The ability to possess information plays a largely decisive role in all areas of life, including business. Every organization sooner or later faces the need to convey certain information to its customers, which directly or indirectly affects the success of the company's development. It is this fact that forces us to take a particularly careful approach to the choice of methods and means of informing clients, which is what this article will be devoted to.

What methods of informing clients exist?

Informing customers is a priority for every company, because actions in this direction contribute to better awareness of consumers about the services and products provided, as well as ongoing promotions and bonus programs, and make it possible to make an informed choice in terms of meeting their needs. In addition, motivating types of informing clients should include messages reminding them of various types of debts.

In general, among all existing methods of informing clients, two large groups can be distinguished. The first group of information methods can be called incoming; it includes direct requests from clients to the company to obtain background information (as a rule, these are telephone calls). The second group, outgoing, should include those channels for conveying information that are based on the use of achievements of modern high technologies.

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Outgoing information

Among the variety of existing outgoing methods of informing clients, sending SMS alerts to client numbers available in the call center database deserves special attention. The second most popular method is to transfer the necessary information through a telephone call and voice communication. The number and frequency of such reminders are agreed in advance with the client.

Services for business development

Methods of informing customers are constantly being modernized, playing an increasingly important role in the process of interaction between companies and their customers. Modern technologies make it possible to establish a relationship between a client’s phone number and several marketing channels at once that promote products through various advertising campaigns. This method allows a businessman to derive statistics from incoming calls and understand which of the methods used turned out to be the most effective, and apply them in the future to develop his company.

For those customers who for some reason were unable to get through and receive the information they were interested in, service methods are also provided. First of all, this includes feedback methods that are carried out to the numbers of recorded missed calls. To increase efficiency, it is worth introducing a system for voicing the order of the incoming call when dialing. This approach will solve the problem of uncertainty regarding the waiting period and increase the number of customers who get through.

Improving the quality of customer service

A very sensitive and at the same time important aspect is the level of customer service from call center employees. For such specialists, very important skills that indicate their qualifications are competent speech, the ability to conduct business negotiations, build a conversation with extreme tact, and use an individual approach. A system for recording all telephone conversations will help identify unprofessionals.

Analysis of information received via telephone will help identify goods and services that are in greatest and least demand and clarify the issue of seasonality of their consumption. This information contributes to more competent management of the company’s budget and its further successful development.

Informing clients can pursue various goals, which allows us to distinguish the following types:

• resumption of lost or interrupted contacts;
• invitations;
• notifications/alerts;
• congratulations to clients;
• SMS informing clients;
• informing clients through telephone calls.

Restoring contacts. This type of informing clients provides for the resumption of contacts with clients that were interrupted for any reason. It is important to remember that even a client who previously left for competitors can return if he receives a truly interesting offer that meets his needs. However, to make this possible, company employees must keep a constant record of passive customers and systematically inform them about new products, services and promotions. If all the nuances are taken into account, the process of resuming work with the client will be crowned with success.

Invitations. Where can I invite a client? To any company event related to the popularization of the services it provides or the goods it sells (for example, presentations, master classes, exhibitions, workshops, etc.). This is necessary in order to interest customers, increase your profits, and maintain the company’s reputation. As for choosing the appropriate method of informing clients by distributing invitations, they can vary (printed, personal, telephone, etc.). Turning to telemarketing in this matter gives maximum results.

Alerts. Often a company needs to inform customers about upcoming promotions, the arrival of a new product, or some important event. In this case, you should resort to a notification system. It is important to remember that clients should be notified in advance.

Congratulations. It is congratulations, in comparison with other methods of information, that are aimed at maintaining and even increasing customer loyalty to the company, providing feedback, and establishing close, friendly relationships with the consumer.

The advantage of this type of informing clients is that information about bonus programs, products, and promotions can be added to the text of the congratulations. Congratulatory information, to a greater extent than other methods, implements an individual approach to each client. Congratulations can also be timed to coincide with the client’s personal celebration (for example, a birthday), as well as national or professional holidays.

SMS informing. Due to the development of technology, the system of informing customers via SMS has become extremely popular. It was adopted by both commercial and government agencies, due to the efficiency, accessibility and convenience of this method. Thanks to the SMS system, the client receives not only information, but often also the opportunity to use some functions and bonuses remotely, without leaving home.

Information by phone

There are two main ways to inform clients by phone, namely:

1. Automatic notification by sending a message via voice communication.
2. Making calls by a contact center operator who communicates with clients personally, which allows not only to convey the necessary information, but also to answer questions that arise during communication.

How does informing clients through e-mail newsletters work?

Another very common way of informing is e-mail distribution. In this case, the visual component is very important, so specialists must continuously work to select the most advantageous combinations of message content, font, color design and other nuances.

There are certain life hacks for those who want to create a message that works. So, it is very important to remember that the information should not only encourage purchase, but also be as useful as possible. To prevent notifications from looking intrusive, it is worth alternating the letters sent: after a letter calling for the purchase of a product or use of a service, it is better to send an e-mail containing useful information about the product, consumer reviews, and interesting facts. If you distribute the same type of messages over and over again with an appeal to buy something, then the effect from them may be the opposite of the desired one, namely, it will alienate the client and significantly reduce his interest and loyalty to the sending company (by an average of 50%).

Expert opinion

Subscribers are interested in receiving letters with special offers and useful content, and in equal proportions

Victoria Samsonova,

e-mail marketer for Travelata.ru

At a time when we were just beginning to develop such a direction as newsletters, a comprehensive analysis of customer opinions on this issue was carried out, as well as monitoring aimed at identifying the most effective letters, the reading of which most often contributed to making a purchase. Based on the results of the survey and monitoring, it was concluded that customers are equally interested in receiving both letters calling for the purchase of goods and messages containing useful information.

This served as the basis for the formation of our current mailing system. Its essence boils down to the fact that every week clients receive two letters from us: one selling, informing about prices and special offers, the second containing interesting and useful content. However, we also select educational information based on an in-depth analysis of consumer demand. This allowed us to outline a range of topics of interest to our clients. Thus, it is worth noting that clients are more in demand for articles of a recommendatory nature (for example, “Which countries are best for family holidays”, “Tips for saving money while traveling”). Attentive attention to the interests of the client allows us to achieve maximum results, including through a gradual increase in the volume of mailings.

What prompts you to open an email?

"Catchy" topics. To interest a client, you need to always be aware of events and know what is relevant at the moment. The subject line of the message should reflect the latest trends and hot news. It’s no secret that the most pressing topic of the current year was the issue of opening Turkish and Egyptian resorts, so topics like “Where to relax if Turkey remains inaccessible” aroused genuine interest.

