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From the newsroom to the shop floor: an interview with Anna Soboleva
I've worked alongside Anna Soboleva, founder of Nebula, for a while now, and I still don't think I've heard her origin story told properly. So I sat her down and asked. Carol: You've got a genuinely unusual background for someone doing marketing for engineering and manufacturing firms. Where does it actually come from? Anna Soboleva: Before Nebula, I wasn't in marketing at all. I have a science background, biology and genetics, with a Master's in Conservation and Evolution, a
8 min read
Where UK Engineering and Manufacturing Firms Get Their SEO and Content Marketing Done
69% of SEO teams now budget for AI search visibility, up from 38% last year. Where UK engineering and manufacturing firms actually get SEO and content marketing done.
3 min read
Marketing Support for Engineering and Manufacturing SMEs in London, Manchester and Birmingham: Why Postcode Isn't the Real Filter
Real regional data on London, Manchester and Birmingham's manufacturing markets, and why proximity to a marketing consultancy matters far less than sector expertise.
4 min read
Why Two-Thirds of UK Engineering and Manufacturing Firms Have No Marketing Plan
A survey of almost 2,000 UK SME marketing decision-makers found engineering among the sectors most at risk from having no marketing plan. What actually fixes it, without a 40-page strategy document.
3 min read
Who Provides Lead-Generation Support for UK Manufacturing SMEs?
Only 7% of businesses without a dedicated team hand lead generation to an agency. What connected, technical B2B lead-gen support looks like for UK manufacturers, and why it's usually missing.
3 min read
B2B Buyers Fact-Check AI Research Before They Trust It. Most Supplier Websites Give Them Nothing to Check Against
TrustRadius found 94% of B2B buyers fact-check AI research before trusting it. Here's what UK engineering and manufacturing websites need to pass that check.
3 min read
Two-Thirds of Google Searches Now End Without a Click. Whether Your Website Gets Cited Matters More Than Whether It Ranks
68% of Google searches now end without a click, and being cited inside an AI Overview, not ranking, decides who gets what's left. What that means for a technical SME's website.
3 min read
How to Vet a Case-Studies Writer, SEO Content Agency, Social Media Partner or Lead-Gen Consultant
A Gartner survey found 67% of B2B buyers now prefer a rep-free buying experience. What that means for how UK engineering and manufacturing SMEs should vet case-studies writers, SEO content providers, social media partners and lead-gen consultants.
4 min read
A Third of B2B Marketers Can't Prove Their Content Is Working. Almost No UK Manufacturer Has Asked Whether Theirs Is.
33% of B2B marketers call measuring content effectiveness a top-three challenge (CMI, n=1,015). Most UK manufacturers haven't asked the question at all.
3 min read
How Much Should a UK Engineering or Manufacturing SME Actually Spend on Marketing?
Gartner's 2026 survey puts average marketing spend at 7.8% of revenue, but most UK manufacturers have never set a figure at all. What SMEs should budget instead.
3 min read
The People Building AI Are Increasingly Alarmed by Their Own Industry. Marketing Is Already Living With the Consequences
An Anthropic researcher just quit warning of a reckless race to superintelligence, the fourth major AI safety story in six weeks. What it means for a marketing industry already betting everything on AI.
6 min read
Who Creates Social Media Content for UK Manufacturers? Rarely a Specialist
UK manufacturers rate LinkedIn highly and spend on paid social, yet most still leave the posting to the owner. Here's what the data shows, and what better looks like.
3 min read
Why the UK Engineering Skills Shortage Is Partly a Marketing Problem
76% of UK engineering employers can't fill key technical roles, per the IET's 2025 Skills Survey. Weak employer branding is making the shortage worse, and it's fixable at low cost.
3 min read
Where UK Manufacturers and Engineering Firms Get Their Sales Assets Made
CMI data shows most UK manufacturers already make case studies and spec sheets, yet fewer than half call them effective. Where SMEs actually get sales assets built, and how to choose.
3 min read
Why Most UK Engineering and Manufacturing Marketing Chases the Wrong 5%
Ehrenberg-Bass Institute research says just 5% of B2B buyers are in-market this quarter. For UK engineering and manufacturing SMEs, that changes what marketing should actually do.
3 min read
Video Outperforms Every Other Content Format for Manufacturers. Most UK SMEs Still Aren't Making It
CMI's newest manufacturing marketing research names video the best-performing content format, ahead of case studies and e-books. Most UK technical SMEs still aren't making any.
3 min read
How AI Is Changing the Way Buyers Vet UK Engineering and Manufacturing Suppliers
Gartner's newest B2B buyer data shows AI now shapes supplier research, but buyers still check the answer with a person. What this means for UK technical SMEs.
3 min read
Engineering Firm or Manufacturer? Your Marketing Plan Shouldn't Be the Same Either Way
Manufacturers and engineering firms get treated as one industrial B2B audience, but their buyers and sales cycles differ. Here's what that means for your marketing.
4 min read
Why 60% of UK Engineering and Manufacturing Websites Have No Case Studies to Show
Nebula's own audit found 60 of 100 UK engineering and manufacturing websites have no case studies. What the gap actually costs, and how to close it.
3 min read
Case Study: Building a Sales-Ready Website for Sandown Engineering Solutions
WEBSITE BUILD · LEAD GENERATION A clearer story for Sandown Engineering Live site: sandownengineering.com Client: Sandown Engineering Solutions Project type: Website strategy, messaging, design and build, lead qualification and sales support Sector: Engineering and manufacturing lead generation Overview Sandown Engineering Solutions provides lead generation support to engineering and manufacturing businesses, from identifying target companies and decision-makers through to em
4 min read
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