Mohit Tater's Blog, page 650

Businesses that You Can Easily Start Online

Owning your own business is the dream. You can create financial freedom, and you can have a sense of achievement that you can’t get from anything else – or at least that’s the idea if you’re successful. The Internet has made it not only possible to connect with anyone, anytime, anywhere, but also to create just about any type of business you want and to run it from the comfort of your own home. Your biggest problem may be deciding exactly what kind of business you want to run.

You have dozens of options for starting your own business online, which may be good or bad news, depending on how difficult it is for you to make a decision. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Affiliate Marketing

Whether you have a blog, an online magazine, or another company, you can make money with affiliate marketing. It can be your main business, or it can be a way to supplement the income for your business. With affiliate marketing, you share a coded link for a product or service, and when anyone clicks on that link and buys that product or signs up for that service, you get a small fee or a percentage of the sale. You drive your revenue by sharing and creating the right content and putting the link in the right spot within that content.

You can sign up for a service like AFFcelerator to help you get more from your affiliate marketing (see some AFFcelerator reviews here). You can also use a variety of plugins and other tools that help you automate your affiliate marketing activities and increase your revenue.

Ecommerce

You can open your own store online with little to no money. You can use drop shipping to sell products without having to invest in any merchandise. With drop shipping, you sell the item, and then you order it directly from the provider and it is shipped to the consumer. There is no risk since you don’t have to buy anything before you sell it. The other option for ecommerce is to find a good wholesaler that lets you buy products at low cost so you can maximize your profits.

Just like with affiliate marketing, there are numerous tools and plugins that help you set up shop easily and manage everything from ordering to payment processing. You’ll increase your revenue quickly by finding ways to keep your costs as low as possible and by using smart marketing strategies.

Lead Generation

Many companies will pay you to bring them leads that they can try to turn into paying customers. For example, you can set up a site that allows people to get free quotes for insurance or to compare insurance policies. They provide their information, and the insurance companies provide the quotes. You are just the middle man bringing the two together. In the meantime, you earn a commission every time someone performs a search and provides their personal information.

There are many other ways you can generate leads for companies, such as through a mailing list, providing downloadable products, or even social media marketing. Many industries pay for leads, so you’ll need to brainstorm to find an industry and a lead generation tactic that aligns with your interests and your skills.

Advertising

You don’t have to open an advertising company to make money from advertising. Companies spend billions on online advertising every year, and you can take a small piece of that pie by publishing ads on your site. Your primary business would be publishing content, such as through a blog, a news site, or an online magazine. Then you would generate revenue through the advertising you sell.

You have the option of selling your own banner or display ads or signing up for an automated program that includes text links, display ads, and other types of ads on your site and pays you by click or impression. You will have to work to increase your traffic to increase your ad revenue.

There are many more ways to start a business online, but these are some of the easiest and the most popular. Explore the options to find what best suits your skills and your interests.

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3 Ways to Save Money While Traveling for Business

Travel is often a necessity for business. Account managers need to strategize with clients while sales teams need to meet in person to close deals. While the benefits of travel outweigh the costs to your company, you may not feel comfortable spending thousands of dollars on plane tickets and hotel rooms each year.

If you’re traveling on a budget, consider following the three tips below to lower your travel expenses and save money when you’re on the road.

Invest in a Travel Expense Card

Many airlines and hotels have rewards cards that offer free nights or miles when the cards get used. If people within your company travel often throughout the year, invest in one of these cards to increase your savings. Within a few months, you could receive free flights or hotel stays that reduce the cost of these trips.

If your employees use cards when they travel to buy food and other necessities, look into corporate cards that you can give to them. With cashback reward options, your travelers could actually make money for the company when they’re on the road.

Skip the Stress of Renting a Car

In 2016, Bloomberg reported that rideshare services such as Uber surpassed rental car expenses for one of the top travel and expense software platforms on the market. This finding proves that taxis aren’t the only industry hurt by Uber, as more business travelers are opting to choose ride-share options instead of renting a car.

