Recently, Google announced the third city that will receive its super fast Internet service. Provo, Utah, will be the third home to Google Fiber, with most residents connected to the grid by the end of this year.

“Once connected, Provo will be one of the first cities in the world where access to broadband will flow like water or electricity,” Kevin Lo, general manager of Google Fiber said. Kansas City and Austin, Texas are the two other cities slotted to receive the ultra-fast Google Internet.

Google Fiber is Google’s new ultra-fast Internet service. The cities chosen to receive this service will have access to 1 Gigabit, 100x faster than normal broadband. Google is also offering free broadband service in those areas for a simple $30 installation fee.

So What Does Google Fiber Mean to Small Businesses?

Well, Google seems to be targeting areas with lesser known, but thriving tech scenes.

“Utah is already home to hundreds of tech companies and startups, and many of them are based in Provo,” Google’s Kevin Lo wrote in a blog post. “In fact, the Provo area ranks second in the nation in patent growth, and is consistently ranked as one of the top places to live and do business in the US. We believe the future of the Internet will be built on gigabit speeds.”

Local companies such as Trafficado are excited about the growth that Fiber will bring to the Provo area. Austin, Texas, is also known as a hub for technology and innovation:

“Access to more bandwidth is like rain in Texas — it’s good for everyone,” said David Bresemann, senior vice president and chief product officer at Silicon Laboratories Inc., a locally based semiconductor company, in Statesman. “Austin’s tech-savvy residents and businesses have an insatiable appetite for higher bandwidth.”

Google’s targeting of areas that already have growing startup and tech scenes will bring even more growth to these areas.

Why would businesses care about being part of Google Fiber?

It’s the next big thing and any chance to be on board at the beginning is a good thing. Plus, with fast Internet you can get things done more quickly. This is especially enticing for SaaS businesses and any company looking to quicken their uploading and downloading processes.

It is not known where Google will be taking Fiber next, but they are set on expanding and making this the future of the Internet.

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For decades, non-profits and businesses have existed in separate realms. The non-profits focused on helping the poor and providing aid, while businesses focused on raising capital and building revenue.

It seemed that the two were destined to stay on their own paths, gawking at each other and failing to work toward a common goal.

However, we’ve recently seen the rise of socially conscious business entrepreneurs, people who are driving innovation and changing systems in order to solve social problems. They have business plans and ventures that are hell bent on changing economies for the better, while at the same time running a successful for-profit business.

They are proving to everyone that poverty can be alleviated and money can be made – all at the same time.

So how do they do it? What’s their secret?

Well, it’s:

• Passion
• Innovation
• Basic business principles

These socially conscious business entrepreneurs dedicate their lives to solving social problems they are passionate about. They find a way to change things for the better, they get going and they never stop running.

One such example here in the U.S. was founded on the idea that you could turn trash into reusable compost. EcoScraps picks up old fruit and vegetables from stores and restaurants, composts it, then turns around and sells it as bags of organic potting soil. Their clients include Costco and Whole Foods among many others. They are creating a sustainable, profitable business while solving the problem of leftover and old produce.

Bill Drayton, Founder of Ashoka, has been identifying and supporting individual social entrepreneurs since 1980. He realizes the potential these individuals have and their ability to create impactful and sustainable businesses. By receiving investment early on, social entrepreneurs are able to scale and grow their businesses to have an even bigger impact.

Social conscious business entrepreneurs are proving that social problems can be solved with for-profit business models, and they won’t take “no” for an answer.

Frankly, I think they’re onto something.

Eco Photo via Shutterstock

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So, I started digging and I couldn’t look anywhere without reading about content marketing and strategy. These buzzwords were everywhere and I knew I needed to implement them into my plans.

But here’s the kicker, what’s the difference? Are these two phrases actually the same thing disguised in different wording? Here’s my breakdown of what I’ve learned:

Content Strategy

Defined in a Forbes article as:

“The mindset, culture and approach to delivering your customer’s information needs in all the places they are searching for it, across each stage of the buying process. It is a strategic approach to managing content as an asset, with a quantifiable ROI.”

Strategy is how you are going to tackle the content and what that content is going to give you in return. It’s the point where you ask yourself, “What is this piece going to give me in return?  How do I get the most out of it?”

Content Marketing

Defined by Wikipedia as:

“All marketing formats that involve the creation and sharing of content in order to attract, acquire and engage clearly defined and understood current and potential consumer bases with the objective of driving profitable customer action.”

The marketing part of content is how you’re going to push your content after it’s on the Internet. This involves the tools, channels and techniques you are going to use to reach your audience. This is where you ask yourself, “How can I reach the most people with this piece of content?  How will this piece of content impact my business?”

The big question is, do we need both of these things? Do they not just overlap and cover the same basics?

I’ve come to learn that both are equally as important and serve different roles. It is important to have a clear strategy for your content as well as a marketing plan. This way, you know exactly where your content is going, the impact it is having, how to get the most out of it, and how to use this content to benefit your business in the best way possible.

Being organized is one of the oldest tricks in the book. So why would it be any different for your content?

Quality Photo via Shutterstock

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