Shockingly, 60 percent of businesses do not have a long-term internal communication plan, according to a Workforce report. Those organizations could be making a costly mistake – one that hinders their business productivity. Poor internal communication leads to low employee engagement, low employee productivity, and lower profit margins. In fact, companies with engaged employees reported a 20 percent bump in sales and a 21 percent hike in profitability. At the same time, many businesses have no idea where to start when it comes to internal business communications protocols and tools, including choosing an internal business communication software to invest in. Regardless of the phase that your business is in, there are a few key communication tools that can prove invaluable.
Team Messaging And Video Conferencing Tools
The idea of the ‘office’ has become much more expansive over time. More companies are moving to remote working. With such models, investing in employee communication software, including internal messaging and video conferencing tools, becomes paramount to maintaining great internal communication. Video conferencing software and messaging apps like Slack, RingCentral, and GoToMeeting include file sharing and group video meeting features that enable employees to share business documents or screens while on a call- simulating an in-person meeting in every way.
Analytics And Sentiment Software
You can’t manage what you can’t measure. This popular saying is particularly applicable to a business’s internal communications. A business could be disseminating information and news to its employees, but it does not guarantee that it’s being received well by your employees. For instance, a Prescident Digital Media survey showed that 31 percent of employees never use their company intranet. Similarly, some employees report that the communicators can often use jargon-rich language, which can be alienating and confusing. The makers of Tryane analytics software note the value of insights into commonly-used applications like Office365 to drive digital transformation and boost the efficiency of business communications: by using analytics, you have a better understanding of how software is being used, and can gauge employee understanding.
Employee Engagement Platforms
Regular communication with your employees is important to maintaining their engagement and satisfaction. Cultivating a culture of constructive and non-judgmental communication helps employees feel like they can express their concerns – and helps the business address those concerns. Employee engagement is a useful way to gain employee feedback and useful employee engagement data, without cutting into the company’s time and resources too much.
Approximately 83 percent of HR leaders say all people decisions should be made using data, yet only 37 percent of leaders do so, according to a survey by Sage People. Therefore, the right employee engagement platform can make all the difference in your organization. Employee engagement software Achievers Listen provides managers with continuous feedback, and encourages them to follow up. The platform also automatically creates reports and presentations of key findings and trends. Other employee engagement solutions include Ascentis, Lessonly, and Culture Amp, which tracks employee job satisfaction trends.
Clear and effective communication is vital in running your business smoothly. For any organization, internal communication isnot only about sharing information with employees, but enabling ongoing conversations with your employees and implementing the best practices to give your company a good internal communications strategy – and valuable internal business software like these can be a good start.
Critical Internal Business Communications Software Every Business Needs To Invest In was last modified: March 17th, 2023 by Cassie Steele
Cyber attacks are a part of the many risks online business owners face. It is estimated that cybercriminals will steal 33 billion records by 2023.
Therefore, businesses of all sizes must understand and practice cybersecurity. Even knowing only the basics of how to protect your website and its data is an effective prevention of potential cyberattacks.
With that in mind, let us discuss the basics of cybersecurity along with best practices to implement for your business.
Cyber Security Risks for Small Businesses
Before implementing the cybersecurity strategies, let us go through the common cybersecurity risks. After all, it is essential to understand what kind of potential attacks you will be defending against.
Common cyber threats for online businesses include:
Malicious code. It falls under malware and is also called malicious software. Malicious code can attack your computer and access sensitive information by disguising itself as legitimate links sent via email.
Unsecured wireless internet networks. Compared to a wired connection, wireless networks are more prone to cyberattacks. Hackers can easily access unsecured wireless networks to steal sensitive data, like login information or intellectual property.
Security breaches. Breaches can happen through several scenarios, like carelessness or lack of knowledge. However, the most common cause is employees forgetting to sign out of their work or personal devices.
Phishing attacks. This type of attack includes pretending to be a legitimate business and attempting to take users’ information, like phone numbers, addresses, or credit card numbers. Unfortunately, phishing attacks have become more sophisticated with the disguise, so it is important to look at them seriously.
7 Basic Protection Strategies Against Cyber Attacks
These seven basic protection strategies combined can improve your cybersecurity a lot. They’re relatively simple to implement and can make a massive difference in the security of your website.
1. Choose a Secure Hosting Provider
A secure hosting provider increases not only website quality but also its security. But, most importantly, it protects your system by issuing SSL certificates and stores all of your essential information.
Standard security features good hosting plans include are SSL certificates like Comodo PositiveSSL. Advanced features include firewalls, DDoS prevention, malware detection, and user access management.
However, these features depend on the hosting provider you pick. So make sure to compare and choose one that includes everything your website needs.
One example to consider is Hostinger, which offers hosting plans starting from $1.39 to $3.99/month. Its plans come with robust security features and other great benefits your website may need.
2. Update Your Software
Cybersecurity can be as simple as regularly updating your software. By constantly using the latest software version, you make sure all previously found security loopholes are patched up, and the software is safe.
This is because updates fix and remove bugs. They also include crucial patches to improve security and remove outdated features. In addition to security, by regularly updating your software, you also maintain the website quality.
Whenever possible, always enable automatic updates. Doing so will ensure that you’re always up to date. For plugins or software with manual updates, always check the developers for any software information.
3. Train Employees
Doing security training on your employees helps bring awareness of potential cyber threats and educates them of what they can do to prevent them. The training can include phishing basics, information security, and other cybersecurity measures your business may need.
The point of security training is for the employees to protect themselves and their workplace by taking the safest measures when browsing, logging in to apps, and sharing personal information.
The key to successful employee security training is the planning process. Some of the methods are:
Research the latest cybersecurity threats and solutions before presenting them to the employees.
Plan and schedule the training sessions to fit the employee’s preferences.
Ensure all employees follow the training protocols when attacks happen.
4. Use Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are one of the most straightforward but most efficient cybersecurity efforts to make. They make it more complicated to hack into the company systems, improving the overall security of your business.
Strong passwords consist of different characters, symbols, and numbers. The longer your password is, the better it protects against hacking and brute force attacks.
Test your passwords and improve them if needed. Alternatively, use a password generator to create strong combinations. Afterward, manage your passwords by using tools like LastPass or print them out for extra safekeeping.
5. Install Antivirus Software
Antivirus software works by detecting and expelling viruses from the computer and also prevents future attacks. Without antivirus, your system is unprotected, making it very vulnerable.
Research existing antivirus software and choose the one that suits your needs. Check the user reviews and create a free trial account if possible to understand the software better. If it meets your expectations, create an account and make the payment.
6. Back Up Files Regularly
Similar to software updates, regular file backups prevent data loss and secures your latest files. Additionally, you always have a copy of your files if a cyber attack happens.
Fortunately, most hosting providers offer automatic backup daily, weekly, or monthly so you can avoid the hassle of doing them manually.
However, if you prefer to backup manually, do it via the control panel from your hosting provider. WordPress users can also use plugins like UpdraftPlus and VaultPress.
7. Use Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a method where users must enter their credentials on at least two separate systems in order to log in. These extra credentials can be your phone number, fingerprints, voice recognition, or authentication code via SMS text message.
Naturally, MFA is stronger than two-factor authentication and can adapt to changing workplaces – at the office or home.
Enabling MFA depends on the devices and software or app you’re using. Therefore, check the MFA tutorials for each platform before the activation.
Conclusion
As cybercrimes rise, understanding basic cybersecurity becomes more crucial. Fortunately, there are plenty of simple and practicable basic security measures that you and your employees can take to protect your business.
This article covered seven essential cybersecurity tips, ranging from choosing the right hosting provider to enabling multi-factor authentication.
Implement these seven tips as soon as possible to secure your business and its data. Good luck!
Understanding the Basics of Cyber Security for Small Businesses was last modified: December 17th, 2024 by Mary J. Derosa
Fact: any contact center can benefit from automation. Generally, contact centers are the part of the business that most benefit from automation.
Bringing down costsis often the main motivation, and that’s especially important for SMEs.
But the impact of automated inbound call center services actually runs a lot deeper than that. The other benefits may be less obvious… but that can have as big an impact on a company’s success.
1. Automation can improve the customer experience
If you say ‘automation’ in the call center context, many people think about systems which save money, but which also create horrible experiences for customers.
It doesn’t need to be that way!
Automation can have a major positive impact on how your customer interacts with your brand.
Take Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) for example. CTI can automatically identify customers when they call in.
