5 of the Best Features to Look for in Your SME’s Email Marketing Software

An effective email marketing campaign has the potential to represent one of your business’s most valuable assets. They represent a significant opportunity for ROI, clicks, ensuring new and existing customers remain engaged with your brand, and, of course, driving traffic to your site.

Why Your Campaign Needs Email Marketing Software

Email marketing can quickly become an indispensable string to your proverbial bow, but without the right platform from which to launch your campaign, it risks remaining painfully underutilised.

The role any reliable email marketing service provider seeks to fulfil is incredibly multifaceted. There are plenty on the market – many of which offer a comprehensive toolset with which to simplify, streamline, and automate many of the most time-consuming aspects of email marketing.

Email is frequently touted by marketing experts as one of the most lucrative mediums with which to access your growing customer base, both in terms of cost and time. Without the right software to take on the majority of the work on your behalf, however, the efficiency and strong payoff of email marketing is liable to be lost – and the campaign, underutilised.

With that in mind, here are five of the most important features to look for, learn, and use in your email marketing software.

Automation

Not only will automating many of the existing steps in your email marketing campaign enable you to free up hours each week, the ability to do so will also help you to grow your efforts, without needing to invest much more time into its execution.

From social media and CRM integrations to ensuring that emails are issued according to time zone, automation ensures that you spend as little time as possible on the more tedious aspects of your campaign.

Responsive Designs

The vast majority of us open emails on both our smartphones, and our computers. Unless your software is capable of managing device adaptability, email templates that are suited only to one platform risk being virtually unreadable on others.

Let’s say you send out an email formatted only for PC browsers; considering the fact that so many of us regularly open our emails on our cell phones, your efforts will prove largely futile.

Software that features templates with responsive designs will ensure that your emails are capable of arriving on any device, without any issues arising in the translation from PC to mobile to tablet.

Issue Surveys and Questionnaires, and Segment Data

Your customer base is considerably diverse, both in terms of their interests and preferences, and, in a much broader sense, their age, gender, and location. Of course, the more you know about them, the better, and choosing a software provider with the ability to issue effective surveys – and, more importantly, organize and put the results to use – will enable you to create a more targeted campaign.

Detailed Reporting

Rather than allowing your emails to slip off into the void, utilizing a provider capable of issuing regular engagement reports will much it much easier – and quicker – to understand how your customers are responding to your outreach.

Look for a software that offers a real-time breakdown of your readership’s activities, such as opens, clicks, flagging, and those who have unsubscribed.

Support

If you have been managing your campaign manually until now, or using a more limited software, then getting to grips with the new features may well come as a challenge at first. To avoid setbacks or frustration, choose a provider that actively caters to first-time users; up to date guides and responsive customer service will prove invaluable if you encounter any stumbling blocks.

Final Thoughts

There are many more features a good email marketing software provider should bring to the table. Affordability, security, and spam testing, for instance, are all integral to your ability to optimize your campaign and ensure that you are getting the highest ROI possible.

When it comes to marketing, streamlining every element that goes into your email campaign is one of the best ways of improving small business productivity, and facilitating further growth, development, and customer retention as you move forward.

How to Keep Your Internet Connection Stable When Traveling to a Harsh Environment

Today, many of us cannot imagine our lives without the internet. It has become the most reliable source of communication between individuals. It is available everywhere and well-secured, which helps people transfer sensitive information without the fear of being intercepted. However, in some places, the connection can become unstable, which makes it harder to send and receive data. Nowadays, engineers are developing new ways and tips to stabilize and speed up the process.

Use a VPN

It was once believed that using a virtual private network would slow down your internet. On the contrary, the speed gets boosted when you switch to a closed system. It encrypts the traffic, so the internet service provider won’t be able to determine the heaviness of the data being transferred. You will also have a safer platform to share content without it being traced back to you.

Use Multiple Connections

If all connections are unbearably slow and frequently get disconnected, connecting to all of them at once may help a little bit. When you do that, every network will compensate for the one that stops working so you will barely sense any disturbance. Some applications allow you to combine any kind of connection, whether it’s 4G, wireless, or wired. You just have to download them before traveling. 

Back to Ethernet

Old is gold. No matter how wireless connections get more accessible, ethernet still surpasses them in reliability. Wi-Fi signals are interfered with by radio waves, microwaves, and remote controls. In some businesses, consistency is what differentiates between one company and another. So, while going abroad for work, if there is any chance to connect your device to a wire, you will get fewer breaches and interference. 

Data sequencing

Engineers have been trying to enhance communication between people in need. For instance, military troops always require a connection to stay in touch with their base. Some upgraded platforms have started to use algorithms as data sequencing and frequency hopping to increase security by decreasing the electromagnetic field around the source. Open architecture is being implemented in advanced Data Link systems, which allows for a duplex wideband that covers more extensive areas. Moreover, they automatically correct errors that are responsible for the unsteady connection. 

The Internet of Things

Technology is advancing at an exciting rate. The internet of things is one of the latest evolutions that has been introduced to the market. It is used in various aspects of our lives. Recently, internet gurus are implementing it in sensors and spreading them across countries to speed up the transfer of data. IoT also helps in stabilizing the signals. It is still under development because there are some privacy downsides. Probably, in the next couple of years, we will witness more of its benefits. 

Switch to Mobile Versions

Sometimes, you need to compromise an aspect to be able to achieve efficiency. While surfing the internet or sending an e-mail, use the mobile versions instead of the desktop ones. They are usually lighter and more accessible. Moreover, compress the photos and files before attempting to send them to use up less space. 

Cell Phone Signal Amplifier

Sometimes, the problem lies in the availability of signals. To fix that, you can get a cell phone signal amplifier that is made of an external and internal antenna and amplifier. The outside antenna is used to receive a signal from the nearest tower. Then it gets amplified and sent back to the interior one. By strengthening the cell phone’s reception, the internet becomes more robust and stable. 

Portable Travel Router

If you are going to a place with a connection, but you’re unsure of its strength, getting a portable travel router may be an excellent option. It is nothing fancy, but it boosts the signals of any available network. You just need to leave it close to the source and enjoy the speed.

Go Offline

If the internet is not getting any steadier, your last resort would be working offline. You can adjust the settings of your browser and e-mails before going on a plan. You may write your notes and prepare data so they would get automatically sent when your device receives any connection. 

You should be well-prepared before deciding to travel to a foreign environment, especially if you will need the internet. You can never know the extent of the harsh conditions over there. So, it is better to do thorough research on all the methods that will help you stabilize and strengthen any connection. We gave you a couple of options and tricks that you can use in the time of need. 

How Modern Technology Helps Us Avoid Procrastination

Too tired and lazy to get up? Have tons of research papers, essays, assignments, a difficult article, and various tasks to submit yet can’t get the energy to start working? As college students, we have all been here. With such a huge amount of work and so many pending assignments, part-time jobs, family and friends, it can get hard to manage everything so we end up procrastinating.

