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Integrated marketing is one of the fastest-growing practices within the industry, mainly because advancements in technology have made it increasingly simple to combine various channels into one focused campaign.

Time once was that marketing campaigns consisted of multiple professionals managing different channels in order to obtain inroads into new industries and marketing mediums. However, that was proven to be a risky venture, as unsuccessful channels were causing companies to waste valuable resources that yielded unfavorable results. Today, many marketing campaigns can be integrated and consolidated, which alleviates the negative ramifications of failed channel campaigns.

According to an article in Customer Think, this will become even more important in 2013. Tony Zambito, the article's author, suggests more organizations integrate their channels to help obtain maximum value from each campaign.

"Campaigns can be costly," Zambito writes. "When they do not add up, this can be painful – in the sense that you have shot your allocated resources on the wrong channels. Look for more focus in 2013 on how to leverage different channels and integrate campaigns. When developing campaigns, how integrating social media, content marketing, mobile, web, and newer emerging channels into the campaigns will leverage cost yet yield more results becomes a key driver."

This practice does have its fair share of new challenges, namely in data analytics. Organizations must find ways to better manage the information they glean from their campaigns, which could become quite the chore if data is all being funneled to one centralized location. Creating a custom database software system will give professionals proper insight into the value of their respective data and make appropriate decisions. By developing a system designed to accommodate their integrated marketing, companies can ensure they maximize the potential of each channel and campaign.

Let's face it, digital data growth is not going to slow down anytime soon. In fact, the amount of content either being created digitally or converted from traditional to digital format is increasing at breakneck speed. 

According to analysis from IDC, the volume of digital content in the world grew 48 percent from 2011 to 2012, coming in at around 2.7 billion terabytes by the end of last year. While that number may seem large, it is relatively tiny compared to IDC's projections. The global market intelligence firm predicts that by 2015, the amount of global digital content will reach 8 billion terabytes.

This data will be spread out through a multitude of organizations in various industries in different countries and continents so no one entity will be burdened with this much information, but the fact that data will nearly triple in the next two years is an alarming thought. It shows that companies cannot rely on traditional data management techniques and solutions if they want to succeed in the future.

They key to an organization's future survival is implementing systems designed to simplify and speed up that data management process. Companies will have a virtually endless supply of information to wade through, which could prove to be problematic if decision makers are tasked with finding specific data. Implementing a system designed to expedite the data management process will alleviate this concern.

Using FileMaker to design a custom database software solution can give companies the ability to better store and manage their information. It can also allow professionals to find what they are looking for without having to sift through duplicate or unnecessary data.

Digital information will continue to grow long after 2015, and those equipped with flexible and scalable solutions will be prepared to handle future challenges.

Bring-your-own-device (BYOD) is one of the most popular terms in today’s business circles. Brought on by the rapid evolution of mobile technology, this policy allows employees to bring their own smartphones and tablets into the office and use them as working machines.

At its core, BYOD is designed to promote business efficiency, but not everyone is on board with it. Security is always a major concern with business technology, and the idea of BYOD has heightened many of those fears. If an employee stores sensitive company data on his or her device, takes it outside of the office and then either loses it or has it stolen, the security of the entire organization could be put in jeopardy.

Even businesses that refuse to implement BYOD strategies know they can’t completely prevent an employee from using a personal device to store company data. As long as workers bring their smartphones to work with them, data is always going to be at risk. The New York Times recently featured a number of organizations that are creating solutions to avoid security risks brought on by personal mobile usage. Bill Burns, the director of IT infrastructure at Netflix, told the Times that you can’t avoid personal device usage, so it’s best to implement a system designed to build additional security layers.

“People are going to bring their own devices, their own data, their own software applications, even their own work groups,” Burns said. “If you try and implant software that limits an employee’s capabilities, you’re adding a layer of complexity.”

Companies should not be discouraging the use of personal devices in the workplace, because the need to do so usually equates to the desire to build personal productivity. Creating a custom database software system can allow companies to store sensitive data off of personal devices, while still giving them access through secure applications. This allows businesses to keep sensitive information onsite, while promoting efficiency through the use of smartphones and tablets.

Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics – as portrayed in the book and film "Moneyball" – turned baseball on its head 10 years ago by changing the way players were evaluated. Instead of following traditional metrics, the Athletics' scouting departments looked deeper into personal statistics and collected a group of players who fit into their system. By implementing this strategy, the team maximized its potential and got the most out of its limited resources. Marketers can follow the same principle.

