Download How to Carry Out Internet Marketing for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

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How to Carry Out Internet Marketing for Small and Medium-Sized
Enterprises
LIU Xuehua, DONG Shuoling
Hebei Normal University of Science & Technology, China, 066004
Abstract: The Marketing of SMEs in China is at an early stage, and many SMEs online marketing with
many mistakes. Based on analyzing the problems of the marketing of SME networks, we propose
specific programs for SMEs network marketing, emphasis on marketing-based website building, website
promotion and strengthening the use of various Internet marketing methods.
Keywords: SMEs, network marketing, solution
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Introduction
According to statistics, to 2009, SMEs in China, the number exceeding 99% of the total enterprises,
creating 60% of the GDP, 50% of the national revenue and nearly 80% of urban jobs, have become
important market actors today. But small and medium enterprises due to its small scale, less capital, and
lack of human resources,compete large-scale enterprises difficult to obtain competitive advantage. The
emergence of the network marketing model, provides SMEs the same stage and development
opportunities matching with large enterprises. It breaks the limitations of time and space, to low-cost,
fast transactions, and interactive features for small and medium enterprises, to broader space for
development. It also enhances the competitiveness among the enterprises, leading the small and medium
enterprises to some new challenges. Studying the problems of SMEs network marketing, carrying out
effective internet marketing strategies, are of great importance for SMEs
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SMEs Network Marketing Mistakes
SMEs currently exist five major errors in the network marketing.
(1) The goal is not clear. Some enterprises have not established clear objectives and a clear strategy, a
lack of effective information website. Some companies with a simple web site only business description,
what’s the specific product, how’s the product feature, how much is the price, are neither text nor image,
and no feedback column, which cause loss of many market opportunities; some enterprises’ Function
are too much, location unclear, not only to fully demonstrate good corporate image, but also to achieve
online sales site, and even to join the members, such a "different opinions" of the site, often as a vague
position, which makes "nothing on earth," and customers are not sure what is the site doing now in the
end.
(2) Don’t focus on website marketing effectiveness, only the pursuit of form. Many small and medium
construction sites only focus on superficial, less valuable information to customers. The owners of these
enterprises think that the website is the enterprise-oriented stage showing personality, just pursuiting
appearance perfect, lack of marketing information, simply can too attract customers to access Click the
formation, even to form a "dead site." These sites do not have the practical, not bring enterprises more
network customers, poor effects of marketing.
(3) Ignoring website promotion. As many SMEs do not realize the importance of web site promotion, or
unwilling to step up investment in addition, or may not understand the effective methods of website
promotion, many enterprises have always firmly believed "sell themselves", they have not take any
marketing or promotional tool means single, making a lot of corporate website little known, not attract
the target customers into the corporate website.
(4) Blind selection of network marketing services and tools. Today various types of Internet marketing
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services and tools are very complex, little understanding to enterprises, letting alone the actual choices
suitable for enterprise services and tools, and the blind choices also led to lower effect of sales. Many
enterprises optimize a web site, buy advertising, buy search engine keywords to get traffic, to promote
business growth. Its shortcomings are that relatively large costs, for advertising and keywords are
fee-per-click. With malicious clicks increasing, many companies have to pay expensive advertising fees,
costs rising, but the rewards are not growth either. How to make full use of network operator tool is the
immediate problem. There are also a number of SMEs in the choice of online marketing services, no use
of scientific methods for the suitable business development tools. At the same time, because they are
lack of relevant experiences, many enterprises are only choice of services under market prices or surface
of the service provider, but the practice shows that such enterprises are not really network marketing
successors.
(5) No impact assessment. Network marketing enterprises always ignore the following questions: How
many people per day visit your site? What countries and regions are these people from? Through which
these flows are obtained by means of advertising and promotion? Which your website page do these
people visit? And so on. In fact, if the statistics are concluded from these data, you can very accurately
detect network marketing.
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How to Implement Network Marketing for SMEs
3.1 Constructing Marketing Corporate Website
Marketing Website is to give enterprises target customers who are to fully understand the products and
services, and eventually to catch hold of business opportunities. Marketing enterprises in the
constructing site process should meet the following criteria: (1) the design of website's home page and
the page navigation bar is reasonable, objective customer reasonable segmentation, product and service
information easy to check; (2) site layout is reasonable, structure clear, sites rich in content, language
specification, the overall content non-infringement; (3) a dynamic maintain web site, technology is
mature, no security vulnerabilities; (4) site no error code or broken links; (5) pages ensure the normal
browsing of users, and ensure the user's browsing speed in the broadband environment, do not
significantly delay; In addition, content strategy of the Marketing Web site building is to focus on the
key, to improve the user experience, thereby enhancing the user conversion rate.
