Legal Branding

Why ICOs Need to Invest in Professional Legal Advice

on September 13, 2018

Startups planning an initial coin offering, need to start investing in professional legal advice. As well as ICO regulation, startups planning an initial coin offering need to be aware of their full tax reporting requirements.

Legal counsel can help legitimize ICOs and increase fundraising success rates. Here’s how:

Tax Law & Legislation – What Do ICOs Need to Know?

Over the past five years, ICOs have transformed the startup business landscape. By using an initial coin offering to raise capital, startups free themselves from having to pitch ideas to conventional lenders. However, ICOs are coming under ever closer scrutiny by regulators.

Legal Challenges Faced by ICOs

There is a misconception that setting up an initial coin offering is easy. In the United States, there are no laws which explicitly ban ICOs. However, as cited by the likes of the ICO Law Group, ICOs are required to comply with U.S. Securities Law.

“It is generally unlawful to raise capital in exchange for your coins or tokens unless you comply with U.S. Securities Law.”

Why Stricter ICO Regulation is a Good Thing

In theory, anyone can set up an initial coin offering. However, as recently cited by Vitalik Buterin, the gold rush days of the cryptocurrency market are over.

“The blockchain space is getting to the point where there’s a ceiling in sight. There isn’t an opportunity for yet another 1,000-times growth in anything in the space anymore.”

As for why growth in the crypto space is slowing, the reason is simple.

In 2017, fewer than 20% of ICOs returned profits to investors. Some startups failed to use raised capital responsibly. Others were outright scams. As a result, all new ICOs are expected to register with the IRS just like regular startups. Much more importantly, if ICO coins can be considered securities, ICOs must register with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Do You Need a Professional Business Attorney?

Does registering as a business seem like too much hassle? If so, you shouldn’t be running an initial coin offering.

When ICOs fail, they do so due to a lack of basic business acumen. Selling ERC20 tokens is easy. Putting funds to work and setting up a successful business, is an entirely different skillset. The good news, though, is that a professional business attorney can help.

  • Hiring a business attorney can help ICOs identify the best structure for their business
  • A business attorney can help startups get to grips with their true cryptocurrency tax reporting requirements
  • ICO specific legal advice can increase fundraising success rates by lending legitimacy to projects

ICO Laws Still Vary State to State

When setting up an initial coin offering, it is important to remember that ICO laws and regulations aren’t universal. Some U.S. States require a special license when engaging in altcoin activities. Others require startups to hold equivocal fiat cash deposits when issuing ERC20 tokens.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

To date, several individuals have been incarcerated in the United States. Specifically, for non-compliance with cryptocurrency specific anti-money laundering laws.

In May, 24-year old Eldon Stone Ross from Pensylvania found himself jailed for selling cryptocurrency without necessary licensing. Moreover, anyone identifiable as operating an ‘illegal money transmission business,’ is liable for prosecution.

Does the Term Illegal Money Transmission Business Apply to ICOs?

Anyone who raises funds via an initial coin offering without proper licensing can be charged under different State anti-money laundering laws. This being the case, never risk launching an initial coin offering, before understanding your full regulatory responsibilities. Moreover, when in doubt, always make sure to seek out ICO specific legal advise from groups like the aforementioned ICO Law Group.

Local Branding

Sign Advice for Businesses

on September 11, 2018

We often are asked to help a business in making new shop signs for their advertising needs. Since this is the case, here is a list we have compiled at our headquarters in Mansfield that will help you get a great looking sign that attracts clients.

Give The Sign Some Life

You will want to make sure your sign has some life and will draw in people who are looking for your company. You probably have a lot of personality in your shop, but you need to make sure the sign you are using is going to reflect this personality as well. You just want to think about the impression you are going to make to your customers. Is the shop a fun place to be or is it one that has a more professional setting? No matter what, you will want to make sure the sign you are getting is going to give the visitors an idea on the type of things they can expect to see in the shop.

Remember: Good signs are going to tell the clients what they can see in the business and know what kind of line is in the brand.

Do Not Overdo It

You will want to make sure your signs are short and to the point. You just want to make sure your sign does not fail. You want o make sure you get your key point across quickly, not have multiple points on a single sign. By getting the main point listed, it will attract potential customers, but it will also make it easier for people to know more about what they can expect to see when they are here.

You will want to be to the point, but you need to remember that you can still be funny if you want to be.

