Marketing Diagnostic for B2B Manufacturers
Before You Spend Another Dollar on Marketing, Know What It's Actually Worth.
Whether you're running ads with no clear answer on ROI, thinking about going all-in on digital for the first time, or watching competitors take traffic that should be yours — you need a straight read before you make another move.
$495 · Delivered within 7 business days · No pitch at the end
Why manufacturers waste money on marketing without knowing it
These are the patterns that show up again and again — and why the problem rarely looks like what you think it is.
"We're running ads, but I can't tell if they're actually working."
The monthly report shows clicks and impressions. When the owner asks if it's paying off, there's no clean answer. Usually the ads aren't the problem — it's that there's no baseline to measure against and no independent set of eyes on the whole system.
"We haven't gone all-in on digital yet — and I'm not sure we're ready."
Trade shows and reps are producing. But buyers are searching online for exactly what you make, and you're not in front of them. Before you start spending on ads, you need to know if your setup can actually convert the traffic you'd be paying for.
"Our competitors are getting online leads that should be ours."
You've Googled your own product category. You've seen who's showing up where you should be. The question isn't whether to do something about it — it's where to start and whether your foundation is ready.
"I've been burned by agencies before. I need a second opinion."
A report from your agency is not an independent audit. It's a status update from someone whose income depends on your continued investment. If you want to know what's actually working, you need someone outside the relationship — with no stake in the answer.
Here's the Kind of Waste I'm Looking For
Most marketing budgets have problems like this hiding in plain sight. A Red Line Review finds them before they compound.
15 minutes of real data = $2k–$3k saved.
A real example: Bonnie almost spent $1,500 on searches no one makes.
Bonnie manufactures seed cleaning equipment. She used AI to build her 2026 marketing plan — it looked solid and called one keyword cluster a "gold mine." I ran it against actual Google data. Zero monthly searches. That one recommendation would have burned $1,500 on buyers who don't exist.
At the same time, her working campaigns — the ones actually producing leads — were only capturing 31% of available search traffic. Same budget. Pointed at the wrong thing. Three problems across three parts of her marketing system, none of them visible until someone looked at the whole thing at once.
"AI generates possibilities. But human logic determines which ones actually work." — Bonnie, seed cleaning equipment manufacturer
Those are the kinds of problems the Red Line Review is built to find. Read the full case study →
Why most manufacturer marketing underperforms
It's Not Just Your Ads
Good campaigns matter. But if tracking is broken, the message doesn't match, or you're on the wrong channel for your buyers — no amount of optimization will fix it. The review looks at the whole system.
Google Ads structure and targeting
Are campaigns built for a 90–180 day B2B sales cycle — or set up like an e-commerce store? We check match types, bidding strategy, and whether budget is going where it should.
Tracking and attribution
Are form fills recording? Are phone calls tracked? If you can't connect ad spend to closed deals, every decision is a guess. Week one starts here.
ICP and offer clarity
Do your ads speak to the buyer who actually buys from you? Generic messaging attracts everyone and converts no one. We check whether targeting and copy match your real customer.
Your numbers baseline
What's a qualified lead worth? What's your close rate? Without these numbers on paper, every marketing decision is a guess. We get them documented.
Platform fit
Some manufacturers are spending on Google Ads when their buyers use ThomasNet, trade directories, or referrals. If that's you, you'll know — and where to focus instead.
Foundation readiness
A well-targeted ad driving traffic to a generic landing page is an expensive way to confuse good prospects. We check the whole path from search to quote request.
Who the Red Line Review is right for — and who it isn't
A report from your agency isn't an independent audit. This one is — from someone with no stake in your current setup.
This works well if you're:
- Running ads and can't get a clean answer on whether they're worth it
- New to digital lead gen and want to know if your setup is ready before you start spending
- Watching competitors take search traffic that should be yours and need to know where to start
- Responsible for marketing and need something concrete to bring to your owner or CEO before making a budget decision
- Just left an agency and need an outside read on what you inherited
This probably isn't the right fit if you're looking for someone to manage campaigns on an ongoing basis right now — that's a different conversation. And if you're looking for validation that everything's fine, I'll still tell you the truth. Some clients walk away with a clean bill of health. That's a good outcome too.
