Google to help Indian SMEs adopt digital ads

Global search engine provider Google will train small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the southern states to grow their business by adopting digital advertising, a senior official said Saturday.

"We will train our partners in the southern region to provide expertise in developing and launching digital campaigns for SME businesses," Google managing director Todd Rowe said in a statement here. The training will offer end-to-end solutions, including search engine marketing, localised solutions across Google's properties and mobile advertising platform.

"During the training programme, partners will have access to our products, co-branded market collateral and research through our marketing and sales support," Rowe said. The company roped in 16 mid-size firms for the training programme since September 2012 when it was launched in other regions of the country.

"We have trained about 3,000 sales people to help SMEs gain from digital advertising. We hope to replicate the model in the southern region to add 3,000 more sales force by doubling our partner base," Rowe observed. According to Getit Infomedia chief executive Jaspreet Bindra, with the internet changing the landscape of how customers reach out to businesses, the search platform provider (Google) sees phenomenal growth in the SMEs adopting the seamless network to expand their business.

"We have entered into a strategic alliance with Google India through its premier SME partner programme to increase our presence across the country. With 1,000 plus sales force and presence across 150 cities, we have engaged over 3,000 SMEs to manage their digital advertising efforts. We are now looking to become a premier supermarket for all digital advertising needs of SMEs across the country," Bindra said. Google India has 3,000 partners across 165 cities, which helped over 15,000 SMEs start their digital advertising journey. "We aim to get 500,000 SMEs across the country on online with a website by 2015," Rowe added.