7 Ways To Improve Your Internet Marketing – Enerit and Social Media

Posted by David Scanlon on 17 February, 2012 in eMarketing | Internet | LinkedIn | Marketing | Saas | Social Media | Software - (Be the first to comment)

This is the fourth in a series of posts focused on how Irish SMEs are delivering real results using Internet marketing. This case study features an interview with Maricka Burke Keogh, Senior Online Marketing Executive, and Eimear O’Brien, Online Marketing Executive at Enerit, a client of Enterprise Ireland. Enerit received support from the Enterprise Ireland Internet Marketing Unit to assist with the development of their Internet marketing strategy.

Energetic social media strategy boosts Enerit’s profile

Using social media, energy management software company Enerit is building a name for itself as a thought leader in its sector, as well as boosting its sales prospects through effective lead generation.

Galway-based Enerit is using social media to great effect as it strives to grow its reputation in the energy sector. And with plans in the works to broaden its social media strategy even further, Enerit is well on its way to becoming a recognisable global brand.

LinkedIn a hit for generating leads

The star performer in Enerit’s social media strategy is LinkedIn. Maricka Burke Keogh, Senior Online Marketing Executive for Enerit, says the business networking tool has been instrumental in boosting traffic to the company’s website and helping to identify relevant sales leads.

As well as a company page on LinkedIn, Enerit’s employees, including top management, all have separate personal LinkedIn profiles. The company’s strategy is clear when it comes to LinkedIn: no “hard sell”, explains Maricka. “On LinkedIn, our aim us to showcase our technical expertise and thought leadership.”

Enerit does this through active participation in LinkedIn Group Discussions. “We’re lucky that our CEO, Paul Monaghan, and COO, Mike Brogan, are passionate about social media. They’ve joined a number of relevant groups, like the generic ISO 50001 Group, and regularly comment on topics or start discussions themselves. I continually monitor LinkedIn and these groups and if I see a relevant discussion I point them in that direction. It’s much more effective for our management and engineers to be commenting on topics rather than our marketing staff,” explains Maricka.

Paul and Mike have also built up good networks on LinkedIn and they regularly communicate with their contacts, sending them Inbox Messages about any relevant Enerit news or developments. In fact, one such message sent out by Paul, highlighting Enerit’s recent work with Pfizer, increased referral leads in December by 100 percent, according to Maricka.

“LinkedIn has become one of our top sources for referral leads, and because we can target such relevant contacts the leads are proving to be extremely high quality,” she says.

Though the majority of traffic to the Enerit website comes from organic search results for either “Enerit” or “ISO 50001″ and direct traffic, LinkedIn is fast becoming a key factor. In December, 20 percent of traffic to the website came through referrals, with over a quarter of that traffic generated through LinkedIn. “And this is very high-quality traffic, with LinkedIn visitors spending on average 2.52 minutes on our site,” says Maricka.

Building credibility through social media

As it continues to build strong networks on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Enerit has plans to exploit its growing contacts. With any testimonials it has received from energy consultants Enerit adds a link to the consultants’ LinkedIn profile pages.

“We believe these testimonials with links to the consultants’ LinkedIn pages make for very credible recommendations of our software. We then feature these testimonials on our own company LinkedIn page, adding to our growing reputation,” explains Eimear O’Brien, Online Marketing Executive for Enerit.

Growing contacts list with Twitter

As well as LinkedIn, Twitter also plays a role in Enerit’s social media strategy. The company has been increasing its Twitter followers steadily and has started to attract increasingly relevant followers. “When we first started on Twitter it was mainly people looking for jobs that were following us, now it’s companies, energy managers and potential partners that we can target,” says Maricka.

All Enerit press releases are tweeted on Twitter and the marketing team also tweets any mentions of Enerit in media articles globally. The team also include links to its Twitter profile in all press releases to encourage relevant people to ‘follow’ Enerit on Twitter.

Maricka outlines how Twitter has become a key research tool for Enerit as it accumulates contacts and targets. “We regularly analyse our followers: we see who they follow and who’s following them and assess if these are relevant to us. That way we can compile a ‘who’s who’ for our sector, quite easily.”

“We’ve also found this a useful way to see which trade magazines would be worth getting in touch with. Once we identify the magazines and editors interested in our sector we get their contact details and send in our press releases, widening our global reach,” she explains.

Sharing knowledge to build the brand

For Enerit, it’s main aim with its social media presence is to raise its brand awareness by demonstrating its expertise. As it plans a new website with increased social media functionality, Enerit is also planning on building on its current online strategy.

