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Wed, Jun 24, 2009
The Straits Times
He helps businesses go online

Bad times bring good business opportunities, at least for Mr Jeffrey Chew.

The 30-year-old, who runs Adsighted, a social media marketing consultancy, believes his field is recession-proof.

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'The cheapest way for businesses now is to go online. I can help you start an online business. I also do online marketing, which will cost you less too,' he said.

Mr Chew, who registered his company in 2006, has a certificate in electrical engineering from the Institute of Technical Education. He previously worked in the information technology sales department of a telecommunications company and as a Web designer for a local car parts supplier.

It was in his second job that he began to freelance in Web design for two years. He then registered a firm to provide such services, including website hosting.

'From customer feedback along the way, we found that many people wanted a marketing website,' said Mr Chew. 'With the growth of social media, we then decided to change our direction to online marketing for local business.'

But will clients pay for knowledge they can easily Google on their own?

'It takes time to learn and master such skills, and technology changes quickly. If you're running a business, time is money, so business owners would rather pay people who already have specialised knowledge,' said Mr Chew.

He markets himself through his online blog and videos he puts up on YouTube.

Most of his clients are local small- and medium-sized enterprises run by people in their late 30s and 40s who are not so familiar with online marketing.

Mr Chew also has clients from the United States and Britain. He communicates with them via Skype, e-mail and online messaging systems.

Most of his clients engage his services for between five months and two years and pay a monthly rate of between $300 and $2,000.

He hopes to one day create an online education portal with tutorials and forums for young people who want to set up online businesses.

But for now, 'I'd rather keep the business small so I can focus 100 per cent on clients', he said.

Debbie Yong

This article was first published in The Straits Times.

 

 
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