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Start Lead Generation Business for General Contractor: 4 Tips in Doing It Right

Steven on January 17, 2019

A lead generation business provides other businesses with a client’s contact information based on their specific criteria. General contractors usually hire lead generation companies to provide them with qualified homeowners.

Most of these homeowners are no longer doing things offline, and they would instead make use of the internet to find resources. While few general contractors have some online presence, not all of them can effectively convert their website visitors into customers.

If you’re thinking of starting a lead generation business for general contractors, here are four tips to help you do it right.

1. Always Offer An Incentive

In digital marketing, an incentive refers to an attractive offer or bonus you get after performing a specified action. Based on a study made by Ippei Leads Marketing Service, about 40% of your site visitors will be willing to give out their email in exchange for something of value.

Incentives are also called lead magnets because they can effectively attract leads. Here are some top lead magnets that you can offer to your website visitors:

Checklist – You can provide them with a list of things to consider when remodeling a house or what to look for in a contractor.
Ebooks – Some of you may be thinking that writing one will take a lot of time. That may be true, but you also probably have several blog posts published that can be compiled to form an ebook.
Exclusive content – You can offer an exclusive video or one-on-one consultation with an expert. If you’re an expert yourself, then it’s going to make things easier for you.
Coupons – You can partner with a known builder’s supply chain so you can offer coupons that your web visitors can redeem.

2. Educate Through Blog Contents

Most homeowners start their journey by going online and reading resources, and your blog can be one of those. However, it’s not enough to just have a blog. You have to maintain it regularly. Doing so, will not only help your search optimization effort but, establish you as a reliable resource website as well.

Here are some content ideas you can begin with:

Educational articles about home improvement
Local projects you help build
Case studies
Pricing guides
House remodeling project planning
Articles about general contractors

Creating your content around these topics will help you generate leads through organic searches. They may not immediately provide their contact information after reading one of your blogs but, you’ll remain top of mind, and that’s also important.

3. Make Use Of Social Media

You can use social media as a platform to promote your landing pages and your content. Keep in mind that you don’t need to sign up for every social media platforms out there, pick out what’s relevant for your niche.

For homeowners looking for general contractors, you sign up on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. More importantly, social media may be the most economical way for you to generate leads mainly because it’s free to use.

Here is how you generate leads using social media:

Share gated content – Gated content means that they have to give out some sort of information before they can access the content. If the content is interesting enough, they’ll click on it.
Advertise – Social media websites like Facebook and Instagram now enables its users to advertise on their platform. You can leverage their data by advertising and targeting your ideal audience.
Host live webinars – You can do live sessions or webinars and while doing the video, direct your viewers to a special gated offer you have. Just be sure that the offer is enticing enough so viewers will click on it.

4. Audit Your Website

There’s no use in creating informative blogs, promoting on social media or working on your incentive if your website isn’t good enough. For example, if your site or landing pages take time to load, potential leads may abandon it before they even see you’re incentive and provide their information.

Audit your website regularly and make sure that the user experience takes into account. More importantly, be sure that you have a responsive website that renders correctly on different screen sizes as more people are becoming mobile.

Conclusion

Generating leads is a lucrative business, but it’s an opportunity that doesn’t guarantee success overnight. Attracting and collecting leads takes time, but if you follow the things listed here, you’ll have no problem generating them. Offer an incentive where it’s possible, consistently work on your content and make it better, and be sure that your website is optimized for success.

Local Branding

Why Is 360 Degree Appraisal Tool Important?

Steven on January 17, 2019

Many people talk about the round 360 degrees appraisal these days, but if one looks back, this very concept began much earlier in the 1940s. This particular method is mainly used so that each and every employee of a particular company can get the equal opportunity to get a good performance feedback from the staff members, managers, supervisors and colleagues.

This is also a kind of multi-source feedback process and it is used as a proper assessment tool which is completely based on the performance of an individual. It can thus easily gather up all the feedback from the ones who are affected the performance of an individual in a particular job. So, it is very much essential to do this round about thing every year.

There are many companies which try to avoid this 360 degree employee evolution because this tool and process has a lot of complexity. There are a few chances that in case of 360 degree feedbacks there can be some misunderstandings. If that happens, then it is not a good thing. But at the same time, this 360 degree performance appraisal is a very powerful tool which can be used by a company so that the employees who work there can enhance their performances depending on the feedback they get.

There are some practical ways to do this thing so that the company or a business can benefit from this particular 360 degree feedback.

