business

Is Banner Advertising Still Relevant?

All of the clicks for online ads are derived from a mere 16% of internet users, according to a recent study by comScore. That means, you’re optimizing your ad for that 16% of users — a very small audience to capture. As consumers become more digitally savvy, they are less inclined to click on advertisements. What happens for those business owners that do not have audiences in that...READ»

“First Click Free” Will Give Allow Publishers to Re-Enforce Pay Walls

After Rupert Murdoch proposed blocking his paid sites from Google (saying, search engines are “feeding off the hard-earned efforts and investments of others”), the search engine giant has made a surprising move to reach across the table and help publishers like Murdoch. In the past, Google has been criticized for thinking like engineers (for instance, the copyright infringements that made Google Books possible), not business people. They might be…READ»

Digital Influencers Usher in a New Era in Branding

Brands are taking two tough punches right now: 1) the economic downturn has continued to spur consumers to buy private label and 2) digital social influencers are taking control from brand managers. The question is not just how brands can survive, but more importantly, how can brands thrive?READ»

Using Google to Optimize Blog Post Headlines

Optimizing your blog post headlines often seems like a mysterious, esoteric, black art. With data-rich online resources, optimizing blog post headlines can be simple, straightforward and actionable. Such resources, like Google, eliminate much of this mystery surrounding the issue. We will walk you through the simple steps of optimizing your blog post headlines — from how to identify your keywords and…READ»

How Carbon Offsets Are Like Stewardesses

AMC’s Mad Men ended its third season a couple of weeks ago. For those who don’t know the show, it’s a peek inside a 1960’s advertising agency. It's also an incredibly faithful depiction of a specific time and place, getting ...READ»

Intel's Everywhere: 75% of the Company's Business is Overseas

More than 75% of the company's business comes from overseas -- a trend that global stimulus spending is likely to increase.READ»

• Intel Risks It All (Again)
• Intel Then, Now, and Tomorrow [pics]

Optimizing Blog Post Headlines in WordPress

If you were to develop a site seven or eight years ago, you would likely need at least a basic understanding of programming codes like HTML or Javascript. Such coding was a significant barrier to entry for many non-digitally savvy users. The game changed when WordPress was developed in 2003. Since its release, Wordpress has grown to an incredible...READ»

Creating a Valuable Network of Business Relationships

“We all exist within this complex network of human development. Today, the human network’s reach and complexity have nearly exceeded our ability to understand what we are creating and how it affects us.” We have emerged from a period of excess and frivolity, where objects and things...READ»

Are Connections or Followers more Important: LinkedIn or Twitter?

In early April 2009, we witnessed a social media milestone: Ashton Kutcher collected 1,000,000 followers on Twitter. Since then, Oprah has begun tweeting and the microblogging site has been the social network darling of the mainstream media. What does it mean to have a network on Twitter? Could Ashton Kutcher ever collect 1,000,000 connections on LinkedIn? Probably not. But why?READ»

Top 5 Tips to Increase your Social Capital on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a turning into a social media heavyweight — with just over 50 million users, the social networking site is turning into a must-have for professionals. Developing your social capital on LinkedIn is increasing in importance as more job-seekers flood the market. Getting a leg-up on your competition is crucial if you’re going to compete. We’ll discuss how to build your social capital by carrying on the...READ»

Social Capital and Friend 2.0

What is the meaning of a friend in the digital space? Does the definition of a friend change from one social network to another? Is a friend on Facebook any different than a MySpace friend? The value of user connections vary from one social network to another, which ultimately impacts social capital building strategies. Let’s first examine the differences between two...READ»

Social Capital 101

Social Capital 101 “Let me introduce you to someone who might be able to help you.” Some people build their entire reputation around this one line. As Malcolm Gladwell outlined in his breakthrough work, The Tipping Point, those who say this line most often are called Connectors. Essentially, Connectors are match makers. They have an enormous amount of…READ»

Winning the Fight for More Business: What Savvy Customers Expect From Your Brand

Before they support your business, customers want to know what you’re all about—and why you deserve to get their money. When they're online, comparing products and services, does your brand stand out as the one that best satisfies their needs?READ»

Can MySpace Re-Invent Itself?