Fonts

You will find that the first step is to find the best font for your sign – your sign company can help you here You will notice that quite a few sign shops have been ruined because they did not properly pick their logos. The shop sign is going to need to get the attention of people who are driving or walking by, so you need to make sure the letters are big and easy to see. Remember: People typically will not take the time out of their business to read what your handwritten script is going to say.

Colors

You will want to consider a variety of colors for your sign. Will they look good in the sunlight or when it is evening? What color pattern is going to make the shop sign look great and standout from the rest of the place. To really look at the colors you may want to look at the other signs in the area. You will think about the red ads in the paper, if it has other red ads it can be hard to see, but you will want to check out the how your sign can stand out. You will want to find colors that are going to look great, but also think about the people who have vision problems when looking at the sign and suffering from color blindness.

Design

You will notice that one thing that is going to really bring the sign together is the brand that you are going to present with the sign and how everything is tied together. You do not want to change things simply because you can, but you will want to make sure you have a uniform brand across the platform. Remember when you are launching your business you want to make sure it is going to look great and have an amazing feel.

Materials

Now that you have a great design in mind, you should know how to bring your signs to life. When are you going to be opening and what time frame as well? Are you going to need to have lights installed on the sign to make it easier for you to see the sign? Is the brand more of a high end location or a mass market place? What types of materials would you need to get to reach your target area? You want the sign to look great and not make your customers think you are cheap.

You will find that you have multiple choices of materials, which is why you need to find a material that will suit you best.

Size

You will want to know more about the amount of space you have available for the sign and how you can use this space properly. You will notice that signs can go on brick, hang out front, or even be above the windows to draw in attention. So you will want to know more about how to use the most of the space to get the attention you need to have.

SaaS Branding

5 Tips To Trick Out Your Office

on September 10, 2018

1. Plants

When you bring the outdoors indoors you bring a part of nature to your office. Plants can help to keep the air clean and pure and they can give you a much-needed change of pace. They are appealing visually and they help to add an ambiance to the area.

The best plants to incorporate into an office atmosphere include the Spider or Airplane plant. This plant is easy to grow and will help to purify the air and it will send off babies that are called airplanes or spiders to create more plants. You can also opt for the Peace Lily that is easy to care for and cleanse the air or the English Ivy. These grow well and can help to reduce mold. Water features are now also available for indoors and these from Soothing Company are excellent options.

2. Freshen-Up

There are many great personalized desk accessories and one of them is plants. If you can’t pain, you can readily use storage boxes or magazine holders to create your own personal ambiance.

One way is to use blackboard paint over a storage box and you can then use the outside of the box to make memos or notes of the contents or just to personalize your space.

3. Alternate Lighting

You can also decorate your office with alternate lighting. Change the tone and light up darker areas of your office with mini lamps or LED mason jars. This can give a clearer working area and help to set the pace.

4. Tidy Up

Be a little bit OCD about tidying your desk. Use accessories to keep things neat and tidy such as mason jars or simple boxes. A bit of decor that is all in the same theme can brighten your mood and tidy your desk nicely.

A clean desk makes you more productive and it helps you to focus more on the tasks at hand during your workday.

5. Post It Art

Everyone has seen pixel art. Why not try some post-it art? A man in San Francisco gave his desk a makeover with some creative post-it art. He used just over 8000 post its to create a floor to ceiling portrait of a superhero. Entire office teams can join in and have fun with this sort of project. The best part is that it can be moved around and changed at whim without damaging anything. No need to paint, remove walls or adjust anything just use post-it notes and have fun as an office.

SaaS Branding

How To Stay Focused And Energized At Work

on September 7, 2018

Do you need to stay focused and energised at work – these tips will help you do just that.

Good Sleep

Get a good night’s rest before you go to work. The best way to achieve this is to have a comfortable sleep setup and this can be achieved with a great mattress. The mattress one mattress is meant to be great and can really be the foundation of better sleep and more energy.

Workout In The Morning Before Heading To Work

Taking on regular body workouts moments after waking up does more than warm you up. It helps keep the blood pumping making you feel refreshed. Just remember to take a shower and a good breakfast to push you through the day.

Take A Power Nap (20-Minute Nap)

While sleeping on a job isn’t recommended, studies show that taking a 20-minute power nap helps to rejuvenate body processes for the rest of the day. The power nap enables brain muscles to relax thus improving your concentration – especially in the afternoon.

