Reuben bring you latest trend in Online Business; Insight and Ideas on how to Grow your Small and Medium Scale Business
The French government announced a new initiative today in order to promote gender equality in the tech ecosystem in France with the help of 15 organizations. Like in many other countries, there are less women working in French startups than men. This is a key issue when it comes to recruiting the best talent and addressing the right market. I’m glad to see that the French government… Read More
Infopreneurs are business owners who make money by selling information. Of course, information can come in many different forms. So there are plenty of different business ideas out there for those who want to make a living by selling their expertise. Here are 50 different business ideas for infopreneurs.
If you want to share information, writing a book can be a great way to pack a lot into a single product.
But you don’t have to go through a traditional publisher anymore. You can easily publish your own books online now and sell them as ebooks.
You can also start your own blog on a subject where you have a lot of expertise.
Or you can start a blog in a very specific niche and share information and commentary about just that specific subject.
If you’re well known in a specific niche or industry, you can also earn an income by offering your services as a guest blogger for other sites.
Podcasting is a great way to share information and expertise in an audio format.
Or you can share your expertise with subscribers via an email newsletter.
Whether you have a blog, podcast, newsletter or other online venue, you can build a business by working with brands as an affiliate marketer that drives traffic to related websites.
You can also create your own YouTube channel or online videos where you share information and make money via advertising.
If you prefer to share your expertise in person, you can make public speaking appearances at relevant events.
You can also start a website in a specific niche and share information in formats other than traditional blog posts or podcasts.
Or you can build a website and charge a membership fee for those who want to access specific parts of the site or receive other benefits like bonus content via email.
You can also share your expertise or information via social media and build up your reputation as a social media influencer.
Though it’s also a service-based business, you can share your expertise through those services by working with businesses to manage their social media accounts.
For those who want to teach a specific skill or craft, you can create your own online courses and sell them to relevant customers.
Or you can create workbooks, worksheets or other informational downloads and sell them via a blog or website.
How-to guides can be another great way to share specific pieces of information. You can create your own and then sell them online or even make hard copies.
Traditional print publications might not be as popular as they used to be. But you can still create your own magazines or similar publications and sell them to consumers.
Likewise, you can create a local or niche newspaper to sell information to consumers.
Freelancing is another great way to sell your expertise in a specific subject. You can write for other websites or publications as a way to earn an income.
Or you could create articles or blog posts and sell them to websites for them to publish under their own names.
Copywriters can specialize in a variety of different content formats. You can build your own business writing anything from advertisements to product descriptions.
Or you could work with clients on a more personal level as a coach in a specific field or niche, either in person or online.
Consultants are similar to coaches, but can help people or businesses deal with more specific issues.
If you want to build an info business online, you can create an online forum where you and members of your community can share information.
Or you can start a community based business either in person or online and make money through events or membership.
You can also create a website specifically to list a specific type of information. You can then charge businesses or individuals to be listed on your site.
If you’re able to build expertise in a specific industry, you can come to be known as a thought leader and earn an income through anything from training sessions to speaking engagements.
There are a variety of different printable products you can sell online through downloads, from in-depth guides to simple informational posters.
Webinars are quick online informational events where you can share your expertise with a wide audience over video.
Or you could host in-person workshops and charge an admission fee to interested consumers.
If you want to share your expertise on a one-on-one level, you can start a business as a tutor specializing in a particular subject.
Or you can start a larger class teaching anything from dance to SAT-prep.
If you want to share information via conferences or events, you can start your own and then make sure you have great speakers and info for your attendees.
Mobile apps can also help you share information with mobile consumers. You can develop your own and then sell it or make money via in-app purchases or ads.
If you’re knowledgeable about finances, you can serve as an advisor for individuals or businesses to share your expertise in exchange for a fee.
You can also sell information in the form of research on specific subjects requested by your clients.
Editors might not always share their own personal expertise in their work. But they can add helpful insights for writers in a variety of different formats.
If you work in an industry that requires a specific form of training, you can build a business by offering that specific training to businesses that want to outsource that part of their business.
You can also collect information from various sources and create your own e-library as a way to make finding information easier for people.
For business experts, you can offer your services as a business plan writer or consultant as a way to share your expertise with new entrepreneurs.
You can also provide content marketing and other marketing informational products or services to businesses.
Or you can provide a service where you write press releases for businesses to share their information with media outlets and more.
You can also create brochures and other smaller form informational content for business clients.
Or you could start a service where you write or create direct mail campaigns to share information about businesses or causes.
If you know more than one language, you can also help to translate informational documents and other materials.
Writers who don’t want to write full length books or short blog posts could also potentially build a business by writing and selling short stories.
For fitness minded entrepreneurs who want to share expertise with individual clients, personal training can be a great business idea.
Or you could hold larger classes where you share your expertise with multiple people at once.
If your expertise lies more in the realm of dieting, you can also create and sell meal plans for clients who need help coming up with a personalized plan.
Group Tablet, Mobile Newslettert, Author Photos via Shutterstock
This article, "50 Small Business Ideas for Infopreneurs" was first published on Small Business Trends
TechCrunch is getting ready to celebrate some of the most compelling startups and innovations of 2016 at the 10th Annual Crunchies Awards. Will you be joining us? The Crunchies are just one short week away, and if you want to party in style for the cheapest possible price at the event best described as the Oscars of Tech, the time to act is now. Today is the last day to save 10 percent on… Read More
Facebook today announced a laundry list of updates regarding its measurement partnership program, including expanded partnerships with Nielsen and comScore, and the addition of a new partner, DoubleVerify. The company also offered details on the status of current integrations, and the launch of a new online portal to help marketers see how their Facebook ads perform, in comparison with… Read More
The American Civil Liberties Union will learn how to turn the $24 million it raised over the weekend into growth and progress with help from top Silicon Valley startup accelerator Y Combinator. The ACLU will be part of the winter batch of companies in YC, where it will receive mentorship, a network of powerful connections in tech, and a chance to present itself to investors on Demo Day. Y… Read More
Zenefits today said it would be introducing new pricing tiers in an effort to simplify them, as well as add new tools for HR managers to ensure that employees are getting their documents in and they are compliant with regulations. The new tools — and pricing — are another way that Zenefits is trying to differentiate itself as an all-in-one platform for managing employee records… Read More
(This post originally appeared on Forbes)
Here are five things in technology that happened this past week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
1 – Construction workers will soon get smartglasses, Microsoft hopes.
The company is working with the University of Cambridge to test its Hololens smartglasses for construction. The Hololens has been available to developers since 2016, but its consumer release date is still unknown. My company, the Marks Group, is a Microsoft Partner. (Source: Computer Business Review)
Why this is important for your business:
If you’re a contractor or in the construction industry, expect in the future that smartglasses will help your workers perform inspections or identify structural errors and problems so your supervisors and experts can review and offer solutions remotely and in real time.
2 – Google Translate will now let users read Japanese instantly via their hovering smartphones.
Translation tools are getting better and better. Microsoft announced a few weeks ago that Skype can translate calls in real time. Now Google says that its Translate app will let users hover their smartphone in front of a piece of text written in Japanese and instantly translate it. That should make your next trip to Tokyo a little easier! (Source VentureBeat)
Why this is important for your business:
For many companies, expanding to other countries is an important way to grow. Language has always been a huge headache – new tools like this will hopefully make it easier for you to do business overseas.
3 – MailChimp has launched support for Facebook ad campaigns.
The popular email marketing service is…wait…offering services outside of email. MailChimp’s new features will let their members use their current email lists to target prospects and customers on Facebook and then create Facebook ad campaigns all within the application. (Source: TechCrunch)
Why this is important for your business:
If your business is active on Facebook, and you do a lot of emailing, here’s a chance to bring your marketing activities on both platforms together under one roof. MailChimp says that 16 percent of its more than 15 million users are ecommerce companies, so this move makes sense.
4 – Your employees can now take Lyft Line rides to get to and from work.
The popular ride-sharing app has announced that commuters in many major cities like Seattle, New York and Miami can now use pretax dollars to travel to work via Lyft Line. The new program lets employees save “up to 40 percent on rides,” said the company. (Source: GeekWire)
Why this is important for your business:
Helping to defray the high cost of commuting is a great benefit to offer to your employees. Lyft Line will work with services like WageWorks, TransitChek, Benefit Resource, Commuter Benefit Solutions, Navia and Zenefits.
5 – GoDaddy has a new website-building tool for small businesses.
The popular web hosting services has introduced a tool that will allow users to “create a complete website from a mobile device in under an hour.” According to the company, the product also features a suite of SEO and email marketing tools, Facebook page integration and a dashboard that provides recommendations on how to increase traffic and sales. (Source: ZDNet)
Why this is important for your business:
You need a website. You don’t have the time or the savvy to build one. You don’t have the money either. This seems like the perfect tool for the on-the-go Millennial entrepreneur.
Qvivr, a Silicon Valley-based FinTech startup originally known for building the SWYP programmable credit card, has raised $5M in Series A funding. The funding was led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from a large multinational Asian bank. The startup was founded in 2014 and originally launched with a pre-order campaign for a hardware product that would let users program all of their… Read More
Juniper Square is a new web-based service for commercial real estate investment managers and the individual investors they work with. The service, which the company worked on for the last two years and trialed with major firms like Beacon Capital, The Reliant Group, and Cortland Partners, is now generally available. The idea behind Juniper Square is to give the investment managers an easier,… Read More
Club Penguin may be shutting down, but there’s a new social network for kids arriving today from LEGO. The company known for its physical blocks and building sets is launching LEGO Life, a safe, online space where kids can share their LEGO creations, and connect with a broader community. Available as an iOS and Android application, the social network is aimed at those under the age of… Read More
With all the ways we have to connect with one another today, it may surprise you to learn the phone is still the preferred method for customers to interact with businesses. In fact, a recent study by Invoca shows companies big and small are seeing an explosion of inbound calls. Why? One big reason is the tremendous growth of click-to-call, the ability to dial a business directly from a mobile search.
Click-to-call is booming, and the already staggering number of calls to businesses from mobile devices is expected to skyrocket in coming years: a predicted 162 billion calls will be made to businesses from smartphones by 2020.
So how do you get a piece of this click-to-call action as a small business owner? By making it easy to call your company, understanding what mobile callers want, and creating a consistently positive phone experience. In this article, we’ll explore ways to do all three.
In mere seconds, smartphone users can search for and connect with companies that meet their needs — great news for businesses that are ready to pick up the phone and to deliver. Calls initiated by smartphone users are especially valuable to growing companies, because they allow for personal connection other channels can’t provide. A one-on-one conversation with a prospective customer is a unique opportunity to clearly communicate the value of your service, and a chance to build rapport and trust.
There are lots of ways to make your telephone number stand out to mobile customers:
According to Invoca, smartphone users typically reach out for three reasons:
In other words, the click-to-call crowd needs help, and they want it right away.
Winning over the mobile crowd takes more than a clickable number. In fact, without a friendly, helpful person to answer, an influx of calls could harm your business. Mobile users value excellent service, and don’t want to waste time waiting around for it. One in five calls from mobile phones are abandoned — likely due to common offenders like long hold times or reaching an automated system instead of a live person — and callers are more likely to hang up on a local business than a call center. Furthermore, dissatisfied callers aren’t afraid to share their feedback. Not only did 74 percent of those polled by Invoca say they are likely to choose another business after a negative phone experience, 70 percent said they are likely to complain to friends or family, 30 percent are likely to leave a bad review, and 24 percent are likely to complain on social media. Yikes!
In order to reap the substantial rewards click-to-call has to offer, small businesses need the customer experience infrastructure to support it. Before overhauling your website or your marketing plan to better feature click-to-call, it can be helpful to take a look at your phone service strategy. Maximizing on these three elements can help ensure a positive caller experience:
Lifelong customers are built on meaningful connections, and the click-to-call boom presents a profound opportunity for small businesses to create those connections. Mobile callers are looking for the same thing all callers are seeking: a live, friendly voice ready to help — and if your company is ready to answer the call, you’re in luck.
Image: Ruby Receptionists
This article, "How to Win Business with Click-To-Call" was first published on Small Business Trends
To be great at poker you gotta know when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away, and know when to core dump. That’s only part of the technique a new AI system created by researchers at Carnegie Mellon used to beat four of the “world’s best professional poker players” – Dong Kim, Jimmy Chou, Daniel McAulay and Jason Les. The AI played the… Read More
These eCommerce statistics for small businesses have been collected from a variety of sources.
Last updated: January 29, 2017
Research shows that:
In addition, studies have shown that:
Studies show that:
As the statistics above show, eCommerce is a thriving industry. Small businesses that are not participating stand to lose out on both sales and relevancy as the number of online shoppers continues to grow. While it’s important to take customer wants and needs into consideration, the payoff exceeds the cost.
Ready to get started? These posts can help:
Ecommerce Photo via Shutterstock
This article, "ECOMMERCE STATISTICS for Small Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends
