Author: Julie Campbell

Social media marketing is seen as important by female business owners

| March 19, 2014

However, a study shows that there are more people who value it than are actually using it.

Recent research is indicating that female business owners are feeling quite optimistic, overall, about the way that their companies will be performing over the upcoming year, and that many of them feel that social media marketing could play a notable role in helping to enhance outcomes.

That said, a surprising number of women business owners are not using this technique, despite the value they assign it.

The research from the National Association of Women Business Owners and Web.com Group, Inc., showed that 89 percent of women feel that their business performance will be positive throughout this year. This is an increase of 8 percent over the figures that were registered last year when women business owners were asked the same question. Among those who participated in the survey, most said that social media marketing was important for building relationships with customers.

In fact, 85 percent of women business owners felt that social media marketing was important for this purpose.

However, at the same time that this vast majority expressed that they felt this way, only 67 percent of this same group said that they were currently using one of the social networks in order to connect with customers. At the same time, only slightly over half felt strong enough in their ability to build a presence over social media in order to achieve this goal. When all was said and done, only about one in every four female business owners are posting comments at least one time per day.Social Media Marketing - Business Woman

Among those that were posting over social media, the preferred site was also surprising. Although Facebook is by far the largest social network and it receives the highest amount of traffic, it was still used by only 21 percent of the respondents. LinkedIn had the top spot at 25 percent. This could suggest either that women prefer the latter network or it could also indicate that many of the survey participants were marketing business to business – for which LinkedIn would be the top choice.

This year could be a defining one for social media marketing, as the perception of its value continues to rise, but at a greater rate than its adoption among this demographic.

Wearable technology is Disney’s latest investment

| March 17, 2014

The company has now invested $1 billion into its MyMagic+ brand and will combine several mobile elements.

The Walt Disney Company has now put $1 billion into wearable technology with the intention of implementing a broad scale experimental program that will help to change the way that visitors to its theme parks spend their money.

The MyMagic+ program brings together several different mobile technologies and features to enhance the guest experience.

The MyMagic+ program brings together the website, a smartphone app, and wearable technology and the form of MagicBands. The MagicBands are a type of tracking bracelet that allows the company to monitor the movements of the visitors as they make their way through the Disney World resorts and enjoy the various features, shows, rides, shops, restaurants, kiosks, and more. The guests will be able to use the program to be able to make their trip bookings and plan out the rides that they’d like to enjoy, months in advance.

The MagicBands are wearable technology that hold all of the information the visitor will need.

For instance, a visitor to Disney World who is staying in one of the resorts would be able to store his or her hotel room key, credit and debit card information, and tickets, all within these bracelet wearables. Then, they can be used at any place in the parks and hotels simply by tapping these mobile devices to a sensor.

The MyMagic+ program also uses the MagicBand RFID enabled bracelets for geolocation purposes, to track the movements of all of their wearers throughout the parks. This is the feature that is being considered defining in terms of whether or not the program should be deemed successful. While the bracelets do help Disney to be able to provide guests with faster and more convenient service at restaurants, to better manage lines, and to direct the park employees, the tracking also offers additional opportunities.

As the park will always know where a guest is located, the geolocation style tracking in these wearable technology devices can provide wearers with custom notifications about wait times for rides or changes at restaurants.