Why everyone wants a piece of small business
Well it seems everyone is after small business. Big companies are clamouring to target.. well… you guys! And it’s no wonder, as there are approximately 1.9 million small businesses in Australia, representing over 95 percent of all business.
In the space of a week, search engine giants Google and Yahoo! both announced search marketing initiatives directly targeted to Australian small business. It seems they are fighting it out for your attention, with the purpose of helping you create an effective online presence through search marketing techniques.
The case could not be clearer. It is time for small businesses to move with the times, innovate and utilise the enormous potential of the web. A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about the vast number of small businesses who don’t have an online presence and got some great responses. I put the case to the small business community, that if you don’t move with the times… you will fall behind.
The feedback I received was mixed. While some were already in the online space and reaping the benefits, others were quite reluctant, believing that a lot of time and effort goes into creating an online presence, (not to mention money) and that they simply did not have the resources, and could not see the value in it. So they put it in the “too hard basket.”
Well Google and Yahoo! are making it easy for you. They want to help you to see the value in creating an effective online presence.
Yahoo! Search Marketing today announced a BIG BANG search marketing initiative for Australian small business offering a free three-month search engine advertising campaign, along with assigning a Yahoo! certified local specialist to help businesses set up and manage each campaign at no cost. It is designed to be simple and easy to execute for any small business. (You can read the full story here).
In a similar vein Google Australia have unveiled a free $75 search marketing campaign for small business. (Find out more).
Now it doesn’t matter who copied who here and who has the better offer. What is important is that Google and Yahoo! can see the value of investing in small business search marketing techniques, to target customers, drive sales and improve the bottom line. So, can you?
As entrepreneur and founder of Nudie, Tim Pethick said, you don’t have any excuse not to go online!
I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Will you be taking Google or Yahoo! up on their offers?
Wow! What a package! Offering thousands of small businesses the same advertising packages and marketing services as their competitors and all for a small fee! That’ll really help small businesses stand out from the crowd and avoid the market place clutter. The only winners here are Google and Yahoo!
It’s hard, but not impossible to stand out.
I’m seeing many of my small clients having success substituing their Yellow Pages spend for Google spend, but it depends on the market – there are still many verticals that don’t provide enough volume for many small businesses – particularly niche.
Even if an SEM campaign is not successful, you can still learn valuable lessons from it. For example, why was it not successful? Is our message clear enough? Do we justify choosing our company fast enough/well enough? What ad gets the best reaction
Good luck!
So true Jess, online is the future – especially for retailers or anyone with a niche market. As for the offers? Can’t hurt. In this climate, every little bit helps eh.
A lot of small businesses have the wrong idea when they think of a website as ‘too hard’ – they are thinking of it as a cost, not an investment. It’s time for those small businesses that are not online to think of the web for what it is: a lead generator and/or a customer interface and/or a sales interface and not a bunch of pixels that cost money.
Why not take up these offers while these companies are keen to give away knowledge and advice? Try before you buy.