Business.com |
- How to Jump-Start Your 2020 Marketing Campaign
- Small Business Technology Trends for 2020
- 5 Traditional Advertising Methods That Still Work
- How to Boost Your Programming Skills
| How to Jump-Start Your 2020 Marketing Campaign Posted: 09 Dec 2019 08:00 AM PST 
The year 2020 is right around the corner, and marketers are trying to find new ways to reach their target audience. We thought long and hard about the marketing trends that are going to pick up next year and gain strength as we head toward 2021. We are going to take a look at five of the biggest trends emerging in the marketing world and tell you how to implement this technique in your own small to medium-sized business. Optimize for voice searchVoice search is one of the trends that many marketers saw coming, but few were prepared to tackle. Many marketers and business owners thought that voice search was going to end up a novelty item, only used once by the curious consumer. Now, smart devices from Amazon, Google Home and more have considerably changed the voice search landscape. Experts estimate that by 2020, 50% of all searches will happen with voice instead of text. Due to this dramatic shift in search habits, marketers are starting 2020 off right by preparing for consumers that might find value on their website, but use their voice to navigate through Google's search engine. There are several ways you can prepare for the new year by optimizing your site for voice search. The priority for most marketers is the type of content they create, along with more appropriate search terms. Voice search will make a huge difference for consumers worldwide, but it's particularly useful when it comes to local marketing. A small shift in your keywords can produce significant results. The key is to identify user intent and use that thought process when you're designing your keywords. For example, someone using a mouse and keyboard might search for "Seafood restaurants in Los Angeles," where someone using voice search might say something like, "Fish dinner near me." Deciding on user intent and implementing smart keywords that sounds more like spoken word instead of written text will make a huge difference for businesses in 2020. Fine-tune mobile UXMobile UX is a significant driving factor in sales, user engagement and conversions. There are currently 3.7 billion mobile users worldwide, and that number is expected to climb to 5 billion by the end of 2019. The message here is simple: Consumers want content and brands that they can access while they are on the go. If you haven't made your mobile responsive site a priority, now is an excellent time to get started. There are plenty of reasons why optimizing for mobile isn't just the smart thing to do; it's the right thing for customers. We have an obligation to our consumers to deliver a top-notch experience that they can appreciate from their desktop, tablet or smartphone. There are plenty of factors that come into play when you're designing for mobile. Think about crucial design choices, like your checkout page. Do you require consumers to go through four pages before they complete their purchase? If so, you might be losing out on a large percentage of your mobile customers. It's also interesting to note that 95% of all paid traffic that goes through Google is shown on mobile devices. Imagine spending a ton of money on your marketing campaign, only to realize that approximately half of your audience is unable to access your site due to mobile design. Create personalized experiencesPersonalization is more important than ever before. Companies like Netflix and Amazon have mastered the art of personalization by building lists of products and tv shows for consumers based on their purchase and watch history. Business owners and marketers realized that this is an excellent opportunity to make personal, enjoyable experiences for their customers. There are a couple of different ways marketers are using personalization in 2020. One of the most compelling examples of this is the innovations marketing services have implemented when it comes to how you can target consumers. Instead of looking at their information and making a split-second decision, marketing programs can analyze visitors behind the scenes – with their permission, of course. The result is a richer experience where consumers are getting offered products and blog posts that are relevant to their lives. Not only is this an excellent tactic for getting consumers interested in your brand, but it's also an excellent way to build trust with your audience. Merge chatbots with customer serviceCustomer service and support teams are meant to help consumers when they have questions, but it's also an excellent marketing tool for your business. In 2019, consumers demanded that companies respond to them within an hour; otherwise, the chance of them going to another company increased sharply. Live chat is an essential feature for consumers that have complicated issues that requires someone with experience. You never want your customers to come away from a customer service experience feeling more confused than they felt when they reach out. The purpose of putting a live chat option on your website is to address issues and answer questions. Business owners are now implementing chatbot agents to help website visitors with more general questions. For instance, if someone comes to your pet supply website and asks about dog collars on your chatbot, the AI will send them a list of results showing products tagged underdog and collars. Additionally, some businesses are using chatbots to help consumers with common problems like password changes, delivery reports, and more. As more people get comfortable talking to chatbots next year, we expect to see an increase in the businesses that merge chatbots with their live support team. Inject brand personality and engageThe