Seven Skills You Need to Land a High-Paying Digital Marketing Job

While there are no guarantees,business researchhas proved that there exist seven key skills which are essential to landing a cushy job in digital marketing. The person must know how to derive maximum benefits out of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Besides SEO, the Pay-Per-Click (PPC) model must also be incorporated in the aspirant’s training. Smartphones are today at the forefront of business making decisions, and an understanding of how to use mobile phones to optimize digital marketing is essential. Email marketing might sometime sound dated, yet research has proved this to be the most reliable method of augmenting leads. Social media has totally revolutionized how marketing is done today and remains a powerful source essential to be mastered by the marketer. Next in line is content marketing as this methodology works well across media channels. Crucially, they must understand business analyticsas this is the tool which eventually breaks down the data from every other domain to derive meaningful information for the marketer to use.  

24 Ways to Stop Making Horrible Decisions

Some ways have been suggested by management consulting teams which help to curb poor decision making in businesses. The best option never exists and one must not sit on to wait for that ideal. Start executing with available information and don’t assume others possess better of it. In fact too much information can clutter mind against core functions. Also most recent information must not trump understood and tested knowledge. A good rest in between working is crucial for the brain to recharge. Confirmatory bias is most dangerous, instead an open mind helps. Trusting everyone is undesirable. Giving oneself a gift can be an effective way of bringing best out of oneself. The art of forecast can only improve through constant hit-and-trial. Munching of timely snack helps. The phobia of losing must not come in way of ambitious corporate strategy. Occasional streaks of success do not last forever. Meditation always aids sound decision making. Stereotyping can prove to be dangerous for all concerned. Occasionally one must try out third party advice and that is where business consulting comes to the fore. Self-introspection helps make ethical choices in business. Sometimes not making a decision is better than a bad one. Sometimes these options may sound different in a foreign language, so that may well be tried out. Existing state of mind may not last forever. Physical fitness is also crucial and the body reacts to panic or stress in ungainly manner. While business analytics is important, one must never trust the numbers thoughtlessly. One must prioritize and take decisions on most crucial matters first to avoid ‘decision fatigue’. Also possible outcomes must be analyzed on a pre-mortem before things are executed. Finally, managers must understand that specific goals may not last the time, and broader policies are better executable.

How Automation is Shaking up the Advertising Industry

Post the Recession and the setting of the digital workspace, much has changed the advertising industry. Corporate strategy has altered to weave in the new patterns. Agencies are now dealing directly with media channels for ad spots using online tools such as Google’s ADX with giants such as P&G leading the race with close to three-fourths of their deals last year executed in automated version. Verizon’s takeover of AOL was mainly to acquire the ad-selling technology developed. Until very recently, this industry was working with traditional means like phone calls, fax messages or even hand written notes. But like the travel industry, this too has experienced a world of change. The concept of ‘programmatic’ has developed which insists on programming for advertising being done directly by the agency depending on availability of slots. Even in Canada, this change is evident with Clorox selling 60% of its ad space online. However, the risk of fraud exists as number of automated ad space providers fear frivolous products / services’ ads being directly placed. That is where these agencies need to be careful while dealing with clients. 

5 Reasons Traditional Marketers are Scared of Growth Hacking

While some have dubbed growth hacking as inbound marketing with a different nomenclature, it is actually a combination of business analytics and social metrics. Some of these techniques are being looked on with fear by traditional marketers. Growth hackers do not easily accept defeat and AirBnB is one perfect example of so. Initially they found it hard to integrate their operations with Craigslist but eventually they won over to reverse-engineer the process. Extensive business analytics is used by them and thus they get access to vast quantities of meaningful data. They do not look for expensive solutions but get the best out of existing core competencies. Growth hackers believe in experimenting perfectly exemplified by Yahoo CEO’s attempts to try impact on customers using fifty separate shades of blue colour before deciding upon corporate strategy. Best part about growth hackers is that while they are jack of all trades, they even master certain arts. They combine cutting edge niche business intelligence with broad managerial know-how. 

Amazon starts travel service Amazon Destinations

Online retail giant Amazon has developed its travel service called Amazon Destinations. This is set to fuel further tourism jobs. The service will cover hotels, travel, restaurants and entertainment offerings across New York, Los Angeles and its home base of Seattle. This service pits Amazon as part of its corporate strategy head on against the likes of Expedia and TripAdvisor. This follows the launch of Amazon Home Services some time back and thus shows the diverse set of industries the firm is targeting.