For example, Maricka says she aims to develop a separate technical Twitter profile for Enerit, where people can ask technical queries about the company’s software. “As we continue to grow the business, we think Twitter could become an ideal medium for answering customers’ queries,” she explains. Maricka takes her inspiration from PC manufacturer Dell, which she says has used this strategy to good effect.

Also on the cards is starting up a profile on Quora, a “questions and answers” network. “Quora is something we’re exploring. It allows you to answer questions and start conversations on very relevant topics – so you can help people by offering tips and advice, and also give our thoughts on new developments, implementations and standards. Our engineers would be actively involved in this – showcasing their expertise.”

Video is another area that Enerit is keen to explore. The company’s new website is likely to feature a series of videos explaining its flagship software, as well as some training videos. Maricka also plans on expanding on the company’s thought-leading strategy by offering research whitepapers for download from the Enerit blog as well as sharing presentations via Slideshare.

There’s little doubt that social media plays a prominent role in Enerit’s overall marketing strategy, and with active support from top management, who are keen to share their knowledge on the various social media platforms, Maricka says she has been able to make a great start since she came on board in August 2011.

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

7 Ways To Improve Your Internet Marketing – Celtrino and Content

Posted by David Scanlon on 27 January, 2012 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.

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

Posted by David Scanlon on 20 January, 2012 in eMarketing | Internet | Marketing | Sales | Social Media - (Be the first to comment)

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.

7 Ways To Improve Your Internet Marketing

Posted by David Scanlon on 17 January, 2012 in eMarketing | Internet | Marketing | Sales | Social Media - (4 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.

Forecast for 2012 by Irish Exporters and IIA – strong demand for multilingual websites and search engine marketing

Posted by Angela Byrne on 8 December, 2011 in eMarketing | Internet | IT Services - (Be the first to comment)

A smart investment in localisation could be the killer move for Irish companies targeting European online customers whose spending will remain buoyant in 2012 according to Cipherion and the Irish Internet Association:

Multilingual website translation and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) are forecast to be in strong demand by Irish organisations operating overseas, according to research released November 24th, 2011 by leading global communications provider, Cipherion Translations, based in Dublin. The research, conducted amongst Cipherion’s client base in tourism, hospitality, life sciences, exporting, technology and multinational sectors, reveals that 58 per cent of companies will require website translation services in the next year and 35 per cent will be rolling out international Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) campaigns.

The research also indicates that French, German, Spanish and Italian will remain the focus for exporters and multinationals, with over 70% of respondents indicating a future requirement for these languages.

According to the UK’s Centre for Retail Research over 85% of European online retailing spend of €202.9 billion will be made by non-English speaking consumers in 2011. Commenting on these figures, Mark Rodgers founder and CEO of Cipherion said: (more…)

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NDRC LaunchPad Open Evening

Posted by David Scanlon on 9 November, 2011 in Animation | Apps | Cloud Computing | Connected Health | Developers | Digital Media | ecommerce | Entrepreneurship | Gaming | Innovation | Internet | Mobile | Mobile Solutions | startup | Telecom - (Be the first to comment)

This is a guest post from Amy Neale, Marketing and Programme Manager at the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC).

We at NDRC (National Digital Research Centre) have just announced that we are now open for applications to LaunchPad. This investment programme is open for applications from digital start-ups from Ireland and internationally, and 15 start-ups will be selected to work with us for a 3 month period starting 13th February 2012. During this time we provide these 2 or 3 man bands with a hands-on, intensive mentoring programme; weekly workshops and networking opportunities with experts; as well as the all important investment of up to €20,000 per project. The three months will culminate with NDRC’s ‘LiftOff’ competition, taking place in May 2012 where the start-ups will present to a room of investors and compete for access to a follow on investment prize fund.

We were delighted earlier in 2011 to be ranked in the ‘Top 10 EU Accelerators’ by the Kauffman Fellows, and – along with Enterprise Ireland’s iGap programme – we have been nominated for Best European Accelerator at The Europas 2011. NDRC LaunchPad is producing award winning startups such as Redeem&Get and Hit the Road, and developing technology entrepreneurs with early stage innovative digital start-ups. We invest in and collaborate with early stage start-ups to establish market focused, technically excellent and profitable ventures.

In 2010–2011 NDRC mentored, trained and developed 39 entrepreneurs, and has to date secured €4.8 million in commercial investment for technologies and start-ups. Just ten days ago, NDRC-backed start-up Redeem&Get won the Spark of Genius Award, giving them access to an ACT Venture Capital term sheet worth €100k. This year NDRC received a record 81 applications for 15 places on the current LaunchPad Programme, with Irish, European and North American start-ups participating.

