Internet Of Things – Fueling Marketing Revolution with Connected Life

In our everyday life, we come across various technological revolutions that impact everything we do. However, how many of us have actually been impacted with a new gigantic wave that has completely changed the entire technological realm. Today’s topic of discussion revolves around one such gigantic advancement that has provided marketers with countless opportunities to create a WOW experience for customers.

Internet of Things (IoT) is driving every marketer to bring some smart revolutionary changes in the technological sphere. According to recent research, IoT ranked as the second most important area in 2015 in many countries and would have the biggest effect on marketers by 2020. The installation base of IoT devices worldwide would rise from 4.88 billion to nearly 25.01 billion between 2015 and 2020. The UK Government announced that they will spend an additional £45m on developing Internet of Things enabled technology. Not only in technology, but IoT has successfully influenced other sectors such as insurance marketers for better engagement of consumers.

Internet Of Things (IoT)

IoT is the network of dedicated physical objects that comprises of embedded technology to sense and interact with external environment or their internal state. IoT contains an ecosystem that consists of applications, data analysis, things and communication.

What Can Be Currently Achieved With IoT, From Marketing Perspective?

The buzz is that every device will soon get connected to the internet, which will boost productivity and reduce energy needs.

Easy Availability Of Customer’s Data And Feedback

When every device can be programmed and tracked, it becomes easier for the marketers to collect and analyse the ever-increasing varieties of behavioural statistics of the consumers. The cross-correlation of data helps in revolutionising the targeted marketing of products and services. Marketers can now find the doors to any machine-to-machine derived information. They have enough opportunities to interact with consumers in new and exciting ways. The wealth of data can be utilised to deepen customer insights and optimise customer performance.

With new IoT devices being invented every other day, it represents opportunities to market new products and services. Marketers can deliver more personalised and engaging information to customers in the most relevant channels. Also with customer’s instant feedback, especially when a product isn’t living up to the expectation, retailers are able to cut their losses much sooner than later.

Smart Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

IoT when used in conjunction with CRM tool helps in gathering and organising client data. The technology embedded devices can streamline the buyer’s chain of command and decisions and help retailers understand where the prospects are in their buying journey. This enables marketers serve the right information and nurture the clients to close a deal.

It Is Not Just Banner Ads Or Pop-Ups Anymore

No longer will marketers have to rely on banner ads and pop-ups to let the world know about their products and services. The increasing numbers of connected devices fitted with sensors and constant network accessibility has entirely changed the face of advertising. With IoT advertisements, no prospects will be served with an advertisement that does not align perfectly with their interests, behaviours and past purchase. Not only will the consumers save time by being served with relevant ads but also the marketers save thousands of pounds after irrelevant advertisements.

The Smart IoT Devices And Marketing

With smart glasses such as Google Glass, marketers can display ads when users look at a particular item or take its picture. They can also deliver the right information at the right place and time especially when consumers use the device to check prices and research products while shopping.

Similarly, smart lighting system has enabled retailers to interact directly with visitors’ smartphones. For instance, it allows retailers to give shoppers directions to specific store items. Some of the LED system can also be connected with a mobile app that can be used to send targeted messages and coupons when customers are at a particular location within the store.

Most interestingly, if marketers can use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, it can present a number of potential opportunities for them. RFID serves as a tool to customise and enhance customer experience. Some retailers are using RFID smart tags to play tunes to the clothes that shoppers are trying on. They’re using the tunes or songs of celebrities that best match the style of the apparel. The aim is to put customers in the right purchasing mindset and help them imagine themselves wearing the perfect clothes. Undoubtedly, this creates an overall pleasant shopping experience.

A mass-market application of IoT in UK is the use of Hive. Hive is an app from British Gas that allows householders to control their central heating process via their smartphones. This innovation has substantially improved people’s everyday lives. The users can get hot water only when they need to, thereby reducing energy waste and saving money.

With data collected from the adopters of wearable tech, brands can better understand where and when shoppers might take action on a trigger. This is where the marketers can provide value and convenience to people using such devices.

How IoT Can Benefit An Organisation’s Business Goal?

