The Benefits of Building a Progressive Web App

PWAs offer more than an improved user experience. The inherent properties of the web platform means they can also help businesses solve real problems from reach to maintenance.

Easy distribution and discovery

Consider the friction of distributing a native app: it must pass tricky approval rules, submit to mandated revenue sharing, and gain attention in a crowded app stores. And it could all be for nothing: the average number of apps installed per month is 0 (comScore, 2017). For many businesses, it’s a risky path to take

Contrast that with PWA. Being a website, they’re already available and swiftly updated. Users can discover them naturally through organic and paid search, or via shared links on social media, so marketing efforts are combined. They can also enjoy the new features immediately, right in their browser, before choosing to install.

Cross-platform reach

Native apps only work on the platform they’re created for. That means developing separate iOS and Android apps to cover most phones, and more versions if you want to reach desktop users. Full coverage requires significant upfront development, and creates a large maintenance demand. On the other hand, PWAs are built using web technologies, meaning that they’ll naturally work anywhere the web does.

The “progressive” element of PWAs is also important here. It relates to the important concept of progressive enhancement, whereby a baseline experience which works anywhere can be enhanced by taking advantage of more advanced features supported by the browser or device. So a PWA may function as a normal website in older environments, as a performant app on your smartphone, and then have some extra tricks on Windows 10, where PWAs have access to additional system resources and APIs.

Native-like interactions

Through the web app manifest, PWAs can break free of the web browser and be installed on a user’s home screen. This is key to encouraging re-engagement, as 86% of time on mobiles is spent in apps. Not only does the user get a full-screen app experience, but through app builders and modern web technologies, they can enjoy most of the same features that have made native-apps so useful.

There are many device integration APIs now available including key capabilities that users have come to expect, including geolocation, camera access, sensor input, payment processing, and VR. Push notifications are a headline feature of PWAs, and retailers could be using them to display flash sale alerts, product restock notices, or abandoned cart prompts.

Faster performance

When 53% of users abandon sites that take longer than 3 seconds to load (DoubleClick, 2016), it’s clear that performance should be at the top of your list for improving retention and conversion. If you need convincing, try Google’s revenue impact calculator to see what your load times are costing.

A PWA benefits from smarter cache control, allowing websites that are already streamlined to become truly turbo-charged. The result: a PWA can be launched from a home screen and ready to use in less than a second, rivalling and often beating native apps. This performance boost is a big deal to user experience, but also to bandwidth usage, and will have a huge benefit in emerging markets which depend on wireless connections.

Offline service

By caching assets and content, it’s also possible for a PWA to continue working offline, or when a poor connection impedes loading, so users no longer have to be roadblocked by a blank grey screen. At the very least, the situation should be handled gracefully using a simple “You’re offline” screen.

But far smarter solutions could be achieved that allow users to carry on with their journey. A PWA for eCommerce might recall a handful of recently viewed products for review, or alternatively some top sellers that summarise what’s available. A retailer with high street stores could also offer key details like opening hours to continue facilitating visits.

* * *

It’s clear that implementing PWA offers a range of wins for businesses. It is easily implemented using current web technologies, and delivers a superior experience for users, which in turn raises satisfaction, encourages engagement, and improves conversion. JH is already including PWA features in projects, and we believe they will become as commonly used as Responsive Web Design.

Original Article

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Have you heard of PWA (Progressive Web Apps)?

PWA’s are a great idea. They are definitely going to make some changes to the way we interact with apps on our devices.

They are more reasonable in terms of time and money to develop. Basically, you’d be developing a website and app at the same time.
They function like a native app, for the most part, and if made right, have awesome UX.
A lot of bigger businesses are developing PWA versions of their native apps because they are realising the benefits of doing so

There’s so much information out there, but you can read more below and decide for yourself.

Progressive Web Apps are:

alternative to traditional native apps,
are more cost and time efficient to develop
can also broaden a business’s target market.

What is a PWA?