Numbers in headlines. It has long been noted that clients like specifics, so in the title of the content you need to avoid vague concepts (in particular, “discount”, “promotion” and others), but it is better to name very specific numbers. Thus, the following headings “10 best restaurants in the capital”, “5 tips for a novice traveler” will look advantageous. Experience shows that specific numbers in the headline attract much more attention from clients than topics where this technique is not used.

Letters from the manager. To increase customer loyalty and interest, you should remember about an individual approach. There are several techniques that will make the relationship between the client and the manufacturer/supplier of services and goods closer and more trusting. First of all, it is worth placing the sender’s name in the letter in order to personalize and revive his personality in the eyes of the recipient. This tactic significantly increases the percentage ratio of the number of open letters to the total number of content messages sent out (the so-called open rate).

Short titles. Mixpanel has found that short headlines (up to 15 characters) combined with graphic images work best. Such messages are opened much more often.

This approach is largely due to the fact that when working with mail, clients often use mobile devices, whose screens automatically cut off long texts when displaying announcements. Statistics show that the percentage of open messages with short headings is slightly higher than the percentage of open messages with headings of more than 30 characters - 15% versus 12.9%, respectively.

Uniform design. In order for customers to associate received messages with you and your company and immediately recognize them in the total mass of all content, you should take care to create a single graphic image. A carefully crafted design will make your emails more personal and stand out to consumers, which will therefore improve open rates and build customer loyalty. It is very appropriate and effective to use suitable thematic emoticons and symbols. Thus, for companies specializing in the sale of mobile devices, images of gadgets would be suitable; for travel companies, it would be appropriate to use pictures of an airplane or palm trees.

What elements of the letter work for sales?

As already mentioned, the visual component often plays a decisive role in the openability and effectiveness of sales letters. When composing such a message, you should be very careful about every detail, even the most insignificant. The size and color of the font, the shape of the buttons and the inscriptions on them, the presence of illustrative material, its quantity and placement features, animated details - literally everything matters. However, you shouldn’t focus on the same techniques – your clients will quickly get bored with them and stop working. It is important to look for and find new moves that will help maintain attention.

Exists Three main ways to increase customer interest in your content.

Labels on buttons

Some straightforward inscriptions may cause rejection among customers. Among these are “Buy”, “Go” and others. Therefore, when choosing a text for the transition button, it is better to use more familiar options from everyday life, for example, “I want to buy a vacuum cleaner,” “I want to have an active rest.” Placing labels on buttons with very specific parameters, in particular indicating the price, also works well. Having seen the buttons “Buy a washing machine” and “I want a washing machine from 15,000 rubles,” most users will prefer the second one.

Captions for pictures

It has been empirically proven that any graphic image (illustration, banner, meme) arouses more interest among customers than just a link placed in the text. However, you shouldn’t rely only on pictures either. In order for everything to look harmonious and give the desired result, it is worth placing small explanations with hyperlinks under the images.

Story about personal experience

Stories from the personal experience of company employees or other clients who have successfully used the product or service you offer, for example, purchased equipment or made a tourist trip, help achieve the desired effect.

So, photos of your clients from their vacation attached to a story about how they liked the service at the hotel will look very advantageous. Companies specializing in the sale of office equipment can be advised to post customer reviews and relevant photos from their office.

How to communicate with clients via email and revitalize your client base

There are situations when companies that have not previously used email marketing in their work decide to turn to this marketing channel. And in this case, the question arises of how to properly begin work in this direction, avoiding possible difficulties.

One of the most common problems is that a large flow of identical letters is usually regarded by moderators as spam, which, in turn, leads to blocking of your account. What should be done to avoid this? Send letters in stages. The principle of dividing the client base into blocks according to some principle works well here, for example, by the date of the last contact with your company. This method is also good because it will allow you to analyze the effectiveness of the first batch of letters and correct mistakes made when working with other clients.

Sometimes, in order for the newsletter to start working, you need one letter, sometimes several - it depends on how well it is designed, and besides, customers must get used to your content. It’s worth moving on to sales letters when there is feedback from users. To speed up this process, do not forget to clearly formulate the reason for contacting the client (for example, a previous purchase). A very effective technique is to ask to leave a review about the company. Clients are usually willing to share their impressions, which allows us to work on mistakes, optimize the service and our unique selling proposition.

To win the attention and trust of customers, it is worth giving your content personality. This is possible by placing interesting facts, stories from personal experience, descriptions of services and products along with their images in letters.

2 effective ways to inform clients through e-mail newsletters

1. Letters in Instagram style.

Salesforce conducted a study in 2016 aimed at studying social media users. Based on the results obtained, conclusions were drawn about the age gradation of Instagram subscribers. Thus, the following groups were identified:

• 18–29 years old (55%);
• 30–49 years (28%);
• 50–64 years (11%);
• over 65 years old (4%).

As can be seen from the indicators, the network is in demand among representatives of all age categories, so designing your content in Instagram style would be quite justified.

This move is designed primarily for recognition. A well-known image inspires trust, and all sorts of “tricks” are also attractive: the ability to like and comment on your favorite posts.

1. Successful customer communication depends on the time of day.

In an effort to make your promotional emails the most useful and effective, you should not forget about the timing of the mailing. There is no definitive advice that works, but research does help highlight some general trends. According to the Kissmetrics brand, the day can be divided into the following periods:

• 6:00–10:00 – trade newsletters. It has been noticed that at the beginning of the working day, users often pay attention to viewing advertisements;
• 10:00–12:00 – no distractions. This period is characterized by intense work that leaves no time for extraneous matters;
• 12:00–14:00 – newsletters. When breaking for lunch, people are not ready to get acquainted with newsletters, preferring news resources to them;
• 14:00–15:00 – newsletters useful for work. At this time, content dedicated to financial services becomes relevant;
• 15:00–17:00 – newsletters about personal effectiveness. While waiting for the end of the working day, users are interested in issues of finance and property;
• 17:00–19:00 – newsletters about promotions and discounts. During this period, letters are sent out informing about holiday promotions and special offers, as well as concerning interaction with corporate clients;
• 19:00–22:00 – trade newsletters. Evening rest time is the best time to review marketing content. Users open approximately 23% of advertising texts during this time;
• 22:00–6:00 – dead zone. Promotional letters sent out at this time are mostly ignored.

A practitioner tells

An effective way to inform clients via SMS

Stanislav Koloskov,

Director of Marketing and E-Commerce at Valtera

In 2012, we launched a bonus promotion, according to which customers were awarded points for each purchase. When paying for your next purchase, these points could cover up to 20% of its cost. Customers were attracted to the promotion in two ways: by issuing a bonus card at the checkout when making a purchase in our company and through attracting partners who attached our gift coupon to purchases made by customers.

Over the subsequent years of work, up to 2016 inclusive, our customer base amounted to over 1 million people. 40% of this number were converted to the status of regular customers.

