7 Ways To Improve Your Internet Marketing – EPS Group and SEO

Posted by David Scanlon in eMarketing | Ireland | Marketing | Sales - (0 Comments)

This is the third in a series of posts focused on how Irish SMEs are delivering real results using Internet marketing. This case study features an interview with Patrick Buckley, Sales & Marketing Director at EPS Group, a client of Enterprise Ireland. EPS Group received support from the Enterprise Ireland Internet Marketing Unit to assist with the development of their Internet marketing strategy.

EPS gets website traffic flowing with SEO

A solid SEO strategy has seen EPS Group drive new business and raise brand awareness as it looks to expand into overseas markets.

Sustainable water solutions provider EPS Group has transformed its website into a key marketing tool with an SEO strategy that puts the focus firmly on content and clever use of keywords.

Operation ‘website transformation’

Following a marketing review in 2010, EPS Group realised that its website was not being used to its full potential. “We weren’t really focused on our site as much as we should have been,” explains Patrick Buckley, sales and marketing director with EPS Group. “As a result, we noticed that our site was quite poor; there was too much content and we were saying all the wrong things.”

With less than 150 website hits per month, it became apparent that EPS Group was pretty much “invisible” online. “Basically, if someone wanted to find us online, they couldn’t; we didn’t exist as far as online was concerned.”

EPS made a start by employing a full-time person to deal exclusively with its online presence, and dedicating more time to improving the performance of the site. It also worked with a web development firm, Webtrade, as well as a marketing company, AMAS, to develop a content and marketing strategy.

Identifying keywords boosts visibility

In the sustainable water solutions market, the majority of Google searches feature the word ‘water’ e.g. ‘ water harvesting solutions’, ‘waste water treatment’, ‘rain water pumps’, ‘water purification systems’, ‘waste water pumps’. Armed with this information, Patrick decided to include the word water in the group’s URL – www.epswater.ie, as well as snapping up epswater.co.uk, epswater.fr and epswater.com.

Using keyword research tools and analytics, EPS also identified a selection of the most relevant and popular industry search terms, and decided to scatter these words throughout its website content. “We consistently track these keywords each month to see what page we show up on in Google search results. Previously, with some of the keywords we were appearing at page 6 or 7, but now we are on the first page every time, which is a significant improvement.”

Regular tweaking keeps content relevant

Continuously adding content and making amendments to existing content helps keep the EPS site fresh and relevant, says Patrick. “We regularly add news items to the site and constantly tweak metadata words in the background. By keeping a close eye on Google Analytics we can see what pages people are coming to and what they are looking for. If there’s a page that’s not as active as we want it to be, we will tweak it to make it more relevant. If we want to direct people to a certain page we’ll add content to the homepage that highlights particular sub-pages and try to funnel traffic through that way too,” he explains.

How it presents itself online has become a critical factor for EPS. With such a diverse range of products and services, confusion was a common element with customers who weren’t aware of EPS’s full range. “Our website had to address that issue and raise awareness of all our products and services. With our previous site, there was too much content, and this was confusing visitors, who struggled to find what they were looking for,” Patrick explains. “With the new site we’ve improved the navigation and the content, making it easier for people to get to the relevant pages. Also, by focusing on key search terms, we are seeing more traffic coming through to sub-pages of the site, and getting the information they’re looking for, quicker.”

This strategy is reflected in EPS’s analytics, which show that as site page views have decreased, length of time spent on the EPS site has increased. “Typically, people spend between 3.5 minutes and 4 minutes on our site, and with the page views down it leads us to believe that visitors are finding what they are looking for a lot quicker.”

Focused approach pays off

In just over a year traffic to the EPS website has rocketed, 150 hits per month to a consistent 3,500-4,000 monthly hits. And all this new traffic is translating to new business for the firm, according to Patrick. “With this increase in visitors, we’ve seen a huge boost in the number of enquiries through our site. The majority of these are sound enquiries which have led to new business.”

