Comments on: How Indian companies can build their brand during recession 2.0?

By: Abhishek Manocha

Abhishek Manocha — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:06:24 +0000

Cant agree more on the organic SEO. Though I have my reservations still against the mail marketing. Benefits are there, it falls in terms of effort-to-return ratio and the quality of return I guess.

By: Sahil Parikh

Sahil Parikh — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 03:39:07 +0000

@Vivek You can use any one of the popular email marketing tools (icontact, campaignmonitor …) to track who opens, unsubscribes, clicks, forwards etc. the email. As you correctly pointed out, it also serves as a reminder - though you have to be careful not to spam the customer/prospect - both, with quantity and quality of the email.

By: Vivek Garg

Vivek Garg — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:55:34 +0000

Thanks Sahil. Couldnt agree more. I think your steps are execution to the basic idea that Ranjith is talking about in this post. Also, I would recommend people to read the link you mention. Good post.

About the email newsletter. I have found that similar to snail mail I get use to them pretty soon. And stop opening them after a while. I dont even opt out. With gmail I dont care about storage and they are easy to ignore. How do you measure how many people are indeed reading these newsletter? Or it may be that an email every other week reminds people that you exist?

By: Sahil Parikh

Sahil Parikh — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:59:19 +0000

Sure. When you know your keywords and apply them to everything you do, I think SEO happens organically. Plus, you need to make sure relevant sites in your industry link back to you. These could be media, blogs etc. You need to go out there and tap into any and every online resource to get the word out.

We have been experimenting with blog marketing where we make sure we are there whenever someone is talking about collaboration, project management etc. (our keywords). Putting a relevant, contextual comment helps build relationships.

Google Adwords is a good option but I saw it an expensive alternative (especially when competing abroad). A lot of people bidding on the keywords have driven up the costs way too high.

Sending and building relationships with an email newsletter is a must! Try to build your opt-in list and send out monthly newsletters to your subscribers.

We are also experimenting with Social networks like FB, LinkedIn & twitter.

As a startup, first goal is to have people know who you are. If you have a compelling offer (when they come to your site) the rest will go smoothly.

The beauty of marketing on the web is that almost everything can be measured. We use Google Analytics.

This is an article I wrote a few days back that might be interesting to you - A Brief Guide to SaaS Marketing

Do comment on something that I have missed out.

By: Vivek Garg

Vivek Garg — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:02:44 +0000

Thanks for your comment Sahil. Do share with our readers some of the combinations that worked best for your company? I am sure new comers could use some tips in these difficult times.

I think the fact that you are engaging in blog conversations is a definite plus and keeps your company in the loop.

By: Sahil Parikh

Sahil Parikh — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 05:37:53 +0000

Hi Vivek,
You have some valid points. We are a SaaS company in India and have been experiencing growth with little or no marketing $. Using different combinations of Internet marketing one can spread the word, increase adoption and conversions without spending too much. I think thats recession-proof.

Cheers,
Sahil
Founder, DeskAway

By: Ranjith Pavithran

Ranjith Pavithran — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:00:48 +0000

Jason, SEO is a part of the whole bouquet and its a minimum requirement for an online business.

By: Jason

Jason — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 09:07:32 +0000

Vivek
How the status of SEM business in India? SEO could be a good choice for SME in India through this recession 2.0