SmarttNet grows success with Ferguson contract

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For immediate release Nov. 17, 2008

When Lorne MacInnes, vice president of Ferguson Moving and Storage, did his online competitive homework, he followed a trail that led him to Martin Wong, the marketing manager at SmarttNet – all because of accidental advice. Luckily, the two businessmen got along immediately, and the result was a success-driven partnership.

“I actually did a ‘who-is’ on a company that was ranking well on search engines and found they used SmarttNet. I contacted them, asking who does SEO work there. Eventually I was fortunate enough to get a hold of Martin, but SmarttNet had nothing to do with that other company!” explained MacInnes.

They started with search engine optimization (SEO) – a strategy used by online businesses to please the demands of search engines like Google, that have strict rules about which sites appear in their database in order to eliminate spam. MacInnes saw his business boom, and the next logical step was to have SmarttNet make Ferguson a new, modern-looking site, complete with built-in SEO rules that would keep them ahead of competitors.

“I think visitors are looking for a solid company and this Web site really reflects that. When they are searching moving companies, after they leave our site for a competitor’s, there will be no comparison. Ours is the best,” said MacInnes of his newly re-developed site.

Wong’s idea was to make a site with easy navigation and simple-to-use interface, while not neglecting the importance of content, which is what customers – and search engines – look for these days.

“We incorporated a blog on the Ferguson site, like we do for all our clients. This way, customers who are looking for moving tips or news about the moving industry will be able to find it on Lorne’s site and he’ll make more deals. People will see that he’s an expert,” explained Wong.

The new site was also designed with a shopping cart so Ferguson can easily receive orders for packing materials. With the Internet being an automatic entry to a worldwide market, MacInnes saw this as the perfect business advancement.

“We can now ship boxes anywhere,” he noted.

The site gets even more fanciful – SmarttNet included a spot for video commercials and included live chat support, so moving customers can get help with a few clicks.

“It’s vastly more advanced than any competitors Web site,” said MacInnes, while still noting that, “even though it has many new features, it’s still easy to navigate for novice users.”

For SmarttNet, the Ferguson site is a milestone in their growing collection of success stories.

“Customers like Lorne are great to have. We enjoy helping them, and then they tell others about us. That’s how we grow our business,” said Wong.

For more information, or to arrange an interview call 604 473 9700 or e-mail joyce@smartt.com.

SmarttNet takes on e-marketing

To view a pdf version of this story click here: smarttnet-takes-on-e-marketing

For immediate release November 17, 2008

Internet Service Provider SmarttNet has recently opened a new marketing department to serve its clients; however, this kind of marketing is far from conventional.

The idea to use Internet-based tools to get noticed by customers in a virtual world has been around for years. In fact, there are many products out there already that claim to teach the ins and outs of the system with the view to making a quick buck. But, according to Marketing Manager Martin Wong, that’s not how it works. If you want to market effectively on the Internet, you need a wise e-marketer to work behind the scenes on a consistent basis.

“Most people don’t know what they’re doing. They think that keywords are all you need to take care of in the code, but actually that is an outdated strategy,” he said.

Internet marketing can be explained as the fusion of activities that get search engines to notice a Web site, and thus include it in their database. So, when a keyword related to a business is searched for, SmarttNet makes sure its clients come up at the top – without necessarily paying for a sponsored link. This way, they get ‘clicked’, which, according to Wong, is the first step in making sales.

“After optimizing the site to make sure it can be read by Google, we then help our customers ensure a steady flow of traffic and sales to their site,” explained Wong, who himself ran a highly successful E-marketing firm for 10 years. “It’s all about content and links, and if you have them in the right places, people will trust you, and then buy from you. The Internet is not like real-life shopping. People have to trust you first.”

The idea to open the department came after Wong joined his old time college buddy Saleh Tousi, who had just taken over the company, to form new management initiatives at SmarttNet. Realizing the trend towards Internet usage is now more than just being ‘connected’, or even having a Web site in itself, the two like-minded business men sought to put meaning behind their company’s slogan: “Complete Internet Solutions.”

“For years we have offered the best support to our clients in terms of products like ADSL and Web hosting, and they like that they can call in and get someone right away – but we wanted to offer more in terms of helping their businesses grow,” commented Tousi. “Now we have an entire department dedicated to doing that.”

Though there are competitors to stand up against, Wong believes SmarttNet is at an advantage because of its “method” – offering Web development and Internet marketing together, instead of outsourcing one or the other, which is what usually happens at other companies.

“By doing it this way, we eliminate the bugs and delays that come when parts of projects are given to another company to do. We make sure Internet marketing works with the Web sites we make, and visa versa. Our customers will be very happy with our service, and they will tell others about us,” he said.

For more information, or to arrange an interview with Martin Wong or Saleh Tousi, call 604 473 9700 or e-mail joyce@smartt.com