BizTipz Blog

Desperately seeking Americans for manufacturing jobs - Feb. 16, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 21:55:00 +0000

Machinists make about $60,000 a year. With overtime that income can get close to $100,000 a year.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/16/smallbusiness/manufacturing_jobs/?source=linkedin&goback=%2Egmp_1887076

I Want To Buy From You, Why Are You Making It So Hard?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 02:27:00 +0000

If your company is like this, then you're in big trouble and you need to fix it quickly! Here is the maddening experience I recently had.

I'm in the market to purchase a treadmill so I was trying to keep my business with local companies before I went to a big box store. And here is what happened.

I emailed a local company that services residential treadmills and sells used treadmills. I told them I was looking to buy a treadmill and I asked them to contact me.
So instead of them calling me or sending me information on their current stock of treadmills, they emailed me back and asked me to email them again if I was interested in getting more information.
I waited a few days and didn't hear anything more from them. So I emailed them again asking them to send me information on any treadmills they had available.
After a few days, they replied, saying they had sold their current stock and that I should email them back again in a few days to find out if they had more used units.

So it seems to me that these folks don't have the slightest clue how handle prospect follow-up and sales opportunities. Do they really say this to everybody? If they get 5-10 similar contacts a week, do they really throw them all away instead of making an easy list of current prospects that they can pro-actively solicit? Do they really think I'm going to spend my valuable time chasing them down when it should be the other way around?

Could this be happening at your company? I hope not. But just in case, you should go out and create a fake email account and test your own company. See what happens when you send an email and give strong buying signals and ask for more information. Is your own company properly capturing and following-up on these opportunities? I hope so. But if they're not, you better find out quickly and fix this massive leak.

Every sale counts. Don't let the easy ones get away!

by BaerMarketingNetwork.com

Capture The Moment On Video, So Easy Even My Boss Can Do It!

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:22:00 +0000

Every website should have video! But every video does not have to be a major production! Just do it yourself!

Sure, you should have at least a few professionally produced videos to really show off your company. And you can get those for as little as $1000-$2000 for a 30 or 60 second video.

But most of us have video cameras on our cell phones or we might have some kind of flip camera or even an iPad or tablet with video capabilities. Are you going to a trade show? Are you out on your shop floor? Are you doing an installation? Just start filming... Just Do It! The worst that can happen is a bad video, but it costs you nothing; just erase it. And you'll hopefully know how to do it better next time. But if it's half way decent, put it up on your website! Add it to your YouTube page! Post it on your blog! A few tips

keep it under 60 seconds
pan slowly (as in moving right to left or up and down, go slowly)
If it's too noisy, don't bother with commentary, it will be muddled and detract from the visual. You can always add a soundtrack or just describe the video in writing when you post it
uploading to YouTube is easy, and then embedding that on your website or blog is very easy

A few short business videos showing a personal touch actually add a genuine feeling to your website or blog... it shows site visitors that your company has real people, not just corporate robots.

You don't believe me? Check out http://bit.ly/xJF7DY - the folks at the IMTS trade show said that their boss can do it! (IMTS = International Machine Technology Show)

There are also various easy video editing tools available. Just search for a term like "easy video editor" on Google and you'll find lots of them to try out.

For instance, I'm a real person :-) I took my kids on a Segway adventure for a Christmas gift. And here is a video I shot while riding the segway. I combined photos, short video segments and music using an online tool.

So complement your professional videos with a few "home-made" videos! Need help? Let us know. We're happy to combine your photos, video clips, music and even a professional voice-over into a video for you. We can also set you up with higher level video production at a great price. Just let us know what you need!

Oh, and next time you're visiting any city, google "segway tours" for that city and see what you find. They're a ton of fun, they're easy to learn and to ride, and they're a great way to see a city!

by BaerMarketingNetwork.com

IndustrialMegaSearch.com 4 New Company Listings

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:04:00 +0000

4 new company listings, including their social media links, on IndustrialMegaSearch.com

Ware - Boiler Rental - Boiler Service - In business for over half a century, WARE offers boiler rentals and chiller rentals, boiler installation, chiller installation, boiler repair, chiller repair and boiler and chiller maintenance.
Located In: Louisville, KY 40218
FaceBook:
Blog URL:
Twitter:
YouTube:
Other Site:

Magnetic Chuck Services - Magnetic Chuck Services specializes in repair or rebuild of magnetic chucks, magnetic chuck controls
Located In: CASCO, MI 48064
FaceBook:
Blog URL:
Twitter:
YouTube:
Other Site:

KG Welding and Fabrication - KG Equipment is a welding, metal fabrication and laser cutting service serving the needs of commercial and industrial businesses.We fabricate to your design.
Located In: Bristol, PA 19007
FaceBook: http://on.fb.me/xydeUD
Blog URL:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kg_equipment
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/kgequipment?feature=chclk
Other Site:

Nexthermal Corporation - Nexthermal, formerly known as Hotset Corporation, manufactures cartridge heaters, coil heaters, band heaters, nextflex tubular heaters, electric heating elements, systems, and engineering services
Located In: Battle Creek, Michigan 49037
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nexthermal-Corporation/176949235653701
Blog URL:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nexthermal
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/Nexthermal
Other Site: http://www.nexthermal.com/product/cartridge-heaters.aspx

by BaerMarketingNetwork.com

Is Social Media Worthwhile for Industrial Companies?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:20:00 +0000

With the right strategy, the answer is yes.

YouTube is a definite yes. Your website visitors prefer video over text and video also has great SEO value.

But active social media engagement is a bit different. In the B2B industrial world, there is not yet widespread social media activity. But there are definitely pockets of activity, such as live tweeting for industrial trade shows like IMTS. Just go to Twitter.com and search for #IMTS to check it out.