It means they don’t start the call explaining who they are to an agent
They don’t need to dig out some long-forgotten customer reference number
CTI is a small example. Another example is an Inbound call center solution, which can streamline the process of handling incoming calls efficiently. This solution can intelligently route calls to the most appropriate agents based on the customer’s needs and history, further reducing wait times and improving overall customer satisfaction. Automation also enables more ambitious call center services like virtual queueing. Virtual queuing is one of the best ways to reduce waiting time and means your customers don’t get stuck listening to hold music.
One more example – automated outbound SMS. Sending customers an SMS with whatever information they need might mean they don’t even need to wait for an agent. That’s a simple bit of automation that’s guaranteed to reduce call volume and make life a whole lot easier for customers!
2. Automation can improve the *agent* experience
Call centers are bad at retaining staff. Why is that?
One problem that’s common to practically every customer service team is this: they hire people who are bubbly, fun and chatty. After all, that’s the kind of person you want helping customers.
But – most of the work those people end up doing is data entry. And how many people are a good fit for both data entry work and customer service?
Not many.
Here’s how automation can help.
It’s actually pretty simple to automate data entry. In the last point we talked about CTI. Well, CTI means your systems know who your callers are, and can find them in your call center CRM.
And if your system knows who’s calling, it can record information about their call.
There are a ton of examples like this. Automating tickets, automating follow-ups, automating scheduling… the goal is to automate all the boring stuff that no agent wants to do.
That leaves them free to focus on having great interactions.
3. Automation means clean and shiny data
While we’re thinking about data entry, let’s think about where it goes wrong.
The main issue is human error. Take this blog post – it’s written by a startlingly talented professional, but I’m sure there are a few typos in the mix…
Meanwhile, it’s almost unthinkable for an automated system to make a data entry mistake.
Therefore, if you can automate large swathes of data entry, you’ll get cleaner customer data. What’s more, you can automatically update data across *any* number of systems.
Here’s an everyday example. An important customer gets in touch to discuss an ongoing issue which the agent is fully able to resolve for them.
No automation? Then the agent will need to update the call log, lose the ticket in your Helpdesk software and make a note in the CRM.
Yes automation? The agent only needs to close the Helpdesk tickets – that information is automatically replicated everywhere else.
4. Automation makes you far more flexible
Is there anything more important to the long-term health of a contact center than flexibility? Probably not.
Flexibility means reviewing and improving the way you work… but there’s a catch!
If you change the way you work, you have to retrain staff. That costs money and it costs time. It can also be quite frustrating for agents if they;re forever playing catch-up.
But how would it be if your processes are mostly automated? Surely then they’re easy to update?
Yes! In theory… butin practice it 100% depends on how involved the contact center is in designing its own processes.
Here’s a crazy fact: under a quarter of contact centers enjoy full collaboration in the design of their own processes.
It’s for this reason that planners are turning to No-Code automation to bring their ideal call center services to life.
Because there’s no coding required, a non-tech person in the contact center can design and implement the processes they’ve always wanted – and that’s the ticket for an incredible amount of flexibility!
5. Automation can create super personalized services
This is counter-intuitive, right? The more you automate, the more you can personalize services.
Here’s why.
With automation in the mix, you can design services for every eventuality. You can draw from every piece of data you have about customers and feed that into the service you provide.
Take call routing. The first step in a really personalized service because your ACD system will receive information from surrounding systems. That influences the routing decisions it makes.
What about automatic follow-up actions like SMS or email? You could even be totally proactive by automatically contacting customers with known issues.
And let’s not neglect those cost savings!
Back to where we started. All of the benefits we’ve covered here will, in their own ways, contribute to a healthier bottom line. Some, like clean data, reduce costs. Others, like greater staff and customer retention have a massive cumulative impact on costs.
OIt’s benefits like that which make automation such a must-have for modern call center services!
5 ways SMEs Benefit from Automated Call Center Services was last modified: August 22nd, 2024 by Lemuel Operario
In the early stages of their inception, mobile phones were seen as expensive devices reserved for business executives. To have one, you need to be a company hotshot to have a ‘work phone’ issued to you. It means your inputs are needed anywhere and anytime.
These days, however, mobile devices have become extremely important to everyone, whether part of the workforce or not. With a few clicks of a button, one can get the information they need, communicate with the rest of the world, and purchase several items.
There are over four billion mobile phone users in the world today, with some owning other portable devices, such as tablets and netbooks. It is no longer surprising why business organizations rely on mobile technology for several business processes. This has changed the way enterprises approach mobile phone use in workplace settings.
14 Ways to Optimize the Power Of Mobile Devices for Your Business
An affordably priced Android phone can do more than just send short messages or calls. With so many applications and software made for mobile use, there’s no shortage of things that you can do outside of your office desk. For this reason, a mobile device has become a viable workspaces extension, allowing employees and businesses to do the following activities that promote growth and productivity:
1. Launch an Online Store
Thanks to mobile technology and cloud-based applications, a business idea can easily become a reality with the use of a mobile phone. Drop shipping, for instance, can become an additional income source for entrepreneurs who want to start a retail business but cannot afford to spend for a stock inventory and a physical store.
Because there are so many things that businesses can do online—from launching an e-commerce store, to contacting suppliers and shippers, as well as accepting payments—there’s no need to have physical stocks and store, or purchase costly machines.
Business analytics and investment database CB Insights discovered that as of 2011, it only took startups to spend GBP£3,200 (USD$4,500) to open a small business. This is only about 1% of the amount needed to launch an enterprise 11 years earlier, which was pegged at GBP£3.3 million (USD$4.6 million).
Industry estimates further reveal that technology has drastically reduced the time it takes for businesses to go international. From more than three years up until 2008, the figure almost halved to only 22 months for ventures established in 2009 and later.
2. Use Mobile Devices to Facilitate Flawless Communication and Collaboration
There’s no shortage of useful mobile phone apps that you can use to reach out to your staff, whether in times of emergency, regular and scheduled meetings, or if some of your employees are on the field.
Using mobile devices with a teleconferencing-enabled application, your team can stay in touch to discuss important updates, emergencies, urgent issues, and how to move past these problems (or successes). When it comes to regular meetings, perhaps, the only valid reason for absence is a non-existent Internet connection.
Not all your staff may be in a good location to receive broadband from their provider. A signal booster may be needed to improve your mobile signal.
Timely communication isn’t the only added-value for these apps. Some types of business software allow the management to track a team member’s productivity and work progress, ensuring that the program goes as planned. If facing snags, a member can flag the issue(s) to the supervisor, who’s expected to provide useful insights or address the issue moving forward.
3. Improve Sales and Marketing Strategies
With various integrated platforms that work across all mobile devices, it is now easier to improve marketing and sales strategies both online and offline.
Promote Search Rankings
Whether a newly-established business or an enterprise that wants to build a stronger brand, every business should tap the power of search engines to increase brand awareness and strengthen its reputation.
Industry estimates suggest that more than 80% of the buyers turn to search engines to ask about a specific pain point and look for products that could address their issues. Simply put, the majority of the purchasing process starts with an online search—which, most often, is done via the use of mobile devices. Hence, in order to increase your brand’s online visibility, make sure your mobile site loads quickly and that you employ search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to attract web traffic and increase sales.
Online Marketing
E-commerce and social media platforms all come in mobile-friendly versions. Thus, wherever you may be, you can check your website for performance and assess what makes other websites tick.
Study your competitors’ methods and compare them with your own to see whether your campaign is on the right track or if you need to tweak some methods. Study whether you need to employ paid online advertising, such as pay-per-click (PPC). Assess whether your site is user-friendly by using your own mobile device to navigate through it.
Cold Calling Isn’t Dead
If you’ve been a victim of unwanted calls, you know how irritating they can be. With apps such as Drop Cowboy, however, you won’t have to wait for your potential clients to pick up the phone before being able to reach out to them. All you have to do is to record a voicemail message or SMS marketing messages and send them to your client list for a streamlined service.
Reach Out To Your Market And Partners Better
Save on printing costs and the environment by reducing hard copies of your brochures, flyers, and product catalogs. When a customer has specific questions about your services and rates, you can reply through a chatbot or send an image of your sales and product information materials via email.
Mobile employees and remote workers who need to get in touch with clients, the different office units, suppliers, and other partners should go and have an app like Progressive Dialer installed on a mobile device. This app is compatible with all mobile devices and, thus, can be used while on the go.
Using Your Tablet for Client Presentations
Time is money when it comes to business. This means you need to seize every opportunity to drive sales. For instance, if you need to conduct an impromptu sales presentation, you can just plug in your tablet to a power supply and show them to your clients as you discuss the benefits of your products and services. A bigger audience may require you to link your tablet to the projector.
