|
Industry News |
|
U.S. ISM Manufacturing Activity Expands for 2nd Straight Month
Source: ISM |
|
eMarketing Corner |
|
Search as Lead Generation |
Understanding the keywords prospects use at different stages of the buying process is the first step in using search marketing for lead-gen.
Source: BtoB Mag |
|
B2b
eCommerce |
|
Timeless
eCommerce 101 for Manufacturers |
Who buys your product? If you're like most manufacturers, you probably fall into one of two camps. You may be part of an established supply chain for a very large manufacturing company like Ford or Hewlett-Packard. Or you may be selling to a number of different companies, most of whom you probably know well. In either case, the universe of possible additional sales can seem painfully finite. Read More
Source: AllBusiness.com | |
i-MARK Industrial Insights is a free quarterly eNewsletter providing insights to industrial manufacturers on B2B eCommerce, eMarketing and web self-service. |
| ______________________________________ |
|
Economic Outlook - Gloom or Boom? Manufacturers Who Setup Shop on the Internet Will Win Either Way.
The global recession is taking no prisoners within the b2b industrial manufacturing sector and it seems few have found shelter from its impact as they begrudgingly make deep cuts in resources and investments. So, how to survive? Listening to the analysts won't help. Some predict a mild trend back up, while others are just as sure that another 'correction' is imminent.
Debating the direction of business trends at the water cooler won't control the trend's direction or velocity, but you can take action to win more business, no matter how the economy churns. The opportunity lies in the new way your markets now prefer to seek-out and buy b2b products. Over the past two years, the Internet channel has grown to become the favorite destination of b2b product specifiers and engineers to not only discover and buy products, but also to expand relationships with their suppliers. If not done so already, the time to get your website to work is now!
But how does your website 'get to work' for you? Start by converting it from a static marketing billboard into a popular self-service information resource that will interactively serve customers, prospects, sales employees and partners. These virtual 'web employees' will work 24/7, guiding new and old buyers to discover, decide and transact - all on their own. This transformation will not just reduce costs; you will be operating a new business unit: always open; has global reach; and deliver repeatedly accurate and timely information. So, whether the economy is up or down, your 'virtual web employees' will retain and grow your valuable customer base and capture new customers away from your static web competitors.
My lunchtime reading1 continues to uncover reports of how b2b buyers are rapidly changing their discover-to-buy methods and sources. Suppliers who recognize this major shift and differentiate themselves in the vibrant Internet self-service marketplace will intercept these buyers, but as one contributor's comment read, 'if you don't have it (an interactive Internet channel), you will lose out'. Can you afford it to be you?
To see how one b2b supplier got its website to work, be sure to check out this month's Get it Online feature. Now that's Internet success!
Del Merenda
President & CEO
i-MARK, Inc.
1Recent publication excerpts . . .
Do More With Less - As an increasing number of information workers are being 'connected' in the workplace, expectations of features, functions and interoperability continue to grow. .. Make sure your software capabilities meet the increasing demand for personal and corporate productivity.
Aberdeen Group - September 2008
Media Firms Restructuring . . . b-to-b media companies as a whole face more competition for marketing budgets in the digital era than ever before, as marketers funnel funds into search marketing, corporate web sites and into other digital initiatives. As a result, some prominent publishers have restructured or are operating under bankruptcy protection, with more on the way.
BtoB Magazine - October 12, 2009
Manufacturing Pros Look to Leads - ... if you do not have a high (search engine) ranking and provide information buyers are searching for, or if the site is not easy to use, you're making a big mistake. Your site is working 24/7, 365 and you're not going to get a salesperson to do that. It is a tremendous tool if used properly.
BtoB Magazine - October 12, 2009 |
| _________________________________________ |
Nuggets & Stats
Latest Group Outlook Survey Indicates Manufacturers Becoming Optimistic About Economy.
A recent survey by Prime Advantage found that 80% of manufacturers expect revenue for the second half of the year to either stay the same or increase over the first half. Prime Advantage is a buying consortium of midsize manufacturers. The report was based on an online survey of 96 representatives of industrial manufacturing companies, including business owners, procurement VPs and other purchasing professionals.
|
| ______________________________________ | |
|
eCommerce Website with Engineer-Oriented Guided Product Selection Boosts ROI in Lean Times, in Good Times.
Since 2002, Spraying Systems' online sales channel has guided tens-of-thousands of design engineers around the world to discover and select spray nozzles in countless complex configurations. Rudi Schick, Spraying Systems Industrial Division VP is a true Internet pioneer. His vision of using the Internet as an independent self-service sales channel came to life in 2002 when he introduced iSpray.com. It rapidly became the industry's go to source for state of the art spray technology information and configuration guidance for spray applications from coatings, to cooling to humidification.
|
| _________________________________________ |
Internet Perspectives - Going Global
The Marketplace Is Outside.
By: David Meerman Scott
As I write this, I'm thinking back to my previous week delivering four keynote speeches in as many countries to audiences of hundreds. Conference organizer Best Marketing invited me to its Password 2009 events and kept me very busy. I delivered my keynote each morning, then made a quick dash to the airport to head on to the next country: Monday in Zagreb, Croatia; Tuesday in Riga, Latvia; Wednesday in Vilnius, Lithuania; and Thursday in Tartu, Estonia. During this whirlwind trip, I discovered that all of these countries are amazingly plugged into the web.
|
| _________________________________________ |
| _________________________________________ | |
|
 Get Started Now- See Our Demo!
Build a profitable online sales channel quickly and affordably! Learn how i-MARK's web-based 24/7 BUSINESS™ b2b eCatalog and eConfigurator with eCommerce capability and distributor relationship tools works for you to attract industrial product engineers and buyers.
1.800.397.7119
(PRESS 4 - SALES)
|
|
i-MARK, Inc.
We get websites to work
imark.com
i-MARK is the leading provider of interactive guided selling and ecommerce software for industrial product manufacturers. Our affordable software-as-a-service solution - 24/7 BUSINESS™ - includes our eCatalog and eConfigurator that seamlessly integrate into your existing website to make complex product search, configuration, selection and purchase easy and intuitive. | |
|
