четверг, 31 августа 2023 г.
воскресенье, 6 августа 2023 г.
Selected strategic intelligence sources
In a recent post, I promised to look at some possible free or low-cost sources of intelligence gathering (external monitoring) that your non-profit board and/or management team can use to inform your strategic direction. This post delivers on that promise, using sources clustered under each category in the STEEPLE model.
Your organisation will doubtless have its own specialised sources of reliable information about developments within your field, and the following list does not seek to replace them. Some of the suggested data sources below are able to be used across almost all fields. These are likely to offer valuable additional insights if you are not already using them.
The links below are suggested for use by Australian non-profit organisations. Readers in other jurisdictions may therefore find some that are less relevant to their needs (although there may be some clues as to the kinds of sources that would be equivalent). Some sources offer material relevant to more than one dimension of the STEEPLE analysis, and so are mentioned more than once.
Sources in bold type are highly recommended. (Any selection of sources will be subject to bias. This list is no exception, and the author accepts responsibility for any perceived political bias in the following list entries).
Australian Policy Observatory | https://apo.org.au/ |
Nonprofit Quarterly | https://nonprofitquarterly.org/ |
Science Daily | https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/science_society/ |
Science Direct | https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/index |
Crypto-Gram Newsletter (Cyber security) | https://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram/ |
Wired | https://www.wired.com/ |
Tech Republic | https://www.techrepublic.com/ |
PLOS (Public Library of Science) | https://plos.org/blogs/ |
Science Daily | https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/technology/ |
The Australia Institute Centre for Responsible Technology | https://www.centreforresponsibletechnology.org.au/ |
The Conversation | https://theconversation.com/au/business |
RBA Key Economics Indicators Snapshot | https://www.rba.gov.au/snapshots/economy-indicators-snapshot/ |
Focus Economics | https://www.focus-economics.com/countries/australia |
Mainstream media business and economics news | Various |
Making Enviro News | https://www.makingenvironews.com/ |
The Conversation | https://theconversation.com/au/environment |
Science Daily | https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/top/environment/ |
Climate Council | https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/news/ |
Science Direct | https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/index |
Parliament of Australia | https://www.aph.gov.au/Help/RSS_feeds |
Parliament of Victoria | https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/about/news/2416-news-alerts-from-parliament |
Government News | https://www.governmentnews.com.au/ |
Australian Government Public Data | https://data.gov.au/data/ |
Other local Parliaments | Various |
The Ethics Centre | https://ethics.org.au/ |
Transparency International Australia | https://transparency.org.au/ |
Regulatory compliance reports e.g. AHPRA, ACCC, ASIC | Various |
https://polgovpro.blog/
воскресенье, 16 апреля 2017 г.
10 Signs of a Company That Really Cares About Customers
Isn’t It Nice?
What Do Companies That Really Care Have in Common?
1. Providing Easy-to-Access Customer Support Options
2. Being Obsessed with Customer Service Excellence
3. Constantly Striving to Know Customers Better
4. Living In Customers’ Shoes
5. Willing to Go an Extra Mile
6. Rewarding Customer Loyalty
7. Taking Care of Internal Customers
8. Acknowledging the Importance of Customer Service Roles
9. Treating Leaving Customers Right
10. Keeping Customers Informed
- by Julia Lewis
вторник, 3 ноября 2015 г.
From A to Z: 200 Essential Resources for Entrepreneurs Building a Business
A/B tests.
- Experimentation and Testing: A Primer - a great resource when beginning testing from Avinash Kaushik.
- Google Analytics - this comes with “Content Experiments” which permits users to split-test page variants within programs.
- Optimizely - cost-efficient A/B, multivariate, and mobile texting for starters.
- Crazy Egg - at $9 per month this tool provides heatmaps to understand user behavior.
- Vanity - “an Experiment Driven Development framework for Rails.”
Analytics.
- Piwik – free, open source web analytics platform.
- Cyfe - “an all-in-one business dashboard app that helps you easily monitor all your business data.”
- WooRank - SEO, Social Media, Mobile Optimization, Usability reports.
- Buffer - free social media engagement stats.
- Google Analytics- free web analytics and optimizer.
Blogging platforms.
- WordPress - most popular and flexible content management system.
