Wednesday, March 12, 2014

The Link Between Thought Leadership and LinkedIn

The Link Between Thought Leadership and LinkedIn

Link to Small Business Trends

The Link Between Thought Leadership and LinkedIn

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 02:30 PM PDT

thought leadership qualities

The topic of thought leadership has been hot and heavy over the last year or two. Often discussed, speculated about and outright claimed by some, it is among the more misunderstood business concepts.

Many seem to think if they know something about anything, they can claim the "thought leader" position in a niche. Wrong.

You can be very knowledgeable about a subject, live in your mother's basement with Dr Pepper and Cheez-Its and perhaps be a subject matter expert, but you are not a thought leader.

Thought leadership is not claimed. It is an acknowledgement from a niche community, usually afforded to a very small top tier of people in a given niche or category.

But what constitutes thought leadership? What qualities must a person have?

Thought Leadership Qualities

Shows Deep Knowledge

Most obvious is a deep knowledge of a market segment or topic, and developing a definite point of view regarding your market niche.

Recognized as Being on “Top of Your Game”

You have to be at the top of your game and recognized as such by your peers and others in your market niche. That means working hard at knowing not only what is currently going on, but what forces are coming to play in the near and long term in your niche, and having some thoughts on how to deal with those forces.

Uses Multiple Formats to Share Knowledge

You need to find, develop and make use of multiple formats to share your knowledge:

  • Books/eBooks
  • Articles
  • Blogs
  • Speaking
  • Networking
  • Serving on association committees

Displays Acknowledgment to Peers

You should recognize that you are not "alone at the top" and that you have peers. When those peers say something, be prepared to comment and acknowledge the contribution. If you disagree, don't be mean about it, simply offer your view. If you use their thoughts or materials, give credit to them.

Exhibits a Sharing Mentality

You need to have a sharing attitude. If you tend towards lecturing or talking down to people, you are just a know-it-all, not a thought leader. Go back to mom's basement with a fresh box of Cheez-Its and a Dr Pepper for a time out.

Where Does LinkedIn Come In?

LinkedIn is the perfect venue for small business people to share information and to differentiate themselves. You should share all manner of formats on LinkedIn:

  • Videos
  • White papers
  • Comments in groups
  • Webinars
  • PowerPoints

Differentiation is the first step to thought leadership and too few companies do this, maintaining more of a "herd" mentality.

One of the major components of your differentiation strategy needs to be a strong LinkedIn presence. As I wrote in "It All Starts with Your LinkedIn Profile," your profile has to start the process of attracting people to you – so you can share more.

Once you have successfully attracted people, you can then begin to use the platform to position yourself as a thought leader. Sharing the type of information listed in the bullet points above and making a conscious effort to break away from the pack, the “herd” mentality, will have you well on your way.

If you approach your use of LinkedIn through the perspective of thought leadership and you begin to exhibit thought leadership qualities there – you will find that others begin seeking you out as such.

Thought Leadership Photo via Shutterstock

The post The Link Between Thought Leadership and LinkedIn appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Yahoo Is Testing New Ads For Mobile Apps Similar To Facebook’s

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 12:30 PM PDT

yahoo mobile apps ad

Small business owners and independent developers trying to market their own apps may have a new way to reach a massive online customer base. Yahoo is hoping to emulate Facebook’s success in the mobile market. The online portal is testing new ads for mobile apps. These ads will enable people to click and install apps directly to their mobile phone or tablet.

The smaller number of clicks involved, the more likely it is that someone will buy your app, Yahoo believes. Therefore the company’s plan to have direct app installation links inside ads should encourage customers to buy. And this could result in a big sales boost for developers. Just consider the amount of mobile traffic Yahoo receives.

Right now, only a small select group of advertisers are being allowed to take part in the testing phase. But if successful, the program could be opened to small independent developers including small businesses with apps to sell. The program could allow these app developers to more easily connect with a larger mobile market.

A Yahoo spokesman told Adage:

“We’re testing in-stream ad opportunities with an initial group of advertisers who have mobile apps and who want to connect directly with audiences across Yahoo mobile apps and sites. These tests will begin to appear across all of our properties where in-stream ads run on iOS and Android devices.”

Facebook has a head start though when it comes to generating mobile revenue. More than half of the company’s fourth-quarter ad revenue came from mobile. Their debut into the mobile market in 2012 involved allowing people to buy advertising space in news feeds. As the user scrolls through their news feed, the ads would appear in between their usual posts and status updates.

These ads would have a link to the developer’s app in the App Store or Google Play. On Facebook, the ad also features thumbnail photos of any of your Facebook Friends who were also using that app. Finally, there is also an app store on Facebook itself.

Yahoo, on the other hand, apparently wants to take the opposite approach with an “app discovery service.” The ads will appear in Yahoo’s content feeds.

In Re/Code, Kara Swisher reports:

“According to numerous sources, comes a plan to turn part of the [Yahoo] homepage into a kind of app platform in a project called "Touchdown.” Apparently many months in the making, Yahoo apps – as well as third-party ones – would be published on the highly trafficked site.”

Image: Adage

The post Yahoo Is Testing New Ads For Mobile Apps Similar To Facebook’s appeared first on Small Business Trends.

30+ Ways To Use YouTube Effectively

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 10:00 AM PDT

use youtube effectively

YouTube is one of the hidden gems in online marketing. It is a terrific way for small business owners to compete with the big brands. But creating effective (as in watchable) content and then promoting it can be intimidating.

Of particular interest to business owners who are wondering if the time creating and marketing with video is worth it is the YouTube Partner Program, created in 2007. It now has more than a million creators earning money from their videos. Thousands of channels are making six figures a year.

I grabbed a few statistics from YouTube directly to give you an idea of the opportunity there:

  • More than 1 billion unique users visit YouTube each month.
  • Over 6 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube,  almost an hour for every person on Earth, and 50% more than last year.
  • 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.
  • 80% of YouTube traffic comes from outside the U.S.
  • Mobile makes up almost 40% of YouTube’s global watch time.

The following 30+ ways to use YouTube effectively can help you make the leap into video marketing and harness it for your small business.

Tips to Use YouTube Effectively

  1. One of my favorite training spots is Lynda.com where expert instructors teach on a wide range of topics of interest to small business owners. It is a membership-based site, but worth it if you need to take yourself up a steep learning curve. Here's the full Lynda site based on a search for YouTube courses with 4 courses made up of 109 tutorials.
  2. If you don't know where to begin, The Small Business Guide to YouTube is a good place to get started. Clicking on the "No" answers will give you links to informative content to answer your YouTube questions.
  3. Using YouTube for Your Business provides you with an overview of ways you can use YouTube to improve your business.
  4. Similarly, How to Use YouTube for Effective Marketing gives you ideas for using YouTube to market your business.
  5. Ways to Incorporate Video into Your Business helps you find new platforms for adding video to your content.
  6. This list of 34 Ways To Use YouTube For Business from Gigaom is from 2009, but still loads of great ideas.
  7. Check out 4 Innovative Ways to Use Web Video for Small Businesses for some easy ideas to engage your customers in videos you can produce with little to no cost.
  8. YouTube Channel Setup explains how to get started by setting up a customized YouTube channel where you can publish your videos.
  9. This infographic found at Digital Sherpa points out the major building blocks for creating good video content.
  10. Before you start recording, you should view this Video Marketing Slideshow, which gives you an outline of how to create successful videos that will be seen by others.
  11. Keep your video looking as professional as your business with these 5 Tips to Making Professional Looking Video.
  12. You should also check out Ten Tips for a GREAT Corporate Video. This video offers basic tips to help keep your audience interested in your visual content.
  13. The DIY Marketers Guide to Marketing with Video gives you a list of some tools you can use to create successful videos.
  14. If you are looking for stock videos to enhance your business video, you can find low-cost, royalty free ones at Videohive. Or if you want video, image, sound, illustration and special effects, you can find them all at pond5.
  15. You can also find low-cost, royalty free videos at iStock, but you have to purchase credit packs to buy these.
  16. Flixpress helps you to create professional intros to your videos online from templates. This service offers different plans ranging from free to a monthly fee for heavy users. The templates are priced based on their content (i.e. those containing people cost more), but there are several free basic templates.
  17. If you would prefer to do a screencast instead of filming a video, 5 Free Tools for Creating a Screencast suggests great tools for making video content from your computer screenshots.
  18. Look at How to Utilize Videoblogging for Business to learn about a more visual way of blogging for your business.
  19. 10 YouTube Tips for Small Businesses provides you with good information on presenting your business at its best by suggesting ways to polish your content and channel.
  20. Once your business invests resources in creating a video you want to have people watch it. Use these Simple YouTube Tips for New Traffic to build your viewers.
  21. Ways to Make Your Videos Viral gives you great insight into what makes customers share your video with their friends.
  22. At the same time, you can keep your expectations real by avoiding these 5 YouTube Marketing Mistakes.
  23. An important part of using YouTube or any social marketing is to look at it from a long-term perspective. 4 Tips for Marketing Your Business on YouTube will give you things to think about when developing your YouTube marketing strategy.
  24. Learn how other small businesses were able to make YouTube work for them by checking out these 3 YouTube Success Stories that I wrote for American Express OPEN Forum.
  25. YouTube has its own Keyword Tool to help you find keywords for your video content. This is a great way to take a step toward helping the YouTube search engine (and by extension Google) find your video content.
  26. You can find many tips to help SEO your YouTube Channel and increase your Web visibility with these YouTube Marketing Tips and Maximize YouTube’s Marketing Potential.
  27. You can learn 5 Ways to Promote Your YouTube Video so you develop an audience and grow it.
  28. Watch this YouTube Analytics Tutorial to see how to use YouTube analytics to find out if your videos are working for you. This is a great tool to find help identify what you may want to change or tweak about your YouTube video strategy.
  29. Pixibility Inc. offers an entire YouTube channel devoted to YouTube marketing. They are advertising their YouTube marketing software but have many videos with helpful tips posted. I reviewed the service here on Small Business Trends.
  30. Even if you aren't quite ready to take the plunge into using YouTube to post videos for your business, you can still follow channels that contain content specifically for helping small businesses, such as the U. S. Small Business Administration Channel. This channel is dedicated to keeping you up-to-date with government information for small businesses.
  31. No one has to attend the university to get great advice from the Harvard Business Review. This channel is filled with the latest videos on everything business.
  32. Yes, the Google Business Channel focuses on using Google products to increase your business, but most of it can be done at little or no cost.
  33. Create a video transcript by following Jan Bear's post from her Market Your Book blog. You can also find the same explanations within YouTube's support section. The transcript can help you get found in search engines, an added bonus for the effort.
  34. Don't forget that you can upload/embed your YouTube videos on your Facebook page. I recommend you simply click the Share button just below the YouTube video you are watching and click the Facebook icon. It opens your Facebook page status update if you are logged in. Add your comment and post.
  35. Title your file name with keywords before you upload – or at least something better than letting your camera name it with a bunch of random numbers and letters.
  36. Last tip: Always create a call to action at the end of your video. Splice in a slide that lists your website. The best post that I've seen on this comes from my friend Jay Baer on his Convince and Convert blog (compelling blog name, huh?), 4 Ways to Include Calls to Action on Video.

