Month: October 2013

  • Consumers Increasingly Using Mobile Devices as Their Default Gateway to the Internet

    Consumers are migrating away from PC-based Internet usage and are increasingly using mobile devices as their default gateway to the Internet, according to the latest release of the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide New Media Market Model. The United States leads that trend, with Western Europe and Japan only about two years behind. In the U.S., the number of people accessing the Internet through PCs will shrink from 240 million consumers in 2012 to 225 million in 2016. At the same time, the number of mobile users will increase from 174 million to 265 million.

    In 2015, for the first time ever, there will be more U.S. consumers accessing the Internet through mobile devices than through PCs.

    “In the consumer world, mobile Internet usage is already beginning to displace PC usage, and the United States is leading this trend,” said Karsten Weide, program vice president, Media & Entertainment at IDC. “There has been much talk about how the future of the Internet will be mobile first and PC second. In the United States, that future is now.”

    Additional findings from the New Media Market Model include the following:

    • Online PC activities will also be impacted as consumers take their usage mobile. IDC expects that the share of users accessing social networks such as Facebook on their PCs will decline from 66% in 2012 to 52% in 2016.
    • Worldwide mobile advertising will almost quintuple from $6 billion in 2011 to $28.8 billion in 2016
    • Worldwide business-to-consumer (B2C) m-commerce spending will grow six fold between 2011 and 2016, reaching $223 billion at the end of the forecast period

    “The Great PC Exodus on the Internet is happening because the PC was never truly a consumer product,” added Weide. “Many consumers use them because there was no better alternative. Now, with the huge and growing installed base of more user-friendly tablets and smartphones, there are.”

    The IDC study, Worldwide New Media Market Model 1H-2012 Highlights: Internet Becomes Ever More Mobile, Ever Less PC-Based (IDC #237459), features the most interesting findings from IDC’s latest Worldwide New Media Market Model.

    Source: Karsten Weide, IDC, www.idc.com

  • How to Attract More Customers With Content Marketing

    Are you looking to attract prospects, convert them to customers and keep them coming back?  Then social media and content marketing are a match made in heaven.

    The key to success is to make the connection between content marketing and social media.

    Let’s look at the content needed to get your marketing to that lucrative intersection.

    #1: Attract Prospective Customers

    The first question on a prospect’s mind when considering a purchase is, “What solutions are available?”

    Your goal is to create awareness and make sure that your solution meets the buyers’ need when they’re ready to make a decision.

    According to data from Google and Shopper Science’s Zero Moment of Truth report, consumers in 2011 consulted an average of 10 sources before making a buying decision. That’s up 100% from five sources in 2010.

    zmot sources used
    The number of sources a buyer consults before making a decision doubled year over year.

    Successful businesses are communicating with prospects on social networking sites and directing them to the material the prospects need to make an informed decision. How are they doing this?

    One way is to create informational articles.

    Social network users are constantly sharing, curating and consuming informational content. Often, the headline or a short description of the content appears on the social network together with a link to view the content on a company website.

    Businesses need to share this informational content and have it written for prospects who are in research mode, learning about the solutions that are available.

    Charles Schwab, a financial planning company, distributes links to resources via social networking sites and makes them available for prospective leads who reach out via social media.

    Read More (Source: Russ Henneberry, Social Media Examiner)

  • How online HR/Benefits administration can benefit your business

    As companies grow, the demands on human resources departments also increase. To satisfy demands, employers have to be aware of the advances in self-service technology in HR that can increase productivity and create real cost savings.

    HR departments can see tremendous benefits from technological innovations such as online HR/Benefits administration.

    “Online automated HR/Benefits administration is attractive to companies with a sizable work force — generally 200 or more employees — because at this size, HR departments can become bogged down with daily administrative activities,” says John Galley, president of EBenefits Solutions, which is part of the UPMC Insurance Services Division. “Automation of these activities via the Web can eliminate these daily tasks for HR departments so that they can focus more of their time and energy on strategic initiatives that have a greater business impact. Online HR/Benefits administration also saves companies money, while increasing efficiency and security.”

    Smart Business spoke with Galley about the benefits of online HR/Benefits administration and why it matters to employers.

    Why would an employer want to make use of online HR/Benefits administration?

    For many companies, the HR function has become more complex, difficult and time consuming. Oftentimes, more strategic initiatives can be squeezed out by the daily demands and volumes of administrative issues that must be addressed because they affect the work force every day. Fortunately, solutions are available.

    The advantages of online HR/Benefits administration to an employer are many. Massive amounts of paperwork associated with benefits and payroll can overwhelm an HR department. There is a need to handle a number of documents that need to be filled out, signed, dated, reviewed, entered into various internal and external systems, such as carrier databases and the employer’s payroll/HRIS (Human Resource Information System) platform, and then filed. But online HR/Benefits administration can automate much of that process for employers.

    Online HR/Benefits administration frees staff from duplicate paperwork, prevents errors and places all employees’ files in the same system, making it easier to access and retrieve. Other databases, such as a carrier system or payroll/HRIS platform can then be securely updated in an automated fashion via an electronic exchange.

    Read More (Source: Smart Business Online)

  • Employee Spotlight – Gem Nel

    gemnelpicThe team we have here at eTekhnos/ Rockstar Technology is our greatest asset to both our company and the clients we serve daily. The Employee Spotlight is to help our clients get to know the staff they work so closely with and rely on personally and professionally! Read below to learn more about Gem Nel – in her own words.

    How long have you been with eTekhnos/RT and what is your official title?
    I have been with the company exactly two years this month.  I am the Technology Support Manager.

    What is your favorite aspect of your role here?
    My favorite aspect is knowing that I have an amazing team of colleagues backing me up and that I trust explicitly.  I love problem solving and design and this job allows me to do both.

    What is your passion?
    I am an avid rugby fan and my team that I support is the Wasps. But my passion is my family…. I do everything I do for them and fit everything I need to do around them.  My family’s smiles and laughter are my favorite reward.

    What is something people might not know about you?
    I am from England. I am a qualified interior designer. I was taught dressmaking skills from a Saville Row, London, tailor’s apprentice.  I was a scout for over a decade and a half and the level of my backwoods skills normally surprise most people.  I love antiques – the more interesting and unusual the better – and have a growing assorted collection from scouring antique shops and yard sales.

  • 4 Things You Need to be Doing on Social Media — Now

    By now, if social media isn’t a critical element in your online marketing strategy, it should be. Having a presence on sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn can add value to your product, to customer service and ultimately to your brand.

    But simply having an account and broadcasting company news isn’t enough. To attract and keep customers — and to build a strong brand online — business owners need to be active on social media. They have to provide valuable information and engage with their followers.

    Here are four things businesses should be doing on social media in order to grow the brand online:

    1. Engage with followers and provide customer service.
    Your customers are engaging with your brand wherever they are — including over social media. Don’t miss this opportunity to listen to what they’re saying to and about you, and to provide the best customer service.

    Why is this so important? Responding to customer questions and resolving issues over social media shows everyone who’s following you — and potentially anyone who is online — that your company cares about its customers, potential customers and goes the extra mile for people.

    Related: 10 Tips for Using Twitter Like a Pro

    Tools like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck can be handy for monitoring mentions of your brand over social media. As for when and who you respond to, set the tone early. If you reply often, people will expect it. If you don’t reply a lot, people will see that as well and might stop engaging with you as often.

    2. Crowdsource ideas.
    Use social media as a marketing research tool. Just as people can reach out to you, follow you and stay connected with you, business owners can do the same with their customers. Social media is a two-way street.

    Say, for instance, you’re getting ready to launch a new product. You can ask your fans and followers what they think about specific details like which colors they prefer or what types of features they want. Not only can you get real, valuable market research at no cost, you’re involving the consumer in decisions. Asking customers for their opinions can help show that they matter, and when they see their ideas become a reality, ideally you create brand and product champions.

    Read More (Source: Scott Levy, entrepreneur.com)