On The Kula Ring we love a niche market. The varied and interesting challenges that marketers face in these highly specialized markets never ceases to amaze. This week we are joined by one such marketer. Mike McCormack is the VP of Marketing and Strategy with the Appleton Group, a division of Emerson. Mike and his team market to customers that are secluded, both physically and technologically; within business infrastructures where internet connectivity may not be allowed for safety. It is an exciting conversation with unique hurdles that Mike and Appleton have had to overcome. You have internet though, because you’re reading this. So get listening, you won’t be disappointed.

The Summer Spotlight Series is back. We are going to be taking a second look at a great chat with David A. Stark: Legacy manufacturers that previously dominated their verticals now have to contend with new entrants who know how to create focused messaging in digital spaces. In this episode of The Kula Ring, David A. Stark, Digital Marketing Transformation Growth Leader, talks about the value of shifting from a tactical to a strategic digital marketing strategy as competition increases, and how to bolster branding with a strong digital presence in order to reach prospects.

Sales and marketing alignment is huge, and historically, sales and marketing haven’t been best friends. Steven Nghe, Head of Marketing and Communications at Kloeckner Metals, discusses when Kloeckner Metals realized that sales and marketing had changed, and they needed to change with it. He discusses the digitalization of more multidimensional and complex marketing practices that need to be enhanced for sales and marketing to make selling manufacturing more efficient. He also discusses how he gained trust from VPs on marketing being a worthwhile investment by exposing what marketing really is.

This week on the Summer Spotlight Series we are digging into data and exploring technology to undercover insights in your organization. We are featuring Ryan Knox, Co-founder of Bridge Digital explores the use of digital tools to create efficiency in all areas of an organization from IT, Marketing, Sales, and more. He discusses the benefits of extracting data vs. using specific tools to help organizations get results that helps them do their job better and the importance of creating excitement for internal change when implementing new technologies. Give this one a listen, it was great the first time and it is great this time!

We got a chance to chat with Ashlei Urwiller from Norland International this week on the show. Which led to a few first on The Kula Ring! Ashlei and Norland are doing some interesting work in their marketing efforts that include broadening what their customers can do. We also talked about how Norland puts their own products to work for themselves, leading to a fantastic understanding of what their customers need in the field. This is a good one folks!