How To Generate Sales Leads: Strategies and Best Practices

Sales leads fall under the execution portion of any successful sales strategy. In increasingly differentiated and competitive marketplaces, businesses can only advance by proactively converting prospects into revenue-generating customers.

You can effectively generate high-quality sales leads, increase conversion rates, and drive business growth by incorporating proven strategies and best practices into your strategy. 

Inbound vs. Outbound Leads: Definitions, Examples, and Key Differences

Inbound and outbound lead generation are two distinct approaches to acquiring potential customers. Inbound focuses on attracting prospects through valuable content, while outbound employs interruptive tactics to reach them. Knowing the differences between inbound and outbound lead generation is essential, regardless of whether your goal is to get quick leads through direct communication or to establish trust through instructional content. 

MQLs vs. SQLs: Definitions and Key Differences

Marketing qualified leads and sales qualified leads (MQLs and SQLs, respectively) are important potential customers for your company. MQLs are those who have shown interest in your offerings through various marketing efforts, while SQLs are those deemed ready for direct sales engagement based on specific criteria. By gaining insights into MQLs and SQLs, businesses can optimize their lead generation and conversion strategies and improve sales performance.

Lead Scoring: Definition, How To Score, and Lead Scoring Models

Lead scoring is a strategy used to rank prospects according to their potential to become customers. It involves assigning numerical scores to each lead based on various attributes, including: demographic information, engagement with the brand's digital presence, and other behaviors indicative of their interest. This system helps sales and marketing teams prioritize leads, tailor their outreach strategies, and ultimately, improve conversion rates.

The 8 Best Lead Generation KPIs for Managing Your Business

There is a wide seam of advisories and information pieces that guide marketing and sales teams in planning, executing, tuning, and reviewing lead-generation efforts and expenditures. Some of these advisories describe as many as 15 or more key performance indicators (KPIs) that can be used to assess success in terms of return on investment (ROI). Many of these can be differentiated additionally, to refine more indicators that can be useful.

Lead Generation vs. Lead Prospecting: Goals, KPIs, Tactics

In sales and marketing, lead generation and lead prospecting are vital processes that lay the foundations for the identification and nurturing of a progression of potential customers. While the two terms are regularly used interchangeably, they represent unique and distinct stages in the customer-acquisition journey.

Demand Generation vs. Demand Capture: Goals, KPIs, Tactics

Demand generation and demand capture are distinct but equally valuable approaches to marketing. Each has its methodologies, goals, and key performance indicators (KPIs) and requires different tactical approaches. 

Growth Marketing vs. Demand Generation: Goals, Tactics, Funnel, and Software

In the field of digital marketing, demand generation, and growth marketing are two distinct but related tactics. Growth marketing is meant to help you acquire and retain users or customers. Demand generation, on the other hand, seeks to generate leads for the sales funnel by raising awareness and interest in your offerings.

Local Lead Generation: Meaning, Strategies, and Advantages

Local lead generation describes methods and processes for attracting and/or retaining the attention of potential customers/clients who are geographically co-located with the business. It's a marketing strategy used to drive particularly proximal local traffic or inquiries from individuals or businesses within a short distance.

13 Strategic Methods for Small Business Lead Generation

In the ever-growing and competitive landscape of small businesses, lead generation is vital to your sustainable growth. Effective lead generation enables small businesses to expand their reach and build robust, loyal customer bases. To effectively generate leads, however, it is essential to consider and employ strategic approaches that maximize results. The top three strategies for effective small business lead generation include content marketing, social media marketing, and networking and partnerships. Other strategic methods for small business lead generation are listed below:

How to Qualify an Inbound Lead: Process, Techniques, and Measuring Success

Qualifying inbound leads is the most critical early step in the sales process. You can be sure that your sales team is focusing their efforts on leads with the highest potential for conversion. Every client-related action has a potential zero return, and this is made considerably more likely by poor qualification at initial or early engagement.

Lead Follow-Up: System, Advantages, and Best Practices

Leads are potential clients who interact with a brand through various channels, such as referrals, similar brand patronage, or an interest in your product or service. Effective follow-up on leads is crucial for converting them into paying customers. 

This article outlines what lead follow-up is, the systems used to do it, the reasons for conducting it, and the advantages involved. It also provides practical steps and best practices to get the most out of this opportunity.

Lead Prospecting: Meaning, Strategies, and Benefits

Lead prospecting refers to the process of identifying and qualifying potential customers or clients who are likely to be interested in a product or service. The goal of lead prospecting is to generate a list of potential customers who can be targeted for marketing and sales efforts. Effective prospecting goes beyond just building a customer pipeline; it establishes you as a reliable advisor and enables a focused approach to the right accounts.

This article dives into the nuances of sales prospecting, emphasizing its significance and distinguishing it from the broader concept of lead generation.

B2B Lead Generation Marketing: Definition, Strategies, and Benefits

There’s an important distinction between sales qualified leads (SQLs) and marketing qualified leads (MQLs) when it comes to B2B lead generation. Maximize your marketing effects by listing your organization in niche directories and building a strong SEO plan of action. In addition to cutting expenses, these strategies expand and generate sales prospects. In addition, they offer insightful information on the competitive environment. Businesses that implement these methods gain a competitive edge in the ever-changing B2B market. 

This article will further discuss B2B lead generation marketing, its types, strategies, and benefits.

The 12 Best B2B Lead Generation Strategies and Tactics

B2B (business-to-business) lead generation strategies are designed to identify and attract potential business customers or clients. The idea is to help your business find qualified leads and convert them into paying customers by building a robust lead pipeline.

Demand Generation vs. Lead Generation: Key Differences and Similarities

The distinction between demand generation vs. lead generation is important but not always obvious. Demand generation matches people with the right product or service. As a business owner, you help the audience realize that your product or service fits their needs. On the other hand, lead generation means attracting prospects to your business. Once you’ve got their attention, you nurture and convert them into paying customers. 

12 Lead Generation Marketing Strategies and Methods

Lead generation is a crucial part of any successful marketing strategy. It is the process of recognizing and drawing in prospective clients who have shown interest in your product or service. These potential clients are called “leads,” and your task is to nurture them until they become paying customers. The process involves various marketing techniques and strategies (such as online directories, SEO content, pay-per-click schemes, and more) to capture and engage these potential clients and guide them through the sales funnel.

Lead Generation: Definition, Strategies, KPIs

Finding and nurturing new consumers or clients is a key component of lead generation. It’s critical to any modern company. The whole goal is to guide mere prospects toward your products or services and make them more likely to buy. 

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for May 2023

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for May 2023

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, from which professionals like you can source. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for April 2023

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, from which professionals like you can source. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for April 2023

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

Top Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for May 2023

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for March 2023

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for March 2023

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, from which professionals like you can source. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for February 2023

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, from which professionals like you can source. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for February 2023

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for January 2023

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, from which professionals like you can source. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for January 2023

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for December 2022

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, from which professionals like you can source. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for December 2022

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for November 2022

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, from which professionals like you can source. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for November 2022

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

How To Find Veteran-Owned Suppliers on Thomasnet.com

Whether you're in need of new blood in your supply chain or trying to build up your list of diverse suppliers, Thomas can help save you time and hassle in sourcing exactly what you need. Thomasnet.com^® offers detailed information on North American companies in over 75,000 categories of products and services, not to mention our CAD file library, whitepapers, and guides. In this article we're here to show you how to make the most of Thomasnet.com's features by covering the basics of finding and sourcing from the 6,200+ veteran-owned companies on our platform.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for October 2022

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, for professionals like you to source from. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for October 2022

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for September 2022

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, for professionals like you to source from. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for September 2022

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

Challenges And Opportunities In The Food & Beverage Industry

The Food and Beverage Services Global Market Report expects the global market to grow from $3.2 trillion in 2021 to $3.7 trillion in 2022. It's a promising outlook, given that just a few years ago, Fortune reported an $18 billion loss for the top 25 U.S. food and beverage companies.

As the newer generations move away from processed foods in favor of seeking healthier alternatives with cleaner labels, companies are adapting and pressing forward — that trend continues to grow at an excessive pace, signaling that some demands are more of a long-term standard.

But many major food and beverage (F&B) companies have shown that they are not as nimble as smaller companies when it comes to adapting to consumer preferences and there are still challenges the food and beverage industry faces.

How To Meet The Needs Of B2B & Industrial Buyers [Updated 2022]

No matter your role — sales, marketing, operations, or leadership — you have a lot to accomplish.

And so do the buyers of your company's products or services. 

By understanding what your buyers have on their plates, you can more easily accomplish one of your most important tasks — generating more leads and contributing to your bottom line.

We have more than 120 years of expertise in connecting industrial buyers and suppliers, and we're happy to help share all we've learned from our data and relationships over the years. In this post we'll share what you should know to meet their needs and create more meaningful connections to win more business.

What Is Industrial Marketing? (With Examples)

Today, marketing without a business plan in place is nearly impossible if you want to drive results—and it's even more true in the manufacturing sector.

