Showing posts with label A Step at a Time. Show all posts

Friday, October 23, 2015

Lack of competition stops SME owners from switching accounts, finds CMA

Banks aren’t working hard enough to compete for customers, with SME owners sticking to their original current account supplier when searching for business loans, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has found.

Lack of movement within the sector

The consumer watchdog has published its conditional findings of its long-term investigation into 12 banks and building societies that provide personal current accounts (PCA) and business current accounts for consumers and small businesses.

In its report, the CMA noted that nearly 60 per cent of consumers have been supplied with their PCA by the same bank for over ten years, with 37 per cent sticking it out for over 20 years with the same lender.

This lack of movement within the personal account market has been put down to an absence of information on new products and service quality.

Customers are further hampered by the severe lack of any price comparison tools, which makes it harder for them to find a better deal on their current accounts.

This has resulted in just three per cent of customers switching PCAs in 2014, with only 16 per cent of people browsing the market for a better deal. Work has been done to create more competition, with the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) launched in September 2013.

This lack of information from banks is keeping consumers from reaping economic rewards. Consumers that use a PCA with a large overdraft limit can save approximately £260 a year if they switched banks, with the average person saving £70.

SME owners tend to stick with the same provider

Small business owners are suffering the same problem as consumers, with many sticking to the same current account provider when looking for a loan. When the initial free banking period comes to a close, 90 per cent of SME owners stay with their providers instead of going elsewhere.

Commenting on the report, Alasdair Smith, chairman of the retail banking investigation, has placed much of the blame on the banks, with financial institutions being able ‘‘to sit back and take their existing customers for granted.’’ Smith added that customers won’t benefit until more comparison tools are created to help customers and small businesses switch without any risk.

‘‘We are considering a series of measures that will have a far-reaching impact on how banks operate and will empower account-holders to search for and switch to the account that suits them,’’ said the chairman.

What is being done to change this?

The credit authority has made a number of recommendations to improve banking services for SMEs, including the creation of a price comparison site for small business owners.

Also high on the list of potential remedies was enabling banks to prompt business owners to review their account services during so-called ‘trigger points’ which occur in certain situations including a loss of service, closure of their local branch, unarranged overdraft charges or a change in the terms and conditions of their account. For SMEs the trigger points usually occur when their free banking period has ended.

Controversially, the CMA has decided not to recommend changes towards ending free if-in-credit (FIIC) accounts, with the investigation finding no evidence that FIIC affects competition. Tory MP Andrew Tyrie has slammed the CMA on the decision, branding free-if-in-credit accounts as a ‘con trick’.

‘‘It seems reasonable that millions of customers should be allowed to know how much they are being charged for having a bank accounts,’’ said Tyrie.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has welcomed the CMA’s interim findings, with national chairman stating that ‘‘A well-functioning banking market for small businesses is critically important to support UK economic growth.’’

However there are some SME lenders who feel the report doesn’t go far enough.

James Sherwin-Smith, CEO of lending platform Growth Street is concerned that there is no requirement for commercial finance products to carry an APR.

‘‘Without a standard price indicator, it is unclear how SMEs will be able to compare prices, even if the proposed remedies are adopted,’’ explained Sherwin-Smith.

‘‘This is badly needed to help simplify the complex charging structures employed by banks and others to charge SMEs more than they anticipate, and would result in a lower cost of SME finance and higher business and economic growth.’’

Citation from SME Insider :http://goo.gl/ZnVOEe

Monday, October 19, 2015

GET INNOVATIVE IDEAS AND BE A WINNER..

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” –Steve Jobs, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO, Apple

GET IDEA TO START STARTUPS

Motivation and zeal to do is very important. Money should not be the primary concern whereas growth should be the top concern on the mind of almost anyone working in a startup. A startup is a company designed to grow fast. Just by starting a new venture does not really makes a company a startup. Millions of companies are started every year around the world, however only a tiny fraction are startups. To grow rapidly, you need to make something you can sell to a big market. We need to develop ideas and build and understand on that and work efficiently for the growth of the new venture. The only essential thing for any startup companies is their Growth and everything else linked with startups follows from growth.

