Have you heard the story about how a small managed print services provider in Massachusetts became a social media success with its ‘Destroy Your Printer’ competition?
Three years ago, the management team at Expert Laser Services agreed to employee Nathan Dube’s proposal to get involved in social media. With creative vision but no budget, Dube used Twitter to invite frustrated users of fleet printers and multifunction devices to send in a video of just how they’d like to vent that frustration. The now annual ‘Destroy Your Printer’ competition was born.
Of course, you may have heard of it when people started passing around the link. Or when a few marketing blogs held it up as an early example of a successful business-to-business social media campaign. Or when it peaked the interest of trade magazine Recycler, which ran a company profile positioning Expert Laser as a ‘veteran’ of the managed print services industry. Or when the New York Times picked up the story on its ‘Small Business Blog’ in February. It’s a great story. But don’t let the headline success mislead you. The real story is in the fine print.
Social media is not about that one brilliant idea or overnight success. It’s about listening, engaging, building your
brand, and nurturing your relationships. It’s a slow burn and one part – essential, we’d argue – of your broader business development and client relationship management strategy.
Nathan Dube would agree with us. Yes, the competition connected with potential clients, drove traffic to the company website, created buzz and brand awareness, and provided a modest return-on-investment in sales and recurring revenue.
But the competition was just the start. Dube still posts on the company’s blog at least weekly and creates videos for its YouTube channel. He uses Twitter and Facebook to promote them, but also – and this is important – to listen. When people have problems or questions, he’s there providing answers and advice.
He understands that business-to-business marketing is about relationships. So are social media like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the new Google+.
You’re probably asking yourself: could my company also use social media? How?
Build brand awareness. Facebook shows up in Google searches. Make sure that potential customers in your area find you first and like what they see.
Give clients something extra. Offer special or last-minute deals for days your business is quiet or has spare capacity. Offer friendly advice and support. Custom-ers won’t need to believe your customer service promises: they’ll see you in action.
Become the go-to resource for current and potential customers. Tell a story about how you solved a printing problem. Share an example of how one of your services could be used. Remember to include images.
Network. There are many printing industry networking groups, both on Facebook and LinkedIn. A quick search will find them.
As with anything, you’ll get out of it what you put into it. Getting social media right requires planning, consistency, perseverance, and attention to detail.
So go ahead and get into it. Just remember social media is not about the big bang. Destroyed printers aside!
Shona Mackin is chief engagement officer at SocialFace, who “manage business Facebook walls and give you back your time to do what you do best”. Go to www.socialface.com.au or www.facebook.com/socialface
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