We worked through marketing channels such as SMS and e-mail alerts, but were able to reach only 1.5–2% of those who received the newsletter to contact our outlets.

In the spring of 2016, we launched a new promotion, according to which our customers received a targeted message every time they passed by our store. This marketing move gave very good results: a new customer returned for a repeat purchase in 35% of cases.

How to set up effective SMS notifications to clients in three steps

Step 1. Selecting equipment and contractor.

First of all, you will need a partner who will provide installation services for the necessary equipment. To avoid troubles, you should only contact legal companies, of which there are not many now. It will be easier to find a partner if you familiarize yourself with Internet platforms specializing in this issue, such as СNews.ru, E-pepper.ru, Retail.ru.

Important! A potential partner must be a professional in the specified field and have a license to work. You need to make sure that all the documents of this company are in order, and also read the reviews of other clients about the work performed.

The next step is to install a Wi-Fi sensor associated with the CRM. This is necessary to detect MAC addresses in a crowd of passers-by, which are assigned to each telephone number individually. Such a system will help to identify a potential buyer passing nearby within a radius of 50–100 m, recognize if his data is in the client database and generate and then send a personal SMS message based on information about previously made acquisitions in your company. Depending on whether it is a regular customer or a newcomer, the message may contain information about discounts, bonuses, and promotions.

Step 2. Setting up the equipment.

To get started, you need to install a Wi-Fi sensor and synchronize it with CRM. Typically, this process is carried out by a partner company together with representatives of your IT department and consists of four step-by-step steps:

• direct installation of Wi-Fi sensors;
• setting up an Internet connection;
• synchronization with CRM, which will receive notifications from the sensor (this function is enabled by your partner), and processing of alerts in CRM (this function is provided by a CRM support specialist);
• setting up the sending of personalized messages (setup is carried out by an IT specialist, the text of the messages is developed by marketers).

In practice, the operation of this system will look like this: after receiving a notification from the sensor, CRM automatically processes the received information, detects the client’s data in the client database, analyzes it, and then sends an SMS message with relevant content to his phone number. This operation takes literally a split second.

Based on the operation of the system, reports on sales and customer activity are subsequently generated online.

Important! The setup time for a new marketing campaign is approximately fifteen minutes. In order for interaction with the client to be possible, Wi-Fi must be turned on on his mobile device.

Step 3. Testing the program.

Why is testing needed? First of all, in order to identify retail outlets with maximum conversion. This indicator will depend on a number of factors, in particular on traffic, target audience, location of the store relative to transport lines, and other things.

Important! Do not forget to carry out trial runs of the system both in the capital and in the regions. Carefully research and analyze the dependence of sales on related external factors.

3 tips on how to increase the conversion of SMS notifications to customers

Analyze the database. It often happens that with a large customer base and high sales figures, the cost of such personalized messages may exceed the result obtained, that is, not pay off. Therefore, an individual approach is appropriate here, in which SMS distribution will be carried out not en masse, but selectively. An example of such a method would be offering a specific customer a discount on the product that he purchases most often.

Divide clients into groups. The selection of buyer groups should be approached very carefully, because the result directly depends on how many groups you can form. The more categories of clients you manage, the more personalized the offers for each of them will be, which means the greater the return.

Don’t “overfeed” with your newsletter. Remember that a sense of proportion plays a big role in this matter. Your mailing should not be boring, so set up the equipment so that the client receives only one message per month about the current promotion, regardless of how many times he passes by the outlet. This approach will reduce the percentage of unsubscribers to a minimum (no more than 1–2%). If suddenly this indicator exceeds the specified figures, it is worth working on errors and adjusting the number of messages sent and their content.

What you need to know about SMS informing clients from a legal point of view

In 2014, the Russian Federation adopted a law according to which mass unauthorized sending of SMS is prohibited. According to this law, messages must henceforth indicate the name of the sending company, which must have a valid contract with a mobile operator. Violation of this law is fraught with a fine.

As for the direct recipients of such mailings, their actions are also regulated. In particular, the recipient must give his written consent to receive such content using a special code sent via SMS. Also, every person has the right to refuse to receive the newsletter at any time by contacting their mobile operator. Violation of the provision on the mandatory consent of the client to mailings involves the collection of a fine from the sender in the amount of 100 to 500 thousand rubles.

Those who suffer the most from spam are those whose instant messaging program is synchronized with their phone number. Examples include users of Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram.

Summarizing the above, we can conclude that in order to inform customers via SMS mailing, each company must comply with all the requirements for the legalization of this process, namely, obtain and assign a specific phone number, a user literal name and enter into a mailing agreement with a cellular operator . Using only phone numbers for mailing is illegal from a legal point of view.

How to inform clients about promotions and commercial offers

Unfortunately, you can often encounter such a phenomenon as unprofessionalism and even negligence on the part of those who are responsible for compiling the text of promotional letters. If a client receives a blatant advertisement instead of a beautifully designed and well-formulated commercial offer, then he is unlikely to pay attention to it. Therefore, the question of how to compose a working message in order to get the optimal result is always relevant.

First, you need to understand that content sent to random people or that does not take into account the interests of customers or their purchase history will in any case be just advertising. Such letters are not interesting and do not contribute to sales.

A competent commercial proposal contains detailed information about the service or product offered, the terms of the transaction, and the guarantees provided. They are more personal, and therefore arouse more trust and interest among clients. As a result of this approach, you will get an increase in conversion.

1. Remember the client's personal characteristics.

Drawing up the text of a commercial proposal is a very important stage, which should not be entrusted to third parties, because they may not be familiar with your field of activity or are not able to take into account its specifics. A personal meeting with a potential client will help to capture the smallest nuances of his personality and create an individually targeted CP. The information obtained can be used in several ways:

Example 1. Simplified writing style. The wording of your text should be succinct and terse (no more than 10 words per sentence). The style of writing the text is businesslike, but without much officiality. Add more specifics to your message. It is appropriate to use sample phrases “We offer you product A, cost B. We are significantly different from competitors X, Y, Z.”

Example 2. Professional slang of the customer. Considering that a personal meeting will help to collect some information about the behavior, manners and speech of a potential client, you will have the opportunity to put the text of your commercial proposal in the most familiar form for the addressee. Use slang words and expressions heard from the client in the text. This move will increase customer loyalty and instill proper confidence.

Example 3. Key phrases. Use keywords and phrases. Place the most significant thoughts at the beginning of each paragraph, which will not allow the essence of your sentence to slip away even with a quick reading. Try to avoid unnecessary information and so-called “water” when composing a letter. To emphasize key phrases, highlight them in a special font (for example, bold, italics, etc.). Your main goal is to formulate a commercial proposal so that the recipient reads it completely and is interested.

