Manufacturers will be increasing online marketing spending.

Over 75% of manufacturing companies will be increasing their online marketing budgets in 2006, according to the results of an annual survey of industrial marketing executives conducted by SVM E-Business Solutions.

The study, which surveyed more than 220 marketing executives at US manufacturing firms, found that online marketing efforts are producing tangible results for manufacturers, and the vast majority of respondents plan to ramp up their online marketing efforts to address their most important business challenges in 2006.

“This study confirms that online marketing should be an essential component of a manufacturer’s overall marketing mix,” said Bob DeStefano, president of SVM E-Business Solutions. “Industrial marketers who hesitate to embrace online marketing will miss a critical opportunity to increase sales, grow market share and strengthen relationships with customers.”

Among many other significant points, the 2006 E-Business Trends in Manufacturing Report identified the following key industrial marketing trends:

* Industrial marketing budgets are shifting online, often at the expense of traditional marketing. Industrial marketers are increasing spending on Websites, search engine marketing and email marketing, while decreasing spending on magazine advertisements, trade shows and direct mail.

* Websites are becoming the hub of industrial marketing. The Web is increasingly becoming the hub of manufacturers marketing efforts. In fact, over half of all manufacturers consider their Website to be their most powerful marketing tool.

* Manufacturers are turning to search engine marketing to help drive sales lead generation efforts. About half of industrial marketers engaged in some form of search engine marketing in 2005, and this will increase significantly in 2006.

* Manufacturers consider online marketing more effective than traditional marketing because it makes a measurable impact on their business. Industrial marketers feel online marketing is more effective at producing measurable, business-building, results.