Michael Ference Fluid Power Marketing

I have been a business-to-business media professional for a very long time.  There have been many changes to this business over the past four decades.  What started as a print media, with many focused magazines circulated and read by millions of interested readers with the capability of buying the products advertised, has evolved into an integrated media world of print, digital, e-mail, retargeted, focused, e-blasted, white papers, webinars, and much more world. Those things are all good and I recommend them to my clients.  If you were to ask me today, what is the best value in the business-to-business advertising world, I would answer print magazines still.  Why?  Because our content informs and educates our audience and keeps them coming back for more. Our digital media network is really great and all of the channels work very well to promote our advertisers' company and products.  If your company was starting an ad program today, I would recomme...

So we have this economic system called capitalism.  While capitalism has its faults, it remains probably the best economic system to offer opportunity to everyone.  Would you agree? Accepting capitalism as the system where we will spend our professional time, and that includes most or all Americans, we need to understand the need for branding whether we like it or not.  Branding is what drives marketing which drives sales leading to your company's success within our system. That is where we come in.   Fluid Power World  offers fluid power component manufacturers and distributors the opportunity to tell your branding story to an audience of qualified buyers and specifiers of fluid power components and related products. In 2019, we have more ways than ever for your company to tell your brand story to our audience while gaining their attending and generating some sales leads too! Your company has a brand story to tell.  If you didn't...

Partner with  Fluid Power World  in 2019 with an integrated marketing program that will increase your company’s brand awareness while generating valuable sales leads.  We have a portfolio of media platforms that will carry your sales message in 2019 to a qualified audience of fluid power buyers and specifiers. It all starts with our print magazine,  Fluid Power World.  With six great issues plus our annual Fluid Power Handbook, plus our Leadership in Engineering issue coupled with Design World Magazine.   From there our reach extends through digital means through our network of websites and e-newsletters where our content reaches buyers and specifiers where they want to be contacted.  We have six websites and six e-newsletter brands designed to reach out to engineers and mechanical professionals in their area of fluid power expertise including hydraulics, pneumatics, hose & fittings, seals, filters, and more. Add t...

It's that time of year again.  We just published our 2018 Fluid Power Handbook from Fluid Power World magazine and digital media network. Click on the image above for a link to the digital edition of this Handbook.  Fluid power technology is used in many markets including packaging, off-highway, mining, offshore/marine, material handling, construction, aerospace, automation, robotics, and entertainment.  We cover application stories in those markets in all the other issues of Fluid Power World .  In this one, the Fluid Power Handbook, we focus on the components that make the machinery work in each of these markets. Fluid power systems are comprised of components that include pumps, cylinders, valves, hose, fittings, gauges, sensors, filters, seals, and reservoirs.  Those are the components covered in our annual Handbook edition and presented for our readers' continuing education. If you find the information useful in this Handbook, I invite you to...

I have been posting information about our technical sessions planned for our 2018 Fluid Power Technology Conference at MSOE on May 14-16, 2018.  Here is another update: Condition Monitoring; Obstacles And Real World Approaches For Results If Condition Monitoring really is a productivity enhancer why aren't more manufacturers deploying it? In this presentation learn about common frustrations to avoid and gain practical tips to get started. Presented by: Speaker: Dan Davis Product Sales Manager Parker USA This event will really be worth your while to attend.  In addition to all of the technical sessions, you can network with component and technology suppliers at the event and take a few side tours that should be of interest.  Meals are part of your registration. Click here for registration. I really hope to see you there, you certainly won't regret it.

As you may know, the 2018 Fluid Power Technology Conference,  FPTC,will be held on May 15-16, 2018 at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, MSOE.  In addition to the two days of exhibits and seminar sessions, we have added a third day of learning with Monday now being included with two excellent workshops. Basics of Hydraulics will be presented on Monday, May 14, 2018 by MSOE as a sort of preview for the next two days of seminar sessions.  Expert presenters will present fundamental topics of fluid power at this all-day event held on the campus of MSOE.  Additionally, the International Fluid Power Society, IFPS, will host an Advanced Fluid Power Session during the same hours on Monday.  Here are two great opportunities to increase your fluid power knowledge.  IFPS will also be offering certification testing on several levels on the same day. Add that to our two full days of seminar presentations at the FPTC and we now have a fantastic opportunity for ...

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 , ...

What is sponsored content?  Well, as I understand it, sponsored content can take several forms.  It can be a custom printed publication, a white paper, e-book, webinar, or others. We at Fluid Power World  offer all of these forms of sponsored content.  First of all, I feel that our content is excellent and the main reason why our readers, who are fluid power buyers and specifiers, come to our magazine, website, e-newsletters, and webinars.  That is where we can best deliver our advertisers' sales message. However, to take content a step further and deliver information that is specific to one company's products or technology, we offer all of the sponsored content forms mentioned above.  Let me put together a custom marketing package for your company for 2018 including the following possible options: Print Advertising in Fluid Power World Web banners e-newsletters e-blasts White papers Webinars  Fluid Power Technology Conf...

