5 Step Process for Social Media Marketing Success 

As per marketing research conducted, a five stage module has been suggested for successful digital marketing using social media. Every marketer must develop a social identity for the firm which will be followed across platforms. The focus has to be on providing value to the community which will in turn seek the marketer for the services on offer. Content has to be developed keeping in mind the target audience. Social campaigns must be initiated but only after the above mentioned steps have been started. Social intelligence requires constant business analysis using big data and the improvisation needs to be tactical rather than single time. 

The Next Revolution in Supply Chain Management 

The major business innovation required to improve the supply chain services would be in Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP). This will improve risk management potential at the control centre. Also quick and smooth corrective steps can then be taken to rebalance the supply and demand axis. Certain technologies will be needed to achieve all this. Better supply chain applications will be top priority. Improves business analysis using sophisticated Big Data analytics will be applied. Using cloud technology and sensor data, supply chain software will now be able to pinpoint exact location. 

Digital Healthcare: What are the Opportunities? 

Like most industries, healthcare too is at present getting disrupted by digitization. Apple Watch and fellow wearable technologies enable generation of huge amounts of data on minute-by-minute basis and thus helping firms conduct business analysis with far larger sample of information that previously. Even technology that is essential for the health is increasing in usage. Also now health related apps are increasingly occupying smart phone screen space. These apps provide great potential for firms to conduct their digital marketing. Even remote monitoring of chronic illnesses for possible diagnostics is well on the rise now. All this is mainly aimed at preventing rather than curing diseases. 

3 Things Effective Leaders know about being Likeable 

While being likeable is a desirable quality, business research has proved that not all leaders possess the same and those who do, know a few additional points in order to be effective. Being nice doesn’t always enable the leader to win the race. In fact playing nice but not meaning to be so can instead be counterproductive. It is always desirable a trait to be transparent in dealings rather than holding grudges or negative opinions. Thus the ideal it to strike balance between being liked, respected and even feared to some extent. 

Inbound Tourism in France grew from 76.8 million to 84.9 million in 2014 

Domestic tourism in France has been declining due to internal economic problems, yet contrarily, the duration of individual trips is expanding. Inbound tourism is increasing majorly and France is expecting to welcome a hundred million international tourists by the year 2020. This is planned to be achieved in part by the ‘be nicer to travelers’ slogan that has started doing the rounds. This growth is set to be accompanied by the creation and further sustaining of several kinds of tourism jobs. 

Talent Alone won’t make your Business Successful 

As per management consulting provided by a team building expert, business talent is desirable but that along won’t be enough for success in the field. Instead the corporate strategy must involve a proper mission statement to enable talent management to flourish. Also team ethics must flourish and in fact the word team has even been used as an abbreviation for Trust, Excellence, Accountability and Motivation as pillars for ensuring the same happens. There must also exist free flow of communication and regular meetings between the team members. 

The More Experience you have, the Worse you are at Bootstrapping 

The concept of Resource Based View (RBV) has been around for a while according the which, firms must be judged on the value they have added vis-à-vis the resources on hand. Thus business research was conducted to test this theory and it tested managers’ ability to be fungible across domains- finance, brand and human resources. For conduct the study the movie industry was taken and multiple cinema directors were put to the test. All these movies were created by top production houses, were released between 1996 and 2003, had more than a thousand scenes and had several producers. The business analysis used the regression tool and realized that experienced producers did best as opposed to rookies when they were working with established stars on lavish budgets. But while working on tighter budgets, the inexperienced producers did better as they were better at multi tasking. With experience gained, one tends to specialize in areas of skill and thus becomes weaker at bootstrapping. 

