Want to impress your friends or coworkers at the next gathering? Tell them you’ve just finished taking a course from MIT on Thermodynamics & Kinetics.  ITunes U has now made continuing your education interesting, easy and best of all, free.

iTunes U offers classes from over 450 institutions, including Stanford, Yale, Oxford and UC Berkeley as well as other resources from The Museum of Modern Art and The New York Public Library. Anyone can browse and download over 500,000 free lectures, videos, books and notes on thousands of subjects.

iTunes U also offers these resources in a user friendly app that is very similar in looks to Apple’s Newsstand app. The application makes it easy to search for a particular subject, read reviews and have instant access to the content.

I recently downloaded a Marketing and Strategy course from Arizona State University via the iTunes app. This course has 26 audio lectures, which are each about 70 minutes long. I have decided to make continuing my education as easy and convenient as possible for my lifestyle. Instead of listening to music while I drive, I listen to lectures on marketing. This is one of the perks of having the content on my phone; I can listen anytime, anywhere.

This is not only a great tool for current students but also for those adults looking to continue their education. This is a great way to educate yourself on something that you do not already have a formal education on.

For your business, this might be a great opportunity for you to encourage employees to continue their education or expand their skill set to help you grow. Plus since it’s free, it keeps your continuing education costs low. Think about it! Want to talk about more ways to grow your business? Give Catalyst a call!

1. Become Socially Adept – We’re all still figuring out exactly how to incorporate and integrate social media into our marketing strategies. Everyone knows they need it (and increasingly so), but have you sat down to determine what your goals are and how social media can help you accomplish those goals? Ultimately it’s about increasing engagement through ongoing conversations that leads to brand advocates. Make this the year that your social media strategy comes into focus.
2. Mobilize – Mobile marketing is the new social media. Smart phones are used by nearly half of all mobile phone subscribers. Your customers are on the move and sites or communication that can’t be viewed on these devices is deleted as fast as they can swipe. Think about how you can optimize your site and communications to keep your brand in front of your customer wherever they are.
3. Give It Away – Giving your customers or prospects valuable content that helps them in their business makes you more than just a vendor. It makes you an expert. Put it in your blog, in your e-newsletter, on your facebook wall, and everywhere else your customers find you.
4. On the Tube – Think about it. People use YouTube like a search engine. The site has more than 2 Billion (yes, capital B) views per day. If people are searching, shouldn’t we be there? New video equipment and editing software can make it simpler for you to post demo videos, testimonials, advice, and more on YouTube (and on your own site). But if that’s not feasible, talk to us. We can help.
5. You Asked For It – Ask for business. It’s simple. Ask for referrals from your best customers. Developing a great referral program is a cost-effective way to increase your business, and it comes with a third party endorsement so your new prospect has reason to trust you. Also, ask your current customers how you can help them more. Gather the low hanging fruit and watch your business flourish.

These are our marketing resolutions for 2012. You’ll be seeing and hearing more from us in the days and months to come. Could any of these ideas apply to your business? If so we’d love to talk. Give us a call (or find us on facebook!).

For the past 14 years, Steve Jobs has been at the forefront of Apple’s technological reign. He brought to us the iPod, iPhone, iPad and so much more. But with the recent announcement of Jobs stepping down from his current position due to health reasons, many wonder if Apple will be able to maintain their momentum.

In a recent poll by Twtpoll, the question was posed. “Will Steve Jobs’s resignation hurt Apple?” 40% said that Steve Jobs IS Apple. Is this true? Does Apple’s brand rely solely on one man? If so, then Apple will be in trouble.

Realistically, Apple may be hurt temporarily without Jobs, but it will carry on. But it does bring a caution to many existing brands out there. Don’t rely on a human to be the focus or leader of your brand. Many companies do this and what they fail to remember is that brands can last forever, people don’t. It’s fine for an individual to be a leading spokesperson for your brand, but when they begin to become your brand, then that’s another story. Many companies do it and it’s a risk. Let your brand speak for itself and let your spokesperson highlight the brand. The brand needs to have a life of its own. It needs to live on with or without the spokesperson.

When the iPhone 5 comes out, the truth will be told as to whether or not the Apple brand will suffer. When the iPhone 6 comes out will be when we know that the Apple brand has a life of its own.

Ever dreamed of earning a living by conducting secret missions? Well, here’s your chance! Pull out your iPhone and I’ll walk you through your dream job. Go to the app store and download the Field Agent app. Set up an account and voila – you are an official Field Agent. Now you can browse available assignments in your area and choose those you wish to complete. And the best part is you will actually get paid. Yes, you earn money when you complete a mission.

Companies looking for market info launch the assignments and they need your help. The company may be looking for scoop on a competitor, confirmation that their product is displayed properly, or they may want an agent to try their product and fill out a survey.

The results have been very impressive – not to mention affordable. We are actually conducting a test assignment in 10 retail environments across the country and will share some of the feedback with you. Our mission is to have 10 field agents go into a storefront, take a pic, and fill out a survey – all within about a 48 hour timeframe. No travel on our part, no time-consuming focus groups, and no invoices from a market research firm. And we can manage it all from our desktop. We are anxious for the results and we’ll let you know how it goes!

Our mission at Catalyst is to find smarter ways to do business and deliver value to our clients. Send one of your assignments our way; our agents are up to the challenge!