Month: April 2020

Legal BrandingPersonal Branding

4 Strategies to Grow Your D2C Brand

It’s estimated that direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand sales will reach $17.75 billion in 2020 — an increase of almost 25% from last year. 

The COVID-19 crisis might have something to do with that. But even though the virus has caused an overall upswing in online shopping, this isn’t necessarily the case across all product types. Most people today are buying must-have items, rather than nice-to-have products and services. 

Brands that sell directly to consumers, and especially those that fall under the nonessential category, face a difficult future. For instance, health and safety products, as well as digital streaming services, have seen increased demand — but fashion and apparel sellers are experiencing significant losses. 

Some D2C companies will undoubtedly fail. But many will survive. For those that do weather the storm, survival will depend heavily on using the right marketing tactics. 

Here are four tried-and-tested strategies to help you secure and grow your D2C brand, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

1. Social Media Marketing

For a majority of D2C brands, social media is the most effective channel for online customer acquisition. Considering that more than half of all social media users use social media to research products, that kind of makes sense. 

But as a brand, being active on social media isn’t enough to attract and retain customers. You also need to have a clear strategy — preferably one that doesn’t rely solely on promotional posts and ads. 

Almost 80% of customers won’t hesitate to unfollow a brand that bombards them with sales pitches. And over 50% of consumers will unfollow a brand that shares irrelevant content. 

So, what do customers want to see from brands they follow on social media?

Engaging, informative, micro-focused content that’s also timely, says Matt Seltzer, a market research and strategy consultant at S2 Research. Seltzer recommends looking at Wendy’s and Arby’s, two successful fast food D2C brands, for inspiration on how to stay top-of-mind with consumers via social media. 

One of their keys to success? Creating and sharing social media video content to capture customer attention. If you’re not sure why video is such a powerful medium for D2C brands and social media marketing, consider that over 70% of customers prefer to learn about a product or service through video.

2. Personalized Shopping Experience

The average American customer is exposed to between 4,000 and 10,000 ads per day (up from about 500 ads per day in the 1970s). To protect their sanity, most people have learned to ignore the vast majority of ads and focus only on the stimuli most relevant to them. 

That might seem like bad news for marketers. In reality, however, reaching your customers isn’t any more difficult than it was 50 years ago — as long as you invest in personalization.

Consumers crave customized experiences. As many as 80% of customers are more likely to buy from brands that provide personalized shopping experiences. And 71% feel frustrated when a shopping experience isn’t personalized.

A further 70% of customers say they’d even let retailers track their shopping behavior if it resulted in an improved shopping experience.

Regardless of whether you’re creating website content, placing a social media ad, or sending an email campaign, make sure that your message speaks to each of your customers on an individual level (tip: omnichannel analytics might help).

3. Influencer Partnerships

If you’re not yet working with social media influencers (individuals with a considerable following in a specific niche), you’re not only missing out, but you’re also a minority.

More than 9 out of 10 marketers today use influencer marketing  — and for good reason. For every $1 that brands invest in influencer marketing, they generate an average return of $18 in publicity value.

How is that possible? People really do follow influencer suggestions and behavior. Nearly 50% of consumers say they rely on influencer recommendations to help them make purchasing decisions. Moreover, 8 out of 10 customers have bought a product or a service after seeing it recommended by an influencer. 

Yes, influencer marketing is undoubtedly powerful; but it needs to be handled thoughtfully. As more brands rush to secure deals with influencers, there’s a risk of oversaturating social platforms with sponsored content and reviews — which could actually reduce consumer trust in influencers.

The trick is to find the right influencers for your brand, rather than partnering with anyone and everyone with an audience. Your ideal influencers are those who speak to the same audience as your brand. Their followers are most likely to have a genuine interest in your product or service.

Finding influencers who are the right fit for your marketing campaigns isn’t easy. But it’s worth it, especially for D2C brands. D2C shoppers are almost three times more likely than traditional shoppers to admit that influencers and celebrities sway their perception of a brand. 

4. User-Generated Content

Like influencer marketing, user-generated content (UGC) can also be a powerful tool in your digital marketing arsenal. 

In fact, UGC is actually almost 10 times as impactful as influencer marketing. Unlike influencer content, which is usually paid for by a brand, UGC is a genuine expression of customer appreciation — and is, therefore, more trustworthy. 

One D2C brand that has nailed user-generated marketing is Chewy, a pet supply store. 