Video Photo via Shutterstock

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It May Be Time For Your Business to Retire That Old Operating System

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:30 AM PDT

windows xp no longer supported

If you still use Windows XP in your business, Microsoft is planning four security updates for the 13-year-old operating system this week. XP and the new Internet Explorer have both been vulnerable to hacking in recent months. Microsoft says they also have a patch for Explorer to be released this week, too.

But the thing to think about is that Microsoft will stop supporting Windows XP on April 8, 2014. So, aside from possibly one more update, if there’s a problem after that, you’re on your own.

Your computer won’t stop working after this date. On the contrary, it will continue as normal. But with no more security updates coming from Microsoft, it would be the same as leaving your front door open and going to bed. The hackers will just walk right in and potentially damage your operating system and files.

Small businesses are sometimes slow to change, especially after finding a tool that works well for them. Plus the costs of upgrading will put off businesses who are operating on a shoestring budget. But sometimes there is no choice but to make the necessary changes to keep your business efficient.

Below are some possible options.

Windows 7

Theoretically the next stage in the Windows ecosystem would be Vista. But since Vista is also an aging system, we haven’t dealt with it here. If you are going to spend money on upgrading your Windows system, you may as well upgrade to one of the more modern versions of Windows.

Otherwise, in a few years when Microsoft retires Vista, you’ll be right back to square one.

When you are upgrading from XP to Windows 7, it is a rather convoluted and lengthy process. In fact, Microsoft, on its website, recommends that you print out the upgrading guide to refer to. You need to test your PC to make sure it has the specs to handle a more powerful Windows. Before upgrading, you need to move all your files off the computer, as you will be completely wiping the hard-drive.

Another small glitch is that because Microsoft has now moved on to Windows 8, you cannot buy a normal installation package for Windows 7. Instead, you can only get an Original Equipment Manufacturer copy intended for pre-installation on a new personal computer for resale.

However, if you have a skilled IT person or friend, the Windows 7 software can still be installed. You just won’t get any help from Microsoft Technical Support. One other option is to check eBay for used retail versions of Windows 7.

Windows 8.1

windows xp no longer supported

Windows 8 had a bit of a rocky start. First, not everyone appreciated the radical departure from previous  Windows versions. Gone was the Start menu and in were the colorful tiles. The tiles were brought in to entice people to use Windows 8 on a tablet. But for desktop PC users, the tiles were controversial almost from the first.

For the current 8.1 version, Microsoft gives you the complete guide to upgrading from Windows XP. As with Windows 7, you will need to run a compatibility check to make sure that your computer is capable of handling a more powerful version of Windows. If so, you can buy Windows 8.1 from online stores such as Amazon, and from all electrical hardware stores.

You can even bring back the beloved Start menu and boot to the desktop (avoiding Microsoft’s newer tile interface) by installing the free Classic Shell. This will give you a version of Microsoft that might feel more familiar.

Linux

windows xp no longer supported

Of course, alternatives to Windows are also possible. For all the cost-conscious and cash-strapped businesses out there, it may be preferable to go with the completely free and open-source Linux platform.

Linux has always labored under the erroneous image that it is only for geeks who can code in their sleep. Nothing could be further from the truth. Big efforts have been made in the past few years to make Linux more accessible to all and a more viable alternative to Windows.

Being open-source, anyone can make their own version of Linux. This has resulted in literally countless versions of the Linux operating system out there. But the most common one of all is Ubuntu, which is extremely easy to install and use. You can even run it on a USB stick to try out first before taking the leap. You can download the very big installation file from the Ubuntu website. The file is in IMG (image) format, and can be opened and run by using a program such as Virtual Clone Drive.

Just be aware that a lot of Windows software will not have Linux versions, though this is improving. Also, there is no Microsoft Office for Linux (although one is rumored to be coming). How-To Geek provides some workarounds, but honestly, it would just be easier and cheaper to ditch MS Office and use the open-source Open-Office.

Chromebook

windows xp no longer supported

Google has been developing the Chrome operating system for the past 5 years. But it wasn’t until 2011 that the first Chromebooks started to appear. Chromebooks are quite simply laptops that connect to the Net and nothing more. You cannot store files on them, nor can you run software.

If you need to store files, then cloud storage is an option. (For obvious reasons, Google pushes Google Drive very heavily, and Chromebook buyers get extra free storage for at least a year, depending on what model you buy).

So a Chromebook is an option, if all you need to do is go online and if your files are all in the cloud.

Mac OSX

windows xp no longer supported

Last but not least, Mac OSX is an option. Now, this doesn’t mean buying a new Mac computer (not an option unless you have a huge hardware budget.)

