Category: Internet Marketing

Unfair Marketing Restrictions Are Stunting the Growth of Cannabis Brands

June 21, 2019 Harris Damashek Leave a comment

Cannabis is barred from advertising platforms open to beer, booze and prescription drugs with long lists of scary side effects. June 21, 2019 4 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. It’s hard to build a national brand under any circumstances. But the cannabis industry is forced to market with one hand — and a foot — tied behind its back. There are two primary problems when it comes to marketing medical, and even adult use, cannabis — while it remains illegal under federal law. First, abiding by the laws and regulations of 33 separate states places severe hardships on businesses acting in good faith. Second, some bad actors take advantage of the confusing and contradictory regulations, risking the reputation of the rest of the industry. Related: The Most Effective Cannabis Advertising Tool You’re Probably Not Using Navigating each state’s individual rules while also building your business beyond a single, […]

Branding
Internet Marketing
Social Media Marketing

It’s Okay to Have Both

June 21, 2019 John Rampton Leave a comment

To-do lists are tactical, calendars are strategic. June 21, 2019 8 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. How do you keep your life organized? For some people, such as entrepreneurs like Richard Branson, they prefer to do lists. Other entrepreneurs, like Kevin Kruse, fall more into the calendar camp. So, who’s right and who’s wrong? Related: You’ll Accomplish More Without a To-Do List The pros and cons of to-do lists. “I have always lived my life by making lists,” writes Richard Branson. “These vary from lists of people to call, lists of ideas, lists of companies to set up, lists of people who can make things happen. I also have lists of topics to blog about, lists of tweets to send, and lists of upcoming plans. Each day I work through these lists. By ticking off each task, my ideas take shape and plans move forward.” To-do lists […]

Internet Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Time Management

Stock Market Hits New High Thanks to Fed Policy Shift

June 21, 2019 Andrew Osterland Leave a comment

The escalation of tensions in the Persian Gulf didn’t kill investors’ enthusiasm. June 20, 2019 3 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. The Fed’s clear signal yesterday that a rate cut could be coming outweighed worries about rising risks in the Middle East. The apparent shooting down of an American drone by Iran, however, did cause another spike in the price of oil today. West Texas crude oil was up 5.8 percent today and has risen nearly ten percent in the last two days. Shares in oil and gas producer Hess Corp. were up 4.07 percent. The S&P 500 index set an all-time high late in the day and closed with a gain of 0.95 percent. The Dow and Nasdaq Composite indexes were up 0.94 percent and 0.8 percent respectively. The Entrepreneur Index™ rose 0.79 percent today. Alexion Pharmaceuticals had the biggest gain on the Entrepreneur […]

Entrepreneur Index
Internet Marketing
Social Media Marketing

The Entrepreneur Who Became a Billionaire After Being Rejected by Facebook

June 21, 2019 Kerry McDonald Leave a comment

How Jan Koum, founder of WhatsApp, overcame adversity and became a self-educated tech billionaire. June 20, 2019 4 min read This story originally appeared on fee.org Jan Koum had a rough upbringing. At 16, he immigrated from Europe to the United States with his mother and grandmother, who were fleeing political unrest and religious persecution. Jan’s mother got a job as a babysitter in California while Jan went to school and worked at a grocery store cleaning floors. His father planned to join Jan and his mother once they were settled, but he got sick and died five years later, unable to be reunited with his family. Jan’s mother was diagnosed with cancer, to which she would succumb just three years after Jan’s father passed away. From personal adversity to billionaire Perhaps not surprisingly given the adversity in his life, Jan acted out in school and got into trouble. He […]

Internet Marketing
Project Grow
Social Media Marketing

Tech Entrepreneur Nathalie Dorémieux Says You Can Achieve Anything If You Leave Your Comfort Zone

June 21, 2019 The Oracles Leave a comment

June 20, 2019 6 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. In this series called Member Showcase, we publish interviews with members of The Oracles. This interview is with Nathalie Dorémieux, co-founder of New Software Marketing, an online marketing company. Who are you? Nathalie Dorémieux: I grew up in Grenoble, France, and graduated from the University of Pau with a computer science degree in 1982. Then I moved to the north of France to pursue my master’s degree, which is where I met my husband and business partner, Olivier. When we graduated in 1995, we decided to take our chances and go live the American dream. Everyone in France thought we were crazy, but we quickly found jobs and got married in Reno, Nevada — “the little Las Vegas.” Ten years, three kids, two dogs, and a cat later, we decided to quit our jobs in biotechnology. […]

entrepreneur mindset
Internet Marketing
Social Media Marketing

Bluehost Web Hosting Review (2019)