2. Don't forget to praise the recipient.

Don't shy away from such moves as using flattery and praise. A few complimentary phrases at the beginning of the message will create the necessary mood in the client and contribute to the complete reading of your letter.

To know what to focus on, research the potential client's activities in advance, and also show maximum attention during a personal meeting. In particular, you should pay attention to the achievements of your possible partner. So, if a potential customer’s brand has won an award in some competition, congratulate your client and indicate how impressed you are by this fact. It is appropriate to touch on this topic immediately after the welcoming phrase.

3. Feel free to show off.

However, don’t forget to talk about your own successes. The story about your achievements should be informative and succinct (but no more than three lines).

To harmoniously weave information about your victories into the text of the message, use phrases like this: “In the future, we would like to achieve your level of success”; “We have now completed X number of successful deals in area A and have been able to become one of the top 20 firms producing Y product.”

4. Be intriguing when presenting the essence of the proposal.

When composing a promotional letter, do not deviate from the framework agreed upon in advance. Write down only the key points, without going into small details and details. Pay attention to the specific aspects of your possible cooperation. Detailed information can be provided in the application.

It is useful to create intrigue about the proposed product or service by talking about its implementation, but without going into detail. Please provide a link that you can follow to get a better understanding of the offer. Please note that if such links are active, the client is unlikely to read your CP to the end. Use the call to action technique by placing transition buttons in your sentence.

If you compose your CP according to the algorithm indicated above, your conversion should be at least 80%.

Why telephone information irritates customers and how to avoid it

Research and surveys for 2015 showed that, despite the high information content of telephone calls from call center specialists, this method of informing clients in most cases causes rejection and irritation in people. Only 1 in 20 such calls are successful. Let's look at the reasons for this situation.

In addition to obvious reasons, such as lack of initiative, incompetence of managers, there are also hidden ones. These include incorrect composition of the oral message and the presence of stop phrases in it. Let's look at the three most common implicit errors in scripting.

1. Being too nice doesn't work.

Problem. Everyone is probably familiar with the template introduction of most managers: “Hello! My name is X and I am a sales manager for company Y. We would like to offer you cooperation.” It would seem that everything is correct: greeting - introduction - the purpose of the call, but this formulation has already set teeth on edge, since it is the same for most companies. Having heard such an appeal, the client will hang up or say “No”.

Solution. The transition from monologue to dialogue and communication as equals will help to interest the client.

Example."Good afternoon! You represent a federal retail chain, and I represent a manufacturer of cosmetics. Please tell me on what terms we could start cooperation?” Thus the emphasis changes. The appeal scheme now looks like this: mention of a company - a potential partner - introduction of your company - a question of interest, which already contains a statement (as if your cooperation is already an accomplished fact). This text will encourage the client to ask you a few specific questions (for example, about your products) and continue the conversation.

2. Information about the product is of no interest to anyone.

Problem. The specialist was able to move on to the second part of his speech and began to talk about his company, products, and the advantages of possible cooperation. However, as soon as the proposal itself is discussed, the client will voice one of the template answers (“We’ll think about it,” “Thank you, we’re not interested,” etc.) and hang up due to lack of interest.

Solution. It is important to reorient the manager’s goals from selling a product to organizing a personal meeting, where he can talk about his company, its advantages, and its products. Thus, the main attention in the script should be paid to the benefits that a potential client will receive during a personal meeting or visiting your outlet: the opportunity to learn more about the products and services offered, visually familiarize themselves with them and test them. You need to take a responsible approach to preparing materials for such a meeting (for example, systematize and prepare research data in your field).

Example. A case in point is one law firm that commissioned the following study in 2008. All employees of a company specializing in telephone marketing were divided into two groups, the first of which included the best specialists who organized the largest number of personal meetings with potential partners, and the second included average category workers who were able to provide fewer meetings. Representatives of each group came into contact with the chief accountants of the companies and, as a rule, received the standard answer “We are not interested in your proposal,” “We are already cooperating with company Z.”

Those who found themselves in the second group, the group of average people, structured their conversation according to the following pattern: first they talked about the differences between their system and the systems of competing companies, then they moved on to describing the features and characteristics and the direct selling part. Very often, during an average conversation, specialists began to point out possible risks and recommend other ways of working to accountants, which caused hostility, and the negotiations ended in failure.

Successful marketers in the first group did things differently. After receiving the refusal, they said that there were differences between the system they proposed and the one already used by accountants, but a specialist would tell about this during a personal visit at the most convenient time for a possible customer. It was also mentioned that, as a bonus, the specialist will bring with him the newsletter “New in Accounting Legislation”. The combination of the mentioned techniques gave a result: it was this group that was able to make more appointments and sell 40% more products than employees from the second group.

3. Eloquent managers annoy customers.

Problem. It would seem that a specialist who talks verbatim and picturesquely about all the advantages of the product being offered should achieve success. However, it is not. A large number of bright epithets will distract the attention and tire the client, and also give him time to come up with a reason for refusal. Negotiations will be unsuccessful.

Solution. To eliminate this problem, it is worth remembering that the temporary norm for maintaining attention when receiving new information for men is a period of 20–25 seconds, and for women – 40–45 seconds. Taking this data into account, organize your script into a defined chronological framework, reducing the entire text to four sentences (no more than 30 words). To prevent the manager’s speech from seeming sketchy, add interrogative phrases to it.

Example. End a 30-40 second block of product information with a follow-up question. For example: “We make our products only from domestic raw materials. Tell me, is this a significant factor for you?”

The meaning of this technique is that the question asked allows you to find out the client’s attitude to the information presented. If the answer is negative, a summary question can serve to move on to another script. It is important to remember that questions should be narrowly focused and closed in order to keep the potential customer's attention on the topic of conversation.

Information about the experts

Victoria Samsonova, e-mail marketer for Travelata.ru. Graduated from Saratov State University. N. G. Chernyshevsky. She worked as a copywriter, editor, content manager and translator in the companies Ostrovok.ru, Kinderly, Abat-Service, etc. Total experience in marketing is more than five years. With Travelata.ru since 2012.

Travelata.ru– an online hypermarket of tours that aggregates offers from 120 tour operators (Coral Travel, Pegas, Brisco, TUI, Biblio Globus) on one website. The company was founded in 2011. There are 100 employees on staff.

Stanislav Koloskov, Director of Marketing and E-Commerce at Valtera. Graduated from the Moscow Institute of Economics and Statistics and the Moscow Institute of Electronic Engineering. Studying in the MBA program at MIRBIS. Responsible for strategic and operational marketing in the companies Technosila, O’STIN, Alba and Sunlight. Since 2015 - in current position.

Information business - what is it?

