#technology voucher programme

No matter how small or large your business is, you will always face competition. If you are in the market, planning to evolve, you need to put in a lot of effort. Whether you use traditional marketing strategies or digital ones, you need promotion. Nothing can offer that better than SEO. So, you should think about using SEO for your small business in Hong Kong.

However, if you aren’t familiar with the term, you can continue reading this article. We have discussed everything about SEO in detail. So, scroll down and help yourself understand the term and its benefits.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is a marketing strategy in which websites are optimized to boost their ranking in the search engine result pages. In simple words, it helps your business to become more visible to your potential customers online. This strategy focuses on optimizing the website content as per the search engine algorithm. It depends on the qualities of your website content to let it appear in front of maximum people.

Online businesses across the world, irrespective of their sizes, use SEO to boost their online visibility. After all, it is the most cost-effective way to improve website traffic, connect with more and more people, and boost your ranking over the competitors. You can also think of using SEO for your small business in Hong Kong. However, to get similar results, you need to have a well-optimized website. Well-optimized websites have better chances of appearing in front of your most potential customers. Thereby, you will be generating traffic on your website and gaining recognition.

Why is SEO important for your small businesses?

Whether you have a small brick-and-mortar store or a small online business, SEO can always help you. For online businesses in Hong Kong, SEO can help you gain leads and successfully convert them into customers. For offline businesses in Hong Kong, you can rely on local SEO. Local SEO will make the local customers aware of your business’s existence and make them visit your store in person. Therefore, SEO is necessary for small businesses' online presence.

However, if you are still not clear about the benefit you might get from SEO in Hong Kong, we can continue reading this article. In this article, we will talk about the reasons why a small business like yours should also use SEO in Hong Kong. Also, we will talk about how affordable SEO services for small businesses can help.

Here are the top five reasons to use SEO for your small business in Hong Kong.

1. User-friendly Websites:

SEO can help small business owners have faster, smoother, user-friendly, and mobile-friendly websites. Previously, the sole purpose of doing SEO was to optimize the content for search engines. This was done to make sure that the search engines can easily understand the website content and index it. However, the purpose has changed now. Now, SEO is also done to improve the user experience. Even search engines like Google prefer websites that offer a good user experience. A well-optimized website with great content can make even a casual visitor stay longer on the website. This will help in lowering the bounce rates and the website ranking on search engine results. So, you need to focus on SEO for your small business in Hong Kong if you want to evolve.

2. Bring in more customers:

To remain in the market, you need to stand out and boost your customer count. Boosting the customer base means you will have a boost in your sales and revenue earning as well. So, how do you think you can do it? Well, businesses generally use their websites to bring in customers. You can try to do the same. However, you will need a well-optimized website. With an SEO-optimized website, you can drive in more relevant customers and grow your business way faster than you thought before. So, you should think about focusing on SEO for your small business in Hong Kong.

3. Better conversion rate:

Of course, you want to boost your sales and generate a better conversion rate. As you can bring more customers with an SEO-optimized website, you will eventually start generating better conversions. Making your website SEO optimized will improve the loading speed, easier to understand, and more visible. In addition to that, it can make the website appear properly on all devices including mobile and tablets. Websites that are accessible from any device, well-navigated, and easy to read will get more attention from the users. This will help in holding the attention of the customers for a longer period. Furthermore, you will eventually gain more and more loyal customers, who will trust you and keep coming back to you.

4. Build brand awareness:

This is another great benefit that you might get by using SEO for your small business in Hong Kong. As discussed earlier, you can use SEO for both online and offline businesses. To build brand awareness, you need to make your website more visible on the search engine results. In other words, your website needs a good ranking on the SERPs. It will be best if it can appear as one of the top results on the first page of SERPs. This will help more and more customers find your website and get familiar with it. Eventually, you will gain the recognition that you want. However, to get the recognition you want in the market, you will need effective SEO strategies. For that, you should think of contacting an SEO marketing agency in Hong Kong.

5. Bypass Competition:

Do you have a small business in Hong Kong? Are you looking for ways to boost your productivity and grow your business? Do you lack the funds to use modern technology to boost production? Well, you will be really glad to let you know that the Hong Kong government is offering a helping hand to business owners like you. They have launched a program called Technology Voucher Programme in Hong Kong that can help you out.

