Important Reasons to Hire Ukraine IT Developers For Outsource

If you want to build high-quality software and save money, you can view outsourcing options in Ukraine. When choosing an outsourcing company such as IT outsourcing Kiev, it is clear that you want the best value for money. Many factors affect prices. The most common ones are living standards, hardware and software costs, taxation, and programming experience. On the other hand, good outsourcing developers are priceless. They affect the success of the project, but they are not easy to find. Therefore, it may be a good idea to entrust your project to an overseas software company to get the best results and reduce costs.

Why is outsourcing so popular in Ukraine?

IT outsourcing Kiev provides a wide range of solutions to meet various software development needs. Most developers have many years of experience and have collected many successful projects in their portfolios. With the development of the IT industry, the number of skilled workers is also increasing. Ukrainian outsourcing companies have been working hard to improve the working environment and the services they provide. Compared with other countries benefits in terms of IT network, work ethics, and location. Therefore, it has attracted many overseas companies, such as Grammarly and Google. Ukraine has shown excellent results in software development and is considered the best choice for IT outsourcing Kiev.

Reasons for hiring a Ukrainian software development company:

Quality:

Training is the cornerstone of expert competence. Without higher education, it is difficult to find a job. With a huge amount of educational opportunities, almost half of Ukrainian software developers and programmers have at least a master’s degree. If school-age children perform well in admissions, they can enter the university for free.

Technical Education:

Ukraine is known for its high-quality technical education. For example, the engineering universities in Kiev, Lviv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro are excellent and recognized worldwide. Gain student-related knowledge in a constantly changing market. Many developers also have PhDs. Knowledge of mechanical engineering prepares them to solve the most difficult problems.

Cost efficiency:

When choosing a development company, the most important issue is its service cost. The cost of IT outsourcing Kiev is very different from other countries. The living wage there, prices, and wages are not high. Developers can help technology companies increase productivity. Under the same budget, this will bring you better results. The average hourly salary of a Ukrainian software developer is 30 to 50 US dollars per hour, which is about 4 to 6,000 US dollars per month. % Lower than the fees charged by European and American companies to customers. However, Ukrainian companies provide relatively high-quality competitive services.

Time zone:

Different time zones are usually the reason why many people are not sure whether to outsource software development. Differences in time zones between employees can lead to misunderstandings, undesirable issues, delays in the work process. However, Ukraine is only one or two hours ahead of European countries, which makes IT outsourcing Kiev collaboration and communication easier with others.

World-renowned companies created by Ukrainian developers:

Many IT entrepreneurs in Ukraine have created world-renowned IT companies. The profits of these IT companies have brought millions of dollars in revenue to the country’s industry, and millions of people around the world use their services. It is considered reliable and promising. Let’s take look at some of those IT products:  

Grammarly was founded by Alexey Shevchenko and Maxim Lytvyn. The program can check grammar, incorrect structures, and grammatical errors in real-time, find theft, and propose the best solution. The company has two offices in Kiev (Ukraine) and San Francisco.

DepositPhotos is an international photo library that provides services between photo authors and their buyers. It was founded by Dmitro Sergeev. The service provides free photos, vector images, and videos. The company supports customers worldwide in 14 languages. The cost of purchasing credit images starts at $0.75, and the subscription fee starts at $49 per month.

Terrasoft is mainly a manufacturer of CRM and service desk systems created by Katerina. Kostereva and Alexander Popov. Today, Terrasoft has become the leading CRM solution provider in the CIS market. The company has offices in five countries (Ukraine, Latvia, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom) and serves more than 6,000 customers. The software product company is responsible for the implementation of IT consulting and CRM strategies.

Benefits of Hiring a Mobile App Developer

Smartphones are very important in our daily lives. This is important not just because we can call and send messages. The value we get comes from the mobile apps we can download on our smartphones. There is a mobile app for every activity you want to engage in, whether it’s games, music, taking an online course, learning a new skill, looking for a place to live in, or even finding a restaurant.

Mobile apps have also become the easiest and efficient way for companies to communicate with their customers. This is why it is no surprise that there are about 250 million daily app downloads, according to DotNek. So if you own a business and need to increase your online reputation or you have an amazing mobile app idea, the most important thing you need to do is hire a mobile app developer.

When thinking about developing an app questions cross your mind such as what kind of app is needed? The purpose of the app, how many platforms the app will be on, and a host of other questions. Truly, these questions are very important in the creative phase of the app but without a mobile app developer, these ideas would never materialize.

Two options are available to you when you want to hire a mobile app developer. You can either hire an independent developer (freelancer) or a mobile app development company. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages. However, this article focuses on what you stand to gain when you hire any of the two options.

Here are six benefits of hiring a mobile app developer

1. Security of your data

With the increasing occurrence of cyber attacks, the security of your data is very important. When you hire an android development company, they take the responsibility of securing and protecting your data and information. With a freelancer developer, you just need to add a security clause in the contract that way you can be sure your data is safe. Either way, app developers understand the consequences of a data breach and will do everything possible to avoid one.

2. You save cost

Building an app can be very expensive. It could go as high as $1million. A mobile app developer helps you save money because they can work within your budget and only charge you for the actual service rendered. The payment options are also flexible. You can choose to pay a fixed amount or pay by the hour or pay by milestones. This way you can effectively monitor the progress of the work and also your budget.

3. A dedicated team to work on your app

When you hire a developer you get a team that is focused and fully dedicated to working on your app. As opposed to hiring your in-house development team that is probably working on multiple projects. This way, your app will get done on time and with minimal need for revisions.

4. Quality product

No developer would want a bad reputation as your app is going into their portfolio. They will therefore take the necessary step and work to ensure you receive a good job. They also have recent tech and programming languages which they will incorporate in your app, this would translate into a top-notch app

5. Availability

This is one aspect where hiring a mobile app development company pays. Regardless of whatever is going on, there will always be a developer working on your project which ensures continuity. You are therefore sure the project will not get stalled and deadlines will always be met.

6. Maintenance and support

After your project is done, more work still needs to be there in terms of maintenance of the app. You won’t want your customers complaining that a form is not loading or the app takes time to load. A mobile app developer would offer support and help with maintenance even after the contract is over. This would ensure the smooth running of the app and give you satisfied customers.

It is easy to think you can build your app yourself or with your in-house developers however the benefits above show why you need to hire a mobile app developer. Depending on what you want to achieve you may hire an individual developer or a development company.

You would be investing a good sum of money and time to develop your app, do not cut corners. Before hiring these developers check the kind of work they’ve done, who they have worked with, and also customer testimonials. Ensure you take the time to find the best developers or developing companies. By doing this you would be very satisfied with the result.

The Benefits of Using APIs in Mobile App Development

Mobile app development is often a monotonous and time-consuming task. It requires a lot of precision and patience to develop a robust and flawless mobile app. Moreover, it’s a fact that the larger the time it takes to create the mobile app, the larger will be the cost of the overall development process. App developers, for years, have been trying to employ ways to cut down development costs. Integrating APIs in mobile app development is the best way to cut down costs and substantially reduce the development time.

API stands for “application program interface,”. It includes a set of protocols, procedures, and tools that help an app establish a connection and enable data transmission with another software, OS, or third-party service. API integration in mobile app development holds several benefits, most of which will be discussed in this post.

This integration reduces the number of working hours by eliminating the labor needed in designing some essential functions that can be directly powered in apps by using APIs. Let’s move forward and learn more about the importance of using APIs in mobile app development and the top benefits.