- Joomla - an advanced CMS similar to WordPress.
- Postach.io - converts Evernote notebook into a CMS.
- Wix - equipped with code-free website builder, a blogging platform, and website hosting.
- Medium - a collaborative blogging platform.
Business plans and canvas.
- Small Business Administration - How to Write a Startup Business Plan
- Bplans - free business plan samples.
- Palo Alto Software - write your own business plans from scratch.
- Launchpad - “offers end-to-end solutions to validate business hypotheses, testing for value and accelerating time to market.”
- Business Model Generation - provides a free business canvas.
Cloud/open source resources.
- Dropbox - free cloud storage that you can share.
- Github - the world’s largest open source community.
- Joyent - powerful public cloud and private cloud software solutions.
- Box - secure content sharing, management, and collaboration.
- AWS Free Tier - cloud solution from Amazon.
Competitive online Adword/PPC analysis.
- SEMRush - advanced SEO/PPC keyword research tool.
- Google AdWords - a free AdWords tool and Keyword Planner.
- Spyfu - spy on competitors ads and keywords.
- iSpionage - up-to-date competitive analysis.
- WordStream - Adwords grader and advisor.
Content and online marketing.
- Curata - Content Marketing Tools: The Ultimate List.
- Searchmetrics - the best solution for content writers to take their content planning to the next level.
- Buzzsumo - allows you to analyze the content that is working for your competition.
- Quill Engage - a weekly email which presents analytics in an easy-to-understand format.
- Content Marketing Institute - a great resource if you’re looking for the latest news and tips regarding content marketing.
Crowdfunding.
- Kickstarter - a great option for creative projects seeking funding.
- DreamFunded - crowdsource funding for your startup.
- GoFundMe - features built-in connections to Facebook, Twitter and email for easy sharing.
- Indiegogo - popular site internationally because of its flexibility to fund almost anything.
- RocketHub - features FuelPad and LaunchPad programs for promotion.
Customer feedback and support.
- Olark – a live customer chat and customer loyalty platform.
- Tender – customer support software that contains a knowledgebase tool. forums and notifications regarding your site.
- Desk – one of the best and easiest support softwares I've ever used.
- Zendesk – web help software that features customer support, self-service and engagement tools.
- Groove – provides a simple online Help Desk, as well as customer support metrics.
Design.
- Withoomph - “Beautiful logos designed instantly.”
- Canva - create stunning photos for very startup prices.
- Infographics - simple to use Infographics creation currently in beta.
- 99 Designs - marketplace of 984,000+ designers.
- Wells Riley - Startups, This is How Design Works - great tutorial on design.
Discovery.
- KISSmetrics - “Track, analyze and optimize your digital marketing performance. We show you what's working and what's not across all campaigns.”
- Google Trends - provides the most popular online searches.
- Product Hunt - discover the hottest new products.
- Erli Bird - “Validate your product, beta test, get feedback, and improve.”
- TrackMaven - a powerful competitive intelligence tool.
Distribution.
- HARO (Help A Reporter Out) - share your expertise with a reporter.
- PRWeb - the highest-rated press release service.
- ProfNet - connects experts and journalists.
- Boost Your Posts on Facebook - promote posts on Facebook.
- Market Wired - provides news distribution and social communications solutions.
Email.
- MailChimp - used to gain subscriber profiles and send out personalized and automated emails.
- Hello Bar - free tool used to collect more email subscribers.
- Intercom - a great chat and help widget, that also has automated email triggers.
- YesWare - know when someone opens your email. Best stalking known to man.
- Boomerang - Gmail tool used to schedule emails and follow-up reminders.
Ecommerce.
- Shopify - sell your product on this popular online store.
- WooCommerce - a popular WordPress ecommerce plugin. Note: Mainly for smaller under 1000 sku sites.
- Magento - ecommerce software tailor fit to your needs. Note: Mainly for larger 1000+ sku sites.
- Prestashop - free software to set up your online shop.
- Symphony Commerce - “The most advanced commerce applications as a service to power your online store, fulfillment, and marketing.”
Freelance.
- Freelancer – great place to find outsourcing for small businesses.
- upWork – allows you to hire low-cost freelance talent.
- Loot – on demand social freelancers.
- Elance – you can browse profiles before hiring freelance help.