But Apple’s current system, Mavericks, is free to download from the Mac App Store. And according to Apple’s own website, Mavericks can run on various older models, the oldest being the MacBook Pro or iMac from 2007. So if you really want to make the switch, you could pick up an older computer from, say, Craigslist or eBay. Then get onto the Mac App Store, and upgrade to Mavericks for free.

The big downside to switching to a Mac is that you will have to get new Mac versions of all your software which, unless you are a freeware fan, will cost you a lot extra. And some Windows software doesn’t have Mac versions.

It may be tempting to just try and plow on with XP, in the hope that things will be OK. But eventually your luck will run out. Without Microsoft to watch your back and plug all the security holes, eventually a hacker will find a way into your system. Then you will have a big problem.

So it’s best to bite the bullet, find the cash and upgrade now. You’ll be thankful later.

Operating System Photo via Shutterstock, Ubuntu Image: Wikipedia, Chromebook: Chromebook

The post It May Be Time For Your Business to Retire That Old Operating System appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Are You a Rule Breaker?

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 05:00 AM PDT

Sponsored Post

rule breaker awards logo

There is no shortage of award programs honoring entrepreneurs, but most measure revenue or growth. While this is not a bad thing, entrepreneurs deserve to be recognized for other contributions.

They should be celebrated for things they don't do:

• They don’t follow.
• They ignore conventional wisdom.
• They take the path less traveled.
• They do it the hard way.

They believe rules are meant to be broken. Did Steve Jobs follow the rules? Did Mark Zuckerberg? Did Elon Musk? Have you?

The Rule Breaker Awards honor and celebrate those entrepreneurs who have succeeded by doing it their way. Some have created whole new industries while others have revolutionized a field that has existed for hundreds of years.

Sponsored by Nextiva, Skype and Constant Contact, the awards salute those who never shirk from obstacles, don’t fear the unknown and persist – despite the odds. They salute the next business leaders.

Awards will be given to 15 entrepreneurs in the technology, retail, manufacturing, food/restaurant and service sectors. Nominations can be submitted digitally, and winners will be selected by popular vote and industry judges.

The Rule Breakers will be honored at a ceremony in New York in June 2014. At that event, one small business innovator will be chosen as the "Rule Breaker of the Year."

Apply now to win the award and its prizes by March 31, 2014 at Rule Breaker Awards.

Barry Moltz is a host at the Rule Breaker Awards in New York City on June 10th. He can be found at BarryMoltz.com.

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A Bluetooth Ring Could Improve Your Productivity Like Magic

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 02:30 AM PDT

bluetooth ring 1

A new Bluetooth ring being promoted in a recent Kickstarter campaign could be a major productivity tool. That includes for the small business owner on the go during those times when it’s not convenient or appropriate to pull out your smartphone.

By syncing with apps on your mobile device, Ring can perform a variety of distinct functions. And all these functions can be activated by a few swipes of your finger — like magic.

In a recent post on Mashable, Andario Strange writes:

“By recognizing finger gestures, Ring allows the wearer to write text messages by simply drawing in the air. The same dynamic allows the wearer to access apps by drawing designated shapes in the air. For example, drawing a music note could access your music player, while drawing an envelope shape would allow you to access your email.”

bluetooth riing

Ring can control appliances and other devices too.

In the promotional video below, a person writes “TV” in midair with their Ring finger and turns on the television in the room.

Ring can also send texts. After writing out a message in midair (as mentioned above), you can make a gesture to send the message, too.

Digital payments with a wave of your hand are another option with Ring. A few gestures in midair with your ring finger, including writing out how much you’re going to pay, will allow you to remit a payment using the device’s Bluetooth feature. Ring also has a vibration and LED display to alert you of incoming messages and alerts.

Gestures with your finger using Ring can activate a wide variety of functions. Up to 1,000 of these gestures can be made before the device requires recharging. Ring does have one glaring shortfall, however, Mashable reports:

“The only obvious shortcoming of the device at this point is that fact that it’s not waterproof. That could turn into a problem for those attempting to use Ring in mobile environments during bad weather, or even inside the home, say, if you forget you have Ring on when you go to wash your hands.”

The Kickstarter campaign for Ring, created by Logbar Inc., San Carlos, California has been highly successful. To date, the device has more than 3,900 backers and has raised more than $600,000 well over its $250,000 goal.

Images: Video Stills

The post A Bluetooth Ring Could Improve Your Productivity Like Magic appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Stripe Updates Checkout for Payments on Your Website, Mobile App

Stripe Updates Checkout for Payments on Your Website, Mobile App

Link to Small Business Trends

Stripe Updates Checkout for Payments on Your Website, Mobile App

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 02:30 PM PDT

Stripe Payments

Stripe has just introduced an update to its Checkout services. The company says it streamlines accepting credit card payments on your website or mobile app.

Stripe allows credit card payments without storing customer information on your servers. Instead that information is sent directly to Stripe for processing. That processing includes encryption of credit card and other information. The service charges businesses 2.9 percent of a customer’s total plus another 30 cents per transaction.

Stripe updates Checkout to tackle several concerns and cater to consumer trends, writes Michaël Villar, a Stripe developer, in a post on the official Stripe Blog.