But EPS isn’t resting there. The company plans to use some of what it’s learned on the Irish site to enhance its newly launched UK site, with the aim of hitting 1,000 visitors per month by June 2012. Also on the cards is a global site, which Patrick says will be used to drive more traffic back to the Irish website.

Patrick credits advice given by Enterprise Ireland  as the impetus EPS needed to make changes to its website. “The Enterprise Ireland support and guidance  was of great benefit to us at the beginning of this project. That investment in time and resources is now paying off for EPS in both our domestic and export sales.”

“We’ve learned so much about the importance of our website over the past couple of years. We now see our site as a very important part of our overall strategy in growing our business,” Patrick concludes.

This article was written by ENNclick for the Enterprise Ireland Internet Marketing Unit.

Partnering – Are you willing to sacrifice control for sales coverage? TechBrew Feb 9th

Posted by Paul Browne in Conference | Dublin | Software - (0 Comments)

This is a guest post from John Caulfield, Solutions Director Oracle Ireland  and member of the Irish Software Association (ISA) Executive Council. This is the latest in the series of Irish Software Association and Techbrew events that EI is proud to be associated with.

As a compliment to the work that EI and the ISA have done in helping software companies use partners to win export sales, we’re focusing the next TechBrew (Thurs 9th February @ 7.00pm) on the area.  Held at 4 Dame Lane Dublin 2, TechBrew is an informal gathering of software company management and technology leaders, getting together to chat over a bite and a beer.

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In between the networking and beers we’ll cover “Partnering—Is it the fastest and cheapest entry to new markets or does it ultimately cost more?”. Talk to your peers to talk about the best route to market. Find out if you are willing to sacrifice control for coverage. See how you can expand your existing markets, what models work best and identify the best partners options for different markets, and how to managing the channel. Hear practical advice, successes and pitfalls, from those who have gone before you, shared in an informal learning environment.

Confirmed to speak:

  • Donagh Kiernan, Founder and CEO, Tenego Partnering, driving international sales for high growth technology companies, through partnering. Donagh helps high growth technology companies drive international sales, through partnering. He focuisses on making current partners effective and securing new partners that are ‘best-fit’ to sell products or services in identified target markets.

If you have some practical experience to offer yourself, why not take ten minutes to share your experiences on the night.

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7 Ways To Improve Your Internet Marketing – Celtrino and Content

Posted by David Scanlon in eMarketing | Internet | Marketing | Sales | Social Media - (1 Comments)

This is the second in a series of posts focused on how Irish SMEs are delivering real results using Internet marketing. This case study features an interview with Michael O’Brien, Head of Marketing at Celtrino, a client of Enterprise Ireland.

Quality content on its website is helping supply chain management specialist Celtrino develop its brand and differentiate itself from competitors.

A veteran in the supply chain management world in Ireland, Celtrino’s recent re-vamp of its website is allowing the company to showcase its expertise through a successful blog, as well as boosting brand recognition as it aims to expand into new markets.

Content strategy begins with research

After joining Celtrino in 2009, marketing director Michael O’Brien’s first port of call was to do a full marketing audit. With online becoming more and more important, Michael set about focusing on the Celtrino website and online presence.

“For me, the relevance of the website and being found online was of paramount importance.” Michael said his plan started with in-depth research. “I can’t underestimate how vital it is to understand the words being used online by your competitors, analysts and customers. Once you understand the ecosystem within which you are operating you can then set down a content strategy both for your own website and how you are going to engage with other online tools, like social media.”

Web content critical to search results

Celtrino’s new website went live on 27 May 2010 and within six months Celtrino dominated search engine results for all of its relevant key terms. “If I’m on the phone talking to somebody, chances are they are online typing our name into Google. Being found easily online is important for our continued success in the Irish market, but is also vital as we look to break into the UK market,” said Michael.

Developing relevant, quality content is key to Celtrino’s search engine success, according to Michael: “We need to keep producing quality content or we will lose people and cease to be relevant, and Google will pick up on that too.”

Continually refreshing the site’s content is also an important factor in Celtrino’s content strategy. “Our market is constantly changing and so our web content needs to be regularly updated to reflect that. Of course, regular content updates improve search engine visibility too.”