Progressive Web Apps, or PWAs, are web apps that load like regular websites or web pages, but behave like native apps.

Simply, they’re a website you can download onto your phone. They’re actually a website with no search bar and access to your storage so they can save things to your phone, like photos. In some cases, it’s possible to send push notifications even when the user isn’t on the website.

There are a lot of benefits to this new technology, but first, it’s worth taking a look at the differences between PWAs and native apps.

PWA vs Native App

PWAs, in a lot of ways, behave like Native Apps. But there are some key differences.

PWAs don’t require an app store, which gives more freedom concerning creating different types of apps. Also, PWAs are progressive, meaning that they work for every user, regardless of their browser choice or device and fit desktop, mobile and tablet screens.

They’re connectivity independent, so they can work offline or on low-quality networks and are very easy to install. The PWA icon will be displayed on the user’s home screen without having to deal with app stores.

It’s also important to note that writing a website is much quicker, and therefore more cost-effective — building a PWA is like making a website and app at the same time! The developers can create one version of the app that’ll display the same way, and seamlessly, on all devices

Finally, PWAs are far more lightweight, meaning that they take up less space on your user’s devices, but also allow your users to consume less data.

PWAs are still a new technology, and that means they aren’t perfect. Not just because anyone can use them, because older browsers might not support them. Also, a lot of people might not know how they work and won’t realise they could install the website like an app. It may also be said that they’re harder to find because they aren’t readily available in app stores yet. There are still some fun functions that can’t be used with PWAs, like fingerprint scanning, but it’s only a matter of time before PWAs start to function the same, if not better than native apps.

Why Build a PWA?

Most companies that need to target a broader audience on their mobile devices are creating PWAs. Mobile websites are quick and easy to get, but the user experience isn’t great. Native apps have excellent user experience, but they are limited to specific devices and must be downloaded from an app store. This means that businesses lose the benefit of their users’ impulse behaviour. PWAs pre-cache, which means that they download the most recent version of the site when they connect to the internet.

Compared to native apps, PWAs are generally just more efficient and work on demand — they’re always accessible. It’s also easy to re-engage users through features like push notifications.

PWAs are app-like, and use app-style navigation and interactions, so users won’t feel that they have the same problems when trying to navigate tricky websites on their mobile devices. The user also consumes less data and doesn’t have to sacrifice any of conveniences they would have using a native app.

Many businesses are now moving towards creating PWAs to save on costs, but also because they want to reach a wider audience. As a result of native apps being developed specifically for iOS or Android, and the fact that they often consume a large amount of data limits businesses to a smaller audience of users. Some of the more notable PWA projects and their successes are Twitter, StarBucks, Trivago and Forbes.

PWAs Are Awesome!

For business owners, developing a PWA rather than a native app, or alongside an existing native app, is absolutely worthwhile. It means a business can save more time and more money. On average, companies that have built PWAs managed to do so in roughly 3 months. Because of the overall efficiency in developing PWAs, developers have been sharing their knowledge about how to make an app a PWA.

Depending on the project, having a PWA developed can be a smarter move, especially if the business goal is to broaden your market reach, you’re working with a smaller budget or just want to build something using the latest technology!

Have an idea – drop us a line idea@automationsquared.com

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5 Things Every Online Business Should Know For 2017

Running an online business might seem like a walk in the park, but once you get into it, you realize there are many more aspects to it than you imagined. If you’ve got an ingenious idea for an online business and you want to make it happen, then you need to know that developing your business will take up a lot of time and expertise to get it right. It’s important to note that trends and unwritten rules of the World Wide Web change constantly and you need to be on top of your game constantly so that your business can thrive.

As 2017 has already taken full sway, we’ll talk about 5 things that every online business should keep in mind this year. Hopefully, these pointers will give you a nudge in a good direction so that you can further develop and improve your online business.