The primary thing is that, it easily opens the channel for more communication. When a company goes for an annual practice of using 360 degree feedback program on their employees, it also opens the passage of some rich communication problems and as a result of it, the problems that have been questioned and addresses can be easily resolved. As a result, the companies end up communicating effectively with the employees and bring out the best in them.
Also the employees can get some major feedbacks from their managers, supervisors, fellow colleagues and even from the subordinates by which they can rectify themselves. As a result of getting this peer feedback every year they try to better themselves which in turn brings profit and good to the organization.
Due to this feedback process, the team members can easily talk about each other and give their personal feedbacks and so in turn it creates a sense of accountability. This brings in some honest and open communications which clears up a lot of misunderstandings and the team can work as a transparent group which is very important for a company to flourish.
The company can also look after the feedback results and then decide how and on which field an employee needs to work more so that they can become more efficient. The company can introduce some training sessions as well if they see they need some in particular areas so that it can do more good to the company.

Why this is very powerful?

This entire feedback thing might sound complicated, but it is actually a very powerful process as it helps the leader of any team to get aligned with their subordinates. It caters in authentic team work and keeps the process going of continuous learning. It also develops the personal and company awareness at many levels. It helps one in continuous learning and the company discovers some truths in this process and can have a clear idea on where they stand in the market as an organization.

Find the right tool

This particular tool is very easy to fill and one requires very minimal technical skills in order to fill this up. The company can very easily set up the survey in the employees computers and from there one can fill up the things that ate needed to be filled up. But just like any other tools, this particular thing also has to be installed with the help of some trained professionals in order to stay away from any kind of technical glitch and complexities.

Once all the appraisals have been submitted, the company can easily get out the printed reports. These detailed reports are the thing that the company needs every year to bring improvements in the organization.

Many people may think that this appraisal process is a kind of performance review but that is not the fact. This particular thing has to be done mainly for the benefit of the company. This 360 degree performance appraisal is definitely not a way to measure the objectives and performances. It is also not a way to determine whether the employees are doing their hob correctly or whether they are meeting the basic requirements. This is not a tool which is focused on some job specific skills and basic technicalities. If this can be carefully implemented then this process can give the company and very proper and refreshing lift. It also adds to the advantage of the company’s competitive mode in the market. But the company has to be very clear when they are implementing this tool so that the experience remains hassle free and so that they can get all the proper feedback accurately.

When a company is thinking of implementing this 360 degree feedback process then they have to make sure that they have a proper and a very strong management system. A proper 360 degree performance reviews can also be used as a conjunction with one another for a powerful development of the company.

This is a much-tested tool and when a company is thinking of installing this particular tool, they need to go for the ones which are tried and tested. There are many formats available when it comes to these kinds of round appraisal things and one needs to pick the right one for their company. If the tool is not tested well then it can create much complications and problems which will not be good for the sake of the company. So one needs to do proper research before installing the right tool and use it.

Digital Branding

Use Real Estate CRM Reports in Real Time to Take Your Business to the Next Level

Steven on January 17, 2019

https://www.pexels.com/photo/two-person-in-formal-attire-doing-shakehands-886465/

You have a real estate business and want to see it grow in the next five to six years from now. So it is about how your property business is performing. Your company deals with loads of data such as customer details and transaction archives. Analyzing data helps you to make informed decisions. Then, do you have a real estate CRM system in place? Without it, your employees collate information manually and create spreadsheet reports one by one, which is a cumbersome, time-consuming, and tiring task. According to an article published on Huffington Post, a CRM tool for your real estate firm helps you in lead tracking and management of leads. The article also states that CRM software helps your business to create accurate reports in real time so that your sales department can close property deals successfully. Read on to learn how a CRM takes your business to the next level down the years.

Easy Data Management

With a CRM tool, you need not go from one cabinet to the other looking for files. The software has your business information and client data in a centralized location. Your business manages loads of data including property listings, contact forms, customer details, and transaction data. The application has administrator tools to ensure that only authorized staff access sensitive information.

Enhanced Productivity with Speedy Reporting

With a CRM system, your employees have all information at the touch of buttons. The dashboards have an all-inclusive display of data for your real estate team. A CRM application offers charts, graphs, pie, bars, and other visual components to make data sharing simple and spontaneous. You can read more about such tools and dashboards on the internet. For example, real estate CRM tools such as Aro Software or similar ones help to boost the productivity of your team with instant reporting. With error-free and speedy reporting, you can figure out how many leads have replied to your existing campaign or how many sales deals have been closed so far. Quick response time is essential if you want to convert leads quickly. Opt for dashboard tools that offer insights to lead activity in real time. It gives your employees an opportunity to get in touch with prospective buyers right away.

Real-time Reports Provide to Your Business

With insights to your real estate business, you can monitor aspects like the lead response, the performance of your campaign, and customer behavior. It will help your team to create a customized plan for your business needs. You can use real-time data and numbers to figure out how fast deals are closed. Make informed business decisions using data and not guesswork. A CRM dashboard helps you to understand your business better and realize essential goals.

