Today’s entrepreneurs are facing a new ultimatum: IoT or die.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the latest innovation touching major industries and is going to impact our entire world. As such, it’s become a popular arena for any new entrepreneur hoping to start a business.

Through a combination of sensors, cloud technology and data collection and analysis, the IoT is the bridge between all things personal, commercial and everything in between. According to Gartner, by 2020, over 50 percent of new businesses will incorporate the IoT into their products or business models somehow. 

For any entrepreneur who wants to stay ahead of the curve, the choice isn’t whether to join the IoT revolution (the answer is yes) but rather how to push your next big idea to its center.

Corporate giants like GE and Intel are already jumping on the IoT bandwagon and investing millions into products that enable cloud connectivity and communication. Consequently, fledgling businesses can only compete through their own contributions to the IoT infrastructure.  

Based on several major sectors of the IoT, here are three ways to nudge your startup to a competitive place in our newly integrated tech world:

1. Save big corporations big money

When it comes to the industrial IoT market, cost is king.

Through machine-to-machine communication, the IoT has the ability to save millions of dollars in operational costs for manufacturing companies. 

Consider the savings opportunities for an American company with plants overseas: Machine-to-machine communication between factories and headquarters abroad could provide current data and remote process control when sensors are combined with cloud integration.

Such immediate communication is valuable for large businesses that may otherwise overspend monitoring production through in-person checkups.

Any entrepreneur that can save a commercial giant from unnecessary spending, while staying technologically current, is sure to gain a competitive edge. 

2. Tighten security on the IoT itself

While the benefits of a world connected through the IoT are numerous, many are concerned with how such massive integration will impact personal and large-scale security. While a hacker may breach one isolated device to a limited detriment, cracking a network of gadgets held together by one defense system has far more disastrous effects. 

Instead of fighting the IoT based on this apprehension, entrepreneurs should leverage this as an opportunity to create IoT-specific security systems.  

According to Dr. Aron Kain, CTO and VP of Engineering at BH Sensors, sensor technology can actually help with the infrastructure’s overall security. 

“If the sensors are made with enough random variation and still fall within the needs and parameters of their desired functionality, each sensor can have its own ‘fingerprint,’ said Dr. Kain. “This ensures security even if the overall system is breached by adding a non-deterministic and hence un-hackable level of security at minimal cost impact.”

Entrepreneurs looking to touch both the personal and industrial sectors of the IoT may consider security the bridge between the two markets. Technological security has been an issue since the earliest stages of the Internet, and any startup that can ensure greater protection of individual and corporate data will be highly competitive.

3. Brave the healthcare industry 

Entrepreneurs who want to dive headfirst into an IoT-specific startup may find great success in the healthcare sector of the personal IoT.   

Given the sometimes urgent nature of individual healthcare, more efficient communication between patients and providers presents a prime opportunity for the integrative technology that the IoT provides.

Programs that can expedite prescription refills and pickups are always in need of advancement and improvement; software that enables more at-home care or treatment is valuable for older patients who may struggle to visit their healthcare provider in person.

While some entrepreneurs may be wary of the healthcare industry for its miles of red tape and complex regulations, those willing to face the potential hassles could make powerful breakthroughs in the personal IoT sector.  

Makena Owens contributed to this article. 

Even as a country with less than 8 million people, Israel maintains roughly 4,000 startups today.

The New Jersey-sized country’s venture capital per capita is 2.5 times greater than that of the U.S., and 30 times greater than Europe’s, making Israel the largest startup ecosystem outside of Silicon Valley. Considering Israel’s political and social climate, this is an incredible feat.

But is Israel’s startup economy sustainable?

While the past 20 years have served as a fertile time for the small-business sector worldwide, we have to consider the challenges Israel currently faces, and how it can turn those obstacles into opportunities to persist as the world’s global startup center.

What makes Israel the ideal place for a startup to flourish?

When Theodor Herzl dreamed of the Jewish state, his resources were limited–Israel’s infrastructure was primitive–but the young generation that supported him built the country into the modernized place it is today.

“The state of Israel is kind of the ultimate startup when you think about it,” says Hillel Fuld, co-founder of ZCast and an international startup adviser.