We would always feel that it is better to start a startup than an ordinary business. Yes it is, but we need to completely aware about the market. We should always open our eyes and look around and see what most important people need is and how it could be reached to those in need. If you're going to start a company, why not start the type with the supreme prospective venture? The eye opener should be that this is a fairly efficient market. Startups are so hard that you can't be pointed off to the side and hope to succeed. You have to know that growth is what you're after and not money. The good news is, if you get growth, everything else be likely to to fall into place. Which means you can use growth like an extent to make almost every decision you face.

For a company to grow categorically enormous, it must

· Develop innovative ideas

· Understand the market

· Startup something where lots of people need, and

· Reach and serve all those people.

The most important thing that the constraints on a normal business protect it from is not competition, however, but the difficulty of coming up with new ideas. A well know entrepreneur said “The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer.”

Well said statement and 100% spot-on. Just by dreaming on becoming the top company will not just suffice, working on it hard makes it successful. Space of ideas has been so thoroughly picked over that a startup generally has to work on something everyone else has overlooked. Initial struggle is most likely to happen to any new startup companies. Over coming those make them a winner to the rest of the world. The moment when successful startups get started, much of the innovation is insensible.

The growth of a successful startup usually has three phases: [citation from Forbes]

There's an initial period of slow or no growth while the startup tries to figure out what it's doing.
As the startup figures out how to make something lots of people want and how to reach those people, there's a period of rapid growth.
Eventually a successful startup will grow into a big company. Growth will slow, partly due to internal limits and partly because the company is starting to bump up against the limits of the markets it serves.

Most businesses are closely controlled, and the unique feature of successful startups is that they're not judgemental.Judging yourself by weekly growth doesn't mean you can look no more than a week ahead. Formerly when you know the pain of missing your target one week, you will become more interested in anything that could spare your pain in the future.

Get Innovative IDEAS and be a winner!!!

Could you run a startup with your best friend?

You grew up together, go out together, and have similar hobbies – but does this mean you’ll be good business partners? The idea of starting up with a friend sounds like fun, and could make business sense too. Businesses with more than one founder tend to be more successful, according to a report by Tech Factor.

But co-founding a business brings with it a whole host of responsibilities that can put the most tried-and-tested friendships under pressure. With many partnerships hinging on complementary skill sets, founders may have opposing approaches to problem-solving, increasing the risk of potential conflict.
Why business partners clash

Spending extended periods of time together is necessary and unavoidable when starting a business. And unless your co-founder is superhuman, it’s likely that little things they do will start to rile you.

“Being together constantly can be challenging,” says Susannah Jones, who co-founded Butchers salon in Hackney with Katie Knox, a friend and former colleague. “We know everything about each other and I know the way I breathe heavily when stressed can irritate Katie. I won’t reveal what annoys me about her.”

The likelihood of conflict increases after the first six months, when the adrenaline rush is over and the day-to-day reality of working together hits, says Christina Lattimer, leadership coach, consultant and founder of the People Development Network. In extreme cases, this can cause daily power struggles if co-founders have opposing personalities.

Tushar Agarwal, co-founder of Hubble, an online marketplace for London office space, met his business partner Tom Watson through Entrepreneur First, a pre-seed investment programme. Agarwal sought someone with complementary skills, but their different personalities mean they disagree daily over design and copy writing.

Sole Is Better, Even Partner Is Damn Good

“I want everything to be perfect and nuanced before it’s seen by the world, however long it takes. Whereas Tom believes in solving the problem with a quick and dirty solution as soon as possible.”

Conflict can also arise over money when both partners have access to bank accounts, says Mandy Fitzmaurice, managing director of Purple HR. “I’ve heard stories about one clearing out the account and doing a runner or racking up debt without telling the other.”
What’s wrong with a little discord?