4. Enhance Customer Service
Customer service is an important business component. While attracting new customers is essential to increase sales, so is retaining current ones. Client acquisition costs five times more than customer retention. Additionally, hiking the latter by 5% also increases business profits by as much as 95%, per research done by global management consulting firm Bain & Company.
Either way, customer service should be a priority for all types of business, and your mobile devices can help you achieve this goal through the following practices:
Streamlining Repair Processes
Mobile phone cameras can be used to take photos of problematic issues and cut through all the bureaucracy involved in repairing specific home appliances and fixtures. Service contractors only need to snap a photo of the spare parts in need of replacement. This photo can then be sent to the team in charge of inventory or purchasing to either find out if it is available in the office or needs to be bought locally. This means the problem will be addressed as soon as possible, leading to happy customers.
When selling products, a high-resolution camera phone can take nice photos of the items. This helps attract more potential buyers.
Tracking Packages
Courier companies offer tracking services on their website. All you have to do is prepare the package number or code and input it when you’re asked to.
This comes in handy when your customer asks for assistance in finding out the package’s expected delivery date. Because you can do this with your mobile device, you don’t need to keep the customer waiting before providing a shipping update.
Using QR Codes To Provide Product Information
As part of the barcode family, a QR code is a machine-readable label that contains useful information about a specific product. Apart from a QR scanner, mobile devices can be used to get the information you or your customers need, or to generate a dynamic QR code.
Businesses can also use QR codes to print marketing documents and other informative materials or redirect your audience to your website.
5. Access Business Documents Anytime, Anywhere
These days, document management apps can be downloaded on mobile devices with ease. Once you have any of these apps, you’ll have access to business documents wherever you may be.
Apart from viewing files, some apps have additional features, such as search, edit, print, share, and send functionalities. In some cases, you can even use your mobile device to directly print the document. Still, others have embedded data protection features. This feature allows your mobile employees and in-office staff to share and collaborate to make necessary amendments to documents, such as proposals, quotations, and contracts, as soon as possible. Your staff can also access the inventory files to check whether stocks are available before asking a colleague to file a purchase request.
With this feature available on all mobile devices, some documents no longer need to be printed, signed, and sent back, causing unnecessary delays in business processes.
6. Make Remote Work Easier
The new normal has required businesses to make remote work arrangements more prevalent. However, this shift to a virtual office is nothing new. In fact, this non-traditional work situation has been around for several years. Prior to the pandemic, offsite workplaces were thought to have increased by as much as 91% over the last decade, according to a survey by Global Workplace Analytics and FlexJobs.
A remote workforce brings a host of benefits for a business. Rental costs, electricity bills, among other business expenses, are expected to drop while increasing overall business productivity.
For seamless virtual operations, mobile devices and a strong Internet connection are must-haves, so are work-related apps, such as a few that were mentioned earlier: document management, time-keeping, and project management.
7. Provide Work Flexibility To Employees
Employees these days prefer the flexibility of working from home or working anytime and anywhere. Various researches show that there are various contributors to employee satisfaction. Opportunities for career growth and promotion, job security, adequate pay, and close relations with colleagues and bosses, as well as work flexibility, are elements often mentioned.
If you’re a business looking to retain your top talents, consider providing the benefits earlier mentioned. Work-life balance has become more essential these days as workplace stress levels among employees reached 83% in 2019.
8. Access Data and Business Analytics
Business analytics software can be installed on your phone to check the overall health of your enterprise. Business analytics can either be descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, or prescriptive in nature.
Depending on the features of the app you downloaded or subscribed to, as a business executive, you’d be able to see which department is the most and least productive and which business units can be streamlined.
In addition, businesses can have an overall view of mobile device use among their employees to determine if the current mobile software or apps are adequate or need to be replaced with a better mobile app. Auditing mobile device and platform use can also help enterprises determine potential security threats and opportunities for cost-saving practices.
How About Mobile Data Security?
Cyber hacking is a prevalent issue globally, and there’s not a day that passes by without at least a few thousand attempts happening. In fact, Web Arx Security has revealed that at least 300,000 websites are hacked daily.
Big companies have often been targeted as they can spend thousands, if not millions of dollars, in costly settlements. For instance, a ride-sharing mobile app fell victim to a data breach in 2016, forcing the company to spend USD$148 million in investigation and settlements.
For these reasons and more, business data protection and security should equally be given priority as soon as the use of mobile devices for work is allowed.
The following measures should strictly be implemented to protect and secure business information on your mobile device:
Using a virtual private network (VPN)
Avoiding public Wi-Fi use
Mobile app or software updates
Two or multi-factor authorization for each device
Use of strong passwords
Device encryption
Antivirus application
Businesses should also have a well-thought-out file access system for an added layer of security.
Closing Thoughts
Mobile devices have become essential business tools, especially with the evolving and more flexible work arrangements. Businesses and individual employees should all be aware of how to optimize mobile device functionalities to keep them going, as well as drive sales and promote business growth, all while keeping data safe and reducing costs.
How To Turn Mobile Devices Into A Business Asset was last modified: July 17th, 2024 by Nora Sbalckiero
The creative process cannot be constant or incessant. People whose activity involves the creation of something new or unique are normally incapable of generating worthwhile ideas non-stop. They need time to recharge emotionally and renew mental energy. They need inspiration, which is a key to remaining creatively productive.
If you create content for your blog, business website, or YouTube channel, the chances are you’re familiar with the feeling of despair that emerges in your time of creative stupor. You may already have a topic to discuss, you may know what points you want to highlight, you may even know where to find royalty free sound effects for your video, but still can fail to get around to your project. There may be times when generating nice ideas and translating them into reality can be a real ordeal. But such temporary creative halts shouldn’t prevent you from producing engaging thumb-stopping content for your audience.
Below are some simple recommendations that can help you out in your time of need.
Get Inspired
There is no point in reveling in your inertia and waiting for inspiration to come. You should draw it from familiar sources. There are tools that allow you to download a video for your reference to gain ideas and study it for inspiration.
First things first, check out the content recently made by the bloggers you consider successful or visit your rival’s business blogs for inspiration. Keeping abreast of the trends that dominate your areas of interest also can help you a lot. Learn what’s new in your industry, scroll through the news feeds to catch up on what you might have missed and take note of the most discussed topics or trending news. You can use this all to your advantage and finally come up with a new great video for your vlog.
Consider Your Audience
There is no point in reminding you how important your audience is. Any content you produce would be dead and meaningless unless viewed and appreciated by your target audience. It’s not necessary to ask your subscribers for ideas and inspiration (unless you feel like doing it.) In fact, if you’re lucky enough to have active subscribers that actively engage with your content, you may expect them to offer the best ideas for your upcoming video even without being asked.
What also won’t hurt is viewing again those videos that your audience enjoyed the most. And the best place to search for a new portion of inspiration for your new video is the Comments section or, possibly, your private messages. You can look through the fresh comments to learn what in particular interested your viewers or, vice versa, didn’t satisfy them. Your previous videos might have raised some questions with your audience or sparked heated discussions. You may want to expand on the topics discussed earlier or make a new video where you’ll be answering the questions or covering the most trending topics.
Groups and Communities
If you’re a member of a certain community or have a group on a social media platform like Facebook, you may try and look for inspiration there. Lots of people that do or like the same things as you can lead you in the right direction by simply mentioning some facts or touching on some trending topics. Surrounding yourself with creative and like-minded people can really do you some good. Within such groups and communities, they tend to cultivate the beneficial atmosphere of creative pressure and competition, which may spur you to come up with new ideas and topics on your own.
Broaden Your Horizons
Constant self-development and honing in on your professional achievements can be an inexhaustible source of inspiration for any artist. Those vloggers who evaluate their work, identify weaknesses and strengths, and take care to improve on their content tend to be more productive than their lackadaisical counterparts. And to be able to keep track of your progress, you should be ready to polish up your skills and enhance your knowledge. You should be well-versed not only in the topics you’re covering, but also video production and the art of blogging. To that end, you may want to sign up for online courses to boost your communication, presenting, or oratory skills. You can also get more experienced in using video editing tools or familiarize yourself with the latest vlogging trends if you find the right educational course.
And you can always learn from the best! Check out the vlogs of other influencers. Chances are good that many influencers in your area of expertise have powerful content that will inspire you to create better and more useful videos.
Where to Look for Ideas for Your New Video was last modified: December 22nd, 2021 by James Nagel
In this digital age, digital marketing is significantly gaining popularity over other marketing channels. One of the most effective strategies of digital marketing is search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is primarily concerned with improving the ranking of your website on different search engines which positively impacts the operations of your business. When users search for specific phrases, the quality of your keywords will determine the rank of your site. As a result, there are many benefits that you can obtain by utilizing this marketing strategy. Here are four reasons why you should prefer improving your SEO instead of using Paid Ads.