Not only are car rentals expensive since you have to pay for the vehicle rental, insurance, gas, and parking, but they’re also stressful when you have to navigate an unfamiliar city such as New York or San Francisco.

Of course, you don’t have to rely only on Uber and Lyft to get around. Bike-sharing services can allow you to easily rent a bike to use during your business trip. If you book your hotel close to your appointments, you can bike to them and save yourself more money.

Buy Groceries Instead of Eating Out

When you’re booking hotels, try to find rooms or suites that have kitchenettes or refrigerators where you can store and cook your own food. You can also look for options that have complimentary breakfasts for guests.

When people travel for business, they typically eat out for three meals a day because they don’t have a place to store food. While a dinner out is nice, three meals a day is excessive.

Not only is dining out expensive, but it also can be unhealthy, depending on where you dine. According to CNN, people who eat at fast-food locations and restaurants consume 200 more calories per day. Diners who ate out also increased their salt, fat, and sugar intake.

The next time you travel for business or send your sales teams on the road, keep the three tips above in mind to maximize your savings. By investing in healthy and affordable options, your company and your employees will benefit.

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Beyond the Bank: Alternative Currencies

Governments and banks don’t have a monopoly on printing money. While it makes sense for countries, or wider coalitions like the EU to share an internationally recognised currency, alternatives are ever popular. While some are brief fads, others seem to have the sort of staying power of pounds or dollars.

Here are some of the most popular, most interesting or outright strangest alternative currencies that have been used down the years.

Bitcoin

Perhaps the most well known of these alternative currencies, Bitcoin is a crypto-currency. Bitcoins are ‘created’ by mining them: computers that help to process ledgers of Bitcoin transactions are rewarded with newly minted Bitcoins of their own.

The currency is regulated by secure records of transactions called blockchains: openly viewable but uncopiable ledgers, which are distributed across the computers of everyone ‘mining’ bitcoins making it the world’s first decentralised currency. You spend it in selected online stores, and even in physical shops, including CEX and some London pubs.

Local Currencies

It started in 1991, in Ithaca, New York. To encourage people to use local businesses, the area began to issue ‘Ithaca Hours’, each worth around $10, and roughly equivalent to an hour’s worth of work. Chain stores couldn’t adopt the new currency, so only local businesses benefited.

The scheme has been repeated in many other places leading to the UK’s Brixton and Bristol Pounds. In Bristol businesses can even pay their council tax in the local currency.

Airtime

In countries across Africa, Mobile Banking is taking off. Businesses like M-Pesa is bringing the benefits of a secure bank account to communities that have never had access to them before. Before that took off however, people used mobile credit as a de facto currency: it was easily transferable, and had a clear value that remained stable regardless of the official currency.

Members of the African diaspora still send airtime home as a way to contribute to family and friends.

Detergent

Yes.

Really.

Tide is one of America’s most popular detergents. It can also be exchanged with drug dealers for $5 in cash or $10 in cocaine or cannabis. It’s a popular but low profit product, which smaller retailers can rarely afford to stuck, but will buy cheaply given a chance. As shoplifting carries a lower penalty than mugging or burglary it makes sense for addicts to steal soap in bulk and trade it for the drugs they need.

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Top 5 Companies with Best Content Marketing Strategies

With content marketing being seen as the future of marketing, everyone is out to tap into this well of opportunities and benefits. Here are the top 5 companies that are ruling the content marketing sphere with their inspired approaches.

1.     Coca Cola

Coca Cola, being one of the most recognized brands around the world, cannot afford to take its marketing lightly. Having said that, it is imperative to point  out that their strategies are often nothing short of stunning.  The “Where will happiness strike next?, ‘Share a Coke’ and their ‘Content 2020’ initiative are among some of the best instances to prove that they are hands down leaders when it comes to content marketing.

