The New Rules of Marketing in Manufacturing: Trust, Technology, and Engagement

Marketing is evolving at a rapid pace, with shifting behaviors and changing platform priorities. In the manufacturing industry, understanding how companies requiring CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, and other services research, evaluate, and make purchasing decisions is vital for successful results. With AI transforming search, a greater emphasis on trust and credibility, and the emergence of new content strategies, marketers must adapt to stay ahead.

A few of our team members at Paperless Parts recently attended the Industrial Marketing Summit and gained valuable insights into the evolving landscape of manufacturing marketing. The conference provided compelling data points and key takeaways that manufacturers should consider to stay competitive.

Our biggest takeaway: Building trust through engagement and consistent, valuable communication has never been more critical. Successful manufacturers are those who actively engage with customers, beyond only responding to RFQs, providing expert insights, transparent communication, and personalized solutions.

Here are seven other key insights to help make sure your marketing strategy is keeping your manufacturing business ahead in 2025:

1. AI Is Changing Search, But Trust Still Rules

One of the biggest shifts in marketing over the past few months has been the way AI influences search behavior. AI-driven overviews in search engines are reducing click-through rates, meaning fewer engineers and procurement teams visit vendor websites directly. Instead, they are relying on AI-generated summaries and longer, more conversational queries to gather information.

Best Practice: Optimize your website and content to rank higher in SERPs so your content is influencing AI-generated results. Additionally, focus on educational content that meets your customers’ specific needs, such as guides, tips, case studies, and technical deep dives, which AI struggles to summarize effectively.
Key Stat: Engineers and buyers rate their trust in AI-generated answers at 4.4/10, indicating a strong preference for credible, expert-driven content.
Action Step: Leverage subject matter experts (SMEs) to author content, feature author bios to communicate their credibility, and create thought leadership pieces that AI cannot replicate.

2. The Buyer Journey: Self-Service First

Today’s industrial buyers are more independent than ever. On average, they complete 60% of the buying process online before speaking with a sales representative. Manufacturers looking for CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, and custom manufacturing services want self-serve information, detailed specifications, and interactive tools to aid their research.

Best Practice: Provide material comparison tools, hardware selection charts and easy-to-use RFQ systems on your website to cater to procurement teams’ self-service habits.
Key Stat: 72% of industrial buyers spend at least half of their purchasing journey online before engaging with sales.
Action Step: Optimize your website with detailed material specifications, manufacturing capabilities breakdowns, and case studies that answer buyers’ questions before they reach out, solidifying your brand as a trusted resource.

3. Content Must Be Expert-Led, Not AI-Generated

While AI is powerful for efficiency, relying too heavily on AI-generated content will erode trust. AI content is not new or innovative; it simply summarizes information that already exists, making it less valuable for differentiation and thought leadership. Manufacturing buyers want content from verifiable human experts, not generic AI-written summaries.

Best Practice: Use AI to enhance marketing efficiency (data analysis, initial research, automation), but ensure all public-facing content is sourced, reviewed, authored, and approved by industry experts.
Key Stat: 86% of industrial buyers seek independent, non-sponsored sources for product reviews and comparisons.
Action Step: Focus on expert-led content: case studies, testimonials, and content co-authored with industry partners or customers. Collect and leverage reviews and customer experiences in your marketing efforts.

4. Video Content Is Essential

With search platforms de-prioritizing outbound links, video has become an important format for engaging industrial buyers. Since AI struggles to summarize videos, they remain high-value assets in the buyer’s journey.

Best Practice: Invest in the creation of YouTube content, and also repurpose it into short-form snippets for LinkedIn and other social media platforms. Share this content directly with your customers and potential customers.
Key Stat: 70% of industrial buyers watch work-related videos online.
Action Step: Develop factory tours, process demonstrations, and customer success stories in video format to boost engagement and showcase your expertise.

5. Maintaining an Active Social Media Presence Is Critical for Engagement

Google still rules for search, capturing 64% of discovery traffic. However, social media channels like LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram lead the way in engagement traffic. Social media sites are rewarding posts that encourage the user to stay on their platform. This trend has been coined “zero-click marketing.”

Best Practice: Develop zero-click social media content to align with shifting social platform practices.
Key Stat: Social media channels account for 24% of engagement traffic, making them the leading driver of audience interaction. Consistently sharing information that engages your audience and tells your company story is not a nice to have, it’s a must-have.
Action Step: Leverage social media channels by effectively engaging with your target audience and providing value. Make sure to use consistent brand messaging to be memorable to your buyers.

6. Email Newsletters Are a Goldmine for Engagement

Procurement teams and engineers may not respond to traditional ads, but email newsletters remain a high-performing channel for technical content distribution.

Best Practice: Prioritize value-driven newsletters, including industry insights, manufacturing best practices, and case studies rather than pure promotional content.
Key Stat: 91% of industrial buyers subscribe to work-related newsletters, and 75% are open to sponsored content if it is relevant to their role.
Action Step: Create newsletters with high-value content that supports your customers in their day to day. Leverage automation to target specific audiences.

7. Workforce & Employer Branding Matters

With the largest wave of retirements happening between 2024-2027, workforce development is a more timely topic than ever. Showcasing career growth and upskilling opportunities is critical for attracting and retaining talent in the competitive manufacturing sector.

Best Practice: Highlight employee success stories, workforce training programs, and investment in advanced manufacturing technology in your marketing strategy and connect it to customer drivers.
Key Stat: Featuring your real company, employees, and their stories in your marketing helps build trust. It also fosters team pride by showing that their work matters. To boost credibility and share your brand authentically, aim to keep stock or AI-generated imagery under 50% of your visual content.
Action Step: Develop content that showcases your company culture, featuring real employees, their career paths, and industry impact.

Maximizing Manufacturing Marketing: Strategies for 2025 and Beyond

Successfully navigating these trends and executing a comprehensive marketing and communication strategy requires time and expertise. Managing content creation, social media, SEO, and engagement efforts can be overwhelming for manufacturers focused on daily operations.

Leveraging marketing experts to support your business can take the weight of this essential function off your shoulders and ensure consistency and effectiveness. Reach out to the Paperless Parts Marketing Solutions team to discuss your goals and how our team of marketers with deep manufacturing subject matter expertise can support your business growth.

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This blog post was written by Anne Marie Tracey. Anne Marie is the manager of our Marketing Solutions department at Paperless Parts, where she serves as the client manager, content manager, marketing strategist, and team lead for all Paperless Parts Marketing Solutions clients. She also designs and manages client websites with the goal of building a strong online presence to target key audiences to support business growth.