1. Improve Online Presence
If you are concerned with the success of your business during the current period, then you should improve your online visibility. Nowadays, many business transactions happen online, so you need to stay ahead of the competition by ranking higher in search results. When consumers want to purchase something, they first look for information about whatever can help them solve their problems.
Therefore, if your content includes unique keywords, you are likely to get more clicks. This will increase your ranking which in turn improves your online presence. You can stay ahead of the competition if your website constantly ranks high on search engine results pages. Different users have no time to waste scrolling various sites looking for the information they want.
2. Long Term Benefits
Paid Ads can provide excellent results within a few days, but SEO offers long-term rewards. The problem with Paid ads is that once the campaign ends, everything suddenly stops. If you live in Brisbane and you are concerned with attracting more leads and ultimately customers, you should consider using SEO to increase your sales. Professionals at Brisbane SEO explain that you can start to rank organically within a few weeks. Your site can continue to generate business for you over an extended period without paying any money. All you need to focus on is authority, relevance, and improved user experience to drive organic traffic to your site. The results for SEO can last several months or even a year if you constantly update your content.
3. SEO is Cost-Effective
While paid media can provide great results over a short time, SEO is an equally strong marketing tool that can do wonders for your business in the long run at a low cost. You do not need to pay for your website to rank high on search engines when you use the option of SEO. Organic rankings mainly depend on what a search engine’s algorithm chooses to be the best result for a particular query.
However, you need to invest in high-quality content if you want to drive organic traffic to your site. If you want to hire an SEO specialist, make sure they can provide quality content that can draw traffic to your site. It’s a small cost to get to first page on Google and the benefits are tremendous, compared to the high costs of paid ads. The good thing is that you only make a once-off investment, and you will not experience recurring costs. However, you need to constantly update your content so that it remains relevant to the users.
4. SEO Aims to Attract Quality Traffic
SEO is an inbound marketing strategy which means that it is customer-oriented; the consumers will ultimately get what they want. On the other hand, Paid Ads constitute outbound advertising where the marketer tries to reach the consumers even if they do not want anything. Many customers find this method annoying since it is centered on the brand. This is why many people prefer SEO over Paid ads since they can use organic links to find the right information when they want it.
The consumer can get the relevant information through content marketing instead of Paid ads. According to research, more than 70% of the links that are clicked by users are organic. This shows the significance of having a site that ranks organically since users are likely to visit it. More visits to your site will help you to increase leads and conversions that can boost your sales.
If you own a business or you are a marketer, SEO is one of the most effective marketing strategies that you should consider. SEO is an essential component of any successful marketing strategy. It is primarily concerned with improving the ranking of your website on different search engine results pages. Simply put, this strategy drives organic traffic to your site which helps boost your sales. There are many reasons to focus on your SEO strategy over Paid Ads since it offers long-term benefits and improves your online visibility. This strategy is free and it allows you to offer high-quality content that can help people solve their problems.
4 Reasons You Should Go For Improving Your SEO Instead Of Using Paid Ads was last modified: December 8th, 2023 by Charlene Brown
In 2021, there is an unbelievable amount of marketing that is occurring through web-based technology. With platforms being able to offer a direct customer reach to market your business’s products and services, accessing the online market is essential if you’d like to stay relevant and competitive.
Cross-Channel Marketing
Any full-service marketing agency should be able to provide the traditional forms of marketing, such as print advertising and direct mail. However, modern businesses – even if it is a small business – should expand their marketing to target customers operating in a mostly digital space.
An introduction to the evolving landscape of marketing makes one thing very clear: it is never as simple as it looks from the outset. The various channels of marketing often fool those who are none the wiser, but the industry is complex. The broadened opportunities to advertise across traditional and digital channels have reshaped marketing altogether.
As we now know, the best marketing strategy ideally comprises traditional and digital solutions. Ad campaigns can cost you, so it’s important to be aware that your ability to invest will always depend on the budget of the company. Furthermore, your marketing needs – whether traditional or digital marketing – will be tailored to your business goals. Hence, there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to marketing. If you’re starting your research into some effective strategies you’d like to put money into, here are a few of the top strategies being utilized across the industry.
Email Marketing
Did you know that running email campaigns is still one of the most effective marketing tools to date? Out of all marketing channels, email provides the greatest return on investment – an essential marketing metric that should convince any business owner of its power to produce leads and sales.
Defining the effectiveness of your email campaigns is also quite simple with email marketing, allowing you to quickly judge whether your campaigns are successful or not. With click-to-open rates, on average, as high as 30%, it is no wonder marketing agencies are pushing for companies to recognize the business potential of emailing!
Social Media Channels
The advent of social media has brought along with it some really innovative networking in our digital world. Companies who are accessing their customers through social media are reporting primarily that this marketing strategy is extremely cost-effective. As signing up to many of these networks are free, there is little investment – other than time and a small cash injection. This means that the return on investment is worthwhile pursuing.
Additionally, social media pages allow customers to interact directly with your company. Communicating with your followers increases brand engagement through more personal brand messaging. This results in increased brand loyalty from customers – individuals who become invested in your product or service through understanding more deeply the ethos and motivations behind your business. Here are a couple of the most effective social media channels.
Instagram
Though Instagram was only launched in 2010, it has revolutionized personal and business communication, providing unthinkable opportunities for lead generation overall. Just consider for a moment the potential of social media marketing on a platform with over a billion users…
Instagram’s features translate well into business engagement and growth. For instance, eCommerce features are now allowing small businesses to sell to their users directly through the platform. On the other hand, businesses can gain a major following simply by taking advantage of Instagram stories and their power to build engagement, loyalty, and brand love.
Are you Using LinkedIn?
LinkedIn has been around since 2002 but has grown to become the social media forerunner in B2B (business-to-business) lead generation. Many aspects make this social media channel unique, but the greatest asset as it relates to marketing and the power of business networking is that the number of decision-makers on the platform has surpassed 40 million. The fact that professionals and decision-makers in top levels of management are within direct reach of your marketing campaigns is one of the main reasons business professionals the world over are turning to LinkedIn.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO has become popular due to the sad reality that more than 90% of pages found online will never be accessed through a search engine, such as Google. What this marketing strategy enables is the improvement of your ranking on the internet. There are over 200 factors that Google and other search engines use to rank your web page, including the authority, trustworthiness, and expertise of your channel.
For those out of the know, it can be almost impossible to know exactly which factors to improve – and how. But, with the help of a digital marketing specialist and a B2B SEO strategy, SEO can become a realistic solution for your company’s needs.
Invest in Marketing
One of the most important factors in business development is your marketing strategy. Consulting a professional agency will provide your company with data-informed research and statistics around which channels of marketing are best suited to your business needs. Hereafter, you will need to decide on your budget – keeping return on investment at the forefront of this decision.
Regardless of which industry you are in or the size of your business, marketing is critical! And likely the most important take-away from this article should be that marketing should be multichannel or blended. In this way, you will reach customers through a combination of platforms.
Implement Well, then Expand
However, it is critical that each channel you promote can be powerful enough on its own. It is not good marketing through several channels, but not being effective with any of them… Perhaps start with one or two strategies and implement them well before expanding across several. In this way, you can ensure successful campaigns can be run through your primary or preferred strategy, after which you can scale up your marketing efforts.
Lastly, your team must stay in touch with shifts in your industry market, as well as marketing trends that could suit the style of customer communication your company depends on! Consult with a marketing agency to find the channels and strategies which will give you an edge over your competitors. Instead of a once-off mindset to marketing support, consider utilizing a marketing expert every quarter, annually, or simply as needed. In this way, you will constantly be pushing and growing your company’s potential.
What is the Most Effective Type of Marketing was last modified: September 9th, 2021 by Allen Brown
Digital transformation is critical to any business, as it helps them remain competitive in the marketplace and keep up with growing customer demand. Digital transformation allows small businesses to apply the right technology within a limited budget, resulting in a better customer experience and a more efficient enterprise.
If you don’t know how to simplify the digital transformation process for your business, having this article on hand as a guide will help you figure it out.
Digital Transformation: What Does it Mean?
The events of 2020-2021 have clearly revealed how important digital transformation is to business success in our rapidly changing society. The outbreak of the pandemic made it clear what features businesses should have to stay on their feet. According to Johnson & Johnson CIO Jim Swanson, “Digital is a loaded word that means many things to many people”. That’s why it’s hard to define digital transformation in today’s world. And yet digital transformation can be described as the integration of digital technologies that can cause changes in the customers’ mindset and provide them with more value.