Don’t Hold Grudges

Anger and emotions can affect your performance and output at work. Holding grudges with coworkers and even people outside the workplace takes up lots of energy in the process, and can be distracting as well. Most people only mask the emotional baggage they have on their coworkers, a habit that only drains their energy even farther. The best way to remove personal grudge is by reconciling with the persons you have wronged (or vice versa). This eases pressure on your mind.

Laugh

Laughing at anything funny, jokes included, helps the body produce endorphins. Endorphins are feel-good hormones that make someone happy and have a jovial mood.  You can either look for friends to crack jokes and have fun conversations with or even make YouTube your friend. There are plenty of humorous and funny video clips on YouTube that can make you laugh even if you are not in the mood to. Consider having your dose of laughter a few minutes after lunchtime when everyone goes into the afternoon slumber mode.

Take A 15-Minute Brief Walk

Taking some time away from your station/office can be a great way to re energize. Take a few minutes’ walk outside, in the streets, or even the park to breathe the fresh air. Don’t bring your smartphone along, as this could be distracting. A 5-minute walk outside the workplace is good for your heart and helps keep the blood moving. Doing this keeps you feeling energized and sharp through the remaining hours at work.

Have a Good Read

Reading an exciting novel or even a storybook not only helps clear the mind but resets your energy as well. Reading one story or a chapter after lunch gives you a sense of completion is entertaining, and helps bring the confidence and drive you had in the morning. If you however aren’t sure where to start, you could try Rudyard Kipling or even Mark Twain for inspiration.

Resolve Disagreements with Colleagues or the Boss

Running away from conflicts and disagreements will only put more weight on your shoulders, which can be tiring at times. Instead of running away, confront any issues you might have head-on, but in a diplomatic, empathetic and open manner. How you approach some of these disagreements will determine how well you will relate with the colleague or the boss. Some of the strongest relationships and friendships out there started out with a challenge or a disagreement.

Lend a Hand or Ear to Someone or Even a Colleague

Although most people walk with their heads held high, many of these are hurting inside. Lending a listening ear or a helping hand can help put a smile on their faces. Positive energy can be transmitted from one person to another, doing something nice for a friend, colleague, or even your boss will not only light up their hearts but also give you a gratifying feeling. This trick works wonders in helping you remain focused and energized through the day.

Legal Branding

VAT Tips for Small Online Businesses

on September 3, 2018

If your taxable turnover exceeds £85,000 you are required to register for VAT. If your turnover is less than this amount, you can voluntarily register for VAT. Sales relating to goods and services that are not VAT exempt are referred to as taxable turnover. Health services, postage, and insurance are some of the exempt supplies. 

It’s important for you to think about the schedule of your VAT quarters before registering for VAT. Lining up the end of your VAT quarter to be on the same date as your year-end will make your accountant’s work much easier.   

Since there are several VAT schemes available, you need to take the time to pick the perfect fit for your business:

  • Standard VAT
  • Flat Rate Scheme
  • Cash Accounting Scheme
  • Annual Accounting Scheme

The cash accounting scheme may be better suited to your cash flow if your customers take longer to pay invoices.  In this scheme, you are only required to pay VAT after customers pay the invoices; while you reclaim VAT after you pay your suppliers.

Businesses with an annual sales turnover under £150, 000 a simplified scheme, flat rate accounting, is a better match. You are only required to cover a flat Value Added Tax rate on the market sector you operate in. However, you do not qualify for any VAT reclaim.

After VAT registration

It’s upon you to maintain accurate purchases and sales records. Investing in a computerized might be worthwhile for you if you have a huge number of transactions to process. You may be charged with a penalty by the HMRC if they find that your records are lacking when they carry out a routine inspection at your business. 

It’s upon you to ensure that each sales invoice you issue should have a unique number. Furthermore, each invoice should come with your VAT number.

You are also required to maintain VAT return copies and proof to back it up. In the event of an inspection, these documents will be checked according to VATGlobal.

If you have any purchases that you will be claiming VAT on, be sure to request for VAT receipts on them. However, you may not be able to claim VAT on some businesses as they might not be registered.

It’s worth noting that you have to abide by a set of special rules for determining the amount of VAT to be reclaimed on staff travel and motor vehicle expenditure, in addition to the fact that you cannot claim VAT entertainment-related expenses.

HMRC payments covering PAYE, Corporation Tax, NIC, and VAT as well as staff wages are all outside the scope of the VAT. As such, they should be excluded from your VAT return form. Other expenses that should not be in the VAT return include MOT costs, road tax, loan repayments, rates, dividends and drawings paid. 

A C79 form will be sent to you on a monthly basis if you are involved in the importation of goods from a country outside the EU and hire the services of an agent when it comes to handling import duty, VAT payments, and declarations. The form captures the VAT paid on the imports, on a monthly basis, that should be included in the VAT return. These forms are used as proof during VAT reclaim and must, therefore, be maintained.

The VAT return form can be used to record purchase and sales figures when it comes to dealing with goods moving within the EU.

Digital Branding

Office Tips for a More Relaxing Atmosphere

on August 31, 2018

For a lot of people in America, the office is an iconic place. Most people actually spend more waking time there than in their homes, but only a handful take the time to make the space that they work in work for them.

Today, there are many workers that work virtually, but there are still millions that come to an office each working day. While work can be stressful, the office needn’t be. Creating an oasis of calmness in your immediate workspace has the potential to make your entire life healthier: here is how.

1. Declutter the Immediate Work Space

Surprisingly, some people find things much better in a mess, but if you are always pushing things aside to find your keyboard or balancing your keyboard on your lap due to the lack of space on your desk, you need to take a few minutes of your time to clear out that stuff. The area 6 inches to the side as well as in front of your computer should be clear to allow for comfortable movement.

The small aggravation of being unable to move freely can greatly add to your mental stress. The same goes for the chair, which should freely move in and out so that you never feel “chained” to your workstation or desk. People organize their paperwork in different ways, and that’s okay, but you always should have enough space for moving and working.

2. Hang an Inspiring/Beautiful Image in Your Direct Line of Sight

The eyes need regular breaks from whatever work you are doing. A simple painting, photograph, print, or any other image that strongly resonates with you should go up in your line of sight, so that you can daydream a bit (which is great for productivity) and take eye-strain breaks too.

If your job is a means to an end, you must never forget what that end is and an image can do a great job of reminding you. Avoid pictures of family since your everyday stresses with them can become triggered if you use them as your focus image.

For instance, if you are working a job to provide for your family, your focus image should be one of places that you wish to vacation with them or even a home that you would love to live in with them.

3. Bring in a Plant or Add Water Features

You can find numerous plants capable of surviving and even thriving in office environments. Greenery has been shown to lower both stress and blood-pressure levels as well as clean the air. A plant will also give you something to tend/water when you need a break rather than hitting the snack bar or coffee machine again. A lot of people like a water feature in their space too, it provides a relaxing feel like a plant. The water fountains at the Soothing Company are a very popular addition as they add a stylish and relaxing touch to the area.

4. Install a Sound Blocker/Muffler

The noise from your fellow workers can be quite distracting. The clattering of the Xerox machine, the loud phone chatter, and the squeak of office chairs are quite bothersome.

A small desk fan can provide a layer of white noise and a nice breeze while a small water feature can be turned on whenever you wish to concentrate. The sound of water flowing is both meditative and relaxing, and has the potential to screen out other sounds.

5. Keep a Large Bottle or Glass Full of Water at Your Desk

Sip from this bottle or glass all day. Dehydration can be incredibly stressful for the body. It stresses the kidneys and liver, amps up existent irritations, all which lead to you feeling sluggish.

Everyone’s been there: Coffee for breakfast, juice with lunch, and it is now 4 p.m. and you feel crummy, have a headache, and your feel tired too and its all because you never had enough water throughout the day. Then you drink several large glasses and you have to use the bathroom 4 times before the end of the day.

If you drink water throughout the day, you will feel better and will not have to use the bathroom so many times in succession.

The final piece of advice is that you need to take a look at your office and your life there. What things do you find more aggravating on a day-to-day basis? Can you do anything to change or modify them? Perhaps there’s a simple solution to something that’s been bothering you.

Digital Branding

7 Secrets On How To Manage And Overcome Work-Related Stress

on August 31, 2018

The stress and strain of your work life can follow you home, and if these persist, they can have a negative impact on your health and well-being. The short-term effects of minor pressures of work can lead to health issues such as sleep disturbances, headaches, muscle ache, short temper, bad moods, and poor concentration. On the other hand, chronic stress leads to problems such as insomnia, low immunity, anxiety, and high blood pressure. Moreover, most of the people that experience excess strain and work-related pressure tend to address it in unhealthy ways that include overeating, unhealthy eating, smoking, and excessive drinking.

