Wendy Covey
Every December, we wrap up Content Marketing, Engineered with a tradition: a trends conversation with TREW Marketing’s own Lee Chapman. This episode focuses on how Industrial Marketers can reckon with the new age of AI and differentiate themselves among a "sea of sameness" and what marketing strategies to focus on in 2026.
2025 was a year of massive transformation for industrial marketers. As AI tools matured and generative search became a primary gateway for technical buyers, long-standing content and inbound strategies were forced to evolve. Marketers saw firsthand how important differentiation, depth, and authentic expertise is to stand out and earn trust.
AI Has Leveled the Tactical Playing Field
According to Lee, 2024 and 2025 were years of experimentation. Marketers used AI to produce content faster than ever but this caused everyone to sound alike and create an overwhelming amount of noise. Lee says the biggest trend for 2026 is a differentiated strategy.
With AI providing instant answers to basic queries, surface-level content no longer cuts it. Technical buyers still end up on your website, and when they do, they’re looking for clarity, technical depth, and authenticity. If your content doesn’t communicate a strong value proposition and true expertise, it’s easy for prospects to bounce back to AI or head to a competitor.
Your Website Must Earn Its Keep
Lee highlighted two extremes plaguing engineering websites today:
- The “museum” site: outdated, bloated, and difficult to navigate.
- The “brochure” site: modern and pretty, but shallow, lacking specs, case studies, and proof points.
Both fail to meet the needs of technical buyers. Lee recommends a website and content audit using a keep/kill/create framework, elevating high-value content, and ensuring users can find what they need with minimal clicks.
Trade Shows: Substance Over Swag
Events are booming again, but many companies are “checkboxing” their presence rather than building a strategic plan around them. Lee stressed the importance of:
- Strong booth messaging
- Demos and SMEs
- Pre-event outreach and partner activation
- Thoughtful, timely post-show follow-up
Content: Go Deep, Get Specific, Prove It
Technical audiences still value white papers, webinars, case studies, and research if they contain meaningful depth. Lee emphasized developing more proof-driven assets, including unnamed case studies when needed, and turning high-performing content into webinars or videos. Voice-of-customer research and even closed-lost surveys are underrated tools for uncovering differentiators AI can’t replicate.
Resources
Wendy Covey
Wendy Covey is a CEO, a technical marketing leader, author of Content Marketing, Engineered, one of The Wall Street Journal’s 10 Most Innovative Entrepreneurs in America, and she holds a Texas fishing record. She resides in a small Hill Country town southwest of Austin, Texas, where she enjoys outdoor adventures with her family.
About TREW Marketing
TREW Marketing is a strategy-first content marketing agency serving B2B companies that target highly technical buyers. With deep experience in the design, embedded, measurement and automation, and software industries, TREW Marketing provides branding, marketing strategy, content development, and digital marketing services to help customers efficiently and effectively achieve business goals.