Our first article in today's newsletter states that soon, every person in the world will be part of a global small business. As we have recently seen, the world has become much more flat and small. That is, it is now much easier to connect with someone who is further than a short car ride away from you. Additionally, all around the world, more people than ever before have access to the Internet and other technological tools. So, while it has become easier to compete, there is more competition than ever before.
If there is more competition than ever before, what can you do to differentiate your business? One step your business could take is building a blog and strengthening your company's internet strategy. Through building a blog, you can prove to prospective customers that you are an expert in your industry or niche, while promoting your company on the Internet.
We have written about the many ways a blog can help your company connect with industry leaders and customers, and how they can build your company's brand. But how can you quickly, yet effectively, take advantage of that technology to integrate it into your businesses' operations?
Some of our recommendations in our webinar included setting goals for your company's blog, surveying the Internet to see the different kinds of blogs available, and using other social media sites to promote your own blog. You can learn more about all of these strategies by reading the newsletter, which can be found here.
When reading the newsletter, try to record your thoughts on the various topics. Record strategies and ideas that could help your business, and write down anything that comes to your mind. Develop strategies and a plan, and start writing.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Does Your Company Have a Blog?
As we mentioned in our webinar earlier this week, blogs are now an important marketing strategy. Blogs are inexpensive, they help companies to connect with other leaders in their industry and current and prospective clients, make them a trusted leader, build your company's brand, and help with search engine optimization.
Yet, many companies, especially small businesses, do not have blogs, and they do not know of their Return on Investment. They are missing out on tremendous opportunity. In fact, a recent study concretely shows how blogs can improve a business' operations. In the study, businesses that had blogs experienced:
Yet, many companies, especially small businesses, do not have blogs, and they do not know of their Return on Investment. They are missing out on tremendous opportunity. In fact, a recent study concretely shows how blogs can improve a business' operations. In the study, businesses that had blogs experienced:
- 55% more visitors to their website
- 97% more links to their website
- 434% more indexed pages
Continue reading our blog and newsletter for more tips on how your company can build or improve its blog.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Analyzing Your Company's Supply Chain
If you attended our webinar, one of the things you probably took from it was the importance of continually analyzing your company's supply chain. You cannot change what you cannot see, so you cannot make any improvements on your company's supply chain unless you really know what you are dealing with. So how do you figure out what you are dealing with?
Here are some tips on what to look for when analyzing your company's supply chain:
1. Look for problems
Obviously, if something is a big enough problem, you may not necessarily have to look for it. However, smaller problems that may fall through the cracks may be costing your company money. Go through your company's departments and ask if there are any production problems, and ask if things could be done more efficiently.
2. Look at your company's processes
Could any processes be done more efficiently with a bit of tweaking? See what it would take to achieve more efficient production. Short gains can lead to big rewards.
3. Look at your company's relationship with distributors and suppliers
Do you have a good relationship with your company's distributors and suppliers? Are your orders on time and of the highest possible quality? If not, you may want to reevaluate your company's suppliers.
4. Develop contingency plans
Does your company have contingency plans for natural disasters, international issues, logistical accidents, and changes in supply and demand? If not, think about developing plans.
5. What is your company's supply chain doing well?
You can learn from what your company is doing well in its supply chain. Analyze your company to determine what its competitive advantages are, and then see if you can use that to improve the remainder of the supply chain.
Here are some tips on what to look for when analyzing your company's supply chain:
1. Look for problems
Obviously, if something is a big enough problem, you may not necessarily have to look for it. However, smaller problems that may fall through the cracks may be costing your company money. Go through your company's departments and ask if there are any production problems, and ask if things could be done more efficiently.
2. Look at your company's processes
Could any processes be done more efficiently with a bit of tweaking? See what it would take to achieve more efficient production. Short gains can lead to big rewards.
3. Look at your company's relationship with distributors and suppliers
Do you have a good relationship with your company's distributors and suppliers? Are your orders on time and of the highest possible quality? If not, you may want to reevaluate your company's suppliers.
4. Develop contingency plans
Does your company have contingency plans for natural disasters, international issues, logistical accidents, and changes in supply and demand? If not, think about developing plans.
