SmarttNet woos traders at Abby show

To view and print a pdf version of this story, click here: smarttnet-woos-traders-at-abby-show

For immediate release Apr. 27, 2009

As the only Web marketing company to exhibit at this year’s Fraser Valley Business Showcase, SmarttNet received all the attention it could handle, and then wooed the rest of the audience.

Deciding to attend was a no-brainer.  According to Martin Wong, Chief Executive Marketing Manager at SmarttNet, the business community in the Fraser Valley is “underserved” when it comes to Web marketing services provided by a long-standing Internet company.

“There are a lot of independent Web designers out there working from home, but sometimes businesses need something more than that – they need to partner with another established business that understands the scope of their project needs,” explained Wong.

Wong believes the benefits of SmarttNet’s presence at the show was paramount, with approximately 700 attendees, and more than 120 exhibitors, opportunity for brand awareness and direct sales was prime.

“We had a lot of people saying, ‘oh! I’ve been looking for someone that does your services for a long time,’” said Wong.

At their booth SmarttNet had a dashing Mac ready to give demonstrations of how Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Content Management Systems (CMS) work.  The two go hand-in-hand when trying to compete for high rankings on search queries.

In addition to having a booth, marketing representatives took advantage of “the Fraser Valley’s most inclusive networking event of the year,” according to fvtradex.com, by visiting every other business table for an introduction. SmarttNet distributed small invitations with a map locating their table so that people would come over to find out if they were getting “clicked online.”

Wong found the response to be very welcoming, since not many business owners at the event knew the ins and outs of Internet marketing.

“It turned out to be a very effective strategy.”

More about SmarttNet’s Web marketing program can be found at http://www.smartt.com/internet-marketing/ , by calling 604 473 9700 or by e-mailing sales@smartt.com

For more information, or to arrange an interview with Martin Wong, call 604 630 7579 or e-mail joyce@smartt.com

SmarttNet joins Burnaby Board of Trade

To view and print a pdf version of this post, click here: smarttnet-joins-burnaby-board-of-trade

For immediate release April 9, 2009

This year is no ordinary year for SmarttNet, a growing Internet company making its mark on business territory all over the Lower Mainland. Having officially joined the Burnaby Board of Trade (and read its welcome letter!), SmarttNet plans to embark on a mission that will educate, advocate and economically develop other businesses on the board through Internet marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) initiatives – not to mention all the other ‘goodies’ the company offers by being a full-service ADSL and data colocation provider.

SmarttNet says it looked for months to find the right chamber or board to become a member of and found that, through research, the Burnaby Board of Trade was the “perfect fit.”

“It is one of the fastest growing boards in Canada and it’s really exciting to be part of that. It’s almost like we’ll have a chance to grow together,” says chief executive marketing manager Martin Wong.

Wong also believes the board is beneficial for stronger connections because of its small size and the many other small businesses that have joined in the last three years. There is currently no other ADSL or colocation provider on the board and no listed categories for SEO and Internet marketing specialists.

“This is a great opportunity for us and for the other members.  We will be able to tap into their services and they will be able to tap into the major effects the Internet has on businesses today,” comments Wong.

The Burnaby Board of Trade has, in recent years, restructured their organization and tripled membership to over 1,000.  The board is aligned with East Asian associations and has plans to host business events related to the 2010 Olympic Games, among other initiatives.

SmarttNet has plans to participate in upcoming tradeshows and its Women in Business Campaign is set to attend the board’s first women-focused event on April 21, the Burnaby Business Women’s Link Networking Breakfast.

“It’s hard to find a Burnaby-focused women’s group, so this will be a very exciting partnership, especially since we are a Burnaby business ourselves” says Joyce, coordinator of the SmarttNet Women in Business Campaign.

More information about SmarttNet can be found at www.smartt.com , via e-mail at info@smartt.com or by calling 604 473 9700.

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

SmarttNet’s Arista Connect a “Massive” hit at tradeshow

The SmarttNet Arista Connect display was a hit at the Massive Tradeshow, drawing attention from other technology companies and businesses all across B.C.  Vancouver’s fifth annual technology tradeshow was a huge success, drawing many ideas from local entrepreneurs.

The tradeshow was designed to be a resourceful event for businesses looking for the latest technology.  It featured two keynote speakers, panelist discussions, informal workshops and exhibitor displays.