As IoT can afford new opportunities in the next few years, it can drastically

  • Enhance customer satisfaction and engagement
  • Increase productivity operation and infrastructure
  • Improve product design and build new products
  • Reduce maintenance cost and system downtime.

Connected products provide brands with a direct, real time interface and interaction point with consumers. Marketers are looking forward to more limitless opportunities enabled by IoT. And with billions of new things becoming smarter with Internet Of Things, marketers will surely not let their marketing strategy remain ineffective.

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On The Leading Edge – Maven TM Finalist For SFA Business Awards 2015

As many businesses know only too well, finding the right sales leads can cost dearly in terms of time and money. Maven TM saves its clients on both fronts by doing the hard work for them.

IN 2011, as businesses found it difficult to generate sales leads, Mark Cradock spotted an opportunity for a new Irish company. Cradock had been working in technology, sales and marketing since 1998, and identified a need in the market for a company that would find and create sales opportunities for IT firms.

He set up Maven TM in Carlow, a business-to-business telemarketing and sales lead generation company. The definition of maven, incidentally, is a trusted expert or connoisseur.

20-Fold Return on Investment

“At that point in the recession, companies were having challenges finding new business and churn of customer. I could see a need for us to bring our skills to bear with IT companies to help them win new business. We do a combination of market research and telephone calling. We research the market on behalf of our customers to identify companies that are suited to them and in buying mode,” says Cradock.

He adds that, typically, the firm’s clients achieve in excess of a 20-fold return on investment in Maven TM’s services.
“The key to our success is simply the good work we do. If we deliver success to our client, they get a strong margin on their investment. That’s led to strong repeat business.”

Growth

In just four years, Cradock has built up a team of 30, and in 2014 grew sales revenue by 82pc. He says one of the challenges he’s faced is in ensuring the company is growing at the right rate.

“We don’t want to grow too fast but want to make sure we have the resources to fulfil our campaigns successfully. We have clients now in over 10 countries, we conduct campaigns into 23 countries, and we cater to 12 languages.”

Maven TM has clients in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Scandinavia and the US, with international markets comprising 40pc of the work it does. Last year, it won a significant contract with Vodafone.

The company became a client of Enterprise Ireland in 2014, which helped with its expansion overseas.

Enterprise Ireland Support

“It’s always great to get support like that. It helps accelerate the growth, and to secure more of the jobs in the company,” says Cradock.

A key strategy for the firm in 2015 is growth and development of partnerships for the US market. Cradock expects it to double its revenue from now until the end of 2016, and to double its head count in that period.

The firm is also planning to move premises within Carlow this year, to accommodate its growth.

This all lead to Maven TM being shortlisted out of 500 applicants and finalists in the service category.

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This post was originally published here - http://www.smallbusinesscan.com/on-the-leading-edge-maven-tm-finalist-for-sfa-business-awards-2015/ on thinkbusiness

Why Website Experience is Critical to Business Success

Marketers have long postulated that “your website is your best salesperson,” and this statement is probably the best way to describe the importance of having a neat and informative company website that interacts with the audience. Considering the number of internet users who browse the web to find products and services they need, it’s clear why your website needs to provide seamless user experience.

Moreover, user experience can even determine the way people perceive a brand, which is another reason why webmasters should adopt a user-centric approach to building a website. Namely, as confirmed in an earlier research by PEER 1 Hosting, 76% of ecommerce decision makers claim website experience and brand perception are directly related.

Mobile is the next conversion platform

Few years ago, building a mobile-friendly website was rather optional, while today it is an imperative for businesses large and small. Even Google is preparing to roll out a new algorithm that is supposed to affect around 50% of search results according to some estimates. This means that half of the websites out there are still not optimized for mobile display, which translates into lost visits and potential purchases from mobile devices.

Given that today web users increasingly make purchases or calls from smartphones and tablets, mobile website is one of the critical aspects of user experience that needs to be considered. In a survey mentioned above, 35% of respondents pointed that mobile device compatibility contributed to overall business, which clearly points to the importance of this.