While not all clashes are detrimental, if they persist they can have a disastrous impact on a business’s success, says Lattimer. “Whatever the energy inside the partnership, it will inevitably seep out to customers and employees.”

Conflict can also damage personal productivity. “It’s impossible to operate effectively if you’re at loggerheads with each other,” says Fitzmaurice. “If left unresolved, disagreements can lead to terrible disputes, dishonesty and lawyers.”
How to reduce the risk of conflict

It’s important not to take criticism personally, and to settle disagreements through feedback from an external source. “Put it to the jury,” says Pip Black, co-founder of Frame fitness studios. “We have passionate staff and customers so if we need help making a call on something or want a sounding board, we ask them.”

Agarwal and his co-founder settle most disagreements with data. When they clashed over how important the “about” page was on their website, they collected data over two weeks to see how many people visited it.

Compromise can work if your disagreements aren’t settled easily with numbers. Missy Flynn and her two co-founders are equally opinionated but they have avoided arguments about their business, Rita’s bar and restaurant in Hackney. “Rita’s was always meant to be a sum of its parts and everything – the decor, the food, the drink, the music and our ethos has a bit of all of us in it.”

Black and her business partner Joan Murphy couldn’t agree on a name for their fitness studio – she wanted to call it Shake Studios while Murphy preferred Gym and Tonic, so they went back to the drawing board and Frame was a happy compromise.

To ensure your relationship doesn’t revolve around your business, make an effort to socialise together outside of work. Jones and Knox of Butchers salon schedule regular “date nights” when they’re feeling stressed.

“It sounds grown up but our last one ended with us climbing off a boat pissed at 7am,” says Knox. “Date nights remind us that we’re friends, not just business partners.”

For the team at Rita’s, it’s important to get out of the restaurant from time to time. “Sometimes you forget what you used to do when you were just friends without a business. Take a walk, drink a beer, or a coffee, cook dinner and watch movies. Anything.”

If you do find yourself in a blazing row with your co-founder, take a breather and move on as quickly as possible. “The longer the problem continues, the bigger the issue grows,” says Lattimer.

When Lucy Greene and Pandora Lennard, co-founders of modelling agency Anti-Agency, argue, “the eruption will end with the right answer and we just forget the argument ever happened and move on,” says Greene.

Lennard adds: “We both have very fiery tempers so arguments tend to burn out as fast as they flare up. We’re like siblings – we bicker but always make up with hugs.”

And while it’s easy to fixate on disagreements, congratulate yourselves when you work well together, advises Lattimer, and remind yourselves why you wanted to do it in the first place.
Trial phase

Agarwal recommends that entrepreneurs have a trial phase of working together to discover key points of disagreement and personality clashes before committing to anything. “Work on a few small, intense projects to test what it would be like when you’re both stressed in a high-pressure environment.”

And pick your co-founders wisely. Make sure they’re reliable and dedicated, says Eamon Jubbawy, co-founder of background-checking company Onfido: “Are they the type of person who would get out of bed at 3am to help you fix a bug or prepare a client deck? In the early days of a company, those moments define success or failure.”

Once you’ve established a partnership, set clear boundaries. Having more distinct roles from the beginning would have saved Frame’s co-founders a lot of time, says Black; and Flynn would introduce a “no work texts after 10pm” rule with her Rita’s co-founders.

It’s a full-on relationship, adds Flynn, and it won’t be perfect. You might not like each other every day but remember to look after each other – you’re friends after all.

Disclaimer :- Following article come from theguardian

Friday, October 9, 2015

BOOMING STARTUPS NOT BUBBLES

"Startups are neither a bubble nor a complete game changer. I am sure the traditional things will survive, it (startups) will expand the market," Essel Group, Chairman, Subhash Chandra said last night at the Exchange4media Conclave.

