Key Takeaways

• Integrating AI safety practices minimizes risks and enhances workplace safety, requiring human oversight to align AI decision-making with ethical standards.
• Organizations must identify potential AI risks, including cybersecurity, data privacy, and ethical concerns, and adopt a structured governance framework to effectively address these challenges.
• Continuous employee training on AI safety and the integration of AI tools into existing systems are essential for maximizing AI’s benefits while maintaining security and compliance.

Understanding AI Safety for Business

AI safety is crucial for business operations as it minimizes the risk of unintended harm while enhancing the effective use of AI technologies. Integrating AI safety into business practices allows companies to use AI-driven tools to monitor and enhance workplace safety and security, creating a secure environment for employees. This not only protects employees but also boosts overall productivity and trust within the organization.

Human oversight ensures that AI decision-making aligns with ethical standards and mitigates risks associated with automation. AI systems might make decisions that are technically correct but ethically questionable without human intervention, potentially leading to significant repercussions for businesses. Maintaining a balance between automation, machine learning, and human judgment is thus critical.

Training and support for employees are vital components of AI safety. Equipping them with the necessary skills to interact safely with AI systems and recognize potential risks ensures they can effectively manage AI tools and contribute to a safer working environment. This comprehensive approach allows businesses to harness AI’s full potential while safeguarding their operations and workforce.

Identifying Potential AI Risks

Recognizing potential AI risks is the first step towards responsible AI deployment. Cybersecurity risks like phishing attacks and social manipulation underline the need to address vulnerabilities with robust security measures. Processing vast amounts of sensitive data makes AI systems prime targets for cyberattacks, necessitating advanced protection strategies.

Data privacy issues pose another significant risk, requiring constant monitoring to prevent breaches of personally identifiable information (PII) and ensure security. Implementing stringent data needed protection protocols is crucial for maintaining customer trust and regulatory compliance.

Ethical risks, like discriminatory practices in facial recognition technologies and biases in hiring decisions, highlight the importance of ethical AI practices. Over-reliance on AI can lead to significant risks, like impersonation and fraud incidents that jeopardize business integrity.

Although AI offers numerous benefits, remaining vigilant about new risks and proactively addressing vulnerabilities is crucial. By identifying and mitigating these risks, businesses can safely integrate AI technologies into operations.

Implementing a Secure AI Framework

Effectively addressing AI risks requires organizations to adopt a structured governance framework that facilitates compliance and operational efficiency, following established guidelines. This involves creating a diverse AI governance team to tackle various risks, including cyber threats and ethical concerns, as well as ensuring that governments are involved in the process. A comprehensive risk assessment framework enhances cybersecurity and ensures compliance with regulations like GDPR.

The Secure AI Framework (SAIF) establishes security standards for responsible AI system deployment. Investing in secure AI frameworks ensures that AI technologies are safe and effective in cybersecurity. Implementing these frameworks allows businesses to protect operations and maintain AI system integrity through ai services.

Establishing Appropriate Controls

Appropriate controls are a critical aspect of risk management in AI deployment. Companies should employ a multidisciplinary team to address security, privacy, risk, and compliance in AI system development. This ensures various perspectives are considered, leading to more robust and secure AI solutions.

For example, AI systems in e-commerce platforms are designed with strong privacy protections to guard sensitive customer information, ensuring compliance with legal standards. Safeguards against prompt injection attacks protect the integrity of AI systems and their outputs.

In digital marketing, AI technology ensures campaign quality by employing analytics systems to identify trends and optimize ad placements. Focus on appropriate controls allows businesses to protect AI systems from potential threats and ensure safe and effective operation.

Ensuring Human Oversight

Human oversight evaluates AI decisions to ensure alignment with safety protocols. Involving human judgment in AI decision-making processes mitigates risks associated with automation. This oversight guides AI systems towards ethical and responsible outcomes.

Relying on human oversight prevents bad actors from exploiting AI systems and ensures AI technologies serve the best interests of users and society. This approach maintains trust in AI systems and supports their safe and responsible deployment.

Addressing Fairness and Bias in AI Systems

AI systems can unintentionally produce biased outputs, necessitating measures for fairness and transparency. Bias in AI results from errors leading to unjust decisions influenced by data collection, human biases, and algorithm design. To address fairness issues, businesses must document AI systems’ purpose and details to identify potential data privacy and ethical risks.

Continuous monitoring of AI systems ensures compliance with fairness standards and rectifies any biases. Effective training programs promote ethical AI use, helping employees recognize and mitigate biases in AI systems. AI systems can mirror biases in historical data, leading to unfair treatment of certain groups.

Algorithmic bias arises from poor design or limited data, causing AI to favor specific attributes unfairly and leading to potential biases. Ensuring data diversity and regularly assessing algorithms for impartiality promotes fairness in AI deployment.

Enhancing Cybersecurity with AI

AI applications in cybersecurity analyze user behavior and system logs to detect and respond to potential security threats proactively. AI helps security teams enhance capabilities in areas like threat detection and malware analysis. The AI Cyber Defense Initiative shifts the cybersecurity advantage from attackers to defenders.

AI-powered tools like Magika improve file type identification, significantly enhancing malware detection accuracy. However, AI systems can be vulnerable to cyberattacks due to processing large amounts of sensitive data. AI technologies enhance digital security, offering advanced methods to protect against cyber threats. This tool provides an additional layer of security.

Leveraging AI in cybersecurity services allows businesses to bolster defenses and safeguard digital assets.

Ethical Considerations in AI Deployment

AI safety prevents immediate operational risks and shapes the future societal impact of AI technologies. AI can spread misinformation, requiring strategies to combat social manipulation. Addressing fairness in AI systems supports human dignity and promotes ethics by eliminating discriminatory behavior, which can affect the overall perception of AI.

AI-generated art introduces complex questions regarding ownership and intellectual property rights. Job displacement is a significant ethical concern associated with artificial intelligence deployment in the workplace for the employee. Transparency in AI systems enables stakeholders to understand decision-making processes and ensures accountability, especially in the context of generative ai.

Detecting and addressing toxic or harmful AI responses is crucial to maintaining user trust and adhering to compliance standards. Addressing these ethical challenges allows businesses to responsibly leverage AI’s benefits while promoting fairness and respect for privacy.

Training Employees for AI Safety

Creating a culture of AI awareness within an organization is vital for effective risk management and compliance. Training employees on AI enhances their confidence and productivity by ensuring they understand its capabilities and limitations. Regular updates and continuous learning keep employees informed about evolving technologies, essential components of AI training programs.

Hands-on simulations help employees practice safe AI usage in real-world scenarios. Customized training modules address specific AI interactions relevant to different roles within an organization. Investing in comprehensive training programs equips employees with the skills needed to safely and effectively interact with AI systems and train with AI.

Integrating AI Tools with Existing Systems

Choosing AI tools that align with business objectives and integrate well with current systems is crucial for successful implement. Involving employees in the AI integration process fosters a culture of collaboration and acceptance of new technologies. Pilot testing focused AI applications in specific areas allows businesses to address issues before a full-scale rollout.

Redesigning workflows ensures smooth integration and enhanced efficiency when incorporating AI. Regular user feedback refines AI tools and improves their performance post-integration. Careful planning and execution of AI integration allow businesses to maximize the benefits of AI technologies.

Monitoring and Evaluating AI Performance

Continuous monitoring of AI systems addresses emerging risks related to real-time data interactions. Continuous assessment of AI systems detects performance issues and mitigates risks associated with biases and inaccuracies. AI safety metrics provide measurable indicators that help organizations evaluate the reliability and security of their AI systems.

Regular monitoring and evaluation of AI performance ensure systems can easily evaluate their effectiveness and remain secure within the ai ecosystem, research, and ai models.

Case Studies: Successful AI Safety Implementations

Shopify’s integration of AI-driven analytics tools exemplifies successful AI safety implementation in online businesses. By enhancing customer experience and optimizing sales processes, Shopify demonstrates responsible AI deployment’s potential in e-commerce. Their AI tools provide insights into consumer behavior while maintaining data privacy and security, showcasing how AI can be safely and effectively integrated into online business operations.

Such examples of successful AI safety implementations highlight the importance of rigorous safety measures and their positive impact on various industry sectors, aligning with industry standards.

Summary

Summarizing the key points, it is evident that AI safety is integral to protecting businesses and employees while leveraging AI’s benefits. From identifying potential risks to implementing secure frameworks and ensuring fairness, the strategies discussed provide a comprehensive approach to AI safety.

Businesses must remain vigilant about the ethical and cybersecurity challenges associated with AI deployment. By fostering a culture of AI awareness and investing in training, companies can navigate the complexities of AI integration effectively.

Embracing these strategies will not only safeguard operations but also inspire confidence in the responsible use of AI technologies. The future of AI in business is promising, and with the right safety measures, it can be harnessed to drive innovation and growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is AI safety important for businesses?

