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Companies that are using Twitter and other social media platforms to market themselves may not know exactly what their efforts are worth, especially as many of these platforms just started allowing companies to officially advertise themselves on these avenues. In order to gain more insight into online marketing campaigns, companies may want to invest a custom database software that will allow them to track how much they're actually investing in these endeavors.

Twitter recently started to let companies advertise on its website in addition to maintaining their own company accounts. According to Businessweek, one Austin, Texas-based T-shirt retailer named Glennz Tees was contacted by the social network last November about advertising with them. Walter Stokes, CEO of the shop, told the source that he spent a little over $15,000 to advertise for three months on Twitter. Every few weeks a representative from Twitter would contact him to check up on the advertising campaign.

The owner ended up moving 60 to 70 percent of his advertising budget on Twitter and even spent $100 to $200 per day during the holiday season. Subsequently, the campaign tripled his Twitter followers and significantly boosted revenue.

It can be hard to measure the value of a Twitter campaign, let alone the value of a tweet. In order for businesses that are advertising on Twitter or using internet marketing campaigns to accurately determine the cost of their efforts, they may want to use database software to store and manage the necessary statistics.

By analyzing click-through rates, Facebook likes, retweets and converted leads through custom database software, these businesses may find an advantage by crunching the big data, allowing them to make better informed decisions on their marketing efforts. 

Regardless of how well a product is made or how applicable it is to problems that consumers or businesses may face on a daily basis, if a sales representative can’t move it, then that business will not stay afloat. In order for managers to increase the effectiveness of their sales teams – no matter how big it may be – they may want to not only invest in a custom database software to help share necessary information and leads, but also adhere to a few sales tips from Inc. Magazine.

In order for sales reps to get the most out of their meetings, they must conduct thorough research on exactly who they are meeting with. By understanding that company or individual well enough, they are able to sell the product as a solution to what they need, and greatly improve their chances of making a sale.

It can also be very helpful if companies use custom databases to store this research and share it among other sales representatives that may be in contact with the client. Many sales teams rely on popular products such as FileMaker Pro and web-based software Salesforce.com.

Furthermore, goals are an increasingly important part of selling products. Representatives shouldn’t just have goals for each individual meeting with a client – they should know exactly why they are at the meeting and what they hope to get out of it – but also sales goals for each month. Tracking and managing these goals and employees’ progress can be performed with database software, which offers employees visibility on how well they are progressing in their development and productivity.

But, the most important part of creating a successful sales team is confidence. According to Inc., any sales rep can memorize scripts and do the best research on clients, but if they don’t have the confidence to really sell the product, the customer isn’t going to bite.

While owning a small business may offer many personal and professional perks, the administrative work that is necessary for legal compliance is often seen as a bit of a burden to many owners. This may result in a company having financial records in subpar form, something that Entrepreneur Magazine recommends should be dealt with in a few ways that involve the use of custom database software.

Before small businesses start, they may want to take some time to identify how their business should be classified. Whether they're a sole proprietorship, limited liability company or a full-on corporation is important for tax reasons as they all have different levels of liability protection.

In addition, companies should always know their tax responsibilities, which can change very easily. Owners can store and access all of these details along with other tax forms and tasks with custom database software.

Furthermore, maintaining necessary employee information for payroll and taxes is another key responsibility for business owners attempting to get their financial records straight. It is also something that can be effectively managed with database software.

Entrepreneur also recommends that when companies take the time to straighten out their accounting, they also begin developing better financial and bookkeeping practices with the tools that technology can offer. By using custom database software, companies can upload and share documents. They can crunch budget numbers and calculate payroll hours while also managing to-do lists and other essential workplace tasks that can alleviate the necessary administrative work that comes with owning a small business. 

The American work scene is changing. In a new survey by data protection company Mozy, managers revealed that the once-heralded nine-to-five work schedule is beginning to change to a more ambiguous regimen with the emphasis put on productivity rather than time spent in office.

“Workers around the world are making the most of the technology available to them to create more flexibility in their day for work and family,” said Russ Stockdale, general manager of Mozy. “Hard work isn’t going unnoticed and mobile technology is having more of an impact on employer attitudes than people think.”