1. Find Your Target Audience

One of the first things you have to determine before you start working seriously is to make sure you’ve got an audience for it. The Internet is vast and you will find a community for practically anything you can think of or even better, you can start one on your own and place your brand in the center of it. This is the beauty of internet – if you’ve got enough imagination, knowledge and a pinch of luck, you can create anything. Seeing that there are hundreds of online businesses going live every day, it would be wise for you to start small and then work your way toward a bigger audience. No matter how vast your niche is, you don’t have to for the big fish right away, do your best to attract smaller target audience that loves your product, and once you’ve nailed that you can move on toward higher goals.

2. Your Website Needs to Be in Top Shape

This should really go without saying, seeing that the website is what makes or breaks your online business. When your potential customers come to your website, they’re stepping into your office, so if you want to impress them, you better be ready to constantly work and improve your site. You want your clients to move effortlessly around your website and find everything they need quickly. Ease of navigation, loading time, as well as the visual design of the “web office” is incredibly important, as it sets the tone for what your visitors can expect from you. You also want to have a mobile-friendly version of your website because more than half of all Google searches are done through mobile devices, plus it affects your SEO. We recommend constantly tweaking and finding ways to enhance your website – nobody responds better to innovation than the internet and its virtual citizens.

3. Internet Security and Privacy

We can’t even begin to accentuate just how much of an imperative it is to have Cybersecurity Solutions at all times when you’re running an online business. Chances are that you will be managing a great deal of confidential information through your website, including credit card details and other sensitive data of your clients, not to mention everything concerning your business. It is paramount to have superb security software that will take care of any potential cyber trouble that comes your way. You should also be concerned about the internet privacy of your online business because surveillance can’t be avoided on the internet, but it can be sidetracked, if you’ve got a VPN. You may be asking yourself, why do i need a VPN? VPNs (virtual private networks) and proxies are able to encrypt all the data coming from your website and allow you to bypass cybercriminals trying to track your f ivities in an attempt of identity theft. VPN is probably the best tool for internet privacy that you’ll find and it’s not that expensive to use, especially if you opt out for a yearly plan that most good VPN companies offer. The security and privacy of your business are closely intertwined, so make sure you’ve got both aspects covered so that you can safely run your business in peace.

4. Choosing the Right Tools

Like we’ve already mentioned a couple of times, having the right set of tools to help you reach your goals is vital and internet is more than happy to provide. Depending on what kind of business you’re running and how it expands, you’ll need the help of plugins, apps, and extensions to shed some light on what needs to be done. For your payment methods, be sure to get the best rates from top card payment providers. Having trustworthy accounting and payroll software will also be of great help to all business owners employing more and more people, while social media automation tools will enable you to keep your social media campaign on point (to a certain extent, after which you’ll need a human being to run things). One other sound investment is customer relationship management (CRM) software that was invented to make customer management and your life a whole lot easier. Work with a crm consultant to find the right CRM system for your business which can easily take care of marketing, accounting and many other aspects of your business that you should never neglect.

5. Advertise, Advertise, then Advertise Some More

You need to put your brand out there for the world to see and there is no better way to do that than to advertise it. There are so many options to promote what you’re passionate about in 2017, and all you have to do really is take your pick. Of course, your advertising decisions should be directly affected by the fact where you’ll find your target audience – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or somewhere in between? Aside from social media, you want to be as present as possible on other popular websites of your niche, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with the people behind the prosperous online businesses and see how you can connect your brand with theirs. Conducting a successful marketing campaign is far from easy, but if done right, it can be a game changer for the business.

Whatever you’re setting out to do in your online business endeavor, don’t forget that it will take time to create a good reputation and public image for yourself, so patience is crucial. Don’t get too lost in daydreaming but get to work and slowly start to transform your ideas into reality. – Adam Ferraresi

Adam loves everything related to technology since he was five years old and it was that love that brought him into web development. Soon after he graduated from college, he got a job in Dallas working as a web developer and not long after that, he was recognized for his qualities as a writer. Presently, he’s a freelance writer for wefollowtech.com and is very happy because of it. In his free time, when he’s got any, he enjoys playing basketball and hiking.

