by Cindy Kelly
President / Founder| Media Fusion

 Technology has forever changed the way business conduct business. Gone are the days of consumers thumbing through a phone book to search for a company. Today’s consumer heads to Google instead. Technology has changed our sales process. Traditionally, salespeople were the first to educate a consumer on their product. Today, most consumers are often more educated than the salespeople because they’ve already done their research online. This technological shift, known as Inbound Marketing, affects everyone and is transforming the advertising and marketing industries as we know it.

 

Inbound Marketing in  a Nutshell

The word “Inbound” describes a process that brings customers to you. The word “Outbound” describes you reaching out to your customers. Traditionally, marketers have always interrupted their prospects with their message. This has been done in the form of TV ads, radio ads, billboards etc. As technology has evolved, consumers have shown their lack of interest in advertising. They’ve purchased DVR players to watch their favorite shows without interruption, turned to their iPods for music (no ads there) and people can barely stop texting and driving much less pay attention to a billboard. This presents start-ups with many challenges when deciding what methods of marketing and advertising to use to make the most impact.

 

Make Inbound Marketing the Backbone of Your Startup

You’ve got the business plan, funding and product, now it’s time to market to your audience. You may be considering online ads or pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns to enhance your visibility on Google. While this does get you instant exposure, it can also be very costly if it’s your only method for online visibility. Pay-per-click is just what the name implies, you pay for every click, regardless of the end result. Pay-per-click is a form of advertising and your search engine visibility will disappear if you decide to stop paying. That is unless you’ve earned that position organically. This is where Inbound marketing comes in.

Inbound marketing helps you enhance your visibility naturally. This is accomplished by understanding what your audience is interesting in, creating great content to support that, sharing that content on social media channels and getting others to talk about it. As you can imagine, there is not a quick solution for this. It takes a great strategy and many hours to accomplish however, the long-term benefits will be worth it. I like to think of PPC as “renting real estate” and Inbound Marketing as “buying real estate”. 

 

Building Your Inbound Marketing Toolbox

To be great at inbound marketing, you have to work with a set of tools. Here are a few basic tools you’ll need to get started 

Website: Regardless of the methods you chose for marketing and advertising, there’s no doubt your website will be the hub of all information. For this reason you’ll want to make sure your website is consistent with your brand, has a clear message and professional image.

Blog: A blog is simply an extension of your website. It’s a platform typically built into your website, meant to house educational content. Your blog will help position you as an expert in your field.

Content: Content the foundation of inbound marketing, without it you won’t get very far. Think like a writer. Think beyond articles. What could you provide people that is different? An ebook, checklist, how-to-guide, video? The list goes on.

Social Media: Love it or hate it, social media isn’t what all the kids are doing, it’s what all the businesses are doing. Not all social media platforms will be a good fit for your business. Think about the audience first, then think of the social media platform that your audience uses. You’ll use social media to promote your content, not sell.

Analytics: What gets measured, gets done. How are your marketing programs performing?  You should never stop measuring your marketing. You’ll want to monitor things like website traffic,  leads, new customers, etc.

Inbound marketing is a new approach that markets to the modern consumer. According to HubSpot, companies that implement Inbound marketing experience a cost per lead 61% less than those using outbound marketing. I’ve only begun to scratch the surface with the tools and techniques discussed in this post.

To learn more about inbound marketing, please join us for an enlightening, educational and engaging digital workshop specifically to help you market your startup at Tampa Bay WaVE on May 15th from 6:00-7:00 (http://www.eventbrite.com/event/6433501777)

For more information, please contact Gracie Leigh Stemmer at gracie@tampabaywave.org.

 

 

 

Tampa Bay WaVE is very excited to welcome the inaugural class to the FirstWaVE Accelerator program.  FirstWaVE clients participated in an application submission process, which included a live pitch event to the FirstWaVE Accelerator vetting committee, before being selected into the program. 

These talented individuals are developing unique and innovative technologies and paving the way for greater innovation and job creation in the Tampa Bay area! Please stop by the FirstWaVE Venture Center to congratulate them!

