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 They think that keywords are all you need to take care of in the code, but actually that is an outdated strategy,???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