---
title: "Pennsylvania Manufacturing Marketing Trends Report 2026-2027: survey data"
publisher: Altitude, a B2B marketing agency serving industrial and manufacturing companies
source_url: https://altitudemarketing.com/pennsylvania-manufacturing-marketing-trends
fielded: March 2026
respondents: 150 marketing leaders at manufacturing companies in Pennsylvania
data_csv: pennsylvania-manufacturing-marketing-trends-2026-data.csv
license: Free to quote and cite with attribution to Altitude and a link to the source URL.
---

# Pennsylvania Manufacturing Marketing Trends Report 2026-2027: survey data

Altitude Marketing surveyed 150 marketing leaders at manufacturing companies across Pennsylvania in March 2026. This file contains the aggregate results for every published question. Full report and analysis: https://altitudemarketing.com/pennsylvania-manufacturing-marketing-trends

**How to cite:** Altitude, "Pennsylvania Manufacturing Marketing Trends Report 2026-2027" survey (n=150, March 2026), https://altitudemarketing.com/pennsylvania-manufacturing-marketing-trends

## About the data

- 150 respondents. 72.7% hold director, VP or CMO titles.
- Aggregate results only. Results cannot be split by role, budget or team size.
- "Select all that apply" questions add up to more than 100%.
- Percentages are shares of respondents who answered the question.
- Q10 publishes only the number of respondents who ranked each goal first or second.
- Q16 is published as whole-number percentages without counts.
- The survey was fielded in March 2026, so "this year" refers to 2026 and "next year" to 2027.

## Key findings

- **Organic SEO / AI search was the top lead source in 2025.** 30% named it their best source of qualified leads, ahead of paid social (16.7%), paid search (14.7%) and ABM (13.3%).
- **Investment is spreading out.** Only 17.3% plan to put their largest share of budget into organic SEO / AI search over the next 12-18 months, followed by ABM (10.7%) and paid social (10%). 43.3% named a channel outside the top five.
- **Improving lead quality is the top goal.** 40 of 150 respondents ranked it first and 35 ranked it second, ahead of lead generation (33 first, 29 second).
- **Buyers want proof and bring more people to the table.** 48.7% expect higher demand for proof / ROI and 47.3% expect more stakeholders in decisions.
- **Teams, budgets and outsourcing are all growing.** 98% expect their department to grow in 2027, 96.7% expect their budget to increase and 91.3% expect to use more outsourced marketing. Only one respondent expects a budget decrease.
- **Budgets cluster in the middle.** 54% had a 2026 marketing budget of $101k to $500k.
- **Agencies take a steady share.** 62% plan to spend 10% to 25% of their 2026 budget on agencies and 26.7% plan 26% to 50%. Better audience reach (30%) is the top reason to outsource, ahead of speed (23.3%) and expertise (22%).
- **The most outsourced tactics are digital.** Marketing technology (39%), email marketing (37%), SEO / AI search (36%) and paid social (34%) top the list.
- **AI use is nearly universal.** 99.3% use AI tools at least weekly (52% weekly, 47.3% daily). Analyzing data delivers the most ROI (30%), and 51.3% save 5 to 10 hours a week.

## Results by question

### Q1. Which best describes your role?

n = 150, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| CMO | 1.3% | 2 |
| VP of Marketing | 22.7% | 34 |
| Director of Marketing | 48.7% | 73 |
| Marketing Manager | 22% | 33 |
| Product Marketing | 5.3% | 8 |

### Q2. What is the current size of your marketing department?

n = 150, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 2-5 team members | 7.3% | 11 |
| 6-10 team members | 43.3% | 65 |
| 11-15 team members | 27.3% | 41 |
| More than 15 team members | 22% | 33 |

Note: Department size based on employee headcount.

### Q3. Looking ahead, how do you expect the size of your marketing department to change in 2027?

n = 150, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Increase significantly | 30% | 45 |
| Increase slightly | 68% | 102 |
| Stay the same | 2% | 3 |

### Q4. What was your total annual marketing budget in 2026?

n = 150, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| $11k - $50k | 1.3% | 2 |
| $51k - $100k | 27.3% | 41 |
| $101k - $500k | 54% | 81 |
| $501k - $1M | 12% | 18 |
| More than $1M | 5.3% | 8 |

### Q5. How do you expect your total annual marketing budget to change in 2027?

n = 150, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Increase greatly | 28% | 42 |
| Increase somewhat | 68.7% | 103 |
| Stay the same | 2.7% | 4 |
| Decrease somewhat | 0.7% | 1 |

