Join WIRE-Net now!

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From humble beginnings, coordinating safety and security for Westside manufacturing businesses, WIRE-Net has grown to include supply chain sourcing and operational efficiency programs for Northeast Ohio manufacturers.  The organization is celebrating 25 years of serving manufacturers with a bold challenge to engage 112 new members this year.

They are proud to boast an industry leading 90% member retention rate, and excited to show you how WIRE-Net membership could be the best decision you make in 2013.

WIRE-Net member companies have similar characteristics:

  • they are committed to retain or grow their business in Northeast Ohio,
  • they value and invest in strategies to operate more efficiently and effectively,
  • they have a desire to share knowledge and connect to other leaders,
  • they work together to drive economic health locally to build stronger communities.

You are encouraged to connect to 280 business leaders who have made a conscious choice to belong to the WIRE-Net family.

Make strong connections with hundreds of people:  “WIRE-Net has been able to guide companies through governmental processes, introducing them to the right people to help eliminate obstacles”, says Bill Oatey. WIRE-Net is particularly effective in “working with the city of Cleveland to reduce barriers to doing business in urban areas.” – Bill Oatey, Oatey Company

Learn best practices to improve your bottom line: “The networking and benchmarking opportunities through WIRE-Net are a fantastic resource for manufacturers and Northeast Ohio. The friendships that are made are very valuable and genuine; people are very open and willing to help. The exposure and sharing of new ideas with local businesses has been an eye opening experience for Martindale employees as we further our own continuous improvement efforts.”   Linas Bilunas, Martindale Electric Co.       

WorkSource services will save you time and money:  “Being a smaller shop, WIRE-Net saves us time, gets the pre-interview and background check done. Then all we have to do is interview to make sure they fit with the culture of our company.” Eric says, “Boots on the ground – Saves you time.” – Eric Dales, Adams Automatic

Join Now and get 15 months of services and support for the price of 12. Membership year runs July 1st through June 30th, so you get 90 days free to get acquainted with your member account manager and WIRE-Net services. It’s easy and fast to join online at www.wire-net.org/how2join.html.  Rick Dawson, Manager Membership Development, is one call away, 216.920.1960. 

Networking and Management Education: What WIRE-Net members say they like the most

  • Last year 1100 people from 450 companies attended over 40 learning opportunities and plant tours, roundtables, seminars, and after hours events (20% – 60% discounts for WIRE-Net Members)

Get Visible, Get Business: In the past 3 years, WIRE-Net has worked on 395 sourcing projects to connect buyers with suppliers, resulting in 1,223 referrals to local businesses.

  • Connect you to new business opportunities by filling out a short assessment online at http://data.wire-net.org
  • Your Business Listing in a downloadable, searchable Membership Directory and Link to your Company Website

Find out for yourself why Gary Davis of Aetna Plastics says, “WIRE-Net makes us a better company.” 

Top 5 Reasons YOU should be using Social Media to promote your company

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Social media has been popular since the early 2000s, but there are plenty of businesses that have not taken advantage of this online power tool. The over-arching question is normally “How can social media really benefit my business?”

Here are the top five reasons that social media can benefit your company and enhance your online visibility:

> Enhancing consumer engagement

You know those customer service advertisements where the customer expects a voice machine to respond, but is then startled when they hear an actual person on the other side? Customers appreciate personal interaction with businesses, not a robot. They feel good knowing that your business is willing to listen to their feedback. Social media, especially, gives them another option to share their thoughts, and for your business to respond instantaneously. The more your audience connects with your business, the more they will want to work with you. “How will you engage your customers?”

> Promoting your business and products in a cost-effective manner

Spending money on paper and commercial advertisements shouldn’t be your only option. Social media platforms allow you to easily and quickly disseminate information about your business. This, too, enhances consumer engagement. Social media can help you continually interact with your consumers and make sure your business is sharing the right information out to your target audience. “What do you want your customers to understand more thoroughly?”

> Taking advantage of current news trends

Social media platforms give you easy access to the latest industry trends. For example, Twitter has a search box where you can easily look up industry news. Using hashtags to search such as “#manufacturing” will give you the relevant conversations happening on Twitter. “What trends will you discover via online searches?”

> Driving website traffic and encourage recommendations

The best PR tactic is receiving third-party endorsements. As more subscribers follow your social media pages, the more likely they’ll visit your website and refer your business to a colleague. Facebook features a recommendation comment box for your page where customers can publicly display their positive feedback. “How will you encourage and reward positive feedback and bask in the glow of happy customers?”

> Measuring return on investment

Here’s the bottom line: Implementing social media to your business strategy measures your return on investment. There are social media measurement tools where you can analyze and measure your return. For example, if you implement an online advertising campaign that offers a promo code or link to a landing page on your website, you can absolutely attribute the resultant revenue from the campaign and calculate ROI. “What gets measured gets done; what will you measure?”

We can help deliver all of these social media essentials to your business. Take a look at our publicity checklist and we will help you sort through the maze of social media tactics and tools.