Fundamentally, Israel thrives on the entrepreneurial mindset: developing a passion, conceptualizing an idea, and then executing it successfully.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is also a powerful engine behind Israel’s startup successes. The army recently established the Cyber Defense Academy in Tel Aviv, offering a six-month intensive training program in network administration, programming, communications, and other areas based on the IDF’s technological needs.

Clearly, it’s working: Graduates of the Cyber Defense Academy have received over $3.2 billion of combined startup funding.

Israel’s immigrant-heavy population also contributes to its prominent place in the startup world. In 2014 alone, 26,500 people immigrated to Israel, and the numbers are rising.

Aside from their tenacity, a nation of immigrants is significant because a global population means a globalized country. Israel is filled with people with an eye beyond their borders who can create products that will succeed across markets.

This is crucial because Israel’s small population makes it almost impossible for a product to sustain itself on the country’s demographic alone.

But can the startup nation last?

One well-known issue regarding Israel’s economy is the country’s problematic working demographic.

Although Israel’s labor participation rate is at 64 percent–a considerable increase since 2010, when it was just over half and one of the lowest in the world–the labor division of Arab-Israeli women and Ultra Orthodox Jewish men is still disparate: In 2010, only 39 percent of Ultra Orthodox men and one quarter of Arab women were employed. 

These groups will make up roughly one-third of the Israeli population by 2025, and their lack of involvement in the Israeli economy could bring the startup nation to a halt.

To address this, think tanks such as the Milken Institute are trying to encourage small businesses in Arab-majority areas. Hopefully, these programs will involve the non-working populations by stimulating startup interest in their hometowns.

Still another concern is that Israel has yet to produce a tech giant. Among the 3,800 high-tech startups in Israel, only four (yes, four) reach sales of more than $1 billion a year. Israeli policymakers are therefore worried that entrepreneurs are taking too long to go public.

According to Saul Singer, co-author of Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle, it’s not the huge companies that help the job market most but rather the medium-size companies that have just passed the startup phase.

Perhaps Israel should work to improve certain regulations and tax systems to make it easier for startups to break out of the small-business sector.

With Israel’s entrepreneurial spirit and can-do foundation at its roots, these concerns could easily be turned into great openings for valuable business ventures.

If Israel can engage the currently less involved areas of its country into its modern, innovative culture, there is hope that this tiny country can continue as one of the world’s greatest startup nations.

Makena Owens contributed to this article.

Customer service has always been a crucial determination of success for any business. Did you know that 91 percent of unsatisfied customers will not return for a repeat purchase or service? That’s not a stat you should be taking lightly.

While many organizations have invested more resources in better training their customer service representatives, the recent wave of artificial intelligence (AI) programming is changing the name of the game, mainly through robotic messaging capabilities–a.k.a, chatbots.

Although once dreaded for their overly-standardized responses, chatbots are becoming a competitive feature of a business’s consumer experience strategy.

In April, Facebook made a major announcement on its bot plans; Google also recently launched Allo, a new messaging app which integrates AI.

But beyond these examples, chatbots also present brands with an opportunity to improve customer service.

Here are three of the most common obstacles that customers encounter when seeking assistance, and how a chatbot can help:

1. “We’re sorry, but we’re experiencing unusually heavy call volumes.”

This dreaded message is usually followed by an unsympathetic “Goodbye” and a click.

Overloaded call centers can greatly inhibit delivering good customer service. Human representatives can only feasibly handle one call at a time, and often can’t conduct online chats quickly enough to serve every inquiry efficiently.

Enter chatbots: as an intelligently pre-programed platform, the bots are capable of handling hundreds to thousands  of customer inquiries at once. That means customers can be connected with assistance in real time, 24/7.

According to Richard Smullen, CEO of Pypestream, which has developed a proprietary messaging platform supported by chatbots, “businesses that have call centers need to embrace mobile messaging if they want to delight and retain customers.”

He said that automation can reduce costs and in the messaging, bot space, costs are drastically reduced when human agents are able to be replaced with intelligent automation.

“With every company, there are only a finite number of questions customers ask,” Smullen added.

He also said that maintaining a human element is very important, as chatbots should improve customer service, save customers time or streamline their buying decision, such as customizing a product order or helping with a specific request.