- TaskRabbit – you’re busy, so why not outsource errands and skilled tasks to others?
Find a co-founder.
- CoFoundersLab - helps you locate a co-founder by city or industry.
- FounderDating – a premiere site for connecting founders and co-founders.
- Founder2be - helps you find a co-founder for your startup.
- YouNoodle – founder matching through competitions.
- FounderSoup - connecting you to “a network of Entrepreneurial Stanford engineers, designer, doctors, marketers, salespeople, etc.
Founding.
- f6s - contains a list of all the accelerator programs, as well as a social network for startups and angels.
- Startup Stash - an excellent curated list for all your startup needs.
- Angellist - connect with investors and raise funds online.
- The Funded - a community of CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs that discuss fundraising, as well rate and review angel investors and venture capitalists.
- Kaufman Founders School - an online educational resource for entrepreneurs.
Growth hacking.
- Colibri.io - allows you to tap into social networks and digital media to gain visibility.
- Nimble - gather the contacts of you and your team to construct an Intelligent Relationship Platform.
- Pay With A Tweet - create social buzz by rewarding people to mention your content or product.
- MixRank - creates a highly targeted list for your business.
- GrowthHackers - online community that helps marketers learn and share effective marketing techniques.
Groups.
- Entrepreneurs’ Organization - the most influential entrepreneur community in the world.
- Young Entrepreneur Council - “America’s most elite entrepreneur organization.”
- Startup Grind - These are the top startup events in the World. They have monthly events in 150+ cities each month.
- FoundersCard - hosts networking events and provides premier benefits.
- Young Presidents’ Organization - a network of successful chief executives and business leaders who are under the age of 46.
Legal.
- Startup Documents - “generates and stores legal documents for early stage companies”
- Orick’s Legal Documents for Startups - contains contracts and other legal documents that have been curated by an online community.
- Legal Zoom - legal solutions for starting and running a business.
- Nolo - share legal forms and connects you to a lawyer if needed.
- PandaDoc - eSign your important docs. Know exactly when and what they are looking at.
Loyalty programs.
- Technology Advice - connects you to the best loyalty programs for your industry.
- RewardStream – a loyalty and customer referral designed specifically for your business.
- Perka - a loyalty program that encourages repeat visitors.
- RewardLoop - a powerful mobile loyalty program.
- BigDoor - a loyalty and rewards program that allows you to reward customers even when they aren’t making purchases.
Market research.
- Business Data and Statistics - “a collection of resources providing free access to business and economic statistics collected by the U.S. Government.”
- The U.S. Census Bureau - demographic and population data.
- SizeUp - data that shows how you’re stacking up against the competition.
- Conducting Market Research - tutorial on how to conduct market research,
- BizStats - free business statistics.
Must-read websites.
- Entrepreneur.com - news and advice for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
- ForEntrepreneurs.com - advice and resources for entrepreneurs and startups.
- EpicLaunch.com - tips for young entrepreneurs.
- AllBusiness.com - provides online resources for small businesses.
- TechCrunch - my go to resource in Silicon Valley for startup news. I also like to see what others are doing.
Name generators.
- Domainr: a free domain name search.
- Knowem – search tool for domains and trademarks.
- Naminum: helps you discover the perfect company name.
- Impossibility: “The best domain name generator ever.”
- Wordoid: suggests creative names for your product, domain, or product.
Payment - billing and invoicing.
- Yardbook - amazine invoicing tool for online professionals.
- Stripe – APIs and tools to accept and manage online payments.
- Aria – an active monetization platform.
- Due – online invoicing and time tracking platform.
- Quickbooks - Great way to keep track of your books.
Product launch.
- Unbounce - build, publish and test landing pages for your product.
- LaunchSquad - creates a press release, content and videos for your product launch.
- LaunchRock - “a site builder dedicated to early customer acquisition.”
- How to Effectively Launch Your New Product or Service.
- Prefinery- software for launching private beta.
Project management.
- BaseCamp - popular project management; free for up to two months.
- Trello - organize and monitor projects visually.
- Campfire – team collaboration that features a real-time chat.
- Podio - cloud-based collaboration service.
- Wrike- delivers full discretion over your tasks and allows you to collaborate with your whole team.