As consumer expectations increased, the market competition increased as well. For small businesses, staying competitive means embracing digital transformation. Deloitte’s study states that 45% of companies reported a positive impact of digital transformation on business, and they also reported higher net revenue growth. As you can see, financial performance depends on the level of digital transformation tools used by SMBs in their operations. Hence, to thrive in a rapidly changing environment, SMBs should apply digital tools and concepts.
Why Digital Transformation Matters for SMBs in the Post-Covid-19 Times
One of the reasons why SMBs need to go digital is that they need to survive. Today, because of the Covid-19 outbreak, a lot of small businesses are experiencing supply chain disruptions that lead to unforeseen outcomes.
PwC states that 52% of companies plan to cut investments because of COVID-19, while only 9% of companies will make such cuts in the area of digital transformation. That’s why SMBs need to adapt to the ever-changing environment and incorporate the concepts of digital transformation across their businesses. Improving the customer experience is one of the main reasons to digitize your business. The pandemic contributed to the shift in consumer behavior towards online consumption. Under the pandemic, adopting evolving technologies can positively influence customer interactions and help keep SMBs productive.
Digital Transformation in Action: 5 Key Steps to Make it Simple
Develop a money-saving strategy when going digital
When switching to digital technologies, it is important to simplify the process and make it cheaper and easier. As SMBs cannot invest in digital transformation the way large companies do, a simple analytics tool can help integrate existing technology and therefore save money.
Also, customer relationship management (CRM) is one of the stages of digital transformation resulting in a high-performance business. With CRM, small businesses have a better chance to grow their forces. CRM providers usually offer cloud-based solutions for SMBs, resulting in affordable prices.
Identify weaknesses in your business and areas needed to be digitized
To go digital, SMBs must first identify business weaknesses. Identifying the areas that need to be digitized will help facilitate seamless collaboration between different business units. Each internal business unit is a small machine that has potential for improvement, while knowing the areas that need improvement will make your digitization more precise.
As a result, the system will bring all vital business programs into a single engine, allowing small businesses to get one step closer to delivering more value to their customers. Minimizing errors, automation and gradual digitalization will improve company efficiency and be the key to a successful transformation.
Allocate roles and responsibilities among employees
Many employees are not ready to accept the changes related to the digital future of business and oppose the idea of digital transformation. For this reason, the leader of a small or mid-sized business must deal with employees’ fears and doubts. But it’s often the case that business leaders lack the energy to talk to their employees, drive change, and inspire people to innovate. In this case, they can hire a third-party digital transformation specialist or assign digital transformation responsibilities to existing employees.
And while large enterprises can go this way and find consulting firms to manage digital transformation, small businesses don’t have the budget for such innovation. Instead, they can use simple analytics solutions that allow them to make the transition to digital transformation incrementally.
Empower employees with data and advanced technology
Focusing on cutting-edge technology and tools is one of the most important challenges facing SMB executives:
Providing your employees with accurate information and data can help grow your business;
Careful research and proper processing of information can positively impact your interactions with customers, employees and partners because it can lead to the satisfaction of all stakeholders;
Accurate data combined with advanced technology can help create in-demand products.
At the same time, data is becoming increasingly complex, making it difficult for small businesses to use it effectively. Simple digital tools are the way to go. They can help you gather useful analytics that you can share with your stakeholders, making decision-making easier. Meanwhile, investing in machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies will allow you to leverage a wide range of data in the future, helping to increase the digitalization of your business.
Cooperate with tech partner to be one step ahead of competitors
Small businesses often lack the budget to hire a large digital transformation team. That’s why outsourcing some technical tasks will be an effective option. Executives should look for qualified consultants who have experience with SMB digitalization, as small businesses have their specific challenges and issues that need to be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Highly specialized experts can help identify areas that will show the best return on investment (ROI), they will present technologies that are right for your business and show how effective they can be for you. In addition, digital consultants can help employees by training them to use innovative technology solutions to digitize your business.
Final Thoughts
Today, in a pandemic environment, many world-class consultants recommend digital transformation as the most important step for every business to stay afloat and succeed in the future. In addition, advanced analytics and simple IT solutions can fit into every small business’ budget. Outsourcing some IT tasks will also help the digital transformation of your business be effective and profitable.
All of this, along with simplifying the digitization process for SMBs, will provide ample opportunity to meet new goals and overcome technological challenges.
Alexey Kutsenko is the Head of Digital Marketing of DDI Development company. He is experienced in the development of the marketing strategy for companies in different industries. He knows how to do the right marketing and watches all current marketing and industry trends.
Simplifying Digital Transformation at your Small Business was last modified: March 10th, 2022 by Alexey Kutsenko
Waking up every day to tackle the requirements of a job description that no longer interests nor fulfills you can put you in an upsetting position.
Despite how many people would have it said, the prospect of work does not have to be consistently stress-inducing, particularly if you find yourself doing a job you find truly meaningful.
Most employees do not actively despise their jobs, however, yet not hating work is a vastly different concept to feeling positively fulfilled by it.
If this is beginning to sound relatable, it might be worth thinking about the wealth of opportunities offered up through a STEM career.
What’s so Great About STEM?
The subjects of science, technology, engineering, and math can often provide the means by which real change is brought about in society, so it might be argued that there is no shortage in the way of fulfilling career prospects to be explored in the field.
From healthcare solutions and data analysis to chemical engineering and academia, positive change is usually driven by dedicated individuals who, at one point, might have no idea how fulfilling their career would turn out to eventually be!
If you happen to possess an unrelenting desire to get yourself to the forefront of technological innovation, or even just a little interest in why a cool electronic gadget works the way it does, you likely own a similar mindset to the one belonging to the modern inventor.
The number of industries that STEM graduates can thrive in is close to unbelievable, so whatever your particular skill set happens to be, there will probably be an opening with your name written all over it.
What do You Need to Succeed?
Suppose you can take an analytical approach to solve problems. In that case, you thrive on working in a team of like-minded colleagues, and you have a great understanding of math and science, then you will no doubt find an area of work in which you can fully apply your diverse range of skills.
An appetite for learning and a desire to develop your professional skills at every possible turn can also be incredibly helpful. Standing at the limits of human knowledge as a simple part of your day job will quite possibly require you to keep your brain thirsting for more information.
If you ever find yourself lost in the pages of a spellbinding new science article, this is great news, as possessing a natural affinity for seeking out modern technological developments and discoveries can mean you have a curious mind. Curiosity, communication, and the ability to always ask “how?” and “why?” can sometimes be the tools that build the best answers to familiar problems.
Changing Direction Through Online Learning
In recent years, moving online has been the flavor of the day in many aspects of modern life; and education is no different.
Online learning can offer hopeful students a top-class education, complete with all the flexibility and freedom they require to complete the course in their own time.
This can be an exciting prospect for anyone who wishes to take up a STEM education alongside their current career, which may not have been a possibility in the past.
Advanced degrees are also available for people who have a decent amount of experience in the relevant fields. Sometimes, a qualification is all that is needed to open up brand new avenues of career possibilities.
To get an idea of what to expect from a high-quality online degree, you may want to check out an engineering management blog, as this can give you some first-hand insight into the matter.
Which Career Path is Right for You?
Individuals skilled in STEM subjects will undoubtedly possess a host of transferrable skills that will apply to a range of fields, so it might be worth thinking about which of life’s many dimensions has you most interested, as this can help narrow down your search. A few ideas might include:
The Natural World -If the natural world captures your attention with its enigmatic allure, a job as a conservation biologist can be an immensely fulfilling pursuit. Biology is a diverse field that spills over into a host of essential industries, including healthcare and ecology.
Big Data – The ever-growing data mine that is the digital realm can be an interesting area to explore for anyone with a love for numbers and an analytical brain. If you can recognize a pattern in a thunderstorm of information, you may be able to start seeing solutions to problems that were hidden in plain sight all along.
Engineering – Have you ever taken apart a product to see if you could put it back together? If so, you may have the traits necessary to start a promising career in engineering. From building airplanes and bridges to cars and computers, engineers are often at the cutting-edge of technology.
Finance – Investment banking can provide a highly lucrative job for a math fanatic, as can consultancy, and since mathematics is also the language of the universe, a job as a physicist might also be ideal.
It might even be worth taking a look around your immediate vicinity and seeing which gadgets you have lying around because if they interest you or help you out in anyway, it is useful to note that a STEM graduate possibly had a hand or two in making them a reality.
There are many more fields worth exploring, and ultimately what makes your career a fulfilling one will be down to what you personally value the most out of work. For many, a job they love doing will add new meaning and purpose to the way in which they define the regular working day.
