Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Adult Day Care Centers. The following are the predicted Top 3 Opportunities/Challenges from the report for this industry for the upcoming 12 months:

• There are an estimated 40,000 caregivers across the country (a target market for adult day care centers), of which 75% work outside the home. As Baby Boomers’ parents age, the number of caregivers is expected to grow rapidly, creating even more demand for these services.
• A quarter of caregivers report using the Internet and print media as sources of caregiving information. Of those that do, they most commonly seek information regarding care services (53%) and information about care facilities (40%).
• An emerging trend in the industry is catering specifically to niche markets. There’s an increase in centers that are faith-based or market  to specific groups, such as veterans.

The Industry Marketing Insights report for Adult Day Care Centers is available on Ad-ology.com (Research Store) for $195 USD with local market data for any U.S. market.

[Source: Ad-ology Research. July 6, 2010]

Economists and out of work Americans are looking for signs of revival in the U.S. job market. It’s too soon to tell if hiring is occurring in any significant way. However, a new Elance survey shows that when SMBs do hire, they’re going about the process in a new way.

Nearly 2/3’s of surveyed business owners say they are using online hiring instead of traditional hiring. And, in addition to hiring online, businesses are looking for employees to work on a project by project basis. This staffing practice allow businesses to maintain flexibility at a time when profitability is still under stress. Additional benefits of online hiring include “24-hour/7 day a week access to talent.”

How widespread are these new ‘distributed organizations?’ The survey results indicate more hiring managers are comfortable with hiring the right team members for a project and not so concerned about their physical location.  Fewer than 20% of hiring managers said that a team member’s location is important for an online hire.

Survey results also  show:

• Businesses who have made at least 1 online hire: 86%
• Made between 2-5 online hires: 49%
• Made 6+ online hires: 15%

How can potential employees stand out when businesses are seeking to make an online hire? Decision makers consider the following criteria:

• Ratings from prior employers 89%
• Viewing a portfolio of work 84%
• Pay rate 73%

Elance analysts predict the online hiring trend will continue. Businesses that serve this marketplace have an opportunity to increase revenue by promoting their products and services and more SMBs and employees seek to find each other online.
[Source: Elance Survey Reveals Majority of Small Businesses Prefer Hiring Online vs. In-Person. 23 Jun. 2010. Web. 29 Jun. 2010]

Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Computer Training Services. The following are the predicted Top 3 Opportunities/Challenges from the report for this industry for the upcoming 12 months:

• SMBs make a key market for training firms in 2010. These companies are more quickly adopting new technology and may need training in order to make the most of their new investment.
• Computer training in some occupations has not succeeded because older generations of workers are not computer literate. This has been particularly true in the technical trades of the plumbing and heating industry.
• The federal government may prove to be a source of business for these operators. The size of government is expected to grow under the Obama administration. As more employees come on board they will require training to understand the government’s systems.

The Industry Marketing Insights report for Computer Training Services is available on Ad-ology.com (Research Store) for $195 USD with local market data for any U.S. market.

[Source: Ad-ology Research. June 18, 2010]

Technology marketers are sensing that the economy is improving. But B2B operators, who have traditionally used trade shows and conferences to find new leads, may not yet be spending on travel again. So how can these operators obtain good leads – the top marketing priority for 68% of operators? Nearly 4 in 10 respondents to a Unisfair survey said that virtual events may become a source of new leads.

When asked about general spending intentions to find new leads this year, technology marketers indicated they would take the following steps:

• Decrease spending on conferences/trade shows: 40%
• Increase spending on physical events: 40%
• Increase resources for virtual events: 25%

Technology marketers also indicated they would spend on the following formats to generate new leads:

• Conferences/trade shows – physical: 44%
• Direct mail: 32%
• Radio and TV: 28%
• Online ads: 19%
• Paid search: 17%
• Virtual events: 11%
• E-mail campaigns: 5%
• Website: 1%

Hoang Vuong, CEO of Unisfair, says the general economy and the new technology available are converging to make  virtual events “mainstream thanks to their ability to help marketers arm their sales counterparts with better-qualified and intrinsically higher-value, sales-ready leads.”
[Source: Annual Unisfair Marketing Survey Probes 500 Technology Marketing Professionals on ‘The Future of Tech Marketing’. Unisfair.com. 25 May 2010. Web. 16 Jun. 2010]