2. “You are calling outside of normal business hours. Please try again tomorrow.”

Humans need breaks and free time. Unfortunately, that means businesses must close and may be unavailable for urgent customer assistance at odd hours.

According to Smullen, brands should not be scared of messaging platforms, because they can’t control the message at all times. Bots are always on and available for customer service.

Smullen adds “our Intelligent Automation approach to chatbots provides the right balance between defining a chatbots’ communication, content range and specific business processes, while also providing personal flexibility within the conversational flow.”

“The appeal of chatbots for businesses is they offer brands a chance to be where consumers are: messaging. While smartphone owners only use a handful of apps, messaging apps are the platform of choice for consumers with more 1.6 billion global users this year,” Smullen said.

3. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

This is perhaps the worst roadblock a customer can encounter with a customer service representative, and was especially pervasive with the old robotic reps.

Today’s new wave of AI technology, however, is empowering programmers to create highly personable chatbots that can quickly understand more about the customer than any human employee could uncover.

But, Smullen specifically noted that as companies embrace chatbots for customer support, driving down the cost of traditional call centers, it’s important that the focus remains on opening up and improving direct dialog with customers.

“As the AI technology that powers bots improves, consumers are going to continue to enjoy better experiences with the businesses in their life and interact with them in much the same way they would interact with a friend,” he said.

Makena Owens contributed to this article.

Retaining your consumer base is no longer just about delivering a good product.

In 2013, a study conducted by Cone Communications and Echo Research discovered the high level of importance customers place on social responsibility.

An overwhelming 90 percent of respondents agreed that they would rather shop at a brand that incorporates some form of social responsibility into their product or service.

Almost half of the people surveyed reported that they expect to advance greater altruistic goals when they shop.

But the desire to do good isn’t just on the consumer side of things: within the last three years, entrepreneurs have made it their business to merge their social or environmental passions with their business goals.

Social entrepreneurship is hot for a reason

Enter social entrepreneurship, a particularly popular branch of the startup world for young talents not only looking to solve problems within the walls of an urban office, but those with a much greater cause.

For many of these startups, it all starts with noticing a gaping hole in the way things should be. 

Take Sharon Rosenger, founder and CEO of CBO Baby, a line of larger onesies and body suits made to accommodate children with special needs who may need extra room in their clothing for breathing tubes and other apparatus. 

“With time we noticed a great need for [this type of clothing] that was simply unavailable to those who needed it,” she says. “We were in a position to be able to fill this need, and without hesitation jumped at the opportunity.” 

How do the challenges compare to other startups?

But starting a business for the sake of doing good isn’t necessarily any easier than running a strictly for-profit business.

Although Rosenger notes that her product was fortunately in high demand, she still recognizes the challenges involved in building any business from the bottom up.

“Inventory can be one of the biggest challenges with startup businesses. Doing proper research of what is needed and how it should be manufactured can greatly reduce the risk,” she advises.

She also adds the importance of “testing the market slowly. Order small, see which items pick up and learn from your mistakes.”

Risk management is certainly a viable concern for startups across industries. Even those socially responsible companies looking to engage in the purely non-profit sector must still be aware of the basic costs and risks involved in creating a fledgling company.

Fitting into the state of modern entrepreneurship

That’s not to say that non-profit startups are at a disadvantage: Due to the growing popularity and accessibility in creating an online presence, entrepreneurs are no longer worrying about brick and mortar storefronts, or even a shared office space.

The remote capabilities that technology affords young professionals is leveling the playing field for social entrepreneurs who can immediately cut operational costs.

Farther down the road, both non- and for-profit startups must keep in mind that no matter how perfect their solution is to a globally understood problem, most products and services don’t sell themselves.

For instance, Rosenger credits the atmosphere of her easy-to-navigate website, combined with her social media presence, that may help consumers take their mind off the medical nature of her product.

In other words, investing in branding is still key, even if demand is high.

When it comes down to it, social entrepreneurs can enjoy similar levels of of risk and success that for-profit startups face, and each type of company should keep similar mottos in mind.

“My advice for young social entrepreneurs is never to lose sight of the reason you started in the first place. The world needs more good, so why not be one of the ones who makes a difference?” Rosenger concludes.

