The Thomas Blog

Continue To Promote Your Manufacturing Business During An Economic Downturn

Many companies worry about how their business will fare in bad economic conditions, but sometimes opportune outcomes stem from times of economic uncertainty — especially for manufacturers.

With seemingly difficult economic conditions on the horizon, there are plenty of indicators that can seem at odds with one another. Recently, the stock market had its worst week since 2008 while sourcing activity for North American suppliers on Thomasnet.com saw record-breaking numbers. Based on a Coronavirus Impact survey conducted this month, over half of the manufacturers surveyed are ‘likely to extremely likely’ to bring production and sourcing back to North America and 47% of U.S manufacturers report they are now seeking domestic sources of supply — likely the reasons for sourcing surge.

New Suppliers on Thomasnet.com for April 2020

Ready to see who joined our platform this month? Our latest batch of new arrivals includes a rocket engine manufacturer, a cannabis facility certification company, and the only yarn mill in the U.S. offering yarn printing, plus more than 400 other new suppliers from across the U.S. and Canada.  We've rounded up our favorite new and noteworthy additions to the to the 500,000+ companies already on Thomasnet.com® below.

New and Noteworthy Categories on Thomasnet.com for April 2020

Thanks to our crack taxonomy team's continued seeking out of new and noteworthy categories for our platform, our last month's crop of new searchable categories includes nearly 40 new products and services to add to our 70,000+ category database. We've chosen our 10 favorites below to get you started on sourcing for the exact product or service you need.

Thomas Community: Stay safe. Stay connected. Stay strong.

Dear Thomas Community,

At Thomas, we are committed to the health and safety of our employees, as well as continuing to serve our customers and the industry. We are following the guidelines from the CDC, WHO, NY and PA Health departments. We have ensured that all team members can work remotely while providing the same high level of service you’ve come to expect from Thomas. We have implemented a 60 day travel suspension to limit non-essential international and domestic travel. We are leveraging video-conferencing to conduct internal and external meetings. 

Challenges And Opportunities In Private Label Manufacturing

Businesses and individuals everywhere are in some way experiencing the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. For some small companies, the virus-related shortages in cleaning supplies and sanitizers have boosted private label brands sales. With more consumers concerned for their health, demand in niche brands and private labels for organic supplements have also spiked.

While there are more opportunities for growth for private label manufacturers due to recent global health concerns, what challenges are these companies generally facing and how can they continue to outperform competitors?

Thomas Registered Badges

At Thomas, we are always working to help buyers and suppliers effectively find one another and create strong partnerships. So, we have introduced the Thomas Registered badge to help make everyone's job a little easier. Companies who feature this badge have been reviewed by our Supplier Analyst team and confirmed to have updated and accurate company and contact information and are able to receive RFQs and messages directly from buyers on the platform.

The Basics Of A/B Testing For Manufacturers And Industrial Companies

Much like the machines on your shop floor, you want to make sure that your industrial marketing is working to its full potential and producing results you expect. A/B testing (also referred to as split testing, multivariate testing, or iterative testing) can help you continuously update your online marketing efforts to ensure maximum ROI.

Not familiar with the term, or curious how A/B testing works? Here’s a basic overview.

Measuring The Industrial Marketing ROI Of Phone Calls

When it comes to measuring the return on investment (ROI) of your marketing activities, it’s essential that you’re actually measuring all of it. Thanks to the increasing prevalence of digital marketing, most marketers look at things like clicks, open rates and conversions. But if you’re like many industrial suppliers, you could be overlooking an essential piece of the marketing metrics puzzle — phone inquiries.

Content Marketing And Manufacturers: What Is It?

Content marketing can persuade potential partners and influence buyers at every stage of the buying cycle, so it's important to understand the essential elements that make up a successful content marketing strategy and how they support sales.

Content marketing isn't limited to the types of content or channels you use to promote — many other moving pieces like sales, traditional marketing tactics, and brand evangelists play into it.