internet marketing

Earlier this month, I attended the MSC Malaysia MAD TechVentures Conference 2010 in Kuala Lumpur, a two-day tech and web industry event organized by local company MAD Incubator and MSC Malaysia. The launch pad was one of the first of its kind in the country whose Internet and mobile population has been growing rapidly in recent years. (TechCrunch contributor Vivek Wadhwa, coincidentally in town, delivered the opening speech.)

TechVentures is essentially a platform for Malaysia’s startups to demo their services on stage to an audience and a panel of judges, both of whom selected a handful of companies (out of 22) as winners. The nine lucky companies received advertising and marketing prizes valued at a total of 1.5 million Ringgit (US$500,000).

Here are thumbnail sketches of all 22 companies that presented during the MAD TechVentures Conference 2010:

MAD TechVentures Conference 2010: Winner of the Grand Prize

Xilnex by Web Bytes

Xilnex is a Saas-based retail management solution specifically developed for SOHO, small and medium-sized companies, startups, small and medium chain retailers and franchise retailers. The solution can be used for customer and service management, point of sales management, inventory control, services tracking etc. Xilnex also integrates an e-commerce solution (items in the inventory can be automatically pushed to online catalogues) and a number of reporting and marketing tools.

MAD TechVentures Conference 2010: Panel-selected winners

Aiyo!CONNECT by Terato Tech (winner of the category: Mobile and Communication)

Malaysia-based iPhone, iPad and Android development company Terato Tech (iTunes) showed Aiyo!CONNECT, a publishing engine that makes it possible to convert printed material (magazines, books, brochures etc.) to the iPad “in seconds”. Users can then edit content directly on the iPad through a special editor. Here‘s a sample magazine Terato themselves created with the engine.

Math Quest by HezMedia Interactive (winner: Games and Creative Content)

Math Quest is an online edutainment game designed to teach mathematics to children aged between 9 and 12 through avatars, quests, mini games and other elements. The RPG-like game is created in Flash, entirely playable in the browser but also available (in Malaysia) on CD-ROM. Maker Hezmedia is currently preparing an MMORPG version that’s due out in 2011 and for which the startup is looking for international business partners.

ooView by e-Trifecta Solutions (winner: Business Applications and Productivity)

ooView is an augmented reality framework designed for desktop (ooView Suite), web (ooView Extended) and mobile (ooView Pocket) applications. The platform supports both object- and marker-based tracking methods, with maker e-Trifecta offering solutions in a variety of fields, including digital marketing, events, education, or training.

Techsailor Community Connect by Techsailor Group (winner: Community and Social Networks)

Social media consultancy and online marketing company Techsailor presented Techsailor Community Connect, its white-label social platform for enterprises. Community Connect enables companies to “turn any website into an online customer engagement tool” through different social networking modules such as user profile pages, friend linkages, a messaging system, forums, media sharing functions, etc. Here are two examples for sites built on top of Community Connect (more here).

Capsuco (winner: Subscription and Commerce Marketplace)

Capsuco is an online art and graphics store offering customizable products (mainly T-shirts at this point) from artworks submitted by independent artists (who earn a share from each sale of any product featuring their artwork). Online payment is still a big hurdle for e-commerce in South East Asia, which is why the startup is planning to offer pre-paid “Capsuco Cards” in selected brick-and mortar retail stores in Malaysia. Capsuco, which launched in July 2010, is based out of Kuala Lumpur but plans to move to other markets in South East Asia soon (beginning with Singapore).

Xilnex (the winner of the Grand Prize) also won the MAD TechVentures prize in the Cloud Computing, SaaS and Web Applications category – as judged by the panel.

MAD TechVentures Conference 2010: Audience-selected winners

MyMall by Convep Mobilogy (winner: Mobile and Communication)

Kuala Lumpur-based Convep, which develops mobile applications for a number of platforms, presented MyMall at the event, a suite of apps, which are available for the iPhone (iTunes) and Blackberry. Each app helps users navigate through a different shopping mall in Malaysia, for example by providing maps, store directories, different search functions, electronic coupons, event information etc.

Trosworld by Scandic Corporation (winner: Subscription and Commerce Marketplace)

Trosworld is a B2C online mall that offers Malaysia’s 60%+ small- and medium-sized businesses that are still offline a simple CMS to bring their products to the web. Subscribers to Trosworld’s so-called VIP Store solution can get their own domain name and hosting on the platform, list up up to 4,000 products, use the integrated order and inventory system, let buyers pay through multiple payment gateways, etc. Trosworld provider Scandic offers offline guidance for VIP Store merchants, for example workshops in the real world or phone support.

JustSAMit by ISA Innovation (winner: Cloud Computing, SaaS and Web Applications)

JustSAMit is a cloud-based IT Asset Management solution specifically geared towards small- and medium-sized businesses. The service not only keeps track of what kind of hardware is being used in a given company but also helps to control software usage on computers that are in the asset list. JustSAMit, which currently requires an invitation, also wants to support clients to keep up-to-date by benchmarking their IT equipment with relevant industry vertical trends by location.

The three panel-selected winners Math Quest, Techsailor Community Connect and ooView also won the audience awards in their respective categories.

