Finishing equipment manufacturer Autobond has produced several leads in the first six months since registering on the professional networking website, including one that led to the sale of a Mini 76 THCC sheetfed thermal laminator with flying knife cross cutter.

The client was Walsworth Publishing Company, a commercial and yearbook publisher from Marceline, Missouri, which had spotted Autobond’s demonstration videos on YouTube.

Bindery manager Shane Hutson contacted Autobond on LinkedIn and was invited to the company’s production HQ in Heanor, Derbyshire to see its Mini 76 THCC 760x1,020mm thermal film laminator, fitted with a Heidelberg Speedmaster 74 feed head and a high-speed flying knife cross cutter.

Hutson said social media enabled SMEs to stand out in a competitive market. "If neither Autobond nor our company had access to YouTube or LinkedIn, this deal may not have ever come about – which obviously I’m delighted it did."

Oran Gilmore, vice president of Autobond, said: "We are thrilled to have gained our first sale via social networking. Not only does it show that there is great demand in the US market for high-quality lamination and added-value print, but it demonstrates the increasing power of social networking to bring companies together."

Conor Gilmore, a salesman for Autobond who holds a degree in film and television production from Aberystwyth University is responsible for creating and editing the YouTube videos. He also produces instructional operator videos for clients.

"It’s fantastic," he said. "We shoot videos of new machinery and machinery being tested. It’s a great sales tool in letting people see what the machines can do. It really takes the legwork out of the sales process, I don’t need to get in my car and knock on doors."

He said the company had a presence in the US because it was historically one of the three biggest markets in the world but it also sells worldwide.