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Technology

7 Things Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know About Cloud Computing

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No matter what kind of business you have, there’s a good chance technology will factor into a large part of it. You might rely on databases to track shipments, or use tablets to capture details of customer feedback on the fly. Technology today allows the information that drives your business to be immediately updated and accessed thanks to “the cloud.”

One of the great advantages of cloud computing is that it allows you to access data wherever you are, and across multiple devices. However, a recent survey shows small business owners, in particular, are reluctant to embrace cloud computing.

That’s probably partially because they don’t feel tech-savvy enough. If you can relate, keep reading. As you’ll soon see, there are many things about cloud technology that could benefit your business.

Cloud Computing Is Extremely Adaptable to Your Needs

Most companies that offer cloud computing provide several storage and pricing tiers for users. Maybe you’re not sure how much storage you’ll need, and are hesitant to enter into a long-term contract. Often, that’s not a problem. You may even be able to buy more space and access as needed and simply pay a per-month fee.

That’s all very helpful if your business is rapidly growing. Furthermore, it’s comforting if you just want to casually check out how cloud computing could help your business without diving in too deeply during the early stages. Even contract-based providers frequently give complimentary trial periods so you can get a handle on whether a particular service would be suitable for the way you do business.

You’re Probably Already Somewhat Familiar With Cloud Computing

If you’re under the impression you haven’t worked with cloud computing at all yet, that’s likely not the case. After all, web-based email providers like Yahoo and Gmail paved the way for other types of cloud services.

You Can Get a Cloud-Based Service From a Familiar Brand

Maybe you’re hesitant to start working with new brands within your company and are staunchly against trying out something that’s offered by a provider you haven’t used before. Even with that limitation, you should still be able to find cloud-based technology that fits your business model.

Amazon, Microsoft and Sales Force are just some marketplace leaders that have developed cloud technology for entrepreneurs and other customers. General Electric has even specialized its offerings even further and will soon be launching a service that stores data in the cloud and is geared towards the industrial sector.

Cloud Technology Gives Your Employees Greater Mobility

Things like bad weather, contagious ailments and car trouble could all keep your workforce away from the office, yet potentially still able to stay productive as long as they can access their files. Depending on how many employees you have, any obstacles that prevent workers from coming to the office could be devastating as you attempt to reach business targets.

Fortunately, cloud computing allows employees to work from wherever they are, without the inconvenience of having to carry physical storage devices. What’s more, that same benefit also extends to you. Have you been thinking of taking a mid-week trip to a major metropolitan city so you can go to a conference that’s catered to people with startup companies? Cloud computing lets you stay on the move without worrying things might grind to a halt if you step away from your company’s physical location. Additionally, the cloud has revolutionized mobile field service software for field workers.

Cloud Computing Gives You a Leg Up on Data Analysis

Let’s face it: Data isn’t very valuable if you only store it but never take a closer look at the information within. Unfortunately though, some entrepreneurs are so caught up in the day-to-day operations of their venture that they find it much too time consuming to analyze captured statistics.

Fortunately, it’s possible to purchase hosted solutions that let you quickly access months of data. Examine data represented in charts, bar graphs and more, all with a few clicks of your mouse. User-friendly interfaces make it simple to look at the data you need and extract pertinent details.

Also, many solutions don’t require you to install special hardware or software to evaluate your data. Because everything’s so straightforward, you can be proactive about not only keeping data organized, but also seeing what the information reveals about your establishment.

Many Cloud-Based Servers Are Quite Secure

Understandably, some entrepreneurs are hesitant to move their files over to the cloud because they wonder about its safety. One advantage of keeping files on-site and in tangible formats is you can take extra precautions for preserving the security of the data. Are those same steps being followed in the cloud computing industry? That depends.

Some cloud providers take steps so even people who are administrators for the cloud company’s servers cannot see your data. If you’re really concerned, you can encrypt your data before transferring it to the cloud. As a general rule, if you rely on a company to encrypt your data, it can also theoretically decrypt it.

Cloud Computing Can Safeguard Against Issues Related to Hard Drive Failures

CrashPlan and Carbonite are two cloud-based providers that specialize in ongoing backup services for computers. Hopefully you don’t yet have first-hand experience of how much and how quickly your business could be affected by a failed hard drive.

Even if you work from a relatively new laptop, accidents happen, and hard drives can stop working. Whether your laptop falls from under your arm when you’re trying to carry it and answer the phone at the same time, or spilled coffee is the culprit that ultimately renders your computer inoperable, cloud computing could save the day.

Cloud backup services run in the background, so you barely even notice files are being transferred into the cloud. Furthermore, some have the ability to instantly access folders and transfer them onto new computers, which is handy if you have a new hard drive and want to be very picky about what you store on it.

