New Foursquare Feature Lets Businesses Target Nearby Loyal Customers |  |
- New Foursquare Feature Lets Businesses Target Nearby Loyal Customers
- Microsoft Office 2013: Cloud Storage, Tablet Compatibility
- Sell Your Expertise Without Selling In Your Guest Posts
- New Establishment Birth Rate
- Google Buys Email App Creator Sparrow
| New Foursquare Feature Lets Businesses Target Nearby Loyal Customers Posted: 23 Jul 2012 01:00 PM PDT Location-based social networking service, Foursquare, just announced a new feature for businesses that will allow local merchants to send updates about their business to their loyal customers whenever they're nearby.
Foursquare Local Updates will roll out to business owners over the next week. The new feature gives businesses the opportunity to create unique messages about deals, specials, new items, or any other pertinent information they want customers to see. Messages can contain up to three photos, a special and any combination of text. Though businesses that use Foursquare can already set up specials that users can claim when they check in, Local Updates allows businesses to specifically target and reach out to users who are the most likely to take advantage of the offers and support those local businesses. Some business owners who already have access to the new feature have compared it to an outdoor chalkboard, where merchants can change specials or messages daily. Except with Foursquare Local Updates, users don't have to be within feet of the storefront to read the message. Customers who can receive business updates are determined by the amount of check-ins and recent check-ins and whether they have liked the location on Foursquare. When a Foursquare user that meets those qualifications enters a small radius around the business, which could mean one mile in a big city or up to 10 miles in a more rural area, that customer will receive a tailored message created by the business owner. Users can opt-out of receiving updates from certain businesses, so those who continue to receive updates are likely to be those who actually want to continue frequenting that business. Once Foursquare Local Updates rolls out to business owners, updates can be seen in version 5.2 of the app, which is available now. The details are at Foursquare for business. From Small Business Trends |
| Microsoft Office 2013: Cloud Storage, Tablet Compatibility Posted: 23 Jul 2012 11:00 AM PDT Microsoft recently unveiled details about the new version of its Office suite software, to include cloud computing, tablet compatibility, and monthly subscription service. Office 2013 is set to be released widely later this year.
Microsoft completely overhauled the Office software for this new version, with cloud technology as the new central feature. However, utilities such as word processing, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, and Outlook email are still major parts of the software. For small businesses, the new Office software could make it easier to work on the go from a variety of different devices. SkyDrive, Office 2013's cloud storage service could make storing and sharing data much more seamless than it has been in previous versions of Microsoft Office. In addition, business owners and employees will have the ability to access Office 2013 on the Microsoft Surface tablet and other touch-screen devices. Office 2013 also integrates Skype compatibility for easy collaboration on a variety of projects. In addition to the traditional boxed version of its Office software, Microsoft also offers Office 365 in a monthly subscription format. New subscription options will also become available with the new version of Microsoft Office later this year, with different plans and pricing for businesses of different sizes. Office 2013 has been specifically designed to work hand in hand with Windows 8 and to run on a variety of devices, from PCs to tablets to smartphones. The soon-to-be-released Windows 8 operating system has also been designed to run on touch screen devices, and incorporates new features such as applications. The new OS and Office 2013 also have brand new designs. Office 2013 is compatible with computers that run Windows 7 or 8 or tablets with Windows RT. Windows 8 and Office 2013 are both scheduled to be released in October. For those who wish to learn more about the new Office version before its release, Microsoft is currently offering a free preview version of Office 2013. From Small Business Trends |
| Sell Your Expertise Without Selling In Your Guest Posts Posted: 23 Jul 2012 08:00 AM PDT It's no secret that guest blogging and content marketing can be exceptionally effective tools for marketing your business or your services. It's also a well-established truism that being overly self-promotional in guest blogging and content marketing efforts is simply less effective than teaching and adding value with the content you create.
