Save Energy: Move IT To The Cloud |  |
- Save Energy: Move IT To The Cloud
- If You Don’t Have Google Credibility, You Don’t Have Credibility
- Email Remains King For Promotional Messaging
- New Small Business Lessons in Social Media
| Save Energy: Move IT To The Cloud Posted: 10 Apr 2012 11:30 AM PDT Cloud computing. The running of computer applications off remote servers, usually the Internet, is considered the next big thing when it comes to improving business efficiency. It turns out the benefits could also mean energy efficiency.
A recent study from CDW, an information technology products and services company, found that 62% of IT professionals in late 2011 view cloud computing as an energy-efficient approach to data center consolidation, up from 47% a year before. Among respondents, 65% said they had implemented server virtualization, a form of cloud computing. Those who made the leap to virtualization reported a 28% drop in energy use. So how is this reducing energy use? According to GreenBiz.com, moving to the cloud increases telecommuting by allowing employees to more easily work remotely by running applications of the cloud, rather than internal servers. It also results in less required office space for businesses, due to this greater telecommuting and because it removes the need for internal data rooms. A 2010 Accenture study found efficiencies through the centralization that cloud computing provides. Data centers serving multiple business clients are able to better match server capacity with usage. The shared infrastructure flattens relative peak loads, and the servers are utilized at higher rates. The data centers also generally have their act together more when it comes to cooling, power conditioning and other server management activities that lead to overall energy efficiency. It’s their business, after all. According to the Accenture study, by moving applications to cloud, businesses:
Microsoft engaged with Accenture on the study, so Accenture compared the environmental impact of a group of Microsoft business applications run on-premise, versus on the cloud. The results were stunning. A small business with 100 users that moved the Microsoft applications to the cloud could cut energy use and carbon emissions by 90%. Large organizations with 10,000 users saw a 30% reduction. Before pulling the plug on your server room and looking up cloud computer services, remember that cloud computing isn’t for every business. Reliability issues and information security need to be considered. Check out this New York Times small-business guide from September 2011 for an analysis of the tradeoffs. The Cloud Photo via Shutterstock From Small Business Trends |
| If You Don’t Have Google Credibility, You Don’t Have Credibility Posted: 10 Apr 2012 08:30 AM PDT I was on the phone recently with yet another marketing expert promoting yet another marketing seminar. Considering that this expert's website gave me a big error message when I logged in, I was curious to find out more about this marketing genius whose seminar was titled, “How to Market Your Business.”
I was on the phone with this individual and when I mentioned the website issue, it was quickly shrugged off and they immediately launched into sales mode on the seminar. As this individual chattered away, I decided to conduct a search online for their name. Low and behold, three of the first four listings that come up were for an essential oils distributor. That was interesting. Also interesting to note was the fact that the only top 10 post that related to this individual was their LinkedIn profile. It took me exactly 30 seconds to dismiss their credibility. And I felt sorry for anyone paying the $30 bucks to attend the seminar without doing a search first. In 2005, I coined a term for this. I call it “G-cred,” which amounts to Google credibility. And you don't need to be a marketing expert to pay attention to this. In 2009, Execunet reported that 86% of job recruiters relied on Internet searches to learn more about their job candidates. Today, that number is probably in the mid-90's. No one can afford bad “G-cred.” When I talk to people about it and they say, in a resigned way, "My name is Mary Clark. There's a gazillion people with that name." Does that mean that people won't ever be doing a search on your name? It's actually more of a reason to work on your G-cred. After all, do you really want the shoplifter Mary Clark, or the stripper Mary Clark, to precede you – the Mary Clark? There are many ways to begin improving your G-cred. It's called online content creation which simply means creating online content that, in some way, is associated with you in a positive way. It can be in the form of blog posts, online articles, presentations, memberships, press, videos, pictures, and social media channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, MeetUp, and Pinterest. The best, and easiest place to start is LinkedIn. If you haven't done so already, set up your LinkedIn profile and make sure you've filled it out completely. There are many tutorials to explain how to do that. Then follow suit with others. If you enjoy writing, starting a blog is easier (and cheaper) than ever. That will help your G-cred in a big way. If you do, just make sure you write about the kind of things that you want to be identified with. Start with these simple actions and before you know it you'll have yourself some decent G-Cred – even if your name is Mary Clark. Google Photo via Shutterstock From Small Business Trends |
| Email Remains King For Promotional Messaging Posted: 10 Apr 2012 05:30 AM PDT So sometimes social media gets all the attention for being a shiner medium, but that doesn't mean email is dead. Not by a long shot. In fact, according to a new survey from ExactTarget [pdf], its email NOT social media that customers seek out most for promotional messages. Interesting, right? But hold that thought, let's back up.