You need to align your strategy of bringing in new clients with how you're planning to expand into new markets, work at capacity, and expand your company.

Industrial marketing can help you create a competitive strategy and drive financial success. Using techniques that work best for each business, its customers, and its leads to get people interested in products or services.

With that background out of the way, let's dive right in and discuss more about what industrial marketing is and its impact.

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for August 2022

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for August 2022

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, for professionals like you to source from. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

How To Grow Your Textiles Manufacturing Company (With Digital Marketing Examples)

It’s an active period of growth for some textile manufacturers, especially in the U.S.

The pandemic, trade agreements, and changes in the economy have impacted the industry as a whole, but it's still on target for billion dollar growth in the years ahead.

Suffice to say, there's opportunity in this sector of manufacturing, and if you're looking to increase orders—of if you already have a five-year plan to double your business and expand your facility—here are ways textiles manufacturers can get more customers and stay ahead of the competition.

Must-Haves Of A Marketing Strategy For The Steel Industry

Raw material availability is a cornerstone of the U.S. industrial sector, and clearly vital to its growth, and steel continues to be a top product sourced by buyers.

But even with the high demand and longevity in the industry, there are still challenges with running a business — whether it's maintaining relationships, building new ones, or generally trying to build a company that's going to last.

We're here to help ease some of that burden, though, in this post — here are some basic marketing strategy must-haves to grow your steel industry business and tap into more market share.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for July 2022

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, for professionals like you to source from. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for July 2022

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

Types Of Email Marketing: 10 Emails You Should Be Sending

Whether you are just starting with email marketing or you're already sending marketing emails every week, you know that emails are one of the best channels to sell — and smart marketers are always looking for new ways they can build relationships and grow revenue.

You might be asking yourself: Should I nurture subscribers with weekly newsletters? Are dedicated sends (standalone emails with one offer) better at optimizing my sales and marketing funnel? What about email digests?

These are all valid questions manufacturing marketers find themselves asking when selecting the right format to meets their email marketing goals.

In this post, we review the different types of marketing emails you can send, and their respective advantages and disadvantages — this information should help you make an educated decision about picking the most appropriate email type and how to go about using it.

Thomasnet.com® Industrial Buying Engine™: Industrial Sourcing Made Easy

Advertising On Thomasnet.com: Does The Thomas Network Really Work?

If you tried to replicate all of the supplier evaluation activity on the platform that happens in a single month, it would take you 7.5 years — without sleeping.

The industry's most trusted sourcing platform at Thomasnet.com hosts more than 500,000 North American suppliers and brings millions of buyers each month. In fact, every second, a supplier is evaluated by a buyer on the platform.

That said, you might still have additional questions about the platform and how it works — we understand, especially about the results we deliver to manufacturers and industrial companies like yours.

So, in this post, we'll be sharing some additional insight and answers on how Thomasnet.com really works.

7 Manufacturing Newsletters To Subscribe To Today

Most of us are already bombarded with sales notifications, internal back-and-forths, and did-I-really-sign-up-for-this marketing emails in our inboxes.

But with the global supply chain challenges, shipping and logistics management, and local community engagement, it's important to stay up to date on what's happening in the industry to continue to grow your business.

And email newsletters make it easy to do so.

There are plenty of trade and niche business publications you can seek out, but we've put together a list of broad market industry and manufacturing newsletters to help you stay in the loop — check them out below.

The Manufacturing Leader's Step By Step Guide To Converting Anonymous Traffic Into Warm Leads & Reaching Out To Your Contacts

After you’ve worked to build your online presence, increase your brand, and drive traffic to your website, the next step to growing your manufacturing business is converting that traffic into leads. You’ll notice there are different groups of leads that may come through. There’s a difference between marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) and sales-qualified leads (SQLs) and you need more of the former in order to get more of the latter.

How To Find Customers For Your Manufacturing Business

While your specific business goals might be different than your competitors or the thousands of other manufactures out there, everyone wants to bring on new customers.

It doesn't matter if you're opening a new facility, expanding into creating new markets or products, or simply trying to expand your customer base, we're here to help you do so.

To start, industrial businesses will need an effective online marketing and sales strategy to help them achieve their business goals — because the B2B buyer behavior has changed. Innovative manufacturers and industrial companies use digital marketing to get more customers versus solely relying on traditional methods like in-person networking and trade shows.

4 Steps to Expanding Your Industrial Network on LinkedIn

Chances are you’re already using LinkedIn to keep an up-to-date roster of contacts, check out what connections are up to, scout out potential hires, and send messages.

This powerful tool serves as much more than a social network or recruiting outlet, though — it can play a major role in generating leads and sales for your industrial company.

There are a few steps for you to benefit from using LinkedIn to connect with people in their industry, so we wanted to lay out a few tips on how to get started. 

(We do want to note that although there's a paid version of LinkedIn known as LinkedIn Sales Navigator, we know you’re as budget-conscious as you are business-savvy, so we’ll be solely focusing on harnessing the power of free LinkedIn in this post.)

4 Places To Advertise Your Manufacturing Business Online

In today’s increasingly connected world, establishing a strong digital presence is crucial for effective brand exposure and lead generation.

With more and more people accessing business and product information online, it’s no longer adequate to rely solely on broadcast commercials, newspaper ads, or cold calling for effective B2B marketing.

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for June 2022

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for June 2022

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, for professionals like you to source from. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

Industrial Advertising 101 (With Examples!)

Today, technology and digital platforms make it easy to target the exact audiences you’re after, even if you have a limited budget, which is why a well-planned, dynamic advertising strategy can make the difference between growth to your bottom line and stagnation for your company.

Industrial advertising targets businesses that seek products or services related to the manufacturing industry.

In this post, we'll talk more about this and why it's important for manufacturers invest in it to increase their revenue.

4 Reasons Why Manufacturers Use Video Marketing

Offering informative blogs, white papers, eBooks, infographics, case studies, calculators, checklists, and other forms of content not only helps garner new leads, but also establishes you as a knowledgeable thought leader in your industry.

Developing fresh, new content can also improve your SEO rankings, making it easier for people to find your company online.

While you may be providing ample written content for your site visitors, you might be missing one crucial component — videos. Increasingly important in today's digital landscape, video content allows for efficient dissemination of complex information while providing an interactive, engaging user experience.

How Manufacturing Quality Certifications Help Win Business

For manufacturing companies, attaining and maintaining quality certifications can take a lot of time and effort, but it's important to have these qualifications for a number of reasons—including winning new business.

Whether it's a well-known standard like ISO or ANSI or a more niche accreditation like QS 9000 or IRIS, quality certifications let buyers know that you can meet their specific standards.

This can be a powerful sales and marketing tool because most buyers specifically search out suppliers with these acronyms attached to their names, and if you have them, it's an immediate sign of trust over one of your competitors without them.

9 Tips to Writing Subject Lines That Work for Manufacturers

The job of a subject line is simple: Get the reader to open the email.

On average, 33 percent of recipients open emails based on its subject line, so it’s incredibly important to get it right — because even the most enticing email in the world won’t matter if the reader ignores it.

There’s plenty of insight and data across the web on best practices for email marketing, but here are a few key tips to help you write an attractive subject line that will not only draw in your readers, but your buyers and prospects.

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for May 2022

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for May 2022

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, for professionals like you to source from. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

The Must-Haves On Your Company's Contact Us Page (With Examples)

While buyers are typically 70% of the way to making a purchase before they reach out, you need to make it simple for them to get in touch when they're ready.

Think about it — your dream customer has made it to your website, read your blog posts, your company and product information, and maybe even downloaded some of your eBooks or product files, but when they're finally ready to reach out or submit an RFQ, you leave them hanging. Not the best experience, right?

How To Become A Top Manufacturing Supplier (7 Tips)

Most of us know that supplying a quality product or service on time and at a fair price is critical to achieving customer satisfaction.

But what if you're not the only one that can do this for your customer?

Competition is more fierce than ever — with getting new business and maintaining current relationships — so we want to help you become your customer's first choice for their next order and rank as a top supplier.

Read below for our tips on how to become a top manufacturing supplier.

How To Sell Industrial Products Online In A B2C World

The online product sourcing landscape has changed.

B2B consumers are no longer satisfied with data buried in poorly organized catalogs and PDFs. Instead, like their B2C online experience, consumers expect a dynamic, user-friendly experience filled with compelling data.

This movement drives companies to invest in digitized catalogs and create a complete digital customer experience for online prospects, and if you're not on top of it, you're already behind.

Now's the time for B2B businesses, manufacturers, and industrial companies to shift their current online strategies and elevate their existing lead generation efforts to sell their industrial products effectively online. Need help doing so? We'll break it down for you in this post.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for April 2022

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, for professionals like you to source from. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for April 2022

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

Green Manufacturing: The Business Benefits Of Sustainability

By 2050, the U.S. Energy Administration estimates the manufacturing process will see a 26% increase in emissions, but other high-producing sectors will decrease or remain at their current output. 

