Christchurch Web Design Agency Gets 30,000 Fans on Facebook

Mint Design, a small Christchurch-based web design agency, recently reached a milestone that is yet to be achieved by some of New Zealand’s biggest brands: They got 30,000 fans on Facebook.

“The team and I are pretty excited about it. We’ve got such a fun and loyal fan base. We hoped to reach 30,000 sometime in 2013, but didn’t think it would happen as soon as March” says Shayne Moore, Managing Director. Moore adds “it really shows just how powerful the Facebook platform can be for small businesses”.

Critics argue that getting a large fan base is simple as ‘likes’ can be obtained through “like ladders”. Moore says those link ladders are often pulled down by Facebook and businesses are penalised for using them. Moore advises that non-genuine likes are often short-lived and fans will soon unlike Pages using them.  “Our numbers have always been consistent and we very rarely get people unliking our Page. The majority of our fans are based in New Zealand, followed by Australia. They’re both our biggest markets so it’s the best possible reach for us”.

So the numbers are legitimate, but how can a small Christchurch web design agency benefit from 30,000 likes? Moore says “Social networking really isn’t really different from other forms of networking. The greater your network, the more referral business you can get. Even a 16 year old school student has a network that can potentially benefit us. Their dad could be the marketing manager for a company who notices us, and one day needs our service. 

So how did Mint Design, a company of all but six staff get a following of 30,000 devoted fans? Moore says the number one rule of Facebook and getting likes is to simply be likable. Share fun, relevant content and entertain your fans. Competitions with high ticket prizes including an iPhone and a Nintendo Wii console also gave Mint a boost in numbers in their early days on the Facebook platform.

Moore admits he's not scared to throw money at social media. He doesn't bat an eyelid at investing $2000 a month in design hours to create custom graphics for their Facebook page. 

Mint Design who offer website development and digital marketing services now administers over 30 Facebook accounts. “Our Facebook management service came out of sheer demand. At first, we tried to teach our clients how to manage their own Pages, but they just wanted to hand us over the reins and let us build up their presence”.

Moore said in the beginning, managing a handful of accounts was fun, but now it requires accurate reporting, strategic planning and careful brand management for their clients.

Mint Design offers a honest and humble approach to social media services and exists in an industry that has a few cowboys, or so-called “gurus” who have a small and non-impactful presence on Facebook, while promising big results for their clients. “That’s one benefit of having such a strong following. It instantly gives us authority as social media service providers. It gives our clients faith in us”.

Jump on the bandwagon and follow Mint Design on Facebook.