Here we are going to discuss few E-business strategies that can assist you in your business. Empower your business and widen its market reach by taking advantage of E-Business Solutions such as Online Market Research, Survey Solutions, E-mail Marketing, Customer Relationship Management, Work Flow Management Systems and Enterprise Resource planning Systems.

Marketing research helps in understanding the customer’s needs. Online Marketing Research has become crucial for Online Marketing Companies and businesses in order to be successful. By conducting market research, companies gather information and forecast upward or downward movements of the market. Determine market effectiveness and create strategic marketing plan to drive a successful business.

Survey Solutions bring a great relief for the marketers and companies in this internet centric world.  Survey Solutions bring up-to-date customer opinion and allows you to generate awareness of business products and services public wish to possess. A recent survey states that Business-to-Business (B2B) marketers allot approximately 12% of their budget on e-mail marketing. SEO Consultants are recommending e-mail marketing promotions for reaching new customers across the globe, increasing brand awareness besides sales.

Customer Relationship Management is a system to increase customer response rates; firms profit. The main objective of CRM is to provide accurate and real time account of any given customer. CRM with a complete, 360-degree view of the customer help to reduce overall marketing cost of E-Business Companies. CRM effectively handles several significant interactions between company & customers and retrieves all possible information of regular customers from range of sources as in real time to service them better.

Workflow Management Systems automate redundant tasks and helps organizations to follow up on uncompleted tasks to get it done. Work flow management enhances customer satisfaction, support to shorten turnaround time and raises productivity across the organization.

Empower your business by integration of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems that provides a consolidated picture of sales, inventory and receivables with improved workflow and efficiency. The key purpose of implementing an ERP system is to bring together the disparate functions of the business association into a single system environment and therefore make the processes run more proficiently.

To move your online business vertically and to take your e-business to big heights you need to take advantage of modern E- Business Solutions. With ComEdge’s E- Business Solutions you can improve business growth and maximize profits with a proposed budget. ComEdge’s range of solutions & services to clients include Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Online Application Development, Custom Web Application Development, Mobile Website Development.

The idea behind internet marketing is to attract more visitors to your business website and boost your bottom-line dramatically. Few online marketing strategies that help achieve your business objective include: Affiliate Marketing, Business Blogging, Article Marketing, Press Release Distribution, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM) / Pay–Per-Click (PPC) Advertising and Social Media Marketing (SMM). Business owners need to develop effective E-Marketing strategies to promote their business and make it reach all over world.

There are various kinds of E-Marketing strategies that exist. Among those here are some of the effective strategies that can get you off the hook. Affiliate Marketing is the most popular way for any business owner to earn money or enhance sales of their products and services. Business Blogging allows you to build your company’s brand as well as your authority in the industry and encourage new visitors to your website. Weblog helps you to convey your success stories and presents new product updates to your existing customers and also brings in new customers.

Article Marketing is the effective way of online marketing that contributes towards increasing profits for your business. It has the ability to bring enormous traffic to your business site and as an extra bonus increases search engine rankings. Writing effective Press Releases and distributing them online will enable you to empower your business. Social Media Marketing (SMM) is crucial for any new and upcoming businesses to keep growing and drive luxury sales. Social Media increases your brand exposure and builds new business partnerships for your business.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) plays major role in creating new marketplace. The success of any marketing strategy is measured in term of the return on investment (ROI) and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has the capability of bringing higher returns on investment when compared to other marketing options. By providing you an enhanced brand awareness and brand image, SEO increases relevant online traffic to produce more sales for your business. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising is used to get traffic from targeted audience and it provides quick result with real time tracking.

In today’s competitive market, getting strategically-effective and result-focused search engine optimisation and internet marketing services at cost-effective price from an online marketing company is quite tedious job as it requires a lot of analysis and research. You must choose a company that must determine the overall and future success your business by handling effective web marketing winning strategies. ComEdge is one such Online Marketing Company providing the best possible turnkey E-Marketing Solutions, E-Business Consulting, E-Commerce Services on time and within budget.

Competitive Edge has developed strategic alliances in Coimbatore, India, with a view to outsourcing ITC and e-Commerce projects that demand specialist resources beyond our current capabilities and staff resources.

We have been working for approximately six months on a number of projects which have involved creating project teams with different programming skills, and with expertise in working with overseas companies to produce leading edge business solutions.

THE VIRTUAL OFFSHORE SOLUTION

Our strategic allies have excellent project management experience, and they report regularly and formally on project progress to Rajiv Ramachandran on progress with the briefs created by him and managed by him through Competitive Edge.

