Hong Kong, 15 March 2012 – A majority of Hong Kong companies (67%) believe face-to-face networking will remain the best way to find new customers over the next two to three years. But whereas Mainland Chinese companies recognise the growing importance of business social media in the new business mix (59%, up from 36% in the previous three years), more than half (54%) of Hong Kong businesses see online advertising as a better way to expand their market reach. This multichannel approach to new business generation was revealed by research carried out for global workspace provider Regus in which over 16,000 senior business managers were surveyed around the world.
In Hong Kong, businesspeople believe that face-to-face networking will remain the most effective way to generate new business. However, six per cent fewer respondents think this will be true over the next two to three years compared to the last two to three years. This perhaps reflects a recognition by businesspeople that methods of generating business are evolving. Professional social networking is one alternative method that is steadily growing in popularity – ever-increasing user numbers underline its perceived usefulness. An example of this is the popular professional networking portal LinkedIn, which now has more than 135 million members worldwide.
Other findings of the research were:
· 51% of global respondents saw online advertising as one of the top ways to find new customers in the next three years, up from 42% in the previous three.
· In Hong Kong, hiring well-connected sales people (36%), participating in trade exhibitions (38%) and public speaking at key events (32%) are also regarded as significant tools for future customer recruitment.
· Globally, 71% of small businesses believe that face-to-face networking will be key to recruiting customers over the next three years, compared to only 61% of large businesses.
· Traditional advertising, direct marketing and telemarketing only gain a minority vote, and all are in decline.
The research was unveiled as Regus announced the launch of BusinessLink, a bespoke online trading platform that allows hundreds of thousands of its customers worldwide to buy and sell products and services, and connect with other businesses using the Regus network. BusinessLink comprises a website accessible via Regus global customer portal myregus.com, as well as informal networking events held around the world. The BusinessLink website allows users to browse through online offers posted by hundreds of thousands of businesses using Regus workspaces across 95 countries worldwide, or to order specific products and services.
Table 1: The best ways to drive new business in the next 2-3 years
|
|
Mainland
China |
HK |
India |
S'pore |
Taiwan |
South Korea |
Global Ave |
|
Traditional advertising |
18% |
12% |
14% |
16% |
17% |
26% |
13% |
|
Online advertising |
52% |
54% |
59% |
64% |
63% |
53% |
51% |
|
Personal (face-to-face) networking |
39% |
67% |
62% |
66% |
58% |
68% |
69% |
|
Direct mail |
18% |
25% |
29% |
21% |
24% |
32% |
15% |
|
Telemarketing |
20% |
18% |
17% |
17% |
10% |
11% |
13% |
|
Business social media (e.g. LinkedIn, Xing, etc) |
59% |
49% |
61% |
56% |
47% |
63% |
57% |
|
Hiring salespeople with a good address book |
41% |
36% |
32% |
40% |
40% |
32% |
33% |
|
Trade exhibitions |
42% |
38% |
46% |
46% |
53% |
21% |
32% |
|
Public speaking at key events |
35% |
32% |
34% |
36% |
29% |
42% |
39% |
"The rise and rise of business social media networks mean that today they are as essential for finding new customers as face-to-face interaction," said Andre Sharpe, Global Director of Product and Business Development at Regus. "For many years, our customers have told us of the added value of being able to connect and do business with other Regus customers. We are excited to be responding to that need by launching BusinessLink, which will instantly become one of the world's largest invite-only trading portals. Solely accessible by Regus office and virtual office customers, BusinessLink brings a global market within the reach of any of our clients, no matter how large or small."
For more information on BusinessLink please click HERE.
-Ends-
About Regus
Regus is the world's largest provider of flexible workplaces, with products and services ranging from fully equipped offices to professional meeting rooms, business lounges and the world's largest network of video communication studios. Regus enables people to work their way, whether it's from home, on the road or from an office. Customers such as Google, GlaxoSmithKline, and Nokia join hundreds of thousands of growing small and medium businesses that benefit from outsourcing their office and workplace needs to Regus, allowing them to focus on their core activities.
Over 1,000,000 customers a day benefit from Regus facilities spread across a global footprint of 1,200 locations in 550 cities and 94 countries, which allow individuals and companies to work wherever, however and whenever they want to. Regus was founded in Brussels, Belgium in 1989, is headquartered in Luxembourg and listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information please visit: www.regus.com
Press contacts
Ashford Pritchard at Regus
Phone: +852 2166 8728
Email: ashford.pritchard@regus.com
Adam Barty / Allan Tan at EBA Communications
Phone: +852 2537 8022
Email: adam.barty@ebacomms.com / allan.tan@ebacomms.com
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