Mad Marketeer Finds a Niche In Nonprofits |  |
- Mad Marketeer Finds a Niche In Nonprofits
- New Flagship iPhone Sports Powerful Processor
- Telling Stories Through Content: How 7 Brands Do It With Style
- New Budget iPhone Unveiled Starting at $99
- Is the Extra Layer Better? Layer 2 Versus Layer 3 Networking
| Mad Marketeer Finds a Niche In Nonprofits Posted: 11 Sep 2013 04:00 PM PDT
Katherine Coles started early as an entrepreneur. She started her first business at age 12 offering yard services to her neighborhood. She solidified her reputation when she founded her high school pom pom squad and college sorority chapter, both of which are still in existence today. She later tried her hand at a gift basket service and a color consulting company, and eventually got to Mad Marketeer, her current venture. Mad Marketeer is an online marketing agency that targets smaller organizations with enough sustainable infrastructures and solid revenues to need marketing solutions, but without the budget to hire a full-scale marketing agency. It provides services that are geared to meet these needs and are packaged into bite-sized, affordable programs perfectly suited for small firms. Finding a Niche in NonprofitsMad Marketeer has found a niche to focus on within smaller to mid-size organizations. This is due in part to Katharine's life long dedication to "giving back." From serving as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for abused children in Northern Virginia to mentoring inner-city children in Boston to providing inspirational education programs to at-risk children in Southern California, Katharine is committed to improving the community. And she does so at Mad Marketeer by providing corporate solutions for nonprofits at prices they can afford. Guidestar states there are more than 1.8 million nonprofit organizations registered in the U.S., including public charities, private foundations and other types of nonprofit organizations. Seventy four percent of all public charities and 83% of all foundations are "small," meaning they have less than $500,000 in expenses and few paid staff. This is quite a strong target audience for Mad Marketeer to appeal to. Mad Marketeer has worked almost exclusively with nonprofits since its founding in 2007. Its website division, PowerSite123, has been working with nonprofits for over 14 years. In fact, their flagship program, NonprofitSite123, was developed specifically to meet the website needs of nonprofits as they tend to lead with the heart but struggle due to lack of business understanding. Mad Marketeer has recently secured two large clients, The Farrah Fawcett Foundation and United Way, both of which are nationally recognized nonprofit organizations. They also released a service assisting nonprofits in managing their Google Grant and have made the shift from project-based pricing to a more retainer-based model, which has proven successful. What sets them apart from other digital marketing firms is that they go a step further by educating nonprofits and other small businesses on how to make better marketing decisions. This gives their clients a sustainable foundation for furthering the success of their business independently. A completely bootstrapped venture, they have started looking to become affiliates with companies offering products and services that compliment their own. One such partnership they have launched is with another startup, Zuznow, which offers clients technology to transform websites seamlessly into mobile form factors. Zuznow, founded by husband and wife team, Racheli and Chen Levkovich, provides a platform for automatically converting websites into a fully reflective mobile website for any device. According to the 2013 eNonprofit Benchmarket Study, mobile listings are growing at about double the rate of email lists, with a median increase of 32% in 2012. Blackbaud and Common Knowledge say 73% of nonprofits allocate half of a full time employee to managing social networking activities and 43% budget $0 for their social networking activities. While non-profit organizations may not always recognize the value of SEO (search engine optimization), blogging, social media or other online marketing tactics, they at least understand the importance of an interactive, functional, easy to navigate, well-designed and easily maintainable website. With current revenues of over $250K annually, we can expect Mad Marketeer to continue to add value to non-profit marketing in the coming months. Niche Photo via Shutterstock The post Mad Marketeer Finds a Niche In Nonprofits appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| New Flagship iPhone Sports Powerful Processor Posted: 11 Sep 2013 01:30 PM PDT
The new iPhone 5c may be the choice for the budget conscious entrepreneur. But Apple says the new iPhone 5s, also released on Tuesday, demonstrates the full range of possibilities available from smartphones today. In fact, if this smartphone lives up to its billing, it could offer small business owners the most powerful phone yet for working on the go. In an official release posted on the Apple website the same day Apple unveiled both new phones, Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing explained:
New iPhone 5S Under the HoodAt 7.6 mm thick and 112 g in weight, Apple’s new flagship phone is both thinner and lighter than its predecessor, the iPhone 5. The device comes in silver, gold and a color Apple calls space gray. But otherwise reviewers have commented how much it physically resembles the earlier phone. Still, both industry watchers and company officials say it’s what’s under the hood, so to speak, that makes a difference. Reviews and specs say the new device has a 64-bit processor, the fastest yet available on a smartphone. The faster processing is said to allow faster search and download of any content you need while mobile. A better camera and better flash are expected to allow better still photos and higher quality video for shooting products, video content or anything else for your business. New fingerprint recognition software is said to allow more security and convenience. A user is supposed to be able to unlock the phone by placing a finger on a round button below the four-inch display screen eliminating the need for a pin number. The new iPhone 5s will go on sale Sept. 20 and will be available from carriers AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and in the Apple Online Store and Apple Retail Stores. Costs will be $199 for 16 GB, $299 for 32 GB, and $399 for 64 GB models. Image: Apple The post New Flagship iPhone Sports Powerful Processor appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Telling Stories Through Content: How 7 Brands Do It With Style Posted: 11 Sep 2013 11:00 AM PDT Brands. Stories. Profits. Story telling is powerful. Stories help with branding, i.e., making an impression that stands out and sticks in our minds. And businesses are getting better at telling stories through content – whether through video or in text form. Stories that follow a brand’s theme can be told over and over. Let's look at some of the best stories in the business and unravel how some brands do storytelling in style: Triumph Over Conformity: Apple Declares War on IBMApple is a legendary marketer, and the company exhibited a genius for storytelling early on. Thirty years ago, in 1984, Apple launched an iconic – almost cinematic – Super Bowl ad that blew customers and industry watchers away. Using fascination and mystique, the ad literally launched Apple into the big leagues. At the time IBM was the dominant player in the computer world. Apple, by comparison, was a small player – little more than a startup. But it was going after IBM. The company did this with a dark, science-fiction style ad directed by now legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott. It was an artistic allegory that didn’t even show a glimpse of the company’s latest product, the Macintosh. Instead, the ad merely said:
The ad was an in-your-face assault against conformity playing off the idea of George Orwell's famous novel. It aired just once, and was incredibly expensive, costing nearly a million dollars at the time. Yet it made an impact. The message was clear to the world: Apple intended to take on IBM – the “Big Brother” that controlled the computer industry. Apple had cast itself as the individual against a conformist system. Nike: It's All About AttitudeNike doesn't sell shoes. It sells attitude. And it’s another example of a brand with a story-telling approach to marketing. Nike creates community around these stories and around its continuing theme of promoting attitude. Want proof? Head on over to the company’s LiveStrong YouTube Channel and you'll see how Nike showcases stories of people struck down by cancer. And how it builds a community of support for those who are struggling with the disease. So far, the LiveStrong Community has racked up more than 2 million views on YouTube, more than 1.5 million likes on Facebook, and more than 250,000 followers. And through the community, Nike demonstrates how a good story goes social and how social media can be used to generate support and even raise funds for those who are suffering. Volkswagen: The ForceWhat can one video do? It can tell an effective story, of course. And how well can it do that? One look at The Force Campaign and you'll be inspired to create a story for your own business. The video does a great job highlighting a single product feature – the remote start system of the 2012 Volkswagon Passat. You can’t help but laugh when the little kid dressed in the Darth Vader costume thinks his efforts using “the force” actually started the car. Aside from airing during the 2011 Super Bowl, the advertisement has gotten more than 58 million views on YouTube to date. Today, Volkswagen’s website features a “Story Board” a blog of sorts with narratives contributed by both the company and customers. In this way, Volkswagon has invited car owners to contribute to the story as well. Threadless.com: What Do Designers Think?Threadless is a community built around designer, designers who submit their creations to Threadless to be printed on household items, clothing and other goods. It’s literally a brand built on stories. Not stories of beating the bad guys, building unity or attaining some great achievement, but real stories from designers who share details about their lives, work, inspiration, and more. The stories connect with customers because of the "sneak peak" behind how the company works. Videos embellish the true story of Threadless and how it works hard to produce quality products for its customers. Threadless recently launched a series of mini-documentaries, artist interviews which highlight individuals and the stories they have to tell. Lego StoryAnother example of a well-crafted story, this time narrated through animated characters, is that of "The Lego Story." The video itself tells the company’s story not so much to convince but to share. It takes us back to the company’s origins in 1932, and gives us a glimpse of founder Ole Kirk Christiansen, and the principles and values he brought to the business he built. It also reveals the company's commitment to children's entertainment and education. HSBC and American Express Open ForumBrand stories are not always narrated and showcased through video. The written word still works well for some brands. Across its global sites, HSBC curates and publishes content on financial markets, financial news, global business expansion, and much more. For some select markets, HSBC still publishes paper-based content such as booklets for its elite banking customers. Another great example of how content marketing is utilized for brand image is American Express Open Forum, which focuses exclusively on entrepreneurship and technology. It leverages the power of community and the power of user-generated content to create a compelling brand story for its own lineup of products. While we only mentioned large businesses and popular brands and their story telling successes here, the message is out. Anyone with a business can create a brand and build it using storytelling. For some inspiration, you might want to check out these 50 Brands with Amazing Brand Stories. If you think there are no stories to tell in B2B, you might want to check out Eloqua's 5 B2B Brands That "Get" Storytelling. As a small business, do you leverage the power of telling stories? Do stories create impact and value for brands? Please share your ideas with us. What’s Your Story Photo via Shutterstock The post Telling Stories Through Content: How 7 Brands Do It With Style appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| New Budget iPhone Unveiled Starting at $99 Posted: 11 Sep 2013 08:00 AM PDT
