Marketing Blog You Should Be Following
There are so many marketing blogs available on the internet that it becomes virtually impossible to keep track of them all. When you are reading a marketing blog, would you rather hear from someone who actually knows what he or she is talking about or someone just rehashing information that they may have heard elsewhere? This means it is a great idea to read personal marketing blogs written by entrepreneurs, individuals that have real life experience that you can use. The people listed here are not just observers or analysts; they are individuals who use successful marketing campaigns for their own business.
Noah Kagan
It is true that updates may be sporadic on this blog, but when Kagan does update his blog you are sure to find some great information here. He was not only the marketing director for mint.com but also product manager for Facebook. It is safe to say that Kagan knows what it takes for a company to be successful.
Gabriel Weinberg
Again not every post may be about marketing, but when he does discuss marketing, it truly is one of most comprehensive and detailed blogs about marketing you can find online. Aside from writing, he also holds video interviews with other entrepreneurs who have been successful in the past.
Michael Fox
Perhaps the most transparent and open blog you can ever come across. With over 1.5 million hits in a few short months, the website Shoes of Prey, co-founded by Fox is becoming quite successful. He reveals conversion rates, marketing campaigns, metrics, and traffic. Not only that, he also shares what went right and where improvements could have been made. This makes it a very interesting blog to read for fellow entrepreneurs.
Ilya Lichtenstein
This blog deals with some of the most important aspects of marketing for any entrepreneur: how do I turn my limited resources into good amounts of traffic. It publishes very detailed posts about marketing strategies that have been successful in the fast, backed up by knowledge from other marketers, personal experience, and data.
Dharmesh Shah
Granted, this blog may be more beneficial for entrepreneurs than those heavily involved in marketing. However, when it comes to understanding a startup, there is no other blog that discusses this better than Shah’s. If you want to learn more about one of the hottest software companies in the world, this is the place to be.
Read What They Wrote
When it comes to reading about business, there are many different options available. However, how do we distinguish between fluff and real, hard hitting authors? We can walk into any bookstore and find a plethora of books that look as though they were written by a five year old designed for simple people. Therefore, to help anyone who is interested in starting to read some of the leading ideas on the market, this is a list of some of the great business authors of our time whose work you should be reading.
Clayton M. Christensen
Currently working at Harvard Business School. Not only a bestselling author, but also one of the foremost experts in the world on growth and innovation. He has won the best business book of the year for the Innovator’s Dilemma (1997).
Vijay Govindarajan
He works at Dartmouth College, for the Tuck School of Business. He is one of the leading experts in the world on the subject of innovation and strategy. His most recent book, the Other Side of Innovation discusses how to grow a successful commercial business from an innovative idea.
Marshall Goldsmith
Not just one of the leading executive coaches in the world, but he also wrote, co-authored, and edited more than 30 books discussing business. One of these books, The Leader of the Future was translated in more than 25 different languages.
Roger Martin
Most know Roger Martin for his integrative thinking approach that leads to the solving of complex problems. He has written 12 Harvard Business Review articles and perhaps the book that best display his writing talents are The Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative Thinking.
Michael Porter
Every business school in the world teaches the Five Forces Framework developed by Porter. Many consider him the originator of the modern corporate strategy. He has written more than 18 different books.
Jim Collins
Best known for his books that discuss why some companies continue to grow and be successful while other falter to the wayside. Certainly worth a read in today’s troubled economic times.
There are of course others
By no means should you consider this a definitive list of authors’ worth reading, but for those who are interested in reading more about business innovators, this a great place to start. These authors have all had one thing in common – they have won multiple awards and are considered innovators in the field of business.
Top 4 Blogging Platforms
If you want to start writing your own blog, it has never been easier to find a platform for you. There are so many different blogging platforms out there that it seems you have an unlimited amount of options. However, once you have that many options, it can become quite difficult to make up your mind. Therefore, we have narrowed down some of the top blogging platforms so it becomes much easier for a potential blogger to make their selection.
Blogger
Blogged is not only web based and extremely popular, it is also free. One of the best things about this service is that it is incredibly easy to use and you will have your own blog set up within seconds. It very possible for someone who does not know a great deal about computers to go from not having a blog to having their first post up and running within 15 minutes. It supports location-based blogging, dynamic updating, and drag-and-drop template editing.
Tumblr
Tumblr is an interesting combination that seems to be a fusion between a Twitter feed and a full-fledged blog. It offers the perfect solution for those people who have more to say than 140 characters but are not interested in maintaining a full-fledged blog. If you are interested in sharing your message with the world, but not really interested in having to update it quite regularly, this is the perfect alternative.