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79 Social Media Facts That Reveal How Our World Is Changing by Jeff Bullas

Social media is an addiction.

Well, it is for many of us. Most people can’t walk straight these days as they have their head in the mobile phone and one eye on the pavement. If someone from 100 years ago was transported to 2016, they would think we were mad as we talk to ourselves with white wires hanging from our ears!

So why are we so captivated?

It’s about human connection at scale that networks us to billions of people. We are curious about the impact of our creations. Will they like it? Are they sharing my thoughts, photos and videos?1

It also gives us a voice.

Social media makes us feel empowered

This intersection of humanity and technology is human super consciousness enabled by hardware, apps and wireless connectivity. It’s a global mind meld that allows us to share thoughts, feelings and images with our family and friends no matter where we or they are. Virtual reality is becoming the reality. Social media is now a big part of that reality.

We can also join in global engagement of our individual interests.

A niche interest in playing a certain online game, sharing train watching ideas and cave diving tips can now be indulged with other like minded humans that become our global interest tribes. You no longer have to drive or fly to join or create a conversation. Skype, Periscope or Blab can help you connect from home.

It’s hyper connectivity at scale. It’s changing the world as we know it. And we don’t know where it is going.

Keep innovating

The social web and the digital world is forcing business to think different about its marketing, what content it creates and to focus on innovation.

What worked just 5 years ago doesn’t work today.

Relying on organic traffic from Facebook shares was the main social sharing tactic 5 years ago now. We now know we need to pay for that traffic in 2016!

So you need to try the other options. These include:

Flipboard: Over 70 million users

WhatsApp: Just cracked the 1 billion user mark

Snapchat: Reported to have 100 million users2

Social media is splintering. It’s no longer just about Facebook.

So the social sharing buttons need to be updated. I have now added Flipboard and WhatsApp. To help me do that I use one of the best Apps for bloggers and website owners.. (an awesome app called SumoMe).

It allows me to easily connect and update my sharing buttons (plus 11+ other cool options) which can be a floating sidebar, at the top or sitting at the bottom of the page.

image: http://www.jeffbullas.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Sumome-sharing-buttons.jpg

Not only that but it provides you with great metrics and stats. Here is some of the data that you can get from the dashboard.

image: http://www.jeffbullas.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Total-clicks-on-SumoMe-sharing-buttons.jpg

Above is my first day of metrics capture. The data that shows on a mouseover is also very insightful.

Here are the share splits.

Twitter was top at 63
LinkedIn was next at 17
Pinterest – 16
Email – 15
Facebook -12
Google+ -10
WhatsApp – 9
Buffer – 6
Flipboard – 2

What surprised me was how many people shared via email, WhatsApp and also FlipBoard. So we have the old and the new! Shows you not assume how and what people share. You need to know the data so you can optimize and maximize your sharing.

If you want to know some more about SumoMe check out this post on “How to Double Your Traffic Without Paying Google or Facebook a Cent“. Where I take a closer look at the key 12+ tools you can use to double your traffic.

The social web will amplify brand awareness, grow your traffic and increase leads and sales if it is done well.

Flipboard goes viral

Three weeks ago something happened that surprised me.

I published a post “7 Inspiring Books You Must Read” and then I flipped that post into one of my personal Flipboard magazines where I put all my blog posts.

A couple of hours later my traffic blew up.

I found the major source for the traffic of 200 readers a minute was coming from Flipboard.

Flipboard is a social-network aggregation magazine format mobile app that was founded in 2010 and I joined up a few years ago and have been playing at its edges . But the traffic it is driving in 2016 to my site is now very surprising but welcome.

image: http://www.jeffbullas.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Flipboard-magazine-7-Inspiring-books.jpg

So here are the lessons on viral.

Keep innovating and trying new tactics. You will be surprised often by what works and what doesn’t.