For small business owners seeking a lower cost iPhone, take note. Apple unveiled the iPhone 5c yesterday. The long awaited budget iPhone will start at just $99 with contract and will go on sale Sept. 20. The New Budget iPhone Up CloseAside from the price, the dressed-down version of the popular smartphone offers other departures from the norm. The phone has a plastic shell, but Apple has glossed over the cheaper covering by offering it in five bright colors: white, pink, yellow, blue, and green. In an official announcement on Apple’s website yesterday in conjunction with a special keynote announcement at Apple’s Cupertino, CA, headquarters, Philip Schiller, the company's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing said:
Reviewers agree the phone is in many ways a recasting of the iPhone 5 at a cheaper price. Features include:
Image: Apple The post New Budget iPhone Unveiled Starting at $99 appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Is the Extra Layer Better? Layer 2 Versus Layer 3 Networking Posted: 11 Sep 2013 05:00 AM PDT Sponsored Post
Catchy title, huh? I will warn you up front that this article is going to be a tad technical, so bear with me. Since this site gets a broad audience with a wide range of technical skill levels, let me take a moment to describe what Layer 2 and Layer 3 mean, for anyone who does not know. Layer 2 and Layer 3 refer to different parts of IT network communications. The 'layers' refer to how you configure an IT network, and the standard for network communications called the OSI model. The reason we are having a discussion about layer 2 or layer 3, is that your choice of either layer has advantages and disadvantage in terms of scaling and costs. So let's dive in and take a deeper look. The Functions of the OSI Layered ModelThe OSI, or Open System Interconnection, is a networking model comprised of seven ‘layers’. It's a controlled hierarchy where information is passed from one layer to the next creating a blueprint for how information is passed from physical electrical impulses all the way to applications. This standard is a guide that allows engineers to keep communications organized. Layer 2 is the data link where data packets are encoded and decoded into bits. The MAC (Media Access Control) sub layer controls how a computer on the network gains access to the data and permission to transmit it and the LLC (Logical Link control) layer controls frame synchronization, flow control and error checking. Layer 3 provides switching and routing technologies, creating logical paths, known as virtual circuits, for transmitting data from node to node. Routing and forwarding are functions of this layer, as well as addressing, internetworking, error handling, congestion control and packet sequencing. To summarize: Layer 2 Data Link: Responsible for physical addressing, error correction, and preparing the information for the media Pros and Cons of Layer 2 Vs Layer 3Some advantages of Layer 2 include lower costs, only requires switching, no routing gear is necessary and offers very low latency. Layer 2 also has some significant disadvantages such as the lack of router hardware, leaving them susceptible to broadcast storm and the additional administrative overhead of IP allocations due to flat subnet across multiple sites. Layer 2 networks also forward all traffic, especially ARP and DHCP broadcasts. Anything transmitted by one device is forwarded to all devices. When the network gets too large, the broadcast traffic begins to create congestion and decreases network efficiency. Layer 3 devices, on the other hand, restrict broadcast traffic such as ARP and DHCP broadcasts to the local network. This reduces overall traffic levels by allowing administrators to divide networks into smaller parts and restrict broadcasts to only that sub-network. This means there is a limit to the size of a layer 2 network. However, a properly configured layer 3 network with the correct knowledge and hardware can have infinite growth. A Layer 3 switch is a high-performance device for network routing. A router works with IP addresses at layer 3 of the model. Layer 3 networks are built to run on on layer 2 networks. In an IP layer 3 network, the IP portion of the datagram has to be read. This requires stripping off the datalink layer frame information. Once the protocol frame information is stripped, the IP datagram has to be reassembled. Once the IP datagram is reassembled, the hop count has to be decremented, the header checksum has to be recalculated, a lookup for routing must be made, and only then can the IP datagram be chopped back up and inserted into frames and transmitted to the next hop. All of this takes extra time. Not Which is Better, But Which Layer is Needed for the JobAs you can see, the question is not really “is it better?”. The real question is, “what do I need?”. What most businesses need is control. Routing controls happen at Layer 3. But the downsides of Layer 3 are speed because of all of the additional overhead, and that can be deadly in multi-site networks where fast communications among tens or hundreds of computers, servers and routing equipment are necessary for such things as Ip-telephony, or even shared internet access. Enter Newer Technologies Such as Metro Ethernet Work Using Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Multiprotocol Label Switching is a mechanism in high-performance telecommunications networks which directs and carries data from one network node to the next. MPLS makes it easy to create “virtual links” between distant nodes. It can encapsulate packets of various network protocols. MPLS operates at a layer that is generally considered to lie between traditional definitions of layer 2 (data link layer) and layer 3 (network layer), and thus is often referred to as a “layer 2.5″ protocol. It was designed to provide a unified data-carrying service for both circuit-based clients and packet-switching clients which provide a datagram service model. It can be used to carry many different kinds of traffic, including IP packets, as well as native ATM, SONET, and Ethernet frames. It also allows you to maintain controls on your end points using Layer 3 switching, so with the best of both worlds Metro Ethernet services can provide the speed between locations and allow network quality of service transparency desired by small businesses all with a smaller financial footprint. Where you might normally use Layer 3 to manage traffic in ALL locations over internet connections… with the Metro Ethernet you can use Layer 3 only as needed at end points which saves you on equipment costs and IT support costs. And you gain speed. The post Is the Extra Layer Better? Layer 2 Versus Layer 3 Networking appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
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