Savvy Youth Benefit From Free Resources
With the internet becoming such a prevalent business tool it's no wonder young entrepreneurs are beginning to take advantage of the wealth of information available to them online. Young students are using the free tools provided to them to create viable business plans that have even blossomed into some of Canada's most renowned online companies.
As Nicholas MacLeod (who is highlighted in the article) says, "I did a lot of reading online about what one needs to know about starting a business and then I just taught myself as I went along."
This may sound simple, but it obviously requires an intense about of dedication and focus on the part of the individual starting up a company, but it is also a testament to the fact that the internet has provided people with a launching pad for success. Be it with viral media or simply having the information readily at hand for you to create your own success, the internet has indeed spawned an interesting change in the world of business.
The internet has opened up the global marketplace to businesses and consumers. As discussed in class I don't believe that the world is going to become one homogeneous global market mainly because the value systems of different cultures tend to be persistent, stable, and unlikely to change over time. But, the fact that people all over the world have the opportunity to access the same information makes having a solid internet marketing strategy even more important.
It seems as if there is nothing you cannot learn if you sift through the resources on the internet carefully, as has been exemplified by MacLeod and his company Future Web Design.
On a smaller scale Facebook has now emerged as a viable business tool and they have taken advantage of this with the newest batch of changes. Users can now post high resolution photos, have private live discussions via the New Groups feature (perfect for "focus groups" perhaps?), and engage their audience via Facebook Questions.
Facebook is all about interacting with your audience and keeping them interested through two way conversation. A business can no longer talk at their customers; relationship marketing has been taken to a new level with the internet (and especially Facebook) because consumers want to interact directly with the business.
So what do you think about this shift in business? Will the internet become a more viable base for a business then perhaps a bricks and mortar style business?
Article on the new features Facebook has implemented that will assist businesses in marketing themselves effectively
New Facebook Marketing