Makena Owens contributed to this article.

For several years, when drivers thought of high-tech vehicles, only energy efficient, electric cars came to mind.

Now, there’s a new wave of tech infiltrating the automobile industry, and saving on emissions isn’t the only thing auto engineers are tackling. 

To make sure that your car stays as current as your co-working space, check out these three high-tech vehicles revolutionizing the way we drive.

Tesla Model S

For entrepreneurs who are frequent city drivers, the Tesla’s Autopilot feature is a huge time saver.

Although still technically in the beta phase, Autopilot, the Model S self-driving technology, will eventually be able to perfectly steer within a lane and change lanes–but drivers must of course remain alert and keep their focus on the road.

Its parallel parking feature can also maneuver the car into a space with the touch of a button.

Having a self-parking car (that can even scan for parking spots) not only saves time, but also takes away much of the possibility of small scratches and dents that could make you late to your meeting.

Autopilot operates through the many sensors outfitted throughout the Tesla: there are 12 front, side, and rear long-range, ultrasonic sensors; a forward-facing camera; and a forward radar that detects movements and obstacles up to 16 feet around the car.

Nonetheless, as the technology isn’t perfect, experts are warning drivers about the reliability of Autopilot, and the problems self-driving cars like the Tesla may pose for less advanced vehicles.

“In order for technology like Autopilot to be safe, all cars must be outfitted with a simple communication device–perhaps a combination of a camera or GPS at the front of the vehicle–even if they’re not self-driving,” said Oren Abadi, CEO of Abadi Motors, a luxury car retailer in New Jersey.

“If I was driving next to one of these vehicles and made an abrupt maneuver, how likely is it that the computer systems in these vehicles would avoid a collision?” he said.

Mercedes-Benz E350

If you’re staying late at the office night after night, the Mercedes E350 could help with the inevitable drowsiness during your commute home.

With the help of a stereo camera on the front windshield coupled with multi-range radars on the inside and outside of the car, the Mercedes E350 can detect both pedestrian and vehicle traffic in front of the car.

If the sensors detect that the driver is not alert of the oncoming traffic and analyzes a potential collision, the E350 will deploy a series of sounds and visual signals to alert the driver of oncoming traffic.

These automated safety features are great for entrepreneurs who may frequently drive longer distances late at night. The E350’s visual and audio signals are not only meant to alert the driver of a potential collision, but can also startle a driver awake if he or she dozes off.

Dodge Charger Hellcat V8

For those looking to stay constantly connected to devices and apps, the Dodge Charger is the car that prioritizes technology over all.

Of course, the car is outfitted with multiple USB ports, but it also boasts an SD card slot and a 12-volt power outlet–which means you can charge your laptop quickly between meetings. 

Most impressive, though, is the Charger’s ability to become a WiFi hotspot.

Through UConnect technology, Dodge has built a hotspot into its Charger that allows passengers to access the Internet on long trips, even in the most remote locations. 

This feature is perfect for entrepreneurs who may frequently travel outside of urban centers, or for those who are looking to take short vacations with family, but can’t completely disconnect from the office.

Having WiFi built into your vehicle can also be a lifesaver if unreliable hotel Internet service charges a fee, or if it becomes unavailable during your stay.

Makena Owens contributed to this article.

As they used to sing in those old TV ads for Staples, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”

It’s back-to-school time for kids across the United States, and while having time with my own children this summer was truly wonderful, I am happy to admit that I am eager to see them get back to their own work of being students.

And as the kids head back to class for another school year, it made me think about all of the valuable lessons that I learned as a boy that continue to resonate and apply to my daily routine.

In this case, I’m not referring to the reading, writing and arithmetic, but rather those lessons that you learn just by showing up, and being surrounded by others who are all in the same situation as you.

I am happy to share those lessons with you now–they have served me well over the years.

Here are five tips from my elementary school days that every working adult should know:

1. Get up early

Set an alarm, and make sure you rise and shine each and every day.

Yes, there will be days when you don’t feel like getting out of bed, but you will be glad you did. Take on the day with a smile (brush your teeth), and be ready to hit the ground running.

If you take the bus you will have the best spot in line–or if you happen to drive to work, you will beat the morning commuters–and you will get to work with time to spare.

