What hot topics and industry trends do you consider worth following at the moment and in 3 to 5 years?

I watch macro economic trends myself and right now I see massive issues (and opportunities) in rising household debt, rising government debt, enviroment crises, and changing economics between first and developing world economies. I know I’m boring.

you type:	you see:
italics	italics
* item 1 * item 2 * item 3	item 1 item 2 item 3
1. item 1 2. item 2 3. item 3	item 1 item 2 item 3
Paragraphs are separated by one or more blank lines: The first paragraph. Another paragraph.	The first paragraph. Another paragraph

How can we do social media effectively? In my research on social media, I've found that while many companies have Fb, Twitter pages, etc., not many seem to get results from...

Answered by Rick Perreault – Founder at Unbounce.

Yes, use social media to have a conversation with the outside world. In my experience, you won't see alot of direct conversions from Twitter & Facebook but your efforts wi... (more)

How do you tell people about your start-up idea in order to get feedback without giving away too much?

Answered by Tara Hunt – Founder, Buyosphere

I've always leaned towards the transparency option. No NDAs, no secrecy. I didn't blog about what we are coming out with because I wanted to create excitement, but I defini... (more)

At the moment my customer data is spread across various systems (email marketing, order system, booking system) and I'm looking for a good Customer Relationship Management ...

Answered by April Dunford – Product Marketing Expert. Posted in Technology

LOL, did you know I used to be a marketing exec at Siebel? (I wouldn't recommend them for a startup though) Almost all of the startups I work with are using Salesforce.com ... (more)

What industry & trends do you see the most opportunity in currently?

Answered by Tim Berry – Founder of Palo Alto Software

I don't think opportunity can be taken out of the context of the person or people looking at it. What's opportunity for me isn't opportunity for the person across the stree... (more)

What do you consider the "right" amount and type of follow-up for leads met at networking events? A phone call the day after the event? A handwritten note? An email? An...

Answered by Andrew Patricio – Founder, BizLaunch

Whenever I attend networking events my goal is to meet 1 or 2 good prospects. Follow up within 24 hours by phone or email. If they don't respond to your attempt and you bel... (more)

Sign up for Sprouter