Archive for 'trends'
Columbus, Ohio Named #1 Up and Coming Tech City
March 17th, 2008 by John Herman, under technology, trends. No Comments
We are finally becoming a tech city instead of a cow town.
The 25 Basic Styles of Blogging … And When To Use Each One
March 14th, 2008 by John Herman, under blogs, client communication, internet marketing, technology, trends. No Comments
Technology and Our World to Come
March 18th, 2007 by John Herman, under change, technology, trends. 2 Comments
Top Ten Lists + Forbes = Business Love
March 7th, 2007 by John Herman, under Uncategorized, operations, small business, strategy, trends. No Comments
Are you a business owner? Are you thinking of starting a business?
If you’re still in the planning phases, you may need to do some rethinking if you have one of The 10 Riskiest Businesses to Start. From Travel Agency to Retail Store, there are pitfalls and problems listed that would make any budding entrepreneur cringe with fright!
There is something…though…that we noticed. Something that made us really, really excited. Excited enough that we called our friends and had them look at the article…exciting enough that we couldn’t help but blog about it.
Business consultants aren’t on the list.
Niche businesses aren’t on the list.
Our clients aren’t on the list.
This was like three strikes for the team you can’t stand. While we have all the respect in the world for people trying to start any business, no matter what the odds, we couldn’t help but giggle maniacally as we realized that globalization and the changing landscape of business was not scary at all for those who’ve already embraced the challenge of living in a world that’s become, well, a little flat.
How is your business faring in the new economy? Are you faltering? Looking for a new image? From medium sized businesses to niche market startups, Succeeding Steps really has their eye on the prize. The prize? Your success. You can find a company that is cooler, you can find a company that can do the electric slide better, but when it comes to branding and business strategy, we blow the competition out of the water.
Hot Online Trends
December 4th, 2006 by John Herman, under trends. No Comments
Entrepreneur.com recently published Kim Gordon’s 10 Marketing Trends to Watch in 2007. Here are some things you should have been doing in 2006.
Web Conferencing
As business travel becomes increasingly challenging due to increased security, advance check-in times and transportation delays, online workshops and meetings that require no travel are coming to the forefront. It’s more desirable than ever to demo your new product to a group or make a sales presentation without anyone ever leaving home. Participants can watch your presentation on their computer monitors and hear you live on their computer speakers or by phone.Online Research
Whether you sell exclusively online or primarily through a brick-and-mortar site, online research will have a profound impact on your sales in 2007. When asked how often they researched products online before buying them in person or in a store, 87 percent of nearly 7,500 respondents to a BIGresearch “Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey” said they did so occasionally to regularly. And a comScore research study showed that 63 percent of searchers completed a purchase in offline retail stores following their research activity. So no matter whether you sell online, off-line or both, you need a great website with deep, persuasive content that keeps your prospects and customers shopping on your site or going to your store.
Local Search
Want to know where to invest your online marketing dollars in 2007? Aim for higher rankings in the top search engines. Sixty-two percent of searchers click on a link within the first page of results, according to a report from iProspect and Jupiter Research. To win higher rankings in natural search results, you can optimize your site by sprinkling the keyword phrases your best prospects will be searching for throughout all the pages of your site, in your page descriptions and in metatags. You should also secure links to your site from other high-ranking websites.This article recommends investing in a paid search campaign. That may be a good idea if you can afford it. If not, you can find the tools you need to do it yourself either online or at your local library.
For more information about Marketing Trends to Watch in 2007, read Gordon’s complete article at http://smallbusiness.aol.com/start/startup/article/_a/10-marketing-trends-to-watch-in-2007/20061129151209990002.