You will have time to get settled in, and start working before your boss has even had a cup of coffee.

2. Look sharp

Every kid loves being able to put on that new outfit for the first day of school. And while we can’t wear new clothes every day, there is something to be said for making sure you’ve got your game face on–even if it is just another Monday at the office.

It’s subtle, but when you look well put together, people take notice.

“As a working mom, I know how important it is to be ready for anything–and sometimes the clothes we’re wearing get messy, or just aren’t right for the moment at hand,” says Sharon Rosenger, CEO of New Jersey-based CBO Baby, whose company produces adaptive clothing for children with special needs.

“There’s nothing wrong with keeping an extra outfit ready in your office for those emergency meetings, so you will never be caught off guard!” Rosenger says.

Which leads to my next tip …

3. Be prepared

Do your “homework” ahead of time. While it might have been cool to wait until the last minute to do your assignments back in school, having your work done early is always a smart move.

You will be prepared for whatever comes your way, and you will impress your coworkers when you are cool under pressure.

You can apply this to client meetings, presentations, or even research you might be doing related to a new product, or competitor–being prepared is under-rated, but never goes out of style.

4. Remember the barter system

One of my favorite parts of the school day was lunch. Sure, it meant free time, and the promise of recess yet to come, but it also meant it was time to eat and hang out with my friends.

And, it was a chance to try new things. In this case, it all came down to trades–my apple for your cookie, or half a tuna sandwich for that pudding cup.

You begin to learn subtle skills in negotiating and sales that you can always use later on in life. And while you may not be trying to trade lunches with your coworkers now, the way you make deals or come to consensus with a group can easily find its roots in the thriving trading community of your local school cafeteria.

5. Be a friend

At one time or another we were all the “new kid”. Remember what that was like? It was tough, right?

It doesn’t need to be. Make the new guy or gal feel welcome–invite them out for coffee, or show them around the office.

You will quickly gain that person’s trust, and have an ally for the future. It is always a good idea to have the right people on your side.

How about a bonus lesson? I am a big fan of the Golden Rule: Treat others as you want to be treated in return.

It is a simple premise that is often overlooked. But it goes a long way, and will always pay dividends.

What lessons do you remember from your elementary school days? Share your favorite tips and suggestions in the comments below.

Finally, we have reached the homestretch of this tumultuous election. Though we may have become shortsighted by the commonplace “news cycle” normalcy of these past few months, we should make no mistake: History will treat 2016 as a watershed moment of American society.

This gut-wrenching election is splitting the very seams of our body politic. A sweeping array of cultural pain points have suddenly been brought to a head. The battles lines of privilege, gender, race, and class could not be more searing in these final weeks of the election cycle.

As our collective edginess accelerates toward Super Tuesday, one thing is for sure–the entire nation will exhale a deep breath come Wednesday morning. The question is: Will it be a breath of grief, relief, or perhaps something more?

As today’s most astute business leaders and political strategists alike have observed, we live in a Volatile Unpredictable Complex and Ambiguous world–VUCA, for short.

The term VUCA was first employed by the US military to describe the conditions following the Cold War. Since then, it has been adopted by those surveying the 21st century commercial and geopolitical landscapes.

The circumstances surrounding this presidential debacle of 2016 are certainly volatile, unpredictable, complex, and ambiguous. VUCA worlds necessitate a novel set of psychological tools in order to adeptly navigate the terrain.

How to find some perspective

By now, you’ve probably heard the word mindfulness, which often refers to a state of objective, non-judgemental awareness. More broadly, it refers to a range of consciously driven life practices.

Mindfulness is a big word in 2016. True, it can be (and has been) exploited as a miracle salve for all the ills of our burgeoning digital age. Yet, don’t let the hype obscure the momentous significance of the growing mindfulness movement.

Mindfulness is needed in our society now more than ever. I do not intend to imply that 300 million people need roll out the meditation cushion and burn some sage (after all, Bernie Sanders left the ticket months ago).

Rather, we each need to grant ourselves a moment of intentional non-judgemental awareness. The polarization in our society is far too strong for us to just stand by and be swept by currents of distrust and malintent.