1. Reduces Development Time Significantly

The most crucial benefit of using APIs is that integrating them in mobile development platforms considerably reduces the overall development time. There are many APIs available in the market that help mobile apps connect with third-party service providers to meet different needs. For example, suppose developers don’t have enough time to design a log-in module for authenticating the users in mobile apps. In that case, they can use Google sign-in APIs, Facebook APIs, etc. Such API integrations not only make things easier and faster for the app developers but also the end-users. They don’t have to insert their log-in credentials repeatedly; instead, they can authenticate themselves using their pre-saved Google or Facebook sign-in credentials. Another example is storage APIs; instead of developing storage for mobile apps, they can directly use google drive API or Dropbox APIs for storing various details and progress of users, especially in gaming apps.

2. Lesser Coding Requirements

API integration in app development reduces development time because the coding requirements and hours usually spent on it are reduced significantly. The developers can engrave a variety of functionalities in the mobile app just by integrating the respective API and utilizing clear API documentation. Usually, mobile app developers need to code every functionality and feature they want in their app. APIs eliminate those coding requirements and offer those same functionalities effortlessly with the help of third-party service providers.

You might have seen “powered by Google” or Google Maps whenever you’re using some hotel booking app and trying to locate the respective hotel. This way, the developers don’t need to design their map( which is a tedious and time-consuming process); instead, they can integrate a more precise map powered by Google into their apps.

3. Makes Mobile Apps more Creative

There is a range of APIs available in the market, and each of them supports a variety of functionalities. Usually, app developers try to keep the number of functionalities and features as minimum as possible due to time constraints. Many times in the process of limiting features, the creativity of the app is compromised. But by integrating APIs, the app can be powered by those features that are hard to design but can add significant value to creativity. For example, using Youtube API, the mobile app developers can add video streaming to their platform without the need of creating their own. These small things play a significant role in enhancing the creativity of the app. Those seeking app development services must check the list of top app development companies cataloged by Goodfirms for finding the right service provider to meet your needs.

4. Less Complex Codebase

The higher the number of features and functionalities a mobile app supports, the more extensive and complex its codebase will be. Even designing the simplest features requires a lot of coding; hence it’s entirely predictable that the more complex the feature is, the more complex and lengthier its code will be. APIs resolve this complexity to a great extent by helping the developers add complex but important functionalities in their mobile app development handily. The developers don’t have to design these functionalities; instead, they can integrate respective APIs for such features that are difficult and ineffective to develop. This makes the codebase less cumbersome and more comfortable to read and understand.

5. Increases the Productivity and Efficiency of the App

Mobile apps can be integrated with different sets of APIs such as Whatsapp API, Facebook API, Linkedin API, Twitter API, etc., to help the users share information. These APIs help make the mobile app more efficient, productive, and famous by empowering the users to share the app’s permissible content on different channels. This is a very efficient practice as it increases the visibility of your app on other media. If the contents match potential users’ expectations from other channels, it might improve your app’s download rate. This is very helpful for News apps; if the user likes the app’s content and shares the article on other channels, it can attract more users who are impressed by that content.

6. Easier Payments

Payment gateway APIs are the most popular type of APIs that you can find in almost all mobile apps nowadays. These APIs have emerged as the most popular and successful payment method. Mobile app developers can integrate multiple Payment APIs in their apps to help users carry out hassle-free transactions. Paypal API, Square API, Stripe API are some of the popular payment APIs you might have come across on most ecommerce apps. The integration of these payment APIs has made transactions more effortless and less time-consuming.

Wrapping Up

Mobile apps are evolving rapidly; the advent of new technologies and trends play a significant role in making them more creative, productive, and effective. One such trend that has contributed to creating mobile apps more powerful is API integration. APIs reduce development time and the app’s development cost significantly, helping the mobile app enter the market more early. All the benefits listed above highlight the importance of API integration in mobile app development. API integration allows mobile app developers to make more creative and productive apps with a little coding. Hence mobile app developers should use APIs to power their apps with such functionalities that are difficult to develop.

Author Bio

Hi There, I am Shaun Williams, a content writer with Goodfirms, a research platform for Cloud Computing, Ecommerce companies, Translation services companies, among many others. I enjoy communicating ideas and knowledge creatively and also ensure that the readers never suffer from boredom while reading my posts.

What Are The Benefits of Online Learning?

The pandemic sure has caused a lot of negative things from health to even our country’s economy. But on the brighter side, it made us see more alternatives to our usual activities, such as forcing us to work and study from home.

However, many people are still skeptical about the benefits of it, particularly studying online. If you’re one who’s also dubious, here are some advantages of online classes that will help you decide.

Cost

One of the first things that most of us often check before enrolling in a school or university is their rates. Fortunately, online schools are more affordable. This is because academic institutions don’t usually need to produce physical learning materials that cost them more.

Since classes take place online, this means they don’t have to pay for their rent. Plus, they’re able to save more on bills and other miscellaneous fees. Compared to the traditional schools or universities, a student will likely spend only between $100 and $400 per credit hour on average for online courses.

Traditional schools, on the other hand, need to produce more physical learning materials. They also need a budget for rents, bills, and maintenance of their buildings. Hence, their rates cost more.

Efficacy

Many are also skeptical about online classes because they’re doubtful of their efficacy. But apparently, a study shows that it’s just as effective as traditional classes.

However, there’s a chance that it could be more effective. This is because online classes are more engaging. Plus, a student has more ways to ask his queries that will help his studies if he’s too shy to ask during class.

Safety

If you’re concerned about your safety against the pandemic, online classes sure are a great option as it offers no limits when it comes to location. The lesser interaction and contact with other people, the lesser the chance you’ll be exposed to the SARS-CoV2 virus.

Another good news is that you or your child is also safe from abuse in schools. Abuse can also happen in school. Online classes, however, helps in preventing it from happening as you’re safe from anyone you may do you wrong in school.

Schedule

Traditional schools have a set schedule. A typical day in a traditional school usually starts around 7 AM and ends around 3 PM.

But online classes are different. Sure, some schools also have a set schedule for online classes but you’re more free to do other things during class, depending on your instructor’s classroom rules. You can even attend your online class while you’re away for a vacation thanks to school class scheduling software.

Some schools online even allow their students to choose their schedules based on their availability. This works well, especially if you’re a working student. Check online coding classes for kids in Toronto

This kind of schedule also allows you to enjoy a study-life balance. You have more time to spend with your family or yourself, which helps make you grow.

Online classes sure can be daunting as we’re not all used to this setup. Many of us are still adjusting to it so it’s normal to feel skeptical about it but it’s something worth considering.

Download the Uproad App to Pay Your Tolls on Time

Drive on toll roads without a toll transponder and avoid toll agency fines.

The number of toll roads in the US is quite significant. Usually, you have two toll payment options – using a transponder or waiting for that paper bill coming in the mail. Getting a toll agency violation notice because of a dead transponder battery or simply because you forgot to send a payment is not fun. We’ve all been there.

With Uproad, you can automate your toll road payments and drive stress-free (every time!)

Whenever you enter a toll road, you’ll get a notification on your smartphone. The app works in the background and is well-optimized, so it doesn’t affect your phone battery usage.

Once the tolling agency posts charges to your account, Uproad will pay the bill automatically using funds on your account balance. To make sure you never forget to top up your account balance, use Autopay mode, and the app will make sure your balance never goes below a certain amount. But you can also use the Manual mode and pay every toll by yourself if you first want to review every transaction in detail.

Uproad supports PayPal, Venmo, Credit, and Debit cards. They charge a small transaction fee for every toll payment, but frequent toll road drivers can simply get the $19.99 Premium yearly membership to enjoy a lower transaction fee.

To estimate your expenses before you hit the road, you can use a built-in calculator. The app also lets you review your spending for a specific period and separate your business/personal expenses.  

You can ask any question using the app’s chat interface and receive quick responses from their support team. And if you want to dispute the charges, their support agents will help you sort this out with a tolling agency as well.

Uproad is free and available for download on App Store and Google Play Market. You can have up to ten vehicles linked to your Uproad account. Usually, newly added cars are activated overnight, so you’ll be able to drive the next day! So yeah, no need to avoid unfamiliar toll roads anymore. Uproad ensures transparency on every mile of your journey – from the moment you pass the toll point to the moment you pay your toll bill. All of that using just your smartphone.

