Online Business Strategy

According to the latest Nielsen Survey, Malaysian consumer gains momentum in the second quarter of 2016. This means more and more Malaysians are getting confident in spending their money. As technology continues to advance people are going to be more confident in the next few years when it comes to spending.

What does this mean to business owners in Malaysia? It means there will be lots of channels that will enable Malaysians to spend, be it Ecommerce websites, retail, and other form of shopping. And if you are a business owner who wants to be in front of these consumers, you might want to consider these valuable points:

A well-optimized website

Malaysians are avid online shoppers, in fact we are one of the top countries when it comes to Ecommerce shopping. For a business owners to take advantage of it, you should have a well-optimized website. Don’t bother if you don’t have enough budget for Ecommerce website development, just make sure you have a user-friendly website, can crawl and index by search engines, and offers good products or services.

Be on social media

Social Media Marketing offers multiple opportunity to meet and engage your ideal target audience. In Malaysia alone, there are approximately 18 million social media users. That number is enough reason to be more visible in Social networking websites.

Localize your SEO effort

Local SEO has grown over the years. This allows business owners to target people around the vicinity of their business location. By just verifying your locations in Google Maps, it offers a lot of opportunity to engage with the nearest costumer around you. If Search Engine Optimization is an alien for you, you can watch this short video for you to have an idea. Or consult a freelance search engine optimization specialist for free consultation.

List your business or services to local directories and classified ads

Directories lost their power few years ago. However, local directories still offers lots of opportunities for business owners to cater their product or services especially with Malaysians aggressive online shopping habit. So craft a good description about your business, services, and products and post them to local directories such as One Stop Malaysia, and Business World Malaysia.

List your products to Ecommerce websites

Lazada and other ecommerce websites are great when it comes to products listing because they get most of the traffic in ecommerce industry. Listing your products on those websites will surely give you a huge boost in sales. These types of websites can also help spreading the word if you have promos and discounts.

Malaysia is one of the top countries when it comes to online shopping spending according to the latest statistics. Malaysian’s spending habit is rapidly transitioning from traditional to becoming more engaged to online spending.

That change of spending habit triggered small, medium, and large enterprise businesses to become more accessible online, thus changing the landscape of business development in the country.

In order for small businesses to continuously adjust and adapt to the rapid change in the market behavior, here are the top 5 small business trends that will probably rule in 2017.

1. Mobile Technology

It’s pretty obvious not only in Malaysia, but to all developed countries around the globe that mobile technology will be the king of consumer spending. In 2016 alone, there are approximately 18 million Malaysian active mobile internet users, 16 million of those are active in social media. This triggered the growth of Malaysian online mobile shopping of 20%. This means that 2017 will be a great year for small and other mid to large-sized businesses who invest in mobile technology.

2. Ecommerce Websites

The days of spending lots of time waiting in a long line in supermarkets are rapidly fading and the days of ecommerce shopping is taking over. According to Nielsen’s 2014 consumer behavior data, Malaysia ranks among the world’s avid online shoppers. Please take note that the data is in 2014. Imagine how much it has grown in the past 2 years and how much it will grow in the upcoming years. For small businesses, this is a good opportunity to start investing in Ecommerce websites because number of online shoppers in Malaysia will surely grow by leaps and bounds in the upcoming years.

3. Online Shopping Apps

In relation to Ecommerce and mobile technology, the emergence of online shopping apps will be more clear in the Malaysian Ecommerce industry. Lazada, 11street, and Shopee are already neck and neck in a race to the top of shopping app market. So what does it mean for small businesses? Developing an app for shopping is a tedious and expensive task. But investing to these shopping giants for product listing will open a whole new channels for small businesses to make sales online.

4. Social Media

With the growth of mobile internet users in Malaysia, the demand for businesses to go social is also growing. It is no longer a fancy stuff, it’s already a necessity. With the number of Malaysian consumers getting on social networking websites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, it is also crucial for small businesses to get their brands in social media. Not only it saves time and effort, it also saves money because spending on social media ads is extremely cheap. Small businesses that have strict budgeting in marketing can turn their attention to freelance digital marketing professionals.

5. Local SEO

Local SEO will be more in demand in upcoming years than ever before. It is the small businesses gateway to engaging their target audience within the vicinity of their business. Sometimes verifying the business location in Google Maps already gives an advantage over other stores that are not verified because it will be shown more often to people within that local area. However, verifying the business and optimizing it is a different scenario, business owners can consult a specialist for this matter for maximum efficiency.

