Business Technology

Steps To Empowering Your Business Growth Creating business growth takes consistent planning and strategy. Educational webinars are a great source of information and can help you and your business grow.  This can be achieved through business education, regular professional business development and presentations of business events. Check out these top 5 resources for Educational WEBINARs: Education For Business Sake Business education doesn’t end with an MBA. Education should be accepted as a lifelong opportunity for focusing on business trends and curves. By maintaining an attitude of continuous education, opportunities to seek out the most advantageous additional courses provide the extra edge for business growth. Professional Development Along with additional education enhancements, professional business development ranks among the necessary elements for business growth. Professional development requires marketing, sales, management, staffing and executive skills. Achieving the rank of professional isn’t just a matter of title. Development at each phase of business determines the quality of professionalism of the individual. Business Events That Affect Business Growth The business professional seeking optimum business growth employs a give and take attitude toward events that help their businesses. It’s as important to present an event as it is to take part in events. This is the basic structure of networking. Surrounding your business with a beneficial network helps grow business stature. To Grow Your Business Today’s webinars and seminars fill a particular gap that links direct offline events and business presentations with the internet world. For businesses, this is an unparalleled opportunity for growth. The hi-tech world can be a catalyst for advancing business image as well as name recognition, branding and ranking. Creating linked business webinars and seminars produces a well-structured microcosm of vested target markets. The links between webinars and seminars should be seamlessly woven to create an overlapping flow of interest and awareness of the specific business. This is also true for patrons attending webinars and seminars. Thus, the “give and take” attitude becomes the operative for giving patrons a direct link online and off while the business takes in a higher rate of growth. Educate, Develop, Grow Present webinars and seminars with a professional style and content. Contrast this by attending webinars and seminars that focus on educating, developing and growing your business. These may contain new ideas for management structure, creating cohesive team embodiment and financial and economic guidelines as well as current compliance regulations relating to business operations. A tightly knit program of webinars and seminars for patrons and businesses offering them are essential for business...

Do Videos Help Grow my Business? Five things to remember when considering online videos to brand and market your image, products or services: The digital age makes a TV quality video possible without the extraordinary investment in infrastructure such as large crews, lighting trucks and so on. It’s a simpler and more direct process that can achieve high definition and very polished and professional results simply by sharing your information and goals with the right people. Buy the people, not the equipment… The bill for production and post-production can be sizable and the results may not produce any greater return (and may prove off-putting). Your director, editor and crew who will work with you on a one-on-one basis and steer you through the process of incorporating your sales pitch and brand with an image and tone that supports those elements is key. Hire technically qualified and experienced people. Online video triggers the emotional centers of the brain… and elicits action from the viewer at a far, far greater ratio than printed matter or audio. Your short and efficient branding video can enjoy a life on social media networks, email and your website that outlasts the capacity and range of impact from any print or radio or static image collateral piece. Plus, it’s “greener” by far. You are your online image in today’s marketplace. .. be sure your still photography is updated regularly and that you have or plan to initiate an online video your site and in your marketing and sales planning, as a static website is out of step with your consumers and will not compete with the multiple moving images they process and to which they respond on daily, and hourly basis. By placing video on your website, you can increase your search engine optimization by 53 times! It’s that simple… and that important. Your video company should be a comfortable and integral extension of your marketing strategies and will be invested in moving your brand forward. You should be looking for a company and crew you are excited to work with again. Let every detail to your professional video company… if you feel you cannot after interviewing them and viewing their prior work , move on. Share examples of video work you like and be sure the company has the capacity and talent to produce it. Obtain a firm quote, signed contract and guarantee on delivery and distribution of your final product. Without those commitments, your enterprise can be delayed or your campaign compromised. You may even have the video you desire, but be lost to incorporate if effectively and maximize your return on investment. A very simple, commercial quality video, or video advertising element, can be produced for less than $5,000, depending on the length, degree of sophistication, necessary equipment, voice over and specialized editing requirements. In many cases, much...

There are so many social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Tumblr, just to name a few. They are always changing, growing, updating, expanding. And there are always new channels to learn. How can your company keep up with the ever changing landscape that is social media? Here are a few social media tips to get you started. • First of all, don’t try to post on every single one of them. Pick two or three that your company would benefit from the most and hit them hard. Post as often as you can so you get the most views from the largest amount of people. • Time is critical. If you have an in-house employee handling your accounts, make sure he/she has the time to do the job properly. If they have other responsibilities, they might not always get to their social media activities in a timely manner. • Social media marketing demands constant attention. If someone comments negatively on one of your posts, you need to react instantly. You want to take care of the problem as fast as possible to insure your customer relations reputation. • Your business has its own personality and you want to make sure your social media marketing reflects that. Make sure the person who is handling your accounts knows your firm and can post in a tone that conveys that personality. • Social media is always changing. Make sure you keep up with the times. Take training classes and refresher courses so you know what it new and relevant to the platforms you are working on. • Consider the benefits of outsourcing your social media. Make sure you hire someone who has marketing experience. Remember that social media is not really about being social. It is entirely about marketing your business. You do want to be social and build relationships, but you need to do that in a marketing atmosphere. • When looking for a marketing firm, make sure you check out other clients they have worked for. Do you think their marketing reflects their business? Are you happy with the amount of posts you are seeing? Social Media marketing is an ever changing technology. In order to get the most out of it you need to plan your actions. Take the time to do it right, get the best person for the job, know what is new and relevant, and make those connections that...