The concept of a VOM is excellent because all the costs are variable and project related, and there are no ongoing overheads.

In addition, changes can be made to the project team depending on the needs of the brief and the project as these evolve.  Timeframes can also be “shortened” or “crashed” by adding extra staff to complete projects within timeframes.

India is five hours behind Australia, so every day Competitive Edge has the advantage of five extra hours of work time on projects, which enables them to deliver expedient and just-in-time project solutions.

Mutual service and online communication means that all parties are in contact in real time and communicate regularly.

CLIENT PROJECTS

Clients have utilised the Virtual Offshore Management (VOM) system for projects where:

1. They want continuous tracking and monitoring of their websites with associated updates and improvements.
2. Their project requires programming skills that are readily available through this source.  The project has unique ICT requirements that can only be satisfied by specialist personnel.
3. The timeframes for clients are short, and we need the extra resources and skills of the VOM.
4. Budget considerations would not allow Competitive Edge to fully complete the project to meet client expectations through traditional project completion in Australia.
5. Clients require a minimum of 10 hours a week to assist them with managing their website and communication platforms, including social media.
6. Clients wish to take advantage of lower cost SEO and other standard services offered by Comedge and Competitive Edge.

KEY BENEFIT ANALYSIS

We have found the VOM to be excellent for projects completed, and customers are highly satisfied given that we create the brief and project manage the system and payments for service completion.

Cash flow equates to project progress, and projects can be completed at a lower budget rate than comparable projects completed in Australia.

Ongoing management support for online activities is based on a variable cost basis, and can be terminated with a week’s notice.  There is also the provision to vary timeframes and select service timeframes throughout the year to suit time and budget requirements.

Rajiv Ramachandran travels to India at regular intervals to maintain relationships, ensure quality standards are met, and liaise with our strategic partners.  This ensures they are committed and aligned with our product and service value proposition.

At that time we had no idea about the revolution that the Web and online marketing was about to create.

We guessed there would be a fusion between traditional marketing and the use of websites as an additional online corporate identity, corporate communication, and product and service profile online, but that was as far as we could stretch our imagination at that time.

Google had not started up, and the search engine market was fairly wide open.  There was not much available in terms of applications, tracking or monitoring for websites, or even guidelines as to what constituted a good website.

We are now about to enter 2012, and what we have seen is an explosion in the e-World.  Words now dot our landscape like e-Marketing, e-Communication, e-Systems, e-Commerce, e-Consumers, etc.  The e-Word is out there, and so is the application of online marketing and online communication – it is utilised by our oldest pensions down to our 2-3 year-olds who can tap a keyboard.

Some SMEs, however, are still stuck in the old void of a static or slightly integrated   website.  They initially built a website using html, and they often used friends, relatives etc. to build the website and to create a presence online.  They then upgraded, and this has given them the ability to reference the website, but in terms of creating customers and clients being able to find the website, they are still locked back on Page 13 or 14.

In addition, their website has remained fairly static, with the Introduction page, the Product and Service page, a few visuals and pictures about clients and applications of products and services, and a Contact page.

In saying this, I am not trying to be inflammatory or to cast judgement on businesses that have entered the e-Age like I did, as most people, with a very low cost and exploratory site.

The point is, however, that it is now time to look beyond the website, as the website itself is no longer the cornerstone of successful e-Marketing.

To get e-Success online today, you need to be building a communication platform that is well beyond just having a presence on the Web, whether it be under key words, under your corporate name or under your products and services.

What you have to aspire to do is to build a communication platform that can achieve some of the following:

1. A communication platform with the ability to interact with social media, and to create blogs, articles, white papers, or information about your products and services that can be used by your consumers, both existing and potential.  To expand their knowledge about your business and about the services you provide, and how they can interact and assist their businesses to grow.
2. A communication platform that allows you to constantly update your visuals about your products and services, your business success etc., so you are always providing an online publicity and information service that allows your clients to assist your growth and success, and to want to be part of this.
3. A communication platform that allows you to profile your staff, your team achievements, and the capabilities and competencies within your organisation that can assist your existing and potential clients.
4. A communication platform that outlines how your products work in tandem, and how you value add services to the benefit of your customers.  Also the diversity of your organisation, and the ability to introduce products and services about which they may have no current knowledge or exposure.
5. A communication package that is always updated and therefore attractive to the search engines.  As such, it helps you to maintain your ranking with Google, and keep you as a preferred site with excellent key words and key categories that are important to your success and future.
6. A communication platform that assists you to be recognised as a major contributor to your industry, whether it be in a small region, a state, Australia-wide, or even globally.
7. A communication platform that allows you to give as much information to your clients as possible, so that you reduce the inbound phone calls and contacts that seek information and take time in administration, and create a very expensive cost centre, which is unnecessary given the communication power of the Web and online systems.
8. A communication system that allows you to publish newsletters, give information directly to your clients and reference clients to part of your website.  A powerful marketing tool and “push” factor.
9. A communication platform that profiles your organisation and gives it a corporate identity and personality.  Customers want the comfort and security associated with dealing with organisations that seem secure, and are secure, and are well entrenched in modern day marketing.

