Fitness program for SMEs
Through a joint series of events, Google and Swisscom are helping small and medium-sized businesses get up to speed with the internet. At these informational sessions, business owners learn which web-based applications can make their day-to-day operations easier and how to successfully use online marketing.
Switzerland is one of the leaders in Europe when it comes to internet usage. 85% of the Swiss population is online. 80% even use the internet daily or several times a week (Net-Metrix Base, 2012). Swiss companies are also well represented on the web. 71% of all SMEs have an online presence (D&B/Federal Statistical Office). However, many entrepreneurs are still unsure how to navigate the internet and are reluctant to use web-based applications and online marketing tools. Swisscom and Google agree that there is a need to catch up here and are subjecting Swiss SMEs to a fitness program. Under the motto "@KMU", five information events will be held in German-speaking Switzerland in October and November to teach SMEs how to use the Internet. Specifically, the organizers will present their respective solutions to SMEs. Swisscom wants to publicize the newly launched online portal KMU Business World. The core of the platform, which was specially developed for SMEs, is a marketplace where web-based applications for everyday work are offered: for example, an app for creating e-mail and SMS campaigns or microsites, one for recruiting new employees or an application for contact management (CRM). In future, content and applications will only be obtained from the Internet, predicts Roger Wüthrich-Hasenböhler, Head of the SME division at Swisscom. The telecoms provider also wants to use the platform to promote networking among SMEs by allowing companies to create a profile on the website, present their products and services and exchange information.
Google, on the other hand, wants to get SMEs interested in the AdWords advertising program and will be explaining online marketing tools such as "Google Trends" and "AdWords Keyword" at the roadshow. The Internet giant is convinced that the potential for acquiring new customers via the Internet is far from exhausted. While Switzerland is ahead of the rest of Europe in terms of Internet usage, it is in second-last place when it comes to digital advertising (Mediascope, Europe, 2010). A gap that needs to be closed, according to Patrick Warnking, Country Director Google Switzerland. Only 21 percent of SMEs in this country invest in online advertising (D&B/Federal Statistical Office).
From entrepreneur to entrepreneur
In order to convince SMEs of the effectiveness of the offers, the series of events takes place at companies that are already successfully using the offer and provide visitors with tips and tricks from their online practice. Scheu Piano-Service, a specialist store dealing in keyboard instruments, kicked things off at a media conference. Owner André Scheu has shifted and increased the advertising budget of his business from traditional to online advertising. Scheu has increased his investment in online advertising from 6,000 francs in 2009 to 46,000 francs for 2012, with around 90 percent going to Google AdWords. With success. The entrepreneur has succeeded in attracting more and more new customers to his website and business. Annual turnover has doubled since the beginning of 2010. Scheu's advertising investments are now higher. However, they have decreased as a percentage of total annual turnover.
Participants will be presented with similar examples of success at the five events taking place in German-speaking Switzerland until the end of November. The roadshow will visit a heating systems company, a car rental company, a system construction and packaging company, a chocolate supplier and an ice cream factory.
According to Wüthrich, the inhibition threshold to position themselves online is still high for many SMEs. However, companies run the risk of being overtaken, he warns. However, like any fitness program, a successful online presence also requires commitment from entrepreneurs. With Google AdWords in particular, users must first familiarize themselves with the mechanism of action. Not everything works straight away. The piano dealer also found this out. At the beginning, Scheu had a particularly high number of clicks on ads containing the keyword "Yamaha". However, many of those who clicked on his ad were not interested in a piano, but in a motorcycle, which resulted in unnecessary costs. With Google AdWords, advertisers pay per click on an ad. Scheu now eliminates such misleading terms with the right choice of keywords. To make it easier for entrepreneurs to take their first steps in online marketing, Google offers free advice in addition to an informative website containing many how-to videos. However, the commitment is always time-consuming. And it also requires a little enthusiasm. Warnking suggests that one person in the company deals with the topic and gets up to speed. Alternatively, you could of course work with an agency. It is definitely not a bad idea for SMEs to get to grips with their internet presence and the topic of online marketing. Local searches will become even more important in the future, especially in view of the increasing number of smartphone users searching for offers on the web while on the move. Currently, 42 percent of internet users also access the web using mobile devices (Net-Metrix-Base 2012). And the trend is rising.
Isabel Imper
