The keywords and phrases used by your target audience groups to search indicate several things:

• Their interests
• Problems they want answers to
• Things they want to buy
• The language they use to refer to all of the above
• Who they are (to some extent)

Once you have grouped your results for easy reference, the next step is to analyze them so that you get the clearest understanding possible of whom you are targeting and why. You are likely to discover that each of your targeted audience groups has different characteristics, different ways of expressing what you offer, and challenges unique to their concerns. You may manufacture boilers for commercial use, for example, but a school district has very different needs and challenges from a privately funded hospital.

Successfully reaching your targeted audience groups requires more than putting your message in front of them: “We make windows. You need windows. So buy our windows.” Okay. Perhaps that example is a little over-simplified but it makes a good point about what NOT to do. To reach your targeted audiences means to engage them on a topic of interest to them. In effect, you want to be seen and heard. And the best way to get a person to engage with you is by being relevant.

Keyword research provides you with the insight you need to understand how to be relevant to those you want to pay attention and take action.

For comprehensive keyword research and analysis services call Industrial Web Solutions at 1-800-399-9859.

It all started with Pay-Pass at the gas pump and convenience stores. Remember the commercial of the guy running in the marathon and he buys a drink while he is running the race using a card he swipes? Well Google has partnered with Sprint, First Data, Citi, and MasterCard to test Google Wallet, a similar type of digital contactless payment option that allows Wallet-enabled Smartphones (right now only the Samsung Nexus S from Sprint) to tap to pay. The application works for both online and offline in-store purchases.

Contactless payments are processed by a special terminal. Only terminals with the universal contactless symbol will work with Google Wallet for in-store purchases. The terminal must be an ISO 14443 or 18092 standard. Merchants interested in getting a contactless terminal can contact First Data at 888-265-8147. To take advantage of Google Wallet, merchants must sign up to become a Google SingleTap Merchant. An additional benefit to you is the free listing you get on Google’s Where it works map. Because the program is still in beta, Google is taking inquiries at wallet-b2b@google.com.

From customer loyalty programs to special promotions, there are lots of opportunities to develop custom marketing programs around Google Wallet to drive traffic to your brick-and-mortar store or to get targeted buyers to take advantage of the convenience it offers them for online purchases. I suggest you also look into another Google program in beta called Google Offers, where Google markets participating businesses’ offers to its registered Offers members (just like Groupon does). If you want more information, about Google Offers, submit an online inquiry here.

Google Wallet is more than just a digital credit card. It is designed to replace the kinds of purchasing items a person may carry in their wallet, such as credit cards, coupons, advertisements, and so forth. The application allows consumers to save offers and apply them when they are ready to make an in-store or online purchase. It saves them the hassle of looking for the right coupon, counting their cash, or even retrieving a credit card. Bottom line for shoppers is Google Wallet is faster and more convenient. So ultimately it offers you a great way to reach out to mobile users and convince them to buy from you. For example, consumers searching for products or services in your area can save your offers in Google Wallet and then redeem them in-store, which allows you to analyze ‘online marketing to in-store purchases.’ It’s a powerful way to ensure you market effectively online to reach your targeted mobile audiences so you can generate sales both online and offline.

To get started with contactless terminal transactions, please contact First Data at 888-265-8147 or visit their site. Send inquiries about Google Wallet to wallet-b2b@google.com.

Chances are you are not the only company out there that sells the types of products and services you offer. And you may not be the only company that sells products from a specific manufacturer. Or you may be competing with companies who sell comparable products and solutions from other manufacturers. In short, you have competitors. And the only collateral you have to convince your targeted online audience groups to choose you and your solution over your competitors is your online web content, particularly that which appears on your website.

So the first step is to add content development to your website design/re-design budget. How much you need to add to your budget depends on a few factors:

• Do you have existing content that can be cost effectively re-worked? I say ‘cost-effectively’ because sometimes existing content is so poor that it would be faster to start from scratch than to try to fix badly written copy or digital images and document attachments of poor quality.
• Are you completely lacking in content and in need of everything including compelling, search engine optimized sales and marketing copy, case studies or white papers, digital images, and/or digital attachments?
• Does our branding need to be updated to a 21^st century look and feel?
• How much research will be required to develop your content? Is it easy for you to assemble the source materials and present them in a usable format to your content development team? Can the content writer get what she needs from you during a conference call with you and your team?
• Do you need to purchase digital images or have digital images taken by a professional photographer?
• Would you benefit from video development? Or do you have videos that require editing or accompanying text?
• Are you willing to invest in the long term benefits of search engine optimization? Content that is easily and accurately indexed and delivered in organic search results by the search engines, particularly Google, opens up all kinds of opportunities for business development like expanding your brand reach and recognition, lead generation, and sales.

There is a lot to consider because web content includes:

• Copy (sales and marketing text, all informational text, strategic calls to action, online forms)
• Images (photos, illustrations, graphical designs, CAD drawings, etc.)
• Branding (logos, graphical design)
• Document Attachments (case studies, white papers, downloadable brochures, sell sheets, pricing, MSDS, etc.)
• Videos
• Audio
• Hyperlinks (clickable links that provide access to your web content)

The important thing to remember is that your targeted site visitors are there to interact with your web content because they have an expectation to fulfill: to find and generally acquire what they are looking for. The relevance and quality of your web content impacts what they will do next – click away or engage further. If you fear or loath the thought of web content development speak with a professional – not your shrink but a web content development specialist!

