Take online surveys for cash
Digital Branding

5 Tips to Make the Most of Paid Online Surveys

Do you want to take online surveys? Do you want to get the best rewards with less effort? Do not worry. You are at the right place!

Nowadays, online surveys are becoming a common way to make money online. There are various survey sites that offer the opportunity for people to share their opinion on different products. Most of the people who are looking for new ways to make money online eventually end up considering the idea of taking paid online surveys. Taking paid online surveys is one of those work from home options that can be a solid way to put some extra money in your pocket. But at the same time, we cannot deny the fact that the majority of the time that people spend online trying to take surveys for money ends up being wasted. But now you do not need to be worried about this because this article tends to highlight the top 5 tips to make the most of paid online surveys. Moreover, paid surveys reviews can also help you to choose the quickest, easiest and most effective options.

Make money online

1- You need to qualify for some specific surveys to get rewarded

The first and foremost tip to make the most of paid online surveys is that you have to qualify for a specific survey in order to get rewarded. This is a fact that market research companies need valuable feedback for their products so, these companies take the help of various survey sites. With such sites, they collect the respondents’ opinion. But now the trend has changed. Now, the companies need targeted information. For this purpose, they are considering the demographics, personal interests as well as other characteristics.

To qualify for some online surveys, you need to work in a particular industry or be of a certain age to qualify for some surveys. For this purpose, you need to complete an accurate profile on each survey site with your personal information. In this way, you can become eligible for surveys that match your target group.

2- Keep your information up to date

One of the best ways to make the most of paid online surveys is to keep your profile updated. If your profile still has old information after you move, get older, or have other life changes, then it will create conflict if you are answering qualification questions. This is because some sites check these questions against your profile just to make sure that you are being honest. You can also be disqualified by such sites. Therefore, try to keep your information updated.

3- Always check your email frequently

There are different opportunities by the survey sites that are better paid than others. So, to get approved for those and to get the best reward, you need to check your email regularly.

4- Find time to take paid surveys

To make money from paid surveys, you should also look for breaks in your day where you can fill out a quick 5 or 10-minute survey to earn a few bucks. Moreover, downloading and using various survey apps can definitely help you in this regard.

research to find the best survey sites

5- Do some research

The last online survey tip is to choose wisely when deciding what sites to take surveys on. Try to do some research because the goal is to make money as easily as you can without wasting your time. After choosing some options, you need to decide what style, type of survey, and interface works best for you.

Follow all the above-mentioned tips to earn well with paid online surveys!

Digital Branding

Important Google Tools for SMES to Promote Their Businesses

This is a guest post by Melissa Crooks

 

In addition to Gmail, Google AdWords and Google Analytics, solutions that many people and companies already use, there are a number of free tools that Google makes available to any user. And SMEs can take a lot of advantage. In this post, we will talk about the top 10 free tools of Google.

 

What are the 10 best free tools from Google?

 

  1. Google My Business

Nowadays, we can practically say that if your company does not appear in the Google search results (SERPs), it does not exist. Appearing in Google is essential to give visibility to your company on the Internet, and this is easy to achieve thanks to Google My Business.

This tool, in addition to facilitating the creation of the website of your business if you do not already have it, promotes the presence of your company in the Google results list, Google Maps, and Google+.

In addition, whenever someone directly searches for your company name, a tab will appear where you can post photos, specify the address and business hours, including updates – such as offers or product news – and allow your customers or users to leave reviews, which you can also comment to promote communication with your audience.

 

  1. Think with Google

If you did not know that Google My Business existed, then you probably will not know that Think with Google exists either.

It is a tool full of resources so that marketing professionals can be up to date on trends and marketing campaigns. In Think with Google, you can find market studies, infographics, advertising trends and a number of articles and success stories that will help you grow your business.

 

  1. Google Alerts

Have you ever mentioned your company in an online publication and you have not heard about it for several months? If you do not have any PR that monitors mentions of your business on the internet, you can always count on Google Alerts.

This tool allows you to configure alerts easily and quickly with respect to the keyword you want. It can be the name of your company, your main competitor or a technology or trend that you want to be well informed about.

Once the alert is configured, you will receive an email every time that an online publication mentions the keyword you have selected. You can choose the frequency of this notification, as well as the language or region in which you want Google to track the mentions.

In this way, you will always find out every time your company name appears in any online publication and you can help spread the news through your social networks and amplify the scope of the publication.

Photo credits: https://www.pexels.com/photo/coffee-apple-iphone-smartphone-38547/

 

  1. Google Trends

Google Trends is a tool that allows you to explore the popularity of a keyword or expression over time. It allows filtering by countries, time intervals, categories, and type of search: web, images, news, Google Shopping or YouTube.

This tool is not only useful for marketing professionals since it is used to decide the keyword to use. It can also be used to detect market trends and improve the catalog of your company’s products.

 

  1. Google Forms

Have you ever considered doing a survey to know their degree of satisfaction of your clients and find out what you could improve? Carrying out satisfaction surveys is an increasingly common practice since it is essential to know what customers think and thus improve our products or services.

To do this, Google offers a free tool that is very easy to use: Google Forms.

In addition to satisfaction surveys, the use cases of t Google forms can be very varied: brief surveys about a specific product, conducting interviews with clients, asking to know the opinion of your employees and collaborators about any topic, etc.

 

  1. Google Hangouts

Google Hangouts was designed to facilitate the communication of teams that work remotely. In addition to the possibility of chatting, this resource includes video chat, SMS and voice call via IP.

Given that more companies have professionals or teams working remotely, having a tool to communicate remotely is essential and much better if it’s free.

Its use is not limited to conversations or remote meetings with employees but also serves to hold meetings with clients from other countries, present a new product or service through video conferencing, interview candidates or participate in a remote chat.

 

  1. Google Keep

Google Keep is the perfect tool to store notes, in text or audio format, to which you can also add images and set reminders. It is available in mobile app format, both for Android and iOS, and can also be used in web application.

Google Keep can be used from any device – tablet or mobile – and all are synchronized.

One of the most interesting features related to reminders is that you can set a geolocalized reminder. For example, you can configure that when entering a client’s office, the note with the details to be treated in a meeting should activate.

 

  1. URL Shortener

Basically, URL Shortener, as its own name indicates, is a shortening of URLs (web addresses or links) very simple.

URL shorteners, in addition to displaying the shortest URL, are used to “trace” that web address. That is, to know how many people clicked and, therefore, know the interest in the content of the link.

If you already have a blog in your company but do not have any social media tools, you can start using this link shortener from Google, which also offers analytical data about shortened URLs: number of clicks, search engines used, mobile platforms (iOS or Android) and countries from which the link has been visited.

 

  1. Google Calendar for Companies

With the number of meetings, activities, and events that we attend today, it is impossible to remember everything if you do not have a digital calendar with which we can create reminders and alerts that we can also receive on our mobile phone.

You can share your calendar with your work team. Thus, if someone needs to meet with you, you can directly propose a time of the day or week in which you know you have nothing scheduled.

You can also create different calendars – events, meetings with clients, birthdays, vacations – and share them with the rest of the team, which makes it easier for everyone to be well informed about what is happening in the company.

 

Author Bio:

Melissa Crooks is Content Writer who writes for Hyperlink InfoSystem, one of the leading app builders in New York, USA & India that holds the best team of skilled and expert app developers. She is a versatile tech writer and loves exploring latest technology trends, entrepreneur and startup column.

Digital Branding

How to Incorporate the Functionality of Instagram Questions in your Marketing Strategy?

Have you ever wondered how Instagram questions serve you for your marketing strategy? You are not the only one. Because of this, we have created this article to give you a general guide on how to use this new tool and increase the visibility of your brand in front of the almost 105 million users that Instagram has today.

1. Frequently Asked Questions about what you want

Frequently Asked Questions are essential when helping our brand’s customers and users. You can use the Instagram questions to offer direct contact with your followers, helping them with the questions they have about your products or services. You can choose a day or a few hours during the week to open this section with a post and then answer the questions you want.

On the other hand, if you are scared that there are malicious comments or too strong, the questions have two advantages for you. First, the question will be hidden if you decide not to publish the answer; and second, the question is not anonymous and you can manage the request privately. This is one of the best options that you buy real Instagram followers for their stories they have. Instagram stories are the latest trending features on Instagram. There is a scroll option and even you can skip your desired photo or video. Instagram also introduced once new feature IGTV for the people who want the longer videos than 1 minute.

