About Me 0008: internet marketing

Small business, in many cases, is now on the Web. Whether this is for simply marketing or collecting data or whether their businesses are conducted almost entirely online. If you operate your business fully or partially on the Internet, this roundup is for you.

Online Marketing

Why your customer doesn’t care about your Website. Ever tried to order somethikng from an online store? Was it easy or overly complicated. Many customers buy online because of ease and convenience. But what happens when there’s nothing easy or convenient about shopping with you online. You say you’re having technical problems? We don’t care. The next Websire is just as good as yours. MyWifeQuitHerJob.com

An SEO lesson for the rest of us. If you plan to operate yourf small business online, making it show up on the search engines is part of the drill. But it turns out you don’t need to be a search engine guru to learn how to optimize your site and help customers find you faster. Come along with Stephen Murphy and learn SEO for the beginning small business owner. You might be surprised how easy it is. Get Busy Media

Latest Trends

Washington takes to the Web. In an effort to cut costs and increase efficiency, government agencies are turning to the Web. Small businesses that haven’t already, should take a lesson here. Web services are often cheaper, easier and more convenient for the customer. How could you take advantage of the Internet today? Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Why everything may soon be purchased online. Think of the things you would think could never be bought or sold on the Internet. Perhaps fresh organic local produce comes to mind? Wrong! As it turns out a Central Texas company i8s already providing this service and sending shock waves through the grocery industry. With less waste or packaging and more convenience for the consumer, what could be purchased online these days? Forbes

The Social Web

Never go to a chamber mixer again. No need at all since even networking is best done on the Internet these days. It may take time and energy, but, hey, so does finding a tie that matches and then driving to the local bistro. Twitter, LinkedIn and other platforms provide a great place to meet and greet and you never have to leave your couch. Bloggertone

Is Google + the next big thing? No matter how you market your online business today, the future is always in question. The present belong to Facebook with a commanding lead in the online display add industry, but the success of a new social media offerikng by an well-known competitor could change all that. Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Brands & Connections

Building your Brand one comment one comment at a time. Whether on a blog or a social media platform like Facebook or Twitter, your comments are the way your community gets to know you. Are you getting the most out of this situation? Make no mistake, the quality of your commenting establishes the way other relate to you. Are your comments creating the best brand they can? Basic Blog Tips

What’s the real value of your Facebook fan club? It could be easier to quantify than you think. The people who click “like” on your brand’s Facebook site have value even if you can’t always see it. Sure they can provide referrals to others who might also be interested in your product or service. But hpow can you be sure you’re getting the full value of your online minions? Forbes

From Small Business TrendsSmall Business On The Web

Read more posts on Small Business Trends »

Thailand’s mobile telecom and broadband markets are performing well and showing much potential despite the ongoing issues around 3G technology, according to two separate reports published this month.

Despite the lack of country-wide, public 3G mobile technology, Thais are amongs Asia’s most avid mobile internet users according to a report from research firm Nielsen, published in The Nation.

“Thailand is one of the very few countries that still has no commercial 3G network,” notes Aaron Cross, managing director of Nielsen Consumer division in Thailand. “However, thanks largely to the social media momentum, mobile technology is evolving at a rapid pace and the advent of Smartphones such as the iPhone and Blackberry is making it easier for consumers to access the Internet anywhere, anytime. Thai people’s willingness to embrace new technology, despite the lack of availability of high speed mobile data services, shows real potential in this space.”

However, before anyone suggests that the arrival of 3G might be somewhat inconsequential to Thailand based on this account, there is caution as Business Monitor International (BMI) warns that ARPU (average revenue per user) is set to drop leaving the countries mobile operators struggling to boost revenue – which can have knock-on effects for mobile phone users.

Details of the BMI report come from Developing Telecom:

Perhaps the most pertinent issue in Thailand’s telecoms industry is the ongoing 3G saga, which has not shown significant signs of positive developments…While it remains to be seen if the issue could be resolved amicably and quickly, it is clear that nationwide 3G services could provide a significant boost to operators’ profitability.

Indeed results from operators suggest that the need for 3G is clearer than ever before

Although Advanced Info Service (AIS), DTAC and TrueMove saw their ARPU in Q4 2010 rebound after declining in the first nine months of 2010, this improvement was likely temporary in nature due to seasonality factors. Operators generally experienced stronger ARPU levels in the final quarter of the year in the past few years. Suspicions were confirmed after DTAC released its Q111 results, which saw its blended ARPU continued to trend downwards. Delays in the launch of 3G services would likely apply further downward pressure on ARPU levels.

There is more negative news, this time around internet access levels where Thailand is amongst the lowest in the region. More information via The Nation article citing Nielsen’s report:

[Thailand] has one of the lowest levels of overall Internet penetration in SEA. Less than one third of Thailand’s population aged 15+ (31 per cent) use the Internet, seven percentage points lower than the SEA regional average of 38 percent…Internet penetration in Thailand is lowest amongst those aged 50+ where only seven percent of consumers are online.

The country’s digital divide is marked and will be well known to regular readers.

Not only is the hardware required for internet access out of the financial reach of many in the country, but long-term service contracts – which go against a culture of pre-pay billing – and poor infrastructure outside of urban areas are equally as preventative for many rural and semi-rural Thais.

Developing Telecom does report that Thailand’s broadband market is growing, however no figure is listed with BMI claiming that “the number of broadband subscribers… at the end of 2010 exceeded expectations” – which the firm accounts for based on aggressive marketing from ISPs like True.

Essentially the takeaway from both reports is that mobile internet is growing massively in Thailand, while fixed-line internet continues to under-service the country in comparison to its role in neighbouring countries.

While in the short-term 3G hasn’t stopped affluent or urban consumers using mobile internet via smartphones, it has held back the longer term potential of increasing the internet penetration outside of urban areas.

Many developing markets ‘leapfrop’ technology, such as skipping the use of the landline, because newer developments provide better and more convenient options. 3G could enable many Thais to leapfrop fixed-line internet by using wireless or mobile internet on a smartphone, tablet, laptop or PC… but for now that vision remains just that, an unfulfilled promise.

About Me 0008

Monday, August 1, 2011

internet marketing

Online Marketing

Latest Trends

The Social Web

Brands & Connections

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