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Posted November 6, 2009 at 2:43 pm by: vistaprint
With the increase of social media sites on the web, companies have found a way to market and improve upon their products by using the newly-established field of text mining technology. Social networking sites and blogs allow companies to bypass traditional market research methods and get opinions directly from the consumer. By processing this information, both positive and negative, a company can then develop ways to incorporate this data and improve their products, if necessary. They are also able to target demographics. A new field of text mining has been established to interpret the data and opinions. With this technology companies have the ability to market their products more effectively. The technology can also provide them with important data about their competitors. Public opinion has surpassed previous forms of market research. Several companies now interpret and analyze data gleaned from various social sites on the web. Because the field is relatively new, there have been several terms to describe the industry, including “social media analysis.” As social media sites and blogs increase, so too will the need for these services. Soon it will be standard procedure for all companies to utilize and incorporate social media data and statistics into their marketing campaigns and product development.
Filed under: Marketing by vistaprint | No Comments »
Posted November 3, 2009 at 1:57 pm by: vistaprint
There are many types of direct marketing strategies, but some of the most effective campaigns are the ones that don’t look like direct marketing. Holiday cards are still a time-honored tradition between friends and family, even in the Internet age this is a popular way stay in touch. Consider using a custom printed holiday card as part of your direct marketing concept. The holiday card can be most effective when it is designed with the company logo featured in an eye-catching way, but not as the centerpiece of the mailing. Holiday cards should look like a personal touch rather than a mass mailing. Small and medium-sized businesses should try to have the holiday cards hand-signed where possible. It’s possible to add the look of a personal touch even if you can’t spare the time to have the cards hand signed. Include the signature of a prominent name in the company as part of the graphic design of the holiday card. You can even order some special address labels to put on the holiday cards that include this person’s name. Seeing the name on the return address label and the accompanying signature gives the card a more personal feel. For the personalized touch from a team, consider including a group photo and signatures included in the graphic design of your holiday cards. The return address labels can include the name of your team instead of a single person. Some holiday cards are actually more effective without the personal touch. A great example of this is the card that offers a discount on goods or services when presented at the time of sale. This turns the holiday card into a “gift” from your company and offers an incentive for the customer to return to you. Are you trying to track the effectiveness of your direct mailing strategies? One way to do this with your holiday cards is to offer a discount or incentive with an expiration date and a redemption code. When it comes time to collate the number of cards and redemption codes used, you can see how many cards came back to you and the dates the redemption codes were used. For some companies, the simplest approach may be best. A simple card which says “happy holidays” and offers the company logo and website information on the return address label is sometimes the best strategy. It all depends on the mindset of your customers.
Filed under: Marketing by vistaprint | No Comments »
Posted October 27, 2009 at 5:54 pm by: akhetrapal1
Hear and assess more than 90 new venture ideas each pitched in three minutes or less by Babson alumni and students at Babson’s 10th Annual Rocket Pitch Event on Friday, October 30, 2009 in Olin Hall on the Babson College campus. Babson invites its alumni and student entrepreneurs to pitch their business ideas to a large audience of students, faculty, entrepreneurs, investors, and service providers. Each entrepreneur is allowed three minutes and three PowerPoint slides to quickly and succinctly deliver the critical differentiating elements of their business ideas. Pitches happen in rapid succession in multiple rooms with no time for questions allotted.
Posted October 8, 2009 at 3:21 pm by: bongobing
Our startup, BongoBing, has gone through tremendous change over the past few months from a website where everything seems to be broken to one that is innovating and changing the way people shop online for the better. Not too long ago we started our first day at the Babson Summer Ventures program with the hope of building something great. Four months later, we truly believe that we have built something great, and we are just getting started. The key to a startups’ success is not how much money they have (although it helps), but whether or not they have purpose, because without purpose there is no drive or reason to make it through the tough times. Once you have purpose, innovation will come because you are no longer there just to make money, but to change something about the world. Some of the nifty things that we’ve been able to do is to provide a REALLY fast and relevant search (faster than our competitors), snippets that show you where on the product description your search terms matched, and a really detailed profile of the product (better than any of the top shopping sites); see them here: Search Results Page & Product Profile. When we worried about only the money and had no purpose, we became handicapped by spending our time thinking up ways to make “a quick buck”. Once we realized how much it currently “sucks” for online shoppers and how much of an impact we could make then our focus became all about the shopping experience, and we immediately began making more money as a result. So, in summary, you need a purpose to have a successful startup. A “want to be entrepreneur” hits a wall and decides to give up and go home, a true entrepreneur makes a door and charges others for going through it.
Posted October 4, 2009 at 4:30 am by: akhetrapal1
Hear about how mass customization can create value and profit from a panel of leaders. They’ll discuss the impact of using technology to enhance customer experiences, economic benefits behind mass customization, how buying practices might change consumer habits,technology practices in the future and various impromptu topics. Join Scott Kirsner, Boston Globe columnist, as he leads an interactive panel discussion with eight mass customization industry thought leaders. Olin Auditorium, 8th October, 6pm
Filed under: Events by akhetrapal1 | No Comments »
Posted October 1, 2009 at 7:39 pm by: akhetrapal1
On Wed Oct 7th, you will have the opportunity to brainstorm innovative ideas in a small multi-school team and pitch those against each other with a substantive cash prize for the best one. However, there are several features about this opportunity that will make it both challenging and awesome!