Procrastination is like a disease that is treatable if you stay on top of it. With the help of proper measures, you can easily stay on the top of your game and say goodbye to procrastination! We can see that technology has touched all the aspects of our lives and has made it better in one way or another.

From better communications systems to better educational facilities, technology has helped us everywhere. Similarly, when it comes to procrastination, technology plays the role of a knight in shining armor there as well!

With the help of various applications, reminders, etc. so can easily kick procrastination to the curb! The good news is: you can do it right from your phone or laptop.

There are several applications that have been designed specifically to keep your slacking off. Let’s see how you can use technological gadgets to help you avoid procrastination.

Track Your Activities

As the adage goes, “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”. When it comes to managing time, nothing is truer than this. The first thing that you need to do is to track you activities, and yes, you need to track all of them.

Getting late every single morning? You need to track how long it takes for you to shower, have breakfast, get ready and out of the home. Due to the act of delaying tasks , even if it is a simple one, we fall behind in our daily activities. With this application, you will be able to see where it is that you are spending more time and what you can do to utilize your time in a better way.

Zero Willpower

Toggling over to your social media apps every 30 seconds? No technological advancement is going to help you if you don’t put a stop to that. With the help of this website blocking app, you can cut your interaction with apps like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and a lot more.

It is very hard for anyone to stay focused and give attention to a single task at hand. You can set timers and limit the social media freeze to a few minutes, few hours, as per your liking. No more wasting your hours scrolling through Facebook, people! Here are a few different methods of remaining motivated and productive.

Focus At Will

You know what puts the human brain in a full productivity mode? Yes, you guessed it right: Music. Music helps you improve your focus and you get your assignments done very quickly. In case you work in an open-plan office with lots of noise, it is very likely that you are going to be disturbed.  With the help of this application, you can listen to calming, soothing music that will help you focus and will stop you from getting distracted.

1-3-5 List

You start working, see the huge list of pending assignments, and you instantly get overwhelmed and stop working. What you need to do in such a situation, is to prioritize things. Start from easy assignments, then move on to slightly difficult ones, and then move on to the really difficult ones.

A lot of stress can be bad for your health, and we all know that if we are not organized and a lot of assignments are pending, as students we tend to go into a depressive phase. With the help of this application, you can choose things that you need to accomplish in one day and then check them one by one as you complete them!

Evernote

We think that a group project would make you want to work harder and motivate you. However, it turns out that we tend to procrastinate things even more when we are working with others. Don’t worry; we have your back with Evernote. With the help of this app, you can set reminders for all the members of your teams, save notes that are available across all the devices, create a to-do list, keep an eye on the progress of people, etc.

Final Word

With the right use of technological gadgets, you can save yourself a ton of pain and worry and move from being a procrastinator to a well-organized person. Use the various applications in the form of timers, calendars, etc. that technological gadgets offer you, set everything in your life right, and say goodbye to procrastination!

Here’s to a well-organized, punctual you!

Transforming Your Business’ Productivity Through Employee Well-being And Workflow Management

According to Gallup, employee engagement has been at an all time high of 33% in recent years. This is likely the result of the well-being revolution occurring in businesses across the nation. As a small business owner or manager, understanding the importance of employee well-being and how it relates to productivity is crucial to long term success.

Work Smart

As a small business owner, if you’re leading or managing a team, then get to know them. Understanding what your employees excel at and delegating tasks based on this knowledge will greatly improve your business’ productivity. Many employees lack a clear picture of all the tasks they need to accomplish. Rather than prioritizing tasks based on importance, they spend time switching between them as they come to mind. Focus on employee engagement, having your workforce attend productivity training and giving them the tools to improve their workflow will significantly increase your business’ productivity.

Understand that while multitasking sounds like a good idea, in reality it is entirely counterproductive. Research by John Medina revealed that multitasking can increase the completion time of a task by as much as 50% and even worse, quadruples the likelihood of mistakes. Instead, focus your energy on one task at a time, and work through a list of priorities for the day. Time tracking experts Journyx highlight the importance of cloud-based tools for project management. Enabling employees to access schedules and tools anywhere can simplify your company’s workflow immensely, boosting productivity as a result.

Unlimited Time Off

Over the last few years, large businesses have begun to understand the importance of employee well-being and satisfaction. Research has overwhelmingly demonstrated the benefits of flexible work hour policies and a focus on mental health. Happier, healthier employees produce better quality work. Unlimited vacation time policies are a result of this new approach to employment. While on its face, the concept may sound ridiculous, in practice it makes total sense. Why work harder or faster when it changes nothing? If you can’t leave until 5pm, why expend the extra effort? The traditional nine-to-five removes an employee’s sense of ownership over their time, and puts the focus on running out the clock. As a result, employees might sit at their desk for hours doing the bare minimum until they can leave for home. In contrast, unlimited vacation time produces a results-driven workplace culture where employees understand that as long as they produce satisfactory results, they can leave as late or early as they want. Giving employees power over their time like this is a powerful motivator, increasing morale and the quality of the work done. 

Productivity is as much about psychology as it is business management. Understanding the strengths, needs and wants of your employees is the key to boosting the productivity of your organization. This is especially important for small businesses, where profit margins are often tight and any boost to output will have significant results. Luckily the research is quite clear, providing a multitude of methods and approaches that can transform your business overnight.

Business Writing: 3 Reasons To Boost Your Small Business Productivity

The global workplace requires that businesses continuously improve their communication skills. Business communication is categorized into three essentials – verbal, nonverbal and written. 

If you are running a small business, one way of ensuring productivity is through excellent content. Written communication plays a significant role in this, especially when communicating with your clients.

When your business continues to produce documents prone to error, you are likely to spend more and lose significant goodwill. Focusing on improving your business writing skills is essential due to the following reasons.

Excellent Writing Drives Sales

Writing is the leading way your small business can thrive in the collaborative world. When correctly done, people see your business as competent and professional in its services. 

Creating a good first impression for your business is essential in ensuring that you appear capable and smart. As a result, you will be able to generate more leads and more sales. Proper business writing is also an essential aspect of quality management. 

The first way that people experience your business is through your written correspondence. This can be through your social media profile, website or email. Improving the quality of your writing makes a huge difference in the way people interact with you.

When business managers communicate effectively, they create a collaborative atmosphere that facilitates more positive results. Quality written communication promotes proper management. As employees boost their business writing skills, they quickly rise within the organization. 

As a result, your internal talent pipeline gets more strengthened, and the percentage of retention goes high. Happy employees will automatically perform better in their roles, resulting in more productivity.

You can also go for some ideas by accessing Eduzaurus. It’s a free resource for students that offers free essay samples on various topics. The writing is high-quality and it can benefit you as well, whether you are a student entrepreneur or just looking for some additional knowledge.

Business Writing Makes You More Influential

Proper business writing comes with excellent persuasion skills that you can use to achieve your business goals. As a small business or individual paper writer, you must be able to write persuasive proposals, promotional content, and bids to convince potential clients of your capability.

If you intend to come up with taglines for your business, you need to understand how you can do this to encourage people to take action. You must sound convincing. 

