Liraz Margalit says, “There’s a reason the word “homepage” begins with “home.” For digital enterprises, a homepage should bring to customers’ minds many of the feelings that an actual home does: comfort, relaxation, a sense of warmth and security. Home is a place where you don’t have to think too much — you simply walk inside and everything you need is waiting for you. A homepage should provide customers with a similar experience. Shopping behavior has quietly evolved into a new era. Shoppers now are more likely to buy something online than in a brick-and-mortar store,... [...]

Pratik Dholakiya says, “Everyone has heard the phrase: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” While this saying will always hold merit, the concept of networking is different today than it was 20 to 30 years ago. With the help of the internet and social media, we are more connected than ever and able to efficiently interact with massive numbers of people. As an entrepreneur, you may find the early stages of networking incredibly difficult. The name of the game is identifying the right people to get acquainted with and then talking with them with a healthy dose of assertiveness... [...]

Jonathan Segal says, “My profession affords me the opportunity to work and talk with many entrepreneurs and other leaders about social media. Just as important, I observe their use (or nonuse) of social media. Twitter remains one of the most popular platforms for people to exchange ideas, promote news and express opinions. I’m a social media enthusiast, but my work in employment law makes me all too aware of the risks inherent in these instant-post tools. My Top 10 list of costliest mistakes might surprise you. Its entries stem as much from underuse as from misuse. 1. Not using Twitter. Some... [...]

Nina Zipkin says, “Since Facebook’s 2017 F8 Developer Conference kicked off yesterday, the social media giant has made a raft of announcements about the new features it has in the works. From advances in augmented reality to virtual assistants, read on for the latest offerings from Mark Zuckerberg and company. Augmented reality During his keynote, Zuckerberg highlighted various forms of AR technology that could soon appear on our smartphones. He previewed tools that will allow users to place virtual objects in real places, such as a note on a refrigerator or artwork on blank white walls.... [...]

Murray Newlands says, “Businesses of all sizes across the world are leveraging the help of influencers for their B2B marketing. B2B influencer marketing is a cheap and efficient way to create successful marketing campaigns spanning a variety of marketing channels without investing a huge amount of time into them. But the real question is: What is Influencer Marketing? Influencer marketing is the process of integrating people of influence into your marketing strategy in order to increase: The number of visitors to a website The number of “likes”, “shares”, and “follows”... [...]

Ellie Martin says, “As social media and ecommerce become increasingly enmeshed in our lives, the opportunities for them to interact with and bolster each other are innumerable, considering that the average person spends around an hour and 40 minutes browsing social media every day, and the number of internet shoppers in the US will reach 217 million this year. Back in the old days, a business’s presence would be signified by advertisements in the paper and a physical storefront. Now, in the digital age, business reputations live and die by their social media standing. Right now, social... [...]

Mike Wood says, “Customer trust is important to your business. People who trust you are more willing to be repeat customers and refer you to others. It can also lead to earned media such as positive online reviews and social media engagement from fans and followers. People are more likely to trust word of mouth marketing which is a form of earned media. When people they know refer them to you, they will have more faith in trusting the referral than a paid advertisement. Paid media. Paid media is basically any type of media that you pay for. If you pay someone to run an advertisement on their... [...]

Debby Carreau says, “Most business leaders leave money on the table by remaining invisible. They have zero social media presence and the remaining CEOs are just on LinkedIn. It’s simple: If you want to be rich, you can’t ignore potential revenue streams. If your company is on social media, then you need to be, too. Having a presence isn’t just about the convenience of technology, but capitalizing on a cultural shift happening across the world. This shift isn’t mysterious. When people want to make sure that brands share their own values, they check out the leader of that... [...]

Jayson Demers says, “Like basketball, construction and Marvel superheroes, marketing demonstrates its best results when people work together as a team. Your marketing team doesn’t have to be big — it might be just you and a freelancer or two, or it might be an entire department with dozens of people — but everyone does have to work solidly together to bring the best possible results. Though there’s always some degree of variance for teams in different industries and companies with different needs, there are nine primary qualities that make a team exceptionally effective. Does... [...]

Oren Bioman says, “Business leaders who have come of age in the context of a connected social world have a drastically evolved perspective on everything from news and education to sports, relationships and advertising. There is a new expectation and social contract with advertisers, which favors conversation over broadcast messaging, requiring authenticity, nuanced voice and frequent creative refresh. There is a new set of rules for how businesses engage with consumers. They now sell through the digital content they create and the voice they use. Only some marketers have adapted and joined... [...]