If you want to see how the jeffbullas.com posts look like on FlipBoard come and check it out here. For more information on Flipboard, check out this article. “6 Ways Brands Can Amplify Their Marketing With FlipBoard Magazines”

So after that small digression let’s have a closer look at the social media facts that behind how the social web is changing how we communicate, market and create content.

Facebook facts

Facebook owns some companies that you maybe aren’t aware of. Instagram(bought for $1billion), Occulus Rift (for $2 billion) and WhatsApp (purchase price of $19 billion). These are some of the Facebook facts from their investor relations division

Monthly active users (MAUs) – MAUs were 1.59 billion as of December 31, 2015, an increase of 14% year-over-year.
Revenue – Revenue for the full year 2015 was $17.93 billion, an increase of 44% year-over-year.
Income from operations – Income from operations for the full year 2015 was $6.23 billion.
Net income – Net income for the full year 2015 was $3.69 billion.
Free cash flow – Free cash flow for the full year 2015 was $6.08 billion.
Daily active users (DAUs) – DAUs were 1.04 billion on average for December 2015, an increase of 17% year-over-year.
Mobile DAUs – Mobile DAUs were 934 million on average for December 2015, an increase of 25% year-over-year.
Mobile MAUs – Mobile MAUs were 1.44 billion as of December 31, 2015, an increase of 21% year-over-year.
Mobile advertising revenue – Mobile advertising revenue represented approximately 80% of advertising revenue for the fourth quarter of 2015, up from 69% of advertising revenue in the fourth quarter of 2014.

The role of mobile is a staggering 80% of all advertising revenue. The money machine rolls on.

Twitter facts

Twitter in the last 12 months has taken a battering in the press, lost it’s CEO and is still struggling to monetise its platform. But it has a truckload of cash in reserves (at $3.5 billion) and at the current burn rate will be around for another 412 years according to USA Today.

320 Million users
Twitter will be offering live embedded feeds from Periscope directly in the Twitter feed via the Twitter app on the Apple iOS.
120 million monthly users
500 million tweets are sent per day

Below are some more stats.

image: http://www.jeffbullas.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Twitter-facts.jpg

Image source Twitter:

Snapchat

Snapchat launched in 2011 and was initially almost dismissed as a joke. A fad that would pass. It was reported that Facebook offered $3 billion to buy the company and everyone thought they were mad to reject it.

But the facts in 2016 show a different story.

100 million active daily users
18% of all social media users in the USA use Snapchat
30% of all US. millennials use the network
8,796 photos a second are shared on Snapchat
Snapchat is reputed to have 5% of the overall selfie market

Statistics source: Expanded Ramblings

image: http://www.jeffbullas.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Snapchat-infographic.jpg

Infographic source: Growingsocialmedia

WhatsApp facts

This story behind the brand name was a play on words of “What’s Up”. Facebook bought it for $19 billion on Valentine’s Day, 2014 after beating Google’s offer of $10 billion.

It’s core philosophy is simplicity.

This is a little different to how Google approached the concept with Google+. Which was more about the big bang and big bucks theory of beating Facebook. We know how that strategy played out.

So here are some of the facts behind WhatsApp.

Founded in 2009 by Jan Koum and Brian Acton
Just hit 1 billion users
7oo million pictures get shared on the platform daily
100 million new users are added daily
More than 100 million videos are shared daily
The average user send more than 1000 messages per month on WhatsApp
Average user checks the app 23 times per day

image: http://www.jeffbullas.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Whatsapp-infographic.jpg

Infographic source: Shoponless.com

Google+ facts

Google+ seems to have become more about one of its key features. Google+ Hangouts. Google+ has even admitted that Google+ maybe split up into its functional parts.

Maybe the problem was that it tried to do too much rather than start simple and evolve. Cases to prove that simple works include Twitter, Snapchat and WhatsApp.

It’s big bang theory that imploded after investing over half a billion in it’s design and development. Deep pockets don’t always win.

Google won at search but not social.

Despite that here are some figures I managed to dig up.