“Chewy’s branding on their boxes and the concept of your pets getting food and treats in the mail every month translates perfectly into excited pet photos and videos on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram,” says Boone Clemmons, Chief Strategy Officer at Brandwagon LLC. “There are also a large number of posts where pets excitedly open their Chewy box, as well as many posts of tired cats and dogs using their Chewy boxes as beds.”

So, how can you follow Chewy’s lead and get customers to post UGC about your brand? Oftentimes, it’s just a matter of asking! For example, over 60% of consumers say they would post about good health or beauty product experience on social media. 

By encouraging consumers to share the photos and videos they create, you can inspire them to engage with your brand and produce authentic content that will lead to a larger audience and pool of customers.

Final Thoughts 

With most retail stores closed and consumers under lockdown at home, e-commerce sales are booming. According to ACI Worldwide, many online retail sectors experienced a 74% increase in sales in March 2019 compared to March 2018. Also, nearly 10% of U.S.-based consumers purchased something online for the first time that same month due to social distancing. 

The takeaway? It’s quite likely that the COVID-19 pandemic will change consumer shopping habits long term. So, what are you waiting for? Get on board with these strategies now to establish your brand as a leader in D2C marketing. 

About the author

Laura Martisiute is a freelance writer with Plytix, a headless product information management system designed for fast-growing product brands. She’s a content marketing specialist with years of experience diving deep into the latest research on technology, business, and marketing.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/plytix-com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/plytix

American ginseng
Local Branding

5 Things You May Not Know About American Ginseng

Ginseng is the new buzzword of the herb industry. In fact, it’s the new buzzword of the entire health industry because it’s undeniably one impressive herb that will bring almost all of your diseases to an end. American Ginseng is known to be the most beneficial type of Ginseng.

It’s true that there are hundreds of different herbs out there, but each herb is used to treat a specific health condition. However, Ginseng is a little different. It’s not just any ordinary herb, in fact, it’s famous as a cure to all diseases, and that’s what we are here to talk about.

Today we will be telling you some important things about American Ginseng that you may not know;

1- American Ginseng was introduced in China 300 years ago

The Native Americans have been using Ginseng for more years than one can guess. But on the other hand, in China, Ginseng got introduced only just 300 years back. In the year 1718, a French Jesuit missionary, Joseph Lafitau, found an American Ginseng plant that looked similar to a Chinese plant, known as “Panax ginseng”. That was the time when he launched a lucrative trade with China.

2- 6 Million Americans use American Ginseng daily

Ginseng is available in America in different forms. More than 6 million Americans use this herb every day because the health benefits with which it comes are just marvelous. This one plant can cure every single health issue ranging from diabetes to cancer to premature ejaculation and a lot more.

Herb tea

3- North Americans hide the taste and Asians enjoy the taste

In North America, people consume Ginseng in ways that it hides the taste. For example, they take a pill of the American Ginseng so that they don’t taste it. On the other hand, Asians try their best to enjoy the taste of Ginseng, and they prefer making tea out of it. The capsule consumption of American Ginseng isn’t famous in Asia. They take the roots of the plant, crush or grind them, and make tea.

4- American Ginseng is the best to overcome stress among young adults

If you fall in the bracket between 19 to 35, the American Ginseng is going to be the best thing for you and your health. This Ginseng can show some amazing results when it comes to lowering the stress levels of your body. And well, it’s a fact that young adults, especially those with a job and a house to manage to suffer the most from stress. Things like American Ginseng can make a huge difference, which is why trying it is a good idea.

Gingsen

5- Mild therapeutic actions

You can make a soup out of the American Ginseng roots. Or if you love drinking tea, you can make the ginseng tea and consume it every day. You can take up to 3 to 4 cups of this tea on a daily basis without worrying about anything or any side effects. With regular consumption, you will feel the difference in your body yourself, and it’s going to be amazing.

Conclusion

Ginseng is all that people are talking about nowadays. People think it’s the wisest thing to do to use an herb instead of medicines in order to treat their medical conditions. In fact, even if you are totally healthy and even if you don’t have any medical condition, you can still consume American Ginseng to boost your immune system, your brain’s cognitive functions, and your overall body. But most importantly, you will only be able to see the results if you consume the tea or the Ginseng capsules on a regular basis.

Author Bio: Faiz Tayyab is a social media and content marketer. He is currently writing product reviews and buying guides on BestNespressoCapsules.

