Michael Ference Fluid Power Marketing

In growing a business, standing still is not an option.  I have learned from many years in the business world that you must keep moving forward to sustain and grow a business.  Protect your core business and customers while stimulating growth, but you must do both. That is why marketing and advertising are so important to companies.  It is one thing to know and protect your core of business and accounts but companies must grow to survive.  That is where stimulating growth comes in. At Fluid Power World , we help companies to reach new customers and prospects while also sending their sales message to core customers.  By regularly sending your sales message out the right audience with the right frequency, a company can indeed stimulate growth but it takes time and patience. That is why I recommend an integrated advertising program to all of my clients.  Use print advertising and banner advertising on our websites to build and maintain brand awareness. ...

I know that it is not even January yet, not the New Year.  But, the first 2018 issue of Fluid Power World will be our February issue and there is a lot to talk about there! For starters, we will feature Mobile Hydraulics in Utility Applications.  As regular attendees at the ICUEE Show in Louisville (International Construction Utility Equipment Expo), we have picked up many application stories that we would like to share with our audience. If you never visited the ICUEE Show, then you can find out more about it by visiting their website .  The show will take place again in 2019 but we have some great reviews from the past show. Tubing vs. Hose -  is a question that will be addressed in our February 2018 issue of Fluid Power World .  We already have lots of great content on the subject on our Hose Assembly Tips website and I invite you to visit there for the latest product information. Next, we will review Pneumatics in Food Processing....

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! Join us in 2018 for a really great year for Fluid Power World! We kickoff the year with our joint issue with Design World magazine in January.  It is called the Leadership in Engineering and it will be one of the biggest and best engineering issues you will ever see! In February, Fluid Power World will publish our first issue of the year and our lineup will include:  Mobile Hydraulics - Utility Applications, Tubing vs. Hose, Pneumatics in Food Processing, Hannover Fair Preview, and Product Focus on Motors and FRLs.  That will be an excellent package of editorial content served to our readers in our first print issue in 2018. Consider joining us as an advertiser and place your sales message within a fantastic package of fluid power content.  If you have any questions, please contact me at mference@wtwhmedia.com

I am no technological expert about robots, but I have listened to several presentations about the subject of robotics, artificial intelligence, and all of the technologies in between.  Our company, WTWH Media has become very involved in this technology with the acquisition of our website The Robot Report. I know that robotics is a market for fluid power components but, not being a technology expert, I am not clear of the volume of components sold into this market.  So we may have some synergy here with this new venture and I will look forward to any opportunities to utilize this new property for our fluid power customers. This new business sector also has an event titled Robotics Summit & Showcase and the first event will be held in May 2018.   Here is a link to the event website. I would like to hear any feedback on fluid power in robotics.  What I have heard is that robotics are being used in manufacturing, material handling, and even in cons...

If you have seen my sales presentation, you know that I promote Building Brand Awareness while Generating Sales Leads ... Does that look familiar?  Well, our capability to generate sales leads for our advertisers is better than ever.  With our five e-newsletters, e-blasts, white papers, e-books, and webinars, we can help your company to take advantage of the current upturn in the fluid power industry. Even if we do not get to speak before the end of this year, we can reconvene in 2018 to discuss ways that our network will help your company to increase sales and market share in the new year!

The National Fluid Power Association NFPA, wrapped up its regional meeting series this week with the Chicago area meeting held at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, IL.  For more information about 2018 regional meetings please visit their  website .  It was a very nice event with two excellent speakers. Tamima Farooqui is the Job Resource Specialist at the college and she gave a very thorough overview on what kinds of jobs technical students are seeking and how they can best assimilate into the workforce.  She gave some background on the type of training and counseling they receive at Moraine Valley.   The second speaker, Neil Barker, Associate Professor of Integrated Systems Technology furthered the notion of a diverse workforce.  He gave some great insights into the technical training and career aspirations of their technical students.  Later, Neil gave a tour of their new fluid power lab. Near the end of her presentation, Tam...

