GraphDive Analyzes Social Data to Help Businesses Deliver Relevant Content |  |
- GraphDive Analyzes Social Data to Help Businesses Deliver Relevant Content
- 12 Ways to Avoid Hovering Over Employees
- Incorporate A Business: Choosing A Legal Entity
- Don’t Reward Bad Behavior – How To Address Challenging Team Members
- Beevolve Breaks Out Twitter’s Vital Statistics
- Staples Gambles On Mobile Over Brick and Mortar
| GraphDive Analyzes Social Data to Help Businesses Deliver Relevant Content Posted: 16 Oct 2012 01:00 PM PDT Online businesses are constantly looking for new ways to make content more personal and relevant to users in their target market. Social networks like Facebook and Twitter hold so much data about their users, but all of this data can seem overwhelming and nearly impossible to translate into anything useful for a business. This is the main issue that social data startup GraphDive plans to help businesses of all sizes attempt to solve. This week, the platform opened to users on an invite-only basis.
“Businesses small and large have an urgent need to present their users with more relevant and personalized content and products. They want to make sure that every offer is tailored for the specific needs of each user. We help them achieve that pressing goal with GraphDive’s simple API that leverages Facebook Connect data and sifts through all the noise of your Facebook chatter to discover who each user really is,” said GraphDive CEO Shahram Seyedin-Noor. “This problem is even more acute for smaller businesses that lack the engineering resources of the big players.” GraphDive, which was founded in 2011, has been developing its platform over the past two years to analyze and draw inferences from data found on a number of social networks including Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. In addition to the platform opening for invited users this week, GraphDive also announced its receipt of $1 million in funding from Crosslink Capital, Correlation Ventures, and top angel investors. There are other companies with solutions to help businesses decipher data about their social media networks, but GraphDive's offering isn’t meant to just help a company learn about those who follow them on Twitter or Facebook. The technology utilizes Facebook Connect, so users of the website itself can login with their Facebook accounts. This means that the tool can learn about all users of the site and not just those who choose to connect with brands on social media. Those looking to use the platform can request an invite on GraphDive's Website. "Our focus has been on solving hard problems that deliver immense value to online businesses and their users through increased personalization and relevance," said Seyedin-Noor. The post GraphDive Analyzes Social Data to Help Businesses Deliver Relevant Content appeared first on Small Business Trends.      |
| 12 Ways to Avoid Hovering Over Employees Posted: 16 Oct 2012 11:00 AM PDT Regardless of the industry, entrepreneurs vary when it comes to leadership styles. Some employers prefer the traditional top-down approach, while others treat their employees like equals who can IM them throughout the day and grab drinks with them once that day is over. But altogether, teams are formulated at startups to create things, to get things done — without micromanaging. The approach of "MBWA" or "management by walking around" might sound like an outdated technique, but for some business owners, it still works—if not in a new way. To do so without micromanaging your employees—or even being in the same office space—impacts both a startup's deadlines and the company culture as well. We asked members of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation-only nonprofit organization comprised of the country's most promising young entrepreneurs, the following question to find out their advice for staying on top of their startup's projects:
Here's what YEC community members had to say: 1. They’re the Boss Now “If you’ve hired well, every key employee is more talented than you in their domain. So your value in an MBWA session is to listen, and help untangle challenges. At LabDoor, I’ll usually pull up a chair and sit quietly until I’m up to speed, offer a few pieces of helpful advice, and then let my teammate get back to work.” 2. Gen Y Likes Frequent Check-Ins “Micromanaging gets a bad rap because keeping close tabs on your employees requires a lot of time and effort on the part of the CEO or manager. Gen Y likes to have a lot of feedback, as long as you are allowing employees enough freedom to make mistakes and grow. I think frequently checking in can be a really great thing.” 3. Virtual Teams Tracking Time “With my virtual team, the primary way I review my team’s time is by asking them to log in to track their time reporting. We use oDesk, and when logged in, the program screen captures every few minutes so I can see what my team has done when they log time. This helps ensure that a VA isn’t on Facebook when time is logged for article marketing and provides extra accountability.” 