Taking the appropriate steps to manages stress can help you be happy and great moods at home and the office. Below are stress management secrets worth trying:

1.    Track Your Stressors

Note down the various things or situations that get you worked up and stressed. Keep a journal of these stressors for a week or two as you also noted down how you respond to each of them. Pen your thoughts and feelings as well as any other information you deem important about your surroundings (which includes the physical setting, people, and circumstances as well as how you responded). Did you go for a walk, grab a snack, raise your voice, or go silent? The idea with this particular tip is to be able to find patterns among your reactions to the various stressors you face.

2.    Develop Healthy Responses

Regarding how you respond or react to the different stressors, you should strive to have positive and healthy responses. Alcohol, smoking and binge eating is not the best way to fight stress. Stick to healthy answers, and you will have a mind and body that remains upbeat after working on your tensions. Exercising is one of the perfect ways of dealing with stress, and the same goes for yoga and meditation. The same can be said of any physical activity that gets your blood flow going. Playing games with family and friends also help. Reading a book can help you take your mind off things allowing you to calm yourself mentally and physically. While at it, try and reduce your caffeine consumption especially late in the day or at night. Also, avoid too much of the TV and computers at night.

3.    Take The Time To Reboot And Recharge

The body is naturally set to work for a particular period and rest for another during a 24-hour cycle. It takes a break from the busyness of life when we sleep. Similarly, it is wise to “switch off” from work where you and enjoy other things that are not related to your job. Also, try not to think about your work during that period. That idea is to disconnect for your professional life and related demands from time to time. Take a vacation for a few days, go hiking, do activities that allow you to relax and unwind. Get enough sleep so that your mind and body can rest, reboot and feel recharged.

4.    Establish Boundaries

Many people in today’s digital age, feel pressured into being available 24/7 become of the many gadgets and the seemingly endless connectivity. As such, people can work at any given time. However, it is wise to establish boundaries between your home life and work life. Set some time for yourself away from work. For instance, you can make it a rule not to check your emails when you are off work or picking work-related phone calls when at home. While some people may have different preferences and opinions about blending their work and home life, it is necessary to establish clear boundaries to avoid bringing with you the stresses of work to your home.

5.    Relax

Be mindful of what you do and your surrounding (where you are observant of things without judging) and do your best to stay positive. Such things help you to have better responses to stressors. Combine such things with exercising, meditation, and deep breathing and melting work-related stresses will not be a hurdle. If things get too much, talk to someone professional

When feeling burdened at work, a simple activity such as deep breathing can help. Alternatively, you can take a short break and go for a short walk so that you can allow your mind to relax. You can also listen to soothing music that calms and uplifts you.

6.    Consult Your Supervisor

Most employers know and appreciate the fact that healthy employees are productive; therefore, most bosses invest in their workforce by ensuring that they have a conducive work environment that promotes the overall well-being of the employees. Part of such measures includes open communication channels that allow a worker to converse with the supervisor. The aim is not so much about giving complaints instead focused on the development of effective plans and solutions that help manage different issues that trigger stress and lower productivity. By talking to your supervisor and pointing out what you feel is slowing you down, you will be assisted to find suitable solutions. Systems can also be in place that can help workers identify employer-sponsored wellness resources that they can leverage to know what is expected of them and that encourage employee-to-employee support thereby fostering a productive atmosphere in the workplace.

7.    Get Some Support

If you feel bogged down by stress from work, do not hesitate to accept the assistance of your family, friends, and colleagues. For instance, there may be stress management resources at your workplace that employees can use when seeking help on how to overcome the stress of work and remain productive.  Check if your employer has an EAP (Employee, Assistance, Program) or if they refer workers to counselors if need be; the objective is to ensure that you get the necessary assistance and support as you try to manage or overcome stress.

Local Branding

New Age Health Tips – Is Your Dental Health Affecting Your Productivity?

on August 29, 2018

Most people believe that everyone should visit the dentist twice a year, even if they don’t do it themselves. It’s not clear, however, where these six-month check-ups initially came from. Some believe that they originated back in the 18th century, long before we had randomised controlled trials that could test their effectiveness. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 1 in 7 people aged 15 and over had toothache in the last year. People prone to dental problems and children should visit the dentist often, but permanent teeth are no less vulnerable to decay, and in the teen years teeth are generally less vulnerable, at least until wisdom teeth come through in the early twenties. So, the risk varies at different points in our life.

