Thursday, June 25, 2015

Report: Social and Mobile Marketing Are on the Rise

Salesforce releases its 2015 State of Marketing report, and the outcomes are exceptionally fascinating for online marketers, enrollment specialists, and marking experts. As Salesforce put it: "Marketers are moving consideration from customary metrics like change rates to metrics that better reflect customer satisfaction." More entrancing discoveries are beneath. 

Salesforce studied a large number of marketers around the globe and found that the top metric for computerized marketing success was "rate of return" at 32% — however took after not far behind by "customer satisfaction" at 30%. "Customer retention" was generally as critical as "customer procurement," with both evaluated at 23%. 

Top 5 Digital Marketing Metrics

Marketers aren't simply captivating online; they're tuning in, as well

A portion of the ways that organizations are looking for customer-arranged success emerge to me. 44% are utilizing online networking engagement, which Salesforce isolates from online networking listening at 37%. Only a couple spaces down, 38% of marketers utilization blogging as a system, 37% utilization videos, 31% utilization substance marketing, and 15% utilization podcasts, for goodness' sake. This demonstrates that there are various convincing, imaginative, and outright fun methods for coming to your audience on the web. I likewise think that it intriguing that online networking listening evaluated an "exceptionally powerful or viable" rate of 68%, the most elevated on the rundown, tied with email marketing. It is safe to say that you are utilizing online networking listening programming as a part of your marketing or enrolling endeavors? 

The significance of social marketing

Comprehensively, the estimation of online networking marketing is turning out to be all the more clear. 66% of marketers now accept social marketing is center to their business, and the same parcel now have a committed group dealing with their online networking endeavors. Maybe most altogether, the quantity of marketers who sort social as an essential revenue source has multiplied since a year ago. 

Top used website 2015What channels are brand utilizing? The main five are Facebook (80%), Twitter (70%), LinkedIn (62%), Google Plus and YouTube (both at 56%). However, the Salesforce report found a scope of new or corner channels, including Line (11%), MySpace (17%), Flickr (20%), and Snapchat (13%). With respect to the best social marketing, one and only site beat out just "videos" at 81% — a site called Tagged, "the informal community for meeting new individuals" (86%). 

This demonstrates not just that your association should be on the "huge five," however that you ought to search for different locales that better mirrors your image or identifies with your audience. Alongside content posts and site articles, consider photographs, videos, infographics, podcasts, and particular substance for destinations like Vine, Line, and SlideShare. 


Mobile at last makes a major sprinkle

Salesforce's feature is "The Year of Mobile Has Arrived — For Real This Time," and the numbers back that up. In 2014, just 23% of marketers were utilizing some type of mobile marketing (like applications, SMS, or location-based capacities). In 2015, that number has multiplied to 46%. 58% of organizations (and 73% of US organizations) have a devoted group for mobile marketing — which implies that more than 50% of all brands have particular partners for both social and mobile, an insane idea five years prior. In the event that your marketing division is too little, it might be time to acquire an organization accomplice to oversee no less than one of these vital activities. 

I additionally think that it fascinating that 35% of marketers consider simply "mark mindfulness" a metric for success. That implies that even non-profits or B2B brands without a retail store can in any case influence mobile to extend your customer base and build revenue. 
Mobile Marketing return on Investment


Looking ahead to 2016

The expense of inaction in social and mobile marketing hopes to move higher. Three of the main five zones of expanded spending for American organizations are in social networking; another is in location-based mobile following. At the point when asked which advances are "most basic to making a binding customer excursion," 52% of marketers named mobile applications. Furthermore, since responsive design can prompt a 130% increment in snaps for emails read on a mobile gadget, 68% of marketers say responsive design is "completely basic" or "critical" to their email marketing battles. Another 46% dependably or regularly incorporate responsive design into their site landing pages. In this manner, even "old" marketing systems like email and websites are being influenced by social networking and mobile devices. 

As indicated by the report, the third-biggest challenge for all marketers around the globe is "staying cutting-edge with current marketing technology and trends. 

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Safety first - Microsoft Site Hacked

Microsoft Wordpress Website Hacked
Nobody is resistant to hacks. It doesn't make a difference on the off chance that you are a small business with 10 employees or an immense business with 10,000 employees. This was proved when the Microsoft site, digitalconstitution.com, was found to contain various spammy pages and links in its website. The site, as per ZDNet, was running an older variant of WordPress which made it helpless to the attack. This ought to likewise serve as a calming suggestion to every one of us. 

At the point when was the last time you took a gander at the plugins you were utilizing on your site? What about your themes? Do you truly require every one of them? Are there any simply staying there, not upgraded and incapacitated? A significant number of the adventures and hacks that happen today to WordPress sites are an immediate consequence of outdated themes and plugins. In the event that you are unrealistic to ever utilize that truly perfect slider plugin that you never got around to playing with then why do regardless you have it? What about those 10 distinct themes you transferred when you were supposing about upgrading the site? Truly, would you say you are constantly going to utilize them? In the event that the response to any of those inquiries is no, then dispose of them. 