It's a shocking figure given that more major players are driving toward a sustainability goal — like McDonald's, who plans to have 100% of their guest packaging come from renewable, recycled, or certified sources by 2025 —but we need to continue seeing this trend moving through supply chain.

If anything, this figure and what's needed for our future presents the opportunity to produce new product options, tap into new markets, and modernize your business.

Let's unpack this together, shall we?

Lead Generation For Manufacturers: 33 Industrial Tips, Tricks, And Ideas

Generating leads is one of the most important aspects of marketing — and frankly, growing your business.

With so many moving parts involved in lead generation, it’s easy to lose sight of some of the digital marketing tactics that should be working together.

That’s where this blog post comes in — we'll cover the most popular and effective techniques utilized by industrial marketers today to increase leads and generate revenue online. 

Marketing Goals vs. Marketing Strategy: What's The Difference

Getting digital marketing right isn’t always easy — especially if that marketing is aimed at the manufacturing and industrial sector, which often involves high-volume, high-cost transactions and very long purchase cycles.

The decision-making process in this field is inherently slow, and oftentimes industrial marketers struggle to connect with their audience in a way that moves them through the buying cycle while providing them with directly useful, engaging content.

Setting marketing benchmarks is the only way you’ll be able to achieve scalable growth throughout the next few months and beyond — it’s never too early to start planning your business goals for next quarter or even next month.

To help you plan, we've outlined the difference between marketing goals and a marketing strategy so you can improve yours and connect with higher-quality prospects.

What Are The B2B Buyer Personas In The Manufacturing Industry?

In today’s increasingly digital world, there are numerous ways for manufacturing companies to reach potential buyers — email blasts, eBooks, blog posts, social media, and even SMS texts can all be used to connect with target audiences and increase brand awareness.

Inbound marketing aims to entice your target customers to come to you on their own by providing valuable content that will help them reach their goals. But before embarking on any of these efforts, it’s crucial to fully understand the types of buyers you’re looking to target.

So how do you go about creating the content that will attract the customers you want? Well, that depends on the customers themselves.

How To Become A Supplier For Big Companies

Becoming an approved supplier for a large global company can change your business dramatically, but landing a big customer takes far more than a hello and a handshake.

If you want your company get selected in the buying process, we have insights and tips to share — below, we'll talk about how big companies choose new suppliers, along with what manufacturers and industrial companies can do to increase their chances of earning new business from them. 

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for March 2022

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for March 2022

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, for professionals like you to source from. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

6 Tips For Improving Quality Control On Your Shop Floor

It doesn't matter how smoothly you operate or what exciting policies you have in place in your operation — there's always room for improvement!

Whether you need to overhaul your quality control program, double check your existing standards, or are just interested in how others are handling theirs, now's the time to do a little spring cleaning and review your quality control.

And we're here to help — in this post, we'll talk through six ways to improve the quality control on your shop floor.

10 Signs Your Manufacturing Website Is Out Of Date

It used to be that simply having a website would set you apart from the competition. You could create a handful of pages, add a little background about the company, sprinkle in some images, set it, and forget it.

But today's world is more digitally connected than ever and if you want your website to be a lead generator, it requires a lot more upkeep—because today, users expect more.

Thus, manufacturers and industrial companies are investing in website efforts because it is proven as a key driver of new business and the centerpiece of growth and digital marketing efforts.

11 Best Industrial Website Design Examples

A great website can be one of your best marketing tools helping to attract prospects, establish trust, capture leads, and ultimately win new business.

Buyers want to learn about your company, products, and services even before they reach out, which is why it's important to have an up-to-date place that has all of your information readily available. (Additionally, according to a recent industrial survey, website usage increased significantly year over year by manufacturers and industrial companies connecting with more buyers and customers!)

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for February 2022

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, for professionals like you to source from. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for February 2022

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

The Ultimate Guide To A Manufacturing Marketing Strategy in 2022

Marketing isn't a new practice.

It has actually — if you can believe it — been around for centuries.

And while many manufacturing and industrial companies are successfully implementing aspects of marketing such as email campaigns, social media engagement, and a modern website, there's always room for improvement (or to get started if you haven't already).

A well executed strategy will have a place in each area of business, especially pricing, product, and sales, so it's important to do it right if you want to:

• Get more customers
• Acquire more high-quality leads
• Increase revenue
• Expand your business into new markets

Sound like a plan? Great!

In this blog, we’ll break down everything you need to know about starting and/or optimizing a strategy of your own — and we'll include additional marketing resources for deeper dives along the way.

Top Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for February 2022

How To Get Started With An Industrial Marketing Strategy This Year

Digital industrial marketing drives customers to your business’ products and services through coordinated design, content, social media, and SEO tactics. Many manufacturing and industrial companies may think that digital marketing would be more suited toward consumer goods and B2C than the industrial space, but that's not the case. With the rise of digital transformation of sales and marketing, successful B2B companies see marketing as a direct influence on revenue generation and more manufacturers are aligning their efforts with today's digital world.

In fact, most industrial manufacturers are practically already set up for a marketing campaign — they just don’t know it yet. Here's how to get started.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for January 2022

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, for professionals like you to source from. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for January 2022

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

Top 7 Benefits Of Local Sourcing In 2022

Consumer landscapes are continuing to change while businesses are adjusting for the new normal. Manufacturers and industrial companies across the world are working hard to maintain and strengthen their supply chains. And companies who preferred to source internationally to save on costs, are seeking other cost-effective solutions.

The growing reality is that procurement professionals actually prefer to source locally. 

How To Grow Your Steel And Metals Manufacturing Business

Steel continues to be one of the most sourced products on the Thomasnet.com platform. It is no surprise that steel and metals represent an important supply source to today's aerospace, aviation, and medical industries.

So how can steel and metal manufacturing businesses continue the momentum of their business growth? First, make sure you have a clear business plan. Some manufacturers try to grow their manufacturing business by doing everything possible. In this post, we'll help you choose business goals that are realistic and how you can document them so you can see your milestones and track your growth along the way. Doing so will ensure you're not as overwhelmed and your employees stay motivated too.

What Is Video Marketing (& How Manufacturers Can Get Started in 2022)

Content marketing isn’t all about writing — today’s consumers and B2B buyers are on all channels, all the time. This means a sizeable portion of your target audience is on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and other video-friendly platforms at some point during the day, and if you aren’t trying to reach them with engaging content they're looking for there, your marketing strategy will most certainly fall flat.

In today’s marketplace, a dominant online presence is key to establishing a strong, recognizable, trusted brand within your own industry and staying ahead of competitors. Many manufacturers are investing in video marketing to show prospects a tour of their factory to connect with more customers.

With that in mind, this blog will help manufacturers like you develop a quality, cost-effective video marketing program that helps demonstrate leadership and promote products and services to customers.

SEO For Manufacturers And Industrial Companies In 2022: Is SEO Worth It?

For many manufacturers and industrial companies, search engine optimization (SEO) is still shrouded in mystery. It’s understandable — the rules and “best practices” are ever-evolving, shifting constantly as new technologies and trends come and go. It’s no surprise, then, that there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding SEO.

So if you're new to the digital marketing world, let's take a step back to the basics of SEO and help you understand its worth to manufacturers and industrial companies.

5 Things Manufacturers Are Wishing For This Holiday Season

Between gearing up for the year-end at work and getting ready for celebrations at home, the holidays can be an especially stressful time for manufacturers.

Here are priorities that could make the holiday season and the upcoming year a little brighter and a whole lot more successful for the manufacturing industry.

American Toy Manufacturers Who Make The Holidays Possible

This time of year, elves tend to get a lot of credit for making holiday wishes come true. But the truth is, the real magic isn't happening in the North Pole; it's happening at real manufacturing workshops throughout the country.

Here are some of the many American manufacturers that help produce the toys (and the joys) this holiday season.

How To Plan A New B2B Product Launch With Digital Marketing

Business owners are familiar with building their own go-to-market strategy. It's the official plan of how a new product gets launched, who the target audience is, the marketing plan, and sales strategy. But each product, industry, and market are different — especially in the manufacturing and industrial world. According to a small business survey done by Thomas, only 15.69% of small businesses in the U.S. use digital marketing as a primary marketing tactic. But in the past year, more leaders are making a move to digital transforming their sales and marketing.

The following steps outline how to plan your new B2B product launch with digital marketing and newer, better growth methods that meet a new age of buyers.

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for December 2021

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for December 2021

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, for professionals like you to source from. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

6 Ways To Redefine Your B2B Manufacturing Marketing Strategy In 2022

With 2021 drawing to a close, now is the time to look ahead and start setting your industrial marketing plan for the future. Upgrading your digital tools and supplementing your traditional tactics puts your manufacturing company in a better position for lead generation.

Here are ways you can boost your manufacturing marketing strategy to meet the changing needs of today's buyers and get more qualified leads.