If you are interested in NDRC LaunchPad, come along to our open evening to meet the team, ask questions and find out everything you need to know about the accelerator programme, before the application deadline of 16th December. This informal evening will be held on Thursday, the 1st of December, and will start at 6.30pm and will run to 8.30pm. It will take place in NDRC’s ‘Digital Exchange’ building on Crane Street, Dublin 8 – please register your details here.

To apply for a place on NDRC LaunchPad visit www.ndrc.ie/launchpad; deadline for receipt of applications is 5pm on the 16th December 2011.

NDRC LAUNCHPAD CLOSING DATE 5pm 16th December 2011

NDRC LAUNCHPAD PROGRAMME START 13th February 2012

Data Data everywhere but not a byte makes sense – event 19th Oct

Posted by Paul Browne on 17 October, 2011 in Cloud Computing | Developers | Dublin | Event | IBM | Internet | Ireland | Microsoft - (Be the first to comment)

This is a guest post from Dave Feenan who is a key promoter of the CloudArena Group. Find out more on the CloudArena LinkedIn group.

We are all used to the saying “Water Water everywhere but not a drop to drink”. Change the word “Water to Data” and do we now have “Data Data everywhere but not a byte makes sense”.

The explosion in the increase of data is becoming one of the top challenges for organisations. Historically this increase was viewed as a requirement for additional storage and backup infrastructure. Today thanks to the availability of web-enabled devices, Business Intelligence and Analytics are now a defacto requirement. Gone are the days of yesterday’s spreadsheets and reports to be replaced by modern Dashboard and Real-Time Data access. Business owners and line managers need access to accurate Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and Metrics to enable appropriate decision making. It is not just businesses that are availing of BI. Smart meters will soon arrive into our homes and look at the level of information now provided when you watch live sport on TV.
Cloud Arena Logo

On Wednesday 19th October, CloudArena will host a free to attend BI and Analytics seminar to discuss this topic. IBM, one of the many organisations taking part, will talk about how they deployed technology to enhance the audience’s real-time engagement at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. Microsoft, Fujitsu, Cloud Consulting, Staff Balance and Enterprise Ireland backed companies, Jlizard and Treemetrics will all elaborate on how BI is a game changing advantage for us all.

What can BI do for your organisation? You do not want you to get left behind and to be told “Game, Set and Match” to your competitors by your customers.

This event is part of the Innovation Dublin 2011 Festival.To register www.cloud-arena.com

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Turning Grassroots Technology Into Commercial Success

Posted by Dan Barry on 3 October, 2011 in Entrepreneurship | Event | Innovation | Internet | Investment | Telecom - (Be the first to comment)

You’ll have to be quick about this one, as it takes place tomorrow (Tuesday, October 4), but we reckon that it’ll be worth your time and attention. As part of it@cork’s very popular monthly Tech Tuesday forums, Declan O’Mahoney, CEO of Maywentee, will be giving a talk about how the Firecomms startup emerged from Tyndall Technology in 2004, and the process by which it was recently acquired by a Chinese corporation.

Providing insight and knowledge in relation to the various levels of intricacy experienced in transferring technology from Tyndall to build what proved to be a business success story, Declan’s talk will be followed by a casual networking period with complimentary wine and cheese (sponsored by Reilly & Co, Solicitors, Commercial and Technology Law).

The event takes place tomorrow (Tuesday, October 4) at 5.30pm at Maryborough Hotel & Spa, Douglas, Co Cork. Attendance is free and is open to both it@cork members and non-members – the maximum number of places is 100.

Advance registration, however, is required. To register, click here. For further details on the event, contact it@cork’s Events and Marketing Executive Marie Fitzpatrick at 021-2307011, or email her marie@itcork.ie

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Bizcamp Galway – for Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs

Posted by Paul Browne on 7 September, 2011 in Conference | Event | Internet | Investor | Networking - (Be the first to comment)

Want an event where you take part instead of just listen? Do yourselves a favour by heading out west to Bizcamp 2011, which takes place on Saturday September 10, in the NUI Galway. This is the latest in the series of Bizcamp events which have been held around Ireland.

Organised by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, Bizcamp 2011 ups the ante while taking down the formality a notch or two, and while it’s going to be packed with innovators and people with creative ideas (and, of course, entrepreneurs!), the event is deliberately not about sales pitches.

Ultimately, what happens is that speakers will give a short presentation (usually no longer than 20 minutes), with 10 minutes for open discussion, on a topic of their choice. The great thing about Bizcamp is that the topics vary from adapting your business, innovative marketing, product design and pricing to sourcing finance, engaging with web and social networking and evaluating stress management.

Bizcamp co-organiser and founder of xap.ie, Michael Fitzgerald, reckons that Bizcamp is all about encouraging, mentoring and supporting innovative and ambitious business ventures.