The construction of websites should also consider the following questions: Your customers are
businesses or individual consumers, where do they come from? How is their degree of information? how
often surfing the Internet? What languages do they mainly use? what information do they mainly want
to know? How are they level of their purchases? which browser do they mainly use? In addition, the
website content needs depth and gradual adjustment with the knowledge of consumers. For example, if
the company's customer groups like the new technology, higher education and regular use of online
shopping, then the company is high likelihood of success on the e-commerce.
Company Website is mainly in two ways: one is inside the enterprise building itself, the other is the
business outsourcing to professional web development company. SMEs themselves as small, is difficult
to attract sufficient professional website construction personnel, an appropriate way is to outsource web
development. The selection of outsourcing does not mean that SMEs could have let go after the
enterprise website construction, for it is a systematic, not a simple technical task.
Website includes the domain name and web space, and webpages are the basic units of information. To
set up a personality and a specific function of the site is the key to network marketing enterprises. The
use of business name and brand registrating domain name, has become the Internet trademark and
e-mark, equivalent to opening up a second the Internet front marketing. Webpages design to meet the
needs of target customers, to provide a complete enterprise information, product information, sales
information, service information. Secondly, webpages design to the "user-centric" to provide convenient
interaction system, pay attention to user experience and feelings, which will help customers feedback, so
SMEs can build up valuable business information database through the accumulation of requiremen
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informations.
3.2 Enhance site promotion
Website promotion is the key to online marketing for SMEs. Because the prerequisite of websites to
play the role is sufficient of access from the relevant groups, the necessary site visits to promote access
is the basis of network marketing to obtain results on, is the key. Especially for SMEs, due to
restrictions on markeing resources, news, advertising, large-scale promotional activities, they have less
chance of publicity, so website promotion via the Internet means is much more important for them than
big ones.
Search Engine Marketing and licensed Email marketing is a suitable website promotion for small and
medium enterprises.
Search Engine Marketing generally includes two ways, search engine registration and ranking auction
on search engines. Search engine registration (sometimes referred to as "search engine note", "search
engine log", "submit to search engines") is the most classic and most common way of website
promotion tools. For technical search engines, for example Baidu, etc., SMEs usually do not need to
register themselves, as long as the sites have been included in the website links by other search engines,
search engines can find and contains your own sites. However, if the site is not link, or want your site to
join search engines as quickly as possible, it would need to submit your own website. In general, SMEs
use this search engine registration, to each search engine's "Submit Site" page, enter their URL, submit
them and ok, which generally do not need website introductions, key words and so on the attachment
information. Current technical search engine submission (or automatically included) is free.
Search engine ranking auction is paid listing according to the actual situation of the company's own
products. Paid listing pays for result, no click no charge. PPC flexibility is good, so business can be
readily adjusted to focus products, according to sales of seasonal conditions on the payment and the
ranking results. As small and medium enterprises, because of the low profile enterprises, small number
of customers, the initial website is badly in need of improvement in visits, PPC is an ideal model to
promote website that is really to the point, outcomes fast, and inexpensive. First of all, these persons
concerned about your website information are who you want to sell your products to. Second, through
the PPC promoting the websites is only the customer into your site and browsing the information. In
other words, only the produced results need to pay for it. As a more idealistic promotion approach PPC
solves the problem of inexact position and bad results from the traditional advertisers.
Licensed email marketing is also a way for small and medium enterprises. Email marketing changes the
passive way of search engines to promote, takes the initiative attack to their customers and potential
customers, more targeted, and more effective. As the SMEs own strength is limited, customer base small,
and they have not a professional e-mail distribution platforms, not enough customers Email addresses,
Email marketing not permit by their own terms, so SMEs can choose a professional Email marketing
service provider to help them website promotion. And then, how to choose Email service providers?
Inspect them in-depth, study their reliability, the users’ quantity and quality of service providers
provided are reliable or not, user orientation is consistent with company potential customers or not,
Email providers’ service is professional or not. Here is to emphasize that Email marketing regardless of
done by yourself or by the service provider to carry out, must follow the rules of Email Marketing,
permission should be subject to the users ahead, promote your website at the same time through passing
the valuable information to the users, and never send spam.