Overall design encourages people to complete actions

Once you ensure a visitor can actually land on your website, you need to make it easy for them to navigate across your pages. Here, simplicity is the key because it enables even the first time visitors to easily understand what your website is about and how to get to the specific pages they have been looking for.

Again, different studies on user behavior reveal that if a visitor doesn’t see what he or she has been searching for immediately on the page, they are likely to leave – frustrated. This is why a well-designed company website needs to display information in readable format and ensure every call-to-action or internal link is transparent. Coupled with graphic and textual elements that successfully communicate messages relevant to user’s query, such pages are more likely to drive conversions.

Speed is critical for user retention

Slow loading pages have always been seen as a major negative user experience trigger and are the most important aspect of your website you need to optimize. As reported by Kissmetrics, 47% of users are likely to leave a website if it takes longer than 2 seconds to load, while the research by Ensighten previously proved that this also negatively affects conversion rates.

Therefore, improving page load time is critical to website success and it should be done by writing a clean code, optimizing images for faster load and minimizing HTTP requests. Furthermore, the choice of a local web hosting provider and a scalable plan that supports your growth can be another way to overcome this issue. For example, if you’re running a local business in Sydney, choosing a web hosting provider that uses Australian servers would guarantee faster page load time. The same goes for businesses in Switzerland or any other region.

These are again rather technical aspects that you need to handle, but whose overall impact may well be worth your time and effort. By making the right decisions about everything from a web hosting package to the design and development team, you can ensure the best performance of your pages and, therefore, a greater number of satisfied users.

Conclusions

Considering the extent to which people nowadays rely on the internet search, it’s unsurprising that they’re increasingly expecting seamless experience on company websites. For website owners, this means that if a website fails to load properly on different devices, your prospects are likely to abandon it and try to find relevant information elsewhere. Obviously, this may translate into a lost revenue, which is certainly a scenario every business wants to avoid.

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3 Solid Steps for Defining Your Sales Process

There are three major steps for defining your sales process. First, there’s the type of contact. Second, there’s the milestones reached. Finally, there are helpful tools you can use to improve the sales process and optimize the sales cycle.

Type Of Contact

There are many types of contacts out there.

The Suspect
The suspect is a person’s name only. This is not really a hot prospect but rather someone who might be interested in listening to what you have to offer if they don’t have anything better to do. They might be interested in your product or service, but you’ve no idea and they’ve expressed no interest, so it’s anyone’s guess.

The Prospect
A prospect is a suspect that has engaged with you in one way or another. You might have handed them a business card. They might have called in about information about your service. Maybe you took them out to lunch, or maybe they know you through a friend or associate. At this stage, your job is to qualify them to see if it makes sense to do business with them.

The Lead
The lead is when a prospect becomes an actual lead – someone you could sell to. There’s a definite need there, but he or she hasn’t made a commitment yet for whatever reason. Maybe the person doesn’t have the money right now, or they have to wait until the spring or fall for additional funds to clear up.

The Customer
A customer is someone who has already bought something from you.

Milestones In The Sales Process

Milestones are stages in the sales process that are significant.

Engage
This is where you reach out to them and send them information about your company, your product or service, and your personal contact information. Provide them something of value during this stage so that you can qualify them.

Qualify
Qualification is nothing more than figuring out whether this person is a high-probability sale. A high-probability sale is one that won’t require too much effort to close and the person has the money, the interest, and the need for your product or service.

Assess
Assess whether you can really meet the person’s objectives and needs. Make sure you understand the key factors driving their decision. Are you speaking with the decision-maker? Do they really understand your value proposition, and are they looking at the competition and, if so, who?

Propose
Make a proposal. This is your offer for a sale. It includes quotes, and a formal offer to sell.

Close

If you’ve qualified the prospect properly, you shouldn’t have too much work to do in the close. Leads naturally want to buy from you when they have an immediate interest, and the money, to buy what you’re selling.

Helpful Tools

Some of the most helpful tools that will make your job easier include sales lead management tools, like this mortgage software. Basically, you want tools that will help you capture leads, followup with them, remind you to contact them, and store precious information about where the lead is in the sales cycle.