There are 2.2 billion G+ profiles
Only 9% have any publicly posted content. Do the math. That’s 198 million that published!1
37% mentioned that those activities were comments on YouTube videos

Statas source: Socialscoremedia

Instagram facts

Instagram has now passed Twitter in the user count and it looks like it is Facebook’s best investment. After buying it for $1 billion on April 9, 2012… Citibank valued it at $35 billion just before the start of 2015 when it had 300 million users.

At the beginning of 2016 it has even more. Here are some facts about Instagram to ponder.

Instagram has 420 million users
Users share 70 million photos a day
Instagram is considered the most important social network by American teens than any other network at 32% vs 24% for Twitter and Facebook at 14%.

image: http://www.jeffbullas.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Instagram-facts.jpg

Infographic source: Instagramchief.com

Pinterest facts

Pinterest feels like it has been around forever. But it hasn’t. On the social media scene it is almost middle aged. It started in 2009.

Here are a few facts that you may use when planning your social media marketing.

100 million users
80% are female
30% of US social media users are on Pinterest

image: http://www.jeffbullas.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Pinterest-facts-2015.jpg

Infographic source: Brandingandbuzzing.com

Blab facts

Blab burst on the scene in 2015 and is a live streaming video app that allows up to 4 people to be the hosts while the rest of the world looks on and comments. Sort of like the love child of Periscope and Google+ Hangouts.

Number of users – No idea! But it has got a lot of attention over the last 6 months. I couldn’t find any numbers. If you have the inside scoop please let me know!!
Users can sign in to the Blab through Twitter account only.
Blabs can be recordable both as audio and video files
The recorded Blabs can be share and upload onto the social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube etc.
Blab is available for both Android and iOS platform devices
The 20 characters that are additional in Twitter profile bio will be lost if you have edit the information for Blab.
Viewing Blab without participating in was called as Lurk mode on Blab
Blab allows maximum six hour lengthy content

The Blab rules

image: http://www.jeffbullas.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Blab-rules.jpg

Graphic source: Marc-levy.com

Periscope facts

Periscope was launched in March, 2015 and is an app that allows live video streaming from the app on your mobile phone. Live streaming video from the mobile took off in 2015 with the launch of Meerkat, Periscope and Blab.

Using these platfroms to build brand awareness and market your business are still in embryonic stages. So watch this space

Periscope was acquired by Twitter for $86 million
People are watching 40 years worth of live video every day
350,000 hours of video is streamed daily
Since Periscope launched last year, people have created over 100 million live broadcasts according to the Twitter blog.
Estimated number of users has passed 10 million
Daily active users has passed 1.85 million

Source of data: Omnicoreagency.com

image: http://www.jeffbullas.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Periscope-5-tips-JanLehner.com_.jpg

Infographic source: JenLehner.com

Flipboard facts

So I am maybe pushing the boundaries of what is a social network but Flipboard does allow sharing, content publishing and comments.

It “is” still social media.

Flipboard was launched in 2010 by former Apple iPhone engineer, Evan Doll, and former Tellme CEO, Mike McCue. The duo set out to create an app that merged the simplicity and feel of a magazine with the accessibility and collaboration that technology provides. The app integrates news from media outlets from around the world and presents it in a magazine format.

72 million monthly users
36 million use it every week
It is in more than 20 languages
Users flip through 8.2 billion stories a month
They have raised over $200 million in funding

image: http://www.jeffbullas.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Flipboard-infographic.jpg

Infographic: Aboutflipboard.com

Over to you

How is social media, the apps and the social web changing your world?

Are you innovating or stagnating? What’s working for you? Look forward to your insights and feedback in the comments below.
Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2016/02/08/79-social-media-facts-that-reveal-how-our-world-is-changing/#Ar75ZJ5SM2pdp4W0.99

Category: Social Media, Technology | No Comments »

Profound Implications for The Individual Economy & [Infographic]

The individual-centered economy is already here. The newest digital technologies – among them social media, mobility, analytics and cloud – keep changing how people, businesses and governments interact. The transformation that is already underway will soon intensify, resulting in a paradigm shift from customer-centricity toward an everyone-to-everyone (E2E) economy. The implication for value creation and allocation will be profound.

