Our Last Events List of 2013 |  |
- Our Last Events List of 2013
- Improve Conversion, Spot Difficult Customers and More
- 10 Tips for Greater Online Privacy
- “Revenue and The CMO” Provides Case Study Worth Reading
| Posted: 28 Dec 2013 03:30 PM PST With just a few days left in 2013, we’re now looking ahead to 2014 and the events to come. We expect to update in the coming week or two, but for now, please check out the list of small business events, conferences, seminars, context and awards for 2014. Welcome to our latest curated list of events, contests and awards for small businesses, solo entrepreneurs and growing companies. 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
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This weekly listing of small business events, contests and awards is provided as a community service by Small Business Trends and SmallBizTechnology. The post Our Last Events List of 2013 appeared first on Small Business Trends.      |
| Improve Conversion, Spot Difficult Customers and More Posted: 28 Dec 2013 12:30 PM PST
15 Tools to Improve your Conversion (J Plus Media Solutions) Different online businesses will likely define conversion in different ways. To some, it means visitors buy something while on your site or email you about your services. To other, it just means getting people to sign up for your newsletter. In either case, this list of tools from Adam Connell may help you get more. How to Identify a Difficult Customer (Mosiac Networx) When you first met with them, they seemed like the perfect fit for your company. But all of that has changed. Today they treat your firm with condescension and lack of respect. Here’s how to spot this kind of customer ahead of time. Wearable Technology will Change your Business (Get Saga Blog) They include smartwatches, Google Glass and other devices that may not have gotten as much coverage in the news. This may have been the year of wearable technology, writes Kevin Rexroat. It is a movement likely to change our business and personal lives in the years to come. 8 Digital Marketing Firms Have Holiday Fun (Marketing Land) An important part of effective marketing is letting customers know a bit more about your business’s personality. Matt McGee shares eight examples of video hijinx for the holidays from some prominent marketing firms. Now You Can Buy a Starbucks Franchise — in Europe (The Franchise King) Franchise King Joel Libava has some exciting news. For the longest time he’s been telling those interested in buying a Starbucks franchise that know such opportunities exist. But all of that had changed now. If, of course, you live in UK and France. Using LinkedIn for Content Marketing (Link Humans) Content marketing is a huge part of the use of social media. Few think about LinkedIn as a marketing channel. It seems more like a networking channel for professionals. But before you assume this is the case, have a look at this post. A Guide to Weekly Roundups (The Practicing IT Project Manager) OK. We thought this one was interesting. Of course, Small Business Trends isn’t the only website to publish weekly news roundups. Here’s blogger Dave Gordon’s guide to the preparation of his weekly roundup. Perhaps we can pick up some tips as well! Google Plus Post Ads Unveiled (Search Influence) Thanks to Will Scott for this post on a new advertising option over at Google Plus. Have you heard of the Post Ads yet? Supposedly, they are a completely different animal than the sponsored posts on Facebook and Twitter. Check it out. Communities are a Great Place to Get Information (BizSugar) Communities are not just great places to network and share your marketing message. They can also be great places to share valuable information. Here BizSugar member Becky Holsen posts some cool information on where to get photos for your blog or other business website. Very helpful. Thanks, Becky! If you’d like to help us create a better community news and information roundup, we’re always open to suggestions. Just email us at sbtips@gmail.com with suggestions. Or submit your content to the BizSugar.com community. We often listen in to the site for more on what the small business community is talking about. So feel free to join in. Business tablet via Shutterstock The post Improve Conversion, Spot Difficult Customers and More appeared first on Small Business Trends.     |
| 10 Tips for Greater Online Privacy Posted: 28 Dec 2013 09:00 AM PST Comedian Jack Vale (pictured above) recently took to the streets of California to freak out unsuspecting pedestrians. Vale simply searched for social media posts around his current location and then did some research on the users to make them think he knew the personal details of their lives. You can view the entire prank in the video below. While the prank was made for entertainment, it has raised some concerns about social media privacy. If it's so easy for someone to learn these details on social media, maybe some people aren't doing enough to protect their information. Here are a few tips to help you protect your personal information on social media. 1. Monitor YourselfSet up a Google alert for your name and/or business name so that you know if anyone is using your information inappropriately. It can also help you monitor your online reputation. 2. Review Your SettingsIn a post on Social Media Today, Mike Johansson suggests:
Facebook, for example, automatically sets your posts and profile information to public. So if you want only friends or certain people to see your information, you'll need to go into your settings and change them. Other sites also allow you to make private profiles or protect posts from certain users. Take at least a few minutes when signing up to review the settings and decide how to best use them. 3. Control Tagged PostsSome sites, like Facebook, allow others to tag you in photos or posts that then appear on your own profile. To avoid these tagged posts accidentally giving away your location while you’re on vacation or traveling for business, The Nationwide Blog recommends:
[Image: Facebook] For other platforms that may not have the same settings, consider just talking to your friends and family to go over any guidelines for tagging you in posts or photos. 4. Use Caution With Location Based AppsChecking in at local businesses and other locations can help you interact with brands and like-minded individuals. But letting people know where you are at all times can also be an obvious privacy concern. If you're worried about people knowing your current location, but you still want to check in, doing so right before you leave can help you interact while still enjoying some privacy in person. You should also regularly monitor which apps have access to your location data on your mobile device. As Jonny Evans of Computerworld reports.
