Business

Marketing Trends You Need To Be Updated On

Published

3 weeks ago

July 25, 2019

We have accomplished a great deal in the marketing industry this year, and there is more expectation for this year. Every year, new players come to play and change the game forever. Marketing is an industry that will not affect only itself and neighboring sectors, but it changes everything. It changes how business takes place, wherever you are.

Last year we have seen the glimpse of new trends that will grow and make their mark this year. This year, most brands have embraced the customer experience model throughout the corporate world. It was implemented to create excellent user experience by connecting with empathy for all products as well as the service industry.Will this remain or grow into something more? Ad blockers have come as a relief to counterface marketing, but will it make an impact or will the advertisers grow and just adapt? Some of these trends will fade, but others you will have to face. It is better to be prepared than take a risk that affects your business for years to come.These 6 marketing trends you need to stay on top of if you're a marketer.

Augmented reality

Virtual and augmented reality took over a part of the industry this year. We witnessed the hyped gaming craze of Pokémon Go in the summer of 2016. It turned many heads to the possibility of the use of augmented and virtual reality in the marketing industry. Marketers, application developers, and consumers are excited for its potential use in retail, tourism, advertisement, IT, and for local markets. Augmented reality will make it easier for companies to interact with their customers face to face and bring the user experience at a different level.Google has announced Daydream and plans to build android operating systems into it with hardware and software. This will change not just the way phones are used, but also the ways consumers will connect with each other, the world and companies.

Live interaction

The idea of interacting with the audience live has been around for ages, which is why we have world tours, live performances, and shows with a live audience. This year live interaction turned to social media, with Facebook and Twitter’s live feed and YouTube Live, changing the idea of interaction with their beloved stars. Currently, the idea works great at a smaller level for chat sessions, but there have been technology failures when trying to implement the same idea on a larger scale. The Grammy Awards faced streaming failure, which caused a lash-out on social media by the eagerly anticipating viewers.This year is bound to fix the technological backlog and make it easier for everyone to access the platform. Talented companies and individuals will come up with amazing and creative ways to use this platform to connect with their audience. It could be the next social media craze that picks up within days or even hours over the globe.

Video content

The only remaining connection among users and providers was through videos. We always have contact with the company in person, then came distant conversations through text and email support systems, the availability increased through a medium of audio phones and now you can even connect to your consumers through video content. The video trend bloomed in 2016 and brought developments like immersive videos. The viewing experience will change in this year with 360-degree videos. Quick adopters to this tech will be seen in retail, real estate, tourism. A new platform like YouTube 360 is already in the making and will change the way everyone sees and engages in video content.

Bring back the old strategies

Brands tend to view its social presence and viewability as a measure of its success. It is high time that brands come back to the importance of business objectives, its user experience and its reliable measures like subscriptions, purchase, and downloads.Performance-based measures will bring the companies a balanced structure of the brand image and brand performance. This will also help declutter some of the most saturated markets and bring more opportunities to the survivors.

Influencer marketing

We have seen the beginning of influential marketing during the second half of the last year. With YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram at its peak, these platforms have created a huge amount of influencers that connected directly only to the required target audience.With a direct link, it was only a matter of time before marketers exploited the potential market. The new generation stars a.k.a. the internet starts are just as famous and come from different backgrounds that cater to different target segments. These influencers are tied to a relevant audience and can benefit both brand and celebrity influencer.

Social Media – not a Strategy

Social media has been perceived as a strategic component ever since the platform was open for marketers to exploit. According to the unconscious changes in industry and user patterns, social media no longer works a strategy. It is a channel on its own used for exposure and awareness, just like any other print and non-print media. Social media works great as a supporting channel for bigger and broader campaigns and is also an uninterrupted contact between the consumer and the marketer.This realization will change the content used on social platforms and will reshape the marketing strategies, its objectives, and the budgetary contemplation.These trends have existed before but in a subdued manner. They have a heavy impact through actions taken in the industry and can lead to massive growth when focused on. It is expected for them to grow in the next few years to their full potential. It will be wise for all brands to work with these trends and understand them, as it will be an intense year with new discoveries.

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Business

Tips On Tracking Business Miles

Published

4 hours ago

August 17, 2019

Yvonette Sanchez

Are you one of those people who scramble around for auto deductions every time tax season comes along or do you avoid auto deductions because you think they are not worth the hassle?

Believe it or not, many businesses miss significant tax deductions simply because they do not keep up with tracking business miles. The good news is that tracking business miles is not a big chore. You just need a good system in place and tracking business miles is easy. Here are some tips to consider.

Use An App

Most businessmen use a smartphone and they have apps you can download to keep track of business miles. MileIQ, TripLog and TrackMyDrive are available for iOS and Android. Every time you take a trip, the app records the miles using GPS tracking and then allows you to classify the trips as business, personal, medical and other custom categories. You can also add additional details or purpose for the trips.