AI safety is crucial for businesses as it reduces the potential for unintended harm and ensures the effective deployment of AI technologies, thereby safeguarding both the organization and its workforce.

What are some common AI risks businesses should be aware of?

Businesses should be acutely aware of common AI risks such as cybersecurity threats, data privacy issues, and ethical concerns, particularly biases that may arise in decision-making processes. Addressing these risks is crucial for maintaining trust and integrity in AI applications.

How can businesses ensure the fairness of their AI systems?

To ensure fairness in AI systems, businesses should continuously monitor these systems, document their intended purposes, and promote diversity in data and algorithm evaluations. This approach fosters accountability and inclusivity in AI applications.

What role does human oversight play in AI safety?

Human oversight is essential for assessing AI decisions and ensuring compliance with safety protocols, effectively reducing risks tied to automation. This supervisory role fosters accountability and aligns AI operations with ethical standards.

How can companies train their employees for AI safety?

To ensure AI safety, companies should implement comprehensive training programs that encompass hands-on simulations, continuous learning opportunities, and tailored modules that address the unique responsibilities of each employee. This approach fosters a deeper understanding of AI safety protocols across the organization.

The post Essential AI Safety for Business: Protecting Your Workforce and Assets appeared first on Done For You.

Discover the Power of Google Generative AI: A Comprehensive Guide

Google Generative AI uses advanced algorithms to create content, such as text, images, and music. This article explains what Google Generative AI is, how it works, and how it enhances various Google products, transforming your user experience.

Key Takeaways

• Google Generative AI employs advanced machine learning models to create contextually relevant content across various media, enhancing creativity and productivity.
• The integration of generative AI in Google products, including Search, Workspace, and Cloud, significantly improves user experience and operational efficiency while offering personalized interactions.
• Google emphasizes responsible AI development, collaborating with stakeholders to ensure ethical use and protect user privacy, thereby addressing societal challenges through innovative technologies.

Understanding Google Generative AI

At its core, generative AI is a machine learning model that identifies patterns and creates new content across various media forms, including text, images, and even music. This technology leverages advanced algorithms to produce content that is not only contextually relevant but also creatively engaging. Imagine the possibilities – from writing articles to generating unique artworks, generative AI opens up a world of creative potential.

Google’s approach to generative AI is particularly fascinating. Leveraging foundation models that perform multiple tasks with minimal training, Google’s AI adapts to specific needs and transforms user experiences. This integration aims to make interactions more interactive and tailored, boosting creativity, productivity, and knowledge.

How Google Uses Generative AI Across Products

Google’s integration of generative AI across its suite of products is nothing short of revolutionary. This technology significantly enhances user experience and productivity by making interactions more personalized and effective. From improving search results to aiding in document creation, the potential applications are vast and varied.

One of the most exciting aspects is how Google continually improves these features using user feedback and fresh ideas for the future. Analyzing user searches and interactions, Google ensures its generative AI stays cutting-edge and beneficial for users globally.

Some specific applications across Google Search, Google Workspace, and Google Cloud include:

Google Search Enhancements

Generative AI has profoundly transformed Google Search, making it more efficient and user-friendly. This technology not only improves the functionality of search queries but also organizes results in a way that makes finding information quicker and easier. For instance, AI-enhanced features help users navigate complex topics by providing diverse perspectives and quick answers, ensuring a more comprehensive understanding of any subject.

Moreover, Google’s generative AI can handle complex questions and provide thoughtful suggestions, such as last-minute gift ideas or creative workout routines. The Gemini model, with its multi-step reasoning capabilities, allows users to tackle complicated questions and receive comprehensive answers, making the search experience more intuitive and satisfying.

Google Workspace Innovations

Within Google Workspace, generative AI brings numerous innovations to enhance productivity and streamline workflows. For instance, generative AI assists in summarizing and rewriting documents, significantly boosting workflow efficiency. This is especially beneficial in collaborative environments where quick, accurate information exchange is vital, as seen in various ai overviews.

The integration of Gemini 2.5 within Google Workspace further enhances functionalities like text generation and summarization. Companies like Rivian have already seen improvements in team collaboration and communication, resulting in quicker project turnarounds. These innovations not only boost productivity but also foster a more creative and efficient work environment.

AI in Google Cloud

Google Cloud’s generative AI provides a wide range of applications for businesses, from data analysis to content generation. Companies like Wendy’s and Uber use this technology to streamline order management and enhance real-time customer interactions. For instance, Wendy’s has automated its drive-thru service with Google Cloud’s generative AI, greatly improving efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Businesses can also utilize Google Cloud’s Vertex AI to access generative AI capabilities, enabling them to generate personalized chatbot responses and enhance customer service. The platform’s versatility allows for a wide range of applications, making it a valuable tool for companies looking to innovate and stay competitive in today’s fast-paced market.

Responsible AI Development at Google

Google’s commitment to responsible AI developed is a cornerstone of its approach to innovation. The company aims to develop bold technologies that address society’s challenges while ensuring they are used responsibly. This means avoiding technologies that could cause harm or violate human rights.

To achieve this balance, Google collaborates with stakeholders including researchers, governments, and other organizations to promote responsible AI use. This collaborative approach addresses potential challenges and ensures ethical AI development and deployment. Furthermore, Google implements frameworks to manage security and privacy throughout the AI lifecycle, from design to deployment.

In addition to these frameworks, Google emphasizes the importance of safeguarding user privacy and security. By adhering to responsible AI principles, Google ensures that its innovative technologies benefit society without compromising ethical standards.

Getting Started with Google Generative AI Tools

For those looking to harness the power of generative AI and gen ai, google ai offers a suite of tools powered to enhance productivity, aid expression, and improve language understanding through words. These gen tools serve millions of users, making their interactions with technology more seamless and efficient, thanks to ai powered assistance. Users can also develop their skills through these innovative tools that deliver enhanced inspiration experiences.

Users should use these tools responsibly, verifying generated information and reporting inaccuracies through appropriate channels. Additionally, access to these tools may require a free data plan, and users can customize their ability to access the web, which can vary by market and device, reflecting the reality of the situation with various code objects.

Whether you’re an artist, a creator, or a business professional, Google’s generative AI tools provide innovative solutions to meet your needs.

Gemini AI Tools

Gemini AI tools are at the forefront of Google’s generative AI offerings, designed to enhance user experiences across various services. These tools leverage advanced AI technologies to provide innovative features and streamline workflows, making tasks like text generation and document summarization more efficient.

Interested users can sign up for beta testing and experiments as they become available, allowing early adopters to experience the latest AI advancements and provide valuable feedback.

NotebookLM

NotebookLM is another powerful tool that facilitates the organization of research and helps identify relationships among uploaded documents. This tool supports users in categorizing their research, uncovering insights, and discover connections among various sources, enhancing the research process.

NotebookLM helps users streamline research efforts, making it easier to manage large volumes of information and draw meaningful conclusions. This tool is particularly beneficial for researchers, students, and professionals needing to organize and analyze extensive datasets.

Real-World Applications and Case Studies

Google’s generative AI has vast real-world applications, showcasing its versatility across industries. Collaborations with companies like UKG and GitLab highlight Google’s efforts to enhance AI applications and drive innovation.

These case studies provide valuable insights into how businesses are leveraging generative AI to solve complex problems, streamline operations, and improve customer interactions. Let’s explore some specific examples to see how generative AI is making a difference in content creation and business productivity.

Enhancing Content Creation

Generative AI is a game-changer for content creators, enabling them to produce diverse media formats, including text, images, audio, and video. This technology allows creators to engage their audiences more effectively by generating personalized and high-quality content to generate text.

In marketing, generative AI helps create personalized customer engagements and optimize marketing strategies through real-time data analysis. Companies like Agoda use Google’s AI models to generate unique visuals and videos for travel destinations, significantly speeding up content production and enhancing the overall quality of their marketing materials with the help of ai agents.

Boosting Productivity in Businesses

Google’s generative AI tools are also instrumental in boosting productivity within businesses. These tools can automate repetitive tasks, such as generating reports and summarizing data, thereby improving efficiency across various business processes. Artificial intelligence enhances the capabilities of these tools.

Companies like GM and Six Flags have reported significant improvements in customer experience and operational efficiency by integrating Google Cloud’s Vertex AI. For instance, Toyota’s implementation of a Google Cloud AI platform led to a reduction of over 10,000 man-hours annually while enhancing operational efficiency.

These example demonstrate the transformative power of AI in driving business innovation and productivity.

Summary

In summary, Google’s generative AI is a powerful technology that significantly enhances user interactions, productivity, and creativity across various domains. From improving search functionalities to revolutionizing workplace productivity, the applications are extensive and impactful.

As we look to the future, the responsible development and deployment of AI will be crucial in ensuring these technologies benefit society as a whole. By embracing these innovations and using them responsibly, we can unlock new possibilities and drive progress in ways we never imagined.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is generative AI?