The Stages Of Industrial Digital Marketing: Converting Traffic To Customers

Giving Thanks: B2B Customer Appreciation Tips For Manufacturers

You already know that your customers mean everything to your manufacturing business. However, it's important to let those customers know it every once in a while, too. Most companies likely spend a lot of time, money, and energy bringing in new clients, but very few companies expend anywhere near that much to retain the customers they already have. In fact, just 43% percent of B2B firms consider customer satisfaction a key goal. Studies show that organizations that focus on optimizing their customer engagement outperform their competitors by 26%.

Digital Marketing For Industrial Suppliers & Manufacturers: 3 Must-Haves

Potential customers do a great deal of research into every purchasing channel available to them. The latest Industrial Buyer's Search Habits Survey Results show that 40% of B2B buyers rate the quality of a manufacturer's website as an important factor when deciding whether to partner with a supplier. With B2C expectations driving change in B2B, industrial distributors can implement some digital marketing ideas to foster customer loyalty and increase revenue growth.

We've rounded up the digital marketing must-haves you need to successfully promote your industrial products and services and reach more buyers.

The Ultimate List Of Blog Topic Ideas For Manufacturers

B2B buyers today have more control over obtaining the information they need to make decisions — control over how they get it, and who or where they get it from. Digital marketing and publishing blogs put some control back in your hands — while still respecting the buyer and the nature of today’s digital experience.

An effective blog strategy should reach purchasing decision-makers on their time, and speak in a voice that connects with them. It establishes a relationship with your buyer by opening up a meaningful dialogue, positioning you as a valuable resource rather than just another potential supplier.

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for November 2021

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for November 2021

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, for professionals like you to source from. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

How Manufacturers Can Identify & Use Buyer Intent Signals To Drive Sales

What if you could tell your sales & marketing teams which buyers were actively looking for your products & services? They'd probably narrow their focus to those buyers, and you'd likely see an uptick in the number of real opportunities flowing through your pipeline.

In the digital space, prospects are almost always sending out signals about the types of products and services they're likely to buy. Knowing what these signals are and how to identify them can fuel significant growth in your lead generation and sales efforts, and this post will help you do just that.

13 Ways To Improve Your Manufacturing Blog (For Beginners)

A great blog can serve as the foundation of your industrial content marketing strategy and fuel lead generation. For most manufacturers and industrial companies, the primary goal of a blog is to drive quality website traffic from search engines — so make sure you understand the goals of your blog. It will influence the way you craft the content.

5 Factory Website Examples To Inspire Your Redesign

Every once in a while, we come across a website that engages us and keeps us scrolling through pages. Whether it’s the design aesthetic, the functionality, or the value of the content, each website has the power to captivate and, when done right — convert those website visitors into customers. 

About Us Page Must-Have Content For Your Manufacturing Company

A lead-generating website needs to provide compelling copy to persuade an action from your audience. A perfect place to do so is on your company's About Us page. This is where you share your story — what makes your business unique, trustworthy, and valuable as a partner. The About Us page should be easy to navigate with informative, useful, and overall engaging content — but too often, this page reads like an afterthought.

Website Design Examples For Custom Manufacturers

Every once in a while, we encounter a website that engages us and keeps us browsing through the pages. Whether it’s the colors and branding, the functionality, or the value of the content, each website has the power to captivate and, when done right — convert those website visitors into customers.

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for October 2021

Exciting new B2B companies are being established across the U.S. and Canada every day, and every month, hundreds of them are joining Thomasnet.com^®. We're highlighting ten of the most notable and innovative companies below to bring some of the unique services and products they provide to the forefront.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for October 2021

Since industry is constantly growing and evolving, Thomasnet.com^® is too. Our platform has over 75,000 categories of products and services, from alloy to zinc, for professionals like you to source from. And thanks to our industry specialists, we are constantly researching and adding to our platform with new supplier categories to help you keep up with current market trends. 

11 Top Content Marketing Ideas For Manufacturers (For Each Stage Of The Buying Process)

So you’ve realized that your traditional growth tactics just weren’t working, and you're ready to get your inbound marketing strategy off the ground. Great! To refresh, inbound marketing focuses on creating educational content that pulls people toward your industrial website.

So what do you need to drive qualified buyers to your website? Content! Let's go through some of the best content marketing ideas for manufacturers and industrial companies.

Is There Value In A Manufacturer's Website In 2021?

If you're an OEM, industrial distributor, or custom manufacturer, these statements might sound pretty familiar: 

• "We need to talk to prospects in order to qualify them."
• "Too much information on my site would give my competitors an advantage."
• "We get all of our new business from word-of-mouth."
• "A new website won't help me get new business because my current website doesn't, either." 

If you're looking to grow your business, you may wonder why all the advice you find points you to something about website efforts. Well, that's because more of your buyers and competitors are doing business digitally. Supplementing your traditional growth methods with an updated website, online presence, and inbound marketing strategy helps out when cold calls and word-of-mouth fall short. 

PPC And Paid Advertising: Display vs. Search vs. Social Ad Differences

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and other forms of paid advertising have become popular — and effective — marketing tools for many manufacturing companies. 

However, if you're new to paid advertising, it's important to know that several disciplines fall underneath this umbrella. Understanding the differences and figuring out which industrial paid strategy will work best for your company isn’t always easy or straightforward. We’ll explore the advantages and disadvantages of each below.

OEM Website Design Examples & Tips To Help Increase Leads

The best and most successful salespeople today are those that go far beyond a good pitch. They are the ones that know their market and their products inside and out. More importantly, they speak to a customer's main question: "What's in it for me?" Many times, though, your website is the first "salesperson" a potential customer will encounter. Is your website built to grow qualified website traffic and leads? Whether you serve as a resource to distributors or sell products directly to the end-user, your website needs to provide technical information built to convert qualified leads. Below are OEM website examples and tips you can employ to help make your website a highly effective 24-7 sales channel.

Key Elements Of An Effective Website Design For Manufacturers

When it comes to industrial marketing, first impressions are incredibly important. You need to instantly build trust and credibility with potential customers, lest they take their business elsewhere. That's why updating and maintaining your manufacturing website is so critical — it's often the first point of interaction buyers have with your company. 

How To Increase Clicks To Your Manufacturing Website

It’s no secret that your website is the most important aspect of your lead generation strategy. But are you taking the time to continually optimize its pages and features?

Studies show that we have less than 15 seconds to make a good first impression with our website visitors.

If your website’s headline, call-to-action, or even its color scheme doesn’t hit all the right notes, your prospects will simply find a company whose brand better resonates with them — which, unfortunately, could be your competitor’s. While you may rely on your products or services to close the sale, your website design should leads prospects to the beginning of that sales journey. 

Why Is Website Quality More Important Than Quantity For Industrial Website Traffic?

Many companies get fooled by statistics showing heavy site traffic and essentially disregard how qualified — or unqualified — those visitors actually are.

SEO and PPC tactics can be extremely effective in getting the right people to your website, but you also need to have some metrics in place to discern how many of your visitors are serious buyers and how many are merely tire kickers.

Below are a few key reasons why it's more important to focus on quality than quantity for your industrial website traffic.

Thomas Factory Tours: Industrial Video Production Examples for Custom Manufacturers and OEMs

For industrial manufacturers, giving prospects a tour of their factories or plants helps showcase their processes and capabilities, and it lends legitimacy to their businesses. The most effective way to scale these tours is to use video content that can be posted, shared, and housed in the digital space, ready to be viewed at the click of a button.

The videos below, divided into sections based on each company's offerings, highlight strong examples of how industrial companies from different industries have given buyers a front-row seat to see their operations' inner workings and show what makes them a strong partner for their customers.

 Skip to:

1. CNC Milling and Machining Services
2. Spinning, Forging, and Casting
3. Stamping, Sheet Metal, and Tubing Fabrication
4. Plastics and Rubber Fabrication
5. End Product Production
6. Heat Treating and Finishing

**When you purchase video advertising on Thomasnet.com, we include video content production for FREE for OEMs, Distributors, and Service Companies

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for September 2021

One of our latest Thomas Index Reports takes a look at the digital transformation of the farming industry. This transformation is achieved with technologies including Artificial Intelligence, one form of which is machine learning software, a featured category this month. Whether you're looking to find more intriguing products changing industry like AI or just need the basic stuff your company runs on, our 13 favorite new categories below can help you find what you need.

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for September 2021

Under the new $3.5 trillion US Infrastructure Bill, a total of $83 billion has been budgeted for the Commerce Committee. This amount is intended for investments in the technology, transportation, and manufacturing spaces, amongst others. At Thomas, we have many suppliers who have been powering these important sectors. Feel free to check out our newest suppliers that have been added onto our platform below.