5. What is your company's supply chain doing well?
You can learn from what your company is doing well in its supply chain. Analyze your company to determine what its competitive advantages are, and then see if you can use that to improve the remainder of the supply chain.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Webinar: Top 10 Tips to Build and Improve Your Company's Blog
Top 10 Tips Webinar Series
Top 10 Tips to Build and Improve Your Company's Blog
Tuesday, October 27th 2:00PM – 2:45PM ET
Top Ten Tips is a series of practical, fact-based webinars using the Path To Success methodology developed at IntellaCore. The webinars are short, hard-hitting, and are always combined with a whitepaper. Each webinar breaks down an important way that a company can increase revenue, reduce costs, and become a sustainable, competitive business.
You probably know what a blog is. You may even have one for your business. But you may not be aware that blogs can enhance your company's marketing capabilities by attracting a larger audience to your company and its website. Attend this webinar to learn how to set up your company's blog, and how to start using it to effectively reach new customers and engage current customers.
This webinar will be held on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 2:00 ET. Click here to register (http://actevarsvp.com/event/
The top ten tips you will learn about in the webinar are:
- Set goals for your company's blog
- Survey the Internet and other blogs
- Decide on a blogging platform
- Customize your company's blog
- Add web analytics to the blog
- Start writing
- Market your company's blog
- Build your blog's personality
- Increase the traffic to your company's blog
- Build participation on your company's blog
While there are many international experts or technology experts, we are both. IntellaCore has a unique point of view because we are positioned at the critical crossroad where very few are -- that place where the global economy meets the Internet. Based on decades of experience in both International business and Internet-based activity, Path to Success aligns technology to the business plan, internally transforms the operations of the business, and expands their market presence into new domestic, international, and virtual markets.
Friday, October 9, 2009
The Productivity Loop
As we discussed in our webinar earlier this week, supply chain management is quickly becoming an important business discipline. Many companies are finding that they can study their supply chains, make improvements, and reduce costs tremendously.
The supply chain covers everything involved in moving a product or service from suppliers to customers. This process of converting raw materials into finished goods involves people, information, and resources. The goal of supply chain management is to fulfill customer demands as efficiently as possible.
However, there needs to be a shift in the way companies fundamentally view their competition. Companies no longer compete against other companies. Instead, networks compete against networks, supply chains compete against supply chains.
Take Wal-Mart as an example. It sells similar products as its competitors, yet it is more successful than its competitors. The Wal-Mart and Kmart in the same shopping complex do not compete against the each other. Instead, the supply chains of each company compete against each other. How? Wal-Mart has always focused on improving sales, cutting costs, achieving greater efficiency in distribution, and using innovative IT tools. All of these strategies allow Wal-Mart to lower prices. Additionally, the company has a bigger supply chain, with more suppliers, and then has more opportunities to bring customers into their stores. Therefore, Wal-Mart is more competitive. This example illustrates the productivity loop - lower costs, then lower prices, sell more, and then increase profits.
What is your business doing to make the supply chain more efficient? Is your company in the productivity loop?
You can see more about supply chain management in our newsletter, Intelligent World, that will be released on Monday.
The supply chain covers everything involved in moving a product or service from suppliers to customers. This process of converting raw materials into finished goods involves people, information, and resources. The goal of supply chain management is to fulfill customer demands as efficiently as possible.
However, there needs to be a shift in the way companies fundamentally view their competition. Companies no longer compete against other companies. Instead, networks compete against networks, supply chains compete against supply chains.
Take Wal-Mart as an example. It sells similar products as its competitors, yet it is more successful than its competitors. The Wal-Mart and Kmart in the same shopping complex do not compete against the each other. Instead, the supply chains of each company compete against each other. How? Wal-Mart has always focused on improving sales, cutting costs, achieving greater efficiency in distribution, and using innovative IT tools. All of these strategies allow Wal-Mart to lower prices. Additionally, the company has a bigger supply chain, with more suppliers, and then has more opportunities to bring customers into their stores. Therefore, Wal-Mart is more competitive. This example illustrates the productivity loop - lower costs, then lower prices, sell more, and then increase profits.
What is your business doing to make the supply chain more efficient? Is your company in the productivity loop?
You can see more about supply chain management in our newsletter, Intelligent World, that will be released on Monday.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Top 10 Tips to Improve Your Company's Supply Chain Management
Top 10 Tips Webinar Series
Tuesday, October 6th 2:00PM – 2:30PM ET
Top Ten Tips is a series of practical, fact-based webinars using the Path To Success methodology developed at IntellaCore. The webinars are short, hard-hitting, and are always combined with a whitepaper. Each webinar breaks down an important way that a company can increase revenue, reduce costs, and become a sustainable, competitive business.