You also want your tools to simplify, rather than complicate, your life. Use that as the standard by which you judge them. Some tools won’t be worth the money, even when they cost thousands of dollars. Sometimes, free tools are your most valuable lead management asset.

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Calling all Innovators & Entrepreneurs, we need your help & your green VOTE !!

As with any Irish technology company, we all suffer unique challenges when growing business internationally. As a country we have a small population so we struggle when trying to make as much noise as our International competitors. Even places we assume are tiny states such as Haiti & Togo have twice and three times our population.

Hence we need your help…

One of our company’s, Surface Power HONE which has developed a revolutionary “daylight” powered Nano-heat engine technology is short-listed (final 18 was judged by experts) for the 2Degrees Champions Award –  “Innovation of the Year” which is the world’s leading collaboration platform and service for sustainable business with over 46,500 members from 177 countries. https://www.2degreesnetwork.com/

Surface Power HONE has nearly 7,000 installations of this patented technology over 8 countries to date and it has been kept fairly secretive until recently. The technology was field tested in the West of Ireland & New Zealand as the daylight levels are some of the lowest in the OECD. In short, it replaces the use of oil and gas for heating and cooling with free daylight. Have a look at LIVE customers on our website such as the UK National Health Service running their hospital’s central heating on free “daylight” (sounds mad but true !!)

The next phase of the 2Degrees “Innovation of the Year Awards” is a voting stage which will reduce the final 18 to 5 for the big awards ceremony and we need your help and your vote. 

Although already in the short-list of 18, we are the only Irish Technology company in this shortlist and are up against huge players such as Nestle, General Motors & B&Q.

You can vote for us by clicking the link below to get us into the final 5 and we thank you in advance for that vote. Be sure to tweet it afterwards using the link so we can personally send you a thank you tweet. Go raibh maith agat as do chabhair.

Best Regards, John Quinn, CEO. (Twitter – @johnquinn_irl )

Read our story and VOTE from below.

https://www.2degreesnetwork.com/groups/2degrees-community/resources/surface-powers-nano-engine-harvests-light-generate-heating-and-cooling/

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Using Promotional Products Effectively

Using promotional products is one of the easiest and most cost-efficient ways that a business can directly reach it’s target market. But, as with any type of marketing, using promotional products as a tactic is only effective if it’s implemented properly. In this post we discuss how to use promotional products effectively in your business.

For businesses operating on a tight budget, investing time in selecting the right products and identifying the right recipients is time well spent. Although direct marketing and promotional products are not generally considered together, using promotional products is not only one of the most effective direct marketing tactics but because they can be laser targeted to exactly the recipients you choose, there is no waste.

When considering the use of branded products, there are 3 main factors that need to be considered: These include your target audience; your method of distribution; and the items to be selected.

1. Your Target Audience

First and foremost, it’s important to identify who to target. Using promotional products can be effective, when you reach the right people, in other words, those people who are most likely to actually make use of your services or can heavily influence decision makers. The recipients you choose could be existing clients, potential clients your business is calling on, people in your networks or if you’re attending an event, there may be an attendee list you could scrutinize in advance.

2. Distributing Branded Merchandise & Corporate Gifts

When considering the distribution of promotional products there are several options: via mail, which is also known in the direct marketing business as “lumpy mail” and has the added benefit of generating curiosity, therefore it gets the attention of the recipient; Another great option is to give the item personally to the recipient as a gift; as part of the personal selling process; at trade shows; or for cheaper items, to allow event attendees to take them for themselves.

3. Selecting the Right Items

Selecting the right promotional items is somewhat of an art but there are a few guidelines that can be followed. Possibly one of the most desirable attributes of giving a promotional item it the length of time the item is kept by the recipient.

Research by Robert Cialdini and others have found that the more useful and remarkable a gift is, the more likely it will be kept for a long time. The author of this article once received an expensive pen from an engineering company which she kept for 11 years. The pen served as a reminder of the great experience of buying a very expensive piece of equipment and contributed to the goodwill established by the vendor for a very long time afterwards. Looking back, it is clear that the engineering company put a lot of effort into building a strong and lasting relationship in which both companies benefited. The pen was presented with a smile, as though it was a gift from a dear friend, in an encounter that was memorable (it was given over 2 decades ago!) and had a lot of impact. Although it’s not necessary to invest in expensive items, the marketing objectives need to be taken into account.

