Search

Search for:

Monthly Archives: August 2013

If Content is King, Revenue is Queen

16 August, 2013

by Chris Goward, EO Vancouver Member and CEO of WiderFunnel Marketing Optimization

Here are a couple things you may not know:

One: Bill Gates coined the phrase “Content is King”.

Two: The king needs a lot of help.

Content is important for getting people to your site, from search algorithms to social share to links to your site, but content alone doesn’t make you revenue. Content without conversions is just free publishing.

If content is King on the chessboard of online business, revenue is the Queen.

The Queen can do all of the things that every other piece on the board can do, but faster. Revenue can buy good content, but good content cannot guarantee revenue.

Currently there is a tempest in a teapot about content marketing (or “Inbound Marketing”.) The problem is most of the “Great Content” drives junk traffic for the creator, or builds brand awareness associated with subjects that don’t produce business value. And much effort is used to create reams of content that don’t produce revenue.

This is a game where the 1% truly rule. Those who can get the biggest mind-share for the right topic generate great business. The rest just waste their marketing budget creating noise.

Categories: Best Practices PR/MARKETING

Tags: bill gates budget content entrepreneur entrepreneurs' organization (EO) eo finance marketing revenue

5 Steps to Improve Your Website’s Performance

15 August, 2013

by Jon MacDonald, an EO Portland member and president of The Good

If you’re in charge of managing your brand’s e-commerce site, improving online sales is always on top of mind. The best way to invest your digital budget is to focus on continually improving the site’s performance and content.

Align With Your Customers
Customers have no patience for, and pay very little attention to, anything that gets in the way of finding the right product for them. Potential obstacles are everywhere from your content to the time it takes for a page to load.

It’s easy to get distracted from helping customers complete their goals by focusing on the latest internal marketing campaign, or trying to keep the design looking fresh. As technology changes, your site may need to be rebuilt on a new platform, but for the most part improving the site that exists now should be your highest priority. Your first step is to evaluate the shopping experience across devices.

Customers have no patience for anything that gets in the way of finding the right product.

Read More

Categories: Best Practices general Technology

Tags: analytics ecommerce entrepreneur entrepreneurs' organization (EO) eo marketing metrics online performance responsive design website

Turn a Handshake into a Business Plan

14 August, 2013

by Joe Perez, CEO of FrontLine Support Solutions

When it comes to building a business and teaming with a partner, it is possible that you will start with a handshake. From there, it’s important to take necessary steps to ensure a successful partnership.

A couple of weeks ago, I flew into Atlanta, Georgia and met with a gentleman who thought it would be profitable for his company to team with my company. Previously, we’d talked over the phone and had several long conference calls. We were acquainted in that way, but there’s nothing that takes the place of actually looking into another person’s eyes, listening to their tone and shaking their hand. It may be old fashioned, but I think it goes a long way.

When we finally met in person, we spent several hours getting to know one another and hit it off well. This is an extremely critical step and one you should not discount. Once you decide to join forces and create a joint venture, you’re bringing together your physical and mental forces to create a living entity in the eyes of the State.

Categories: Best Practices Guest contributors Inspirational

3 Tips to Enhance Effective Communication

13 August, 2013

by Scott Span, CEO & Lead Consultant of Tolero Solutions

Workplace communication isn’t easy.

Everything, from personal to business relationships hinge on it. Communicate too little, too much or incorrectly, and everything you’ve worked for can fall apart. On the contrary, when people communicate properly– in a way that makes all parties feel heard–even conflict and criticism can be constructive and lead to positive results.

Humans are social creatures by nature. We work together, play together, and live together. Introverted or extroverted, we need to communicate on a daily basis with those around us. Verbal and non verbal, quietly or loudly, we communicate with our co-workers, employees, and leader.

So why is it often so difficult?

Categories: Best Practices

Tags: business communication employees entrepreneur entrepreneurs' organization (EO) eo

Adapting to the Mobile Workplace

12 August, 2013

By Rebecca Tann, vice president of marketing for Regus

Recently, I did something quite common the office these days: I worked from home, d a few other locations in a single week. I consider myself part of the modern and connected workforce who no longer relies on one location to be productive, and it’s something that business owners are picking up on. Giving workers the freedom to work from a mix of locations is having a positive impact on business productivity and employee morale. The latest numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau confirm what many believe is an irreversible trend benefitting today’s professionals.