Some entrepreneurs think cloud-based services will cause headaches, especially if they are not familiar with this type of technology. However, most providers specifically design their offerings to match the needs of today’s entrepreneurs. And they make the services very simple to use, so you may wonder why you ever dealt with other methods for so long.

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Networking

5 Tips for a Better Trade Show by Going Digital

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Trade shows still present an important avenue for networking, sales lead generation and joint ventures. Even in this digitized world, the old-school tactic of attending a conference relevant to your niche (or your customer’s niche) is still part of a great marketing strategy.

If you’re the one who’s organizing a trade show, there is no reason you can’t combine the advantages of the modern technological era with tried and true trade show marketing efforts. Here are some ways you can do that:

  1. Create Segmented Email Lists

Hopefully, you’ll attract quite a crowd to your trade show. Is there any reason why you shouldn’t ask attendees for an email address and build your various distribution lists? This is a great way to enhance your outreach.

For starters, you should create (or add to) email lists based on the interests expressed by the attendees. Your application form should query attendees as to why they’re visiting the trade show, their own background and their responsibilities within the organization they represent.

Then, use that information to add the attendee’s email address to a properly segmented email list that you can use for marketing purposes. A segmented email list is superior to a generic “everybody who attended the conference” list because it lessens the appearance of spam, reaches the right people with the right message and is generally more effective.

Recent research suggests that 39% of marketers who used segmented lists saw higher open rates. Twenty-eight percent of them saw lower unsubscribe rates and almost a quarter (24%) saw increased revenue.

  1. Use LinkedIn to Reach Out to Attendees

Why does the networking have to stop once the conference is over? Thanks to LinkedIn, you can network virtually with anyone, no matter where you or the other party is located.

In addition to providing a space in the application form for an attendee’s email address, also provide a space for the person’s LinkedIn URL. It’s quite likely that a number of applicants won’t know their own URL right away, so feel free to help them out by telling them how to locate it (it’s right below the “View profile as” button when LinkedIn users view their own profile).

Now that you have a LinkedIn contact, you can take advantage of the numerous benefits of LinkedIn marketing. This is in addition to the email marketing mentioned above, so it’s a great way to maximize your outreach efforts.

  1. Provide a Twitter Hashtag for the Conference

Sometimes, when you check your timeline on Twitter, you might notice certain trending hashtags that are referencing a conference or trade show. There’s no reason why you can’t create a hashtag for your conference to build online publicity.

First of all, make sure your hashtag is as short as possible, while still being descriptive. Remember, Twitter is a microblogging platform that only allows people to post updates that are no more than 140 characters in length. If you opt for a hashtag like #SalesAndMarketingTacticsFor2016, then you’re limiting how much people can say about your trade show in one tweet. Opt for something shorter, like #SalesExpo16.

Next, make sure your hashtag is well known to all attendees. Include it, in bold type, right alongside the actual title of the show in all your marketing literature so there’s no uncertainty about the hashtag that people are supposed to use.

You should also register your hashtag on a site like Twubs for further exposure.

  1. Create an App for Your Trade Show

Most people think of a trade show app as a tool for capturing leads. There’s nothing wrong with that, but there’s so much more you can do with an app.

Why not craft an app that’s a digital brochure that advertises the various exhibits at your trade show? You could also allow people to use the app to search for exhibitors of interest, making it easier for attendees to find exactly the kinds of vendors they’re looking for.

The advantage of a digital app is that it fits nicely right into a device that your attendees are almost certainly already carrying: a smartphone. This means your tech-savvy attendees won’t have to carry around a large brochure or booklet that explains where everything is located.

You can also use the app to highlight important information during the day and to remind attendees about events like breakout sessions. In addition, an app may be able to provide conference-related announcements and even give a shout-out to your display vendor (maybe for a discount on the multimedia displays they hooked you up with).

Speaking of shout-outs, feel free to use your app for advertising purposes. Sell people the right to advertise on your app with digital banners (that would be an additional source of revenue as well).

  1. Provide Wi-Fi Access at Your Trade Show

This should be a no-brainer, but it’s worth mentioning. You must provide Wi-Fi access at your trade show.

The simple fact of the matter is that we live in a digital world. Beyond that, we live in a digitally connected world. People need to be online, and it’s not always practical for your attendees to rely on 4G connections.

Remember, a good trade show is also an exercise in good customer service. Think of your attendees as customers (really, they are customers). If you want a successful trade show year after year, then be certain you make it easy for people to access the Internet.

Finally, remember that the Wi-Fi connection can also work to your benefit. This is especially true if your trade show app relies on an Internet connection to check for updates about the schedule.

Planning a trade show can be a lot of work as there are many things to consider. However, by keeping an eye on the digital components of trade show operations, you can help ensure your attendees are satisfied, and your trade show is a success.