Twitter is becoming a more active way to broadcast stories, links to good articles and company information. You can also search on Twitter.com for the hashtag #manufacturing to get an idea of the variety of tweets that are out there for, by and about industrial companies.

And tweets often link back to your company blog. A company blog is a great way to show your expertise in your area of specialty. Sharing your expert opinion makes a much better and more engaging blog than just pushing your product.

Year by year, as younger professionals enter and establish themselves in industrial companies, social media is becoming more prevalent. Younger engineers and other young industrial professionals are much more apt to use twitter, facebook, youtube and google+ as well as many social bookmarking sites like Delicious.com, StumbleUpon.com, Reddit.com and others.

Another great social media strategy pointed out in a recent article on the Internet Marketing Blog is to "build and forget" a wide social media presence. Why? For two reasons. The first is to simply have a minimal presence with links back to your website where someone might look for you. The second, and more important reason, is for SEO value. By establishing a wide network of links back to your website on numerous high value social media and social bookmarking websites, your company's SEO value will be greatly enhanced.

At Baer Marketing, we recommend an intermediate strategy. We'll set-up your company with a widespread, high SEO value social media presence. And we'll set you up with easy to use tools for periodic sharing of interesting articles you find and for regular, periodic posts to your blog. The setup will then automatically broadcast every new blog post of yours across scores and scores of your social media and social bookmarking accounts for great reach and great SEO impact.

So let us help you get started with your social media and social bookmarking presence! We look forward to your comments to this post!

by BaerMarketingNetwork.com

Delay Send for Email

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:10:00 +0000

Do you ever write an email but you would love to postpone sending it for a few hours or maybe a day? LetterMeLater.com is your solution!

A few email programs like Outlook and Thunderbird (add-on) enable delayed sending of outgoing emails. But most email programs fall short in this respect.

LetterMeLater.com solves the problem for you. It doesn't matter what email system or program you're using. You simply send your email to me@LetterMeLater.com. Then, at the very beginning of the body of the email, you specify who you're sending to and when you want the email to be sent.

to: recipient(s)
cc: recipient(s)
bcc: recipient(s)
when: date(s) to send

You can also send recurring emails. So test it out. I think you'll like what you find! Check it out at www.LetterMeLater.com.

by BaerMarketingNetwork.com

IndustrialMegaSearch.com 5 New Company Listings

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:21:00 +0000

5 new company listings, including their social media links, on IndustrialMegaSearch.com

Southeast Regional Handling - Wholesale Pricing on Drum Handling Equipment, Pallet Rack, Used Pallet Rack, Ridge u Rak,Shelving, Dock Equipment, Scissor Lifts, Pallet Jacks, Casters,Containers, Work Platforms, Turnkey Installation
Located In: ,
FaceBook:
Blog URL:
Twitter:
YouTube:
Other Site: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/glenn-adams/4/18b/362

Cardinal Carryor - Provides the most innovative & professional material handling services, products and system solutions for the warehouse, distribution and manufacturing industry.
Located In: Louisville, KY 40213
FaceBook: http://on.fb.me/Abo4eG
Blog URL: http://www.cardinalcarryor.com/news/
Twitter:
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/CardinalCarryor?feature=mhw5
Other Site:

RelightDepot Energy Efficient Lighting - RelightDepot sells energy efficient lighting for industrial, commercial and warehouse facilities and performs turn-key lighting retrofit projects across the US.
Located In: Boca Raton, Florida 33432
FaceBook:
Blog URL: http://relightdepot.com/news
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/RelightDepot
YouTube:
Other Site:

Contained Material Handling Equipment - Tote® Systems is a domestic manufacturer and single source for dry powder and liquid based contained material handling products and systems.
Located In: Fort Worth, TX 76140
FaceBook:
Blog URL:
Twitter:
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ToteSystems/videos
Other Site:

Construction Systems Supply - Seven unique industrial grade coatings available for the most demanding requirements. Whether for commercial use or even the home garage, these superior floor coatings will last and last.
Located In: Seattle, Washington 98136
FaceBook:
Blog URL:
Twitter:
YouTube:
Other Site:

post by BaerMarketingNetwork.com

Just for Fun: Wheel of Lunch

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:05:00 +0000

Are you and your friends debating about where to go for lunch? The Wheel of Lunch is ready to help!

I don't know how you handled enormous decisions like this before the age of the internet, but now there is a great tool, the Wheel of Lunch, to help you out. With the Wheel of Lunch, all you have to do is enter your zip code and click on the "Spin" button.

Then like Wheel of Fortune or like a roulette wheel, your options will spin around and when the wheel stops, your restaurant will be chosen for you! How great is that? It may very well change life as we know it! Have fun!

Character and Word Counter Tool

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:19:00 +0000

Did you know that the first sentence of the Gettysburg Address has 30 words and 175 characters? Me neither. But that's not the important point.

The important point is that we sometimes accidentally send a message before we're ready to send it. In this day and age of tweeting and other micro-blogging services, it is sometimes helpful to be able to count the characters in your message before you actually put that message in a tweet. In fact, that can be handy on all kinds of forms.

I recommend a free and very easy to use online tool called WordCounterTool.com. You can do the same thing in Microsoft Word, but this is much easier. So give it a try next time you need to know how many words or characters are in your message!