How To Create A Killer Linkedin Video 

LinkedIn has established itself as one of the most effective social media platforms for more than 675 million+ individuals, established businesses, and startups around the world. 

Contrary to popular belief, LinkedIn is not just a place for text-heavy B2B content. Video content on LinkedIn now outperforms traditional text content in both impressions and generated links.

Whether you are a sole proprietor or a large business representative, incorporating video into your LinkedIn marketing strategy is a must for your online success. 

With that said, let’s break down a few of the preliminary steps you need to take before you get down to creating your video.

Things to Consider Before Creating a LinkedIn Video for Business

On LinkedIn, it’s a little more complicated than the basic “point-shoot-upload” approach. If your created videos don’t bring the expected results, you definitely know what we mean. For everyone else – you need a more thought-out video marketing strategy.

The main purpose of a LinkedIn business video is to guide your buyers to the next stage of their journey on your page. While your main goal is to figure out what types of videos are missing from your purchase funnel and fix the issue.

Before you make your perfect LinkedIn video, make sure you remember the following  steps:

  • Get to the point fast;
  • Call to action wisely;
  • Add captions.

Perhaps, your video content lacks quality for your funnel. You might want to think about videos that help your customers solve problems they face when looking for products/services like yours. Make your customers believe that your solution will definitely work in their unique environments.

Here’s what you should do:

  • Audit all your existing video content and identify where it fits into your purchase funnel;
  • Make sure your video content helps customers solve their problems or, at least, defines and explains them;
  • Ensure your videos explain how your product/service works and why it’s the best on the market;
  • Analyze your competitors. Address each of your competitor’s videos comprehensively starting with likes counting and studying comments and ending with the number of shares. 

You have to understand exactly what types of LinkedIn videos are created by your competitors, how they inspire their customers to purchase products, and if the main message is relevant to their customers at different marketing funnel stages. Pay attention to CTA-links (Call To Action links) in videos of your competitors and find out if they really work, i.e. there’s enough visitor engagement (comments, likes, shares).

Now, let’s take a look at different types of videos on LinkedIn, understand how they apply to your strategy, and review the best practices for publishing each of them. 

LinkedIn Video Types

Keep in mind that by choosing the right types of videos for LinkedIn, you can “humanize” your brand and build trust with your customers while accelerating sales cycles and turning curious observers into loyal customers, and later into advocates for your brand. 

To engage your customers, apart from the video types described below, you can also make other types of videos as follows:

  • Live videos. These types of videos are highly popular today. They will help you answer all questions of your visitors and potential customers, find out what challenges they meet, and improve their experience with your solutions. Live videos are also great for marketing latest offers to boost your sales;
  • How-to videos and online guidelines are also a smart idea. You can show your customers that you really care about them by sharing useful knowledge and helping them learn something new about your products or services;
  • Interviews will allow your customers get valuable insights from industry experts and improve your brand’s reputation; 
  • Behind-the-scenes videos will let you get closer to your customers by providing them with an opportunity to take a closer look at what’s going on “in the kitchen.”

Now let’s get to the main LinkedIn video types.

LinkedIn Native Videos

LinkedIn native videos are videos that you post to your timeline on LinkedIn. Videos can be professionally created or shot via your smartphone and posted directly. You upload such videos to LinkedIn by clicking on the video icon in your feed and then choosing videos from your local files. 

Because of LinkedIn’s prioritization algorithms, video content tends to get more impressions and engagement. The more users interact with your native video, the more LinkedIn shares the video with other users, even those outside your network. 

LinkedIn native videos are a great tool for showcasing your experience, brand, services, or products. By creating a compelling native video, you can increase your visibility and expand your business by spotlighting your brand.

Recommended settings:

  • Video file size: anywhere between 75KB and 5 GB;
  • Minimum video duration: 3 secs;
  • Maximum video duration: 10 minutes;
  • Captions: optional (recommended to increase engagement);
  • Sound: optional;
  • Files: AVI, MPEG-4, MKV, MP4, MPEG-1, ASV, QuickTime, WebM, H264/AVC, VP8, VP9, WMV2, WMV3.

Aspect ratios:

  • LinkedIn Native videos can be vertical or horizontal. Vertical videos will be automatically cropped into a square;
  • The acceptable aspect ratio for the original video is 1:2.4 or 2.4:1.

Format:

  • Resolution: 256 × 144 to 4096 × 2304;
  • Recommended video quality: 1080p;
  • Supported video formats: AVI, MP4, MKV, FLV, MPEG-4, MPEG-1, ASF, WebM, QuickTime, WMV2, WMV3, VP8, VP9, and H264 / AVC;
  • Recommended file format: MP4. Many companies export video in MP4 by default. However, you can always use a video converter to convert your video into any format you need.

LinkedIn native videos are a great way to showcase your skills and represent yourself to the world. Check out this stunning video CV, a great example of a journalist’s video resume. 

LinkedIn Video Ads

Video ads on LinkedIn are commercials that are displayed in the feed. These are mostly company videos aimed at increasing brand awareness among potential customers, as these videos usually get more impressions and engagement.

Recommended settings:

  • Minimum video file size: 75KB;
  • Maximum video size: 200MB;
  • Minimum video duration: 3 seconds;
  • Maximum video duration: 30 minutes;
  • Video caption: highly recommended;
  • Sound: highly recommended.

Size:

  • Video ads on LinkedIn can only be horizontal. Vertical videos are not supported;
  • Pixel/aspect: 360p (480 x 360; wide 640 x 360); 480p (640 x 480); 720p (960 x 720; wide 1280 x 720); 1080p (1440 x 1080; wide 1920 x 1080);
  • Recommended aspect ratio: 16:9 (wide).

Format:

  • Recommended export quality: 1080p;
  • Video ads on LinkedIn only support MP4 videos;
  • Supported audio formats: MPEG4 and AAC.

Your LinkedIn video ad can be a success or breakthrough factor for your business. That’s why you need a video that can increase conversions. Here’s an example of a great marketing company ad for your consideration. 

Embedded Videos on LinkedIn

Most brands upload videos to video platforms like Vimeo or YouTube and then link to them on LinkedIn. You can embed videos either as an update or as a post. LinkedIn embedded videos are displayed in your LinkedIn feed exactly as they look on the initial platform. Their titles are usually at the bottom of the player.

Best settings:

  • Video length: LinkedIn doesn’t set a limit on the length of embedded videos;
  • Video captions: optional (but recommended);
  • Sound: optional.

Aspect ratios:

  • All embedded videos have the same size and resolutions as the original videos posted on your chosen video hosting platform;
  • Orientation: embedded videos can be vertical or horizontal;
  • Recommended aspect ratio: 16: 9 (widescreen).

Format:

  • Supported formats: MPEG-PS, FLV, MOV, 3GPP, WMV, AVI, WebM, and MPEG4;
  • Recommended export quality: 1080p.

If you want your LinkedIn audience to subscribe to your company’s YouTube channel or if you just want to share a video, you need the right template for that. For this, you can address Animoto. They are able to provide you with tools for creating a high-quality video that can be embedded into LinkedIn with ease.

LinkedIn Company Page Videos

Many established companies post different videos on their business pages. LinkedIn Company page videos were launched in 2018 and since then have proven effective in increasing brand awareness and attracting potential customers. According to LinkedIn, videos from a corporate page are five times more likely to generate discussion among members than any other type of content.

One thing to remember when using videos on a company page is to ensure that the video actually contains some useful information for your followers and is not a simple promotional piece.

Recommended settings:

  • Minimum video file size: 75KB;
  • Maximum video file size: 200 MB;
  • Minimum video duration: 3 seconds;
  • Maximum video duration: 30 minutes;
  • Recommended video duration: 1 minute to 3 minutes;
  • Sound: optional;
  • Video captions: optional.