Essel Group Chairman Subhash Chandra has said the country's booming startup space is not a bubble, rather it will help expand the overall market in the coming days. "They (startups) are neither a bubble nor a complete game changer. I am sure the traditional things will survive, it (startups) will expand the market," Chandra said last night at the Exchange4media Conclave. Chandra added that when he started the country's first satellite television channel Zee TV 23 years ago, the film and theatre industry were wary and felt that it would mark their end. "I remember that when I started (satellite) television in this country, the film industry felt we will kill the film industry and theatre industry but the reverse happened. We promoted the films, we partnered with the movie industry and both grew. Same way the technological startup companies will continue," he said. He said the e-commerce companies have found success as they are able to cater to the needs of people from smaller towns or the rural areas where products were earlier not available due to supply chain constraints.

Stating that technology will help in expanding the market and things will co-exist, he debunked the myth that linear television will cease to be around after a decade. "People say the linear television as it exists today, 10 years from now it will be dead. At Zee, we do take technology seriously. We are ahead at least in Asia in terms of adopting technology. But I feel this (linear television) will survive but at the same time new media. It will give more opportunities to marketers and expand the market as a whole," he said.

Essel Group is in the process of launching an English news channel and Chandra said it will be positioned as a technology company providing news. "We are about to launch an English news channel. We were discussing the whole technological engine we are going to use. I understood what technology my colleagues wanted to introduce in the news space. "I said why don't we have a vision that we are not going to be a news organisation but we are going to be a technology company incidentally giving news as a product. That is the positioning we have decided last week, for our English news channel," he said.

Citation from CNBC Money Control : http://goo.gl/GRiLdQ

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Startup Reasons For Establish 'Coopetition'

There are seven reasons in it, and they are smart as important.In business startups there must be growth and it is necessary.

1. It reduces common costs and customer learning curves.

Similar startups, with competing products, almost always have overlapping areas, which cost money to develop and annoy customers with a new learning curve. If these elements are not your core competency or “secret sauce,” why not negotiate a sharing partnership?

2. Complementary advantages can expand both markets.

Every smart startup starts with a focus on a unique advantage, such as owning a distribution channel. A competitor may have complementary strengths. A strategic partnership, sharing common gains, should be a growth opportunity by expanding the market for both.

3. There's an opportunity for follow-on sales to existing customers.

Every business brings a set of existing customers who are great candidates for additional sales from a partner-competitor. That’s the reason why many ecommerce sites feature a house brand, but have partner relationships with logical competitors to attract and cross-sell customers.

Satisfaction Is Your Need

4. It can create new solutions through integration of competitor features.

In many cases, two competitors are fighting a third one, and both are losing. With a strategic partnership, they can combine their product strengths with minimal cost and time, rather than each funding new development. Both then capitalize on new strengths and bundling for growth.

5. It can establish architecture and industry-interface standards.

Products in the same industry need to talk to each other and share data to facilitate faster customer adoption and faster growth for all players. Competitors can agree on common interfaces without exposing or jeopardizing their intellectual property or customer relationships.

6. It leads to referral agreements and affiliate marketing.

These are simple cooperation agreements, but many entrepreneurs are too proud or busy to consider them as a growth opportunity. Why not improve your customer satisfaction by referring customers you can’t satisfy to someone who can? If they so the same, you both win, along with the customer.

7. Coopetition relationships lead to positive investments and buy outs.

These days, most large companies, such as IBM and Merck, rarely develop new products internally. They invest in complementary startups, through internal venture funds and partnerships, and plan to acquire the best as they show the right traction. Be visible and be proactive.

If you are contemplating a win-lose relationship, hoping to put your competitor at a disadvantage, don’t do it. It's very risky, costs you a lot of time and money and generally backfires, since most competitors are not desperate or stupid. In every case, make sure your intellectual property is protected up front with a two-way non-disclosure agreement. Be cautious, but not paranoid.

Smart entrepreneurs realize that sometimes they have to fight that natural instinct to consider competitors as the enemy. If you keep your customer’s best interest as your first priority, you will know when it’s time to think outside the box. That thinking, including coopetition, will pay big dividends for your own startup's growth, as well as customer relationships.

