If your aftermarket business ranks among the growing list of SEMA-member manufacturers considering overseas exportation, you’re likely weighing shipping logistics as part of the equation. To be sure, the prospect can seem daunting. After all, once you’ve attracted foreign buyers, you have to deliver the goods in the face of numerous hurdles. With the right assistance, however, you can successfully navigate those obstacles and achieve a safe landing for your aftermarket parts.

No one can foretell the future, at least not with any degree of certainty. But a prudent look at marketplace indicators can often provide insights that savvy businesspeople might interpret for a strategic advantage. What follows is a look at some of the signposts along the current business roadway.

While the Internet’s white hats have done a great job of keeping the medium’s darker forces at bay, security experts predict that the web will still remain a dangerous place for businesses in the coming year—especially those without digital smarts.

AP Exhaust Technologies, Crane Cams, Mile Marker,  Kahn Media, Speedway Motors, Clean Seal, Katzkin Leather, CargoGlide and more.

Nominations for the SEMA Hall of Fame—the most prestigious honor presented to an individual by the association—are now being accepted. The deadline to submit nominations is March 16, 2012.

Created in 1969, the SEMA Hall of Fame is designed to honor outstanding persons in the industry who have enhanced the stature of, or significantly contributed to, the industry and/or the association’s growth.

I’d like to start this column by expressing our sincere thanks to all those members who voted on the recent referendum to reduce the size of the SEMA Board of Directors. Whether you voted for or against the motion, your participation is a key factor in maintaining a healthy association.

Given that Facebook has become critical to any serious social media strategy, it’s no surprise that a number of tools, software packages and apps have sprung up to give businesses a leg up on maximizing their marketing campaigns on the service. Here’s a sampling of some of the most promising: