Fridge Ordering Milk? OnStar Calling Police? Printer Ordering Ink? HP Printers Order Ink Before You Need It.

HP has a new line of printers that are “HP Instant Ink Ready” and will order ink for you as the printer gets low on ink. It’s a pain to wait 2 or 3 days for your new ink to come, because you forgot to have some on hand.

You pay HP a low monthly fee, based on how much paper you’ll use each month and when your printer is low on ink, it will order ink for you (automatically) and you’ll have a fresh ink jet cartridge waiting for you.

I have a laser jet printer for fast and heavy printing, while I use my ink jet printer for smaller print jobs - both print in color.

HP’s has 3 new lines of ink jet printers here.

Pinterest May Be The Perfect Answer For Marketing Your Apparel Business

Social media is probably the best thing that has happened to businesses of all shapes and sizes. The viral nature of social media, along with the possibility of community and relationship building is an awesome deal that no business can afford to ignore. E-commerce stores that specialize in apparel are no exception.

You already know that many women are passionate shoppers and, apart from Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, the social media network that they frequent the most is…Pinterest!

According to Craig Smith of Expanded Ramblings, more than 80% of all Pinterest users are women.

Pinterest is growing at an astounding rate. With more than 70 million users and 2.5 billion page views, Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social networks today. It saw a whopping 125% growth in international traffic in the year 2013 alone.

So, why is it the perfect answer for your apparel business?

Traffic and Engagement

Sarah Mincher posted an infographic on Social Media Today, which reveals that Pinterest is now the 3rd most popular of all social networks. It gained its first 10 million users faster than any network.

Shoppers who are referred to a site from Pinterest are 10% more likely to buy. On average, Pinterest referrals spend 70% more than visitors from non-social channels. Call-to-action pins, on average, pump up engagement by an incredible 80%.

The average order amount placed through Pinterest is about $80 and the average household income of a Pinterest user is $100,000.

Clearly, it makes business sense to be on Pinterest. Given the visual nature of the medium along with the fact that most users on Pinterest are shoppers (or at least they have a tendency to shop more), it makes sense for your online apparel store to have a sustainable and growing presence on Pinterest. Plug in the combined power of other social networks like Facebook and Twitter, and you have a lot going for you.

Traction through Visuals

We are all visual. The more visually appealing something is, the more we want it. Sure your e-commerce store may already have product images, but those are just sitting on your site looking pretty. Pinterest makes for a great channel for your visuals allowing your followers to engage, interact, comment, share, Pin, and even BUY. To get it right, however, you need to:

• Make sure that your visuals are professional. Include real (and professionally rendered) photos for your products.
• Include photos of real people - click pictures of your team, office and work life in general.
• Avoid stock photos.
• Bridge other social networks like Facebook and Twitter along with your Pinterest for maximum returns on your efforts.
• Leave comments on other boards. Engage with others on Pinterest. Ask questions. Build real relationships.
• Leave a social footprint on Pinterest by visiting, liking, sharing, and pinning. Have conversations. It’s called “social media” for a good reason.
• Curate content that’ll be of value or interest to your followers on Pinterest. The more populated and engaging your boards are, the more followers you’ll gain.

Social Proof in Pictures

Suppose you sell T-shirts online, you could bring in real people wearing them and pose away - that will give you all the social proof you need! Create a gallery (as a separate board) on your Pinterest account and have your customers submit their own photos with apparel purchased off your site. You’d accomplish quite a few things with this simple initiative:

• Say goodbye to cheesy model photos when it comes to your business. Real buyers with purchased apparel from your store make a lot more impact.
• Potential customers get to see how the clothes you sell actually look on real people. This helps them to make better buying decisions, which is actually good for you.
• “Buy” buttons allow for immediate purchase or at least direct links to product pages.
• Pinterest is a social network. If they aren’t buying, they are sharing. What would you pay for engaging shares?

An Open Community

Newsletters are an inseparable part of your online business. Digressing a little from the world of apparel, Unbounce, Mailchimp, and Campaign Monitor have some great pins showing the effectiveness of newsletter and landing page optimization.

There are innumerable companies, large and small, that have used Pinterest to create a community around respective brands, products, and services. Each of these brands is an open board for the whole world to see.

Since Pinterest is visual and it allows for social traction, your own boards with pins make for a great and easy way for your customers to “check you out.” If nothing, you’ll at least succeed in building a passionate community around “fashion” or another niche your apparel fills.

Hannah Clark of Social Media Today has yet another list of five businesses that are nailing it on Pinterest. Can we take a few lessons from there?

A Parallel Channel

Pinterest works almost like your e-commerce store, if you think about it. Your pins can include a call-to-action, and emulate just about everything the product pages on your site can do!

You could balance your pinning and repinning while including rich pins on your site. Rich pins, such as article pins, can also help you with your content marketing strategy. Each of your product images can have product descriptions that you can optimize for SEO.

Working as a parallel and social channel for your apparel store, Pinterest falls straight into your marketing plan.

What social networks are you predominantly on? Do you have Pinterest as a part of your social marketing strategy? What do you do with it that makes a difference to your apparel business?

Republished by permission. Original here.

Pinterest Photo via Shutterstock

More in: Pinterest

Are You Using Trackable Links In Your Marketing? Raise Your Marketing ROI

Smart marketers know that the only way to properly measure their marketing and know what works and what does not work - is to leverage analytics. However, analytics can only be seen if you are using trackable links to know what people are and are not clicking.

Sure you can get a great measure of detail about your web site visitors, using Google Analytics. But what about other areas of your marketing - are you able to track every aspect of your marketing message?

e-commerce service provider springbot offers some tips on why it’s essential to properly track your marketing solutions.

1.    Use eCommerce focused tools: There are a number of tracking tools available for monitoring everything from social media, sentiment, goals and more. However, an eCommerce specific tracking tool can provide owners with deeper and broader insights into every interaction with their brand through a streamlined dashboard with the metrics that matter to them the most, like which trackable links are increasing traffic, conversions and ultimately driving revenue.

2.    Implement tagging functions: To better serve their customers, online merchants must understand how their audience responds to the different product and category links. Through tagging, online merchants can better understand what type of call-to-action, content piece or author works best for each channel. For example, are Facebook fans more responsive to funny or educational posts? What type of engagement do promotional tweets generate? Who creates the best posts? Examples of popular tags include: funny, educational, promotional, or new product. Many stores also tag the name of the author to create an internal competition to determine who has the greatest impact.

3.    Identify the ROI across campaigns: For repeated marketing success, merchants want more than campaign analytics or email open rates. They want to know the ROI by determining which links are clicked (or ignored), and see the sales driven by those links. This is especially important for campaigns across multiple social media channels and other online marketing efforts such as emails, newsletters, blogs and more. Real-time insights enable merchants to respond quickly by adjusting campaigns to market changes and customer demands.

4.    Leverage detailed insights: Industry specific tracking tools enable online business owners to track marketing efforts with relevant and detailed metrics. Retailers need to know more than how many times a link was viewed. They want to know who viewed the link, where that viewer is coming from, the next actions that took place, whether or not that link drove site traffic, and if the link resulted in a purchase. Without the proper tracking tools in place beforehand, it’s nearly impossible to determine the ROI of a specific link.

5.    Get a comprehensive marketing overview: Over time, trackable links paired with other marketing insights will provide retailers with a comprehensive look into the products customers are purchasing, the best channels to use and the types of offers they’re most interested in. By understanding the ROI of each link, retailers can develop highly targeted marketing campaigns to increase brand loyalty and ROI.

A springbot case study reads:

“Although overall sales were successful, online retailer Country Club Prep (CCP) found it increasingly difficult to track the results of their online marketing efforts and turned to Springbot, an eCommerce marketing platform provider that helps online stores grow their revenue.

Within a five month period, CCP increased site traffic by 912 percent and saw an increase in revenue by three fold. CCP’s targeted email campaigns exceeded expectations with a 2,294 percent ROI for segmented email campaigns and a 1,886 percent ROI from the trackable links.”

What are other options for better tracking your marketing and ecommerce efforts?

• Use sales and marketing software from Infusionsoft.
• Use email marketing from Constant Contact
• Use social media engagement from Hootsuite.
• Build social media engagement campaigns with GroSocial.

