How businesses handle customer data is a growing concern, and regulations have been put into place to ensure customer data privacy is maintained. Compliance with GDPR gives consumers control and choice on their data collection, uses, and makes it possible for them to consent. The consent management platform is a vital business tool that enhances transparency in data collection and usage concerning GDPR and CCPA. It also ensures that the consumer still has the right to opt-out data collection.

How consent management platforms work

CMP has become mandatory for audience data handlers. Using a consumer’s data without their consent is illegal, and businesses can avoid data privacy issues by first seeking personal data consent from consumers through a consent management platform. Through cookies, a marketer can access consumer data and use it to analyze the target audience. That makes it possible for brands and various organizations to send personalized ads to the target customers and other digital marketing options.

A CMP will give visitors to online sites and platforms options to give consent for data collection. They may either accept or deny the use of cookies or other permissions that the publisher may seek. Giving consent for use of your online identity in digital marketing ensures that the marketer can use the data for online marketing purposes and comply with the GDPR and CCPA.

Reasons consent management platforms have surpassed marketing

1. Illegal use of personal data can be costly

Lawsuits due to the use of personal data in marketing or other purposes could lead to monetary loss and reputation risk. Violating GDPR and CCPA could cost an organization a lot of money and taint its brand name. Getting customer consent before collecting and using their data helps prevent such incidents. Through a CMP, it is possible to filter consumer data for those who do not consent and ensure that the data an organization stores regarding consumers are for only those who have given consent.

2. Highly customizable

Through a consent management platform, marketing directly to the target audience is possible since the visitors who have given consent regarding their personal information have shown interest in your products. Analysis of several visitors and those who permit data usage is easy and makes planning and strategizing for business growth easy.

3. Leverage audience data for online marketing across all online platforms and apps

Monetization through audience data, segmentation, and data extension for various other uses are vital for every business entity. Using audience data legally across all platforms and online avenues can help build a brand reputation and enhance its popularity for higher returns. CMP makes it possible for businesses to leverage potential customers using their data legally.

4. Enhance consumer relationships and build trust

Loyalty in business can help enhance the profit margins due to networking and repeat sales. Potential consumers trust a brand that asks for personal data consent and can trust you enough to buy products and campaign for your brand.

CMP makes it possible for businesses to target the customer base in advertisement and also ensures compliance with privacy rules; hence, it is a more effective way to reach your market niche to generate more sales.

People have taken the most out of the pandemic. The majority of people had the time to introspect and start their own passion project which is a small business. While certain small businesses became viral and rose to fame while some just couldn’t blow up much. There are many reasons as to why despite having unique products and services certain small businesses just couldn’t make it. Most business owners are not aware of these problems and later these prove to be the biggest small business mistakes ever made. Even if you happen to have a good plan that would make your small business blow up with time and effort, you have to be aware of these few mistakes which could take your small business right to the bottom.

Using Spreadsheet or Word document for invoicing instead of Invoice Software

For those who believe that invoicing is just another piece of paper with irrelevant information, think again because you might be making one of the biggest small business mistakes right there. Invoice is supposedly the most crucial piece of document your small business has because it has the information about the sales and purchases of your brand’s products and businesses. 

Not only is it unprofessional but it makes your business look way too desperate to make sales instead of creating a loyalty program among your customers.  There are high chances that you miss the crucial details when creating invoices through Word or Spreadsheets.

Your small business would look more professional if you just invest in invoice software. They are cheap and user-friendly.

Not realizing the power of SEO or an SEO specialist

One of the biggest small business mistakes is not to invest in the optimization of the website through SEO. Search engine optimization has the power to make your website search engine friendly which would attract potential customers with intent.  Every time a user searches for a keyword on the search engine that shares the same niche as your business, then chances are your website would spear on the top of the search engine results online if you have worked on the organic search visibility through SEO. 

In simpler terms, organic search visibility or SEO visibility determines the degree of visibility your website has when people look up for certain keywords organically. It mainly fins the scope to improve the optimization of your small business’s website. 

You could hire an SEO specialist to look after the SEO of your website because your website is the only platform that allows users to see your products and services.

Register your business

One cannot emphasize more the importance of legalizing your business. Protect your business by registering and legalizing it. Business registration will allow you to have a brand name. The brand name is your small business’s identity; it is how people would come to know of your business. You also get entitled to tax benefits when you decide to register your business.

