This hi
- tech marketing approach enables advertisers to reap the
benefits of additional cost - effective, 24 - hour promotion
that can be accessed by existing and prospective buyers before,
during and after key trade shows.
TDC head
of publications and e - commerce Clare Wong explains that
the Online Exhibitions programme evolved from the highly successful
Sourcing Guide at hkenterprise.com.
"We are
continually reviewing SME needs and introduced a Greater China
version of Sourcing Guide covering Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau
and the Chinese mainland," she says.
"This
has proved a runaway success, so we developed the Online Exhibitions
package to further deepen and strengthen our SME offering."
Sourcing
Guide currently hosts 566,769 registered buyers, has retrieved
34,929,179 company records according to leading accounting
firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and receives more than two million
hits a day.
Equally
important, 57% of Sourcing Guide visitors originated from
the major markets of the US and Europe, while overseas visitors
in general spent an average 18 minutes a day browsing the
website.
"This
translates into serious exposure for local companies that
take advantage of the Online Exhibitions offer before, during
and after local trade fairs," Wong adds.
The TDC
alone runs 20 major trade fairs a year and offers preferentially
priced packages to exhibitors at these shows who also promote
their goods and services via Online Exhibitions.
"The combination
of exhibiting physically at a trade show and in cyberspace
at Online Exhibitions gives local SMEs the best of both worlds
at an extremely competitive cost," Wong maintains.
Online
Exhibitions packages range from US$1,264-3,237, which Wong
believes is "exceptional value" for the sheer range and promotional
scope they provide.
"I think
it is fair to say that this is one of the most attractive
promotional packages in the market today, and one that maximises
the enormous advantages of the TDC's huge database of international
buyers," Wong says.
She adds
that astute SMEs will combine Online Exhibitions, Sourcing
Guide and advertising in the TDC flagship publication Hong
Kong Enterprise to create a one - stop promotional shop.
"Sourcing
Guide is convenient, can be accessed whenever and wherever
the buyer is online and is also efficient, as just one click
provides access to banks of information," Wong explains. "It
is also very cost - effective as buyers enjoy free access
once they have registered online."
Sourcing
Guide, which is a key component of tdctrade.com, also features
popular specialties like enquiry baskets, a message centre,
new product alerts and recommended categories.
tdctrade.com
was rated as the "Best of its Kind" among 12 trade promotion
websites in Asia by ACNeilsen in 2003, was recognised by the
Web Marketing Association of the US with the Standard of Excellence
WebAward in 2002, 2003 and 2004 and received CMP Asia's fourth
Annual Intelligent20 Award in October 2003.
"Hong
Kong Enterprise, meanwhile, offers the advantage of high visibility,
in that the magazine can be accessed by anyone in an office
without the necessity of going online," Wong concludes.
"Add Online
Exhibitions and you have a seamless promotional package before,
during and after trade fairs - in fact it is the complete
year - round campaign!"