3.3 The application of a variety of network marketing
3.3.1 Forum Marketing
Forum marketing is to establish companies’ degree of visibility and authority by the business
networking community, BBS and other network platform, through text, pictures, video, sound of
publishing information of products and services, so that target customers can obtain a more profound
understanding of business products and services, and promote corporate brand, enhance the effect of
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market awareness ultimately.
Forum marketing has many obvious advantages compared to other marketing models.
First, cost is low. Forum marketing in addition to labor costs, is hardly other expenditures. Because
many public forums are free, users need only be registered. It not only does not increase the cost of sales,
but also eases the pressure of marketing costs.
Second, the interaction is strong. At the forum, marketers and consumers can interact directly each other
for the problems of goods or services, and both sides can communicate in a timely manner. This
real-time information dissemination, is to eliminate the trade area of both intervals, also weaken the gap
as the impact of physical space.
Third, it is feasible. SMEs’ computer hardwares, network conditions, and applying computer ability of
marketing personnel have been fully enough to support the marketing activities of the Forum. SMEs
only need to arrange a number of officers to visit a number of public forums in working time, and let
them share their products and services with net friends, that is ok. If company manpower is sufficient,
that can also arrange special personnel stationing in major forums and surfers.
Fourth, the forum marketing is skilful hiding ability. Now almost all the major websites with forums, the
Internet users who frequently enter the site forums to discuss must have seen this post: exchange recent
shopping experience, the depth evaluation of something, recommend or suggest a brand of products,
etc. . In fact, some of these are users released post, some may be released after the business editor. This
post is published, or attention, or to discuss, virtually to promot the product and corporate image, and
business services get the public attention.
3.3.2 Interactive blog
Blog marketing as a marketing tool is accepted by enterprises more and more, due to its variety of
value: opening an effective marketing way; rising search engine visibility by blog content enriching;
reducing proceeding costs from net research, visit and analysis; low-cost promotion of enterprise
website, products and services; sharing part of ad spending from an effective marketing blog; enhancing
communication level among customers, users, target audience, employees through the blog; increasing
competitiveness, and reducing potential losses from the competitors overtaking, and so on.
3.3.3 Event Marketing
Event marketing is a marketing to enhance corporate and brand awareness of a business using a number
of important events at home or abroad. Common event marketing include: (1) The sponsorship of major
events. Form the main title, such as CCTV host a similar contest Cup XXX. (2) Sports marketing.
Enterprises at home more and more pay attention to domestic sports marketing, such as large to the
Olympic Games, small to a number of regular sporting events sponsorship, as well as selecting sports
celebrity endorsements, etc. (3) Public service marketing. In addition to contributions, donations,
volunteer services, there are special public funds with the name that companies set up outside the
business. Trough the Internet these events will greatly enhance the promoter company and product
awareness, and establish a good corporate image.
3.3.4 Online Advertising
Now online advertising in the major sites occupy prominent position, the effectiveness of online
advertising comes from whether consumers are willing to click and watch, but the reality is that most net
consumers ignore online advertising. How to attract the attention of consumers has become a very
important issue. In practice, different forms of advertising can be designed to attract consumers, such as
pop-up ads, button ads, advertising couplet, floaing ads, full-page advertising, and so on.
3.3.5 Network PR
Network PR also known as online PR or e-PR, is the company through its network releasing various
forms of information, with interest topics of target group activities on the public network to reach an
interactive way, thus to maintain good relations with the public and promote a particular understanding,
in order to strengthen the influence of the brand or product and to promote the brand or product. It uses
the Internet to create a corporate image of high-tech means of expression, to provide a new way of
thinking, planning ideas and the media for the modern public relations.
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4
Conclusion
SMEs in network marketing, can fully play its strengths of price, output and mechanism, establish a
good image, enhance services for customers, develop their competitiveness.
References
[1]. Guan Qing. Online Marketing Strategy of SMEs in Economic crisis environment [J]. Inner
Mongolia Science and Technology and Economy, 2009 (9) :3-6(in Chinese) .
[2]. Zhang Rui. The Current Situuation, Problem and Countermeasures of the E-marketing of SMEs
[D]. China's outstanding master's degree thesis text database .2009 (12) (in Chinese) .
[3]. Jin Wei. Application Analysis on Forum Marketing in Small and Medium Enterprises [J].
Management Observer, 2009 (5):94-96(in Chinese).
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