Aside from DisTribute, there are a number of blogs that are great sources of information on the industrial sector. I know…shocking! Tradesman Insights, by John Sonnhalter, founder of Sonnhalter, a B-to-B marketing communications firm to companies that target tradesmen in construction, industrial and MRO markets, is one of these blogs.

Sonnhalter is a prolific writer with a pulse on marketing trends and the industrial marketplace. His company provides overviews of the Industrial/MRO, HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing, Construction and Alternative Energy markets and he regularly blogs on successful marketing tools and techniques to reach your target audience.

Recently Sonnhalter spoke with Lindsay Konzak, Editor of Modern Distribution Management (MDM) newsletter, about how things are changing in industrial distribution, especially since the downturn in the economy. Konzak detailed the “Four Trends in Distribution” gleaned from the MDM’s 2011 Distributor Landscape Report and what it has meant for the supplier-distributor relationship, in this article, Trends in Distribution and What it Means to the Distributor/Supplier Relationship.

Many Tradesman Insights articles may have applications to your business, including:

• Why a Mobile Strategy Is So Important to Reach the Professional Tradesman
• Here’s an Example of a Small Manufacturer Who’s Leveraging Social Media
• Are You Tweaking Your 2012 Social Media Plan?
• Four B-to-B Marketing Efforts That Can Improve Your Results
• Thought Leadership: Repurpose, Repackage, Refine Messages