There’s no doubt that bringing your business online has become a necessity in today’s marketing norm. Lots of businesses around the world are now starting to invest digitally. However, with the growing trend and competition, the price of hiring a digital marketing agency has been a struggle for some small business, and that leads them to consult with a freelance marketing consultant to help them grow their presence online.

There are mixed results in hiring freelancers, there are businesses that became successful in partnering with freelancers and there are some who got ripped off. With that in mind, here are some of the things that business owners should consider before partnering with a freelance marketing consultant.

Ask for credentials or proof of works

A good freelancer has a wide client portfolio. If a freelancer has a good client portfolio, the chance of getting the project done on time and in good quality is bigger compare to those who have little to no client portfolio. If a freelancer has lots of clients that stays with him for a long time, then do not hesitate to hire that person to handle your business’ growth online.

Contact their current or previous clients and ask for review

After seeing the portfolio, it is very critical to contact the current of previous clients of that freelancer. In my case, I sometimes give the number of my clients to my prospect for some review. There are few freelancers who do this as majority of them don’t want to disclose their clients to their prospects. But this is an added value and will surely boost the trustworthiness of a professional in getting new clients.

Ask for an initial consultation

Most freelancers provide free consultation as a Pro bono depending on the situation of the client. In Poxse, we usually give free consultation before sending the client a contract or asking them to sign up for our services. This gives us a huge advantage over our competitors as most of them are providing premium services. This is a same case scenario for most of the freelance professionals.

Ask for second opinion in terms of the consultation and service price

Do not hesitate to ask second opinion from other freelancer about the situation of your business, and of course, the service price. Most of the time, the service price is cheaper for a freelance professional compare to a digital marketing agency. Compare the quality of consultation and the price. If you are not price-conscious, focus on the quality.

Set a personal meeting

This is one of the most important things to do before hiring a freelancer. Make sure to set a personal meeting with them and ask questions regarding the business. Remember, if you have no idea of what a freelancer is saying, and he doesn’t exert an effort to educate you in a most understandable way, better to think twice. A sincere and good freelancer is good at educating their clients. At Poxse, we even tell our prospects if a certain digital marketing channel or service is not suitable for their business.

Want some proof of our professional services? Get in touch with us and ask for a free consultation.

Over the past few years, there were literally hundreds of thousands of small businesses popped out all over the world. Most of them are being ran by mid to late Millenials. And with the ever changing landscape of marketing and business development, small business owners are doing different ways and tactics to engage their customers and growing their business. And in today’s advancement of technology, internet has become a vital part in developing a business because it serves as an instant connection between businesses and their customers.

If you are a business owner and wondering how internet benefits your business, these points will help you understand why it is such an important aspect of growing your business.

Time and cost efficient

Small business owners are often focusing in improving their sales without spending too much time and especially money. Going digital will save you lots of time and money because it often provide free channels to promote your business. Another thing is that, investing in online ads won’t require spending much money and its way cheaper than traditional ads. You can hire a digital marketing freelancer to do the job for you if you don’t have time to do it yourself.

Wider customer reach

There are approximately 3.5 billion internet users in 2016 according to Internet Live Stats. That number alone is more than enough reason for you to bring your business to digital world. And that number is expected to go even higher as time passes by. And with the right internet marketing strategy, your business will surely benefit a lot.

Closer look to buyer spending habits

Spending habits vary depending on who you are targeting and where they are located. It is also changing as time goes by. There are lots of factors why people change their habits when it comes to spending money. And with the help of the internet, you can clearly see why and how these habits are changing and will allow you to come up with a right strategy to get their attention.

Social connections

lots of Businesses are spending time on social media, and the benefits are stunning. It not only allows you to connect with your customers, but to also engage with other businesses in the same niche improving your business’ presence in social media. It can also serve as an information channel for your customers regarding your products or services.

Real-time customer service

Customer service can make or break your business. A bad customer service would mean a sudden closure for businesses. However, with the help of the internet, this can be changed in an instant. Talking to your clients through the internet is more efficient than ever. You are able to address their concerns or help them understand your services or products through the internet. Different channels such as social media, emails, websites, and so on can help you utilize your communication with your customers.

The transition from being an employee to an entrepreneur is daunting. It will (and is) be hard, but it can also be rewarding. The key in starting your business is to make sure that what you are doing is something that you are passionate about. It is not a random choice. As long as you put your heart on it and you have the proper tools and guidance, you should be on your way.

There are some considerations, however, as to what type of business you should be in because in business, one size doesn’t fit all. Let this be a guide in choosing the right kind of business for you.

Know Your Business

In business, nothing is sure even your ideas so if someone tells you that it’s not going to work, don’t listen because none other than you knows your business. At the end of the day, customers will patronize a product or service if you can convince them that they are getting their money’s worth; and there’s no one more knowledgeable about what you’re selling than you.