Conclusion

A CRM application with a data reporting tool provides comprehensive information to help your real estate firm grow. You can share data fast, understand how your team is performing, and figure out what buyers want from your business. A real estate CRM application integrates new technology to make reporting simple and hassle-free. With real-time reports, you can make crucial business decisions to grow and expand your business.

Legal Branding

Basics Of Banking Allows To Create Lot More Through Loans Than Deposits

Steven on January 17, 2019

You may be surprised to know that loans can create a lot more funds for any economy than deposits. You may tend to think how a loan can create deposits when money lending is actually giving away money from the depositor’s accounts in the banks. Well, there is a lot of economics behind it. It is true that giving away new loans create a new liability for the banks but at the same time, it also creates new assets in a roundabout way for the banking systems. It is complicated and needs a deep insight into it to know about science and economics.

The fact is that when a bank makes a loan to a borrowing customer it simultaneously creates a new credit and a new liability for both the borrower as well as the bank. In this process, the borrower is usually credited with a deposit in the account. This, in turn, incurs the borrower with a liability for the amount borrowed from the bank.

The bank on the other hand now has a new asset which is equal to the amount of the loan given out to the borrower. This asset is equal to the liability of the deposit account.

Capital and reserve requirements

There are four separate entries made for such lending that signify an increase in the corresponding categories. These entries say that the assets and liabilities of the bank, as well as that of the borrower, have grown.

At this point, simultaneously two more different types of liabilities are created as well. There is a reserve requirement created as well as a capital requirement. However, these requirements are strikingly different from any standard financial liabilities because these are all regulatory liabilities.
The reserve requirement is created when the bank creates a deposit which is, in turn, an indicator of the bank’s liability and on the other hand a capital requirement is created when the loan is issued which is actually the asset of the bank. This is because the bank expects that it will get back the amount lent along with something extra in the form of interest.

To put it in simple terms, loans heal to create capital requirements but deposits create reserve requirements for the banks.

The lending principle

If you want to have a fair idea about the lending principle, you can visit the official websites of banks and other financial organizations such as https://www.libertylending.com/ or any other. Ideally, the working principles of banks are regulated by the government and are slightly different from the working principle of private money lenders or any non-banking financial companies. As per the rule, banks need to retain some amount of its deposits as a reserve and the percentage is regulated and revised by the government from time to time depending on the present economic scenario. There are a lot of technical requirements by the regulatory authority to calculate this reserve requirement percentage.

To keep the calculations simple, assume that the reserve requirement is 10 percent, which is much higher than the actual percentage. This means that the bank invites a reserve obligation of $10 for every $100 deposit that it takes on. Moreover, as loans create more deposits, it means that a loan of $100 will create a required reserve liability of $10.

The capital ratio

In order to find out how well a bank is capitalized, the government has formulated Tier One and Tier Two Capital ratio. This combined ratio also has complicated angles to measure the eventual capital requirements.

However, to keep the calculations simple and make it easy for you to understand, if the above rate and examples are followed, then the bank loan of $100 will once again give rise to a governing capital liability of $10 for both Tier One and Two Capital.

Taking all these things into consideration, you can now clearly understand that a $100 loan has created a $100 deposit which is actually a $100 asset for the bank in the form of a loan.
, On the other hand, it has also created a liability of $120 that includes the deposit as well as the requirements for reserves and capital.

The process explained

For a common person with limited knowledge of economics and finance, it might seem to be a bad deal for the bank. On the contrary and after a deeper look into the matter you will find that it is not so bad a deal after all.

Suppose that a bank starts off from the scratch and lends $100 to a borrower by crediting the deposit account of the borrower with $100.
The next step of the bank is to figure out immediately the effective ways to meet the two new liabilities hence created namely the capital requirement and reserve requirement.
The bank may have to sell shares to raise the required $10 capital or it may even retain earnings or raise equity-like debts.
However, the best way for the bank is to charge the borrower an origination fee of 10% to create earnings immediately.

The last option is practiced by different banks to help them settle their desired capital requirements with this $10 fee that can be kept as their retained earnings.

An extraordinary way to create deposits

Ideally, a person asking for $100 loan may be offered $90 or even $80 by the money lender depending on their business policy. It means that they instantaneously create a deposit of $10 or $20 as the case may be when they create a loan account of the borrower. It, therefore, corroborates the fact that loans create deposits.

This is actually extraordinary to meet the capital requirement by discounting and creating a deposit from its own loan. This is the own money creation power of the banks and the money lenders. The eventual effect of it is that it reduces the liability of the bank but does not reduce its asset.

Author Bio

Daniel Ng is a freelance writer who has been writing for various blogs. He has previously covered an extensive range of topics in her posts, including business debt consolidation, Finance, E-commerce, and start-ups.

