The Thomas Blog

6 Tips For Industrial Companies To Improve Their Reputation Online

The prevalence of information and connectivity on the internet has been tremendously advantageous for both consumers and industrial buyers. Search engines and social media make it easy to find reviews about products, services and companies within a few clicks.

But what happens if that information is both negative and untrue? Worse, what if it's about your company?

How To Build Stronger Supply Chain Relationships With SMBs

Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are an essential and valuable part of the supply chain, offering levels of flexibility, cost competitiveness and responsiveness that some larger suppliers often can't match. SMBs are typically more flexible and responsive than their larger counterparts, and they allow you to take advantage of the benefits of local sourcing.

However, while procurement teams want to engage SMBs, the feeling isn't always mutual. That's because larger buying organizations make it onerous for these smaller companies to participate in the bidding process. As a result, SMBs believe it takes too much time, effort and guesswork to respond to large buyers, all for a very slim chance of winning business.

26 Must-Have Digital Marketing Apps And Tools (Including Free Ones)

In the very competitive world of marketing, it’s crucial to stay ahead of the curve. Fortunately, there are many great tools out there to help you and your team stay on top of your game and play an integral role, helping you be more productive, efficient, and strategic.

Here are some useful applications for eight critical aspects of industrial marketing areas.

How CAD Models Drive Lead Generation

Digitized information can help to make the sourcing process simpler and more efficient — especially for complex industrial parts, ultimately helping manufacturers generate more leads.

Manufacturers are increasingly optimizing their product data offerings with CAD files, drawings and configurable components, differentiating their digital customer experience from their competitors. Why? Because more engineers are downloading CAD files and demanding access to digitized product information in the formats they need to get the job done.

So if you're looking to drive more sales, read on to learn how to provide CAD models from your website.

The Manufacturer’s Playbook for Shifting to Direct to Customer Selling

How Manufacturers Can Build a Strong Direct to Customer Sales Model

For many manufacturers, leveraging a network of distributors and resellers has historically been the simplest way to get their products to the end-users.

Working with third-party distributor groups has provided logistical support & warehousing, sales support, and existing relationships with regional end-users to allow manufacturers to focus on other pressing matters like product design, process development, and quality control.

However, in the face of COVID-19, the shift toward direct-to-consumer sales has accelerated.

The Importance of Marketing and Advertising for Manufacturers During Economic Downtimes

Almost without notice, COVID-19 changed the way businesses operate and how individuals live. The manufacturing industry has shown inspirational resilience throughout historical times, yet the continuous effects of COVID-19 on the economy have pushed the manufacturing industry to reimagine the way they do business. 

5 Steps To Get High-Quality Leads With CAD Assets

If you're keeping up with the latest manufacturing lead generation strategies, you may have already heard that up to 88% of businesses ultimately buy the part after downloading a CAD model. CAD files are proven to generate high-quality sales leads. But are you fully embracing them as a marketing asset or are you only sending them by request from sales? Not sure? Let's walk through the basic model of using CAD files for high-quality lead generation. 

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for May 2020

This past month, we've seen a surge of companies joining our platform, many to become badged suppliers as part of our vetted COVID-19 Response System. From the 950+ new suppliers added to Thomasnet.com® in April, we've picked out our ten favorite unique companies to share. 

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for May 2020

In addition to the launch of our continuously updated and vetted COVID-19 Response System (which your company can apply to join here), and our new COVID-19 Partnership Program, we managed to add over 100 new categories during the past month. Many categories are for products and services that have gained sudden prominence during the pandemic. Others, like social distancing decals, are products that were invented specifically in response to it. We cover thirteen of our most recent categories below to help you source more effectively.