ExactTarget's data comes from the 2012 Channel Preference Study, an ongoing research series that uses data collected through focus groups and online surveys to discover how real consumers interact with brands through email, Facebook and Twitter. None of this "theory" or "assumptions" stuff. They look at the real data behind what's going on. For the 2012 survey, a total of 1,481 respondents completed the survey between January 27, 2012, and February 1, 2012, answering questions about overall Internet usage, devices owned, personal communication habits, permission, and purchase-behavior related to marketing. You can check out the PDF linked above for the full responses, but it was that last segment that I was most interested in. Most specifically, it was this stat: 77 percent of consumers stated that email was their preferred channel for permission-based promotional messages.
And as you can see, while the number fluctuated a bit depending on age group, email was still the hands down winner. Do those numbers come as much of a surprise? No. Email marketing has dominated as a marketing channel for SMBs for years. But it may come as a surprise to small business owners constantly hearing about the benefits of social media in lieu of these other platforms. It's important to remember that social media is still an emerging trend for most consumers. However, email continues to be a mainstay and comes with a projected ROI of $39.40 for every dollar that is spent on it in 2012. That number has dropped slightly over the years, but it's worth noting that the projected ROI for social media this year is just $12.90. Is it growing? Yes. But email is still coming in as top dog for promotional messages. Why? As part of the survey, ExactTarget identified the six factors that dictate channel preference:
If you take a look at those factors and think about them in terms of your own usage, it's not hard to imagine why many of today's consumers will still pick email over social. They want to be able to easily reference the message later, they're concerned about their privacy, they get more email than they do social media responses, etc. As a small business owner, use this as a reminder to take a look at and evaluate your own email marketing. Knowing that this is how most consumers prefer to be engaged about marketing messages, how can you improve your efforts? How can you engage customers better or increase the size of your email list? For most SMBs, the answer will be a combination of: increased relevance, consistency, and awareness.
In terms of consistency, it's about getting on a schedule so that both you and your consumers know when it's time for a new mailing to go out. Depending on your business, you may want to send out a weekly deals email. Or a monthly newsletter. Or a quarterly mailing. Identify what will work best for you (it never hurts to poll your audience!) and then stick to the schedule that you set out. Lastly, it's about building awareness by asking your customers to subscribe to your email list. This means including prominent subscribe-to-email calls to action on your Web site, as well as other customer touch points like:
Email marketing is a SMB's natural best friend because it's in intimate, it's friendly, and it's cost-effective. Before you drive yourself crazy trying to create a presence on multiple social networks, make sure your already grabbing your customers through more traditional mediums like email marketing. That's where they're looking for you. From Small Business Trends |
| New Small Business Lessons in Social Media Posted: 10 Apr 2012 02:30 AM PDT You’ve heard social media is critical for your business. But social media and business are changing all the time. Are you keeping up with the latest in how online media channels can boost your business and how your business can effectively use them? Newest TrendsUsing Pinterest for your small business. It’s the new kid on the block as social networking sites go. Join a live Facebook chat Friday with Stephanie Ward of Firefly Coaching hosted by our sister site BizSugar.com to learn how to use Pinterest for your marketing efforts. Small Business Trends Getting enough out of social media? Your company uses online networking for a reason. Ultimately, it should be about sending more business your way. If that isn’t happening for you, here are some tips to turn things around. Inc.com Best PracticesWhy infographics are key to social media marketing. Yes, we all love them, those infographics that boil everything down into a beautifully succinct collection of facts and figures. Here’s why they’re critical to your small business story telling. Washington Post This may surprise you. If you expect all social media experts to tell you that social media tools are absolutely critical for your business, think again. Is your business ready for social media and the change it will bring? Chris Brogan Engagement TipsIt’s time to engage. If you’re wondering what’s missing from your small business blogging…and maybe from your other social media efforts too, the answer may be engagement. Believe it or not, the fix may be easier than you think. ProBlogger 15 steps to engage socially. Here’s another look at the problem of social engagement. If you haven’t figured out how to get your audience’s attention yet, consider this list of resources and improve your efforts today. TweakYourBiz Tricks of the TradeWhy this social media stuff just isn’t working. OK, you’ve given it a try and all the results you heard would come from social media marketing haven’t happened. Is social media not all it’s cracked up to be? Business2Community Tapping your social network. Social media is much more than a broadcast medium for your business. It can also be a source of information, even recruitment. Do you know how to tap your network for talent? Buzz Small Business Magazine Inspiring ChangeSocial media and innovation. You may not think of it this way, but social media can be used to inspire innovation. If this is something you want to do at your company, consider the possibilities available to you. Open Forum Changing the bottom line. Social media is certainly not a passing fad, as many small business owners will now admit, but what may be surprising is the ROI from social business efforts. Have you seen the change in your small business? Technorati From Small Business Trends |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Small Business News, Tips, Advice - Small Business Trends To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment