Check Out These Small Business Events, Competitions and Awards |  |
- Check Out These Small Business Events, Competitions and Awards
- From Our Community, A Humorous Look At Bad Clients and Some Tips
- 8 Social Media Communities for Targeting Teens and Millennials
- An Exporting Business Book for the 21st Century
| Check Out These Small Business Events, Competitions and Awards Posted: 11 Jan 2014 04:30 PM PST We’re back with another of our curated lists of events, contests and awards for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Each of the following events or competitions is worth checking out by you and members of your team. To see a full list or to submit your own event, contest or award listing, visit the Small Business Events Calendar. Featured Events, Contests and Awards
AM Days is the must attend event for affiliate managers who are responsible for their company’s affiliate marketing strategy, management and operations. Whether you have an existing affiliate program or you are creating a new initiative, AMDays offers you valuable insight into how other online retailers are successfully implementing and managing their affiliate programs. Topics include: Affiliate program set up; Affiliate recruitment techniques; Affiliate marketing fraud; M-commerce; and much more.
#ICON14 is the eighth annual conference for small business, hosted by Infusionsoft (previously called Infusioncon). Over 3,000 attendees expected. Confirmed speakers include Seth Godin, JJ Ramberg and Peter Shankman. Hashtag: #ICON14 More Events
More Contests
This weekly listing of small business events, contests and awards is provided as a community service by Small Business Trends and SmallBizTechnology. The post Check Out These Small Business Events, Competitions and Awards appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| From Our Community, A Humorous Look At Bad Clients and Some Tips Posted: 11 Jan 2014 01:30 PM PST
Here’s another edition of our community news and information roundup. Hope you’ll check the bottom of this post for more on how to make these updates even better. A Humorous Look at Difficult Clients (Social Media Slant) The video Cendrine Marrouat shares here will probably make you laugh … or cry. If you’ve ever had one of those clients, you may have already heard something like this before. Our condolences! At least you’ll know you aren’t alone. Using Your Google Plus Account to the Greatest Advantage (Aristotle Buzz) Digital Communications Director Rhen Wilson gives you a tour of Google’s social media site and shares some of the benefits you might not have been aware of. If you’ve been thinking about using Google Plus more for your business, this post may help. Web Traffic Isn’t the Only Measure of Your Site’s Effectiveness (Simplicity) If you’ve been laboring under the impression that Web traffic is the only measure of a site’s performance, you may be incorrect. Thanks to Sarah Santacroce for sharing this post and some conversation on website traffic strategy with the BizSugar community. Use Facebook More Effectively (Y Marketing Matters) There are an increasing number of social sites and platforms out there. But Facebook remains the biggest by far. Here Yasmin Bendror has some additional suggestions about how to put the social media giant’s reach to work for your business. Improve Your Content Marketing Today (Savvy-Writer) And by today we mean in the next few minutes! Content writer Amandah Blackwell has seven suggestions she claims will “supercharge” your content. With so much content online these days, you need all the help you can get. Four Social Media Ideas for 2014 (Marketing Services) Some things have changed and some have stayed the same. Marketing consultant Mandy Edwards has a mix of both in this simple post about things you should consider for your social media marketing in the new year. Forget the Sales Process, Get Your Info Out There (Addison Richmond Consulting) That, in a nutshell, is Christopher McCarthy’s advice for marketing to a new more educated consumer. That consumer won’t wait to talk to your sales team. They’re out there right now making decisions without you. A Primer on Web Hosting for the Online Entrepreneur (Dorm Room Biz) Blogger Chris Pund may be talking to students creating their first online venture from their dorm room, but much of what he has to say will be applicable to any beginning online entrepreneur. Take note. PPC Campaigning for the New Year (Elite SEM) Do you use pay-per-click advertising campaigns in your business? If so, you know they don’t run on autopilot. To be effective, you must keep them up to date and continue to make changes. There’s no better time than the new year to do some tweaking. Here are some suggestions from the professionals. More Suggestions for Improving Your Social Media Presence (Bloggless) We’ve talked quite a bit about how to improve your social media presence heading into 2014. Here are a few more suggestions from Ivana Zuber with some Q&A in the BizSugar community. Are there some cool articles you didn’t see in this community roundup? We hope you’ll help us make future editions of our community roundup even more helpful. Shoot us an email with your suggestions at sbtips@gmail.com. Or submit your article on BizSugar, the community we visit regularly to find the newest and most authentic small business voices. Community Reading photo via Shutterstock The post From Our Community, A Humorous Look At Bad Clients and Some Tips appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| 8 Social Media Communities for Targeting Teens and Millennials Posted: 11 Jan 2014 10:30 AM PST
Research indicates that Facebook is getting more popular with adults, which could have something to do with its dwindling popularity among teens. Though the social media giant still had over 728 million monthly active users as of September 2013, there's some speculation that teens are not as interested as they once were – even if there's a lack of actual proof of such an epidemic. A Pew Internet study (image below) released in December 2013 found that 71% of adults currently use Facebook. And 45% of those 65 or over now use Facebook, up from 35% in 2012. But it also found that 84% of Internet users between 18 and 29 use Facebook, making up the largest active age group on the site.
[Image: Pew Research] Though not a huge change, 86% of Internet users of the same age group claimed to use Facebook in the previous year's study. That represents the only age group that showed any decline at all in Facebook usage. So if you're a company catering to teens and millennials, where do you go instead of Facebook? Below are apps and social media communities of interest that are quickly gaining popularity with that demographic. Social Media Communities of Interest to Teens and MillennialsSnapchat
[Image: Snapchat] For those who don't want to share every detail of their lives on Facebook, where parents and other older family members could have access, there's Snapchat. Recent privacy issues aside, this media sharing app allows users to choose specific contacts and send them photos or videos that will disappear seconds after being received. Forbes recently estimated that of the 50 million Snapchat users, the median age is 18, compared with the average Facebook user who is closer to 40.
[Image: WhatsApp] This messaging app is available on five different mobile platforms, including Android and iPhone. It allows users to set up group chats, send photos and videos, and even share their locations. The app just reached 400 million monthly active users. One hundred million of those users were added within the last four months. A University College London study found in places like Brazil there is evidence of teenagers leaving Facebook for WhatsApp in large numbers, so this could be a wider trend.
[Image: WeChat] WeChat is one of a few services coming out of Asia that are challenging Facebook and other big names. The live chatting app offers more than just simple messaging features. Games, stickers, video and voice calling, and location tagging are all part of the package. A Global Web Index survey of teenagers last year showed more activity on this platform than on any other. Pheed
[Image: Pheed] Pheed is a social sharing app that originally launched in 2012. Users can share photos, videos, voice messages, songs, albums and short text posts. Then they can subscribe to other users to receive updates on either Web or mobile. The platform focuses on visual content and brevity, which explains some of its appeal. And the app’s success has been largely driven by teens, Forbes reports. Tumblr
[Image: Tumblr] Founded in 2007, the recent Yahoo acquisition now has nearly 165 million blogs. Though Tumblr wasn't included in the latest Pew Internet study, the 2012 study found that just 9% of Internet users 30 years or older claimed to use the site. And 13% of those under 30 claimed to use it. So young people made up more than half of its user base. Vine
[Image: Vine] The Twitter owned video-sharing app was the fastest growing of 2013, according to a study by Global Web Index. Vine showed a growth of 403% through the year, with over 23 million users. Like Twitter, Vine doesn't require users to enter an exact age when signing up, so it's exact popularity among teens is difficult to pin down. However, Vine, like WeChat, scored very high in a 2013 Global Web Index survey for platforms on which teens claimed to be most active. Kik
[Image: Kik] Kik is different from other messaging apps in that it doesn't require a phone number to sign up. The platform is popular because of features like videos, sketches, smileys and integration with other social platforms. With 50 million users, the messaging app is actually gaining more new users in the U.S. than WhatsApp, according to app analytics platform Distimo. This app’s popularity too is driven largely by the interest of teenagers, CNET reports. PicsArt
[Image: PicsArt] PicsArt is a niche app for those interested in art and photography. Users can upload and edit photos, draw and browse art by other users. The site specifically focuses on getting young people involved in art. It does so through art contests, how-to guides and galleries that feature users' artwork. Approximately 20 percent of users are between 13 and 17 years old and over 40 percent are between 18 and 24, MarketWatch says. Teens Photo via Shutterstock The post 8 Social Media Communities for Targeting Teens and Millennials appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| An Exporting Business Book for the 21st Century Posted: 11 Jan 2014 07:30 AM PST
If so, then you will want to make Laurel Delaney’s new book a must read. Exporting: The Definitive Guide To Selling Abroad Profitably is hot off the presses as of December 2013. Anything with the title of “definitive guide” is something I examine with a jaded eye. Why? Because all too often that title is overused. Too many times I’ve seen 650-word articles that the writers claim to be the “definitive guide” to something or other. Of course, they are nothing of the sort. Those deceptively-labeled efforts don’t live up to the promise, and only disappoint the reader. Delaney’s book, however, doesn’t have that problem, I am happy to report. Exporting truly is a definitive guide. Published by APress.com, a niche publisher of technical and professional books, at 550+ pages it gives a thorough overview of exporting today. It’s ideal for those who are launching a new exporting business or accelerating growth of a fledgling one. Not Your Father’s Exporting BusinessWhen you think of an exporting business, what pops into your mind? Perhaps it is a vision of heavy, old-style manufactured goods being piled on container ships to slowly sail to another country. But as Exporting outlines, going global today may be about exporting software. Or it may be a purely service-based exporting business, such as consulting or design services. It may be about selling on eBay or some other e-commerce platform, and shipping crafts or artwork through the mail or a delivery company. That’s one of the things I like about this book. It breaks all stereotypes of traditional exporting, and examines the way entrepreneurs are doing business in today’s world. The book takes an up-to-date view of the role of the Web and social media, pointing out how technology and today’s communications and social platforms enable exporting businesses to launch and grow:
There’s a full chapter on creating and leveraging a social media presence and network. There’s an entire chapter on “Online Fundamentals” about building a website and blog, in order to attract business on the global stage — and another about website design for attracting and serving global customers. There’s also a chapter dedicated to what you will need for a full e-commerce site, if that’s the route you decide to take. Beyond that, you’ll find a lot of material about using large e-commerce platforms as stepping stones to grow your business — sites like Amazon and eBay, of course, but also lesser known sites like Alibaba and its affiliated sites. Harnessing the mobile trend and mobile apps is another section of the book. Exporting Basics for NewbiesDon’t be fooled and think this is one of those fluff books about social media and mobile, telling you generic stuff you can find anywhere online. Exporting is really about giving those who are relatively new to exporting or those aspiring to go global, a solid foundation. Right at the beginning it starts with a chapter on writing an exporting business plan. Any good business should have a plan – but not just any plan. You need one that takes into account the specific requirements, risks and opportunities of exporting. Deep in the book are the nuts and bolts of conducting international business, including export documentation, customs duties, international insurance and shipping. Delaney also addresses such issues as international customer service and how to get paid without putting your shipment at risk. Beyond those exporting basics, you’ll find lots of tips and pointers about doing business outside of the United States — pointers that Americans in particular need. Sadly, we as a nation are rather insular and not very knowledgeable when it comes to other countries and cultures. Most Americans can only speak one language. The good news for us is that English tends to be the international language of business, so we can often communicate. However, that can lull us into a false sense that everything is the same in other countries, just because the customer or officials may be using English. For those Americans who don’t know much about the world outside our borders, it may be a shock to learn how business is conducted in other countries, especially where bribes are the norm. The chapter on global ethics will be especially helpful. Other useful sections include a chapter on business travel and security, and a short chapter on women business owners operating globally. About the AuthorLaurel Delaney (@laureldelaney on Twitter) is well-qualified to write this book. She is founder and president of GlobeTrade.com, a Chicago-based consulting company that consults with companies on their global strategies and plans. She was named Illinois Exporter of the Year by the SBA, is on numerous boards and serves as the Chicago Chapter Chair for the Women Presidents’ Organization. Oh, and she is a long-time expert contributor here at Small Business Trends. I could go on, but suffice it to say, she has years of success under her belt. More to the point, she has a long list of qualifications when it comes to doing business globally and helping others in that endeavor. An Exporting Business Book Designed for Today’s EntrepreneursWhat I especially like about this book is that while it covers the nuts and bolts of exporting, in detail, it also is up-to-the-minute about how business is conducted today. There are lots of references to online resources that can help you dig deeper into topics covered in the book. After all, no book can cover everything — but it does an important job to point you to places to extend your knowledge for exporting. I can’t emphasize enough how helpful the book is to today’s entrepreneurs who may have a very different-looking export business versus the one their fathers or grandfathers had. If you intend to grow your business beyond the U.S. border, Exporting: The Definitive Guide to Selling Abroad Profitably is a great place to start. The post An Exporting Business Book for the 21st Century appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
Have you ever toyed with the idea of finding customers in countries outside of the United States, but were afraid to dip your toe in the water? Perhaps you didn’t know where to start. Or perhaps you’ve already started expanding outside the U.S. border, but have nightmares of losing money by not understanding all the requirements.| You are subscribed to email updates from 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