Acquiring the necessary skills requires that you do a bit of reading. If you are weak at doing this, you can find some of the best books on learning to read. These will guide you on how to acquire the right skills through reading.

If your business is web-based, how you convey your content will determine if potential customers will give you any attention. When it comes to thriving online, quality content is critical. If you do not present your business the right way, your competitors will always stay ahead of you.

Business Writing Makes You Credible

People who are excellent at written communication are seen to be more trustworthy and reliable. If you send out an email campaign full of grammatical errors, the recipients will get an impression of an unprofessional business.

For your business to be perceived as credible, you will need to be mindful of your written content. As people trust you, they will assign you more responsibility and choose you each time they need your services. 

Your written interaction should have a tone and attention similar to what is contained in face to face communication. By reading your communication, the recipient can quickly tell if you have respect for them and the brand that you represent. 

Consider adding some etiquette and sound formatting in your communication. As people read the tone and get the logic behind your content, they are likely to turn to you for partnership.

Improving the writing skills of your employees means that most of their work will be completed more effectively. It ensures that there is no miscommunication in your documents and that none of your communication is misinterpreted. 

Conclusion

Business writing skills are essential for every small business. You can acquire these through training. The more your business grasps these skills, the more productive you become. Poor writing means that you will spend a lot of time making unnecessary edits. This will result in more expenses, translating to less productivity. When it comes to the work environment, clear written communication is an essential rule for business etiquette. 

10 Ways How To Boost Your SEO With Website Translation

Localization also includes analysis of all socio-cultural elements, adjustment of translated content to the GUI requirements, and detailed SEO customization. Since it is a time-consuming and challenging task, it is recommended to read about top online translation companies to find out their basic requirements and a way to achieve the best results.

When a large corporation or a small developer decides to create a multilingual website, it is mostly seen as a way to deliver a strong message towards global markets. Since it includes professional localization, such translation work goes beyond the typical aspects of text interpreting.

If you need to boost your SEO or test new business ideas, website translation will always analyze original content by eventually adjusting it.

10 Ways To Boost Your SEO With Website Translation

  • Professional web localization includes preliminary analysis. Once your content is researched by various specialists, it is always adjusted to the legal, cultural, and social demands of the country, which will consider international ethical standards and will help your website to avoid any disputes or getting in any cultural trouble.
  • Translators explore the most popular keywords to incorporate them into your content. Since such experts are always native speakers, they will know the correct phrasing that will help you customize every SEO-critical element to meet the most popular search requests on the subject.
  • Social Media elements in a foreign language increase your online visibility. You can have a look at this site to find out about how social media content presented in another language marks a major increase in your online presence. Providing country-specific posts is a great way to keep your information fresh and inspiring!
  • Multilingual translation covers a wider target audience. Providing more than two languages, the company gains access to a greater user base. The trick is to provide specific language content that meets your ideal customer image. Once you have enough information with relevant keywords, you can track and see the methods that work best.
  • New blogging opportunities. Create blog posts in another language, discuss events in the country, important holidays, political issues to show that your company or you as an individual do care. Become a part of the vital processes by including hot topics in your SEO web structure.
  • Your content has more chances to get mentioned in a foreign press. When you have professionally translated content that describes your business vision or product advantages, the foreign press can use it for publications and greater press coverage.
  • Product descriptions that are translated by professionals generate more traffic. If your company deals with Healthcare, Food Industry, or manufacturing of any kind, accurate descriptions in another language always generate more traffic as such content is mostly unique.
  • Certified translations guarantee legal safety in a foreign country. Remember that all official documents or user agreements must be translated only by certified translations service. Since it is a content that has the legal power, it is an obligatory requirement for every company’s document that you provide in another language.
  • Working with professional SEO interpreters you can alternate various keywords. Good SEO practice must be flexible as it is never done in one take. See what works, analyze traffic increase, study popular keywords, and try various approaches.
  • More international partnership opportunities. Every translated content is a way towards partnership and cooperation in a foreign country. Do not underestimate this idea as a professionally translated website will show the investors and the locals that you are a reliable foreign partner.

Avoiding Unintentional Translation Mistakes

Even the large companies suffer from minor omissions that result in unfortunate issues or things lost in translation. Remember that slogans, mottos, or simple phrases that may sound natural in English do not always translate well to another language. Take time to discuss this aspect with your localization specialist. Always ask for a literal translation of every phrase, and choose safe, socially-acceptable marketing ideas. 

10 Tips For Effective SEO Localization

When an average person hears about a necessity to start with the SEO localization, it brings up the images of programmers working with the code and the high costs of such services. The trick is to prepare your original source text for translation by following academic writing and editing rules and providing every single detail that matters in terms of a foreign target audience. The term “localization” stands for more than a basic text interpretation because it already includes the background for the various SEO practices and consideration of the cultural aspects of a country.

10 Tips to Make Your SEO Localization Effective

  • Research keyword density. The good SEO ranking usually requires keeping it below at least 2.3% because an increase in the use of keywords may lead to overfilling risks. Discuss this matter with your SEO localization specialist because some languages like Spanish or German usually require more than one word for the English equivalent.
  • Study the foreign-language source to adjust the code. It is recommended to create a table of English (or any other) original keywords, so a translator can see which options to choose. Be it product description equivalents in Chinese or unique brand keywords, the trick is to characterize your company or products with the call to action phrases.
  • Study the social context. Working with the Middle East, as an example, you may have to add new paragraphs of texts or explanations that will help your keywords fit within the context. The creation of a carbon copy content is not the right way because every foreign audience has a different perception of things. 
  • Additionally, the use of website localization allows you to make the necessary changes to your content and customize it for each target market. This will help you avoid misunderstandings and cultural clashes.
  • Multidimensional keyword research. Since the majority of localization specialists are native speakers with a technical background, always mention a necessity of related keywords that should be included. Some of them may include different spellings or, rather, misspellings, which ensures that your website will still show up.
  • Translation of official documents. If you are dealing with legal agreements, quality proofs, cooperation rules, or business proposals, always approach professional document translation services. Such kind of work must be done only by certified experts to help you include correct legal terms for every target audience.
  • Consider tools like ClickStream to research the popularity of keywords in a country and check it along with your localization expert. Sometimes such methods can help to find the right balance and use a mixture of good grammar and slang keywords.
  • Readable text matters more. When inserting SEO keywords, ask localization specialists to focus on readability by pairing chosen terms with the inspiring content. After all, overfilling something with the search engine triggers in a language like Chinese can easily ruin even the best website.
  • Ask for CAT tools implementation. All these computer-aided technologies are not only good for the correction of various technical terms but also SEO stability and accuracy of code. You can click here and read about the reasons why the use of a termbase helps to avoid translation or spelling mistakes.
  • Proofreading Issues. As a rule, SEO work is quite challenging and includes a constant removal and addition of keywords, special phrasing, key terms, and more all over the text. It is one of the reasons why it is crucial to proofread each text twice by the native speaker to eliminate repetitions or odd phrasing.
  • Joint SEO Tune-Up. When all the work is done, the best approach is to tune up the website together with the GUI designer, programmer, translation expert, and marketing specialist who will make comments and see whether their part of a website’s success meets the expectations.