1. What is information business

2. Information business principles

3. Choosing an information business niche

4. Information business practice

5. Useful video

What is information business

In the context of the economic crisis in Russia in 2017, many are thinking about starting their own business. Thanks to the Internet, anyone can do this. You don't have to have decent working capital to start an Internet project.

Business is the sale of goods and services with a markup from seller to buyer. Almost every person has certain knowledge and skills that he can tell others about. Information is a commodity that can also be sold.

Information is the most important component of society, especially if it generates income. Information has a great impact on society and helps develop consciousness and skills, and promotes personal growth. Since ancient times, educated people have sold their skills and experience to others - this could be both information on medicine and information of national importance. What is information business? Infobusiness- this is a type of business activity in which you sell information products.

Information business principles

Information trading in the modern world has entered a new mass market thanks to the Internet. Thanks to the network, anyone can start an information business by creating their own information product.

Information business is now one of the most popular ways to make money on the Internet, in which an entrepreneur sells his information product or provides services for money. By opening an information business, anyone can receive money for teaching others. How does information business differ from tutoring? Tutor - transfers knowledge and information to only one or several students. And an information businessman creates an information product that will bring him passive income at any time of the day or night.

An information product (infoproduct) in the information business is- information in the form of a book, audio recording, video recording or software. They are provided either electronically or often packaged in a gift DVD. It is also popular among information business people to conduct trainings, seminars, and webinars via Skype.

The Internet gives unlimited opportunities for information business; you can create a course, training, textbook and post it on the Internet. The most important thing for an information product is that it must solve the problems of potential clients and have up-to-date information for the masses of people. An information businessman is essentially engaged in consulting other people, for example, information business on the topic of a healthy lifestyle is very popular - how to lose weight, get in good shape, what exercises are best to do in the gym, etc.

Choosing an information business niche

Every future information businessman must decide on a niche that is interesting to him and in which he understands. You can successfully sell your knowledge and information products through social networks. Before launching your information business, conduct marketing research; this can be done in social networking groups. The best way to do this is on the most popular social network in Russia - VKontakte. You will understand how interesting this or that topic is to people.

Popular information business niches are: weight loss, healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition, website promotion on the Internet, online business training, creating an online store, etc.

When deciding on a niche for your information business, look at how developed the competition is in this area. If it is too high, then the competition will simply crush you or you will need decent financial conditions to promote yourself. Creating a successful information business is not so easy; it takes time and effort. You must get people interested in your product, but not be intrusive - this will only scare away potential customers. Ideally, you should understand the chosen niche and be an expert in it, but in reality, anyone can offer an information product - you just need to read a few books and try to make your own product.

Information business practice

As we wrote above, you can start an information business with social networks. Is it necessary to engage in information business on the Internet? No, in the USA and Europe it also exists offline, these can be promotional materials for weight loss, which can be offered directly on the street or sent by mail. In Russia, information business has become especially popular on the Internet and is associated with online business. Information business on the Internet has many advantages: you work for the whole world, save on office rent, etc.

Pay attention to your own group or public page on a social network. Be active - communicate with potential clients, add news about your project every day, arrange promotions and discounts. To attract buyers, you need to create a free information product that they will want to receive. You can create a free educational book or several video lessons, which can only be received by email.

After they leave you an email, you will be able to send email newsletters with the topics of your information business. For example, you can invite people to paid webinars in your newsletter. Creating a free information product will give you a base of subscribers and loyal potential clients.

One of the best methods for information business- this is the creation of a selling page or Landing page. A page like this acts as a capture page where you can get the contact details of the visitor who will download the free book or course. He will fill out a special form and leave his email address.

Some of those who subscribe to the free newsletter will also want to purchase paid content if it is really interesting to them. This is precisely the goal of an information business - you need the user to purchase paid information from you. A paid information product should be more exclusive and of higher quality than a free one. It is important to properly design your information product - a book or DVD must have a design and many illustrations. Release design should attract your visitors. A paid information product is the most important part of the information business; it must be understandable to consumers of any level. It may take a lot of time to produce a high-quality information business product, but if everything is done correctly, it will bring you passive income for a long time.

To sell an information product, you will need to set up a payment system - this can be either electronic wallets or a bank card. Also, to spread your information business, an affiliate program or other information businessmen will help you. But you don’t have to create an information product yourself; you can also buy a ready-made information product with the right to resell - for example, this can be done at the well-known eBay auction.

To support your information product, you will need to engage in marketing activities. In Russia, many people criticize the information business because it uses network marketing methods - therefore, such businesses are treated with caution or distrust.

In the West there is a more serious approach to the information business than in the CIS countries. This is due to the fact that such a business has existed there for a long time and people are engaged in it seriously. Information businessmen are building their personal brand and are ready to present the audience with a truly high-quality product for which they are willing to pay money.

In conclusion of the article, I would like to say that the information business is a business like any other. It was created to sell quality information to other users and, with the right approach, can generate good income.

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1. Introduction 2

2.1 History of the development of information business 3

2.2 Information business: concept, specifics and types 5

2.3 Information, information products for business 8

3.1 Information market 11

3.2 Market structure of information products and services 12

3.3 General problems of the market for information products and services 15

4. Development of the market for information services of the information business 19

5. Conclusion 22

6. References 24

Introduction Informatization as one of the most striking features of the system of social relations in developed countries is increasingly attracting the attention of scientists. There is quite an extensive literature on the philosophical, social and economic problems of the post-industrial stage of human development. With all the variety of specific features of the phenomenon under consideration, identified by researchers, they are all unanimous in the opinion that humanity has entered a new stage in the development of civilization, in which information and knowledge play a decisive role in all spheres of human activity. In the domestic literature, the problems of the information society are represented mainly by the works of philosophers who consider the impact of informatization on social processes, the state, culture, and human psychology. Recently, works have begun to appear devoted to specific economic and technological problems of the computer science industry, which raise questions of measuring and assessing information, the economic efficiency of information activities, and the formation of a market for information services. Information has a significant impact on all sectors of production and infrastructure; in the operation of the market mechanism of the information society, new features also appear that distinguish it from the market of the industrial era. So, the signs of a new, post-industrial stage are quite clearly visible in developed countries. However, in textbooks on economic theory, these new trends, in my opinion, have not yet received adequate reflection. Many of them traditionally highlight only such types of resources as land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurial abilities, although post-industrial civilization puts information on a par with them. Today, Francis Bacon's famous expression “knowledge is power” takes on concrete meaning as never before. Information is becoming the most important factor in economic growth in modern society, which is also only mentioned in passing in textbooks. In this regard, it seems appropriate to study the problem of the economics of the information society. The purpose of this course work is to study the structure and characteristics of the information business. To do this, it is necessary to solve the following tasks: define the information business, qualify the types and services of information goods, study the information product and its features .

