In working with and talking to hundreds of small businesses over the last few years, we’ve heard about and seen many, many different ways that owners and their sales & marketing staff waste time and money on marketing.This post started out as the 7 deadly sins of marketing, but after looking at all the feedback and experiences, there really are 10 critical errors we see repeatedly.What follows are the 10 ways into marketing purgatory and then the 7 steps you can take to get back out. Of course, if you want help walking those 7 steps, that’s what we are here for (just sign up for the marketing & brand audit on our website)1) Buying an email list to send unsolicited, unwanted email without permission.2) Not having a system to track and nurture leads and opportunities over time.3) Thinking social media is just a fad.4) Not having a specific and organized sales process that converts prospects to customers.5) Not having a website (or having one that you don’t control the content on). Almost as bad is having a website that says nothing about why you are special, unique and why customers should choose you. Closely related to this is the idea of Digital Sharecropping…for example, depending on a Facebook page for all your contact with customers without having an in-house mailing list.6) Failing to define your ideal customer.7) Thinking that you can differentiate on service, price, education or length of time in business.8) Not knowing or caring what your competitors charge and why they charge it, or what they are saying about themselves or you.9) Letting your marketing choose you (listening to the siren song of the ad sales guy), rather than having a plan and working the plan.10) Thinking that referrals just happen. (They don’t.)So if you have taken one (or more) of those routes to marketing (and sales) purgatory, here are the 7 steps you must take to make your marketing and sales a predictable process.1) Strategy before tactics – Get your message, your value and your ideal customer clearly defined.2) Fill your marketing hourglass – make sure you have a way to move customers through the process of getting to know, like and trust you so that they can try, buy, repeat purchase and refer you.3) Publish educational content – it’s about being found, and educating is the best way to get found.4) Create a total web presence – your website, social media, review sits and yes, a blog.5) Use a lead generation trio – you have to do more than just wait for people to find you.6) Make selling a system too – as mentioned above, you have to make the conversion of prospects to customers an organized, methodical approach.7) Live by the calendar – if you don’t schedule all these things, nothing will happen. Marketing is always important, but rarely is it urgent.So, make a conscious decision to move your business out of purgatory and into growth. It’s not the economy – businesses are growing (we see it in our clients). It’s that the nature of business has changed, and now you must change too.
Advantages of Wireless (Wi-Fi) Networks Over Wired LAN Networks
Have you ever thought of having an all wireless office? Do you think it is not possible at this point/ it is not practical? If your answer to that question is yes, then you need to read this article for sure.Let us look at the reverse situation first: What could possibly be the advantages of wired networks over wireless networks? Well, the immediate points that comes to our mind could be the following:1. Speed. Wireless networks are considered to be slow and having a low bandwidth.2. Real time applications. Wireless networks cannot handle real time applications like voice and video.3. Security. The wireless signals reach even across the road. What if someone hacks in to my network?4. Incompatibility: Certain devices like printers etc. are not Wi-Fi enabled. The PC does not have Wi-Fi cards.Let us look at each point individually (I am writing this article in the point of view of an enterprise/office network, and hence I am assuming that the Wi-Fi network is built using Wireless Controllers, Access Points and Management Software)Speed:Wired networks had a decent speed of 100 Mbps and these days have a speed of 1000 Mbps. Wireless networks only have a speed of 54 Mbps and that too is shared among many users.Give me one application which would take up 1000 Mbps per port, or even 100 Mbps per port and then probably I could accept the above statement. The fact is, even if your office runs demanding applications like multimedia, ERP, video etc, the maximum bandwidth requirement per user may not cross even 4 Mbps! Now take the 54 Mbps of Wi-Fi networks and assume that 15 people are connecting to it, each user may get around 2.5 Mbps, which is sufficient for most of the applications that we have today, and if all the 15 users don’t connect at the same time, a single user might get even more bandwidth. In fact, with the advent of 802.11n standard for Wi-Fi, the bandwidth available per access point is around 300 Mbps and will touch 600 Mbps in the near future. So, even if 15 people connect with one 802.11n access point, they might get in excess of 20 Mbps, which is more than sufficient for most of the applications on the network today.Real Time Applications:What if I run PC based video conferencing in my company? Can the wireless networks handle real time traffic?A decent video conferencing client may not take more than 256-384 Kbps for giving 30 f/s quality video with H.264 compression. How many such conferences are going to happen simultaneously? And real time applications run very well if your wireless controller can support WMM – Wireless Multi Media protocol which prioritize the real time traffic over the normal traffic, and most of the controllers today support it. Even voice is supported on the wireless LAN – including the seamless handover from one AP to another, if you are carrying the VoWLAN handsets. There is an interesting technology that is growing fast, which is called FMC – Fixed Mobile Convergence where your