If you care about America, and your fellow Americans, you have an obligation to act. We can all benefit, “Trumpistadores” and “I’m With Her” groupies alike, from a bit of conscious self-reflection aimed at achieving a greater unity.

Take time to reflect

I propose that all sincere participants of our citizen democracy commit the time to reflect on this momentous election–more specifically, to cultivate a far wider, less-parochial vantage point on current events. Herein lies the power of mindfulness: to move beyond our established patterns and habits in hopes of realizing an aspect of ourselves far greater.

This is not a call for spiritual revolution. I’m talking about sustained, non-judgemental awareness. Simple and pragmatic.

This can be practiced while under the covers, sitting in a taxi, standing in an elevator, or waiting in a conference room. Its effects can be transformative, increasing empathy, stabilizing our emotional response, and helping us make better decisions, especially in regards to the dreaded “other.”

If we treated ourselves to this short pause amidst the grind of our jam-packed lives, we might discover that we in fact inhabit a much less fractured nation. We might even discover the seeds of a burgeoning Mindful Nation (see the book by Ohio congressman Tim Ryan).

So, instead of exhaling a habit driven breath of grief or relief when the results pour in this Wednesday morning, let’s invest in a breath that has the potential to transform our society and ourselves to something far greater.

Yaakov Lehman contributed to this article.

First impressions are unavoidable. You can spend a long time trying to convince others of your qualities, but you’ll have a difficult time being perceived as genuine if your appearance doesn’t sync with the values you’re trying to express.

The image you choose to portray to others is a big reflection of your true self, but the opposite effect can also be achieved. Ever heard the slogan “dress for success”? It’s true.

Research psychologist Jeffrey L. Magee surveyed over 500 firms to assess the impact of dress in the workplace. His studies led to the conclusion that continually relaxed dress ultimately leads to relaxed manners, relaxed morals and relaxed productivity.

Magee’s findings shouldn’t come as a surprise. Here’s why.

It’s simple psychology.

Think about your own experience. On a typical morning, you might wake up feeling groggy, stumbling around the house in sweatpants and a t-shirt. The coffee is your only highlight. The day seems blurry and your ambition is low.

But take a few minutes to get dressed, and the results are wondrous; it’s as if you just drank another coffee. It’s amazing what a simple outfit can do; button up that shirt, and your whole mood shifts. The sky is suddenly brighter, and you summon up energy you never had before. Tie up those oxfords, and you’re ready to conquer the world.

It’s simple psychology, really. Your clothing affects how you act and feel. Sneakers put you in the mood to exercise. Heels enhance posture and along with it, a feeling of glamorous confidence. So too, a suit and tie will put you in the mode to work, performing at your best. You’ll think smarter, make decisions quicker, and assume a more professional demeanor.

Clothing companies recognize how much of an effect dress has on people, so they take extra measures to provide comfort and ensure functionality in their products. Eli Blumstein, creative director and co-founder of dress shirt company Twillory, shedsa new light on the unique nature of today’s demand, and what brands are doing to earn their way into consumers’ closets.

“Clothing used to be about fashion,” says Blumstein. “Today, it’s about style and function. In the past, business travelers used to stress over how they would get their shirts ironed for meetings, but today we have the technology to create fabrics that don’t need any ironing, and special moisture wicking materials to cool and combat sweat.”

Your appearance is influential to others as well, not just yourself. It’s important to portray a good image to coworkers and clients. Being in the workplace often entails meeting new people, interacting with coworkers, and communicating with managers.

It’s vital to give off your best impression in every way possible, so that no one can hold shallow biases against you. Let nothing stand in the way of paving your road to success.

A balance can exist.

Positive employee morale is integral when it comes to workplace productivity. Efforts should be made to improve worker satisfaction, and if a dress code is showing to be a hindrance then appropriate measures may be taken to make the guidelines looser.

“The relationship between you and your clothing is individually unique from the rest of the world, so building a wardrobe that represents you is most critical,” says David Kaye, master stylist and clothier for men’s custom clothing company Badger and Welsh Bespoke. “The way you dress is the ultimate expression of self, and largely impacts how you go about your business.”

It’s not easy to navigate this fine line. Employee empowerment is always a challenge. The trick is striking the right balance. After all, workers do need to feel comfortable and free to strive high.