Digital Customer Experience Trends Manufacturing Leaders Are Embracing In 2021

Engineers, procurement managers, and MROs face many challenges in their jobs. Navigating a supplier’s website to find the information or support they need to make a purchase decision shouldn’t be one of them. These B2B buyers have become used to excellent digital experiences from the brands they engage within their personal lives, and they are bringing those exact expectations to the workplace as they evaluate potential suppliers for their companies.

7 Ways To Increase Sales For Your Manufacturing Business This Year

Looking to increase your sales? Although successful, well-executed B2B marketing strategies take time to build and require ongoing, consistent effort, there are some things you can do today to help drive sales for your manufacturing company this year.

In combination with a long-term marketing strategy, these quick tips can go a long way in getting new leads and increasing sales for your manufacturing business.

Industrial Marketing Content: Ideas To Continue Success After Your First Campaign

Investing in original, quality content creation is essential to website success and high-quality lead generation. If you’ve completed your first content marketing campaign and are looking for more industrial marketing content ideas to take your lead generation strategy to the next level, check out the below tips.

12 Tips For Growing Your CNC Machining Business

Growing a business can be a challenging endeavor, especially for entrepreneurs entering a crowded market with large, well-established competitors already in place.

As the manufacturing industry experiences shifts in how it operates, how can CNC machining businesses secure contracts and grow within the industry despite today's challenging obstacles?

It's a good question, and we're here to help answer it — take a look at our tips and suggestions for small CNC machine shops to continue growing their businesses in an ever-crowding market.

Interactive Graphic Website Examples For Manufacturers

Content marketing is a key component of any industrial marketing plan. But suppose you want to step up your engagement from the usual content marketing types like blogs or eBooks. In that case, you may want to consider supplementing your efforts with interactive graphic website examples.

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for August 2021

An increase in the costs of building supplies and materials has an effect on the pricing of new and existing homes. Steel and alternative construction materials find themselves in the spotlight for this reason. Sourcing for building materials is up more than 100% when compared to 2020. That makes it unsurprising that some of the new suppliers for August 2021 can help cater to these needs.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for August 2021

As our infrastructure bill deep dive shows, the Senate’s infrastructure bill detailed the budgets for several segments of infrastructure, including $55 billion to maintain and improve drinking water in America. Appropriately, among the featured categories for this month are businesses that provide services and products for water systems. Here are our newest categories to increase your success in sourcing for what you need.

Get Selected In The B2B Buying Process: 26 Items To Check Off

As you know, industrial/B2B buyers and procurement managers looking to establish a long-term relationship with your business may vet you quite thoroughly. 

And today, they prefer to evaluate suppliers anonymously online, then create a shortlist of potential partners before contacting you for further vetting. 

Are you losing out to potential new customers? Here's how you can make sure your online presence doesn’t have any holes that leave you short of gaining new business.

What Risks Concern Manufacturing Industry Leaders Today?

The manufacturing industry is largely comprised of small businesses. Within these smaller organizations, financial decisions always loom incredibly large. Every dollar counts, and one misstep can lead to a loss of a key customer or another negative consequence. That's why it's important to steer clear of these common risks and challenges.

WordPress vs. Wix: What's The Best Website Platform For Manufacturers?

Consumers buy differently today than they did 10 years ago.

Before the internet, sales teams relied on cold calls, print advertising, and word of mouth to grow their business. Today, the marketing and sales landscape offers a virtually endless number of platforms and channels to reach buyers.

However, none of those digital marketing channels are effective without a strong website.

9 Reasons Why You Should Use WordPress For Your Industrial Website

Whether it's an update or a full rebuild, you have no shortage of decisions to make when it comes to updating your website. There are plenty of free resources available on optimizing your website, best practices for design, and even how to write engaging copy, but it's crucial to set a strong foundation with your Content Management System.

4 Important Functions Of An Online Catalog

More than 70% of today's B2B buyers are tech-savvy millennials. They prefer to research on their own about your company to see if you would be a good fit for their projects. So if you're selling industrial products or components and don't have an online product catalog, they might turn to a competitor. The good news is that there are many technology platforms that can provide you with the functionality B2B buyers expect your website to have.

There are a few features to look for in a platform that should be your non-negotiables to deliver the best digital customer experience possible to your customers and prospects. Let's review those four important functions that you’ll want to see in action when it comes time to choosing your dynamic online catalog platform.

Why Your BIM Models Could Be Losing You Specs...

Low-quality BIM models are causing manufacturers to lose out on project opportunities on a regular basis...

Every day, engineers are actively searching for BIM files to put into their projects as they work to determine which building products will meet their design and performance needs. These engineers rely on complete and accurate BIM models to help them build out systems that can be validated and tested inside of their virtual building model.

Getting your BIM files added to one of these virtual models can mean the difference between making it into the schedule or losing out, so it’s critical that your BIM files are not only dimensionally accurate but also have the connectors and characteristics to ensure that specs are correct. If your BIM models do not include the necessary data to help engineers complete their validations, they can quickly become a liability and can begin losing you specs from important building projects.

Brand Marketing Inspiration For Manufacturers (With Examples)

A brand can be defined as the impression, both conscious and subconscious, that people have of your company. A good brand helps you stand out from your competition, and many great brands connect with customers and prospects at an emotional level. For example, some manufacturers make their community — or an issue in their industry — part of their brand’s story.

How Manufacturers Can Maintain Healthy Website Traffic Following Google's New Algorithm Changes

Recently, Google updated the factors it reviews when determining which websites show up first when buyers search the web for their desired products or services. This means that manufacturers, like all other businesses, could see their rankings change relative to those of their competitors. It is especially critical for marketing leaders to address these changes now as a recent HubSpot report shows that traffic in the manufacturing space has recently dipped 7.2% due in part to greater market influences.

To help you understand and address these changes to maintain or improve your search rankings in Google’s search results, let’s take a look at a few of the finer details around this change.

Information Technology Challenges In The Manufacturing Industry

The current business climate is driving manufacturing companies to build a more digital and data-driven workforce. As the industry adopts more technologies and influences the future of American manufacturing, what challenges are they continuing to face and how can they guide their organizations strategically?

Do Manufacturers Need A Responsive Website In 2021?

Do you still have the same phone you carried around when you launched your current website? You most likely don't. Why? Because technology changes daily. If you still had an iPhone 4 it wouldn’t be able to run any apps, the screen would be cracked, the battery wouldn’t charge and no one would fix it for you because it was discontinued in 2013. 

Your current website is just like that old phone. Yes, you can still own it, but it won’t function in a way that helps you get the job done. Coding best practices have changed drastically since you last updated your site. The outdated design and technical architecture of your website may be negatively impacting your business.

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for July 2021

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on global supply chains, inadvertently pushing North American businesses towards reshoring. Our 2021 State of North American Manufacturing Annual Report estimates that reshoring could generate as much as $443 billion for the economy over the next year, with over $204 billion in sourcing requests placed through our website in the last twelve months alone. Helping companies find the suppliers they are looking for, regardless of the industry or the niche, is our goal. Here are our featured suppliers for July 2021.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for July 2021

Our Thomas Index Report notes that the demand for engineering services has risen in the past month. So fittingly, of our featured categories this month, we have several robotic and robotic repair services categories new to our platform that will require a good engineer. We've added new categories to Thomasnet.com® to help your sourcing, and we're showcasing 15 of our most new and noteworthy ones below.

Challenges And Opportunities In Medical Device Manufacturing

Encompassing items as simple as bandages all the way through to ultra-high-tech pacemakers, the U.S. medical device market is one of the largest in the world. Forbes called it a “disruptive” market of $410 billion through 2023. Today, “disruptive” is an appropriate word. 

More than a decade ago, the medical device manufacturing industry saw an increasing emphasis on design and simplicity, driven by software and technologies. And innovation contributed to a shift in power from the pharmaceutical to the medical device industry. These days, there is still a high demand for technological, intuitive devices — with a faster time-to-market than ever before. Hospitals, medical facilities, and other markets are pressuring medical device manufacturers to be more secure, innovative, cost-effective, and efficient. What are some challenges and opportunities for manufacturers in the medical device industry?

9 Tips For Video Marketing Campaign Success: For Manufacturers

Video marketing is on the rise, and for good reason; videos have been shown to capture attention more effectively than plain text or static pictures, and videos are shared more than any other type of content on social media. Today, 61% of content marketers are putting videos into play to keep up with the competition and establish their brands as cutting-edge thought leaders. If you haven’t yet made use of video in your content marketing campaigns, it’s time to get going. Or, if you’re already utilizing video, it may be time to kick it up a notch and different video types to increase sales.

With solid production value and engaging content, your video will position you as a knowledgeable, current, and trustworthy brand. Below, we’ve outlined tips industrials should keep in mind when using videos in their marketing campaigns.

Factory Video Production For Manufacturers That Engage B2B Buyers

There are lots of new tools and solutions designed to enhance communications in today’s digitally connected world. But, by far, one of the best solutions to emerge has been the use of video. That’s because people retain 95% of the content they watch via video compared to only 10% of content read by text. Videos continue to be one of the most used digital marketing tools to convert prospects, recruit new talent, and enhance efficiency on your shop floor.

