During our marketing workshops, one of the most important topics we discuss with business owners is how to harness the amazing growth of technology to help their productivity. Many business owners feel as if they are busier and working harder than ever, yet their overall productivity is lower than ever. They are investing more time and energy into their businesses but they are not seeing growth. The main reason is that they have not yet seized the tremendous opportunity that new technology has created for them; rather they have allowed technology to work against them.
The bestselling author, Neil Strauss, made a very insightful and accurate reference to this issue recently:
It's easy to be BUSY these days, but more and more people are having
trouble being PRODUCTIVE.
We are in the Information Age. We have an incredible body of
unlimited knowledge and access to over a billion people available
instantly--and we can carry all this information and connectivity on
a device we can literally fit in our pocket.
It's incredible--an amazing period of history to all be living
through together--but it's also a challenge.
And the challenge is this: Are you living your life or are you
being distracted from it?
We completely agree with Neil about this challenge that all of us face. There is so much information constantly being thrown at us now, that we often mistake the feeling of being busy and productive for actual production.
Business owners need to transform their businesses to align them effectively with the Information Age, and in order to do that they need to utilize technology to their advantage. The exponential growth of the Internet and technology presents an incredible opportunity to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace...with the right guidance and strategy in place.
Call us at (978) 494-4119 to discuss how we can help you with this challenge and take your business to the next level. It's time to let technology work FOR you and your business!
http://www.networkforsolutions.com/
Is Your Business Keeping Up With Google?
Google made over 500 changes last year to it's algorithm that determines search result rankings. Does your business have an expert Internet marketing firm to keep your website updated to these changes?
10 Reasons to GO LOCAL
Why Support Locally Owned Businesses?
1. Local Character and Prosperity - In an increasingly homogenized world, communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character have an economic advantage.
1. Local Character and Prosperity - In an increasingly homogenized world, communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character have an economic advantage.
2. Community Well-Being - Locally owned businesses build strong communities by sustaining vibrant town centers, linking neighbors in a web of economic and social relationships, and contributing to local causes.
3. Local Decision-Making - Local ownership ensures that important decisions are made locally by people who live in the community and who will feel the impacts of those decisions.
4. Keeping Dollars in the Local Economy - Compared to chain stores, locally owned businesses recycle a much larger share of their revenue back into the local economy, enriching the whole community.
5. Job and Wages - Locally owned businesses create more jobs locally and, in some sectors, provide better wages and benefits than chains do.
6. Entrepreneurship - Entrepreneurship fuels America's economic innovation and prosperity, and serves as a key means for families to move out of low-wage jobs and into the middle class.
7. Public Benefits and Costs - Local stores in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure and make more efficient use of public services relative to big box stores and strip shopping malls.
8. Environmental Sustainability - Local stores help to sustain vibrant, compact, walkable town centers-which in turn are essential to reducing sprawl, automobile use, habitat loss, and air and water pollution.
9. Competition - A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term.
10. Product Diversity - A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based, not on a national sales plan, but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices.
Google+ Growing Fast!
Google’s new social network, Google+, might be one of the fastest-growing networks ever, having already reached 10 million users according to one estimate.
Paul Allen, of Ancestry.com — not to be confused with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen — has developed an interesting methodology to calculate the number of Google+ members.
He sampled a number of surnames from the U.S. Census Bureau data and compared it to surnames of Google+ users. By comparing surname popularity in the U.S. with the number of users on Google+ with each surname, he can guesstimate the percentage of the U.S. population that signed up for Google+. Finally, he calculated a ratio of U.S. to non-U.S. users to generate an estimate for the number of Google+ users worldwide.
The result? Google+ has approximately 9.5 million users worldwide, with 2.2 million joining in the past 32 to 34 hours, according to Allen’s estimates.
This is amazing growth even for a giant such as Google: We cannot remember any social network reaching so many members so quickly after its release.
Coming from a third party, the data is obviously unofficial (we asked Google for comment on these numbers, but haven’t heard from them) and should be taken with a grain of salt. If they’re true, they indicate that Google might finally be conquering the social networking arena.
At Network for Solutions, we will be following this very closely to determine how and when we utilize Google+ to help our valued clients.
Stay Tuned!
http://www.networkforsolutions.com/
Paul Allen, of Ancestry.com — not to be confused with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen — has developed an interesting methodology to calculate the number of Google+ members.
He sampled a number of surnames from the U.S. Census Bureau data and compared it to surnames of Google+ users. By comparing surname popularity in the U.S. with the number of users on Google+ with each surname, he can guesstimate the percentage of the U.S. population that signed up for Google+. Finally, he calculated a ratio of U.S. to non-U.S. users to generate an estimate for the number of Google+ users worldwide.
The result? Google+ has approximately 9.5 million users worldwide, with 2.2 million joining in the past 32 to 34 hours, according to Allen’s estimates.