June 21, 2019 Quick Sprout Editorial Leave a comment

If you’re on the hunt for a new web hosting service, Bluehost is definitely a top option to consider. This platform powers more than 2 million sites across the globe. All web hosting services are not created equally. I see so many new webmasters make the mistake of just going with the cheapest web host or the web hosting site that appears first in their Google search results. For something as important as web hosting, you can’t rush this decision. It’s crucial that you take the time to weigh your options in order to find the best web hosting plan for your needs. That’s what inspired me to write this guide. Since so many of you will likely come across Bluehost during your search, I wanted to give you as much information about this web hosting service as possible. I’ll explain all of their hosting plans, pricing, and discuss the […]

Internet Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Trans

Why Slack, Which Goes Public Today, Is Counterproductive for Business Owners

June 21, 2019 Eric Covino Leave a comment

Maybe we should all rethink “instant gratification” culture in the workplace. June 20, 2019 7 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Slack Technologies (or WORK as its new NYSE ticker is called) will start trading on the New York Stock Exchange today, making this company the latest in a parade of highly valued tech outfits to go public this year. Related: How to Get a $1 Billion Valuation in Just Eight Months This is a tool you’ve surely heard of: Slack’s chat and collaboration platform has become a workplace tool to more than 500,000 organizations and was valued privately last year at more than $7 billion dollars. So it must be the latest, greatest way to communicate, right? Well not so fast… “Spend enough time in a state of frenetic shallowness and you permanently reduce your capacity to perform deep work,” Cal Newport, once said. He’s associate professor […]

Internet Marketing
Slack
Social Media Marketing

It’s Time for McDonald’s to Offer a Veggie Burger Nationwide

June 21, 2019 Brian Kateman Leave a comment

McDonald’s is missing out on a huge opportunity to cater to the growing numbers of vegans, vegetarians and flexitarians who like fast food as much as the next omnivore. June 20, 2019 7 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. The devastating impact of animal agriculture has taken center stage in recent years, and we’re becoming more informed about the impact our meat intake is having on the environment, our health and animals. Which makes it all more confounding that one of the world’s largest fast food retailers is still lagging behind, and has no vegetarian or vegan burger. Despite more than 220,000 people petitioning McDonald’s to add a vegetarian protein option to its menu across the U.S., McDonald’s website says it does not promote any of its U.S. menu items as vegetarian or vegan, which is astonishing given the soaring demand for change. More and more of us are becoming “reducetarians” — people who cut down on meat, egg and dairy. The number of vegans in the U.S. rose from 1 percent […]

Internet Marketing
McDonald's
Social Media Marketing

3 Trends Happening to Fintech That You Should Know About

June 21, 2019 Karla Friede Leave a comment

This year is going to end up being a great one for B2B payments and lending companies, and for bank-fintech partnership — all benefiting business. June 20, 2019 7 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. We are now over a decade into the third era of finTtech innovation, which grew out of the fallout from the 2008 global financial crisis and the advent of the smartphone. With record amounts of investment flowing into the sector again in 2018, this innovation train shows no signs of slowing. However, in the past couple of years, it has rounded a curve and started to branch off in some interesting new directions. Related: 4 Trends That Will Rewire the Inner Workings of the Fintech Industry The curve? Consumers reaped most of the benefits of the early part of this wave, with more efficient payment and lending products leading the way. However, […]

FinTech
Internet Marketing
Social Media Marketing

Refrigerated Protein Bar Company Perfect Snacks Acquired by a Multibillion-Dollar Food Giant

June 21, 2019 Stephen J. Bronner Leave a comment

Financial terms for the deal were not disclosed, but its sibling founders will remain to lead the company. June 20, 2019 2 min read Fourteen years ago, two of the 13 Keith siblings, Bill and Leigh (then 22 and 19) adapted their father’s recipe for a refrigerated protein bar and created Perfect Snacks, a business that generated approximately $70 million in net revenue last year. Now, the company that popularized refrigerated protein bars has been acquired by food giant Mondelēz International, owners of the Oreo, Cadbury, Milka, belVita and Tate’s brands. Financial terms were not disclosed. The company said its net revenues in 2018 were approximately $26 billion. Image credit: Perfect Bar “We believe Mondelēz International’s purpose, to ‘empower people to snack right,’ aligns very well with why we started this brand and this business,” said Bill Keith, co-founder and CEO of Perfect Snacks, in a press release. Related: These […]

