Hartland Ross of eBridge Marketing talks Web Hosting With Us

Tell us a little about the history of eBridge Marketing Solutions Inc. and how you began focusing on the Web Hosting Industry?

We began as Hartland Communications Inc 5.5 years ago and are now rebranded as eBridge Marketing Solutions Inc. We saw an opportunity existed for marketing services aimed at small and medium sized technology companies of which web hosts are of course included however our services are certainly not limited to the hosting industry. Our experience has shown that many small and medium sized companies struggle with managing all components of their operations. Many are spending the majority of their time focusing on both the day-to-day management of their businesses as well as trying to grow their businesses. Multi tasking is all too common and can limit the necessary and more detailed analysis and research process involved in making marketing related decisions such as those we help our clients with.

What advantages can a Web Hosting Company expect to gain by using your firm for their marketing needs?

This is a common question and one thats answer varies from client to client as circumstances dictate. Some unique features of our service include:

1. Over 5 years of industry specific knowledge.
2. In most cases there are no additional costs for a client to use eBridge rather than doing the research and implementation themselves. This is different from most other agencies that charge management fees.
3. Not only are there no fees but there are cost savings achieved through leveraging eBridge’s extensive experience in servicing the technology industry. This is especially true of the web hosting industry where we have a large portfolio of satisfied clients.
4. Working with eBridge also allows the advertiser one point of contact for all campaigns rather than, for example, dealing with 20 individual sales people at 20 different web sites or networks.
5. We provide top level customer service and a high level of integrity ensuring we have strong relationships with our partners, clients and prospective clients

Of the many different methods of marketing a web host (ppc search engines, seo, hosting directories, banner ads, newsletters, magazines, etc.), Where do you see the most bang for the buck?

Any good marketing strategy should be diversified. This diversification should be done online and offline, geographically, involve different advertising vehicles (search marketing vs directories for ex) and should address strategies that are both short and long term. We wouldn’t therefore recommend one strategy over another as a blanket statement but would rather address each situation with different recommendations. The best bang will vary depending on the industry as well as what stage of growth the company is in.

On this same question, does the answer change if you are talking about a Shared hosting company versus a hosting company that provides co-location or managed servers?

Yes, very much so. Buyers of Co-location and dedicated hosting are generally more sophisticated and have multiple considerations and requirements. Decisions for these are not made on the spot and require more time and education. The key is to become top of mind and as such, branding would be more important for these buyers’ and a campaign will likely focus less on direct response. It is important to ensure that vehicles/channels used allow for proper product differentiation and therefore allow for room to get the message across clearly.

How do you find new sources of advertising for your clients?

There are four main ways we find new sources of advertising. Firstly, having been in the business for over 5 yrs we have been able to leverage the campaigns we have run over that time. Secondly, we are able to leverage the experience of our current client base and the campaigns that they are running. Thirdly, we are always looking for new sources as we come across them we add to our database. Finally we are contacted regularly by new publishers and networks.

What one word describes your Marketing approach and why?

Holistic – we look at all the things the client is or should be doing. Rather than specializing in just PR we can for example, we integrate PR into an the marketing plan. Since we offer a range of online marketing services, we have the benefit of being able to identify weaknesses in a marketing plan and make recommendations. This is true even though the solutions may not be something we offer, we can often recommend a solution or solution provider.

What keeps you up at night?

The thought of opportunity and ways of adding more value to our clients. Our goal is to grow their businesses, which ultimately grows our business.

On the other hand, what makes you jump out of bed in the morning?

Working with our great client base and helping them meet their needs. It’s like getting to work with your friends. We enjoy feeling a part of their team and sharing in their successes.