The Thomas Blog

Cold Calling vs. Warm Leads: No Contest

Cold calling used to be the most effective way to attract and engage prospects. Now, however, sales efforts driven by cold calling are simply not  as effective in the digital age when compared to warm leads driven by targeted, strategic marketing initiatives. 

How to Grow Your Business with Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is the latest method for increasing online business exposure. But the more manufacturers we talk to, the more it becomes clear that that the term “inbound marketing” isn’t fully understood by many business owners.

Everyone seems to know that this is something they should be doing, but they’re not sure what exactly that “something” is.

Skills Gap Vs. Perception Gap: What America Thinks Of Your Manufacturing Industry

As manufacturing faces a shortage of up to 2 million skilled workers over the next decade, it’s important to understand how a typical person — one who doesn't work within the industry — views the sector as a viable career path for the workforce of tomorrow.

What Does The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Mean For The Supply Chain?

Late Sunday evening, the United States, Mexico, and Canada finalized the parameters of a new trade deal — the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA. The USMCA, which still needs to be formally ratified by each country, would replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

While it is not expected to go into effect until 2020, manufacturers and buyers in North America will undoubtedly begin to feel its effects very soon.

Supply Chain Trends For September 2018

Keeping up with the trends and changes that are shaping the supply chain is critical when it comes to marketing to — and connecting with — industrial and B2B buyers. 

How To Grow Your Manufacturing Business By Connecting With Engineers On Quora

Quora, the social media platform where people ask and answer questions, challenges the old saying that no one likes a know-it-all. Active community members (you can call them "Quorans" if you want) have earned the respect and deference of their peers by providing thoughtful and useful responses that demonstrate skill, experience and wisdom. There are thousands of influencers who have built a following on the network by regularly engaging with threads related to their passions and areas of expertise.

Introducing Thomas WebTrax 3.0: Opportunity Intelligence for Industry

When you have data that tips you off to a buyer’s interest early on in their buying process, that data is priceless. Without it, those buyers are as much as 70 percent of the way through their buying journey before you find out they’re interested in products and services like yours — if you ever find out at all.

Thomas WebTrax: How Industrial Suppliers Can Get More Leads

To the casual observer, today’s strong economy and booming manufacturing sector might give the impression that landing new customers in the industrial space is easy. As an industrial supplier, you know better.

How To Use Reddit For Industrial Marketing

In the hypercompetitive industrial marketplace, it’s important to look for every edge you can in order to connect with more buyers. That means branching out beyond traditional marketing channels to connect with more prospects in more places.