But if this calls for a lowered standard, then that standard needs to be created with sense so that performance isn’t lowered as well. Many companies are models of a proper balance. It is quite possible to retain a sense of individuality within the lines of professionalism.

The bottom line.

The debate of whether businesses should maintain traditional dress codes or adopt new casual policies is still ongoing. But putting all arguments aside, the bottom line is clear: Dress matters a lot.

What you wear impacts you, affects others, and can influence an entire company’s reputation. With the proper goal in mind–of aiming towards optimal productivity–a good dress sense can enhance the work ethic, and consequently achieve maximum results.

*Liba Rimler & Nathan Feifel contributed to this article.

Nowadays, having good content is hardly enough. No matter what you offer, its overall value is ultimately defined by the exposure it gets. How many people are you connecting with? Is your product, service, organization, or event getting the attention it needs to thrive and be impactful?

Livestreaming media content through internet platforms has emerged as one of the most revolutionary and useful channels to expand your outreach because it allows people to interact with your offering in real time from anywhere. From entertainment to infomercials, leveraging livestreaming to increase publicity has taken the digital world by storm due to its quality and convenience for viewership. But even so, to run an effective livestream campaign, proper planning and execution is critical to achieve success.

Recently, the team and I were responsible for running the social media marketing for the World Values Network’s annual gala in New York City, an organization that disseminates and promotes Jewish values in media, culture, and politics across the world. Central to our goal of promoting the gala, we were tasked with livestreaming the event so the public could watch online.

The Facebook livestream of the gala, which was broadcasted on Facebook Live and Periscope via Twitter, encompassed the whole event from the moment honorable guests arrived at the venue through the evening’s final speeches. The gala lasted four hours. In that time, it garnered more than a million views through its online broadcast platforms, with its viewership spanning the whole globe.

An event that featured notable guests such as Rwandan President Paul Kagame, TV star Dr. Oz, and Rabbi Shmuely Boteach is immediately intriguing, but only with the proper marketing strategy and execution could it reach and entice such a vast audience. Here are three crucial areas that my team capitalized on that should serve as a general rule when aiming to optimize livestreaming success and maximize outreach.

1. Planning and Promotion

For your broadcast to maximize its outreach and impact, it’s imperative to lay groundwork beforehand. In anticipation of your livestream campaign, make sure that people know it’s upcoming, when they should tune in, and what channel it’s being streamed through. Otherwise, your live content will not receive the proper attention while on the air.

Effective methods of promoting your stream include press releases, posts on social media, and even word of mouth, all which position you and your content to be widely circulated and shared. Without this proper planning and promotion, you will lose potential viewers who never got the memo that something was going on.

2. The Viewer’s Experience

In addition to the careful attention you have spent on your offering, it’s crucial that you devote equally as much focus on making your viewership’s experience as best as possible. Because even if you have a killer message, if the people you’re reaching don’t receive it well, all went for naught.

Make sure your audience can easily identify what is going on, and if possible, organize your stream into multiple segments to it to keep it consistently new and interesting. Next, find ways to get your viewers involved. Use livestreaming channels that offer interactive forums so that your audience can like, comment on, and share your content. Engage with them before, during, and after your stream to foster inclusiveness.

“New models of content creation should factor how users can interact with the story,” said Dipak Patel, CEO and Co-Founder of Zeality, a company that creates virtual reality solutions for media and entertainment. Finding creative ways to get viewers involved drives what he calls “next generation engagement,” and will help your offering separate itself from the pack.

It’s also important that your event lasts long enough for people to catch it. It’s best to elongate your livestream to give more people the opportunity to access it, as long as this doesn’t create dull, unnatural gaps just to use up time, as this will kill consumer appeal. People have shorter attention spans today than ever. Put yourself in your viewer’s shoes. If you were scrolling down your news feed, would you watch this?

3. Great Content

At the end of the day, your offering trumps everything else, and so without terrific content that stands out from your competitors, you will be overlooked. The content you bring to the table is what speaks loudest, and is the prerequisite for creating notability in any area.

“Livestreaming provides the platform, and now it’s up to users and businesses to develop content that people respond to,” said Michael Berean, CEO of Grace Innovation and an integral contributor to my team who was the mastermind behind our unprecedented livestream success. “Anyone who is good enough to create content that the market responds to, can become an influencer or thought leader online.”