Digital Branding SaaS Branding

The Significance of A Test Case Management Software for A Startup

Steven on January 15, 2019

A startup is founded by individual entrepreneurs or founders to search for a scalable and repeatable business model. In other words, a startup is a newly emerged business venture with an objective to create a practical business framework to meet the solve a problem or meet the requirements of a marketplace.

Majority of the tech startups require a test case management tool in order to streamline their testing efforts. Now the question arises, what is a test case management software? In simple words, this software assists you to manage and track your team’s software testing efforts.

Nowadays, startups are adopting effective test case management software because of the following reasons.

1. Create Customizable Fields According to Your Test Project Requirements

An effective test case management tool assists the testers to develop customized fields according to their particular requirements. Therefore, if testers are using an integrated or third-party data source, it will assist you by providing a flexible approach.

2. It Assists You to Save as Template or Make Copies

It will help you to produce copies of your test cases and store them as templates for the purpose of re-usability. Sometimes, writing test cases is a repetitive job. Therefore, this tool enables users to create test case templates that they can recall at the time of writing test cases. As a consequence, this saves time.

3. Attaches Important Screenshots

This enables you to attach imperative links or screenshots with your test cases. This option is available with all the imperative fields, as it makes the experience more enhanced. As a result, test cases turn out to be very understandable and comprehensive.

4. Keep Track of your Test Coverage

An effective test case management tool assists in creating comprehensive customized test reports. This will keep a track of your status, references and test coverage etc.

How Can Kualitee Help?

Kualitee is a cloud-based test management tool that offers both automated and manual testing. It will help you to create and implement in-depth test cases and test plans. In fact, you can the control to utilize and implement test cases as per your requirements. You can select test cases and use them again in regression cycles.

The export feature enables you to extract your work from CSV, Word, and PDF as per your requirements. You can create your test cases and test scenarios in the test management module. This will allow you to manage every step of your test case in a professional and formal way by using kualittee’s dedicated test management module. Many Gyms now a days use gym management software as well because nowadays every sector needs a smart efficient software to manage their daily tasks.

Author Bio:

Ray Parker is an entrepreneur and internet marketer with over 9 years of experience in Search Engine Optimization, Creative Writer and Digital Marketing.

Digital Branding

How to Create a Brand Story for Your Franchise Business

Steven on January 15, 2019

A brand story is not a marketing tactic. It’s not an advertisement material, either. Instead, storytelling helps you build a strong brand identity. Not only does it attract customers to your brand, but also evokes emotions, builds stronger relationships, and inspires loyalty.

However, to get the most out of your brand story, you need to make it consistent. You need to establish a unique voice, tone, and visual identity- the one that sets you apart from the rest.

Now, if you have a single-location business, achieving this is not that difficult. But, if you’re running a franchise business that is operating in multiple locations, well, this adds additional complexity. You need to localize your marketing efforts to cater to local audiences and, at the same time, unify them into a cohesive and authentic brand image.

Here are a few tips on how to do so.

Build Consistent Brand Image

Franchisees are interacting with your local audiences daily and understand their needs, preferences, and frustrations better. So, letting them unleash their creativity and adapt your brand story to local customers is important. On the other hand, you need to make sure that their link with your brand won’t be lost.

The solution to this problem is simple. First, you need to have a clear small business idea and know how to turn it into a brand.

Even though it consists of numerous branches, you need to observe your franchise business as a wholesome brand. Each aspect of your brand identity, from the visuals you use to your brand voice, needs to be implemented into franchisee marketing efforts strategically. And, this is why you need to create a clear brand style guide.

With the branding guidelines, you will make sure each of your franchise locations creates authentic content and, at the same times, remains loyal to your wider brand image. Otherwise, your brand will become diluted and won’t be perceived as trustworthy.

Here are a few elements detailed brand guidelines should contain:

The publishing frequency for your blog and social media channels
Using visuals on your blog and social networks (image size, filters, color palettes)
Your voice and tone consistency. Do you want to be punny like Wendy’s or helpful like Domino’s? Once you choose your brand voice, you need to use it consistently across all online channels.
Crisis management guidelines. Franchisees should know how exactly to react, what steps to take, and what language to use when handling issues that may harm your brand.
Using brand assets, such as your colors, typography, or logos consistently

Sell Stories, not Products

Coca-Cola doesn’t sell carbonated soft drinks. They’re selling Christmas, positive vibes, and friendship.

TOMS is not all about shoes. They’ve built their brand story around helping people in need.

Customers love brands that stand for something relevant. Statistics say that 86% of customers expect a brand to be socially responsible.

This is what you need to keep in mind when building your brand story. Having quality products is nice, but, to really engage your customers, you need to have a cause.

Just like Coca-Cola or TOMS, many franchise businesses have adopted this approach.

