Know Your Audience

An important adage resonates through a number of professions as a beacon to guide individuals in communicating an appropriate and effective message. In entertainment, marketing, and education, “know your audience” represents the key to completing the business transaction. Television series are chosen by networks based on exhaustive demographic research and how the shows relate to the people the networks want to reach in these shows’ corresponding time slots. Marketing departments and agencies throughout the world are experts at matching products with customers and reaching out to those customers with a compelling sales message. The best instructors have a way of getting to know their students’ learning styles and adjusting their material presentation accordingly for maximum productivity.

The publishing world is no different. At Process Cleaning, it is important for us to know who our readers are. By that, I mean what kind of work you’re doing, what the strengths and weaknesses of your business are, and perhaps most important, what information in the cleaning industry will help you grow your business.

In March, I had the opportunity to attend the WESTEC show in Los Angeles. As an exhibitor, I spent some time in our company’s booth and got to talk to a number of attendees who either already receive the magazine or had some interest in it. It was a chance to hear first-hand about the types of parts they’re producing, the problems they face in cleaning, and the solutions they have implemented. These are the types of stories I like to hear because they put us in touch with what’s going on in the industry, and they give us a better sense of the information we need to be communicating to you.

As an attendee at WESTEC, I had some wonderful appointments with industry suppliers who were exhibiting at the show. These are the people who provide the solutions to your cleaning needs, and therefore, act as a valuable resource for helpful information we can communicate to you.

Companies such as Gosiger Import, Stoelting, Enviro Tech International and Crest Ultrasonics are anxious to help, and I hope to work with each of them in the near future in writing stories about their customers who have found ways to improve their processes.

I also met with Frank Pedeflous, from Omegasonics, to finalize a story for this issue (page 24) about a customer who replaced solvent cleaning with ultrasonic methods. Getting the suppliers’ perspective on the advances of technology and how it makes a difference is instrumental in helping us understand our audience. After all, they, too, have a vested interest in learning about you.

Taking another angle on what industry suppliers can bring to the table, the Process Cleaning staff has assembled a special drying section for this issue (see page 46). In addition to a primer on drying methodology, a collection of related product descriptions and photos shows an array of options for addressing your part-drying needs.

We also contacted a few specific companies that specialize in drying, to get their individual views on the latest technology and to learn about how they are continuing to grow in today’s challenging economy.

Just as we are trying to learn as much as we can about our readers’ businesses and how we can provide the information you need—you, too, should make a concerted effort to know your audience. Who are your customers? What are their needs? Stay up to date on what they’re looking for, and take the necessary steps to make sure you are the one to provide it.

It’s a proven, winning strategy.