Internet Brokers have existed since the creation of the internet, but in a much different form than we see today. Only the mega rich had any use for them as the transaction fees were astronomical and the lot sizes had to be huge. If any novice investor such as a college student wanted to purchase some stock, they had to call up a broker and make the order

Fast forward a decade to today’s busy work where anyone can trade stocks – even babies as E-trade has advertised. The influx of brokers and investors (the average Joe’s to the Wall Street Kings) have created a system where everyone can simply log on and trade live any amount and lot size all for a small transaction fee under $10. This system has turned the markets into something that is no longer distant and only for the super wealthy.

Plug into a broker today and start your investing career:

www.etrade.com  - www.sogotrade.com – www.tdameritrade.com – www.vanguard.com

Personally I think foursquare is a great marketing tool. Marketing with Foursquare may even be marketing of the future. With foursquare there is a certain interactive aspect, which gives companies the opportunity to market themselves in a way that gets their customers more involved. For instance, if I “check-in” at a place enough times and become “the mayor”, I may get special deals which no one else does. This gives me an incentive to continue to return as a paying customer. With foursquare people can also earn “badges” which could also be used to earn special deals. Creative interactive marketing techniques combined with foursquare are sure to increase a companies customer base and bring back satisfied customers time and time again.

We’ve all witnessed the recent explosion in social media. Many of us have also seen some companies dig their heels in and resist making use of social media. In my experience and observations, one of the prime reasons given by such companies is a lack of tangible value. There is a general feeling in such companies that social media just doesn’t have that much to offer.

I recently came across a survey conducted just last month on this topic. The results of the survey show that many businesses currently employing social media platforms don’t have a very high opinion of the benefits. The overwhelming majority of the respondents attribute less than 5% of sales to social media efforts (directly or indirectly). A more general question asked participants to rate how effective they felt their social media efforts to be on a scale from 1-5. Over 80% answered in the 1-3 range. The kicker for me was that in light of all this, most of the companies in the survey consider themselves Ecommerce companies. If satisfaction with the results is so low, why do these companies use social media at all?

I don’t know which companies participated in this survey, but it does shed some light on the motivation for using social media from a business perspective. Social media seems to be more about branding and PR than anything else for many businesses such as the ones who responded to the survey. Is this simply because some companies are better suited for (or just better at) gaining sales via social media than others? That may well be the case. I find it unlikely that so many companies that employ social media would be willing to do so if they saw so little value gained from it, but this survey implies that many do just that.

Imagine walking through the mall constantly surrounded by representatives from every food court vendor trying to explain to you why you should buy your lunch from them.  This would be convenient if they all offer samples, but they don’t.  It eventually gets so annoying that you leave and eat lunch on the way home.

Now imagine walking through the mall and, after buying a sweet pair of baby blue Dunks, you feel hungry and head to the food court.  You start to crave a dish of Chinese food, one of those sauce-laden chicken deals that bloats your stomach just by breathing in the calories.  Entering the food court, you see “China Wok” in big letters, and know that you have found your destination.

These two scenarios depict (with obvious weaknesses) the difference between inbound and outbound marketing.  Outbound marketing is what people typically think of when they picture marketing: advertisements, cold calls, etc.  Constantly being barraged by marketers vying for your attention in this manner is numbing and increasingly ineffective.  Picture the vendors following you around the mall.  The first one to approach may be enticing, if only because he was the first, but after that it becomes annoying.

In contrast, inbound marketing is like the second scenario.  You know what consumers are searching for, and you provide the best and most applicable information for them, thus leading them to you.  Bloggers can do this easily by blogging on topics of interest and by SEO.

When planning how to marketing your internet venture, be sure to optimize your site in terms of inbound marketing.  While outbound marketing may be a viable asset, proper inbound marketing just as effectively recruits customers, and does so without annoying them on their mall shopping trip.

Gone are the days that men around the country have to fake sick for a weekend to get out of family obligations in order to find out what players their favorite team has just drafted.  With social media taking over, it is no longer necessary to sit in front of your TV for three straight days. You can now live your life and still know what is happening with the NFL draft.

Three ways the NFL Draft has been change by social media:

1. Tweeter- players are now constantly updating their tweeter status commenting on who their team selects. Also, players being draft post updates on the experience and the excitement of when they finally get picked. Tweets can be sent directly to a phone, so no TV is necessary.
2. Facebook- Depending on whether the fans like or dislike a team’s selections, fan pages appear every year. This is a way for fans to vent their frustrations or bask in their glory.
3. YouTube- Many of the players being drafted have posted YouTube videos to help generate recognition. While many fans will be familiar with the players in the first two rounds, players in rounds three through seven, they probably will not know. These YouTube highlight videos help fans see what their new player can do and get them excited to see them on the field.