These are the biggest small business mistakes that most small business owners overlook which results in the downfall of their business in the future.

Stories about young entrepreneurs do not impress the public anymore. Even quite the opposite. The digital adaptation of the business environment has increased young people’s chances of success. After all, they feel much more confident in this space. The story of the founding of Facebook, which turned the main character into a twenty-year-old billionaire, is the most famous, but not the only example of it. Many people want to make money, rather than sit for hours writing boring term papers. And that’s understandable. Young people have more reasons to get economics homework help, and instead spend their time making money – as if it were their own business or an ordinary job. In addition, many students need work due to a lack of money. The latter case sometimes leads to the ironic story of how need turns a person into a millionaire.

However, despite the lyricism of some success stories, not all students dream of following the same path. The combination “work + study” often seems unrealistic, because it is impossible to manage everything at once. That is why many still want to get a quality education without being distracted by external factors not related to their studies. To some extent, both are right. Business isn’t just about hard work. It’s also a fortunate occasion. And so if such an opportunity happens to be during your college years, you shouldn’t give it up. It is better to think about how not to lose the chance.

Why do I need to go to university if I can do business now?

University (institute, college) is the next element of the standard chain of adulthood after high school. And even though higher education is being criticized more and more every year, no one is going to give it up globally. Anyway, nowadays the value of higher education remains unchanged. What is changing is how it is interpreted. The technological world has a demand for narrow-profile professions. No one cares what is written on the diploma – it is much more important what a person can do. Higher education has lost its nominal value. If an institution does not offer practical knowledge, it is useless.

This trend has also transformed the educational program. Many universities offer business courses. The list of disciplines is replenished with subjects relevant to the current agenda: Internet marketing, project management, entrepreneurship. So even if you think that staying at university is a waste of time, you should not deny the accompanying fact of benefit. Business practice is valued most of all. But the value of theory has not been canceled. Your business is not going to suffer if you listen to a series of lectures about accounting, marketing, or management. At least this knowledge will allow you to understand what kind of environment you are going to be diving into.

Should I combine business and work?

Before making this important decision, be sure to consider the pros and cons.

 Pros:

• Extra finances that will help cover living expenses, meals, and out-of-pocket expenses;
• Experience that is sure to be useful, even if something doesn’t go according to plan.  
• New skills, knowledge, and abilities that are sure to be useful in the future.

Cons:

• If you work immediately after your studies, you will have limited time to do your homework and rest.

Of course, the idea of making money is always a great one. But don’t forget about your primary mission: learning. If you do decide to combine, then try to pay enough attention to your studies, and also do not forget that everyone needs a rest.

Where to start if you have no experience?

The first step in starting your own business is to create a business plan. This advice is clichéd and obvious. Nevertheless, many people reject it. It does not matter whether you are making a business plan for yourself or for investors you want to attract – it must include basic information about the company. What is the service or product? How much money do you need in the first phase? What is the payback period? In addition, you need to analyze the market, make a marketing plan and define the goals you want to achieve in a given period.

But the main thing that should be in your business plan is specialization. What is the uniqueness of the offering? What kind of consumer problem do you want to solve? You can understand this by carefully studying the market: whether its demographics match your target audience and how similar services are represented in it.

You shouldn’t forget about your exit strategy. Planning a negative outcome for your business may seem illogical and pessimistic. But at least this way you’ll prepare yourself for a difficult situation and avoid making random and irrational decisions.

Where do I get my start-up capital?

Start-up capital is the main problem with almost any business idea. It determines to what limits your imagination can develop. And its absence is often perceived as an obstacle to starting something at all. And how true this depends on your ability to balance opportunities with expectations. Start a business with nothing is possible, but at the same time, it is necessary to understand that the big income will not come right away. This factor is the very argument that encourages early entrepreneurship. The student has two resources necessary at the initial stage of building a business: time and lack of financial commitment. The second is what makes up for the lack of start-up capital. Yes, the student has no money, but he or she also has no debts, loans, or other significant expenditures. This allows you not to focus on the desire for quick profits, but to develop the business slowly and in stages.

At the moment, many activities do not require start-up capital. Or at least allowing a small amount of it. The business has migrated to the Internet, where any expenses are quite small. Even such an important tool of online entrepreneurship as a website has become a cheaper (and sometimes free) alternative in the form of social networks. 