The initial idea of products and services being featured on a website, with a contact page and an introduction about the company’s background, are outdated today.

Modern communication platforms are also a great source of management statistics and information.  Today, you can find out when people visit your site, what time they visit your site, how they visit your site (via linkages, directly or search), what key words they use (which can empower you to use these key words and use their own language back to them), what products and services they are searching for, what pages they like and dislike, how long they spend on each page, how many times they visit each page, and whether they bounce off your page in 20-30 seconds, thus giving you an indication of like/ dislike, or attractive/ unattractive in evaluating your website and communication platform generally.

The communication platform is also an example of how you work in the market place, and how beneficial you will be to potential clients. 

They do judge the book by the cover, and view your communication platform as sophisticated, interesting, integrated, knowledgeable, competent, etc.  If they assesses it to be incompetent, unattractive, not knowledgeable, uninteresting, uninformative and “run of the mill”, they will form a view that you may not be able to service them, and that your services are at the commodity end of the business rather than at the specialty and “sharp” end of the business.

As such, it is an important indicator of what your business is, how it works, what it does, and how successful it is.

We at Comedge are very keen to work with you to keep your sites updated and at the leading edge of technology.

If you have any questions about how you can improve your communication platform, and how you can interface with Facebook, Twitter, develop a Facebook profile (see article in this newsletter), we are only too willing to help you.  Your business success is important to us as it is our philosophy that we maintain, retain and gain clients, and they, in turn are able to do the same with their clients.

• Having a Facebook presence demonstrates your business is up to date with current trends
• Anyone can express interest in your business by choosing to “Like” it. From then on, news that you publish will appear on their Facebook page
• Using the Facebook search box will yield a result that would otherwise not be there
• Automatically viewable on mobile devices (iPhone, Google Android, etc)
• Word of mouth marketing, the best money can’t  buy
• Having a Facebook profile can improve your search engine results
• It is a world-wide audience
• Statistics on profile views
• Your competitors may already be there
• Own a Facebook.com/YourBusiness address
• It is FREE to host a Facebook profile

What to publish

Information about your business:

• Who you are, what you do.
• Available products and services.
• Build a following of people who “Like” your products and/or business. 
• Photo and Video galleries.
• Interactive poll questionnaires.
• News updates. 
• Contact and location information.
• Direct people to your web site.

How to get started

A basic Facebook page can be set-up quickly and easily by using appropriate content from you current web site or promotional material. You can then add “Status Updates,” these are brief notes or news about your business, and can offer more details via a link to your web site. Regular “Status Updates” can keep your business in the public mind.

Conclusion

Facebook is part of today’s culture. Getting on board is quick and easy. Don’t get left behind.

Visit – http://www.facebook.com/business

How to Create Business Pages on Facebook

Video Source: Hubspot

1. Negative Keywords

Utilize negative keywords, one of the most underused features offered for PPC campaigns. Negative keywords allow you to choose words that won’t trigger your ad. For example, if you are a new car salesman, place the word “used” on your negative list to target customers looking for a new vehicle. When used correctly and updated often, negative keywords help pare down your clickers to serious buyers and save your PPC dollars.

2. Location, Location, Location

Why have your ad viewed or, even worse, clicked by someone in Sydney when you only sell roof trusses in Melbourne? PPC dollars are wasted because unsophisticated users don’t focus their impressions by location. Google, Microsoft and Yahoo all offer geo-location features, which allow users to target their markets based on IP addresses, geo-specific keywords or both.

3. Make an Offer They Can’t Refuse

With so much competition, you need to differentiate your ad. Are you running a promotion? Is postage free? Offer value and then capitalise on it with a call-to-action. Use terms like “Learn More” and “Free Download” to draw in customers. Encourage searchers to act and let them know what to expect on the other side of the click.