How to Leverage Pinterest for B2B Pinterest is a visual social media platform. You can find the latest and greatest wedding ideas and recipes. You can search decorating tips, up-to-date fashion and vacation spots. Not to mention hair-dos. But if you are a B2B company, how do you leverage Pinterest to your advantage? Start by creating a business account. This will give you tips on how to succeed with Pinterest. It will also give you a board widget, follow button and Pin It button for you to use on your blog or website. Design an infographic. They are very popular on Pinterest. Design one with any relevant company information you might have. The more information you can add, the better chance someone will repin it. Make sure you have a link back to your company website on your infographic. Have a “People” board showing those who work at your company. Start with a headshot and description of the person. You can add photos of those people at company functions or community events. Any type of community involvement will show how your company impacts the community. If you have a blog, make sure you post to Pinterest as well as Facebook. Add graphics that connect to your blog information so those viewing Pinterest will be interested in clicking on the picture to see what else in included. Are you a service provider? Why not have a “Testimonials” board. If you have satisfied clients, they will gladly provide you with a picture of themselves to include with a testimonial about your services. Keep in mind that Pinterest is social media. The main goal of social media is to build relationships. As a B2B you don’t want to sell on Pinterest, you want to get your company in front of as many people, or other businesses, as possible. You need to find a way to put your company out there so others will have interest in finding out more about it. Hopefully these suggestions will get you started. Happy Pinning! Pinterest is a visual social media platform. You can find the latest and greatest wedding ideas and recipes. You can search decorating tips, up-to-date fashion and vacation spots. Not to mention hair-dos. But if you are a B2B company, how do you leverage Pinterest to your advantage? Start by creating a business account. This will give you tips on how to succeed with Pinterest. It will also give you a board widget, follow button and Pin It button for you to use on your blog or website. Design an infographic. They are very popular on Pinterest. Design one with any relevant company information you might have. The more information you can add, the better chance someone will repin it. Make sure you have a link back to your company website on your infographic. Have a “People” board showing those who work at your company. Start with a headshot and description of the person. You can add photos of those people at company functions or community events. Any type of community involvement will show how your company impacts the community. If you have a blog, make sure you post to Pinterest as well as Facebook. Add graphics that connect to your blog information so those viewing Pinterest will be interested in clicking on the picture to see what else in included. Are you a service provider? Why not have a “Testimonials” board. If you have satisfied clients, they will gladly provide you with a picture of themselves to include with a testimonial about your services. Keep in mind that Pinterest is social media. The main goal of social media is to build relationships. As a B2B you don’t want to sell on Pinterest, you want to get your company in front of as many people, or other businesses, as possible. You need to find a way to put your company out there so others will have interest in finding out more about it. Hopefully these suggestions will get you started. Happy...

5  Keys to Staying on Track for Success The road to success can be rocky, filled with bumps, potholes, and dead ends. Knowing yourself and the terrain will increase the chances of your achieving your goals. Let’s review 10 keys that will help you stay focused and on track for success. 1. Passion Having a passion for your work is the most important element in finding success. You have to love it and desire to cultivate it. 2. Confidence Your actions and the way you speak about yourself and your company is the greatest selling point to your target audience. 3. Self-Discipline Disciplining yourself will help you accomplish more than you ever dreamed, not to mention be the catalyst for great happiness in life. 4. Be Open to Failure You have to increase the chance of failure and vulnerability to criticism if you want to mature your business. 5. Persistence Never allow failure to dictate your next step in the journey toward success. Rather, seek out what you can learn from it and follow that direction thoughtfully....

We welcomed Audrey Russo of the Pittsburgh Technology Council on the Coffee With set.  Audrey shares her special knowledge and insight. Join us in watching this exceptional and informative Coffee With video. This video is sponsored by PC NETWORK SERVICES in Pittsburgh. PC Network Services Address: 109 Nicholson Road, Sewickley, PA 15143 Phone:(412) 928-8670   Since 2007, Audrey Russo has served the technology business sector for southwestern Pennsylvania as President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Technology Council, the oldest and largest technology trade association in North America. In this role, Russo facilitates strong interaction across all sectors of the regional economy. With a background in information technology, operations and finance, Russo previously worked for large multi-national Fortune 500 companies (Alcoa, Reynolds Metals), as well as at MAYA Design, and an adjunct faculty and project role at Virginia Commonwealth University. Russo is the Board Chair for the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, as well a board member of the Regional Industrial Development Corporation, Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh and CityLab, among others. She earned her bachelor’s from Ohio State University and master’s in public administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Public...