The object of research is information business, the subject of research is information base.

History of information business development

The information business is a relatively new area of ​​business activity in the form of a large multi-industry complex with its own established infrastructure. The information business, on the one hand, is part of the infrastructure of the entire system of business activity, along with banks, exchanges, auditing companies, etc., and on the other hand, it is an independent sphere of business.

The information business in Western countries originated in the 60s, formed as an independent industry in the 70s, and in the 80s it became the largest diversified complex with its own infrastructure. At first, information technologies were used due to their complexity and high cost only in research centers and large industrial companies. As information technologies improved and became cheaper, they penetrated into various industries and made it possible to improve and improve the efficiency of the latter. As a result of the development of information technology, new needs of society have emerged and formed. Moving on to the infrastructure of the information industry, it should immediately be noted that the scope of the information business is very vast and includes various types of activities that are directly or indirectly related to information. Moreover, the volume of infrastructure is constantly changing and increasing. Having started with the production of products and services directly related to computer technology (today these are mainly personal computers), the information business is capturing more and more new areas of human activity that are practically not related to computers.

When considering modern business infrastructure, it is necessary to keep in mind that different experts in different countries interpret and describe it differently. Here are just a few such approaches. Yu.M. Kanygin identifies the following main elements: various types; subscriber points that give subscribers access to information resources; a set of organizational elements that ensure the management of electronic computing and information potential; structural elements of the industry that satisfy the needs of the computer center for software and information support (funds of algorithms and programs, data banks, knowledge, etc.), as well as various supporting elements. This is an example of an analysis of the infrastructure that we have. Another example is the analysis of the information business infrastructure that has developed in the United States, although there are also different approaches there. For example, E. Ettinger developed a scheme for the development of the information business, which is based on the computerization of various spheres of the economy. In the center is a computer, and around are the rest of the business elements, from communication channels to the final product.

Another scheme was developed by L. Jam and is one of the most successful and convenient for viewing and understanding information infrastructure. Each of the eight segments of the framework includes different activities, not all of which are directly and exclusively related to information. However, each activity shown in the segment is important in one way or another to the information business.

Information business: concept, specifics and types

Information business is a business that involves the sale of information. If you define the information business as a business category, then it can be included in the services section. That is, the information business is built on providing any information. And, of course, in our age of information technology development, it would be logical to offer it on the Internet.

Internet — a worldwide system of interconnected computer networks built on the use of the IP protocol and data packet routing. The Internet forms a global information space and serves as the physical basis for the World Wide Web and many other data transmission systems (protocols). Often referred to as the "World Wide Web" and "Wide Area Network".

In the information society, the emphasis of attention and importance shifts from traditional types of resources to the information resource, which, although it has always existed, was not considered either as an economic or as another category; no one specifically spoke about it, much less introduced any definitions.

One of the key concepts in the informatization of society was the concept of “information resources,” the interpretation and discussion of which was carried out from the moment they began to talk about the transition to an information society. Quite a lot of publications are devoted to this issue, which reflect different opinions and definitions, and different scientific schools considering these concepts.

GOST 7.0-99 contains the following definition of Information Resources:.

Information resources are a collection of data organized to obtain reliable information, where

Data is information processed and presented in a formalized form for further processing.

Makarova N.V. considers information resources as separate documents and separate arrays of documents, documents and arrays of documents in information systems (libraries, archives, funds, data banks, other information systems).

We must understand that the documents and arrays of information referred to do not exist on their own. They present in different forms the knowledge possessed by the people who created them. Thus, information resources are knowledge prepared by people for social use in society and recorded on a material medium.

The information resources of society, if understood as knowledge, are alienated from those people who accumulated, generalized, analyzed, and created them.

Information business for which you are not ashamed

This knowledge materialized in the form of documents, databases, knowledge bases, algorithms, computer programs as well as works of art, literature, and science.

Currently, a methodology for quantitative and qualitative assessment of information resources, as well as forecasting society’s needs for them, has not been developed. This reduces the effectiveness of information accumulated in the form of information resources and increases the duration of the transition period from the industrial to the information society. In addition, it is unknown how much labor resources should be involved in the production and distribution of information resources in the information society. Undoubtedly, these problems will be solved in the future.

The development of global information resources has made it possible to:

1. Transform the activity of providing information services into a global human activity;

2. To form a global and national market for information services;

3. Create all kinds of databases of resources of regions and states, to which relatively inexpensive access is possible;

4. Increase the validity and efficiency of decisions made in companies, banks, exchanges, industry, trade, etc. through the timely use of necessary information.

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Information business in RuNet, what is it really like?

For many in RuNet, information business has almost become a dirty word. This term is very closely associated with deception and fraud.

Looking ahead, I will immediately say that I personally, although I am not an information businessman, have nothing against him. On the contrary, I believe that this area of ​​entrepreneurship in the Russian-speaking part of the RuNet needs to be actively developed and in every possible way to oust the scammers who sell obviously useless guides on how to make money.

After all, it is because of them that there is a negative attitude towards the information business, which slows down the development of this area of ​​online trading by reducing people’s interest in it.

Sometimes people ask me why I don’t participate in information businessmen’s parties and don’t shine at their events. Taking this opportunity, I would like to answer this question: because I do not consider myself an information businessman. Yes, I have sold and will probably still sell information via the Internet, but for me this is not the main, but an additional type of income. The information business is not very interesting to me due to the fact that sales are still not my thing. But webmastering and SEO are a completely different matter.

What is information business

Infobusiness is the trade of information in digital form. If you write a book, format it as a file and start selling it yourself via the Internet, then you can consider yourself an information businessman.

That is, at first glance, anyone can become an information businessman. To do this, you just need to have some knowledge that can be packaged into computer files and sold over the Internet in the form of an archive for downloading or on physical media (DVD or USB flash drive).

The apparent ease of organizing the process, it must be admitted, was born for a reason, but at the instigation of the first RuNet info-businessmen, who were exclusively engaged in selling courses and books about making money on the Internet. Moreover, the advertising always talked about how easy, simple and accessible it is to anyone.

People fell for it, naturally, they bought it all and began to cook up their own information products that teach the same thing. That is, it looked like a pyramid, which at one point simply burst. Today, the sale of courses on making money on the Internet is not nearly as brisk as before.

And selling your product for most turned out to be not as simple as the advertisement promised.

Prospects for information business in RuNet

Does the above mean that the information business is dead? Yes, by no means, of course. Now in RuNet he is experiencing what can be called the formation of a new generation of information businessmen. I don’t know how long this period will last.

It is clear that venerable entrepreneurs have changed their minds and are conducting their business in a completely different way. They no longer focus on courses distributed on disks, but organize paid trainings, both online and live.