 5 Types of Businesses that are Copying the Uber Model

Uber has so much revolutionized the business world with its innovative model, that several other industries are also trying to copy their corporate strategy. Flycleaners and Washio are two of the laundry firms which have developed a similar crowd sourcing model for their business. Then there is shipping that has developed the concierge system with Shyp being a similar successful app. Even valet services have developed a GPS based system where the available service providers can enlist for the product and serve customers in requirement of the same. Luxe has been one such implementing firm. Crucially, the health industry has also started crowd sourcing doctors and medical professionals using app called Heal. Meal preparation services have also adopted this model where home cooks can be assigned to help those who require service at home. Even supplies are shipped to doorstep for those who sign up. 

How to Deal with the Impact of Tourism on the Environment

The number of tourists traveling worldwide is set to increase from one billion today to around double that figure over the next fifteen odd years fueling a major spurt in generation of tourism jobs. Around 5% of global exports and nearly ten percent of worldwide GDP is generated from tourism. However, this is creating negative environmental impacts for the planet. Especially disturbing is that means of tourist travel have not changed much and air travel remains a major source of pollution. Governments need to step up efforts to curb this but unfortunately not much is being done. A UN summit next year in Paris seeks to address this issue and finalize a sustainable tourism benchmark. 

In the Age of Disruptive Innovation, Adaptability is what Matters Most

In the present circumstances, more i-phones are sold per day than babies born and about half the world’s population can be categorized as internet users. Similar is the staggering impact at Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Life expectancy has doubled in the USA and human occupation trends have seen a reversal from the farm to the factory and from there to office. During times of such disruption, individual merit makes or breaks people. As per market research conducted by Pew, the middle class is seeing median income decreasing while great a number of jobs are being lost to machines. This kind of risk entails opportunities as well. Thus not only smartness or strength but the ability to be agile and to adopt will set our generation and the next on path towards survival and success. 

Shaping the Great Digital Transformation

A number of changes in politics and economics are underway due to the transformation that digital marketing has had on the populace. The working classes have seen jobs outsourced to low wage economies and the middle classes are seeing no real increase in wages. Thus democracy is in crisis in the digital economy. Now it is technology driven, startup oriented economy originating from Silicon Valley rather than Wall Street which is coming to the forefront. Social norms and statuses are shifting so quickly that established middle classes are feeling challenged. With the third Industrial revolution impending, the social democracy as we know is struggling for identity. Even labour movement has lost its vitality. Digital transformation will alter not only economics but politics as well.

Community Based Tourism Enterprises get Prepped for the Formal Travel Trade

Eight Community Based Tourism Enterprises (CBTEs) in Jamaica are being helped in terms of management training by Social Investment Fund in the country to help prepare for the travel trade. The participants includes newcomers Rastafari Indigenous Village which very recently got its license issued. Purpose of this training is to enable CBTEs professionalize and thus will receive tools to analyze and determine cost plus price of product to be offered. A similar initiative worked excellently in March this year creating numerous travel jobs.

Medical Tourism in Thailand: When Treatment Costs and Starbucks Clash

While Thailand has been in a race to become a top destination for medical tourism and creating numerous tourism jobs, the domestic healthcare system has faced criticism due to burgeoning costs. As per business research by Deloitte, the healthcare sector is set to grow. Some critics have found a co-relation between a hospital comprising a Starbucks centre inside with quality of service. The claim states that the prices escalate for even routine tests once a Strabucks centre is present inside the hospital. The government has tried to standardize costs but so far not much success has been achieved.

Calls for New Approach to Regional Tourism in Australia

Business research conducted by the regional tourism network of Australia has thrown up a new approach which it wants to be undertaken. As per the corporate strategy of Australia Regional Tourism Network, federal, state and local governments must all together work on tourism policies. This will enable funding and investment desperately needed. It will be then able to cater to rising tourist inflow and demand in the regions plus creating tourism jobs. 

 Technology-Enhanced Travel Experience for Chinese Tourists in UK

The UK is catering to Chinese tourists in an innovative manner and wishes to further expand the same. Chinese people have become more digitally savvy and thus technologies are catering to attracting them in large numbers using digital platforms. They also spend a lot on fashion retail. In fact visa regulations have been eased and now it is much easier for Chinese tourists to get UK visa than European one. This trend is creating innovative tourism jobs in both the UK and China.

