Hardware Exporter Chooses Search Engine Keyword Advertising

Ref: SME’s advertising online appearing in Digital Life (ST) on 29th January 2008 story filed by Irene Tan

Sim Aik Hardware, a family owned business run by Director, Mr. Sim Ah Bah learnt to tap the power of Internet Advertising since the 1990s and now becoming an advocator that this new media is the way to go for his company’s advertising.

As a customer of Yellow Pages, he has this to say “Yellow (Pages) was very expensive. The hard copies were heavy and cannot reach my overseas customers unless they come to Singapore.” He continued “Paid Advertising is not cheap (either) but it works.

He moved his budget from Yellow Pages to eGuide but found that too localized too and that’s when he ventured into keyword advertising, starting first with Yahoo! Which practices cost per metric model charges with fixed charges and now more settled with Google because of the Price per Click charges only when his ad is clicked through.

Well, when the importers are overseas, that’s the only way to get the businesses from Singapore, through the Internet. It makes sense to them. However, Mr. Sim has this to add, “Paid Search ad is not cheap but it works”.

So it’s the value proposition. Once customers perceived the product is worth its weight in gold, he will go for it because the ROI is easily substantiated. Once he is convinced it works, price becomes relative.

As consumers ourselves, what do you think?