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Top 10 Most-Read SMT Columns of 2012
December 21, 2012 | I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
More than a dozen columnists regularly contribute to SMTOnline and SMT Magazine and cover the latest in industry developments, controversies, and events. You've come to rely on their insight and opinions--apparently, you really, really enjoy reading columns from Bruce Johnston! Here's our list of the most-read columns of the past year.At #10, Six Social Media Marketing Myths Debunked: This is no fad. Social media is no fad--it's evolution at work. Anyone can write their own blog or set up their own website. Social media will continue to evolve; even the really big platforms like Facebook may be very different in a few years, but the basic idea of sharing ideas and content is not going to go away. The Genie is out of the bottle and won't be going back in.At #9, Is Google+ Worthwhile for Social Media Marketing?: Google+ turned one in June 2012. It's adding over 600,000 users a day and is expected to reach 400 million users by the end of 2012. It's users skew toward men, over 60%, and technical types like engineers, designers, and software developers.At #8, The "Truthiness" Behind Social Media Marketing Myths: Thanks to Stephen Colbert, we've learned that truthiness is something you know instinctively to be true without regard for evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts. And when Bruce Johnston hears why companies aren't involved in social media marketing, their fondness for truthiness comes out in the reasons.At #7, Social Media Marketing Isn't a Fad: Introducing the 5-95 Rule: Bruce Johnston illustrates why social media marketing isn't a fad by telling you a fable. This fable is about someone selling something viewed as a (shudder) commodity. Our heroine in the fable is Sandra, who sells cars for a living.At #6, Approaching $2M a Year in Sales Using Only LinkedIn: Judy Warner is the sales and marketing manager at Transline. While Transline is a private company, and exact figures are understandably confidential, Judy's personal sales of PCBs are approaching $2 million a year, all from connections made through LinkedIn. Not bad for someone who, with her commitments to the marketing side of her job, can only devote two thirds of her time to sales.At #5, Step-by-Step Fabrication: Guide to Multilayer Manufacture: SMART Group Technical Director Bob Willis introduced the first of a series of four webinars aimed at providing designers, assembly engineers, and purchasing officers with a step-by-step guide to the fundamentals of multilayer PCB fabrication and insight into the control and inspection procedures employed to ensure trouble-free assembly.At #4, Social Media: Some PCB Companies Are on Board. Are You?: A Great Lakes company buys several million dollars in prototype PCBs every year. I found out their name, how much they purchase, and where they purchase it, all on social media. Also by way of social media, I found a company in North America that buys over $3 million in PCBs every year, some of them from China. It's a company I doubt most PCB manufacturers even know exists. Are you on board with social media?At #3, Social Media Marketing: What it is and What it is Not: There are two unarguable facts about social media marketing (SMM). The first is, it's hot. You can't avoid it, whether it's continuous articles in print or on the Internet, or hearing about it from friends or colleagues who are deeply engaged in Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or LinkedIn. Everyone seems to be talking about how SMM is the next big thing.At #2, PCB Solderable Finishes: Paste and Flux Compatibility: This SMART Group workshop, led by Bob Willis and Richard Boyle, considered ENIG, OSP, immersion silver, immersion tin, and solder levelling as current finish options; reviewed their performance during fabrication and assembly; gave guidance on correct selection of paste and flux; and included a practical session on solderability testing, printing, and reflowing.And, at #1 with 2414 views, A 7-Point Checklist for Effective Social Media Marketing: LinkedIn evangelist and sales coach Bruce Johnston offers a list of seven key tasks to complete in order to succeed in the world of social media marketing. Following these guidelines will put your company well on its way to a solid framework in the online world of name recognition and brand image.