Well, we at Fluid Power World do care about compressed air.  In fact, we have an entire website and e-newsletter dedicated to compressed air called Pneumatic Tips in each case.  We are very fortunate at FPW to have an excellent Contributing Editor on the subject of compressed air and his name is Ron Marshall and he is a consultant with the Compressed Air Challenge.  Ron writes column in every issue of FPW titled Energy Efficiency and I invite you to read that on our website or in our magazine. In adding to our offering of great editorial content, we produced a webinar recently titled Compressed air optimization:  Solving your system problems in an energy efficient way by the very same expert, Ron Marshall.   You can access this webinar at your convenience on-demand by following this link:  Compressed Air Optimization   It is free to view and you can do this from your own computer on your time. I invite you to register and watch this v...

Being a media veteran has its pros and cons, mostly pros.  By having many years of experience as a media professional in the fluid power industry, I have some unique insights into what works in terms of media strategy. I can simplify my advice in one sentence.  Try all forms of media as your budget allows.  We believe here at WTWH Media, parent company of Fluid Power World, that the ways that engineers and other technical people consume information has forever changed and it continues to evolve. That is why our magazine and digital media network offer so many opportunities for our advertisers to send their sales message to our readers and audience.  We connect the two in many ways.  I always advise my clients to use multiple platforms to reach their target audience and that includes print, web, digital, custom. and in-person. Guess what.  Fluid Power World offers all of those platforms to marketers of fluid power components.  All we really...

I have probably written this before but this is a very busy time of the year.  Let alone the preparation and celebration of the holidays, this is a hectic time for media professionals. First of all, I wish all of my readers and all of my customers a Very Happy Thanksgiving. I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read my posts.  I always try to share useful content that is in some way centered around the fluid power industry and all of the markets served.  If you are a regular reader, thank you for your support!!! If you are a customer of Fluid Power World, thank you so much for making this magazine and digital media network a big success.  Please let me know how I can serve you best in the coming year! It remains a very busy time though because most of my customers are preparing their 2018 marketing programs now and I have attempted to contact everyone who might be interested in advertising in 2018.  If you have any questions regarding how we...

This year has been a fairly good one for the fluid power industry.  Some companies may say that it has been a very good year! We still have one more print issue of Fluid Power World comin g up and that is our December issue.  I invite all of our advertisers and prospective advertisers to finish the year strong with a special advertising package that I have put together. Here is our lineup : Mobile Hydraulics – Construction Equipment, the largest user of hydraulics will be examined here.  There are many interesting stories involving  construction  equipment and a new chapter will be unveiled in December. Pneumatics  - Packaging equipment designs are studied in this issue.  Packaging equipment represents one of the biggest users of pneumatic components. Industrial Systems – Integrating IoT with fluid power systems for maximum  performance is the planned topic.  The Internet of Things offers efficiency and productivit...

Our Fluid Power digital media network consists of five websites and the network is designed to serve the informational needs of our engineering audience.  It all starts with great content and I would like to share some of that with you now. From our newest website, Sealing & Contamination Control Tips , here is an article that explains Beta Ratio.   What is Beta Ratio?   To any reader with an interest in fluid power filtration, this article will have meaning.  This is the entry point into our digital media network for those individuals. One of our websites is dedicated to hose, fittings, assemblies, quick couplings, crimpers, saws, and everything that makes fluid conveyance possible.   Hose Assembly Tips features articles such as How do you clean hydraulic hose assemblies?   This is the where technical fluid power buyers and specifiers enter our digital media network. All of the content found on our websites including the two listed abov...

In order to best serve fluid power manufacturers and distributors with their marketing and advertising plans and strategy, it is very important to understand the products made and sold by the individual client with which we are working.   I have been the Publisher of Fluid Power World magazine and digital media network for the past 3 years and this has been my standard method of providing service. Marketing and advertising strategy depends a lot on a company’s market position, sales channels, budget, and intentions on how to grow their sales.   In working with a fluid power client, I like to gather all of this information before making a recommendation.   Every advertiser is at least a little bit different and our media network offers solutions for every one of them. Fluid Power World offers several means for reaching qualified buyers and specifiers of fluid power components and related products.   We surround the engineer with information allowing o...

If your company is a member of the National Fluid Power Association NFPA , then you will receive quarterly reports done by the Institute for Trends Research, ITR, for NFPA members.  This is very useful information because, as the name indicates, trends in the economy are reported on a regular basis. As Fluid Power World  is a member of NFPA, I receive these reports and find them very useful.  In addition to the information learned at the annual Industry & Economic Outlook Conference held in Wheeling, IL every August, I get updates throughout the year.  There are also quarterly webcast updates of economic information done by ITR for NFPA members. The latest report for the third quarter of 2017 shows very solid economic conditions for the fluid power industry with accelerating growth for hydraulic and pneumatic components at a 12.3% rate for this year.  While there will be a slowdown coming in growth, the forecast is for another positive plus growth year f...