Keeping bad habits in line

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There are some bad habits that can impact our oral health that we’re not even aware of. Chewing ice, biting your nails, grinding your teeth, eating particularly sticky or hard sweets, drinking coffee and red wine, smoking, but also brushing your teeth too hard and using a wrong technique – all of these can increase the risk for your dental health or contribute to discoloration. When you appear for regular dental check-ups, your dentist will check for any damage caused by any of these habits. Being informed about specific deteriorating habits allows you to change your lifestyle to prevent further damage.

When brushing and flossing come short

Even if you use the best brush three times a day and floss regularly after every meal, there are still small areas that are easy to miss. When plaque builds up it becomes more difficult to remove, solidifying and turning into tartar, which is extremely difficult to remove without a professional intervention. Regular dental cleanings can prevent tartar from eroding the teeth or creating holes in the enamel, which is a highway to cavities. When they appear, cavities don’t give any warning signs, apart from a small ache once the tooth is already decayed. When the damage is done, you need to have them filled and fixed, but it’s always better to take care of plaque and tartar before they can damage your teeth. In addition, a cleaning appointment is also more affordable than getting a filling.

To stay on top of your treatment plan

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That first visit to the orthodontist for consultations should never be your last. While everyone’s situation is different, making sure you that you attend the regular visits is a small cost for the benefits of your oral health and bright smile. After you’re given a plan for orthodontic treatment, you need to stick to the schedule for your return visits. This way, your orthodontic team will have a chance to track your progress and make adjustments to your braces. It’s important, however, that even the patients with Invisalign still make their regular check-ups, just to make sure the teeth are shifting as planned. So if you live in the greater Sydney area, check out the best Zetland orthodontist and get informed on the range of personal tailor-made plans they provide.

Before complications occur

To make matters worse, the plaque and tartar build-up does not only cause tooth decay, but also erodes the mouth gum tissues. The build-up can cause an infection at the point where the gum meets the tooth, making the gum pull away. This diagnose is called gingivitis, and as it progresses, the tissue that attaches the gums to the teeth breaks down, paving the way for gum disease. At this point, there’s likely to be swelling, bleeding and soreness in the mouth, but apart from breaking down gum tissue, gum disease can also cause the bone that holds the teeth in place to deteriorate. In order to avoid costly series of specialist treatments, make sure you make your cleaning appointments and address early signs of gingivitis as soon as possible.

Dentists and dental specialists are not only concerned with fixing your teeth. They take care of your oral health, prevent the onset of gum disease and check for abnormalities that may need orthodontic treatment, which may otherwise go unnoticed. Skipping dental appointments may not seem like a big deal, but in the long run, they are the better option both healthwise and moneywise.

Digital BrandingLegal Branding

Technology Disrupts the Legal Industry

on August 28, 2018

Technology is no doubt disrupting several industries, the most affected being banking and finance. While all this was going on, we sort of forgot the legal system. It has seemed invincible for the longest time now but it seems likely that the next time you seek notary services near you, you could be served by a robot. How’s that for progress? Okay, that may not be happening in a long time, but law students and lawyers are already seeing some changes in their area.

– Legal Research

Lawyers spend lots of time in their desks and libraries looking up legal documents and reading up on whatever they can find to attach to a case, but that is being made easy by technology. Instead of spending all this time in actual libraries, they can now access most legal write-up including submissions and judgments online. The only problems with this flexibility are that it strains work-life balance for these professionals even more.

– Artificial Intelligence and Decision making

These days, cases where facts are right there and stakes aren’t so high are decided by software to save time for more emotive cases. Traffic offences where the offender has been to court before are quite easy to decide after looking at the trend. However, murder cases and such that need the presence of a human being to reason and adjudicate are left to human judges. There is still the fact that coders need the help of legal professionals to come up with some of these statistics that enable the software to make its decision.

– Data Mining

Being as the data is available to any lawyer, they can now look up a judge’s reputation and judgments and be able to – almost confidently – predict his or her style and likely outcome if they are presented with a certain case. This knowledge leads to that particular lawyer pushing their case to the judge they believe would be lenient. Data mining is certainly working in favour of lawyers.