Generative AI is a type of machine learning that generates new content, such as text, images, and music, by identifying patterns within existing data. This technology has the potential to significantly impact various creative fields.

How does Google use generative AI in its products?

Google employs generative AI in its products such as Google Search, Google Workspace, and Google Cloud to improve user experience and productivity through personalized and efficient interactions. This integration fosters creativity and enhances overall functionality.

What are some real-world applications of Google’s generative AI?

Google’s generative AI is applied in content creation, enhancing business productivity, and improving customer interactions, with companies like Agoda, GM, and Six Flags utilizing these tools to streamline operations and deliver personalized experiences.

How does Google ensure responsible AI development?

Google ensures responsible AI development by collaborating with diverse stakeholders, establishing frameworks for security and privacy, and steering clear of technologies that may cause harm or infringe upon human rights.

How can I get started with Google generative AI tools?

To effectively get started with Google generative AI tools, explore options such as Gemini AI and NotebookLM, sign up for beta testing, and verify the compatibility of your device and data plans. Taking these initial steps will prepare you for a successful experience with these innovative tools.

The post Harnessing Google Generative AI: Transform Your Ideas into Reality appeared first on Done For You.

The tech world has been buzzing with recent news about Google selling Chrome, and digital marketers are left wondering what this could mean for their strategies. Chrome is more than just a browser, it’s a critical tool for data collection, ad targeting, and web performance standards. A potential change in its ownership could create ripple effects across the digital marketing industry, altering everything from analytics to audience engagement.

For businesses that depend on Google’s ecosystem to fuel their marketing strategies, this development raises questions about what comes next. Below, we’ll explore the implications of Google selling Chrome and the key ways it could transform the digital marketing landscape. By understanding these changes, you’ll be better equipped to adapt and thrive in a shifting environment.

The Role of Chrome in Digital Marketing

Before diving into the potential impacts of Google selling Chrome, it’s essential to understand why Chrome has been such a powerful tool for marketers. As the most widely used web browser globally, Chrome plays a pivotal role in how marketers access data, track user behavior, and optimize campaigns. Its seamless integration with Google Ads, Google Analytics, and other tools has made it a cornerstone of digital strategy.

Marketers rely on Chrome for:

• Granular Audience Insights: Chrome provides data on browsing behavior, helping advertisers create highly targeted campaigns.
• Enhanced User Experience (UX): Chrome’s performance standards influence how websites are designed, ensuring fast loading times and mobile compatibility.
• Cross-Platform Compatibility: With its widespread usage, Chrome ensures consistency in ad delivery and web performance across devices.

If Chrome moves to new ownership, these advantages could shift significantly, forcing marketers to rethink their tools and strategies. Let’s break down the potential impacts and what they mean for the future of digital marketing.

1. Changes in Ad Targeting Capabilities After Google Sells Chrome

Chrome’s deep integration with Google Ads and its ability to collect granular user data have long been central to targeted advertising. With Google selling Chrome, digital marketers may face limitations in accessing the data they’ve grown reliant on. A new owner could impose restrictions on how data is collected, stored, or shared, potentially disrupting key ad targeting strategies.

What It Means for Marketers:
Marketers who rely on behavioral data for retargeting or creating hyper-specific ad campaigns may need to explore alternative tools or platforms. This could lead to increased competition for user data or the rise of new browser-based advertising networks.

2. How Google Selling Chrome Could Shift Analytics and Reporting Standards

Google Analytics integrates seamlessly with Chrome, offering rich insights into user behavior, such as bounce rates, session durations, and user flow. If Chrome is no longer under Google’s ownership, those streamlined analytics connections could be severed or altered. A new owner might prioritize privacy over granular data collection, leaving marketers with fewer insights to work with.

What It Means for Marketers:
To adapt, marketers may need to diversify their analytics strategies by using multiple tools or platforms to fill the potential gaps. Platforms like HubSpot, Adobe Analytics, or even first-party data collection could become increasingly important.

3. Impacts on Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Chrome’s dominance in the browser market means that many SEO strategies are crafted with its performance and user experience standards in mind. Whether it’s site speed metrics, mobile responsiveness, or usability features, Chrome has been a consistent benchmark. With a new owner at the helm, these standards could shift, creating uncertainty for SEO professionals.

What It Means for Marketers:
Prepare for potential algorithmic shifts that could redefine key SEO metrics. Regularly monitoring site performance across multiple browsers will become essential, as Chrome’s updates may no longer align with Google’s broader search priorities.

4. Rise of Competing Browsers

If Google selling Chrome diminishes the browser’s market share, other browsers like Safari, Firefox, or Edge could rise in prominence. This shift could fragment the audience further, forcing marketers to account for different user behaviors and compatibility issues across various platforms.

What It Means for Marketers:
Marketers will need to focus on cross-browser compatibility to ensure their websites and ads perform consistently, regardless of which browser users prefer. Testing tools and resources will become critical for maintaining a seamless experience across platforms.

5. Increased Importance of First-Party Data

As privacy concerns continue to grow, Chrome’s new ownership could accelerate the decline of third-party cookies and other data-sharing mechanisms. Marketers who depend heavily on third-party data may find themselves scrambling to adapt. This shift would put an even greater emphasis on first-party data collection and management.

What It Means for Marketers:
Marketers should prioritize building their own databases by collecting emails, phone numbers, and other contact information directly from customers. Strategies like gated content, loyalty programs, and personalized email marketing will become even more valuable in a post-Chrome era.

6. The Rise of Decentralized Marketing Platforms

If Chrome’s influence declines, we could see the rise of decentralized marketing platforms that aren’t tied to major tech giants like Google. Smaller, independent browsers or niche platforms could gain traction, giving marketers access to new, untapped audiences.

What It Means for Marketers:
This shift could level the playing field for small businesses. Marketers should stay informed about emerging platforms, test new advertising opportunities early, and look for ways to diversify their traffic sources beyond Google’s ecosystem.

Preparing for a Post-Chrome Era in Digital Marketing

The prospect of Google selling Chrome underscores the need for digital marketers to stay agile and forward-thinking. This potential shift could disrupt the foundations of data collection, ad targeting, and even SEO strategies that many businesses rely on. However, it also presents an opportunity to diversify strategies, explore emerging platforms, and develop new methods of connecting with audiences.

Instead of relying solely on Chrome’s capabilities, now is the time to:

• Build a more resilient data collection strategy.
• Test website and ad performance across multiple browsers.
• Stay informed about industry shifts to pivot strategies proactively.

The future of digital marketing will always involve change. By staying ahead of the curve, you can turn potential disruptions into opportunities for growth.

Adapting to a Changing Digital Landscape

The possibility of Google selling Chrome is a wake-up call for digital marketers everywhere. It highlights the importance of staying flexible, diversifying tools, and proactively preparing for shifts in the industry. While this change may bring challenges, it also opens the door to innovation and growth.

By staying informed and adapting your strategies, you can navigate this potential disruption and continue delivering meaningful results for your clients and business. Remember, the key to thriving in digital marketing is not resisting change—it’s embracing it.

FAQ: Everything You Need to Know About Google Selling Chrome

1. Why is Google selling Chrome?

The Department of Justice has pushed for the sale as part of antitrust investigations into Google’s dominance in digital advertising and data collection. By divesting Chrome, Google would have less influence over the advertising ecosystem and browser market.

2. How could Google selling Chrome affect digital marketers?

If Chrome moves to a new owner, digital marketers may face changes in data access, ad targeting capabilities, and integration with Google’s suite of tools like Google Ads and Google Analytics. This could disrupt key strategies that rely on Chrome’s user data and performance standards.

3. Will Chrome still support Google Ads and Analytics after the sale?

This will depend on the new owner’s priorities. While Chrome may still integrate with Google Ads and Analytics, the level of access or functionality could change, forcing marketers to adapt to new platforms or approaches.

4. What does this mean for SEO professionals?

SEO professionals may see shifts in Chrome’s performance standards, which have long influenced site speed, usability, and mobile responsiveness metrics. A new owner could redefine these benchmarks, impacting SEO strategies.

5. Should I start using other browsers for digital marketing testing?

Yes, diversifying your testing across browsers like Safari, Edge, and Firefox is a good practice. Relying solely on Chrome could leave you unprepared for changes in user behavior or browser standards under new ownership.

6. Will this impact consumer privacy?

Potentially. A new owner could prioritize stricter privacy measures, which might limit data collection and tracking capabilities that marketers currently rely on for targeted advertising.

7. How can marketers prepare for the potential changes?

To prepare, marketers should:

• Diversify their data sources and testing across multiple browsers.
• Explore alternative analytics platforms in case integrations change.
• Stay updated on announcements regarding Chrome’s ownership and any resulting industry changes.

8. When will this change happen?

The timeline for Google selling Chrome depends on the outcome of the Department of Justice investigation and negotiations with potential buyers. No official timeline has been announced yet, but businesses should start preparing now.