Another desirable attribute is that the item be useful. The more useful the item is, the more likely it is to be used and serve as a daily reminder of your business and the importance you place on the relationship. The most coveted locations for your promotional products are on the person, on their desk or in a placed where it is used or seen regularly. It’s worth considering what’s important to the recipient, their interests, hobbies, activities and so on and choosing something in line with what they find valuable, so that they use it often. For example, a mug in the shape of a camera lens might be a great gift for photographers.

Many SMEs have found that using promotional products to help promote their business and generate goodwill is a simple, affordable and flexible approach to influencing the people who are important to the business. And done well can deliver outstanding results – check out some of the research carried out by Promotional Products Association International (PPAI).

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Are You an Entrepreneur? – 10 Telltale Signs

Are You an Entrepreneur? It is thrilling, punishing, exhausting and emotionally draining, yet at the end of the day, starting your business is one of the most rewarding experiences in life. It is no wonder then that 87% of topics tackled in mentorship forums by The Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ASBE) revolve around success in entrepreneurship.

The U.S Small Business Administration (SBA) reports that over 93% of all queries in its mentorship programs also have to do with the rigorous task of making it as an entrepreneur. The picture is no different at the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship® (USASABE) with startup investors intensively asking for assistance to make it as entrepreneurs.

Is Entrepreneurship Innate or a Trainable Skill?

So, is entrepreneurship a skill that can be taught or is it inherent? Was it special skills that enabled Mark Zuckerberg to see a larger picture for Facemash, the precursor of Facebook, which others in his coterie of friends could not see? In all forums, the late Steve Jobs portrayed confidence that revealed he was born an entrepreneur and these are traits you see in Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and many more successful entrepreneurs.

Reading the Signs that you are an Entrepreneur

Well, various studies have shown there are telltale signs you can use to gauge your probability of success as an entrepreneur. Indeed, maverick contemporary entrepreneurs from Virgin’s Richard Branson to Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban show similar traits.

Studies by myriad varied organizations including Harvard School of Business, Gallup and Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), among other bodies, attest to existence of such traits.

Here are some highlights of these signs which can set you on a path of confidence towards business success:

  1. Persistent Restlessness

The saying that you should never sit on your laurels applies aptly for any credible entrepreneur. If you are a go-getter, who achieves one goal and immediately starts hustling for another challenge, you have what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur.

  1. Family Lineage of Self-employment

It might seem like splitting hairs when you say most successful entrepreneurs come from families with a heritage of self-employment, but the numbers prove it. A study by the world renowned Stockholm School of Economics in 2010 showed that 49.5% of nascent entrepreneurs had self-employed parents compared to 37.3% in the control group. A clue here; Bill Gates is the son of William H. Gates, a business magnate. Need you doubt further?

  1. Your Passion is Inborn

If you are a go-getter, who lets nothing come between a project and its objectives to be achieved, then you can ace it as an entrepreneur in today’s increasingly tough business environment. Failure never affects a born entrepreneur because their passion is inborn.

  1. You are a Gadfly

When Socrates was forced to drink hemlock and die, the poignant statement the revered scholar made still applies in modern life. The Greek teacher said he was a gadfly who’d keep pestering the horse, which in this case represented the state.

In business, a born entrepreneur is never satisfied with the status quo and wants to know more. Just look at Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic Program to take ordinary people to space, or successful Movie producer James Cameron’s DEEP SEA CHALLENGER voyage to the remotest part of the earth – Mariana Trench – to appreciate this sign.

  1. Self-confidence is Your Nature

When Mark Zuckerberg bought WhatsApp for $19 billion, every pundit thought money was making the young Billionaire go bonkers. However, Zuckerberg was adamant and the buy went through. Today, WhatsApp is not only the most popular App in the world; Facebook has been able to monetize the messaging platform. Such self-confidence is only evident in natural entrepreneurs.

  1. You are a Control Freak

On paper, this might seem like a negative quality until you get into the intricate business world where myriad aspects of your business determine your success. Your success depends on how much control you are willing to yield.