PS - Marketing expert and Brooklyn dojo owner Carmen Sognonvi tracks her business metrics so well she’s been able to determine which sign in her martial arts school gets the most response.

Transforming Twitter With More Images Means More Social

You’ve most likely heard the old adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words” and it appears that Twitter would agree.  It is now possible to tag multiple photos in a single tweet.

Twitter Tagging Photos

Twitter 6.3, the upgraded version of Twitter, brings multiple features which are expected to make use of the site more engaging. The most interesting among them is the ability to tag multiple photos in one tweet.

Twitter now allows users as many as four images in a single tweet and up to ten people tagged. The thumbnails of the photos you are planning to upload will appear in the Tweet composer. To see these photos full screen, simply tap them. You can also swipe each of them to move to the next image. The four images will appear in collage form in your tweet.

Express Yourself Beyond 140 Characters

The limit anyone can use to express his or her thoughts on Twitter is 140 characters. So will the images take up some of the character space permitted? No, images are not counted under the characters so users can add images and, at the same time, express their thoughts in 140 characters.

Easy to Remove Tags

Not only can you easily tag individuals in photos, as displayed below, but you can just as easily remove them.  Just tap on the image to get a detailed view of the tweet. An ellipsis sign occurs at the end of the tweet and you can click on it to see the “Remove tag” option.

Monitoring Your Profile

Users have the option to monitor Twitter tagging in images. You can visit the security settings of Twitter and set up who can and cannot tag you in a photo. You can selectively view and choose existing tags to determine the ones you want to keep and the ones you want to remove.

A More Powerful Social Media Platform

Allowing more images in tweets takes Twitter a step closer towards becoming even more social.

But the question remains: With the increasing changes, has Twitter’s metamorphosis towards becoming another Facebook already started?

Tablet Photo via Shutterstock, Screenshots via Twitter

More in: Twitter

Evernote and Moleskin Blend Ink and Camera To Archive and Share Paper Notes Better.

Many professionals use Evernote to store their “brain” - to capture notes, receipts, file images and so much more. My friend Travis Campbell is an Evernote Nut. I started to use Evernote to capture notes, but then just stopped doing it as I’ve was using my computer more.

Recently Moleskin developed a new notebook series that works hand in hand with Evernote (check out our Evernote tip sheet here).

According to the Moleskin web site Moleskine and Evernote have created a collection of notebooks with specially-designed pages meant for syncing, archiving and sharing the content of their paper notebooks using digital devices and now announce the arrival of the new Business Notebook specially conceived for the workplace.

On one hand I’m not sure if this more “gimmick” and marketing spin that really useful - but on the other hand if the new notebooks make using Evernote even better - this is definitely a win for those taking hand written notes but wanting to archive them in Evernote.

Here’s my tip list for note taking and digital storage of those notes

• In most professional meetings taking notes with a pen and paper is more respectful of your audience; especially if you are actively engaged with the other party
• It’s acceptable to use a computer or table (or etc) to take notes if that is a commonly agreed practice by the meeting participants. At Infusionsoft for example we often bring our computers to meetings and take notes
• Archiving those notes is important, but what”s more important is ensuring you name the files correctly, save them to appropriate folders and are able to search within the files for keywords
• Discipline yourself to review the notes in your notebook so they stay fresh and active in your mind
• Read the Evernote help and support resources so you get the most out of the power of Evernote

Check out 9 Ways to Use Evernote to Increase Productivity

Here’s a full feature list of what the new integration brings:

Specially designed around a new feature rolled out in the latest update to Evernote for iOS, each page in the Business Notebook is divided in two sections that allow users to save and share public and private notes separately, keeping meeting minutes apart from personal reminders. Each page is also numbered to ease indexing and organization, whilst the tick box at the top sets reminders in Evernote automatically when checked on the page.

The Smart Stickers located in the back pocket bring tagging to the physical notebook; with each one customizable and instantly recognizable by Evernote’s Document Camera.

Use the Evernote Business Notebook as a contrasting background to capture a perfect image of business cards. Evernote automatically saves the contacts with information from LinkedIn and can also share your details in return. The back pocket of the notebook stores the physical business cards once they’ve been saved in Evernote.

Michigan Creates $6.8 Million Fund for Tech Startups

Economically speaking, the news concerning Michigan typically focuses on the purported death of Detroit.

To counter that negative trend, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is hoping to spearhead some new growth among high-tech startups. The Michigan Pre-Seed Fund 2.0 is actually a continuation of a previous effort. It will provide $6.8 million. That’s $5.8 million to high-tech startups in the state and another $1 million to help universities transfer technology to the marketplace.

A previous Pre-Seed Fund invested $20 million in 90 firms beginning in 2007.

The money to fund Pre-Seed Fund 2.0 comes from the public sector. The initiative is being managed by a private firm called Invest Michigan. Invest Michigan President and CEO Charlie Moret says his company’s goal is to learn lessons from the first version of Michigan’s Pre-Seed Fund and make smart investments.

The idea is to invest in private companies that are barely off the ground. Moret told Small Business Trends in a recent interview that the goal is to back those that will eventually pay back the investment. This would make Pre-Seed Fund 2.0 an “evergreen” fund continuing to invest in new startups into the future:

“We can be that kind of catalyst to drive these companies. A big portion of the evaluation process is - are these companies going to be sustainable? We are looking for those with the most viable business plan.”

Invest Michigan hopes to find tech startups in some of the following areas: advanced automotive, manufacturing and materials, agricultural technology, alternative energy, homeland security, information technology, and life sciences.

New funding will become available in May first for companies that missed their chance to apply for the previous Pre-Seed Fund. Then the funding will be open to applications from new tech startups by June.  Moret says companies applying for potential seed money from the fund will hear their fate within 45 days.

In a statement announcing the fund, MEDC Vice President of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Paula Sorrell said:

“These Pre-Seed Funds are intended to help innovative companies take those last steps to become commercially viable and more attractive to private investors. With the wealth of entrepreneurial talent we have in Michigan, we want to make sure good ideas turn into businesses that help expand and strengthen the state economy.”

Michigan Photo via Shutterstock

Should You Stop Using Youtube for Video Hosting? Panopto, Vimdeo and Brightcove Have Options

Youtube is an awesome platform for sharing video - it’s easy to use, feature rich and free.

However, there’s a number of competing video options that offer things Youtube does not have.

You probably already know about Vimeo, and Brightcove is very good as well.

These two platforms offer varying degrees of more control and robustness over your video and let the viewer focus on YOUR video as opposed to the other videos Youtube will display around your video.

There’s a another video service I was looking at, Panopto, it offers a dizzying array of features that corporate trainers and marketers might want to consider.

What I am most impressed with is its video search capabilities - you can search inside a video for words as Panopto has automatic speech recognition. Quite impressive. Furthermore, any word that appears in the video Panopto indexes and enables a search on that word as well.

Analytics, custom branding and mobile video playing are all part of what Panopto offers.

If you’re looking to add features to any video, check out our friends at Viewbix. They enable you to easily add a call to action, social buttons and more to your video.

Can Brother Printer Beat Dropbox At Online Document Management?

Brother International, best known for printers, has launched yet another online offering for small businesses - BR-DOCS which is an online document storage solution. From what I can tell similar to Box and Dropbox.

BR-DOCS is optimized to work with Brother Printers, a plus for those using Brother Printers and enables three broad capabilities:

• Manage all files in one secure location. Users can control and create groups, provide access and conduct key word searches to find files. Users can also assign tasks to automate workflow management
• Collaborate with colleagues by creating specific workspaces to invite users, add documents, assign and manage content. Users can also initiate discussions across the entire organization
• Digitize documents by scanning and saving searchable files and provide access to clients who are not BR-Docs users

Dropbox and Box hold commanding leads in the online file storage market. Like Microsoft Word, “everyone” is using Dropbox which further pushes an exponential number of MORE users to use Dropbox - to be compatible.

So what’s the upside of BR-DOCS over competing services?

BR-DOCS offers the ability to tag documents, thus searching for them more easily and it appears to enable great control over how the documents are shared.

If you’re simply looking for a file sharing tool - just about any online file sharing service will work. But if you’re looking for a document management solution - you should consider BR-DOCS and other robust solutions such as those from Neat, Fujitsu, Epson and Lexmark.

