An interview with Holly and Mark, two marketers with shared goals. “We needed to engage manufacturers and we needed more budget.”
Summary
Holly and Mark both work at opposite ends of the same marketing department. Holly, a Regional Field Marketing Manager, juggles multiple campaigns and deadlines, hoping to hit multiple KPIs each quarter. Mark, a Principal Product Marketing Manager, is focused on user requirements, industry innovation, competitor analysis, the movement and staying ahead of market trends.
They both work for Epicor, a company that creates manufacturing-centric software and data solutions. Though their roles are different, Holly and Mark share a common challenge– they need to engage with manufacturers and secure more marketing budget.
This is the story of how they used research from The Manufacturer to justify increased resources before launching a multi-channel, year-long campaign. The collaboration with The Manufacturer has not only helped Epicor reach its target market and exceed goals but also provided The Manufacturer’s community with valuable insights into ERP, data analytics, and more.
By aligning Epicor’s messaging with pain points from The Manufacturer’s research, Holly and Mark successfully targeted key influencers in the buying process, using various platforms This resulted in significant lead generation and increased visibility. The ripple effect of this partnership – sharing expert knowledge on data challenges and opportunities within manufacturing – benefited manufacturers, providing them with free, expert insights to help them improve their operations.
Here, Holly and Mark explain how The Manufacturer’s research helped them to justify increased marketing budget, leading to massive ROI. They also share advice for other solutions providers looking to replicate their success, from both field marketing and product marketing perspectives.
Introduction
Epicor create data solutions specifically for manufacturing industry. Like many software providers, they live in a world of three-letter-acronyms, meaning their products are market leading in areas such as ERP, ECM, FP&A, EDI and IP&O. Simply put, if you are a manufacturer with a data problem of any kind, Epicor are the go-to experts at understanding it, fixing it and turning it into an opportunity.
As a provider of manufacturing-centric solutions, Epicor needs to maintain its voice and visibility within the sector. To fuel their growth, it’s essential that the industry views them as relevant, trustworthy, and knowledgeable. This means they must promote their brand in the right context, in the right space, and to the right people.
In March 2024, Holly and Mark attended the launch of the Manufacturing Momentum Report in London to get a copy of the research and to hear insights about the industry, its drivers and likely buying patterns over the coming year. It was a decision that ultimately changed their year.
We asked Holly Scott-Donaldson (Regional Field Marketing Manager) and Mark Feathers (Principal Product Marketing Manager) for their thoughts on the research, the partnership and the campaigns, as well as advice for other solution providers looking to engage with the manufacturing industry. Here’s what they had to say.
Interview
Holly Scott-Donaldson:
“I attended the Marketing to Manufacturers event in Soho back in March. The Manufacturer had just launched the 2024 Manufacturing Momentum Report, which highlighted the industry’s key needs and challenges.
That event demonstrated a profound understanding of the industry, while also highlighting what was on the horizon for the year ahead. It was incredibly insightful.
But here’s the thing – that strategy required more budget.
Mark Feathers:
“We found the 2024 Manufacturing Momentum Report incredibly useful – it was, without question, the best piece of industry research published in 2024. We sent it straight up the line to secure funding.”
Holly and Mark used the insights from the Manufacturing Momentum Report to build a business case for additional resources, and, ultimately, they were successful.
They partnered with The Manufacturer for a series of multi-channel marketing campaigns across various media, summits, expos and awards. Epicor collaborated with the Marketing to Manufacturers team at The Manufacturer to craft a tailored campaign that directly addressed the sector’s key pain points.
This collaboration spanned editorial, digital advertising, Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit, Smart Factory Expo, and The Manufacturer MX Awards – each designed to target different segments of the manufacturing industry.
The results were immediate, with Epicor experiencing significant ROI through targeted exposure, high-quality leads, and an increase in brand credibility.
Holly Scott-Donaldson:
‘We partnered with The Manufacturer for three reasons: the reach they offer within their subscribed community, the depth of relationships they’ve built, and the pedigree of The Manufacturer brand and its team.
The team truly understood what Epicor was looking for commercially. They didn’t just execute – they worked with us to build the story, then the campaign, and were flexible whenever needed.
It started with our business goal, then together we broke it down into smaller campaigns. This meant that the Epicor brand was represented consistently and meaningfully across all channels.