What sets them apart from and above the other companies is their compelling story telling and their quality of connecting with the customers. With heartwarming stories, beautiful narration and a purpose that is fulfilled, Coca Cola’s marketing aims for the consumers’ hearts and not just their minds.

2.     RedBull

With over 400 employees all across the world, Red Bull Media House provides a strong content and digital marketing backbone for the brand. Red Bull Media House runs more than 900 domains in 36 languages under redbull.com and has made its presence very strongly felt. On top of that, it has launched a number of games via Facebook and redbull.com. The marketing strategy of this luxurious brand has got itself an undisputable spot on this as well as many other lists for content marketing excellence; and to its customers, it has given as it claims- wiiiings!

3.     Stanford Graduate school of business

Now here’s why Stanford totally deserves a spot in this list – most importantly it is because they are exactly where they need to be. With 18-24 year olds as their target audience, their presence on Tumblr is one smart move. In fact this is of such simple strategic brilliance, that this move, by itself, proves their credibility. ‘Your daily dose of big ideas, candid insights, and practical takeaways from Stanford GSB’, this blog is very easily accessible for all young adults who are looking for it and can in fact can be stumbled upon by those who might not even have intended to look at the page in the first place. That is what you call smooth. Well played indeed!

4.     EA Electronic Arts

With 1,706,555 followers on Twitter, American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games, Electronic Arts appear to have got it right with their content marketing. With a large following on their YouTube page and an excellent site which can be best described as very visual, it is hitting the right note with enthusiastic customers. They are up and about in creating detailed gamer psychographics and distributing content across every platform, and redefining some amazing marketing.

5.     IBM

The technology giant, IBM was amongst the first to take up corporate blogging and they do that in style till date. With a large number of executives and influencers constantly creating content and updating their social feed, IBM’s content marketing stands proof of their high quality work.  Their engagement in social media and visibility on the internet has been on the rise, and are proving to be an efficient way of dealing with and reaching a very large and diverse audience.

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Video Marketing: The Latest Tips + Trends for SME’s

If you aren’t currently marketing your business through video, you are definitely missing out on a huge potential audience. It’s now possible to record high quality video for a very low cost, using tech that we all take for granted such as our mobile phones and tablets.

You can also distribute the content through most of your social media channels. Not only uploading it to YouTube but also sharing it across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. To gain the widest reach you need to meet your customers where they are and most importantly you need to give them content that adds value not just markets to them.

Focus on the Story, Not the Promotion

When someone watches a video, their unspoken expectation is to be informed, educated or entertained. Video is not the place for the hard sell, rather you want to raise awareness of your business so that people remember you when the time comes for them to make a purchase or book a service.

Depending on your business model one approach, which has been very successfully implemented by Vape Club, is to keep your viewer up to date on information which impacts them. By creating a short video which outlined the recent changes in the legislation around vaping, the company provided content which is important for users of e-cigarettes to know and in the process reassured them that their products were compliant.

Educate your Audience

One way to capture your audience’s attention is to take the main focus of your business and to then approach it from an unusual slant. Blendtec, who make a range of blenders, are probably one of the most famous examples of this. Not content with just focusing on the benefits of their products they instead introduced the Will it Blend campaign, where in each video they tried to blend something new, and often unexpected, such as an iPhone. Not only did this show the power of the blender it was so unusual it made the company highly memorable.

Red Bull is another example. Because their drink is all about energy, their video marketing is high octane and showcases a mix of athletes, daredevils and risk takers demonstrating their unique skills. While your business might not have the same budget as these companies, it’s still possible to educate your audience about what you do, but from a unique angle.

 

Time is Key

One important element of video marketing is timing. You can often stay ahead of the curve by creating content which is time sensitive and therefore will catch trending keywords in the search engines, as we saw with the Vape Club example above.

However, the converse of this is also true. Much of the content you create should be evergreen so that people finding your videos months, or even years, down the line will still find something of value in them and make them interested in finding out more about you.