Oh, and by the way, in case you were curious, here is the first sentence of the Gettysburg Address:

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." (more)

I hope you find this tool tip to be handy!

by BaerMarketingNetwork.com

The Evolution of Manufacturing in America - Personal Stories from One Company

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:04:00 +0000

Maddie Parlier at work. (photo by Dean Kaufman/The Atlantic)

This is one of the best articles I have ever read on the current state of American manufacturing. The author takes an in-depth look at one company that started a century ago. He compares and contrasts production methods and workers of not-too-long-ago versus workers of today. He compares and contrasts the skill levels of workers today and yesterday.

The personal examples of two machine operators illustrate the need today for advanced training in precision machining, CNC programming, metalurgy and other advanced manufacturing skills. But he also discusses how the high level of automation will make traditional manufacturing jobs scarce and difficult to obtain. Plus, he constantly addresses the issue of competition with low wage countries like Mexico and China.

Most gripping, however is that the story features a few specific people in the company, really driving home the personal stories about how changes in manufacturing technologies have affected real Americans. The stories are compelling and educational and they have a much larger meaning for American manufacturing and our society overall.

So here is the must read article: Making It in America - January/February 2012 Atlantic Magazine

This article was also featured in a two part audio series on NPR:

Part 1: The History Of Factory Jobs In America, In One Town
Part 2: The Transformation Of American Factory Jobs, In One Company

Thank you to the AmericanManufacturing.org Blog for it's article The new factory worker which led me to the original article in The Atlantic Magazine.

Please join or start the conversation here by adding your thoughts to the comment section below.

Regional Industrial Trade Shows List

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 04:43:00 +0000

UPDATED: January 10, 2012

I recently made a Facebook post about the value of smaller, more specialized regional industrial trade shows for SMB industrial & manufacturing companies. It was based on an excellent article I read on Regional Manufacturing Expos.

My twitter friend and fellow industrial marketer @Achintamitra added even more insight to the subject in his Internet Marketing Today blog post about B2B Industrial Marketing.

So to carry on this discussion thread, here is a...
list of smaller, more specialized industrial trade shows.

Design2Part Trade Shows - Job shop design & contract manufacturing shows. Upcoming spring 2012 shows include Grapevine, TX; Santa Clara, CA; Atlanta, GA; Secaucus, NJ; Schaumburg, IL and St. Charles, MO.
Process Technology Expo International (PTXi) / International Powder & Bulk Solids
AmCon Design & Contract Manufacturing Expos - Spring 2012 shows in Orlando, Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis, and Houston
Facilities Expos - spring 2012 shows in Portland OR, Modesto CA, Anaheim CA, Santa Clara CA, and Phoenix AZ
Building Facilities & Maintenance - upcoming shows in NYC & Tampa. Recent shows in Charlotte, Philadelphia, Ft. Lauderdale, Washington DC
Plastics - a huge list of trade shows and events around the US and worldwide. Hadn't thought about exporting? Maybe you should!

The organizer of the following shows groups all of these shows together in locations nationwide to cover all of these market sectors simultaneously in various cities. They're basically shows within shows. Upcoming locations include:

also Montreal & Toronto

#### BELOW SHOWS ADDED JANUARY 5, 2012 ####

NTMA Purchasing Fair - June 13-14, 2012. The show's purpose is to "align OEM's and large companies with highly competitive and skilled domestic small to medium sized manufacturers that specialize in machined, stamped and fabricated parts, special tooling (dies, molds, jigs, fixtures and gauges) and special machines, ultimately providing a more economical resource for sourcing needs. (show site not yet updated for 2012 show).
Composites Manufacturing 2012 - March 13-15, 2012. Mesa, Arizona. Practical solutions and cutting-edge knowledge on composite applications, processes and best practices.
Fabtech Canada 2012 - March 20-22, 2012. Toronto, Ontario. The ONLY exclusive fabricating, welding and metal forming event in Canada.
Westec 2012 - March 27-29, 2012. Los Angeles. Twitter: #westec
Micro Manufacturing Conference & Exhibits - March 28-29, 2012. Boston, MA
Nano Manufacturing Conference & Exhibits - March 28-29, 2012. Boston, MA
FABTECH Mexico 2012 - May 2-4, 2012. Mexico City
Manufacturing 4 the Future - May 8-10, 2012. Hartford, CT - manufacturers supplying aerospace, defense, medical & energy sectors
Montreal Manufacturing Technology Show (MMTS) - May 14, 2012. Montreal, Quebec
RAPID 2012 Conference & Exposition - May 22-25, 2012. Atlanta, GA. Additive manufacturing solutions.
Medical Manufacturing Innovations - October 24-25, 2012. Missisaugua, Ontario. Connects medical and dental device manufacturers with companies that supply their production technology and equipment
FABTECH 2012 - November 12-14, 2012. Las Vegas. North America's largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing event.
AeroDef Manufacturing 2013 - March 19-21, 2013. Long Beach, CA. aerospace and defense manufacturing.
EASTEC 2013 Exposition - May 14-16, 2013. West Springfield, Massachusetts.

#### BELOW SHOWS ADDED JANUARY 11, 2012 ####

Amerimold 2012 - June 13 - 14, 2012. Novi, Michigan. Tool and mold making, molding and additive manufacturing.

If you know of other industrial / manufacturing trade shows, especially smaller local or regional shows, or specialty industrial / manufacturing trade shows, please take a moment to list them via the comment section for this article. We'll then update our list above and tweet it out to the world. We hope you find this list helpful and we hope you'll add to it!

by BaerMarketingNetwork.com

Visit us on:
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube

Skilled Labor Shortage in Manufacturing?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:06:00 +0000

A recent post on Skilled Labor Shortage issues in the LinkedIn group Fabricators & Manufacturers Association generated a robust discussion that is worth reading. From talking to many of you with SMB manufacturing companies over the years, I know that most of you have experienced trouble hiring qualified and committed workers across the skilled machining specialties. And you're not alone. Consider that...