Companies are always focused on cutting costs, especially now in this economy. The supply chain is one of the best places for businesses to cut costs. When taking a closer look at the supply chain, companies often find that they can improve their efficiency as well. It is not always who can reduce costs the most, but it is about who has the most flexibility when it comes to their supply chain. Attend this webinar to learn how your company can analyze its supply chain to cut costs and become more efficient.
The next Top Ten Tips webinar will be held on Tuesday, October 6th at 2:00 PM EST. The topic will be Top 10 Tips to Improve Your Company's Supply Chain Management. Click here to register. Please enter BLOG in the Invitation Code text box.
The top ten tips you will learn about in the webinar are:
- Analyze your website's current traffic
- Research your target audience, and develop relevant keywords
- Review your website design if needed and focus on delivering relevant information to the identified audiences
- Establish an online strategy
- Keep the design of your website simple
- Search Engine Optimize your website
- Ask other relevant sites in your network to link to yours.
- Try to create buzz around your products and company by using social media daily
- Advertise
- Add your website address to your packaged products and business cards
While there are many international experts or technology experts, we are both. IntellaCore has a unique point of view because we are positioned at the critical crossroad where very few are -- that place where the global economy meets the Internet. Based on decades of experience in both International business and Internet-based activity, Path to Success aligns technology to the business plan, internally transforms the operations of the business, and expands their market presence into new domestic, international, and virtual markets.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
What Will Be the Focus of the G20 Summit?
The City of Pittsburgh is making its final preparations before over 20 of the world's leaders converge on the city on Thursday and Friday. Many of the people who live and work in the city are thinking more about the travel restrictions and protests than the actual summit, or what will be discussed during the meeting. So, what will the G20 members be meeting about later this week?
The main topic that the G20 members will discuss is the worldwide economic situation, and how they can bring balance to the global economy. In a document that outlines the U.S. position on this topic, the US believes that exporters (like China, Germany, and Japan) should consume more, while countries with a lot of debt (like the US) should boost their savings. The document claims that "The world will face anemic growth if adjustments in one part of the global economy are not matched by offsetting adjustments in other parts." The US also imagines that the International Monetary Fund will have a greater hand in policy recommendations and assessments.
This kind of approach makes sense to us at IntellaCore. The world is no longer run by only a handful of large countries. Instead, as countries develop, they are gaining even footing with the once dominant countries. Many countries should be included in the solution to the problem.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to push for a larger role for developing countries in the global economy. He is also expected to restate India's position against all forms of protectionism, including trade, goods and services, and investment.
There will also be some focus on tightening financial regulations. There will be proposals to restrain bank executive pay and tightening the standards in the banking system to prevent another economic meltdown. Recently French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called to limit banker bonuses, and has actually promised to walk out of the summit if there is no agreement to cap executive pay and compensation.
But with all of this hype that we are experiencing in Pittsburgh, will anything actually come of the summit? The G20 has no real lawmaking power, so any changes that come from this summit will be the result of the lawmaking authorities for each of the countries. Some experts who have covered meetings like this in the past state that there will be a lot of self-congratulation, and the participants will say it was a great success. If any changes do come about because of this summit, don't expect anything to really start until November.
The main topic that the G20 members will discuss is the worldwide economic situation, and how they can bring balance to the global economy. In a document that outlines the U.S. position on this topic, the US believes that exporters (like China, Germany, and Japan) should consume more, while countries with a lot of debt (like the US) should boost their savings. The document claims that "The world will face anemic growth if adjustments in one part of the global economy are not matched by offsetting adjustments in other parts." The US also imagines that the International Monetary Fund will have a greater hand in policy recommendations and assessments.
This kind of approach makes sense to us at IntellaCore. The world is no longer run by only a handful of large countries. Instead, as countries develop, they are gaining even footing with the once dominant countries. Many countries should be included in the solution to the problem.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to push for a larger role for developing countries in the global economy. He is also expected to restate India's position against all forms of protectionism, including trade, goods and services, and investment.
There will also be some focus on tightening financial regulations. There will be proposals to restrain bank executive pay and tightening the standards in the banking system to prevent another economic meltdown. Recently French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called to limit banker bonuses, and has actually promised to walk out of the summit if there is no agreement to cap executive pay and compensation.
But with all of this hype that we are experiencing in Pittsburgh, will anything actually come of the summit? The G20 has no real lawmaking power, so any changes that come from this summit will be the result of the lawmaking authorities for each of the countries. Some experts who have covered meetings like this in the past state that there will be a lot of self-congratulation, and the participants will say it was a great success. If any changes do come about because of this summit, don't expect anything to really start until November.
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