 

SHOOTRAC: Provides organizations of all sizes a simple way to capture big data on its customers, assets and workforce and use the information to leverage these resources for maximum efficiency and customer service using a cloud-based, scalable Software as a Service solution. 
 

Cartooga: Through its proprietary e-commerce platform and expert staff, Cartooga, Coracent offers shopping cart hosting and a variety of conversion optimization features designed to help businesses open an online store, drive traffic and increase conversion rates.
 

Secondhand Living: An e-commerce site where consignment, antique and thrift shops, as well as architectural salvage material suppliers promote their businesses and offer their products for sale. There are thousands of these independently owned shops in North America (even more abroad) and the majority of them have no online presence.
 

Drawer: A technology product expressed initially through a mobile application that provides a framework for capturing and cataloging real-life recommendations between friends and acquaintances. Drawer helps to catalog across various verticals – places, movies, music, products, books, etc. – in order to provide a comprehensive and centralized place for storing this information.
 

 

 

Commendable Kids: It is a community of children striving to be the best they can, as they work toward earning badges that can then be proudly displayed and shared with their supporters. Commendable Kids helps encourage and challenge children to learn new skills and reach new milestones.
 

Confy.co: Confy.co helps track and organize an event from start to finish by providing targeted solutions and management tools to conference organizers, sponsors, hosts and other event-related personnel to successfully manage the myriad of data, requirements and essential organizational needs.
 

Kite Desk: A personal cloud information manager that lets users connect their cloud service accounts and automatically links and organizes their messages, contacts, files, events and more into useful streams of information. Kite Desk provides the unique value of personalized, contextual computing to both web and mobile clients.
 

SavvyCard: A mobile web platform for actively referring business transactions. It combines features of an online business card with an intelligent referral system that generates measurable leads and sales. SavvyCard offers a convenient way to pass “warm” referrals from any web enabled device, track and respond to referrals in real time, reward referral behavior and build mobile-friendly referral networks.

 

 

 

FirstWaVE Accelerator offers a wide variety of benefits to startups in all phases of development, including bootcamps and workshops by local entrepreneurs and business executives, dedicated mentors, opportunities to meet with investors, access to a team of dedicated student interns and free professional services. Clients also have access to coworking and office space within the FirstWaVE Venture Center, located in Tampa Bay WaVE’s headquarters on the second floor of the Rivergate Tower, downtown Tampa.

Applications are now being accepted for the next round of FirstWaVE Accelerator clients. The deadline to apply is April 1, and the new class will be selected April 9. Apply at: bit.ly/FirstWaveAccelerator 

We've been encouraging our members to sign up for StartUp America Partnership for months now and the pay-out could not have come at a better time. 

"50,000 visitors and 15,000 members of the media are expected to descend on Tampa Bay during the RNC" says the 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee, and some of our guys will be shining in that spot light. 

Well known internet newspaper Huffington Post recently approached StartUp America/StartUp Florida for a list of local startups they could cover during their time here in Tampa for the 2012 Republican National Convention. Twenty-seven startups were picked and of them eight are WaVE members! For those of you keeping count, that's one third of the startups that will be representing Tampa Bay WaVE! 

All of these ventures will shine in the Huffington Post Spotlight, as they will be invited to an exclusive Expo & special Huffington Post Oasis afterward that is sure to be packed with bloggers, journalists, and other members of the media. So keep your eyes and ears peeled. Follow @HuffPostLive & keep checking their website for updates. 

+ We are sure StartUp America Partnership will will continue to provide members with benefit like this. If you have not signed up your business yet, got www.s.co to sign up.

 

At 9am this morning about 15 of us gathered at famous local coffee shop Buddy Brew Coffee to embark on a journey with Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe to get the HART of Tampa Public transit problem.

All of us were what HART would call Choice Riders, because we did not necessarily have to ride the bus, and we had other means of transportation. We were asked to imagine we have arrived in Tampa from the airport and were dropped off at the hot coffee spot, Buddy Brew, before having to jump back on the bus and head downtown for a meeting. 

