Inspiration For Your Company’s Web Site
The examples of what you should be doing on your own Web site are sometimes difficult to find.
ThomasNet.com (www.thomasnet.com): Recently, Thomas Publishing has decided to fold its TR and regional databases into one online model—ThomasNet. The company has other Web-based engines that should be of interest to you and your business: Verdex (www.verdex.com, special portals into the Thomas database of suppliers based on verticals like gears and medical manufacturing); Thomas Global Register; and two publications of interest to machinists—Managing Automation (www.managingautomation.com) and Industrial Equipment News (www.ienonline.com). These sites can offer shops inspiration or guidance for your own Web strategies through access to the Web sites of others.
The Institute for Supply Management: Understand that this organization and Web site were built and are maintained to serve the interests of people that manage supply chains, which includes researching and purchasing the services of businesses like yours. With effort, you can find information on this site that supports what buyers of machining services look for when researching and assessing the value of potential suppliers online. That can translate into what information your own Web site should provide to influence these folks best.
The examples of what you should be doing on your own Web site are sometimes difficult to find. But this much is certain: the answers lie in both what others similar to you are doing and in the behaviors of your current and potential customers.