Spotlight On Moving Mountains Design: Staging Luxury Homes for Sale

This week we shine the spotlight on Moving Mountains Design. Those needing to sell a  big luxury home in the Los Angeles area call on owner Michelle Minch. She and her team swoop in and choose just the right paintings, rugs, sofas and even duvet covers to make a property fetch top dollar. Minch says she has 6 part-time employees in all and has been in business eight years.

WHAT THE BUSINESS IS KNOWN FOR: Being the luxury home stager for the Los Angeles market.

Very few professional stagers own enough inventory to stage larger homes. Even fewer have the kind of higher end furniture, Persian rugs, artwork and accessories needed to complete these jobs successfully. Moving Mountains Design has a warehouse full of beautiful accessories, furniture, artwork, linens, throw pillows and lamps appropriate to luxury homes. At the Real Estate Staging Association International Conference this year, Minch presented a workshop on luxury home staging to a standing-room-only audience. The conference is kind of like a Ted Talks for professional home stagers.

HOW THE BUSINESS GOT STARTED: A trip to Kansas City to wow some home buyers.

The first home Minch staged (and got paid for) was for an interior design client. They asked her to help them get their Kansas City home ready to sell. Minch was flown from Los Angeles. She did a lot of editing, rearranging and upgraded the kitchen with granite counters and new backsplash. The sellers expected the home to take six months to a year to sell, which was the norm at that time in Kansas City. It was the early 2000′s. They went under contract almost immediately and closed escrow about two months later - shockingly fast. Minch didn’t call what she did staging back then. She just told colleagues she was “getting the house ready to sell”. But back home, one of her neighbors was a real estate agent. When she heard about Minch’s success, she started calling her to stage listings. Word got out and other agents started calling. And the rest is history.

BIGGEST RISK TAKEN IN THE BUSINESS: Taking a line of credit for high end inventory

The biggest risk was a home equity line of credit on a rental property which Minch used to grow her company and keep it in the black. She says if her business hadn’t prospered, she could have potentially lost that property to foreclosure. The end result is that she has been able to purchase a very large stock of higher end inventory, furniture, artwork and accessories. This allowed her to position herself as a luxury home staging expert.

BIGGEST WINS? Professional Stager of the Year and More.

In 2010, Minch was voted Professional Stager of the Year by the Real Estate Staging Association. Being chosen as the best professional stager in the United States and Canada by her peers- over 1,000 professional home stagers- was a huge honor. This year she was voted RESA Top 10 Professional Home Stager in the U.S.

Winning these awards has given Minch “street cred.” It has given her great credibility with her peers, her clients and with the media. It has also been a wonderful marketing and public relations opportunity.

IF THIS BUSINESS WERE A SONG, IT WOULD BE: “Happy” by Pharrell Williams

Minch says she’s an eternal optimist. She surrounds herself with optimistic people. Her company culture is optimistic, creative and up-beat. Since the work the company does is very physically demanding, it helps to be surrounded by happy people, Minch says.

Runner up would be “High Hopes” by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen. Minch admits her favorite version is by Jiminy Cricket.

FAVORITE TEAM FOOD:

Though Minch feels her team is a pretty diverse group, she says she’s never had anyone say no to Japanese food.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

“Big doors swing on little hinges”

The quote is attributed to businessman and philanthropist W. Clement Stone.

Image: Kevin Edge

The Google cloud: security still a watchword

April 30, 2014

It's been something of a bad year for Google, which has come under fire from several quarters, most notably for its monolithic approach to harvesting of user data - if former NSA whistle blower Edward Snowden is to be believed.

As a result, there were more than few interested pairs of eyes on Dr. Peter Dickman on Tuesday this week, when he presented at the Infosecurity Europe show on the subject of `Securing and protecting user information online.'

Perhaps the biggest surprised from Dr. Dickman's presentation was the fact that Google treats each of its data centres as one giant server as far as the Googleplex - the Google cloud resource - is concerned. This is, he told his audience, an important distinction when comparing Google's cloud resources to those of the competition. The reason for this, he explained, is that Google's servers and data centres are treated as a single entity from a network perspective.

"This means we can consolidate load. We use all of our technology as a giant flexible cloud," he said. Thanks to this approach, he says, Google can put lots of services on the Google cloud resource, even to the extent of running SaaS, IaaS and PaaS environments within the same data centre. Of course, he adds, from the user's perspective, the Google cloud appears quite differently, as all they see is a Web browser window on the given resource they are using. 

"This starts to get interesting from a security perspective, as we have to be a responsible steward for the dataâ€"this is how global public clouds work. Having said this, I don't believe there are new security problems due to the use of the cloud," he said.

Dr. Dickman asked the rhetorical question whether any cloud operators or IT users would consider `starting again' with their cloud security planning, if they were offered the opportunity. Whilst Google does not have the luxury of this option, he went on to say, the IT giant's approach to security is that it can never presume that any of its users - free or paid - have actually been through a security 101 course.

"Let's take the example of a new computer user in an African village who has never used the Internet before. If we presume this, then the connection that the user has to the Web needs to be as secure as possible," he said. Even against this backdrop, Dr. Dickman points out, there is still a risk that the content the user is uploading, downloading or accessing may be malicious, so there is a clear imperative for Google to build high levels of background security into its cloud resources. There are, he adds, a billion Google users that make use of the company's shared business security browser program.

"What's interesting to note is that, because Google's IT resources are so vast, we actually gain a number of unexpected results from having a pervasive security programme for our data centres. For example, one of our data centres in the US has a local alligator that helps to defend the IT systems against attackers," he quipped. 

Dr. Dickman also addressed the staffing issueâ€"determining if someone is attacking your system from within. This means, he told his audience, that you must design your IT infrastructure on the basis that each element of the system cannot trust the other elements.

And this even before we start to discuss the security risks inherent with operating a multi-tenant data centre.

"The reality is that you should be isolating each resource from the rest of the systems - whether or not the data centre has multiple tenants or not," he said, adding that all data on the Google IT resource is encrypted to high levels of security.

Finally, when an element reaches its end of life, the disk drives need to be shredded electronically and physically, as well as crushed, to prevent any chance of the data being retrieved by third parties at a later stage.

E.U action needed to counter NSA surveillance, says security expert

April 30, 2014

Mikko H. Hypponen, chief research officer at F-Secure, didn't mix his words when describing the former CIA contractor Edward Snowden and European technology companies in London earlier today.

Speaking during his keynote talk at Infosecurity Europe on Wednesday, Hypponen delved into whistle-blowing in the modern age and - looking at the revelations from Snowden - said that this was not just a case of the US ‘misbehaving'.

“Many of these problems result in the fact that we Europeans have been unable to provide alternative services to US services,” said Hypponen. 

 

“It's the reason we foreigners keep using US services, even though we know the US has the legal right to access data, to collect and save our emails, and to track the location information on our smartphones.”

“Europe has completely failed in providing competing services,” he added, before noting that even the success stories (Skype and Nokia - now under Microsoft stewardship) get bought up by bigger American companies. To add insult to injury, he continued that some of the top US companies - like Whatsapp and Yahoo - were started by immigrants.

In a talk with SCMagazineUK.com after the event, Hypponen added that Europe is ‘failing to keep the best minds' in the continent, and suggested that a coordinated effort is needed from the European Union to develop ‘crucial' web tools, like search engines and web mail, away from the US jurisdiction.

“The EU should work together to create a [local] Silicon Valley,” he said. He added that Russia is leading the way in this regard with the Skolvkovo project.

As one example, he notes that F-Secure is hosting cloud services in Finland - a country which is not even under NATO control, but admitted that it is another thing entirely to get consumers and businesses on-board

“They're interested in it, but whether they will pay is another thing,” he told us, adding that businesses are more ‘bothered' about the US government potentially prying on their data.

Prior to directing his ire at European head honchos, Hypponen's talk looked at the actions of Chelsea Manning (nee Bradley Manning), WikiLeaks and Snowden.

And as always, the man who continues to leak documents on NSA and GCHQ surveillance elicited a mixed response from Hypponen, who believes that he should not be considered as a whistleblower, or as a hero.

He categories a whistle-blower as someone who has a ‘purpose' and who seeks to fix wrong-doings in an organisation or government by going public when the official route fails, and said that Snowden probably didn't fit this description.