2. Test field for something new

Are you about to launch new products or services and do not know if they will work? Then hurry up and ask on Instagram. Remember that marketing is also reading the market, and this tool allows you to know opinions directly with customers.

Do not be afraid to ask what you want, people are sincere in social networks and you can quickly know if your idea can work in the future.

3. Instagram questions as expectation

Every day we have ideas to tell and we want to give a small expectation to achieve impact by revealing the new thing we have. So, if we combine the question with images about the new thing that we are going to reveal, we can create an expectation about anything.

For example: If there is a contest, you can show part of the prize and ask something about the mechanics, like Do you want to win this…? or What do you think will be the prize for our contest? Also, you can use it for new products, relocation of venues, or whatever you decide.

4. Ask about the products you want to promote

At times our marketing strategies are focused on the promotion of specific products and services. That’s why IG followers questions allow us to put in the minds of our followers what we want. You can use this tool to ask about the models or types of preferred products within the category that you must promote and, even, to inquire about what kind of promotions or discounts your customers expect.

Digital Branding

Google AI Beats Turing Test: Should Content Writers Be Concerned?

Photo credits: https://pixabay.com/en/google-search-engine-browser-search-76517/ 

Technology is a gift. The ability to create, invent, and innovate has always been humanity’s greatest advantage, yet it has also been our greatest curse. We are incredibly capable of creating things that are as wondrous as they are terrible. The Internet, the atom bomb, cars, and now, artificial intelligence.

And why is artificial intelligence so scary?

Well, first off, scary may be a bit of an exaggeration. Its disadvantages,however, are real in the fact that artificial intelligence has the capacity to replace its human counterparts, whether it’s at work or in daily activities such as driving. The fear may stem from the fact that AI may not only be just as good as its human counterpart, but better.

So, what exactly is the Turing Test, and why is it relevant to know that an AI actually beat it?

 

The Turing Test is the most recognizable method of measuring the ability of artificial intelligence to mimic, or even emulate human intelligence. This test was designed by English computer scientist and mathematician, Alan Mathison Turing in 1950 in an attempt to measure a machine’s ability to showcase intelligence. The premise of the Turing Test was that only a human can truly be a judge of whether or not a machine is able to mimic human intelligence.

So, in the Turing Test, there are three parties involved:

  1. The Evaluator (Control Variable)
  2. The Computer (Test Variable)
  3. The Human (Control Variable)

The test is simple. All three participants would be separated from each other. The evaluator will then interact with the human and the computer through a text-only medium. The evaluator then has to correctly discern between the computer and the human, and to identify which is which.

Enter Google Duplex. This is a new Google Assistant feature that is capable of making automated calls on your behalf. It even comes with a human-sounding voice. What sets Google Duplex apart as an AI is that it’s able to recognize fast speech, complex sentences, and long remarks.

This uncanny ability to sound human and to carry conversations can be seen in the technology’s blog where several recordings of phone conversations between the AI and human callers can be found. The results are as astounding as they are borderline worrisome.

However, Google itself makes it clear that the objective of Duplex is not to mimic humans. Rather, it’s meant to simply respond to a constrained scenario in which probable responses are easy to predict. While Google Duplex is, without a doubt, capable of making reservations on your behalf, you definitely won’t be able to make it call your mom in your place.

To ease your minds further, the answer is that AI simply isn’t advanced enough to completely replace humans (currently). This fact is further compounded when you take it in the context of professions that require a great deal of creativity.

It’s simple, really. In order to be able to attract human beings, you need to be able to be relatable to them. And well, machines simply cannot do that. So, tasks like content creation will definitely require the human touch at the helm. Therefore, gaining publicity through guest blogging is still going to be a relevant method of generating traffic and building relationships with partners. It’s simple marketing and psychology, after all. How can you attract someone who doesn’t understand you?

Local Branding

5 Signs You’re Losing Customers to Competitors

This is a guest post by Sander Riya Image via Pexels

It’s important to nurture your customers every step of the way in every way you can. Unfortunately, a lot of companies make costly mistakes that cause customers who could easily have followed through with sales to fall through the cracks far to often. You want to not only land sales with leads, but also follow up with existing customers so that you get more out of your efforts to find them with repeat sales down the road.   The number one thing you need to be aware of to optimize your relationship with leads and existing customers is know how to recognize when you’re losing them unnecessarily. The following are five signs that you’re losing your customers to your competitors. Understanding the following information about why companies lose customers will help you to better nurture customer relationships.  

