Planning
How to Plan Industrial Marketing That Sales Respects
Stop planning posts and start planning revenue. Set goals, budgets, and channel priorities for manufacturers and other B2B companies.
By Roberto Monticelli Wydra, Founder & Industrial Marketing Strategist
Direct answer
Effective industrial marketing planning does not start with “Which trade shows should we attend?” It starts with “What is the sales revenue target?” Work in order: set the financial goal; calculate the qualified leads (MQLs) and opportunities needed to reach it by reverse-engineering the funnel; choose channels such as ads, SEO, and LinkedIn that can deliver that volume at the lowest cost; and set a budget based on an acceptable CAC. The result is an executable, measurable plan, not a wish list.
Reverse-engineer the funnel
If the target is BRL 10 million and the average deal is BRL 100,000, you need 100 sales. With a 10% close rate, that means 1,000 opportunities. If 20% of leads become opportunities, you need 5,000 leads. Now you know the scale of the marketing effort.
Budget: 3% to 8% of revenue
Manufacturers seeking growth invest 3% to 8% of gross revenue in marketing, excluding salaries. If revenue is BRL 50 million and you spend BRL 5,000 a month on media, you do not have a plan; you are buying a lottery ticket.
Build a quarterly action calendar
Break the year into 90-day sprints. Q1: launch a new catalog and Google Ads campaigns. Q2: focus on SEO and lead nurturing. Q3: hold an in-person event and run a reactivation campaign. Q4: close out the year and plan for the next one.
Quick questions
What is the difference between a marketing plan and a sales plan?
Marketing defines how to generate opportunities (demand). Sales defines how to turn those opportunities into contracts (closing). The plans should be built together.
Do I need an agency to develop the plan?
An outside perspective can help challenge industry habits, but leadership must provide the data on margins and targets.
How do I get leadership to approve the budget?
Speak their language: ROI and revenue. Do not ask for money to “build the brand”; ask for investment to “generate BRL 5 million in pipeline.”
Can the plan change during the year?
It should. If an initiative brings no return in 90 days, move the money to what is working. A plan is a living map.
Which tools should we use?
Excel works, but a CRM such as HubSpot or Pipedrive connected to Google Analytics is the minimum for tracking execution.
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