Indian SMEs are able to remain optimistic in the wake of last year’s downturn which has been quite encouraging. While IT, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and construction remain the major drivers for the Indian SMEs, they are constantly keeping an eye on the volatile US and European markets. But the real question is, is it wise to invest in the US and European markets now? The inspiration to invest comes from President Obama’s categorical support for the SMEs working in his country. In his speech he lauded the SMEs for creating more jobs in the US rather than exporting them to other countries.

Obama was quoted saying “Historically, small businesses have created roughly two out of every three new jobs in our country. To replace the millions of jobs lost in the recession, we need to make sure small companies are able to open up, expand, and add names to their payrolls… small businesses will help lead this economic recovery. And that’s why we will continue to stand by them.”

As America starts to rise from the ashes of the recession, it is open to lending more opportunities to SMEs that promise to create new jobs. This is going to be a turning point for Indian SMEs who wish to set up offices in the US and for firms that want to go global. Business expansion is not just to be seen in the US. Now, the European Investment Bank (EIB) has also extended its support for their small and medium-sized enterprises as it commits to make €30 billion available for SMEs and to provide technical assistance to micro-financing institutions. The business wing of the European people’s party has also pledged to open new offices in other countries for expansion of European business. The current slowdown is not just a time of crisis, it may also a time of opportunity. Around 40% of Indian SMEs seem to be optimistic about this growth trajectory.

During the period between 2004 -09, Indian companies alone created 40,000 jobs in the US and states within the US had been competing to invite Indian SMEs by providing them incentives. Now, asset prices have gone down in the US, which makes it an enticing time to invest now but we are still a ways off from a full recovery. It may or may not be the right time for SMEs to invest in the US and European markets- that is something that still needs to be decided.

Tags: economic recovery, European Investment Bank
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“Software as a Service (SaaS)” has been growing exponentially in recent times due to the trend that companies are now opting for low cost alternatives. The SaaS platform is considered to be an important milestone of internet services. The viability of SaaS to propel us into the next level of growth should not be underestimated. Though this view is fervently supported by many research firms and SMEs, there are inherent security concerns around the SaaS model. It is debatable whether data can be hacked into while in transmission, though most data providers say it is unlikely. While this is still in question, it is important that both vendor and client work together to develop security protocols so that the client’s data is always safe both onsite and offsite.

The benefit of using a SaaS model is that it provides manufacturers an easy way to upgrade their functionality as well as the ability to reach out to their clients easily. Because SaaS is just a model for the delivery of technology solutions, it is important that templates be created according to industry specifications in order to boost security and achieve optimum services. This is why it is vital for every company to develop their SaaS business application to run on the web. SMEs are increasingly growing conscious of the advantages of “Software as a Service” as this is undoubtedly a direct and affordable means to reach out to millions of customers.

The adoption rate of SaaS is not dependent on the firm size. SMEs have similar adoption rates as large enterprises but adoption is more dependent on the security aspect of the service. Vendors who invest on best practice technologies and ensure that the client data is sacrosanct are normally trusted by SMEs. Providers that rely on more suite-oriented application software that can confirm the clients’ data is secure are most approached by SMEs. In summary, though there are perceived security issues with the SaaS model, there are ways to circumvent these potential security breaches.

Tags: inherent security, internet services, SaaS model, security, software-as-a-service, technology solutions, underestimated
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Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) constantly struggle to optimize their online marketing and SEO campaigns to deliver “more bang for your buck”.  Huge corporations may talk about branding or engagement with the consumer, and while these marketing principles are important, the SME generally just want to create brand awareness.  With marketing dollars stretched and limited resources, how can a SME be saavy with their online marketing?   On the other side, it is estimated that almost 80 percent of global economic growth is dependent on SMEs.  Therefore, it is very important that SMEs implement their online strategies intelligently.  Just making a few company websites that are comprised of nothing more than marketing collateral will not be effective. The idea is to plan out a predetermined online marketing strategy specifically to boost online business.

There are many methods that can essentially bring in a change of traffic flow on the internet.  It is quite embarrassing to find companies relying only on instant return campaigns like PPC (pay per clicks). There are ‘natural optimization methods’ too that are a little time consuming but if configured correctly, they can bring long term returns and attract quality traffic to a site.  There are four key ingredients for achieving success in the natural optimization method which include the following:

1) A good keywords list,
2) quality content,
3) establishing external links and
4) sitemap submissions.  

Keywords should be accurately added as too many may lead to a bounce of the website. The written content should cover the key selling points. The external links are channels to attract traffic and should be judiciously inserted so that web crawlers can easily pick them up. Sitemaps are lists of a website’s internal pages and links, and so their presence ensures search engine’s complete knowledge about a site.

Other than these fundamentals, SMEs can also depend on social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter for online promotions of their business. Customers can learn more about your business and simultaneously endorse a service that they like.  These sites act as an important link to the SME websites to provide an instant public relation & brand promotion opportunity in real-time.  Website tracking systems like ‘Google analytics’ and other Google webmaster tools can help you measure how effective your online marketing strategy is panning out.

Tags: engagement with the consumer, judiciously inserted, predetermined online marketing strategy, Small and medium sized enterprises, Twitter for online promotions of their business
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