What You Can Do To Help

Remember to check personal brand names, contact information, phone numbers, emails, and numbers. Since such things are not a part of the common dictionary, your valuable input will help to keep things accurate. Even if you do not know a foreign language, such a contribution will help to eliminate any misspellings of crucial data during the SEO integration!

5 Tips & Tricks That Will Make You Actually Enjoy Writing

You get the assignment, read it a couple of times, open a word document on your laptop, and… nothing happens. Sounds familiar? The truth is that academic writing can be quite exhausting, especially when you lack time, energy, or interest.

As a student, you’ll have to write thousands and thousands of words, and there’s no escaping this. If you feel joy only after you submit your paper and never in the process, you might need to end your misery and learn to enjoy writing all the way through.

In this article, you’ll find advice on how to relish the process of writing, instead of feeling like someone is hitting you with the Cruciatus Curse.

Find Something That Interests You

If there is an opportunity to choose a topic yourself, be sure to choose the one that sparks your curiosity. Why spend endless hours writing something that you yourself don’t find interesting enough?

In case there are no options to choose from, you should still try to write about something that surprises or intrigues you within a given subject. This way, you’ll be able to stay engaged during the whole time. You’ll learn more and cover a topic in the best possible way.

Don’t worry if you can’t think of any exciting topic to write about. You can always turn to an academic writing service like WritePaper and let them help you. As some subjects are less engaging than others, it’s normal if you feel a lack of curiosity or motivation. Just switch to a more interesting assignment while professionals take care of the boring stuff.

Do Your Research

Thorough research is not only a prerequisite for a high-quality paper but also a guarantee that you’ll enjoy the process of writing even if you ask a paper writing service. It’s also a good way to prove your expertise in a subject matter, which your readers will feel and appreciate.

While researching, you’ll find different perspectives that will provoke your interest and thinking. You might also discover opposite views and ideas as well as ethical problems. Such findings will contribute to your writing by making your argument more vivid. They will also make the whole process more engaging and interesting.

To conduct research in a proper manner, make sure that you’re using effective reading techniques. There’s no need to read books from cover to cover. Instead, look for relevant keywords and search for summaries of the main arguments. This way, you’ll get a sense of what’s important without getting bored, overwhelmed, or lost.

Try Freewriting

Freewriting is a sort of a warm-up exercise for your brain that lets you overcome the fear of blank page and helps to start writing. Also, it might help you get some good ideas for your written assignment, as you’ll tap the subconscious mind.

To freewrite, decide for how long you want to continue this exercise, set the PC timer app, and get down to work. Write down whatever comes to your mind in relation to the topic at hand without stopping, editing, or erasing.

Freewriting is helpful because when you write in the state of flow, you don’t judge your own thoughts and emotions. This way, you might get to some surprising and interesting ideas that exist in your head without you even realizing it. Besides, this practice is very enjoyable, as it doesn’t put you under any sort of pressure.

Let Go Of Perfectionism

You might be shooting yourself in the foot if you want your term paper to be your magnum opus. Striving for perfection might sound good in theory, but really it’s just about turning what is already a difficult task into a monumental one.

By intending to write a perfect paper, you’re saddling yourself with a tedious work that might provoke writer’s block. As a result, you might find yourself procrastinating in a useless effort to write the perfect first sentence. This way, you’re not only losing your time but also depriving yourself of a chance to get the assignment done and move forward.

Remember, “Perfectionism spells paralysis.” Being truly engaged with the topic and diligent when reading and writing is more than enough to produce a high-quality paper. At the end of the day, the process is ultimately more important and valuable than the result.

Arrange Your Writing Environment

To boost your creativity and enjoy the process of writing, it’s important to think about such an environment that suits your tastes and needs. It’s a matter of preference, so you can come up with anything that makes you feel comfortable and productive. It might be a university library, a noisy cafe, or your room.

Then decide whether you need background music or if you can focus only in silence. If you prefer something to play in the background, then think about the music that helps you concentrate and sets the right mood.

Finally, treat yourself to some healthy snacks and your favorite drink, like coffee, tea, or juice. You’ll most definitely need some fuel, so please don’t starve yourself to death to finish the paper as soon as possible. And don’t forget to take breaks!

Wrapping Up

Once in awhile, any student gets overwhelmed by a written assignment, be it an essay or a term paper. Writing is a demanding and time-consuming process, but with the right attitude and preparation, you might actually enjoy it.

Choose a topic that you find interesting and thought-provoking and research it well. Do some freewriting to warm-up, and don’t forget to silence your inner perfectionist. Then, get down to writing in an environment that makes you feel good and helps work better.

Enjoy the process!

5 Common Password Security Mistakes You Should Avoid

Everyone knows how important it is to keep their personal or business networks secure. With the number of cyber attacks steadily rising each year, cybersecurity is in high demand. Using services such as IT consulting by Bulletproof or other outside companies is a great way to ensure your business network is secure. Nevertheless, try to evaluate which areas need improvement; it may turn out there are necessary safety measures you can implement relatively fast.

Surprisingly, secure passwords can be problematic to both businesses and ordinary users. Nowadays, you need a password to almost anything. As such, you may want to focus not on security, but on the need to gain access fast. In this article, you’ll learn about 5 most common password mistakes you can easily avoid. Here’s everything you need to know:

Creating Weak Passwords

One of the most popular password mistakes is to use a short, predictable phrase that contains your personal information or an obvious sequence of numbers and letters. Don’t use a password that’s easy to guess – you’d be surprised how many people think that “password,” “admin,” or “12345” are good enough to protect their accounts and devices.

If you want to avoid data breach incidents, create a strong password that is at least 10 characters long and contains special characters, numbers, and lower-case and upper-case letters. Avoid using predictable keyboard patterns and consider picking a passphrase rather than a password. This way, you’ll protect your accounts more effectively.

Recycling Passwords

It’s more than likely that you have multiple accounts on various platforms, including social media, banking, and email. Like many people, you probably don’t want to come up with a new password every time you create an account. Therefore, you might be tempted to reuse the same password across multiple websites and devices.

It’s a common password mistake that can lead to serious consequences. As such, consider creating unique passwords for every account you might have. Don’t make them similar and avoid sharing passwords. Otherwise, your accounts can be easily hacked and sensitive data stolen.

Saving Passwords

We bet you often see the notification encouraging you to use the “save” or “remember me” option. Regardless of how many sites you’re visiting, don’t take up that offer! If you’re using a public computer, the next person can access your account with little to no effort.

You may be tired of entering your login credentials over and over again. However, it’s necessary to keep your accounts secure and avoid potential data breaches.

Changing Passwords Periodically

You may think that if you change your passwords frequently, you’ll keep your accounts more secure. Some companies even have a policy that forces all employees to come up with new passwords every two or three months “for security reasons.” However, mandatory password changes may not be as effective as the higher-ups might think.