Digital Branding

Radar Speed Signs – How Effective And Beneficial They Are

People have consistently been in a rush looking for a thriller experience, and with regards to driving a vehicle, the vast majority will decide to drive it fast if there are no limitations.

More than 1.25 million individuals kick the bucket every year because of streetcar accidents. The numbers are crushing and that is the reason it’s more than would normally be appropriate to manage the speed of vehicles anyway conceivable to lessen the sudden passings and wounds.

Because of the innovation that has given numerous helpful alternatives, so as to forestall the mishappening. Radar speed signs are the subsequent stage in controlling rush hour gridlock speed. It is equipped for recording the speed of an approaching vehicle and afterward shows it through the LED lights. So in this post, you will get to know about the numerous advantages of utilizing a radar speed sign.

Significantly more secure than the speed breakers

It gives incredible security in contrast with hindrances that are bothering and excruciating. Additionally, the hindrance causes traffic speed capricious as certain vehicles don’t back off.

Radar speeds signs oppose habituation

The human mind gets desensitized to a dreary boost (therapists call this procedure habituation). That implies when individuals see the equivalent, static school zone sign or 20 mph give up and over, the psyche begins to overlook it. Sooner or later, it doesn’t enlist seeing it.

That is the place radar speed signs come in. Each time you pass them, they streak another bit of information. Their input is a continually changing upgrade in your static daily schedule, which implies you are less ready to habituate to them.

Can help calm the traffic- which is a great benefit

Erratic traffic is whenever more wild than controlled traffic. Traffic controlling would basically mean controlling velocity. What’s more, these radar speed sign sheets are the best things to trust. Henceforth, the responders of these sheets are far more than the standard ones. That is the motivation behind why these signs trailer sheets are confided in more than the standard ones. Traffic calming can be considered as one of the benefits of these sheets; that is startling when you hear their name.

Teach and educate the public and make better, happier citizens

Impossible you say? No, it’s true. There is some truly fascinating science about how the mind reacts to driver speed signs (called criticism circles) that says, let individuals know when they are speeding, offer them a chance to address their conduct and they will. That is instructing drivers and helping them to be productive members of society. People, in general, acknowledge a delicate update unquestionably more than glimmering blue lights in the rearview reflect. Furthermore, a nonappearance of speeding tickets makes for more joyful residents and happier citizens.

To wrap it up, these are a portion of the astonishing advantages of utilizing radar speed signs. Ideally, this snippet of data may help you in your future endeavors.

Digital BrandingLegal BrandingPersonal Branding

6 Tips for Developing an Agile Brand

Change is constant and rapid in today’s time of doing business. The ability to adapt to change is not a luxury but a necessity. This makes it important for businesses to develop an agile brand. Brands should be quick to keep up with market trends and customer behaviors, among other things. In this short post, we’ll talk about some of the best ways to develop an agile brand. 

1. Learn the Basics

It is difficult to develop an agile brand if you do not know the fundamentals of how to do it. With this, you need to study. For instance, one thing that could help would be taking a change management certification course. While there are many things that you can learn from the latter, one of the most significant you could learn would be how to create an agile and competitive company or brand that can stay attuned with the fast-changing marketplace. 

2. Be Adaptive

To build an agile brand, you need to be nimble. To do this, learn how to take a risk. Do not be limited by your desire to be consistent. Take the case of Netflix as an example. It has changed its business model several times before it finally found the most profitable. By being adaptive, you are demonstrating that you are willing to bend a bit to keep up. Your brand strategy must be able to flow and flex with change.

3. Collaborate

An agile strategy for building a successful brand capitalizes on collaboration. By working together, you can create better solutions, which will be instrumental in the success of a brand. To build a collaborative environment, there is a need for openness and creativity. The more an organization learns to collaborate, the bigger is the room for improvement.

4. Build the Right Team

Speaking of collaborating, building an agile brand also calls for the need to have a competent team. Gather some of the brightest minds within the organization. The team should have people who can quickly implement novel strategies depending on current trends. 

5. Implement Rapid Prototyping

Rapid prototyping refers to the quick fabrication of several models. Agile brands should create beta versions of a brand strategy simultaneously. Instead of introducing one strategy and testing its feasibility, an alternative approach is to introduce multiple strategies at once, test, and see which ones will work the best.

6. Be Timely

To be agile, your brand needs to be timely. One of the best applications of this would be when it comes to releasing your marketing campaigns. Your materials should be relevant and well-timed. For instance, if it is Christmas, you need to release holiday-themed ads. By doing this, you can appeal more effectively to the emotions of your target audience.