According to the survey, the average manager is indifferent to employees arriving up to a half hour later than the usual 9 a.m. punch-in. Managers will also let their staff spend a quarter of the week working from home.

Furthermore, while many managers may not mind where or when their employees get their work done, nearly 75 percent of them actually provide the tools they need for their workforce to maintain productivity from anywhere. Also, 20 percent of U.S. employers provide the tools that allow workers to access material from mobile devices, using database software much like FileMaker Go.

Also, 48 percent of managers responded saying they don’t mind when employees take longer lunches and are often fine with their workforces enjoying “office banter” and taking regular breaks. In return, over half of all employees surveyed “think nothing” of leaving work early for a personal appointment or errands.

While the work world is shifting toward a more relaxed and lenient lifestyle, it may benefit managers who work in these cultures to consult a FileMaker developer that can create a custom database that allows all employees to track projects remotely and know exactly what is expected of them and by when.

Good Technology, a software company in California, conducted a survey of 1,000 adults that found that more workers in the United States are at least checking corporate emails after hours than ever before due to the rise in mobile technology.

According to the survey, 68 percent of workers check their work email before 8 a.m. and, specifically, the average hour that work email is opened is at 7:09 a.m. In fact, nearly 50 percent of workers will check their email while still in bed.

Also, 40 percent of respondents said they will still send work emails after 10 p.m. and 69 percent won't go to sleep unless they check their email first. Pushing the boundaries of work even further, 57 percent said they will check work emails while on family outings and even 38 percent say they routinely check work emails while at the dinner table.

"When it comes to supporting a 'bring your own device' environment, it's important to take an approach that ensures data security without compromising the employee's privacy or personal experiences," said John Herrema, senior vice president of corporate strategy for mobile security software company Good. "By shifting their management focus from 'devices' to 'apps' and 'data,' enterprises can allow employees to get work done on the go whenever they want, and still keep personal information private, separate and safe."

One way companies can capitalize on the use of mobile devices and working after hours, is by consulting a FileMaker developer to implement the custom database software into operations, as well as the mobile version of the application – FileMaker Go. This can allow workers to not only check updated documents and information, but also upload their own and share among coworkers. 

As technology begins to increase the expected turnaround and reaction time for many services and goods – due in part to new social media and consumer services – customers have begun to expect companies to be able to improve their products at an alarming rate as well.

Obsoletion has become a very real threat in almost any industry. In order to combat the rapid pace of product evolution, many companies have begun using what Harvard Business Review contributor and author Thomas Redman calls “informationalization” where companies will add or use data to enhance their products and services, something that can be very useful to evolving products and managed with a custom database software.

The clearest example of informationalization is, actually, in the beer industry. Major brewery Coors Light added a feature on their labels that inform drinkers when their beer is cold. They used a very basic form of information – coldness – as a means to advance their product and engage customers.

“Most companies are only beginning to realize the power in data, so these issues are demanding,” writes Thomas Redman. “There is no standard business model for informationalization or a tried-and-true list of basic questions. This, of course, is the real work and the fun of the unfolding data revolution.”

While adding more data to products or customer services can help businesses improve the quality of their work – and customer satisfaction – the maintenance of this data can be a heavy burden for any company, but absolutely necessary. In order to effectively store, categorize and maintain this wealth of information, companies may want to consult a FileMaker developer to create a custom database software for their specific needs.

Many companies place a heavy influence on growing their customer base by adding newer ones. This may make sense on a topical level – the more customers the better – but upon further insight, it may not be the best practice.

In order to properly grow a customer base, Entrepreneur Magazine recommends that companies take the time to pay more attention to their current customers, which can be most accurately done through a custom database software but also through a few sales tactics according to the news source.

One of the many ways companies can grow on existing customers is by enticing them to spend more. This can be done through a number of avenues such as cross-selling programs where companies may push customers to purchase related products, or up-selling programs, emphasizing the quality of higher-end products – a very common tactic in the restaurant industry. Others include next-selling – jumping toward the next purchase – and unbundling, where companies form a sort of a la carte menu to their products.