4. Integrate Inquiries into Conversations “I have used MBWA, and I’ve found that it really helps to strengthen one-on-one relationships with the people with whom I work. Once we start talking, it eventually becomes natural to bring up what they’re working on and get a status, and this way, I can motivate them with my excitement in person.” 5. Let Them Be Independent “I don't use this management technique; I encourage my staff to do the best they can and be independent. My staff is held accountable for their projects by setting deadlines, but micromanaging is not useful for any of us. Weekly meetings to discuss project statuses overcome the need for micromanagement.” 6. Keep Your Eyes Peeled “I have used this technique frequently, as it is the only true way to effectively understand how your staff spends its time. Often, I act like I'm merely wandering the floor rather than checking on my staff. I constantly take mental notes, which I later put in writing. When I discuss my findings with staff members, it often leads to great results.” 7. Truly Help Your Team “Each member of our team is accountable for a dozen or more projects, some small and some large. We’re a very collaborative team, but even so, it’s impossible to know what the biggest pain point is at any time. My favorite question is “What can I do to help you?” The answer might be nothing, a small task, or a large one. Regardless, their answer gets me to the root need of everyone.” 8. Don’t Be Old School “Get your team on project management software and begin tracking performance based on productivity and output. You should not be worried about what your team is doing by creeping behind them in the office. Empower your employees by giving them tasks to complete which you can track online and not by becoming that boss that’s breathing down their necks.” 9. Check In Weekly “We use weekly meetings; I don’t use MBWA. I meet with all my direct reports weekly (and they meet with theirs). We cover accomplishments over the past week and priorities for the next The post 12 Ways to Avoid Hovering Over Employees appeared first on Small Business Trends.     |
| Incorporate A Business: Choosing A Legal Entity Posted: 16 Oct 2012 09:30 AM PDT If you’re ready to incorporate a business, one of the simplest ways to create a legal entity for your company is to set up an LLC. The LLC stands for "limited liability company," and it gives you the ability to create a separate legal entity for your business which is separate from your identity as the owner. Like other corporate structures, the LLC gives you a "corporate shield" when you incorporate a business, to separate and protect your personal assets from those of your business. Incorporate A BusinessAbout the LLC (Limited Liability Company)The LLC is a popular choice with small business owners and solo entrepreneurs when it comes time to incorporate a business, because it does not have as many formalities and "red tape" requirements as a C Corporation or S Corporation. The filing requirements are easier, and you don't have to set up a board of directors, host an annual shareholders' meeting, or deal with as many other regulatory formalities. An LLC also offers "pass through taxation," meaning that the company itself does not pay income taxes. Instead, the company's earnings are passed through to the company owners. This makes the LLC a simple and effective choice for many solo entrepreneurs, who get the personal asset protection of a corporation without having to deal with the additional paperwork involved with setting up an S Corporation. Here’s a comparison of the S Corp versus the LLC. Another unique feature of an LLC is that the owners can choose different "tax treatment" by filing additional forms with their tax returns. For example, you can choose to have your LLC taxed like a C-Corporation, or you can choose pass-through taxation like a sole proprietor, or you can choose to treat your LLC like an S-Corporation for tax purposes. If you’re ready to incorporate a business and form an LLC to protect your personal assets and boost your business credibility, talk to CorpNet today for a free business consultation. About the S CorporationIf you’ve decided to incorporate a business, perhaps you’ve wondered:
One option for business owners who want to minimize the amount of taxes they owe while still enjoying the most flexibility in how to set up and run their company is to incorporate as an S Corporation. The S Corporation is a corporate structure governed under subchapter S of Chapter 1 of the IRS Code. As such, S Corporations have unique tax rules which can offer special benefits for the owners. The S Corporation is one of the most popular business structures in America, with over 3 million small businesses incorporated as (or filing taxes as) S Corporations. Perhaps the biggest tax advantage of an S Corporation is that they can help the business owner minimize the amount of self-employment tax that is owed. When you're a sole proprietor, often the biggest line on your tax bill is the amount of self-employment taxes collected for Social