By Alexandra Reid
As a regular feature, we provide our readers with a roundup of the best articles we have read in the past week. On the podium this week are Read Write Web, The Globe and Mail, All Things D, Small Business Trends, Social Media Examiner and ClickZ.
Why venture capital no longer defines innovation
Today’s venture capital deal flow to innovative new companies looks a lot like a fat man trying to squeeze into a slim Italian suit — it just doesn’t fit. The new shape of innovation is a lot more inclusive of new approaches and sources of startup funding. Author Michael Tchong explains what that might look like.
How to get media to tell your story
In an earlier column, Mark Healey examined the need for small businesses to do some up-front work to have a point of view, a tight message, trained staff and a plan in place before trying to engage media to get their stories across. In this article, Healey discusses strategies and tactics for levering media.
Overly optimistic things entrepreneurs say
It takes a special kind of person to be an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur exudes confidence and by nature is highly motivated. The results can be inspiring, producing some of the greatest inventions and innovations that improve our lives every day. But sometimes, the unique qualities that drive greatness can lead to some interesting behaviours. One of the most common (and endearing) being the extreme optimism with which entrepreneurs approach the world. Author Luke Burns identifies six phrases he hears repeatedly from entrepreneurs that automatically set off alarms.
Rethink the press release, says PR newswire
Long gone are the days of typing a press release, making a few copies of it and physically mailing it to journalists in the hopes they’ll cover your news in a less-than-timely manner. Today, press releases have become one piece of the online content marketing strategy. You don’t have to have a PR department to issue press releases, either. Businesses of all sizes — from solo entrepreneurial startups to the Fortune 100 — are taking advantage of this new view of press releases. Marketing and communications provider PRNewswire knows the times have changed. The company is rethinking the press release and suggests other businesses do too.
9 Facebook marketing tips from top experts
Are you looking for creative ways to improve your Facebook marketing? Social Media Examiner spoke with top Facebook experts to find out the hottest marketing tips businesses need to know today.
Irony: Optimizing marketing automation requires human intervention
It seems to be a great truth in digital marketing that the more automation you apply to data management, the more you need smart people to manage and optimize it. Contrary to the machine-automation benefits of the 20th century, where automation on the assembly line increased productivity and replaced human workers, marketing automation technology increases output efficiency and scale but still requires marketing expertise and analytics to measure the ROI. It’s not a failure of technology or faulty logic; it’s just good business strategy.