### Q6. How do you expect your use of outsourced marketing to change next year compared to this year?

n = 150, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Greatly increase | 30% | 45 |
| Increase somewhat | 61.3% | 92 |
| Stay the same | 8.7% | 13 |

### Q7. Which source generated the most qualified leads in 2025?

n = 150, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Organic SEO / AI search | 30% | 45 |
| Paid social | 16.7% | 25 |
| Paid search | 14.7% | 22 |
| Account-based marketing (ABM) | 13.3% | 20 |
| Other | 25.3% | 38 |

Note: "Other" includes display advertising, trade publication advertising and tradeshows / events.

### Q8. Where do you plan to invest the greatest percentage of your marketing dollars in the next 12-18 months?

n = 150, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Organic SEO / AI search | 17.3% | 26 |
| Account-based marketing (ABM) | 10.7% | 16 |
| Paid social | 10% | 15 |
| Marketing technology | 9.3% | 14 |
| Paid search | 9.3% | 14 |
| Other | 43.3% | 65 |

Note: "Other" includes content creation, market research, tradeshows / events, organic social, display advertising, video development, trade publication advertising, email marketing, website development and graphic design.

### Q9. Looking ahead, how do you expect buying behavior to change in the next 12-18 months?

n = 150, select all that apply

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Higher demand for proof / ROI | 48.7% | 73 |
| More stakeholders involved in decisions | 47.3% | 71 |
| Increased interest in sustainability | 42% | 63 |
| Increased price sensitivity | 39.3% | 59 |
| Preference for known vendors | 39.3% | 59 |
| Increased interest in compliance | 33.3% | 50 |
| Longer buying cycles | 22.7% | 34 |
| Greater reliance on digital research | 22% | 33 |

### Q10. How are you prioritizing the following marketing goals in the next 12-18 months?

n = 150, ranked 1 to 5. Only the number of respondents ranking each goal first and second was published.

| Goal | Ranked #1 | Ranked #2 |
|---|---|---|
| Improving lead quality | 40 | 35 |
| Lead generation | 33 | 29 |
| Building trust / credibility | 27 | 30 |
| Thought leadership | 27 | 29 |
| Brand awareness | 22 | 26 |

### Q11. How often do you use AI tools?

n = 150, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | 47.3% | 71 |
| Weekly | 52% | 78 |
| Monthly | 0.7% | 1 |

### Q12. Which use of AI delivers the most ROI for you?

n = 150, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Analyzing data | 30% | 45 |
| Generating original content | 20.7% | 31 |
| Finding information | 20% | 30 |
| Generating images or illustrations | 12% | 18 |
| Repurposing existing content | 10% | 15 |
| Creating video | 7.3% | 11 |

### Q13. How many hours per week are you personally saving by using AI?

n = 150, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1-4 hours | 14.7% | 22 |
| 5-10 hours | 51.3% | 77 |
| 11-20 hours | 26.7% | 40 |
| More than 20 hours | 7.3% | 11 |

### Q14. What percentage of your marketing budget do you plan to spend on outsourced marketing agencies in 2026?

n = 150, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 10% | 7.3% | 11 |
| 10% - 25% | 62% | 93 |
| 26% - 50% | 26.7% | 40 |
| More than 50% | 4% | 6 |

### Q15. What is your primary reason for outsourcing to a marketing agency?

n = 150, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Better audience reach | 30% | 45 |
| Increased speed | 23.3% | 35 |
| More expertise | 22% | 33 |
| Cost savings | 12.7% | 19 |
| Additional bandwidth | 12% | 18 |

### Q16. In the next 12-18 months, which marketing tactics do you plan to outsource to agency partners?

n = 150, select all that apply

| Answer | Percent |
|---|---|
| Marketing technology | 39% |
| Email marketing | 37% |
| SEO / AI search | 36% |
| Paid social | 34% |
| Video development | 33% |
| Paid search | 30% |
| Website development | 30% |
| Display advertising | 29% |
| Account-based marketing (ABM) | 29% |
| Content creation | 29% |
| Market research | 28% |
| Organic social | 23% |
| Trade publication advertising | 23% |
| Tradeshows / Events | 22% |
| Graphic design | 21% |

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Source: Altitude, Pennsylvania Manufacturing Marketing Trends Report 2026-2027 survey. https://altitudemarketing.com/pennsylvania-manufacturing-marketing-trends