11 Key Factors in Building Landing Pages for B2B Search Engine Marketing Initiatives 

Some key factors have been outlined which firms must keep in mind while developing SEM initiatives for the B2B segment. First of all there must be concrete offers which attract the crowd. It must be backed up by quotes, demos and sales contact information. A CTA or Call to Action has become critical these days and they invariably direct traffic towards the landing page. Contact and registration forms must be neatly laid out. The sales team must be in a state of readiness. Also keywords must be incorporated in the communication. The website must follow basic digital marketing tenets by inscribing HTM titles, Meta tags and URLs within the pages. The body copy must be short and bulleted. Extensive usage of images must be made for depicting products, diagrams, samples, promotions and key personnel. Testimonials and client references are most useful in today’s peer-based reviewing patterns. The firm must also market itself aggressively on social media. Also business analysis using sophisticated data must be made to assess the conversion rates across different platforms. 

Global Tourism is a trillion dollar Business 

According to tourism consulting provided by the WTO, tourism is now a trillion Euro industry with more than a billion global travellers in the year 2014. This has fuelled numerous travel jobs. The USA was the country where travellers spent maximum amount of money followed by Spain, China and France. Chinese tourists meanwhile spent the maximum money while on international travel followed by nationals from USA and Germany. An increase of up to 4% is expected to follow this year. 

Talent Analytics: Big & growing Bigger 

The present times may in fact be dubbed as the ‘data age’. Data is there everywhere and it is up to firms whether to use it for business analysis in the right manner or not. In a business consulting report by the Financial Times, it was noticed that recruiting patterns have not altered much due to established prejudices regarding perceived social status or education. It was seen that firms still preferred hiring from top MBA institutes or law schools even though attrition rates were pretty high. Then Xerox services used new algorithm developed by Evolv to help out in recruitments next time and attrition rate over a period of time fell by a fifth in their call centres. Thus a lot of people without the ‘ideal CV’ got interview calls and even selections as they were deemed better fit by the algorithm. Thus over time, data has helped firms in building right teams, enlist partners, and develop genuine samples. 

5 Types of Innovation for the Future 

5 types of business innovation have been forecast for the times ahead. The innovations have been categorized for the categories- employees, customers, partners / suppliers, competitors and the general public. Employee innovation has been spoken of first as something critical. Corporate training of them is taking on increasingly significant roles. The concept of crowd-sourcing is gaining credence where the ideas of several employees are tagged rather than a select few. Toyota, Adobe and Whirlpool of three of the organizations which have taken a lead in this. 

China announces widespread Tourism Reforms 

The tourism board of China has decided to go for reforms in the sector to boost inbound business. New projects have been outlined for construction and fresh tourism jobs are set to be created. Infrastructure related to tourism such as regional airports, toilet facilities, parking spots and roads to remote locations often home to scenic spots are on the pipeline. Also rural tourism is being targeted as this will also help alleviate people away from poverty. 

Creating a Culture of Flexibility: the role of HR 

The human resource management line is undergoing change and the culture of flexibility is seeping in. Some ways have been suggested by the management consulting wing of Dell which shows the present altered role of the same. HR must show the entire organization and especially the new recruits, the values the firm stands for. It must keep its communications and processes simple and flexible. Also the corporate communications must be consistent across platforms. In order to facilitate long term effective talent management, it is important to have high performers in the team itself. These ‘champions’ must always lead the way. Organizational successes must be shared with all stakeholders especially internal ones such as employees and consultants. 

7 Steps to building a Standard Candidate Assessment Process 

Business research has come up with certain steps which if followed are sure to develop a standard candidate assessment process during recruitment. Existing assessment arrangements must be reviewed. Recruiters must also try to convince key stakeholders about individual cases together rather than having to duplicate the procedure for separate power centres within the firm. The right partners must be appointed for this. A job analysis of target roles in a must. Appropriate assessment techniques must be employed. Management training must be provided to regional recruiters so that national level selections can be made. A thorough business analysis must be conducted with cause and benefits attached to review existing selection patterns. 

Southeast Asia Tourism is a Phenomenon       

The UNWTO has characterized travel and tourism in Southeast Asia as a phenomenon due to its spectacular growth. The ASEAN region has been credited with bringing about strategic changes in this tourism planning which has helped fund increasing number of travel jobs in the region. Also the unity within the region is enabling tourism packages aimed at covering a couple of destinations together. Thus unique features of separate member states’ offerings are getting highlighted in the process. 

