The Thomas Blog

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for October 2020

Here at Thomas, we offer all kinds of amazing resources to help industrial professionals source for what they need, from the latest news to industrial guides to a direct connection with more than half a million B2B companies. Here, we're showcasing some of our latest additions to another asset: new categories to search in and source from.

This month, in addition to our favorite overall categories added over the previous month, we're also featuring nine categories of products and services related to wildfire fighting. This way we hope to better enable those who are dealing with the fires to source for what they need. We'll be diving into details on these fire-related categories first.

How To Meet The Needs Of B2B & Industrial Buyers

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

So do your buyers. 

By understanding what your buyers have on their plates, you can more easily accomplish one of the most important things on yours — generating more leads and contributing to your bottom line. Here’s what you should know to meet their needs and create more meaningful connections to win more business.

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 & capabilities, and 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 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.

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

6 Common Mistakes That Job Shops Make

For more than 120 years, Thomas has created trusting relationships with thousands of successful job shop owners from coast to coast. Job shops across America form the backbone of the country’s economy. Unfortunately, even though they may have the right skills, equipment, and people, it’s not rare to see a job shop fail. 

In this blog post, we'll review the common mistakes job shops make and some anecdotal insights directly from job shop owners and managers.

9 Steps To Successful Responsive Website Design

In just a few years, “responsive” has gone from a buzzword to the industry standard in website design — and with good reason. Responsive design offers significant advantages over traditional design, allowing for SEO improvements, streamlined development, and, of course, better user experience across different devices.

Buying Activity for Packaging Materials in 2020

Buyers are actively searching for new supplier partners for their packaging materials needs in 2020

Buying activity from engineers & procurement professionals sourcing on Thomasnet.com has seen strong growth in 2020 for the packaging materials space. At a glance, the following major sourcing KPIs have seen 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% 

8 Signs Your 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. Unfortunately, a website that works for you requires a lot more upkeep than that.

As a key driver of new business, your website is the centerpiece of your digital marketing efforts.

For manufacturing and industrial companies, establishing a digital presence is no longer merely an option; it’s critical to staying relevant in today’s increasingly connected, online-focused B2B world. Today, users expect more. They want to know that a company is actively invested in keeping their processes, technologies, and website current and up to date, reflecting shifting trends and market changes.

14 Videos Featuring Industrial Companies & Facilities 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 engage better 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.

2020 Ultimate Guide To Marketing For Manufacturing Companies

Marketing isn't a new practice (actually it has been around for centuries) but for some companies in the industrial space, there is still an opportunity to completely embrace its effectiveness — especially online.

For the manufacturing industry, marketing is a crucial part of the business that touches prices, product, and sales. So it’s important to understand how to use marketing for your business’ success if you: 

• Want to get more customers
• Want more high-quality leads
• Are interested in increasing revenue
• Are looking to expand your business into new markets.

In this blog, we’ll break down everything you need to know about beginning an inbound marketing campaign of your own and we'll even offer additional marketing resources for deeper dives along the way.