Announcement
Sydney, Australia – 29 October, 2008 – Google today announced the appointment of Julian Persaud as the Head of Online for Google Australia. In this role, Persaud will manage Google’s efforts to assist small and medium sized Australian businesses to take advantage of online advertising.
Persaud was previously Head of Business Development at Google Australia. He’s spent his entire career working in online businesses, including roles at Yahoo! Search Marketing and UK auction house QXL.
The new move signals Google’s continued focus on helping small and medium sized business understand more about the opportunities presented by online advertising, particularly in an era of tight marketing budgets and a growing need for measurability and accountability. It comes as Google launches some helpful new tools specifically developed for Australian small businesses, such as the step-by-step guide to search marketing developed in Australia (www.10searchmarketingsteps.com.au).
"Research indicates that around 40 per cent of Australian small businesses have an active website, and a further 20 per cent have a site under construction, so there’s lots of Australian business owners seeing the benefit of getting online," says Persaud.
Google’s research found that online advertising is the one marketing channel on which small businesses are planning to increase their spending over each of the next one, three and five years. Small businesses cited three main factors in this decision to increase spending:
"From talking to small businesses, we know there are various factors preventing some from thinking about online marketing – from being time poor, to not understanding the jargon – but we also know that once they get started, they can really change the shape of their business. It’s a particularly valuable and cost-effective way to reach new customers when budgets are tight."
It’s a view with which Sydney small business owner Michael Wilcocks wholeheartedly agrees, "I’ve had incredible results from Google AdWords. The business simply wouldn’t be where it is without online advertising."
Michael started his mobile coffee cart business "Café in a Box" in 2006 but for the first six to 12 months relied on word of mouth to drive new customers and found business was fairly static. Like many small businesses he had a website but wasn’t actively marketing it.
Today, with more than 80 per cent of his business coming from AdWords, he’s a passionate evangelist for search marketing.
"For every $1 I spent on Google AdWords I’ve received at least $50 in sales. It’s been the best investment I’ve made. My customer base has grown 85% due to online advertising.
"I’ve also found AdWords also makes it easy for customers discover your site time and time again. If a potential customer is shopping around for a product and forgets your name but remembers the key words they used, AdWords makes it easy for them to rediscover your site.
"With a product like Google AdWords, you can limit the amount you wish to spend – it can be as little as a few dollars a day or a month – or limit it by the number of leads you get. There’s no minimum spend and you only pay when someone actually clicks onto your ad," he says.
There are thousands more businesses like Café in a Box and Persaud will lead Google’s efforts to help more of them achieve their business goals.
(For people in Sydney interested in great coffee from a mobile coffee cart, visit www.cafeinabox.com.au!)
For further information or interviews, contact: Gail D’Arcy on 02 9281 2230 or gaildarcy@darcypr.com
Labels: Australia new announcements