In one major change, Stripe promises better address support. This includes supporting separate billing and shipping addresses. But the new changes are also designed to make the payment process easier. For example, your customers will only need to enter their street address and zip code at Checkout. The rest — country, city and state — will be filled in automatically by Stripe.

Stripe has also added a “Remember Me” feature that it claims will encourage customers to come back to your store.  It allows your customers to store their credit card and shipping information. When a customer returns to your online store, they’ll receive a text message to confirm their credit card information. The same will happen when customers visit other websites or mobile apps accepting Stripe. Villar writes:

“This in turn enables a rapid checkout experience in the future on any site using Checkout. Our hypothesis was that it would increase conversion rates—and we're delighted that it has been confirmed.”

Stripe says that the changes it has introduced also address the growing use of mobile devices. The explosion in the popularity of mobile payments makes this a very important enhancement for small businesses, too. Villar says that Stripe redesigned Checkout for all devices: Android, iOS, Windows Phone, OS X, Windows, tablet, desktop and mobile.

Stripe says the new Checkout process has already been tested on thousands of sites and through millions of transactions already. If your business is already using Stripe for a checkout system, the new interface will update on its own. If you want to add some of the new features introduced with the update, the Documentation page on Stripe’s site has instructions.

The post Stripe Updates Checkout for Payments on Your Website, Mobile App appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Using Gamification to Drive Brand Awareness

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 12:30 PM PDT

using gamification

With more brands embracing the power of content to build brand awareness, power social media, SEO initiatives and generate leads, it's not surprising that there's an abundance of content on the Web.

If you're an information-seeker, it's a fantastic scenario. But for brands, that means more innovation and creativity are required to stand out from the crowd.

Using Gamification Turns the Ordinary into Extraordinary

Savvy brands are turning to gamification to differentiate themselves from the competition, creating more engaging, interactive experiences that captivate users' attention and create lasting impressions. Audiences have always been interested in engaging activities that offer valuable feedback. Quizzes like this customer service evaluation and this one have been around online for years – and in print magazines for much longer.

Gamification ups the ante with a higher level of interactivity, competition, rewards, and rich media. Happiest Minds (PDF) describes the process of gamification as:

". . .introducing certain game-like constructs such as points and badges to non-game applications like websites and social applications to increase engagement and loyalty."

Designing and Implementing Gamification is a Complex Process

But there's a lot that goes into the gamification process, from conceptualizing an innovative idea and finding a unique and intuitive way to gamify the concept, followed by implementing those ideas in a user-friendly design. Getting into gamification for the sake of being in on the latest trend isn't a good strategy. It's actually pretty easy to miss the mark with gamification, and most brands wouldn't want to throw that kind of budget at a project of that magnitude if it's not going to produce results.

When done right, gamification can result in 100 to 150 percent increases in engagement metrics like page views, time spent on site, and other community activities. But Gartner estimates that as many as 80 percent of gamification initiatives won't meet business objectives, mostly due to poor design.

How Does Using Gamification Drive Brand Awareness?

In order to address the winning tactics in creating successful gamification initiatives, it's important to understand precisely how gamification can enhance brand awareness. This happens in a few different ways:

  • The employee motivation domino effect: Gamification is used as a team motivation strategy internally, by creating friendly competition among sales teams, implementing badge programs and leaderboards, and so on. Motivated employees have higher levels of job satisfaction, and happier employees are more likely to deliver great service. Great service fosters brand loyalty and awareness.
  • Happy customers will spread the word about brands they love in the form of word-of-mouth marketing, social media mentions, and online reviews. Any of these scenarios results in stronger brand awareness.
  • Built-in social sharing features encourage social recognition. A best practice, implementing social sharing functions within the gamification interface encourages users to share their achievements, scores, badges, and the like with their networks. The result? Enhanced brand awareness.
  • Built-in bragging rights: When used internally as an employee motivator, brands are inherently building benefits that can be used in key brand messages. For instance, a company can highlight the fact that 95 percent of its customer service representatives have achieved A+ rating levels based on the company's internal agent rating system.
  • And of course, the obvious scenario is one in which a company totally nails gamification, implementing a program that's infectious and goes viral. Ultimately, these programs can become almost synonymous with the brand. Think along the lines of McDonald's Monopoly.

The fact that gamification can influence brand awareness from multiple angles makes it an especially appealing option for enterprises. But to realize these benefits, effective execution is key.

Value and Motivation: Essential Gamification Components

Cognizant points out (PDF):

“Gamification can inspire a sudden spike in user interest and drive immediate results with even the most rudimentary game elements, such as points, badges, and leaderboards. However, if the audience does not realize value in the long term, the engagement begins to break down.”

Yu-kai Chou, a pioneer and keynote speaker in gamification, names eight core drivers of gamification. Meaning, programs hinged on one or more of these drivers are most likely to succeed. These eight drivers contain concepts that, to marketers, should feel familiar, encompassing ideas such as Development and Accomplishment, Ownership and Possession, and Social Possession and Envy.

In other words, gamification should create a meaningful experience and offer value to the user, by eliciting an emotional response or tapping into some external or internal motivator. After all, it is 75 percent psychology and 25 percent technology, according to Gabe Zichermann, author of two books on the subject, editor of the Gamification Blog and organizer of the Gamification Summit.

