Tag Archives: SME

New survey on freelancers uncovers unique and untapped growth opportunity for digital service providers

COPENHAGEN, 25-May-2021 — /EPR INTERNET NEWS/ — A new study looking into the business models and strategies of freelancers has revealed a unique and untapped growth opportunity for digital service providers.

Freelancers today represent a growing labour market segment, one which has been heavily boosted by the pandemic. According to Freelancer.com, in Q2 2020, as the pandemic’s first wave raged across Europe and the United States, freelance job openings increased by 25% compared to the first  quarter of 2020. Yet despite freelancers today accounting for 15% of the European labour market and up to 30% of the US labour market, these small business owners remain an untapped resource for SME service providers.

Keen to understand more about the popularity and profitability of this growing sector, SME service provider, Mono Solutions, and trade association, Localogy, conducted a survey in April 2021 of more than 550 freelancers across the United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden, to gather insights into how these professionals operate their businesses and what motivates them to opt out of more secure full-time employment.

The study found that while, for many, the Covid-19 pandemic and associated market changes were behind their career choice, for others, particularly those aged between 18 and 34, the career path is a lifestyle choice. Findings also revealed that, regardless of the reason or the industry in which these freelancers operate, they all have one thing in common; a need to market themselves.

Mie Bilberg, VP Marketing, Mono Solutions, says the study shows 85% of freelancers surveyed have their own website, 61% have their own blog and 38% have an ecommerce store. “Personal branding is especially important for a freelancer, which is why his or her first marketing investment is a website and a blog, both of which require some form of software to develop and run. Interestingly, 62% of freelancers tell us they actively recommend software to their clients, but only 16% of those we surveyed are software resellers themselves.”

Most of the surveyed freelancers who were not diversifying income through software resales, simply didn’t know the opportunity was available.

Mie believes any business selling digital products like websites, online booking, ecommerce or services like, SEO, graphic design or advertisement, should be looking to freelancers as potential clients as well as potential lead generators. “Many freelancers have trusted relationships with their small business customers. As accountants, marketing consultants, graphic designers etc., they are in a strong position to recommend software solutions to their clients. Solution providers should be looking at local freelancers as the influencers they are. It’s time to get to know your freelancers on another level, they could be your key to long-tail growth.”

These findings offer powerful insights into a potentially lucrative form of marketing for software and digital technology providers. To discover more insights from the study and to download the report in full, visit Mono Solution’s website.

SOURCE: EuropaWire

The website of Norwegian lawyer Høgseth DA named Mono Solutions’ top website of 2021

COPENHAGEN, 14-Apr-2021 — /EPR INTERNET NEWS/ — Mono Solutions has named Norwegian lawyer’s Høgseth DA’s website, https://advokathogseth.no, as its top website of 2021.

The site, designed by Norwegian agency, Idium, topped 105 European entries – all  created on the Mono website builder platform – in a competition designed to raise awareness of the power of digital marketing done right.

Each entry was judged for overall customer experience, including page loading speed and intuitive web design and was subject to a conversion and trustworthiness health-check.

Mie Bilberg, VP of Marketing, Mono Solutions, says Idium’s work on Høgseth DA’s website stood out for being easy to navigate and very trustworthy. “The use of authentic pictures throughout added credibility to the business, as well as an opportunity for visitors to the website to make an instant connection. The site’s structure, visual formatting and navigation also made the brand’s content and call to action engaging and accessible.”   

“Idium is one of Norway’s largest website suppliers and has since 2017 had Mono as the primary supplier for its SME offering. We have spent 2020 converting more customers to the Mono platform, in effect reducing the number of platforms and enhancing the value chain internally. At the same time our customers have received a better product.” Says Odd-Geir Folland, CEO, Idium.

With research revealing the average customer decides in 50 milliseconds whether s/he likes a website or not, web designers need to be smart in the way they attract potential customers and address their needs and expectations.

“In a year where websites have been a lifeline for many small business owners, a powerful and user-friendly web presence and ecommerce channel is arguably more important than ever before. I was happy to see the increased quality of websites submitted to this year’s competition. It’s clear from the submissions that more businesses are investing in online business models, either by offering online booking functionality, ecommerce capabilities, or by optimizing pages for lead generation, as is the case of this year’s winning website. No longer is a website simply there to give small business owners an online presence, a website is now a critical revenue stream for small business owners.” says Mie.