Aspect ratios:

  • Orientation: company page videos can only be horizontal. Vertical videos are not supported;
  • Aspect ratios: 4:3 to 16:9. Recommended aspect ratio: 16:9 (widescreen).

Format:

  • Recommended export size: 1080p;
  • Video resolution: 360p to 1080p;
  • Supported Video Format: MP4;
  • Supported audio format: AAC and MPEG4;
  • Supported frame rate: 30fps or less.

LinkedIn company page videos are a great tool to showcase the main values and features of your business. Here’s a nice video of a creative video ad agency to check out for inspiration. 

Best Video Editors for LinkedIn 

Sharing raw video footage on social networks like LinkedIn can be problematic for a variety of reasons. The video you recorded using your smartphone or cam may not meet some of the platform’s specs, which makes editing your videos, before sending them to LinkedIn, even more important. 

In addition, learning how to use desktop or online video editing apps allows marketers to tailor each video to the requirements of the project they are currently working on. Thus, building your video editing skills will help you create videos that tell your story exactly the way you want it to be told. 

However, before you start polishing your skills, we recommend choosing the right video editing software that provides all the tools you’ll need in the LinkedIn video editing process. 

Instead of using complicated video editing software, you can try the following apps that support Windows, Mac, or can be used online. They will greatly facilitate the video creation process and provide a wonderful experience. 

Here are some of the best video editors you can use to create videos for LinkedIn and other social media platforms.

Filmora X 

Price: free trial, various subscription plans available. Subscription Plan – $39. 99/year. Perpetual Plan – $69.99 (one-time fee). Bundle Subscription Plan – $99.87/year. Automatic updates, cancel any time.

Compatibility: Windows (Windows 7/Windows 8.1/Windows 10 ( 64 bit OS ONLY)), mac OS

In addition to numerous video editing features, Filmora X offers screen recording tools that allow you to capture any activity on your screen. Regardless of which method you choose to capture your footage, Filmora X lets you import all the files into your project in just a few simple clicks.  

The timeline contains visual and audio editing abilities, graphics, and texts, allowing you to combine multiple videos into one, add text overlays, or create the perfect soundtrack for all your videos. You can import music from your PC or choose a song from Filmora’s royalty-free audio library (for free). 

The main Filmora X features and advantages are as follows:

  • Keyframing feature (custom animations);
  • Huge Video Effect Library (transitions, filters, titles, and motion elements);
  • Green Screen feature (change your background);
  • Split Screen feature;
  • Motion Tracking feature;
  • Audio Ducking feature;
  • Color Correction feature;
  • Color Grading;
  • Speed Control;
  • Hotkey Commands;
  • Social Media Export;
  • Automatic updates;
  • No watermarks;
  • Free tech support;
  • One-year unlimited downloads from Filmstock Standard Library;
  • New effects every month.

The Wondershare video editor also offers support for a wide range of video file formats, including 4K, so you can edit footage shot on action cameras and all other types of digital cams. 

You can export videos in all file formats, compatible with the LinkedIn platform and many others including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc. It’s up to you to decide which file format you’re going to use for different projects.

Camtasia 

Price: Free trial, subscription plans start at $169.99 per year. The Individual plan costs $249.99 (one-time fee).

Compatibility: Windows, macOS. 30-day money back guarantee.

Like Filmora X, Camtasia offers powerful screencasting features that can be useful if you want to create tutorials, video tutorials, explainer videos, or business presentations. 

The all-in-one video editor lets you trim or cut every video clip you import into your project so you can remove any objectionable material or parts of the video footage you don’t want to include in the final video. You can also add transitions between clips to avoid hard cuts or apply visual effects that highlight colors in the video. 

Camtasia has a rich audio library that contains royalty-free sound effects and music that can be used in every project you edit with this software tool. The screen-recorder from TechSmith allows its users to add quizzes, captions, annotations, and headlines to their professional-looking videos to improve their educational potential and raise customer engagement levels.

Animoto 

Price: free trial available, Professional – $15/month (annual package), Team – $39/month (annual package)

Compatibility: online tool (Windows, macOS, iOS). All plans include unlimited video creation, unlimited video downloads, social sharing, and an impressive music library.

Creating a LinkedIn or any other type of video with Animoto is amazingly fast and easy. You just need to choose a template, add videos or photos to your project, and export the video. 

All templates offered by this platform are fully customizable, which means you can change their aspect ratio, add titles/subtitles, or apply visual effects to every new project you start with Animoto. 

You can add as many new text blocks, images, or video footage to your project as you want, and in case you don’t have your own material, the platform lets you browse stock sites where you can find photos or videos you can use for your project. 

However, all your videos, created using a free version of the tool, will have Animoto branding on them – you will have to purchase one of the available subscription plans to remove the branding. 

Animoto offers thousands of licensed tracks to choose from and add to your videos. Each template has several recommended songs that perfectly complement its style and mood. 

That’s it for now!

We hope our article helps you when creating your perfect video, whatever your goals may be. We wish you inspiration and quality content to successfully promote your business! Good luck!

Why Video Brochures are Great for Advertising

In a day and age where everybody wants to be entertained by Youtube or memes in social media, the advertising industry must see to it that they’ve got the right platform to effectively market their clients’ products and services. 

Video brochures are one of the best ways to catch the modern buyers and even convince them to try some things out. But why is it effective? Let us tell you its secret.

They create connections with customers

Consumers or rather, people have a very short attention span. An average person can give you his undivided attention for only eight seconds, after that it all comes down to what you showed them was interesting or not. Going for quality Custom Video Brochures can do the job for you. You can create and adjust any aspect of your video brochure to suit the taste of your audience and get them hooked.

A story told in a motion picture gives clarity to the message

No one could argue that knowing a story through a video is more enjoyable than reading a pamphlet. It gives people a clearer picture of what something is and what it can do for you. While a printed brochure is likely to be informative, no one can digest every detail by just reading and as an instinct, people usually just scan it. In contrast, when you watch something, you tend to understand quicker, the details are more vivid, and it stays with you.

Most Likely to Be Shared By Others

What’s good with the world wide web and the onset of social media is, anything that catches people’s attention and to their liking catches on like wildfire. When your video is interesting enough for your viewers, it can be rapidly shared with anyone. You can easily make a video using an online product like Fastreel. Your employees, colleagues, and friends can just show it to someone without even saying a word. There you go, you don’t even have to break a sweat, others are doing your job for you.

Videos More Likely Create Trust with Consumers

If you are not fond of business news, you would not know that they have found out that 85% of consumers buy products and services after watching a video. Video content connects with the target audience quicker than a blog or written marketing campaign. Once more, visuals are more attractive to a human than just mere flowering words.

Feedback is Not Always Negative for Sales

Another fact that you have to know is that feedback, especially positive ones from viewers builds trust and confidence for the consumer. If someone says “Hey, I tried this and that and it’s working!”, it gives the consumers an immediate assurance that whatever it is in the video is credible enough to be tried.

Using video brochures is a good way to get your message across to your target audience. It is a more effective marketing option to speed up brand awareness, build trust, credibility, and boost your sales. If you don’t know how to make one yet, just search on Google and you’ll find plenty of videos to show you how.

Want Your Website To Attract More Visitors? Try These Proven Methods

Websites were made to attain specific goals. Whether to increase sales, become the authoritative source for information, be a gateway to build your brand, or support existing and potential customers, one thing is for sure, It needs to be visited by as many target audiences as possible. So how do you do this? Take heed of these tried and tested methods to increase direct traffic to your website.

How to Drive Traffic to Your Website?

1. SEO

Search Engine Optimization, contrary to popular belief, still works. It’s a ladder of several processes whose only goal is to get your website on top of the search results made in Google and other search engine platforms. SEO and Websites go hand in hand since your platform will only be seen by the target audience when they search it into any search engine.