Content directs customers to next steps

While the homepage is the way most people will enter a website, Michael explains that because the Celtrino site is so optimised for search engines, there is a high chance people are coming to internal pages on the site through targeted search results.

Bearing that in mind, Celtrino developed dedicated content pages for each of its solutions, as well as identifying a list of ‘business needs’ that lead the visitor to relevant product pages. Clear action points were also added to each page, which makes sure that any visitor can see at a glance how they can contact Celtrino or get more information on certain products.

“It was imperative to us that someone coming to the site through a Google search for, say, ‘accounts payable solutions’ would have a clear call to action on the page they land on. This call to action could be a number of things, such as ‘email us’, ‘call us’, or ‘download a whitepaper’. Essentially, the key for us is understanding what the visitor is trying to achieve and giving them every opportunity to do so.”

Blog content gives Celtrino a voice

Keen to provide regular, fresh content on its site, Celtrino launched a blog in September 2011 and typically push out a new blog post three times a week. Michael says the blog has been a great success to date and has broadened the company’s reputation online. “The blog gives us a voice and the opportunity to engage with our audiences that we wouldn’t always have with the website. It also helps us to stand out in the market. For any companies considering a blog I would advise them to look around their sector and see what they can take ownership of in terms of content: ask themselves, ‘what can I write about that makes us stand out?’”

And when you do write a blog that gets noticed, that’s when you can really make an impact, according to Michael. “If your blog post is picked up by another blogger or commentator and shared, then all of a sudden you move up to a different level. Having your content reused around the web ensures that you are seen as a relevant and trusted source of content; the net result is that you will be favoured by Google and other search engines as they focus on delivering relevant and trusted content to their customers.”

Celtrino’s focus on developing quality content for its website has helped it create a strong online presence, which Michael said it is keen to take advantage of. “In February we plan on doing a major refresh of our website content to reflect changes within the sector and changes to our customers’ requirements. And within the next year or so, Celtrino aims to launch an e-commerce function on its site.”

This article was written by ENNclick for the Enterprise Ireland Internet Marketing Unit.

Thinking of Upgrading or Replacing your ERP System this Year?

Posted by Eoin O'Siochru in Conference | eMarketing | Event - (0 Comments)

An ideal opportunity to find the best ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system for you takes place at an event where nine top ERP products will be pitted against one another.

If you are in the market for an ERP system this is an event not to be missed. It is a unique opportunity to see and compare the leading ERP systems based on a defined script, not a series of generic sales presentations, allowing for a true like-for-like comparison. The event will also provide opportunities to network and compare experiences with other organisations also planning to implement ERP.

The ERP HEADtoHEAD™ event is taking place on February 22nd-23rd, 2012, in the Carlton Hotel,DublinAirport where 9 leading ERP products will be pitted against each other over the two days. Products from Epicor, IFS, Infor Lawson, Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, QAD, Sage, SAP and SYSPRO will be demonstrated.

This event will be facilitated by BSM – leading independent ERP consultants. BSM has managed over 100 ERP projects and will share project experiences and ERP selection and implementation knowledge during the event. For more information and to register, phone Linda Davey at 091-746900 or e-mail info@erpheadtohead.com or check out http://www.erpheadtohead.com for further information.

And if those 9 ERP providers aren’t here , here are some more EI Clients specialising in ERP solutions.

New Niche – Software Apps for Smart Energy Meters (EI Event)

Posted by Simon Bradshaw in Event | Mobile Solutions - (1 Comments)

There’s clever and there’s very clever, but we reckon the most savvy thing you can do in relation to what is being termed ‘Smart Energy’ is to get yourself to a free workshop (the second in a monthly series presenting opportunities that Ireland’s evolved electricity market will offer this year) that takes place in Dublin at the start of February.

The reason for the Smart Energy workshop is to stay one step ahead of the competition – smart meters are installed in over 60% of commercial properties and households in Finland, and energy supply companies are eager to commercially exploit this growing industry. As Ireland commences the implementation of its own Smart Energy infrastructure – based on successful recent trials – many opportunities exist in this sector, notably from ICT, demand side management and product development for both domestic and export markets.