As we got our coffee we began chatting each other up while waiting for the 30-Bus. Then someone mentioned the word "cash."  I don't think any of us had realized that today HART only accepts cash; not only that, they only accepted exact change, or you must over pay. Panic ensued, and here lies our first problem which would inevitably spark conversations for possible solutions. 

Just as the requisite cash was doled out, someone yelled, "Here comes the bus! Everyone get in Line!," and we were on the move. Commissioner Sharpe decided to time how long it took everyone to get on the bus. It ended up being 1 minute and 45 seconds. A HART employee made us aware that 1:45 minutes now put the whole bus behind schedule. Already behind schedule? This seemed absurd to us Choice Riders. There had to be a better solution, a faster method, and our brains began to tick again. 

"I've got it all figured out," says Tampa's go to UI/UX guy Justin Davis, as he explains the concept of an experience map - a very useful tool many companies complete in order to find the flaws in user experience (UX) for products or services before they can create a plan to fix them. Commissioner Sharp was thrilled, "I want to do this with HART." 

Soon we arrived at the Marion Street Bus Station Downtown. We got off the bus and explored the facility. The consensus: it was not very welcoming to say the least.  Linda found the lady's room.. well… not in good shape. I scurried to find an ATM, which charged me a $3.50 transaction fee, and I am sure my not so favorite Bank Of America will also charge me a fee. I didn't even have time to go to the change machine before the bus had arrived and was ready to leave. What was I going to do with a $20 dollar bill and a bus that didn't give change? Not give a $17 tip, that's for sure. 

On the trip back to Buddy Brew, more conversations swirled about the lack of WIFI on HART buses (including one solution under consideration that would cost over $40,000 per bus to install…. really??).

Other questions were raised about HART's "no food" policy on the buses.  (Have you seen the subways in other cities that are loaded with food, coffee and newspaper vendors?) Could a change in policy actually inspire people to create more small businesses around our local bus stops and stations? No surprise, I figured it wouldn't take long before these ambitious tech entrepreneurs would be identifying new business opportunities!

Once back at Buddy Brew, many of the "bus crew" stuck around to continue the conversations.  What an eye-opening experience for the Choice Riders.

All things considered, I observed many overwhelming reasons that would make local bus travel undesirable to me. I felt very stressed during the whole event, and I didn't even have anywhere to go. I can only imagine the stress I would have if I was trying to get somewhere on time.

Truthfully, the overall experience was great. This was an awesome way to get the tech community and HART together to find solutions to a community problem with our government representative. 

I loved it, the ideas were flying, and I think one or more solutions are sure to come of it all. 

To check out what we were tweeting search the hashtag #tech4transit. Tweet your opinion & Join the conversation!

Or tweet your comments to @goHART !

 

StartUp Weekend Tampa has been a success since the first one was held in Tampa Bay in 2011.

The organizers Susie Steiner, Ryan Sullivan, and Kim Randall have announced a second Startup Weekend in 2012 to be held in accordance with Global Entrepreneurship Week.

On November 16-18 Idea-makers, Developers, Facilitators, and startup enthusiasts alike will come together and create startups in just 54 hours. At the end of those 54 fast-paced hours of designing, developing and testing the teams will pitch their final products to a panel of successful entrepreneurs. At the end of the competition winners are announced, but best of all, the startups live on and our community grows.

Organizer Ryan Sullivan says, “Startup Weekend is a spark plug for the community, every event keeps people motivated, energized and prompts them to challenge the status quo. As organizers we continue to plan events because it's what the Tampa startup community wants!”

Stay tuned for more information about registering! && If you're not ready to participate I can promise you it is a fun-filled volunteer

opportunity!

@SQQZY @Sullyvanskikins @_KimRandall @StartupWeekend @StartupTampa

The name Forceworks did not come about accidentally. The cloud is here, and if your business is still resisting the inevitable switch, they’ll bring you there. “Kicking and screaming,” if necessary, joke co-founders Steve Mordue and Chris Bianco. 

