Networking and Engaging an Audience

Welcome to a guest blog, penned by marketing guru and vice president of Ace World Companies, Camron Ghanemi.

It is fitting that this blog reflects in part on the recent Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) Crane Symposium that I attended in Pittsburgh recently with my colleagues Kevin Beavers and Ken Land.

It was the 22nd staging of an annual event that promotes collaboration and sharing of information to collectively improve the way overhead cranes and hoists are used in one of North America’s toughest industries.

It is a mantra shared to some extent by this blog, which is not a platform from which to preach about our products but more an informative, communicative, educational slice of our content marketing portfolio. I’ll stop short of divulging any trade secrets but I will share the benefit of my experience with the same collaborative spirit that the steel industry embraces at the symposium.

Kevin, Ken and I absorbed presentations on a variety of subjects; setup meetings with our steel clients; introduced our products and services to prospective customers; and maintained our presence as one of the leading suppliers of lifting equipment to the likes of Nucor, Big River Steel and many more.

The environment was conducive to learning and that made it a valuable few days. I learned a lot more and networked more efficiently there than I have done at many other trade events recently. Ferocious competitiveness at an event of that nature creates a very guarded culture and I applaud AIST and their attendees for coming together to explore collective challenges and opportunities. It’s an example other industries can follow.

I’d advise newcomers to any industry to research the leading trade events that serve their sector. You have to be patient—Ace has been represented at the AIST Crane Symposium and similar events for many years—but once you’ve demonstrated an ability to support the progression of a market and engaged with its key players, it can be very rewarding.

Working with many different end user markets serves as a constant reminder that you have to present your business and its solutions in a manner that will be received by your demographic. I always ask myself what issues and trends are impacting the operations of, say, steel customers and find out how our products and expertise can support them. While we are very aggressive marketeers, an effective marketing campaign is measured, multifaceted and based on long-term strategy.

Modern websites for an evolving marketplace

Our online presence is a key component of the company’s image. At the time of writing we have just gone live with two brand new websites, tailored to the target markets of our custom-built overhead crane business and the Advantage Hoist division, which provides standard hoists and other products to distributors and end users.

The launch of the websites is a landmark moment in the company’s history and one that reflects our increased content marketing and social media presence in the crane industry and the end user markets where our products are used. Not only do both sites look fantastic and offer a series of improvements and enhancements, they are high functioning and tailored to the audiences that will visit and navigate them using a variety of online formats in ever-increasing numbers.

Independent websites did already exist but content on the new sites—www.aceworldcompanies.com and www.advantagehoist.com—has been honed to meet the specific requirements of the two different audiences, while forming a focal point for the company’s renewed social media and other marketing efforts. There will be a special place for this blog, for example.

Both websites have been designed with technological development in mind so visitors get the same online experience whether they are on a laptop, smartphone or other mobile device.

The sites are built around high initial impact, depth and clarity of information and, most importantly, brilliantly-engineered, quality products. I’d be delighted to hear your thoughts on them and welcome your feedback as we constantly look to improve to best serve our ever-evolving customer base.

Ace provides overhead bridge cranes, overhead gantry cranes, wire rope hoists, electric chain hoists, crane kits and end trucks. Visit the new websites and remember to follow us on Twitter at @AceWorldCompany, which is the first place we post news as it happens.

Thank you for reading my guest blog on www.findadistributor.com.

Marketing guru and vice president of Ace World Companies, Camron Ghanemi

Camron Ghanemi

Vice President, Ace World Companies

President, Pullift Corporation

More blogs from Camron Ghanemi can be found at www.aceworldcompanies.com/blog

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