We are living in a fast-paced society where businesses must keep up with the changes. With this, it is crucial to building an agile brand to meet the changing demands of the market. Take note of our recommendations above to make this possible. 

Legal Branding

Workers Compensation Injuries- Know The Most Common Ones

Workplace injuries are commonly associated with risky and physically demanding professions. However, injuries can happen in all kinds of organizations and some are more common than the others. Even the employees who work in seemingly the safest places may get injured due to such common incidents. It is significant to be aware that even the most unexpected types of injuries come under the coverage of worker’s compensation and you can claim them from your employer. Here are the common ones you need to know about.

Machinery accident injury

Faulty machinery or equipment or its misuse is one of the leading reasons for people getting injured at workplaces such as factories and construction sites. However, such mishaps can happen in offices as well, with equipment such as copiers or paper shredders being in common use. Burns or scalds are the injuries that employees at restaurants and eateries may come across. If you have sustained an injury while using a machine for your job or at your workplace, you can claim for worker’s compensation.

Overexertion

Surprisingly, overexertion is also covered by worker’s compensation. It usually happens when employees strain or pull a muscle or joint. In worst cases, you may slip a disc, which can be excruciating. Such problems often happen in physically tasking jobs such as factories and construction sites though people in other professions may experience them as well. Overexertion is possible in an office while moving files or even at a restaurant while carrying food.

Slips and falls

Slips and falls can happen anywhere, including your workplace. An employee can trip on a loose carpet, slip on a wet floor indoors or slip in the rain outside. Such incidents can cause minor sprains and bruises or something as major as fractures and traumatic brain injury. Since fault may be hard to prove in such cases, it is best to have an experienced personal injury lawyer handling it. Such incidents are covered by worker’s compensation if they occur during a job task or within your workplace.

Repetitive strain injury

As the name implies, these injuries occur when you do the same motion or action over and over again. Tennis elbow, carpal tunnel, and bursitis are common instances of repetitive strain injuries. Like slip and fall accidents, these may be tricky to prove because they develop over years rather than overnight. You need to be vigilant enough to report the symptoms and associate them with a workplace task that you do as a part of your duty.

Highway accident injuries

People who work as truck drivers, delivery drivers, and police officers are susceptible to highway accidents during the course of their work. Even other employees who have accidents while driving for work tasks can claim for highway accident. As a rule, any injury that happens while you are on job duty, even while traveling or running errands, is claimable under the worker’s compensation law.

With this clear classification of workplace accidents and injuries, it will be easier to decide when you have a legitimate case. Your compensation is something you deserve and you must certainly go the extra mile to get it.

Legal Branding

Shopping Mall Accidents: How Can You Get Fair Settlement?

Accidents can take place at the most unexpected places and a shopping mall is one of them. But you will be surprised to know that you can claim compensation for the injuries sustained during such a mishap. Shopping centers are often owned by commercial corporations that earn profit by leasing spaces. Hence, it is their responsibility to keep the business area safe for the customers who come to shop at stores. Apart from the mall itself, they are also responsible for the upkeep of areas such as elevators, escalators, walkways, restrooms, and parking lots. If you get injured in an accident at one of these places, the owner may be liable and you can claim compensation from their insurance company. Here are some facts that you should know for ensuring a fair settlement.

Common accidents and injuries at shopping malls

First things first, you need to understand when your accident would be considered as a shopping mall mishap. For example, a car accident outside the center or in its busy parking lot is not their responsibility. Rather, a slip and fall accident caused due to slippery floors, uneven floor mats, cracked pavement, unsecured electrical cords, and spilled drinks and food is regarded as the center’s fault. Similarly, you can consider them liable for incidents such as falling debris, faulty escalators, trampling due to inadequate security and assaults, and mugging incidents. The commonly reported injuries include bruises, scrapes, and cuts, leg injuries, back and neck injuries, head wounds, broken bones, and even traumatic brain injuries.

Understanding the liability for injuries

If you are injured in a shopping mall accident, you may seek compensation from different sources depending on your circumstances. These include:

  • The owner or management company of the center if you get hurt in a common area
  • The owner or management company of the retail store if you are hurt in a store
  • Manufacturer of defective equipment or machinery such as an escalator company
  • Private individuals

It is to be noted that you may have multiple claims in such accidents, which makes them more complicated than other personal injury claims. This is the reason you must consult seasoned personal injury lawyers while filing a claim. For example, you may have a claim against the shopping mall along with a secondary one against the retail store where the accident took place.

