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| April 2, 2009 If you are not a current subscriber, subscribe here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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MAIN EVENT Top story |
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PMA Business Conditions Report: Metalformers Expect Little Change Through Spring Metalformers anticipate that the soft business conditions in the metalforming market will continue over the next three months compared to the last three, according to the March PMA Business Conditions Report. The March survey includes respondents from 160 metalforming companies in the United States and Canada. When asked what the trend in general economic activity will be during the next three months, 13 percent of participants expect an improvement (up from nine percent in February), 39 percent predict it will remain the same (compared to 48 percent last month) and 48 percent anticipate a decline (43 percent in the last report). Expectations for incoming orders improved slightly from February to March. Twenty-four percent anticipate an increase (up from 16 percent in February), 35 percent expect no change (34 percent in February) and 41 percent expect a decline (down from 50 percent in February). Says PMA president William Gaskin, “A large segment of the metalforming industry is on pins and needles waiting to learn whether the Automotive Task Force, which is advising the U.S. Treasury Department, will support additional financial help for General Motors and/or Chrysler and whether the liquidity needs of automotive suppliers, especially Tier Two and Tier Three middle-market companies, will be addressed by any additional forthcoming assistance.” See the full report here. PMA Sales and Marketing Report Reveals Trends and Opportunities for Metalformers The new 2009 PMA Sales and Marketing Report reveals that middle-market metalforming companies are successfully shifting their sales and marketing to become much more diversified, with the best opportunities coming from defense/ordinance, aerospace, and health and medical markets, as they are expected to be the strongest markets through the next 12 months. The report profiles the marketing campaigns and sales plans for 106 manufacturing companies. Read PMA’s press release or learn more about PMA business report subscriptions. JABS A forum for marketing strategies Are You Atwitter? All hype aside, Twitter is for real and probably here to stay. As a tool for instant mass communication, the microblogging site has opened up expansive possibilities for b2b marketers to engage the marketplace. Take Trumpf, Inc. for instance. The provider of metal fabricating machinery recently announced in a press release its foray into Twitter starting with tweets from the 2009 TECMA machine-tools tradeshow in Mexico that took place this past March. “We are always searching for ways to help us better connect with each other and our customers,” says Trumpf executive vice president Burke Doar. “Innovation is a guiding principle at Trumpf, and we are approaching our involvement in social media with a spirit of adventure.” Here are a few basic tips to get started on Twitter: 1.Go to Twitter.com and create a profile for yourself or your company/brand. 2. Search for any key customers, colleagues and industry thought leaders already active on Twitter and follow them. 3. Search your company, brand and/or product names, and any relevant industry keywords at search.twitter.com and set up an RSS feed on those search terms. This will give you a convenient real-time feed of the chatter in the tweetosphere that contains those terms, giving you the opportunity to instantly engage your customers and industry peers. (New to RSS? This RSS in plain English video provides a great crash course on getting started.) 4. Make a point to post at least one industry-relevant tweet per day. Since a tweet can only be 140 characters long this should be easy. 5. As with other social media, authenticity and content are key. As a b2b marketer, represent your product without hocking your wares. Be an honest commentator on industry trends and news. For additional tips on using Twitter for b2b communication, view this video on the A B2B Marketing How-To blog. ON THE CARD Upcoming events for sales and marketing professionals Get Involved with PMA’s Sales and Marketing Committee The committee meets four times per year at various locations Direct Marketing Association’s 2009 B-to-B Lead Generation Conference April 6-8, 2009 – New Orleans, LA PMA 11th Annual Marketing and Sales Roundtable May 20-21, Cleveland, OH – PMA Headquarters Business Marketing Association 2009 Annual Conference June 10-11, 2009 – Chicago, IL KNOCKOUT! MetalForming delivers New Product Showcase Added to Metalforming Search The Precision Metalforming Association’s Metalforming Search Supplier Directory has just launched a new feature that allows you to highlight specific new equipment and products to the online audience of Metalformingsearch.com. The New Product Showcase highlights an unlimited number of products, including pictures and a description of each item in a rotation on the front page of the guide and on its own feature page. All showcased products are searchable from anywhere in the guide and accessible directly from the completed listing. To learn more about the New Product Showcase, call Matt Kreuter at 972/402-7744. For more information on other advertising options, click here to view the Metalforming Search media kit. |
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Subscriber Information: You have received this e-mail because you have subscribed to The Punch or have previously requested information from the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA). If you no longer wish to receive promotional e-mails from PMA including METALFORM trade shows, seminars, and other events pertaining to your interest, please contact Barb Tillett by fax at 216-901-9669 or by phone at 216-901-8800 ext. 124. PMA Services, Inc., 6363 Oak Tree Blvd., Independence, Ohio 44131-2500 Phone: 216-901-8800 ---- Fax: 216-901-9669 ---- Send feedback © copyright 2008 Precision Metalforming Association All Rights Reserved Legal Page |
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