For example, the UPS Store proves their community commitment by funding the Toys for Tots Literacy Program. They also emphasize that their business is built on the principles of environmental sustainability and that socially-responsible franchises can greatly contribute to the local business ecosystem:

Image source

McDonald’s takes a similar approach. On their site, they emphasize that they’re proud to be a part of the community they serve. As a result, they finance numerous events and charity programs, such as Ronald McDonald House Charities, McDonald’s HACER National Scholarship, and so on.

Humanize your Franchise Brand

Using your social networks to publish the behind-the-scenes photos of your staff and posting employee testimonials and stories on your site, you will show the human side of your brand and connect with your target audience on an emotional level.

McDonald’s is a great example of how this is done. For example, on their parent site (mcdonalds.com), they have an entire “Meet Our People” section, where their employees share with the public why they love working at McDonald’s. Both in textual and video formats, these testimonials come from real people, someone both their customers and potential employees can relate to.

Most importantly, they managed to adapt their story and values to their local markets. Visit the German version of the site (mcdonalds.de) and you’ll see similar testimonials from their German employees.

Get your Customers to Tell your Story

Studies show that the majority of your customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. The Spiegel Center research claims that 95% of customers read online reviews before making a purchase. Moreover, 92% of online consumers emphasize that reading a review online impacts their purchase decisions.

So, here are a few ways to use customer reviews to build your branding efforts.

Create a dedicated landing page for each business branch. It’s important to put your business in front of the right local audiences and build relationships with them. Also, don’t forget to keep your brand name consistent across these pages to prove you’re a legit brand. By encouraging local customers to post user-generated content, leave comments, and review you on your social media pages relevant to them, you will create buzz around your brand and build trust with your potential customers.
Claim your Google My Business listing for each location. Getting reviews and ratings on Google is an amazing way to boost brand authority.
Share UGC on each franchisee’s site. This is a great way to prove show how your product resolves specific customer problems. For instance, Coca-Cola is killing it with user-generated content on their multiple websites. On their main site (coca-colacompany.com), they have “Moments of Happiness from Our Readers,” where they share their comments and photos. If you visit their German domain, for example, you will see a similar section with customer photos, too.

Conclusions

Storytelling brings value to your franchise brand. When implemented properly into both you localized and overall marketing efforts, it will give your brand credibility and drive customer engagement. So, don’t use it to tell how awesome your products are. Focus on your history, missions, and values. Prove that you’re a brand for humans, the one that cares about giving back. Above all, let others tell your story. Positive word of mouth spreads fast, so don’t forget to encourage customers to review you.

How do you build your franchise brand story?

Digital Branding

Which Are The 10 Website Design Tools You Need to Keep Your Eyes on This Year?

Steven on January 15, 2019

https://pixabay.com/en/web-design-laptop-html-design-2038872/

Every successful web designer has incredible creativity, along with years of experience. However, all of them also have a secret toolbox full of website design tools that help them in every step of the creative process. While you would like to think that having web design tools to assist the creative process is like having a cheat code to play online games, we assure you, it’s entirely different. These tools enable designers to create something unique within a short period every time a client asks for a new website or changes to their existing ones.

As a result, choosing the best available web design tools is an art in itself. Here are the top 10 website design tools that will assist every web design project in 2019 (for WordPress websites see the list of the best WordPress WYSIWYG options from Mill).

Sketch

Sketch has to be the most intuitive design tool available right now. It has a wholesome design kit that enables designers of every expertise to create something unique. It is a vector-based app that can compress your files and offer comprehensive descriptions on all devices. It is a website design tool that improves the design flow for all users.

Adobe Muse

The Adobe Muse assists the graphic designing of any website. It can seamlessly manage the front end of a site. It is a website builder tool that allows the builders to create perfect working designs without any coding. If you want your new business site up and running in record time, check out the Adobe Muse features! It is indeed very different from the drag-and-drop builders of the day. It offers a powerful platform to unleash the creativity of any designer, who does not want to delve into coding.

Figma

Figma is a powerful tool for interface design that all modern web designers are using right now. It is one of the best interface design tools currently available that works on Mac, Linux and Windows systems. Figma enables cooperative workflow by connecting multiple systems in real-time. It is a neat new tool that has allowed design teams across Brooklyn and NYC communicate and create breath-taking new sites and blogs for businesses.

Anima

Anima is a wonderful toolkit for Sketch. The website designers and developers can create CSS animations and transitions in coordination using Anima within minutes. You can develop high-fidelity prototypes and export HTML files from Design Sketch within seconds.

Adobe XD

Adobe XD is one of the most popular web design tools that designers use to enhance UX. It is essentially a drawing tool that can define non-static interactions on almost all interactive digital devices. All users can select the size of the project on Adobe XD. It has its wireframing tool and vector design options for all users. Off-late, all en vogue web and interface designers in Brooklyn have been turning to Adobe XD for additional help.

