An editorial perspective based on conversations with entrepreneurs and industry professionals in late 2023. This article presents a trade publisher’s viewpoint, rather than an independent study of advertising returns.
My conversations with additive-manufacturing startups and SMEs in late 2023 often focused on development priorities. The role of trade media was a recurring topic. Here are five reasons to include them in a communications plan, with clearly defined objectives and expectations.
1. Reach the relevant professionals
When a company launches a specialist 3D printer or service, trade media can reach readers who are actively seeking answers to industrial challenges. The value lies in audience relevance: job roles, sectors, applications and geographic coverage. A large general audience will not necessarily have the same value for every campaign.
Start by defining whom you want to reach and the intended action: discover a solution, read a case study, attend a presentation or request a conversation. Publishing content does not, however, guarantee enquiries or sales.
2. Explain a complex product
Additive manufacturing is not inherently new, but its processes, materials and applications continue to develop. A decision-maker may understand an application without knowing how a particular machine works; an operator may have extensive experience of one process but little knowledge of another.
Trade media can make these differences understandable through interviews, technical explanations and application examples. Such information becomes more useful when it also identifies limitations, operating conditions and observed results.
3. Make expertise visible
At a trade show or in a professional publication, companies want to stand out. Sending the same press release to every outlet will not always explain a specific capability. A documented application, a problem solved or a customer’s experience can offer more concrete information.
Editorial coverage, which is subject to the publication’s editorial judgement, should be distinguished from advertising services and identifiable sponsored content. Buying advertising is not a promise of favourable editorial coverage.
4. Account for industrial decision cycles
Several people asked me in 2023 how they could shorten their sales journey. An industrial-equipment decision can involve trials, qualification, financing and several decision-makers. A single campaign does not remove those stages.
Awareness, understanding of an offer and qualified enquiries can be complementary objectives. Their relative importance depends on the product, audience maturity and campaign. Pay-per-click advertising does not deliver identical results in every situation, even within B2B or B2C markets.
5. Connect formats with measurable objectives
Digital or print advertising, case studies, webinars, interviews, social posts and podcasts can serve different purposes. The choice should reflect the message, audience and available resources.
It remains useful to measure results against criteria agreed in advance, while recognizing attribution limits when several interactions precede a decision. The aim is to understand what contributes to a reader’s or prospect’s journey and adjust activities accordingly. For me, the guiding principle remains to offer relevant information to the right people in a context that is useful to them.
First published in the November/December 2023 issue of 3D ADEPT Mag.
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