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The Smart Energy workshop, hosted by Enterprise Ireland in association with Pöyry – a leading specialist in Finland’s energy sector, and the provider of strategic, commercial, regulatory and policy advice to Europe’s energy markets – will provide perceptive insights into this area. If your business is smart meters, and you’d like to learn from Pöyry’s tried, tested and trusted implementation programme (which constitutes a multi million-unit meter rollout), then reserve your place at the workshop as soon as possible. You know it’s the smart thing to do!

The Innovative Energy Solutions and Smart Meters Workshop takes place at EI Head Office, East Point Business Park, Wednesday February 1st, 2pm-5.30pm. Topics covered include the status of smart metering in Finland, Smart Energy infrastructure, and Commercial Opportunities. Places on the workshop are limited, so reservations are recommended. Contact me , Simon.Bradshaw@enterprise-ireland.com for further details before close of business Monday January 30th.

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Next Generation Retail Solutions – find out how you can sell to this sector on Feb 9th

Posted by Aislinn Mahon in Conference | Dublin | Germany | Mobile | Retail Solutions | Social Media - (2 Comments)

There are more than 100 Irish Companies selling next generation solutions into the Retail sector – in addition to the many others who sell through retailers as a ‘route to market’. These retail solutions companies provide services such as payment solutions, store interiors, technology providers, consumer products, packaging, marketing, instore systems etc. and are targetting  supermarkets, pharmacies, DIY stores and other retail outlets as their clients.

Given the work that EI and its clients are undertaking in the retail solution area, I am delighted to announce that we are holding a second Retailer Solutions Forum on Thursday 9th February in Eastpoint Dublin. It will include the following topics; Social Media, Retail in Germany and Multichannel Retailing and is aimed at CEO’s of supplier companies targeting the retail sector in the UK and Europe.

You can find the agenda for the day below. Places are limited so contact me allyson.stephen@enterprise-ireland.com or  +44 (0) 20 7438 8714 to book.

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  • ‘Social Media in a Business to Business Context’ . Michael O’Brien, Head of Marketing at Celtrino, will share his experiences of the adoption of social media as a strategic part of the company’s marketing mix.  Adrian Goodsell and Pete Wood of Steak Digital will add context and background to Michael’s story.
  • ‘Retail in Germany’. Michael Gerling, Managing Director of the German Retail Institute, will provide in-market insight into the German retail scene. He will give a general overview of the German market, type of stores, trends etc. with much opportunity to ask him about this challenging but potentially rewarding market.
  •  ’Multichannel retailing in Europe’. Martin Newman, CEO of Practicology, will address the topic of multichannel in Europe. He will use practical examples to describe the retail scene in various European markets, to look at strategies of key European retailers as well as compare trends in e-commerce, m-commerce and f-commerce across Europe.

There will be a chance to interact with and question these speakers through networking over coffee /  a light lunch. We will welcome your feedback, and inform you of the planned activity for Retailer Solutions for 2012.

Follow the EI Retailer Solutions Twitter account @EI_rsolutions for all the latest information about the work EI is doing in this area.

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7 Ways To Improve Your Internet Marketing – Nualight and Email Marketing

Posted by David Scanlon in eMarketing | Internet | Marketing | Sales | Social Media - (0 Comments)

As mentioned in my previous post, this is the first in a series of case studies focused on how Irish SMEs are delivering real results using Internet marketing. This interview features Siobhan O’Dwyer, VP Marketing at Nualight, a client of Enterprise Ireland.

 

Nualight puts email marketing in the spotlight

LED retail lighting specialist Nualight is using email newsletters to build its brand and promote itself as a thought leader in the fast-growing LED lighting market.

Nualight is one of the original pioneers of LED food lighting and counts Tesco, Morrisons, and Sainsbury’s among its key customers. Co-located in Cork and Amsterdam, the rapidly growing company has been making a name for itself in the buoyant retail lighting market helped by its content-filled company newsletters.