1. Your website is too confusing to navigate

A website needs to be user-friendly above all if it is going to encourage customers to follow through to making a purchase. A lot of companies make the mistake of valuing aesthetics over user friendliness, and this can often lead to the intense frustration of prospective customers. Remember that not every customer out there is going to be particularly savvy with using the Internet, and Internet users are notoriously impatient these days. If website visitors run into frustrations on your site, they’re simply going to head back to a search engine and find your competitors. There are many ways you can focus on making your website more user friendly. Just go through the process of making a purchase on your site yourself. If you think that process could be more simple, you need to look to your web master or web hosting services to find a way to simplify purchases.  

2. You don’t reliably follow up with prospects

A prospective customer or past customer may quickly forget about your company if you’re not following up properly. You need to check back in before not too much time has passed after a customer’s initial inquiry. This will remind your customer you’re there. It will also give you a chance to acquire more information on what your customer is looking for. You can use SEO to stay in the picture by making it so that your company’s website comes up pretty reliably in search engine results. Beside email marketing, you can also use content marketing to send out information that’s useful to those in your target market. The biggest thing you need to work on developing if you want to be able to follow up practically and effectively is an email list that will allow you to conveniently keep in touch with those interested in your company.

3. Your website speed just isn’t cutting it

The simplicity of navigating your website is not the only important factor when it comes to online customer retention. Another important factor you need to be aware of is how fast your website is working for visitors.   The more website visitors you have, the more demand there is that’s placed on your hosting capabilities. For this reason, you need to compare web hosting types over time and make sure that you’re using a package that offers enough memory, storage, and bandwidth for your needs.  

4. You’re out of stock on many items

When it comes to E-commerce websites, customers will quickly become frustrated if they’re trying to buy things from you and you’re constantly out of stock. If this is a common situation, it might be time to start putting more effort into ordering inventory in advance so that you don’t run out.   If the problem is with your supplier, it’s probably time to start looking for alternative suppliers who can keep you readily stocked on what you need. Customers aren’t just going to you for the quality of your products, but also the selection you offer and the reliability with which you carry items shown on your website.   Obviously, your customers will quickly look elsewhere if your company is unable to supply them with what they’re looking for.  

5. You haven’t put any effort into making your website mobile-friendly

More and more consumers are doing their online shopping using a smartphone. As consumers become more comfortable with smartphone shopping, you need to make sure you’re accommodating your customer’s desires.   If you’re never paid any attention to how your website looks on a smartphone or if you’re not sure your site is responsively designed or not, you should really look into it. It’s important to realize that a lot of people don’t even use a computer at home these days and use their smartphone for website browsing. If your site is difficult or impossible to navigate on a smartphone, there’s no doubt that you’re missing out on a lot of customers.     As a business owner, you need to examine whether or not you see any of these signs at your company. If you do, you need to start putting more effort into how you can retain customers.   By making some tweaks to your online presence, you might be able to not only ensure better statistics with following through with leads, but you also may be able to win back old customers who missed buying from you and appreciate the helpful changes you’ve made.    

 

 

About the author: Riya is an inspired writer writing in several areas of expertise. With spending her years working marketing communication, Riya is delighted to work with aspiring small business owners. Apart from her marketing expertise, Riya always enjoys reading pocketbook, cooking, and traveling. Connect with her on Twitter, @sanderriya.

Digital BrandingLocal Branding

How Technology is Maximizing Output in Industrial Efficiency

A logo is the first thing customers notice and remember. It’s the face of a business. Designing a logo can be as challenging as coming up with a business name. A successful logo design is the one that sticks even when the name is forgotten. It should speak to people even without any words. Just like that of McDonald’s – people crave for burger and fries whenever they see the big Golden Arches that resembles an M.  The logo is what makes you as a business.

To make sure that the logo you create will stand out and be as effective as that of the top brands right now, here are the dos and don’ts in creating your business logo.

Simplicity

Do
Make your logo simple and clear. Most of the best companies have the simplest logos. Take Nike, for example. When you see their logo printed on something, you’ll know it’s Nike, and you’ll know that it’s a quality product.  Let the logo do the talking for you. It should express your business’ quality and philosophy without saying a word.  Do ask for a design proposal from your designer and show it to a few of your people to see if it’s appealing to the majority.