4 Reasons why the Digital Economy is taking over your Marketing Strategy 

Since the adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT), digital marketing has become increasingly central to corporate strategy. Some reasons have been identified by a business consulting publication which tells us the reasons for the same. It allows us to co-innovate with partners in the business chain. Word-of-mouth has long been among the central tenets of sales, yet now it is no longer just verbal but a matter of online advocacy using social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. The digital economy even allows us to create individualized accounts based on buyer personas and accordingly we can target specifically. The entire customer journey can be tagged online stage wise. 

A Management Consultant reveals the 5 Business Strategies every Leader should Understand

Five types of corporate strategy have been identified by management consulting firm BCG. The most common is the Classical approach which follows a traditional planning and execution based on business analysis. The Adaptive approach is a reactionary method where business tactics are constantly forged to adapt to existing market trends. The Visionary approach is best associated with start-ups where everything flows top-down and business innovation is given top priority. The Shaping approach looks ate being the aggregator of various other firms solving other ends of the business chain. The Renewal approach is best suited to current conditions where firms need to go back to basics and manage wit limited funds in sustainable manner.

The Culture of Innovative Companies

Business innovation is now at the forefront and organizations are competing with one another to achieve the same. A fastcompany.com anchored business research points out that Facebook, Virgin Atlantic and IDEO are some of the most innovative organizations. They have even designed their office complexes in order to induce co-creation. Facebook for instance has an in-house artist in order to encourage alternate thinking among employees. The entire management training programmes at such firms focus on bringing out the very best of creativity among the employees and to change them for the better.

Why Interactive Content is the Future of Online Marketing

Interactive content is slowly becoming the craze in digital marketing. Quizzes for example are being tapped to understand customer characteristics. Content market can also be seamlessly integrated with more traditional forms of marketing. Webinars for instance have become a major source of information. Calculators where numbers are entered and an analysis is generated for deriving specific requirements are also being used. CTAs or Calls to Action are now in vogue as they direct the potential customer to a landing page from where conversion is easier and the user can avail complete product details. Also interactive info-graphics have emerged to engage viewers.

10 Digital Marketing Trends in 2015 that will boost your Strategy

Certain digital marketing trends have been observed which are sure to improve marketing credentials this year. All eggs must not be put on the Google sized basket. The greatest thrust should not be made on mobile based technologies. Social engagement will lead to tangible conversions. Payment methods are also seeing a revolution. Paid advertising or PPC is still very much alive. Automation in marketing is getting a boost. Content creators now hold premium position in any marketing team. The SERP algorithm by Google has already changed and is set to alter again. Optimization of all processes brings best possible ROI. Business innovation now includes newer methods of growth hacking.

Tourism Hotspots around the World are crowded with new visitors- but are they all Welcome?

International travel is proving to be the microcosm for the shift in global economic power. While southern Europe including Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal reels under its worst economic crisis for decades, tourism is providing some hope through the generation of multiple travel jobs. While business analysis had indicated that tourist numbers were to go down in the wake of the economic crisis, it is a new set of tourists who have altered market dynamics bringing relief. The new tourists are typically not from USA or the traditional developed world, but instead from China, India, Russia, Brazil, South Korea or Turkey. These countries have a new wave of middle class which wants to travel and flaunt their wealth often at massive environmental and cultural cost to the destinations. Cities such as Rome, Venice, Barcelona and Sevilla have now inserted regulations to curb excessive uncontrolled tourist inflows.

That Moment when a quiet Leader outshines the loud Ones

Corporate leaders have traditionally on popular media been depicted as rock-star mavericks yet it is often the quiet, unassuming types who end up successful in the real world. Business leadership has a lot to do beyond the visual charisma. Tim Cook of Apple is one perfect example where the leader is an introvert and is a better back end corporate strategy formulator than front end speaker. He is also a good listener and remains patient throughout challenges.

