Ocoos Customer Service's Newsletter

Ocoos Announces Breakout First Quarter

April 8, 2014

Ocala, FL :    In its first quarter out of beta mode with a public release of the Ocoos cloud-based internet platform, Ocoos announces breakout performance for Q1 2014.  Highlights of the quarter include: 450% growth (Q413 to Q114) in revenue45% growth   (Q413 to Q114) in premium/concierge clients   76% growth   (Q413 to Q114) in consumers working with Ocoos clients  500% growth (YtY)  in annualized unique visitors. In Q114, breaking through 120,000 (annualized) unique visitors while driving up engagement. “Our story about a simple affordable comprehensive internet platform solution for small businesses is resonating with customers. The Concierge model in particular seems to resonate highly with busy small businesses owners. Our initial successes are leading to further reference sales as delighted customers tell our story to their colleagues.” said Richard Feehan, the VP of Sales and Marketing at Ocoos. In addition, Ocoos made a number of other announcements in the Q1: Uproar...

5 Must have web tools for Small businesses to be "World-Class": Simple Explanations

April 3, 2013

We have a simple mission: Innovate Small Businesses to be efficient, powerful, and on an even playing field.  Ultimately reaching a point where commerce is driven by quality of products and services instead of financial resources. Here is my list of the most powerful, simple, and productive tools for small business.  The time is now to adapt and thrive in the connected world.  Embrace these technologies and your business and customers will reward you.squareup.comNever again should you lose a sale, or delay potential revenue because you can't accept payment.  Square provides a FREE card reader that works with your iPhone, iPad, or Android device and links with your back account.  It allows your business to accept credit card payments anywhere.  You can also input cash sales and track your sales in a simple and powerful interface.PRICE: 2.75% for credit card swipe transactions, 3.5%+15¢ for manually entered credit cards. Free card reader, app, and analytics.mailchimp.comEvery one...

SMALL BUSINESSES IN A MODERN WORLD

March 28, 2013

Executive Summary Historically, small and medium sized businesses (SMB’s) have had quite a battle when competing with big box stores and larger established businesses.  This is a result of limited capital and bandwidth (Time/Resources) necessary to build a brand and gain enough exposure to connect to consumers in a trusted way; consequently SMB’s have struggled with growth and sustainability.   However, in today’s connected world, this is no longer true.  Many businesses are offering services quality that far surpass larger competition, and SMB’s can leverage smart technology and consumer channels (i.e. Social Media) to reach a wide audience with a loud and powerful voice.  This article describes the challenges and possible solution for SMB’s to thrive in the modern economy. (Example: The boom in Food trucks can be directly attributed to technologies such as twitter where the businesses require customers to become “Followers” in order to find food truck location,...

What is Ocoos? Quick and Easy Explanation

February 20, 2013

Ocoos.com is a technology company focused on giving small service companies more power online with a goal to become the Amazon for Services. We have developed a platform that allows small service companies to fully create and manage their online presence without any tech experience, as well as provide them with back-office administrative tools for managing their clients, financials, documents, analytics, social media management and more.

New Offerings Page and Social Sharing 3/18/12

February 18, 2013

Your company is great! Your web page should be too!Don’t worry about IT updates, Ocoos will take care of it.  We work hard every day to make your web pages beautiful, modern, and user friendly.  Based on great feedback and analytics that we receive,  your offering pages are now cleaner, faster, and more effective.Also, with all the social media out there, its important that your customers can share your great business.  We have made it extremely easy to share your Home Page, Offerings, and Blog posts on today’s top social media networks!Login to your Account and see all  the great new things Ocoos has to offer.

SMB and the Fortune 500 Internet Marketing Gulf

February 12, 2013

In nearly all aspects of the business enterprise, fortune 500 companies easily partner with companies in the small and medium business sector (SMB) to build an overall solution. However, marketing and more specifically internet marketing remains an area where cooperation is very limited.  This article makes the case that there are two reasons for this gulf.  First, the proliferation of web development toolkits has created a level of mass customization of websites where cooperation is nearly impossible (http://www.ocoos.com/me/ocooscom/blog/web-development-toolkits-the-road-to-a-dead-end-54) at a technological level. Second, there is a lack of tools which enable cooperation and respect collaboration processes. With the existence of these tools/processes, a new level of capability can be unleashed for the mutual benefit of all parties.Fortune 500 companies use SMB partners in areas such as development, manufacturing, G&A, and sales. There are typically three reasons for this...

