Website is Just the Business
A West Midlands plastics company is being heralded as a national example of how a web presence can generate new business.
SMP Plastics, which is based on the Cyprus Street Industrial Estate in Oldbury, has landed orders worth more than pounds 50,000 in the past two months.
Owner Mark Gibbs is convinced the internet has played a massive part in that success after his firm was taught a few tricks of the trade about enhancing it’s presence on search engines, such as Google.
“I have eight new orders on my desk which have been taken over the past couple of months,” said Mark. “And seven of those have all come from people finding us on the web.
“Even the company that didn’t find us via the net actually checked out our site once they had been referred to us by an existing client.”
Up until a couple of years ago the firm, which manufactures a variety of products from plastic sheets, did not even have a website until it was referred to the National B2B Centre at the University of Warwick by the Manufacturing Advisory Service West Midlands.
After the National B2B Centre helped to develop its website, the company has used search engine optimisation to drive more traffic to its web address and it is certainly paying off with more orders.
Mr Gibbs added: “We were absolutely nowhere a couple of years ago when it came to e-marketing and now suddenly we are taking orders and enquiries that have seen a rise in profits and turnover.
“Buyers for large organisations are going to purchase products in this way from now on – that is something I have now realised.
“That is what other companies have to realise too. You have to expect that almost every company is going to try to find what they are looking for using a search engine on the net.”
Steve Orriss, the lead e-business consultant with the National B2B Centre, said SMP Plastics proved that traditional manufacturers need to use the internet and e-marketing to compete.
He said: “The days are gone when companies such as this can rely on sending out a brochure and hope it might land them orders.
“Buyers of products are using the internet to search for businesses that can produce what they are looking for.
“If you don’t have a presence on the net, then they will struggle to find you and manufacturers will lose orders to businesses which are.”
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