Cognizant also touches on four key elements of gamification, but from a more practical standpoint rather than a conceptual one:

Objective

What behavior are you trying to modify among the user base, and why? What does success look like? Tripit, for instance, uses a travel leaderboard to showcase travel statistics for users. The objective: Get people to use Tripit as their first choice for travel arrangements. If choosing one service over another was going to earn you some social status points, which would you choose?

Target Audience

A critical factor in the design process, the minute details of the interface and other elements must be carefully crafted to suit the preferences of the target audience. The Starbucks Rewards program is a great example of this, giving users the very thing most head to Starbucks for in the first place: Coffee.

Innovation

Make it fun. Will your target audience respond to badges? What achievements and rewards will your audience find worthwhile? Check out this Service Provider Challenge tool as an example. This example turns some of the most frustrating aspects of service management into a lighthearted experience, providing actionable insights users can put into practice immediately.

Justification

The compelling reason or reasons that drive your audience to engage and continue to do so. Why will the target user participate? Take a look at Domino's Pizza Chefs program, for instance. Users have an obvious need to continue using this application – every time they want to order pizza.

One of the greatest things about gamification is its limitless potential. Brands can literally take gamification anywhere they can conceive, and in most cases, the more innovative, the better.

With the opportunity to make boring and mundane tasks more exciting while building brand awareness at the same time, it's no wonder gamification is taking enterprises by storm.

Gamification Photo via Shutterstock

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Dropbox To Go Public, Cloud Storage Seems To Be The Hot Space

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 10:00 AM PDT

cloud storage

The cloud storage provider Dropbox has reportedly raised $350 million in private funding and may be contemplating going public, in order to raise even more. Dropbox was the first company to make cloud storage an acceptable and perhaps a “fashionable” way of storing files. Every cloud storage company since has merely been trying to emulate them.

In case you are not familiar, Dropbox starts everyone off on 5GB free. Then you can earn several gigabytes more for free by activating Camera Upload, and having all your phone photos automatically backed up to the service. Referrals to other people bring in a few hundred megabytes each and the company is always running contests to give away even more storage.

If you are a storage junkie though, you will need to pay for more. Dropbox has been criticized for being one of the most expensive cloud storage services and 100GB will set you back $10 a month.

You may wonder how Dropbox fares against its rivals, in terms of service, features and price. Below are the top ten.

Top 10 Cloud Storage Services

Google Drive

cloud storage

It used to be called Google Documents, but now it is Google Drive. Free storage amounts to 15GB, as Gmail and Google+ photos are considered part of the same service. You can store anything you want in Google Drive, and there is a desktop app for dragging and dropping files on your computer. These files are then synchronized to Google’s servers for safekeeping.

More space can be bought, and the prices are extremely cheap, compared to Dropbox. 100GB can be bought for $60 a year, whereas 100GB a year with Dropbox would set you back $120 a year. Plus the big name recognition alone will probably be enough to assure you that this is a service to be trusted and won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

OneDrive

Next, we come to the service formally known as Skydrive (before BSkyB took exception to the name). It is now called OneDrive, and it was relaunched a short time back to great fanfare. 7GB of space is automatically given, with a further 3GB if you switch on the Camera Upload feature. You also get 500MB for every person you refer who signs up for the service.

If you want to buy additional space, then OneDrive surprisingly comes out on top, narrowly beating Google Drive. For 100GB a year, you would pay $50 a year, compared to $60 for Google.

Feature-wise, it is pretty much the same as Google, with one big difference for Windows PC users. In Windows, OneDrive is built into the OS already, so there is no need to download additional software.

iCloud

cloud storage

iCloud has its legions of extremely loyal followers, so it is definitely worth a mention here. However, the drawback is that it is only available for owners of iOS devices. So that makes it a rather narrow club.

When you buy an iOS device for the first time, switch on iCloud, and all of your photos and other images will be automatically backed up to the iCloud servers. You can even schedule how often and when such a backup will take place. But here is another limitation – iCloud by default only backs up images, email and app data. So what happens to all of the important documents on your iPad that you want to make backups of?

That’s where iWorks comes in. iWorks and iCloud are two totally different things. For documents, you need to have Pages, for spreadsheets Numbers, and for presentations Keynote. These three apps are not cheap (they cost about $60 for the whole package), but if you buy them and have your documents in those formats, you can then save your documents to iCloud.

All iOS owners get 5GB free, with paid plans starting at $20 for 10GB. So this is not a budget friendly option.

Amazon Cloud Drive

cloud storage

There’s another big name that has gone into the cloud storage business: Amazon. Amazon Cloud Drive and Amazon Cloud Player both make up part of Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS is becoming a very popular Web hosting company. As with Google, you can be assured of your files’ safety, due to the size and stability of the company.

5GB is offered free of charge, and paid plans start at $10 a year for 20GB. If you want 100GB, that would set you back a paltry $50 a year. So here’s another one that beats Google for price. A desktop app is also provided for easy dragging and dropping, along with syncing online.

Box

Box’s biggest selling point is that the company often gives away lots of free space. By default, you only get 5GB free. But it is not uncommon for Box to hold temporary special offers. For example, you could get 50GB just for downloading the company’s smartphone or desktop app.

However, before you go completely loopy over the huge amount of free space, you should be aware. No file uploaded can be anymore than 250MB in size. So there are definite limitations to what can be stored.

SugarSync

Whenever someone writes a review of the best cloud storage services, one that keeps popping up time and time again is SugarSync. But since it is far from the cheapest service, and does not offer any free space whatsoever, it is difficult to understand what people see in it.

