Melbourne Software Reseller Increases Sales By Using Content Marketing
Stephen Mullens is the owner of SNC Solutions a local IT company and reseller of the Hexagon RADAN range of sheet metal software for the Australia and New Zealand market.
Tell us about SNC Solutions?
I’ve been in Sheetmetal fab for a long time. I first started on the floor as a machine operator. I started to move into a more IT software role. I have always had a passion for computers ever since I bought my first Commadore 64 in the 80’s. I helped the company I was working for with their software and CAD / CAM applications. I started SNC Solutions because I saw a need for Sheetmetal fab companies to have more control over their processes. There is some good software that can help with managing their operations.
What does SNC Solutions do?
We offer Sheetmetal IT services and in particular CAD/CAM and MES/ERP software that has a total solution for their operation. We have been selling Hexagons’ RADAN solutions into Australia and New Zealand for a few years.
What is RADAN?
RADAN software is acknowledged as one of the world’s leading PC based solutions for the Sheetmetal Cutting industry. Our product portfolio has grown into other Hexagon software such as a full range of CAD/CAM and MES/ERP applications. It is a full solution including RADAN, Designer, Radtube and even the MES/ERP applications such as Workplan. We have put our heart and soul into these products and the results are coming.
What did you want from your marketing?
We wanted to increase our awareness within the market. We identified that LinkedIn and Facebook were great places for us to find new business. So, what we needed was to gain more followers we just didn’t know how to do that, and we certainly didn’t have the time.
Why did you choose Assertive Marketing?
I had seen some of the content material that they had been doing for a customer of ours CMTS Sheetmetal Machines. I asked Michael the owner who was doing their marketing? He put me on to Assertive Marketing. I called Gerard and he came around the next day and we talked about what we wanted to achieve, and he explained the possible ways we could do it. He explained how it all worked and how we needed to start our content marketing to gain awareness and of course increase followers.
It’s not just about posting material on Online.
Gerard explained to us that we needed to do more than just post Online about our products and what we are doing. It’s not about what we do as so much about how we can help. So, they went and started creating stories and content that helped, educated, and drew interest from our potential audience. Every post or story had to have a page or link to our website that led a potential customer to find out more information. Together we created so much content that we could have a consistent strategy with posts going out daily. This gained an audience for us in no time.
How did you find Assertive Marketing to deal with?
Excellent! Very knowledgeable. They know their stuff and they talk in a down to earth manner. The best thing was they also know manufacturing, so you don’t have to explain everything to them. It’s good to work with someone that knows our industry. I would ring them and ask if I could do this or I’d come up with an idea, and they would get on to it straight away. Nothing was too much trouble for them. Stories, videos you name it.
Have you seen any results from the marketing?
The marketing has been fantastic! We have grown our LinkedIn followers and our sales have grown. In fact, we just won the Hexagon global “Outstanding Achievement Award – Sheet Metal” at the Global Reseller Conference 2021. Their main points for the award were:
“Your relentless efforts to grow business are being recognised through this award on account of following key achievements as a HEXAGON Distributor of sheet metal solutions.
- Consistent year on year sales growth (even during the pandemic times)
- Taking initiative to successfully launch & implement “End to End Complete Solution for Sheet Metal” at multiple accounts
- Continuous marketing activities / information sharing through your own social media channels
- ……and many more”
It was so good to get this acknowledgement from such a large international company. It was also good to see the results of our marketing activities.
What’s the future for SNC Solutions?
We are looking for more growth. We have just hired a new staff member, so we need to keep things growing. And that includes the marketing. We are a small business, so we do not have the resources to hire a full-time marketing person. That’s where Assertive Marketing comes in. They are external but it is like they are a part of our team. Its our close relationship with them that allows us to work together and have that trust that things will get done.