What about the plugins you do utilization? Is there any reason that you are as yet utilizing an old outdated and unmaintained plugin that hasn't been upheld in years? Is the usefulness so vital that you are willing to hazard your site's security on it? Is it worth the time, the vitality, lost business, and lost rest that will inescapably come when your site is misused and diverts everybody to a seaward drug store? With 38,461 plugins in the WordPress.org vault at the season of this passage there are presumably no less than a few that will give the same reason yet that are upgraded and evaluated to work with the flow rendition of WordPress. 

How about we additionally not disregard the core WordPress software. WordPress doesn't discharge new forms just to discharge something. They contain security fixes, bug patches, and, yes, even some new usefulness or changes. In the event that you are running an outdated form of WordPress, then you likely have gaps in your website's security. 

Without a doubt, its enticing to jab fun when the huge fellows get egg all over. In any case, gain from their errors. Keep up your website. Redesign your software, themes, and plugins. The contrast between the enormous gentlemen and you is this: They have a group that will settle their site for them on the off chance that they get hacked. You have you, and in case you're fortunate, a much smaller group. A touch of redesigning and upkeep now will keep you from being the following measurement. 

A bit of redesigning and upkeep now will keep you from being the following measurement.

Source: Wordfence

Monday, April 27, 2015

In Conversation with 132 Connect

Ericsson Innovation Awards 2015
In a time when it is really difficult to get a good job, finding a satisfying career path seems next to impossible. The problem is greater for recruiters as they end up hiring the wrong talent. 132Connect aspires to bridge this gap. In conversation with Kartik Sharma & Pavan, about their Ericsson Innovation Award winning startup, 132Connect.

- What is 132 Connect?
For engineering students: 132Connect is a platform to connect with career opportunities in the market place in a more efficient way. This is done by exposure of student to customized industry information and domain knowledge, helping them being industry ready.

For recruiters: 132Connect is a platform to effectively engage and identify employable talent who are currently non accessible.

- How did you come up with the idea and what is the problem statement that you are trying to solve? 
Both of us have engineering background and experience of working in well structured companies. However after feeling that learning has stagnated in those structures and currently visible jobs do not align with professional interests, we went on to attend series of entrepreneurship focused workshops. The idea of a platform arrived after interviewing students and seeking opinions from experts regarding the current status of higher education ecosystem. We are trying to address inefficiencies in this ecosystem that leads to low employ-ability of students and low visibility of employable students to recruiters.


132Connect finishes 3rd at Ericsson Innovation Awards 2015



- What makes 132 Connect different from other ventures in the same domain? 
Most of current ventures expose students to industry in a generic manner, while 132Connect focuses on matching mutual expectations of industry and a student first, and then exposing the student to industry information in a gradual and personalized manner. This will help a student identify career interests and develop industry relevant skills at the same time.

- How was your experience at Ericsson innovation Awards 2015 and what are your future plans? 
We got constructive feedback at Ericsson Innovation Awards and judging panel appreciated the business concept intermixed with recruiters and domain experts and a personalized approach for candidates who would use the platform. Additional to this, we had opportunity to interact with key personnel from HR department of Ericsson AB.

Getting business concept validated from top of the line professionals is always a motivation booster.

Currently, we aspire to finish the development of the platform and then run a pilot to further refine our business concept. Cash prize from the Ericsson Innovation Awards will help us bear the costs of this stage.

- What is your revenue generation model? 
Subscription plans for recruiters. Though it seems an obvious revenue generation model, a framework will be worked out after insights from the pilot project.

- Anything else you would like to say about your startup?
As Indian higher education ecosystem is experimenting with personalized learning methods. It will be our pleasure to connect with motivated individuals and groups who want to explore the usage of technology to customize learning experience for students.


- About Ericsson Innovation Awards 
Ericsson Innovation Award is an open competition for students all over the world. Take the chance to develop your idea into an innovation that has reached the market. Team Blendlee wins the EUR 25,000 first prize for their platform for self-development based on the concept of blended learning at the event. Taking home a top prize of EUR 25,000, the winners beat off strong competition from runners-up Pik-Do (USA), third-placed 132 CONNECT (India) and Bridge (Ukraine), who came in fourth place.

Reference Pages:
Ericsson press: Link 
Yahoo News: Link 
132Connect FB : Link

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

GitHub is back following 5 days of DDoS attacks

Github DDos Attack
The code management platform GitHub has risen victorious in the wake of continuing just about a week of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.

The company figured out how to get workarounds set up to settle the site and come back to typical operations in the wake of encountering accidents since March 26.

San Francisco-based GitHub saw gigantic measures of activity originating from Chinese search engine, Baidu, which brought on the site to seem occupied to different guests.

While GitHub hasn't stuck the assault on any particular association, the pages focused on were ones that connection to duplicates of websites banned in China.

The company has said that it is the greatest assault in its history.