As an entrepreneur, you need to have a feel of every aspect of your business, and while this can be detrimental, it is a trait seen in some of the most successful entrepreneurs including the late Steve Jobs, Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary and Bill Gates, among others.

  1. You are Independent Minded

If you have always had a problem with authority, then it is highly likely that you cannot tolerate being employed.  It is a trait seen in Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerbereg, among other billionaires, who dropped out of college as they were uncomfortable with being confined in terms of thinking and application of their genius.

  1. You have a Magnet Effect

While successful entrepreneurs may look aloof, you will be surprised to learn they are really amiable if you have similar interests. They have an effect of pulling like-minded individuals towards them and unusual, albeit profitable, partnerships are born from such character.

  1. Risk Taking

The music industry is one of the most perilous and if an artist makes the wrong choice in terms of a recording label, then they are done for.

Well, the most prolific entrepreneurs in this industry, including billionaires Shawn Carter (Jay Z), who is worth over $520 million, Andre Romelle Young (Dr. Dre), who is worth $550 million, and Sean Combs (P. Diddy) worth over $700 million, have proven that risking is natural to born entrepreneurs. All these music moguls made career suicidal record label moves, but today they are the kingpins.

  1. You are a Doer

One of the most glaring misconceptions about contemporary successful entrepreneurs is that they depend entirely on their skilled staff for ideas and implementation. If this is what you thought then you are wrong.

Facebook’s Zuckerberg is a hands-on project freak, Virgin Group’s Richard Branson is always on the ground even when problems occur, Warren Buffet is always talking and working numbers and Dr. Dre is still producing hits at 50 years. Mind you, these are just a few of the entrepreneurs you can cite in terms of breaking their backs for success.

Well, they say there is no secret to entrepreneurship success, but looking at these 10 traits vis-à-vis the Forbes Top 100 Entrepreneurs, it is obvious there is a correlation. Luckily, you can always surprise everyone by joining this league without these traits. After all, this entire list does not forestall your entrepreneurial success.

Author Bio

Charlie Brown is a web developer and UI/UX specialist at BigDropInc.com. He works at a design, branding and marketing firm, having founded the same firm 5 years ago. He likes to share knowledge and points of view with other developers and consumers on platforms.

The post Are You an Entrepreneur? – 10 Telltale Signs appeared first on Small Business Can.

Internet Of Things – Fueling Marketing Revolution With Connected Life

In our everyday life, we come across various technological revolutions that impact everything we do. However, how many of us have actually been impacted with a new gigantic wave which has completely changed the entire technological realm. Today’s topic of discussion revolves around one such gigantic advancement that has provided marketers with countless opportunities to create a WOW experience for customers.

Internet of Things (IoT) is driving every marketer to bring some smart revolutionary changes in the technological sphere. According to recent research, IoT ranked as the second most important area in 2015 in many countries and would have the biggest effect on marketers by 2020. The installation base of IoT devices worldwide would rise from 4.88 billion to nearly 25.01 billion between 2015 and 2020. The UK Government announced that they will spend an additional £45m on developing Internet of Things enabled technology. Not only in technology, but IoT has successfully influenced other sectors such as insurance marketers for better engagement of consumers.

Internet Of Things (IoT)

IoT is the network of dedicated physical objects that comprises of embedded technology to sense and interact with external environment or their internal state. IoT contains an ecosystem that consists of applications, data analysis, things and communication.

What Can Be Currently Achieved With IoT, From Marketing Perspective?

The buzz is that every device will soon get connected to the internet, which will boost productivity and reduce energy needs.

Easy Availability Of Customer’s Data And Feedback

When every device can be programmed and tracked, it becomes easier for the marketers to collect and analyse the ever-increasing varieties of behavioural statistics of the consumers. The cross-correlation of data helps in revolutionising the targeted marketing of products and services. Marketers can now find the doors to any machine-to-machine derived information. They have enough opportunities to interact with consumers in new and exciting ways. The wealth of data can be utilised to deepen customer insights and optimise customer performance.