Nurturing Your STEM Skillset
Nurturing any skillset takes perseverance and time, and you can start doing so right now! Reading as much as possible is one of the many keys to success, from books to blogs and everything in between.
Another great way to nurture any given skillset is get involved with the community, forums and online community pages can be good in this area, and you might always make some lasting connections that can help you on your journey towards a new and more fulfilling career.
Finding a Fulfilling Career Through STEM was last modified: June 14th, 2021 by Carol Trehearn
CB (citizen’s band) radios are not just for truck drivers. There are several situations where CB can be a great communication tool, and we are going to go over some of those uses. That being said, CB radio is so much more than a tool for emergencies. The possibilities when it comes to using a CB on a road trip are truly endless. Some of the best CB radio models can be found here.
Large Groups
Whether you are traveling with friends or family, you will stay in touch with each other using CBs. Instead of calling every one individually, you can say who is with you and announce that you are leaving. If someone needs to wait for that one person or stop at a specific place along the way, you can let everyone know as well. When the group is split into cars, you can tell them to jump in the car with you at certain locations because you want to get there as quickly as possible or have time to explore together.
CBs are already in use on the road, so you don’t need to convince other drivers to use theirs.
You can talk with them while you’re both in motion or pull over and talk when you park for a rest stop or in case of emergency. It’sIt’s common practice to make friends with drivers whom you regularly see at the same time and place each day. This will only help you become more open and helpful to those drivers who may need help.
They are a Lot Better than 10-10 Codes
Much of the communication over CB is still done via 10-10 codes, but there are people in this world who still do not know what a 10-10 code is. Even if you have never used these codes in your life, a lot of the time you can guess what someone is trying to say based on the context of their question or statement. You may also use the best police scanner so you know everything about local road conditions.
A CB Radio can Help You Find Out About Traffic Jams!
7 AM traffic on the 405 and 101 freeways. Traffic jams are never fun, and they are often hard to predict. However, if you have your CB radio nearby, you can find out about traffic ahead. For example, ask other drivers if they can see a jam in front of them, or you can listen to a trucker nearby and see how much traffic they are encountering.
Self-Reliance
When you drive alone on the open road, you are self-reliant. Being self-reliant is a good thing – it means that you can fix things when they go wrong. A CB radio is a great communication tool, but it also allows you to communicate to self-reliant Americans who will help you out.
A CB Radio is Convenient.
You can carry a CB radio in your glovebox and talk with other people who are nearby. This is true even when cell phones don’t work or don’t have service CB radios transmit on their channel, so they work even in areas where your cell phone does not).
5 Reasons CB Radio is Still a Powerful Communication Tool when on the Road was last modified: July 29th, 2021 by Kyle Bachmann
Deciding to start a business is going out on a limb and taking a leap of faith. It’s exciting, it’s scary, it’s a risk, and it’s also full of potential. If you’re ready to take that all on, then don’t hesitate. Starting a business often means longer hours and increased stress, especially in the early stages.
To keep up with the demands of entrepreneurship, managing your health is crucial. A tdee calculator can help you understand your daily energy needs, ensuring you stay energized and focused on your business goals.
There are tricks and tips to help you make your business successful and the financial gain is something that you’ll be proud of, eventually. If you still aren’t confident in the idea, here are four good reasons you should start a business.
4 Good Reasons Why You Should Start A Business
Starting a business may be the purpose you’ve been searching for your whole life. You might not see it in the beginning and certainly not during the hard months of bringing it all together. But, there will come a day when you will see the fruit of your hard work.
Getting started is also not as hard as you may be led to believe. Filling your legal documents and getting the proper registration and business licenses are relatively simple. If you don’t have the time or want to have a professional help you, there are companies for that. Read the incfile review to weigh out whether their service will work for you. These types of companies are great for those new to the process and those that simply don’t have the time or knowledge.
Now that you know how simple the paperwork is, here are a few other reasons why you should start a business.
1. Motivating
When you’re working for someone else, finding motivation can be like trying to find a single grain of sand. You know within yourself that even when you do your best; the person benefiting from your efforts and talents isn’t you. That isn’t to say that employers are monsters (if all goes well you’ll be an employer soon enough). Rather, it is the reality of not being your own boss. Your talents aren’t being used to grow yourself and your own business when you work for someone else.
Owning your own business will motivate you and push you to do and be the best that you can. You’re doing it for yourself at that point. There is no security net like you would have with a salaried job.
2. Financial Independence
Another reason to start your business is the financial independence that it will afford you. Once you’ve established a reputation and built a clientele, you’ll start to see good returns on your investment. There is also the control of your paycheck. You can decide on how much you’re going to make. This is something you wouldn’t have in a traditional career path.
Something you should take note of is the potential to scale your yearly income. When you own your own business, there is no limit to what the company can bring each day, week, month, or year. Your business can go from a small home-based operation to large cooperation with branches around the world.
3. Enhance Creativity
One thing you will find is an increase in your creativity. When issues come up, you’ll find yourself problem-solving in some of the most creative ways. You’ll also see your business with a child’s eyes. A lot of the projects you’ll come up with are things you’d have never considered working at your current job.
You’ll want to create and find ways to make your business stand out. This is a wonderful benefit.
4. Control Your Life and Schedule
Probably the best reason to start your own business is freedom. You will have complete control of your life and schedule. You can work when you want, take breaks when you need, and overall schedule your daily life in a way that works best for you. You’ll have the freedom to do a lot more of the things that you are interested in. This is why many are choosing to be their own boss.
Keep in mind that how you structure your business is a fundamental part of starting your company. Depending on your products, services or objectives this may vary completely.
Knowing that each day brings with it new challenges, new victories, creative avenues, and the chance to be better than you were the day before, why wouldn’t you start your own business. Truthfully, it is for people that have a drive and want to be the captain of their own path. Starting your own business will help you mature and you’ll discover skills you’ve been blind to. Once you find your purpose in your life and career, it’s hard to return to working for someone else. Go out there and just start.
4 Good Reasons Why Starting A Business Might Be The Right Thing For You was last modified: April 27th, 2024 by Charlene Brown
2021 is likely to experience relatively low and stable interest rates, especially after the pandemic dominated 2020. Experts predict that rates will stay low for the year, even though the economy faces significant risks and inflation.
Furthermore, the Federal Reserve has stated that to promote recovery, they will not raise rates until 2023. You can check the average interest rates for various financial products, including mortgages, credit cards, and personal loans on Myfin.us.
2020 was a roller coaster ride. The pandemic created havoc, forcing extensive lockdowns throughout the U.S., pushing the economy into recession. Fortunately, the Fed acted proactively, introduced emergency rate cuts, established various lending facilities, and increased its debt purchases to facilitate credit to individuals who needed it. As a result, markets stabilized, stocks surged, and debt prices firmed up.
Experts now predict that in 2021 rates will be range-bound. In particular, rates controlled by the Fed. The current economic environment also indicates that the interest rates for student and personal loans will likely stay low in 2021.
Mortgage Rate Outlook for 2021
For 2021, Mortgage rates are have started low and are expected to move up gradually. Since most interest rates slid in 2020, mortgage rates were not an exception. This has made houses more affordable and increased demand.
However, 2021 may become a volatile year for mortgage rates. With the widespread vaccination programs leading to robust economic activity, mortgage rates have quickly rebounded significantly. So, investors who want to take advantage of the low mortgage rates should act sooner rather than later in the year.
When it comes to existing home equity lines, there is good news for homeowners. They need not worry about rates increasing as Fed intends to keep them extremely low in the short term. New borrowers can get lower rates by year-end as lenders are expected to come up with new offers
Credit Card Interest Forecast for 2021:
Unlike other financial products, Credit card rates are expected to climb. Credit card rates are behaving surprisingly in these uncertain times. Though the underlying rates are rising, the unusual behavior of credit card rates illuminates a paradox where some individuals are doing well while others are suffering.
You do not have to worry about the changing interest rates for existing cardholders because the Fed plans to stick with current level benchmark interest rates throughout 2021.
And as far as interest rates for new cardholders are concerned, defaults and delinquencies will result in a divergent forecast. The exact rates will move both up and down by taking into account the perceived risk and or creditworthiness of the individual.
Card Issuers can increase the rates for consumers with bad credit and high debt to mitigate the risk factor. However, at the same time, issuers are offering lower rates and better rewards to attract individuals with strong credit.
Personal Loans Interest Rate Forecast for 2021
Personal loan rates slid their lowest in 2020 because of the COVID-19 economic crisis. To provide some relief, the Federal Reserve drastically reduced interest rates, and fortunately, the low rates are likely to stay in 2021 as well.
