People have always given gifts, and the convenience of online shopping has given an added boost to the gift industry, which has grown to a $50 billion business.
In 2006, 80% of American internet users planned to do some or all of their holiday shopping online. Nearly a quarter of those people planned to spend most of their holiday budget online. As women search for the perfect gift for their spouse or significant other who has everything, it is no surprise that GiftsForGuys.com has become an online success.
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 NameMedia: Alex, can you tell us a little bit about China Springboard?
Alex: China Springboard is a China-based online media company providing leading edge domain name and online advertising solutions.
The company leverages the power of direct navigation Internet traffic to offer revenue generating solutions to its customers and online advertisers.
China Springboard operates two domain name investment websites under the brands NameRich.com and NameRich.cn. The NameRich suite of websites provides domain name investors and businesses a variety of services to enhance their online presence including domain name registration, parking, trading and brokerage.
The company is headquartered in Beijing, China.
NameMedia: How has the small business market in China developed over the past five years, and what do you think the most important trends in the small- to medium-sized enterprise sector today?
Alex: The small business market has been growing at exponential rates over the past several years. China's entry into the WTO as well as progressive economic reforms has sparked an unprecedented entrepreneurial movement. Today, it is estimated that there are over 20 million small- and medium-sized enterprises in China. The most important trends for this sector will be related to how these businesses brand themselves and build customer bases among the also growing populations with buying power. Whether it be through traditional media or Internet, businesses will be competing heavily to gain market share and top-of-mind awareness among consumers.
NameMedia: China will soon have the largest number of Internet users of any nation in the world: is the number of new sites keeping pace with the growth in Internet usage?
Alex: There are over 160 million internet users in China today. In contrast, there are approximately 1.3 million websites online. While both numbers continue to grow rapidly, it is impossible for the proportion of users to websites to stay the same. However, it is important to note that the number of websites in China grew 60% between the end of 2006 and June 2007. What that means is that businesses and individuals are finding it essential.
NameMedia: What advice would you give to domain investors looking to enter the Chinese market? Are there restrictions on the purchase of .cn names?
Alex: The first rule of thumb when investing in .CN or other China related domain names is to focus on a niche. Most of the generics are gone but there are still millions of great domains to be registered. Chances are that whatever niche you choose to focus on in China, there's a significant market to support it whether it be the manufacturing side or the consumer side. Another factor to consider is language. Investors should familiarize themselves with pinyin, the phonetic spelling of Chinese words. While one doesn't have to learn Chinese to be a successful investor in China related domain names, the big winners will be those that take the time to understand as much as they can about the Chinese language and culture.
.CN is a considerably open ccTLD. However, investors should take the time to familiarize themselves with the .CN registry regulations just as they would before investing in any other TLDs or ccTLDs. The registry's website is www.CNNIC.com
NameMedia: What recommendations do you have for businesses looking to develop and grow their online presence in China?
Alex: Well, I'd have to say that registering .CN domains for their company is a good start. Secondly, I would recommend that any business that is serious about doing things in China should develop a Chinese website around their .CN domains. It doesn't have to be fancy or even have all of the information that their main website has. All it has to do is explain clearly what a company does or provides as well as contact information. If a Chinese visitor is sincerely interested in doing business with a company, they will find the means to communicate with them. There are many companies that specialize in country and language-specific website localization now.
After a company develops a localized web presence for China, they should seriously consider online advertising through search engines or industry related websites. Again, there are agencies that can help companies develop country and language-specific ad creative and ad campaigns. It's not rocket science but it's also not easy either. A company needs to be committed and action oriented if they really want to enter the Chinese market. Those who are will be in much stronger positions than those who are not.
For more information please about Chinaspringboard contact info@chinaspringboard.com.
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What restaurant did you last eat at? Did you buy a CD or go to a movie based on a friend's recommendation? When shopping for a car have you asked colleagues what they drive — and if they would recommend their vehicle to you?
The responses to these questions all fall under the umbrella of word of mouth marketing. It can be a powerful driving force in growing your business — and most components are essentially free!
Would you like to understand more about this lead generation method? Here are a few techniques:
- Viral Marketing:
By creating entertaining or informative messages which are likely to be passed along electronically, or by email, you can reach a vast consumer audience. Humorous or useful emails can reach tens of thousands of individuals within days — especially if you include a "forward to a friend" feature.
- Product Seeding:
Placing the right product into the right hands at the right time, providing information or samples to influential individuals. For example: if you produce a variety of hearty soup mixes, you might distribute samples using a purchased mailing list, or physically distribute samples at an important local event such as a holiday tree lighting, where hot soup would be a big hit.
- Community Marketing:
Forming or supporting niche communities that are likely to share interests about the brand (such as user groups, fan clubs, and discussion forums); providing tools, content, and information to support those communities. For example: if you produce specialty birdfeeders you could pull together a calendar for different parts of your market area noting what bird enthusiasts should be feeding — using a specific type of feeder and noting that you offer these products.
- Grassroots Marketing:
Organizing and motivating volunteers to engage in personal or local outreach. Consider a simple referral program where you can reward customers for helping to promote your goods or services. This was the secret behind Tupperware and Mary Kay Cosmetics — which grew to multi-million dollar organizations on the strength of grassroots promotion.
To read more about word of mouth marketing, try visiting the Word of Mouth Marketing Association.
"Social media" and "Web 2.0" are terms for the ongoing phenomenon of online community interaction that is changing the Internet.
Social media capabilities are driving the growth of the hottest sites on the Internet:
- MySpace and Facebook are the largest social networking sites
- YouTube is the largest user generated video (or "video upload" site)
- Flickr is the most well-known photo upload site
Adding the capabilities of these leading portal sites at your own site and in your own context is the most powerful way available to grow your audience and traffic, deepen consumer relationships, and create new revenue opportunities. In fact, social media is quickly becoming a "must have" for any website.
KickApps provides a community building platform that makes it quick and easy for any website to add user generated content functionality on a private label basis including:
- Videos, photos, audio files, text blogs, video blogs and more)
- Social networking (member profiles, friends lists, integrated message boards, member inboxes and more)
» Want to learn more about how you can add social media applications to your website? Call a business specialist at 866-244-2105 or 781-839-7996
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