How the Red Line Review works
In manufacturing, you never send a drawing to the shop floor without a review. You check the dimensions, stress-test the specs, and mark what's wrong in red ink before anyone cuts steel. I apply the same approach to marketing.
No long intake process. No waiting on a proposal. Here's exactly what happens from the moment you book.
Submit the intake form
After booking, you'll get a short intake form — about 10 minutes. A few questions about your current setup, your goals, and what's been frustrating you. This lets me walk in knowing your situation, not asking you to explain it from scratch on a call.
I do the review
I go through your setup — ads account, tracking, landing pages, numbers, channel fit — and record a video walkthrough as I go. Plain English narration of every finding, in real time. Not a slide deck, not a 30-page PDF. Delivered within 7 business days of receiving your intake form.
Debrief call + prioritized fix list
After you've watched the video, we get on a 30-minute call. Ask anything — no agenda on my end. I'll walk you through the fix list: your top issues in the order they should be tackled, with a plain-English explanation of what each fix involves. You leave with a clear next step, not a stack of homework.
After the review: Some clients fix things themselves. Some hire me for ongoing management. A few realize they need a different channel entirely. All three are the right answer — as long as you have the right information going in.
What's Included in the Red Line Review
Everything you need to make a clear decision about your next move.
Video walkthrough
A recorded video where I narrate every finding in plain English as I go through your setup. Forward a section to your CEO, watch it with your sales director, or come back to it later. Not a slide deck you'll open once.
Prioritized fix list
Your top issues in the order they should be tackled, with a plain-English explanation of why each matters and what fixing it involves. Built to share with leadership — not a vague list of 40 suggestions.
Budget waste analysis
Where money is leaking right now — or where it will leak if you start spending. This is the section most clients end up forwarding directly to their owner or CEO.
Platform fit check
Confirmation you're on the right channel for how your buyers actually find vendors — or a clear recommendation if you're not. Some manufacturers don't need Google Ads right now. If that's you, I'll say so.
Numbers baseline
LTV, close rate, cost-per-acquisition target, and what a qualified lead is actually worth to your business. Most clients say this section alone changes how they think about every marketing decision going forward.
30-minute debrief call
One-on-one call after you've reviewed the video. Ask anything. No pitch. No agenda. Just answers — from the same person who did the work.
Pricing
$495 one-time
No retainer attached. No obligation to hire for ongoing management. You own the video, the fix list, and all findings — always.
- Video walkthrough + prioritized fix list + budget waste analysis
- Platform fit check + numbers baseline + 30-minute debrief call
- Delivered within 7 business days of receiving your intake form
- Month-to-month management available after the review if you want it
- You own everything — no MCC lock-in, no account hostage situations
I limit these to a small number per month to make sure each one gets the prep time it deserves.
If this finds one budget leak worth $200/month, it pays for itself in 75 days. Bonnie, a seed equipment manufacturer, saved $2,000–$3,000 in her first quarter alone — caught before she spent a dollar on it.
The guarantee: If you walk away without a clear picture of what to fix and confidence that the findings are worth more than $495 to your business, I'll refund your money. No questions asked. Twenty years of doing this, and I haven't had to make good on that yet.