Security, Medicare, unemployment and other programs – this can add up to approximately 15% of your eligible earnings. With an S Corporation, the company is governed by pass-through taxation (like an LLC), and so the company itself does not owe any taxes. Instead, the company's earnings are listed on the owners' individual tax returns. But with an S Corporation, the owners have some flexibility in how they report their earnings, and in doing so, they can often minimize their self-employment income tax liability. For example, an S Corporation that earns $100,000 in profit could pay the owner a $50,000 salary (which is subject to self-employment taxes) and also pay the owner a $50,000 distribution (which is not subject to self-employment taxes). Assuming approximately a 15% self-employment tax rate, the owner of the S Corporation would have saved $7,500 on self-employment taxes. One drawback of the S Corporation is that you are limited in the number of shareholders that can own a piece of the company. There is a maximum of 100 shareholders that can take part in an S Corporation, and only one class of stock can be issued. This means that S Corporations cannot be used for an initial public offering, and it also makes it hard to use an S Corporation if you want to raise venture capital. Another restriction of S Corporations is that only U.S. Citizens can be shareholders. If you incorporate a business as an S Corporation, it is not to be taken lightly, as there are numerous business filings and regulatory requirements that need to be done throughout the year. So you’ll have to decide if the S Corp is right for your small business. If you want to learn more about how you can incorporate a business as an S Corporation to protect your personal assets, talk to CorpNet today for a free business consultation. All About The C Corporation The third main choice of business structure that entrepreneurs can choose when it’s time to incorporate a business is the C Corporation. Although the C Corporation has more complicated tax and regulatory filing requirements, it is an ideal choice for certain types of companies with certain business goals. A C Corporation is a standard corporation owned by shareholders who elect a board of directors to oversee the management of the business. Shareholders generally have limited liability, even if they are involved in the day-to-day management. The shares of a corporation are freely transferable unless limited by agreement of the shareholders. The corporation exists indefinitely, unless and until it is dissolved by the shareholders. It is a separately taxable entity, meaning that the company must file its own tax return and pay corporate taxes on its profits. There is no limit on the number of shareholders a C corporation may have. C Corporations can create multiple classes of stock, such as "preferred shares" with advantageous terms for certain shareholders. This makes C Corporations a popular choice for businesses that want to raise venture capital or make an initial public offering (IPO). One potential drawback of C Corporations is that they are subject to "double taxation" – meaning that the company itself has to pay corporate income taxes on profits, and then those profits are taxed again as dividends when paid out to shareholders. Working with a professional tax accountant can help you understand your options to effectively minimize your tax liability. If you’re ready to incorporate a business as a C Corporation to protect your personal assets and boost your business credibility, talk to CorpNet today for a free business consultation. Choosing a business structure can be complex, but you don't have to worry about making “the wrong choice,” because you can always change your choice of business structure by filing the appropriate forms. If your business is growing or your business needs have changed, you can switch from an LLC to an S-Corporation to a C-Corporation and back again. Whether you need a basic LLC to protect your personal assets, or whether you need a more complex C Corporation structure that could help your company raise venture capital or “go public” someday, you can incorporate a business according to your needs and can change as your business evolves. One of the best things about entrepreneurship is the way it enables us to adapt and evolve as our interests and the needs of our markets change – and incorporating a business is the same way. Even if you’re not sure of which business structure to choose, you don’t have to fear making the wrong decision. Just get started. Incorporate a business and protect your personal assets, and you can move forward from there. Researching Photo via Shutterstock The post Incorporate A Business: Choosing A Legal Entity appeared first on Small Business Trends.     |
