Manufacturers Shift Marketing Budget to the Web

"Manufacturers spent the past fifteen years becoming lean, efficient, and highly competitive while completely ignoring their marketing and public relations efforts," according to Thomas R. Cutler, the nation's leading manufacturing journalist and CEO of TR Cutler, Inc. (www.trcutlerinc.com) based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

“ With almost nine out of ten manufacturers employing less than fifty employees, tight margins, global competitiveness, and enticing spending alternatives, PR is often relegated to th... ”

In early Q3, Cutler conducted the largest North American manufacturer survey about anticipated marketing budgets in 2006. Statistically significant findings indicated that nearly two-thirds (64%) of the manufacturers surveyed anticipate a dramatic increase in PR budgets of 50% above 2005 levels; travel, print advertising, tradeshow exhibiting, and direct mail each revealed a 30% decrease in 2006 marketing versus 2005.

Cutler developed the PR Advantage Affinity program for manufacturing associations' members. TR Cutler suggested that, "Due to our leadership role in the manufacturing public relations arena, we have decided to introduce a program that will allow manufacturing associations to offer their members deeply discounted PR services starting in September 2005. There is no cost for the manufacturing associations to participate in the program and offer these deeply discounted PR services to their members."

According to Dean Schmidt, Vice President of the Affinity Program for TR Cutler, Inc., "We had to find a way for manufacturers to rapidly experience ROI from an aggressive PR campaign. 45 press releases in 90 days generates extraordinary traffic to manufacturers' websites and optimizes search engine rankings." Schmidt acknowledged that new website traffic from potential customers often helps to quickly identify missing "call-to-action" messages and results in revised or updated websites.

Schmidt also noted, "With almost nine out of ten manufacturers employing less than fifty employees, tight margins, global competitiveness, and enticing spending alternatives, PR is often relegated to the "back burner."

Manufacturer neglect, prompted the development and launch of the intensive Manufacturing PR Media Blitz' program, a 90—day program allowing even very small manufacturers to tiptoe into the public relations arena driving quantifiable and measurable impacts.

TR Cutler
954-486-7562
www.trcutlerinc.com
trcutler@trcutlerinc.com

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