best way to reach your target audience in 2020 is through consumer engagement. Businesses are now creating brand personalities to build rapport and communication with followers on social media. Until the "Sassy Wendy" campaign launched for Wendy's fast-food restaurant, the company was losing sales and the attention of consumers. Of course, your brand personality doesn't have to seem so bold. You could opt for something a little more conservative, like a funny monster or a relatable character. The important thing here is that you create a personality that encourages your audience to share your content, direct message you on Twitter and comments on your blog posts. When it comes to engagement, you should think about the type of content you're posting on your social media channel. For example, video content has a 1,200% higher share rate when compared to other kinds of posts. If you want to launch a killer marketing campaign in 2020, you should include your product line and information in a video for more shares and engagement. ConclusionThe role of marketers has evolved rapidly over the past decade. Technology has given us more resources than ever before to reach our customers. We have to make sure we are making smart decisions and focus on creating marketing campaigns that spread beyond one message or platform. You want your marketing to define your brand, and these tips will help you succeed in 2020. |
| Small Business Technology Trends for 2020 Posted: 09 Dec 2019 07:00 AM PST  As the owner of a small business, you are always looking for ways to improve your company. Here we've highlighted some of the key tech trends in 2020 for exactly that. Whether you've just launched your startup or are trying to keep your business at the forefront of innovation, new technology is constantly being created for you to take advantage of. Below we've highlighted some of the new ways you can grow your market, improve efficiency and protect your company. Influencer marketingScrolling through your social media, it's expected to find promotional and branded content. Today the highest-paid athletes in the world, such as Christiano Ronaldo, make more on Instagram than on the field. The technique of using a big name to sell something is not new however, social media platforms allow ads to appear on your screen with far more ease and subtly than traditional advertising. Instead of your company hiring a celebrity to appear in a commercial, that celebrity only needs to post online about the benefits of your product or service. This new age of advertising presents enormous benefits for your company if utilized well. So why is having influencer outreach important? It's simple; the experience is personalized. You have no choice when you're watching TV regarding what pops up during a commercial break. But on social media, consumers have chosen who they follow. Maybe they follow someone because they appreciate their taste, their lifestyle or because they know them personally. All of these attributes cultivate a deeper trust towards a brand when a promotion comes from someone the consumer has actively elected to see in their day to day social media goings. If you're a small business, it's most likely you can't afford the assistance of celebrities or high profile influencers to grow your product, but that's okay. Micro-influencers or influencers with smaller followings (think under 100,000 followers) often have a more loyal fan base and higher levels of engagement. Furthermore, those who follow micro-influencers are more likely to share a niche interest, and with proper market research you can reach an audience interested in checking out your brand. Finally, keeping your brand active on social media is also important for those who might discover or further explore your business on such platforms. Just like when you meet someone new and search them up on social media, consumers are constantly checking out new businesses first through social media. Digital healthcareThere are several benefits of the rise of digital healthcare that all small business owners should be aware of. Not only can it save time and money, but digital healthcare solutions are enabling fundamental changes to the job market that directly benefit small businesses. There's never a moment to waste when you're running a small business. Digital healthcare is increasingly becoming an affordable way for employees to stay healthy while maintaining efficiency. In the past, if an employee of yours fell sick or experienced any number of conditions, they would have to take time off work to drive to the doctor's office, sit around as they wait for their appointment, see the nurse, and sit around some more before finally being treated. This is all changing as new telehealth companies like PlushCare offer remote services for your employees. This means an employee can see the doctor from their office. Online doctor appointments typically last 15 minutes with patients receiving a diagnosis and treatment plan, including any necessary prescriptions, in this time frame. By seeing a doctor from work employees save incredible amounts of time that can be spent working. Furthermore, remote appointments are not limited to a single doctor's hours, and your employees will find it easy to book with a remote doctor before or after their workday. These appointments are cheaper for your business and your employees while also providing instant access to care. But there's another aspect to telehealth and it's a relationship with small businesses. Digital healthcare solutions make healthcare more affordable for the growing workforce of contractors and freelancers who forgo employer-based insurance. More people feel comfortable giving up the comforts of traditional employment, such as health insurance because they have an affordable alternative in digital healthcare. This is highly beneficial to small