Archive for the Technology category.
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
What drives your internet strategy? I’m always amazed that in today’s digital world where web based technologies reign supreme, at the number of companies that still don’t get it…It is not at all uncommon for me to find corporate internet strategies that are at best cobbled together if they exist at all. It is as if digital marketing and branding initiatives are the corporate version of the “hot potato,” such that everyone wants to have their say, but no one wants to take responsibility. Rarely do I come across corporate internet strategies that are aligned with the core business strategy. In an earlier post entitled “Who’s In Charge of Your Internet Strategy“ (dated but relevant), I address many of the typical mistakes made with regard to the management of corporate internet initiatives, but in today’s post I’ll focus on the benefits derived by engineering a well conceived internet strategy.
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Social Media 3.0…Okay, I said it and I’m sticking to it. It is time for Social Networking tools, applications and platforms to live up to their potential and make the iterative leap to next generation Social Networking, or “Social Media 3.0″ if you will…While I have no intention of disputing the commercial success of YouTube (Google purchased it for $1.65 Billion dollars when it was only a 9-month old company), FaceBook, MySpace, LinkedIn, or any number of other organizations that have monetized on their first mover or early adopter advantage, Social Media is still in its infancy. For Social Networking to make the next leap in maturation it will need to move beyond advertising driven consumer models, and evolve to an enterprise class business platform. In today’s post I’ll examine what needs to happen for Social Media to go 3.0…
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Looking for a way to enhance your direct marketing initiatives? Look no further than Twitter. Why is Twitter so hot? Why is it the fastest growing microblogging/social media platform on the planet? Because it produces real value, and it does so very quickly. Twitter is arguably the best and most powerful direct marketing tool to come along since email assuming two things: 1,) you understand how to use it, and; 2.) that you do in fact actually use it. In today’s post I’ll provide a few thoughts on how to leverage Twitter without going into the technical aspects (there is already plenty of information in circulation on that).
By, Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Subjecting your website’s traffic to intense analysis is the key to breaking the code for improving conversion ratios and watching your success on the Internet skyrocket. Understanding the basic logic surrounding this premise, it amazes me how few companies truly understand the key metric in driving website success…traffic. In today’s post I’ll share a bit of information that will help you gain a better understanding of the value of website traffic analysis…
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Search Engine Marketing has always played a critical role in managing the visibility of a company’s online brand. However with the Internet becoming what is arguably today’s dominant medium, Search Engine Marketing has also risen to become a key driver in a company’s overall brand strategy. Regrettably the maturity of the products and services that comprise search engine related disciplines come at a time when the industry has never been more complicated and difficult to navigate for the uninitiated. Even though businesses today have many more options with regard to how they execute their search engine initiatives, I find that many marketing executives struggle more today with their online marketing strategies than they did a few years ago. In today’s blog post I’ll share my opinions on the current state of the Search Engine Marketing Industry.
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
While the security aspects of intellectual property (”IP”) are often sacrificed for speed to market considerations in today’s world of mash-ups and knock-offs, I believe when it comes to IP it is possible to have your cake and eat it too. The protection of all forms of intellectual property (”IP”) should constitute common sense and require no real explanation, however the courts are littered with case law precedent that has been decisioned against some of the largest and most sophisticated companies on the planet. What should be routine business 101 protocol, can easily turn into major financial and operational debacles if you don’t have a solid grasp of IP law. In today’s post I’ll discuss the basics of identifying and protecting your intellectual property.
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Here is a message that you might not want to hear I am willing to bet that your company is not even remotely beginning to harness the full power of the Internet. Moreover I’m also willing to bet that you probably already know this. In a recent survey conducted by WebTrends in which more than 250 Chief Marketing Officers were polled, only 4% of respondents rated themselves and their staffs as “experts” on web marketing trends, strategies and technologies.
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
To Blog or not to Blog…Most of you who have been following this blog know that I’ve been an a strong evangelist of social media, and particularly blogging for years. So why is it that so many CEOs still seem paralyzed when it comes to taking the plunge? Let’s look at the numbers…According to Nielsen, at the time this post was originally written in May of 2006 there were more than 28 million blogs on the Internet…Fast forward to October 2006 and there were more than 50 million blogs, and today Technorati states there are now more than 112 million blogs on the Internet (apparently not counting the 70+ million Chinese and other non-English speaking Blogs). By any category analysis or analytical standard blogging has obviously developed into a powerful communication medium the likes of which has not been seen since the introduction of the Internet itself. However the question remains do the numbers in-and-of-themselves mean that blogging is right for everyone?
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
So what’s with all the buzz about social networking? What’s the difference between old school networking and social networking? As a CEO or entrepreneur why should you care? With so much being written about the impact of social networking on business and the numerous examples of companies that are capitalizing on its many benefits, I’m amazed at how few companies still just don’t get it. Not only has social networking arrived but it is clearly here to stay All you have to do is look at the tremendously successful companies that have been built upon the platform of social networking (MySpace, YouTube, Ryze, Linked-In, Flickr, Facebook etc.) or the unprecedented growth of the Blogosphere and you will quickly recognize that social networking is a powerful medium. In today’s post I’ll share my thoughts about why you can’t afford not to jump on the social networking bandwagon.
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a core business practice that most everyone reading this post will be familiar with at some level. It is likely that you’ve read about CRM, have attended workshops and seminars on the subject and perhaps you even believe you’ve implemented what you feel is a CRM initiative. While customer relationship management is certainly not a new business practice it is also not a practice that most executives understand or leverage to its maximum capabilities. In today’s post I’ll provide an overview of CRM and how you can apply it to your business.