This has made more accessible platforms for distributing services, making it easier to find a target audience and, most importantly, made marketing cheaper. In addition, a huge layer of profile information became available. It is possible to find the advice you need, listen to a training course, or study a successful case for free on the Internet. 

Internet globalization has unified experience, generalizing not only business trends but also the market itself.

Are there any other options? 

Of course, an enterprise with an initial investment has a much better chance of success than without it. But you should not give up on your idea just because there is no money for it. What’s even worse is not taking advantage of the opportunity to get it. There are plenty of venture capitalists willing to consider new ideas. Obtaining their favor, of course, is a daunting task. Every day, hundreds of people from all over the world apply for venture capital. But if you consider that on the other hand there is a pass to the world of big business, the attempt looks quite justified. In addition, there are government subsidies and preferential lending programs for banks, which together form a policy to stimulate entrepreneurial activity.

What type of business is suitable for beginners?

There are no specific industries that are right for beginners. The choice comes, as mentioned above, from the resources you have. These can include your knowledge, interests, and contacts. But not just them. Knowing what your target audience wants is an important success factor that will allow you to leave your competitors far behind. You can determine this by carefully examining your surroundings. If you are studying, your environment is students. Understand what they want, what their needs are – that’s the key to creating a unique offer. From there, choosing your niche will be much easier.

Did you panic when you saw this message?

"Support for the synching calendars and contacts has been deprecated and will be removed in a future version of itunes".

Do not worry! There is a 3rd Party product that has supported secure USB sync from Outlook to iPhone and iPad for more than a decade.

USB Sync is Secure and Safe

Face it, the reason people use iPhones is because Apple Devices are more secure than the competition. The most secure way to move your valuable customer information and schedule is to use USB Sync. Information on the Cloud is subject to hackers and man-in-the-middle attacks. While iCloud itself has not had a massive breach, individual iCloud accounts are commonly hacked and the data distributed by rogue players. Once your account is known, everything you store on iCloud is visible to the cybercriminal.

For years, iTunes has had good support for Outlook Contact and Calendar sync to iPhone. You simply connect your phone, let iTunes Sync run, and your phone list and calendar are populated with your Outlook data.

It is worth remembering that Apple, masted in Cupertino, California, is still frienemies with Microsoft based in Redmond, Washington. While they publicly support each other, they continue to be competitive in many markets including Gaming, Streaming TV, Streaming Music, and at one time Smartphone Operating systems. Apple has also had a longstanding war with cables, seeking to free their phone from any sort of connection that may carry viruses or breach the security of the phone. By focusing on iCloud and internet-based connections, Apple feels they can better serve people who desire security.

CompanionLink to the Rescue!

CompanionLink shares the value of ensuring that your Contact and Calendar data is secure. A company strongly rooted in the Palm Pilot days, CompanionLink has supported Outlook Sync from the first-month Outlook was released. Their strength is that they work with any type of Outlook Folder, POP3, IMAP, Exchange and Office 365 folders, and with all versions of Outlook.

The CompanionLink for Outlook supports USB Sync to Apple iPhone and iPad. It can easily synchronize your Contacts and Calendar to the native iOS Contacts and Calendar. It can do this securely and easily. CompanionLink is easy to set up, with only a few settings screens needed to establish the sync system. After that, you just hit a button whenever you need your data updated.

Dedicated App for your Outlook Data

The CompanionLink system features DejaOffice, which provides Tasks and Notes support. Apple iTunes has never fully incorporated Tasks or Notepad. CompanionLink also can preserve Outlook Calendar colors on appointments, something that not even Microsoft’s Outlook App can do. You can download DejaOffice from the Apple App Store today. This is a free app.

The task of switching from iTunes to CompanionLink is simple, and takes about 15 minutes. Follow this handy guide.

CompanionLink offers Secure Wi-Fi Sync as an alternative – in case you are ready to ditch the cable connection. They also provide an internet based Cloud sync called DejaCloud which is useful for offices that update your schedule while you are traveling since the data moves from your office to your phone without regard to what state or country your phone is in.

You can download a free 14-day trial of CompanionLink for Outlook. If you need help, the company provides free technical support by calling +1(503)243-3400 or by emailing support@companionlink.com.