businesses that cannot afford to give their workers' health insurance. Having access to a network of contractors and freelancers saves your company money but also allows you to hire the people necessary to get the job done at a reduced cost. If you are hiring via the gig economy be sure to talk to your contractors about digital healthcare as an affordable healthcare solution, especially if you are not offering health insurance to these workers. CybersecurityThe importance of cybersecurity can not be understated. As 2020 rolls around, the functioning of big and small businesses alike will continue to move online. New software solutions are being developed to unify the functions of companies, allowing smoother communication across integrated platforms. While this process is great for your business overall, such centralization also demonstrates the need for increased cybersecurity measures. According to a poll from Insureon, only 16% of small business owners think they are risk of a cyberattack. Unfortunately, 61% of cyberattacks are actually launched against small businesses, and the average cost of a small hack is $86,500, according to internet security firm Kaspersky Labs. While such a cost might not hurt a major corporation, it could be a devastating amount for your small business. There are several steps you can take to protect your business from cyberattacks,
Being in the know about the different technological channels you can utilize in 2020 sets your business apart. Promoting and growing your brand via influencer marketing grants you access to a concentrated market of potential consumers and clients. Knowing how to maintain efficiency and affordability while keeping your employees healthy and factoring in the wellbeing of contractors in the gig economy, sets you up to have highly satisfied workers at a lower price point. A cybersecurity approach that protects your company against data breaches and hacks from the ground up ensures all aspects of your business are high functioning. Small businesses with a comprehensive approach and knowledge of the latest tech trends as they apply to a range of aspects of the business are better positioned to outperform those that take a narrow approach. |
| 5 Traditional Advertising Methods That Still Work Posted: 09 Dec 2019 06:00 AM PST  It seems that everyone in the commercial arena is more worked up about advertising right now than ever before. An onslaught of digital technology has radically reshaped how businesses get their message out to customers over the past few years, which has led many entrepreneurs to ditch traditional advertising methods altogether. Despite the hubbub being raised over social media platforms and other digital developments, though, it would be foolish to outright dismiss some traditional advertising methods which still generate impressive results. Here are 5 traditional advertising methods that still work, why they remain effective, and how you can exploit them to the greatest extent possible. 1. Newspapers aren't as dead as you may thinkWhen most people think of the news these days, they probably imagine a cable news host or a story that's shared on social media platforms. Despite the oft-proclaimed demise of the American newspaper, however, it's a simple matter of fact that many local newspapers remain robust institutions in their respective towns. Businesses that think that taking an advertisement out in the newspaper died with the 20th century have another thing coming, as recent studies have illustrated that ink and paper still pack a surprising punch. The 2016 presidential election was dominated by a digital news cycle, for instance, but one study discovered that newspaper ads tripled the effectiveness of the campaigns that relied upon this dated yet powerful method of advertising. If you're a small business or even a larger one trying to make inroads with a local population, familiarizing yourself with the local news landscape can seriously pay off. Outside of newspapers, you should also look into magazines and other hard-copy publications. Though many people consider this to be a dead industry, there are still millions of customers who are exposed to these traditional advertisements, and now you'll be dealing with fewer competitors than ever before when it comes to disseminating your message. 2. Neon signs & glitzy glamor still provide resultsWe're in the digital age, which is why it's all the more surprising that so few people are taking advantage of neon signs, which have existed for generations but remain just as effective today as they did a few decades ago. Neon signs and glitzy, glamorous trappings are relied upon by countless businesses in diverse industries for one good reason – they still provide results, and they often do so at a fraction of the cost that other advertising methods would extort from you. Investing in good LED neon business signs can help your brick-and-mortar location stand apart from the crowd, especially if you invest in a custom sign that attracts the eyes of tech-savvy passersby. Don't think you need to rely on too modern of a design, either, as having a LED neon business sign that gives off a retro vibe could bolster your appeal, especially with trendy consumers who want to harken back to the past amidst all this digital mania. Glamorous colors and bright lights elsewhere can also provide returns; don't be afraid to string up Christmas lights around the store or invest in other unique lighting methods to give your business an enchanting atmosphere. 