If you are hearing about it the first time, this article is for you. In this article, we will discuss Technology Voucher Programme in detail and why it can be a blessing for your local business. We will discuss the basic things about TVP funding like its definition and procurement process. So, let’s get started with our discussion.

What is Technology Voucher Programme Funding?

Technology Voucher Programme (TVP) Funding is a funding program launched by the government of Hong Kong. This program was mainly launched to help local enterprises to boost their productivity. In other words, the funds will be given to local businesses to use technologies and increase productivity.

Other than that, selected enterprises need to implement technologies in their daily business proceedings. It will be done with the motive of generating a proper streamlined flow of work.

What are the eligibility criteria for getting the Technology Voucher Programme Funding?

Local enterprises in Hong Kong can apply for the Technology Voucher Programme funding. However, there are certain eligibility criteria that you need to fulfill to get the funding. We have listed the criteria in the following section.

Your business must be registered in Hong Kong under the Business Registration Ordinance.

OR

Your business must be incorporated and registered in Hong Kong under the Companies Ordinance.

AND

Your business must not be a listed company in Hong Kong. In addition to that, your business must not be a government-subvented organization or subsidiary of any government-subvented organization.

AND

Your business must be associated with substantive business operation in Hong Kong, which is related to the project under the application.

In addition to the above criteria, businesses with substantive business operations in Hong Kong can also submit their applications for the Technology Voucher Programme.

What is the funding scope for the Technology Voucher Programme?

The Technology Voucher Programme is a program launched by the government of Hong Kong. This program aims to subsidize local entities on the use of technology services and solutions. These should be used to improve the production and transform the business proceedings. Moreover, in this program, the ITC (Innovation and Technology Fund) offers a total amount of 500 million HKD to the enterprise.

Scope of the Technology Voucher Programme funding:

All the eligible small and medium enterprises are welcome to submit their application for the Technology Voucher Programme. After verification, they will be allowed to receive total funding of up to 200,000 HKD. However, the funding will be provided on a 2:1 matching basis. In other words, the eligible candidates have to pay one-third of the total project costs. Other than that, one can apply for funding for a maximum of three projects.

Scope of the project covered by the Technology Voucher Programme funding:

The Technology Voucher Programme provides funding for a number of services and solutions. Some of the services and solutions are as following:

Appointment scheduling and queue management systems

Augmented reality technologies systems

Big data and cloud-based analytics solutions

Building information modeling systems

Clinic management systems

Cybersecurity solutions

Document management and mobile access systems

Electronic inventory management systems

Electronic procurement management systems

Location-based services

Real-time manufacturing tracking systems

Environment protection systems

Logistic management system

School management system

Waste management technologies and many more.

You need to be always conscious of the amount you are investing in your business. However, sometimes you need to invest to see the growth and development. Investments are needed for many purposes. It can be to build a good website, develop e-commerce solutions, or mobile apps. However, you can some funding support through the Technology Voucher Programme.

Technology Voucher Programme:

Do you know about the funding program, Technology Voucher Programme? The Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) of the Hong Kong government offers funds to support businesses. This program offers funding to local small and medium enterprises. Businesses that use technological services and solutions to improve productivity will get funding. The program provides funding for a period of three years with HKD500 million.

Application requirements: If you think whether you are eligible for the Technology Voucher Programme, here are the basic application requirements:

Your business must be registered under the Business Registration Ordinance (BRO) (Cap. 310)

You must be running your business in Hong Kong viably for at least a year. Plus, your application must be relevant to your business activities during the time of application.

Only small and medium enterprises are eligible to apply. In other words, you must be employing less than 100 people, if you have a manufacturing business. Or, you must be employing less than 50 people, if you have a non-manufacturing business.

TVP Funding is a program launched by the Hong Kong government in November 2016. It was launched with the goal to increase productivity with better tech support and solutions.

The eligible applicants should make sure that they are providing all the details to carry out an open and fair competition with other applicants and get fair chances for appointing the reasonably qualified suppliers or service providers.

The applicants should adhere to the following procurement procedures:

For every procurement of equipment or other goods or services for the completion of the project, the aggregate value of which does not exceed HK$50,000, the applicant itself must provide the written price quotation from at least two suppliers or service providers. 

For every procurement of equipment or other goods or services for the completion of the project, the aggregate value of which exceeds HK$50,000 but does not exceed HK$300,000, the applicant itself must provide the written price quotation from at least three suppliers or service providers. 