Lean Innovation Management- Making Corporate Innovation Work

In the world of corporate training and restructuring, there is a lot of focus now on lean innovation management, a process where innovation can take place with minimum time lag. An idea my management consulting experts tiled “three horizons of innovation” has emerged. Horizon 1 talks about established businesses, 2 includes fast growing ones and 3 involves only emerging businesses. It is at stage 3 that greatest innovation take place in shortest time period. Horizon 2 is about extension while 1 is about keeping existing processes functioning smoothly. The brand value too differs with maximum knowledge at horizon 1 but lesser at 2 and almost non-existent at 3 where the organization is seen as a disruptor. Matrix management becomes crucial at 3 but also technological shortcuts are taken often leading to technological debt. Ultimately, innovation can only work practically if the entire organization is up to it.

Many Big Companies Live in Fear for their Future in Digital Age

In the age of digital marketing, a number of firms are worried about future. The cost of technology change has often been blamed for ills. Industries such as utilities, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas have been rated as per market research conducted, as least threated due to their status as providing customers with most essential products and their products being physical. The travel industry across the spectrum has been hit hardest hurting tourism jobs. Lufthansa chief executive has accepted defeat in the mobile phone segments which has far outperformed his own industry over the years. Financial technology firms meanwhile are replacing jobs earlier performed by traditional banks. Thus the ‘hunt or be hunted’ maxim continues to ideally sum up this stage of business development.

11 Proven Approaches to Customer Feedback Employee Engagement

Business research has proved certain approaches to be ideal tools to ensure customer feedback through employee engagement. There must be strong focus on seamless change management. Employee NPS is a tool to measure operational effectiveness of employees and track their engagement over time. Business intelligence must be shared with customers and employees to get comprehensive response. Ways must be devised to empower employees to rid business processes not effective. NPS targets must be tagged with personal growth goals. Certain expert outsiders may be appointed as champions for customer feedback. The NPS process followed internally ought to be branded. Top management must take time out to interact with highest performing employees. Customers who have commented positive must be incentivized with some recognition. During the orientation for new employees, NPS must be included as a component. A fast and inexpensive method to share success stories is creation of vox pop to share positive news or achievements across the firm.

5 Tools to Help Your Online Business Realize its Full Potential

There exist certain tools that are sure to boost online businesses. Intercom allows in-app chats thus enabling capture of data at critical juncture when potential customer is surfing for related product. Then there is KISSmetrics provides a funnel to detect segments of online store which pull maximum users. This business analytics tool provides data more tangible than clicks or visits. Moz provides a forum to network with fellow marketers and helps analyze positions for keywords, backlinks and content with regards to the website. This is important as organic searches still form between 33 to 50% of composite net traffic. Meanwhile, SumoMe offers potpourri of tools to help grow brand network through referrals and sharing. It enables greater email marketing followers of which have been known to be more loyal. Unbounce is a tool that enables firm to develop content and visuals to perform business research on ideal landing pages.

10 Travel Friendly Apps to Help you Plan and Enjoy your Next Trip

Some apps exist with the primary motive of planning and improving travel experience. Even lots of tourism jobs are created as a result of these user friendly apps. Kayak helps to synchronize all emails related to flights, hotels and car rent services into one body called itinerary. SeatGuru helps travelers decide seats for themselves as detailed plane body maps are provided within. Airbnb provides basic bed and breakfast facilities from all price ranges. Tripadvisor is of course extremely well known as the ultimate peer review site for restaurants, hotels, destinations and bars. Uber helps travelers book and use cabs conveniently across countries and cities. Instead of using cabs, if one drives on one’s own, Waze provides crowd sourced maps to help traveler reach destination using easiest route on given day. Google translate is the most user friendly tool to translate languages where barriers exist. Instagram is of course a must have tool for photographs sharing and storage even. Postagram meanwhile follows the model of exclusive photography clubs. Pinterest allows users to pin events and post pictures, videos or other memories associated under the created tag.

Is There a Place for Social Media in Training

Contrary to opinion, management consulting has shown that social media tools do benefit corporate training. Groups or forums may be created on LinkedIn or Facebook and fruitful discussions may be held. Articles, websites and videos for potential learners must be posted under a Twitter hashtag. An Instagram hashtag on the other hand, enables vision boards to be created by learners. Inspirational as well as instructional videos may be posted on YouTube. E-How can be a more effective tool than printed work aids. For future usage, PowerPoint presentations may be recorded on SlideShare.

