The IndustrialSage 2018 Third Quarter Review

Where did the quarter go!? For those of you who were so busy that you could barely keep up with our podcast, consider this a nifty little cheat episode for you.

Our 2018 third quarter was one of the busiest we’ve ever had, so if you want to catch up to our show but don’t have the time…it’s alright. We understand.

Our first guest of the quarter was Guy Courtin of Infor – an old friend from MODEX 2018 back in April.

Guy sat down with us to discuss the shift of B2B business into the world of eCommerce. He explained that this change originated from B2B employees who are simply bringing over their buying habits from their regular B2C interactions.

To Guy, the rise of present-day eCommerce mirrors the rise of Dot-Com companies in the late 90s. Half-fad…half-foundational.

Our second interview of the summer was Jason Moss of the Georgia Manufacturing Alliance. He told us why and how the organization first came together, and how a manufacturing alliance actually helps its members increase sales.

Event though many of the original alliance members were competitors, Jason helped them realize that they all have different connections; different equipment; and different resources.

The habit of outsourcing has caused manufacturers to overlook their own neighbors – many of whom can provide services that are otherwise being sent overseas! Thanks to the GMA’s regular facility tours, the governor’s motion to turn July into “Buy from Georgia Month,” and the organization’s new website BuyFromGA.com.

Our next guest was someone Danny discovered over social media – funny what a great resource that’s been…

We met Jonathan Bradshaw of Kobalt Tools after seeing a new Kobalt tools video series, “Kobalt Artisans.” He joined our show to discuss the power of leveraging customer stories as video content, which can communicate a more powerful message than mere product shots.

The Artisans series is barely about the tools – instead, the videos focus on the unique projects of workers and craftsmen.

That customer-centric thinking has also helped Kobalt to adapt or alter their products in unexpected ways. Sometimes they encounter ideas for extra features or entirely new products when they see someone using their tools in a way they didn’t anticipate

And last (but never least), Brian Moseley of Databox sat down with us to discuss how to build a martech stack (or pare it down) to get the most out of digital techniques.

Whether you’re just starting off with new software, or if you’re trying to manage a marketing technology collection that has gotten out of hand, there are ways to keep everything condensed.

There are only roughly five KPIs that the average B2B marketer needs to monitor. Do you know what they are?

The 2018 third quarter may have been a rich one – but don’t think that the holidays will find us sitting on our laurels here at IndustrialSage!

Right at the start of October, we’ll be hosting a panel discussion, “Secrets of Sales & Marketing,” at the Georgia Manufacturing Summit. What will we be covering? You’ll find out if you’re one of our subscribers, because we’ll be recording the whole thing!

IndustrialSage will also be sending out a survey to collect more information about you and your fellow manufacturers, to share data on common marketing practices. Are you ahead, or behind? Will other companies invest similar amounts in marketing at the start of 2019? You’ll just have to sign up for our mailing list and take the survey to find out.

 

Thanks for reading. Don’t forget to subscribe to the IndustrialSage newsletter to get each of the weekly episodes sent directly to your inbox; or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes so you can listen on the go! If there’s a particular topic that you’d like the sages to talk about, or if you have a particular a challenge that you’d like them to take a crack at, send them an email. If your topic gets picked for a future episode, you’ll win a free IndustrialSage t-shirt!