For every procurement of equipment or other goods or services for the completion of the project, the aggregate value of which exceeds HK$300,000 but which does not exceed HK$1,400,000, the applicant itself must provide the written price quotation from at least five suppliers or service providers. 

For every procurement of equipment or other goods or services for the completion of the project, the aggregate value of which does not exceed HK$1,400,000, the applicant will follow an open procurement process. 

Technology Voucher Programme is a government program launched in Hong Kong in November 2016. It aims to support local businesses in using technological services and solutions to improve productivity and business processes. You can apply for this program anytime throughout the year.

TVP Funding will support projects in the form of technological services and solutions which could improve productivity and transform the business processes of the applicant. A list of typical technological services and solutions covered by TVP is at Annex B. Applicants are welcome to propose other technological services and solutions which could achieve the objectives of TVP.

This funding program will cover:

Technology Consultancy: In this program, a consultant refers to the company/institution providing external consultancy to the applicant for recommending technological service/solutions for the adopted project. This will encourage proper consideration of the local setting in the formulation of technological solutions for the applicants. Here, the consultant must be a local university or research institution, or a company registered in Hong Kong under the BRO at the time of application.

Purchase, Rental, or Subscription of the Hardware Needed: This funding program also covers purchasing, renting, or subscribing to the hardware that forms an essential part of the project. Also, the software systems that require compilation/integration by the service providers at the request of the applicants, which are with or without tailor-made features, will be considered as customized items.

Purchase, Rental, or Subscription of the Off-the-Shelf/Readily Available: Off-the-shelf/readily available items refer to those that can be used “off-the-shelf” and installed/used directly by the applicants. The costs of the off-the-shelf/readily available equipment/hardware/software/services or solutions will be covered in this TVP funding program, but not more than 50% of the project cost will be provided to your company.

Technology Voucher Programme is the program launched by the Hong Kong government in November 2016. It was launched to support local enterprises or organizations to use technological services and solutions to increase their productivity. This program will be funding 6 projects per organization and cumulative funding per organization will be HK$600,000.

While applying for Technology Voucher Programme, you are required to provide a few documents during the submission of the application.  Go through this article, if you need the details of the documents to be submitted. It must be noted that every applicant must provide all the following documents.

Copy of Form 1(a)/1(c) of the Business Registration Office or Annual Return of the Companies Registry (Form NAR1) of the applicant.

Copies of the documentary evidence proving that the applicant has substantive business operations in Hong Kong which is related to the project under application at the time of application. For example, invoices/receipts or commercial contracts issued within three months before submitting the application, the latest audited account, profits tax returns, and taxation assessment issued by the Inland Revenue Department. 

A copy of the valid Hong Kong Identity Card or passport of the person signing the application form for and on behalf of the applicant.

Copy(ies) of all signed probity and non-collusive quotation/tendering certificate(s) Note as stipulated in paragraph 12 of the Guidance Notes for Applications.

Copy(ies) of the quotation(s) submitted by the bidder(s) showing their detailed contact information (including address, telephone number, and email address). Please indicate which quotation is to be chosen by the applicant and how the item(s) listed in individual quotation(s) correspond to the expenditure item(s) listed in Part B(I) of the application form.

The above documents must be submitted along with the application form of the Technology Voucher Programme. You must also attach some other documents like: 

A copy of the valid Business Registration Certificate of the consultant

In this era of intense competition, organizations need better tech support and solutions for better productivity. Several services are available for helping such companies with expertise. Technology Voucher Programme is the leading service they provide. You can get expert guidance in this field. 

The service providers with the program offer to help individual organisations. There are certain definite to be fulfilled for eligibility of applying for the Technology Voucher Programme:

Your organization or the business needs to be authorized under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310)

The company should be incorporated and registered under the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622)

The business you are running should be within Hong Kong, and it must have crossed at least a year. 

The business application must be related to something you are doing then and need some financial help. 

The organization should be established in Hong Kong as statutory bodies by relevant ordinances.

Your company must be doing the substantive business operation in Hong Kong, which is related to the project for which you have applied. 

Any company or organization not listed under the required organizations of Hong Kong and the Government of Hong Kong, would not be eligible to get the funding under the Technology Voucher Programme. Every organization can get financing for up to 6 projects. For every project, your organization can get HK$600,00 as funding if all the criteria match.