SEO does this by using the keywords that most users type into search engines like Google, add in internal links, meta description, and other intricate details. Learn the basics of SEO to understand how it works and how it can help you gain more visitors. There are a lot of SEO experts out there that can help you rank in Google’s search results.

2. Dress Your Website to be More Likeable

Say, what? Yes, websites need to be beautiful in a way where people visiting them get to the door and not leave after five seconds. It’s all about the user’s experience at this stage. User experience or UX is one effective method to convert your visitors into consumers, availing of anything you are offering them. 

Appearance plays its part in making people get engaged in your site but navigation is what makes them stay and convince them to do what you want them to. Knowing how to do what is the secret in mapping out the best navigation. So try to understand your visitors and anticipate their every move, if possible. That is the only way you can keep up with their needs and supply it from your website.

3. Conversion Funnel

Brainstorming for a better user experience quality for your visitors is achieved by a conversion funnel. A conversion funnel is your roadmap to understanding your target audience, knowing what their needs and wants to better engineer your website to appeal to them. 

There are six stages that you have to do to properly initiate a meaningful conversion funnel.

  1. Create Google Analytics Funnels
  2. Optimize Your Awareness Stage
  3. Optimize Your Consideration/Interest Stage
  4. Optimize for Your Desire Stage
  5. Optimize for Your Purchase Stage
  6. Optimize the Loyalty/Advocacy Stage

It might take some serious learning and a considerable amount of time to get the conversion funnel right. But hey, as they say, “If there’s a will, there’s a way.”.

4. Content is the King

Content means writing a lot of blogs for your website. Writing blogs that give valuable information to the readers, easy to understand, and have internal links that readers can refer to guarantees frequent visits. But writing for other already established blog sites can even pull more potential customers into your site. This is called a guest blog or post. By adding even just one meaningful link to one of your web pages is very helpful to boost your website’s traffic.

A key to writing good content is using graphics and getting your readers hooked in the article. You should avoid lengthy paragraphs and hard to read sentences. Make it more interesting by connecting to the reader, write like you’re talking to them. That’s one way of catching their attention and hopefully, convincing them to try to visit and see what your website has to offer.

5. Social Media Presence is A Must

Ads through Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media sites are a necessity if you want your platform to gain some ground. Social media sites are the world wide web’s market. This is where everyone fishes information and goods from all around the world. 

From a marketing standpoint, there’s no use trying to sell your product without anyone to take notice of it. You can also share valuable content that people might be interested to read. You can score more points if you have more retweets – in the case of Twitter, or more likes when you showcase your website on Facebook. Retweets and likes are the best in gaining authority over something.

6. YouTube

Aside from teaming up with YouTube for your 5sec ads, you can also set up your own channel and shoot infomercial videos,  a glimpse of your advocacies, or any activities that would let your audience get a good knowledge of what your website is.

You can also hire an influencer to market your website or help you gain more curious visitors to look into your website and see what the fuss is about. It’s all about getting your target audience curious enough to convince them to check out your site.

7. Evaluate Your Marketing Management Strategy

When all is done, you would need a measurement to gauge your current marketing strategy. A good marketing strategy starts with establishing SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. 

  • Goals must be Specific enough that it answers the 5 W’s: Who, What, Where, When, Why
  • Goals must be Measurable that you can think of how to measure their success; percentage, rank, etc.
  • Goals must be Attainable that you can figure out ways on how to do them.
  • Goals must be Realistic with the limited resources that you have.
  • Goals must be Time-bound. This means you have to give it a deadline.

When you can evaluate your real-time progress using your goals, then you are on the right track. But if you are having a hard time figuring out and putting a number on your achievements, then you would have to go back to the drawing board and see if you have drawn SMART plans for your marketing strategy.

Increasing your website traffic is a must across all organizations that engage in the World Wide Web. You will not attain your goals and you are wasting your precious dollar if you don’t get this campaign right.

What Are the Benefits of Using Google Ads?

Google ads make it easy for people to get their products and services seen by the right people. If you are curious about what their services entail, here are some of the benefits of using Google ads.

The Google Brand and Reach

Everyone knows the name Google. It has become synonymous with internet usage and is a powerhouse in all online channels. Google is not only a search engine but also has become a company that has established a significant reach through various means. Using Google ads to your advantage gives you access to that same reach and market potential. 

Their ownership of YouTube allows you to advertise through video sharing and video content in addition to other traditional online marketing campaigns. Although the extra reach is great, the major benefit of Google is its search engine, as it is the most popular and widely used search engine online. Advertising through this digital space will give you access to the largest audience.

Specific Target Audience

When talking about the audience, size is not only the most important factor. For marketing purposes, the quality of your audience is just as important as how many people you are reaching through your advertising campaigns. For many businesses, the online marketing space is not easy to navigate.

With Google ads, you are able to target an audience that is searching for specific products or services by appealing to certain keywords. With this control found on Google Ads account setup, you can narrow the number of people that are searching and finding you. This means that you are not just showing up for a lot of people, but those searches are coming from quality audiences and more likely to result in sales or completion of transactions as an end goal.

Real-Time Results Tracking

The success and effectiveness of advertising can be difficult to track. With other marketing campaigns, you aren’t always presented the statistics, and as a result, you are unable to associate success or production from the lack of those numbers. When you advertise through online platforms like Google, many of the interactions are tracked. This includes key variables and data like views, follows, shares, comments, and clicks. 

And if you’re looking for more in-depth results like return on ad spend, you can always opt for a third-party link tracking tool. Depending on your targets and goals, you can associate these numbers and also attribute financial weight to them, determining if they are successful and effective in their purposes or if they are coming up short.

Flexible Budgeting

As you go through various marketing campaigns, your directives and goals will change. You may start out small with a company goal for your advertising to simply gather more attention to your brand. As you increase and grow the numbers of people you are reaching, you might choose to transition to more action-oriented goals like product views, link clicks, and even sales. These will vary depending on different factors and the data that support them. As your campaign numbers change, you can set different budgets to match goals that may alter over time. 

Having this flexibility is important for businesses of all sizes, as not only will your goals differ, as well as your marketing needs, but your initial budget may be a huge factor. Some small businesses cannot afford to run traditional advertising, but online campaigns allow anyone to set their budget and advertise at their comfortable rates.

Results Faster Than SEO

It has been established that Google’s major power comes from its established role as a search engine. They are the default search tool for many users and as such, those that show up on search results pages will see huge traffic to their sites. A method of online marketing is search engine optimization, which takes advantage of the placement in results pages to attract users. The problems with SEO marketing can be balanced with the use of Google ads. Using Google ads, you automatically jump to the top of certain searches. 

Because these are paid for, you do not need the same amount of time that SEO requires to rank on the first page where you get the most attention. The one issue with Google ads is that once your campaign is over and you no longer pay for space, you will lose that rank. This is why many experts believe that the best marketing utilizes multiple strategies, incorporating both traditional SEO and paid ads.

Google ads play a major role in online marketing. Of course, you are not limited to using their services, but as advertising is a largely collaborative effort through multiple strategies and campaigns, they should be considered for your business advertising needs, even if you are using other platforms and strategies.

GetInsta – Get Free Instagram Followers and Win Big Prizes in the Contest

The app is simple and free to use, and can significantly increase the number of followers on your Instagram profile. We will try to explain to you what GetInsta can do and how it works in the next few lines.

As you know yourself, Instagram is one of the largest social networks, according to its user numbers. Whether you use Instagram for private purposes or want to bring your brand, product or service closer to a wider audience, this social network can help you achieve your target. Of course, for that you need followers who are interested in what you post on that social network. Sure, they’ll be coming a little bit, but their numbers are always growing slower than we want. So the real question is – how to get more free Instagram followers?