Tourism Australia signs three year deal with Expedia

The tourism board at Australia has signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Expedia group which is among the largest travel retailers in the world. Tourism Australia plans to leverage digital marketing to lure greater number of tourists to the country using the Expedia portal. The USA and UK will be the first countries targeted as they are already among the largest sources of tourists to Australia. Collaborative campaigns are set to start between Expedia and Tourism Australia now.

Mobile Marketing- Opportunities, Strategies & Trends

Mobile marketing is entering a phase where opportunities will galore. Thus some trends have been observed using business analysis and some questions need to be answered. The marketer has to decide which social media platform to use mobiles best for. Also how much of wearable technology or virtual reality need to be aligned with mobile marketing strategy. Location based digital marketing is another area companies are working hard on especially retailers. The concept of customization for customer segments is another area of focus. Finally, the concept of gamification needs to be utilized more extensively for customer acquisition and further retention.

Dubai to become leading Medical Tourism Hub

Dubai is fast emerging as the medical tourism hub for the region. It has invested in top notch medical facilities and language skills were already high in the Emirate. As per market research done, half a million medical tourists are expected by the year 2020. The board is pushing the concepts of sports medicine, plastic surgery, dentistry, orthopedic and laparoscopic neurosurgeries as major medical activities. The Canadian Specialist Hospital has emerged as among the best performers in the region.

Why Influencer Marketing should be at the core of your Marketing Strategy

Influencers are increasingly playing in bigger part in the overall marketing strategy. As per market research, more than 90% of consumers, have utmost trust on peer based recommendations than all other forms. There are some reasons for the same. Customer engagement through conversations on social media is a must, yet firms aren’t doing so effectively. Thus there is need for influencers to do the talking on behalf. Influencers can also access the target demographic area better as they themselves concentrate on certain segments. It will also drive genuine recommendations and generate authentic product advocacy.

9 Starting Points for B2B Social Marketing

Digital marketing at industrial level needs to follow certain principles in order to be more relevant on social media. The marketer must know the target audience to connect with. Social media must be used to fulfil genuine requirement. Some business analysis must be conducted to understand what the audience does with the respective content. Recruitment must focus on getting the very best. The firm must keep a track for business intelligence at all times. The engagement must be consistent. Beyond just the numbers, the firm must explore ways to become ideation leaders within the industry. However, social marketing must align with other forms and not be standalone in pitch. Most importantly, one needs to remain patient and not be trigger-happy with decision making.

The Marketing Technology Puzzle 

corporate strategy level, it has become extremely pertinent yet tricky to get the marketing bit correct. Marketing research by Signal has informed us that only 10% of marketers do not believe in integrated suites yet the majority have not implemented them and still possess separate platforms for CRM, data analytics and demographics mapping. Also content to engage customers is proving to be a bone of contention. Thus prognostic modelling and programmatic promotion are gaining traction all based on specific data.  

China seen as next Boom for Cruise Industry  

China’s social mobility is fuelling an appetite for cruises in that country. While the USA remains the market leader, the UK, Germany and Australia remain other major marketers. Yet, as per market research conducted, there was nearly a four-fifths increase in cruise travellers from China between 2012 and 2014. In fact numbers are set to top four million over the next couple of years. Shanghai and Tianjin are emerging as among the hub destinations from Miami and New Jersey among other ‘developed’ world destinations.

Leveraging Big Data in your Marketing Strategy  

Big data is proving to be an exceptional tool for effective business analysis. This can then be further used to define the marketing strategy. Business consulting has come up with some ways in which such data us changing business. Big data is boosting business efficiency. Buying patterns and user behaviours can be tracked thus driving current businesses. This big data is even providing marketers with forecast for future business trends. Geo-targeting is facilitating actual financial collections. Metrics which must be tracked include- email open rates, click through rates, social media engagement, views/shares/comments on blogs, surveys, Google Analytics reports and coupons enabled for digital marketing.

International Travel is at near-record Levels  

The concept of international travel used to be elitist, yet now it is finding mass flavour. As per market research, there has been an increase of more than four percent this year in the numbers from comparable time period. South America as a region has benefitted the most with Europe doing next best. Africa as a region declined due to the Ebola epidemic scare. Due to the heightened impact, Disneyworld centres in Hong Kong and Paris have actually banned ‘selfie’ sticks.

