The Thomas Blog

2014: The Year In Industrial Marketing

From ice buckets to selfies, there was no shortage of big events, trends, and news to define marketing in 2014. As digital media continues to expand the opportunities for the industrial b-to-b space, the line between marketing in general, and the specifics of our industry, is becoming increasingly blurred – and there’s more and more overlap in what’s effective. So today, I’ll take a look back at some of the biggest stories and developments in marketing in the last year, and what they mean to you.

Best Engineering Toys - Your Holiday Gift Guide

The holiday season is upon us!

Each year I get the inevitable question from other parents about the best engineering toys for their kids, so this year I thought I’d try and get in front of it and help with a few recommendations.

When I look at STEM focused toys, I feel that they need to be approachable, easy to use, have a high replay value or a mind blowing “WOW!” moment. Introducing the next generation of engineers to the basic concepts should to be fun and engaging, not frustrating and confusing.

Four Ways to Be “King of the Jungle” in the Marketing Ecosystem

At this point, the question has been answered: Yes, content marketing works. The tactics aren’t revolutionary or unorthodox. They simply follow the ways that buyers today consume information and gather research for decision-making.

The Secret to Staying Ahead of Google’s SEO Updates

Search engine optimization can seem like an impossible game.

New updates everywhere you look, and what I like to call the “caffeine conundrum:” the so-called experts tell you something is good for you one day, and bad the next. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that one of the earliest Google algorithm updates was, in fact, dubbed "Caffeine."

Why Aren’t Your Site Visitors Submitting RFQs?

Wouldn’t it be frustrating if qualified visitors were coming to your website, but few, if any, of them were actually converting to leads? If you’re not providing the right information that buyers are looking for, you may be in that very situation without even knowing it — after all, no one’s sticking around to waste time telling you why they’re leaving.

Pick-Six: Marketing Lessons From the Football Playbook

The first season of NCAA Football to end with a formal playoff system is just kicking into gear, and while we’re still settling in to see which teams look to be on top, one fact remains unchanged: NCAA Football is a marketing powerhouse. From deals with sponsors from ESPN to Coca-Cola, it’s clear that the organization has its playbook set when it comes to promotion. But what about you? If we take a look at the game itself, we can draw up a few marketing lessons that are useful to anyone — not just huge organizations:

HubSpot Announces New Free CRM Software

Psst! Hey! Yeah you. When was the last time the marketing department got a high five for saving the company money? Doesn’t happen, right?

Well that just changed.

Prepare yourself for a possible parade in your name put on by the accounting department and the VP of Sales, because you are about to deliver a brand new CRM system to them for free.

The 3 Facts You Need To Know About the Export-Import Bank and U.S. Manufacturing

The Export-Import Bank is up for reauthorization this month, and it may be in as much trouble as it’s ever been.

Not familiar with it? The ExIm, as it’s known, supports U.S. exports by providing credit, loans, guarantees, and/or financing to suppliers that wouldn’t be able to get it otherwise. It frequently acts as a lender or insurer to companies with a lot of foreign customers who may not have the on-hand capital to fulfill orders, or who can’t get financing from private lenders. Credit from the ExIm also lets suppliers sell to foreign buyers on favorable terms rather than requiring upfront payment.

Avoiding 4 Hidden Productivity Killers

What are some of the top enemies of productivity at work?

CareerBuilder recently put out a survey, which we’ll get to — just as soon as I finish this text message. Yes, most of the usual suspects are accounted for: wasting time online, social media, chatting with coworkers, and of course, cell phones and texting. Those are the obvious ones — the distractions. You can also run into hidden productivity killers, though — ones that come up in the course of just trying to do your job.