“The question is is Snowden a hero or a traitor? That's a good question and one I don't have the answer to. I'd love to say that he is seen to be be a hero, that he sacrificed himself to save us - [but] I am not entirely sure that that's the case,” he told conference attendees.

The key here, said Hypponen- who boycotted the RSA conference in February (he spoke at Trustycon instead) over Snowden's leaks on RSA backdoors - is in the small details.

He noted first that the leaks were published on June 6, shortly before US President Barack Obama was due to speak with Chinese President XI Jinping on Chinese surveillance on the rest of the world, and further added that 28-year-old Snowden informed journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras of his intention to leak data in Jan - some  six weeks before he got the job at contract outfit Booz Allen Hamilton.

Perhaps mischievously, he said that Snowden learnt to speak fluent Chinese at high-school, before admitting that this “of course doesn't prove anything”.

“The Snowden leaks could have been better timed to damage the US [in its talks with the Chinese],” said Hypponen.

Brian Honan, independent consultant and CEO of BH Consulting, was at the talk and while agreeing with Hypponen thoughts on Snowden not being a hero, he believes that consumers and businesses face surveillance wherever they are. “Other nation states do surveillance as well,” he said.

Where he does see a greater kick-back though is on the issue with the cloud, with many of his clients wary of cloud services under US control.

He added to SC: “You need to look at the type of information that's in the cloud and how secure that should be,” with a nod to encryption and encryption keys.

How to Use Email Marketing to Segment Customers and Generate Loyalty

You may have heard the saying “the money is in the list” and I’m willing to bet that the first place your mind went is to thinking that a bigger list is better. While this is mostly true, it isn’t completely true. Having a bigger list will definitely yield results, but it’s the engagement level of your list; the degree to which they do what you ask them to do - that is even more important and profitable.

This is where so many of us (that includes me and many of the gurus of email marketing) are always looking for ways to get close to our list, provide real value and generate engagement, conversation and conversion.

Without a doubt, the single best way to accomplish this is to segment customers.

Segmentation literally means grouping. When you group your list into categories that represent the subjects that your audience is most interested in.

Why Segmentation is Critical to Your Success

Imagine walking into a room full of people who are your potential customers. Chances are that all of those people aren’t sitting in one big group. They are grouped into smaller clusters having specific conversations. You wouldn’t walk up to a group talking about football and suddenly start talking about gourmet cooking.

Every time you send a mass email to a broad group of people on your list - your are doing exactly that. You are talking about what matters to you instead of what matters to them.

Segment Customers to Save Money

Let me explain. When you segment customers and group your list into specific segments, this allows you to target your communications and conversations around topics that are meaningful to them.

Research shows that targeted and segmented emails generate an 8% click-through rate compared to general email sends, which generate just a 3% click-through rate. Furthermore, Jupiter Research reveals that relevant emails drive 18 times more revenue than broadcast emails.

Common Segments to Consider

If you’re just starting on the path to segment customers on your email list, then there are several options that you can try:

• Where they are in the selling cycle: Look at the data you already have available. Figure out the most logical groupings based on the information your recipients want from you, the questions they might have, or their stage in the buying cycle.
• Awareness (know): Leads have either become aware of your product or service, or they have become aware that they have a need that must be fulfilled.
• Evaluation (see): Leads are aware that your product or service could fulfill their need, and they are trying to determine whether you are the best fit.
• Purchase (buy): Leads are ready to make a purchase.

List Segmentation Tips:

• Give your audience lots of ways and reasons to opt in - emails, blog posts, websites, squeeze pages.
• Create a list of keywords and phrases (PDF worksheet) that you want to be found for.
• Create a series of free downloads that include ebooks, videos, white papers, templates and checklists.
• Create squeeze pages with specific offers and gifts around different topics your audience might be interested in.
• Create feature box opt-ins inside your website. Where you might normally have a feature article, place a featured download where people can opt in.
• Insert an opt-in inside an article or post on a specific topic. This is an ideal place to use the summary of an article with a “read more” hyperlink. Then, when the reader clicks on “read more” an opt-in box pops us asking them to register (for free) to see the rest of the article. Then you can place them on a specific interest list that matches the subject of the article.
• Another creative opt-in feature is using an opt-in bar or “toaster” pop-up bar that appears or pops up after a certain period of time such as 10 seconds. Don’t worry, you can always create a setting that makes this option only appear once for people. You can insert text that says, “Is this your first time here? Register to get access to more articles like this.”
• Place box ads that feature a download or video that will educate your readers and when they click, route them to a simple squeeze page where they can get more info and register to receive specific topics.

Separate Photo via Shutterstock

KPMG partner calls for privacy protection

April 30, 2014

KPMG partner Stephen Bonner gave a bravura performance at Tuesday's BSides London conference that involved him wearing makeup, wigs and an electric shock device in the cause of protesting against our lack of privacy.

Past surveys have shown that the security community is less shocked than the general public at the ‘Snowden revelations', but Bonner told the BSides audience that there is almost no way to protect people's privacy in the physical space and “no effective way to protect yourself online.” And rather than take the attitude ‘get over it', he urged security professionals to “stand up and do something about it.

“Start making tools that make a difference. Because privacy is an important principle for all of us.”

Bonner's initial appearance in a shirt and tie gave no clue to the eccentric - and massively well-received -presentation that followed.

He launched in by saying: “I sometimes get angry. I sometimes rant. I tell people off in a rude and  offensive way because I really care about this subject. For me the basis of our entire democracy is based in privacy. The idea that we have a private ballot is key. Privacy is a fundamental human right, right up here with the right not to be a slave, with the right not to be tortured.”

Bonner then talked his audience through the threats to both physical and online privacy. Physically, he illustrated the pervasive nature of CCTV in a demo which involved him getting an electric shock every time a CCTV camera was seen.

He ran through ways to circumvent CCTV, as well as facial recognition technology (hence the makeup and wigs), and showed a video of what happens when someone wearing a balaclava walks into a bank to try and open an account (they are variously thrown out, wrestled to the ground and the police called).

The point of his presentation was there were no workable solutions to this surveillance - and the next step, the Internet of Things (IoT), takes the threat one stage further, he said.

“The Internet of Things provides a level of tracking that's unprecedented. That means that the adversaries don't even need to deploy cameras, people choose to carry their own things that record what they're doing and broadcast their position,” he said.

Again Bonner highlighted the difficulty of finding a workable solution to combat this, including a serious MIT research paper that looked at the (successful) use of tinfoil to block signals coming in and out of electronic devices.

He went on to consider the online privacy threat, and the solutions that the security community have so far developed. He considered using the Tor network for private communication (“a great idea”), but highlighted one crucial problem.

“Nobody uses it. So if you are the US Government, one of the easiest ways to identify targets is if they use Tor.”

Bonner also looked at PGP email encryption (largely unusable), using a secure Blackphone (“the user is saying please hack me”), VPNs (“brilliant if you want to use iPlayer on holiday but that's about it”), and the Lavabit private email system (“don't use any service that Edward Snowden uses”).

He concluded: “There's no effective way to protect yourself in the physical space except tinfoil and there's no effective way to protect yourself online.”

To prove his point that no privacy solutions so far work, Bonner confided: “I was speaking to someone who works on an offensive nation-state team that looks into breaking into things for the nation that they work for. He explained that there is nothing he can't break into.”

And while solutions like the Blackphone might provide individual security, Bonner said this is not enough. “Privacy should not be limited to a select few handsets for individuals who have something to hide. Privacy should be the default for all.”

He told his audience: “We're building a world in which we're building electronic systems which are not constrained by morals. We're building an infrastructure that monitors everything we do.

“It seems like something worth being worried about. Maybe we shouldn't build a massive surveillance infrastructure not only because bad people might get access to it but particularly because the coming AI (artificial intelligence) apocalypse is going to get access to it.

“Currently we don't have any privacy. It's not ‘get over it', it's ‘stand up and do something about it'. Start making tools that make a difference. Because privacy is an important principle for all of us. The answer is not building private solutions, but building privacy into all our solutions.”

BSides hears call to \"respect hackers\"

April 30, 2014

BSides offers non-corporate alternative event to the InfoSecurity show, suggests defence replicates hackers' growing specialisations.

The BSides London 2014 ‘community' security conference took place yesterday, 29 April - defying the Tube strike and its bigger rival InfoSec event down the road - with keynote speaker and Rapid7 security evangelist Trey Ford calling on the white hat community to “respect criminal hackers”.