There are many obvious benefits to the cloud. It saves time, money, space. It's mobile, and represents a sort of going green in the tech world. Best of all the cloud is customizable, something that Steve & Chris do best. With the cloud you're spending money hoping that some new software will increase your ROI.

So if switching to the cloud is such an obvious decision, why hasn’t everyone done it already?

The Problem Steve and Chris face is not technical. There are no issues with bugs or anything of that nature that is usually associated with new software or technology. The problem is with the existing non-cloud users. 

For some, there is this misinformed, irrational fear of the cloud. This is not the white, puffy money-saver the rest of us know it to be. For them, the cloud is this dark gray, scary thing to hide from and hope it passes over. They fear their information is going to be shared or somehow get lost.

Where do companies get this misinformation? “The problem,” according to Steve, “is so many of them say ‘yup I love it, go run it by the IT guy.’” And Forceworks dreads hearing those words. When an IT manager’s primary job is to maintain the company’s servers, and the company decides to switch over to the cloud, the IT manager is pretty much out of a job.

So of course the old school IT guys are going to relay the ‘threat’ of switching to cloud. Sometimes the IT manager simply doesn’t know enough about the technology that makes him obsolete. Other times, they are “flat out misleading people about what they know”  

The third barrier is the fact that many companies have spent a large part of their budget on infrastructure and cannot wrap their heads around the thought of spending more money to change it. In time these barriers will fall. The switch to cloud is inevitable and there are sources for that everywhere. As Steve put it, “Cloud has moved from a technical sale to a financial sale. You can save a bunch of money by going to the cloud.” Once companies realize the money and time saved using cloud, such infrastructure will also be obsolete. 

Today Forceworks' clientele is growing fast and they are finding more and more ways to integrate specific company solutions into the cloud. They've even gotten the attention of Microsoft themselves. Forceworks utilized Dynamics CRM as a “behind the scenes” tool to provide integration between Outlook and a client’s proprietary line of business application, where CRM is never even seen. This is something Microsoft themselves did not even know was possible. 

Because Forceworks have been such cloud activists they have been named 1 of only roughly 300 international cloud accelerator partners. Accredited by Microsoft as an official Microsoft 365 'Cloud Accelerator.' They are also on the verge of Silver CRM online accreditation. 
You can find Forceworks right in the middle of South Tampa. Why the Bay area? Because that’s where the clients are; “Where we’re at now, our business model doesn’t target users, it targets business. Tampa’s business community is no different than any other.” As more and more local business make the switch to the Cloud, Forceworks is here making it happen.

Interested in hearing more about Forceworks? Check out their website or follow Steve & Chris on LinkedIn.

Justin Davis is the go to guy for User Interface/User Experience design and re-design. He is a true design fundamentalist and quite a character. We love the energy he brings to the WaVE space and all the backing his gives us. One year ago Justin moved his business Madera Labs from Nashville, TN to Tampa, FL. Here is his story.

“A year ago, my wife and I took a plunge we'd been wanting to do for years: we moved from Nashville, our home for a over a decade, to Tampa. We'd talked about it for years – a desire to be near the coast and in a more temperate climate had always been nagging at us, and Tampa seemed to fit the bill for the kind of place we wanted to settle down permanently. Among that excitement was a healthy dose of anxiety. We'd never lived out of Tennessee, where we grew up, and had never been so far away from family and friends. Not insignificant was another point of fear: how would my business, grown over time in the Nashville technology scene, fair with the move? What could I expect out of Tampa's tech scene? Would they embrace a newcomer, or would I be relegated to months or years of chipping away at a dense social shell of existing relationships and native trust? And perhaps most importantly, would a southern boy like me be able to find a good biscuit in Tampa Bay?

A year later, I can happily say that any fears or anxiety I had were, although understandable, completely unfounded.

Scene Change

I had good reason to be nervous. Nashville's technology scene is very tight-knit, and I knew the vast majority of folks in town working in tech. My friends were all involved in the tech scene, and the community there helped shape my entire career. Tampa had big shoes to fill. When I hit Tampa late last June, I went to work trying to ferret out the pockets of the community that resembled what I knew in Nashville. That research turned up groups like Tampa Bay WaVE, the Barcamp group and others – the mainstays of the community that formed the pillars of the social structure around technology in Tampa. Immediately reaching out to these groups, I felt a comfort that was familiar – the tech scene in Tampa was just as welcoming and warm as the group in Nashvi

lle. I was going to be alright.

Job Transfer: Moving a Business 710 Miles

Bolstered by the warmth of the Tampa tech scene, I had increased confidence in my ability to get my business restarted in Tampa. I'd mostly worked with local clients in Nashville, and knew that building a brand and local clientele in Tampa would take time – I assumed 6 months to get back to my pre-move levels. Amazingly, I got there in half the time. The tech scene in Tampa is built solidly around sincere relationships, and the people working here respect and help those who are working hard to do great things. Now, a year later, my volume of work is more that double what it was in Nashville. I count a large portion of that toward the friendly and cooperative nature of the technology scene here – the people in Tampa want to see each other succeed, and work to help each other get there.

In the Rearview and Out the Windshield

Looking back, I'm amazed at how easy the move was. Besides having no issues with the move itself (No flat tires! No broken things!), the transition into Tampa's technology scene was amazingly easy, and I've met folks here that will be life-long friends. The people here are friendly, welcoming and sincere – a decidedly Midwestern-feeling atmosphere that resonates well with my Tennessee upbringing. Tampa has a great group of talent that will only get better over the upcoming years. Sure, we have work to do, but the seeds of growth and success are here. While I don't have the privilege of having a long look at Tampa's past, what I've experienced in the past year has excited and inspired me. As I look back at my time in Nashville, it's with very fond memories as the place that helped me cut my teeth and set me on my path, and while I'll always be indebted to the scene there, Tampa's my home now and I couldn't be more excited about it. I'm thrilled to be a part of this scene, gracious for the open arms that the scene welcomed me with and honored to be able to play a part in helping build the future of it.

Thanks Tampa – you made a southern boy from Tennessee feel right at home, even *if* your biscuits suck.”

We are so happy to have you in Tampa Bay Justin Davis. You brighten our days but more importantly you teach us the essence of user experience and help our ventures flourish. For that we are truly grateful. Thank you for choosing Tampa Bay, and we hope you stay with us for many years to come.

Check out Madera Labs
Follow Justin on Twitter
Check out his Blog

Being a part of coolTECH this year was a thrill! We had so much fun and met so many new people.

We would thank TBTF and Kimberly Wander for allowing our guys the chance to shine like they deserve. We know that because of your event so many of our members gained exposure and made great business connections. Tampa Bay WaVE continue to proudly sponsor all coolTECH events in the future. Thanks again!

Though we did not get to do the 'wave' like I had planed, the event went better than expected. We were having tons of fun over on our row of WaVErs. We were taking lots of fun jungle pictures in front of the green screen at the Loco tent. Best of all one of our members won the Judges Choice Award for Coolest Tech. Congratulations SavvyCard!!!

Last but not least we must Thank Genesis Direct our printing sponsor. Without Anna Megaloudis and her team we would have been really out of luck for our promo materials. Not only did they help us print, but also designed the layout from a scratchy drawling I provided them. Not enough Thanks can go to them for scrambling and working hard when we needed them most. Thanks Anna Megaloudis and Genesis Direct.

We also cannot forget to thank WaVE's coolTECH sposors:

68 Days to the RNC!

Finally we can post/boast about one of our new members and how they have helped WaVE! John Dalrymple is CEO of Mobex, a VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) software and application for business phone lines. 

We have been compelled by one of our newest members John Dalrymple to switch our very own existing phone service over to Mobex.

Described by John as "Grasshopper on steroids," we couldn't agree more. 

With Mobex we were able to keep our existing number and add a local (813) number as well. Mobex is accessible as a web app and a mobile app where you can manage extensions & conference calls, set voicemail recordings, change call forwarding settings and watch call activity from your administrator panel. 

