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Huzzah! The early (online) bird catches the worm!

Roy Morgan Research has found that companies that went online earlier benefited the most – not just in online growth, but also offline, reflecting the synergies with traditional brick-and-mortar business. Over the past year, businesses that already had online sales grew 5% but those that didn’t – or didn’t for at least 12 months – saw revenues decline 4%. Also, nearly one out of two (49%) businesses that sold online for at least a year saw higher revenues whereas that was true for only one out of three (36%) businesses that didn’t engage in e-commerce.

How to become an unofficial Olympic YouTube sensation by stealth [VIDEO]

Who's that cheeky bloke behind the Queen? After realising he was on camera, and being beamed across the planet, the guy standing to the right behind the Queen realises the top of his head is cut off in the shot. He slowly, sneakily bends his knees so the glory of his full head of hair is included in the footage.

How restaurants are locking horns for customers online

“Diners are hungry for restaurants to use the online space to communicate with them and it is those restaurants that make an effort to interact with their customers long before they enter the restaurant that are winning the battle.”

The first true social Olympics: How the data is stacking up [INFOGRAPHIC]

Did you endure the Olympics opening ceremony? I really liked the tribute to that great English invention, the rave party. It has, however, been dubbed the first Olympics in the social era - the Socalympics, if you will. Social media featured throughout the aforementioned rave sequence. So, no matter which way you look at it, this is going to be the social Games. Many of the mass market social media tools are banned in China. The Beijing Games were a Twitter free event. This means that the London Games will set the standard for how social media supports, reports and rolls along with the Olympics.

Do you know your competitors as well as you know yourself?

How well do you really know your competitors? No doubt, you are probably aware of your main business rivals but do you have some level of intelligence at your fingertips? How much do you know about what they do, what your customers think about them and how your business matches up? Understanding your competition can give you a new perspective on your own business and is an important step when planning your marketing strategy.

Have we lost our sense of humour? Or is the Lynx Balls ad really...

There's nothing like getting banned by the Advertising Standards Board for generating masses of free PR. The latest Lynx ad, which seeks to encourage Australians to clean their dirty balls (the double entendre is more than intended), has been censured for denigrating the elderly.

Who gives a crap? [Hopefully you, dear reader…] [VIDEO]

Now’s your chance to make wiping your bum matter for more than just the bog-standard reasons. Social enterprise Good Goods recently launched its crowdfunding campaign for Who Gives A Crap, a new line of philanthropic toilet paper.

How to avoid being pigeonholed

Often customers remember your business’ initial offering, but have difficulty imagining you producing new services. You’re not alone: being pigeonholed is a common business problem.

When social media goes horribly wrong: The ‘Shell Let’s go’ campaign

Imagine you're a multinational oil company. Then, think about the general reputation oil companies have, not forgetting the BP spill. Now, think about a marketing campaign to draw a lot of attention to the industry. Did you come up with a build-your-own-caption campaign? One that allows lots of sharing on social media? No? Well someone did.

How Halfbrick ducked tag of one-hit wonder with Jetpack Jetride

How does a gaming company avoid being a one-hit game wonder? Rovio and Halfbrick Studios have managed to leap that hurdle. What is the Halfbrick secret after the amazing success of Fruit Ninja? The company adopted the Google’s 80-20 method of work.

Copywriting and SEO: keywords VS clarity

With the importance of search engine optimisation (SEO) receiving wider recognition, the copywriting landscape is changing. There are new rules writers need to adhere to when producing web copy to attract eyeballs.

How I built a nuclear fusion reactor in my garage [VIDEO]

At 12 Taylor Wilson set out to build a star. Not one for the top of your Christmas tree, but one driven by nuclear fusion. By 14, he'd built a nuclear fusion reactor in his parents garage. He's now tackling how he can take this further to solve the world's energy needs.

Sex and the saleswoman. How to keep it professional

Women have many innate traits that potentially can help them rise to the highest levels in sales. They have a natural ability to really “listen” to their customers, recognise and understand others’ needs. What’s more, they are great at harnessing their emotional intelligence.

How to lose market share in one easy step: insights from the browser wars...

Once upon a time there was a company called Netscape. It reigned supreme on the Internet until the first browser war. Microsoft Internet Explorer was crowned the new king. Yet, as the battle for web browser supremacy continues, the new king has lost its footing. Google Chrome just clocked up 410 million users.

What businesses can learn from Casey Stoner’s retirement

Two-time MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner recently announced his early retirement. Interestingly, the reason cited was not lost love of riding motorcycles, but his disillusion regarding how the sport is run and managed.

How to stick it to your credit card provider: taking advantage of the latest...

The cost of everything keeps going up, but from July 1, there is a way for small business owners to cut one specific cost. If you have a business credit card, the new credit card reforms can help you make massive savings and clear your debt faster. Chances are, you didn't even know these changes were coming.

Solving everyday problems: when the wind blows, your umbrella turns inside out [VIDEO]

It's winter. It's raining, cold. Then, the wind hits. And your umbrella does that magical thing of turning itself inside out once the wind...

Look after your backend

Who doesn’t want to be part of a fast-growing business? Rapid growth, however, can spell the downfall of your company if your backend operations are not in order.

Seven minutes of terror. How to land a rover on Mars [VIDEO]

It takes a special kind of crazy to want to explore space. It also takes a special kind of engineering and entrepreneurial team. NASA's Curiosity rover is heading to Mars. It's due to land on the surface on August 5. Well, that's the intention. The thing is, there are so many things that have to happen to make this landing possible. And, the margin for error is zero. There is no wiggle room, at all.

Pssst … want to know the essential secrets of giving a great presentation? [VIDEO]

Actor George Jessel once quipped that, "The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public.” There are some key things to consider when presenting to anyone, be it five people at a pitch for capital or 1,000 people at a TED event. In this video, Dr. Susan Weinschenk reveals the top five things every presenter should know.
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Three easy wins when using LinkedIn with David Hobson [FREE REPORT]

"If you’re pressed for time, I'm here to help." In this report, David Hobson will show you three quick wins - things you can do to pimp out your LinkedIn profile in 15 minutes or less.

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INFOGRAPHICS

New Zealand’s Xero eyes US IPO, further disruption as subscribers increase...

Xero recently held its annual meeting in Wellington, during which the company revealed some interesting details about its future. As has been widely suspected, the...

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