Nowadays, word of mouth marketing is one of the strongest methods to do publicity for your products and services as it is effective and spreads very quickly. But first we need to know what word of mouth marketing is and how to increase word of mouth marketing for your own company. When someone speaks for your brand, it is known as word of mouth marketing. It can be conversation among friends or in social media.  Zack Fagan (Inbound Marketing Manager, StoreYa) writes in his article some tips to increase word of mouth marketing for your company. Read more at: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/6-word-mouth-marketing-tips-get-people-talking-about-you

Fraudsters are exploiting weaknesses in call center and help desk user authentication processes. Common caller authentication methods are creating inconvenience for legitimate users. Current authentication methods fail in three ways. They are: 1. knowledge-based authentication (KBA) - KBA's are used to authenticate users.2. PINs. 3. Caller ID. The other two ways include PINs and Caller ID to authenticate users- all of which are accessible by criminal. The best security is always layered security. This principle holds true when securing telephony channel. Voice biometrics can catch fraudster voices and put them on a blacklist for future voice comparisons and verifications of callers. Phone printing combined with voice biometrics provides the strongest method for detecting fraudsters. To know more, read Avivah Litan's (vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner) article at: http://www.itworldcanada.com/blog/preventing-fraud-in-the-call-center-use-voice-biometrics-phone-printing/97217#ixzz3D51sGlc6

According to a recent report from Retention Science, 31% of online retailers in the US with annual marketing budgets exceeding $1 million do not personalize their websites, 33% of online retailers with annual marketing budgets under $1 million also do not personalize their websites and of 69% of companies that personalize their sites, 21% offer personalized offers to visitors. The most common website tactics offered by any organization include shopping cart reminders, displaying a customer's name, and social integration. The report also found out that 61% personalize marketing emails by using a customer's name. To know more, read Ayaz Nanji (research writer for MarketingProfs)’s article link: http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2014/25927/how-much-do-retail-marketers-personalize-websites-and-emails

Social, Mobile, Analytic, and Cloud (SMAC) based business models are trending nowadays in digital marketing. SMAC gives you a complete solution in transforming your business as a highly functional and productive entity and also helps in managing future business challenges. Every digital marketer should take into account some key points when designing their own SMAC business model. They are: 1. every business should consider their business objectives and resources. 2. Organizations should implement a more realistic initiative to drive their business marketing strategies. 3. Companies should discover their business capability in using SMAC and explore every aspect of benefits that can be derived from each. 4. Organizations should link with technology partners that can help them manage their SMAC based marketing campaigns. To know more about SMAC, please follow Jason Bowden (Chief Consultant at Digital-Warriors Internet Marketing)’s article link: : http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/how-smac-social-mobile-analytic-cloud-your-business-model-1

According to Jason Bowden (a contributor to Business 2 Community), branding is a means by which a company is able to build their own identity and to communicate what their products and services are. In order to promote branding, brand managers always try to point out that their marketing campaign's focus is on consumers. These brand companies can learn more about their target customers with the help of big data analysis. The entry of data provides plentiful information that helps these companies in determining the various aspects that will yield better profit. Big data provide a window of opportunity for brand companies to know what products their target customers want. By instilling big data analytics, it is easier for marketers to know about their competitors and thus improve their digital marketing. There are other benefits in using big data. To know more about these benefits, follow: http://www.business2community.com/big-data/infusion-brand-marketing-big-data-analytics-0994537

Big data generated by drones is useful in every sector including monitoring data of animal cruelty on farms and surveillance data from military drones. The drones' usage needs a revolution in big data cloud services. However, flying a drone and taking pictures is the first step in data collection process. Since software to reason directly from video feeds is still in a research phase, drone data handling needs to be improved. The use of a cloud-based in-memory computing platform can enhance analytics, processes, and predictive capabilities. Amazon recently proposed to increase sales and revenue by providing the delivery of food using drones. By gathering data on a large scale, service providers will be able to process unique levels of details and turn it into usable information. To know more, go through Abhishek Sharma (author of InfoQ)'s article: http://www.infoq.com/news/2014/09/drone-data-big-data-analytics