Be Open & Extrovert

The key to video marketing is not to be shy. You need to get in front of people and convey your message to them. If you only have a small team, maybe enlist the help of all your staff to bring ideas to the table and get involved in creating content. This can be a fun way to engage staff in getting the message of the company out to the wider world.

If you take the example of Walmart in the USA, they offer a wide array of content on their channel including not only ways their own products can be used, but also showcasing testimonials and even including collaborations with other partners and bloggers. If you sell B2B it’s worth thinking how you could leverage the content of your clients to make it a win-win for both companies.

Video is not going away any time soon and if you haven’t ventured into this form of marketing yet it’s definitely worth your time and investment. It’s still possible to capture a whole segment of audience that your competitors might not even be aware of.

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Content Marketing Do’s and Don’ts

Don’t be sweating over content marketing. With this list of easy do’s and don’ts you can get the best results with least efforts:

Do advertise. Don’t impose.

While advertising and selling are the aim behind content marketing, the content must not be heavy on advertising. There has to be room for the reader to think for himself too. It must not feel forced. Over doing the promotion can even backfire. Think of your content as a conversation, so you would probably be able to tell better when you start to make your reader uncomfortable, or when your advertising starts to get nagging. Do point out why your product is better than the others, but even more importantly, let them know why it’s the best choice for them.

Do Add-ons.

Content marketing is not tricky! While writing the content, look at it from the readers’ point of view as well. Is there anything you can do to optimize its effect? Sure.

For example a feature like FAQ section can prove to be a major help for the readers. Chances are, their queries will be on the list which will save them a lot of time and energy! And boy does everyone like their time and efforts valued and saved! I sure do.

Don’t use fancy language.

Content Marketing is primarily dependent on words. So how you place them has a major role to play.Your language should depend upon the product you’re selling and also your target audience. For example if you’re writing for expecting mothers, they’re likely to not ‘dig the slang lingo’. Also usage of too much technical jargon is never a good idea as it hampers communication.

Do Visualize.

Images, videos and all things colorful or moving are a big hit on the internet! Contents with images have reported higher views. Images tend to keep one’s mind more gripped to the content and provides more effective impact. Don’t believe me? Why do you think magazines are more popular than novels? Because they have less reading material and lots of photos! Majority of people aren’t enthusiastic readers and so it always helps to have some visual aids tickling their interest besides words.

Do Distribute.

With content marketing, the emphasis is on being visible in the market. How does your target audience find you? How do you grab their attention?  How well promoted is the link to your content?Extensive channels of distribution can prove to be very beneficial.

Do Highlight.

If you can get it right with the headlines, half your task is complete. Convey maximum information with crisp and to the point headlines. To tap the attention of casual onlookers, there can be no better strategy.

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Why are Online Casino Players Excited About the Latest Generation

Why are online casino players excited about the latest generation mobile phones? Really, this has been the case more or less since the beginning of online casino gaming. Online casino gaming has always been at the cutting edge of technology. Many of the players have always wanted to see how the latest devices could improve their overall game playing experience.

The online casino gaming industry was ahead of its time when it started, expanding online during a time period when the Internet was still very new and largely unknown. It makes sense that everyone involved with the industry would be very enthusiastic about all of the related technological changes that could help the industry.

Today, people can play free slot machines without making a real money deposit. Red Flush Online Casino games have been around for a while now, but the opportunity to play games online was revolutionary in its day. Now, the field has managed to stay relevant through its constant changes and the fact that it manages to keep up with all of the existing technological developments. Of course, many of these technological developments can make the gaming experience better inherently, which is already enough of a reason for people to enjoy the new mobile devices.

Many of the new mobile devices really stand out when it comes to the displays that they use. Online casino games have really improved over the years when it comes to their graphics. Having mobile devices that can really make those graphics come to life makes a big difference for everyone involved. Some of these new mobile devices are actually better when it comes to facial recognition and security as well, and the security of various mobile devices is particularly important for all of the people who are trying to succeed at online casino gaming. They have more to lose than a good portion of the other people working on their mobile devices, and new advances matter more to them.