Client results
Results from B2B manufacturer clients
Caught $2k–$3k in mistakes before she spent a dollar
" I had used AI to generate a list of ideas. AI stated that a couple of those suggestions were great and a goldmine for me. I was sold!! Then you dug deeper and discovered that these particular suggestions would be a waste of time and resources; I was very surprised! AI generates possibilities. But human logic determines which ones actually work. "
Bonnie
Owner, Seed Cleaning Equipment Manufacturer
Business is up 33%
" Corey gives me up to date, thorough assessments of how we're doing — no sugar coating. I have seen a big spike in activity off our website and we're getting more calls from customers who could have only found us by doing a search. We're on the map now... We made the right move. "
Dan Miller
Operations Manager, OZ Lifting
100x the results
" Corey listens to your product's story and mixes in his intuition for what customers are searching for. The results we obtained with his services were 100x what I could have done alone. His work is equal parts art and science — something you usually don't find in a single person. "
Caylan Larson
Founder, Semireg Industries
" Corey did a great job educating us on digital marketing and implementing a plan that showed really good results. He is fun to work with and we highly recommend his services. "
Tyler Pope
Founder, 3D Printing Ally
" Corey gives me a more clear understanding of the perils and possibilities of Google. He has a bulldog attitude when it comes to really digging into the details. He's passionate about problem solving, has detailed understanding of Google's deepest features and has the ability to see beyond numbers and think in the abstract. "
Scott Zosel
Senior Marketing Manager, Lano Equipment, Inc.
" I'm a veteran marketer and hired Corey for a PPC campaign. Corey is as legit as it gets and knows the ins and outs to properly set up and manage a campaign to positive ROI. I look forward to finding other projects to work with him on. "
T. Hawley
Google Business Review ★★★★★
Corey Koehler
Before I ran Google Ads, I spent 17 years as a mechanical draftsman in manufacturing. I know tolerances, RFQs, long sales cycles, and what a $250,000 contract actually means to a small shop. When I look at your marketing, I look at the whole system — not just one channel.
I've worked with 50+ B2B clients over 20 years — industrial machinery, material handling, agricultural equipment, custom fabrication, contract manufacturing, and more. Company of One. No account managers, no junior hires, no handoffs.
Most marketers don't understand engineering. Most engineers don't understand marketing. I've spent 20 years building the ability to do both.
I built the Red Line Review because most manufacturers deserve a straight answer about their marketing — not a sales pitch dressed up as an audit. You'll talk to me. I do the review myself, every time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this just a pitch for your ongoing management service?
No. Some clients hire me for management after the review. A lot don't — they fix things themselves, hand the findings to their current vendor, or use the fix list to evaluate other options. I'd rather you walk away with something useful than sign up for something you don't need yet. I'll tell you honestly which situation you're in.
We already get monthly reports from our agency. Isn't that the same thing?
A report from your agency tells you what your agency wants you to see. It's a status update from someone who built the thing and benefits from keeping your business. The Red Line Review is an independent read from someone outside your current setup — with no stake in whether you stay with your agency, switch, or go a completely different direction.
We're not running any ads yet. Is this still worth doing?
It's especially useful before you start. You'll find out if your landing pages can convert traffic, whether your tracking is set up to measure results, if Google Ads is even the right channel for your buyers, and what a realistic starting budget looks like. Starting without that answer is how you spend $5,000 over three months finding out the foundation wasn't ready.
What if I can't act on the findings right away?
That's fine. A lot of clients use the review to get internally aligned — between marketing and the owner, or between marketing and sales. The fix list doesn't expire. You'll have a clear starting point when the timing is right. And if budget is the issue, knowing exactly what to fix first means you spend it in the right place when you do have it.
Do I own the video and the findings?
Yes. The video walkthrough, the prioritized fix list, the budget waste analysis — all of it is yours. Forward it to your CEO, share it with your sales team, hand it to your next agency as a starting point. No restrictions.
The right answer about your marketing is out there. You just need someone to look.
Whether you're running ads that aren't producing, thinking about going all-in on digital for the first time, or trying to figure out why competitors are showing up where you're not — this gives you a clear picture of where you stand.
Get Your Red Line Review — $495 →If the review doesn't pay for itself in insights, I'll refund your money. No questions asked.
Not ready to buy yet? Book a free 30-minute strategy call and we'll figure out where you are first.
Delivered within 7 business days. You own all findings and deliverables. No retainer required.