Don’t
Putting too many images or details make the logo difficult to understand and remember. They defeat the purpose of having a logo, which is a representation of your company; you should’ve just written an essay if that’s the case.

Uniqueness

Do
If you want to stand out, you have to be different from the rest. For instance, if you want to start a burger business, you know that there are so many burger joints out there and they all have burgers in their logo. If you make your logo a burger too, you can’t say that your burger is any different from theirs. Think of something that will say burger without the actual burger. If you pull that off, your logo will surely click and will be remembered among the rest of the burger logos.

Don’t

Making a logo after another similar business isn’t going to work and may put you into trouble, so don’t bother making it. Creating a logo is your chance to show that you’re different, so don’t try to make a logo that looks the same as another just to show that you’re at par. You’ll just be ridiculed and laughed at, and your business will not stand a chance with the big ones. Your logo is not just a marketing tool. It’s going to be your brand’s image, and you’d want your image to be unique. So, squeeze out your creative juices and come up with a logo that’s original and one of a kind.
Font

Do
Make a logo that is easy on the eyes. A clear and straightforward logo utilizes fonts that are not too complicated. If you are creative enough, you can use a custom font – this will make your logo even more unique.

Don’t
Don’t make it hard for your customers to read what your logo is saying. If your logo is too complicated and unreadable, people will stay away from your products too, and that’s something you don’t want to happen.

Colors

Do
You may combine colors, but it’s best to stick with only a few. Three colors are acceptable depending on the design and concept, but two is ideally the maximum. Research the meaning of each color before you decide on which color you want to use for your logo. For instance, you wouldn’t want to use red or black if your business is about organic products. Colors also have emotional effects, so make sure that the logo’s colors stimulate the right emotions.

Don’t

Using more than two colors is an art but not particularly helpful for a logo. Colors that don’t convey the meaning or essence of your business are not the right ones.

Consistency

Do
Make sure that when you’ve come up with a logo, you’ll stick to it. This is how your brand will be recognized and remembered. Hence, when you create a logo, try your best to make one that you can live with for the rest of your business’ life.

Don’t
Changing your logo often will confuse your audience. You’re not promoting a good image and you will lose customers. No one will remember your company if your logo keeps on disappearing for a new one.

Meaning

Do
Create a design that has a meaning. You can’t just create an image without knowing what it’s for or what relevance it has for your business. There may be times that you’ll be asked by clients about the significance of your logo design, so you should have an explanation for it.

Don’t
Not knowing your logo will mean that you don’t know anything about your business. Don’t let your logo fail you. It represents your business and what you want your audience to feel about it. It’s your identity, so don’t make one that doesn’t have any relevance or meaning to your business.

Keep these tips in mind and always remember that your logo will define your business. Make it simple and understandable for people to remember. The most successful logos are the ones a child can recognize. Opt for lesser words and focus on just the logo itself. You will see the benefits of a well-designed logo to your business in the long run.

Digital Branding

10 Tips For Your Content Marketing Plan

Having a marketing plan in the digital world of today is important whether you are starting a small business or already manage a large company. Content marketing is a strategic approach focusing on the provision of consistent, relevant content to your target audience. The plan ultimately drives consumer interaction and attracts more customers to your brand. Here are the top 10 tips for your content marketing plan to help you achieve this:

1. Do Proper Research

It is important to analyze your company, the services or products you offer, and even the industry itself before you dive into content marketing. You should find out what interests your target audience to offer them valuable content that they will enjoy. Once you tap into this buyer persona and tailored the content marketing plan to the target audience, you will start seeing more conversions in the end.

2. Establishing Your Objectives

What are your reasons for creating this content marketing plan? What is actually driving it? You obviously want to attract more customers, but getting more specific about your goals will help you identify the most suitable strategy for marketing. For instance, you may wish to improve customer retention, increase brand awareness, generate more sales, or just drive more traffic to your site. Each of the objectives will require a specific strategy, which is why you need to know your objective from the get-go.

3. Search for Content Ideas

Once you determine what your goals are, you can then search for ideas on how to execute your content marketing strategy. The brainstorming stage will help you see what others are doing to ensure that their sites are more SEO-friendly as well as improve their social media outreach. You need to find out how other companies present their videos, podcasts, infographics, and blog posts, noting what is effective about each strategy.

