A small business grows customers through focus on global social engagement
When Rotorcorp began operations in 2011, social media outlets like Facebook were revealing themselves as a real way for small business with limited reach to engage with prospective customers around the world.
For Rotorcorp, an Atlanta-based helicopter parts company specializing Robinson Helicopters, Facebook provided a platform to engage all of the individual pilots, operators and maintenance providers- each potential customers, in a meaningful and personal way that would not be possible through other mediums.
“Helicopters are cool. Even people in the industry who fly helicopters every day think helicopters are cool.” Says Rotorcorp Vice President Sean Casey. “Like any industry, people in the helicopter business like to talk shop. We discovered that many of our customers were doing some really interesting and amazing things with their helicopters that others would like to know about”.
Most Rotorcorp customers had a limited social reach with less than 500 followers, so Rotorcorp started posting updates to its page featuring posts and pictures from their customers and pointing others to go “like” that customer’s page. These include anti-poaching efforts in Africa, conservation work in the everglades, lighter airborne billboards, helicopter whale watching and more.
Sean continued “The response was overwhelmingly positive. We had a cherry crop operator in Oregon starting to get ‘likes’ from Russia, Brazil and South Africa. They were pretty blown away by that”
Of course as Rotorcorp highlighted their customers, their own Facebook ranks began to swell. “I remember the day that we passed the number people following Robinson Helicopter Company and thought that was pretty crazy, because we just sell their parts.” quipped Casey. Today Rotorcorp stands at over ten thousand followers- more than double that of Robinson Company.
Facebook and other social outlets have allowed Rotorcorp to grow to nearly $4 Million in annual sales with over 1000 customers in 45 different countries. The company taps their social network to sell parts and even entire helicopters all over the world.