Interest rates are expected to be steady this year. This means the interest rates are likely to be stable for 2021. Some say the rates will remain low and stable for the next few years.
The competition among lenders is likely to increase shortly. So, there is a possibility that high credit, quality borrowers will get more attractive interest rates and more generous terms due to their lower risk of default.
That being said, credit availability for individuals with bad credit does not seem to change much in 2021. For such borrowers, lenders have reduced their offerings significantly. As a result, it may take well over a year for a complete recovery until the lenders feel comfortable giving more credit to risky borrowers.
To Sum Up:
To make sound financial decisions, you will need to have a clear-cut idea about where you are in the economic cycle and what the coming year will bring to you. For instance, if you’re looking to take advantage of low mortgage rates, you need to act with diligence to avoid missing out.
Loan Interest Rates Dynamic Overview For 2021 was last modified: June 10th, 2021 by Andrei Sobalevich
As a business owner, it is prudent to operate in a way that is aligned with the prevailing business climate. One such way to do this is to consistently upgrade the technology you use in your product life cycle and the use of Chatbots is a worthy avenue to pursue. They are not a new technology but their popularity has increased because of the results they have yielded.
Let’s take the Publix weekly ad as our case study. Say you want to order a ready-made meal under $10. You have a number of options; the chicken tender whole sub for $6.99, or simply fresh salads at $7 for two, among others. You have to browse through all the pages to see if there’s anything else within your range and that may take a while. A chatbot becomes handy because it can be programmed to ask you all the relevant questions and offer you the best option in a few seconds.
There are a number of benefits to using chatbots and we will give you some of them below.
1. Instant Customer Service
Chatbots are available 24/7/365, therefore queries or questions raised by your customers are immediately attended to. They are not subject to human emotion as well, hence where an agent or the customer may lose their patience, the chatbot is consistent in how it works. The chatbot being always online also means that your customer will not experience any delays, leading to their increased satisfaction. Considering that the chatbot is limited in the detail it gives, it can pass on information to agents to further handle a query for the customer. How much communication it gives is dependent on how you have programmed it.
2. Data Collection for Marketing
A chatbot can be set up in such a way as to collect customer information while they are being assisted. This way, you can make up mailing lists for potential customers and have a higher chance of making a connection with them. The chatbot is able to pull up customer purchase or browsing history on your website or app. This allows it to make product suggestions that are suited to the customer’s interests. This process will also make it easier when sending the customer marketing information via email as it will be based on their interests only, removing the irritation of receiving irrelevant mail.
Research has shown that a lot of queries received from customers are general and can well be handled by chatbot software instead of human service agents. The more complex issues can then be directed to agents.
4. They Meet Customer Expectations
A properly designed chatbot with the right language and appropriate responses will deliver exceptional customer service. Customers want to be assisted immediately with as little fuss as possible, and the chatbot can deliver on this mandate. Purchases can also be finalized on the chatbot, reducing the need to leave the chat and go back to another page on the website. Streamlining this process means it works faster, leading to better customer satisfaction.
There are many other benefits to using chatbots; you will need to make it as relatable as possible. Tailor it to your market and ensure it uses the language your customers will understand.
80% of Businesses in 2021 Want Chatbots – Here is Why was last modified: January 31st, 2024 by Cecilia Zisengwe
Outlook and Thunderbird are popular email clients used by individuals, professionals, and businesses for email communication.Thunderbird is an open-source email client that stores the mailbox data in MBOX files at a default location. In comparison, Outlook uses the OST and PST file formats to store the mailbox items.
Organizations utilizing Azure migration services can complement their email migration processes by streamlining data storage, ensuring secure transfers, and enhancing accessibility for cloud-based email platforms like Outlook.
On the other hand, there are a few manual ways to migrate emails from Thunderbird to Outlook. However, they aren’t recommended when you need to migrate the entire mailbox from Thunderbird to Outlook due to their limitations.
Methods to Migrate Emails from Thunderbird to Outlook
We’ve discussed belowthe top three methods to migrate emails from Thunderbird to Outlook.
1. Use MBOX to PST Converter Software
An MBOX to PST converter software, such as Stellar Converter for MBOX, is the most reliable way to migrate emails from Thunderbird to Outlook with 100% consistency and without any risk of data loss.
It not only helps you migrate emails from Thunderbird to Outlook but also other bulk mail items, such as contacts, attachments, calendar, journals, notes, contacts, etc.
The steps are as follows:
• Download and install Stellar Converter for MBOX on your system where Thunderbird is installed. You may also install the software on ‘other’ system, but you will need to transfer the MBOX files from the default location to the system.
• After installation, launch the software and select Thunderbird from the options.
• Click on ‘Select Identity’ to choose the folder containing Thunderbird MBOX files. The default path is C:/Users/YourProfileName/%AppData%\Thunderbird\
Or you can select individual MBOX files using the ‘Select File’ button.
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• After selecting the MBOX file or Identity folder, click ‘Convert.’
• After scan and conversion, the software displays a three-pane preview window. You can click on any email to see its preview and verify it before migrating it to Outlook. This also helps you filter out emails that aren’t required.
• Select the required emails you want to migrate from Thunderbird to Outlook and click the ‘Save Converted File’ button under the ‘Home’ menu.
• From the Save As options, choose New PST and click ‘Next.’
• Click ‘Browse’ to select a location where you want to save the converted Thunderbird MBOX emails in PST format and then click ‘Save.’
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The software will save the Thunderbird emails in PST format. Now you can import the PST fileinto your Outlook profile via Outlook Import/Export Wizardin Windows or Mac and complete the email migration from Thunderbird to Outlook.
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2. Drag and Drop Emails from Thunderbird to Outlook
Although this is one of the easiest methods to migrate emails from Thunderbird to Outlook, it requires more time and is only recommended when you need to transfer a few emails. The steps are as follows:
1.Open Thunderbird and create a ‘New Folder’ on the Desktop or any other location.
2.Select the emails you want to migrate from Thunderbird to MS Outlook. Use the Shift or CTRL key to select multiple emails at a time.
3.Then drag and drop the emails to the ‘New Folder.’
4.This saves the emails in EML format, which you can open in Outlook or drag and drop them to Outlook email folder.
Limitations:
•The migrated emails open in a new window in Outlook when you double-click.
•If you try to transfer multiple emails at once with this drag and drop method, it can cause Outlook to crash, leading to Outlook data file corruption.
•You need to manually create new folders in the Outlook profile to ensure folder hierarchy.
•Emails or attachments transferred or migrated may fail to open.
•Requires significant efforts and time when you need to transfer hundreds or thousands of emails from Thunderbird to Outlook.
3. Migrate Thunderbird Emails to Outlook via Gmail (IMAP) Account
This method is recommended when you need to migrate multiple emails from Thunderbird to MS Outlook. However, you need to enable the IMAP settings in your Gmail account. The steps are as follows:
• Add a new Gmail account in Thunderbird and add the same Gmail account in MS Outlook.
• In Thunderbird, select the emails or email folders you want to migrate to Outlook and then drop them to the Gmail Inbox folder or create a new one and then drop the emails.
• Copy all the emails you want to migrate to Outlook using the above step and then wait for Gmail to sync the emails. This can take a while, based on your internet speed.
• Now on your Outlook, refresh the Outlook window. You will see the Gmail folder containing the Thunderbird emails.
• You can now drag and drop those emails or the complete email folder from Gmail to your Outlook profile.
This will migrate emails from Thunderbird profile to Outlook profile.
Limitations:
•Not all attachments are migrated as Gmail limits attachments.
•It is time-consuming as the emails synchronize from Thunderbird to the Gmail server and then again to your Outlook profile.
•Migrated emails may not open and you may not find all emails.
•Folder hierarchy is lost.
•Gmail offers limited storage and, thus, not suitable when your mailbox is large.
To Wrap Up
Although manual methods can help you migrate emails from Thunderbird to Outlook, you should use them only when migrating a few emails. However, you can overcome the limitations of manual methods byusingStellar Converter for MBOX software.It keeps the original folder hierarchy and tree structure intact and helps migrate unlimitedThunderbird emails to Outlook, along with all attachments, with complete precision. So, if you are looking to migrate emails from Thunderbird to Outlook, use MBOX to PST converter toolas explained in the first method. The software’sTechnician versionalso allows you to directly migrate emails from Thunderbird to Office 365 (Outlook 365).
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Top 3 Methods to Migrate Emails from Thunderbird to Outlook was last modified: January 15th, 2025 by Kelly Singh
If you are researching a certain product, or just trying out one – a video is probably out there giving you all you need to know. A popular way to convey information or prospective customers is through an explainer video.