Proving fault for your injuries is the key

Shopping center owners are obligated by state and federal laws to protect visitors on their premises. They are ultimately responsible for customer safety, which means that they hold a legal duty to protect them from injury. However, the liability extends only to the ones that are foreseeable. While filing a claim, you have to prove the foreseeable nature of the injury to make it a valid one. Unless you are able to do so, you cannot claim compensation. For example, failing to maintain the escalators can lead to injuries that owners can foresee and will be liable for. Conversely, they wouldn’t be responsible for the ones caused due to your own negligence.

Being aware of all these facts can make all the difference when it comes to claiming compensation for shopping mall mishaps. At the same time, you must have a good lawyer to help you get the fair settlement you deserve.

Digital Branding

How Cloud Computing protects companies from Coronavirus?

With Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) creating pandemic and more and more deaths since its inception last December, the professional world has tried to make remote network arrangements for the work. The spread of Coronavirus has led all the businesses to work remotely. It shows that most of us are switching to the internet and cloud-based solutions.

  • The organizations which were already having remote network infrastructure are subject to benefits in this situation. They are in the process of updating their existing software services.
  • Other organizations that didn’t have any cloud-based services available for remote work are rushing to build their cloud call center software applications. They are concerned about the future and are preparing for any such pandemic outbreaks.
  • The Coronavirus disease that started in China had created several controversies in the past and today also. But, we must utilize our energy in finding a solution to fight against such disease. For companies, the best solution presently is to shift their focus on cloud computing.
  • Having a cloud application means businesses will have no effects on their work in such a pandemic. Having a cloud application will not only increase the scalability but also have additional benefits listed below.

Advantages of having cloud solution for your business amid Coronavirus

– Reduction in the cost

Businesses will save the necessary money using cloud solutions for their operations. These savings are in the form of a reduction in human resources, an increase in work efficiency, and deploying standard cloud solutions for multiple tasks.

The most significant reduction in the cost is the hardware, software, and additional technology infrastructure you have to purchase to fulfill the needs. Instead, here you need to focus on cloud-based solutions to meet your needs.

– Performance is improved

The cloud-based solutions, for example, S4 HANA cloud solution, and already running on tried and tested internet network.

You don’t have to worry about speed and efficiency. It is regularly updated to meet the requirements of the growing world.

It is best if you focused on how you will improve the solution; performance will increase by default.

– Reliable

When you are running your business operations using cloud solutions, it becomes necessary for you to check its reliability.

Talking about reliability, cloud solutions like S4 HANA cloud provides you the most important features like data backup and data recovery.

These two features are essential, especially when people are working remotely in COVID-19.

– Security

Along with reliability, cloud computing networks use the most critical security features.

When your organization is using cloud computing, be assured that cloud computing is the most secure network.

Your business is not only secured against any potential loss but also protected against all the security vulnerabilities your business will face in the future.

– Keeps you ready for the future

Businesses that were already present on cloud infrastructure are ripping the great benefits in today’s scenario.

They understood the importance of cloud-based solutions, and they prepared themselves in advance for any uncertain situations like COVID-19.

But it is still not late. You can always migrate to cloud-based solutions and be ready for any outbreaks occurring in the future.

Getting ready for cloud-based solutions like S4 HANA Cloud means keeping yourself prepared for any uncertain situation or possible changes and challenges the future will bring concerning our business.

Innovation is the real face against danger. 

 Let us consider the present situation. The companies are not working from their offices on account of lockdown. And employees are working from home.

In such a scenario, you may visualize that the only thing that is positive in such a situation, is the innovative ideas adopted by organizations to fetch the required results to their clients.

We are strengthening our toolset and more innovations are yet to come in the coming days.

Organizations have to admit that cloud-based solutions are the best solutions. Also, we always feel that innovation can face any danger that we all come across.

Conclusion

 Day-by-day, we can see that an enormous amount of data is generated. With Big Data, you need big storage. And that is where the cloud computing steps-in.

Cloud applications provide organizations with all the facilities to store, analyze, and extract meaningful information from this enormous data in a scalable and cost-efficient manner.