Disclaimer :- Followingg article is is from Entrepreneur

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Global Entrepreneurship & Development Institute (GEDI)

GEDI INDEX

Enterprise is a crucial engine of economic growth. Without enterprise and entrepreneurs, there would be all little innovation, productivity growth and new jobs.

Entrepreneurial success does not take place in a vacuum. Entrepreneurs exist in the context of their particular geography – be that their local, national, or even supranational economy and society.

This mix of attitudes, resources, and infrastructure is known as the entrepreneurship ‘ecosystem’. The Global Entrepreneurship Index is an annual index that measures the health of the entrepreneurship ecosystems in each of 120 countries. It then ranks the performance of these against each other. This provides a picture of how each country performs in both the domestic and international context.

Entrepreneurship With Better Benefits

Institute

The Global Entrepreneurship and Development Institute (GEDI) is a research organisation that advances knowledge on links between entrepreneurship, economic development and prosperity. The institute was founded by world-leading entrepreneurship scholars from the LSE, George Mason University, University of Pécs and Imperial College London.

The main contribution of The GEDI Institute is the GEI index, a breakthrough advance in measuring the quality and dynamics of entrepreneurship ecosystems at a national, regional and local level. The GEI index methodology, has been validated in rigorous academic peer reviews and has been widely reported in media, including in The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and Forbes (see media tab).

Methodology

The methodology has also been endorsed by the European Commission and has been used to inform the allocation of EU Structural and Cohesion Funds. The theoretical approach of The GEDI Institute has also influenced entrepreneurship policy thinking in trans-national organisations such as United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Further details can be found in the research tab.

The GEDI methodology collects data on the entrepreneurial attitudes, abilities and aspirations of the local population and then weights these against the prevailing social and economic ‘infrastructure’ – this includes aspects such as broadband connectivity and the transport links to external markets. This process creates 14 ‘pillars’ which GEDI uses to measure the health of the regional ecosystem.

Disclaimer : The following article come from this websites GEDI
Email : ainsley@thegedi.org

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

E-CIG START-UPS MISSING AN OPPORTUNITY IN EASTERN EUROPE

Entrepreneurs operating in the e-cigarette sector might be missing a major opportunity to grow their businesses by ignoring potentially lucrative Eastern European markets, according to a new EU report.

The Eurobarometer survey from the European Commission – the executive branch of the EU – examined consumer responses to advertising as part of its look at the changing opinions and attitudes on tobacco and e-cigarettes. The 2014 survey was just published and builds upon patterns seen in the last iteration from 2012.

The report found a significant East/West divide, with more three-four times as many Western European consumers seeing advertising for e-cigs than their eastern counter-parts. In some ways, this is not surprising as the Western markets are, overall, more developed than their eastern coutner-parts. But even Poland, reckoned byECigIntelligence – a sector publication (which takes no funding from sector organisations) – to be potentially one of the three most important European markets and one of the three big future drivers of 5% short-term worldwide growth (from a current estimate of around $5.7 billion), had 31% of respondents saying they had seen advertising or marketing for e-cigs compared to levels such as 69% in the Netherlands, 62% in the UK and 59% in France.

Considering that many countries are in the process of implementing stronger controls on advertising, e-cig companies have a limited amount of time to get their message out in Europe. Although not all forms of advertising will be banned in all EU countries, once the EU’s Tobacco Products Directive (a new set of over-arching mandatory guideliens setting minimum regulatory levels on a wide variety of issues) comes out – the difficulty of getting a message out will increase significantly.

And speaking of getting the message out – the Eurobarometer survey also examined what advertising mediums have had the greatest impact. The most visible form of e-cig advertising was no surprise – point of sale ads were seen by 36% of the population. However, a close second at 35% was TV advertising – surprising considering there are already restrictions in place in certain jurisdictions limiting or completely prohibiting e-cig TV ads. Equally, popular methods for e-cig companies such as online advertising in all forms (banners, pop-ups, videos, etc.), sponsored events and celebrity use all scored seriously low in terms of being noticed, with only 2% of respondents saying they’d seen these types of activities.

