Here’s a New Roadmap for B2B Marketing in Technical Industries

Technical professionals face serious challenges as innovation accelerates and design complexity grows. While brands can’t eliminate all this stress, they can help in meaningful ways. Recent reports on how engineers and technical professionals work and consume information offer a roadmap for B2B marketers.

Marketers in technical industries must understand highly complex topics and translate them into engaging content that fits their prospects’ and customers’ needs. They need to also consider how their target audiences consume information, so they can tailor distribution in relevant and creative ways.

To succeed, B2B marketers should consider these four brand imperatives:

1. Educate overwhelmed technical buyers
2. Learn to love the non-linear funnel
3. Prioritize video in your content marketing strategy
4. Solidify the traditional marketing pillars

Educate Overwhelmed Technical Buyers

Engineers are under immense pressure and are seeking educational content. This is where the opportunities lie for marketers. 

More than 70% of engineers said they’re required to work “very quickly” and nearly 70% reported needing to do more with fewer resources, according to Aspencore’s latest Mind of the Engineer report. In response, over 80% dedicate significant time to learning new technologies and design techniques.

B2B brands that develop rich, technically sound and engaging content will distinguish themselves in a highly competitive and crowded information ecosystem. They must adopt an editorial mindset, producing a compelling content mix like interactive landing pages, thought leadership articles, videos and more that help them engage and build deeper relationships with their target technical audiences.

But content creation is only one piece of the puzzle.

Learn to Love the Non-Linear Funnel

Next, brands need to reach busy technical buyers. The key to success here is channel optimization.

In today’s ever-expanding information ecosystem, engineers control much of the research and buying cycle. According to the 2025 State of Marketing to Engineers report from GlobalSpec and Trew Marketing, 72% of technical buyers spend at least half of the buying process online – before speaking with someone at the company.

So even the best sales teams miss out on top-of-funnel activities. The traditional marketing funnel – where a brand ushers a customer through awareness and consideration stages, then hands these leads to sales – is dead. Enter the non-linear funnel, where buyers guide themselves, consuming information across channels at different points during the sales cycle. These channels include social media, technical publications, and brand-driven content like webinars and email newsletters. 

This dynamic gives brands more opportunities to engage, but they must optimize their presence across more channels. Most brands can’t maintain a strong presence everywhere due to budget and resource constraints. The best approach for B2B marketers is to go all-in when they commit to a channel. If they can’t, skip the channel. A half-hearted effort on LinkedIn, for example, just does more harm than good.

Prioritize Video in Your Content Marketing Strategy

Video is on the rise and must be considered a core marketing channel. 

With 70% of technical buyers frequently watching work-related YouTube content (per the State of Marketing to Engineers report), brands should commit real budget and resources to video production. This entails professional video shoots and animation, and building a diverse array of videos – from animated product explainers and thought leadership conversations to trade show recaps and behind-the-scenes factory tours. And don’t be afraid to experiment. Test different types of videos to closely monitor performance.

Engaging webinars are also key to your video portfolio. More than half of engineers use webinars as an information source, according to the Mind of the Engineer report. Beyond education, webinars are clearly valuable for lead generation and nurturing too.

Solidify the Traditional Marketing Pillars

A commitment to traditional pillars of marketing – particularly your website, newsletters and earned media – is key to engaging technical buyers and building brand credibility.

Fifty-nine percent of engineers rated component or equipment manufacturer websites as their top source for information gathering, up 11% since 2022, according to the Mind of the Engineer report. And the State of Marketing to Engineers report says that “technical buyers are almost twice as likely to view a strong website as an indicator of a company’s credibility than a prominent sponsorship at a trade show.”

Email newsletters were also highly rated in the State of Marketing to Engineers report. More than 90% of technical buyers subscribe to at least one work-related newsletter and 69% subscribe to three or more.

Earned media in technical publications is still valuable for brand-building. More than 60% of technical buyers cited technical publication articles as valuable when researching work purchases, second only to datasheets, according to the State of Marketing to Engineers report. Further, “visibility across technical publications” is a top “indicator of credibility.” The Mind of the Engineer report found that earned media is especially valuable early in the design cycle. 

To solidify the traditional marketing pillars, B2B marketers should:

• Build websites that are rich information hubs, full of technical information like datasheets and CAD drawings, visionary thought leadership and engaging video. 
• Distribute beautifully designed and sharply written email newsletters to inform and engage customers and prospects.
• Prioritize earned media promotion in credible media outlets. It’s an implicit, trusted third-party endorsement that enhances credibility and reach.

The Bottom Line

Engineers and technical professionals are on the front lines of today’s rapid innovation – and they face immense pressure. To keep up, they constantly seek new information and insights. B2B brands are poised to help. But they must deliver: equip prospects and customers with valuable information, optimize visibility across channels and maximize owned channel quality. Brands that step up will gain hard-earned trust and forge lasting relationships with prospects and customers.