Legal BrandingLocal BrandingPersonal Branding

Preparing for Job Interviews in 2020

When it comes to interviewing for a new job, some things never change. However, in a rapidly evolving society and work environment, it’s essential to be sure that you’re up-to-date on best practices. As the internet becomes more ingrained in daily life, 2020 promises to be an unusual year for the job market.

Here are some helpful tips to help you prepare for job interviews in 2020.

Review Your Resume

Having an updated resume isn’t just for your future employer. Consider this invaluable document your interview cheat sheet. Take some time before your interview to review your resume and make notes about your experience. These notes could include answers to commonly asked questions or examples of how you made a tangible impact at each job.

Freezing up or rambling during an interview isn’t uncommon. Many individuals experience this as a result of stress or nerves. Having your resume in front of you can help you stay centered and on track.

Know also how to add resume to LinkedIn.

Work with a Coach

Practicing the answers to common questions is a must before a big interview. While working alone in front of the mirror can help you find the right words and responses, working with a coach can take your interview skills to the next level.

A coach can provide live feedback and make helpful suggestions based on industry norms. They can also help you navigate tricky areas, such as employment gaps and terminations. Consider reaching out to a coach as soon as you apply for a job to give you lots of time to practice.

Tidy Up Your Social Media

Now more than ever, recruiters and hiring managers are using social media to vet applicants. While the social media cleaning process should start well in advance of the interview, you should always take another look before the big day.

Remove any photos that could be deemed as unprofessional. While it’s normal to have a few fun pictures with friends, showing images of non-stop partying could be a red flag for future employers. You should also delete and unfollow politically-charged or controversial posts. Freedom of speech is important, but it’s not without consequences. In this situation, it could be the difference between getting a job and not.

Prepare for a Virtual Setting

When you go for an in-person interview, it’s essential to map out the route and parking and get there early. However, 2020 is a unique year, and more employers are moving toward virtual settings now and in the future.

So how does one prepare for a virtual setting? 

First, check and see which platform your interviewer is using for your interview and download the app or check the compatibility with your device. Next, find the right area with a stable internet connection and a tidy background. Be ready to log on five minutes in advance.  

Dress the Part

Whether you’re interviewing in person or virtually, you should always dress the part. Wash your face, do your hair, and put on nice clothing. Do some research on the company to see what their overall dress code and level of formality might be. Even if they’re a t-shirt and jeans kind of business, opt for a business casual outfit for the interview.

By keeping these simple tips in mind, you’ll be ready for your job interview in 2020. We’ve also made a list of valuable resources for the best and up-to-date trends in the market:

PushFar is a world-leading mentoring software and technology company, helping thousands of individuals and organizations with mentoring. We run an open mentoring platform, where anyone can sign up free to find a mentor, volunteer to mentor others, network, connect and develop their career, with a whole host of career progression tools and techniques.

MoneyMow is a blog about Carl and his family’s journey towards financial independence and retiring early at age 33. He writes about saving money, making money, and investing with the purpose of living a more free and happy life.

Amanda of My Life, I Guess strives to keep the “person” in personal finance by writing about money, mistakes, and more. She focuses on what it’s like being in debt, living paycheck to paycheck, and surviving unemployment while also offering advice and support for others in similar situations – including a FREE library of career & job search resources. 

Digital Branding

Winning Bid Management Strategies For Businesses

The competition in the B2B domain is growing these days and businesses are struggling to stay ahead. The biggest challenge relates to finding the best opportunities and capitalizing on them. Looking at the right places is important and so is using the right approach to get projects for your business. Bid management plays a key role in this aspect as you need to understand what really can make you successful with tendering. Essentially, you cannot follow a one-size-fits-all approach with tenders because they vary in size and complexity. Still, there are some bid management strategies you can rely on for winning the tendering game.

Develop corporate literature

Even before you start exploring opportunities, you need to have well-defined and coherent corporate literature in place. This is because businesses that collaborate with you would want to verify whether your organization holds relevant skills, experience and mindset to complete the projects to the highest of standards. Ideally, your corporate literature should include elements such as policies, licenses, accreditations and case studies. Beyond just having the right elements, it should have consistent, credible and rich content to showcase your achievements, track record and professionalism.

Source the right opportunities

Once you have the corporate documentation in place, you are all set to start exploring opportunities. Sourcing ones that are right for your business is vital. In the current landscape, Online Tenders make a smart approach for the organizations that want to find projects to match their capabilities. Besides capabilities, the other key considerations while assessing the suitability of tenders include domain experience, location feasibility, team skills and financial threshold. If you think that you can deliver to the buyer’s expectation, you can go ahead and bid.