Members of the SmarttNet team showed up with their newest way to connect to the internet, Arista Connect.  With the recent economic downturn, everyone is looking for ways to cut costs and Arista offers the perfect solution.  It allows businesses to achieve fiber-like speeds at a fraction of the cost.

“We want to demonstrate to small businesses how they can use the latest technology to reduce their costs and increase their bottom line. By binding multiple DSL lines together, businesses can now have fiber-like speeds at the offices without paying thousands of dollars a month,” says Martin Wong, Chief Marketing Officer at SmarttNet.

“We were able to generate several direct leads at the show,” says Barry Richardson, director of business development.  “But more substantially, and more importantly, we found several businesses to partner with for the long-term.  There are many opportunities in the relationships we formed.”

Partnerships were the central theme for SmarttNet.  To demonstrate the power of Arista, SmarttNet showcased Lifesize video conferencing from Cinemaworks.  The display featured real-time video and audio conferencing in high definition.  Throughout the day feeds were captured from all over the world including Vancouver, Texas and New Zealand.

“The Massive Techshow was a great opportunity to show off our unique Arista Connect solution,” says Wong.  The connection worked great as expected and we received great feedback from guests and other exhibitors.”

Wong continues, “Internet speed and reliability are becoming increasingly important for businesses. Many businesses are now running point-of-sale terminals, alarm systems, VoIP phone systems, and even IP video surveillance or conferencing systems that rely heavily on bandwidth usage. We wanted to showcase at the Massive how Arista Connect lowers the entry costs to adopting these new everyday technologies.”

“The Massive Tradeshow was a great opportunity for SmarttNet to meet potential partners for our new high-speed internet connection, Arista Connect,” says Anoush Nakhaei, and account manager at SmarttNet.  “We made some important connections with companies such as Polycom and Sutus.  It’s always about partnerships.”

For more information call (604) 630-7579 or email sales@smartt.com

SmarttNet dares to thrive at women in business conference

To view and print a pdf version of this post, click here: smarttnet-dares-to-thrive-at-women-in-business-conference

For immediate release April 3, 2009

At this year’s Dare to Thrive Women in Business Conference, held by the Valley Women’s Network Tri-city chapter, the SmarttNet Women in Business Campaign was the perfect solution for female entrepreneurs looking to take their career online.

The SmarttTeam – SmarttNet’s Internet marketers – were there to bring to light the possibilities of reaching out to an online market.

“We spoke to lots of women there who knew the Internet was a powerful tool but didn’t quite know how to tap into it,” explains Joyce, coordinator of the Women in Business Campaign.  “For that reason we presented the idea in a simple way and taught people on the spot about how Google works.”

At their table was a Macintosh computer which was used to show people the way a page ranks high on search engines and how SmarttNet’s content management systems (CMS) are easy-to-use tools for managing a company’s own Web site.

“These women run small businesses – none of them wants to pay a hundred bucks every time they want to make a tiny change to one of their pages.  Plus they need to be able to update constantly in order to satisfy search engine demands,” says Joyce.

The SmarttTeam had a blast sporting their red jackets and shoes – an attempt to brand themselves with the SmarttNet colour.

“We like to call ourselves the ‘e-marketing twins’ and at the conference we totally were!” says Amy Cope, an e-marketer at SmarttNet.

On behalf of the Women in Business Campaign the SmarttTeam drew for three prizes at the conference: a bamboo towel set (thanks to Shoo-Foo), a Body Shop gift basket and a free keyword research consultation.  Also, anyone who signed up for a free information session with SmarttNet was given a fitness pass to use with Evolve Fitness.

In addition to sponsoring their own table at the event, the SmarttTeam got to sit in on speaker stories and also participated in conference activities such as the exercise session after lunch and the ‘bumble bee’ networking game, coached by Sue Clement.

“We had fun hanging out with these women and meeting new people,” says Cope.

More about the SmarttNet Women in Business Campaign can be read at www.smartt.com/women

For more information, or to arrange an interview with Joyce, call 604 630 7579 or e-mail joyce@smartt.com

The SmarttNet table at the Dare to Thrive conference.

The opening word…

“Take your career online”!!!

Talking to business women about Internet marketing and content managment systems (CMS).

The prizes.

Exercising.

Exercising to the music! (And waking up after lunch!)

Participating in the bumble bee networking activity.

Sporting the Smartt colours!

The Body Shop gift basket prize.

Picking a winner…

The Shoo-Foo bamboo towel set for a prize.