Starting a new business is an exciting experience. The first few months/years is usually tough and many people quit. With the number of entrepreneurs going up, we can only conclude that offices will increase in all parts of the country. If you are in the office supplies industry, there will always be steady stream of customers. This doesn’t mean it will be a smooth ride all the way. In this post, we are going to discuss ways to market photocopier and office machines in Singapore.
If you are starting an office machines business, you probably think that you will easily find customers for your products. The reality is, it can be quite difficult to land clients. What will give you an edge over your competitors is how you promote your business. There are a few factors you’ll need to consider when getting into this industry.
Are your clients loyal to you?
This is an industry where you don’t just conduct a single transaction with a customer. That customer will require your services in future. What are you doing to ensure that they contact you again when they need office machines?
Building loyalty is vital for your business. If, for instance, you don’t deliver a client’s order in time, you will cause them much inconvenience. How can you remedy this? You can apologise and promise that you’ll give a twenty percent discount on the next item they order. Get creative and find ways to make your clients loyal.
Beating your competition
Just like any other business, you will face stiff competition when you are starting out. You might think that the high number of companies will mean a high demand for office machines. Problem is, there are other established suppliers.
You have no choice but to up your game. One way to ensure you come out on top is to have the best pronation strategies. If you know how to promote your business, it means you’ll reach out to more potential clients.
With that in mind, let’s now look at some methods you can use to market photocopier and office machines in Singapore.
- Use of brochures/flyers/business cards
In this era of the internet, it might seem backward to use brochures, flyers ad business cards. But the reality is, they are an effective way to spread word about your services. Compared to many other methods, it is quite affordable.
All you need to do is identify companies/organizations/institutions around you that might require office machines. Next, go to these places, introduce yourself and drop a flyer/brochure. When you meet potential clients during events, hand them your business card.
- Partner with businesses
There are businesses/organization which get office machines from only one supplier. This is one of the main challenges when you get into this industry. There is a high probability they are loyal to that one supplier so convincing them to switch suppliers will be difficult. If you find yourself in such a situation, you can decide to partner with businesses/organizations.
Look for budding entrepreneurs and SMEs and see if they need office machines. Once you conduct a transaction with them, form partnerships. You could offer them other office supplies like stationery to strengthen the bond. Business is much easier if you have a few clients who only get their office machines from you.
- Build a business website
We are in the digital era, where almost every adult in Singapore is computer literate and uses the internet on a regular basis. You can’t afford to miss out on the many opportunities online. Start promoting your business to the online community by building a website.
When you have a site, you can be sure your business will be seen by internet users. Create a simple site that has everything a prospective client needs. You can include pictures of office machines that you have and enable visitors to order online. You site should also have your contacts so that you can easily be reached.
There are two strategies you can use to improve the ranking of your office supplies website on the internet. Let’s have a look at both:
Search engine optimization (SEO)
SEO is a free way to outrank many other sites in your industry. There are various strategies you can use to achieve this. First, make your website mobile friendly as most Singaporeans use mobile devices to access the internet. Secondly, ensure that the site loads faster and is easy to navigate. You can also improve the site’s rankings by posting green content regularly.
Search engine marketing (SEM)
You can adopt this strategy to complement SEO. It involves paying search engines such as Google to place a link to your site on the sponsored part of search results. This is after determining keywords that internet users are likely to search as they look for office machines. If done the right way, SEM usually takes a much shorter time to produce the desired results.
Social media
As you develop your internet marketing plan, you cannot leave out social media. Social media platforms were previously used to socialize but have grown to be much more than that. There are millions of social media users in Singapore alone. Some social media sites you can use include Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
When you’ve created a social media handle, post regularly and engage your followers. If you’re using Facebook, you can create ads and target certain businesses and individuals. With social media, you can effortlessly market photocopier and office machines in Singapore.
Email marketing
Email marketing is also a great way to promote your business. Chances are you’ll want to build a good relationship with your current clients. You can do this through email. Once you’ve completed a transaction with a client, you can ask them to sign up for your weekly newsletter.
You can also collect emails when prospective clients visit your site. When you get them, send emails regularly. They could be about new deals you are offering or guidelines on how to maintain office machines.
Conclusion
The above marketing strategies will help you grow your own business and compete with the industry heavyweights. Always analyse the market to find out which promotion methods are effective. As you market, you may struggle with online marketing techniques such as SEM and SEO. Have now worries because MediaOne, a digital marketing agency, sorts out all your digital marketing issues.