Bootstrap

Bootstrap has always been critical in web designing. Every small business website and large corporation website in Brooklyn has used Bootstrap at least once in their lifetime. Its 12-column grid system is a classic that enables the fundamental styling of almost all HTML elements on a website. It has an exhaustive list of components including button groups, dropdowns, alerts, breadcrumbs, lapels & badges, and progress bar. It comes with bundled JS plugins that make Bootstrap one of a kind among all web design tools.

Avocode

Avocode has become the go-to web design tool for all developers and designers, who want to finish a project in record time. It supports the export of images without preparing any layers. The user has to simply click to get the assets and code. Avocode is one unique tool that gives you auto-generated code from Photoshop, Adobe XD, Figma, Sketch and Illustrator to help build the iOS, Web and Android projects niftily. Several companies of web design in Brooklyn NY rely on Avocode from time to time.

Adobe Photoshop

It has been the designer’s best friend ever since the dawn of smart website designs. No matter which version you use right now, Adobe Photoshop is always a part of your design projects, and you know it. With its versatility and extensive compatibility, PS is indispensable in the designing project, and it will remain so in the coming years. Every Brooklyn-based website has used Adobe PS during some stage of development. The new versions have indeed brought some refreshing new features for all designers including access to high-quality stock images, and access to the creative cloud.

Canva

Canva allows designers to create bespoke responsive templates for business websites and online portfolios. If you need a little help, there are thousands of templates you can browse for inspiration. It is the perfect tool for novice designers, which facilitates online branding. If you want to DIY your Brooklyn business blog, you should definitely check out the Canva templates.

Coffee Cup

It is one of the most user-friendly tools that use the HTML editor for website design. You can create HTML and CSS elements for any project using the latest version of this tool. Your Coffee Cup can power your search ranking strategies, help in transferring files and improve the visualization of the site.

Any new business in Brooklyn needs a little help to stand apart from the millions of enterprises and e-commerce sites that are already there. Does your old site need a revamp? Do you need a new business site? Whenever you need additional guidance with website design and UX design, do not shy away from these ten tools!

Digital Branding Local Branding

Importance of Protecting Your Brand

Steven on January 15, 2019

As a business owner, nothing is as important as protecting your identity. In a world where competition can be fierce, you can’t afford to let your guard down. Businesses spend a lot of time and money on developing their brand that they’re willing to fight tooth and nail when they see their branding being used without their consent.

Like any business asset, your brand is something that needs protecting, too. Here are the reasons why it’s important for you to protect your brand:

Increases Your Value

A brand that’s treated with importance will reflect in its value. If you fail to protect your brand, it loses its value, and any entrepreneur knows that a brand with a low value is perceived to be cheap and unreliable. For example, when another business uses your brand identity such as your logo on a subpar product, customers will eventually associate that product to you. If you didn’t secure your brand such as trademarking your logo, you could potentially lose your business because you don’t have any legal standing over that logo.

Here’s how you can protect your brand and its value:

Trademarking – One of the best ways to protect your intellectual property assets is by trademarking them. You can trademark your logo, slogan, designs, and even words associated with your brand as this will give you legal backing. It will also enable you to use the trademark symbol “®” in your assets.
File a patent for your products – If you’re in the US, you can file for a trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The application will take a few months and will be examined by a lawyer for compliance. Before submitting your documents, be sure to check the USPTO database if you have similarities with other applicants. Different countries have different copyright laws; register where your company is located. If you’re operating internationally, prioritize which territory you want to register in.
Include an intellectual property clause on your website agreement – This clause is essential if your business operates mainly on the web or if you have a mobile application. A provision on your Terms and Condition Agreement (T&C) protects your brand from users who are looking to copy your brand or use your content elsewhere. Always remember to add a copyright notice and use the copyright symbol too.

Increases Brand Awareness

With millions of companies vying for consumers’ attention, your brand needs to stand out. Advertisements are everywhere from search engines and social media and even while playing games. Consumers are bombarded with promotions on a daily basis, which is why it’s crucial for your business to stand out. However, when you don’t take care of your brand, how can you expect other people to care about it?

Here is how you increase brand awareness while still protecting your brand:

When partnering with influencers or other businesses, make sure they have a stellar reputation. Someone with a bad reputation will tarnish your brand, and it may be difficult for you to recover.
Be vigilant on where your branding materials are being used by using intellectual property management software.
If you can afford it, hire intellectual property lawyers who can effectively draft contracts and policies for you.
Know when to walk away when an existing partner no longer shares the same brand principles as yours as this can lower awareness in the long run.
Be sure to put your branding in every piece of content or product you produce.

Sets You Apart

More than having increased brand recognition, protecting your brand can help set you apart from competitors. Moreover, it will help consumers attach a specific feeling or experience with your brand. In essence, your brand is the personality of your business.