9. Will Google still dominate digital advertising without Chrome?

Google’s advertising ecosystem, including Google Ads and YouTube, will still hold significant market power. However, losing Chrome may reduce its ability to collect and leverage user data for personalized ads, leveling the playing field for competitors.

10. Could this be an opportunity for smaller businesses?

Yes! If Chrome’s sale introduces stricter data privacy measures or disrupts Google’s advertising dominance, it could create opportunities for smaller platforms, tools, and businesses to thrive in a less centralized digital marketing landscape.

The post How Google Selling Chrome Could Reshape Digital Marketing appeared first on Done For You.

As AI-generated content becomes more integrated into our daily lives, questions about trust and authenticity are taking center stage. Google AI open sourced its watermarking tool, SynthID, to help developers and businesses ensure transparency and accountability in AI-generated content. This innovation isn’t just a technical milestone—it’s a step toward building trust and accountability in the AI space.

By making SynthID available to the public, Google is setting a new standard in responsible AI development. Let’s break down what this means for developers, businesses, and the broader conversation around responsible AI.

What Is SynthID and Why Does It Matter?

SynthID is Google’s watermarking tool that embeds an invisible, detectable signature into AI-generated content, such as text, images, audio, and video. Unlike visible watermarks, this technology works at a deeper level, subtly altering probability scores during the content generation process without compromising quality, creativity, or accuracy.

For example, when an AI predicts the next word in a sentence, SynthID adjusts the probability of specific word choices. These adjustments are imperceptible to humans but detectable by specialized software. Over a single sentence, this could mean dozens of adjusted tokens; over a full page, hundreds. The result? A digital “fingerprint” embedded in the content that helps identify its AI origins.

Why Open-Sourcing SynthID Is a Big Deal

By open-sourcing SynthID through its Responsible Generative AI Toolkit, Google has made this powerful tool available to the wider developer community. This decision could have far-reaching implications for the AI industry:

1. Empowering Developers to Build Responsibly
   Open access means other generative AI developers can integrate SynthID into their large language models (LLMs). This democratizes the technology, ensuring that smaller organizations, not just tech giants, can contribute to building more trustworthy AI ecosystems.
2. Combating Misinformation and Misuse
   AI-generated content has already been used for spreading political misinformation and creating harmful content like nonconsensual deepfakes. By making SynthID widely available, Google is equipping developers with tools to counteract these threats and foster accountability.
3. Setting a Standard for Transparency
   Governments are starting to regulate AI-generated content, with places like China and California already moving toward mandatory watermarking. SynthID’s open-source availability could pave the way for global adoption of watermarking as an industry standard.

How Does Google AI Open Sourced SynthID Work?

Every time an AI generates text, it predicts the next most likely token (a word, character, or part of a phrase). SynthID tweaks these predictions slightly, creating a detectable pattern in the final output.

For instance, given the prompt:
“My favorite tropical fruits are __.”

The model might predict:

• Mango (60%)
• Papaya (25%)
• Durian (10%)
• Lychee (5%)

SynthID adjusts these probabilities without affecting the sentence’s quality, making it possible to detect AI-generated text, even if it’s been cropped, paraphrased, or slightly edited.

These subtle adjustments don’t impact the overall readability of the text, but they provide a unique digital fingerprint. This fingerprint can later be identified through detection tools to verify the content’s origin. This process ensures that even modified or slightly rewritten content retains identifiable traces of its AI origin.

Additionally, SynthID operates invisibly, ensuring the text looks and feels natural to human readers. Its innovative design has been optimized to avoid diminishing the creativity or authenticity of the generated output, making it a valuable tool for maintaining content integrity.

Limitations of SynthID

While SynthID is a breakthrough, it’s not without its challenges:

• Short Text Struggles: SynthID works best on longer content. Short sentences or phrases may lack enough adjusted tokens for detection.
• Content Rewriting: Rewritten or heavily paraphrased text can sometimes bypass detection.
• Translation Issues: Content translated into other languages poses additional challenges for watermarking.

Another limitation lies in the difficulty of retroactively applying SynthID to existing content. Content that was generated prior to SynthID’s integration won’t carry the watermark, making it challenging to identify past AI-created outputs. This limits its immediate application to future AI developments.

Moreover, as technology evolves, adversarial techniques to bypass watermarking may emerge. SynthID will require ongoing updates and collaboration with the broader AI community to remain effective and secure against such efforts.

What Are the Business Applications of SynthID?

SynthID offers a variety of applications for businesses, helping them adopt more transparent and responsible AI practices. Here are a few ways it can be used:

• Content Creation: Businesses can watermark their AI-generated blogs, videos, or social media posts to maintain credibility and transparency with their audiences.
• Regulatory Compliance: As governments introduce regulations requiring AI watermarking, SynthID can ensure your business stays ahead of the curve.
• Fraud Prevention: Detecting AI-generated content helps businesses identify fraudulent use of their intellectual property or prevent misrepresentation.

Businesses can also use SynthID to build customer trust. By openly marking AI-generated content, they can demonstrate a commitment to ethical practices and transparency. This can be particularly impactful in industries where trust is critical, such as finance, healthcare, and education.

Furthermore, SynthID can be leveraged in marketing campaigns to distinguish between AI-enhanced and human-created content. This dual approach enables businesses to communicate the strengths of both types of content, ensuring clarity and engagement with their audiences.

The Role of SynthID in Ethical AI Development

Google’s open-sourcing of SynthID goes beyond technology—it’s a statement about the future of AI ethics. As AI becomes more prevalent, the importance of fostering responsible practices grows. SynthID contributes by:

• Promoting transparency in how AI content is created and shared.
• Encouraging collaboration among developers to create more effective tools for detection.
• Setting a precedent for ethical AI development that prioritizes trust and safety.

Ethical AI development isn’t just about creating tools; it’s about shaping behaviors. By embedding tools like SynthID into their workflows, businesses can demonstrate a commitment to transparency, accountability, and ethical practices. This helps build a stronger relationship with their users and the broader public.

Additionally, tools like SynthID enable industries to collectively adopt better standards, reducing the misuse of AI across sectors. This collective effort supports a healthier, more sustainable AI ecosystem that benefits everyone.

Final Thoughts on Google Open Sourced AI 

Google’s decision to open-source SynthID isn’t just a technical milestone—it’s a bold step toward creating a more transparent and trustworthy AI ecosystem. While it’s not perfect, this technology serves as a foundation for future advancements in responsible AI development.

As businesses and developers adopt SynthID, they’ll be contributing to a larger movement toward ethical AI practices. This effort not only enhances trust but also paves the way for innovative applications that prioritize accountability.

Google AI open sourced SynthID to make AI content identification more accessible, paving the way for a transparent, trustworthy digital future. If you’re interested in learning more about SynthID and how it could impact your business, click here to dive deeper into the details and explore its potential applications.

FAQs About Google AI Open Sourced

1. What is SynthID?
SynthID is a watermarking tool developed by Google that embeds detectable yet invisible markers into AI-generated content like text, images, audio, and video.

2. Why did Google open-source SynthID?
Google aims to make SynthID accessible to developers worldwide to encourage responsible AI development and help combat misuse of AI-generated content.

3. How does SynthID work?
SynthID adjusts probability scores in the content-generation process, embedding an invisible signature that can be detected by specialized software but is imperceptible to humans.

4. What are SynthID’s limitations?
While powerful, SynthID struggles with detecting short text, heavily rewritten content, and translations.

5. Can small businesses use SynthID?
Yes! The open-source nature of SynthID makes it accessible to businesses of all sizes, allowing even small startups to integrate AI watermarking into their workflows.

6. Why is watermarking AI content important?
Watermarking ensures transparency, combats misinformation, and builds trust by clearly identifying AI-generated content.

7. Is SynthID compatible with all AI models?
SynthID is designed for large language models (LLMs) and can be adapted by developers to fit various frameworks.

8. What’s next for SynthID?
Google plans to continue refining SynthID and encourages the global developer community to innovate and expand its applications.

The post Google AI Open Sourced Watermarking Tool for Content appeared first on Done For You.

Today, building an online presence is truly crucial. Whether you’d like to change your career path or simply wish to share your personal story, creating a personal website is a great way to establish your name in the industry. And because the way you present yourself online also impacts how others perceive you and your brand, creating the right website is truly essential. To that end, here is an extensive guide to building a personal website that will guarantee success:

Outline your website goals

Before you start building your website, it would be a good idea to outline its purpose, goals, and main features first, as this will give you a better idea of how the finished site should look. Begin by defining the purpose, whether that means selling products or displaying a portfolio, and then list out the features your website needs to have to achieve that purpose, such as high-quality photo galleries or shopping carts and secure checkout pages.

Then, continue by creating a layout of the homepage, main pages like “contact” and “about us” pages, as well as the main menu. This might also be a good time to make some important branding decisions, such as choosing the right logo, fonts, and color palettes.