Chambers: Survival in the Internet Age

January 31, 2013

By: Jaye Baillie, APR, IOM, veteran chamber of commerce executiveExecutive SummaryHistorically, chambers of commerce have provided a great deal of value to their members with a focus on networking and education. In return, chamber members have been willing to pay membership fees to maintain chamber organizations.  However, over the last 10 years,  I have seen perception of value for chamber services provided by chambers shift radically. Much in the same it way it  has reshaped many markets, the internet is placing a great deal of pressure on the core value statements for chamber organizations. This white paper describes the challenges, and also strategies which chamber organizations can use to not only survive but thrive in the internet age. The Chamber History: Since the formation of the Chamber of Commerce organizations, the mission has been to promote the advancement of the business community in two ways. First, the chamber organizations have represented the views of the...

Top 10 Small Business Trends for 2013

January 17, 2013

Below is our sixth annual Top 10 Small Business Trends list.  Last year's trends and links to our trends lists from prior years are available here.Our overall economic outlook for 2013 is for continued moderate growth with U.S. GDP increasing 2.25% to 2.75%.  We expect hiring and the job market to continue to improve with unemployment falling and finishing the year in the 6.8% to 7.2% range.Technology 1. Big Data for the Little Guy:  Big data is big news these days. Yet much of the discussion has been about how big data will help big businesses.  But the data and analytics revolution will also benefit small businesses. 2013 will see rapid increases in the number of small businesses using powerful yet inexpensive cloud-based data and analytical tools.  These systems will deliver meaningful insights on customers, markets and competition and will also improve bottom-line business results.  This trend comes from our work with Intuit on The New Data Democracy.  2. Smartphones, Tablets...

HOWARD SCHULTZ: 'We Are Witness To A Seismic Change In Consumer Behavior

January 15, 2013

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz spoke in a keynote interview at the National Retail Federation's convention in New York City and he had some insights about the future of retail and the potential for getting left behind.He talked about the future of brick-and-mortar with a sense of serious urgency."It has never been more challenging for a brick-and-mortar retail merchant to succeed in an enduring way," he said."We are witness to a seismic change in consumer behavior," said Schultz. "And that seismic change is linked to technology."Social, digital, and mobile are fundamentally changing the way consumers buy things. Most companies already know this, but have been slow to act.And now, we're at the point that retailers have no choice but to play catch up. It's a race against the clock."Any company sitting here today that embraces the status quo as a business proposition … is literally facing a collision course with time," said Schultz.Read...

Web Terminology Slides for Small Businesses

January 14, 2013

Have you ever wondered what is meant by SEO, CRM, ERP and other terms used in marketing businesses on the Internet? Given the shift to the internet in consumer buying behavior all businesses (especially small businesses) need to understand the basics, and for those that embrace the internet, there is a potential to thrive. Here are some great early steps towards innovating your business. Looking for more?Working with Workforce Florida and Re-View Business Strategies, Ocoos is offering a FREE one hour seminar where these and other digital marketing terms will be explained in a practical lab oriented style. For those who would like to learn more, there will be an opportunity to take deeper classes in the area of digital marketing where there is a potential for 100% reimbursement for the course costs from Workforce Florida. All the courses are certified. Register for the class at  http://www.ocoos.com/services/consulting/digital-marketing-terminology-101-class-1378.html or call our...

Digital Marketing Terminology 101 Class

January 14, 2013

Learn Basic Digital Marketing TerminologyHave you ever wondered what is meant by SEO, CRM, ERP and other terms used in marketing businesses on the Internet? Given the shift to the internet in consumer buying behavior all businesses (especially small businesses) need to understand the basics, and for those that embrace the internet, there is a potential to thrive. Working with Workforce Florida and ReView Business Strategies, Ocoos is offering a FREE one hour seminar where these and other digital marketing terms will explained in a practical lab oriented style. For those who would like to learn more, there will be an opportunity to take deeper classes in the area of digital marketing where there is a potential for 100% reimbursement for the course costs from Workforce Florida. All the courses are certified. Register for the class here on our Ocoos profile or call our offices at 305-343-2609.Ocoos is a silicon-valley backed internet platform based in Florida (www.ocoos.com).  Review...