New research shows that many organizations are still not ready to navigate the E2E environment. The Digital Reinvention Exec report can be read HERE

Here are some highlights from the report and infographic to share:

55 percent of 4,183 C-suite executives report that consumers have the most influence on business strategy <ClickToTweet>

58 percent of 1,100 executives surveyed in the Digital Reinvention Study expect new technologies to reduce barriers to entry <ClickToTweet>

There is a paradigm shift from customer-centricity toward an everyone-to-everyone (E2E) economy. Are you prepared? <ClickToTweet>

Digitization is rapidly changing the nature of how individuals and organizations interact <ClickToTweet>

“Social” has become revenue-generating, evolving from a dot-com trend to a sharing platform and business model <ClickToTweet>

Everyone-to-Everyone Economy

The Digital Reinvention Exec Report can be found on SlideShare and can also be seen below

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Fascinating statistics from the C-Suite Study with Infographic

On October 7 IBM launched the latest in their C-suite Study series. This is the first study where all offices within the C-suite were surveyed at the same time with the same questions. The title of this study is “The Customer-activated Enterprise”

You can download the full study here: Global C-suite Study or, access this and other studies via your smart device HERE

Technology is once again, as it was in 2012, the CEOs’ number one driving force impacting enterprises today. In this study, three areas emerged as critical to future success. Organisations should:

Open up to customer influence
Pioneer digital-physical integration
Craft engaging customer experiences

Here are some statistics from the below infographic, ready for you to Tweet:

55 percent of CEO’s cited customers as the most influential on strategic vision and business strategy – Tweet This

Nearly seven in ten CxOs recognize the new imperative – a shift to social and digital interaction. Tweet This

Organisations that have a united C-Suite are 28% more likely to be out performers. Tweet This

35% of CxO’s recognise that they don’t understand their customers well today. Tweet This

Two thirds of organisations have a weak digital strategy or none at all. Tweet This

What did you take away from the above? Is there something you would like to know more about? Drop by and leave your comments below.

Category: CEO, CMO, IBM, Technology | No Comments »

50 things we don’t do anymore, due to Technology [Infographic]

A study conducted by Mozy last year found that technology is replacing many of the tasks that have been mainstays in our lives for years.

When you consider the telecom industry, for example, when was the last time you looked something up in a phone book? Or used a phone book?

Sure, they have 50 listings for party clowns for your 8-year-old’s birthday party, but isn’t it just faster to search online? Have you or your children ever called to hear “At the sound of the tone, the time will be 4:13 PM”? Technology is making life easier, faster, more accurate, and more personal.

Take a stroll down memory lane with us and review 50 of the things we don’t do (or maybe have never done) thanks to technology.

Source: Mozy

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How C-suite executives see the landscape changing

IBM collect some amazing data, delivered in a series of C-Suite studies, from over 4,000 C-suite executives. Watch this space to be notified of releases as they happen.

In the mean time here are some early discovery snippits along with an Infographic.

How C-suite executives see the landscape changing:

55% of CHRO’s forsee increasing organisational openness “TweetThis”

77% of CFO’s support the development of new products and services “TweetThis”

19% of CSCO’s anticipate a reduction of their partner base “TweetThis”

71% of CIO’s see communication moving toward more social/digital collaboration. “TweetThis”

63% of CEO’s want to increase partnering for higher business value “TweetThis”

64% of CMO’s want to approach customers as individuals “TweetThis”

69% of C-suite executives report that creating a consistent experience across all customer touch points is one of their top initiatives. “TweetThis”

40% of C-suite executives are integrating internal and external data for insights “TweetThis”

Infographic courtesy of IBM Institute for Business Value

How does the above information resonate with your strategies? Would you like a copy of the full report when published? Pop your comments below, it would be great to meet you.

