Tooheys Extra Dry New Portal Advertisement out this weekend.

Aussie Businesses Slow to Take Up Social Media

Only 18% of Australian small and medium sized businesses are using social media to promote

their business and just 35% have an online presence, according to a new survey from

MYOB Business Monitor.

The most likely users of social media are business owners in South Australia, with 27%

using the likes of YouTube, Facebook, MySpace or Twitter, while 24% of business owners

aged between 18 to 39 also use the channel.

Business owners in New South Wales are the most likely to belong to business networks online

(22%), compared to Queensland, 11%.

West Australian businesses are more likely to have a website (40%) and are more likely to

use their website for marketing and sales (25%), compared to Queensland with 32% of

businesses owning a website and 17% using their website for sales and marketing.

Female business owners are more online savvy, with 39% having a website compared to

32% of male business owners. Females are more likely to use social media to promote their

businesses (20%) compared to males (17%).

Regional businesses are more likely (41%) to have a website than city based businesses

(35%), according to the survey. It also found that 24% of businesses admit they monitor

competitor activity via the web.

Furthermore, 20% of businesses advertise on websites other than their own and only

20% of businesses use search engine marketing.

Tim Reed, CEO of MYOB said:

“Rather than being well established, the results indicate that online marketing is only just emerging in Australia.

“Despite the current low adoption rates of social media and websites, it’s inevitable that

the use of online platforms will increase rapidly in Australia as business owners see global

competitors using these forums to lure local sales offshore.”

The MYOB Business Monitor is a nationwide survey of 1,000 small and medium businesses.

Most trusted and least trusted brands - Marketing Magazine

Most trusted and least trusted brands - Marketing Magazine

Six Beers of Separation Wins Best Campaign

Here at Shared Marketing we love that a beer campaign was recognised as being the best campaign to come out of Australia.
You can read all about it below by clicking through below.

2010 IAB Australia Awards 'Best of Show' - Marketing Magazine

NSFW: A Hunter Shoots a Bear. Best Youtube Advertising seen in awhile.

Save as Draft

Small Business are Profiting with Socia Media.

According to recent research compiled by Melbourne IT, small businesses using social media to leverage online business, are likely to achieve greater revenue.

eBiz Review polled 3,404 Australian small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) with an online presence, from a broad cross section of over 26 industry sectors.

The data showed that SMBs generating 20 per cent or more of their revenues from their website were more likely to use social media.

With Comscore estimating that 90% of Australian Internet users visited social media sites in February 2010. It is no surprise that social media has become a hot area of marketing investment from large enterprises as they try to access such a large pool of potential customers. But what about small businesses?

A third of eSMBs have dived in and established a social media presence, with the social media tools of choice being used by the 34% of social media believers being Facebook (75%), Twitter (47%) and LinkedIn (42%).

Among social media users, 85% cite benefits to their business, with 57% saying they are attracting new customers via social media. Just under half (49%) said it helped them explain their products and services in new ways and just over half (51%) said it helped put a ‘human face’ to their business.

The success of social media using SMBs in attracting new customers must be an eye opener for those companies which are not; these results also demonstrate that the “softer” perception building elements of social media tools are not lost on savvy eSMBs.

SMBs need to think about how social media fits into their online strategy and seek advice where necessary to integrate social media tools with their existing online investments to ensure success.

With Facebook in Australia now the third largest online brand behind Google and Ninemsn, the results are not that surprising. Businesses that ignore the growing trend of social media should do so at their own peril. But ask yourself... “Are my competitors also ignoring social media?” Not likely.

Engagement with consumers has to give a business a return on investment at some point.

Thirty four per cent of SMBs online use social media, and a further 15 per cent said in the survey they planned to include it in their online strategy in future.

Advertising 101: Everyone Needs to Know the Basics.

To succeed, entrepreneurs must develop a base of satisfied customers. Advertising programs are the key to attracting customers and this article explains some advertising basics that will get you started.

Wondering how to start advertising a business? Before you start advertising, be sure you understand the fundamentals of advertising.

Interestingly, some small business owners never tap into the power of advertising to grow their business.

At the same time, other business owners assume that advertising will solve all of their customer acquisition challenges.

Here, explained in simple terms, we discuss what advertising can and cannot do for your business.

What Advertising Can Do For Your Business:

•   Remind customers and prospects about the benefits of your product or service
•   Establish and maintain your distinct identity
•   Enhance your reputation
•   Encourage existing customers to buy more of what you sell
•   Attract new customers and replace lost ones
•   Slowly build sales to boost your bottom line
•   Promote your business to customers, investors and others

What Advertising Cannot Do For Your Business:

•   Create an instant customer base
•   Cause an immediate sharp increase in sales
•   Solve cash flow or profit problems
•   Substitute for poor or indifferent customer service
•   Sell useless or unwanted products or services

Now that you understand how advertising can affect your business, it's time to take the next step and develop an advertising plan.

Remember to experiment when you advertise. If an advertisement works, do more of it. If it doesn't, tweak the advertising plan and try again.