COVER STORY
Manufacturing Meets Social Media
B.C. manufacturer and custom machine shop Williams and White
is stepping outside traditional marketing boundaries and entering
the online world of social media
They have been called social phe- nomena, revolutionary technolo- gies, and giant time-wasters. But
no matter what you may have heard, social media Web sites such as Facebook,
YouTube, and Twitter aren’t just for
bored teenagers.
In the boardroom at Williams and
White, Burnaby B.C., more is discussed
than just business trends, the value of
the dollar, and how the shop is running.
This is a manufacturing company that
has added social media to its marketing program, a move that is not exactly
revolutionary, but is uncommon in most
manufacturing businesses today.
Founded in 1957 by Christopher Williams and partners Len and Jack Claxton, the company was originally named
Claxton and Williams, and it operated
solely as a machine shop for the local
Vancouver industry. Two years later the
Claxtons sold their shares to Len White,
and the Williams and White brand was
created.
Today the company is made up of
three independent business units: equipment manufacturing, custom machining,
and automation systems.
While specialized grinding equipment
used in the sawmill, cutting tool, and
machining industries is perhaps what
the company is best-known for now, investment in the machining and automation divisions has given the company the
machining capabilities to compete with
shops across western Canada.
Having a diverse customer base and
operations in a variety of industries has
enabled Williams and White to maintain
a steady business even as certain sectors
declined. For example, in recent years
the company’s business in the forestry
sector declined, but an increase in in-house custom machining work kept the
company running smoothly.
Social Media Activities
No stranger to tradeshows and traditional marketing techniques, a few years ago
the company took a step into social me-
Large and heavy parts like this spring key for a hydroelectric dam’s turbine can
be machined.
dia through the use of a Facebook page,
You Tube channel, and Twitter account.
“We would rather be a little ahead of
the curve than a little behind the curve,”
explained Williams and White CEO Justin Williams.
These three Web sites can be used to
drive traffic to a company’s own corporate Web site and also augment traditional marketing methods.
You Tube allows people from all over
the world to upload and store videos.
While mainly known for its entertainment value, there are definitely business
applications as well. Manufacturing
businesses can use this Web site to store
videos of their equipment in action and
take viewers on virtual tours of their facilities to drive sales.
Williams and White’s online videos,
for example, have been viewed more
than 500 times.
“Being able to show prospective customers the capabilities of the equipment
that we make from an off-site location
is a really powerful tool,” said Williams.
“Now any client with an Internet con-
nection can view our You Tube videos
and see what we can do for them.”
The company’s Twitter account,
which Williams describes as a work-in-
progress, recently has been used to an-
nounce its new guide milling machine
that is capable of milling a guide in
seven seconds.
“I think Twitter can become a very
interesting tool for us,” said Williams.
“For example, I recently tweeted about
our new spray welding services and
about the fact that we had some capacity
in our VMCs. In the future, as we attract
more and more followers, we think this
can become a great sales tool.”
Twitter takes timely information and
delivers it to everyone that is following
a company’s activity. In a short message
of no more than 140 characters, manu-
facturers can post messages and even
links to Web sites.
While Facebook may be best-known
for its ability to share pictures and videos
with friends while keeping them up-to-