Considering that sponsorship and celebrity use in particular can be expensive, it asks the question of whether these methods deliver value for money. This is a question that entrepreneurs and start-ups in the electronic cigarette sector and looking to expand their operations will have to ask themselves when determining marketing budgets.

Citation from Forbes : http://goo.gl/5GdK2D

Monday, June 22, 2015

21 SUCCESS TIPS FOR YOUNG AND ASPIRING ENTREPRENEURS

Being successful often means learning from those who have already achieved their goals. Having a mentor is an amazing blessing to an entrepreneur, but not everyone can find one in person.

If you haven’t yet found your personal business guru, here are 21 tips for young or aspiring entrepreneur to help get you started.

1. Challenge yourself.

Richard Branson says his biggest motivation is to keep challenging himself. He treats life like one long university education, where he can learn more every day. You can too!

2. Do work you care about.

There’s no doubt that running a business take a lot of time. Steve Jobs noted that the only way to be satisfied in your life is to do work that you truly believe in.

3. Take the risk.

We never know the outcome of our efforts unless we actually do it. Jeff Bezos said it helped to know that he wouldn’t regret failure, but he would regret not trying.

4. Believe in yourself.

As Henry Ford famously said, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.” Believe that you can succeed, and you’ll find ways through different obstacles. If you don’t, you’ll just find excuses.

5. Have a vision.

The founder and CEO of Tumblr, David Karp, notes that an entrepreneur is someone who has a vision for something and a desire to create it. Keep your vision clear at all times.

6. Find good people.

Who you’re with is who you become. Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, noted that the fastest way to change yourself is to hang out with people who are already the way you want to be.

7. Face your fears.

Overcoming fear isn’t easy, but it must be done. Arianna Huffington once said that she found fearlessness was like a muscle -- the more she exercised it, the stronger it became.

8. Take action.

The world is full of great ideas, but success only comes through action. Walt Disney once said that the easiest way to get started is to quit talking and start doing. That’s true for your success as well.

9. Do the time.

No one succeeds immediately, and everyone was once a beginner. As Steve Jobs wisely noted, “if you look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” Don’t be afraid to invest time in your company.

10. Manage energy, not time.

Your energy limits what you can do with your time, so manage it wisely.

11. Build a great team.

No one succeeds in business alone, and those who try will lose to a great team every time. Build your own great team to bolster your success.

12. Hire character.

As you build your team, hire for character and values. You can always train someone on skills, but you can’t make someone’s values fit your company after the fact.

13. Plan for raising capital.

Richard Harroch, a venture capitalist, has this advice for upcoming entrepreneurs: “It’s almost always harder to raise capital than you thought it would be, and it always takes longer. So plan for that.”

14. Know your goals.

Ryan Allis, co-founder of iContact, pointed out that having the end in mind every day ensures you’re working toward it. Set goals and remind yourself of them each day.

15. Learn from mistakes.

Many entrepreneurs point to mistakes as being their best teacher. When you learn from your mistakes, you move closer to success -- even though you initially failed.

16. Know your customer.

Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s, cited knowing your customer as one of his three keys to success. Know those you serve better than anyone else, and you’ll be able to deliver the solutions they need.

17. Learn from complaints.

Bill Gates once said that your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. Let unhappy customers teach you where the holes in your service are.

18. Ask for customers’ input.

Assuming what customers want or need will never lead to success. You must ask them directly, and then carefully listen to what they say.

19. Spend wisely.

When you spend money on your business, be careful to spend it wisely. It’s easy to spend too much on foolish things and run out of capital too soon.

20. Understand your industry.

Tony Hsieh, the founder of Zappos, once said, “Don’t play games you don’t understand, even if you see lots of other people making money from them.” Truly understanding your industry is key to having success.

