The One Thing That Can Ruin Your Business (or Career) …
Becoming irrelevant.
The world moves fast these days and you are responsible for making sure you aren’t left in the dust.
Have a job? Here’s some news for you – it might pack up and go to China.
Own a business? It’s not a stretch to say you could be irrelevant 6 months from now.
Have a pulse? Technology is looking to replace you.
Times, they are a changin’
The best way to prevent becoming irrelevant is to stay ahead of the curve. Dramatic swings and shifts like we are seeing today present tremendous opportunity if:
- You’re paying attention to the trends so you can anticipate opportunity as it comes your way.
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The “Secret” to Success Everyone Ought to Know
Want some exciting news? The “secret” to success isn’t really a secret at all. (…you had to see that one coming 
)
In fact, I hear about it in audio programs and read about it in books all the time. The true secret to success is simply the series of small, smart choices you either make or don’t make every day.
It’s what Darren Hardy (publisher of SUCCESS magazine) calls The Compound Effect in his most recent book.
Success is really a process of mundane, unexciting tasks few people are willing to actually do over long periods of time.…
Click to continue ...Quote: A Man’s Health …
Like this graphic? Get more health and wellness inspiration from Bright Apple.…
What Makes Someone Leave a Website? (Infographic)
Getting someone to visit your site is a win … almost. It doesn’t become a win unless you can convert a percentage of the traffic you are working so hard to generate into customers, subscribers, leads, etc.
This infographic by KissMetrics provides 8 common mistakes designers / developers make when designing a site and how to fix them. All good advice in my opinion, and making the fixes they suggest will greatly increase your chances of converting your traffic.
Here’s a quick summary for you:
- Bad navigation
- Too many Ads
- Bad content structure
- Obtrusive use of audio and video
- A registration requirement
- Boring content.
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The Content Marketing Explosion [Infographic]
This infographic by BlueGlass Interactive gives a good picture of the state of content marketing.
A few of the statistics that jumped out at me:
- B2B marketers spend 26% of their marketing budgets on content marketing – more for small businesses. I think this will continue to increase as companies realize that leads from inbound marketing are way less expensive.
- Web traffic is the #1 metric for success (58%). Seems like small business owners should be more concerned with conversions – however, if you’re just getting started, traffic is a good indicator of how you’re doing.
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Infographic: Black Friday and Cyber Monday
I attended Black Friday this year for the first time. It’s quite a scene.
The one word that comes to mind is: mob.
In 2010, 212 million people went to their local mall to get their loot for Christmas, spending $45 billion as fast as they could. Early reports indicate that 2011 was an even better year for retailers.
Today (Cyber Monday) was much more enjoyable. In 2010, consumers spent a little over $1 billion on Cyber Monday, up 13% from the previous year.
The Missing Statistic
While retailers put up big numbers this weekend, I think there’s something missing.…
Click to continue ...5 Signs You Should Run From Your Marketing Agency
Trusting your business in the hands of a marketing agency can be a scary thing. It can also be frustrating and disappointing.
After all, your business is your baby… shouldn’t your marketing agency feel the same way about it? In a word – no. They don’t, and you shouldn’t expect them to.
After going through this a few times (and hitting quite a few bumps in the road) I thought I would pass along these signs you should run (and I mean run!) from your marketing agency. These would also be helpful in choosing a marketing agency.…
Click to continue ...Infographic: Ad Spending & Marketing ROI
“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted… the trouble is, I don’t know which half.” - John Wanamaker
This infographic by ifbyphone caught my attention this week as I was thinking about the best place to invest marketing dollars for a small business.
A few stats from the infographic that caught my attention:
- US major media ad spend – TV is the leader in spend, followed by Internet which is projected to increase faster than any other category.
- Average ROI per $1 in ad spend – Internet and email are the clear winners here, which is probably the reason for a projected increase in spend in these channels (along with trackability).
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Indianapolis Will Be One of the Top Ten Healthiest Cities in the United States by 2025.
Ready or not, the wellness movement is coming to Indianapolis.
According to the 2011 American Fitness Index (AFI) report, out of the 50 largest metro areas in the United States, Indianapolis placed 44th.
In fact, we’ve been in the mid to high 40′s since the American Fitness Index was established. The AFI was created by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) as a way to help communities understand how the general health of their community compares with others. The ACSM coupled the AFI report with their Community Action Guide to provide the support and groundwork needed to improve the health status of the community.…
Click to continue ...25 Must-Haves For A Great Website
After working on a couple different websites, I can tell you that I wish I’d seen this before starting. Here is a deck with 25 must-haves for a great website, put together by Hubspot. This comes from a longer e-book they put together which goes into much greater detail. I recommend reading it as well.
Click to continue ...