4 Companies that show how to translate Culture into Actions  

While much is made of organizational culture, in order for that to convert into tangible benefits, some measures have been suggested by management consulting. As per market research more than seventy percent of corporate heads feel that culture is integral to firm’s success or not. A proper corporate strategy must exist. Corporate training must be included as an integral component of the same. Also team ethics must be encouraged. A healthy work- life balance will also lead to benefits in the long run. Allianz, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank are some examples of companies successful in these regards.

The Power of Social Media in Tourism Marketing  

The tourism industry has now strongly embraced digital marketing especially social media. The national board of Costa Rica was an early mover attracting inbound tourism to the country. But now a number of English speaking countries such as Australia, USA, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland have taken over. Tourism Ireland in fact has over three million Facebook fans and also has healthy profile across Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus, Pinterest and YouTube. A leading global healthcare firm Goodness Company is pushing medical tourism in South America using the power of social media.

Enterprises not prepared for ‘as-as-service’ Economy 

management consulting arm of Accenture has come up with a report which claims that the servicing concept is not yet strong among most firms. The business research claims that nearly 70% of enterprises have not yet reached that stage of corporate evolution. Some key findings have been discussed. Business analysis and intelligence are considered critical by more than half the firms polled. Majority of senior staff are looking for business innovation but the hands-on team does not share the opinion. More than four-fifths of service providers themselves recognize the importance. The Cloud is seen as the future for the service sector. Thus the gap between corporate strategy and operational level needs to be bridged. Some changes need to be enforced drastically.Talent management is becoming increasingly crucial along with the concept of co-creation. Thus technology must be increasingly aligned with operations.

10 Questions to Guide your Marketing Technology Strategy 

In order to develop a sound corporate strategy for marketing technology, some questions must forever be posed before launching. One must be aware of the core components of existing stack. Also these solutions’ features, usability and values must be well understood. The marketers in the team must have a good idea regarding the technologies related to their work stream. Also the marketing team must be in a position to fully utilize these capabilities. Also technologies must be aligned with each other. One must look out for redundancies in marketing solutions and whether they impact the efficiency at work. Also marketing and IT teams must work together. Business innovation is a constant part of marketing technology and the firm must take care to incorporate it within their lines of work. Importantly, the company needs to analyze whether a core of bundled technology is better suited or should they go for standalone solutions.

Top 10 Social Media Management Tools  

Social media is emerging as such an important part of the digital marketing campaign some tools are necessary to use in order to optimize the efforts. Buffer helps in distributing content across platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn throughout the day. In order to get business analysis on social media, Hootsuite is the ideal tool. Spredfast enables tracking of online conversation via keyword searches. A social media calendar can be formed using Percolate to schedule engagement across platforms. Tweetdeck is best tool to manage Twitter feed. Oktopost allows tracking of total clicks and bulk scheduling of posts. Sprout Social allows scheduling and posting of messages across social platforms. Sendible aggregates posts and comments from different platforms to a single dashboard so it becomes easier to respond to them. BuzzBundle allows multiple platforms to be seen together on the screen at one time so one can post, reply or re-tweet without exiting any page. Finally there is CoSchedule which lets posts be scheduled from inside the post editor. 

 Why businesses fell in love with online marketing 

Certain reasons exist why businesses have embraced digital marketing wholeheartedly. It saves time. Strong marketing campaigns may be launched. It develops new perspectives. It is the best form of customer engagement and tailors product according to individual users. There is no better way to market technology than using technology itself. Online marketing allows for more flexibility at better scale. Marketing research has also proven that the productivity is greater in this form. The future capabilities are even greater as expansion is on the horizon.

How emails fits into your Marketing Strategy

Though oft ignored, email remains the single most potent tool to conduct digital marketing. It is a tool which aids in social media marketing by diverting traffic towards the platforms the firm is active on. The company blog can be advertised by sending the link to all relevant contacts. Crucially even products can be promoted via email as latest offerings can be sent across to contacts. Marketing research has repeatedly proven email marketing to have the best ROI among all forms.