Choose the right site builder

While it might be common practice to hire professional web developers, or even create your website if you have the technical skills, most smaller businesses don’t have enough time or a high enough budget for these options. Instead, a frequent solution for personal websites is using tools that will allow you to build a site with no coding knowledge required.
For instance, you could opt for a content management system like WordPress is one of the most popular choices, but keep in mind this option is best for websites that require plenty of customization, as well as quite basic, and content-heavy sites. Another option is also website builders such as Weebly and Wix, being a great solution for novices looking to build a well-designed personal website.

Select the best domain name

Your domain name is one of the most important aspects of your website, both in terms of usability and SEO. To make the best first impression, the domain name should be short and simple to spell, while still being unique, personal, and memorable enough for your customers to easily find it.

Apart from the name itself, the domain extension you select can also be quite impactful. That is why choosing a personal website domain such as .me is always recommended. Besides being a secure, trusted, and easily customizable extension, such a domain is also ranked highly by Google, thus aiding in SEO efforts, while being a brilliant call to action as well.

Invest in website design

Whether you are developing your website or using a specialized site-building tool, paying attention to web design is incredibly important. Not only will a well-designed website help to make a great first impression and attract visitors, but it can also build trust in your brand, boost SEO efforts, and allow you to stand out from your competition.

To make web design a bit easier for beginners, you might want to choose a premade theme or template that matches your content needs and personal style the best. Then, it would be wise to customize your theme as much as possible, such as choosing a different font, opting for your brand’s color palette, and incorporating logos and relevant images, to create a more distinct and unique website.

Don’t forget about SEO

After finishing your website, preparing it for search engines is one of the most important things you could do, as this aspect determines how highly you will rank in search engine results, and ultimately how wide of an audience you will attract. And while search engine optimization (SEO) might be quite a complicated business, there are some simple things you can do right now to achieve better results.

Besides a good domain name and extension, it’s crucial to find the best, most relevant keywords to your brand, and include them in the content on your website. Filling out necessary meta-information, increasing website loading speeds, and linking to social media pages can be good tactics for driving traffic to your website as well.

Building a personal site by yourself can often be a challenging and time-consuming task. However, simply by utilizing the helpful tips mentioned above, you will be well on your way towards a functional and successful website.

The post An Extensive Guide to Building a Personal Website appeared first on Done For You.

Such issues can hinder an entire company and prevent it from growing or developing further. Fortunately, modern technology has improved business communication systems, thus allowing companies to utilize the full potential of such systems.

Not only does this help a company improve its productivity, efficiency and overall performance, but it also bridges the collaboration gaps. When employees can communicate and collaborate seamlessly, they can do a much better job, as well as make more strategic decisions based on facts and relevant information.

That’s why it’s of vital importance that every company today makes an effort to improve an existing business communication system or implement a new one that will ensure exceptional company-wide communication and collaboration. With that in mind, here are a few ways business communication systems can bridge your company’s collaboration gaps.

Conferencing and face-to-face meetings

Human interactions are essential for good communication and collaboration between employees. Emails and instant messaging apps are great ways to communicate but they are often not personal enough for employees to form a healthy business relationship.

Conferencing and face-to-face meetings are, therefore, ideal ways to bridge this gap. Face-to-face meetings are designed for in-house employees who can meet at one place and share ideas or insights, whereas video conferencing is ideally suited for remote employees who cannot attend such meetings in person. When it comes to remote work, more and more companies are leveraging this trend.

However, if remote employees are not included in everyday company activities or if the communication with their coworkers is hindered in any way, they will soon become isolated and they’ll start to lose their morale, which can lead to a huge collaboration gap. That’s why your business communication system should include remote employees and make them feels like regular members of the team.

Effective phone systems

Phone calls may seem like they are an outdated communication method with all the apps and other modern gadgets going about. However, phone systems are still one of the most effective communication methods, especially when it comes to cross-department collaboration. For instance, if you choose Nextiva toolbar, which is one of the best office phone systems, you can vastly improve both customer service and support. Not only do such systems improve communication between your staff and customers, but they also enhance collaboration between departments. Customer support can easily contact other colleagues from sales or marketing departments to help resolve an issue a customer is having or to help provide them with relevant answers to their questions.

Moreover, marketing and sales teams can quickly communicate over the phone to create ideal strategies without the need for lengthy meetings or troublesome email correspondence. Oftentimes, the departments need to act quickly and communication over the phone is ideally suited for such scenarios.

Seamless flow of information

The successful collaboration between employees and their departments rests on the free and seamless flow of information. Back in the day, companies would silo relevant information. Managers or executives would then decide whether to disclose any of that information to employees.

Nowadays, it’s vital for companies to get rid of information silos and allow information to be freely shared between departments. Information in written form is particularly handy in such cases.

However, thanks to modern technology, written information doesn’t have to be handed out on paper. Instead, companies can leverage cloud services as a form of a business communication system.

The cloud allows for any piece of information or a document to be stored in the online storage where it’s available to all employees wherever they may be and on any device they may be using. That way, employees can access documents and information whenever they need it and leverage data to improve their efficiency, collaboration and productivity.

Knowledge sharing

Companies hire new employees all the time. However, these new employees need to be brought up to speed regarding company activities, operations and so on. This is an ideal moment to foster communication and collaboration for the very beginning.

Various tools, such as virtual classrooms, project management software, messaging apps and so on can help new employees create a relationship with their coworkers, as well as help them learn and hone their skills. This way, a company can guarantee collaboration through effective communication between their current and their newly-hired employees.

Therefore, by integrating your existing business communication system with relevant tools and apps, you can not only boost the productivity of all your employees but also encourage teamwork and collaboration company-wide.

Effective communication and seamless collaboration are vital for companies and their employees. That’s why the necessity for quality business communication systems is, indeed, important. Without such systems in place, the collaboration gap in your company may become too wide to bridge.

The post Ways Business Communication Systems Can Bridge Your Company’s Collaboration Gaps appeared first on Done For You.

Why?

That’s probably because people are searching much more on their smartphones than on desktops. According to a recent survey, 3 out of every 5 web searches are performed using mobile phones.

From logging on to social networking accounts to shopping online, smartphones have taken an indispensable place in our lives. Maybe, that’s what led Google to make drastic changes and give top priority to mobile optimized websites for search engine rankings.

Before we discuss the effect of mobile-first indexing on your business and the best strategies to make the most of it, let’s see what mobile-first indexing actually means.

What is “mobile-first indexing”?

Let’s take a look at what the official post from Google Webmasters says about this term. It goes something like this,

“To make our results more useful, we’ve begun experiments to make our index mobile-first. Although our search index will continue to be a single index of websites and apps, our algorithms will eventually primarily use the mobile version of a site’s content to rank pages from that site, to understand structured data, and to show snippets from those pages in our results.”

Put simply, this post means that from now on Google is going to consider the mobile version of your website as a starting point to determine your rankings.

Remember it’s mobile-first, not mobile-only!

It’s important to understand that mobile-first means that the mobile version of your website (or a mobile-optimized website) will be given priority when determining its ranking on Google. However, if you don’t have a mobile version then the desktop version would be given preference. Thus, the desktop-focused pages will still be crawled and indexed.

Most modern websites are built to be mobile responsive. So, no separate mobile version is needed. Google knows whether your website is optimized for mobile devices, and will give you credit for that.

However, not having mobile-responsive pages that load fast would still cause a dip in your rankings or present varying results between mobile and desktop search results. Hence, it’s still important to note that the new mobile-first index isn’t a mobile-only index.

Now, how can make the most of mobile-first index?

Mobile first best practices

Let’s take a look at the following best practices:

1. Switch to a responsive design

Getting a responsive website design should be your first step to rank well on Google. When your website automatically adapts or changes according to the screen or type of device being used, then the website is called a responsive one. As more and more people are accessing the web and other services on phones, it’s essential for a website to have a responsive design and be mobile-friendly at the same time. That’s why Google recommends implementing responsive designs.

2. Optimize content for mobile

The number of mobile users is increasing every minute. The first thing that catches their attention is the content on your website. It goes without saying that you should start producing content (and optimizing older content) keeping the mobile users in mind. Make sure your content is short, crisp and engaging. If you publish long-form content, keep your paragraphs short. Offer others forms of content as well as infographics, images, audios, videos, and more.

3. Set up structured data

To get better rankings on Google, make sure you include the same structured data markup on the desktop version as well as the mobile version. It’s also important that URLs within the structured data on mobile versions are of the mobile version of the URL.

4. Provide meta data on both versions

As meta data plays a crucial part in determining search rankings, be mindful of the fact that titles and meta descriptions are equivalent on both versions of pages. Optimize titles for shorter character counts but don’t forget to include relevant keywords and other important information.

5. Get serious about mobile-first strategy

The only way to find success is to keep evolving as time goes by and adopting the changing trends and technologies. It’s high time that you started thinking about your mobile-first strategy. Do whatever it takes to make your website responsive, mobile-friendly, and optimized to climb up the search engine rankings.