Not all companies are privileged with massive budgets and unlimited resources. The top global conglomerates – playing the part of the New York Yankees – can afford to spend a tremendous amount of funds on bringing in new customers. However, small and midsize companies – similar to the Oakland Athletics – do not have that luxury. That's why it's important to optimize the performance of marketing analytics tools, so that companies can get the biggest bang for their marketing buck.

An article in the online publication Customer Think addresses this idea. It suggests that while marketers can benefit from reevaluating the way they look at data and use it to assist their marketing efforts, yet many have yet to do so.

"Many aren't yet using the underlying big data and analytics to make the transition from one-size-fits-all marketing to behavior-based, personalized marketing programs," Akin Arikan, the article's author, writes. "That is despite the fact that both marketers and customers stand to gain when interactions are more relevant, helpful, and real-time."

Ultimately, for marketers to maximize the potential of their information, they need to find a better way to look at it. Using FileMaker to develop a custom database software system can allow organizations the flexibility to generate custom reports and allow them the ability to view information in new and unique ways. By doing this, marketers can enhance their efforts and add increased value to the organization.

Product development has always been a risky operation. If a specific item doesn't resonate with its intended audience, businesses can suffer in multiple ways. Not only will they fail to yield projected profits, their reputations could be irreparably damaged. 

However, technology has evolved to a point where companies can improve their product development operations by acquiring and processing real-time feedback almost instantly. This is a tremendously valuable addition to the development process because it allows workers to adjust their strategies before it's too late.

For example, software developers may want to get a sense of how their audience feels about a new app before it is released. By sharing components, typically through social media channels, companies can process their responses and utilize it to benefit their own practices.

An article in the online publication Hypebot lists a handful of trends that will dictate the future of product development. Social media and big data are both listed and, in this scenario, they go hand-in-hand.

However, Max Engal, article's author, says that while companies can collect more information, they must shift their concentration towards how to better process it.

"Users now exist in a world where their feedback is constantly collected in real-time, and the challenge is not how the sites get the data, but instead how to best analyze it in a meaningful way to gain actionable insights," Engal writes.

Implementing a database software system designed to give workers better access to pertinent data can prove to be beneficial to any product development initiative. The sooner the data is processed, the sooner it can be used to assist product management. Moreover, these applications can be used to give decision makers deeper insight as to the meaning of their information, in addition to expediting analytics. FileMaker can serve as the ideal tool for developing this sort of software. 

This blog has spoken at great length on the value of employee productivity. Productive workers enhance a company's ability to service its customers, increasing profitability. There are many things companies do to improve production, and communication is near the top of the list.

An article in the online publication Dynamic Business lists communication as one of the top steps companies must take to improve worker productivity. Collis Taeed, the author of the article, lists it as one of his top challenges as a business manager.

"One struggle I've had is to realize that talking to my team is some of the most important work I can do," Taeed writes. "By coaching and supporting them I'm assuring their effectiveness, and that trickles down throughout the whole organization. It's also a great way to hear ideas and eliminate inefficiencies or pain points. An employee who feels [they] can be honest will tell you when tasks are useless or a time sink, and that can be really difficult to see from the top of an organization."

It might sound good in theory to sit down and talk with employees about everything it requires to ensure a productive organization, but it's not as effective in practice. All workers – whether they are managers or end users – are busy throughout the day. They are constantly on the go, so sitting down to discuss ideas will likely lead to counter-productivity.

Instead, businesses should invest in the development of solutions that can promote collaboration and communication, even if workers aren't close to one another. To compensate for a lack of proximity, companies are installing database software systems which allows workers to store and share pertinent information. This allows for better decision making.

This software will also assist with team building and allow valuable ideas to be shared at a greater rate. These benefits will improve all facets of an organization. 

Social media strategy is still a relatively new concept to business executives, but it has become increasingly important over the year. Recently, this blog examined the value of marketing through various social channels, but companies can’t simply launch a social media campaign without properly preparing themselves ahead of time.

There are many risks associated with social media marketing. Depending on the channel, it’s very likely that all activity is going to be public. Unless properly set, all tweets are public and can be seen by anyone who logs into Twitter. Facebook business page messages can be seen by everyone as well. This is ideal, at least on paper, because companies should ultimately be doing what they can to further engage their audience through these channels, but it also means that businesses have to be careful about how they conduct themselves online.

Walt Harrison, a guest journalist with the Nashville Business Journal, wrote recently about the risks of social media marketing. He implored organizations to be cognizant of any potential dangers and underlined a number of the more severe risks.

“There is danger in ignoring or underplaying the risks associated with unmanaged employee Internet and social media use,” Harrison wrote. “Doing so invites harassment claims, discrimination suits or other legal distractions.”