With this shift comes a responsibility for digital service providers to enable small business clients with an online business model that offers a safe visiting and trading experience for customers, “Nothing converts like trust and, in 2021, an unsecured website is no longer acceptable. While all of this year’s entries came with recommended security features. In a more general picture of the global website landscape, we do still sadly see many websites lacking basic security features, such as SSL certificates and privacy policy and cookies policy. Designers who build on a Mono platform, can easily enable this with a Mono map module.”

The Mono website builder platform offers small businesses and design agencies white-label website technology to craft engaging, profitable, search and conversion-optimized websites with fast page speed – a top priority for high-performing websites in today’s digital age. Mono Solutions has 80 digital service provider resellers globally, and more than 125,000 small businesses subscribed to its website builder platform, with even more new subscribers joining every month.

Ann-Kristin Haug Lahmidi, Customer journey and Process Manager, Idium, says,

“Receiving such positive feedback on our Mono websites creates an increased positivity around the platform. As employees of Idium we, subsequently, take pride in working with Mono. At the same time, we strive to provide our customers all the opportunities which are present in the platform and utilize us as their advisor and supplier to achieve the goals they have set for their website.”

Find out more about Mono’s 2021 website of the year and Mono’s Best Website Competition. https://www.monosolutions.com/best-website-competition-winner-2021

SOURCE: EuropaWire

Xrysos Odigos to use Mono Solutions platform to help small businesses in Greece

COPENHAGEN, 12-Apr-2021 — /EPR INTERNET NEWS/ — Mono Solutions and Xrysos Odigos have partnered to bring websites and online business models to thousands of small businesses across Greece.

Xrysos Odigos provides turnkey digital marketing services to help small businesses thrive online, being a one-stop-shop for all digital marketing needs.

Xrysos Odigos needed a platform and a partner that could keep up with the newest technology trends and market demands while ensuring their team’s effectiveness to create the best digital experiences for their clients.

We decided to go with the Mono Platform, as the platform is strong within the customer experience. It´s build to please online search engines, thus getting higher rankings for our websites. It’s cost-effective and easy-to-use for small business owners. We are thrilled to have a strong technology partner like Mono Solutions to help us achieve the vision of providing the right digital marketing tools designed specifically for small businesses”, says Maria Spyropoulou, Head of Digital Services at Xrysos Odigos. 

By combining digital marketing services, with best-in-class technology, XO Greece helps small businesses establish themselves online.

We´re thrilled to be the platform of choice for Xrysos Odigos. Mono Solutions is here to empower small businesses with best-in-class marketing technology like website, eCommerce, and other services, this ambition we achieve through a strong partnership with local digital service providers like Xrysos Odigos. With a partnership with Xrysos Odigos, we can serve the needs of small businesses in Greece.”, says Henrik Stampe, CEO at Mono Solutions.

SOURCE: EuropaWire

Henrik Stampe joins Mono Solutions as the Company’s new CEO

COPENHAGEN, 15-Feb-2021 — /EPR INTERNET NEWS/ — Mono Solutions, part of Bauer Media Group, strengthens its leadership team with the appointment of Henrik Stampe as CEO, effective 15th February 2021.

Henrik will report to Natasha Zharinova, President of Bauer Media Group’s Business Area SME Services. Besides his responsibility for Mono Solutions’s daily operations he will have an additional focus on the commercial teams.

“Henrik has an extensive background in sales and a great understanding for the dynamics of digitally-driven markets. He is a seasoned leader and manager with a results-driven, hands-on attitude and a passion for bringing the best out of people“, says Natasha Zharinova. “I am delighted to welcome him to the team.”

Henrik brings more than 25 years of experience in senior sales and commercial roles in a digital and technology-driven environment, having worked for companies such as the Danish app development agency Nodes, tech giants like Microsoft and IBM and the anti-food-waste start-up Too Good To Go.

“I am honoured and excited to be joining the Mono Solutions team, at a time when marketing technology is the lifeline for most businesses. I look forward to building on the team’s fantastic work so far by continuing to provide our reselling partners and SMEs around the world with outstanding services and a future-proof technology,” says Henrik Stampe.

SOURCE: EuropaWire