Having a better CPU certainly matters for the people who are trying to enjoy live dealer games. People won’t have to deal with as many interruptions as a result. Many of these new mobile devices are able to handle all of the different games available today in a way that would have been more difficult for some of the mobile devices from previous generations.

Some of the enthusiasm about new mobile devices is just a function of the fact that mobile casino gaming is still so popular. Mobile casino gaming is very much the sort of trend that never seems to stop. Ever since online casino game players have had the option to play their games using mobile devices, they have always wanted to do so. People typically don’t use mobile devices that are more than a few years old. Many individuals who are very enthusiastic about technology in general will want to upgrade fairly frequently. As such, they will probably get excited about the majority of new mobile devices one way or another.

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How to Make the Perfect First Impression to Ace that Job Interview

You’ve got the talent.

You’ve got the qualifications.

You’ve got the experience.

You’ve labored long and hard over that resume that tells the company that you are the best candidate possible for the vacant position. You’ve done your homework and you’re a pro when it comes to in-depth knowledge about the company where you’re applying for a job.

So, What are the Factors that Can Help You Ace that Job Interview?

Search the internet and you’ll come across tons of dos and don’ts telling you how to dress and conduct yourself. And, one of the first things they’ll tell you is the importance of creating that perfect first impression. How you present yourself, your demeanor, the confidence you display….every one of these factors can dictate whether or not you’ll get the post. Remember, if you’re here for the job interview, it means that you have the necessary qualifications. All that remains is proving that you also have the personality for the position.

Is that All it Takes? Let’s Ask the Interviewers Themselves

According to the Daily Mail, interviewers decide within 6 to 7 minutes if they’re going to hire you. 73% of them base their decision on your dressing and personality while 55% assess your confidence by your handshake. 60% of hiring managers make up their mind about you depending on the other interests you talk about during the informal chat. At least, 71% will likely reject you if they spot a tattoo or piercings. Of course, all of these factors are also related to the kind of job you’re looking for. If you’re interviewing for the post of a DJ, tattoos and piercings might actually get you your acceptance letter. But, if it’s a managerial post in a company you’re looking for, these factors are a definite no-no.

The Confidence You Display in the Waiting Room Counts

Companies these days may have a more comprehensive approach to their hiring procedures. They may want to assess candidates for their self-assurance while they’re in the waiting room. Tapping feet, pacing around, visiting the restroom a couple of times, chewing gum, fixing hair, and drumming fingers all indicate unease. How you interact with the receptionist can also affect your chances of acing the job interview. A good option is to use the time to check through your resume, ensure that your degrees and certificates are sorted in the right order. You could also do a little more research on the company and the interviewers if you know who they are. Any added information is always useful.

Dressing Right

Studies show that 65% of interviewers expect that you’ll be smartly dressed with neat, well maintained clothes. While that is always the deciding factor of your job interview, you might want to check with the culture of the company. That’s because, many employers may not favor candidates that have on trendy attire. If the rest of the employees are walking around in casual jeans and shirts, you might not want to show up in a crisp business suit. Follow the company dress code but throw on a smart jacket for the interview.

Your Gestures Speak Louder than Words

How you act and use your hands says a lot about you. When you enter the meeting room, be the first to extend your hand in greeting. Smile and wait to be asked to sit. Crossing your arms across your chest indicates aloofness and will likely put off 21% of the interviewers. Using gestures to stress your point is a good thing, but too much flapping around can affect your chances of acing that job interview by almost 10%. Fidgeting too much can kill your probability of getting the post by 33% while playing with your hair can affect one-fifth of your chances.

On the Subject of Hair – Ladies, Keep it Neat

How you wear your hair says a lot about who you are and your personality. Interviewers may also base their impressions about your suitability for the job on the kind of hairdo you sport. Women can choose to wear their hair in a simple ponytail or a bun at the nape of their neck. Or, they may pin it behind one ear or opt for a short style that spells confidence, style and sophistication. Whatever may be the style you sport, take care that it is always neat and low maintenance. Loose, flyaway strands, and unruly hair will make you want to fix it and that distracts hiring managers from your responses to their questions during the job interview.