What is an Explainer Video?
The explainer video of a company highlights their product, service and business ideas in a compelling and creative way which appeals to a wider audience.
With the era of social media the production companies host these videos on larger platforms such as Instagram and Facebook along with other networks on landing pages and websites homepage.
The videos are used to connect potential clients which leads to increase in conversion rates of sales and more product purchases.
Explainer Video Structure
The average timing for such videos is 60-120 seconds or 180 maximum if the discussed product is complex and these must be marketed on well-known sites. A video must explain the problem and how your product will help solve the issue. The next step should be distinguishing your product with the competitions in the market and give a social proof to justify why.
What Makes a Good Explainer Video?
A good video must be well structured and reviewed so it can reach a maximum audience, it should be having:
Short time duration
Keep it short and to the context, explainer videos are usually long but the shorter and to the point it is the more beneficial and attractive it is.
High quality
The quality should be high in production and in content so it effectively communicates brands value.
Strong call to action
Explainer videos should clearly state what they want their intended audience to do after watching.
Focused on problem-solving
Match with the brand and its audience.
Different Kinds of Explainer Videos
Depending on your work field and company the video may be shooting on, the method is the same but the approach might be different. 3 main categories for explainer videos are
Company Overviews
When shooting a company related video, you might want to get everything out but it is better not to drag on for too long because no customer prefers lengthy videos. In this it is important to dictate; certification, awards, portfolio, working details and the clients you are working with
Hybrid, Meet the Team Videos
These videos with company culture are different as the customers get to know the brand better and help humanize the company. For such explainer videos it is better to go for animated videos as they are easy to update but you may choose the option that’s best for you. This is where you can mix some company and culture overview.
Product and Service Overview
Brands that sell only a single product or offer one type of service, usually produce an explainer video about the core product rather than an overview of the company. These are produced in more than an explanatory video and are more in depth for commercial purpose.
Although the video doesn’t share much about the company, the viewers are still able to know the brand commitment and information regarding the product.
Benefits of an Explainer Video
Videos are no doubt one of the fastest ways to learn about a company and the products with services they offer without losing interest. Here’s a breakdown of why explainer videos can be helpful for your Production Company and sales department:
Videos saves time
They are easy to share and access
Keeps the viewer entertained and gets message across
Explainer videos are brand recognition
How to Produce an Explainer Video?
Just like any video production, your explainer video needs to follow the same steps for production. However the process may differ on what type of video you are shooting. It is better to reach out tovideo producer companies and agencies to help you grow through the process.
Explainer videos take a considerable amount of coordination, talent, and skill to pull off. During the pre-production phase; it all starts at the script level, so make sure you get your structure down and take all necessary key points for the production. During the production the video animation or live starts to come real and post production is where all final cuts are edited and then marketed.
Partnering with a professional videographer and video production company can streamline the entire process, ensuring your explainer video is not just well-executed, but also highly effective in delivering your message and achieving your goals.” – Founder of Tetra Films, a video production company based in Vancouver.
Final Thoughts
Explainer videos are not only time savers but the perfect to address your audience and work your way up in the market. With the perfect brand recognition and use of modern technology it is easy to compete, solve problems with your product and raise more audience for it. Get your concept right and deal with a reliable company while keeping the structure in mind to get the best video made.
Explainer Video Production was last modified: September 25th, 2023 by Austin Dease
OST is an Outlook data file created by Outlook when you set up or configure Exchange server account and enable the Offline mode (Cached Exchange Mode). The OST file stores mailbox items, such as emails, contacts, attachments, notes, journals, etc. It allows user to access their Outlook emails and do certain changes, even when the system is offline.
The changes are later synchronized with the mailbox on the server as soon as the system connects to the internet. This provides a seamless and lag-free user experience. Also, the OST file is encrypted with MAPIEntry GUID key and hence, requires authorization from the MAPI profile to access the emails and other data.
Thus, an OST file and its content cannot be opened, accessed, or imported into any other Outlook profile. Furthermore, if your MAPI profile is deleted or disabled from the Exchange server, you cannot access your emails stored in the OST file as authorization fails. Such OST files are referred to as orphaned OSTs.
Other issues, such as synchronization failure or errors caused by Exchange database dismount or server failure, could lead to a permanently inaccessible OST file as Outlook fails to reconnect to the Exchange server.
In such cases, a third-party OST to PST converter software, such as Stellar Converter for OST, comes in handy. The software converts encrypted, inaccessible, and orphaned OST files of any size to PST with 100% integrity and precision.
It can also export the mailbox items, such as emails, attachments, contacts, notes, tasks, journals, etc., from an OST file directly to a live Exchange Server mailbox or Office 365. So let us have a quick look at the software, its features, and how you can use it to recover your emails from OST files.
Stellar Converter for OST- An Overview
Stellar Converter for OST is a powerful OST to PST converter software to convert, backup, and migrate mailbox items from large, inaccessible, encrypted, or orphaned Outlook OST files to another Outlook profile on Windows or Mac.
The software extracts and converts all mailbox items, such as emails, attachments, contacts, messages, journals, notes, etc., from OST file to Outlook importable PST format. The folder hierarchy and structure remain intact after conversion. It also recovers lost or accidentally deleted emails from the OST file during conversion.
In addition to PST, you can also convert and export the mail items from OST files to EML, MSG, PDF, RTF, and HTML formats. It supports MS Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, and Office 365. It can convert OST files created by any Outlook version.
The software is available in two editions:
1.Stellar Converter for OST – Corporate Edition
The Corporate version allows you to convert and save or export up to 5 mailboxes to PST. It previews unlimited mailbox items and provides other saving options, such as PST, MSG, EML, RTF, HTML, and PDF.
2.Stellar Converter for OST – Technician Edition
In addition to all the features available in the Corporate edition, the Technician edition offers some advanced OST conversion options, such as:
•Batch conversion to convert multiple OST files to corresponding PSTs simultaneously
•Compacts and splits large PSTs based on date, size, or email address to safeguard resultant PST from corruption caused by oversize
•Exports OST directly to Office 365 and live Exchange
•Exports OST mailbox data to an existing Outlook profile
•Exports all contacts in CSV file format
Both editions are available as Demo versions that you can download to evaluate the software performance. The demo version allows you to scan and preview OST mailbox items for free. You can also convert and export up to 20 items per folder to PST format. To save all OST mailbox items, you must activate the software using a valid activation key.
How to Use Stellar Converter for OST?
Stellar Converter for OST is an easy-to-use software with intuitive GUI. Any user can convert the OST to PST file format in a few clicks. However, it does require MS Outlook installed on the system that meets the following minimum system requirements:
•Processor: Intel-compatible x86 or x64 Processor
•Operating System: Windows 10, 8.1, 8, or 7 OS
•Memory: 4 GB RAM (8 GB Recommended)
•Storage: 250 MB storage space on HDD or SSD
The steps to convert OST by using the software are as follows:
1.Install and launch Stellar Converter for OST and click ‘Browse’ to choose the OST file. You may also use the ‘Find’ button to locate the OST file if the location is unknown.
2.Click ‘Convert’ to start the scan and extract the mail items from the OST file.
3.The software displays an enhanced preview in a three-pane window, including deleted mail items in ‘Red.’
4.Select the mail items and email folders from the left pane you want to convert and then click on ‘Save Converted File.’
5.From the ‘Save as’ dialog box, choose the desired format, such as PST. Then click ‘Browse’ and select a save location.
In Technician Edition, you have more saving options, such as MBOX, DBX, Export to Live Exchange Server, Office 365, or existing Outlook profiles. Further, you can choose to save PST normally or compact or split/filter and save the PST file.
6.Click ‘OK’ to save the OST mailbox items to PST. Similarly, you can choose MSG, EML, RTF, HTML, PDF, DBX, or MBOX format and select a destination to save individual or multiple emails.
To export OST to Office 365 or live Exchange, you need to enter the user credentials, such as user ID and password.
To save OST mail items to an existing profile, select ‘Export to Existing Outlook Profile’ and choose an existing profile from the option.
Verdict
Compared to various OST to PST converter software available in the market, Stellar Converter for OST stands out due to its intuitive user interface, ease-of-use, and performance.
To learn more about the performance of Stellar Converter for OST, check out this OST benchmark study report. The study was done in collaboration with Lisa Hendrickson – a solutions consultant and industry expert for Microsoft Outlook, Office 365, and Exchange.
It provides a more insightful view of various OST to PST converter software performance on parameters, such as speed, consistency, precision, and completeness.
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Step by Step Guide to use Stellar Converter for OST was last modified: June 9th, 2021 by Kelly Singh