"even as the American manufacturing sector shrinks by a million jobs over the next decade, it will see a shortage of labor, as 2 million manufacturing workers retire and few are trained to take their place"

Anthony P. Carnevale, an economist and head of Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce
in Business Week "Can Retraining Give the Unemployed a Second Chance?" September 14, 2011

This is a substantial challenge to our manufacturing economy. So please check out these other articles mentioned in the LinkedIn discussion and then join the LinkedIn group and add your two cents. Or start the conversation here by commenting on this blog post.

Please check out:

"Why Companies Aren't Getting the Employees They Need" - The Wall Street Journal, October 24, 2011

"Got the people, but not the skills" - Minneapolis Star Tribune, Octobe 25, 2011

"Can Retraining Give the Unemployed a Second Chance?" - Business Week, September 14, 2011

"Skilled Labor Shortage?" - LinkedIn discussion in the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA) Group, Fall 2011

Video: "Mike Rowe on the importance of skilled labor" - Mike Rowe, host of the Discovery Channel's 'Dirty Jobs,' recently told Congress why we need to do a better job nurturing skilled laborers. by Shea Gunther on the Mother Nature Network blog, June 23, 2011 (Twitter: @mothernaturenet)

You can also check out sites like Digg.com that are powerful virtual book marking sites. I searched for "skilled labor in manufacturing" and there were over 4,000 results fitting that criteria that various people had bookmarked over the years.

One great article link I found on Digg.com was "Manufacturers Respond to Skills Shortage" on the Shopfloor blog by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). The article was about a National Public Radio series that features in-house manufacturing job training and "the NAM’s Manufacturing Institute" which creates "partnerships with local companies, educational institutions, and worforce development groups in the Institute’s 'Dream It Do It' campaign."

As you can see, there is a wealth of information and discussion on this topic that is so critical to the future of manufacturing in the USA. Please use these resources and become an active advocate for our manufacturing economy! And feel free to add additional resources in the comments sections of this blog entry. (when you add good resources, we'll add them to the blog post!)

by BaerMarketingNetwork.com

Social Bookmarking and SEO - Reddit Gets 2 Billion Impressions in December

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:39:00 +0000

Reddit Gets 2 Billion Impressions in December, Leaving Digg in the Dust

Social bookmarking is an important and powerful part of SEO and your company should be doing it. The big sites in social bookmarking include Reddit, Digg, StumbleUpon and Delicious as well as scores of other sites. As the headline suggests, these are powerful websites with substantial traffic and SEO influence, so your company needs to be in the social bookmarking game. These are free websites so you can sign-up for as many of them as you desire and for SEO purpopses, the more, the better.

So what is social bookmarking? Just like you save bookmarks (also called favorites) on your own computer, social bookmarking is all about 'virtually' bookmarking web pages online on these popular websites. Because these virtual bookmarks are online and shared publicly, that's where the "social" part comes in. These sites allow others to 'favorite' or endorse your bookmarks if they like the article you've bookmarked. People might also 'follow' you so they're automatically updated on new bookmarks that you add. Also, if many people have virtually bookmarked the same web page, then that page and it's bookmark will rank higher within these social bookmarking websites and on search engines.

So how does it help SEO? As the article suggests, with just one of those social bookmarking sites, Reddit.com, getting 2 billion page views in one month, that represents a lot of traffic and potential clicking through to the bookmarked web pages. And the search engines like Google consider these social bookmarking sites to be high quality and very relevant, because it is real people making real endorsements of particular web pages by bookmarking them. So Google views those bookmarked links with high value, thus boosting the search engine rank of any particular bookmarked web page.

There are lots of social bookmarking tools available. Some are downloadable software that you have to install on your computer. Some are online SaaS (Software as a Service) applications. Ping.fm is a free online bookmarking service where you can simultaneously bookmark a web page on dozens of social bookmarking websites. Of course, you'll need to have accounts with each particular social bookmarking website and then enter those credentials into Ping.fm. But once you set it all up, you're ready to roll. Enter a webpage into Ping.fm once, and then it automatically and simultaneously shoots out to dozens of your social bookmarking accounts.

Another good tool is OnlyWire. It is a hybrid system that is part virtual and part software download. It also shoots out your bookmarks to your social bookmarking accounts automatically and simultaneously. Onlywire has a small monthly fee. Onlywire and Ping.fm each reach a large number of different bookmarking sites. But there is some overlap, so you have to be careful to not duplicate accounts on both services. Other online bookmarking tools include Social Poster and Social Marker.

There are also many downloadable software packages for social bookmarking. One well known option is BookMarking Demon. Another is Social Bot and the company behind SocialBot has many other related software options. Downloadable social bookmarking software works the same way as its online bretheren. The primary difference is that with downloadable software, you pay only once instead of having a monthly fee like some of the online versions.

One other very important note about social bookmarking websites (Reddit, Delicious, StumpleUpon, Digg) is that you shouldn't only bookmark your own web pages. You also regularly bookmark other interesting sites, articles and blog posts that you find. This won't hurt your SEO at all and it will boost your credibility on the bookmarking websites. Basically, the bookmarking sites don't want self-promoters. They want members who will add significant value and variety from sites beyond their own. So bookmark other sites as much as you bookmark your own website pages and blog entries. And yes, you should always bookmark your blog posts so that you get lots of backlinks from many sites back to those posts.

But regardless of which method(s) you use for social bookmarking, the simple point is that you need to do it. And you need to do it on a steady and continual basis rather than just one big blast when you first sign-up. And if you can't do it on your own, then you need to find a partner company, like BaerMarketingNetwork.com that can set-up an entire semi-automated system and/or can do it for you.