Question and answer/networking.
- Quora - ask or answer questions related to your industry.
- LinkedIn - the world’s largest professional network.
- StackExchange – expert answers to your questions in 137 different communities.
- Reddit - large community who network by sharing relevant content.
- Onstartups - the discussions on this hub are great for information and networking.
Remote working.
- Asana - converse and assign tasks with team members without email.
- Skype - call or message anyone from anywhere in the world.
- StartMeeting - free audio conferencing.
- Yammer – a private social network designed just for companies.
- Hipchat – private group chat, instant messaging and file sharing.
Social media/social monitoring.
- Hootsuite - “Manage social networks, schedule messages, engage your audiences, and measure ROI right from the dashboard.”
- HubSpot – one of the best online marketing and web analytics systems.
- Buffer – simple social media marketing software.
- Tweetdeck – “the most powerful Twitter tool for real-time tracking, organizing, and engagement.”
- Adstage – manage all of your Google, Bing, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Ads in one place.
Surveys and polls.
- Google Consumer Surveys - fast, accurate market research from Google.
- SurveyMonkey - free online survey software.
- Typeform - create online surveys and forms.
- Qualtrics - little higher end but one of the best platforms for surveys out there.
- Tally - create polls...in no time.
Time management/distraction prevention.
- Self-Control –a Mac application that blocks out distracting websites for a specific amount of time.
- Concentrate - helps keep you focused by shutting down non-essential apps and websites.
- RescueTime - helps you understand daily habits so you learn to become more productive.
- Time Tracking - time tracking software to help you discover how much time you’ve spent on a project. Note: I'm owner of this company!
- FocusBooster - a digital pomodoro timer.
To-do lists.
- Evernote - organize your daily projects in one workspace.
- Pocket - save important articles or videos to view later.
- Remember The Milk - to-do-lists and reminders.
- Wunderlist - lists that you can share with family or team members.
- Todoist - powerful to-do-list tool that comes with a task manager.
Travel.
- Trip-it - gives you a master itinerary of your travel plans.
- Shoeboxed - use to scan and organize receipts during travel.
- Where Nomads at - connects you with digital nomads all over the world.
- Time Trade - appointment scheduling software.
- Airbnb - great resource when you need last-minute or affordable lodging.
Video.
- Wistia - professional video hosting equipped with analytics and marketing tools.
- Powtoon - create awesome animated and video presentations.
- Tracker – video analysis and marketing tool.
- Stupeflix - create free, unlimited videos.
- Wideo - another tool to create animated videos.
Websites and hosting.
- Ananova - Guide to Choosing the Best Hosting Package for Startups.
- HostWinds VPS - web hosting at only $2.95 per month.
- Siteground - secure and tailored web hosting.
- Strikingly.com - create mobile friendly websites in minutes.
- Host - 100 percent free Web Hosting (I'm affiliated with this company).
- DigitalOcean - cloud hosting specifically for developers.
Wireframing and mockups.
- Gliffy - allows you to “ create professional-quality flowcharts, Org charts, UML diagrams, Network diagrams, Wireframes, Technical drawings”.
- Wirefy - intuitive wireframes for web development.
- Frame Box - easy, sharable frame sharing.
- Pencil Project - a free and open-source GUI prototyping tool
- MockFlow - easy wireframing tool that you can collaborate with others.
X, Y and Z…
- Bookkeeping 101: Debits and Credits.
- Ultimate Guide to Invoicing for Freelancers.
- Accounting Basics.
- Definitive Guide to Marketing Your Business Online.
- Content Marketing Guide - my personal guide to everything content marketing.
- How to Hire Your First Employee.
- Resumator- performance recruiting software.
- Desktime - find or share spaces for coworking.
- LiquidSpace - find daily or hourly office and meeting rentals.
- Alibaba - purchase whatever you need directly from the manufacturer.
- Shapeways - a 3D printing service and marketplace.
- Google My Business - “connects you directly with customers, whether they're looking for you on Search, Maps or Google+.”
- Paul Graham’s Essays
Need More?
- Steve Blank - Startup Tools.
- Startup Grind - Top Startup Events Worldwide.
- Kissmetrics: 101 Resources for First Time Entrepreneurs.
- Startup Weekend Resource List.