This is amazing growth even for a giant such as Google: We cannot remember any social network reaching so many members so quickly after its release.
Coming from a third party, the data is obviously unofficial (we asked Google for comment on these numbers, but haven’t heard from them) and should be taken with a grain of salt. If they’re true, they indicate that Google might finally be conquering the social networking arena.
At Network for Solutions, we will be following this very closely to determine how and when we utilize Google+ to help our valued clients.
Stay Tuned!
http://www.networkforsolutions.com/
Social Media
In 2009, 27% of small businesses (50 employees or fewer) had company Facebook pages. In 2010, that increased to 41%. Does your company have one? Are you leveraging it to grow your business effectively?
http://www.networkforsolutions.com
http://www.networkforsolutions.com
Time & Money
"Money is not the primary asset in life...Time is"
-Gordon Gekko
Mr. Gekko, the anti-hero from the Wall Street movies, is certainly not the most honorable character, to say the least, but he was right on the money (no pun intended) with that quote. This view on time is not that of the 1980's Gekko from the first movie; it's the view of a man who has just spent 8 years in prison and has come to the harsh realization that the most precious thing of all is time.
At Network For Solutions, we believe in this principle whole-heartedly, from a personal and business standpoint. The reason our firm exists is because our clients realize that they have a limited amount of time each day to run their business. To take precious hours out of the day and attempt to market their business, in a complicated landscape, is not the best use of time. They could have used that time to do what they do best; run their business. Instead they partner with us for our expertise and resources to grow their business.
Most people, at certain points along the way, will take a step back to assess their personal life and how they're spending their most precious resource. Am I spending my time wisely and focused on the right things? Am I making the most of my time here?
We believe that business owners should take the same approach. Am I maximizing my time running my business? Is it a smart decision to spend valuable hours of my day trying to market my business? Or would it be wiser to invest money to partner with a marketing firm and devote that time saved to running my business?
These are the assessments we engage in with our clients. As consultants we want to gain an understanding of the business, the vision and goals; and use our expertise to help them get there.
In a recent survey published by Inc. Magazine on Work-Life Balance, over 30% of small-business owners admitted they would rather have more time than more money. At Network For Solutions, we clearly understand how money is a valuable asset for a person and a business, but, as Mr. Gekko realized, it's not the most important asset. Perhaps the author, Harvey Mackay, put it best:
“Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't
own it, but you can use it. You can't keep
it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it
you can never get it back.”
http://www.networkforsolutions.com
-Gordon Gekko
Mr. Gekko, the anti-hero from the Wall Street movies, is certainly not the most honorable character, to say the least, but he was right on the money (no pun intended) with that quote. This view on time is not that of the 1980's Gekko from the first movie; it's the view of a man who has just spent 8 years in prison and has come to the harsh realization that the most precious thing of all is time.
At Network For Solutions, we believe in this principle whole-heartedly, from a personal and business standpoint. The reason our firm exists is because our clients realize that they have a limited amount of time each day to run their business. To take precious hours out of the day and attempt to market their business, in a complicated landscape, is not the best use of time. They could have used that time to do what they do best; run their business. Instead they partner with us for our expertise and resources to grow their business.
Most people, at certain points along the way, will take a step back to assess their personal life and how they're spending their most precious resource. Am I spending my time wisely and focused on the right things? Am I making the most of my time here?
We believe that business owners should take the same approach. Am I maximizing my time running my business? Is it a smart decision to spend valuable hours of my day trying to market my business? Or would it be wiser to invest money to partner with a marketing firm and devote that time saved to running my business?
These are the assessments we engage in with our clients. As consultants we want to gain an understanding of the business, the vision and goals; and use our expertise to help them get there.
In a recent survey published by Inc. Magazine on Work-Life Balance, over 30% of small-business owners admitted they would rather have more time than more money. At Network For Solutions, we clearly understand how money is a valuable asset for a person and a business, but, as Mr. Gekko realized, it's not the most important asset. Perhaps the author, Harvey Mackay, put it best:
“Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't
own it, but you can use it. You can't keep
it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it
you can never get it back.”
http://www.networkforsolutions.com
Did You Know?
In 1996 there were 100 million Worldwide email accounts...At the end of 2010 there were 3 billion.
In 2010 there were 170 billion pieces of mail sent...and 107 TRILLION emails sent.
From 2009 to 2010, email use by Seniors increased 28%.
In 2004 AOL had 23 million users...At the end of 2010 they had 4 million users.
In 2004 Facebook had 1 million users...At the end of 2010 they had 600 million users.
There were 36 billion photos shared on Facebook in 2010.
In 2010 there were 170 billion pieces of mail sent...and 107 TRILLION emails sent.
From 2009 to 2010, email use by Seniors increased 28%.
In 2004 AOL had 23 million users...At the end of 2010 they had 4 million users.
In 2004 Facebook had 1 million users...At the end of 2010 they had 600 million users.
There were 36 billion photos shared on Facebook in 2010.