Sunday, March 15, 2015

Tips & Tricks of Email Marketing @ IAMAI Conference

Email Marketing Summit - IAMAI | Netcore
Just when we all though email marketing was a thing of the past, Internet & Mobile Association of India organised an Email Marketing Summit to re-establish the fact that Email Marketing is one of the best sources of communication and engagement with your customer.

The 3rd Email Marketing conference discussed various aspects of email marketing like use of Big Data, automation of marketing, segmentation, cross and multi-channel marketing, the art of storytelling, new techniques of making marketing more effective and design needs for effective emailing. Here is a sneak-peek to the conference.

Open Education with MOOC Courses Raise Their Game

Open Education - Rising or Dead?
Open education includes resources, apparatuses and hones that utilize a system of open offering to enhance educational access and viability around the world.

Open Education consolidates the conventions of learning offering and creation to 21st century innovation to make an incomprehensible pool of openly shared educational resources, while tackling today's community soul to create educational methodologies that are more receptive to learner's necessities.

The thought of free and open partaking in education is not new. Actually, offering is most likely the most essential normal for education: education is imparting learning, experiences and information with others, whereupon new information, abilities, thoughts and comprehension can be constructed. Open Education looks to scale up educational open doors by exploiting the force of the web, permitting fast and basically free spread, and empowering individuals far and wide to get to learning, interface and team up. Open is key; open permits access, as well as the freedom to alter and utilization materials, information and networks so education can be customized to individual clients or woven together in new routes for different groups of onlookers, extensive and little.

Why is Open Education vital?


Individuals need to learn. By giving free and open access to education and learning, we help make a world where individuals can satisfy this yearning. Understudies can get extra information, perspectives and materials to help them succeed. Laborers can learn things that will help them at work. Faculty can draw on resources from all around the globe. Researchers can impart information and grow new connections. Educators can discover better approaches to help understudies learn. Individuals can join with others they wouldn't generally meet to impart thoughts and information. Materials can be deciphered, combined, broken separated and openly shared once more, increasing get to and welcoming crisp methodologies. Anybody can get to educational materials, insightful articles, and strong learning communities at whatever time they need to. Education is accessible, accessible, modifiable and free.



Open educational resources are most valuable when instructors disseminate them in open configurations, so educators and understudies can utilize those resources paying little respect to the specific specialized stages their schools have embraced. Undertakings like the OER Commons go about as archives for top notch open educational resources.
 



MOOCs and Open Education


Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are also kind of Open Education programs, available for everyone, anywhere, anytime. Individuals call these courses "massive" in light of the fact that their enlistment is open to a bigger number of understudies than customary educational establishments may allow implying that hundreds (even thousands) of understudies may take part in a specific MOOC. Today, numerous schools and colleges have joined associations focused on giving astounding education through MOOCs.

MOOCs are online courses where lectures are ordinarily "canned," quizzes and testing are computerized, and student investment is willful. They accomplish extensive scale by decreasing instructor contact with individual students; students frequently believe in self-paced learning and group discussions. 



Rising of Moocs and Open Courses [Source: Nature.com]

List of few Open Courseware: MIT Open Courseware, P2PU Courseware, University of the People, Academic Earth, CK12, OER Commons, Connexions, National Repository of Online Courses (NROC), Saylor: Free Education, Education Portal (or study.com), Open Education Week and many more.  

However, besides these experiments, the major development in 2014 has been the Big 3 MOOC providers, Coursera, Udacity, and edX, introducing their own credentials for paid courses. Udacity announced its Nanodegree program (and a new round of funding), billed as “Industry credentials for today’s jobs in tech”. Coursera announced Specializations in January and currently has developed 27 specializations, with more in the works. Specializations are already a strong revenue driver for Coursera. edX also has its version, called Xseries, of which 11 have been announced. Parallely, The Government of India led by Narenda Modi (PMO,India) launched a India specific MOOC platform called Swayam.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Get your WhatsApp voice calling activated for Free

Whatsapp Voice Calling Features
The voice calling feature that WhatsApp had been teasing and testing for quite a while is at last going standard. The WhatsApp voice calling feature is empowered in the most recent form of the WhatsApp Messenger that is currently available for download for Android devices on Google Play (version 2.11.561).

Anyway WhatsApp isn't enacting voice calling feature immediately. Burning users will in any case require an invite, as a WhatsApp call from whatever other WhatsApp user who has the feature activated on his/her application.

The steps to be followed:

1. Go to Google Play and download/upgrade the free WhatsApp Messenger application.

2. Ask whatever other WhatsApp user you know with the voice calling feature activated to call you through WhatsApp.

Taking after the call you ought to discover the WhatsApp voice calling feature activated on your telephone. You will now see another "Calls" tab to one side of the Chats and Contacts tab on the WhatsApp home screen.

While there have been informal APKs skimming around guaranteeing the feature, yet it is prudent that users introduce the application from Google Play or the authorized WhatsApp website.