PhishyK Posted January 15, 2004 Report Share Posted January 15, 2004 hey guys... As some of you know, I have recently returned to BC after a delightful year-and-a-half living in wonderful Toronto, Ontario! Upon my return, I was rehired by the company I used to work for here in Victoria BC. My new position is very interesting. I need to find some exciting new ways of marketing our company and it's services to customers in new markets, say, Ontario or the States. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can have success in this? Please do let me know if you do! We’re an extremely solid and professional web firm that’s been around for close to 8 years now. We’ve done everything from Provincial Government sites to realtors and car dealers. We provide design, custom graphics, search engine placement, programming… really anything a web customer could want. How do I market these characteristics across North America? www.sageinternet.com is our site. Thanks all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberHippie Posted January 15, 2004 Report Share Posted January 15, 2004 Hiring? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradm Posted January 15, 2004 Report Share Posted January 15, 2004 If I read you correctly, you need ways to get in contact with potential customers. It seems to me that how to do that depends very much on the markets the customers (themeselves) are in: getting in touch with, say, furniture stores who want web design services will be very different from getting in touch with, say, up-and-coming bands. Do you have some specific markets (i.e., the markets of your customers) in mind? Aloha, Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Wish Posted January 15, 2004 Report Share Posted January 15, 2004 Want to work on an application running off of a SQL server for GIS based applications? I have to get an http based site up and running to serve and receive GIS maps for my newspaper. We are currently not soliciting tenders but the time will come. Talk to your people about the new wave of GIS applications that will certainly revamp the way websites are put together. Sean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH Posted January 15, 2004 Report Share Posted January 15, 2004 SEO is met with alot of raised eyebrows (and middle fingers) in my neck of the NGO world. On one hand it might be the perfect way to attract people to a website, by recoding it to be google-friendly and what not. On the other hand it's extremely cost-intensive for what results in more hits from potentially less qualified people (i.e. more ain't better in many cases). Still, I would see what the non-governmental community is interested in regarding SEO. Communicopia is a company that does lots of website development for charities and NGOs, perhaps your company's expertise could be put to use. Either that, or offer your services at a heavy discount for a while to get your name recognized...NGOs are extremely incestuous so one piece of good word-of-mouth will carry you pretty far. Oh, and my consulting fee is a bottle of tequila and some 'ludes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M Posted January 15, 2004 Report Share Posted January 15, 2004 Some thoughts.... UTILIZE EXISTING CLIENT BASE >> After a cursory look at your website, it seems that your strengths to date lie in the tourism and automotive industries. You do want to expand your market across North America and the best way to often do this is through your existing client base; don't underestimate the value of customer retention and the expansion possibilites from it. If you are targeting a specific sector, let's just say automotive, put together a summary of your most effective case studies. Use customer testimonials to enhance and strengthen your case, providing details (if available) of the ROI (return on investment) that the customer received working with Sage. For example, it appears that you did some work for Victoria Nissan. Automotive clients are a great example of how you can expand across as sector as they are looking to share their successes across dealerships in Canada. Most also belong to a dealers association where they share marketing techniques through an extranet and build from the learning experiences of others. You could put together a cool viral email that your dealer could send to his buddy he met at a sales convention, etc. showcasing either the brilliant creative your firm offers, or get more technical in results you have achieved for the specific dealership via new / smarter technology, better IA (information architecture) of their site, etc. Or, you could go a more traditional route and get your message across via newsletter or standard HTML email w/ a refer a friend component. Remember though, that given the new 2004 privacy legislation, be careful how you get your message across, as the last thing you want to do is annoy a future client through unsolicited marketing. That's why word of mouth / viral is the best way to go these days if you don't have a guaranteed opt-in for communication. The key here, given most likely a limited budget, is to get your message across online as you are an online firm. Direct Mail is an option for sure, but you can track customer reponse more effectively though online marketing in most cases. Direct Mail is often less cost-efficient as well unless you have a clean gimmick that effectively gets your message across. REDESIGN WEBSITE >> Ultimately, your company's own website becomes it's main marketing tool. Currently, your site is user-friendly in its navigation, but a bit lackllustre in design. Showcase your creative team's abilities on your site. Although you do provide links to customer sites you have worked on, you are in fact adding an extra step in the process to see your creative, as well as taking the user away from your site. Perhaps create a "gallery" of sorts, where your best work can be showcased. CREDENTIALS >> Put any awards you have won front and centre. People are drawn to that shit. Also, list any Microsoft credentials your programmers have received, etc. to ensure competance. NEW TECHNOLOGY >> Look at partnering with a company that is working to bring their new technology to the forefront. For example, there's a a company called Clipstream that I worked with recently that allows you to encode streaming video for web or email use at an extremely low file size (due to compression) and does not require a player to view. The best way to garner buzz and to get people talking is to do something cool, or something first. Keep your eyes pealed for technology that is currently underrated / underused that has great potential. Bring this technology to the forefront for your clients before their competitors do. The work you usually do for a client will stem from this as they might like a microsite build (for example) to enhance and support the new tech /creative. ADOPT CRM PROGRAMS >> Are you maximizing CRM program potential with your existing clients? Customer Relationship Management Programs are the wave of the future in online marketing. If you're not targeting your client's individual customer, you're not using the internet optimally. Look into adding customization/personalization features to your existing client sites. Encourage them to adopt one-to-one strategies in their marketing techniques; this will allow them to gain more information on their customers, which will help you in turn recommend relevant site enhancements to better suit their needs. ONLINE CREATIVE / MEDIA BUYING >> Do you provide media buying services for your clients? You can increase your revenue by offering media buying and also generate more business through the development of online creative flighted to partner media sites, promo-ing your existing sites. Again, new technology comes into play here... you could do a cool Voken, expandable / interactive ad unit, etc. for your client. HTML EMAIL DEPLOYMENT / NEWSLETTER >> Build a database of all your existing clients. Keep them up to date on your progress as a company. Kudos you have received, new technologies you are experimenting with, exciting new clients you have gained. People find comfort in doing work with firms that have successful clients and will recommend you to peers and associates. PR >> Try and generate some buzz in the media with your next big project launch. Someone reading the paper who was contemplating a new design firm might be impressed by your accomplishments, etc. Try and get written up in varied key publications that target your varied customer base. Good luck! Oh, and if you have a really, really, big budget... throw a concert and invite a ton of bands to play and have your company sponsor it... that'll get your message across... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secondtube Posted January 16, 2004 Report Share Posted January 16, 2004 wow, even i just learned a thing or two... i'm sure their firm could use some M help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhishyK Posted January 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2004 Wow, thanks a million guys... especially you M. Fantastic reply. I really did learn a lot from it. Right now I am working on a contact in Toronto that may be able to bring some business in for my company. Some of the ideas that M provided, however, are simply brilliant. A website redesign is definitely in order and forthcoming. And also definitely drawing attention to CSS as a new and exciting web design technology. I also really like the idea of developing relations with existing clients. I am going to put together an email and send it out to all of our clients, both talking about what Sage is up and what's new, and soliciting their friends and neighbors for new business. Sound like a good idea? I dunno about media buying. Do you mean offering to help clients obtain TV and radio advertising? If so, that's a damn good idea. Thank you so much for your great ideas guys, and keep em coming. I'll keep you posted. rock, Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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