(We would love to hear your comments or questions. Just click the linke below where it shows the number of comments.)

Industrial Trade Shows and Twitter: Why and How to Tweet

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:23:00 +0000

Manufacturing Trade shows are still alive and you can breathe new life into them with Twitter! In a recent Facebook post I linked to a short article from Automation.com about the value of regional industrial trade shows for SMB industrial & manufacturing companies. I've also been assembling a list of smaller, regional industrial trade shows. Now with Twitter and social media marketing, you get more bang out of your trade shows!

photo courtesy of Design2Part Trade Shows

This update is about using Twitter as part of your industrial trade show marketing effort. In an article from Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operations magazine, Author Steve Staedler (Twitter: @LePoidevinMktg) makes the case that you should use Twitter at industrial trade shows to:

promote your company's show attendance prior to the show
promote your specific booth activities during the show; i.e. your next demo
tweet about your observations at the show (i.e. what cool things have you seen?)
capture contacts' twitter addresses to follow-up after the show

I'll add another item to the list: when you obtain a contact's twitter address (like... @BaerMarketing) you can tweet a quick 'thank you' for visiting your booth or a quick 'nice to meet you'. For example you might tweet

"@BaerMarketing thx 4 visiting booth 453 Look forward to talking again Pls visit our site http://bit.ly/qanzaS. Enjoy #imts & stop by again!"

A few strategic things to notice in this tweet.

#imts - this is the "hashtag" for the upcoming IMTS show in Chicago in Sept. 2012. (more on hash tags below) If this tweet were sent during the show, it would mean that every person at the show with a smart phone, an ipad, a laptop, etc. who is monitoring the twitter feed of the show would have the chance to see important information about your company. They would see:
- your booth number
- your website link - they might look up your website and decide to visit your booth
- that you're active on twitter, good impression, and that you're a company on top of modern things
you're giving near-instant communication back to people you have just met
you're giving these new contacts and easy way to communicate back to you and to learn more about your company via the website link
you're inviting them back to your booth
you're planting a seed for post-show follow-up

How To Tweet
When tweeting, remember that you have to be brief... max of 140 characters. If you're new at tweeting, that takes some getting used to. But just pay attention to other tweets and you'll get the hang of it.

More about #hashtags: You should use the twitter "hashtag" for the trade show; something like #showname. Hashtags always start with a "#" and they're used to identify tweets about a specific topic or event. For instance, if you'll be going to the International Manufacturing Technology Show 2012 in Chicago this coming September, you can already start watching and interacting on Twitter with the hashtag #imts. Just put "#imts" in the Twitter search box (without the quotation marks) and you'll get list of all recent tweets about the IMTS show by a wide variety of tweeters. And when you post a tweet with #imts, all other companies following that hashtag can see your tweet.

If you're going to a specific talk, seminar or class at the show, you can live tweet that presentation as well. Others who might not be attending the same presentation will really appreciate your insights on the presentation they're missing and any links you provide. To tweet a presentation at an event, you would then use a double hashtag. Continuing our IMTS example, the first would be #imts. The second would be the hashtag for that particular presentation. Most speakers today say and/or show their hashtag at the beginning of their presentation. For instance, if someone is giving a presentation on plant safety, they might either use a hashtag for their company or name, or they might use a hashtag like #safety. So you would then tweet your comments and observations using a tweet like...

"new osha respirator standards http://1.usa.gov/zLxDbx know before you buy or upgrade #imts #safety"

Notice that this is not directed at any particular person (no @somebody) but, instead, it is directed at anybody looking for #imts tweets. And it is not directly about selling; you're not just pushing product info down people's throats. You're starting a process of communication to build trust and credibility. If you keep building that trust and credibility after the show through many channels you will position yourself better to be in the right place when the buyer moves to the next step in the buying process.

With this short Tweeting lesson and some keen observation on Twitter, I'm confident that you'll pick up tweeting very quickly and that you'll use it advantageously at events like trade shows. Make the jump into the twitterverse and good luck at your trade show adventures!

And please start a conversation here if you have questions or comments. All of our industrial audience would benefit from a good Q&A / commenting on using twitter for industrial companies or at industrial trade shows.

A 10 Minute Marketing Plan Any Business Can Use

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:16:00 +0000

A simple one-page Word document to get you thinking about sales and ROI for 2012.

Can you dedicate 10 minutes right now to helping your company succeed in 2012?

Most small and mid-size industrial and manufacturing companies don't have formal marketing plans. Many still wait for business to come to them. Most do very little marketing and sales prospecting pro-actively. Make 2012 the time to change your game. 10 minutes of brain storming now can have a big payback in 2012.

Please click this link about one-page marketing plans. After reading this article , you will hopefully agree that planning your marketing efforts doesn't have to be hard. In the article, I personally like the "one-page marketing plan #2" so I hope you'll use the link above to check it out. Quite simply, these easy one-page marketing plans make you think about...

who your best prospects are
what they're buying hot buttons are
how do you get them to think about you as they go through the buying process?

That's really all there is to it. But then you have to execute. Obviously, if it's hard to get you to spend 10 minutes on this, then can you really execute your entire marketing plan yourself? How exactly do you increase the odds of being at the front of your prospects' minds when they're thinking about buying your product? How do you plant a seed in their mind and nurture it so that they begin to see your company as a trusted, knowledgable and helpful source? What works today? Or what combination of marketing works today?

Trade shows?
Website Updates?
Direct Mail?
More Cold Calling?
Mass emailing?
Facebook & Twitter?
All or some combination of the above?