3. Don't doubt the power of word-of-mouthPerhaps the oldest yet most effective method of advertising is also one of the simplest; getting people to spread the news about your business by good ol' fashioned word-of-mouth may seem outdated, but it's actually quite easy, cheap, and more modern than you'd think. People still gossip, after all, even if much of it occurs via text message and social media posts. Getting customers to chatter about their lovely experience with your brand is a surefire way to encourage their friends to walk through your doors, and sometimes it's as easy as asking them to tell others about their time at your restaurant or store. Some must-have word-of-mouth strategies include having a robust referral program that rewards those who vocally spread the news of your business to others. Sometimes, this means literally paying customers to bring in other customers, something which can seem baffling to some small business owners but nevertheless provides results if it's executed properly. For those who want to incorporate both modern and traditional advertising methods, spreading the news via word-of-mouth can also be immensely helpful. Encourage your customers to not only speak about your business but to post about it as well – this is effectively word-of-mouth advertising in the digital age. In a sense, you'll be capturing the best of both worlds, especially if you encourage user-generated content that helps bolster your brand and it ends up going viral. More than perhaps anything else, word-of-mouth advertising initiatives help you cut down on the costs associated with getting your message out to the masses, so consider this strategy if your business is particularly incapable of spending large sums of cash right now. 4. Rely on in-store advertisingIn-store advertising used to be popular, but these days many businesses don't bother advertising their brand to customers who have already entered their brick-and-mortar locations. This is a terrible mistake, however, because you're passing up an opportunity to capitalize on consumer interest in your brand; customers who have already walked in are more likely, not less, to be receptive of your advertising efforts to the point where they'll share them with others. Don't be afraid to deconstruct norms as you do this; having hilariously sized or shaped in-store mannequins that represent your company's merchandise, for instance, will intrigue shoppers while giving them something to remember once they've left your company grounds. As Dove's impressive ad campaign demonstrated, the power of deconstructing norms is incredibly useful for brands who want their messaging to stick. Take traditional in-store advertising and turn it on its head, and before you know it more customers will be flocking to your store just to get a glimpse of your quirky style. 5. Direct mail isn't obsoleteFar too many advertising executives deride direct mailing initiatives, claiming that email messaging campaigns are far more valuable. The truth of the matter, however, is that direct mail campaigns that narrowly target a core group of likely customers can generate serious results without forcing you to break the bank in order to get the word out about your business. Direct mail isn't as dead or obsolete as many would like to claim, partially because many consumers still like receiving physical messages rather than digital spam, most of which is ignored. Even when customers throw away your direct mail efforts, they're actually being exposed to your messaging to a greater extent than they would in an email campaign. After all, nobody remembers the spam emails they delete, but receiving a physical message in the mail, reading it, and throwing it away is a much more conscious and notable action than a simple click. Given that direct mail still has a high ROI, it's one traditional advertising method that shouldn't be laughed at despite its age. The digital age has brought with it a myriad of technological wonders, but don't make the foolish mistake of thinking that traditional advertising methods aren't worthy of your time, money, and effort. Clever marketing gurus can make any messaging campaign work, and with a little help from some methods which are old but remain gold, you'll soon be ushering in a new wave of customers to your store. |
| How to Boost Your Programming Skills Posted: 09 Dec 2019 05:00 AM PST  Continuing education is more important than ever. Professionals across all industries must invest in developing their skills and competencies to keep up with changing standards and best practices. This is especially true for those who work closely with technology. Tech tools (and the software they operate on) are used by nearly every type of business, so knowing how to write and read code can be incredibly valuable, regardless of your specific role. A number of people learn to code independently, out of interest to learn more about the process or to help their careers grow. To help you improve your programming skills, you might consider one of these platforms and programs recommended by the members of Young Entrepreneur Council. 1. LinkedIn LearningLinkedIn Learning was the needle-in-the-haystack of valuable educational content I found in a sea of platforms out there. I've taken MOOCs at Stanford, Harvard, Yale, MIT, Dartmouth, Columbia, Brown and more, but I've also taken over one-hundred LinkedIn Learning courses, and I can't recommend them strongly enough. - Frederik Bussler, AngelStarter 2. Kaggle competitionsThe best way to learn is by doing, which is why Kaggle's machine learning competitions are so useful. Try your skills out against a community of other data scientists and learn from each other along the way. If you're interested in learning practical AI, it's a great place to start, along with Fast.ai. - Pete Kistler, BrandYourself 3. Code AvengersCode Avengers is a fun way to improve your programming skills. You can take learning modules at your own pace, make and share live projects, and more. They even have junior coding courses for kids as young as five. Although it's not a free resource, you only pay $20 per month for a one-year plan and you can try it out with their free trial. - David Henzel, LTVPlus 4. Khan