Google Philippines has launched the Google Adwords Premier SME Partnership Program, an initiative that seeks to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) experience growth in the visual space. The program, currently operational in 37 countries worldwide, is designed to bring digital marketing to more local SMEs by fostering a network of partners dedicated to providing specialized services that help SMEs to grow.
“More Filipinos are coming online and they’re turning to the Web to meet their business needs. Digital isn’t a future trend: it’s happening today, and SMEs need to catch up to their customers,” said Narciso Reyes, Country Manager for Google Philippines. “SMEs contribute hugely to the economy, and we’re glad to launch this program to help more of those businesses to benefit from a direct engagement with Google’s partners.”
With the country’s over 35 million Internet users and more than 88% of smartphone owners search on their device about products and services, the opportunities for SMEs who go digital are significant.
“The Web presents great economic potential in the Philippines, particularly for the SMEs,” said Reyes. “Online, everyone is building the opportunity to have digital visibility, everyone has access to it and the limitations are greatly reduced. Once online, SMEs will take advantage of its potential to achieve growth.”
Despite a small fraction of the roughly local 800,000 SMEs which advertise on the Web, many SMEs want to do more online but feel they lack the time, resources and expertise to get started. The PSP Program addresses that need by connecting SMEs with experienced Google AdWords providers who provide the expert help they need to reach new customers online. These providers assist in creating, managing and optimizing online advertising campaigns.
Google AdWords is an advertising platform based on a system of bidding for keywords. Winning bidders get to place text ads to Google search results most relevant to their chosen keywords. Each text ad has a headline of no more than 25 characters and two additional text lines, each with as many as 35 characters. Options are also open for placement of banner and rich-media ads.
PSPs have the highest level of experience and proficiency in developing, launching and managing AdWords campaigns for local merchants and small businesses. They also receive extensive product training, tools and AdWords support to stay abreast of the latest Google technology.
To be eligible in the program, companies must meet the following requirements: large existing customer base of SMEs; tele/field sales force with the ability to sell Google’s advertising products; commitment to provide phone and/or e-mail customer support to their advertising base; and existing operational infrastructure (billing, reporting, etc.) to service thousands of customers.
PSPs, on the other hand, enjoy the following program’s key benefits: dedicated marketing management; co-branded marketing and materials promotion; product updates and incentives; strategic and technical operations support; partner management support; program badge; customer acquisition program; sales and training support; and performance incentives.
New partners to resell Google AdWords to the SME market
The company also announced the inclusion of Directories Philippines Corporation (DPC) and Activa Media as its new partners in the Philippines. These entities are authorized to resell Google AdWords to the SME market in the Philippines under the initiative.
DPC, the official marketer of Yellow Pages (YP) products and services, is a natural choice for Google Adwords SME Partner as it has built relationship with SMEs for decades. The firm currently leverages diverse platforms – online, mobile, social media and print – and value-added services to come up with the most relevant and cost-effective solution for any enterprise. Google AdWords, marketed by DPC-YP as PowerClicks, strengthens the YP suite of solutions.
“Our partnership with Google AdWords is a natural progression in our roadmap to offer our SME partners fresh opportunities to expand their market,” said Domingo Angelo Lopez, DPC’s Vice President for Product Development.
Lopez described the partnership as a complementation of strengths, likening Google to a main highway like EDSA as the default route for universal search and the Yellow Pages as the last mile to SMEs. The result is “an irresistible value proposition for SMEs.”
Lopez also explained how SMEs can access tools to monitor the effectiveness of their ad campaigns. “Our entry-level packages cover all the basic optimization that an ad would need in order for it to perform.”
Activa Media, Southeast Asia’s leading online agency, on the other hand, has also helped thousands of SMEs build their Web presence and fuel the growth of their businesses through various leading online platforms.
The company’s initiative to expand their operations into the developing Southeast Asian online market with the opening of their third regional office in the Philippines in September 2013 makes them ecstatic to continue partnering with Google.
“We are excited by the opportunities available in a growing hub like the Philippines. We have seen a significant increase in online penetration here and this makes it the ideal base for our latest expansion venture,” said Vicente Teo, Director for Regional Business Development at Active Media.
The local office of Activa Media will enable them to engage more closely with existing and potential customers, helping them achieve their business goals through the company’s expertise in online marketing.
“We believe this equips us to be more able in providing our SME partners with the latest tools to assist them in growing their business,” said Teo.
Partners such as DPC and Activa Media can grow their business by connecting SMEs in the Philippines with their customers online. Google has started working with DPC and Activa Media to help them ramp up their sales force through training programs. It will also provide these partners with dedicated marketing and sales support, such as co-branded marketing collateral, market research, and training, as well as technical and operational support, assigned account manager and joint promotions, and joint sales pitches.