4. Determine the Categories and Subcategories of the Content

A content marketing plan is much more than simply uploading new blog posts each week. You need to set the categories and subcategories of the content to cover all your bases. For example, under “social media”, you should include a list of the social media platforms on which you wish to publish your content.

5. Use an Editorial Calendar

The most engaging content marketing plan is one that sticks to a particular schedule. Using an editorial calendar will help you keep up with the publication dates and motivate you to meet deadlines. The strategy will help you stay focused and avoid procrastinating. Just ensure that you schedule content publication at regular intervals to ensure that your audience stays engaged.

6. Determine Who Is Responsible for Creating the Content

Think about how you will be creating content for your brand. Will you be creating the blog posts yourself? Do you have an in-house content creation team that you have hired? Do you prefer using freelancers? Or do you plan to hire a third-party content company? Each option has its pros and cons, so weigh them carefully.

7. Create Quality Content

The focus should always be on publishing high-quality content whether you are creating it yourself or hiring someone else to do it for you. Know and adhere to your standards and ask for revisions if and when necessary. It’s better to have less high-quality content, rather than lots of lower quality stuff. In fact, a lower quality approach that focuses on having lots of content may harm your brand according to ClickFirst Marketing.

8. Make Recommendations

Recommending other blogs and websites might seem counterintuitive when you are trying to market your brand, but audiences usually respond to such helpful recommendations. To reach an even wider audience, you can network with other companies for mutual recommendations.

9. Customize the Content

Producing content regularly simple will not be enough if it is not original. A better idea would be to customize your posts. Customize the same content for various social media platforms, respond to your audience, and maintain your brand voice.

10. Implement Keywords for SEO Purposes

You can obtain a good SEO position by using the proper keywords, but ensure that you use them wisely. Avoid keyword stuffing and implement your target keywords into the content as naturally as possible.

Digital Branding

Can Buying Social Media Followers and Likes Work for Your Business?

If you’ve got a business you’re trying to promote online, you’re probably already aware of how important social media could be to your plans. If not, then you should be. Social media has become massive in the past decade or so, and for good reason. It’s a hugely powerful marketing tool that you’d be foolish to ignore.

The truth is, you can actually buy Instagram likes and followers and build a successful business from them. Now we’ve got that out of the way, let look at the main subject of this article. Will buying followers and likes on social media platforms like Instagram really work for your business? Let’s have a look at how they could help you grow.

More followers do not mean more customers

Firstly, you need to know that when you buy followers, most of them might not be real people. Even if they are, they’re not the same as getting a genuine follow because they’ve been paid to do so. They’ll be less likely to spend money in your business. But that doesn’t mean they’re worthless — they could still add value to you.

People like to follow what’s already popular

If some of your posts get thousands of likes, more people will see them and more people will think you’re popular. These days, people like to follow what’s already popular, so when real people see how many followers and likes you’ve already got, your brand can snowball and increase its traction. That means someone who sees an Instagram account with 10,000 followers is more likely to follow it themselves than if they saw one with 50 followers. It doesn’t matter that you bought those followers — you could actually get more real ones because you did so.

Having a large following gives your business credibility, and that’s why buying followers and likes can work.

How to buy likes and follows

There are a few places you can get followers and likes from but make sure you use someone good. It’s important that your followers look real so they don’t get removed, or so people don’t start realizing that you bought them. The right supplier will be able to do this for you at a reasonable price.

How to make the most of your existing followers

While buying likes is one way, you can still try and get more followers organically. Try offering them real value so that they keep liking your posts. Exclusive discounts, behind-the-scenes videos, competitions and things like that can work really well. Don’t treat your followers simply as people to be advertised to; give them something fun and entertaining and they should reward you. Post better images and videos to really help your word spread.

How to get more followers organically

Once people start liking your business social media account, they’ll be telling their extended friends to network about you. That’s how a good social media presence can help do a lot of the marketing legwork for you. Keep offering fun and value, and your followers can help do the marketing legwork for you. Some businesses come up with viral hits that get them thousands of new followers almost overnight. Try and do something like that and you could see your following explode.