Anyone can run a successful livestream campaign to showcase their offering, and spread it further than ever imagined. With these three areas of focus in mind, your growing audience will identify your content’s value and provide it an even broader scope.

Take advantage of the power of livestreaming. According to Berean, “It’s revolutionary, and it’s only going to get better.”

Nathan Feifel contributed to this article.

Anyone can snap a photo and upload it to Instagram. This means that our feeds are constantly flooded with endless streams of artsy teen accounts, celebrity-holding-a-Starbucks selfies, and filtered snapshots from nature photographer wannabes.

However, this is precisely what makes Instagram a great platform for publicity. The goal of a small business entrepreneur is essentially to attract customers by uploading high quality material. Amidst all those “anyone’s” and “somebody’s”, there lies one of the largest potential customer bases of the twenty-first century.

Instagram, the King

Instagram is the king of the social media sphere, so if you want people to notice you, it’s time to up your photo game on the global platform. This article will give you some tips and tricks to keep in mind in order to accrue a continuously increasing following and get those likes to snowball.

It’s getting harder. Instagram recently unrolled a new feature called Algorithm, which sorts your feed not based on chronological post order like we’re used to, but based on several intricate factors. Some of these factors are influencer/audience engagement, relevance to your interests, and time spent viewing a certain post.

The purpose of the new algorithm-based sorting is to ensure that quality content gets viewed first. This provides the opportunity for great accounts to shine. Here are three tips to make sure your Instagram account is primed for publicity and producing content that stands out.

Get familiar with the statistics.

Understanding the nature of Instagram and its user body is critical in leveraging the platform to increasing your content’s reach and customer engagement. To better grasp where Instagram currently stands, and where it is heading as a marketing tool, take note of the following statistical indicators:

-Top brands post around five times a week.

-60% of these top brands use a consistent filter to maintain a certain ‘look’ for their brand.

-95 million Instagram photos are shared per day.

-75% of Instagram users take action, such as visiting a website link, after viewing an ad post.

Make your photos eye-catching.

Posting standout pictures and videos, and constructing an exceptional gallery of content on your Instagram is the first step towards getting noticed. Whatever it is you are posting, it has to be quality and visually beautiful to get recognized by the Instagram community.

Photographer Laibel Schwartz of Laibel Schwartz Photography, explains how you can achieve this. “In photography, lighting is key when it comes to catching someone’s eye…make sure that the essence of the image, the subject, is the brightest part of the picture.”

In a day and age when heavy filtering and extensive editing is viewed as the vehicle to more views, utilizing natural light often provides the most appeal. “One of the world’s most beautiful places to find natural light in, is by placing the subject in the doorway, with the light beyond the subject and the shadow right behind,” said Schwartz.

Make it all about your brand.

Use your post to tell your story, show off your team, and inform your audience what inspires your company. Capture your brand’s culture and make sure your photos communicate it.

“I always advise clients that the best way to get more publicity is to clearly show their audiences what their brand is at its core, and what value it brings to the table, said Alvina Alston, CEO of New York-based PR firm More Media. “Keeping your every action central to your brand ensures that people will gain familiarity, trust, and interest in your offering.”

It’s also a great idea to run contests and promotions every so often in order to involve your followers. Have a business hashtag that’s unique to your reputation and mission, and ask readers to comment or repost, offering whatever incentives you can provide.

This makes all the difference, because once you’ve got that personal connection, you’re no longer just another dispassionate business out there to snag sales. By inviting your followers behind the scenes and showing interest in their involvement, you are essentially thrusting a hand out to thousands of potential customers who now want to be a part of your story.

Persist, Persist, Persist

After all is said and done, be persistent. Rome wasn’t built in a day; however, they were laying bricks every hour.

The worst thing you can do is become inactive. Keep up an active presence on social media, engage your audience with captivating photos, and sooner or later you will see the fruits of your effort. Through trial and error, you will become familiar with what your followers appreciate. Invest all your talents, experiment, and celebrate your milestones by thanking your followers. Instagram might just be that final springboard that will catapult your business into the higher planes.

Liba Rimler contributed to this article.