Now, GetInsta offers a special contest on the occasion of Holiday Seasons, an opportunity to win cash prizes and also increase Instagram followers for free!

How to Participate

It is easy to participate in the GetInsta contest.

· Download GetInsta for Windows PC, Android, and iOS device you like, and create an account.

· Enter the contest by designing a video or publishing a slogan post on one of the social networks (YouTube, Twitter, Reddit) about GetInsta and your story with it. The most interactive posts and videos are the most likely to receive awards.

· After that, you can copy the link of the post/video and send it to the contest page as shown in the image.

GetInsta Contest Awards

· Slogans and videos that have the most likes, comments and views also have the highest chances of winning the awards

1st prize – $ 100 (1 winner);

2nd Prize – $ 50 (2 winners);

3rd Prize – 75,000 coins /person for the purchase of followers and likes (10 winners)

· The winners of the competition will be announced on the official website on January 1, 2020, and winners will be contacted via email within 5-7 days.

What is GetInsta and how does it work?

GetInsta is designed by dedicated experienced engineers and helps increase followers and likes on Instagram fast as well as it provides a safe system for interaction between users. Simply the application works on the Coins system, where you will have to follow other users and like their pictures or videos in order to get coins. By using the coins, you can get Instagram followers and likes for yourself for free! That is, it is a circle of Instagrammers who follow each other and like each other’s photos and videos.

After using the app, you will easily notice that GetInsta is distinguished from other Instagram followers apps by its simplicity and effectiveness, as well as providing a safe environment for communication between users and mutual benefit as well, and because it consists of real users, so all the likes and followers coming through it are of course 100% real because all people like you want to increase likes and followers safely and quickly. GetInsta is one of the best Instagram followers and likes programs out there.

Software Programs You Should Have For Your SEO-Related Needs

There are so many strategies entailed in SEO that you’ll be hard-pressed to find one program to cover all your needs. SEO experts usually take advantage of multiple software programs to get the job done. If you’re wondering where to get started, here are the most essential programs you should have for your SEO-related needs. 

SEO Keyword Tools

While the SEO process is long and arduous, it always starts with looking for relevant and well-ranking keywords. To start your journey, you’ll need an SEO keyword tool that delivers a variety of jobs. First of all, the tool should help you look for relevant keywords according to your business’ niche, making sure that it gives you a clear idea about the search intent behind it. More often than not, the keyword we want and the one we’re looking for are different. The tool should also give you an idea about the performance of these keywords, how your competitors use them, and other long-tail keywords related to the ones you’re researching. The tool should provide you with metrics to give you insights into the keyword volume, CPC competition, and seasonal trends.

Backlink Analysis Tool

Every SEO practitioner knows the role that backlinking plays in your SEO strategy. Sean from SEOSorcerer.com explains that backlinking is a vital factor in SEO that helps you increase the authority and presence of your website. The strategy entails other websites placing links referring their visitors to your website. While there was a time when the number of backlinks was all that matter, the search engine algorithms have since evolved.

Nowadays, both the number and the quality of the links matter. That’s why you need an accurate backlink analysis tool to help narrow down authority websites and devise your backlinking strategy accordingly. Check out linkchecker.pro for backlink monitoring and building insights.

The best tools have a large database of backlinks through which they can help you understand why some sites had linked to your competitors but not you, for instance. You can also buy backlinks to up your ranking and build more traffic.

Analytics Tools

SEO involves a lot of on-site and off-site work. For on-site performance, you want to use an analytics tool then helps you improve the features of your website. The tool will start by performing a website audit, after which you’ll get a comprehensive report regarding all your pages and the existing issues. The best tools give you step-by-step advice as to how you can improve the performance of your website for better ranking and user experience. They can also give you a competitor analysis so you know where you stand from the competition. Better yet, you can start by analyzing your competitors then devising your strategy for a shortcut. 

SEO Checker Tool

For off-site performance, you want to use analytics tools that alert you to how your website is performing on the search engine result pages (SERPs). These SEO checker tools help you monitor your performance on the SERPs, generating reports so you can analyze your website’s performance. The most important feature of SEO checker tools is that you can submit your website’s sitemap for indexing, after which you can optimize your website for better results.

Report Generating Tools

For more detailed insights, you want a report generating tool that briefs you on areas you wouldn’t normally check. These tools can simply be plugged into your website’s URL, or any other website for that matter, to generate a full report of the website’s performance. Detailed reports can help you check under-the-hood stuff, like HTTP Headers Check, that you’d normally forget about. 

Reputation Management Tool

Ensure your corporate brand is improving by using reputation management software. A tool like this will track your online presence, monitor your online reviews, and warn if your brand name is being damaged. The most important feature of reputation management is to respond to bad reviews and engage people to place good reviews.

Marketing SEO Tool

Once you set up your website according to the SEO guidelines, you’ll want to stay updated with new upgrades and optimize your website accordingly. Maintaining your website for SEO algorithm changes or upcoming trends requires the use of a sturdy marketing SEO tool. Using this tool, you’ll be able to keep an eye on your ranking, explore the online scene for new trends, and jump on new ranking opportunities as soon as they arise. 

Although there are various SEO software suits that claim to cover all SEO-related needs, they still have a long way to go before being comprehensive. Until that happens, you’ll be better off using different software programs for specific SEO tasks. Some of the main programs you’ll need are keyword, backlink analysis, analytics, SEO checkers, report generating, and marketing SEO tool. If you still need help, you may need to contact an SEO Expert to assist you with your marketing needs.

How to Control Your Affiliate Marketing Campaigns on Social Media

If you want to make money quickly and easily online, you should try social media for affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing happens when there’s a partnership between a company and an external website. The third-party (external website) promotes product (s). The company/business pays the third party a commission for each click that transforms into a sale. If you’re a company, this helps to promote a business to a broader audience and increases your sales revenue. Social media is free and user-friendly, which makes it one of the best tools for affiliate marketing. In this guide, we’re going to dig deeper and cover some of the ways to help manage your affiliate marketing campaigns on social media.

1. Set Your Goals

Any successful affiliate marketing program is created from a steady blend of affiliate partners. This is why you should set transparent goals by using affiliate marketing software to help manage your campaigns. According to affiliate marketing experts from Voluum, setting clear and transparent goals enables you to identify the specific affiliates and types of affiliates you wish to recruit. It will help if you classify your goals as either short-term or long-term. For instance, you might be looking to expand your reach to other locations; this means you may need to partner with sites where shoppers look for reviews, advice, and ideas, which is a worthy long-term goal.

2. Convey Quality Content First

The best way to start promoting affiliate marketing offers is by creating quality and professional content. We would highly advise against the habit of continually promoting services and products without first understanding your audience. Instead, it would be best if you start by creating and sharing quality content that resonates with your audience. If you want good results, you should focus on delivering quality content, followed by promoting your affiliate link at the end of your content. Your content could be in various forms like a YouTube video, podcast, blog post, or an Instagram post. Additionally, if you’re promoting a particular product, ensure that you buy and use it. This helps to win your audience when you’re recommending the affiliate link.

3. Employ the Use of Photos in Your Campaigns

As the adage says, an image is worth a thousand words. In the new age of social media use, images help increase attention to your social media posts. It would be best to ask yourself this question: what kind of photos am I drawn to when scrolling through social media? Asking yourself this question helps to visualize your idea from a reader’s perspective. Using product photos to blend along with your affiliate marketing campaigns will help draw a user’s attention. Social media platforms like Instagram will help to accelerate the growth of your affiliate marketing campaigns. Finally, remember that quality matters over quantity, so ensure your photos have a satisfactory resolution.