Category: CEO, CMO, IBM, Smarter Business, Technology | No Comments »

Social Business matters today – and will matter even more tomorrow

Social business is just getting started. But its value is clearly emerging for innovation, operations, leadership and marketing. So what are companies really doing?

In 2012 MIT Sloane Management conducted a survey to really investigate that question. Below you will find my highlights and takeaways from this study.

Even though social technologies have been around for some years now. The sentiment from the report is that many companies are still holding back on the adoption of social tools. Of those surveyed, 52% said that it was important or somewhat important to them today. Whilst 86% believe that it will be important or somewhat important in three years.
Social business is primarily viewed as a tool for external facing activities with marketing departments, sales and customer services being the main driving force with customer relationship management being at the forefront.
The second important use of social software was to drive innovation and competitive differentiation. So whilst the majority see the importance over the coming years most are viewing social tools as external activity, with a smaller group understanding its potential for internal innovation and collaboration.

The Barriers.
The report highlights the biggest barrier is leadership vision. However it is noted that CEOs are twice as likely to drive strategic adoption of social tools than the CIO and CFO.
Lack of understanding on how to measure the effectiveness of social tools is also cited as an inhibitor of adoption with many not measuring at all. Social business depends on leadership, metrics may not be critical when experimenting with social software, but as it becomes more important to organisations, having metrics in place can help managers assess, encourage and reward related behaviours. Helping shift their cultures to be more compatible with social business. CEOs recognise that leadership can be improved with social business, may be more than other members of the C-Suite.

The Challenge
Gartner estimates that the failure rate for social business projects is 70%. That is astonishingly high. Factors that could be responsible include:
– Not using the software deployed to solve a true business problem
– Integration into daily work flow
– Lack of senior management support
– Thinking email is a collaborative tool
– The use of “Social” with the word “Business” vs “Social Media”
– Not realising we are Human. (The three basic psychological factors : The need to connect, feel competent and the need to be autonomous in one’s actions)

The report asked “Why do you use social business at work?” The top three answers being : To network, effectiveness and to voice opinions.
Motivations to participate in social business activities are thus far from superficial and even go beyond just our social nature. They can help fulfil basic psychological needs.

The report also noted that larger organisations and smaller organisations appreciate the value of social business more than that of mid size organisations. With the smaller companies saying they could increase their voice and connect with customers to really make themselves seem bigger than they really are.

The Plan
A clear vision of how social media supports the business strategy was top facilitator in the report. So the first step in your social business journey is to create and communicate the broader social strategy for your organisation. What business challenges are to be solved with social business activities? What is the Strategy to make this happen? What technology best supports these objectives? What kinds of social networks will support this strategy? Most important is to realise that your social business journey will take time, require and drive changes to your business processes. Defining organisational structure an how you interact with customers and employees.

Take the time to access where you are today, identify problems that are currently being addressed with social tools. Consider if the correct resources are being directed towards the right problems. If you are heavily regulated make sure you have governance process in place to address these. Identify the people or roles that will focus on social business and how these individuals will coordinate with each other. Use listening tools to collect information about your brand, customer service and competition. This area hols tremendous potential for organisations.

Ensuring that your business has enough resources is fundamental. Have you chosen to assign the tasks to an individual or will it be on top of someone’s day job. Will you have incentives in place, targeting and rewarding the correct people. Have you resources in place for communication, content creation, community management and training.

Whilst the report makes it clear that many companies are not measuring and whilst in experimentation mode this may not be so important. Measurement will however need to be conducted especially when redefining practices and processes, measuring adoption thought will be misleading so not advised. For people, often what matters most is whether the tools helps them to do their jobs more effectively.

Given that social business is just getting started you may be tempted to wait. But that approach may delay achieving its potential in your organisation, to the detriment of your innovation, leadership, operations and marketing.

Category: CEO, CMO, IBM, Social Business, Technology | No Comments »

☞ The Tech Wrap by Ben Martin☜

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