Some continue to sell discs and also do it quite successfully, although, I repeat, disc sales are now noticeably worse than in 2010, for example, when everything was sold out.

Why am I sure that the information business has good prospects?

Yes, because today only one niche has been overused, in which only the most seasoned professionals who know how to find an approach to the audience can now make money. This is a niche for online earnings, of course.

And in other niches the competition is either very low or there is none at all, so you just need to wait until people understand that you can make money online not only by selling courses on how to make money, but also in other topics.

The network already has courses on how to make stained glass, how to install heating systems, how to make heated floors, how to build relationships with a partner of the opposite sex, how to learn to dance, courses in yoga, hand-to-hand combat, and so on.

But all this is still very little and the quality of many products, far from perfect, gives a chance to all those (not yet established information businessmen) who can make their courses better, more understandable, more detailed, more colorful, etc.

Therefore, after a while we will definitely see many different courses on the most incredible topics in very good quality.

I would like to hope that modern business coaches are already explaining to beginning Internet entrepreneurs that without proper quality a product today cannot be sold.

How to organize an information business on the Internet

To successfully run an information business, you need to have a product and an audience who wants to buy this product. That is, the product must be in demand.

It is best to have your own exclusive product that no one else sells. You can make this product yourself or pay someone to make the product for you.

If there is no way to have your own product, then you can either buy the rights to the finished product, or start selling information products within affiliate programs, which will not be nearly as profitable as selling your own unique product.

Having decided on the product and audience, it is necessary to think through the sales mechanism based on the specifics of the product. There are a great many options for how and where you can sell a product, which is not possible to describe in one article.

In order to increase sales efficiency, special landing pages are used, the audience is gathered using thematic sites or blogs, social networks, teasers, contextual and other types of advertising are used. The audience is lured by offering free products on the topic of the product being sold.

There is NO single correct sales technique. There is a certain set of tools and techniques, varying which, introducing some of their own elements into them, each seller develops his own sales mechanism.

There is no point in reinventing the wheel. It’s better to find a business coach who will show and tell you how everything is done. Whether you attend his trainings or figure out the training courses yourself is up to you, of course. Both paths have the right to exist.

Pros and cons of information business

The advantages include the relative ease and low cost of organization, high potential for access to a huge audience, and the ability to conduct business from anywhere on the planet.

There are also some disadvantages: the short life of the information product, which, in fact, is sold only at the time of the first release, and after a few days it becomes possible to download it for free on some torrent or in a file storage.

Of course, there are still sales after the release, but they are tens and hundreds of times less than on release days.

Protecting disks from copying gives results, but does not protect 100% from the free distribution of a paid course, especially in the case of mass demand for it. The more popular the product, the higher the likelihood that the security will be hacked. And if they don’t hack it, they’ll make a video of the screen and post it online anyway.

This, by the way, is also a limiting factor that hinders the development of the information business.

WHAT IS INFO BUSINESS

Many people don’t want to make courses knowing that someone will hack them and make them available for free.

Because of this, many try to make money from webinars, individual consultations, leave the information business for an Internet product business and make money by selling physical goods.

In general, everyone is looking for their own path.

But I would still like to remind you that today there are information businessmen who successfully distribute information products on disks, provide a download link, and this does not prevent them from making good and stable money, despite the fact that their courses are periodically made available to the public.

Bottom line...

There is no doubt that the information business in RuNet will develop. The only question is what form all this will take.

Hello, dear friends. In this article I would like to introduce you to the concept of information business and tell you why it is used.

Recently, the concept of information business has become very popular on the Internet. You, as beginners, will probably be interested to know what kind of business this is, which, according to many rumors, can bring very good money, so it was decided to devote this article to this issue.

What is information business

And we will start, as usual, in order. The word infobusiness itself is a word formation from information business, but this hardly tells you anything, so I will try to give this word a more understandable definition.

Information business is a business whose main essence is to sell any information for the purpose of training those people who purchased this information.

Let me give you a simple example: if you are very good at creating websites, then you can teach people how to do this by selling your knowledge in the form of information products. This type of activity is called information business.

With the advent of information business, such a concept as information businessmen also appeared. Who are they? I think it’s not worth defining this word, since you should have already guessed that this is the name given to people who run their own information business and make money from it.

A distinctive feature of an information businessman is that he must be a specialist in some field. Its products must be of high quality, and the information in them must be understandable and provide some benefit to the people using its products.

To make it more clear, let's go back to the example I gave above. What benefits will an information product about creating a website provide? That's right, it will help people gain knowledge in the field of website building so that they can create websites on their own.

We have figured out what an information business is and what its essence is, so let’s move on and try to figure out what can be sold in an information business or, in other words, consider the types of information products.

Video courses. This is the most common type of information product. Usually it is a series of lessons recorded from a computer screen with detailed comments from its author.

But there are also video courses that are something like an educational film. An example is video courses on the topic of repairs, where it is very important to show viewers this process.

Audio courses. As for audio courses, they are audio recordings. Most often they are used in such areas of information business as psychology and self-development.

E-books. Also a fairly common information product. All necessary information is presented to users in text form.

Trainings. As a rule, training sessions are conducted in real time. Typically, trainings are held immediately for a large audience, which has the opportunity to ask questions to its presenters.

Some information businessmen also practice this type of income by selling video recordings of already conducted training. The peculiarity of the training is that it lasts several weeks.

Webinars. Webinar training also takes place in real time. They are also attended by a large audience at the same time. It’s somewhat similar to a training, but the difference here is that a webinar is a kind of master class that usually lasts a couple of hours.

Consultations. Among ordinary people, this type of training is less popular and is mainly necessary for more established people who need help in some matter. To explain it more clearly, an information businessman consults each client individually.

Seminars. As for this method of conveying information to people, to some extent it can be compared with training, since seminars are also held for a group of people, but their differences are that seminars are usually held live. This is usually practiced by already well-known and established information businessmen.

How to create your own information business

So we get to the main question that interests all beginners - how to create your own information business? Do you think you can sit down to create your own product and start selling it? But no, your product most likely will not be in demand.

Try to guess why? Because first you have to prove to people that you are truly an expert in some field, and a blog will help you with that.

Create a blog, share tips and tricks with people on a topic that you are very knowledgeable about. Gain subscribers, release some free mini-courses, in general, show your best side, gaining trust and respect. Only after this can you begin to create any paid information product.

To create an information product you need:

It is clear that it is very difficult to do all this alone, so you can turn to freelancers for help, and they will write text for you, make a website and draw a beautiful cover, or you can invest in your knowledge by purchasing information products from more experienced information businessmen. And after everything is ready, you can launch your information product for sale.