4. Are You Using the Right Platform?

If you’re not careful, your affiliate marketing campaigns might fail if you’re not using the right social media platform. You should assess the best platform, which will help meet your affiliate marketing goals. You can start using popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and the latest addition, TikTok. However, don’t forget about topic-oriented platforms like Reddit or Pinterest. This also means that you should consider particular factors such as your ad type, sales process, and intended audience. If your target audience is active on a specific platform, it would be best to draw your efforts to the particular forum.

5. Understand Your Audience

This comes as a no-brainer. If you want to be successful in affiliate marketing, you should understand your audience. Any useful affiliate marker should aim to serve people; this means looking for exciting products that people like and explaining their benefits. However, you cannot do this if you don’t understand your audience. While we are not encouraging you to stalk your readers, there are plenty of ways through which you can learn about your audience that are more elegant.

6. The Reward System

You should assess which sites play the most influential role in influencing the purchase decision. Additionally, it would help decide whether these sites should be offered a more significant incentive to reward them. In many cases, affiliate fees vary a lot. Some industries pay more compared to others. For example, Amazon pays more if you sell more products.

7. Stay Active

If you remain active on your platforms, this helps to keep your audience in touch. This means that you should be keen to communicate back to your audience regularly. We would highly recommend working with a few social media platforms where you can easily manage the audience. Juggling across many social media platforms might mean neglecting a segment of your audience. You can start by working with two social media platforms. With time, you can shift to another platform when you’re sure that you can comfortably communicate and post actively on both platforms. Formulate a routine where you dedicate a few hours daily to each social media platform.

8. Perfect Your Program

We live in a past-faced world where technology evolves daily. Social media is not left out since the trends are also changing fast. Once your program is operational, ensure that you assess your social media promotions continually. One of the best ways is to update product information; this includes advertising and sale details. Additionally, you can seek out new affiliates and opportunities on a different platform. Finally, you should research new ways to help boost the growth of your affiliate program.

9. Work with Different Affiliate Marketers

You can work and connect with other affiliate marketers out there. Connecting with them helps you understand their success stories in using social media for affiliate marketing. Since social media means social, teaming up with other affiliate marketers can help increase your followers and help to get your link to a larger audience. While you may view other affiliate marketers as competitors, working with them might benefit both parties in ways you hadn’t realized before.

Social media is one of the best ideas you can use for marketing in the new digital era. Using social media for affiliate marketing is a helpful tool that you require to survive in the affiliate marketing world. Using a combination of one or all the tricks we have discussed above will help you navigate the world of social media for affiliate marketing.

Expert Tips for Creating a Successful Digital Marketing Strategy

Running a business during the times of the pandemic and long after it, is a completely different ball game altogether. It’s important to adapt to the ever-morphing marketing trends if you want to even have a shot at staying on top of the game.

Identify the Goal

Just as with any marketing plan, it is imperative to start off with defining clearly what the goal of your digital campaign is. This needs to be a detailed culmination of all the points you want to hit when creating your strategy. First and foremost, how you will get your brand out in the most effective way into the digital platforms that you plan on infiltrating, the kind of people you want to target, and what your sales plan is. After that, start tracking those goals through goal tracking.

Now more than ever, digital marketing is at the forefront in the world of business, and it’s important that you create an efficient marketing strategy that is aimed at digital avenues. This is why we’ve collected some expert tips that will help you create a successful marketing strategy.

Get Professional Guidance

You may or may not have been in the market with your business for quite a while, but the point is, digital marketing is different. It wouldn’t be wise to work off your own assumptions and research alone because there are many factors in play that you may not be aware of. This is why it’s always advisable to hire a professional company that specializes in digital marketing. Look up the best online marketing gurus and utilize their services to get yourself a detailed plan underway. These companies understand the digital market well and will advise you on what possible moves you have as options, and working together, you’ll be able to come up with the best plan moving forward.

Solidify the Digital Sales Funnel

Generally, it’s important for you to understand the Digital Sales Funnel, and to do so you need to have the basics clarified. The funnel includes 4 major points that you must address, and includes:

  1. Investigation and research: Learning more about the market in question and finding out more about the necessary details within the digital market. 
  2. Methods of Discovery: Finding out how to best have your clients and potential clients discover your services in the most effective way possible.
  3. Retail: The process of providing you services and products.
  4. Customer Loyalty: How to keep the clients loyal to your company. 

Mastering the digital sales funnel is key to ensuring that your strategy is bulletproof and that you’re ahead of the game when it comes to problem-solving any possible issues that may come up during the marketing process. 

Specialize in a Demographic

It’s easy to get greedy and aim to infiltrate a wide demographic, but it’s certainly not wise at all. The smart thing to do is to see what your services and products provide, which demographic would suit best, and focus your digital marketing plan to appeal to these very people. Once you have covered this demographic and solidified it, only then can you start to think about appealing to another demographic.

Analytics Are Essential

Nothing is going to be fruitful in all this planning and plotting if you don’t have real statistics to work off of. The beauty of marketing in the digital world is that it is much easier to analyze the statistics and response rates because everything is online and therefore, on the record. You need to hire people that specialize in analytics so that you’re getting accurate information and reports that will ultimately guide you in the right direction of what you need to do next.

Creating a successful digital marketing strategy takes planning, effort and sometimes the help of experts. The world of digital marketing is different in many ways, and this is why you need to heed expert advice such as the points mentioned here. You may have a successful business or even a winning business plan, but all that will amount to nothing if your marketing is not on point.

The fact of the matter is, we now live in the digital age, where the bulk of business potential lies in the online world. This is why it is imperative that you not only educate yourself about digital marketing and the variety of platforms available, but you must also utilize the help of professionals who have been doing this for a while. These people understand analytics and the market as a whole, and will be able to provide you with accurate reports and ideas on what you need to do in order to infiltrate the digital world of marketing for your business to be successful. 

What You Need to Know About AI Marketing

There are many ways of describing marketing, one of which is by advertising, flyers, or even just printing ads. This activity attracts and encourages individuals to endorse a brand or products and services of a business. The distinction between the old way and the industry’s new approach is noticeable. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), various companies are depending on their reliable efficiency to grow their business.

The question is, what are the things you need to know about AI Marketing, and how does it affect your company? We’ve gathered some helpful guides for digging deep into AI Marketing in this post.

What is AI Marketing?

AI stands for Artificial Intelligence, a software built in a machine that can think on its own without any human intervention. The primary role of AI is to see patterns routinely made by humans and have their way of solving a problem. On the other hand, Marketing is the process where the company uses to lure the public to use their products or services. With the two being combined, it creates endless possibilities in making a new wave of processes that can help businesses grow instantly.

Experts believe that about half of the manual tasks will be automated over the next 10 to 20 years. For others, it can both be an advantage and a drawback. Why? Let’s say an entrepreneur has an online company and has recruited a few workers to respond to customer inquiries or concerns, but if you add a chatbot to your online platform, it will be able to respond to you with fewer numbers of employees that will save you a lot of money.

Predictive Analytics

This amazing capability of AI Marketing comes in handy for predicting future outcomes from the company’s data or also called Data analysis. According to experts, it can easily pre-determined what will be the next step or the right move to take and helps to answer the company’s business questions such as below. 

  • How many percentages does a customer buy the product?
  • How many customers will stop supporting them to buy products?
  • What is the rate of customers who are likely to buy annually?
  • What are the traits of each of my customers?

Predictive analytics can answer them in real-time and saves a lot of time and effort in analyzing them manually. It creates a better customer experience as it targets the exact wants and needs of each individual. Not only will you predict the result but also the chase to obtain loyal customers as well.

Clustering and Customization

This is a combination of supervised and unsupervised learning. It is a process where each customer is being categorized according to what are their usual activities on the site. For instance, customer A usually searches and buys boho-inspired home furniture, while customer B likely to lean more toward minimalist designs. All customers that have the same taste will go together under each category. According to the digital marketing experts at smartboost.com, making segments will fasten the process of knowing how many percentages the outcome may be. It can make your company grow and build its reputation by making the customer experience personalized.

