About 4specs

What has the Internet Really Changed?

You are now the publisher. You no longer need an aggregator to distribute your product information. (Aggregators combine your product information with that of other companies and distribute it to potential customers. Examples are Sweets and Thomas Register.) For instance, specifiers say that:

Aggregators – 13.3% of specifiers’ Internet research relies on aggregators (Sweets, Arcat, Reed FirstSource).

Your Website – 86.7% of specifiers’ Internet research is aimed at getting to the product information on your website (through 4specs, Google and other search engines, or going directly to your site).

Your website is now your most highly utilized sales tool. Specifiers are twice as likely to rely on the Internet for their product research as on print. Architectural Products magazine had similar findings among their subscribers. As of 2006, specifiers estimated the following percentages for their product research:

53.1% – Internet
26.2% – Print resources (includes binders, print directories, etc.)
19.0% – Product reps or sales reps
1.6% – Other

Your most strategic opportunity is to drive potential customers to the product information on your website.

For free – Using search engine optimization to attract general search engine users.
Paid – Relying on cost effective advertising and promotion. Measuring your cost per user is now relatively simple with web analytics. Analytics can also give you some data about effectiveness – such as the length of time these users stay on your site.