This is the third in a series of articles focused on helping executives in small- and mid-sized businesses utilize digital technologies effectively to assist in accelerating revenues and profits. If you missed the first two articles, you can find the first one here and the second one here.

The previous articles included an introduction to four major ways digital technologies can help your business, described a spectrum of technologies and a possible implementation roadmap, and associated digital proficiency with enhanced business performance. The second article also took a deep look at how business process needs and priorities should help guide your digital paths. In that article, I also introduced the “USA” model for digital transformation.

This is the second in a series of articles on helping executives in small- and mid-sized businesses utilize digital technologies effectively to assist in accelerating revenues and profits.  

The previous article included an introduction to four major ways digital technologies can help your business, described a spectrum of technologies and a possible implementation roadmap, and associated digital proficiency with enhanced business performance.  It also included a 10-question survey to help you set an internal benchmark for your digital programs.

In this article, I’ll provide practical guidance on where to start a journey for those businesses with a minimal digital growth path today.

There are many ways to think about growth, and many models to help stimulate your thinking.  One of the more traditional, best known, and still effective models, is this one:

Renowned author and TED speaker Bryan Kramer recently honored me by asking for my predictions about social and content marketing trends for 2016 to share with his worldwide audience.

For the uninitiated, Kramer is a leading expert on the use of sharing and social influence for marketing – someone who is sought out by Fortune 500 companies and conference organizers to keynote on the subject. Someone who wrote the book on social sharing, as it is practiced today. And now, here he was, asking me to contribute to his future-looking trend list for 2016.

Marketing has changed...and will move at an even more rapid pace in the future, so check out these tips to improve your marketing muscle!