There is no privacy in the era of big data. Personal data is collected and traded and there are few ways to control it. "We're being monetized in essence. We are being mobilized as products with inducement of the services of we use such as Facebook and Twitter" says Rob Livingstone, a fellow of the University of Technology and the Head of a Business Advisory Firm. However, major problem that regulators are facing is - how they can regulate the collection, storage and trading of personal data on the internet, when all of these activities, and corporations, operate across multiple continents and jurisdictions. Read more at: http://analytics.theiegroup.com/article/53a4371c3723a8398400014e/Little-Privacy-In-The-Age-Of-Big-Data

Information available about consumers on the web is enough to scare marketers. There are large rewards for those who confront and harness big data. Big data can create problem for brands. Information collected from large, complex data sets weblogs, social media, smartphone analytics and even medical records is difficult for brands to manage and process within traditional database systems. According to a report from the McKinsey Global Institute, Big Data is the next big thing for innovation, competitive advantage and productivity. But, some companies are missing this opportunity because of a lack of data management expertise. Retail is one industry that has a great potential for big data. Customer transactions (on & offline), conversations and intentions can all be brought together so that brands can get ideas how to reach potential consumers. Read more at: http://analytics.theiegroup.com/article/53a2f6693723a807f3000029/Big-Data-Embracing-The-Elephant-In-The-Room

The most important part in determining a company's stock growth is extremely difficult. But, by asking a few key questions, investors can improve the accuracy of their guesswork. Firstly, take some time to examine the market growth rate- For example, Apple less than a decade ago, was known only for computers, but now it has a market share on the phone and tablet market. To get some hints of their future prospects, you need to estimate the percentage of people who already have smartphones and the percentage of customers who will buy new smartphones etc. Secondly, a company's market share impacts in a big way on its future sales growth. Coffee-retailer Starbucks and automaker Honda are examples of companies that have used their brand name to grow their market share. Also, pricing is an important factor and needs to be considered as it has a big impact on sales revenue growth of any company. Read more at: : http://www.investopedia.com/articles/stocks/04/100604.asp

Amanda E. Clark (President and Editor-in-Chief of Grammar Chic, Inc.), talks about Professional Presentation in Online Marketing in her article. She also highlighted the fact that without good content, right audience and professional presentation, mistakes are bound to happen in social media management, content marketing, business blogging, boosting brand presence and reaching new customers. To know more about the tricks of professional presentation in online marketing, follow: http://www.business2community.com/content-marketing/content-marketing-presentation-everything-01002603

New entrepreneurs must develop an effective business plan in order to manage their costs and achieve their goals. Companies must employ different tactics to control their business expenses effectively. Here are some of the tips which businesses can apply to manage their expenses. They are: 1. Technology Can Simplify Things. 2. Maximize Productivity to Gain an Edge. 3. Delegate Tasks to Cheaper Locations. To know more about these tactics, follow: http://www.smallbusinessbc.ca/growing-a-business/how-businesses-can-better-manage-their-costs

To be successful in any business, you need to understand your competition. We have to think why customers choose one product over another. We have to consider all types of competition to ensure success in business. Competition can be either Direct (competing by selling the same products) or Indirect (competing for the same market). To know about completion, follow Jessica Oman (author)’s article link: http://www.smallbusinessbc.ca/starting-a-business/understanding-your-competition 

Market Research is one of the important tools used in business. But, what is market research? Market research is the process of gaining information about market in which you are doing business. It is the most valuable tool used in business. Market research can be Primary Market Research and Secondary Market Research. Primary Market Research can be done through Focus Group, Customer Surveys etc. and Secondary Market Research can be done through information available on the internet. To know more about market research, follow Tim Berry (founder of Palo Alto Software, co-founder of Borland International, and a recognized expert in business planning)’s article link: http://articles.bplans.com/market-research/