Assess the buyer’s expectations

After ensuring that you can handle a project considering its specifications, you need to assess the prospective client’s expectations as well. They often have specific requirements and tender responses that fail to address these requirements tend to get lost in the crowd. A thorough look at the specification documents is the best way to get started. Further, you should pick the key information pieces, understand how the client’s organization operates and try to reflect the right mindset in your response.

Have a thorough bid management plan

Now that you have a clear idea about the project and client expectations, it is time to get started with creating a proper bid management plan. Creating a hurried response can kill your chances of success with tendering. Outline the key factors such as response to individual questions, documentation to be attached with the response and format of response. Ensure that you formulate the plan while keeping the submission deadlines in mind. Proper proofreading of the response before submission is also an important aspect of the bid management process. Something as trivial as spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, mathematical miscalculations and formatting problems can damage your chances.

An effective bid management strategy can make all the difference between success and failure for your business. So you must go the extra mile to create one and adhere to it as a standard for tender submissions.

Digital BrandingPersonal Branding

How to Come up with Topics for Your New Blog

Starting a new blog can be scary. Terrifying, even. It’s important to note that coming up with topics for your blog doesn’t have to be intimidating. There are a few things you can do to ensure you never have difficulties coming up with something interesting to write about, and they aren’t as difficult as you may think. In fact, they are actually pretty simple.

We’ll be going over some of those tricks in detail, so if you’re ready to start learning, keep reading.

Take Some Time to Brainstorm Ahead!

First, you want to start with a good old-fashioned brainstorming session. This is because taking the time to brainstorm topics is a major must when starting a new blog. With all the fake news out there, you’ll need to have unique ideas and supporting evidence, if you want your blog to stand out from the get-go.

Before you can come up with an entire list, though, you need to get the ball rolling and write down one or two of the topics that are already swirling through your mind. Even if you can only come up with one idea at the beginning, it’s all you need to get started.

From there, you simply need to change scope.

Let’s say, for example, you want to write a blog post about the importance of marketing. This is a pretty broad topic on its own, but if you change the scope, it opens up a world of opportunity. And before you know it, your one idea has turned into 6 or 7.

You can also write about topics like the importance of organic marketing, the most recent changes that have happened with marketing strategies in your niche, the differences between marketing on different social media channels, and much more.

All it takes to successfully change scope is a different perspective, a good brainstorming session, and the willingness to take some time to plan ahead.

Use Content Tools Like Google Analytics to See What’s Working

With that being said, though, you also want to make sure the topics you come up with will work. That means using content tools like Google Analytics, HubSpot, and ClickFunnels to keep an eye on how your blog posts stack up against the competition.

When audience members read content, they’re looking for a number of things, including easy-to-read layouts, mobile functionality, engaging copy, and accurate search engine optimization. Having the data from each blog post at your fingertips can give you the ability to analyze whether your topics and overall blog can satisfy those needs.

No Need to Look Far: Write About Topics That Concern Your Site!

No matter how well thought out your blog topics are, there’s no chance they will perform well if they don’t fit in with the content on the rest of your website. So if you’re having trouble coming up with blog topics, look no further than that topic! Most notably, your site’s security.

Cybersecurity is a major issue for every website owner, including you, and it can provide a broad range of topics for you to write about. Some examples might be the best way to ensure the backend of your website is secure and the best way to establish strong security initiatives among staff members.

How-To Guides Are Always Great and Really Popular!

If all else fails, you can never go wrong with writing how-to guides! These have been shown to perform well on a regular basis, especially in the online blog space.

Think about it.

One of the most common things people do is Google the answers they’re looking for. Your goal with how-to guides is to walk your readers through a process they don’t yet know how to do and provide them those answers.

Write What You Know

No matter what your blog is about, it’s always going to be possible to come up with topics. All it takes is a little time, a new perspective, and excitement regarding the experience your readers will receive when they click onto your content. What is more, there are plenty of writing and editing tools and services like ClassyEssay which apart from providing academic writing help can also assist you in creating catchy headlines and high-quality content on various topics for your blog.

And if you ever struggle to come up with new topics, just take a moment to breathe and walk through the strategies we outlined above. You know about more than you think, and there are plenty of people out there who want to pick your brain about every aspect of whatever your overall branding focuses on.

So go out there and start writing. You’ve got this!