Daily Log

You can also use the old paper and pencil method by using a daily log you can keep in your glove compartment. The IRS wants detailed documentation so your logs need to contain date of travel, purpose (client name, meeting with supplier, banking, meeting with accountant, etc) and starting point and destination of every trip. You can also record the actual mileage if you want by taking note of the odometer meeting from the starting point to the end point.If you are only using 1 car for business and personal use, record the odometer reading at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year so that you can compute business use percentage.

Sampling Method

This method assumes that you travel almost the same amount for business every year. It also entails the use of detailed appointment books. Under this method, you keep track of your business mileage using a sample figure for a period and then use it to extrapolate your mileage for the whole year. You must keep a record of your mileage for the first three months for example and back it up with appointment books. You don’t have to use three months. You can use 1 week, 2 months or any time duration you think that best represents your business mileage for the year.

GPS Mileage Tracker

There are tracking devices you can install in your car so that it can keep track of business and personal miles. Using a Wifi system, the GPS device records driving and then uploads it to the internet so that mileage logs are created automatically. Some of them have business buttons you can push so that trips are set automatically to business. The IRS trusts GPS mileage trackers because they are usually tamper proof and backed up so that they can protect information in the case of an audit.Keep good records to maximize tax deductions that you are entitled to with the IRS. This way, you won't pay more than you owe and won’t get slaughtered by the IRS auditor.

Business

Sleep Better With Tomorrow Sleep To Improve Work Performance

Published

18 hours ago

August 16, 2019

Ginny Nguyen

Our working life consists of long office hours to various days of sleepless nights. Tomorrow Sleep is a hybrid between traditional mattresses and new modern technology to help you through those rough nights. Tomorrow products are designed to help improve your wellness by fulfilling your sleeping experience. To ensure comfort and support, Tomorrow has enabled a combination between the temperature regulating memory foam with a stabilizing coil system to enhance your night’s sleep. With the additional sleep reports, bed warmer, smart alarm, and more, this mattress company has changed the sleeping industry for the better.

During busy hours, hard workers tend to forget about their well being once their mind is set to work. That alone may be desirable to entrepreneurs since it can boost productivity, however, it can be counted as the negative opposite. Sleep deprivation undergo all of these unhealthy habits. The average amount of sleep hours an adult needs in a day is in close proximity to 8 hours a night. The cost of poor sleep is not in the increase of productivity, but in the lack of quality. A lost in sleep reduces brain function, leaving you unable to produce decent work. The effects of lack of sleep on productivity is well recorded, negatively affecting work performance - productivity and quality. Without proper sleep, you will have more issues in concentrating, learning, and communicating. This can result in slower reaction times on problem solving due to memory lapses, or more noticeably, the moody and intolerant behavior. In an interview with Bryan Murphy, Founder and President of Tomorrow Sleep, he explains how with Tomorrow Sleep, the smart mattress can properly get you the sleep you need in order to be productive the next day.

What is Tomorrow Sleep?

Tomorrow, which launched in June, is a new sleep company that combines a direct-to-consumer ethos with 100 years of American manufacturing expertise. Leveraging the knowledge and research of industry leader Serta Simmons Bedding, Tomorrow created the first truly connected sleep system with smart technology designed to help you transform your sleep and achieve your deepest, most restorative rest, offered at an incredible value that wouldn’t be possible in traditional brick and mortar stores.

What is the company passionate about?

Tomorrow was founded on the principles of a well-balanced, healthy life. We believe overall wellness requires truly restorative sleep, and having the right tools makes all the difference and that sleep is a fundamental pillar of wellness. We’re dedicated to offering our customers a better tomorrow and our mission is to provide a holistic system of products that allows people to achieve their best sleep night after night, so they can be anything they want to be in the morning.

How is Tomorrow Sleep different from other mattresses?

It really boils down to experience, control and scale. We have over a century of experience designing and engineering sleep products. Our own manufacturing, supply and quality operations here in the US produce millions of beds per year. Having this experience, control and scale allows us to invest in cutting edge, premium materials that deliver real benefits directly to our customer at a great price. As a result, we offer a premium hybrid mattress that’s designed with temperature regulating memory foam and a gently stabilizing, wrapped coil system, available at a direct to consumer price.

What started Tomorrow Sleep?

We saw that people are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of sleep as a cornerstone of wellness, however there wasn't a great solution to address that need in the direct-to-consumer space. We set out to solve two problems. First, by and large, most direct-to-consumer mattresses are made up of all foam and as such people complain that they lack support and sleep hot. Second, the bedding microclimate largely governs your ability to fall asleep quickly and stay in deep sleep. So, we set out to design a truly integrated sleep system that would help keep you comfortable, and give you the most restorative sleep possible. We then paired that system with smart technology that allows you to learn how you sleep and help improve it.

What kind of special features are included to the products?