Six Sigma improves quality and efficiency by identifying and treating the causes of errors and defects and minimizes variability in manufacturing and business processes. The Lean Six Sigma principles- define, measure, analyze, improve and control, were applied to a rural Indian hospital to improve quality and care for patients. The approach was also able to identify other administrative issues. The successful implementation of this approach surprised the management and eventually brought about a cultural change within the organization. This could be a significant step towards improved healthcare for rural communities in the developing world. Read more at: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20140813/Six-Sigma-approach-in-manufacturing-industries-can-improve-healthcare-for-rural-communities.aspx

According to Tor Constantino (Director, Global Public Relations and External Affairs at IMS Health) Nexxus Mobile Sales is the first complete cloud-based sales performance which aids companies to implement national brand strategies at local levels by linking updated industry and customer data with expert decision-support tools for sales representatives. IMS Health provides life sciences commercial organizations with a new app for driving actual, smart local customer engagement. For increased productivity in the field, Mobile Sales issues alerts to the sales representatives about specific territory and customer opportunities and incorporates advanced voice-command technology to provide easy access to all solution features. As a result, sales teams can deliver greater value and spend more time with customers. Read more at: http://www.imshealth.com/portal/site/imshealth/menuitem.c76283e8bf81e98f53c753c71ad8c22a/?vgnextoid=70f32cf8cb7a7410VgnVCM10000076192ca2RCRD&vgnextchannel=5ec1e590cb4dc310VgnVCM100000a48d2ca2RCRD&vgnextfmt=default

Market research is important for any business. Decisions are taken based on market research. Through market research, one can identify new opportunities, can minimize business risk and also helps to communicate with customers better. There are various stages of market research which all businesses should follow. To know more about the various stages of market research, follow: http://www.smallbusinessbc.ca/starting-a-business/how-research-your-market

Nowadays, Twitter has become an important channel to sell products and services and is very effective for Business-to-Consumer (B2C) companies. A report by eConsultancy revealed that, Twitter has a conversion rate of 2.17% while other social networks such as Facebook have 0.80% and LinkedIn has 0.74% when used by B2C businesses. According to Ray Wang (Marketing Coordinator at SmarttBut), there are three important tactics which are to be kept in mind while using Twitter. To know more about the Twitter tactics, follow: http://www.smallbusinessbc.ca/growing-a-business/how-discover-potential-customers-using-twitter

The scenario in E-Commerce is changing at a fast pace. Patrick Salyer (CEO, Gigya), writes about some key points to be kept in mind while doing an e-commerce business. They are as follows: 1.  32% of online purchases are made over mobile. 2.   89% of consumers began doing business with a competitor following a poor customer experience. 3.  91% of eCommerce retailers saw a lift in their SEO rank thanks to social referrals. 4.     73% of consumers prefer to do business with brands that use personal information to make their shopping experiences more relevant. 5.     eMarketer predicts that worldwide B2C eCommerce sales will increase by 20.1% this year, reaching a grand total of $1.5 trillion. Read more at: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/5-stats-every-ecommerce-business-should-know-0

A B2B based Cloud network called AutoDX (Auto Data Exchange) was recently implemented by IBM for Indian Auto industry. This electronic data exchange platform reduces the auto industry's transaction costs by 80%. This is useful because until this deployment the whole auto industry was using manual processes which were very inefficient. AutoDX is an example of how organizations in the same domain can come together and share cloud to reap benefits. Such cloud platforms can be useful as cloud has potential to reduce costs. To know more, go through Vipin Chandran (Member of Integration Services team of IBM DemandTec)'s article link: http://www.indiaonward.com/how-beneficial-could-a-multi-tenant-private-cloud-be/

According to Ajay Kulkarni (the development leader of Social Business and Digital Experience portfolio at IBM India Software Labs) there are numerous challenges in reforming the Retail sector even though it is currently going through an incredible change technology-wise. The first one is FDI in Multi-Brand Retail. The main argument against Retail FDI is loss of jobs. The second is the co-existence of global supermarkets and small Kirana shops. Traders in Kirana stores, vegetable shops and even consumers use easy Social Media tools like Skype and WhatsApp. However, they need to be more equipped to face competition. The e-retail business in India is still nascent but is growing at a fast pace with the help social media platforms. Read more at: http://www.indiaonward.com/social-business-will-transform-the-indian-retail-industry/