How Thomas Remained Competitive and Relevant Through Changing Times

It is no surprise that technology has been the basis of change on how we do business. With technological advances over the years from the creation of the printing press all the way to today's ever-changing digital space, it has become imperative for businesses to maintain relevancy and competitiveness. As an example, Thomas Publishing has remained relevant since its creation in 1898. For over 115 years Thomas has managed to remain a resource leader in the industrial space from publishing the big green books in the early 1900s to becoming a complete web strategy partner for industrial companies. What industrial companies can learn from Thomas history is that it is important to recognize that change and flexibility is an opportunity.

Change is an Opportunity, Not a Misfortune

To provide an example of how change and the impact of technology is an opportunity, Thomas’ history showcases how they used technological changes in history to their advantage. 

Thomas Responding to Change through the Years

Back in the horse and buggy days 115 years ago, Harvey Mark Thomas recognized there was a need to bring buyers and sellers together. There was no way for buyers to find suppliers of products and services they needed. In response, Thomas created the Thomas Register for American Manufacturers, otherwise known as the big green books. The big green books were published until 2006.

In the 90s, the internet was on the rise.  This opened up doors for companies to find each other easily  basically replacing the yellow pages. Thomas Publishing had to respond quickly as audience use of the books for business assistance began to decrease. Therefore Thomas had to go digital Thomasnet.com was created.

The use of the internet led to change in the way industrial buyers do business. They were transitioning from picking up the phone and calling to seeking more information upfront on a company's website. Company websites became the receptionist who normally answered their phone calls. The problem however was most company websites did not include the necessary information to qualify them as a viable vendor of choice. This meant the visitor would get disgruntled and search elsewhere. Thomas then saw the need to help their customers get that phone call, which led to the creation of the website development program and the Navigator, an interactive product catalog.

As internet users became savvier with finding information and expecting more from company websites, companies had to put more emphasis on their website and its information. Thus Thomas improved and added new, advanced functionality/configuration tools and CAD generation to their Navigator platform. Websites basically needed to replicate a sales person by answering difficult questions and providing valuable information.

Today, types of information have evolved to be interactive, real-time, and user-generated. Social media has transformed the business world and has shifted the power to the consumers. Social media has converted marketing and communications from a one-way to a two way conversation between companies and prospects/customers. To help industrial companies get involved in social media, Thomas created Digital Media Solutions. In doing so, Thomas is now a complete web strategy partner for industrial companies.

What Does This Have To Do With Manufacturers?

From publishing the big green books to becoming a leader in web strategy for industrial companies, Thomas has taken each technological change and used it as an opportunity. The takeaway here is that industrial companies can do the same today. The digital space is growing every day, and will continue to for many years to come. To remain relevant and competitive in this increasingly digital business world, industrial companies must begin to follow the trends and keep up.

Taking advantage of the digital space today allows industrial companies to:

• Get found online
• Potentially become a resource of information
• Increase your reach to more customers and convert them to leads
• Connect with prospects and clients seamlessly and more frequently

The sooner industrial companies begin to implement a digital strategy to their mix, the sooner they can take advantage of the many opportunities the digital space offers.

Thomas offers a free Digital Health check for manufacturers and industrial companies to see exactly how they can improve online and how they compare against competitors. Request yours here.