Categories: FINANCES Guest contributors

Tags: entrepreneurs' organization eo partner mobile workplace regus strategic alliance work from home

If it Ain’t Broken, Try Breaking it

9 August, 2013

By Rasmus Ankersen, founder and owner of RFA Performance & Research

In 1997, 20-year Tiger Woods had just won the Masters by twelve strokes, and he took a decision that would shock the golf world. He decided to reinvent his swing. We’re not talking about the endless tweaks and minor revisions that all players are forever making to their swings. We are talking instead about the conscious decision to undergo a structural overhaul, wherein a player transforms the very shape and pattern of his swing.

Categories: FINANCES

Tags: best practices rasmus ankersen tips

6 Tips to Grow Your Extra Income

8 August, 2013

By Akhil Shahani, an EO Mumbai member and CEO of The Shahani Group

So you made some extra cash in your first business. Planning to blow it all? Not a bad idea, but you could do better things with the money. Investable surplus is what remains after all liabilities have been taken care of and therefore could be plowed back into the business. Growth and business expansion is impossible without timely reinvestment and hence, any investable surplus should be dealt with appropriately.

Depending upon the nature of the surplus, recurring or one time, one could utilize it in different ways:

Business cycles: Economic forecast are more often than not exaggerated and very rarely do the predicted boom phases last for long. You may need to hire a professional to help you analyze the market conditions. Also check whether the surplus is something that you could expect periodically or if it is a one time gain. Knowing this will help you plan better.

Categories: FINANCES members

Tags: business exspansion entrepreneurs' organization (EO) eo finance income investment money mumbai the shahani group tips

Planning Your Living Legacy

7 August, 2013

By Verne Harnish, an EO Spain-Barcelona member, the “Growth Guy” and CEO of Gazelles, Inc.

People often joke that the best moments of boat ownership are the day they bought the boat and the day they sold it. There are similar punctuation marks in our lives— the day we’re born and the day we pass away. As busy executives, if we’re not careful, our personal lives can end up as neglected as those vessels, forever docked in the harbor (or parked in storage!).

I’m a big believer in building a living legacy. Your life will be more meaningful if you treat every day as if it was your last and, instead of rushing from one obligation to another, you proactively establish personal priorities and align them with your professional goals.

In my experience, there are four decisions you must make to build a thriving company: People, Strategy, Execution and Cash. In your personal life, there are parallel areas: Relationships, Achievements, Rituals and Wealth. Commit to writing your goals in these four areas, just as you weave the Four Decisions into your business plan. To guide you in creating a personal one-page plan, here’s a link to a “ME: Living Legacy” tool.

Categories: FINANCES Inspirational Other

Tags: entrepreneurs' organization eo living legacy planning verne harnish

10 Questions with Natalia Matveeva (EO Russia)

6 August, 2013

Natalia Matveeva, an EO Russia member, is the head of business development for Realore Studios. A passionate EO member, Natalia has been developing, publishing and distributing casual and mobile games since 2002. Her company has published more than 60 titles on numerous portals, including Yahoo! Games and AOL.

1. Do you have a nickname?
“My nickname is ‘Dolerona.’ I came up with it myself, and it stuck. It’s named after a French island: Ile D’Oleron.”

2. How would you describe Russia’s business landscape?
“Opportunistic. Fun. Risky. You wake up in the morning and don’t know what new administrative, bureaucratic or legal obstacle/opportunity the Russian government has come up with this time.”

Categories: Inspirational Interview

Tags: entrepreneurs' organization eo russia interview natalia matveeva

The Entrepreneurial Life Cycle

5 August, 2013

The term “entrepreneurial life cycle” has taken on a new meaning thanks to the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) and Accelerator, EO programs designed to nurture and guide entrepreneurs into the EO family. Two entrepreneurs who recently took this path are Zak Dabbas and Ryan Unger, EO Chicago members and founders of mobile marketing firm Punchkick Interactive. In this interview, Zak talks about the power of EO’s emerging programs and the impact they had on their entrepreneurial journey.

Your first experience with EO was through GSEA. What inspired you both to join the program?
ZD: When my business partner, Ryan, first learned about GSEA, he was very excited about the possibility of meeting entrepreneurs from around the world. For him, GSEA sounded like an amazing learning experience in a lot of different ways. It also sounded like a great opportunity to meet likeminded folk who shared the same passion to grow their businesses. I was also immediately hooked. I saw our participation in GSEA as a unique chance to explore new avenues for our business.

Categories: EO News Inspirational

Tags: accelerator emerging programs entrepreneurs' organization eo global student entrepreneur awards gsea young entrepreneurs