5. Protect Your Mobile DevicesMobile devices can hold so much personal data. It's important to have a plan in place for if your device is lost or stolen so your information doesn't end up in the wrong hands. Apps and programs like Norton Mobile Security or Google Sync can help you track your device or wipe your information if lost. You should also consider using a password to get into your device. 6. Use Two-Step VerificationSome programs like Gmail give you the option to use a two-factor login system. This often means that sites will require you use both your computer and phone to sign into your account. Taking advantage of this makes it twice as hard for people to hack into your accounts and get access to your information. [Image: Google] Dave Lewis of CSO Online explains:
7. Consider Your BrowserCookies and browser history are directly tied to online privacy. So clearing them regularly is a must. But you should also be aware of your preferred browser's policies on cookies. An infographic at WhoIsHostingThis.com outlines some of the other factors that impact online privacy, such the kind of browsers we choose to search the Web. For example, the WhoIsHostingThis.com team suggests concerned individuals stay away from Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Safari, suggesting:
Instead, the site’s team recommends opting for Mozilla Firefox, Opera, or Tor. [Image: WhoIsHostingThis.com] 8. Be Careful What You ShareAside from not wanting your personal information out there for all to see, sharing certain tidbits with a large audience (like your Facebook connections or Twitter followers) can invite hackers and compromise your accounts. An official post at the Microsoft Safety & Security Center recommends:
So consider the information from such questions, and other personal tidbits, very carefully before broadcasting them on social media. 9. Don't Blindly Click LinksLinks in messages and posts on social networking sites aren't always what they seem. Hackers and others trying to gain personal information can lure unsuspecting users into giving away their passwords and other data. Online security experts at Kaspersky Lab recently told Telegraph Media Group:
10. Log OutStaying logged into your social accounts and having them remember your passwords is certainly convenient. But it also leaves you vulnerable for anyone who uses or gains access to your device to use your accounts and find your personal data. To combat this, log in and out of your accounts each time you use them, and use particular caution on public or shared devices. Image: Jack Vale Films The post 10 Tips for Greater Online Privacy appeared first on Small Business Trends.     |
| “Revenue and The CMO” Provides Case Study Worth Reading Posted: 28 Dec 2013 06:00 AM PST
But some authors hit that perfect balance, short enough for the busy small business person and yet the perfect length to deal with the subject matter effectively. That's the case with “Revenue and The CMO: How Marketing Will Impact Revenue Through Big Data and Social Selling…and How To Get Started“. The author Glenn Gow (@CrimsonCEO) addresses big data needs from the perspective of a company’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Gow is more than a business expert. He is also CEO of Crimson Marketing, a fast-growing Inc. 500 technology marketing firm. My review e-copy arrived courtesy of the Crimson team. A Case Study and Lessons LearnedThis book is a short read – 90 pages – with half of that dedicated to a case study and half made up of lessons learned. The case study is a story about a CMO, Mary, who is frustrated with being under-appreciated. A conversation with the VP of Sales, Sal, leads to an examination of how to fix a three quarter sales decline at the company. They rely on developing a pilot for a social selling program meant to improve the sales team's engagement with customers in the sales cycle. At first blush, I'll admit I felt some uncertainty about the content's value relative to today's technological landscape. Most discussions about big data these days are a bit more technical and difficult to handle adequately in such a short treatment. For a while, part of me wished Gow had chosen a more pressing big data issue. Examples might include the problems posed by the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) movement or the challenge of integrating a new database into a legacy database structure. But ultimately I got what Gow was attempting to do with this book. The text speaks to sales teams that are impacted by customer response to multichannel marketing. Thus Gow’s approach differs from the detailed strategy provided in books like “Islands of Profit In a Sea of Red Ink.” It simplifies just enough to recommend steps regardless of technological specifics. For example, read how Gow views the role of the marketer in almost any organization:
Customers are receiving information through numerous sources. This impacts the sales funnels, and forces sales reps to adjust their tactics around three customer actions – trigger, research, and purchase. That impact may be driven by social media and big data. But working out the organizational details to handle it can best be done by leveraging your people. Make sure they’re on board with the changes that need to be made. That will make your tech decisions a bit easier to address. This approach works particularly well for workplaces resistant to change. As an example, Gow notes steps for a social selling pilot that addresses said resistance. Look at this tip regarding setting up responsibility for the pilot.
If your sales team is really stuck – or seeing declining sales as described in the case study – you'll find the latter half of the book particularly worthwhile. The tips focus more on organizational hazards that occur way before the any discussion of changing the way your company’s data is shared or any other technical consideration. And Gow does note the value of optimizing a sales force. Indeed the opening pages note a statistic about how sales intelligence increases revenue. Bottom line: you’ll likely find this book a helpful aid for on-the-go marketers, sales teams, and managers. The book's short and concise approach makes it a good supplement for slightly more detailed sales books such as “How To Sell When No One is Buying” or a book on teamwork such as “Shortcut.” Use “Revenue and The CMO” as a way to open a dialogue about the changes that need to be made in your data management strategy. The post “Revenue and The CMO” Provides Case Study Worth Reading appeared first on Small Business Trends.     |
Selecting a unique business book is difficult sometimes. Some topics require a lengthy treatment that may not fit into a busy schedule. Others are given too few pages to offer much insight on a topic.| You are subscribed to email updates from Small Business Trends To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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Richard White: My personal background is really what I call design engineering. UserVoice came out of my struggles as someone who is a designer, working on software-as-a-service [SaaS] applications. I started working on SaaS applications at Y-Combinator companies back in 2005, 2006.
