Digital Marketing is the fastest changing media among all others. It takes just one minor change by a big fish like Google to send ripples of changes across the media. Thus, periodic analysis of such changes is necessary. At the dawn of 2014, this article discusses the popular trends that rule Digital Marketing so as to facilitate both advertisers and publishers in understanding the exact spots of the hot iron where the hammer is to be brought down. An informal study of the various branches reveals that Digital Marketing is bound to depend on content like never before.The top three important parts of Digital Marketing according to advertisers and publishers are Content Marketing, Mobile Marketing, and Big Data. Around 29% of the respondents believed Content Marketing will define Digital Marketing in 2014, 15.1% opined Mobile Marketing will see another big leap, while 12.9% said that feeding Big Data into the internet will determine what the brand takes out of this media. Social CRM came fourth in the ranking with 9% rooting for it as the single most point of focus. Let us now analyze the top three trends that are likely to rule Digital Marketing in 2014.Content Marketing for ORMThe content posted by, for, and about the brand shall be the biggest determining factor of the reputation which the brand creates for itself in the online world. Digital Marketing has become directly linked with Online Reputation Management (ORM) and the quality of the content has a direct effect on it. As the digital world is the modern method of communication, the online reputation which a brand develops is its image and is shared and communicated. Considering the speed at which information is passed around among the net users, keeping a close watch on the content is important. Content Marketing is no longer just about posting content. It also involves managing the reactions (to be fathomed from the comments) and ensuring that a good online reputation is built and maintained.Mobile Marketing for Better TargetingThe rate at which Mobile Marketing is developing almost singlehandedly fuels the growth in the digital world. With more and more users shifting from desktops to handheld devices, it is imperative for a brand to invest in this medium. Some experts even go ahead to predict that Mobile Marketing will one day define the whole process of Digital Marketing. With the speed and capacities of the mobiles improving in leaps and bounds, the above prediction may very well be worth its salt. It lends teeth to the targeting capabilities of Digital Marketing. With Mobile Ads finding a way to even the apps of smartphones, it is necessary to stay in the constant view of the users.Big Data for Public RelationsBig Data denotes the information on the functions of the business, both structured and unstructured. Such data has traditionally been used for analysis by the brand so that defects and shortcomings can be accurately found out and rectified. Releasing informative data on the net bestows the faith of the users and enhances brand image. For example, if an automobile company conducts a research on the various car segments in the industry and releases the findings on the net, it would affect the potential consumers in 3 definite ways. Firstly, it will help the consumers to determine the best vehicle as per their needs, secondly, it will create goodwill for the brand, and thirdly the trust on the brand will go up.Along with the above, the Digital Marketing will continue to thrive on SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SMO (Social Media Optimization). However, the predictions for 2014 make it worthwhile to associate with a Digital Advertising Agency in order to receive expert solutions.

Business loans and finance for a business just may have gotten good again? The pursuit of credit and funding of cash flow solutions for your business often seems like an eternal challenge, even in the best of times, let alone any industry or economic crisis. Let’s dig in.Since the 2008 financial crisis there’s been a lot of change in finance options from lenders for corporate loans. Canadian business owners and financial managers have excess from everything from peer-to-peer company loans, varied alternative finance solutions, as well of course as the traditional financing offered by Canadian chartered banks.Those online business loans referenced above are popular and arose out of the merchant cash advance programs in the United States. Loans are based on a percentage of your annual sales, typically in the 15-20% range. The loans are certainly expensive but are viewed as easy to obtain by many small businesses, including retailers who sell on a cash or credit card basis.Depending on your firm’s circumstances and your ability to truly understand the different choices available to firms searching for SME COMMERCIAL FINANCE options. Those small to medium sized companies ( the definition of ‘ small business ‘ certainly varies as to what is small – often defined as businesses with less than 500 employees! )How then do we create our road map for external financing techniques and solutions? A simpler way to look at it is to categorize these different financing options under:Debt / LoansAsset Based FinancingAlternative Hybrid type solutionsMany top experts maintain that the alternative financing solutions currently available to your firm, in fact are on par with Canadian chartered bank financing when it comes to a full spectrum of funding. The alternative lender is typically a private commercial finance company with a niche in one of the various asset finance areasIf there is one significant trend that’s ‘ sticking ‘it’s Asset Based Finance. The ability of firms to obtain funding via assets such as accounts receivable, inventory and fixed assets with no major emphasis on balance sheet structure and profits and cash flow ( those three elements drive bank financing approval in no small measure ) is the key to success in ABL ( Asset Based Lending ).Factoring, aka ‘ Receivable Finance ‘ is the other huge driver in trade finance in Canada. In some cases, it’s the only way for firms to be able to sell and finance clients in other geographies/countries.The rise of ‘ online finance ‘ also can’t be diminished. Whether it’s accessing ‘ crowdfunding’ or sourcing working capital term loans, the technological pace continues at what seems a feverish pace. One only has to read a business daily such as the Globe & Mail or Financial Post to understand the challenge of small business accessing business capital.Business owners/financial mgrs often find their company at a ‘ turning point ‘ in their history – that time when financing is needed or opportunities and risks can’t be taken. While putting or getting new equity in the business is often impossible, the reality is that the majority of businesses with SME commercial finance needs aren’t, shall we say, ‘ suited’ to this type of funding and capital raising. Business loan interest rates vary with non-traditional financing but offer more flexibility and ease of access to capital.We’re also the first to remind clients that they should not forget govt solutions in business capital. Two of the best programs are the GovernmentSmall Business Loan Canada (maximum availability = $ 1,000,000.00) as well as the SR&ED program which allows business owners to recapture R&D capital costs. Sred credits can also be financed once they are filed.Those latter two finance alternatives are often very well suited to business start up loans. We should not forget that asset finance, often called ‘ ABL ‘ by those Bay Street guys, can even be used as a loan to buy a business.If you’re looking to get the right balance of liquidity and risk coupled with the flexibility to grow your business seek out and speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor with a track record of business finance success who can assist you with your funding needs.