CollegeSA
Net Mechanic has been our partner with our websites for the past two years now. In this time they have created the sites for all our colleges, and they have assisted us in numerous updates, content changes and changes in functionality. The sites I am referring to are: www.collegesa.co.za, www.decorschool.co.za, www.learninggroup.co.za and www.skillsacademy.co.za. One of these sites (www.learningroup.co.za) has since won a prize for web design.
Why WAP sites?
I think we had two reasons for developing WAP sites:
| 1. | In our print advertising we advertise an SMS number so that people can send us an SMS if they are interested in our programmes. This generates high numbers of leads, but they are of a lower quality. So we needed a way to “sift” these leads, so that they don’t take up lots of time from our sales force. The WAP site allows us to advertise “get our brochure on your cell phone”. Then when someone SMS us for more course information, they get an automated SMS response, pointing them to our WAP site. In this way we can give people access to our course information on their cell phones. We have found that people who first go to our WAP site, and then contact us, represent the best of these SMS-generated leads. At the same time, the not-so-good leads are serviced with course information at no cost to us, and they are serviced immediately, so their experience of us is immediate and very positive. In comparison, our competitors are sending brochures to people like this via snail mail, or they fax course information to these leads; which they can only do during working hours. |
| 2. |
In South Africa there are maybe 4 million computers and maybe 40 million cell phones. And Google recognise South Africa as one of the four most important countries for Google searches on cell phones. This means that more people are searching for us on their cell phones, than people searching for us on computers. And for people searching on their cell phones (meaning they use Google mobile and the internet on their phones) we want them to find a site developed specifically for reading on a phone. Which means a WAP site (also known as .mobi sites). |
The Results
| 1. | Net Mechanic built the WAP sites quickly and responded quickly to our continuing demands for updates and changes. In at least one instance, Net Mechanic built a site for us in less than a day! (It was our smallest site thought!) Our plan to use the WAP sites to deliver “our brochure on your phone” worked, in that we can prove that we get many hits on these sites, and that the best of these leads then use the contact mechanisms on the site (telephone number and e-mail address) to contact us. |
| 2. |
We have found that advertising on Google Mobile is cheaper and more effective than advertising on Google for PCs. This is partly because of the lower number of competitors. We now view advertising on Google Mobile and linking these leads to a WAP site, to be an indispensible part of our total marketing strategy. This is the most cost effective way to advertise to the majority of our population. At the same time, we have much more control over their experience of our advertising and (electronic) brochure-ware. And we are able to get instant information on, and even feedback from, this mass market. |
Regards
Jan Badenhorst
College Manager
