I think much of the frustration many companies have with online marketing stems from them working as if we still have the old simple model of a potential customer finding them through search, visiting the website, and asking for more information.
We probably all know that isn’t as common today, when buyers do most of their research online and often make first contact with a supplier at RFQ stage. This is frustrating, as by that point we’re already heading towards price and lead time being the most important factors. If the buyer hasn’t already discovered all the more nuanced stuff we need to tell them, we may not get the chance to do so.
If our aim is to get in earlier, ideally with a full sales presentation, our website needs to explain the benefits of requesting that. And that means selling the company and its expertise as strongly as the technical benefits of the product. To me, it means a focus on people, something which far too many businesses still shy away from.