Tomorrow provides a totally new kind of hybrid mattress, combining premium temperature regulating memory foam with a gently stabilizing, wrapped coil system that offers the perfect balance of comfort and support. Our mattress has been expertly designed and tirelessly tested to ensure every coil in our mattress flexes separately to give you unparalleled head-to-toe support and the freedom to move, while our patented ventilated rail system helps maintain a well-balanced climate all night long.Additionally, our holistic system - which includes pillows, sheet set, comforter, mattress protector and Sleeptracker® monitor - was designed to work together with the Tomorrow mattress in order to help our customers go from restless to ready for a better tomorrow. Our sleep products are made from premium materials to create the ideal sleep environment.

Is Tomorrow Sleep trying to improve? If so, how?

We’re the first sleep company to combine a holistic approach with over 100 years of sleep experience, so we’re doing things differently from the start. We’re working to improve the mattress market as a whole by offering innovative products designed to help customers transform their sleep and achieve their deepest, most restorative rest.

How is Tomorrow Sleep supporting their customers?

Customer first is a core value. We’re giving our customers the tools to transform their sleep and achieve their deepest, most restorative rest. Having a direct and personal relationship to our customer through our direct-to-consumer model allows us to make sure they are happy with our products and helps us to innovate better and more quickly.

What should people look forward to when buying your products?

With Tomorrow’s products, customers will have everything they need to sleep to their full potential.

How important is sleep?

We believe that sleep is an essential and critical component of overall wellness, just as important as nutrition, exercise and mindfulness. Sleep has unparalleled restorative powers and when we get a quality night’s rest with the proper climate and conditions, we’re able to perform better.

Why do others need to be more aware about how they sleep?

Sleep keeps our daily performance at peak condition, and we feel it’s important to enlighten consumers on the benefits of getting truly restorative rest. The more aware people are of how they’re sleeping, the easier it is to improve and achieve the best sleep possible. Our Tomorrow Sleeptracker® monitor uses bio sensors to peacefully monitor and record sleep cycles, body movements and heart rate, and delivers personalized suggestions for better sleep. Whether you’re in light sleep, deep sleep or REM, our Sleeptracker® monitor knows how much time you spend in each stage and offers feedback and tips to help you understand and directly improve your sleep.

What message are you trying to pass with your company?

Our goal for Tomorrow is to educate people on sleep’s role in overall wellness, and provide people with a holistic system of tools designed to help them live a better life, which we believe starts with a good night’s rest.

Business

How to Build Your Own Startup

Published

1 day ago

August 16, 2019

Yvonette Sanchez

Ever wonder how to build your own startup? The startup world is full of entrepreneurs who want to take their dream business from Point A to point B. Getting your business off its feet can be hard because many people are not equipped with basic business skills. In the startup culture, getting your idea to become profitable is the dream, and it's always a race to set it up. If you're thinking about starting a business, here are some tips to consider to get yourself going.

Network to build your own startup

Look for people who have "been there and done that". These people know what they are doing and can provide you with practical tips and advice on how to start. Also ask about mistakes to avoid and things to watch out for so you don’t have to learn the hard way.

Research Your Market

Market research can tell you if your idea is worth pursuing. Start your research by stating the problem and see if your business idea is the solution. Figure out how many people have this problem, and talk to them to see what they can say through a survey. Check out the competition to see how you are different and figure out how you can beat them.

Find A Mentor to help build your own startup

One of the best ways to start a startup is by finding a mentor that can guide you along the way. Your mentor can be somebody whom you can bounce ideas off of. Mentors are some of the most important and valuable resource you can tap into. They can help you take your business from idea to success through their guidance and coaching.

Brand Your Business

Branding is not only about choosing a name for your business. It is about your business identity. Choose a name that conveys the idea of your startup or the problem it solves. By this time you should also have a domain name and have marketing materials ready.

Business Plan

A business plan is like a blueprint for your business that tells you what you are going to do and how you’re going to do it. Your business plan should also have an "attack" on how you can "battle" the competition. Determine what you want to accomplish with your business and steps on how you can get there.

Your Workplace

Where you decide to work has an impact on your startup. Some people choose to work at home to save money, while others rent space or share an office with other businesses. Don’t be afraid to experiment on locations for your workplace.

Accelerator Program to help build your own startup

Think about applying for an accelerator program. These are programs that provide startups with coaching, network or small investment to help the business take off quickly. Take accelerator programs with a grain of salt, because some of them will require you to part with equity.

Raise Capital

Capital for startups usually comes from the founders. Other startups get capital from venture capitalists, angel investors or loans. These investments can be a big help to startups. However, you should only take capital from sources that they understand. If you are raising capital from outside sources, figure out how much you need to raise and how it will affect your business.Having an idea for a start up is easy. The hard part is in-between the idea and success. For startups, it is crucial that their idea become reality as quickly as possible, since delays can kill the idea. While there is no wrong or right way to start a startup, following the above steps can help save time.