Acquisitions
Internet Marketing
Social Media Marketing

10 Entrepreneurs Who Are Showing Why Blockchain Is Here to Stay

June 21, 2019 Aj Agrawal Leave a comment

Thinking of jumping into this new technology? Consider the experiences and accomplishments of these entrepreneurs who already have. June 20, 2019 7 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Entrepreneurs in nascent industries often face challenges that seasoned entrepreneurs might not have. In the blockchain industry, these challenges have included education, adoption and external forces like global regulation. Just “selling” a new technology to clients can be a challenge. But in the case of blockchain and crytocurrency, these challenges are less and less of a problem, as the technology has already become a mainstream phenomenon: Consider just the fact that a company as influential as Facebook has launched the digital currency Libra. Related: Facebook’s Cryptocurrency: Everything We Know So Far Today, in fact, entrepreneurs around the world are asking how distributed ledger technology can help optimize their businesses. This has led to a blockchain revolution, with experts predicting the industry will grow […]

Blockchain
Internet Marketing
Social Media Marketing

Nissan’s Zero-Emission Ice Cream Truck Uses Recycled EV Batteries

June 21, 2019 Christine Fisher Leave a comment

The prototype is built on Nissan’s e-NV200 and comes with rooftop solar panels. June 20, 2019 2 min read This story originally appeared on Engadget For some, chasing the neighborhood ice cream truck is a favorite summer tradition. But many ice cream trucks have diesel engines, and older models keep those engines running to power the freezers. That means you get a hefty side of CO2 emissions with your cone. Nissan thinks it can change that. To celebrate the U.K.’s Clean Air Day, Nissan unveiled a zero-emission ice cream van concept, called “Sky to Scoop.” The prototype is based on Nissan’s e-NV200, a fully electric light commercial vehicle that has a range of up to 124 miles. The company installed two Nissan Energy ROAM power packs — which use lithium-ion cells recovered from first-generation Nissan electric vehicles — to power the coolers. Those can be charged along with the van, but there are […]

electric vehicles
Internet Marketing
Social Media Marketing

The Music in Your Heart: An Instagram Growth Hack You Didn’t Know About

June 21, 2019 Ben Mattice Leave a comment

As a trail runner, I get songs stuck in my head all the time. I’ll be out on the trail and suddenly have my own soundtrack. Problem is, it’s typically a short, poorly memorized section of one song on loop for hours on end. I see this as proof we can’t escape music. It’s in our cars, our elevators, our stores, and we even choose to listen to it. And it changes our brains in every way imaginable. Music attaches to memory. Try listening to an album from your youth. Where does it take you? I’d imagine someplace special like a first date or a bonfire on the beach with your best friend. There’s a way to use music as an Instagram growth hack. Here’s how influencers are doing it. Deezer Makes It Easy Instagram posts are all about mood. That’s why we filter our photos. But what else sets […]

Deezer
instagram
Internet Marketing
lyrics
Marketing
Music
Social Media Marketing

KFC Is Launching a Cheetos Sandwich Across America, and It Represents a Massive Shift in the Chicken Chain’s Strategy

June 21, 2019 Kate Taylor Leave a comment

The sandwich hits menus across the U.S. on July 1. June 20, 2019 2 min read This story originally appeared on Business Insider KFC is rolling out a fried chicken sandwich with Cheetos on it at locations across America. Starting July 1, KFC is launching a fried chicken sandwich with a layer of Cheetos. In addition to the “pinch of the thumb, index and middle fingers” of Cheetos, the sandwich also features Cheetos sauce and mayo. The sandwich will only be available for four weeks, and represents a new strategy at KFC. The chain is planning to launch more new menu items in 2019 than in the prior five years combined, Kevin Hochman, the president of KFC’s U.S. business, told Business Insider earlier in June. “There’s a foot in this old world of core chicken and sides … But if we really want to attract a younger customer it can’t […]

Fast Food
Internet Marketing
Social Media Marketing

Still Avoiding Online Reviews? 4 Tips to Use Them to Your Advantage.