Take, for example, luxury brands. These brands intentionally make their slogans and promotional materials seem exclusive because that’s how they want people to see them. They are always careful with how they present their brand and they offer a distinct experience. The mere possession of these luxury brands can let people know the product owner’s social status. This is the reason why the knockoff business is a billion-dollar industry.

If you protect your brand, people will intentionally associate a certain level of distinction with your business. Although, in some cases, the association can be unintentional, such as the case of online customer reviews on blogs and other websites. However, if you’re always on top of your branding and you treat your brand as a valuable asset, you can remedy any negative association with it.

Conclusion

Your brand is your image to your customers, and establishing a recognizable brand is a road that’s long and full of challenges. The best way to ensure your business succeeds is by protecting your brand from infringement and thieves looking to capitalize on your reputation. Legal battles should always be your last option as these things can drag on for years. Being proactive in protecting your brand and understanding its importance to your business is the best way to secure your success.

Digital Branding

Find out what is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and why do you need it?

Steven on January 13, 2019

In the virtual domains of the internet, nothing is truly public. The photos we share, our contact and personal details, they can all be preyed upon by phishing and scammers. Firewall or antivirus/anti-malware software can only take care of the programs, but what about when you need to secure your browsing history and habits?

A Virtual Private Network or the VPN is a very popular platform along with other system tools which have become a vital component of the desktop, laptop and Smartphone set up for individuals who want to maintain complete privacy while on the internet. VPNs are affordable and easy to use; it is the perfect solution to online bans by the government and ISP (Internet Service Provider) or for watching the Netflix show that is not available in your region. For a complete guide into the various VPN services, you can install for your browsing requirement log on to FastestVpnGuide.com today!

How does it work?

For an average internet consumer, the chances are you don’t know much about private browsing. You might want to keep your activities private or access web-pages that have been banned by your government or the Internet Service Provider. Maybe you want to download and watch a movie using the illegal torrent services. Installing a trusted VPN is the way to go in such cases.

Let’s elaborate!

There are different types of VPN services available for the millions of internet users. Your employer might offer you one at the workspace for remote working, or you can install one at your place for enhancing your online privacy and avoid any form of internet censorship. The VPN service offers you encrypted connection for your desktop/laptop/smart device with a server situated at any location which is completely immune to any online snooping and advertisement tracking.

If you install a VPN service on your platform of choice, you can circumvent various location-based restriction for web browsing sessions and protect your browsing history and data from commercial surveillance by the ad trackers. Additionally, you can keep your activity completely anonymous, as long as you don’t sign in to your account.

The advantages of using a VPN service

Secure browsing on public networks

Having a secure connection when using the public Wi-Fi networks is something all of us want. But the truth is no public network is safe and fool-proof. When you are out shopping, traveling or a cup of coffee, many of us use the free Wi-Fi services to go online and check the social networks, e-mail and even pay bills. As long as the browsing is unencrypted, you can fall prey to phishing scams and theft of your personal data like the bank account and card number. Malware from the router can also find its way into your device. If you want to overcome these problems and browse the internet securely over a public network install a VPN service on your platform today!

Location-based restrictions

Depending on the part of the world you reside in, some services, web-pages, and streaming links might be censored or banned by the government or the Internet Service Provider (ISPs). These location-based restrictions are a thorn in the side when it comes to accessing the internet which is basically free to use for users all over the world. A proxy server can circumvent these difficulties, but it results in very slow browsing and data streaming. However, with VPN services you can specify a local server from the hundreds of available servers and stream your favorite series and events securely free from the location-based restrictions.VPN services can also be employed to browse for data and pages without raising a red flag at the government security apparatus. Every online action is private with VPN services.

Shop safe and cheap

You should install VPN services to shop safely and save a lot of money. Firstly, with a VPN service, all the browsing and activities are anonymous and encrypted. Therefore all your private account details and online transactions are safe from phishing and online scammers waiting for people to slip up. Secondly, VPN services can allow you to modify your source location which might offer up discount prices for you when you are doing online shopping. Some products are available at discount pricing depending on the location of the purchase. With VPN services you can get the best deal for yourself while shopping online. What’s more, you can even get cheaper air tickets the same way! Installing a VPN service is the best way to save a lot of money in today’s day and age.

Improve your online gaming experience

This one is for the hardcore gamers involved in multiplayer FPS battles and other strategy games. VPN browsing allows you more bang for the buck when it comes to the speed of the connectivity. No more graphics locking and refreshing of the game stream. All you need to make sure is that the VPN server you are using for gaming purposes is local and is capable of handling the load to avoid speed and bandwidth issues.