According to computer science experts, research shows that people don’t put much effort into creating new passwords if they’re forced to change them regularly. Usually, they’ll just follow a predictable pattern and make minor transformations, such as adding or deleting a special character, changing the number to a higher one (for example changing 4 to 5), replacing a letter with a similar-looking symbol (like A to @), or switching the order of special characters or digits. Such changes won’t help protect your devices or accounts from cyber attacks; once hackers learn one password, they can easily guess the next one if you follow a predictable pattern. As such, it’s better to change your passwords by coming up with completely new solutions and doing it from time to time, but not within a fixed time frame.

Incorrect Password Storage

You may be tempted to write down all your passwords, especially if you have many different accounts and devices. It’s a mistake that takes the two most common forms. First, if you work in an office and your passwords are not so easy to remember, you may want to write them down on sticky notes and keep them glued to your desk or a monitor in plain sight. Second, you can save them in text documents or spreadsheets on your smartphone or computer. Now imagine your device gets hacked or compromised by malware. Whoever gains access to it, can easily find sensitive data, including your passwords. Why put your important information at risk if you can easily prevent that from happening?

Your passwords should be stored in a place safe from prying eyes, preferably not in a digital form.

Consider using a password manager or master password to keep them secure, and if you find them difficult to remember, feel free to write them down in a notebook or a calendar you’re carrying around with you.

The Bottom Line

These are the 5 most common mistakes. Are you guilty of making some of them? If yes, it’s time to change your password strategy. You can also consider using two-factor authentication and password managers for added security. Ultimately, if you want to create a safe network for your business and personal use, feel free to reach out to IT professionals.

Best Apps To Craft A Business Plan For iOS

To be a successful entrepreneur, you not only need to start a business but also make sure it has a working plan. The entire process of starting a business begins from when you get a million-dollar idea for your startup, all the way to the planning phase: many people however fail to give enough attention to the planning phase. Effective planning will help a lot when you need to find startup investors

Since writing a business plan may be challenging and tedious, there are apps for your iOS you can use to help you come up with one. With just a phone application, you can get an investor or bank-ready written plan that you can use to source for funding.

Top iOS Apps To Create A Business Plan

In today’s tech-driven world, nobody wants to tire doing something technology can do in seconds. If you can sync business contacts and data digitally, why on earth would you do so manually.

Same case goes for proposals. Do you need a business plan to source funding for your business proposal? Why not have an App write one for you? Why?

Here is a list of top iOS apps that will help you out.

1. Upmetrics

This software comes with 200+ industry-specific sample business plans to give you a customized planning experience. Moreover, you can add or delete several elements like charts, timelines, analyses tables, and many more to make your plan look more interactive.

The software also comes with financial forecasting to predict your finances within a short span and automatically, a pitch deck creator that helps you create impressive and convincing business pitched and multiple business model canvas to make brainstorming and sharing feedback easier and faster. The best part is that it has three different pricing plans and you can choose the one that fits your needs the best.

2. Enloop

It will cost you $10 to $40 per month to enjoy all the premium features of Enloop. This might sound like a lot of money, but considering how helpful this app is, it is a very small price to pay. The program will ask you for all the relevant information then help you generate an actual outline for your investment.

Enloop generates all the data you need to convince financiers to invest in your idea: from cash flow to balance sheet projections. You can always recover deleted files, unless of course, you decided to go the old way and draft the proposal yourself.

Enloop also generates the text for all the sections in the business plan and gives you a chance to customize them. You can get this app for free, but you have to pay to enjoy premium services.

3. Liveplan

With this app on your iPhone or iPad, you don’t need to go through a long process of drafting a business plan. Liveplan makes it as easy as possible since all you have to do is answer some questions about your business idea and leave the rest to the app.

Once you have answered the questions, you get a lot of sample proposals that you can modify or use as they are. Countless Live Plan reviews have claimed it is the easiest app to work with. To some extent, I agree with them: it cannot get any easier than this.

4. Business Plan & Start Startup

With this application, you can choose to seek help writing your business plan from the entrepreneur community or do so as an individual. What is even more interesting and unique is that you can download the plan into your email free of charge. It gives you a platform to interact with other entrepreneurs and seek different perceptions.

It is one of the most popular mobile apps for creating a business outline. It has a lot of video resources and tutorials on how to approach the planning phase       of the dealing. Hardly will you feel the stress involved in coming up with a realistic scheme of action.

5. GoCanvas

This application takes you through the step-by-step process of creating a professional outline to make sure you do it right. The most exciting thing about the software is that you get to save everything on the cloud and synchronize data on all your devices. This way, you can edit it as your trade continues to grow and progress.

As an individual, you can enjoy this application free of charge: but for an enterprise, you will have to pay between $45 and $62 to enjoy the premium services it has to offer. As a small startup seeking to scale up the trade, this is the best app to update your investment scheme.

In a Nutshell…

If you want your idea to work, you better start by taking your time to plan on its execution perfectly. Once you have a proper business plan, you can then go ahead and start on the implementation and realization. If you fail to properly put things in order prior, there is a huge probability that the startup will not last longer than 5 years. It will be a short-term thing.

It shall too be short-lived.

According to statistics, up to 50% of all startups fail before four years. If you want to make it past these 4 years and after, you just need a proper plan. Just get any of these apps and you are good to go. Don’t stress yourself out.

How to Record High-Quality Videos for YouTube

YouTube is an essential service form marketing your business to customers who may not be able to come in to your place of business.  A well produced video can demonstrate your product, explain the benefits and demonstrate the solution that gains you a lifetime customer.

Creating videos is not as easy as it seems at first. After all, what’s so difficult about shooting videos about something you’re knowledgeable about? There are a lot of factors that go into launching a successful channel for business marketing on YouTube.

If you’re serious about taking a shot at making it on YouTube, you need to know that aside from the subject of your videos, you will have to take into account your target audience, video formats, as well as the technical aspects of the job. It is not enough to know what you want to record – you should also be familiar with how to record YouTube videos that will draw audiences in, en masse.

A good way to break down each and every aspect of a quality clip is to download a couple of successful videos using Bitdownloader or other platforms that allow you to save content from streaming services, and analyze them to see exactly what it is that makes certain types of videos pop. Keep reading to learn about just a couple of tips on how to make a high-quality YouTube clip.

Image Quality

There is no need for an in-depth introduction to this particular aspect of film-making. Sure, shooting a catchy clip with a smartphone might just be enough for it to go viral, but in order to transform this individual success into a long-standing channel with millions of subscribers, you will most definitely need to invest in durable and proven equipment.

Having a high-quality digital camera to produce your content can directly influence the number of views on, as well as encourage YouTube algorithms to promote your videos. Additionally, enabling viewers to watch your stuff with the highest quality setting is a nice touch that shows people that you take your job seriously.

Apart from the camera, as you get started, you should also purchase a tripod. Few things are worse than having to sit through a shaky, unprofessional video, and many people will move on to better things before giving your content a chance, no matter how captivating of a script you’ve written.

