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!"