Recommendation Engines

The method used by advertisers before that is the if-and-then method, posing the question, what if? To distinguish cause or scenario in running a company. It looks for patterns based on the metrics collected data, can detect or predict potential problems with the aid of AI technology. It advises or suggests a necessary behavior after analysis. It is an essential way to avoid bumping into major issues in the future.

Natural Language Processing

One of the most important parts of AI Marketing is Natural Language Processing; it indicates how the customer feels, what they say about the product, or how much they like using it. Simple as it may sound, but it helps to know the feedback of each customer to be able to adapt and grow from it.

Psychographic

It is where the personality, interests, attitude, and behavior of customers have. Uncovering who they are and why they buy the product or avail the services. It is also a crucial factor to build a strong structure in AI Marketing. 

With the aid of technology that paves the way to speed up long hours of work in a minute or two, marketing has grown tremendously. AI Marketing has a lot to offer, from gaining a better understanding of your customer, knowing more about their needs, and to have an improved customer experience for everyone.

4 of the Top Reasons Why Businesses Use SMS

When it comes to communicating ideas quickly, there’s nothing better than text messaging. Yet despite using it frequently in their everyday lives, many business owners fail to consider the value SMS could bring to their companies. Could it be a good fit for you?

Top Ways SMS is Used for Business

As you know from your own life, SMS is versatile and convenient. And though businesses can find applications in nearly every aspect of their organizations, three specific opportunities tend to garner most of the focus:

  • Internal communications. One of the top use cases for SMS is as a tool for internal communications. With the right SMS software in place, it’s possible to leverage text messaging for sending out company updates and event reminders, coordinating work schedules, notifying staff of weather-related emergencies and closures, educating employees on HR policies, and even gathering internal feedback. 
  • Marketing. SMS is one of the most efficient and direct marketing channels. While it does require some effort to collect phone numbers and make sure you’re following SMS rules and regulations, the results are excellent. You basically have direct access to your customers whenever you need to reach them. 
  • Customer service. In certain industries, SMS provides a simple and straightforward customer service option that’s faster than email, less intrusive than a phone call, and incredibly cost-effective. 

Businesses typically start with one of these applications and then eventually add other ones into the mix. It’s up to you to determine when and where you’ll integrate SMS text marketing company into your business.

4 Reasons SMS is a Wise Investment

There are ample reasons to use SMS. If you speak with leaders in organizations that have begun implementation, you’ll discover benefits such as:

1. Increased Productivity

An employee always has their phone with them. Research shows that 97 percent of text messages are opened within 15 minutes of delivery, with a whopping 99 percent opened all together. Thus, an investment in SMS is basically a guarantee that your message is going to be opened, which subsequently drives productivity through the roof.

Whether you’re sending a link or a notification, this speed makes it easier to get more done in less time. And that’s pretty much the definition of what it means to be productive.

2. Improved Speed of Communication

When you want an employee to do something quickly, you want the most efficient form of communication possible – the option that will get the message to them in the least amount of time. And while email might be better than snail mail, it’s certainly not the fastest choice. 

SMS is far superior to email, and you can use texting alternatives on many occasions. There are many similarities between SMS and Email. Both can be automated. Both can carry your corporate messaging. But customers are more likely to respond to SMS.

This has less to do with the actual speed of delivery (an email can be delivered in seconds, too) and more to do with the fact that people are more likely to see an SMS notification before an email notification. (The majority of people will see it within three minutes.)

Even if it’s just a few minutes, saving time in communication can mean the difference between making a massive, costly mistake and executing with poise and precision.

3. More Convenience

Is there anything more convenient than being able to shoot a quick message with a link? Unlike email, where you have to spend a lot of time thinking up what to write, recipients of a text message have an expectation that the message will be short and to the point. This makes it much easier on the brand. No long platitudes or lead-in; just deliver the offer and be on your way. 

4. Highly Profitable

From a marketing perspective, SMS is a very profitable investment. It costs just pennies to send a message, and with open rates and engagement that’s many times larger than other mediums, it’s a very worthwhile investment. Many business owners fail to consider the value that sending bulk SMS text messages could bring to their companies.

Some companies report ROI of 500 percent or more, with some brands claiming returns of 30X. It obviously depends on how you use it, but it’s good to know that gains like these exist. 

Give SMS a Try

SMS has the power to take your communications, marketing, and efficiency to the next level. Make 2021 the year that you elevate your business and soar to new heights, all while lowering costs and streamlining complex processes. 

Useful Phone Apps for Small Business

The financial and business worlds rely on the Internet, as people rely on oxygen. It is indispensable. Thus, those who want to start a new small business or find themselves in urgent need of help should look for the right technologies. Running a small business with a few practical apps can be so much easier than you used to think. The thing is, you need to research the market and find applications that can be the perfect fit for your purposes. We are here to help you with this goal. Here is the list of the most useful apps for small businesses for any life, occasional and professional purposes. Let’s start!

Cloud apps

You can use Dropbox or Google Drive, but using at least one of them is a must. From small fashion brands to service organizations like academic helpers, businesses use the cloud to keep their files in order. A cloud is a perfect way to store and secure all your important documents. It is also a great way of communication with your colleagues. Any holder can have private access, and everyone who needs to work with certain documents can reach them at any moment. A cloud is also a good way to make sure you will not lose anything important. Even by deleting files, you have a while before the cloud actually erases them. Also, check cloud upgrades versions specifically aimed at business. They can be pretty helpful to you.

Grammar.ly

Let’s not underestimate the power of grammar in business. In the times when most of our communication is held via emails, having exceptional grammar skills is crucial. After all, your writing, ability to choose the right words, and express them in a nice manner is what makes the first impression on your potential sponsor, business partners, customers, and everyone else. You do not need to panic and think about outsource business writing every time you need to write a pitch or a promo. You would not come to a business meeting in your Saturday clothes or your hair in disarray. Posting business promotions with good grammar and style mistakes is just as important. Grammar.ly is a perfect paper helper. It can underline, edit, and offer alternatives. You can use it as an extension or keyboard on mobile devices. It is free, though there is a paid premium version. 

FreshBooks

Doing accounting has never been that easy. FreshBooks can be a perfect solution for every business owner who is dreading the day they need to look through their books. This app will make your work so much easier and way more comprehensive than before. First of all, it has a very user-friendly interface, so you will not feel confused or lost in it. The app also offers a number of truly amazing features, like expense or time tracking, invoicing, or storing your business reports. It looks simple. It does all the groundwork for you, so all your bases are covered. What’s more, it can be integrated with all the major platforms, like PayPal, WordPress, and others. Hence, it can make your life very easy to bill your clients or make payments yourself. Of course, if you want to learn more about accounting, you can order a paper on it, but first, read these speedypaper reviews to see what you are paying for. 

LinkedIn

Every entrepreneur needs to expand their professional network. This is why we have LinkedIn. It is a perfect platform to seek professional help, advice, connections, and inspiration. This app is similar to all social media sites we know. However, LinkedIn is strictly about professionalism and work. People are always looking for professional connections there. Whether they are looking for writers with requests like, “who can do my marketing whitepaper for me?” or designers, or markers, or more, you can find them there. A search for new employees or partnerships was never so easy. Just seek other businesses in your niche and write them. It can also be a good marketing tool, whether you want to promote yourself or your business. Overall, having a profile on this platform will not do you any harm. On the opposite, it will give you and your business the exposure it needs. 

PayPal

These days, no single respected business can go around without an online payment system. PayPal here is one of the best and most popular systems to use. It’s convenient, fast, and super simple. What else to wish for? If you register your small business there, you do not have to pay any monthly fees, which is a very generous gesture on PayPal’s behalf. What’s more, by registering on PayPal, you are making your customers’ lives much easier. Now they can pay for your products by just pressing one button. We all know how much we love a simple payment method.