Clever Editing

In 2020, where just about everyone and their mother has launched at least one YouTube channel, it isn’t enough to have good editing skills. They need to be impeccable. You have to be able to tell a story through the cuts and transitions just as well as you can tell it with your words. It might not be the most grateful task in the world, since not a lot of viewers can appreciate, or even notice the editing work that was put into an engaging video, but once you take it away, the clip’s appeal can evaporate in a matter of seconds.

Unless it’s a part of your video’s concept, like one-shot rap clips, for example, there is absolutely no excuse for publishing an uncut, raw video in hopes of captivating and growing your subscriber base. Regardless of the niche you’re trying to make yourself comfortable in, no audience is generous enough to be passionate about a half-assed product.

Captivating Script

Script-writing for YouTube is much different than writing for movies or TV. Some people find it more difficult, whereas, for others, it comes naturally. No matter the extent of your prior experience in script-writing, you’ll need to understand how to compose and plan out a video that will be not only entertaining but also well-structured and coherent.

Many YouTubers fall into the trap of putting inadequate effort into their scripts, or simply forgoing the practice of writing them altogether. This usually results in a significant drop in the quality of their content, as they go off tangents on various topics and start ranting incoherently to the camera. Not only does this make you look and sound ridiculous, but it also prevents you from using some of the ideas you’ve come across during that lengthy, unstructured clip in future videos.

Good YouTube scripts tend to be written with an end goal in mind. A good practice you should follow in the beginning is outlining the whole video before you even start drafting the actual sentences you’ll be saying in it. That way, you know what things you absolutely need to touch upon, as well as the general trajectory of your clip. Stream of consciousness writing, although fascinating from a literary perspective, does not seem to fly so well.

The Bottom Line

There are many different paths to success when it comes to marketing on YouTube. Keep in mind, though, that there are just as many, if not more, ways to fail. Don’t take the advice listed above as the be-all, end-all of video-making, but rather as a general set of guidelines that are meant to help beginners take their first steps and keep them from sabotaging their own careers before they even start.

Best Video Editing Software To Give Professional Editing Feel In Minutes

Let us face it: creative storytelling in videos comes from the post-production stage. How many times have you shot a video only to realize that you could have made it more interesting? After all, creating the perfect video requires multiple iterations and editing. 

Sometimes the lighting isn’t good, the content isn’t right, or speakers forget their line in-between; there can be several bloopers while producing a video. That is why using a cool video editing software is necessary to take care of these “behind the scenes” moments. And did we mention, working with video editing solutions can allow you to add effects, filters, and even sounds to further enhance your final video.

But how do you choose the perfect solution for your business? With a dime, a dozen video editing solutions available online, selecting the right tool can be a tough decision. That is why we have come up with a list of six video editing platforms that you can use to edit and create high-impact videos in minutes like a pro.

1. iMovies

Perhaps the easiest video editor, iMovies is ideal for beginners. The software supports multiple templates as well as transition and animated titles for quickly editing projects. It can also make video trimming and merging very simple. 

iMovies is a match made in heaven for marketers who require basic fades and cuts for social media videos. If you are starting with AI video editing, this tool can help you with its library of templates. However, since iMovies is popular among general consumers, we would advise you to steer clear of it when making critical sales videos. 

Pros

  • Good software if you are new to video editing
  • An easy-to-use tool with a simple drag-and-drop interface

Cons

  • Limited features
  • Works only on Mac or iPhones
  • Does not allow the transfer of project files

2. Blender

Blender is an advanced video editing platform that works on both Mac and Windows. It is an open-source tool and has some useful features such as live preview, chroma vectorscope, luma waveform, waveform visualization, audio mixing, syncing, scrubbing, and histogram displays. Blender only has 32 slots for adding videos, images, audio, and other effects such as a 3D animation suite.

Blender is a great tool to add variety to your videos, whether you are making 3D renders for a real-estate project or working with an animated character for an explainer video. That’s not all, since it is an open-source tool, there are several websites such as Turbosquid to assist you while creating the perfect video. You can also become a pro in no time by perusing tutorials and online support material.

All in all, this software is perfect if you are starting with 3D editing!

Pros

Good professional feel about the videos

Cons

A steep learning curve, but reading material and tutorials can make it easy 

3. Promo

Promo video maker is liked by marketers for several reasons. With all the tools required to make an engaging marketing video, Promo claims itself to be the #1 video maker. Let’s look at some of the tools you can use for video editing. 

To begin with, Promo allows users to add and manipulate the text’s size, font, and color, including a range of pastel colors. Users can also include images, sounds, and other visual effects to appear perfectly on social media platforms. The software also comes loaded with around 2,500 in-built templates, stock images from Shutterstock and Getty, and more than 15 million premium HD videos. 

Pros

  • Online and easy-to-use solution
  • Free trial available

Cons

Limited functionality

4. Invideo

InVideo is a great online video editor with several useful functionalities. The tool is easy-to-use, making it an ideal solution for beginners or marketers that work with deadlines to create video content for social media marketing. Invideo supports more than 1,500 design templates that help users create great video content quickly.

The platform also allows users to export videos in HD and use the text-to-speech feature to convert text-based content into engaging videos. Users can also access Pexels, Pixabay, Unsplash, for images, and royalty-free content.

Pros

  • Online, easy-to-use for beginners
  • A free plan that allows you to create a maximum of 60 videos a month

Cons

  • Video editor falls short of finer video details due to limited features
  • Videos exported by using the free plan has a watermark

5. Biteable

Biteable is a web-based video maker that delivers high-quality results in minutes. Super easy to use and packed with video editing tools designed to make video creation more easily for beginners! Biteable has hundreds of templates to choose from, ranging from sales videos, explainers, advertisements, infographics, internal videos, and more. Each and every one designed by a team of copywriters and editors who know how to make effective videos for businesses. Pick a template that does the trick, tweak the text, change the colors to suit your business, add your logo, and you’re done.

Biteable’s packed browser-based software is just the beginning — even the basic membership gives you access to 1.8 million stock images and clips to make each video your own. It doesn’t stop there: Biteable has a library of fully customizable professional animations created by an in-house team that will make your videos drop jaws.

6. GoPro QuikStories

Exclusively for mobile apps, this video-editing app lets you edit videos on the go. The tool is user-friendly, with a simple interface and several useful features. It is most commonly used to edit videos shot on the camera of a smartphone. 

As a name suggests, the app can directly interface with a GoPro camera and allows users to edit the video without exporting it on PCs. However, you can also use it to edit various other types of videos. The app has several automatic features and presets that can make video editing extremely quick and easy.

The verdict: the app is best suited for beginners as it doesn’t offer a lot of advanced features for professionals.

Pros

  • Several options and presets to try
  • App-based, making it easy for users to edit and publish on social media channels on the go

Cons

Not suitable for professionals as it does not have many advanced features or control for users

7. OpenShot

Like Blender, OpenShot is also an open-source, free video editing platform that has numerous useful features. The intuitive and simple-to-use drag and drop features make it suitable for even beginners trying to learn the basics of video editing. It also supports some critical advanced features such as video-transitions with real-time previews, unlimited layers, etc. 

