pipeline with territory objects, dealer records and quote stages tied to marketing source.
NetSuite.
Quotes, orders and customer records synced so marketing attribution reaches invoiced revenue.
Epicor.
ERP integration for quote status, order history and product data feeding the catalog.
Pardot.
Nurture sequences and scoring for long-cycle buyers, connected to the sales pipeline.
ZoomInfo.
Firmographic enrichment on inbound leads and target account list building for outbound.
LinkedIn Ads.
Title and account targeting with conversion tracking wired to RFQ submissions.
Thomasnet and Google Merchant Center.
Directory listings monitored for leads, and catalog feeds for standard products sold online.
What we run the account by
RFQs by source and product line.
The demand count that matters, split so marketing knows which lines and channels produce quote requests.
Quoted dollars per channel.
Converts lead counts into pipeline value, weighting a program inquiry above a sample order.
Quote to order win rate.
Whether marketing brings the right buyers, and where pricing, lead time or follow-up loses them.
Lead response time by territory.
Hours from inquiry to rep or dealer contact, the handoff where industrial leads most often die.
Revenue from marketing-sourced accounts.
Invoiced dollars traced to a marketing origin through the ERP, the number that justifies next year's budget.
Rules we respect
Export controls and ITAR on gated content.
Controlled drawings and technical data served only behind screened access with logging, designed with your compliance lead, never as open downloads.
ISO and certification claims.
Certifications stated exactly as issued, with scope and dates, and removed from the site the day they lapse.
MAP policies with dealers.
Pricing in dealer assets, feeds and portals enforced to minimum advertised price, with monitoring for violations.
CAN-SPAM for nurture and outbound.
Commercial email with accurate headers, a physical address and a working unsubscribe, honored across CRM and marketing platforms.
The manufacturing playbook.
Audit demand and data.
We review the site against what an engineer needs, the CRM and ERP handoffs, dealer coverage and the last year of trade show and web leads, then rank the fixes by quoted dollars at stake.
Fix the handoffs first.
Route existing leads to territories, connect forms to the CRM, clean product data and repair conversion tracking. Working the leads already in the system usually pays before any new spend.
Build the catalog and systems.
Ship the spec-ready catalog, RFQ flows, application pages, dealer locator and portal, with CRM and ERP integration and pipeline reporting that sales and operations both trust.
Run demand programs.
Operate search, professional network and account-based campaigns, support dealers with assets and routed leads, and review pipeline by source with sales and operations every month.
- Domains and DNSregistered to you
- Ad accountsyour billing, our access
- Analytics and trackingyour property
- Code and hostingyour repository
- CRM and datayour system of record
- Documentationhow it all runs
Month to month after the initial term. We earn the next engagement rather than lock in this one.
Why manufacturers choose us.
Our sites and content are built around specifications, applications and procurement checks, because that is how industrial buying decisions actually get made, not around brand slogans.
- Integration is in-houseCRM, ERP and dealer portal work is engineering we do ourselves. We have built for manufacturers and their dealer networks, and we document the systems so your IT team owns them.
- We measure in quoted and invoiced dollarsWe operate our own brands and run them on revenue. A manufacturing account is reported by RFQs, quoted dollars and orders by source, with the ERP as the system of record.
Reading for manufacturers.
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The Conversion Tracking Audit Checklist We Run Before Spending a Dollar.
Automated bidding optimizes toward whatever you call a conversion. This checklist makes sure that definition is true before the budget goes up.
Read - Paid Media · Takeaway
A report exists to support a decision, and paid media decisions need four numbers.
Paid Media · 10 min read
Paid Media Reporting: The Four Numbers That Matter.
Spend, leads or orders, cost per lead, and revenue attributed. Everything else on the dashboard either supports those four numbers or gets in the way.
Read - Marketing · Takeaway
Start from money, not likes: track leads to booked jobs to revenue, and ignore vanity metrics that never touch your bank account.
Marketing · 15 min read
How to Tell If Your Marketing Is Actually Working.
Most small businesses spend money on marketing and have no real idea what is working. Here is the simple measurement system that tells you the truth, built in an afternoon, not a quarter.
Read
Hiring an agency for a manufacturing business.
- Who is the best marketing agency for a manufacturing company?
- One that treats the website as a sales engineer, integrates with your CRM and ERP, and reports in quoted and invoiced dollars. Ask a candidate to explain how an RFQ from a search ad becomes a tracked opportunity in your system and which product lines the demand is for. We have built for manufacturers and can walk that path in the first meeting.
- Can you generate leads for our distributors and dealers rather than direct sales?
- Yes. We build the locator and routing so inquiries go to the right partner by territory and product line, give dealers co-branded assets and campaign templates through a portal, and track which partners respond and close. Manufacturers usually keep a direct path for uncovered territories and key accounts, and we route accordingly.
- How do you integrate a manufacturer's website with HubSpot or Salesforce and the ERP?
- Forms and configurators write to the CRM with source, territory and product data. Quote and order stages sync from NetSuite or Epicor back to the CRM record, so a closed order carries its marketing origin. We map fields with your sales and operations leads first, build the integration, and document it for your IT team.
- Does SEO work for industrial products?
- It is often the strongest channel, because engineers search by part number, specification, material and application long before they contact anyone. A catalog structured for indexing, application pages and technical guides can rank for those queries and generate RFQs without paid spend. It compounds over quarters, so we start it early in the engagement.
- What about export controls and gated technical content?
- Drawings, specifications and documents subject to export controls or ITAR are served behind access controls with screening and logging, not as open downloads. We design the gating with your compliance lead so marketing content stays useful without exposing controlled data. Public pages carry only what can be shared with anyone.
Let’s grow your manufacturing business.
A short note on where the business is and where it needs to go. A senior partner replies within one business day.
t@theoryroad.com · (512) 222-7805