The effectiveness of the Gyeonggi Small and Medium Business Center’s web-based overseas marketing support program has been confirmed, and businesses are welcoming the remarkable results.

The center announced on the 12th that it has been able to support the web-based overseas marketing activities of 1,396 exporters, which have recently faced difficulties due to financial challenges.

Launched in 1999, the electronic trade support program supports the online marketing efforts of small and medium-sized businesses. The program includes the creation of e-catalogs at www.tradehelper.or.kr, the distribution of e-trade proposals through buyer DB search services, the publication of e-books for overseas marketing, support in applying for membership with overseas shopping portals (eBay) and financial support for advertising on global B2B websites, including Kompass.com, Globalsources.com, EC21.com and ECPlaza.net. The center also accepts inquiries from foreign buyers to support the online marketing of small and medium-sized businesses.

Most notably, the center provides targeted marketing support by item and region with its trade experts, and has prepared a directory of products produced by promising businesses in order to promote the products to 530 thousand global buyers through its customized direct overseas marketing services.

The center has received more than 47,000 inquiries from foreign buyers, and enabled USD 63 million in exports in 2008.

Export Support Manager Jae-Won Yu said, “While the amount of exports that have been enabled through the support is not particularly high, we expect additional export achievements as we have successfully entered into contracts with new UK buyers through overseas marketing with e-catalogs and have restarted our negotiations with US buyers, which were previously at a standstill.”

The center will accept applications for its 2009 Gyeonggi e-Trade Frontier Program until July 17, 2009. This program identifies small and medium-sized businesses in Gyeonggi Province that manufacture products with high export potential and helps these businesses develop into global companies through e-trade marketing support.

Any small and medium-sized business in Gyeonggi Province that recorded an export volume of USD 10 million or less in 2008, produces products with export competitiveness, and has difficulty with overseas marketing can apply for the program.