There are some simple things you can do on your own. There are some more complicated things as well. We can help you reduce the complexity by taking care of those things for you and setting up easy-to-run methods to help you to stay on top of your marketing. Or, we can do a lot of this for you.

For example, we can set you up with a full and robust social networking presence on Facebook, Twitter and hundreds of other websites, a rather complicated and time-consuming task. These are great communications tools and they also have great SEO value for your total web presence. We take the complexity out of maintaining and updating your new social network activity by setting you up with simple tools to update everything simultanously and to provide you one place to read and respond to feedback. So we'll set it up... and you can run your own updates.

So spend 10 minutes right now creating your marketing plan using a one-page marketing plan. And then run it by Baer Marketing for our expert advice to see if we can help you get on track or stay on track for greater marketing and sales success in 2012.

Or join the dialoge right here about industrial marketing. We look forward to your comments and to discussing how to implement your 10 minute marketing plan. Happy 2012!

IndustrialMegaSearch.com New Company Listings

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:46:00 +0000

Prototek Manufacturing, Conveyor & Storage Solutions, Inc. Check out regional industrial directories on IndustrialMegaSearch.com, including social media links.

Dynamic Sheet Metal - Prototek Sheetmetal Fabrication. Prototyping Precision Sheetmetal and Machining. We fabricate from paper prints or electronic files, and work with a full range of raw materials: steel, stainless steel and aluminum sheet, tube, angle and channel.
Located In: Contoocook, NH 03229
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Prototek-Manufacturing/129135277174294
Blog URL: http://prototekfabrication.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/prototek
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/prototekNH
Other Site: https://plus.google.com/117043985105970810894/posts?hl=en

C&SS - Warehouse storage system relocation, expansion, and integration during times of growth or restructuring for manufacturing & distribution facilities.
Located In: San Diego, CA 92120
FaceBook:
Blog URL:
Twitter:
YouTube:
Other Site:

by BaerMarketingNetwork.com

How Industrial Companies Can Make Their Websites More Interactive - Marketects Inc.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:28:00 +0000

http://onlywire.com/r/63792259

IndustrialMegaSearch.com New Company Listing

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:47:00 +0000

Latest listing on IndustrialMegaSearch.com:

Process Barron - With 30+ years of proven leadership in the design, manufacturing, installation, and service of heavy process equipment, ProcessBarron is the industry's total systems solutions provider.
Located In: Pelham 35124, Alabama 35124
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Process-Barron/166911698262
Blog URL: http://www.processbarron.com/blog/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/processbarron
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ProcessBarron
Other Site:

Sign up yoru company for free in the Industrial Mega Search Regional Industrial Directory. The sooner you get listed, the higher you rank!

Easy RSS Feed - RSS to Email with FeedMyInbox

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:00:00 +0000

RSS to Email - A "How To" Article from Baer Marketing

Like many small business people, you might feel overwhelmed with the deluge of information coming at you from all sides; twitter, facebook, blogs, trade publications, videos, websites, etc. So how do you keep up with the best sources of information pertinent to your company?

Have you ever seen this image on a web page or a blog? This is an "RSS" image, which stands for "really simple syndication." RSS is very common, but usually not so simple for the majority of small business people who don't know what it is or how it works. But it is a great way to get pertinent information from your favorite sources on a regular basis.

If you've ever heard about "feeds" from a site or blog, they're talking about RSS or Atom, another popular feed system. Most blogs and many web pages allow you to subscribe to updates; to subscribe to their "feed." Some sites allow you to subscribe by email. But most sites don't have that simple option. And that is where RSS comes in.

There are lots of RSS readers, sometimes called "news aggregators" such as Google Reader, FeedDemon, NewsGator, Bloglines, and many, many more. Some are web based and require signup and then sign-in whenever you want to read your feeds. Some are Windows based and require downloading and installation. You can also get RSS feeds in some email clients like Outlook (plugins) and ThunderBird.

But one of the easiest ways to get your information via RSS feeds is via a service called FeedMyInbox. If you're just subscribing to a few feeds, FeedMyInbox is a great option. First of all, it's FREE for up to five feeds. You don't even need to signup. All you have to do is enter the Feed URL and your email address. That's all! After doing that, the updates magically show up in your regular email inbox.

But now you might ask... "what is a Feed URL"? It's really pretty easy. When you see an RSS image on a web page or blog where you want to keep up with their updates, just right click it and select "Copy Link Location". Then paste that link location into the Feed URL area on FeedMyInbox. Then enter your email address, click "submit" and you're done.

A few other similar services include FeedMailer and Reblinks. And a google search for "rss to email" will likely yield many more similar services. But so far, FeedMyInbox seems to be the easiest RSS to Email service I've found.

by BaerMarketingNetwork.com

Industrial Trade Group Gives Social Media A Bad Rap - What Do You Think?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:30:00 +0000

@IndHeat - The folks over at "Industrial Heating: the International Journal of Thermal Technology" (heat treating & thermal processing) posted an Oct 2011 article titled "Is Social Media Relevant to Technical People?" So please read this article, and then come back to this post to share your thoughts.

Working in industrial marketing for over 10 years, I've sometimes wondered how some SMB industrial companies can be so averse to the marketing opportunities offered by the internet. But if their own industrial trade groups are misleading them, as Industrial Heating has done, then it begins to make sense. Sure, SMB industrial companies are conservative by nature, but shouldn't their trade groups try to reach beyond their own limited world to help their members by seeking outside expertise for areas beyond their scope?

Admittedly, the folks reading "Industrial Heating" are highly technical in their knowledge and application of heat treating and thermal technology solutions for industry. But that also means that they could easily adopt the minimally technical aspects of social media marketing. So, what are they missing?