The event will take place Wednesday evening, October 7th from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM in the Foundry’s Edison house on the outskirts of Olin’s campus at 1795 Great Plains Ave, Needham.Please RSVP Here if you would like to attend. The purpose of this event, and why you should definitely come, is fundamentally to:· Meet new people from Olin, Babson, & Wellesley · Enlighten yourself with words of wisdom from our industry expert · Have fun coming up with awesome ideas · Have fun pitching them to other people · Potentially walk away from the evening with a substantive amount of money “Open Gate Initiative”A huge goal for the Foundry this year is to bring you more connected to the best sides of the Babson and Wellesley communities. The “Open Gate Initiative” is a term we’ve been using to describe a series of large events we plan to hold specifically designed to bring people together in a fun, entrepreneurial setting. With the tri-college initiative just moved through by all three schools, we think this is an incredible and very tangible opportunity to make this relationship work!
Filed under: Uncategorized by akhetrapal1 | No Comments »
Posted September 29, 2009 at 2:09 pm by: akhetrapal1
Learn about Donna Fenn’s new book, Upstarts! How GenY Entrepreneurs are Rocking the World of Business and 8 Ways You Can Profit from Their Success. The author will give an insight into how the GenY entrepreneurs do business differently and have managed to succeed in their entrepreneurial revolution. Tuesday, October 6th, 5pm Blank Center, Rotunda
Posted August 12, 2009 at 4:51 pm by: bongobing
BongoBing has gone through a bagillion website transformations all making the site better than the last, but the real question is does it actually matter? Does a better website mean better revenue? The answer is a big YES. Our search results page, example: outdoor seating furniture, has evolved dramatically in terms of user utility and appearance over the past three months. Our item page, example: Folding Table and Chairs Package 2 - National Public Seating, now has coupons and related searches on it to help with the online shopping experience. The overhaull in appearance & utility of these pages has directly resulted in more shoppers coming to the site, staying longer on it, and buying more. We’re currently working on making the site more “professional” and “clean” looking, we’ll see how much more this adds to the conversion rates. Overall, BongoBing continues to be an amazing venture, and each set back motivates us to work even harder.
Posted July 8, 2009 at 2:44 am by: jmondo
In the last day I have done more to start a business than I have since the school year ended. In fact, my life has probably changed more in the last 24 hours than it ever has in a single day. This follows after making less-than-minor accomplishments for the whole first half of the summer. What’s the big deal? In the last day, I have: decided on a name for my business, chosen to start a sole-proprietorship, received an EIN, registered a D/B/A, opened a bank account, and landed a coffee shop to operate my computer lessons business out of. I have moved from concept to awaiting my first customer in the course of 24 hours. Oh, and I also applied for two jobs – one that I was nominated for at Babson and the other to learn sales skills that will help me later in life (and tomorrow). Of course the real question is: how did this happen? Well, I realized two major things: The first – that I need to stop constantly relying on others. Example: I briefly thought of the structure for my business. Since I have no assets, and the nature of computer training is not very risky, I chose sole proprietorship. That thought process took less time than it took to write the last two sentences. In fact, I had enough background knowledge in the different structures that I didn’t even have to utilize the wonders of the Googles. You might ask, where is the problem in this? Well, the next thing I did was call my dad and ask him, not whether sole proprietor was a good choice, but instead “What business structure should I choose?” He led me through the options and in the end, I found myself trying to convince him that a sole proprietorship was the right choice. I hung up a little irritated that he didn’t know as much about the choices as I did. Next, I logged into Facebook and asked some friends the same thing – perhaps they would know more. One suggested an LLC and I fought him on the $500 yearly fee to protect the assets I don’t have. Apparently I do this with almost everything. I make my decision and then look to others for approval. But yesterday was different than usual. Perhaps it was all the sleep that I had gotten from being sick, or the sun shining in my window for the first time in weeks. But yesterday, I noticed. I asked myself, why was I asking people for advice that I didn’t need? Then, the follow up question came, how much time to I waste asking people for this advice? I quickly realized that for every “important” decision I make, I probably spend 3-5x longer asking people for “advice” than I do making the decision. What a waste of time! Oh, and by the time I get the answer, my inspiration is mostly gone. If I can’t make a decision on a business structure, how can I start a business?
That leads me to the second observation. I found this great quote on twitter…
More on that soon.
Filed under: entrepreneurship by jmondo | No Comments »
Posted July 7, 2009 at 10:04 pm by: emergentenergygroup
Every person who works in sales wants to be a big shot rainmaker. The man in the company who brings in all the huge clients that propels the start up into stardom. I rarely have time to read books myself (hopefully when I retire I get that chance) but this is one very short book that took my game to the next level. Most of the advice you have probably already heard, but this book molds to your mind to use all of that advice in an action plan to CLOSE THE DEAL.
How to Become a Rainmaker: The Rules For Getting and Keeping Customers and Clients Jeffrey J. Fox (Author) |
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