How OEMs can fix the B2B buyer journey

A recent McKinsey & Company survey found that 50% of construction contractors and 30% of farmers plan to switch at least some of the brands in their fleets by 2028. 

I bet if there was a survey of equipment manufacturers and dealers on why that is, they would say price, parts availability, machine performance, and dealer support. 

Instead, the three highest points of dissatisfaction for the customer were in the awareness and consideration phases: 

1. Ability to understand equipment features 
2. Availability of unbiased recommendations 
3. Ability to compare equipment 

This suggests that the interest in switching brands is as much a B2B buyer journey problem as it is a machine quality or price issue. That’s actually good news for OEM marketing and sales teams because it means that providing the right information early in the journey, while the buyer is researching options, can help land your products on their short list. Whether you’re trying to retain current customers or win new ones, here are three strategies to do that.

Lead with buyer enablement content

Gone are the days when agricultural and construction OEMs could rely primarily on glossy brochures, product announcements, and lofty brand promises for their marketing. Modern equipment owners are looking for functional clarity, not sales copy. And just like in the B2C world, they expect to have that information at their fingertips. 

An effective content strategy bridges what a brand wants to say with what its audiences need to hear. When considering how to map content to the B2B buyer’s journey, those areas of importance from the McKinsey research — easy-to-understand features, unbiased recommendations, and comparison content — form a roadmap for top-of-funnel content during the research phase.

Demystify complex features

Off-highway equipment is growing increasingly sophisticated and high-tech. Don’t assume buyers understand how machine automation features or telematics systems work. Also, OEMs too often focus on what the technology is rather than how the customer benefits. Develop explainer content that uses plain language and maps the technical information to customer pain points like fuel costs, downtime, and operator inexperience.

Show instead of tell 
Provide evidence like data and customer testimonials so that the audience isn’t asked to simply take your word for it. Seeing actual fuel savings or total cost of ownership calculations is much stronger than generic promises of “fuel efficiency” and “lower TCO.” 

Publish comparison content 
If you don’t help buyers compare your products to other options, third-party sites or your competitors themselves will. Comparison charts, interactive tools, and head-to-head videos will help differentiate your brand. Additionally, in a world of growing AI search, tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini place a premium on comparison content because it’s a common query.

The power of PR 

Your own content can only take you so far. As McKinsey noted, a lack of unbiased recommendations is a major pain point early in the buyer journey. 

This is where a public relations strategy that moves beyond product announcements and is centered around independent validation can help OEMs stand out. 

The most effective way to do this is by having an active trade media relations program. This will let you reach potential customers through the industry publications they respect and trust. 

Appearing in an article on “latest wheel loader advancements” or “autonomous tractor trends” will raise your brand awareness, put you alongside your competition in articles (a form of comparison content) and position your company as an industry thought leader. 

“Relations” is the keyword here. Building and maintaining relationships with the media is critical for success, and media relations needs to be a continuous effort, not a sometimes tactic. 

As a bonus, earned media is a top source for AI citations. So doing media relations well can generate media coverage that helps your brand show up in AI search.

Channel partner enablement 

An ag or construction equipment buyer who researches online will almost always end up on a dealer lot eventually. Any disconnect between OEM and dealer will be felt by the customer, and it can be a deal killer. That’s why Two Rivers Marketing focuses on uniting our clients’ marketing, sales teams, and dealer networks. 

OEMs must provide dealers with sales enablement tools and actionable insights that help convert online interest. A good place to start is the same content already mentioned: explainers, data, competitor comparisons, and testimonials. Repurpose those with internal messaging and sales tips to equip dealer reps with a presale playbook. 

Disconnects are also common when the customer experience at the local level doesn’t align with what the OEM is saying. A sophisticated channel marketing strategy should include resources, funding, and expert support that helps dealers execute campaigns that are consistent with national messaging while catering to their market conditions. And training should give dealer sales teams the product mastery, messaging clarity, and hands-on learning they need to close deals. 

If you’re selling through a dealer channel, those reps are the face of your brand for most customers. Make sure you and your dealers are saying the same thing.

Turn buyer pain points into brand opportunity 

Ag and construction equipment owners are saying that the B2B buyer’s journey is broken, and it’s causing them to look to alternative brands. Because this is in large part an information and communications problem, marketing communications teams are uniquely positioned to address it. 

Two Rivers Marketing is ready to help. Contact us to align your brand, buyer-centric content, and dealer network for long-term growth.