With new IoT devices being invented every other day, it represents opportunities to market new products and services. Marketers can deliver more personalised and engaging information to customers in the most relevant channels. Also with customer’s instant feedback, especially when a product isn’t living up to the expectation, retailers are able to cut their losses much sooner than later.

Smart Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

IoT when used in conjunction with CRM tool helps in gathering and organising client data. The technology embedded devices can streamline the buyer’s chain of command and decisions and help retailers understand where the prospects are in their buying journey. This enables marketers serve the right information and nurture the clients to close a deal.

It Is Not Just Banner Ads Or Pop-Ups Anymore

No longer will marketers have to rely on banner ads and pop-ups to let the world know about their products and services. The increasing numbers of connected devices fitted with sensors and constant network accessibility has entirely changed the face of advertising. With IoT advertisements, no prospects will be served with an advertisement that does not align perfectly with their interests, behaviours and past purchase. Not only will the consumers save time by being served with relevant ads but also the marketers save thousands of pounds after irrelevant advertisements.

The Smart IoT Devices And Marketing

With smart glasses such as Google Glass, marketers can display ads when users look at a particular item or take its picture. They can also deliver the right information at the right place and time especially when consumers use the device to check prices and research products while shopping.

Similarly, smart lighting system has enabled retailers to interact directly with visitors’ smartphones. For instance, it allows retailers to give shoppers directions to specific store items. Some of the LED system can also be connected with a mobile app that can be used to send targeted messages and coupons when customers are at a particular location within the store.

Most interestingly, if marketers can use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, it can present a number of potential opportunities for them. RFID serves as a tool to customise and enhance customer experience. Some retailers are using RFID smart tags to play tunes to the clothes that shoppers are trying on. They’re using the tunes or songs of celebrities that best match the style of the apparel. The aim is to put customers in the right purchasing mindset and help them imagine themselves wearing the perfect clothes. Undoubtedly, this creates an overall pleasant shopping experience.

A mass-market application of IoT in UK is the use of Hive. Hive is an app from British Gas that allows householders to control their central heating process via their smartphones. This innovation has substantially improved people’s everyday lives. The users can get hot water only when they need to, thereby reducing energy waste and saving money.

With data collected from the adopters of wearable tech, brands can better understand where and when shoppers might take action on a trigger. This is where the marketers can provide value and convenience to people using such devices.

How IoT Can Benefit An Organisation’s Business Goal?

As IoT can afford new opportunities in the next few years, it can drastically

  • Enhance customer satisfaction and engagement
  • Increase productivity operation and infrastructure
  • Improve product design and build new products
  • Reduce maintenance cost and system downtime.

Connected products provide brands with a direct, real time interface and interaction point with consumers. Marketers are looking forward to more limitless opportunities enabled by IoT. And with billions of new things becoming smarter with Internet Of Things, marketers will surely not let their marketing strategy remain ineffective.

The post Internet Of Things – Fueling Marketing Revolution With Connected Life appeared first on Small Business Can.

5 Restaurant Marketing Tips to Help You Spread the Word

Though food will always remain a constant demand, the rise in the number of different restaurants crowding around everywhere makes the restaurant industry no less than a battlefield with all restaurant owners vying for attention. Needless to say, not getting enough customers even if you dish out the best can be detrimental to your business. In this post we will look at 5 restaurant marketing tips that will help you spread the word.

As a restaurateur, spreading the word is as important as serving good food and providing exceptional service. And in this digital era, strutting your stuff online is the quickest way to get a word around!

So here are some tips to help you get started with promoting your restaurant online.

Get a Website

You can’t market your restaurant online without having a website! A website is crucial to any business as it helps establish credibility. Moreover, people all over the world are more likely to check out a product or service online before giving it a try. You’d certainly want people to check out your website and go crazy over your irresistible menu, drool-worthy pictures of your food and the amazing ambience of your restaurant!

Not having a website can put off potential customers, and you certainly don’t want that. People are going to think of you as a big player when they see you have a fine website. And that brings us to the all important points having a fine website!

You need to have a functioning website that is beautifully designed and user-friendly. Make sure that all details related to your restaurant are updated regularly on the website. Furthermore, ensure that your website works just as fine on mobile devices. A majority of people use their smartphones to access the web so it will do you good to design a simple website or create a mobile website.

Be Social Media Savvy

Pinterest and Instagram are great sites to share pictures of your food. Food porn will also work on Facebook and Twitter. Just be sure to time your posts around lunch or dinner time so you get the orders pouring in!

Share your menu, special deals, infographics and more on these sites. A video that highlights the best of your restaurant will also help your business. Consider creating a Facebook page for your restaurant. It is free and you’ll be marketing your restaurant on the largest social networking site!

There are several online communities with members who love food and drinks. Join the best ones and share your valuable content with the members keeping in mind the rules of the community. You can also consider forming your own online community.

Don’t forget to offer a call to action on your website and social media pages. Often, the most successful calls to action are deals and discounts. By making special deals available only for a limited time, you can be sure of getting more orders.

Post Relevant Content

Even before your website is up and running, you need to be ready with relevant content that you can share with your target customers. The relevant content would be articles and stories related to your restaurant and the food you serve.

Also, share articles related to wines, coffee, dining, and more. Establish yourself as an expert in the food industry and write intriguing articles related to food and dining. Do provide expert tips and guidelines too!

Once your website is ready, start sharing blogs on it and keep doing so regularly. Get in touch with local food bloggers and invite them to post on your site. You can also post blogs on their sites and broaden your target base this way.

Optimize Results

You want more people to be aware of your restaurant and you can do this by making sure that your brand is visible enough to everyone. Make a note of all the top directories in your city or country and claim your listings on them. Don’t forget Foursquare, Google Places, Yelp, Yellow Pages, etc.

You also need to adopt SEO techniques for your own website so that you rank higher in search engines. Just having a user-friendly website won’t do; you’ll need to ensure that the titles, descriptions, and tags on your website pages match your content and the information users will be searching for. Fix URL and crawling errors on your site, and make your website fast, reliable, and secure.

Do improve the internal linking structure of your website. Create a sitemap and submit it to top search engines to boost search optimization. Additionally, make sure that the content you post on your website is fresh and unique.

Hire a Consultant

Don’t look at hiring restaurant consultants as an unnecessary expense; hiring professionals for a job that you don’t know much about will definitely work in your favor.

Realize that the restaurant business is complex and that the food industry is relying heavily on the evolving trends of diners. In such a scenario, if you need to stay ahead of the competition, you need to have an insightful approach and plan strategically.

Approaching a consultant might not yield immediate results, but you can be sure of being on the right path!

Conclusion

It might be a tough journey to the top, but there’s no need to worry about the competition you’ll have to face in the restaurant industry. Just get the basics right and you’re sure to be a favorite with everyone.

With the tips mentioned here, you’re sure to market your restaurant online in the best way possible. So get started on spreading the word!

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Grow your business with Jack Black

Extraordinary men and women are positive

“Extraordinary men and women are positive and they don’t do negativity. Negativity causes people to talk themselves out of opportunity.”

“The quality of your thinking directly impacts your ability to succeed”

These are some of the quotes from Jack Black. Jack has been around the block and current research in neuroscience, motivation, EQ, IQ, habit forming, leadership and management, confirm everything that Jack has been speaking about since the early 90’s.

Grow your business

If you are planning to grow your business, it starts with your mind and your mental resilience. We decided to bring him back to Ireland as an exclusive opportunity to spend a day with Jack. The benefits from the one-day event would include the following

  • Unshakable positive mental attitude
  • Increased personal energy and ‘stick with it” commitment and perseverance
  • Improved creativity and better problem solving
  • Compelling goals driving better behaviours
  • Positively influence and motivate others
  • More effective results through new tools and skills for meetings, presentations and negotiations
  • Improved leadership
  • Enhanced work life balance
  • Applied emotional intelligence

Half a million and more

For 25 years the his toolkits has been taught to over half a million people worldwide including top entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, world champion sports people and endless workplace and leadership teams across all sectors of business and commerce.

Masterclass

Jack is coming to Dublin to do a masterclass on the 12th of June. You can book your early bird ticket here

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