That’s why companies should use the resources at their disposal to properly organize social media campaigns so they can mitigate the risk of improper use. Using FileMaker to develop a custom database software system can help organizations track social media posts and users who have access to each account. This will let executives know who is posting to various social channels, what they are saying and at what time the messages are being posted.

While database software can also help track social analytics, no benefits are possible until social campaigns are properly strategized.

The National Football League – close to a trillion dollar enterprise – should not suffer many setbacks, particularly in regards to the basic functionality of its biggest stage. However, even the mighty fall down sometime. 

On Sunday night, as a record number of people tuned into the Super Bowl, they were met with something they never expected to see – a total blackout. The New Orleans Superdome, hosting the country’s biggest sporting event for the first time in 11 years, suffered a power outage early on in the third quarter. The perfect entity known as the NFL could do nothing but wait, as players, attendees and viewers around the world were deprived of football for 34 minutes.

The lights eventually came back on and the action picked up again without a hitch. In fact, the game was more competitive after the blackout than it had been prior to the incident. However, the event shows that any organization, regardless of its wealth of resources, can’t rely on perfection all the time. Incidents happen, and organizations that are properly prepared will be the ones that overcome the adversity. 

Suppose a standard midsize company suffers a similar blackout? It’s highly unlikely that it would possess the resources and ability to survive the event unscathed as the NFL did, unless it was ready. To prepare an organization, companies may need to make advanced software investments to ensure all of its information is organized and protected.

This could come in the form of high-end procurement, or it could call for custom application development. Using FileMaker to build a solid database software system can give businesses the opportunity to better store pertinent data, while tracking and sharing it seamlessly. Not only will this produce an added layer of operational efficiency, it would give companies the tools to ensure they alleviate the damages caused by any unforeseen incident. 

Mobile devices aren’t going away any time soon. In fact, their growth is being felt in more areas than ever before. Businesses are implementing bring-your-own-device (BYOD) strategies to assist with daily operations and provide employees with the convenience needed to effectively do their jobs from any point and at any time.

As gas prices remain a national issue, more companies are incorporating a work-from-home policy which lets employees do their jobs from a remote location. By letting workers bring the same personal device they used at home into the office when they come to work, companies can reduce the risk of lost data or inefficient processes because employees will simply continue where they left off on that device.

Mick Slattery, an IT solutions executive, spoke with eWeek about the efficiency companies gain by implementing a BYOD policy.

“The nature of work and how business gets done is going through a transformation. Consumer technologies in the workplace are a significant catalyst for this transformation,” Slattery said. “Executives are capitalizing on the opportunity these technologies offer by adjusting business processes and updating policies with measurable results in areas such as customer service, profitable growth, happier employees and bringing new products and services to market faster.”

Companies that implement this policy will need to have the proper software solutions in place to maintain mobile communication strategies while upholding data security. Oftentimes, BYOD is a way to meet a specific need to mitigate a certain pitfall pertaining to operational efficiency. If this is the case, the importance of having the right software in place is paramount. Custom application development may be needed to create desired software solutions to run on each mobile device, but the advantages gained in doing so will allow any BYOD policy to reach its maximum potential. 

ZTE was once a leading provider of telecommunications and network solutions, as it has worked with the top carriers and mobile software developers to produce fantastic devices. However, the company’s success has dwindled and now executives are searching for answers as to how to turn things around.

A report in the online publication China Daily examines the Chinese company’s struggles, such as a loss of profits last year. According to the article, this may be due to the fact that ZTE has completely separated ownership from operation, meaning that none of the company’s employees – who man the daily operations – are shareholders. 

The article suggests that this structure can only yield two possible results: either the company operators don’t have the incentive to work hard for the shareholders or the shareholders will lose control of the company because they are not immersed in the day-to-day grind, thus leaving managers with no ownership to make decisions.

“The former result can be seen in some state-owned companies where the efficiency is low and corruption is rampant,” the article says. “While the latter one can be found in some multinational corporations, to avoid the management hurting the interests of owners, the shareholders usually offer the executives big salaries and a benefits package that includes a golden parachute.”

Owners likely prefer the latter as it gives them an opportunity to manipulate operational control, but all of this can be avoided if companies simply invest in new software solutions that build efficiency and promote communication and transparency. Using FileMaker to build a custom database software solution can collect data and display it in a way that ownership has a clear view of what is happening, what’s working and what isn’t.

Such a solution could have helped ZTE improve its economic viability. Its ownership structure isn’t necessarily wrong, as long as proper actions are taken.