It’s a tough job running a business – many outsiders simply don’t realize how time consuming it can be. What can come as a shock to many business owners, however, is just how much of that time is spent on small repetitive tasks such as employee coordination and data management. It’s so easy to get into the habit of dealing with these on a day-to-day basis that managers lose track of how ridiculous it is – after all, most of them don’t require a great deal of skill, and it’s amazing to think about what might be accomplished if that time were spent on something else instead.…
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Help to Make a Decision on Creating a Mobile App
Creating a mobile app can be of great benefit to a business, both in terms of attracting consumers and increasing productivity, but there are a few things for you to consider before jumping in and developing your own; namely how much it will cost in both time and money, how the app will relate to your customers, and how it would be used internally, as well as the logistical elements involved.
Mobile apps can help businesses relate to their consumers; display content, products and services; provide sales support and promote themselves, as well as being used by employees. However, it may be costly and time-consuming to develop and maintain your own app, for example, or you may find that the market is already saturated with similar ideas.…
Continue readingInnovation in Marketing Creates Impact That Lasts
Marketing has taken a new turn in the recent years. Innovation and creativity should not only reflect in the advert being showcased but also through the media being used.
“Nobody remembers the number of ads you run, they just remember the impression you make,” said Bill Bernbach, founder of the world-renowned Doyne Dale Bernbach Advertising Agency.
Integration of marketing with technology has become a must in today’s world where everything has become digital. More and more people are using mobile phones in India. 23% of this population is hooked on to smart phones, and this number is increasing as we speak.…
Continue readingWhat is The Best Online Address Book? A Debate Revisited
Let’s get clear up front – we’re talking about ‘online address books’, which for the purposes of this article means an address-book, a place where you hold information on how to get in touch with people, that is online. No, I promise this will not be the most patronizing article ever written, but it is important to clear up a potentially misleading set of terms.
Let’s also be clear on is what we’re not talking about: phone books, like those you may still receive from your landline provider. We’re not talking about those.
Now we’re all singing from the same song-sheet, let’s get down to the business of looking at the market for online address books, and where we seem to be heading, what is now about 10 years since Facebook entered the mix.…
Continue readingDon’t Let Pirated Software Sink Your Business
If you download pirated software from Pirate Bay or another torrent website on a computer you use in the workplace, then you’re placing your entire business network at risk. A person downloading pirated software has a one-in-three chance of encountering malware. However, the risk isn’t just in downloading the latest version of “Modern Warfare” before it comes to the U.S. Businesses that purchase refurbished computers containing pirated software have a 61-percent chance of encountering malware.
Recent research released by IDC and the National University of Singapore predicts that pirated software will costs businesses approximately $491 billion in 2014. The majority of the cost, $364 billion, comes from lost data, damage repair and identity theft expenses.…
Continue readingHow Much Internet Does Your Business Need?
No matter how many apps and tools you have to help you run your business, the key to a successful business is making sure that you have enough internet for your needs. The last thing you need is to be in the middle of a video conference, or just trying to upload a send a large file to a client, and discover that your current speeds aren’t enough to handle the task. On the other hand, if all you do is occasionally access the internet and check email, you don’t want to spend a lot of money on bandwidth you don’t need.…
Continue readingDear SMB Owner: Think You Don’t Need CRM Software to Maximize Sales?
This post isn’t a promotional for any single type or brand of “Customer Relationship Management” software. I just want to outline some of the benefits of using one for those of you who’re starting a business soon, or who may be on track to expand your new or established SMB in the near future.
I’m not going to recommend any specific software in this post. If you’ve tried CRM’s that are great – or ones that are garbage for that matter – please leave a comment after this article so everyone can benefit from your knowledge.
Benefits of Using a CRM for Your SMB:
Team compliance
How often do you find yourself in a situation where a team member is giving you the “I forgot excuse” when it comes to your sales or customer service process?…
Continue readingCan’t Afford Mobile? 5 Tips to Help You Survive Without It
Customers expect to have information about your business – and your competitors – at their fingertips. If you’re not on mobile, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to gain customers.
Four out of five consumers use smartphones to shop, and 70 percent of mobile searches lead to online action within an hour.
Despite these staggering statistics, many CEOs are still hesitant to jump on the mobile bandwagon. But mobile is the future of business, and it won’t wait for you to catch up before it sweeps your competition right past you on a digital wave of connected clients.
Mobile Boosts Business
In nearly every area of commerce, a mobile presence can boost your business by providing:
- More leads.
Your User’s Mouse is Trying to Tell You What’s Wrong With Your Site
Your website is a work of art. The design is clean and beautiful, the visuals fit perfectly with your brand, and the entire site is structured to quietly guide users where they need to go.
But there’s a problem: Users aren’t cooperating.
Most of them seem to insist on using your site incorrectly. They’re not navigating to the right pages, no one is contacting you or filling out the forms, and most importantly, the number of people buying what you have to offer is much lower than it should be.
This is a trap many companies fall into: They put great effort in designing a website based on how the user is “supposed” to use it.…
Continue readingIs Your Yahoo Email Account Secure?
Yahoo recently disclosed it asked an undisclosed number of its email customers to reset their passwords. The company discovered hackers had obtained a number of Yahoo email login credentials from a third-party database and then used the credentials to access Yahoo email accounts.
Yahoo has a history of being targeted for email-related attacks. Last year, a number of European Yahoo users reported their devices had been compromised by malicious ads displayed on Yahoo’s websites. In 2012, the hacktivist group D33Ds Co. stole 400,000 Yahoo usernames and passwords and posted the information online. If you have a Yahoo email account, install the best antivirus software for email security, which can scan attachments and warn you when those attachments are malicious.…
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