While MySpace’s rival, Facebook, consistently breaks monthly traffic records, the teen social network is on a steady decline. That is not to say MySpace does’t have a sizable audience. The teen social network has an estimated monthly traffic of 54.3 million, according to Quantcast.com. But 54.3 million is a steep 35% drop from their peak at 83 million in...READ»

Microsoft Office 2010 Moves to the Cloud

When Canadian company i4i sued Microsoft this past August, watchdogs in the software community predicted that the move would encourage Microsoft to bring up their plans for a move to cloud computing much earlier than planned – and it looks like they were right. In addition to the announcements of a new and improved version of Internet Explorer and a major update of the Silverlight runtime platform at this week’s Microsoft at the…READ»

How to Win Business

Paul Venables, 30 Second MBA faculty-member and ad man, on what makes a company succeed and how a leader instills success.READ»

Marketing a Social Cause

Every year, businesses across the country participate in charity events, sponsorships, community development programs and other social initiatives. There is a trend towards doing more, beyond just writing a check. It’s about putting down the checkbook and rolling up your sleeves that will award you more attention to not only your charity, but to...READ»

The Impact of the Web on Sustainability

The web has impacted nearly everything: from the way we do business to the way we keep in touch with our friends. The web has also changed the way we contribute to our communities. It is a tool for organizations to help individuals realize their impact — whether it’s beautifying their community or donating to...READ»

Small Business Innovation Trends Mobile Enterprises

Today, the number of unemployed in the U.S. has reached about 15 million, over 10 percent nationwide. As a result, millions of people are seeking new opportunities joining a growing trend of Mobile Office Entrepreneurs using the advances in communication technology, entrepreneurial creativity, and the ever-more-hectic pace of modern life all combining to encourage the rapid development of mobile businesses. READ»

Seniors and Women Small Business Startups Gain Momentum

Today’s “Third Age Entrepreneurs”, those seniors over 50-years old are healthy, energetic and competitive and determined to remain productive well into their 70s. They aren’t going anywhere near that rocking chair on the front porch if they can help it. Industry data shows seniors and women entrepreneur - small business startups rapidly increasing. Read more... READ»

Seniors and Women Small Business Startups Gain Momentum

Today’s “Third Age Entrepreneurs”, those seniors over 50-years old are healthy, energetic and competitive and determined to remain productive well into their 70s. They aren’t going anywhere near that rocking chair on the front porch if they can help it. Industry data shows seniors and women entrepreneur - small business startups rapidly increasing. Read more... READ»

Chevrolet New Approach to Social Media

Who are you getting to write blogs or do video production? Do you use someone in house? Do you pay an oustide source to do this? What about getting people to talk about you for FREE? Chevrolet figured out a way to do that in their ...READ»

Connecting to the Creative Geek

The rise in Twitter users has been nothing short of remarkable. It has captured world-wide media attention and consequently sparked an explosion of users — from approximately 2 million monthly visits a year ago to 27 million today. In our exploration of social media, we have draw several parallels to...READ»

YouTube Direct Enlists Citizen Journalists

YouTube announced Tuesday that it will be making it easier for citizen journalists to submit news and events to established news organizations. YouTube Direct bridges the gap between new (YouTube) and traditional media by empowering consumers with an accessible tool to submit video while providing established media a rich resource for breaking news...READ»

Tumblr, the Next Emerging Platform?

If Twitter, Flickr and Facebook were to get together, it would look something like Tumblr. The microblogging site has a slick, clean design that allows for customization and sharing. In our analysis on social media, we found Tumblr to be a rising star with a growing artistic community. According to Quantcast, Tumblr is gaining steam in the U.S. by consistently surpassing its traffic records. If it continues its rise, Tumblr could emerge from the underground into the mainstream in a very...READ»