What Men Should Project

Men can try short smart cuts off their ears and forehead to indicate the smart professional. If you’re losing hair and have bald patches, take care to absolutely avoid comb-overs and fringe hair. A better option is to shave off your hair completely to project the persona of a dominant go-getter. However, to carry off this look, you’ll need to combine it with a toned, athletic physique. If you think, your confidence in the job interview is linked to your tresses, consider getting treatments that can help you get back a full head of hair. As the experts at the BHRC, center for hair restoration in Beverly Hills advise, you can try hair transplants or LTS Red/Green Light procedures.

What will and won’t work during the job interview is a question that’s been discussed extensively. And, every candidate who’s been successful at landing his or her dream job will have opinions about what she said right or the sense of humor he displayed. While all the above factors count (as surveys on hiring managers have proved), ultimately what works is the sincerity and confidence you display. Allow your honesty, integrity, and willingness to commit to the progress of the company shine through, and you’re sure to land the job you want.

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Conventional WAN vs. SD WAN: Which One Should You Choose?

Having good connectivity is essential to the success of your enterprise. In this day and age, almost everything ranging from inventory checks to creating business-critical conference calls depends on your network infrastructure staying connected at all times. That being said, being able to manage your company’s WAN or wide area network can be the most important factor for your company’s chances of success in today’s information age.

For a long time, enterprises didn’t have much in terms of managing their WAN. Even today, conventional WAN remains a common option for enterprises with branches operating across large geographical areas. However, the development of Cost-efficient SD WAN solutions has given businesses a viable alternative. The question is, would it be better to stick to conventional WAN, or should you choose the newer SD WAN options?

How does conventional WAN and SD WAN work?

To find out which type of WAN is better for your needs, you have to understand how the two options are similar and also what makes them different from each other. Here’s a quick rundown on how each option works:

Conventional WAN

With a conventional WAN, data from devices in a local area network from one branch office are relayed via a type of connection (usually multi-protocol label switching or MLPS) and then through a telecom network before being sent to the destination LAN located in a different branch office. This requires the right networking hardware, infrastructure, and bandwidth to work properly.

SD WAN 

SD WAN functions almost the same as conventional WAN, except the networking hardware is completely virtualized through the cloud. This means data from one device sent using one type of connection can be relayed to the destination device using another type of connection.

Conventional WAN

Because conventional WAN uses an established network infrastructure, a single connection boasts excellent bandwidth and transfer speeds. This makes it an ideal option for non-enterprise purposes or for enterprises with only a few branches.

However, conventional WAN solutions often require a lot of single-use devices. Each of these devices must be configured accordingly to ensure a secure connection. Aside from manual configuration being a major hassle, each networking device required to run a conventional WAN can be a potential entry point for unauthorized users, making it a possible security risk, especially for bigger networks.

Although bandwidth and stability for a single connection are great, there’s only so much bandwidth that it can handle. This means expanding with conventional WAN solutions may require paying for more connections to handle the extra bandwidth, not to mention the cost of additional dedicated hardware to establish the connection in the first place.

SD WAN

The greatest advantage of SD WAN over conventional WAN is the lack of need for a complex network architecture. Instead of having a series of devices configured one by one, all changes needed to expand or reduce the size of the WAN can be done through a cloud-based control system. Expanding only requires downloading the right configurations and security protocols to the SD WAN-ready devices instead of having to purchase and configure one device at a time.

The lack of need for extra devices also allows SD WAN to operate on a more simplified platform. Because the network isn’t as complex as that of traditional WAN, connection problems are less likely to occur. In case something still goes wrong, the simplified network makes it easier to pinpoint and address the cause of the problem. Some SD WAN solutions even feature advanced algorithms that automatically correct issues to ensure minimal downtimes.