That said, if you're creating content to try to position yourself as a thought leader and build your brand, you're doing it because you have a business to run and a service to promote. So how do you establish yourself as an expert through your guest blog posts without being overly self-promotional? Here are a few ways to sell yourself – without actually selling – in your guest posts: Focus in on Your Niche What differentiates you from your competitors? Do you have a specialty or a proprietary way you approach your service offerings that makes your company a clear standout? Focus on these individualized areas, those that set you apart, rather than more generalized topics anyone in your industry could discuss easily. When readers investigate potential vendors, your business will immediately land in front of the pack, if you play your cards right. Don't Post and Disapper All too often, submitting a guest post is the last to-do item on a marketer's list. Instead of providing the post and simply falling off the radar, keep track of social mentions, respond and thank those who recognize your content, and be attentive and responsive to comments. It takes less than two minutes (most often) to respond to blog commenters – and it's usually two minutes well worth your while. Be Generous in Giving Props to Other Experts It's not all about you. (Shocking, right?) But seriously, give a little link love to some other thought leaders and they'll be likely to promote your post, giving you more recognition in the long run. Wrap Up Your Posts With a Signature Blurb It's okay to mention your business here and it's standard practice to link back to your website in this area. Reference Useful Content You’ve Written You’ve probably created other useful, educational content that’s hosted on your site or on other blogs. Link to this information where appropriate so that the reader can see other examples of your expertise and can get a deeper understanding of your point of view - and only if it adds real value. Share, Share and Share Some More Once your guest post is live, help spread the word via your social networks. Don't let the website owner do all the promotion. Devoting some time to draw attention to a post hosted by another website appears less self-serving than continuously posting links to your own website. But ultimately, you're doing the website owner a favor while still building awareness for your own company. Forget About Selling Entirely. Focus on simply educating your readers. In the content marketing age, information sells. That's why people browse the internet – not to be sold to, but to be informed. Impress them with your expertise and the sales will flow naturally. In implementing these tips, be sure you're falling within the publisher's guidelines for guest posts. For instance, some won't like the idea of mentioning your business, even as an expert quote, within the body of the article. They're doing you a favor by publishing your post, so return the favor by providing valuable insights their readers can actually use. If you focus first on educating, and second on selling, your guest posts will be better received and more frequently shared. No Sale Photo via Shutterstock From Small Business Trends |
| Posted: 23 Jul 2012 05:00 AM PDT The Great Recession knocked the new establishment birth rate – the number of new establishments founded as a percentage of operating establishments – down from its historical average.
Since 1993, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics first made the data available, the new establishment birth rate has averaged 3.2 percent of total establishments in operation, as the figure above shows. Moreover, BLS data reveal that the rate of new establishment formation remained in a fairly tight range of between 3 and 3.5 percent of active establishments from 1993 through 2007. However, in 2008, that pattern abruptly changed. The new establishment birth rate fell below 3 percent, a decline from which it has not yet recovered. The drop in establishment births results from a decline in the number of establishments being founded, not a change in the number of active establishments. Between 1993 and 2010, the number of quarterly establishment starts averaged 201,000. In 2008, however, this figure dropped below 200,000 for the first time since 2003, falling to a low of 169,000 in the third quarter of 2009. The twitter length message here is that the Great Recession led American entrepreneurs to cut new establishment openings from historically stable levels. From Small Business Trends |
| Google Buys Email App Creator Sparrow Posted: 23 Jul 2012 02:30 AM PDT Google has purchased Sparrow, creator or the popular e-mail client for Mac and iPhone. Acquisitions like this one are important to businesses large and small. For the firm doing the acquiring, it offers the opportunity to bring new talent and capabilities into the company and perhaps new customers and a new business model too. For the company being acquired, it offers the opportunity for greater resources, support, and investment when growing a product or service. Still, some former customers are less than happy. Here’s how the Sparrow acquisition breaks down. Acquiring InnovationIn a league of their own. The team behind Sparrow is a unique group responsible for creating the popular e-mail client for Mac and iPhone products. So far neither Sparrow nor Google has released official details, but an inside source has revealed the acquisition was for less than $25 million. The team will now move to Google to help add “beauty” to Gmail. The Verge Giving credit where it’s due. Here’s the actual announcement about the Google acquisition, straight from the horse’s mouth, as it were. You’ll notice the attention Dom Leca, Sparrow CEO, gives to the company’s faithful fans and customers, even when announcing the changes ahead. It’s important to think about your customers when selling to a larger company and to be sure that organization shares your vision about serving your niche. Sparrow An Uncertain FutureThe app that got away. The problem for Sparrow’s hardcore customers is that acquisition by Google will likely mean the barest essentials of maintenance and bug fixes for existing apps, and maybe no long anticipated iPad e-mail app at all. For loyal customers this is the hardest part of the process and something both the company acquiring and the one being acquired must keep in mind. Internet Evolution Building a better mousetrap. Before Sparrow customers get too bummed out, though, it’s important to realize that, in all likelihood, the Sparrow acquisition will soon make Gmail for Apple devices better…a lot better. The sparrow team brings to Google its expertise in creating simple but powerful tools for Mac, iPhone, and maybe even iPad. All Things Digital Selling OutWhen opportunity knocks. The thing to remember, though, when acquiring another company, is that all of their customers may not come along. Just check out the marketing campaign by Postbox, a Sparrow competitor, to lure away customers from existing apps in light of the Google acquisition. When acquiring another business, be sure you’re conscious of retaining needed customers by creating a smooth transition. The Next Web The better business model. In this interesting post, Rian van der Merwe explains what the Sparrow acquisition really means and why it might upset a good portion of the online business development community. The philosophy that offering paid services, like Sparrow, rather than leveraging your users to sell advertising, like Google does, may be at stake here, and the clear winner seems to be the latter. Elezea The downside of acquisition. While large businesses sometimes need the talent and expertise smaller firms have to offer and smaller companies find it hard to resist the resources and security of larger firms, the reality, some argue, is that when tech firms the size of Google or Facebook acquire a startup, it’s unlikely much of the company’s original vision will be retained. Given the choice, would you sell to Google? Techland From Small Business Trends |
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