BSides, a not-for-profit and volunteer-run event, featured over 50 workshops and talks on the day, including a ‘rookie track' for new speakers.

Around 70 percent of the 750 people registered attended, despite the 48-hour London tube strike. And the event was kicked-off by Ford's rallying cry for the community to “respect criminal hackers as business professionals - they are focused and good at what they do”.

He described how cyber crime gangs now specialise - some are malware developers or bot net writers, some develop exploit kits, others focus on bulletproof hosting or act as money mules.

“The bad guys have specialised and their goal is making money,” Ford said, adding: “The criminals have clarity of vision.”

In response, Ford said security professionals have to collaborate better with "the business” and to similarly specialise in their work.

“We haven't greatly respected our management,” Ford told his audience. “We have a myopic focus on the technical, we respect technical prowess first and foremost.”

But Ford said that “as a community” security professionals have to find ways to partner better with the business.

He said “the hardest thing about security is finding ways to trust others” but added: “We're seeing more and more people who've made the jump from technical to management, many of these managers have walked in our shoes.”

Ford also said security professionals “need to find ways to specialise” to match their criminal adversaries. “How many of you guys have one clear job function?” he asked, adding: “How many of you have spent time working out how to better communicate with business colleagues? We have to instil this in our teams, to help others to do things right.”

Ford also called for more realism on the part of white hats, in the face of the criminal threat. People have to accept “100 percent defence is not possible,” he said. “This isn't about prevention.”

He said: “A determined adversary will find their way in. The question becomes: what do we do about that? Maybe we have over-emphasised prevention. I've come to believe that response is more important.”

At any point in time there is always a 0-day, he added.

Infosecurity Europe: Are cybercriminals winning the security game?

April 30, 2014

One of the hot topics at the Infosecurity Europe show - held in London this week - is the scale and complexity of the latest attacks against corporates

Whilst several research operations and vendors competed with each other to come up with reports on how bad the attack landscape is at the moment, the real question that C level executives attending the event want to know is: how bad are the attacks really - and what can I do to defend against the threat?

According to Ian Pratt, the co-founder of Bromium Labs, the threats situation is potentially quite serious, as his research team has uncovered a new type of attack vector called the Kernel Kracker, which is what some experts call a layered attack.

The attack exploits a vulnerability in the Windows operating system kernel and allows the attacker to gain admin/system level privileges on the host system, so allowing them effectively peel away the various layers of security the company has installed.

Having said this, Pratt says that the use of multiple layers of security to protect an organisation's IT resources is still a very viable defence approach, as, although no set of security layers is ever going to reach 100 percent protection, the use of multiple layers is still a lot better than the old single-suite option of yesteryear.

“The underlying problem is that all commodity operating systems are now too big to protect in their entirety,” he said, adding that - as an example - Windows XP had more than 100 patches applied to it last year by Microsoft.

Against this backdrop, Pratt argues that the best solution is create virtual instances of a given operating system environment, taking the concept of virtual machines to its logical conclusion.

This means, he says, that even if the defences fail and an attack succeeds, its effects are severely limited to the privileges assigned to the given Web browser session. After the session on a given Web resource finishes, the virtual machine collapses the session and a fresh one is started for the set Web site.

“You can let the exploit happen, and its effects are limited,” he explained, adding that he fully expects cybercriminals to come up with new attack vectors on a constant basis.

Will there ever come a time when it ceases to become viable for the cybercriminals to develop new attack vectors to attack corporate IT systems, we asked him.

That time, he replied, is still a very long way off, as new methodologies will arrive all the time.

“Over the last 18 months, it's all been about Java. That is going to change, and you will see a new set of security threats being used,” he said.

Jag Bains, CTO of DOSArrest, agreed that the threat landscape will continue to evolve from its current mix of DDoS attacks and operating system-specific vectors.

“Today you're seeing customised Javascript DDoS attacks - I think this attack vector is going to continue to evolve, as hackers continue to have the motivation to attack a corporate system,” he explained.

David Gibson, vice president of Varonis Systems, agreed that cybercriminal attack vectors are evolving, but cautioned that the fundamental problem remains the volume of data to which users of IT systems  have access.

“We had a meeting with a client recently where users had the same levels of access rights [to data] as their high level management. As a result, we discovered that volumes of company data were being exfiltrated from the system, despite their use of multiple layers of security,” he said.

It's against this backdrop, he told SCMagazineUK.com, that he fully expects attacks to evolve for the foreseeable future, but he adds that the inside attacker is likely to be the “next big thing” in the security attacks arena.

“For this reason, I am of the opinion that companies must continue to develop the technical controls required to protect the data in their organisation, as well as evolving the security being used to defend the IT resource,” he concluded.

Reputation the key driver for IT security

April 30, 2014

If you fail to address the security issue, then you can lose your company bonus - Adrian Davies, EMEA MD, (ISC)².

This summer marks the 25th anniversary of the formation of the (ISC)² - the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium - and at the Infosecurity Europe Show this week, Adrian Davies, the newly-installed EMEA managing director explained to SCMagazineUK.com his view of the IT security industry and the general threat landscape.

Davies, who joined (ISC)² in March this year, is no stranger to the security business. As well as being a veteran of the industry, he has held a senior position with the ISF - the Information Security Forum - for several years.

His new role with (ISC)², he told SCMagazineUK.com, is to continue the Consortium's work in promoting information security education and certification.

First a little history - the (ISC)² was founded in the summer of 1989 as non-profit organisation, with the CISSP credential launched by 1994, followed by the SSCP credential in 2001, the CAP credential in 2005 and the CSSLP credential in 2008.

Davies says that the Consortium has just launched the global academic programme, which seeks to address the growing gap in availability of qualified cybersecurity professionals.

That education strand continues apace, he said, and there are plans in hand to announce academic link-ups with several European universities very shortly.

The aim of the link-ups, he explained, is to encourage the academic course creators to include security as a standard feature of their courses - and not just in the field of IT.

“The aim is to get the principle of security firmly embedded into the courses,” he said, adding that he is now seeing a more open approach to security in academic courses.

The ultimate aim of linking up with universities, he went on to say, is to develop a more well rounded approach to security - and, ultimately, more well rounded individuals operating in the field of IT security and beyond.

“Companies are crying out for these skills, says Davies, as their customers understand the need for security in the products and services they develop.

Inconvenience, he explained, is a key driver in this regard, as consumers are aware that if their information is compromised, it can hurt them, as well as their data.

And it's not just companies and consumers that are becoming aware of the need for security in the products and services they buy, says the EMEA managing director of (ISC)², it is also the board members that are having to understand the technology of security.

“There are three main reasons for this. Firstly consumers are driving the security agenda. Secondly boards are becoming more tech-savvy. And thirdly there is the regulatory issue,” he said.

Regulation is a key driver, he added, because of the individual liability and reputational issues.

“Basically, if you fail to address this driver, then you can lose your company bonus,” he explained.

The bottom line to the current IT security threat landscape, says Davies, is that criminals are not stupid.

“Why do criminals rob banks? Because that's where the money is. This is why we see cybercriminals using technology to steal money - they too go where the money is,” he concluded.

Are You Marketing Across Channels? Constant Contact Says Multi Channel Marketing Works Best

Word of mouth is the number one form of marketing that many smaller businesses use to get the word out about their business.

Of course some do radio advertising, some do print, some pass out flyers and of course many others do various forms of online marketing or even events.

Constant Contact released  study which has found that businesses which do “multi-channel marketing”, marketing beyond just one channel, find the most success in their marketing efforts.

The benefit of multi channel marketing is that it often takes more than one “touch” for a prospect to express interest in a product, it then might take several more touch points for a prospect to to purchase.

Marketing across channels ensures that when the prospect is ready to buy, your brand or service are top of mind - their mind.

Their recent press release on this reads, “the vast majority of small businesses and nonprofits (82%) have adopted multi-channel marketing programs, leading to increased customer engagement, new customers, and more revenue. At the same time, their top two marketing concerns are making their marketing dollars go further (59%) and selecting the best marketing campaigns to run (56%).”

In a related announcement, Constant Contact recently bolstered its services and has made it easier for small businesses to leverage Constant Contact’s offerings from one easy to use platform called the Constant Contact Toolkit.