Openshot also comes with other options such as video effect, animations, and keyframe. It makes video trimming a breeze, allowing users to shorten the video length for making it appropriate for social media channels.

Pros

  • Easy-to-use interface
  • Unlimited layers

Cons

The software sometimes lags 

Final Word

These were our top six video editing tools that can help you create up-vote worthy video content in minutes. Whether you are a beginner or a video editing wizard, these software solutions have something for everyone to make their job easier.

Tips To Prevent Sexism And Ageism Among Your Workers

IIn the twenty-first century, sexism and ageism at the workplace seem like old and ridiculous practices, but sometimes people just can’t give up the stereotypes that have haunted them for many years. We can’t always recognize our wrong actions instantly and stop doing what we do, but mostly we all need a gentle way to be stopped. Some people compare sexism and ageism with terrorism, they say that sometimes it can make really massive psychological harm. Read more on https://lawaspect.com/terrorism-law-essays/. Let’s see what we can do to prevent sexism and ageism and develop a more modern and healthy attitude to the working process.

Focus On The Goal, Not On Personalities

We come to work to do work, that’s the main point. Socializing and team activities are nothing more than pleasant bonuses. Mostly, sex and age can’t prevent people from performing tasks (unless these are very special tasks that may be risky for the health of a particular group). When you feel that something isn’t right, ask yourself particular questions. Does the sex or age of the worker have something to do with the task they should be given? Can they lift the weight they are asked to? Maybe, after a certain age, it’s really not a good idea. If you see a real medical reason for something related to sex or age, it’s not sexism or ageism. But if you believe in a psychological difference like “female brain” or “male brain” or, possibly, more rigid thinking of older people – it might be a form of sexism or ageism. How this harm impacts women you can read on https://newyorkessays.com/examples/woman-suffrage/.

If the goal doesn’t have anything to do with sex or age (e.g. breastfeeding experience is unique for women, so sex does matter for this), there is no reason to prefer people of certain sex or age. There is also no reason to focus on the external aspects of the working process, such as demands for women to look good or not expecting the knowledge of modern technologies from older people. The people are ready to do the job until they haven’t proven the opposite. Focus on the goal and reward the workers according to the work they do and the results they get. It is one of the best ways to prevent sexism, ageism and other -isms at the workplace.

Don’t Assume, Ask

People can have their reasons to do or not do something. They may be good at some things and activities and not so good at others. Assuming that some skills are passed with X or Y chromosomes or miraculously appear with age is also sexism and ageism. However, almost all of us are prone to it to some extent. But we should re,e,ber that women aren’t more empathetic and emotional, and men aren’t more reasonable by default. Older people aren’t always more conservative and slower to accept radical changes. Family expectations are another topic that can be speculated on and become the source of sexism.

If you feel that something personal or psychological may influence the working process, don’t be shy to ask. A polite question has nothing to do with sexism. There is nothing wrong with asking who in the couple will take sick leave because their kid is ill. It is fine to ask if the pace of changes is comfortable for everyone. When everyone is asked the same things, it isn’t a manifestation of sexism in any way. By the way, applying the “gender mirror” and “age mirror” is a great way to fight sexism. If you can ask any of your colleagues the same question, then it’s not sexism or ageism. If the question looks inappropriate when you ask people of different sex or age, then you should think about it a bit more.

Be Aware

Knowing how you are acting around others is the best way to prevent any discrimination. We don’t urge you to control each of your actions all the time and develop anxiety, but if you feel inappropriate about something done towards you, it is also a good time to think if you did something similar by yourself. Humans naturally don’t think about discrimination and empathize too much until they feel that discrimination by themselves. It is the way our brain is hardwired.

If someone tells you that the situation is bad for them, try to imagine yourself in a similar situation. Will you feel comfortable? Can you imagine yourself in such a situation at all? Maybe that person exaggerates things a bit? Mirroring situations helps you to stay aware of your actions and the actions of others towards you. It lets you both not to discriminate and not to become a discriminated one.

Sexism and ageism are still way too prevalent, unfortunately. Social stereotypes are rigid and can still be seen everywhere, influencing our subconscious processes. But getting rid of sexist and ageist assumptions is possible and totally within our possibilities. Like any bad habit, it can be controlled by our mind and eliminated completely, giving way to a completely new, healthier lifestyle.

How to Recover Deleted Files from Hard-Drive Using EaseUS Data Recovery Software

On the occasion that you’re searching for a quick, entire, and safe data recovery programming to recover eradicated, lost, or orchestrated records or reports from PC, PC, or outside limit devices, by then EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is the best data recovery programming open on the web.


EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is an outrageous free file recovery software  for Windows customers to discover and recover lost or killed records, photographs, music, sound, messages, compacted chronicles, and so on unequivocally from hard drive, external hard drive, SSD, USB, memory card, moved the camera, cell phones and other putting away media. It can without a lot of a stretch and rapidly recover data from various types of data mishap: abrupt eradication, hard drive contamination, disease ambush especially Want to Cry Ransom ware, structure crash, volume adversity, stupid movement, arranging or by various reasons.

This free data recovery programming works magnificently with hard drives, gear RAID, SD cards, pen drives, iPods, and so on. Memory card data recovery can get back the lost records from hurt or subverted memory card including a memory stick, SD card, CF card, Micro card, and that is only the start. USB drive data recovery can restore records lost from a USB drive, pen drive, streak drive, and other removable amassing devices.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free is unimaginably simple to utilize and requires no earlier association on data recovery. It has a reasonable interface that shows recoverable information beforehand we start the recovery method. It gives you essential “Lively compass” and further “Significant yield” modes to find all lost or erased archives, photographs, and media records completely. Ensuing to inspecting, it empowers us to search for a record by name and channel the discovered pictures by content.

EaseUS free information recuperation programming is besides adaptable and profitable. You can beyond question convey checked results at whatever point and essentially import you’re saved sifting result and resume recovery without rescanning. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free engages you to restore up to 2 GB of information, anyway with Data Recovery Wizard Professional the extent of information you can restore is boundless.

The best technique to Recover Your Lost Data with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free – Step by Step with Screenshots

Stage 1:

Select a region to begin discovering reports that you have lost. You can in like way pick lost sections here. Select and click Scan to begin finding the lost documents.

Stage 2:

Scanning your PC or outside contraptions for lost information begins. First lively sifting is done and after that noteworthy yield begins to discover more lost records by fundamentally examining the document records. You can delay the checking by some coincidence and continue later. After looking at is done, you can channel what you need to restore from the separated outcomes.

Stage 3:

Preview explicit restorable records/archives and tap on ‘restore’ to get lost reports back. That is it your data recovery is finished. (Note: DO NOT keep the archives into the hard drive or outside devices where you lost the information).

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Presently you know how to utilize EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free to get lost data back. You should impart this article to other people, who you feel may benefit from this free data recovery programming.

