The Thomas Blog

Who’s Really Supplying Your Super Bowl Tailgate Party?

With Super Bowl Sunday just around the corner, amped up fans are actively searching for products that will make their tailgate parties worthy of the occasion.

As any fan can tell you, the whole experience comprises a lot more than chips and dip — though that’s a good place to start.

Here, I’ve gathered some of the top items for your tailgate list, along with some fun facts about each.

Handling Seasonal Supply & Demand

By the time a chill hits the air, I am often found at my local coffee shop buying every seasonal flavored coffee and treat they come up with that year. Nowadays, it does not really feel like winter unless I have a peppermint mocha or cinnamon swirl latte, and I suspect I am not the only one.

 In fact, Twitter was buzzing with reports of pumpkin spice latte shortages at Starbucks this past season. The flavor hit peak popularity in the fall of 2014 and continues to roll on: everything from yogurt to vodka seems to have a pumpkin spice variety on the shelves. Despite the rumors, though, it turns out that Starbucks was covered and that only a few select stores were plagued with a temporary shortage due to an increase in demand. The coffee crisis was averted.

What's the real impact of low oil prices?

Admit it.  Last time you went to the gas station and filled up the car you were pretty happy.  Maybe you even gave your friend riding shotgun a little high five? Of course you did!

We are currently enjoying the lowest gas prices since 2009, with trends pointing toward an average price of gas for the US below $2/gallon. That long drive to visit the family is looking more affordable every day. Pretty cool, right?

Seven Steps to Achieving Smart Growth

Growing your business means different things to different people, and it’s all about your goals. You may just be looking to increase orders to reach maximum capacity for your equipment on hand, or you may have a five-year plan to double your business and expand your facility. Whatever your growth goals are, the key to success is to “grow smart.” Here are seven simple ways to do that.

What's Driving Manufacturing Growth?

ThomasNet’s latest Industry Market Barometer® survey of North American manufacturers highlights the growth of the industry: manufacturers are continuing to experience an upward trajectory, with more companies expanding, hiring, adding new product lines or services, and investing in future growth. Nearly eight out of ten (76%) manufacturers surveyed are now selling overseas, and the bulk of respondents are increasing production capacity, optimizing existing operations, and upgrading facilities in preparation for what’s to come.

7 Ways to Show Email Marketing More Respect

Poor email marketing. It’s the most direct way to communicate with your online prospects, but it never gets the respect it deserves — overshadowed by buzzier platforms and undercut by spam abusers. That’s a shame, because in a landscape of ever-changing ways to reach your customers, email provides one of the only consistent links. A prospect may shut down their Facebook profile or grow tired of Twitter, but it’s unlikely that they’ll abandon their inbox.

Trim the Fat From Your Marketing Plan, and 4 More Resolutions for 2015

Did you ever notice how New Year’s resolutions start to sound like a broken record, year after year? The same promises, the same commitment out of the gate… the same reasons for abandoning them a few months later.

This year, I wanted to put a spin on those tried-and-true resolutions to give you a list of marketing goals you can set — and stick to.

Heading Into 2015 With More Focus on the User and More Stories to Tell

Last year was more about making the most of the marketing tools at hand rather than any revolutionary breakthroughs, and I see more of the same in 2015.

It puts us at an advantage: instead of chasing customers to the next “hot” social network or trying to figure out the best way to use a new platform, we have a better idea of where our audience is, and how we should communicate with them. Here’s where I think the focus will lie for the next twelve months:

2014: The Year In Industrial Marketing

From ice buckets to selfies, there was no shortage of big events, trends, and news to define marketing in 2014. As digital media continues to expand the opportunities for the industrial b-to-b space, the line between marketing in general, and the specifics of our industry, is becoming increasingly blurred – and there’s more and more overlap in what’s effective. So today, I’ll take a look back at some of the biggest stories and developments in marketing in the last year, and what they mean to you.