DaveTurbide.com

Archive: Market Analysis & Communications for the Manufacturing Industry

It (Still) Pays to Advertise

July 2010
“It pays to advertise” was a popular slogan from the 1950s that is still proving itself as true today. I was reminded of this recently in the little town where I live.

Hits and Clicks

June 2010
Remember the bad old days of the dot-com bubble when the big idea was to deliver “eyeballs”? Lots of companies launched websites and eagerly counted “hits” until the advertisers realized that having their image on the user’s screen does not mean that they have made a connection. Dot-coms that couldn’t deliver “clicks” quickly faded away.

Cheaper, better, faster?

May 2010
The subtitle of my Lean + Green Manufacturing blog is “…making products cheaper, better, faster”. Not very elegant perhaps, but in line with the traditional mandate for manufacturing management. Of course, satisfying the customer is the ultimate goal.

Top Line Bottom Line

April 2010
Generally it’s easier to justify a system acquisition when the potential ROI can be easily calculated on the basis of direct cost savings. The marketing challenge today is to focus the prospect’s attention on the top line benefits (and what they contribute to the bottom line) rather than the diminishing potential for cost cutting-based savings.

The 4 Ps of Marketing – Old & New

March 2010
The 4 Ps of marketing are still valid and product, price, placement and promotion are key concerns. But it’s also important to recognize that social media is a different world where traditional placement and promotion do not apply.

2 Alternatives: Make Money or Save Money

February 2010
While the software development business is focused on features and functions, and the hardware business understands that it is the software that provides value, marketing and sales must remember that companies buy systems for their ability to make money or save money.

5 Actions: Marketing is Key

January 2010
Although the changing of the calendar is a relatively arbitrary event, it is nonetheless an opportunity many of us take to review the past year and make plans and resolutions for the coming twelve months. Here are some guidelines as we move into the new decade.

Selling Sustainability

December 2009
Many ‘green’ efforts are also sustainability efforts. When you reduce energy requirements, you are reducing the use of fossil fuels and lowering emissions. When you eliminate or reduce packaging that contributes to sustainability as well. Using materials from renewable sources (soy-based instead of petrochemical, for example), is a very sustainability oriented action. Most of these changes also save money, many immediately and others over the long term.

Are You Green?

November 2009
Are you green? Of course you are. Manufacturing management systems and the manufacturing professionals that use them have always been focused on waste reduction, increased efficiency and more effective use of resources – that’s their job. With today’s focus on sustainability and all things green, there is a real opportunity to highlight your products and services and how they can contribute to these efforts.

The Other SME

October 2009
We are all often called upon to write about new technologies with which we have no experience – that’s really the essence of the job: explaining new ideas and new products. But you have to question whether a journalist can really grasp the essence and the value of a new product as well as someone with an engineering background, someone who has actually been in the plant and in the warehouse applying these kinds of technology in actual practice – the Subject Matter Expert.

Do You Miss Trade Shows?

September 2009
Trade shows are a pretty rare occurrence these days, and many companies have either cancelled their annual user conferences outright or switched to smaller, regional events. While there are certainly fewer magazines (and fewer editors) these days, there are still quite a few ‘influencers’ out there who are finding it difficult to stay abreast of all the product developments and customer successes. This group of ‘influencers’ includes independent consultants, active website writers and bloggers, and regional consulting organizations (not affiliated with specific vendor products), among others. While many vendors are still doing ‘press tours’ to update analysts and the media, they are still not reaching the other influencers mentioned above.

Free

August 2009
Companies with real products to sell can and should give something away to generate good will, awareness, and credibility. The key to success is to make the give-away something of value to the user – and not just a thinly disguised sales pitch. The benefit gained from the “giveaway” should help build future revenue.

Focus

July 2009
What is your real competitive advantage? Where have you been most successful? What are your greatest strengths as a product or service provider? Surprisingly, many companies do not know the answers to those questions – or they think they do but are mistaken – and that will ultimately lead to their demise.

Planning for Sales to Recover

June 2009
According to philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” It appears we are about to find the truth of that statement as we begin to climb out of the current recession. This is not the time to pat ourselves on the back and say “phew, we survived.” It is time to make positive moves to grab up market share from more timid competitors.

Relationship Marketing

May 2009
It’s called friendship when it’s person-to-person. It’s called networking when it’s practiced among colleagues or business acquaintances. When companies stay in touch, get to know and ‘socialize’ with customers, suppliers and partners, it might be called customer service or supplier relationship management. Or you could just call it smart, economical marketing.

Leverage Your Customers’ Success

April 2009
A successful customer is your best advertisement. You have successful customers, (you wouldn’t still be in business if you didn’t) so why not tell the world? Customer success stories (case studies) give you the opportunity to showcase customer success, proving your product’s value, functionality and benefits.

White Papers for Credibility and Awareness

March 2009
Just what is a White Paper? Originally a government-issued statement of position or policy, the term White Paper has come to be a business tool for stating, well, a position or policy. Commonly, White Papers will explain a new technology or a unique approach that the sponsor feels is a competitive strength of their product.