New York SBDC Research Network

From MarketingProfs Webinars are truly a great marketing strategy for generating leads for your business. However, that's certainly not the only measure of their effectiveness. Webinars are an excellent platform to communicate and interact with your customers, and they can be your secret weapon for building great customer relationships. People attend a webinar because they believe the experience will be valuable to them. The value you provide through your webinars via actionable insights and takeaways that viewers won't find anywhere else will help you build great customer relationships. Here we'll look at how to build those relationships by using webinars to engage and train your audiences.

From eMarketer : Even without an established try-before-you-buy model, retailers’ generous free return policies have led to consumers purchasing multiple items with the intent to send some back. Retailers like Warby Parker and Amazon have popularized try-before-you-buy by letting consumers try on products at no upfront cost. The consumer is only charged for what they keep, and the remainder is returned. As a result, a February 2018 study from Brightpearl, conducted by OnePoll, found that over 40% of US and UK retailers have seen a spike in intentional returns compared with a year ago. What's more, some 70% of retailers believe the try-before-you-buy model leads to more returns. "[Try-before-you-buy] creates a tsunami of returns that could easily overwhelm retailers who do not have the processes or workflows in place to cope with that level of change," the study said. And this may be why many are hesitant to try it out.

From Thomasnet Industry is no stranger to change, and today, several monumental shifts — in business, technology, and even politics — are changing it once again. As a supplier, it's imperative for you to understand these shifts in order ensure your success today, and tomorrow. Our eBook, The State Of Industry In 2018, can help you keep ahead of the latest trends. It explores: Critical changes in the manufacturing workforce The most in-demand products and services in 2018 The role that politics is playing within industry And more! Download your free copy now.

From jeffbullas.com : In 2014 I wrote an article titled “Why You Should Forget Facebook” The main premise of the post was that Facebook was reducing its organic reach. In fact, the numbers showed it was trending to zero. So…. we dived into why using Facebook for organic and free traffic was becoming a waste time and you maybe need to forget it for earned attention. It was rapidly becoming a pay to play platform. The big promise that drew me to social media was that you could reach the world without paying the gatekeepers or begging for attention. They were the media moguls and book publishers to name just two. So I was disturbed and annoyed by this trend. So where are we today? We now have new gatekeepers.

From eMarketer : Consumers like loyalty programs, but they have complaints. A major one is the hassle of accessing rewards. In a February 2018 survey from mobile coupon solution provider CodeBroker, some 54% of US loyalty program members said it’s frustrating when programs can’t be easily accessed on smartphones or when an app download is required. More than five in 10 respondents agreed that without easily accessible programs, rewards often go unused or expire because members aren’t aware they’ve accrued. Of those polled, 37% prefer accessing loyalty program information, such as balance or redemption details, via a periodic text message. Some 28% rely on a mobile app.

From Bplans : 75 percent of buying decisions are based on emotion. The right brand captures the right emotions—and is one of the powerful tools for building a rock-solid business. A professional brand does so many things for your business. It sets you apart from competitors. It builds trust with existing customers—and future ones. It extends your reach—online, on the street, in referral conversations. It brings the whole team together and gets your employees excited about coming to work. In short, branding is one of the best business investments you can make! TOOL: Discover Your Brand in 12 Easy Steps! PROJECT: Brand Yourself in 5 Days BRANDING CHECKLIST: 10 Essentials Before Launch RESOURCE: Tools to Help You Name Your Business

From Bankrate : When nature goes wild, it can be disastrous for your finances. According to the National Climatic Data Center, major weather disasters have caused more than $1.2 trillion worth of damage in the U.S. since 1980 — and that doesn’t include Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria or Nate. If you’re hit with an emergency and need to find cash fast, tap into the emergency reserves in your savings account. Then look to these resources.

From bplans : Your team matters just as much as your great business idea. A company overview (also known as company information or a company summary) is an essential part of a business plan. It’s an overview of the most important points about your company—your history, management team, location, mission statement and legal structure. It usually appears after the executive summary in your business plan. This is typically the shortest chapter of a business plan document, but that doesn’t reduce its importance. If you’re presenting this plan to people outside of your company, this is your opportunity to introduce yourself and your business, and you are going to want to put your best foot forward. Imagine that the person reading your business plan document has never heard of you, and doesn’t know anything about your business. What should be their takeaway? What do they need to remember about you and your company?