Manufacturers invest in different types of videos to increase their sales opportunities, like a company overview or factory tour. Factory tour videos allow you to connect and interact with people, businesses, and organizations visually from anywhere in the world. Let’s go through what makes a good factory video and how you can get started.

How To Find Customers For Your CNC Machine Shop Using Digital Marketing

You may have heard it plenty of times: You should be online; people are searching for your company online; if you are not online, you miss out on opportunities.

These statements aren't wrong, but they're incomplete. Being online is one thing, but the real goal should be to have a strong online presence — this gets you results. A strong online presence can supplement your traditional growth methods and bring you one step closer to your goal of finding new customers.

If you're looking to grow your customer base, search engines such as Google, Yahoo! and BING are where you want to appear. Why? According to research 4 out of 5 buyers research products online before contacting a sales rep. Industrial buyers know how to find exactly what they want quickly — and they're using long-tail (3-4 keyword) search terms online. And 53% of industrial buyers make their decision in less than one month.

Lead-Generating Website Examples (And How To Build One)

More than 70% of today’s B2B buyers are tech-savvy millennials, and they’re researching your company online before contacting you. So if you’re not providing a smooth website user experience, chances are you’re losing prospects to competitors.

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for June 2021

With 83% of manufacturers in North America looking to reshore, according to our 2021 State of Manufacturing Report, finding new suppliers in North America will be more vital than ever. We're thrilled to be able to help B2B companies with that goal. Here's this month's showcase of the newest suppliers we're excited about, including email security software providers, parts treatment companies, and AI-based recycling robotics suppliers. 

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for June 2021

Our 2021 State of North American Manufacturing Report survey found that with the current trend toward reshoring, there are year-over-year increases in sourcing for raw materials, traditional manufacturing services, and advanced manufacturing technologies. Appropriately enough two of our featured categories this month are materials for additive manufacturing, and several others are factory staples. Dive into the full list below.

7 Ways To Get Blog Post Ideas For Manufacturing

One of the best ways to reach out to your customers and provide them with information about your business or manufacturing processes is through valuable marketing content. A blog will not only allow you to provide customers with information, but it will also give you a chance to incorporate a variety of well-positioned keywords into your content. The keyword-rich content you produce through blogging will showcase your expertise and raise your website’s authority.

4 Must-Have Lead Generation Website Examples For Steel And Metals Companies

RFI submissions for steel on Thomasnet.com are up 217% year-over-year (year-to-date 2020 vs. 2021). So how can steel and metals companies ramp up their existing efforts to increase their RFI submissions? We took a look at some steel and metals companies to see how they’re using their website to target engineers, procurement managers, and MRO managers.

What Industrial Buyers Care About Most When Shortlisting New Suppliers

The industrial buying process can be long and complex. Buyers these days prefer to source, research, compare, and shortlist potential partners anonymously online. Creating a shortlist is an essential component of the supplier discovery and selection process, but what kind of information are these buyers looking for, and what factors matter most when deciding to make a purchase decision?

We polled more than 400 real, verified, and registered buyers who source on the Thomas Network. Here a look at the top 4 most important factors they consider when sourcing new suppliers.

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for May 2021

This month we have a lot of exciting and noteworthy companies added onto Thomasnet.com^®. From cutting-edge advanced manufacturing technologies, such as robotics that leverage neuroscience and movement science research, to operational technologies for manufacturing security, such as quantum security products and platforms, we hope you’ll enjoy browsing our featured list of new companies added to our platform this month.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for May 2021

As North American supply chains are still recovering from the impacts of pandemic-induced disruptions, we are seeing surges of sourcing demands in advanced manufacturing services. To help the 1.6 industrial professionals who use our platform monthly find what they need, this month's categories of note include everything from aluminum PCBs to digital safety standard training, all curated to ensure you can find exactly what you need.

What Manufacturers Need To Know About Chatbots

When it comes to digital marketing, capturing leads is the ultimate goal. Always has been, always will be. How those leads are being captured, however, is changing right before our eyes. Landing pages with forms have another friend in the lead generation toolbox to help book meetings, qualify visitors, and provide information more easily.

You may have experienced them before. It’s midnight, and there you are, minding your own business, checking out a website, and hunting for information. A chat box pops up — bloop! — and asks you if you need help. This surprises you because you figured you were the only one awake at this hour. Surely their customer support isn’t available now, right?

HVAC Marketing Basics: How To Advertise Your HVAC Contracting / Manufacturing Business

The U.S. HVAC services market is predicted to increase value from $25.6 billion in 2019 to $35.8 billion in 2030. A successful growth strategy centered around your customers’ behavior can be invaluable for HVAC contractors and manufacturers. Here are some basic marketing ideas for HVAC companies to grow their business and tap into more market share.

Marketing Tasks Manufacturers Are Tackling This Summer

The summer is upon us, and while you may be on vacation for a week or two, that doesn't mean your marketing should take a break too. That's because the buyers you want to do business with are looking for suppliers like you all year round. 

How To Improve Your Supplier-Distributor Relationship

A prospect that you’ve been chasing for months has been researching you as well, checking out your product catalog on a distributor’s website and downloading your CAD models. They’ve narrowed down their shortlist to you and a couple of your competitors, and now they’re visiting your website to gather additional details.

But when they arrive on your site, what they see doesn’t quite match what they saw on the distributor’s site. Part numbers are off, and specs aren’t aligning 100%. Plus, basic company information doesn’t match with what they read before and content looks outdated.

Reconciling the differences would take way too long, so instead they just cross you off their list. And you never even knew they were interested in the first place.

Unfortunately, this scenario plays out all too frequently and prevents the supplier and distributor from meeting their goals. In some cases, the scenario results in a dropped key customer and the existing customer base begins to diminish.

Email Marketing Do’s And Don’ts For Manufacturers

In today’s increasingly digital landscape, email marketing is one of the best ways to remain top-of-mind with existing customers while gaining traction with potential leads. HubSpot's State Of Marketing Report states that promotional emails are still the number one type of email used by marketers. Smart email marketing tactics not only allow you to grow brand awareness, they also help spread the word about your content offerings and company news. When combined with other inbound marketing efforts, you can engage high-quality leads.

What Manufacturers Should Do After Losing A Key Customer

Customer retention can often mean the difference between your company thriving or dying. This makes the loss of major customers one of the greatest risk factors for manufacturing businesses. Your consistent goal should be to go to any lengths necessary to retain these keystone clients. However, throughout even a vastly successful company’s lifespan, this kind of paradigm-shifting customer loss can — and will — occur. 

B2B MQLs Vs. SQLs: What's The Difference?

Studies show that 68% of B2B marketers struggle with generating quality leads. And only a mere 10%-15% of B2B leads actually turn into paying customers. So what can be done to boost these numbers?

First, industrial marketers must understand that not all leads are created equal — and the industrial buyer's journey is actually pretty complicated. 

Thomas Navigator Vs. Shopify: What's The Best Catalog Management & eCommerce Toolset For Manufacturers?

The rapid pace of innovation and the number of technologies available in the market have caused eCommerce to emerge as a major necessity for businesses in all industries, including the manufacturing and industrial distribution space. B2B buyers' expectations of personal shopping experiences and seamless online transactions have also been carving the manufacturing industry's path to transformation. 

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for April 2021

This month we're excited to celebrate hitting a milestone: the Thomasnet.com^Ⓡ number of users per month has passed 1.5 million. We like to celebrate the smaller milestones too though, like the addition of more than 700 new suppliers to our database during the past month. We've picked out our favorite ten of this new group below. 

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for April 2021

Everyone has a knack for something. Ours is a knack for finding the right categories to suit your needs, from trendier items like private label juice to essential basics like marine gaskets. Browse the list of our favorite new categories below to see what we've added over the past month. 

17 Videos Featuring Industrial Companies & Factories You Should Watch

When’s the last time you were in a new manufacturing or industry facility? Maybe you toured a colleague's shop during a trade show a few years ago or had to do an audit for a new supplier.

But with in-person events at a halt this year, many industrial companies are using videos to tour their shop floors and better engage with buyers.

With so many industry expansions, updates to machinery, and innovative ways to organize, taking a look at what your partners are up to can be great inspiration for your own brand awareness campaigns. From automakers and heavy-equipment manufacturers to plastic injection molders, check out some behind-the-scenes videos below.

CBD Marketing 101: What Manufacturers Should Know About Compliance

We understand how important marketing is in the CBD business. Whether you sell full spectrum CBD or advocate for artisanal products like CBD-infused butter and balms, marketing is integral to your business armory. 

To stand out from your competitors and reach a high-quality audience, you’ll need attractive packaging and up-to-date strategies to bring attention to your products. But regulations in the CBD industry can be complex. In December 2020, federal regulatory agencies penalized six CBD companies on the grounds of deceptive marketing claims. Learning from the business and marketing mistakes of your competitors can be critical for growth.