| Don’t Reward Bad Behavior – How To Address Challenging Team Members Posted: 16 Oct 2012 08:00 AM PDT What happens when a co-worker or team member speaks in an aggressive or passive aggressive manner that tends to take over or misdirect your meetings and your projects? If you sit there in silence, it's a passive way of condoning their message. Of course, being silent doesn't automatically mean that you agree with what's happening — at least in your head. You just may be tired of addressing it. Or you don't think it's a big deal, so you let it go. After 12 years in management I understand that the leader sets the tone. And whatever she allows will continue to happen. Situations won't just disappear because you wish they would.You and your leaders have to address issues. And how you do this sets the tone for your company environment. You won't have the privilege of being the teams BFF (best friend forever). But you can have their respect and be surrounded by a productive and effective group that moves your company forward — and that's good for business. Instead of rewarding bad behavior with your silence, here are three decisive moves to help protect and restore your standards and the teams focus. 1) Create a standard for company behavior.Teach that standard during orientation and bring it up periodically during your regular staff meetings and trainings. 2) When a team member violates that standard, then remind them and move on.A former employee used to disrupt every staff meeting and training session that he was in with me. This included holding side conversations with other team members, changing the subject and/or consistently challenging why we had to do this type of training. Nothing we did in that company was fluff, so I stood my ground and trained my team in a way that cut down the turnover rate. But I also addressed every aggressive and passive aggressive attack directly and calmly. Being direct doesn’t mean that you have to "go off." It does mean, however, that you have to stand up and lead your team. If you don't, an unofficial leader will. 3) If it continues to happen, then the reprimand needs to be formal and documented.Addressing them directly allows you to deal from one grown up to another. It demonstrates that "even though we have a problem, I'm looking to catch you doing good as much as possible." But as my father says, some people will "mistake your kindness for weakness." And you will have to address that — all effective leaders do. Your goal is to build a strong team that supports your clients.Likewise, as they serve your clients, you serve your team. You have to train them to make sure they are qualified. You have to work to understand their true motives to ensure that they match your company values. If those values don't line up, it will be a problem down the road. And then you have to put them in the right position. And sometimes that position is not with your team or your company. Instead of letting it die a slow death and destroy your small business team in the process. You may need to get them out of the wrong position and the right person in as soon as you possibly can. You have a business to run. Legal IssuesIf you're concerned about potential legal issues, then talk to your human resources department, a lawyer who specializes in human resources, or the director at the department of labor to understand your rights as an employer. I had to move that employee off my team. Eventually, he left the company on his own, and we haven't worked together in over 5 years. But he called last week praising the training and thanking me. I appreciated the call. But isn't that funny? Note to self:
The post Don’t Reward Bad Behavior – How To Address Challenging Team Members appeared first on Small Business Trends.     |
| Beevolve Breaks Out Twitter’s Vital Statistics Posted: 16 Oct 2012 05:00 AM PDT Beevolve, a platform for social media analytics, set out on a quest to break down Twitter's vital statistics and share them with users and marketers everywhere. Mining through data from 36 million Twitter profiles, the site analyzed everything from basic demographic information to gender preferences to smartphone & app preferences. If you're looking to get a better understanding of how normal users, not us tech geeks and marketers, are using Twitter, this is a good study to check out. So what does the normal Twitter user look like?
The most common Twitter user is said to be an English-speaking 28-year-old female with an iPhone. She has 208 followers. The data may serve as a reality check to some to show that normal users don't use the micro-blogging service the same way that they do. We're not all super-connected with mass followings, and many users spend more time listening to conversations than actually engaging in them. For a small business owner or consultant looking to grow a healthy Twitter following, this is really important to take into account. It means you need to be more proactive about finding your targeted audience and starting conversations with them; we can't wait for users to engage with us. We often hear about the power Tweeters who are using social media to talk directly to the brands they love, but some Tweeters are waiting for you to open the conversation. It doesn't mean they're not listening, just that they're not sure how to get involved. How can SMBs help start that conversation?