What made working with them so valuable was their non-templated approach. It was a much more efficient and flexible process, allowing us to get the campaigns to market very quickly. It’s a unique relationship that I value deeply. As a marketing professional juggling multiple campaigns and deadlines, it was amazing to have The Manufacturer team ahead of me, advising me on what to do next, beside me, invested in my success, and behind me, with a cattle prod when I forget things.”
Epicor’s strategy with The Manufacturer embraced a multi-channel approach across diverse platforms. As a Summit sponsor, Epicor engaged with top decision-makers and influencers within the manufacturing industry. Their presence at the Summit led to high-value conversations and helped generate key leads that were vital for business growth.
At Smart Factory Expo, Epicor took a proactive role by not just exhibiting but also sponsoring a keynote theatre. This gave them the perfect platform to showcase their thought leadership in the field of ERP and data analytics, positioning them as a trusted advisor in the industry.
Sponsoring The Manufacturer MX Awards, a prestigious event, further aligned Epicor’s brand with excellence in the manufacturing sector, elevating their influence and credibility.
Holly continues:
“In terms of outcomes, every box has been ticked so far. At the Summit, Epicor’s discussion table was oversubscribed four times. I ended up sitting in the delegate lounge because there were too many prospects at my table discussing data and ERP with Mark.
The quality of the delegates was incredibly high – representing some large manufacturers. It opened a lot of doors.
Epicor has also engaged with the Top100 and MX Awards. Inviting our customers to those events and associating with them added huge gravitas. These aren’t just marketing gimmicks—they’re highly meaningful and respected awards.”
Mark Feathers:
“The Manufacturer is fully immersed in and committed to the industry they serve. They go well beyond being just an events and publishing company.
At the end of the day, it’s always about leads – and The Manufacturer delivers those, both in the quantity and quality they promise. But what sets them apart is that their service goes beyond demand generation. They provide invaluable insights into industry trends, understanding, and direction. The Manufacturer has no competition if you want exposure in that sector.”
Value beyond ROI
The value of this collaboration extended beyond lead generation. Epicor’s engagement with The Manufacturer’s channels resulted in a ripple effect that benefited the broader manufacturing community:
- Educational Value: Manufacturers within The Manufacturer’s community gained free access to expert insights on ERP solutions and data analytics. This education empowered manufacturers to make better, more informed decisions about the technologies they were using, driving industry-wide innovation.
- Increased Knowledge Sharing: By being present across multiple channels and events, Epicor helped raise awareness about industry trends and best practices, fostering a culture of continuous improvement among manufacturers.
- Long-Term Relationships: The ongoing dialogue between Epicor and The Manufacturer helped to strengthen relationships within the manufacturing community, creating trust and positioning Epicor as an industry leader.
This ripple effect was not just felt within Epicor’s business but across the entire manufacturing ecosystem, creating a lasting impact.
What are the lessons learned?
We asked Holly and Mark what advice they would give to other field and product marketing managers looking to engage with the manufacturing industry.
“Get a copy of the Manufacturing Momentum Report research. It’s invaluable. And engage with the The Manufacturer team to help you articulate your solution in a context relevant to the pain points identified in the research.
Also, attend the Marketing to Manufacturers events. At the Commercial Insights Briefing 2024 event in Soho, we were able to gather enough information to build a business case and when we attended the Business Breakfast at Smart Manufacturing Week, it gave us the inspiration to add a case study to the campaigns.”
Conclusion
Holly and Mark used The Manufacturer’s research to justify increased resources. With those resources, they deployed a multi-channel approach, proving that strategic, tailored engagement across different platforms generates massive ROI. By leveraging Summits, Expos, Awards and Advertising, Epicor not only gained access to high-quality leads but also positioned themselves as thought leaders in the ERP and data space.
This partnership created a win-win scenario, benefiting both Epicor and The Manufacturer community by providing educational content, fostering innovation and building lasting relationships.
We’ll leave the closing remarks to Holly:
“Working with The Manufacturer is easy because you know every campaign will be flawlessly organised. You can count on getting the right audience and creating real engagement. The Manufacturer is always in step with the industry, so Epicor is proud to be in step with them.”
To replicate Holly and Mark’s success in justifying budget and engaging with The Manufacturer community, get access to the latest findings from 2026 Manufacturing Momentum Report.