Conclusion

We hope that you find the above information helpful and you that you are prepared for mobile-first indexing. Υou can no longer ignore or escape from mobile optimization.

At DoneForYou.com, we create complete mobile responsive sales funnels that work for your business 24/7. Sales funnels consist of high-conversion web pages and automation systems that turn your static website into a living asset. If you’re looking to create marketing-oriented web pages, see how we can help.

The post Everything You Need to Know About Mobile-First Indexing appeared first on Done For You.

Quality control is a crucial segment of quality management which can’t be handed over to light hands to upgrade it. Instead of manual efforts, quality can be better driven by robust tools those are easily available today.

Such tools are built to serve the motive of their invention providing continuous improvement and progression which strictly adhere to the well-known quality process of PDCA-

1. Plan
2. Do
3. Check
4. Act

Take a close rundown to the metrics that meet the global quality demands in order to acquire the goal of structured organizational management providing a strong support to Quality Management Solutions.

7 primary tools for continuous improvement in quality

1. Pareto Charts (80/20 Rule)

The Pareto Chart is a bar chart that analyzes data in accordance with the Pareto Principle or the 80/20 rule named after an Italian researcher Vilfredo Pareto.
Essentially, the Pareto chart is a prioritization tool which has a purpose to focus on the issues that are causing the biggest problems or failures, and thus, minimizes their impact.
The mechanical view of Pareto Charts can be seen as a bar chart that displays data from various discrete categories where sole factors are showcased:

• by a bar graph in descending order of their impact and
• the cumulative total is shown by a line graph

“It is well said: Pareto Chart helps separate the vital few from the trivial many!”

Now, what does this mean?

As mentioned earlier, the chart follows the 80-20 rule, this underlines that in any business process, 80% of the problem is merely caused due to the remaining 20% of few major factors.

These causes are the Vital Few( 20% of issues) occurred by 80% of many minor factors named as Trivial Many.

2. Histogram

An introduction by Karl Pearson, Histogram is a bar graph that represents the frequency distribution and displays the patterns that fall within typical process conditions.

Histogram’s purpose is:

• to scrutinize the data complexity in its distribution and understand the held factors, repeating frequently.
  to help prioritize the causing factors and identify which areas need utmost heed.
• A histogram’s shape shows the nature of the distribution of the data, as well as the average and variability and follows the below-written quote

“Changes in a process should trigger new collection of data.”

3. Stratification (Divide and Conquer)

“Stratification follows the Divide and Conquer phenomenon.”

Stratification bifurcates the data by dividing it into sub-categories and classifies the data set on the basis of:
Group
Class
Levels
Divisions

The predefined purpose of to stratify data is merely to derive meaningful and useful information giving a clear and understandable picture of an existing problem.

Take an example:

• An employee’s late coming data for January that is unstratified:

5th Jan, 12th, 13th, 19th Jan, 21st, 26th, 27th

• The same data fully structured, stratified and classified

Now you can well examine the clarity this management tool provides to a personnel handling the crucial quality-centric data in a company.

4. Check Sheets

Check sheets are like tally sheets that use metrics or table forms to gather and analyze data.

The Purpose it holds is to:

note down the vital points/events in a tabular format
maintain a balance while updating the status on their occurrence
analyze the development, defect patterns and causes for defects.

“In a way, a check sheet may help its operators to track the number of counts when a certain incident takes place.”

5. Control Charts (aka Shewhart chart)

Shewhart Chart named after Walter A. Shewhart, works on the collected data statistically, determining whether the internal process is under control and is robust enough to meet the customer defined specifications.

Control charts are popular and have a vast presence in Quality Control Techniques, where they play a vital role in defining process capability and variations in product developments.

The tool also helps in identifying how well the developments and proceedings are going concerning the customer’s desires and expectation.

Control Charts aim to:

• Predict the process performance,
• the diverse production patterns,
• a process’s changes or shifts over a period of time (in accordance with the defined limits.)

6. Scatter Diagrams (Scatter Plots)

It is a statistical measuring metric that helps depict the relationship between variables.

Variables can be termed as dependent and independent variables those can be simply related to the arising difficulties or failures and the causes that affect them the most.

Purpose:

• They particularly provide help in detecting the amount of correlation, or the degree of linear relationship, between the displayed variables.

A scatter plot consists of a horizontal axis containing the measured values of the dependent variable (generally, the causes) and a vertical axis representing the measurements of the dependent variable (that is, the effects).

7. Cause and Effect Diagrams (Fish-Bone Diagram)

Kaoru Ishikawa came up with this concept is also known by her name i.e. Ishikawa diagram.

As we are here to control the quality using varied tools, this diagram also helps identify the factors/causes leading to an effect/issue and derive a meaningful bond between them.

The purpose tagged with the fish-bone diagram is to dig all the root causes for being the reasons for the problems arising.

Once the leading factors are determined, the search doesn’t’ get a stop till the professionals digging the quality features find out the actual root cause.

The diagram that is drawn, resultingly, takes the shape of a fish spine involving multiple branches and sub-branches.

Final words to take away

No one wants to compromise with quality and its traits nor a business neither the consumer. Within an organization, there is a significant need to keep close checks on quality systems, tools, audits, deliverables etc.

Tools are generally used for problem-solving opportunities to draw semantic outcomes fulfilling their motive.

Quality Control tools help scrutinize and manage the quality initiatives which makes the deployed end-product customer-oriented getting remarkable user-experience.

About the Author:
Danish Wadhwa started his career as Business Developer, but after assisting many companies, he realized to start his own venture. Now, as MD & CEO of Webdew, he is sharing his inordinate amount of knowledge on quality management solutions, Cloud Computing, Digital marketing, Web designing and much more over social media.

The post Top Seven Tools For Quality Control Management appeared first on Done For You.

This is the underlying philosophy to have a successful, future-ready business in today’s competitive times when things and trends change in the blink of an eye. But can every business rely on this philosophy? Or should we say – does every business rely on this philosophy?

Well, the answer is a clear no.

And, perhaps this is one of the major reasons that 9 out of the 10 startup businesses that shoot up don’t survive for long.

Τhe million dollar question that arises here is – if the situation is so bad, then what is the underlying reason? And, can’t we do anything to change this scenario?

The answer to this question lies in preparing the business and the people involved in the business for the changing future.

How can we do it? This is exactly what we are going to discuss in this post. Let us take a look at how you can make your business future ready.

Lead from the front

An army of sheep led by a lion is better than an army of lions led by sheep. – Alexander

This quote from the history books has become synonymous to the role of a leader. Under able leadership, even the weakest of men can move the biggest of mountains.

If we look at the business successes that have managed to change the world and bring something revolutionary out in the front, they all have been fortunate enough to be led by some of the greatest leaders of all times – from Steve Jobs in Apple to Elon Musk of SpaceX – all have led from the front.

Similarly, flaws in leadership have cost quite a lot to companies like Uber and United Air Lines.

As it is said, “The world is changed by examples and not by opinions.”

People who are willing to work hard for the future are the ones that will be able to change it and survive. Hence, leadership becomes the key for a business to survive in the future.

Create a culture

A single being cannot survive the toll of time; it is the culture that survives through it. The survival of human civilizations, evolving and changing with time is the biggest example of this.

This is the major reason that developing a company culture has to be the first thing on your list of activities, in case you wish to see your business standing tall for more than just a couple of years from now.

Successful entrepreneurs have time and again emphasized the importance of company culture in an organization’s survival. As the saying goes, “Culture is the backbone of any successful organization.”

If you have still not paid heed to this fact, it is time to start digging things up and get to know more about your company’s culture. After all, a toxic company culture can virtually kill –  not just your workforce, but your entire business as well.

And, that you would not want to happen. Would you?

Technology

The future is built on technology. Pick any era and you will see that the people who stand out were the ones who not just adapted according to the evolving times, but understood the importance of changing technology during those times.

Remember, it was not long ago when having a computer at home was a luxury. But in today’s time, computers surround us everywhere. Virtual reality, social media, augmented reality – and real-time communication – all these have come across as the blessings of technology.

The same is the case with every industry. Different industrial processes have evolved over the course of time. And the ones that adapted to these changes were the businesses that are still standing tall, while the ones that failed to upgrade simply fell flat! This is the harsh truth.

There are plenty of examples of organizations that failed to face the test of time, simply because they were not innovative enough and didn’t evolve; Nokia being the prime example.

As they say, the past cannot be changed but the future is in your power. As a business, you need to understand this fact, and inculcate the same philosophy within your team to be future ready!

Need help with automating your marketing and sales processes? Watch this video to learn how you can use our autoresponder engine to set your online sales on auto-pilot!

Build relationships to build a business

A symbiotic relationship is the most successful relationship in the world. Even nature has many examples to prove this fact. Businesses that understand this philosophy never go out of fashion.