So call us and check it out! 866-WAVE-066 or locally 813-280-4330.
                
The best part of Mobex is that via the app that comes with the service, when making outgoing calls, the person receiving the call sees Tampa Bay WaVE on their caller ID. Many of you may not know this but Linda and I have been using our cell phones as for the WaVE line since the space was open in September of last year. When you call Tampa Bay WaVE it rings our cell phones and we are always on call for anyone interested in WaVE. Now with our outbound calls seen as a call from Tampa Bay WaVE, we can be more professional and work to better improve communications to out community.

"I am thrilled to be a part of the Tampa Bay WaVE and am excited to ride the WAVE of the future tech community with them. 

Stay tuned for future WaVE member discounts!" – John Dalrymple, CEO of Mobex

 

Want to check out Mobex and meet this ambitious founder?

Mobex is just one of many of Tampa Bay WaVE's members who will be exhibiting their new technologies and cutting-edge innovations at TBTF's coolTECH event June 22nd at the Tampa Convention Center. 

To visit the expo, meet these founders and get a personal demo of great technology companies in Tampa Bay, register today.  General admission prices start at just $10 per person (and $75 for a full access pass)!

Thank you to Gray-Robinson and Absolute Mobile Solutions for their generous support of WaVE at CoolTECH!

 

 

“Check Engine” – possibly the most ambiguous statement of this generation. It’s come to replace the blinking 12:00 that used to plague VCR’s across the country. We know it’s something that should be addressed, we have no idea how, and we often just live with it. We have reservations asking a mechanic ‘what it all means.’ We fear we’ll receive a shorter answer asking the same question to a philosopher. Many just ignore it.

Why? Bret Tobey (co-founder and CEO) knew there was a missed opportunity. As he stared at the little check engine light, illuminated by a one watt light bulb, you could almost see the much larger one above his head. Teaming up with co-founders Matt Galvin and Renz Kuipers, Carvoyant was born.

Here’s how it works: A small translator device is plugged into the vehicle, and diagnostic data is sent to Carvoyant’s system. Now, when the check engine light comes on, Carvoyant sends a message to inform the driver of potential problems and notifies repair shops and car dealerships. The informed repair shops then compete for the driver’s business. Service facilities can now provide timely, meaningful responses to specific needs, all the way up to scheduling an appointment. The driver gets ease of mind. The shop gets qualified, real time leads. Carvoyant also gets valuable information on consumer behavior.

To better evaluate your car’s problems, the driver and mechanics even have information on the vehicle’s service history. By organizing that data – previously stored in a stack of loose, coffee-stained papers in your glove box – you’ll know immediately if a part that needs to be replaced is still under warrantee.

Mechanics should love the product too. Instead of marketing through bulk mailing or television ads to people who may not even own a car, the shop is notified immediately when someone needs service, and are able to market themselves in a much more concentrated, effective way.

Carvoyant will be participating in Cool Tech, this Friday at the Tampa Convention Center. They are proudly a product of the Tampa Bay entrepreneurial community, as Kuiper notes,

“Startups don't happen in a vacuum. Entrepreneurs need a community to move from idea to execution. We were fortunate enough to get an initial push from Gazelle Lab…and then Tampa Bay WAVE has helped foster additional connections to the community.

Being selected to work with I2 and the TRDA provided further validation along with concrete guidance about working within Florida's venture funding environment. These types of assistance, and an active seed capital pool, are what’s needed to grow Florida as an innovation hub"

Want to check out Carvoyant, and meet Bret and Matt in person?

As mentioned before, Carvoyant is just one of many of Tampa Bay WaVE's members who will be exhibiting their new technologies and cutting-edge innovations at TBTF's coolTECH event June 22nd at the Tampa Convention Center.

To visit the expo, meet these founders and get a personal demo of great technology companies in Tampa Bay, register today. General admission prices start at just $10 per person (and $75 for a full access pass)!

Thank you to Gray-Robinson and Absolute Mobile Solutions for their generous support of WaVE at CoolTECH!