With about 119 million internet users and an estimated 2.8 billion spent in online purchases, and the numbers growing exponentially, India holds immense potential as a market for Web Services. We bring to you few of the best tried and tested strategies that have been extremely successful in various evolving markets in the past. This presentation delves into learning more about:
* Targeting the right kind of audience
* Tailoring your communication strategy based on the Target Group
* Suggested Media for each of the Target Groups
* New-age, non-conventional marketing techniques
2. THE POTENTIAL THAT INDIA HOLDS Total Population: 1,147,995,904 (1.15 billion) Total Number of Indian People Online: 119 million (a little over 10%) Over 1100% Internet growth in India from 2000 to 2008 Cost of bandwidth expected to lower down E-commerce in India is expected to grow from $2.8 billion to $5.6 billion by 2011 India as a market is at a stage where USA was about 10 years ago The best time to capitalize on the growing internet usage Total COM/NET domains registered by Indians – over 540,000; Total number of .IN domains registered – over 500,000 (Q1 09)
3. CHALLENGES IN TAPPING THIS POTENTIAL Despite the potential, there are several challenges that we face today… ‘Our industry isn't there yet.’ ‘People aren’t open to making online purchases. Traditional channels work the best for us.’ ‘With big corporates pouring lakhs of rupees into Web sites, there's no way a small business like ours can compete.’ ‘The expense of maintaining a website doesn’t justify the ROI.’ Customer Proximity
4. AGENDA Categorizing your Audience SMEs and Corporates Professionals and Freelancers Local Businesses Individuals Strategic Tie-ups Viral Marketing SEM SMM RC Promotions
5. CATEGORIZING YOUR AUDIENCE Targeting End Customers SMEs and Corporates Professionals and Freelancers Local Businesses / ‘Mom&Pop Shops’ Individuals Targeting the right organizations and providers for strategic tie-ups (Sub-resellers) Communication strategy for every target group needs to be customized
6. SMEs AND CORPORATES About 10 million SMEs in India Out of the 1 million domains registered, approximately 60 – 70% are registered by SMEs Only about 600,000 SMEs have an online presence Untapped Potential of about 94% Required Product Set- Domains, Web and Email Hosting, Web Designing, SSL Communication Strategy Adds credibility Online presence for any Business symbolizes expansion For corporates - Brand infringement and the need to protect their brand in all important extensions
7. SMEs AND CORPORATES Position SSL as an absolute necessity for their websites, especially if its an e-commerce website. 76% of the visitors leave a website that does not have SSL enabled. Everybody is going online. It is the logical next step
10. Domains, Web and Email Hosting, Website BuilderCommunication strategy Awareness on advantages of Online Presence needs to be created Increases accessibility - acquiring information on contact details, availability, location etc. is just a click away Blogging - establish yourself as a trusted and reliable authority Keep the communication channel open 24 x 7 through contact forms, offline messages etc.
