Driven by the need to compete more aggressively in their core markets, nearly nine in ten American manufacturers (86%) say they are investing in online marketing in 2012, and 52% are increasing those investments over 2011 levels, according to a survey from ThomasNet.com.

Among the manufacturing professionals surveyed, websites are central to online marketing efforts:

• 47% cite customer service as a key benefit of their Web presence.
• 45% say their website has opened up new sources of revenue.
• 32% report their website has contributed to new revenue growth.

Below, additional findings from ThomasNet.com's Industry Market Barometer (IMB) survey.