No matter what industry you’re in, staying profitable is always a priority. Reducing overhead costs is vital to this goal, and most advice for doing so these days involves technology. But investing in new tech can seem like a luxury that companies only engage in when they have capital to burn. In today’s technology-centric landscape, […]
LogiTech MeetUp: A Video Collaboration Tool For Small Groups
With more remote teams and the growing trend to use co-working spaces and huddle rooms to get work done, video collaboration platforms have become a key tool. To help conduct these smaller meetings, LogiTech has introduced MeetUp, an all-in-one conference camera that pulls everyone away from the tiny laptop screen and toward a larger, clear […]
How Tech Can Help You Tap into Substantial Millennial Spending Power
Retailers can tap into an immense source of spending power if they can successfully market to Millennials, who currently make up more than a third of American workers. Not surprisingly, considering the world in which this generation has come of age, creative uses of technology are proving to be very effective in accomplishing this. According […]
3 Ways to Boost STEM Education to Prepare the Workforce of the Future
It’s obvious: Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are integral parts of everyone’s life. Since 2009, STEM has accounted for more than 800,000 new jobs in the U.S. — more than double the number of new jobs in non-STEM sectors. That growth should be exciting, especially considering the boom of innovation that’s sure to follow. However, […]
Want Work-Life Balance? Look for a City With These 3 Things
Sometimes, it feels as though achieving the exalted work-life balance is more about the stars aligning in your favor than something you can actually control. Some weeks come together easily, while others leave you scrambling to do things like eat and sleep. It’s becoming clear that many factors influence our work-life balance, and one that […]
Businesses Broke Ground on Blockchain. What Can Civic Groups Learn?
At best, blockchain has been a trial-and-error technology. For every successful cryptocurrency, there are a dozen cases like Civil, which had to cancel its initial coin offering after failing to gain traction on a plan to use blockchain to verify user-submitted news content. Although 84 percent of global companies are dabbling in the decentralized ledger […]
In an Experiential-Obsessed Marketplace, Surkus Uses Tech to Stand Out
Experiences have flooded the marketplace. Whether they’re investing in pop-up stores or festivals, brands have recognized the major shift happening. The IPA Bellwether Report found that in the U.K., experiential marketing was the only area to experience significant growth in spend in 2017 besides internet marketing. Similarly, EventTrack found that American consumers gravitated toward the […]
How Minnesota Became the Land of 10,000 Startups
Minnesota is no stranger to big business. It’s home to such names as Target, Best Buy, General Mills, and Ecolab — all of which have made their homes in Minnesota for generations and have become a source of pride. But a new industry — technology — is taking Minnesota by storm, boosting the local economy […]
File Recovery and Other Innovative Solutions to Save Your Small Business Day
Murphy’s Law states, “If anything can go wrong, it will.” That seems to be an adage that many small business owners often face. There is never a convenient time for “things to go wrong.” These always seem to happen at the worst possible moments. Typically, it involves some deadline. Plus, it results in a sudden […]
Passport Raises $3m to Build the Modern Shipping Carrier
Ecommerce brands have seen innovations spring up for all parts of their business to help them compete more effectively with Amazon. Shopify makes it seamless to launch a great storefront. Instagram helps you build your audience (and even sell directly!). Whiplash and Shipmonk handle your fulfillment. Fuse Inventory and Stitch Labs manages your inventory with […]
Today’s Social Platforms Are Dangerous. Can Mappen Build a Safer One?
Social media needs a surgeon general’s warning. No, that isn’t hyperbole. We know social media is highly addictive. We know heavy use leads to less less moment-to-moment happiness and less life satisfaction. And as with tobacco products, we know teenage use is particularly dangerous: A study of 500,000 teenagers found excessive screen time promotes depression, […]
3 Ways to Use a Controversial Type of Data That Will Help You Succeed
The debate about companies’ use of location data has gained a lot of traction this year. However, that shouldn’t make you shy about using it. In the right hands, used the right way, location data is an invaluable tool in any market. Your competition knows this, and the debate isn’t slowing them down, either. According […]
Will Self Driving Cars Mean the End for Motorcycling?
For techies out there, it may seem evident that the self-driving car promises unparalleled levels of safety for the 1.2B car commuters out there. We are in dire need of a solution to reduce the > one million deaths that occur on public roads every year. But with seven billion people in the world today […]
Marketers, You’re Wasting Your Data
Data has never been more critical to marketing success. Companies are striving to employ the latest analytics to drive improvement in all areas of operations. The good news is that the majority of consumers are willing to provide data, given the right conditions. In fact, a 2018 survey by Acxiom found that 58 percent of […]
Are AI and Big Data the Economic Levelers We’ve Been Looking for?
For all of the “isms” supposedly being felled by enlightened Americans, the U.S. economy remains stunningly unfair. Take racism. On one hand, interracial marriages have grown fivefold in the 50 years since Loving v. Virginia, which legalized the practice. On the other, the average median household wealth of African-Americans declined by 75 percent between 1983 […]
Jive Founder Backs New-School Engagement Platform
Founding Jive Software CEO Dave Hersh defined the enterprise community and collaboration category from 2001 up to the company’s 2011 IPO. Since then, the space has changed dramatically as businesses have realized the importance of building engaging, valuable communities of professionals and supporters. So it may come as a surprise to learn Hersh recently acquired […]
How Barrett Wissman Predicts Influencers Will Change the Arts Game
Influencers in the arts can drive real profits, even with small moves. A single Instagram post by Beyoncé, for example, is worth $1 million. D’Marie Analytics found that Beyoncé’s follower count — which puts her at No. 18 across Instagram — was only one factor in evaluating her worth as an ambassador. Engagement and click-through […]
How to Put Big Data’s Superpowers to Work for Marketing
Companies may be well aware they’re sitting on a gold mine of data, but most of them have no idea how to exploit its value. Case in point: According to research by Forrester, up to 73 percent of corporate data goes unanalyzed. Information is collected, then neglected. That’s as unproductive as living with Superman and […]
Square small businesses aren’t so small anymore, here’s how the company is growing with them
Nine years ago Square launched it’s iconic white card reader that turned any cell phone into a credit card reader and solved a huge problem for America’s tiniest businesses. Fast forward almost a decade and many of those small businesses are not so small anymore. That taco truck start-up is now a fleet of ten […]
The Future of Blockchain: Technology Partnerships with AI, Bots, and IoT
Each technology we use offers some type of benefit. However, advantages rapidly increase by integrating numerous technologies. While Superman can save the day, there is no chance for evil to win when he joins the Justice League. In this case, the blockchain, which is the decentralized ledger behind cryptocurrency and smart contracts, is the superhero. […]