The Fluid Power Technology Conference will be held on May 15-16, 2018 at the Kern Center at the Milwaukee School of Engineering in Milwaukee.  Since our 2017 conference this past May, we have been holding regular meetings with our committee of advisors.  Our intention is to take what we have established with this event and continue to make it better. Some of the ideas that we have discussed for next year include having more panel discussions, including users and customers on some of the manufacturers' seminar presentations, and having a panel titled Women in Fluid Power.  All of these ideas are starting to take shape. Additionally, we will be hosting a Fluid Power Basics day of training on Monday, May 15, 2018 conducted by the faculty at the Milwaukee School of Engineering.  There will be tours of the Fluid Power Institute Lab and the Rapid Prototyping Center.  We are searching for a manufacturer partner to hose an off-site tour as well. So our efforts...

As we approach the end of the year, one of the very important phases of a marketing plan for most fluid power companies takes place now.  Marketing professionals are planning their 2018 marketing ad advertising strategies. I would like to offer some advice to them and that is that integrated advertising programs are best.  Print, web, e-mail, and custom media program work best when they are all used together.  Our promise at WTWH Media is that we surround the engineers seeking up-to-date information with the very content they are seeking. Surrounding them with many forms of content is the best way to reach fluid power buyers and specifiers.  Our programs do just that. If you would like help with your 2018 advertising strategy, please let me know.  I can help. At Fluid Power World, we offer an excellent magazine, six websites, six e-newsletters, custom sponsored content, and a ever-widening social media network.  Let us put this network to work for ...

Well, I happen to remember that day in July 1969 when two American astronauts landed their Apollo lunar landing module on the moon.  The first guy was Neil Armstrong.  I remember him saying "One small step for man ... and one giant leap for mankind" like it was yesterday.  This was perhaps the greatest engineering feat up until that time. The second person to set foot on the moon was astronaut Buzz Aldrin.  So, when I was browsing through the audiobooks available from the Cuyahoga County Public Library on my cell phone, I spotted the name Buzz Aldrin and realized that this book might just be worth listening to, and it was. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book by Buzz Aldrin titled No Dream is Too High:  Lessons from a Man Who Walked on the Moon.   The author relates his life's experiences including his moon walk, to offer useful advice on all aspects of life.  Buzz is still working to share his knowledge and experience with his audience...

We currently have an on-demand webinar on our Fluid Power World website about hydraulic cylinders and I invite you to take a look. Here is a link  for you to register for this free webinar.  At Fluid Power World, we produce and promote educational webinars on a regular basis.  Take a look.

I may have mentioned this before but WTWH Media is very strong in the area of video production.  We can tell a company's story very well with video that is posted on our website, on YouTube, and in our e-newsletters. From videos done at trade shows to videos done in our studio to videos done on location our video team offers professional technical video production combined with expert fluid power editing to help our clients to tell their story through video.  We surround our audience with content including print, web, e-newletters, webinars, and videos and let them select the format they choose to learn from.  I invite you to visit our video library at this link  to view what we have to offer. If your company is interested in contributing to our video library through new video done by our team, please contact me.

Well, another successful ICUEE Show has been concluded.  For a long time, I have been telling fluid power industry professionals about this trade show in Louisville that has lots of fluid power components and related products on display.  This year was no exception.  It is right up there with the OTC Show as one of the best displays of fluid power technology next to the IFPE Show. In case you are not familiar with this great event it is the International Construction & Utility Equipment Exposition.  It is an indoor/outdoor event similar to ConExpo but the focus of the ICUEE is, of course, machinery and equipment used by utilities of all types including power companies and municipalities.   Here is a link to their website. Unfortunately, if you missed the show this week, you will have to wait another two years for the next show in 2019 in Louisville, KY.  In addition to the many fluid power components and controls on display at the show, there...