From Monotype : The world isn’t literally getting smaller, but you’d be forgiven for feeling that way. Customers around the world expect a consistent, on-brand experience on any device and in any country or language, and brands must face the challenge of delivering on that expectation. Our latest eBook, Fluency Through Fonts, shows how a smart font strategy can help break down language barriers and lead to a smoother, more effective workflow for brands with a global audience. Read the free eBook to learn: Why fonts are crucial to strong customer loyalty and brand perception around the world How mobile has changed the way brands need to think about their global customers What problems can arise when your font library isn’t developed in a strategic way

From the Census Bureau Mention franchises, and images of the thousands of fast-food restaurants that dot landscapes across urban and rural America immediately come to mind. Franchises, however, go well beyond fast-food chains. They are important to many industries instrumental in providing other day-to-day services, from storage and warehousing to eyeglass stores and weight-loss centers. Detailed data on franchises comes from the Economic Census, which is taken every five years, and covers employer businesses in the United States. The latest Economic Census will be conducted this year, and continue to offer detailed information only available through this program. Comprehensively collected for the first time for the 2007 Economic Census, the franchise question covers over 300 different types of businesses (industries) and measures the number of franchisee- and franchisor-owned businesses in each industry and their total employment, annual payroll and sales. The question was add

From eMarketer : It’s a hard knock life for tracking cookies these days. Ad serving firm Flashtalking analyzed 20 advertisers worldwide throughout Q4 2017 and found that 64% of their tracking cookies were either blocked or deleted by web browsers. According to the research, rejection rates on mobile devices were particularly high—75% of mobile cookies were rejected, compared with 41% on desktop. Tracking cookies have been a staple of digital advertising since its inception, and the de facto method that many marketers rely on to track and target users online. But the cookie is beginning to crumble as users shift their media consumption to mobile devices, and as browsers and regulators crack down on digital privacy. Just a few years ago, people spent most of their time online on desktops and laptops.

From Medium : Humans are wired to love a good before-and-after story. We crave transformation, whether it’s fixing up an old house or turning a clever idea into a thriving business. But pushing for that “after” state can lead us to overlook all the fun of getting started. Sure, the early days of building a product or a business can be tough. There are late nights, financial struggles, mistakes, and self-doubt. Yet, it’s also a great time to explore. You can experiment without millions of paying customers watching your every move. And if you don’t have investors breathing down your neck, you can afford to play the long game... But, how do you get started, especially if you’re not ready to quit your job? You can begin, right now, to build a foundation that will support your business for years. Even if you’re not a software engineer (or you don’t have an MBA), there are smart ways to get the ball rolling. Today’s startup media often celebrate the blind leap, but I believe i

Obtained From:   Marketing Profs Just as the universe comprises a wide variety of types of stars, so does your customer base. And like the universe, where some stars shine brighter, some of your customers are better than others. Now imagine the power of being able to separate your worst customers from your brightest star customers—and find more like your brightest ones! Doing so entails evaluating and understanding what it takes to attract, acquire, keep, and grow your new and existing customers' value. And to find, keep, and grow the value of your customers requires a customer-centric  culture  and  approach  in your marketing. Dr. Peter Fader, author of  Customer Centricity ,  defines customer-centric marketing as looking at a customer's lifetime value and focusing your marketing efforts on the high-value customer segment in order to drive profits. The suggestion here is that by understanding who your current high value customers are, you are better positioned to acquire mo

From Camille at superhuman.com Email marketing is one of the oldest strategies for marketing on the internet. This leads some to wonder whether it’s still worth spending all the time and effort required to run campaigns. The truth is that while email may not be the newest or most exciting tool in digital marketing, it still has the potential to be one of the most effective. In 2018, nearly 90% of marketers list email as one of their top three priorities, with 45% saying it is their top concern. Furthermore, it still offers of the best returns on investment when compared to other marketing channels. Numbers like this make it easy to see that email marketing is not going away anytime soon. However, if you want to produce competitive email marketing campaigns, you have to make an effort to develop a strategy that can meet the demands of the modern market and use tools like an email verifier to ensure the highest possible deliverability and conversion rate. If your tactics are old