I invite you to read a great blog post by Ron Jones for ClickZ on Web Content Development 101 for some ideas to get you thinking accurately about your web content.

If you’re ready to speak with a professional, give Industrial Web Solutions a call at (800) 399-9859.

Although 14 manufacturing industries reported growth in February, including Apparel, Leather & Allied Products; Petroleum & Coal Products; Transportation Equipment; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Machinery; Chemical Products; Fabricated Metal Products; Computer & Electronic Products; Textile Mills; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Printing & Related Support Activities; Paper Products; Wood Products; and Miscellaneous Manufacturing, the continued weak dollar is being blamed for the high cost of components and raw materials, particularly those obtained overseas. Representatives from Transportation Equipment stated “It is going to force us to increase our selling prices to our customers.” A similar statement was made by representatives from Chemical Products: “We continue to see significant inflation across nearly every type of chemical raw material we purchase.”  Nonmetallic Mineral Products, which is one of the 4 industries to experience contraction last month, along with Plastics & Rubber Products; Primary Metals; and Furniture & Related Products, stated, “Prices continue to rise, while business limps along at last year’s pace.” Plastics and Rubber reported, “Overall demand is off 10 percent.”

While the weak dollar has adversely affected the purchase of components and raw materials overseas it has had a positive impact on exports, which experienced a growth percentage point change of +0.5% with a PMI of 62.5%. Right alongside that of the overall economy, exports have experienced continued month-over-month growth at a faster rate of change for the past twenty months. Both Production and New Orders are up as well. Production experienced an increase of 2.8 percentage points from the January reading of 63.5%, registering a Production Index of 66.3% and continued growth for the 21^st consecutive month. Demonstrating a 20 month growth trend at a faster rate of change, New Orders were up 0.2 percentage points from January.  Thirteen industries reported growth in New Orders, including Apparel, Leather & Allied Products; Petroleum & Coal Products; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Wood Products; Printing & Related Support Activities; Machinery; Transportation Equipment; Chemical Products; Paper Products; Fabricated Metal Products; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Computer & Electronic Products; and Miscellaneous Manufacturing, while Primary Metals; Nonmetallic Mineral Products; Furniture & Related Products; and Plastics & Rubber Products reported decreases.

Despite a +0.5 percentage point rise in Prices, and increases for the past 20 months at a faster rate of change, manufacturing and the overall economy continue to expand. And that is good news. Companies are challenged to find cost saving ways to attract new business to offset any decreases in orders from existing customers that may occur as a result of rising Prices. To manage marketing budgets set aside for new business development, industrial marketers must consider the changing landscape of search, social media, and lead/sales generation that occurs online and offline. Content presented on blogs, websites, text ads, emails, industrial directories, map sites, search engines, relevant 3^rd party sites, Twitter, Facebook and other social media websites, as well as all direct mail letters and brochures, must be current and highly focused on the specific interests of your target audience groups. Market research may need to be done to understand those interests and to uncover the specific language used by your target audiences to search for what you offer. Through careful research, planning, and implementation budgets can be intelligently and carefully managed to nurture leads, sales, and overall business growth, particularly as you strategize to offset the impact of increased prices.

For help with your marketing research, planning, creation and implementation speak with an Industrial Web Solutions marketing expert. Call (800) 399-9859.

Our industrial clients at Industrial Web Solutions are starting to approach us, instead of the other way around, about ways to build their brand and hopefully generate leads using social media. The first place we begin with clients is to uncover and define their goals, both long term and short term, objectives, and metrics for success. Understanding why you are doing something helps you to effectively design the ways in which you are going to achieve your objectives and exactly what metrics reveal your progress. Sounds simple but it is a step that is often avoided because clients get stuck on the bigger picture – make sales. Of course we all want to make sales but there are so many goals that have to be achieved that affect our sales success. And a well-thought out strategy makes sure all of the goals are accounted and planned for.

In addition to all the ideas offered by Della Penna, I would add a reminder to be consistent. Remember, you are concurrently trying to build your perceived authority for the products and/or services represented by your web content. Referred to in search engine optimization as your ‘authority score,’ which is in addition to your ‘link authority’ (hyperlinks that identify your content as relevant to and an authority of the products and/or services represented), your brand name or company representative is associated by the search engines with the content discussed in the Twitter post, for example. Pick your areas of expertise and stick to them and you will build your authority score, which affects indexing and rankings in the search engines. After a comprehensive research and development to identify the keywords used by your target audience groups to refer to what you offer, use those keywords strategically in the posts and other web content you present on the various social media channels you have decided to focus on. Create strong and compelling content that accurately reflects the interests of your readers. The more your content is referenced the stronger your authority score will be and the more likely it is that your content will rise to the top in the search engine results.

An oxymoron perhaps, but social media means business. Use it with intelligence and planning and it can be an effective way for you to build your brand and increase your lead acquisition online.

Contact Industrial Web Solutions with your questions 1-800-399-9859.