Do agree with the analysis of the folks at Industrial Heating?
Do you agree with their conclusion that "chances are very good that your disinterest in social media will not hurt you in the short-term or intermediate-term future"?
Do you think that none of their thousands of industrial prospects and customers that use heat treating services are using social media?
They're reluctantly conceding that maybe, just maybe, video might have some value. What do you think? Would quality videos benefit the thousands of metal fabrication and other industrial companies that might need their parts heat treated? Could videos be helpful in explaining the different types of thermal treating like carburizing, nitriding, induction treating, vacuum treating, etc. Do you think all of their customers know all of those details? Do you think their customers care about those details?
Are they perhaps missing the point that their companies are not actually heat treating companies but, instead, there companies are sales companies?
Are they missing the point that every single employee at a company is part of the sales and marketing effort?
Did they do a sufficient job educating and encouraging their readers to adopt twitter?
Did you notice a lack of links in their article, even when they referenced clearly linkable information?
How about the lack of interactivity in this article (and many of their articles)? There is no ability to have a discussion. Hmmm, what's that word...? Oh, "interactive" !!!
Did you search for #hts2011 on twitter? What did you find? Did their Twitter efforts at their trade show work?
How could they do a better job of helping their users adopt social media?

What's interesting also, is that they include AddThis.com sharing & bookmarking links at the bottom of the article. They apparently want people to share their content, but not to interact with them. And, they have their own LinkedIn Group, Twitter and Facebook accounts. So maybe it's just the author that hasn't gotten the message, but others in their organization have. Regardless, I surely hope that their members aren't following the advice they gave in "Is Social Media Relevant to Technical People?". What do you think?

by BaerMarketingNetwork.com

Does B2B Social Marketing Work?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:20:00 +0000

"How One SMB Makes B2B Social Marketing Work" @thebyard @IVCiLLC @garyvee

"Someone can search for a product name and we come up, which is great, but it doesn't really show our value... Through social media and our blogging efforts, we can put out thought leadership content."

This is what Adam Kaiser, director of marketing at IVCi, was recently quoted as saying in the article "How One SMB Makes B2B Social Marketing Work" from "The BrainYard", Information Week's community for social business.

So let's look at that first half of that statement. "Someone can search for a product name and we come up, which is great, but it doesn't really show our value." This is what traditional website marketing has always been about. Build a site, help it get found with SEO, and the sales will just roll in! But in the real world, that doesn't necessarily happen any more. Nowadays, just about every company has a website. And among you and your competitors, there is usually a lot of very similar website content. As Mr. Kaiser points out, even when you get found, you're still just one company on a list of similar companies. Being ranked #1 or #4 or #6 in not any kind of indicator of quality or value.

So how do you stand out? The second part of that statement is all about marketing in today's interactive environment of integrated marketing with social media, SEO, video, and a good website as the base. "Through social media and our blogging efforts, we can put out thought leadership content."

In the B2B world, where there are often long cycle high value sales, we all have to remember, and remind ourselves periodically, of a few very important things.

We're actually selling to people, not to companies. At a recent conference I attented, the keynote speaker (Gary Vaynerchuk - @garyvee) made a simple, but very wise statement about B2B... "Behind every B is a C". Remember, B2B or B2C, we're selling to people!
In high value sales, people don't necessarily just buy features. They generally don't even just buy products or services. They're buying you. More precisely, they're buying into you. They're buying a belief in your credibility and your experience. They're actually investing, not buying. They're investing their trust in you.

So how does this relate back to social media marketing? If you do it right, social media is another avenue, another multiplier to build and spread the value of your expertise, the value of your experience, and the level trust in you as a person and then in your product and company. You're building "thought leadership" in your field.

People will be able to tell from your posts and your tweets if you're just another huckster out to push a product down their throat or if you're someone who actually believes in educating and helping people. They'll see if you seem to be reasonable and relevant in what you're saying. Social media is consultative selling.

So make your blog posts relevant, helpful, insightful and informative. Don't just talk about a product; talk about an experience! Make your tweets and your facebook page point to similar quality content; whether it is your blog post or someone else's. People will appreciate if you're not a know-it-all who thinks you're the only wise person out there. So share other people's good content as well and give them credit! Goodwill, karma, pay it forward, etc. You get the idea.

And when you do this, your total web presence (website, seo, social) will help you stand out among the list of companies in the search results and among your competitors because you've moved the game to a higher level.

IndustrialMegaSearch.com New Company Listing

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:15:00 +0000

Go to New Company Listings On IndustrialMegaSearch.com
Check out the latest company listed on IndustrialMegaSearch.com, including their social media links.

Roemer Industries - Manufacturer of custom industrial graphic identification including nameplates, labels, overlays, panels, barcodes and asset tags.
Located In: Masury, Ohio 44438
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Roemer-Industries-Inc/125097020874454
Blog URL:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/roemerind
YouTube:
Other Site: http://linkd.in/rTZsJa

by BaerMarketingNetwork.com

The Best of "100 Best Twitter How-to Tips" Part 1 of 3

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 23:24:00 +0000

I ran into an excellent series of blog posts and tweets that are also an eBook about the "100 Best Twitter How-to Tips to Maximize Your Twitter Business Strategy", by Dan Hollings (@dhollings).

But for small business and for my typical SMB industrial client, 100 tips is a bit much to digest. Keeping up with social media, after all, can be quite time consuming with limited resources. So I'm going to summarize the best of those tips for the SMB marketer. (SMB, by the way, means Small or Mid-sized Business) Links to the full lists will appear at the bottom of the blog, and also on twitter at @site_map by @dhollings.