No matter how popular digital media and targeted digital programs become, brand awareness is still an integral part of growing a business.  We at Fluid Power World offer opportunities for companies of all sizes to grow brand awareness. For those companies not currently involved in advertising with us, we still have plenty of time in 2017 to help your company to grow brand awareness.  We can do that with our three remaining print issues of Fluid Power World in September, November, and December.  We can also do that with our banner advertising program where we guarantee the number of impressions your banners will receive from our audience. We have six websites that are growing in popularity that can all help to grow your company's brand awareness Hey all fluid power marketers, don't let 2017 slip away with our growing your company's share of mind to fluid power buyers and specifiers all around the country.  Contact me for a special ad program designed to hel...

Check out these two slides that explain how web banner advertising works at Fluid Power World. So you can customize your banner ad program with us and the cost remains the same.  You can even change the number of views that you would like to buy at $65 per thousand. If increasing brand awareness is one of the marketing objectives of your company, banner advertising on the Fluid Power World digital marketing network is the way to go. Please contact me for details at 408-769-1188

When I was younger, I swore that I would never play Bingo like senior citizens did.  It just seemed like a very passive activity with little or no value to it. I must admit, my mind has changed and I actually like playing Bingo now.  It must be a sign of age... We played in interesting type of Bingo at the 2017 Fluid Power Technology Conference held last week at the Milwaukee School of Engineering.  We issued a sheet of paper to every attendee with a matrix of logos of all of our sponsors for the event.  They were asked to visit every booth and ask for a sticker with a corresponding logo from the sponsor. Every booth exhibitor was given stickers to hand out to anyone who visited their booth.  When the attendee's sheet was completely covered with stickers that matched every logo, that sheet was entered into a drawing for an iPad.   At the very end of the event, I had the honor of announcing our winner.  The winner didn't even have to shou...

Fluid Power World magazine continues to be an amazing resource of fluid power technical information sent out to engineers and mechanical people who design and operate machinery powered by hydraulic and pneumatic technology.  Here is our lasted issue: Click here to read the issue and when you do you will learn about a hydraulic hybrid material handler that our editors recently reviewed.  We feature an article on safe pneumatic system design and we preview the OTC Show held in Houston recently. If fluid power is your area of specialty, I recommend that you subscribe to Fluid Power World .  If you prefer the digital issue or the print issue, we have both.   Here is a link to our subscription page. The content is mostly evergreen meaning that even though this is our April issue, the information found inside is good for a long time.  Even though the technology changes and there are many innovations to improve fluid power, the basics stay the same. ...

One of our returning sponsors at the 2017 Fluid Power Technology Conference is Webtec. Here is their "About Us" taken from the Webtec website: We are specialist manufacturers of hydraulic measurement and control products helping to improve the productivity of heavy machinery. For 50 years we have been helping customers worldwide in the Industrial, Mobile, and Agricultural sectors to diagnose hydraulic faults, verify hydraulic conditions and achieve repeatable hydraulic control. Visit the 2017 FPTC in Milwaukee on May 16-17, 2017 and meet with Webtec for solutions to your fluid power designs and maintenance questions.   Click here to register. One of our new sponsors this year will be Thomas Magnete. From their homepage: Thomas  Employing nearly 650 people, our family-owned company develops and manufactures electromagnetic and fluid actuator systems for the automotive and mobile hydraulics industries as well as medical technology equipment ... ...

Coming up very soon on May 16-17, 2017 at MSOE, we will be hosting our second annual Fluid Power Technology Conference.  I have been writing about our sponsors and I have more for whom I would like to share information. Returning from last year will be Price Engineering . We are very appreciative for the tremendous support that Price Engineering has shown for this event and I would like to share the "About Us" from their website: Price Engineering specializes in  engineered custom products and solutions  through engineering resource management, research, planning and development in the areas of  hydraulics, pneumatics, automation and electrical systems . We serve the following industries:  Mining, Construction, Marine, Wind Energy, Rail, Paper Conversion, Packaging, Food and Beverage, Metals, Extrusion, Pulp and Paper, Foundries, Food Processing  and more. You will be able to meet with their industry exports and solution providers at our eve...

If you have not yet registered to attend the 2017 Fluid Power Technology Conference in Milwaukee on May 16-17, 2017, you still have time to do so.  Please visit our website for registration information  http://www.fluidpowertechconference.com We welcome back an exhibitor and presenter from last year from the Milwaukee area, Milwaukee Cylinder.  They will be exhibiting and doing a seminar presentation titled Enhancing Productivity - Extending Cylinder Life and Reducing Cylinder Maintenance Cycles. Downtime, whether planned or un-planned can be costly.  What if downtime related to cylinder use could be reduced?  Cylinder life and maintenance cycles are a factor of many issues – operation, environment, and design.  This topic will explore various opportunities to increase the life and reduce the maintenance cycle of a cylinder, discussing all the factors noted as well as focusing on specific design and instrumentation possibilities.  They will be in...

There are many interesting things going on in Cleveland, Ohio these days.  We have a continuing revitalization going on in our downtown area as we get ready for the 2016 Republican Convention.  Buildings are being renovated as well as built.  There is a brand new Hilton hotel being constructed right next to our new convention center. The convention center is the site of this yeas AISTech Show.  It used to be called the Iron & Steel Show as it features products and services that serve the steel industry. There are many fluid power related exhibits there as fluid power still plays a key role in making metals.  If your company is in the steel or any kind of metal industry, check it out.  You still have time to get the the show and for more information visit their website .