With these new service Constant Contact is now focused on not just getting message out but also enabling people to act on those messages and enable you to track (analytics) the response to your message.

Sign of the Times: 9 Tips to Boost Retail Sales with Store Signage

After a long, dreary winter, are you hoping to re-energize your retail store’s sales this spring? If so, try these tactics for using signage to attract customers into your store and get them to spend, spend, spend.

Clean It Up

Is your store’s main outdoor signage fresh, up-to-date and clean?

If your sign lights up, check to see that it’s working properly. Nothing turns potential customers off like a burned-out sign. It sends a signal that the owners simply don’t care.

Check It Out

How does your store’s sign read from a distance?

If your location has been up and running for a while, you may not have paid attention to how new businesses opening up nearby can steal the thunder from a sign that used to grab all the attention. Drive and walk by your location from all angles. Does your sign stand out from a distance, or do customers have to get right next to it to see it?  By that point, it’s too late and they’ve already driven by.

Clarify

Does your sign clearly signal what you sell?

It’s great to be clever, but if your store name alone doesn’t indicate your product mix, maybe you need a “sub-title” below your main sign. For example, a new location opened in my neighborhood. Based on its name, “The Joint,” I assumed it was a medical marijuana dispensary (legal here in California) and steered clear.

Only when they put up a sub-title under their main sign, “Chiropractic Services,” did I stop and check it out.

Draw Them In

If your retail store relies on foot traffic, try putting sandwich signs or chalkboard signs on the sidewalk or outside the door to highlight special events, sales and seasonal products.

Make sure you check with local or mall zoning ordinances first, so you don’t run afoul of any rules prohibiting signs that block exits or inhibit traffic.

Work Your Windows

You don’t have to be the Manhattan Macy’s location to wow customers with your store windows. Change them frequently with new displays to highlight seasonal merchandise or sales.

Add signage to your windows to draw attention, but make sure it doesn’t block the view of the merchandise inside.

Don’t Forget the Basics

Are your store’s hours of operation, phone number and website URL clearly displayed on the door?

If customers stop by when you’re closed, providing this basic information can ensure you still capture their business later on.

Direct Traffic

Once you’ve enticed customers inside your store, use signage to direct their shopping patterns.

Identify aisles or displays with signage on shelves, hanging from the ceiling or even decals on the floors that direct them to “New Products,” “Gift Ideas,” “On Sale,” or “Clearance.” Try luring them through the whole store by putting sale items in the back so they have to walk past tempting displays of full-price merchandise to get to the deals.

Use Images

Don’t limit your signage to words. Just as in social media, images get attention in-store, too.

Adding posters with eye-catching images and photos is a fun and affordable way to change up your in-store displays.

Have a Banner Season

Hanging vinyl banners on the front of your store can be a great way to advertise seasonal events and sales without breaking the bank. Keep the wording general (“Spring Sale Now!”) instead of including specific dates or prices, and you’ll be able to re-use the banners every year.

What retail store signage tips have worked to get customers into your retail business?

Sign Photo via Shutterstock

FedEx Office Launches New Printing App for iPhone and Android

FedEx Office has announced a new mobile print app for both iPhone and Android devices. The FedEx Mobile Office App allows customers to manage printing jobs from anywhere.

Documents that are saved on your mobile device, in emails, or in several cloud storage apps can be sent to a FedEx Office store to be printed. You can pay for the print job from your phone and pick them up in person when you’re ready. FedEx Office can also ship these print jobs to you.

Cloud services like Box, Dropbox and Google Drive are integrated into the FedEx Office Mobile App already. From the app, you can make edits to your documents and send them to one of more than 1,800 FedEx Office retail locations for printing. FedEx says its app supports the following common file types:

• .pdf
• .doc
• .ppt
• .xls
• .rtf
• .txt

The app is good for any small business owner who’s always on the go. If you’re traveling between cities and a report needs to be edited and reprinted, the changes can be made and a print job ordered from a smartphone or tablet. When you reach your destination, you can pick up the changes you made after you left your office.

FedEx Office’s VP of Retail Marketing Randy Scarborough said in an announcement introducing the new mobile app:

“Every day, we work with business people to better understand their problems to ensure that we deliver the right solutions that are important to their success. We’re proud to introduce our new printing apps to help mobile customers overcome the common challenge of easily and quickly printing from their phone and tablet. FedEx Office connects people to their work like no one else can.”

The ability to ship print jobs ordered through the FedEx Office Mobile App allows small business owners the ability to have custom and specialty printing services at their disposal. FedEx offers an array of specialty printing products, according to the company’s website. They range from canvas prints and full-color posters to vinyl lettering. Options on the print job can be selected from the app. This includes choosing between color and black-and-white printouts, the type of paper, and how the job is finished - either stapled or spiral bound.

FedEx offers the ability to track your print order, too. This includes its status at the store and where it is if you’ve opted to have it shipped directly to you.

Yelp Got You Frustrated? Fight Back and Win!

Are you frustrated that the good reviews you’ve collected on Yahoo or other websites are gone, thanks to a deal with Yelp?

While it might be a challenge to understand how Yelp works, here are a few things you can do to ensure you are in control of your reviews and not Yelp, or anyone else.

Capture Reviews Elsewhere

Train your staff to capture reviews from customers via video, email or other wise.

Request Them Via Email

Encourage your customers to email in their reviews or write them down by hand.

Use Form Collection

Capture reviews through a form on your website and display them prominently there.

Encourage More of Them

Ensure you encourage your customers to regularly and frequently send good reviews to Yelp and other online local directories.

Keep Things Up to Date

Update your local search directory listing and ensure the telephone number, address and link(s) are up to date.

Republished by permission. Original here.

Happy Photo via Shutterstock

2014 SC Awards Europe Winners

Check back soon to download the Book of the Night from the 2014 SC Awards Europe.

Best Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) Protection

Winner

CyberArk Privileged Account Security solution (v8), CyberArk,

Highly Commended

Lumension Endpoint Management and Security Suite, Lumension Security

Zscaler for APTs, Zscaler

Finalist

FireEye Security Platform, FireEye,

Lancope StealthWatch® System- Best APT Solution, Lancope,

Trend Micro Deep Discovery, Trend Micro,

Websense TRITON Enterprise, Websense,

 

Best Cloud Computing Security Solution

Winner

Global Cloud Intrastructure, Blue Coat

Highly Commended

GFI Cloud, GFI Software

Finalist

Cloud Security Futures, British Telecommunications,

CipherCloud Platform, CipherCloud,

Rapid7 UserInsight, Rapid7,

Trend Micro Deep Security, Trend Micro,

Vormetric Encryption, Vormetric,

Best Computer Forensics Solution

Winner

EnCase Forensic v7, Guidance Software

Lancope StealthWatch® System- Best Computer Forensics Solution, Lancope

Websense CyberSecurity Intelligence On-Demand, Websense

Best Data Leakage Prevention (DLP) Solution

Winner

Websense Data Security Suite, Websense

DeviceLock, DeviceLock

DME, Excitor

Prot-On, Prot-On

WatchGuard DLP, WatchGuard Technologies

Best Email Security Solution

Winner

Proofpoint Email Security, Proofpoint

Highly Commended

Mimecast Email Security, Mimecast

Finalist

AirWatch Mobile Email Management, AirWatch,

Boldon James Email Classifier, Boldon James,

Dellâ„¢ SonicWALLâ„¢ Hosted Email Security, Dell SonicWALL,

Halon E-mail Security, Halon Security,

McAfee Email Security, McAfee,

Websense Email Security Gateway Anywhere, Websense,

 

Why Are Etsy Customers Happy? Etsy Buys Grand Street. Small Business eCommerce Grows.

Grand St. is online marketplace for creatively-designed technology goods. Etsy is a marketplace for local artisans to sell their hand made goods.

In a deal valued at $10 million, as reported by Crains, Etsy bought Grand St.

This acquisition gives Etsy a larger platform for it’s merchants to sell and adds value to Grand St. merchants as well.

The value of any marketplace is two fold a) the products within the marketplace (aka Amazon.com) and the customers who are browsing and buying in the market place.

For small business owners who are creating awesome products, there are a variety of options to sell their goods. Etsy, Grand St. Amazon.com, eBay and more are some of the big marketplaces.