Categories
Technology

Five Steps to Become a More Efficient Small Business

Technology can be a lifesaver for a small business owner, but only if you know how to use today’s top tools to spark efficiency. Communication is one area that is fast becoming critical to the success of small businesses. These suggestions are good reminders on how communication technology can shave unnecessary expenses while streamlining employee workflow:

1. Improve employee satisfaction.

Aging phone systems and slow networks can frustrate your employees and annoy your customers. In some cases, an employee might become burned out and decide to move on. To help ensure that employees are productive and satisfied, your business needs a secure, reliable, and fast network.

2. Reduce unproductive travel time.

All too often, time spent on the road is time lost. A networked phone solution that offers video calls and Web conferencing can help reduce the time and expense of traveling to offsite meetings and training sessions. Instead of spending time traveling, you can use the time to get work done with technology.

3. Make it easy to work together.

Smooth collaboration between employees, partners, suppliers, and customers is a sure-fire way to boost efficiency while also reducing costs. An intelligent network lets your business take advantage of interactive calendaring, videoconferencing, unified communications, and other technologies for easy collaboration. In fact, through May 31, small business owners can take advantage of a free trial of the Verizon Collaboration Center, which gives easy access to all of these features. Companies can register for the free trial at: http://business.verizon.net/betterway/challenge.php

4. Streamline customer communications.

Delivering fast, knowledgeable service is the best way to keep customers satisfied. Linking your network phone system to a customer relationship management (CRM) solution is a great way to enhance customer communications. When a customer calls, a pop-up window with their records appears on an employee’s IP phone screen, computer screen, or both.

5. Develop a long-term technology plan.

The process of replacing obsolete hardware can interrupt your employees and bring the office to a standstill. You can minimize such disruptions by carefully determining short- and long-term business objectives and working with your network vendor or IT professional to deploy technology that matches them.

Categories
Entrepreneurs

Why Sleep Is Not An Option!

enthusiastic.jpgAs i type this entry at 12:03am EST, i am again reminded what I love about owning a business. Its the freedom of knowing that if i want to do work in my home office at midnight and try to change my life and that of my family and employees, no one can stop me! And when i get on a thought trail in the middle of the night, I am hard to stop.
I have decided to sell businesses, buy businesses, fire people, hire people, change people’s reality for both the better and worse, all the while never once worrying about overtime, lack of access to my computer, cleaning crews or login procedures, you see, I own the joint! And it feels good.
For anyone considering starting a business, i will caution or encourage you that if you really have the stomach for it or a passion for an idea, you will be shot by an arrow that Cupid would wake up in sweats with fear of! I promise you that!
As a business owner, I never shut it down. I went on vacation at the end of year at a swank resort in Florida, have a $1000 a night suite for my wife and kids, a spa to die for, 2 pools, beautiful beaches, warm weather, sun and fun at my finger tips, miles of beach and the flattest ground known to man to run and the entire time i am thinking about my newest start up idea.
What will I call it? How will i fund it? Will I have partners? What URL should I secure? Which of my 6 development firms will i hire to build the site and do the optimization? Do i outsource it to my developers in India who are cheaper but challenged with their desire to be so literal? Do i write the content for the site or have someone else do it? What are my corporate objectives? And the parade of thoughts go one for 5 days and 4 nights!
And can i tell you, it was the best vacation i had in years. You see, a business owner is so adept at mental multi-tasking that i can play with my kids at the beach, have cocktails, talk to my wife, answer e mails, think about dinner reservations, plan the route of my morning run and which spa treatment by whom and never miss even the slightest detail! And they call me crazy! HAHA! I laugh at those bogged down with minute details! I am a big thinker. Big ideas. Big dreams! Always have been. Always will be.
The Blackberry is just a mechanical version of my brain. Calls, e mails, texts, schedules, documents, thoughts, web access. I look at my Blackberry as a mirror image. So you see, i live off of less than 5 hours of sleep a day. Any more and i am lethargic and grumpy because i might miss an opportunity to fine tune my global strategy or my opinion of a new hire or a suit i want to buy or a flight i need to take or a contact i need to cultivate… And the song goes on in my head all day and all night.
Pleasant dreams!!!! Enjoy them for both of us, because i am far too involved at this moment to sleep. I will have plenty of time to relax when i am gone!
EvanMorgensteinPhoto.jpgEvan Morgenstein: Entrepreneur, Consultant, Sports Agent, Motivational Speaker. Morgenstein started in the tech industry after graduating in 1987 from Syracuse University. Working for several partially owned IBM partnerships, Morgenstein learned from some of the best. He has parlayed that into a dominant company Premier Management Group in the celebrity talent and sports marketing industry.