At the same time, businesses that don’t rely on building relationships with their workforce and treat them as just paid labor are never going to make it to the future.

Remember, it is the employees that make a business and not the other way around. Even the most successful businesses, which failed to value their trustworthy employees, have been known to fail in the past.

This is one of the major reasons that a smarter creed of businesses today value their employees and make sure that they are not only compensated well on a monetary basis but are also in good mental and physical health.

If you, as a business owner, want to look at your business as a successful unit then one of the most important things that you ought to start doing right now is to focus on the employee happiness index. And, you will certainly start to see a change in the success of your business with an increase in the happiness index.

Conclusion

Those were just a few of the basic things that every smart business must inculcate in its underlying philosophy, not just to survive the test of time but to also ensure that it continues to rise and shine above the others.

If you are still struggling to make your business a success story, then it is time to understand these concepts and start working towards them.

So, are you up for the task?

The post Here’s What You Need to Do to Make Your Business Future Ready appeared first on Done For You.

For us businesses, creators, infopreneurs, and marketers, Instagram is about to take on YouTube.

But then, Instagram TV isn’t Youtube at all. It’s different in a few ways.

The way you create videos for Instagram TV is natural to the way you use your phone: keep it vertical.

Unlike, Instagram itself, your videos are not limited to a minute. You can do more than a minute length when it comes to videos, up to an hour for each video.

Just like Youtube, IGTV has channels. As a business, an individual, or a video creator, you’ll start by creating one.

Instagram users have deep pockets

Yes, IGTV will call for more content. You’ll now be required to create separate video (in vertical format) for sharing it on Instagram TV. While you might think it’s an additional strain on your already stretched resources, it’s worth taking that extra effort for Instagram.

Why, you ask? Instagram users have deep pockets. They are ever ready to spend. You need an audience like that for your business, don’t you?

According to a Pew Research, shared by Hootsuite:

“About 38 percent of adult Internet users who make less than $30,000 per year use Instagram, along with…

• 32 percent of those who bring in $30,000 to $49,999.
• 32 percent of those who earn between $50,000 and $74,999.

• 31 percent of those who make over $75,000 per year.”

That tells you everything you need to convince yourself that being active and promoting on Instagram (or Instagram TV) is worth it.

Say hello to more video

By 2019, 80% of all the content consumed on the Internet will be in the video format according to Gordon Tredgold of Inc.com. One single video is already worth 1.8 million words.

Plus, video is terrific for your business in various ways — for branding, marketing, sales, and for conversions as far as video sales letters and videos on landing pages are concerned.

Videos also help boost your conversions when you use them in emails (a 200-300% increase in click-through rate)

Younger, mobile-ready, hungry audiences

Instagram is full of younger folk. According to Statistics, Instagram mostly consists of 18- to 29-year-olds comprise 59 percent of users in the U.S., followed by the 30 to 49-year-olds accounting for 33 percent.

Instagram users tend to like amateurish, regular video content rather than content that’s professional, slick, and studio-like.

What that means for your business is that you can stop worrying about how you look on video, never mind about setting up a studio, swipe your camera phone open and start shooting to make a difference to your business — no matter where you are.

It’s new, and that’s an opportunity

Right away, starting on IGTV can give you or your business a head start with your IGTV channel. Not everyone has taken to IGTV yet since it just launched and what that means for your business is that you could very well be one of the first to get started.

This gives your business a long time to accrue viewers, followers, and a way for you to build your own community rather easier.

Try doing that on Youtube and you’ll find it very hard to surface to the top and build a community, comparatively.

Get some inspiration

Wondering how to get started with IGTV? See what some brands are already up to?

Petra Collins is a photographer and Videographer and is now using IGTV to bring awareness and create buzz for her horror show featuring Selena Gomez with short 30-second teasers. Zooey is a young style influencer and is using IGTV to show some behind-the-scenes material, Q & A sessions with her community, and to show her viewers how she shops.

National Geographic already has a popular Instagram profile with 88 million followers and IGTV is obviously a next step for them. The brand now uses IGTV much like it uses TV by showing their regular videos, live content, and also to screen some IGTV exclusives.

Prepare to advertise on IGTV

Instagram didn’t launch IGTV for nothing. While there’s no advertising products built to take advantage of content views yet, you can bet that special advertising formats (vertical videos mostly) will come to the advertising inventory on Instagram. IGTV will allow you to create and launch ads for brand awareness, reach, branding, and several other objectives.

But before you think of advertising, it really helps to build your own following for your brand channel on IGTV.

It’s an exciting time to be in business, to do video, to have a platform like IGTV (and YouTube) of course.

You have platforms. Now, are you going to work on video content for IGTV?

Discover the absolute, #1 proven system for building and growing a laser-targeted list of buyers and prospects! Click here to download your list building playbook!

The post Hello Instagram TV: How And Why Your Business Should Use IGTV Now appeared first on Done For You.

To make your business a successful brand, you must focus on establishing and managing better customer relationships. This is the reason why customer relationship management has become the talk of the town. It is almost impossible to run a successful business without having loyal customers. Whether you are a CEO, a digital marketer, or a product manager, it is essential to understand your customers and their journeys with your product or services.

What is customer lifecycle marketing?

Customer lifecycle marketing can be defined as the process of providing personalized customer communication at each stage of a customer’s journey in order to attract, convert and retain them, and eventually develop a better relationship with them. The ultimate intention of this type of marketing is to maximize the overall buying experience of customers while working towards boosting revenue and contributing to the growth of the brand.

To expand your business and improve profitability, one must know about the various lifecycle stages that customers go through and strategize for providing a better customer experience to retain them for as long as possible.

Stages of customer lifecycle marketing

It is interesting to know that when the term “customer lifecycle marketing” was originated, it comprised of only three stages: attract, sell and wow. Today, not only the stages have different names but marketers have also expanded these stages and their definition as per the present needs of the time.

Below are the six main stages of customer lifecycle marketing:

Attraction

It is the first stage where your potential customers find or discover you for the first time. Some of the most common channels or mediums that enable you to be seen are through social media, content marketing and SEO.

Consideration

It is this stage that customers are looking out or considering their options. At this stage, you should focus on influencing them to form a preference of your brand and start considering purchase options. This could be done through welcome campaigns, product descriptions, product comparisons and reviews.

Conversion

Since marketing is all about making people act, it is this stage when you have to literally persuade your customers and encourage them to take the final call i.e. to make the purchase. The two most used methods are product recommendations and call-to-action (CTA).

Retention

At this stage, you have to work hard to win the loyalty of customers and make sure they stay with the brand always. Marketers use special discounts and come up with different loyalty schemes to retain customers.

Advocacy

During advocacy, digital marketers have to come up with processes and methods to make your loyal customers endorse your brand. The most trusted method would be to create campaigns that help you to display user-generated content on social media channels.

Win-back

There are scenarios where customers lapse; it is during this stage that you come up with different ways to get them back.

Join our free workshop Attract. Engage. Profit. to discover how you can attract, engage and profit from new leads by systematically giving them what they desire at every stage of their customer journey.

How to win at customer lifecycle marketing

After learning about customer lifecycle marketing and various stages in the marketing cycle, it’s the right time to know how to win in the marketing lifecycle.

Here are some tips you can use to your advantage to come up with a kickass marketing strategy. Let’s take a look at them:

1. Create multiple channels

The first step should be to provide multiple channels to customers. The more the availability, the happier they are to get options to choose from. Bear in mind that whether customers are engaging with you on an app, a store, or through your official website, make sure they are getting a smooth experience via each and every channel because anything less could lose you a potential customer.

2. Welcome campaigns

Welcome campaigns are an effective marketing strategy to get new customers and thus, boost profitability. Whenever someone (a potential customer) joins your email list, you should send him an automated list of emails as a part of your marketing strategy. It gives you an opportunity to introduce your brand to him and tell him the difference it could make to his life.

Create some messages and emails with content that helps you to build a relationship with them and get them excited about the product and, eventually, make a purchase.

3. Connect on a personal level with customers

These days, people have excellent customer experiences and service, and they have gotten used to it. However, there are so many organizations that haven’t yet mastered this art of going an extra mile to wow their customers.

This can only be done if you know them or have some data that tells you about their preferences. Start focusing on making a personal connection with customers to win their trust.

4. Browse and cart abandonment

Oftentimes, customers put an item in their cart or basket but leave the site without making a purchase. Whenever something like this happens, you get a cart abandonment email. Such information could be helpful to improve your conversion rates by knowing what could be the possible reason for their exit. You can entice the customer to come back and buy by offering a discount or something similar.

5. Add value through call-to-actions

The whole point of creating a marketing strategy is to make the customers act. It depends on your needs that what action you want them to take. Make use of customer lifecycle marketing strategy to let your current customers, prospects and lapsed customers to take a step that is profitable to the brand. Thus, one should never underestimate the power of a well-placed call-to-actions through every phase of the customer journey.