11. PROFESSIONALS AND FREELANCERS Online catalogue for free lancers like designers, interior decorators etc. 80% of internet users prefer surfing online catalogues and reading reviews before making a purchase decision They need to be educated about the advantages of a personalized email addressEg: Rohan_2000@hotmail.com v/s Rohan@RKAssociates.com Increase in Brand Value Professional and Serious about the business Easy to remember The advent of Blackberrys, iPhones, GPRS has made managing emails easier than ever. Giving them a demo of how this can be set up on their phones will help
12. PROFESSIONALS AND FREELANCERS Suggested Media SMM Networks for professionals like LinkedIn Web Forums specific to their industries SEM Trade Shows
15. Domains, Webhosting, SSL, Site BuilderCommunication Strategy Create a need for an online presence - it’s the only logical next step towards growing their business They need to be educated on the advantages of an online presence like: Accepting orders online Customer engagement by constantly updating them about new product additions, latest offers, discount promotions etc. 80% of internet users actually surf the product catalogue online before making a purchase decision
16. LOCAL BUSINESSES Present a business case - show them how much an online presence will impact their turnover Eg: www.hokeypokey.in Chain of ice-cream parlors all over Bombay Store locators on the website to find a HokeyPokey nearest to you Extensive use of SMM like Facebook and Twitter for Customer Engagement, which has increased business by up to 20% for them The discount for voters offer Diwali offer Picture contest
19. Domains, Web and Email hosting, Site BuilderCommunication strategy- Create awareness about the possibilities that open up with an online presence- A hobby website that exposes the works of a writer, artist, poet to the rest of the world A sports blog which can be used to earn revenue through monetization
20. INDIVIDUALS Use emotional appeal in your pitch to them Eg: ‘Don’t just give your newly born a name, give him an online identity’‘Have you secured your child’s internet future yet?’‘Gift your dad a little piece of the internet space this Father’s day’‘Gift your mother a website this Mother’s day, and open up a whole new world of endless possibilities for her’
21. INDIVIDUALS Suggested Media SMM – Facebook, Twitter, Orkut etc. SEM – use keywords like gift ideas, baby names, mother’s day, father’s day, greeting cards etc. Newsletters/emails to existing customers Web Forums
22. STRATEGIC TIE-UPS Sign-up local internet service providers, cable service providers, Cyber cafes, Office Stationery providers, Ad agencies etc. as Sub-resellers This way you can multiply your Customer base by- Getting access to a ready database of their entire Customer base Pushing your Products through an already established channel Communication Strategy The internet user base in India is growing at the rate of 33% per quarter Cross selling to the existing client base is a value add for both parties More Products – greater brand value Greater Profits
23. SUGGESTED MARKETING TECHNIQUES Viral Marketing through- Webinars – gotowebinar, webex PowerPoint Presentations – slideshare.net Customer Engagement through Twitter, Facebook, Orkut Fan pages on Facebook Videos – Youtube, Metacafe etc. Articles and Tutorials Make sequels to the above - brand recall A Blog Allow sharing and Downloading – the more it circulates, the better the exposure to your Company Connect with comments (even negative)
24. SUGGESTED MARKETING TECHNIQUES Advantages of Viral Marketing Brings in credibility and trust Helps establishing yourself as a reliable authority Increases brand awareness Low cost way of marketing Drives more targeted traffic Boosts search engine visibility Easy to integrate with other marketing methods
25. SUGGESTED MARKETING TECHNIQUES SEM Google Adwords is one of the best online advertising media 45% of search engine users do not know the difference between sponsored links and organic search results Text links always work better than banner ads Extremely targeted – Contextual, and you can go as micro as selecting a city or a limited area within a city Cost effective. Hence, high ROI Suits all kinds of Ad budgets No design requirements Easy to use
26. SUGGESTED MARKETING TECHNIQUES Social Media Marketing Excellent reach - 85% of Indian internet users are on at least 1 social network SMM is positioning your brand to your audience on their own terms and in their own environment, and hence it results in a more authentic marketing message It is one of the best ways to bring about Customer engagement Helps achieve instant feedback One of the best ways to build Customer relationship Excellent community building tool Low cost Suggested Websites Facebook, Orkut, Twitter
27. SUGGESTED MARKETING TECHNIQUES SMM pointers Person-to-person activity and not company-to-person http://twitter.com/codechef Be a good listener Be prompt at replying Link your Facebook, Twitter and other SMM pages from as many places as possible Reward users for participation
28. RESELLERCLUB PROMOTIONS Currently running promotions .IN @ $1.89 – 85% off!! – Industry lowest .INFO @ $5.99 EU @ $3.49 .TV @ $19.99 .BZ @ $11.99 .MOBI @ $6.99 Coming Soon Big Birthday Bash – February, 2010
Professionals and Freelancers: CAs, Lawyers, Doctors, TherapistsLocal Businesses: Your local DVD rental stores, Ice cream parlours, Individual users: anybody – right from a college student, to a house wife.Strategic tie-ups with local cable providers etc.