21. Deliver more than expected.

Google's Larry Page encourages entrepreneurs to deliver more than customers expect. It’s a great way to get noticed in your industry and build a loyal following of advocates.

Being a successful entrepreneur takes a lot of work, a lot of vision and a lot of perseverance. These 21 tips, from entrepreneurs who have already found success, will help you navigate the path much more easily.

Citation from ENTREPRENEUR: http://goo.gl/52S2Xm

Saturday, June 20, 2015

4 Keys To A Sustainable Content Marketing Strategy

READY FOR INNOVATION : START UP WITH VENTURE ART

Positioning an agency as a genuine thought leader in any competitive industry (and nowadays they are ALL competitive) carries the inherent challenge of building an enduring content strategy. The ability to remain in touch with the progression of marketing technology, and to capture it effectively through blogging initiatives, requires that agencies adapt their traditional content production methods to produce social engagement and social capital.

Automating social media and PR is one way of doing this. But it’s not the only way.

Here are some other keys to a sustainable content marketing strategy:

1. Data visualization

Writes Dorie Clark, a noted marketing strategy consultant, “Two recent factors have conspired to make this the moment for data visualization. First is the rise of Big Data and the growing public awareness of its power. Today more than ever, professionals are being asked to argue their cases and make their decisions based on data. But that push outside IT circles means that many non-technical professionals must now produce and comprehend insights from Big Data.

Visualization can help, and a raft of new tools makes that possible.” Nowadays, a business need not spend vast amounts of money to get right with data visualization (dataviz). These recent tools have become continuously more powerful and egalitarian. Far gone are those times when IT had to generate all reports for the non-technical employees. It’s easier than ever before for employees to speedily discover new things in increasingly abundant datasets. Examples include Visual.ly, Tableau, and R.

The more data marketers have on what their audience is doing, the better sustainable content marketing they can strategize.

2. Animation

You grab the attention of Facebook junkies with animation. E-cards are all animated. Reaching out to thank loyal customers is done through animated e-mails and other platforms. YouTube alone gets a billionunique visitors each month. If it moves, and it’s on the Internet, somebody is watching it.

The Internet is animated, and it’s only going to get more animated. Free animation software is readily available. You can only say the same thing about your brand in different ways so many times—but you can illustrate your brand in a never-ending variety of ways.

3. Engaging and interactive digital experiences

Yoav Vilner is a trending tech blogger and growth hacker. He’s all about the immediacy of SMS: “Right now, only 7 percent of consumers use SMS as a viable means to communicate with brands. But this is about to change. The same behavior that drives Self-Service is driving SMS customer service. Your customers don’t want to use call channels unless absolutely necessary. SMS is non-intrusive, low impact and an easily manageable solution.”

SMS is not a cure-all for content marketing strategy; when reaching customers via SMS just make sure to only send offers with real value.

4. Building communities

Michael Del Gigante, president and creative director ofMDG Advertising, says, “Everything we do as an agency is focused on building brand loyalty and advocacy for our clients. Customers are a community—one that changes and grows. We treat them as individuals, but we continually extend an invitation to each one of them through all touch points to join in a larger dialogue.”

Del Gigante continues, “Even though technology has enabled us to build and facilitate conversations with online communities, it still takes a skilled team that can speak on behalf of the brand and provide timely response to comments and questions. It’s important to remember that providing valuable information to a community that can share and comment on it is the goal. Consumers are savvy and will disengage if you use these communities as another platform to deliver marketing messages.”

Micah Solomon, a writer on corporate culture, says of customers, especially the large segment known as Millennials: “Millennials enjoy the possibility of collaborating with businesses and brands, as long as they believe their say matters to the company in question. They don’t necessarily see a clear boundary between the customer and the brand, the customer and marketer, and the customer and service provider.”

A continuing dialogue with customers makes the marketer’s content marketing strategy that much more easy—and sustainable.

CITATION FROM FORBES : http://goo.gl/LO3RCE