More than 75% of manufacturing companies will be increasing their online marketing budgets in 2006, according to an annual survey of industrial marketing executives conducted by Somerset, NJ-based SVM E-Business Solutions.

SVM E-Business Solutions president Bob DeStefano said in a statement that the study, which surveyed more than 220 marketing executives at U.S. manufacturing firms, confirms that online marketing should be an essential component of a manufacturer’s overall marketing mix. Industrial marketers who hesitate to embrace online marketing will miss a critical opportunity to increase sales, grow market share and strengthen relationships with customers, he said.

The 2006 E-Business Trends in Manufacturing Report identified the following key industrial marketing trends:

Industrial marketers are increasing spending on Websites, search engine marketing, and e-mail marketing while decreasing spending on magazine advertisements, trade shows, and direct mail.

Websites are becoming the hub of industrial marketing. In fact, more than 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 feel online marketing is more effective at producing measurable, business-building, results.

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