MapBusinessOnline newsletter – August 2019

MBO Tips & Tricks - Creating a Compelling Business Map

Sometimes customers ask us how to make their business maps look more compelling, or cool. Compelling being the manner in which maps improve a business meeting. Cool being the way maps can help you win friends and influence people at a block party this summer.

I love this sales territory map that I built as an example map (see below). Here are some of the tweaks I gave my map to improve its appearance and get me on the cover of Time:

Where possible, I used pastel colors as opposed to bright or super dark colors
I applied a Region border color of yellow and a territory border color of blue
I classified my sales data layer as a heat map to show intensity
I tried to keep my territory labels clearly exposed and centrally located over respective areas
I did not use a background map layer. Which is not to suggest not to use one, but to consider the possibility that not using a map background layer may enhance your map for your map purpose
I kept my legend succinct and focused. Do not distract map viewers with superfluous data
Think about the Zoom level your map is saved at – should it be zoomed in to lots of detail for a specific area? Or should it start zoomed out at the USA level? You decide.

MapBusinessOnline Pro - September Release!

We know we promised that MapBusinessOnline Pro would be released soon. Expect this advanced market analysis tool to be released in September. Just a few weeks away! With MapBusinessOnline Pro you will be able to:

Search and segment data from multiple center points at one time - search data within a radius or driving time of multiple locations
Batch calculate distance and time across one or two datasets for straight-line, driving distance, and driving time calculations
Find the nearest stores to a group of customers by driving distances or driving times
Create multiple territories based on data search around multiple points
Easily summarize or enrich imported datasets with demographic or geographic data
Count and Aggregate customer data within a proximity of each store location
Import up to 250,000 location records per map
Complete region & division support for advanced territory management

MapBusinessOnline Pro is a market analysis toolkit that combines the power of location with all sorts of data. We look forward to releasing MapBusinessOnline Pro and exploring its potential with Y'all!

The MapBusinessOnline Apps for Windows & Mac

Have you tried the MapBusinessOnline App for Windows or Mac yet? Do you realize its FREE and included in your subscription?

Download your required version of the App here. Start Mapping in a less cluttered environment today!

Easy one-click map access through a taskbar launch button
Directly links to Excel files for easier imported data updates
IT System Admins appreciate the control over App installs
Avoid Internet browser bugs and issues:
- Firefox & Safari – slow to fix conflicts
- Chrome – overactive Google controls
Enhanced map clarity and improved image resolution (for certain browser configurations)
App is recommended for creation of the most complex maps not being confined to the limitations of web browser environment

MapBusinessOnline Updates - Census & ZIP Codes

2017 Census ACS Demographic Data – Within the demographic data library of USA data, the 2017-year options are no longer projections but are actual Census ACS releases. The 2018 layer is now the only projection layer available. Stay tuned to projection updates as they become available.

USA ZIP code boundaries were updated over the last few weeks. As always, report any anomalies you run into to us via the contact button. Maps are always subject to error. Ask Christopher Columbus.