I professionally refer to myself as the Publisher of Fluid Power World Magazine and digital media network.  Well, what exactly is a digital media network? Let me explain how it is evolving.  At WTWH Media, our philosophy is to reach our audience of engineering and other technical professionals with useful and interesting fluid power content in the format that they prefer to receive it.  It starts with our print publication, Fluid Power World, with seven issues published and mailed to our audience. That print edition gets mailed out to about 13,000 qualified readers but it is also sent out digitally to another 80,000 or so digital recipients and that is the start of our "digital media network."  Every reader on that list can access every issue of the print magazine and make inquiries directly to our advertisers. With regard to content, let's take a step back an look at our five websites:   Fluid Power World, Pneumatic Tips , Mobile Hydraulic Tips , ...

The closing session at the 2017 NFPA/ISD Summit in Nashville was presented by a very interesting speaker named Mike Rayburn.  You may have heard of him as he is a well-known Comedian, Guitarist, and Keynote Speaker.  He illustrates his message using laughter and his amazing guitar.  For more information about Mike Rayburn, just visit his website. The title of his presentation was "The Always Musical 'What If' Keynote Experience for Maximizing Opportunity and Experience.  Some of the key takeaways from his presentation included the key question of What If? Writing music you can't play, and being a virtuoso.  The What If portion of the talk challenges everyone to ask that question of themselves or their business.  What if we could achieve  - - - and then fill in the blank and work to achieve that stretch goal.   The challenge to write music you can't play, which Rayburn does regularly, is to set goals that you can't accomplish - at least...

I have heard a lot of discussion this week at the FPDA/ISD Summit about the future of sales and the supply chain.  One of the topics within that discussion is about using technology to communicate, including social media.  In the past, face-to-face selling and follow ups by phone and mail were the standard.  Those were the tools of the trade for field sales people in most every industry. Obviously, things have changed and continue to change in the area of communication.  I have even heard that communication trends have changed the actual need for field sales representatives.  Outside of serving existing customers, some experts feel that the value of face-go-face selling is declining, especially because so many people prefer to be contacted electronically. When I started in the business world several decades ago, the briefcase and telephone were two of the key tools of the trade for sales people. Ok, I am really dating myself here but you get the po...

The 2017 Fluid Power Distributor Association / International Sealing Distribution Association Joint Industry Summit is taking place at the Music City Center in Nashville.  With over 250 attendees, this year's event has grown to a very robust position thanks to the leadership of both associations. After a wonderful Welcome Reception at the Country Music Hall of Fame in downtown Nashville, the event kicked off with a presentation titled Economic Outlook for 2017 and Beyond by economist Chris Kuehl on Monday morning.  In this session, Dr. Kuehl discussed key indicators for the economy such as capacity utilization, the PMI index for optimism, and the Credit Managers' Index, a new one to me. Next on the Monday agenda were two UID-In-A-Day sessions by Mike Marks and Don Buttrey.  Marks, of Indian River Consulting Group, addressed how distributors must move quickly to address today's challenges.  He talked about innovation sand how the game continues to cha...

We offer many opportunities for our audience to read and review excellent fluid power content.  One of them is our series of e-books.  I would like to invite you to download and read our latest e-book titled, Proper Management of Hydraulic Fluid Systems. Here is a little of what you will find in this free download Follow these 5 simple tasks for efficient hydraulic fluid management Clean hydraulics: contaminant removal 5 Uses for a Hydraulic Filter Cart As I have mentioned in this blog before, we are committed to reporting on cleanliness in hydraulic fluid and have devoted our website Sealing & Contamination Control Tips  to the topic of keeping hydraulic fluid clean and sealed. Take a look at this new e-book and visit our website for the latest content on the subject of fluid cleanliness.

Fluid Power World will host two more informative webinars this year on timely and important topics. Fist, in October, we will conduct Pneumatic System Design. "The benefits of pneumatic power can be realized by following some basic pneumatic design rules for specifying air preparation units,   actuators and valves."  These words are taken directly from our recent article titled Pneumatic design 101:  Go with the flow  and you can find this article on our Pneumatic Tips. This article was contributed by Chip McDaniel, Educational Specialist at Automation Direct.  In this article, Chip gives some basic explanations of the advantages of pneumatic systems.  Our upcoming webinar on Pneumatic System Design will have similar content and further the discussion. Our final webinar of the year will be titled Proper Contamination Control.  Again, we have an  entire  website devoted to the topic of sealing and contamination cont...