For small business owners, getting your name out there is one of your biggest challenges. The advent of the internet is a double-edged sword.
On the one hand, it enables you to reach people from all over the globe, but, at the same time, it also puts you in competition with more companies than businesses of the past could have ever of dreamed. SGS Engineering, a supply store from Derby, have a unique way of tackling this issue.
Creating a social media brand
Most businesses are now aware of the importance of social media. Simply maintaining a Facebook page or a Twitter profile is the bare minimum that a modern company is required to do though. As well as providing your customers with a place to ask questions offer feedback on your products and services, it’s also an opportunity to create a unique brand for your business.
Recently, SGS Engineering uploaded a video on their company’s YouTube page showing how they’d modified a foosball table to work with power drills. This was picked up by Gizmodo, which reaches millions of unique readers each month. Not only does this keep your brand in the public’s imagination, it humanises your business which can be a great way to separate you from the competition.
Taking advantage of popular events
Getting your name out alongside a big-name event is a great way to market your business. SGS Engineering partnered with the makers of last year’s James Bond film to supply some of the tools to be used on set. If you aren’t fortunate enough to be directly involved in the event, don’t worry. By thinking outside the box, you can even link your brand with events that you might not have initially thought were relevant.
This year, to coincide with the Chelsea Flower Show, the company ran their own “best bush” competition to promote their range of hedge-trimmers. The company managed to tie the promotion into a Twitter hashtag, too, to bring more traffic to their social media channels. Similarly, in the midst of all the hype for last year’s new Star Wars film, the company even managed to promote their business by calculating how much it would cost to fuel the Millennium Falcon.
The type of content you choose to create should be befitting of the brand you’d like to cultivate. Try not to fall into the trap of doing what you think will be popular. Instead, encourage some ideas from your employees in the next meeting and see where you go from there. You might be surprised what they come up with.