June 21, 2019 Kelly Bosetti Leave a comment

Still plugging your ears? Stop dismissing criticism and start seeing the value of online reviews. June 20, 2019 6 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Monitoring online reviews of your business can feel a bit like online dating: You’re opening yourself up to scrutiny. And what if no one likes you? What if they all laugh in your face (or at least your company’s)? But reviews are vitally important for businesses, especially in an age when consumers are researching decisions more than ever. A recent consumer study conducted by Bright Local found that 86 percent of people polled said they read online reviews before frequenting local businesses. That figure is even higher among millennials. Monitoring, responding to and embracing your online reviews will lead to an increase in sales. Consumers trust companies with positive reviews and want to purchase their products or services, according to the Bright Local study. […]

Internet Marketing
Online Reviews
Social Media Marketing

Florida City to Pay $600,000 to Hackers After Ransomware Attack

June 20, 2019 Michael Kan Leave a comment

The attack occurred on May 29 when a police department employee reportedly opened an email containing the malicious code. June 20, 2019 2 min read This story originally appeared on PCMag A city in Florida has decided to pay $600,000 to the hackers behind a ransomware attack that’s locked down the local government’s data. On Monday, the city council of Riviera Beach voted unanimously to let the city’s insurer pay 65 bitcoins to the hackers. Why the council authorized the payment wasn’t discussed at the emergency hearing. But the city is hoping to recover municipal files the hackers encrypted during the ransomware attack. According to The Palm Beach Post, the attack occurred back on May 29 when a police department employee opened an email containing the malicious code. The attack quickly spread to the rest of Riviera Beach’s IT systems, taking them all offline. In response, Riviera Beach has already spent $941,600 in upgrading the city’s […]

Hackers
Internet Marketing
Social Media Marketing

Reorganizing, Restructuring, and Optimizing Existing Content to Improve SEO

June 20, 2019 Jake Fisher Leave a comment

In addition to guest posting on the UpCity blog, Bridges Strategies & Digital Marketing is featured as one of the Top Digital Marketing Agencies in Oklahoma City. Check out their profile here. If your business’s website is languishing on search engine results pages (SERPs) for important queries, but you have a substantial amount of content on the site, it might be smart to optimize the existing content by reorganizing and restructuring. This post will teach you how to get more SEO value from your existing content by: Making your content comprehensive Using appropriate markup to communicate structure Focusing on user experience to lengthen average session duration Reorganizing your existing content into topic clusters. The paradigm of successful search engine optimization (SEO) content marketing has changed. If you are still using the editorial calendar as the foundation of your content strategy, you might want to re-think it. Unless your website is an actual news gathering […]

Guest Post
Internet Marketing
Social Media Marketing

‘Always Be My Maybe’ Director and ‘Fresh off the Boat’ Creator Nahnatchka Khan On Creativity and Getting the Details Right

June 20, 2019 Nina Zipkin Leave a comment

The writer and producer shares why collaboration, not rejection, is always her focus. June 20, 2019 6 min read It can be scary to put an idea — that one that you poured your heart and soul into — out into the world. But the feeling is hardly unique; it’s one creative, innovative people have to deal with all the time. Nahnatchka Khan is one of those innovators. She’s the director of the new Netflix hit Always Be My Maybe, about two ex-childhood sweethearts who reconnect as adults even though they come from very different worlds. The film is an independent project written by its co-stars Randall Park and Ali Wong; and it features a nearly all Asian-American cast. Upon its release in late May, the movie resonated widely, especially for the community it wanted to reflect and celebrate. “When I saw Always Be My Maybe, I recognized parts of myself in the strong and ambitious Sasha, played by Ali Wong, who sought […]

Internet Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Women Entrepreneurs

How Being a Brand Ambassador and Social Influencer Can Help You Exponentially Grow Your Business

June 20, 2019 Scott Duffy Leave a comment

By connecting with bigger brands that your target audience interacts with, you can increase the strength of your marketing efforts. June 20, 2019 5 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. The following excerpt is from Scott Duffy’s book Breakthrough. Buy it now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | IndieBound I’m always looking for ways to expand my reach, build an audience and convert that audience to sales. I’ve found that building that from the ground up can take a lot of time and money. Also know that on the way up, gaining your audience’s trust is key. When I wrote Launch, I was beginning to transition out of technology and back into training. I started to feel a disconnect. I was doing a lot of work, selling one book to one person at a time. It seemed totally inefficient. I was used to […]