How the information business has not yet developed in Russia and what are the prospects for it

In general, the information business came to us from the West and in Russia it is not yet as popular as there, but there is still more to come. High-quality information products help people solve many problems, saving them time, because with their help, what people study for weeks and months can be mastered in just a couple of days.

It is thanks to this that the information business can be considered a promising type of income, since people will always need new knowledge. And perhaps someday information products will make a real splash in the field of education, because already now some educational institutions use information products to teach students and schoolchildren.

But, unfortunately, there are a lot of unscrupulous information businessmen on the Internet, whom the language would not dare to call such. They are trying to profit from ordinary people by selling air in their “information products.” For this reason, the information business niche is practically empty, since there are very few high-quality information products. And only you can fix this by approaching the issue of creating an information business responsibly and in good faith.

Sincerely, Shkarbunenko Sergey.

Over the past decades, the dependence of enterprise business processes on information technology in all areas of economic activity has increased significantly. Today there are no enterprises that do not use information technology to one degree or another. At the same time, unfortunately, not all owners and top managers pay attention to the efficiency and rationality of using information technologies in business.

Based on the most well-known IT service management techniques (ITIL, MOF, Cobit), we can distinguish the following stages, following which it is quite easy to determine the need to implement a particular technology, as well as the overall effectiveness of information technologies in general.

Figure 2 - Interaction between government and business

The basis of any of the modern IT service management methods is the following fundamental principle: the requirements for information technology are made by business.

In industry, modeling systems make it possible to avoid expensive testing and reduce the time needed to create products. Computer-aided design systems speed up the design of complex products and make it possible to more closely use the potential of working groups. The electronic data transfer system allows you to more effectively manage an enterprise, conduct quick correspondence between partners, allows you to create working groups within the corporation that are not geographically united, and even due to the difference in time zones, expand the time of work on projects.

New payment systems, card systems, electronic wallets, and electronic clearing systems based on IT achievements are emerging in the banking system. Initially, cards used the principle of magnetic tape, but later it was possible to create microcircuits that were miniature, have greater capabilities and better protection.

In relation to Russia, the following can be said. A good (stable) bank should work with clients on a complex of services; the best form of work is the user’s permanent access to his account, which is provided by a plastic card. However, this requires large investments, so banks are forced to unite in various payment unions.

To service small payments, chip (smart) cards are used, which are periodically “recharged” by the owner. They do not require authorization for purchases and are more secure than conventional magnetic cards.

New IT makes it possible to expand the scope of services, speed up payments, and reduce the cost of cash flow.

Despite the difficulties in the state of reliability and security of the Internet, the Open Financial Connectivity (OFS) specification has already emerged, regulating financial transactions on the Internet and the Merchant Server trading system from Microsoft.

The entertainment industry actively uses the achievements of information technology in a variety of ways. This includes the development of new computer games, new attractions, and the use of IT in film and video production.

The next trend in IT development is the ability to interact between all physical and logical elements of the system. One of the most important factors for ensuring interoperability is the emergence of new standards for software and hardware, displays, databases and networks, which entailed standardization processes.

New technologies are a major driving force in addition to existing global market forces. Just a few key components - microprocessors, local networks, robotics, specialized workstations, sensors, programmable controllers - turned the concept of an automated enterprise into reality. However, at present, technology can also be a limiting factor: the lack of interoperability between automation tools makes its implementation irrational. This is due to the explosive expansion of IT, resulting in product standardization not keeping pace with technical standards. On the other hand, as a result of more active marketing activities and success in the distribution of IP, the capture of a large market share by any company, its product becomes the standard for all others. Examples include personal computers from IBM, operating systems from Microsoft, Novell's local network, home video recording standards VHS from JVC, and Video-8 from Sony.

Information technology providers should evaluate the individual shifts that have occurred to benefit their clients. Production will no longer be determined by the end product's purpose, but rather by a combination of production and market characteristics, such as high volumes of plastic molded products required or orders for powder metallurgy products. In the modern world, satisfying customer needs determines the production activities of companies.

Interoperability as a concept is as attractive as it is difficult to implement. The difficulties stem from both technology and competition issues. Technological efforts are focused on technical indicators, which are determined based on standards. Therefore, having standards is key to achieving interoperability. As mentioned above, the speed of emergence of new information developments is higher than the standardization of information products. But recently, due to the consolidation of enterprises and increasing experience in integrating various IP platforms, standardization of the activities of various manufacturers is carried out already at the stage of development and creation of IP.

Another difficulty of the current moment is that IT development largely determines the processes of systems integration and the creation of standards. This may significantly delay the time it takes to realize the benefits that new technologies provide. For example, the fifth-generation computer program funded by Japanese firms is being hampered by the fact that the new software architecture is not yet compatible with existing artificial intelligence centers, new protocols cannot be used in older communications systems, and new machine languages ​​are not suitable for older systems. etc.

Return back to

Information business is a business based on the sale of information. Moreover, the product should be unique information that is needed by many; this could be advice, personal experience, organizing a business on the Internet, etc. In addition, almost every type of activity aimed at making a profit can be classified as information business ideas, since patents, trademarks, all kinds of licenses, engineering and technical research and much more will also be considered manifestations.

The development of the information business began not so long ago, around the 60s in the West. This is why Western countries so skillfully use information business activities in everyday life. The international information business is mainly represented by such “sharks” in the information market as the Reuter agency, Dow Jones Telerate, whose information business functions include not only providing information services to their clients, but also directly creating special software that, with relative accuracy, can predict changes in financial events. These news agencies occupy their niche in the information business so firmly that today it is impossible to imagine the whole world without their services. And the turnover of information goods in general today exceeds the amount of 4 trillion dollars, which is much higher than the turnover of manufactured goods.

The functions of the information business include:

Direct accounting and financial management;
management of provided personnel;
marketing research;
insurance of information, property;
acting as a mediator.

Features of information business on the Internet

An information business on the Internet has a huge advantage, since you can open such a business yourself. The concept of information business so covers all areas of human activity that sometimes it is impossible to separate it from the direct type of activity. For example, on the World Wide Web, a manufacturer creates a website for its products in order to reach a larger number of potential consumers. On the one hand, he is conditionally “expanding” his real business, and on the other hand, he is entering the path of information business, since through the website buyers can get acquainted with his products, that is, they will receive information about the product. Thus, anyone can become a representative of this type of activity, since even the design and sale of electronic books (information) is one of the types of information business. The structure of the information business is so multifaceted that it sometimes includes components of all types of business activities.

Types of information business are divided depending on the area (segment) of their activity:

Consumer - when information is transferred to the consumer;
intellectual – transfer and consumption of information among specialists;
the so-called interaction segment, when development companies interact during the creation and subsequent sale of their products;
the sphere of business support - when information is exchanged in the process of various types of activities, namely the purchase of goods, distribution of products, marketing.

Cases