Private and secure voice calls and online chats

Typically any VPN service will keep your voice calls, video calls and chat messages secure and safe from online snooping. The encryption services provided by the VPN are top notch and challenging to hack into. Are you afraid that your voice chats, video calls and messages over the common platforms like the WhatsApp or the VOIP (voice-over-IP) can be made public? Use VPN services to keep your communication 100% secure and anonymous. Remember you can use VPN can be used for messaging and calling over all the social network platforms including Skype, Google Duo/Hangouts, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

Sensitive research without interference

There is a lot of government interference these days when it comes to browsing for sensitive content be it educational or entertainment. Even with torrent service, we are seeing a large number of bans over the last few years. The internet is supposed to free and easily accessible to all parties. Invest in a VPN service and through anonymous online browsing, get the power of information back at your fingertips today.

There are numerous advantages of browsing through VPN than not using one. Read, research and invest in a VPN service today to keep using the internet the way it was meant to be!

Digital Branding

How can SEO help your business get more exposure?

Steven on January 13, 2019

SEO is basically a search engine market, many businesses in today’s world are using SEO, and everyone goes for the option of SEO as it has many benefits. There are many benefits of SEO that no one could even imagine. Everyone is concerned about the thing that they will be using, and if you are confused about that, you can check out the posts on the same topic.

In SEO making the choices for keywords is an important game. People basically are looking the products that you have uploaded on your website, and if the stuff that you upload is good, then that will increase the goodwill of your website. SEO targets the traffic, and it is its major work if the files are properly optimized and managed it’s like a cherry on the cake, you are good to go for your well-done website.

There are many benefits of opting for SEO services which can easily catch your attention and make you invest in it. Let’s find out the unlimited range of benefits you can gain if you opt for the SEO service:

Cost-effectiveness

The other platforms which provide traffic on your websites such as social media advertisements, hoardings, and e- media are way more expensive than SEO. You will not be able to get the results from other platforms as soon as you can get the results from SEO. It is much more cost effective and cheaper as compared to other platforms of advertising.

SEO is much better than all the other stuff that is known for bringing traffic on your website. It has proved it over from the time when it came into consideration but selecting the best SEO Company is a must.

Increase organic traffic

SEO companies are known to increase the visitor’s traffic on the website as they are designed in the way that it can increase the visitors’ traffic on your website. Increasing the visitors is not an easy task, but it’s the work of SEO companies, and they are expert in their work. They have years of experience and are efficient in their work. They work with a strategy so that they can solve several problems at a time.

The Fort Lauderdale SEO agency experts work effectively to provide a range of benefits. You can get the results of SEO companies really quick as compared to all the other platforms of the same stuff. Several platforms offer the same sort of things as SEO companies, but they are not able to deliver the results as soon as an SEO company.

Target the market

SEO companies target the market in your field so that you can be on the top amongst all the other websites that provide the same products as you do. They focus on a particular market it is called a nice market, and they majorly focus on niche keywords. At times, you may see that your competitors or rival’s traffic is increasing and that may convert to sales; you need to check your techniques for the same.

SEO experts or professionals kind of have a lot of experience to handle all the different problems at the single time, and that experience makes them learn a few strategies so that they can improve your website in a manner that you will reach to the goal as soon as possible.

Techniques

The SEO professionals go for some tactics and techniques that they are experienced in so that they can solve the problems and create or design the website according to the needs of the people which are availing for the SEO. They have some techniques through which they can make the website look good and make the website look attractive at the same time. They majorly focus on all the factors that are used to design the website effectively.

Such techniques could be used in a way that the businesses that are going for the option of SEO companies do not face any problem related to the same. Some of the SEO companies also refund the amount if the business is not able to get any positive results through the company.

More exposure

In today’s world where business is growing and is being established day by day, every business needs more exposure. SEO is not used by a single sort, but several kinds of people use companies but all over the world for their businesses. Every business wants people to know about its products, awareness in any business is very important. The business when comes into consideration it needs to be known by people, every business needs to be popular to be successful.

In the arena where everyone is looking for different platforms of advertisements, SEO has proved itself the best platform for the same. Businesses need to be known amongst all the people so that the products of the business could be sold.

It will make your website look attractive

SEO will help your website look attractive and good. As they have many tactics and tricks and experience through which they can solve many problems at a time. SEO professionals are trained in a manner that they can bear a lot of pressure at a time. They have the ability to make any website look good in a certain way. They have experience through which they can check out the websites of your rivals and help you make your website according to your needs.

The SEO experts are of great mindsets, and they have a very good sense of humor, and with that, they can manage all the things and all the problems. SEO is a bit complex, but once the concepts are clear, it’s not a tough job.

The Final Verdict

In the above post, the importance and benefits of SEO are mentioned, hope the above post was useful to you. For more related information you can surf the net according to yourself. SEO is very important for a business to be popular. You should hire an SEO company after checking its reviews and checking it at your best level.