– Value Creation with Smart Contracts

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Some contracts don’t need too much time to create as they are quite repetitive and so they can be automated. Artists are already making use of smart contracts by automating repetitive services and in the process saving lots of money in legal and accounting fees. Think of a lease document or an affidavit. The message in one is the same as the other with the only difference being the figures and names of parties to the contract. These are being automated to spare time and money.

– Telecommuting

This has been working well for a while now and the future presents even more telecommuting. Law professionals travel so much most of the time but technology has made it such that people holding meetings in different continents feel like they are in the same room. This trend is breaking boundaries – where a lawyer in Africa can represent a client in Europe and vice versa. Less air travel means more work is done and less air pollution. Win-win!

These changes are not all negative. They will add value to the profession and create opportunities for those willing to jump right in.

Digital Branding

Mobile Marketing: What Is Incrementality Testing?

on August 25, 2018

All mobile app marketers are looking to engage and convert more users. With so many marketing channels available, there’s a lot of pressure to quickly hone in on what will yield the most valuable business outcomes.

The more channels a business experiments with, the higher their chance for finding a blend that achieves substantial ROI. However, the experimentation process is tricky and time-consuming. Metrics like click-through-rate (CTR) and costs per acquisition (CPA) can give some useful insights, but they usually don’t tell the entire story.

Many marketers constantly wonder if their advertisement campaigns caused a consumer to convert. The answer to this question and more lies in incrementality testing.

What Is Incrementality Testing?

Incrementality testing, otherwise known as ‘Uplift Modeling,’ ‘Incremental Sales Lift’ or ‘Placebo Effect,’ measures the lift that advertising spending provides to conversion rates.

Advertisers can use incrementality testing to see how a single variable impacts user behavior. The resulting incremental lift shows how a certain digital advertising tactic impacts sales in comparison to other marketing endeavors.

Armed with this type of knowledge, you can then use data to formulate a more concrete marketing action plan. Dividing up audiences and marketing tactics into testing and control groups through incremental integration testing gives you reassurance results are not influenced by outside factors.

What Are The Benefits of Incrementality Testing?

The benefits of this type of test are robust. Incrementality testing can:

  • Validate the impact of digital media vs. organic conversions.
  • Validate conversions that are new.
  • Validate a single targeting tactic by a vendor.
  • Validate (and then compare) incremental sales across head-to-head tests.

Incrementality testing gives advertisers the ability to fine-tune their budgets since they have a better idea of how to allocate retargeting ad spend. In an advertising industry fraught with a lack of clarity, this type of testing gives businesses confidence in their marketing tactics.

However, despite all the benefits of incrementality testing, it’s still a pretty new concept that hasn’t yet achieved widespread popularity.

Why Isn’t Incrementality Testing Popular?

It might seem a bit weird that this type of testing has not been universally adopted, especially in light of its benefits. But incrementality testing carries a couple pitfalls.

First, testing is usually costly since money has to be dedicated to placebo advertisements. However, increasingly advanced AI technology is now letting companies with small budgets and volume carry out tests.

Additionally, getting precise metrics from incrementality testing can be extremely difficult. A lot can quickly go wrong. Many marketers think incrementality can be measured merely by examining conversions before and after a digital marketing effort.

The most precise measurements, however, will come through scientific approaches like randomized control trials (RCT).

How Can I Perform a Test?

RCTs can be an easy way to take a lot of the complexity out of incrementality tests. You simply split a target audience into a control and test group and then show the test group advertisements. Then you’re able to observe conversion rates and calculate impact. This gives you a clear picture of the cause and effect of a marketing campaign.

It’s crucial to adhere to good statistical testing practices throughout the process to ensure legitimate results. This means randomly selecting people for groups from the same user pool. It also means coming up with a hypothesis, a primary outcome, and a definite start and end date to cut down on time distortions.

In the end, groups of people that have higher incremental lift probably need some more pushing through the sales funnel. Groups with lower lift are probably more likely to buy, even without an ad.

The Competitive Edge of Testing

Despite the trickiness of successfully carrying out incremental integration testing, it provides a lot of benefits to marketers and advertisers.

Understanding the effects of a marketing strategy can help optimize a budget, and getting an idea about the indirect impacts of a tactic lets you see how one marketing strategy affects another.

An optimized budget and high-level visibility into the varying effectiveness of your overall marketing strategy can position companies for long-term growth and ensure they stay a step ahead of competitors.

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