The Best Performing Search Media for Your Business’ Marketing Strategy

The NBA allows the bottom team with only a fourth of a chance to win the first pick at the draft, something which the NFL guarantees a 100%. Marketing channels function more like the NBA rather than the NFL. The marketplace is getting extremely fragmented and thus engagement across media channels is necessary.Marketing research has thrown some useful recommendations for use. Store pamphlets, email promotion and coupons worked best at retail stores. Massage services, tour operators and fitness clubs did best with daily deals as customers look for trials in these lines. Apartments and job agencies best utilized the power of newspapers. Meanwhile, online reviews did best for restaurants, pet parlours and painting agencies. These trends may be validated using business analytics and are sure to win positive results for SMBs without vast marketing budgets in particular. 

Reinventing Loyalty Programs for the Digital Age

As per business analytics, loyalty programmes do not seem to be faring well. Business research has been conducted to gauge the reasons for the same and how that may be rectified. Majorly, negative opinion derives due to dissatisfaction regarding rewards system, rigid work structures and customer experience issues online. It seems most loyalty programmes reward customer purchases only, whereas customers of today engage with brands by various other means. Starbucks has developed a loyalty programme based on mobile payments that has been extremely successful. Air Canada’s programme on delivering badges at specified airports exchangeable for air miles, proved an instant success with anRoI of a whopping 560%.

SEO.in Named Top Search Engine Optimization Service in India by Topseos.com for June 2015

Topseos.com is a business research firm based in India which tracks and evaluates the SEO performances of top agencies engaged in the same. For the month of June this year, the firm has named seo.in as the top performer in India. This is recognition of the online marketing strategies provided by them. The ratings were devised on thorough evaluation using business analytics. The analysis involves reporting approaches, on page optimization, off page optimization, keyword examination and needs investigation.  

Great Managers can Fix Broken Performance Management Systems

Dysfunctional performance management systems can be repaired by the best managers. They approach solutions through five dimensions. They are great motivators. They are assertive yet also accountable towards their tasks. They build lasting and fruitful relations. Decision making is performed by thinking ahead, planning reserves, managing alternate interests and using business analytics. Such managers believe in building engagement. They are also hands-on and enable actual goal-setting as well as corporate strategy. Communication is open across the firm. Discussion among colleagues is an ongoing process. 

3 Skills You Need to Drop on the Road to the C- Suite

There are certain skills sets extremely vital for businesses to flourish, yet they also hinder progress once the individual possessing them reaches chief executive levels. Being a technocrat doesn’t help as at corporate strategy level, the requirement is more on developing mission, vision, targets and inter-vertical communications than nitty-gritties of technicalities. Instead one must spend more time with departmental decision leaders and develop empathy with each level. The ‘us v/s them’ philosophy needs to be dumped as it is the customers whom the chief executive needs to serve and not see as opposition. The DIY methodology also needs to be binned off as the art of management lies in getting work done from various teams of co-workers. Forced delegation days ensure this happens. Thus major personality changes need to accompany entry to the C-Suite to prosper.

8 Top Tips to Create an Effective Social Learning Strategy

There are certain techniques, which if used diligently will lead to effective social learning. One must be aware of existing e-learning strategy so that future plans can be chalked out accordingly. The exact social networking channels must be pinpointed to be pertinent for all. Discussion on existing e-learning platforms must be shifted to social network forums. Major resource links and information must be shared using such sites. Boost corporate training via social learning platforms. Feedback rounds must be scheduled on these sites. Social interaction must become a buzzword across the organization. Learners must be encouraged to share the posts. All these steps will eventually though indirectly lead to success in digital marketing.

Training Matters: The Value of Continuous Professional Development

When one speaks of corporate training, one thinks about classroom lectures. Yet, some of the greatest experiential learnings take place at informal surroundings while sharing a pint of beer or cup of coffee with seniors. That is where the Society for Editors differs itself as it takes into consideration a number of parameters management training with a holistic approach. Management of people as well as change is considered. Legal and ethical compliance is sought. In the present digitized world, knowledge of multimedia is essential.Business research is conducted to present competitors’ best practices. Even sound financial understanding is critical. Thus while some senior professionals are turning into ‘dinosaurs’, it is crucial for them to undergo this CPD certification to remain updated.

Engagement with Brand Content Soared 52% Last Quarter

As per marketing research, in the USA, engagement with brand content ascended 52% over the previous quarter. Instagram leads the growth followed by Twitter & Facebook. The sectors which have experience the greatest contribution to this trend include TV, sports, publishing, fashion, retail and consumer goods. While the first four sectors rely on greater engagement, the more functional sectors depend on impressions. Thus fans / followers are more crucial for the corporate strategy of say a Wal-Mart or Unilever while shares work more for New York Yankees or Victoria’s Secret.