Local Branding

How To Create An Eye-Catching Exhibition Stand For A Tradeshow Or Event

Participating in trade shows or exhibitions is a great way to get the word out about your business. Unfortunately, however, it can be a little bit hard to stand out at these events, simply because there are so many other businesses participating. That is why it is so important to put a lot of careful thought into your exhibition stand. To create an eye-catching display that attracts a lot of attention, try using these seven tips:

Make The Design Of Your Stand As Noticeable As Possible

Creating a showy, noticeable display is the best way to grab the attention of people as they walk by and any good exhibition stand designers will help you achieve this. This is one situation where you definitely don’t want to blend in with the crowd. From a design standpoint, there are plenty of different ways that you can set your stand apart from those of your competitors. For instance, you can choose a stand that has a tall wall where your logo is prominently displayed. Bright, vibrant colors also do a great job of drawing the eye of anyone who happens to be walking by.

Create A Well Lit Area

The right lighting can make a big difference in the appearance of your stand. Use LED strips or spotlights to draw attention to key features that you want people to notice. Avoid going overboard, however, since bright, glaring lights can wind up driving people away. The key is to position your lighting in such a way that it enhances your booth rather than detracting from it. The right lighting design can make a real difference in how people perceive your stand and in how easy it is for them to see your products.

Take Advantage Of Social Media

Showcase your exhibition stand online through the use of social media. If you make it eye-catching enough to stand out at the show, it most likely will also get a lot of attention online. Best of all, social media makes it easier than ever to reach your target market. Sharing photos of your booth is especially important if you participate in a lot of different trade shows or events throughout the year. The more often you display your booth online, the easier it will be for people to recognize it when they see it at a show. Social media offers a lot of unique opportunities to connect with potential customers, making it a great marketing tool.

Consider Offering Refreshments

When people go to trade shows, they typically spend about five hours checking out all of the displays. By the time they reach your booth, they may be starting to feel a little bit tired. Offering refreshments is a great way to draw them in. You don’t have to go overboard. A simple drink or a small snack is usually enough to get people to stop and check out what you have to offer.

Create A Theme For Your Booth

Designing your booth around a central theme can be an effective marketing option. If you have an existing marketing campaign going, you can use that as your theme. Alternatively, you can come up with a new theme that is based around one of your new products or a new service that you are offering. Every time you create an exhibition stand, you have an opportunity to share your marketing message with the world. Choosing a different theme for each exhibit is a great way to get the word out about the products or services that you are most interested in promoting.

When creating an exhibition stand, it is all about paying attention to the small details. If you are hiring a company to build your stand for you, it is important to talk with them about your business so that they get a better idea of exactly what you are trying to achieve. Participating in trade shows is a great way to not only reach new customers but also to connect with other businesses. To get the most out of the exhibitions you participate in, it is well worth building a stand that you can be proud of.

Digital Branding

How To Come Up With A Business Name

Starting a new business takes a lot of passion, energy, and courage. Now that you have a business plan or at least a one-page version, and you’ve probably already talked to other small business owners and potential customers in your niche or industry, you’re ready to go for it. But one thing is still missing – a name.

A good business name will make your customers remember you easily, could mean free publicity, and it could help you and your future employees remember why you’re doing what you’re doing. There are many specialized naming companies that usually charge thousands of dollars to help business find new, trendy, memorable, industry-wise names that aren’t trademarked. However, when starting a new business, your priorities are most likely elsewhere and your budget won’t allow you to spend that kind of money on just coming up with a new name.

In this post, we’ll share a few ideas on how you can name your small business by looking at some of the popular brands from around the world.

1. Using Acronyms

One of the best ways of coming up with a name is using the first letter(s) of every word in a phrase, or part of names/words. Some good examples of these short domain names in action include BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), AOL (America Online), and BENQ (Bringing Enjoyment and Quality to life).

2. Mashups

You can mix two or more words that are ideally meant to your business. Good examples include Evernote (forever + note), Compaq (computer and pack), Lego (from a Danish phrase “leg godt” meaning “play well”), and Groupon (group and coupon).

3. Borrow some inspiration from literature and mythology

If you have a passion for history or literature, look no further than the Roman and Greek legends. For instance, Nike (the goddess of victory) and Asus (the mythical winged horse called Pegasus). A place, character, or object can also be a good start for a name; like Starbucks (in Moby Dick, Starbuck was a young chief mate of the Pequod) or Samsonite (borrowed from the bible character Samson).