While the data pulled together by Beevolve is certainly interesting based on the large sample size, I can see how it might discourage some business owners at the same time. Accordingly to the results, more than 70 percent of users are between the ages of 15-25. If your target demographic is older, does that mean Twitter won't work for you? Not at all! Remember, those ages were pulled from Twitter users who self-disclosed. I don't know many 40-year-olds who feel the need to put their age in their Twitter bio. While Beevolve's data serves as a great starting point to understand the mindset of the "normal" Twitter user, I may not be your normal Twitter follower. If you don't know the demographics of who follows you on Twitter, I recommend using a tool like Beevolve or PeekAnalytics to help you get a better idea. By simply entering in your Twitter handle, you'll get information like audience demographics, age range (broken out by gender), interests, level of social media use (light, medium, heavy), etc. Because at the end of the day, what's really important is the data that's going to help you connect with your audience, no one else's.
The post Beevolve Breaks Out Twitter’s Vital Statistics appeared first on Small Business Trends.     |
| Staples Gambles On Mobile Over Brick and Mortar Posted: 16 Oct 2012 02:30 AM PDT A big box chain with a strong Web presence is betting heavily on the mobile revolution. Office products leviathan Staples says it will concentrate on mobile and online efforts at the expense of its brick and mortar business. The announcement comes after a report shows a dramatic increase in mobile ad share. Many experts argue mobile is becoming a huge channel for business. Here are some things every business owner should know when going mobile. Buying InMobile becomes staple of retail. The days of the big box retailer may truly be numbered as Staples not only pushes to boost mobile and e-commerce efforts, but also vows to shrink its retail square footage in North America by 15 percent over the next three years. The company will also close 45 stores in Europe by the end of 2012, and says it will focus on mobile marketing to grow what it claims is already the second biggest retail business on the Web. ZDNet Advertising is on the move. A study suggests a dramatic rise in online advertising over the past year, but nowhere nearly as stunning as over mobile channels. Here the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers claim an incredible 95 percent growth spurt in mobile advertising as customers communicate and consume information more and more over mobile devices. E-Commerce Times Wake-up callWhy we’re romancing the phone. Yep, no doubt about it. We’re in love with our smart phones. So in love, in fact, that mobile communications may be more of a revolution than social media, and businesses need to understand where this relationship is headed, says live media expert Andrea Cook. She’s brought along a big, colorful infographic to show you why. Social Media Explorer Mobile imitates life. There are a lot of reasons that mobile is taking over, says Tim Hayden, a mobile marketing strategist. One is its ability to engage the offline world. Mobile engagement starts in the physical world, often with traditional media, with searches instigated from things seen on TV, in stores, or on billboards. There are some other reasons your business should be paying attention to the mobile revolution. Edelman Digital Everything’s In MotionWhat’s in store? A less anticipated use of mobile technology is this iPad Kiosk for your brick and mortar retail location. Imagine using mobile technology as way to help your real world customers meet their needs. The biggest question may not be whether this would be a good investment for your business, but rather, what might be the best place to put it. iPad Kiosk Solutions The best way to talk to humans. If you want to engage with customers, there is no doubt that the way they prefer to communicate is via mobile device, says mobile marketing expert Jed Alpert. In this interview with Chris Hamilton, Jed talks about the best way to think about mobile marketing. It’s doing all the things ordinary marketing entails, but using the channel that’s now most popular with your customers. Sales Tip a Day Mission critical. If you won’t listen to us, listen to Google. The search engine giant says a mobile presence is critical for business. Here’s a scary stat to consider: Sixty-one percent of users say they’ll move on to another site if they can’t find the information they’re looking for in a mobile format. You may be loosing visitors right now who have no patience with a Web presence that doesn’t cater to their smartphone or tablet! Small Business Trends The post Staples Gambles On Mobile Over Brick and Mortar appeared first on Small Business Trends.     |
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