Monthly newsletter keeps customers up to date

A monthly e-newsletter – called Bright Thinking – is used to keep Nualight’s 4,000-plus customers across Europe and the US updated on company news. “We launch products on such a regular basis that it would be impossible to keep our customers up to date without the newsletter; it really is the most effective way to tell them our news,” said Siobhan O’Dwyer, vice president of marketing with Nualight.

The monthly e-newsletter is teased via a HTML email sent to a subscriber list, with snippets of content that link back to the Nualight website. “We’re keen to direct people back to our website, where we have so much content and information we’d like them to see. Newsletters are a great way to do that.”

Brand building with quarterly e-zine

In what has become a highly competitive market, with some of the biggest companies in the world vying for market share, Nualight’s newsletters have become a vital marketing tool.

“One of our main goals is to position ourselves as experts in our area. With our newsletters we can reinforce that position regularly using content that is interesting to people and, of course, telling people about our ongoing product innovation,” explained Siobhan.

The company’s 32-page online magazine – Bright – is published each quarter. It delivers company news as well as industry-related features and expert interviews. “Our expert interviews in particular are very well received, and they’ve really helped us to align ourselves as thought leaders.”

Creating company spirit globally with staff newsletter

Having just completed the acquisition of a company in the Netherlands, as well as having a manufacturing site in Poland and a global sales team, Nualight was keen to knit its team of over 200 employees together. A monthly email newsletter is sent out to all staff to keep everyone updated on changes within the company, local news from each site, as well as product launches and industry trends.

“The staff newsletter helps us integrate our global team together, and makes sure everyone knows what’s going on in the company and in the industry,” said Siobhan.

Weighing up what’s working

On average, Nualight’s newsletter open rates are at an impressive 25 to 40 percent, with a 47 percent click-through rate. Constant testing and analytics help Siobhan identify which articles are proving most popular.

“We’re learning as we go along. We know that the HTML emails are crucial to pulling people through to our site so we make sure to create really good content hooks and put some real thought into our subject lines. We’ve identified that readers are interested in innovation, so we make sure to put our product news front and centre. Visual works for us too; our industry is all about atmosphere and ambience so we have upped the image content in the HTML mail.”

Divide and conquer

With customers all across Europe, Nualight decided to develop its newsletters in English, French and German, with the subscriber database split into the three languages. This strategy has had a positive impact on open rates, according to Siobhan.

Nualight is also planning further segmentation of its subscriber database. A recently introduced newsletter signup box on its website asks people to select their interest in one of the company’s two distinct product lines: “case lighting” or “accent lighting”. Nualight plans to develop a newsletter for each of these lines.

“I would say without hesitation that email marketing is one of the most effective things we do. Customers in our sector are information-hungry and our newsletters have really helped us to tap into that requirement,” concluded Siobhan.

This article was written by ENNclick for the Enterprise Ireland Internet Marketing Unit.

Want to do business in Canada? Learn how on the 26th Jan. Focus on Financial Services

Posted by Marguerite Bourke in Canada | Finance | Finance Sector - (0 Comments)

Despite a tough economic climate the Canadian financial services market has weathered the storm better than most, and ranks amongst the most stable and highly regulated countries in the world.  Canada’s financial services industry is world-class and globally oriented, with over $60 billion in acquisitions outside Canada since 2000. Canadian financial institutions continue to invest in new technologies and software.

Being based in EI’s Toronto Office , I’m delighted that we’ll be able to showcase some of these opportunities in Dublin at the ‘Doing Business with Canadian Financial Services‘ event in EI Eastpoint on the 26th January at 11am (more details below, signup link here, places are limited). The seminar is aimed at  for Irish companies who are interested in doing business with the Canadian financial services sector and will offer you strategic advice on tendering, partnering and advice on selling into the various institutions.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/markwhitt/

The event will be moderated by Chuck Wilson, a Senior Financial Services Executive based in Toronto. Bank of Montreal (BMO), one of the top tier Canadian banks will also be represented on the panel. The session will be an interactive discussion on the Canadian financial services landscape, challenges facing the banks and institutions in Canada and address potential opportunities for technology companies in 2012 onwards.