4. Be Dynamic

Dynamic keyword insertion allows you to create more relevant ad copy by placing the exact phrase searched into your ad. When the potential customer sees the exact term they searched, they are more likely to click. While dynamic keyword insertion is very useful and can increase your click through rate tremendously, it is not for the PPC novice. If poorly executed, dynamic keyword insertion can result in ads that appear unclear and irrelevant and can drain your budget quickly.

5. Utilize Long Tail Keywords

Long tail keywords are three-to-four-word phrases that are specific to your product. The reason this works is that visitors using very specific search phrases are often further along in the purchasing process and can result in a higher conversion rate. Someone looking for blades / knives might search for “blades” and then have it narrowed down to “Snap Knife – 25mm” when they are ready to buy. Another benefit to long tail keywords is their lack of popularity among PPC novices. With less people bidding on your keywords, your cost per click decreases. Add high intent words to your long tail, such as “buy,” “price” or even “where to buy,” in order to grab those on the verge of a purchase. If you are stumped and need long tail keyword suggestions, visit Wordstream.

6. Test the Campaigns

Don’t just set up a PPC campaign and hope for the best — proper testing and analysis are required. Metrics allow you to better understand your campaign and results, so set up A/B tests to track what works. Remember to test multiple ads simultaneously, but only allow for one variable at a time and run your tests long enough to gather proper data.

7. Timing Is Everything

In addition to geo-targeting, PPC campaigns allow for time targeting. Analyse your metrics to determine when your ads are at their highest conversion rate. If you are receiving hundreds of clicks at 3 am, but making no sales, restrict ad impressions during those hours to save your budget.

8. Landing Page

A homepage is not a landing page. Don’t throw away all your hard work by sending targeted customers to a non-targeted homepage. Create a simple landing page that picks up right where your ad left off. Don’t lose your visitor — and potential sale — by confusing them with unnecessary content.

9. Get to Know Keyword Generators, but Not Too Well

Keyword generators prove helpful in getting you started when mining keywords. Some great tools are the Google AdWords Keyword Tools, Microsoft Advertising Intelligence and tools by Market Samurai. However, do not rely heavily on keyword generators — often a human touch is what you need to target that human searcher. You know how you typically search, so go with your instinct.

10. Google Quality Score: Recognize

Your Google Quality Score determines the overall ranking of your AdWords account and helps determine where your ads will place on the search page. Keep your score high by following the rules set up by Google AdWords and continuously providing quality advertisements. Stay on top of your Google Quality Score, as an unexpected drop is a red flag.
These steps cover the basics of increasing your ROI for PPC campaigns.

If you require any assistance with PPC campaigns, ComEdge can help you conduct your campaigns in a professional manner with better ROI.p>
Article Source: Mashable.com

Today, in this competitive online world it has become necessary for businesses to own a website. E-business focuses on the use of information and communication technologies to facilitate interaction between the business and potential clients.

 Our guest speaker from ComEdge will provide valuable insights for businesses. The topics he will cover include:

• The importance and advantages of creating a web presence,
• Strategies (to maximize your online presence and maximize the impact of your web page); and
• How to use online tools to improve your business.

The speaker will address questions raised by a panel of local businesses from various industries. The floor will also open to the audience to have their queries addressed.

Tuesday 20 September 2011
6:15 pm - 8:30 pm

Deakin University
Building HD, Level 3, Room 009
221 Burwood Highway, Burwood.

For bookings Visit – www.whitehorsebusinessgroup.com.au

If YES, this emarketing Program is for you.

Receive Grant Subsidy Support from the Victorian Government.

The Program consists of four practical and informative workshops (half days) with a small group of 10 like-minded businesses.

You will learn how you can use e-Commerce, online Internet Marketing, cost effective Internet systems marketing techniques to achieve an excellent mix of online and offline marketing and communication outcomes that retains, maintains and gains customers.

You work on a strategic plan for your business with Competitive Edge, a professional marketing, strategy & e-Commerce organisation.

Registration:
Limit 10 SME businesses (up to 2 employees can attend per business)                     

Workshop Dates & Time:

12th October 2011: 8.30am – 1.30pm
18th October 2011: 8.30am – 1.30pm
25th October 2011: 8.30am – 1.30pm
4th November 2011: 8.30am – 1.30pm

Venue:

ICT Room 2
Caroline Springs Library
193 – 201 Caroline Springs Boulevard, VIC 3023

For further information and to register your business, please contact

Rose Romeo
Business Growth & Sustainability Unit
Melton Shire Council
Phone: (03) 9747 7157
Fax: (03) 9743 9970
Email: rosar@melton.vic.gov.au