Secure Your Video Conferences With These 5 Steps

Introduction

The security flaws inherent in video conferencing and in particular with certain offerings have been well documented over the last few months while the world at large has limped from one crisis to another. When security firms started predicting what would be the main security concerns for 2020 the increased use of video conferencing tools to support remote work did feature predominantly, however, they had no idea how the current pandemic would create an environment where the prediction became reality almost overnight.

Flaws And Threats

While businesses rapidly adopted video conferencing solutions or look to find the best HD conferencing API, the scramble to remain operational left the important security questions unanswered. Security researchers were quick to point out flaws including those that would allow unauthenticated users joining meetings or poor password management that would see gate crashers arrive to spoil the party. The good news is that steps can be taken to secure video conferences and these should be implemented as part of an organization’s security policy.

Understanding Your System

This step can be done when choosing a solution or even when one has been chosen. Of importance here is to ask what type of data encryption does the solution provide, how the data is managed, and the security features presented to users before they log in. Also, the age of the current solution should be looked at, if the product is older than five years it might not offer the required security measures to help combat modern threats.

Have A Policy in Place

As with policies that dictate how employees are to use personal devices in the workplace, whether in the office or, ever increasingly, remotely, a policy for video conferences needs to be done, if not already in place. Ideally, the policy needs to clearly list the boundaries and expectations of both the company and the employee. Requirements for recording meetings, what information can be discussed, how to use the camera and mute functions following policy guidelines, and what devices may be used are important considerations when drafting a policy.

Domain-Based Security

Too often is the case that these tools are connected directly to the Internet with no firewall in place. This is simply begging a hacker to compromise the company network. A far better approach is what researchers have termed Domain-based security and involves placing video conferencing solutions within the protective barrier of the company network and allows administrators to control access to the tool. As an example, if a video conference is set up between an outside stake-holder and an employee, an employee with the correct privileges will need to allow the outsider to join the call and authenticate their access.

Control Access

Closely linked to the above step is controlling who has access to calls. Technology has provided a handy tool to help manage this in single sign-on (SSO) systems. These systems are tied to users’ privileges and authorization level so that credential theft is made much harder. Further, these systems generate log data that tracks where, when, and how the user accessed the system.

Encryption

Concluding this article is a note on encryption. By using 128-bit AES as a company’s encryption standard for all things including video-conferencing the company has gone a long way to harden their data and keep it away from prying eyes. When using this standard to generate an encryption key for a video conference, it would take a supercomputer billions of years to try and break the encryption key.

A Guide To Combating Abandoned Carts

Abandoned shopping carts are one of the biggest problems for online companies. While a user might have liked your brand and products enough to add a product into a basket, they could be deterred by the user experience, order total, or second thoughts about their wants and needs. As a result, they might click away from your site and never return.

To grow your revenue and turn visitors into customers, read the below guide on how to combat abandoned carts.

Understand The Reasons For An Abandoned Cart

A high abandoned cart rate can be both confusing and frustrating for business owners. There are various reasons why a user might have failed to complete a purchase, which you must identify to secure more customers.

Common reasons for an abandoned cart could include:

  • Unexpected fees (such as shipping costs or taxes)
  • Complex navigation
  • Security concerns
  • Lengthy processes
  • Discovering a better price elsewhere

For this reason, you must aim to prevent worries from occurring, simplify the shopping experience, and avoid hidden extras to secure their custom. If you do plan extra fees for shipping, highlight the costs across your website to ensure a customer will factor in the price when adding items into their basket. If you fail to do so, the order total might not complement their budget, and they will be more likely to remove an item or click away from your site.

Build Trust In Your Brand

If a customer isn’t familiar with your brand and has never placed an order with your business before, they could worry about inputting their personal details and financial information. There are, however, actions you can take to build trust in your company.

Encourage visitors to trust your site by:

  • Investing in a valid SSL certificate
  • Adding trust symbols onto your site (such as PayPal Verified, Verified by Visa, and Verisign Secured)
  • Creating an attractive, easy-to-use website
  • Publishing high-quality thought leadership content
  • Displaying testimonials and customer reviews

Send Cart Abandonment Emails

You will likely capture a visitor’s email when they embark on the checkout process. If they fail to complete a purchase, you could send an autoresponder email to inform them their items are waiting in their cart.

While you shouldn’t inundate a visitor with messages, send one or two emails within 24 hours to encourage them to return to your site and finish an order. You must, however, learn how to create an engaging email marketing campaign that will not end up in their trash folder.

Launch A Remarketing Campaign

Remarketing campaigns can be a powerful tactic for encouraging past visitors to return to a site and complete an order. The advertisements can appear across social media, apps, or the Google Ad network to specifically reach a previous visitor using cookies. It will feature products they have viewed in the past in an attempt to re-engage with them and secure their custom.

Add A Guest Checkout Option

Many online shoppers don’t want to create an account and enter many personal details into a website. To improve the user experience and simplify the buying process, provide visitors with a guest checkout option. Once they have placed an order, a customer might be happy to add their information to place future orders on your website.

Feature Impartial Reviews To Convince Customers

Impartial reviews can remove any doubt about the quality of a product or service. To convince a customer that your product is worthy of their time and money, you should:

  • Incorporate genuine reviews and testimonials on your product pages
  • Feature reviews on your Facebook profile
  • Add a backlink to a review website, such as TripAdvisor or Glassdoor
  • Feature an app such as Notify on your online store to prove others are buying your products

Simplify Your Navigation

Visitors don’t want to enter many forms and click through many pages to make a purchase. As mentioned earlier, complex navigation could lead to potential customers abandoning their carts. Prevent customers from clicking away by reducing the number of clicks to three.

Simplified navigation should look like this:

  1. Pick a product
  2. Add an item into a shopping cart
  3. Hit the checkout button

Reduce the time it takes from a product page to the basket and offer limited forms to fill for a fast buying process and a greater user experience. It could make a big difference to your yearly revenue and profit margin.

Incorporate A Progress Indicator

Increase a visitor’s patience by incorporating a progress indicator into the checkout process. It will show your customers where they are in the checkout and how many steps that they must take to complete an order. It will assure a customer that they won’t have many actions to take until they have bought a product, so they can quickly return to their day.

A progress indicator should have minimal steps to complete, which could prevent a prospective buyer from abandoning their site, such as:

  • Access Checkout
  • Billing
  • Shipping Details
  • Payment
  • Order Confirmation

You also could optimize the checkout experience by using A/B testing of a progress indicator. Remember, what works on one company’s site won’t necessarily work on your own, so test different options to find a sign that matches your web users’ online behavior and the company’s needs.

Use Visuals To Increase Buyer Confidence

Customers might have second thoughts about your products at the checkout, as they can’t hold an item in their hand to review its quality. Visuals can, however, convince them to make a purchase, as they will have a greater understanding of a product and how it could match their needs.

For example, you could add high-resolution product photographs from various angles. You also should add images that show visitors how they can use an item, and that highlights its many benefits.

So, if you want to lower your abandoned cart rate and maximize sales in 2020, you should consider the above advice. It could lead to a more significant customer base, an improved user experience, and a more substantial annual revenue.