WordPress
WordPress is certainly the most versatile and dynamic of the available options. This open source blogging platform has a tremendous number of developers and followers that are dedicated to the platform that create all sorts of gadgets, plug-ins, and themes. While it is not necessarily as easy to get going as some of the aforementioned alternatives, it does provide almost unlimited options to anyone who is willing to put some time and effort into understanding.
Posterous
There is easy, and then there is Posterous. It is the zero-stress, no-fuss way to start your own blog. There is no need to set anything up, there is no code necessary, the only thing you have to do in order to get started with Posterous is send a single email and it is going to do all the work for you. There is no limit to how much you can write either, so whether you are interested in sharing a lot of information or just want to keep it short and to the point, this is a great alternative to traditional blogging. Email based blogging may not be a great idea for everyone, but for people who are often on the go or do not feel like dealing with some of the hassle of having to log in, this can be a great alternative.
Business Wear Confusion: Time to Clarify
Though we may have recently lauded in 2012, there are still people confused about business fashion. While it is true that new trends are constantly being implemented and style is always evolving, it does not mean that the traditional ways of dressing for work have changed. Because some people are seemingly confused about what is considered appropriate and what is not, this is a simple refresher course in business fashion.
The first order of business
The most important thing to know about where you work is what type of attire is appropriate for your business. Even casual attire means different things in different businesses. The traditional business attire includes ties, dress shirts, and business suits for men. For women it includes business oriented suits, tailored pantsuits, and skirted suits. Hosiery and / or socks and leather shoes (closed or open-toe heel) are also standard.
Business formal
Though it is a subset of traditional business attire, it has some very clear requirements. One requirement for both men and women is dark tailored suits. Business formal standards state quite clearly that women wear closed-toe/closed heel pumps, hosiery, and skirted suits. Men should wear pocket squares (linen or silk), silk ties, cuff links and white shirts (with a French cuff) to quality for business formal attire. If you ever receive an invitation with this requirement without any further instructions, this should be your go-to outfit. This level of dress is often requested for dress evening business affairs, political event, and award dinners.
General Business Attire
Very close to the traditional business classification that most men and women wear to work. This still demands a dress shirt and a tie for men. Instead of wearing a suit though, men can change them out for dress trousers with a tailored sport coat. For women it can be coordinated dressy separates, businesslike dresses, and tailored pantsuits. Tailored jackets are required if a woman wears separates.
Business Casual
While the tie can be left at home, often times it does require tailored separates and fine-gauge knits or dressy sport shirts. Low-level business casual often involves knit golf shirts, chinos, and khakis. Even though it says “casual” wearing all-leather sneakers, sandals, shoes, and belts are still essential for men. Women should with tailored separates such as jackets, sweater sets, blouses, skirts, and slacks, or pantsuits. It is often encouraged for women to present a complete accessorized look that includes closed heels/ closed toe shoes that emphasize business.
Business Travel – Upcoming Trends to Consider
The New Year is finally here and people are wondering what changes we are going to see in business travel. While some of the answers may seem straightforward and logical, a few of the trends that are going to become apparent in business travel in 2012 may surprise you.
Extra fees are going to increase
Unfortunately, surcharges and ancillary fees that are tacked on top of hotel rooms and airline tickets are going to increase in 2012. It is true that hotels and airlines may try to lure people in with low initial costs, but add-on charges are going to drive the prices up even higher than before. Most experts suggest that if consumers thought that 2011 was bad, we have seen nothing yet in 2012.
Airlines are going to have to change
Unfortunately, those in the United States are going to notice that there will be significantly less domestic routes available. Chances are that American Airlines is not going to be the last major airline having to declare bankruptcy anytime soon. However, in Asia Pacific, international competition and capacity is going to increase significantly due to wide-body aircraft and additional low-cost carriers.
Europe has a different approach
Meanwhile, in Europe rail travel is going to emerge as a usable alternative to air travel. With extended networks and improved service, a harmonized European ticketing and planning system does not seem like simple ideology anymore. Those concerned about their carbon footprint and on-board working environments are going to be pleasantly surprised. Expect European corporate travelers to make much more use of the train.
The smartphone becomes the guide
Business travelers are not going to want to be without their smart phones anymore. Did you know that in the United States more than 84% of all business travelers use their smart phone while they are traveling? Whether they are reading the latest news, receiving emails or simply finding out practical information through social media and apps, they do not want to be apart from their phones anymore. It becomes vital for travel managers to embrace on-the-go alerts, location-based information, social communication, and mobile itineraries. Business travelers are going to expect a plug-in for their smart phone before the battery goes dead, yet another aspect that needs to be taken into account when trying to keep the business traveler happy. It may also become important to clarify appropriate usage in their travel policy.
