Thomasnet® has been a trusted destination for industrial sourcing for more than 125 years. Our platform has more than 1 million active buyers who return to Thomasnet again and again to search our database of 500,000 North American manufacturers for the products and services that keep their supply chains strong.
In this article, we’ll go over the basics of the platform and how a Thomasnet listing can benefit industrial companies like yours.
Originally founded in 1898 as the Thomas Register, the company has always aimed to connect industrial buyers and suppliers. Thomas has evolved over the years to serve buyers’ and suppliers’ changing needs, shifting from its printed “green books” to an online database where buyers can evaluate and connect with suppliers across more than 75,000 categories.
In addition to the industry’s most trusted sourcing platform, Thomas also offers a full-service suite of marketing and advertising services. Thomas Marketing Services’ team of digital marketers is supported by solutions engineers who understand the complexities and nuances of industrial businesses.
Manufacturers and industrial companies that advertise on Thomasnet see a powerful return on their investment, with exposure to active buyers that results in highly qualified leads. Here are just a few of our satisfied customers.
Conard Corporation
“The quality of the signal that we're getting from Thomasnet is so much better than other forms of lead gen that I've seen.”
- Kathy Stillman, Director of Sales and Marketing, Conard Corporation
Connecticut-based Conard Corporation specializes in Photo Chemical Machining (PCM) of thin metal parts with demanding tolerances for customers in industries that include aerospace, batteries and fuel cells, satellites, and electronics. Although awareness of PCM is growing, the process — which is also known as photo etching, chemical etching, and chemical machining — is highly specialized, which means it isn’t always what engineers and designers think of first when looking for a supplier. About 80% of new Conard customers don’t start their search looking for etching; they just know that they need precise, thin metal parts. Getting in front of the right audience of buyers who know the specifications they need but may not know the exact process is challenging. Partnering with Thomas enabled Conard to access a brand new audience of qualified buyers it needed for quality leads.
“The quality of a Thomasnet [lead] is much better than [leads] from any other source because they tend to come from the right places for us,” said Kathy Stillman, Conard’s director of sales and marketing. “They're engineers, they're designers, they're industrial purchasing people. They are ready to place an order and I don't have to try and explain everything to them because they already get it.”
See how a digital advertising investment of $250,000 has generated almost $8 million in new business for Conard — an ROI of more than 30x.
Zooby Promotional
“The amount of direct business revenue from Thomasnet, as compared to our spend, is probably five times the spend every year. And if you add the fact that I don't have to cold call, I don't have to prospect, the time savings just adds to that ROI as well.”
- Brett Kershaw, Co-Owner - Zooby Promotional
Zooby Promotional, based in Dallas, Texas, has specialized in providing customers with quality branded products since 2006. While Zooby has a proven track record with its long-time customers, bringing in new business presented a challenge for a company that offers so many different products to customers in a limitless range of industries. Co-owner Brett Kershaw started working with Thomas in 2020, and now Thomas manages all of Zooby’s advertising. Zooby is a Thomas Verified Supplier, and its Thomasnet profile features a product catalog and company overview video. The company is listed in more than 2,500 Thomasnet categories, which means that when customers come to Thomas to search for suppliers, they see Zooby’s name. By opting for the Premium Vertical Sponsorship package, Kershaw ensures that Zooby will show up at the top of those search results. Since beginning its partnership with Thomas in 2020, the number of companies that find Zooby on Thomasnet has increased by 152%. Read more.
Empire Group
“Since we started using Thomas services, we’ve gotten more clients that fit – [the advertising] we're doing now is helping us reach audiences that we want to do work for.”
- Jason Enos, Founder & President - Empire Group
Empire Group, a Massachusetts job shop specializing in services including CNC machining, milling, and turning, started its marketing journey by advertising on Thomasnet with a Verified program. They were able to get in front of the vast buyer audience that sources on the platform. This program enables the Verified Supplier badge on their company profile, which indicates that Empire Group operates as a North American Supplier, has undergone a review and validation of all products and services, and is open to quoting new opportunities. The increased exposure had brought in a wave of new leads for the company. In fact, four in 10 new contacts that Empire Group received between June 2023 and February 2024 came from Thomasnet. Hear directly from Empire Group about working with Thomas.
The testimonials above represent just a small sampling of the companies that have increased leads, sales opportunities, and revenues by advertising on Thomasnet.
Getting started on the platform is free — but every advertising opportunity is unique, just like your business, so our team will work directly with you to create a program that fits your budget and meets your business needs.
What sets Thomas apart is our industry expertise, audience, and focus. We’re dedicated to helping industrial suppliers thrive — whether you’re starting from scratch as a one-person marketing team or need help with a strategy that fills your sales funnel.
We know that digital marketing is not a one-and-done approach and that the needs of your buyers are constantly changing.
Want to learn more? Contact us for a free Digital Health Check so our team can share the tactics you need to put in place to get more customers online.