People that you can learn from at the session;

  •  Chuck Wilson, Senior Financial Services Executive With almost thirty years of senior level financial services experience, Chuck brings extensive knowledge in the banking and insurance sectors. With a background as an executive at RBC Royal Bank; Country Manager for a retail banking consultancy and technology provider; Independent Consultant; Insurance company CEO; and most recently as a senior executive with Aon Corporation; his perspectives will help participants understand the unique nuances of the Canadian financial services landscape.
  • Philip McAuliffe, Technology Head, Institutional Equity Products and Financial Products, Bank of Montreal Philip heads up a Technology unit at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto, with responsibility for Equity and Financial Products. Prior to joining BMO in 2010 Philip worked with Davy Stockbrokers for 11 years. From 1992 – 1999 he worked for Bank of Ireland in their Technology division

If you’re interested in learning more, click on this link to register, or contact Amy.doyle@enterprise-ireland.com Date: Thursday, 26 January 2012 Time: 11am – 1.30pm

  • Location: Enterprise Ireland, The Plaza, Eastpoint Business Park Enterprise Ireland,
  • 10.30am – Registration / Refreshments
  • 11am – Introduction by Chuck Wilson
  • 11.30pm – 1.00pm – Presentations by panellists and subsequent Q and A
  • 1pm – Lunch .
  • Participation Fee: The participation fee for the workshop is €100 per company.

7 Ways To Improve Your Internet Marketing

Posted by David Scanlon in eMarketing | Internet | Marketing | Sales | Social Media - (3 Comments)

Over the course of 2011, the Enterprise Ireland Internet Marketing Unit was busy engaging with our clients to benchmark their Internet marketing efforts. You can take a look at the questionnaire we use for the benchmarking for yourself (feel free to complete it, we’d love to hear from you!), and we also published a short report back in October detailing some of the findings.

From talking with our clients and examining the results of the benchmarks, we’ve identified 7 key areas of activity and capability that make up an effective Internet marketing strategy, as follows:

  • Online Advertising
  • Web Traffic Analysis
  • Continuous Intelligence Gathering/Customer Relationship Management
  • SEO
  • Content
  • Social Media
  • Email Marketing

We’re not saying that your company needs to become an expert on all these areas, but you should at least have a good understanding of what they are, and what impact they can have on your existing online sales and marketing strategy. To help with this we’re going to publish a series of blog posts here on BestConnected over the coming weeks, each one focused on how an Irish SME is succeeding online by adopting the principles outlined above.
First up will be an interview with Siobhan O’Dwyer, VP Marketing at Nualight, who will be sharing her experiences of effectively using Email Marketing. Stay tuned to the blog, the interview will be published here before the end of the week. If you’ve any feedback on the benchmarking, or if you’d like to suggest some other case studies, then please let us know.

US Product Management Guru in Dublin on Wed 18th Jan – Book your place now

Posted by Andrew Peet in Marketing | Training | US - (0 Comments)

As recognition grows that market risk typically outweighs technical risk, the role of the product manager is one of increasing significance for Irish-based software companies. Software Skillnet in conjunction with DIT’s Postgraduate Diploma in Product Management is privileged to invite you to this seminar addressing compelling questions around Agile Product management and how that aligns with product ownership.

Rich Mironov is the author of “The Art of Product Management” and since 2002 he has been writing “Product Bytes,” a blog on product strategy, technology and product management read by C-level product champions around the world.  He writes and consults in the areas of agile product management, product ownership, and how to build commercially successful products with agile development teams.

Rich will host an open forum on agile product management and product ownership for those getting to grips with the challenge of working in an agile environment.

  • What implications are there for day to day management?
  • Do management roles need to change?
  • Where now for product strategy?
  • How do we derive market requirements?

Booking is Required as  Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. For more information and to book your place contact Susan Kelly at susan@isa-skillnet.com  or call 086-8067200.

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