“There’s so much going on in the areas of technology, medical devices and industry in general in the West of Ireland right now. It’s a really exciting time, and we wanted to provide a platform for entrepreneurs to meet with new people outside their main circles to share and learn from each other.”

If you’re around on the day before the event (Friday September 9) , you’ll be pleased to know that a Demobar event takes place in The Oslo, Salthill, at 9pm.This is an informal event where you can view demonstrations of web-based applications, iPhone, iPad & mobile apps, and have a beer (free!) with the people behind these local companies. Demonstrations are on laptops and mobile devices – the guys promise no Powerpoint presentations!

If you’re interested in speaking , or just coming along, add your name to the Bizcamp list here.

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iGAP 3 – Why Should You Participate?

Posted by Ray Walsh on 31 August, 2011 in Cloud Computing | Developers | Digital Media | ecommerce | eMarketing | entrepreneur | Entrepreneurship | Event | Gaming | IGAP | Innovation | Internet | Ireland | IT Services | Saas | startup | Training - (4 Comments)

Internet or Games based Start Up? – Apply for iGAP Here

Over the last 2 years 29 companies, 58 promoters have completed iGAP.  We in Enterprise Ireland believe that IGAP  is a brilliant and innovative internet start up programme.  More importantly so do the participants…..

In an Internet based startup? You should apply for iGAP.

Ronan Skehill co-founder of Cauwill. www.cauwill.com

“I know many such management training and incubation programmes exist, we were on LEAP which was good for us at the time, but iGAP is different because it focuses specifically on the needs of internet businesses.  Over a period of seven months, six modules were led by international lean start-up and customer development experts such as Eric Ries, Scott Rafer, Paul O’Dea , Justin Knecth, Sean Ellis and Oren Michels .Over the programme they addressed issues such as lean startup theory, product market fit, monetisation strategies, internet customer acquisition, business development using APIs, etc. Here is a quick synopsis of the content covered by the speakers………http://www.ronanskehill.com/2011/02/05/in-a-startup-you-should-apply-for-igap/#comments

 In a Games based startup? You should apply for iGAP.

Steven Collins, Swrve, www.swrve.com

“The iGAP program is an excellent opportunity to both network with a peer group of companies all experiencing many of the same challenges as you, and to hear from some of the world’s leading speakers on building companies and products.  The speaker lineup was second to none, with lots of opportunities for interaction and feedback and to build connections.  The program itself is very well structured, with lectures, group sessions and mentors and a great curriculum.  It presented me with the perfect opportunity to reflect on my own startup and to put the spotlight on our processes for customer discovery, product design and business strategy.  I can’t recommend the IGAP program highly enough to anybody building an internet or games industry company and lucky enough to be offered a place.

In a Business 2 Business internet startup? You should apply for iGAP.

Connor Murphy, Datahug, www.datahug.com

“iGAP is one word…. ‘mandatory’. If you want to accelerate your web business and compete globally then you NEED to be on iGAP. If you want to learn from Silicon Valley insiders and world class thought leaders then you NEED to be on iGAP. If you want to collaborate and learn from a brilliant peer group then you NEED to be on iGAP.”

Ronan Perceval http: www.phorest.com

 “The really great benefit for me has been the other companies taking part. We were a bit concerned because our company has been in business for longer, but actually the start-up companies on iGap has given us a new lease of life. We’ve started thinking more like a start up again and that’s given us a real focus. That alone has been great.

Hopefully we’ve been able to share some stuff back with other people on the programme as well.

One of the big benefits of iGap has shown in our marketing. I think it’s much more focused now. It’s the first year we have a proper marketing plan, and we’re analyzing the metrics so we’ll actually know for sure what’s working and what’s not.

All in all I think iGap is the best programme Enterprise Ireland has done. Why? Because it’s all practical. They seminar leaders are all guys who have done it.”

Brian Caulfield

Brian Caulfield was the Programme Lead for the iGAP1/2.

“I have spent the last eight years as a venture capital and angel investor in technology companies.  Prior to that, I was a technology entrepreneur for ten years.  In those 18 years working in and with start-up companies I have become convinced that many entrepreneurs fail simply because they don’t have a clear vision of what their business really is…who their customers are; what their proposition for those customers is; how they are going to reach those customers; how they will make money from those customers.  In a nutshell, they don’t have a clear strategy.

Getting to that clarity is essential for every business.  That clarity enables you to prioritise tasks amidst the chaos of a start-up. It enables you to focus the team on what’s important. It enables you to articulate a clear and, hopefully, compelling investment opportunity to potential funders of the business.

Get your application in today! Online applications close on Friday 9th of September

 

 

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