The Great Business

Are you confused by the many new and confusing terms associated with digital marketing?

Whatever happened to good old fashioned media such as print, radio and TV?

Unfortunately, the fact is, people have been moving away from traditional media and are now giving more of their time to the internet and mobile phones. So whether you like it or not, knowing how to market through the new media is necessary.

Not convinced?

Take a look around you. How many people do you see using a mobile phone? They are practically everywhere!

People are using their phones to play games, watch videos, communicate with friends and get online. Smart phones like the iPhone are changing the way sales messages are conveyed and can be conveyed.

Where people were used to accepting ads passively in the past, today they have evolved to either shut them out or interact with them. We definitely want the latter. And the digital marketing route allows us to do exactly that through engaging mobile applications or interactive digital content on the web.

Whether you like it or not, the digital revolution has arrived and if you don’t want to be banished to oblivion, you have got to learn how to sell effectively to the digital generation!

Digital marketing covers a broad spectrum of marketing avenues.

At the heart of digital marketing is the internet and smart phones. The internet is the universe in which information is disseminated and the smart phone is the medium through which the audience connects to the internet.

Therefore, Digital marketing = Internet marketing + Mobile marketing

The good news is – it can be so much more affordable and cost effective in comparison to print, radio and TV marketing.

When I used the word “network”, many of you might be thinking that I will provide you a list of Investment Banks, Private Equity funds and Finance companies. While the list is important, it’s also important to look at how to approach people and network in Finance.

Networking is building and maintaining relationships.

Whatever you want to learn, be it Finance or networking, there are strategies and tactics.

Strategies are high level views like how to conduct informational interviews, how to approach people in groups and making a career plan.

Tactics are how you say, what you say, emailing etc.

You need both the approaches in networking.

What key strategies you need to apply? How to develop the mindset for networking?

Follow some do’s and don’ts in networking:

Do’s

1.If the school/college you are graduating from is not well-known, put extra efforts in networking.

2. Start networking months and months before you actually look for a job. You can do this simultaneously with your graduation.

3. Networking is about getting more people to know you, so meet as many people as you can in Finance.

4. When you meet people, be genuinely interested in them. Discuss about their background, interest, hobbies, and any recent personal event. Practice this and you will build relationships.

5. Understand that networking is a long term effort.

6. Change the strategy of networking if you are not getting results after investing months. Ask friends and people in Finance what is going wrong.

7. While networking, don’t overlook names/friends in your circle.

8. Keep in mind that only early bird catches the worm. Have an early start and establish contacts.

9. Check whether you are making progress.

The speed of business is fast. Things change at the drop of a hat. Being able to take advantage of and adapt to these changes is what separates successful businesses from those that go out of business. One such tool that helps businesses keep pace with this ever changing world is retail accounting software. Retail companies typically have a wide variety of customers and a large number of transactions – both debits and credits. For most businesses with more than just a few clients, keeping track of this information can be time consuming and mistakes can be made in the short run. That is where modern technology is helping businesses. Software is able to perform some accounting tasks in real time that once required a delay and a CPA to be done accurately. Here are the top 5 ways that retail accounting software can help your business:

* Improved Internal Controls – It is easy for money to slip through the cracks, both through incompetence and unethical behavior. Finding and correcting these mistakes in a timely manner are near impossible without a team of accountants working around the clock. But with software, mistakes and outlying numbers that do not add up can be automated to raise red flags immediately – when the errors are still easy to fix.

* Improved Profitability and Cash Flows – Time is money. Mistakes cost money and time (which is more money). The quicker reliable information can be compiled and used, the greater advantage a business has against its competitors. The quicker and more accurately that cash can be attributed and located to the proper category, the greater flexibility and versatility that a business has with its capital.