4. Use Foreign words

Even if your business will serve an audience based on one region, using a foreign name (or a foreign sounding one) can be very memorable in the native language of your customers. Look at Audi, whose name is a Latin translation of the German name “Horch”; Daewoo, which means ‘great house’ in Korean; and Altavista, which is Spanish for ‘high view’.

5. Your own name

If other names don’t sound too convincing, why don’t you try using yours? Many of the renowned brands in the world are actually named from their founder’s or owner’s names. For example, Boeing is named after William E. Boeing; Bayer is named after Friedrich Bayer who founded the company; Cadillac was named after Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac, the French explorer; and Grundig which is named after the founder, Max Grundig.

6. Scan your map

The world map can be a great source of inspiration. Adobe, which is named after the Adobe Creek that runs close to the founder house; Fuji, which is named after the highest mountain in Japan; and Amazon, which derives its name from the largest river in the world by volume; are some great examples.

7. Mix things up

Trying different word combinations is another great way of finding a name for your business. For example, you can mix up your name with the place you live, such as IKEA (the name of the founder, Ingvar Kamprad, and where he grew up – Elmtaryd Agunnaryd) and DKNY (Donna Karan New York) did with their brand names.

8. Partner up with another company

If you plan to have another entrepreneur as your partner or merge your business with another, consider using fragments of both names rather than finding an entirely new name. Good examples of this are 20th Century Fox and Ben & Jerry’s.

9. Use Nicknames

Using nicknames or your kid’s names might sound a bit strange, but look at companies like Danone, which was named after the childhood nickname of the founder’s son; and Mercedes, which was named after the daughter of one of the founders. They don’t sound too strange anymore, do they?

10. Use a symbol

Taking a symbol or a key element of your work is another way to come up with a business name, by starting with that word. For example, Pixar is a combination of the word pixel and the initials of the founder: Alvyn Ray Smith.

11. Make the name descriptive

When you think of your company, what’s that one word or phrase that can capture what your company does best or stands for? list all of your options on a piece of paper and visualize a new banner or logo with your name on it. A good example of a brand that uses this technique is 7-Eleven, the supermarket chain, where the name describes exactly what’s special about the business – it’s open every day from 7 am to 11 pm.

12. Use Latin

For those who had a Latin language class in school, you probably never thought you’d ever get to use it in real life. But you were probably wrong. Latin is such a great source for business names. Good examples include two of the most memorable and well-known brand names: Acer, which is Latin for ‘able’, ‘sharp’; and Volvo which is Latin for ‘I roll’. You can also use Latin to start off a new name and then add another word to it as Verizon did with “Veritas” which is Latin for ‘truth’ and “horizon”.

13. View your product or service from new angles

What does your product or service remind you of? Look at it from different perspectives and ask your family and friends to give you ideas of what your product looks like. Good examples of brand names created from this technique include Caterpillar and Blackberry.

14. Try Abbreviations

You can also take a word with a strong meaning for your business and extract a short part of it as Cisco did – it’s from the word San Francisco, where the business was founded.

15. Make Grammatical Errors on Purpose

This method of coming up with a new name is a little risky, and there’s always the possibility of having to listen to people trying to correct your brand name for the next five or ten years. For example, Quora can be taken as a fake plural of the Latin word “quorum” (a public assembly).

16. Invent an Alternate Spelling

Choose a word that’s essential or symbolic for your company and invent a new spelling for it. For instance, Reebok is an alternate spelling of “rhebok” an African antelope.

17. Tell your story

If your business has a great story behind it, why not tell it in your business name. Names born this way include Virgin, which is the founder’s way of saying they were completely new to business; Kenvelo, where the founders were unable to decide on a name and the company was called ‘kenvelo’ meaning ‘yes and no’ in Hebrew; and Mozilla, which is created as the mosaic and internet-browser killer.

18. Talk about what you believe in

If you don’t like the idea of telling your story, you can use the business name as a way of reminding yourself and people who work with you about what you stand for, what you believe in, and why you’re doing what you do. For instance, Minolta means “your principle, what you believe in”.

19. Add a letter or remove one

You could have a really good name for your business, but due to various reasons, be unable to use it as it is. Why not to what Tumblr and Flickr did and skip the last vowel? You can also change or duplicate any letter in such a way that the word is still recognizable.

20. Pick a dictionary word

If you’re still looking for inspiration by the time you reach this point, then you can do what Twitter and Blizzard did and just pick a random word from the dictionary.