From the American Hospice Foundation : Although we try to establish healthy boundaries between our work and personal lives, we know the importance of jobs and co-workers. For many, work provides a sense of community. For some, it even feels like family. Employees often derive their sense of well-being from their work. Every workplace must deal with complex emotional issues. The more difficult emotions, like grief, can disturb workers and diminish the work environment. Colleagues want to do the right thing, but don't know how to do it. Meanwhile, managers and employees may feel pressured and anxious, knowing the work still must get done. It's no wonder we need helping in working through grief.

Obtained From:   MarketingProfs Want to know a secret? A lot of business success can be attributed to the unwitting storytellers among us: leaders who passionately narrate their visions to inspire change; account reps who conceptualize products or services through real-life examples; trainers who design engaging, scenario-based learning... A simple example of the power of story: I was recently cruising along an empty Texas road, singing along to the song on the radio, when the song ended and an announcer said, "Buying a house is exciting, and by 'exciting' I mean 'terrifying.'" Anyone who's traveled the road to home ownership could instantly  feel  those words—because it  is  a little terrifying to buy a house. The announcer's narration evoking the buyer's perspective had me tuned in and wanting more. That's the secret to storytelling success: the ability to convey personalized nuggets up front to gain someone's attention, followed by a w

Each year the  New York Small Business Development Center  recognizes outstanding small businesses in a variety of ways.  This Success Story from the Corning SBDC  appears in our  2016 Annual Report .  David VanLoon   Oasis Ponds & Patios Corning SBDC David VanLoon, a 14-year military veteran who served tours in Irag and Afghanistan, began Oasis Ponds & Patios in April 2016. Oasis Ponds, a full-service landscape company, is a certified Aquascape contractor that provides waterscape designs and installation. The company installs fountains, waterfalls and ponds, maintains water features and also performs seasonal care for their installations. Oasis Ponds also installs firepits, retaining walls, patios and walkways, landscape lighting, plant and tree installation. They also provide weekly lawn services, as well as spring and fall clean up. David worked with SBDC Advisor Susan Buchanan to develop a business plan to accompany a funding request for his startup. David secured a $5

Obtained From: Marketing Profs What does it mean to be an empowered marketer? Let's start with the definition of empowerment. The Oxford English Dictionary tells us it is "The process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one's life and claiming one's rights." So what does the word mean when applied to B2C marketers? Marketers today have a million demands on their time. During a typical day, you might send out a few personalized emails, run A/B tests to drive conversions on your e-commerce website, publish some beautiful targeted ads on Instagram, and then analyze the ROI across all your marketing campaigns. And that's just in one day! It's no wonder B2C marketers are feeling the pressure to continually perform. Sound fantastic? It is.That is exactly why marketers need to become empowered—so they can access customer data directly, easily execute complex marketing campaigns, and dive into detailed analytics to prove the value

Obtained From: MarketingProfs For a long time, B2C marketers have dominated video advertising. But the evolving landscape of video advertising has opened up opportunities for B2B marketers, too, driven in large part by a changing demographic of B2B buyers and their video-consumption behaviors. According to a recent Google study , 70% of B2B buyers watch videos along their path to purchase—a whopping 52% jump in just two years. Are you still on the fence about whether to take advantage of video in your marketing program? Consider these five reasons to take the plunge.

Obtained From:  US Economic Census Response for the Economic Census begins on    May 1, 2018 and is available for the following month, up until June 12, 2018 . The data businesses provide is compiled into official statistics that are available for companies to use for planning and decision making. The Economic Census asks for the following information by location:      1. Employer Identification Number      2. Physical Location      3. Primary Business Activity      4. Sales, receipts, or revenue      5. Employment and payroll      6. Industry-specific questions Here is some information to help businesses navigate the Census: How do I get started?  To begin, link yourself to your survey. You link your account to your survey by an authentication code sent to you from the Census Bureau. Once you have this code, click on the “Add Authentication Code” button under “My Surveys.” Enter and submit your unique 12-digit code. After submitting your authentication code, a surve