Once downloaded to your computer, SugarSync is accessed by a widget on your desktop. Drag a file onto the SugarSync widget and it will be uploaded to the cloud and to any other computers and devices that you specify.

Upon registering, you get 5GB free for 30 days to test the service. After 30 days, you need to switch to a paid plan. 100GB under the SugarSync plan costs $9.99 a month.

Bitcasa

cloud storage

Bitcasa is another service mentioned a lot, and with good reason.  Users get 20GB free and then for $10 a month, you get one terabyte a year of storage. No, that isn’t a typo. For $99 a year (you get a discount if you pay yearly), you will get ten times the space of Dropbox. If that isn’t enough to get your attention, then nothing will.

If you opt to stick with the 20GB free plan, you can put Bitcasa on 3 devices.  With all plans, you can stream high definition video, which is another plus for Bitcasa.  And of course, all of your files are encrypted, so they are safe.

CrashPlan

CrashPlan is another cloud service plan touted by its fans.

After installing the software program (which comes for Windows, Mac, and Linux), you select a drive on your computer or the entire computer. Then let CrashPlan do its work. It will index the entire contents of the drive or computer. And when that’s done, it runs quietly in the background. It will continually synchronize your files to the CrashPlan servers, so you don’t have to worry about losing the only copy of your presentation.

What is interesting about CrashPlan is that you can use the software for free to backup your files to another of your computers in your office or home. You can also use it to backup to an external hard-drive. But if you want off-site backup, then you need to pay. Prices start from $6 a month for unlimited storage space. The prices go down if you buy several years worth in advance.

Mozy

cloud storage

Mozy is another cloud storage option with many users singing its praises. Mozy comes with all the usual bells-and-whistles you would expect from a cloud backup service. But one service that makes Mozy stand out is that, in the event of a full file restore, you can have the option to have all of your files sent to you on DVDs. Of course, you can have them all sent to you online too. But the option of receiving everything on DVD’s is an interesting one.

Another really interesting service being offered by Mozy is for customers with “hundreds of gigabytes of data” that need to be uploaded. Obviously the initial upload will take forever. So Mozy will send out what they call a “Mozy Data Shuttle.” It’s pretty much an external hard drive. Once you have uploaded your files to it, mail it back. And Mozy will feed your data onto its servers for you.

Ubuntu One

There’s one final cloud storage option on our list: Ubuntu One. And you would be forgiven for thinking that it is restricted only to Linux systems. But it isn’t. Users of all operating systems can use it – even iOS devices.

The one drawback with Ubuntu One is that you only get 5GB free. That’s not great if you stack it up against some of the other services profiled here. But what makes Ubuntu One stand out is that it includes streaming music and 20GB of storage for $3.99 a month. Ubuntu One also has an online music store. If you buy a song from their store, then you get 6 months free music streaming and 20GB free. Even the hard-working small business owner needs to relax sometimes and listen to some music.

If music streaming is not your thing, then Ubuntu One sells storage space in blocks of 20GB at $2.99 a month each. And if you buy 12 months worth, then you get 2 months free.

One thing you should remember. If you pay for these cloud storage services a year in advance, you can get discounts of between 10-15%. It’s something to bear in mind if you are counting the dollars and cents.

Have we missed your favorite cloud storage service?

The post Dropbox To Go Public, Cloud Storage Seems To Be The Hot Space appeared first on Small Business Trends.

That Email From the IRS? It May Be Worse Than You Think

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 07:30 AM PDT

Tax Time Scams
How could it be worse?

It may not be from the IRS, but may instead be an attempt at identity theft, or to hack into your computer, or infect it with malware.

Cybercriminals will be targeting small businesses this tax season with a variety of tricks intended mainly to steal information.

Brian Burch, VP of Global Consumer and Small Business at Symantec, shares examples of the kinds of schemes you may see this year. He also shares tips on how to protect yourself and your business from falling prey to these methods. In a recent email on cyber threats during tax season, Burch explains:

“…at tax time, small businesses are especially lucrative targets for cybercriminals, particularly in the BYOD era where work and personal data is accessed on the same device, including bank records and sensitive emails.”

Experts at Symantec have identified a number of emails that are preying on small businesses this year. Here are three potential scams to watch out for this year as you prepare your tax returns:

  • Financial Trojans: These emails often leverage names of popular accounting software like TurboTax to make you believe it’s a helpful message. Instead, these emails entice you to click on links that may allow your financial credentials to be stolen.
  • Tax season phishing scams: These emails have an HTML file attached. If these attachments are opened, they’ll reside on your computer and capture sensitive financial information. They could not only compromise your business information but also the personal information of your employees, too.
  • Malicious threats like Cryptolocker: These are programs that encrypt files on your computer and hold them for ransom. Hackers often demand payments to unlock these files. And even when/if you do pay a hacker, the files may be lost forever.

Symantec urges vigilance at tax time for small businesses. Burch offers some tips for small business owners to avoid being hacked this tax season.

First of all, having internet security software is a must. But that’s not enough, Burch says. It’s also important to have a backup of your data prepared in the event of an attack or system crash. And when you’re ready to file your taxes, it’s important never to do it over a public network. Filing over a secure Internet connection is vital.