Japanese Tourism Continues to Soar

Japan is seeing major tourism inflows into the country. Kyoto remains the top destination for American travelers due to the art and culture of the old city. This has generated numerous tourism jobs in that region. Hokkaido is another region being promoted primarily due to its four distinct seasons and the floriculture at hand. In business research conducted, Tokyo has been voted as the top destination to stay on earth ahead of other strong contenders such as Vienna, Berlin, Melbourne, Sydney, Stockholm, Vancouver, Helsinki, Munich and Zurich.

The 3 biggest Unconscious Biases in Hiring may Surprise you

Business research has thrown us three major biases which occur during the hiring process which happen without intention. Most recruiters tend to get attracted to those who look or speak similar to them. Candidates’ competencies tend to get overlooked in favour of stereotypes. Indians for example are considered good at maths and thus they often get preferred even if another person from different ethnicity may have been the better choice. Recruiters however get cold with aspirants they consider a threat to their own status within the organization.

How to Un-stick your Work Rut

A growing number of professionals are seemingly get disillusioned at workplace. Thus business innovation is taking place constantly to reinvigorate the crowd. The professional career is now being seen as a journey rather than a means to an end. Continuous education is being stressed upon. An executive MBA is one way of achieving the same. Thus, number of people are embracing the community and wanting to be part of the same rather being stuck up on their ivory towers.

Indaba 2015- a Platform to Optimize African Tourism Business Growth

On the recommendations of tourism consulting firms, the board of South Africa has devised Indaba, an exhibition to be held. This event is mainly for the Xhosa and Zulu people of South Africa but this year it will enable all African countries and tour operators to optimize their yearly targets and network for business deals. As a business innovation, Indaba has even effected a matchmaking system by which each of the exhibition entrants will be analyzed and provided the list of exhibitors most suited to their business or personal needs. 

How Smart Products are Changing the World

Smart products have become the true business innovation of the present times being present in all aspects. The best example could be the new smart Johnnie Walker bottle which shows product information and cocktail recipes when a smart phone is flashed next to it. This also captures data vital for business analysis. It also acts as a logistics monitoring tool as the head office can track its presence. Firms not yet on-boarded to this technology need to adopt this fast.   

New Report Finds Tourism brought $10.3 billion to Indiana in 2013

According to reports from market research done, the state of Indiana attracted tourism revenues in excess of ten billion US dollars in 2013. This also led to the support of nearly one hundred and ninety thousand tourism jobs there. This is nearly five percent of the state’s percentage of people employed. Also it marks upwards of six percent of Indiana’s tax receipts and more than one and a half percent of the state gross domestic product.

7 Deadly Sins of Brand Management- and how to avoid them

Management consulting has come up with some mistakes brand managers make and how the same may be avoided. The vampire effect speaks about how a product may in the drive towards business innovation create something unique yet irrelevant. One must never try to please the entire market. One must under-promise and over-deliver, not the other way round. Just because something is new, does not mean it will enhance brand reputation. The consumer may have good first impressions, but unless the product actually adds value, the same will be dumped by the market on closer introspection. The brand positioning must be authentic and not pseudo with false advertising. Overall, the brand must never be pulled purely by the forces of advertising alone as corporate strategy needs to consider a more holistic view.

10 Brands doing an Amazing Job on Social Media

Marketing research has identified ten brands which are doing exceptionally well in social media which ultimately leads to high digital marketing performance. Denny’s is embracing the weird. For exceptional content, best known brand is Oreo. The brand which understands its target audience the best is Netflix. Pampers on the other hand, nurtures its focus market. Charmin is a brand working in a relatively low profile yet necessary segment yet is doing best within the limitations. Customer cravings are satisfied by Grub-Hub. Meanwhile the Royal Dutch Airlines is known best as an organization that really cares for its customers. GoPro has democratized the world by empowering its users. Always is majorly taking a stance. The evergreen Dove brand is now inspiring people the world over.