Here are the 13 other startups that made it to the MAD TechVentures finals but didn’t quite make the cut:

• mobile augmented reality platform by Clarify Consulting


• mobile content platform Happy Ring Ring


• monetization solution for social games Sogamo by ZelRealm Interactive


• knowledge management system Qryos by BCZ IT Solutions


• GPS tracking solution by bBat


• tree maintenance system TREEMAIS by Urban Headline


• SaaS based business activity management solution KPIMatrix by Suzerein


• sports portal Hooha Asia


• real-time, location-based sales and promotions platform GetTodo by Aveniq


• e-commerce website solution HanWebFusion by Hanventure Worldwide


• Joomla-based website builder for businesses Joomware by Juzit


• task management solution TaskTwister by KH Software Services


• wimax network performance analyzer by Syndes Technologies

MAD Incubator and co-organizer MSC Malaysia already expect to have another TechVentures Conference in Kuala Lumpur next year.

To keep up-to-date about Malaysia’s web scene, head over to the Entrepreneurs.my blog or follow the Twitter account of Kuala Lumpur-based mover and shaker Daniel Cerventus. For more South East Asia-related information, have a look at the e27 and SGEntrepreneurs blogs or download the This Week In Asia tech podcasts.

Companies across every industry are competing for top rankings on search engine results. And whether they turn to a marketing agency, SEO firm or consultant, there is an increasing demand for search engine optimization specialists.

Marketing professionals looking to break into this relatively new niche can’t necessarily rely on prestigious certifications or a long background as a SEO specialist to demonstrate their knowledge.

We spoke with SEO firms to get their advice for aspiring SEO specialists who want to impress potential employers and stand out from the pack.

1. Show, Don’t Tell

It doesn’t matter how pretty your resume is or how many years of experience you have. What SEO firms are looking for is proof that you can do a good job pulling their clients’ websites to the top of search engines. Do that, and you’re in.

“What I want to look at is sites that they’ve optimized,” explains Nick Spears, the director of search for SEO firm Incredible Marketing. “And I am going to basically open up the source code; I’m going to look at how they’re optimizing title tags and things as simplistic as keyword meta tags and descriptions.”

The best way to present your work is through an online profile. Billy Canu, the co-owner and COO of SEO by the Hour, suggests that you take screenshots of your rankings in case they change. If you’re wondering if something is impressive enough to include in your portfolio, use these guidelines from Spears:

First spot on class='blippr-nobr'>Googleclass="blippr-nobr">Google: “very impressive.”

Anything in the first five results: “generally where you want to brag.”

Obviously, the standards are different depending on the competition for the keywords. “SEO Firm” for instance, is a national search and harder to win than a geo-targeted phrase like “SEO Firm, Irvine, CA.”

2. Work For Anyone to Build Experience

Nobody (good) is going to hire you if you have no experience. But there are plenty of opportunities to get experience before you get your first SEO job. Here are a few ideas:

• Work on your own site. This is how both Spears and Canu got their start. Spears says he used his first sites as “crash dummies” in order to test what worked and what didn’t work. class='blippr-nobr'>Billyclass="blippr-nobr">Billy learned SEO while running an online DVD rental business. Working on your own site can be a great way to not only perfect your trade, but build a portfolio.
• Volunteer to help a non-profit improve its SEO. You’ll be contributing to a cause you care about and building your portfolio at the same time.
• Offer to work on somebody’s site for minimal compensation. There aren’t a lot of SEO internships, but there are plenty of businesses that need the service. Working for little pay now can pay off later.

3. Experience Trumps Degree

Since SEO is a relatively new field, most accreditation programs are relatively new, and universities are just now starting to offer classes on it. There are instructional programs offered through organizations like SEO company Bruce Clay and the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization (SEMPO), but your experience will trump any certification that you can buy.

“[Being certified] is fine and dandy, but what it really comes down to, for me hiring someone, is actually seeing their work rather than their ribbons or their certificates,” Spears explains.

4. Keep Learning

An SEO specialist’s job changes as fast as the class='blippr-nobr'>Internetclass="blippr-nobr">Internet. The rise of social search and social media, for instance, has affected how SEO works.

“Someone who would come to me and say, ‘I have a very good understanding of class='blippr-nobr'>Facebookclass="blippr-nobr">Facebook and Twitter’ is going to be a step ahead of someone who just comes in and says, ‘I understand the SEO strategies and history and things like that,’ ” Spears says.

A good way to stay up to date is to read SEO forums like Digital Point, SEO Guy or Webmaster Talk.

SEO/SEM Job Listings

Every week we put out a list of social media and web job opportunities. While we post a huge range of job listings, we’ve selected some of the top SEO/SEM job opportunities from the past two weeks to get you started. Happy hunting!

• Senior SEO Manager, eHow at Demand Media in Santa Monica, CA.
• SEO Developer at WebsiteBiz in Charlotte, NC.
• Search Engine Marketing Manager at The Advertising Checking Bureau, Inc. in Tempe, AZ.
• Sr Analyst, Search Engine Marketing at Digitas in Chicago, IL.
• Director of Search Engine Marketing and Pay Per Click at Jawa in Scottsdale, AZ.

More Job Search Resources from Mashable:

- Top 5 Qualities to Look for in Startup Job Candidates/> - HOW TO: Use Twitter Hashtags to Boost Your Job Search/> - 5 Tips for Aspiring Digital Copywriters/> - 6 Job Search Tips for Aspiring Programmers/> - HOW TO: Find a Job on Twitter

Image courtesy of iStockphotoclass="blippr-nobr">iStockphoto, alex-mit, tacojim, SchulteProductions

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