Burch also urges vigilance and to “be suspicious” of all incoming emails this time of year. This especially goes for any email from the IRS. It’s important to remember that the IRS will never email you or your business regarding taxes. And the agency won’t call you, either.

“Scammers are quite good at making emails and links look legitimate, and the most lucrative tax return schemes are based on identity theft, so ensure your email is truly sent from the advertised source before opening it.”

Some other tips that Burch offers are to password protect everything. Also, be careful when choosing passwords. This means not choosing “password” or your name as the key to access your data. Logging out of any application or site that requires personal information is another way to avoid having any information stolen. This is especially key if you’re using a shared computer or are on a public network.

Finally, if you’ve successfully avoided getting hacked through tax prep and filing, you don’t want to fall victim during the final step of the process. Symantec says getting your refund in direct deposit to your bank account is the safest practice.

Tax season scam: Shutterstock

The post That Email From the IRS? It May Be Worse Than You Think appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Fewer Students Plan to Become Business Owners

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 05:00 AM PDT

College students are more concerned with making money now than they were before the start of the Great Recession, research by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) at UCLA, reveals.

Maybe that’s self-evident.

But here’s a more surprising finding: The fraction of students intending to become business owners has also declined since 2007. That's troubling because Americans have generally believed that business ownership is an important path to financial success.

Between 2007 and 2012, the fraction of incoming college freshmen who consider "being very well off financially" to be an "essential" or "very important" goal rose from 74.4 percent to 81 percent, the "American Freshman" reveals.

The surveys show that the share of students reporting "business owner" as their probable career declined 24 percent between 2007 and 2009 as the economy sank under the weight of the financial crisis and Great Recession. The fraction has risen modestly since the economic recovery began, but its 2012 level was 15 percent below the 2007 mark.

Business ownership was not the only career objective to take a hit in recent years. Between 2007 and 2012, the fraction of students planning to become architects or urban planners dropped 44 percent; the portion intending to become secondary school teachers declined 40 percent; the slice planning to be elementary school teachers slid 34 percent; the portion aiming to become foreign service workers dropped 30 percent; the slice intending to become business executives slid 22 percent; and the fraction planning to become lawyer or judges went down by 19 percent.

As students shifted their career plans in response to the weak economy, plans for other occupations increased. The share of students reporting military service as their probable career rose 50 percent; the fraction indicating nursing increased 40 percent; the share planning engineering went up 39 percent; the fraction aiming to become physical, occupational and speech therapists rose 38 percent; the portion planning to become social, welfare or recreational workers increased 30 percent; the fraction intending to be computer programmers or analysts rose 18 percent; and the fraction aiming to be scientific researchers went up 16 percent.

The drop in the share of students intending to become business owners was much larger among men than women. According to the CIRP surveys, the percentage of male incoming students intending to become business owners declined from 5 percent in 2007 to 4.1 percent in 2012. By contrast, the share of female students planning to be in business for themselves slipped from 2 percent in 2007 to 1.9 percent in 2012.

The declines were present at most, but not all, types of academic institutions. A smaller fraction of students indicated that business owner was their probable career in 2012 than in 2007 at public four-year colleges; non-sectarian private four-year colleges; non-Catholic, religiously-affiliated four-year colleges; public universities; and historically Black colleges. However, the fraction of incoming freshmen at Catholic four-year colleges intending to become business owners rose from 3.0 to 3.2 percent between 2007 and 2012, while at private universities, the share of students planning a business ownership career rose from 2.9 percent in 2007 to 4 percent in 2012.

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The Power of Thinking Big, But Starting Small

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 02:30 AM PDT

think big act small

How did Google manage to come out of nowhere? And how did it grow to reach $58 billion in annual revenues in 2013 — all in under two decades?

There are many explanations for the company’s phenomenal growth. But one technique small businesses can learn from is the ability to think big, yet take small steps. Here’s how it works.

In a post from Google’s Think Insights, Google’s former Senior Vice President of Adwords and AdSense, now Senior Vice President at YouTube, Susan Wojcicki explains. The process starts with the company’s Eight Pillars of Innovation. One of those pillars, says Wojcicki, is “think big, act small.”

This means the company may have big ambitious goals. But it starts to achieve those goals by taking small steps, one at a time.

Wojcicki writes:

“No matter how ambitious the plan, you have to roll up your sleeves and start somewhere. Google Books, which has brought the content of millions of books online, was an idea that our Founder, Larry Page, had for a long time. People thought it was too crazy even to try, but he went ahead and bought a scanner and hooked it up in his office. He began scanning pages, timed how long it took with a metronome, ran the numbers and realized it would be possible to bring the world's books online. Today, our Book Search index contains over 10 million books.”

Can you imagine a billionaire scanning book pages? It seems an unlikely picture. But, with that kind of attitude, it’s not hard to see how Google has grown so big and so fast.

Do you have big goals in your business? Do they seem unimaginably far away and hard to obtain? Well, all you need to do is start one step at a time.

Rohit Arora, CEO and Co-Founder of Biz2Credit, tells us the key to achieving any resolution is to set small goals.

Rohit explains:

“Setting a goal of 50 percent growth in a year is noble, but it can be daunting. A smarter way is to plan smaller, more manageable and less overwhelming growth rates for each month of the year. By the time next December rolls around, the overall increase for the year may indeed be closer to the target.”

Start with where you want your business to be next month. You may be surprised at the results.

Think Big Photo via Shutterstock

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