The Best of "100 Best Twitter How-to Tips"

from Tips 1 -18

#10 - Do not think that just because Twitter asks for your web address in the settings account area with the silly question, "Have a homepage or a blog" means you must put in your blog or homepage URL. In fact, in many cases that is not a good idea. Instead, enter the URL to a dedicated page made specifically to greet, excite, or manifest interest from the people that will be investigating that link. It's literally like a landing page and in many cases should be design to get people to follow you. (See Tip #64 for another Bio link idea).

#13 - Try to keep your Twitter "Following / Follower" ratio balanced. If a potential follower sees you are following 1532 people and only 32 are following you; rightfully or wrong, some people might make assumptions you've not washed your socks in months...

#16 - What do you post? Ah, that's the magical part. Now granted, what you post depends largely on your goals and purpose with Twitter, but in general this is easy... post interesting stuff, preferably related in some way to what you do, who you are, what you (and your followers) are interested in etc. It pays to be interesting to your followers, but it pays more to be interested in your followers. Twitter is NOT a micro-advertising billboard.

#17 - When you engage in conversation with others, reference who you're talking to or about in your post by adding their Twitter username in this format: @dhollings

from Tips 19 - 36

#22 - Twitter does not allow images (or videos) directly within the posts, however, people love to see images. An all-text world, even if it's Twitterworld, is rather boring. Either link to images direct (like at Flickr.com), or through your blog, or use an application like TwitPic, Twinkle etc.

#25 - Don't keep your Twitter account a secret. Add your Twitter link to online, offline and mobile spots. Business cards, SMS text messages, Billboards, classified ads, yard signs, stickers, flyers, yellow pages, phone message machine, and every other place you can think of.

#26 - Add your Twitter message (example: "Follow Me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/dhollings") on all your online profile pages: FaceBook, Google Local, Amazon.com, Your Blog, YouTube, Naymz, Zoominfo, Ustream.tv, LinkedIn, MySpace, ReJaw, MerchantCircle, Ecademy, Pownce, Bebo, Profilactic, Tumblr, etc

#27 - Send invites by email and regular mail to your connections (friends, employees, prospects, customers, etc); those most appropriate for the Twitter content or conversation your Twitter page will engage in.

#31 - [Reply to new followers to thank them for following.] Including a link to something in your [response] email is good, but ONLY if the link goes to something really related and really interesting. Track the link, page or download file that it links to so you can gage if new followers are clicking or not. A followers interest is at its highest point immediately after they start following. Your goal is to secure enough interest (that is, muster up the Twitter WOW-factor) so they remember who you are and actually read your future tweets.

#32 - A general "rule of thumb" is to follow back MOST of those that follow you. To not follow-back can seem rude.

#33 - Twitter allows followers to send DIRECT (private) messages and public messages to you. There is a high likelihood that immediately upon following you and/or upon receiving your [response], the new follower may message you through Twitter. I highly recommend you Tweet back to these early direct or public tweets even if you cannot maintain a high level of one-on-one messaging all the time. First impressions are lasting and you'll only get one chance to make a good first Twitter impression.

#35 - Try setting up interesting (or perhaps controversial) Twitter polls to get follower feedback, engagement or word-of-mouth.

#36 - Remember that with Twitter, it's not all about YOU; rather, it's about others, it's about helping, sharing, having interesting exchanges, making things happen, and community. Blend in YOU (and what you do) in this mix and you'll become someone that people will want to follow.

***
Please stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 of this series. And please check out the links to the full series of posts on "100 Best Twitter How-to Tips" by @dhollings.
by BaerMarketingNetwork.com

IndustrialMegaSearch.com New Company Listings

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 10:56:00 +0000

Go to New Company Listings
Check out these new listings of industrial companies, including all of their social media links.

	Baghouse.com - Dust collection experts for over 40 years, with highly trained staff, and real-world experience Baghouse.com can help you meet your dust collection needs, and increase efficiency increase profits. Located In: Newark , Delaware 19711 FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baghousecom-LLC/111426178935865 Blog URL: http://www.baghouse.com/category/dust-collection-blog/ Twitter: YouTube: Other Site:
	Applied Laser Technology, Inc. - ALT offers high precision laser micro-maching and fabrication services. An Industry pioneer, we specialize in laser drilling, scribing and cutting, post processing, lapping, polishing and much more! Located In: Beaverton, OR 97005 FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Applied-Laser-Technology/117141931680572 Blog URL: Twitter: YouTube: Other Site:
	Rockford Specialties - Custom Wire Displays - OEM wire forms, welded components and complete fabrication Located In: Rockford, IL 61111 FaceBook: Blog URL: Twitter: YouTube: Other Site:
	PDQ Industrial Electric - Industrial, Commercial, Electrician, Electrical, Contractor, NJ, New Jersey, PA, DE, DelVal, MD, NY, CT, MA, RI,24 Hour, Emergency-Repair-Service, Automation, Conveyor, Machine Wiring, Troubleshooting Located In: Laurel Springs, NJ 08021 FaceBook: Blog URL: Twitter: http://Twitter.com/PDQelectric YouTube: Other Site: http://PDQIE.com
	Prototek Sheet Manufacturing - Prototek Sheetmetal Fabrication began in 1987, specializing in quick-turn prototypes for the precision sheet metal fabrication markets. Located In: Contoocook, NH 03229 FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Prototek-Manufacturing/129135277174294 Blog URL: http://prototekmanufacturing.tumblr.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/prototek YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/1987prototek Other Site: https://plus.google.com/b/112349367567575264672/112349367567575264672/posts

IndustrialMegaSearch.com New Company Listings

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 10:19:00 +0000

Oops, double post as we work out coordinating RSS feeds & blog posts.