AcademyKhan Academy is one of the best places to improve your knowledge. It has detailed, high-quality written and video courses that cover programming. It's a free resource that anyone can use to build their coding skills. - Blair Williams, MemberPress 5. Google Developers TrainingGoogle Developers Training is a free online course that you can take to improve your programming skills. It has courses for complete beginners as well as for more experienced developers. Course topics include Android Development, Web Development, Firebase, Machine Learning and more. - Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster 6. Code CollegeThis website offers both free and paid options for courses. Depending on your budget, you can stick to free classes that still offer value or you can splurge for more in-depth details. There are more than 19 courses and tutorials users can choose from and the brand itself is well-known. - Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms 7. UbuntuAnyone with an old computer that they don't use anymore should install Ubuntu on it in order to improve their programming skills. It's a free Linux-based operating system that can run on a wide range of hardware. Successfully using Ubuntu will require you to learn more about Python, which is considered one of the most simplified and beginner-friendly programming languages in use today. - Bryce Welker, The Big 4 Accounting Firms 8. CourseraCoursera is a major learning platform that offers a wide variety of instructional courses. If you are starting a small business, looking to grow your programming skills or learn more about financial management there will be a course geared directly to you, and some of them are free. Use Coursera as a stepping stone to decide if you want to pursue further education and course work. - Jared Weitz, United Capital Source Inc. 9. SoloLearnWhen I started out in the IT industry I didn't know anything about programming, and I was overwhelmed by the number of languages out there. Given my fascination and interest in app development, I gravitated towards SoloLearn and Mimo for a quick solution — applications that teach you how to code and provide personalized lessons according to your available time and pace of learning. - Abeer Raza, TekRevol 10. UdemyI recommend using Udemy for learning or improving skills. This website offers several courses ranging from photography to coding, and the content is very easy to follow. Udemy is perfect for building upon whatever skill you want to improve. It has many courses for better coding skills for developers. - Chelsea Rivera, Honest Paws 11. MIT CourseWareFor those who already know the fundamentals and are looking to improve their programming skills, I would recommend MIT CourseWare. This is a great resource, not only because it offers theory behind coding, but also because it's free! You can explore MIT's free courseware site that includes helpful classes, such as Java, MatLab C and C++. - Shu Saito, Godai 12. edXedX is a nonprofit online course platform founded by Harvard and MIT in 2012. Today, they partner with over 120 top colleges to provide thousands of courses including many coding languages. You can learn Python, C++, Java and more. Plus, these are real, authoritative college courses, so you can apply them towards a college degree, put them on your resume or simply use them to learn new skills. - Shaun Conrad, My Accounting Course 13. TreehouseTreehouse is a gamified platform for learning a variety of languages, ranging from Python to Ruby. Not only do they have amazingly put together video resources, the gamification quizzes will also get you addicted to getting through them and learning more. They've got badges for accomplishments, quizzes to check retention and even code challenges. It's also super cheap. - Karl Kangur, Above House 14. CodecademyThere are plenty of platforms where you can improve your programming skills, and some offer these courses for free. There's Coursera, edX, Udemy and GitHub. One of the most popular however is Codecademy. There's a free option and you can use the site to hone your HTML, CSS, JavaScript skills and more. - Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance 15. KnowableKnowable has some really great audio courses, so not exactly e-books, but courses you can listen to while in the car or at the gym. They recently added a whole course for entrepreneurs with a lot of insight from very successful people like Alexis Ohanian. - Andrew Saladino, Kitchen Cabinet Kings 16. Stack OverflowFor those who may have a basic foundation of coding, but continuously learn by example, Stack Overflow is a great platform that allows developers to share and grow programming skills. It is an open community forum where individuals can pose questions and receive solutions, but also limit interactions to coworkers within Stack if desired. Collaboration when it comes to programming is always key. - Lisa Curtis, Kuli Kuli Foods 17. YouTubeYouTube provides tens of thousands of quality free video content about programming. From beginner to advanced YouTube is a great resource to learn basic or complex coding skills. For instance, YouTube has a four-hour Python video course for beginners that has been watched by over nine million people. It's helpful that with YouTube you can sort videos by popularity, views and other attributes. - Kristopher Brian Jones, LSEO.com 18. BlinkistBlinkist takes popular books and cuts them down into 15-20 minute audiobooks so you can get the gist of important concepts from the book in little time. Not all programming is simply the ability to code; it's the philosophy behind it. What directs good programming is a good understanding of users, style, marketing, design and other elements that you can all learn from seemingly unrelated books. - Andy Karuza, FenSens |
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