Because SD WAN can take advantage of multiple connection types to relay data across different LANs, there’s no need to pay for extra connections just to keep up with growing bandwidth demands. For example, whereas traditional WAN only transfers data typically through MPLS, SD WAN can use4G/LTE, and other connections on top of what a traditional WAN can use.

The Verdict

While traditional WAN has a few minor advantages over SD WAN, SD WAN’s flexibility and cost efficiency make it an overall better choice. For an enterprise that sees plenty of room for expansion, SD WAN’s scalability and security at a fraction of the cost of traditional WAN are too good to pass up.

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5 Tips for Successful Content Marketing

In this day and age generating traffic for content on the internet has been made exponentially simpler due to the presence of content marketing campaigns. It is easier to define content marketing not by what it means, but by what it does, both for the ones who are selling and the ones who are buying.

Content on the web has come to mean a variety of things including blog posts, videos, webinars and much more.

Content marketing employs methods strategically planned to generate market and business for this vast variety of content on the internet. Content marketing can be expository, informative or specifically targeted to pique people’s curiosity. If planned properly this strategic planning can be what makes (or breaks) the business.

Implementation of a potent and powerful content marketing campaign may take some more careful planning but if done well, the output is beyond generously rewarding.

Content marketing is one of the greatest gifts of this highly digitized century. It is an established truth that this approach has helped countless institutions hit their marketing targets. However, too many professionals take the leap without proper planning and education.

For a content marketing strategy to be successful, careful planning and excessive attention should be paid to the details.

Here are 5 tips to make sure you content marketing campaign yields profits for your business:

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE – It is a cliché because it’s true. And it is very, very important. Keeping the content relevant is of the essence. If your content is showcased in a way which is utterly incapable of capturing the attention of your core audience, i.e., buyers, your strategy is destined to die an early death along with your profits.

 

Careful research on the demographics and thought-out conclusions regarding the identity of the audience will go a long way to ensure building effective campaigns. One easy method of doing that is by studying the social media usage of your target audience and moving forward from that point.

 

DEFINE YOUR GOALS – Without a sense of boundary, our efforts will stretch to lengths we cannot hope to traverse. Hence, the need to set achievable and specific goals to limit excess and unnecessary effort. This prevents wastage of money, time, as well as labour. Think about what your business needs. Does it need more business? Diversity? Brand awareness? Or sales?

Finding out the needs of the business, and setting procurable objectives will limit the possibilities of the campaign from becoming too exhaustive and meaningless.

 

USE SOCIAL MEDIA – Not making use of the easy windows to the target audience is not an option today. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr and more offers not only a very useful insight into the lives of your audience; it also helps spread the word. Successful integration of your content marketing efforts into social media allows your audience to spread the word themselves. Word of mouth is as useful a marketing tool as any, if not more, since each post shared by your audience to their peers is a testament to quality of your content.

 

DIVERSIFY YOUR MARKET – Yes, focusing on creating ideas for your niche market is important. But so is diversifying. It is impossible to come up with strategies which will resonate with everyone who may ever stumble upon your campaign but careful research & analysis gives information about what kind of people may be interested in your content and this provides plenty of space and tools to play with.

If business remains stagnant for a long period of time, loss will follow. Working on diversifying, thus expanding the target audience ensures development and continued in-flow of benefits.

 

ADD A FINISHING TOUCH – Before putting any content marketing strategy into work, think. Think real hard. Proofread every paragraph, spell-check every word, ask for different opinions. Cross all the t’s and dot all the I’ Make sure the finished product you use to promote your content is attractive and well-furnished.

 

There was a time when a quickly put-together article posted on a few different blogs would constitute a “campaign” but times have changed. People are used to seeing shiny, bright and eye-catching campaigns everywhere on the internet. Conglomerating  work along with sufficient exploitation of all the mediums available such as videos, infographs, blogs, e-books, interactive platforms etc. will go a long way to make sure that the campaign’s area of influence is massive and far-reaching.

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