IP Phones and Cell phones can be integrated with a single mobile handset and you have one number for both. Though IP Land line Phones are not supported by Wireless Networks, such innovations (Like FMC and VoWLAN handsets for voice over wireless LAN) help include additional features as well as give the basic service much more efficiently.SecurityThe wireless signals can penetrate the walls and in fact go across the road – what if some one hacks my network?This is a valid concern. The security is compromised if your wireless communications are not encrypted with the latest standards and proper security policies are not applied. But if the security policies are applied according to the latest standards (like 802.11i etc), then the chances of breaking the network from outside is very less. Also, there are Wireless Intrusion prevention software’s that are available in the market these days which keep scanning for wireless threats and intrusions and they notify or even thwart attempts to intrude in to your wireless network automatically.Incompatibility:There are certain devices that are not yet Wi-Fi compatible – like certain printers, fax machines etc. But you will be surprised at how many devices are Wi-Fi compliant and have commercially ready Wi-Fi based products already – Surveillance Cameras, Multi-Function Devices, Access Control Card readers, Laptops, Projectors and almost every network based device has a Wi-Fi compliant model. Even if certain products are not Wi-Fi compliant, cables could be drawn selectively for those applications alone, instead of wiring the whole office with three ports per cubicle! In fact, Wireless Access Points need to be connected to LAN cables at the back end, so a limited number of wired switch ports is anyway required. And there are always USB based Wi-Fi adaptors that can be used to make a desktop computer (PC) wireless.So, having established that wired networks are not inherently superior to current generation wireless networks, let us now look at the additional advantages that wireless networks provide over wired networks :Less Cost – Saving not only in the quantity of cables, switch ports required but also in the cost of passive components.Comfort and Mobility – The wireless networks are accessible anywhere – even in the canteen and the lawn. All you need is a Wi-Fi enabled laptop to access them. And the users can connect to the network from anywhere – cubicles, conference rooms, lawns etc.Redundancy: If an Access Point fails, another neighbouring access point can automatically connect the users (without having to change the port connection manually like in wired networks).Network access control, AD integration: The centralized management functionality of the wired networks using Active Directory (or LDAP etc) is available with most of the wireless networks today. In fact, controller based wireless networks can also provide network access control – grouping the users and deciding which users have access to which resources in the network (Restricting certain users from accessing the internet, etc).Load balancing: The access points can automatically push the users to neighbouring access points if they are overloaded. Some controllers even allow to restrict the bandwidth that a single user/group can access in the LAN, so that they don’t overload the network.There are many more, but if you want to discuss further on the same or on any particular topic, hop over to our blog. There is a whole category on wireless networks!
A Guide to Help You Pick the Best Air Purifier for Your Loved Ones
Holidays are around the corner. This is the time of year when people start purchasing gifts for their loved ones. If you are going to purchase an air purifier for someone you love, we have some helpful tips for you. If you want to purchase the best unit, you may be able to use this guide to your advantage. Read on to find out more.
1: Set Your Budget
Just like anything you purchase, make sure you have set your budget first. The price of the unit will vary based on a lot of factors, such as the capacity, filter type, features, and brand of the unit. If you don’t have a flexible budget, we suggest that you go for a product that is available to purchase for less than $300.
2: Consider the Needs of the Recipient
Your next move is to consider the needs of your recipient. If you are going to purchase this unit for everyday use, we suggest that you go for a unit that comes with a HEPA filter. On the other hand, if your loved one has a specific need, we suggest that you consider a specialized unit.
For example, if they are more prone to respiratory issues, such as allergies and infections, we suggest that you get a UV purifier for them. The devices are designed to neutralize viruses and bacteria.
3: Think About the Available Space
Another primary factor is to consider the available space in the office or house of the recipient. For example, if they need a general-purpose unit for a small apartment, you may want to consider a filterless unit.
On the other hand, if they have plenty of free space, you may consider a bigger unit that features a higher airflow rating. These units are powerful enough to cover a large face.
4: Consider Extra Features
Lastly, we suggest that you consider additional features that they will just love. For example, some units come with an indicator that turns on when the filter needs to be replaced. This will allow the user to change the filter so that the device continues to work properly.
So, you may want to consider these features before you place your order. These features may not be important to you, but your friend may just be over the moon.
Long story short, we suggest that you consider these four tips if you are going to purchase a gift for your loved one on these holidays. Since the air is full of pollution during winter days, nothing can make a better gift than an air purifier. Therefore, you should consider these tips before looking for an online or physical store to make your purchase decision.