Furthermore, providing call to actions and mentioning new products or promotions on any form of customer communication template can also allow companies to increase sales. These templates can be stored in the database software as well.

Regardless of the ways companies promote increased customer spending, the data involved in these processes is very complicated. Associates will have to pull information about other products to promote to customers as well track previous purchases. The use of a custom database software similar to FileMaker can help companies maintain these crucial statistics that can play a key part in any customer growth initiatives. 

The customer is always right is an adage for a reason – its emphasis on pleasing the customer is something that is paramount of businesses. That being said, companies will often do what they can to ensure customer satisfaction. According to a recent poll by CompTIA, a nonprofit research association for the IT industry, technology has taken a major role in the way businesses judge and ensure customer satisfaction.

According to the survey, 72 percent of retailers rate technology as important to their business. In addition, 63 percent of retailers expect to increase IT spending in 2012. Larger retailers also expect to boost IT budgets by almost 5 percent in the next year, with most others only planning roughly 4 percent.

Respondents say that promotional announcements and other direct engagement with customers are the most favored uses of technology.

“One reason for the strong interest may be in response to ‘showrooming,’ where consumers visit a physical shop to assess a product but make the purchase from an online retailer to get the lowest possible price,” said Tim Herbert, vice president of research at CompTIA. “Location-based technologies can give retailers the tools to incentivize in-store purchases, such as special discounts for in-store customers who check-in via an app.”

If retailers wish to use technology as a means to increase customer satisfaction as well as company performance, they may want to consult a FileMaker developer to create a custom database software that can handle whatever that particular company needs.

Whether it’s keeping track of sales, customer loyalty points, product promotions or inventory, a custom database software can assist these companies with the necessary tasks to boost productivity and customer happiness.

In order for companies to operate efficiently and productively, communication across departments and among many different co-workers is essential. Although many businesses may think they've accomplished this through email, they may be surprised at how much more productive they can be not only with custom database software, but also by following a few tips from Entrepreneur Magazine. 

According to the magazine, managers should take the time to create a comprehensive task list that can guide them and their team to productivity. By doing so, coworkers and others associated with the project will be able to maintain a clear understanding of what needs to be done and when, as well as determine which tasks are of high or low priority.

Furthermore, this information can be shared using a custom database software, that allows all these individuals to access the list in one place, rather than having to email copies to everyone or even pass out paper copies. This tactic can be especially helpful for those involved in creative industries such as advertising, as many of these projects require many individuals from across company departments.

In addition, Entrepreneur encourages the use of measuring results rather than work load as a metric for employee productivity. By doing so, managers and executives will get a more accurate look at what is working and what requires a little more work. Furthermore, it allows for quality control checks as well. Despite the new standard of heavy and diverse workloads, workers still need to produce quality material, regardless of what they're doing.

By using a custom database software much like FileMaker, managers will be able to effectively communicate necessary tasks and assignments to employees in one place, while also using the same database to check results and productivity.

When it comes to running a small business, numbers can play a huge part in the success and failure of the company. This isn't just true for sales and budget meetings, but also for making decisions. In fact, according to a June 21 article from Inc. Magazine, the biggest trend in running a business is using data as a means to base decisions off of rather than just hunches and instincts.

And, oftentimes, the best way to farm and analyze corporate data is through the use of a custom database software that can effectively maintain the large amounts of information that owners will need to access.

"And the data is out there," writes Langely Steinert for Inc. who is also the founder and CEO of CarGurus and TripAdvisor. "Whatever the industry, you can track down numbers to give you direction. In the online arena especially, there is a constant flow of traffic and information that leads to cold, hard facts."

Steinert recommends that companies collect as much data as they can and as early as they can if they're relatively new. These statistics, regardless of whether they're Google Analytics tracking blog and page views or retweet counts from the company's Twitter handles, will allow decision makers to make clear judgements based on facts and numbers – unbiased opinions regardless of where they come from.

While using hard data as a means to make important decisions, companies will also need to use a custom database software that can handle this much information. By consulting with FileMaker developers, companies can ensure that they will not only have a database that can fit their needs, but will also be able to be effectively integrated throughout the company's practices, making for greater clarity across departments on what the numbers are and where they're coming from.