Beyond just listing your products on these marketplaces it’s also important that your listing is done right - use good photos, be very descriptive, offer awesome customer service and do your own marketing (don’t just rely on the marketplace)

10 Things to Prepare Before Attending a Conference

I’m starting a time of year when I will be travelling to key conferences that I’m really looking forward to attending. I have learned over the years that preparation, organization and flexibility greatly enhance my conference time and experience.

Conferences can be very productive and fun or totally overwhelming and a drain depending on those factors. The investment of time, travel and energy required to go to conferences, makes it more important to be prepared before you go so that you’re not scrambling at the last minute or worse yet - while you are there.

The 21st century conference attendee has a lot more technology, social media and content options that can be used to share and highlight their experience and their takeaways. The rule of thumb is

• Prepare
• Be flexible
• Enjoy
• Follow up

Below are 10 things to prepare before attending a conference that can help you get the most out of your commitment and experience.

Mindset, Attitude, Energy

It’s important to tie up loose ends, finish tasks, projects and deadlines so that you can go away clear minded and caught up. Whatever can wait until you return, let it wait.

Focus on looking forward to the event, meeting people and being positive and accessible. Read some positive and motivational content and download an app or take some with you.

Your frame of mind and heart can set you up to have an awesome time and be someone awesome to meet. Smile, be pleasant, be polite and show your enjoyment.

Documents, Schedule, Sessions

Gather all your travel documents, airline confirmation numbers and flight itinerary and have it all accessible. Get a good picture of your overall travel needs and experience. There are several travel apps that help you organize this on your smart phone including Tripit, TripCase and GateGuru.

In addition, there are apps that offer city guides, things to do and see, restaurants, special events, and connectivity apps to connect you with people and sessions at the conference. These are all very helpful and fairly simple.

Meeting Specific People

The whole point of going to certain conferences is the chance to meet colleagues, speakers or presenters you follow, engage with and that influence you. Don’t forget why they should want to meet you, too.

Be confident in your expertise, know their background, current activity, books, so that you can create good conversations. Google people you want to meet, visit their blogs, websites, social media and learn as much as you can about them.

Cards, Handouts, Branding Statement

Have a current simple, but branded, card with your contact info and logo and make use of both sides. When we make impressions with people, a business card will have more meaning after. It’s a marketing tool.

Make sure you prepare your “professional branding statement” when someone asks, “What do you do?” One sentence that opens the door and offers them something they can remember about you.

Opening Questions, Conversation Starters, Chit Chat

Prepare some ice breaker questions, or statements that can establish commonality or a personal connection. Is this your first time at this conference? What was your favorite takeaway last year? What’s your biggest accomplishment so far this year?

Random Time

Build in some random, free, unexpected meeting people time. Truthfully, I have met some really cool people in bathrooms, airports, lines and lobby’s.

Social Media Strategy

Whatever the focus of the conference is should play into your social media strategy. Use LinkedIn to connect to people you meet. Use Twitter and Google+ to tell people who you have met and share a link to their work or website. Use Facebook to post great pictures and videos of you in action and the experience you are having.

Content Marketing Plan

What are the content marketing platforms and tools that you are known for and have the most activity on and results with?

Use your website to highlight people, sessions and ideas that resonated with you. Take lots of pictures of some of those “specific people” that you got to meet and some short form videos and put them up on Google+, YouTube and Facebook.

Use your social media strategically around the platforms used by the attendees and presenters.

Technology, Cords, Batteries

Pay attention to battery life on different devices that you use and be sure to recharge them when you see them getting low so you don’t miss capturing anything when the moment arrives. Most conferences have charging and power stations now.

Follow Up Plan

Sort out your cards and the connections you have made. I usually plan about 4 days after a conference to follow up with specific people I have met and include some specific things we talked about via email and phone.

Connect with them immediately on LinkedIn with a note about meeting them and any other primary social media they use. If people are in proximity, take the initiative to invite them to meet in person.

The opportunity to meet people in person at major industry conferences is golden. Be prepared, have fun and make the very most of it to make an impression, enhance relationships and create new ones.

Ready To Pick Mobile Prospects For Your Next Mobile Marketing Campaign? 4INFO and Acxiom Make It Easier.

Sure, there’s lots of eyeballs fixed on computers - but the audience of mobile customers and prospects is much larger and growing.

It’s time you consider how you can best target mobile users for your next marketing campaign.

A successful marketing campaign is of course much more than a list - it’s also about your marketing copy as Danny Inny of Firepole Marketing said at #ICON14 and drawing your prospects through a sales funnel - until they buy from you and then wowing them so they buy from you again and tell others. (see Lifecycle Marketing for more information on this)

Acxiom works with very large companies to take their lists and add more data to them. For example, Acxiom can take an email address and add a phone number to it, or a postal address and an add email address to it.

The MyAcxiomPartner.com is a self-serve, marketing platform for small businesses to conveniently order direct mail lists and email marketing services, and most recently, mobile advertising campaigns - all in on portal.

Based on their web site, here’s how Acxiom’s new mobile advertising platform works.

1)     Choose from 3 mobile campaign packages starting as low as $297 â€" A 14-day mobile campaign option is ideal for one-time events; 30 and 90-day campaign options work well for multiple or ongoing promotions.

2)     Choose a target area â€" Select the geographic area of the targeted individuals (mobile campaigns require a minimum of 9,000 records)

3)     Define the target audience â€" Businesses select from robust targeting options using Acxiom’s trusted customer data including demographics, lifestyle interests and purchase behavior.

4)     Create a banner ad with Mobile Ad Creator tool â€" The no-skills-required tool enables small businesses to design professional-looking ads to fit the common ad placement dimension (320Ã-50 pixels) or upload an existing ad.  Businesses have the flexibility to change creative images and promotional messaging throughout a campaign.

Alexa Has Gone Back To The Drawing Board

There’s good news for those who rely on Web analytics to negotiate website advertising deals. Alexa Internet Inc. has completely revamped its daily updated Web traffic analytics services for $9.99 a month.

The company, which is owned by Amazon.com, is targeting digital marketers and content publishers for their new service. This new service will focus on four main areas, which Alexa feels are the most important for their clients.

First off, it will benchmark two sites against one another and show how they are performing one-on-one, and against the rest of the Web. Second, it will tell you what your rivals are doing that you are not, which will hopefully show you why you are lagging behind while they are surging ahead.

Third, it will give you suggestions on how to improve your site, including how to optimize it better, get more traffic, and improve your search engine rankings. Finally, it will tell you if you are doing all of the recommended optimizations the right way. Are your tweaks having the desired affect?

In an official release on the new update, Andrew Ramm, Alexa president and general manager explained:

“We are constantly innovating on behalf of our customers, and the launch of our service for digital marketers and publishers is a huge step forward for our offerings. We understand the need to provide real insights to our customers quickly, with fully usable answers that don’t require a data scientist or a black belt in analytics. The new Alexa delivers data so customers can get the exact answer they’re looking for at a glance.”

Alexa has been around for a very long time, providing basic analytical information to webmasters for free (which it still does). It also does its Top 500 Sites On The Web list.

The redesign may also be to rebuild confidence in the brand’s technology. As early as  2012, for example, SEO Rand Fishkin of SEOMoz expressed doubts about the platform’s reliability in terms of ranking. Others have expressed similar concerns.

Images: Alexa

Event Audience Q&A Tool Makes It Easy To Ask and Vote For Questions. Social Q&A Has A Great Solution.

If you organize events, one of the important aspects of the event is enabling the audience to ask questions of the speaker.

There’s a new tool from Social Q&A which enables the audience to ask their questions and vote on popular questions. When the speaker is ready for Q&A he or the event organizer knows which questions are most popular by the audience.

Instead of having an awkward silence or lines of people at microphones - a tool like Social Q&A helps.

It looks simple to use, check it out.

Health Care Trends to Watch the Remainder of 2014

Rising health care costs and greater employee benefits responsibilities continue to be a steady concern as the health care landscape evolves. The new health care trends and changes bring new worries for employees and employers alike.

As a small business owner, you are faced with HR issues, such as greater employee benefits responsibility in the face of increasing health care expenses, and must learn what topics are most important to communicate back to your workforce.