Grow Your Manufacturing Business: Expanding Into New Markets

American manufacturing is on the upswing. Hiring activity is at historic highs; reshoring is bringing production back to the U.S., and buyers are spending more on new suppliers than they have in recent years.

Business owners continue to be cautious with investments and costs, with good reason. Even as manufacturing and the economy as a whole make gains, the memory of tougher times looms. Fortunately, today's digital marketing landscape allows you to take substantial steps to grow your business and expand into new markets.

Opportunities For Manufacturers To Grow The CBD Industry

The global CBD market is anticipated to grow at a strong rate. Market projections see the recreational cannabis market expected to grow over 40% between 2020-2025 as availability increases and prices drop. With medicinal and recreational marijuana legalization increasing throughout the U.S., more consumers are exploring the benefits of cannabis products, and the market has responded with an array of innovations.

How To Use Digital Marketing To Engage Local B2B Buyers

Manufacturers and industrial distributors stand to gain a lot from building and nurturing relationships with local buyers. These buyers are easier to engage with to create new partnerships, nurture with to establish long-term relationships, and manage logistically. And these buyers seek local suppliers for these same reasons — in a recent industrial buying habits survey, 84% of procurement professionals said they preferred to work with local vendors.

So to help manufacturers win new business and build better relationships with local partners, we’ve compiled a few tips.

2021 SEO Tips For Industrial Distributors

Search engine optimization (SEO) has been around for quite some time, but it has become increasingly important for industrial distributors to adopt as more B2B customers purchase products online. 

Google plans to update its algorithm this year to include a factor called Page Experience. At a minimum, the content on an industrial distributor’s website should be valuable to your readers and easy to navigate. But your loading speed, mobile-friendliness, and visual stability contribute to your page experience too. Now is the time to take essential steps on your website’s health if you want to keep your page rankings high.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for March 2021

Sweep the last of your winter blues away with an overview of the New and Noteworthy Categories in March. Warmer temperature brings a strong focus to several construction-related categories, while recent weather events highlight the importance of resilient, up-to-date power systems. Products like e-textile circuits and ornamental bending machines round out our list. Take a look at our 13 newest favorite categories below.

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for March 2021

Let’s welcome our new cohort of manufacturing companies who joined Thomasnet.com^® this month. We are excited about these suppliers’ immense talent and capabilities: from delivering natural resources like rock and boulders, supplying low-carbon and sustainable fuels, to offering ultra-delicate surveillance solutions. Here we're showcasing ten of our latest finds across the US and Canada:

Using Digital Marketing To Win Business From Fortune 1000 Companies

Landing a contract with a major buyer can have a significant impact on your business. However, large buying organizations like Fortune 1000s tend to do things differently from smaller businesses that have more flexibility in approaching new partnerships.

According to DemandGen, 67% of B2B buyers rely more on digital content to research and make purchasing decisions than they did a year ago. So if you want to drive real new business results and get in front of major companies, it's necessary to have a strong online presence that addresses the major concerns and qualifications these companies are looking for when considering new suppliers.

6 Ways Manufacturers Can Transform Their Sales Organization

The B2C space has adapted quickly to using technologies and tools to connect with more customers, and B2B businesses (including industrial companies) making a move too. We've pulled together some tips to incorporate tactics that fall under the sales transformation journey (and tied to inbound marketing) to help you become more competitive in the current market and have meaningful conversations with high-quality leads.

Website Content Marketing To Strengthen Your Custom Manufacturing Brand

Most custom manufacturing businesses and service providers have an extensive list of their capabilities, services, materials, machines, and certifications. These are the basics that help potential customers understand what you can do for them.

How Top Injection Molding Companies Drive More Opportunity With Digital Marketing

In recent decades, American companies offshored a huge portion of their injection molding, but today, many companies are weighing the benefits of reshoring versus offshoring, and there has been an upward trend of reshoring and demand for services in the plastics and molding services industry. Mergers and acquisitions in the industry are also contributing to growth. 

9 Easy Tips For Creating A Lead-Generating eBook: For Manufacturers & Industrials

Creating an eBook for your business is one of the best ways to convert leads and increase brand awareness among potential buyers. According to Content Marketing Institute, 51% of today’s B2B businesses incorporate eBooks into their content marketing campaigns.

Whether offering valuable industry tips, troubleshooting, product details, case studies, or comprehensive service overviews, eBooks can be used to address everything from product components to company best practices. Ebooks also enable businesses to connect with a target audience based on their specific stage in the buying journey.

How To Create Quality Content For Industrial Companies To Engage B2B Buyers

Content marketing for manufacturing companies is a critical element to any lead generation strategy today. When done right, it builds your brand image and creates a stronger relationship between you and your customer. But the last thing you want to do is crank out blog posts, eBooks, or other resources that won't be effective — it will not only waste your time, but it'll turn your prospective customers away.

Creating effective, strong content and engaging prospects is so essential to businesses that there are numerous books, webinars and entire conferences dedicated to getting marketing and sales professionals from across the globe up to speed. To help produce content that drives buyers and engineers to learn more about your company's industrial products and services, make sure to follow the best practices below.

Beginner Lead Generation Tips For Manufacturers

Do any of these sound familiar to you:

• “My sales profits are down."
• “I don't have enough leads for my sales team.”
• “I'm not getting any RFQs online.”

We can all use a little bit of luck these days. Unfortunately, many manufacturers and industrial companies have these problems and seem to rely on luck (or word-of-mouth referrals) a little bit too much when it comes to generating leads.

When it comes to growing your company and lead generation efforts, you don’t want to leave your success to chance. In today's digital world, it's more important than ever to take the time — and exert the effort — necessary to put yourself in the best possible position to attract new buyers and grow your business proactively using digital marketing. 

Here’s how manufacturers can help solve basic lead generation problems or make your life a little easier and skip to a free digital health check where our marketing manufacturing strategists will let you know exactly what you need you to generate high-quality leads online.

For Manufacturers: What Is A Qualified Lead?

As an industrial marketer, your primary goal is to generate leads for your manufacturing business. However, not every person that fills out a form, downloads an eBook, or requests a call makes for a great prospect. In fact, many of these folks may not be a great match for your products or services.  

Unfortunately, however, not every manufacturing companies has a system to separate good leads from bad ones. This results in salespeople wasting a lot of time and effort chasing down less-than-ideal prospects while ignoring more serious opportunities. 

That's why you need a proven process for qualifying your leads. 

5 Proven Digital Marketing Ideas For Industrial Distributors

As major corporations reshore and bring manufacturing work back to the U.S., industrial distributors are moving to create more value by building on commercial and operational excellence and digitizing to create the online experiences customers are looking for. 

So with B2C expectations driving change in B2B, here are some digital marketing ideas industrial distributors can implement to foster customer loyalty and increase revenue growth.

Supplement Word-Of-Mouth Referrals With Inbound Marketing

According to HubSpot, a whopping 90% of people believe brand recommendations from friends, and 61% of consumers use search engines before they make a purchase. With the emergence of social media and the digital transformation of sales and marketing, traditional marketing and how referrals are shared have shifted. 

How Thomas WebTrax Differs From Google Analytics, The Thomas Network & More

More than 11,000 manufacturers use Thomas WebTrax to turn anonymous website traffic into real, actionable leads for their businesses.

However, we understand that you may still have questions about WebTrax, how it fits in with other Thomas solutions, and how it stacks up to other tools available in the marketplace. Hopefully, this post clears things up and helps you decide which solution works best for your industrial business.

Manufacturing Marketing Budget: How Much Should You Spend?

Even though the manufacturing industry has had a long dominance in the U.S. economy, it’s still relatively a newcomer when it comes to all things industrial marketing.

Instead of word-of-mouth referrals and newspaper advertisements, digital platforms have become the most effective way to drive new business with a more expansive reach and more effective ways to highlight a company’s value proposition. Marketers and business owners utilize pay-per-click, content creation, email blasts, and many other tactics to their advantage, but to some, these methods can feel overwhelming. With so much opportunity comes tough decisions on how to direct your time, energy, and money.

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for February 2021

At Thomas, we're on a mission to help industry grow through connecting buyers and sellers. In our quest we constantly scour North America to ensure we find every new B2B supplier we can, so we can help you on whatever mission your company is driven by. Here we're showcasing ten of our latest finds across the US and Canada, from luminous markings suppliers to secure data sharing service companies. 

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for February 2021

The pursuit of perfection is an impossible task, but our team of intrepid taxonomy experts strives to make our collection of 75,000+ categories as close as possible to it year-round. Over the past month alone, they've added the most relevant new products and services they could find, searched for outdated terms to get rid of, and found new ways to interconnect all of these categories to make it easier to find what you need. We're exploring the fruits of their labor below, encapsulated in 11 new areas to source. 

Industrial Website Design Examples For CNC Machine Shops

According to Thomas’ latest industrial buying habits survey, 73% of those surveyed pay attention to your website. One respondent said, “You MUST have a website. On it, be very clear and detailed about your supply capabilities and lower limits. Include all public contact and social media channels, locations and areas served, your business structure, history, and mission/vision.”

As more manufacturers shift toward traditional growth methods to digital marketing tactics, here are some industrial website design examples to get your CNC machining website geared for more leads.

6 Ways Manufacturers Can Turn A Lead Into A Customer (With Examples)

You worked hard to market your capabilities and nurture your prospects. Now your sales team has a healthy list of leads. However, research shows that 40-50% of inbound sales leads are ignored and never followed up on, which can add up to a lot of lost revenue for your business.

Developing an effective lead follow-up process can ensure that you don’t leave potential opportunities on the table. Here are the strategies that should be a part of your process.

Opportunities For Manufacturers In Solar Energy Equipment

In September 2020, Thomas reported sourcing for solar energy equipment on the Thomasnet.com platform had grown by 125% year-over-year and a substantial 171% over Q2 averages. In related category searching on the platform, solar collector panels were up by 157% year-over-year in Q3 2020 and 11% over Q2 2020 figures, and searches for inverters on the Thomasnet.com platform have grown 172% year-over-year and are currently up 88% over Q4 2020 averages.

More recently, searches for solar energy equipment on the Thomasnet.com platform were up 650% week-over-week. 

Why Public Relations Matters To Manufacturers

As companies in the industrial sector look for ways to win new customers and keep loyal customers, they need to find ways to stay top of mind in a competitive landscape. From producing videos, creating valuable guides, to being everywhere your buyers are —  a recognizable brand in addition to those marketing tactics can put you in a position to win more business.

Public relations (PR) can help manufacturers boost their brand awareness and drive credibility and sales. Let's outline how you can get started.

How To Become A Defense Supplier

Did you know that the Department of Defense (DoD) spends more than 60 percent of the federal procurement budget eligible for small businesses? In the 2017 fiscal year, DoD awarded more than $60 billion in prime contracts to small businesses.

From anonymized sourcing activity across Thomasnet.com, Thomas Industrial Data shows the Aerospace & Defense Industry is a rapidly evolving field. Continued military spending growth is a sign for suppliers to secure ongoing business and tap into new market opportunities — but today, businesses continue to shift in their sourcing as they pivot to help the country combat COVID-19. Read on to learn how you can become a part of the solution.

Top 5 SEO Examples For Manufacturers

Maintaining a helpful, informative website is critical for reaching your targeted audience and positioning yourself as a leader in your industry. But if your website is out of date or isn’t properly optimized for end users, you’re likely missing out on a lot of valuable lead opportunities and repeat business.

Thomas connects buyers, engineers, and MRO professionals to more than 500,000 North American manufacturers daily — and we’ve created thousands of lead generating websites for manufacturers so we know a thing or two about the industrial space.

According to Pew Research & Merit, millennials are the largest generation in the U.S. workforce, with 73% involved in purchasing products or services for their companies. Why does this matter to manufacturers? Millennials’ involvement in purchasing decisions will continue to grow as they age, and because they are digitally native, they’re doing business online. The strategies you invest in today to maintain your website will either make or break your next new business deal.

To ensure your website stands out from your competitors, and helps you pull in the leads you need, we’ve gathered our top 5 SEO website examples.

Opportunities For Lithium-Ion Battery Manufacturers

In 2019, lithium-ion sourcing activity on Thomasnet.com soared, and the B2B buyer data showed the top two industries driving the trend were software and technology, and healthcare and medical. Today, there are three major lithium-ion battery markets: transportation, electronic devices, and industrial stationary. 

Technology is at the core of the transition, and the next few years will bring significant changes to the industry.

What Manufacturers Need To Know About The Defense Production Act

On January 21, 2021, President Biden signed a series of executive orders including invoking the Defense Production Act to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The order directs federal agencies to make use of the act to increase production of materials needed for vaccines, masks, and testing kits. 

Many manufacturers and engineers have volunteered to address the shortage of supplies to combat the coronavirus pandemic throughout last year but some supplies are taking a long time to produce. Invoking the Defense Product Act (DPA) allows the federal government to direct U.S. manufacturers to ramp up production of emergency medical supplies immediately.

Last year, FEMA confirmed using the DPA for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic to order about 60,000 test kits and 500 million personal protective masks. However, FEMA then announced later that same day, “At the last minute, we were able to procure the test kits from the private market without evoking the DPA.”

The uncertainties of today's crisis coupled with manufacturers' exempt status from state-wide closures signal that the industry should remain prepared for the enactment of the DPA. Here’s what it means for U.S. manufacturers and how they can prepare.

A 2022 Ecommerce Website Checklist For Distributors

According to IBM, 80% of B2B buyers now expect the same buying experience as B2C customers. 

Earlier this month, we showcased six B2B ecommerce website examples to help you get more sales and create a better online experience for customers. To take your lead generation efforts further, we’re outlining a beginner’s ecommerce website checklist to make sure your customers give you repeat business.

3D Printing And Additive Manufacturing Challenges And Opportunities

The outlook for additive manufacturing and 3D printing is promising. Back in 2017, Thomas reported on the increased sourcing activity for additive manufacturing. Although the base technology of additive manufacturing was developed in the 1980s, its use has become more prevalent in the last few years as advancements grow and prices drop. Sourcing activity sessions for additive manufacturing systems in 2020 was up 37.8% compared to 2019. And according to Statista, the global market for 3D printing and services is expected to grow to almost 50 billion U.S. dollars by 2025.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for January 2021

Start off the new year with our new sourcing categories to zero in on what you need, from vaccine freezers to silicone spray lubricants to cold chain data loggers. We've added more than 40 new categories to Thomasnet.com® over the past month to help your sourcing all through this next year, and we're showcasing our 13 favorites below.

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for January 2021

If your professional new year's resolution is to find more suppliers, you're in luck: we added roughly 13 new companies to our platform every day over the past month, and we continue to add more in the new year. Before you go on to tackle your other resolutions, check out our most interesting new suppliers that can help your company fulfill its procurement goals in 2021. 

How To Get More Sales With Optimized Product Webpages

All roads lead to your product pages. They are, arguably, some of the most important pages on your entire site.

You’ve already attracted and educated prospective buyers, you’ve had positive interactions with them — now they’re on your product page, on the verge of transitioning from “prospect” to “customer.” But will your product page, as it is, secure the conversion?

Luckily, as with all things in the digital realm, your product pages can be optimized. There are several best practices for product pages that will help you to increase conversion rates — here are three that you can implement immediately:

Get Your Dream Customers This Year With Account-Based Marketing (For Manufacturers)

Establishing a truly effective B2B marketing plan can be challenging in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape. There are many components to an effective digital lead generation strategy, and since buying habits can change quickly, and with technologies quick to advance, how can a growing manufacturer get started?

6 B2B Ecommerce Website Examples To Help You Sell More In 2021

Today, if you want to sell direct to consumers, you need to create a smooth online user experience that instills feelings of trust in your products and services. For industrial distributors, this means designing their website to include a comprehensive, digital product catalog. Engineers and sourcing professionals expect the websites they do business with to provide the same experience as personal shopping websites like Amazon or Target.

The Evolution Of 3D Printing

From reducing costs to increasing efficiency to spurring innovation, many people are excited about the impact that 3D printing will have on the future of manufacturing. However, the truth is, it already has made a significant impact on the industry.

Take a look back at the evolution of 3D printing to see how the phenomenon started and how it has helped the manufacturing industry evolve.

How To Grow Your Packaging Company Online

The packaging industry is expected to continue growing through the new year. In early October 2020, we reported the following major sourcing KPIs for packaging materials seeing a YoY increase vs. 2019:

• The number of sourcing sessions for packaging materials has grown by 25% 
• The number of RFIs submitted directly to suppliers through Thomasnet.com grew 140% 
• The number of supplier evaluations taking place on the Thomasnet.com company profiles of packaging material suppliers grew by 55% 

Here are some ways to ensure your packaging company’s growth plans remain on track.

8 Reasons It’s Great To Work In Manufacturing

The manufacturing industry is one of the largest and most influential sectors of the United States economy. According to ACS estimates, the number of people employed in the Manufacturing Industry Sub-Sector has been growing at a rate of 0.41%, from 15.4M people in 2017 to 15.5M people in 2018.

But what is it like for the millions of people who actually work in the industry? The truth is, it's pretty fantastic. Here are some reasons why:  

How A Manufacturer's Logo Design Engages Buyers

Think of some household items you often use — Bounty paper towels, Dawn dish soap, Jif’s peanut butter? The products are almost synonymous with the company name. 

Building this recognition takes time and effort with brand marketing, but goes a long way in establishing trust with prospects and customers. In some cases, the first impression a prospect sees of your brand will be through your logo — so first impressions matter. Here are a few reasons why a manufacturer’s logo’s visual elements make a difference for growth.