It’s the Hills or the Skills

Bank on your strengths to overcome hindrances and if your start-up requires you to get out of your comfort zone, find someone that mirrors your skills. Experience also plays a big part in a business. For example, if your past employment was in retail, open a store. Not only are your skills will be in good use, but you can also take advantage of the network of contacts that you’ve accumulated along the way.

Talk and consult people that you’ve worked to help you with the nitty-gritty of the business. Learn as much as you can about the capital, expenses, and the revenue that you can expect.

Test your Business idea

Even your previous experience and knowledge that you’ve picked up along the way is not sufficient if you don’t test your idea. It is always better to test it first before you realize that you’re already knee-deep in challenges.

When the ball is already rolling, assess if you excel at it; otherwise, try other avenues. It’s a lot harder to make your business successful if your heart is not on it. If you’ve determined that you are good at it, ask yourself if you can handle every aspect of the business or if you need help.

Evaluate the risks

Risks are part of business and even the best laid-plans are not can turn disastrous if you don’t follow your business plan. Even before you get the ball rolling, identify all possible risks and evaluate it. When you discover the biggest risk, draw up a plan to minimize or altogether eliminate it.

Think Long Term

When it comes to business opportunities, always think long-term and not just based on a fad. Always look at the bigger picture. The challenge is look beyond what’s on trend and what’s hyped on media. Have the open-mind to see beyond the trends from the fads.

Go Digital

There’s no doubt about it, if you are thinking in putting up your own business, you should also think going digital. Gone are the days where everyone is thinking of spending money in traditional advertising. Today, it’s all about getting to the right audience in the internet. The web offers a wide variety of channels on which you can showcase your business. Be it social media, search engines, or online press releases. Tapping in one of these channels and with the right digital marketing strategy will surely put you on the map.

Conclusion

Starting a business is both exciting and terrifying. Expect challenges along the way and face it with optimism. The truth is, there are business ideas that work and don’t; but just as important as the idea is right, it should also be smart and attainable.

Digital marketing is very dynamic. Trends come and go the same time Taylor Swift drops a new single. As a business owner, you need to adapt so that your marketing efforts will be fruitful. This year, there will lots of changes and trends that will hit the digital marketing landscape. Let’s take a look at it one-by-one so that you can come up with a marketing plan that best suit each situation.

Better and Stronger Search Engine Optimization for Businesses

Google changes its search algorithms around 500-600 times a year. These algorithms are more complicated than the last that’s why SEO practitioners are having a hard time figuring out how to benefit from it. This is the reason why some people say that SEO is dying; it will not. As long as there are search engines, there will be SEO. And as long as there are businesses that compete online, SEO lives.

However, SEO has come a long way. Aside from being on top of SERPs, there is also a growing trend, albeit still very limited, of using audio patterns and speech-to-text to look for what a user need. This is significant in mobile SEO as more and more people prefer to search using their mobile devices.

Although this is not as huge as the SEO we know today, this will impact businesses significantly. If search engines perfected this algorithm, mobile devices will be the new search engines.

As early as today, make your site mobile responsive so that when this algorithm takes full effect, you are prepared.

More Personal Advertising on Social Media Sites

More social media sites will sprout in the next few years; and most probably, these sites will be made for harnessing personal data (AKA growth hacking). The data gathered from the users will be used for much targeted advertising.

Also in 2015, advertising channels for social media will boom because of all the information that we indirectly share through our check-ins, interests, and network. When the gods behind social media have all these information, they can tell what you want or need thus selling it to you.

A More “Adapting” Website

In 2015, web designs will evolve from just “web design” into a “website that adopts with the owner or visitor of the site.” Through the collective information of human behavior, marketing, sales, SEO, and social media, web design is now achievable in just an hour. Don’t believe us? Here’s the proof.

Moreover, expect the growth of web design services under SAAS (Software as a Service). Noting that technology such as The Grid already initiated AI web design, there will be more websites based on this; thus increasing the interest of the people.

A More Responsive Website

Responsive websites will explode in 2015. As mobile use continues to increase, it will become the primary tool for searching, selling, and buying goods online. Your website should be ready as early as now. In addition, mobile responsiveness is already an SEO criterion of Google.

A mobile responsive website is one that fits the screen of your device without zooming in or out. Normally, the positions of the elements are re-arranged so that the readability of the content is maximized.

There are more digital marketing trends coming our way in 2015; but the key in surviving (aside from adaptation) the changes is to be always informed. Knowledge about the changes will help you create necessary changes to your site (re: web design) as well as plan for you next marketing campaigns.