Below, we’ve simplified a few key trends to watch as Q2 2014 really gets under way:

1. Increased Focus on Accountability to Control Health Care Costs

With health care costs continuing to soar and no end in sight, consumer and provider accountability are gaining attention as potential solutions to controlling rising health care costs. Although the road ahead is long, companies are already taking steps toward solutions. The continued development of accountability strategies could mean more predictable and controlled costs for employers and employees may truly begin to see lower or no-cost health care services. The onus is on both parties to see through these aspirations.

On the consumer side, three of four (79 percent) employees would be willing to change their lifestyle habits if their employer rewarded them with lower premiums. An example of this type of program would be employees who do not use tobacco having lower insurance rates than their smoking counterparts.

When it comes to provider accountability, hospitals and insurers are working together to move their pricing models to value-based outcomes and companies are beginning to make strides with bundled pricing to keep costs under control.

2. Emergence of Private Insurance Exchanges

Privately run exchanges are steadily gaining momentum and offer a one-stop shop for buying employer-provided health insurance. These exchanges present employers with a simpler way to offer comprehensive worksite benefits.

With private exchanges, small businesses can designate an amount to pay for coverage and employees can compare insurance plans and purchase one that is right for them. This type of delivery model helps employers control costs by giving employees a fixed stipend toward benefits. Once employees choose their benefits, remaining costs are paid by the employee through their paychecks.

3. A Growing Need for a Strong Consumer Safety Net

In 2014, rising health care costs are expected to take another (PDF) $181 (6.9 percent) out of take-home pay, but only 11 percent of small businesses are planning raises for their employees.  Even if employees are covered by a comprehensive major medical plan, out-of-pocket costs - both medical and non-medical - can be substantial if the employee or a family member has a serious injury or illness.

The need is evident: Two in five (43 percent) U.S. workers at least somewhat agree they will have a difficult time managing their own health care coverage and decisions because they already have difficulty saving and sticking to a budget today.

As a small business owner, it’s up to you to use effective employee education and consumer-directed benefits tools to help workers make smarter benefits decisions. Voluntary insurance benefits will continue to be a key way to help employees protect themselves from increasing out-of-pocket costs that could result in unexpected debt.

4. Tailoring the Employee Value Proposition to the Next Generation

Millennials are on their way to being the most educated generation in American history and are undeniably defined by their use and affiliation with technology. The majority (83 percent) say they have placed their cell phone on or right next to their bed while sleeping - compared to 57 percent of the total population (PDF) saying they have done so.

Smart small businesses will adapt to the newest generation. Increased technology use is already taking the stage with 43 percent of employers planning to deploy digital technologies such as Web tools and mobile apps in 2014, and 31 percent are considering these tools for 2015 or 2016.

In the years ahead, employers must continue to take measures to adjust retirement, engagement, training and communications programs to account for a changing and more transient workforce.

Onward and Upward

Needless to say, these are only a few of the trends that will take place as the health care market continues to evolve. However, keeping your eye on these will get you started down the right path for the rest of the year.

Trend Watching Photo via Shutterstock

Marketing, Sales & Networking - 3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Miss Market New York Expo on May 29th

Are you a small business owner who wants to take your marketing skills to the next level in order to build your brand, increase sales and gain customers? Then you’ll want to attend the upcoming Market New York Expo, taking place on May 29th, 2014 in the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City.

Market New York Expo is a trade show, conference and networking event geared specifically toward sales and marketing for small businesses. It’s a one day event that is jam-packed with insights, tips, tools, technology and strategies to help your small business grow.

There are three main parts of the Market New York Expo, which will keep you busy all day.

• Exhibits - The exhibit hall will be open all day, to all expo participants. There will be more than 100 exhibits this year! The exhibits are a way for companies to demo and introduce the latest products and business services to small business owners. You’ll find that it’s a highly efficient way to learn about the top technology and tools to help your business grow.

• Seminars - The expo will also have 20 business seminars, and participants are welcome to attend one or more of these sessions. The seminars focus on different aspects of marketing and sales including: Search Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Building Your Online Presence, Local & Mobile, and Making the Sale. These are hour-long sessions that run from 10:30 to 4:00.

• Social Media Lab Sponsored by Facebook - Finally, Facebook is sponsoring a Social Media Lab for the expo. The focus is on social media tools and management, with 20-30 minute demos running throughout the day. You can also get a direct consultation for your business.

The Market New York Expo is an informative and customizable event for small business owners. You can tour the Social Media Lab and exhibits at your leisure and choose the seminars that are right for you and your business. It is also an excellent networking opportunity, since the event attracts small business owners, entrepreneurs and executives from all over the region.

Ramon Ray is honored to be a speaker at one of the expo seminars, joining executives from companies like Facebook, Constant Contact and Yelp, along with many other small business owners and entrepreneurs. The list of speakers has been posted, but more speakers will be added as we get closer to the event.

The best part of the Market New York Expo is how affordable it is. If you pre-register and use code Speaker50 then you’ll get your ticket for 50% off - just $25, which is unbelievable for the wealth of information and networking opportunities this event will bring you. Pre-register now, because tickets on-site the day of the event will be $75.

We hope to see you at the Market New York Expo on May 29th, from 10am to 5pm. It’s an event you won’t want to miss.

EC3: Darknet & cloud the barriers to prosecuting cyber-criminals

April 29, 2014

Troels Oerting, head of European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), spoke about the difficulties of catching cyber-criminals during his keynote speech at the Infosec exhibition in London earlier today.

In his talk entitled ‘Combating crime in a digital age', Oerting said that cyber-crime is changing the ‘world as we know it' and said that this is down in part to the growing number of internet user base - which is predicted to grow from 2.7 billion online users to 4 billion in the next few years.

He also said that cyber-crime investigations have been harder by the leaks from former CIA contractor Edward Snowden, perhaps on the basis that cyber-criminals have look to increase their anonymity.

“The Snowden revelations seemed to, one way or another, have made it more difficult law enforcement to clamp down on [internet] rules,” said Oerting.

But, poignantly, he said that criminal investigators across borders are still struggling to bring cyber-criminals to justice.

This, he said, is because cyber-criminals are using darknet tools - like Tor - to anonymise

their browsing habits, as well as cloud services to stream attacks and avoid detection. 

“The problem is that criminal groups are using the same tools [as the investigators]. You can't see the attack, don't know the motive...you need to do some homework.”

He added: “Not even NSA can infiltrate the darknet, cyber-criminals are utilising Bitcoin and the darknet, it makes it even more difficult for us to follow the money.”

Another problem, he said - as National Cyber Crime Unit deputy director Andy Archibald pointed out earlier this year - is that cyber-crime is a global phenomenon and that the bad guys can do their business from their bedroom, while pointing domain proxies to countries across the globe.

Oerting referred to it as ‘anyone, anytime, anywhere attacks' and said that it was ‘old fashioned' to think that borders had any great importance in the digital world.

Terrorists dip their toes into cyber warfare

He added that state-sponsored activity is ‘not a surprise' but intriguingly added that terrorists will soon use the Internet as a medium to carry out a large-scale cyber attacks.

“We see loads of terrorists preparing for a big cyber attack now,” he said. “But I still think that terrorists like bombs - they're more visible - so we have to keep an eye on this area.”

He said that the key to winning this battle is industry collaboration, and maybe some controls being put around an open internet.

“We need to understand this is combined task, not just for the police and law enforcement but for society,” he stated- noting the new trend for the Internet of Things (IoT).

“We will win, we will prevail but it'll be a tough ride.”

Following shortly after the talk, Alan Woodward - independent advisor and Visiting Professor at the department of computing at the University of Surrey, agreed that criminals are taking to darkweb and cloud to hide their trail, and said that there's a “real problem” as far as cross-border jurisdiction is concerned.

“Ultimately there is no international law...we're struggling to govern the internet as it is let alone [implement] international law.”

And on the issue of the cloud, he told SCMagazineUK.com that the industry needs to develop tools so that criminal investigators can deep dive onto any illegal activity taking place on cloud services like Amazon's AWS.

“It's very easy to set-up a cloud service anonymously, and who knows what you're doing?” said Woodward, who is now also a special adviser to EC3.

He added that cyber-criminals are developing their own distributed peer-to-peer cloud services services to spread their digital identity, what with cloud services often hosting data in numerous countries.

“Criminals are the tree in the forrest. For them, they derive security through obscurity."