Final thoughts

It could be a bit difficult to understand and get used to the concept of customer lifecycle marketing but it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to be taken care of. More and more brands and organizations are realizing its importance and are coming up with innovative ways to incorporate it into their existing marketing strategy and increase profits.

The post How Customer Lifecycle Marketing Can Boost Profitability appeared first on Done For You.

The smartphone’s voice features are improving and are also highly convenient for shooting photos and videos. An iPhone is the most suitable device ever made for communication and multimedia. Professional photographers and videographers often use their iPhones at work, and no one can tell the difference between their main cameras and the iPhone.

The elements of a great video

But how is it possible to use a phone to take a great video? Is the iPhone camera enough? What other equipment do you need? Are there any techniques to shoot better videos on your phone?

What makes a good video suitable? The first thing you need is a good script…  Inside Axis, you can create a great sales script with the video sales letter software in the Marketplace.

Now, let’s explore some essential elements that make a great video.

Technical excellence in a good video is not hard to achieve. From a technical standpoint, a skilled amateur videographer can shoot breathtaking videos using an iPhone in the daylight. Furthermore, here are some typical technical tips from professional videographers that you can apply to capture video on your iPhone.

iPhone camera: The latest iPhone models have a duo of all-new backside illuminated 12MP cameras with an optical zoom. Apple decided that the fixed, wide-angle lens was unsuitable for all users. So, they opted to add a secondary telephoto lens (with an aperture of f/2.8) on the back, with another 12MP sensor alongside the wide-angle lens (this time with an aperture of f/1.8). Most of the iPhone’s video dynamic range and detail improvements come from a combination of hardware and software. You can shoot at 4K with your iPhone, which has a dedicated video encoder. It may also be used for real-time analysis of what you’re shooting and optimizes each frame for motion and patterns, resulting in more accurate detail.

Here are some basic video specs:

• 4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
• 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps or 60 fps
• 720p HD video recording at 30 fps
• Optical image stabilization for video
• Optical zoom; 6x digital zoom
• Quad-LED True Tone flash
• Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps
• Time‑lapse video with stabilization
• Cinematic video stabilization (1080p and 720p)
• Continuous autofocus video
• Body and face detection
• Noise reduction

Lighting: Light is arguably the most critical factor that influences video quality. The famous director Martin Scorsese once noted, “Light is at the core of who we are and how we understand ourselves.” Lighting defines your subjects better, but not only that, it also breathes life into your issues and evokes emotion. Always be aware of the impact your primary light source has. For example, a cloudy day produces more pleasant-looking light and defines your subjects more softly, while noon sunlight can create unflattering shadows on your model’s face.

Shooting angle: Consider a physical and a symbolic point of view. Material is about where you’re pointing your camera lens and from what angle. Now, figuratively, the tip is about how your point of view will help you tell a story. Your angle can determine if your video looks like a selfie or less personal, less detached.

Composition: This is all about deliberately composing different elements in the scene to create a compelling video. It’s similar to arranging elements in a theatrical scene before the actors start to play. Your iPhone is a great artistic tool for organizing colors, textures, and lines. It can also help you frame each scene and focus on what you want, like a person’s eyes. If you want to learn more about video composition, here are some rules, like the rule of thirds, that you will find helpful:

A video can draw a person’s eye and create an emotional reaction for reasons other than flawless technique. Chaos, fear, sadness, humor…any of these elements can make your video more powerful.

Take “The Blair Witch Project” sequence as an example. It presents a visually awkward framing in which people’s faces are cropped. The camera is not steady. Also, the audio and lighting provide an amateur feel. Yet that film sequence impacted not only horror film fans but also many viewers who were glued to the screen, enticed by the intensity and mystery that “The Blair Witch Project” conveyed. The monologue, a horror-film soliloquy, brings passion, mystery, and an extravagant quality. You can almost feel the presence of a dark force outside the visual frame.

So, a good video has to do with emotions. Of course, it operates on a very visual level, but it can also have an impact in non-visual ways. Shooting a good video on your iPhone catches that emotion you want to convey.

Start with video settings.

Before taking a video on your phone, start with the correct settings. Video resolution is arguably the most important. Video resolution refers to how large your video will be.

Two joint resolutions to shoot are 1080 HD and 4K – the latter is the larger. Next, you must set the frame rate, which is how many frames per second (fps) your camera records.

Typical settings are 30 fps and 60 fps. The higher the number of frames per second, the smoother-looking film you’ll produce. Some videographers prefer filming at 24 fps, miming the frame rate used in theaters.

Resolution and frame rate affect your video project’s visual and audio results. They also determine how big the video file will be. A film shot at 4K will be roughly four times the size of a video shot in 1080 HD resolution.  So, when deciding what video quality you want, the free storage space on your iPhone plays a role. As a rule of thumb, try to shoot 4K whenever possible to get the best results.

How to enhance video quality on your device

For the last few years, more than ever before, people have used their smartphones to shoot videos and take pictures. For many, shooting video on a phone is the most intuitive experience. On the other hand, some people are unfamiliar with the features of iPhones and smartphones, which help produce high-quality video.

Using a phone for shooting film might also feel counter-intuitive because phones are multipurpose devices. This means they lack features that come with professional video recording devices, such as optical zoom or a handgrip. Instead, digital zoom is typical to phones, which might degrade image resolution. You need to avoid zooming in digitally at a large scale. Rather, walk closer to your subject and shoot from there.

Here are some more tips for getting better video results on your iPhone.

1. Orientation: Be sure to turn your iPhone and shoot horizontally. While Instagram and Snapchat users create more portraits or vertically oriented videos, when you want to make a pro-looking film, it’s best to avoid it and go for horizontal orientation instead.
2. Use both hands: It may seem rudimentary, but you always want to use two hands to shoot a video on your phone. While phone cameras are stable, as a rule of thumb, using both hands produces steadier footage. Also, we sometimes move the camera around too fast, which can lower quality. Using two hands lessens the risk of creating a poor video.
3. Avoid backlighting: This is basic video shooting 101. You don’t want your subject to be silhouetted, so you must avoid having a light source (like a window) behind you. Instead, try to have the light source on your sides or behind you.
4. Lock focus: Open the camera, aim at your subject, and tap on the screen; the camera will focus on that point. This works on Android smartphones. On the iPhone, you’ll have to hold your finger on the topic you want to focus on.
5. Improve sound: A good film is not only about video; it’s about audio, too. Good-quality audio is required for a powerful video. The good news is that microphones on the iPhone and smartphones have improved in the past few years. You may also connect an external mic to your device if that helps get the sound receiver near the subject. Or else you can use a second phone, which you’ll place on your subject (e.g., in their pocket, on a surface, or next to them). You will use that phone to record audio and then sync audio and video to get the result.
6. Clean your lens: An essential but often overlooked tip is to clean the camera lens on your phone. If the lens is dirty, it will produce a blurry video. To clean the phone lens, use a microfiber cloth and rub gently.

Additional video equipment

Now, if you’re willing to invest in some equipment to improve your phone’s video quality, there are handy accessories you can use.

Here are some product ideas to consider if you want to enhance the quality of the hardware on your phone. They are all readily available on Amazon.

1. Interchangeable-lens cameras: The Sony a5100 is one of the best entry-level, mirror-less cameras (at $500), and the Canon EOS Rebel T5i is the best entry-level DSLR. Mirrorless cameras blend portability with robust picture-taking sensors, while DSLRs, unmatched in photo quality, are more extensive, bulkier, and more expensive. Both types allow you to switch lenses depending on what – or where – you’re taking photos.
2. Accessory kit lenses: Moment wide-angle lenses are a great option and only around $100. The lens attaches to a phone’s camera to give you a wider shooting angle without significantly reducing image quality.
3. Tripod: The Joby GorillaPod 1K Kit, $35, keeps your phone steady when shooting in low light.
4. USB Mic: Not happy with the audio quality? The Shure MV5, $99, is a perfect microphone for use with a smartphone.

The post From Amateur to Pro: How to Take a Good Video with Your Phone appeared first on Done For You.

Every 39 seconds, there is a hacker attack on the web, which affects one in three Americans. According to the report presented by IBM’s Chairman, “cyber crime, by definition, is the greatest threat to every profession, every industry, every company in the world.”

What’s shocking in this statistic is the fact that 43% of cyber attacks impact small businesses.

Today, there’s something big happening in the world of data security. It is called General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The deadline for GDPR compliance is May 25th, 2018.

What is General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)?

GDPR is a new EU regulation that makes it imperative for businesses to keep personal data secure and make sure that privacy of citizens within the EU member states remains intact.

Non-compliance with the regulations can be a red flag for a business in the eyes of the authorities.

Everything you need to know about GDPR

To make sure that your small business stays safe from the impact of GDPR, we are here with everything you need to know about the new regulation.

GDPR explained in 3 minutes

The compliance factor

When a data breach occurs in a business, the biggest loss happens to not just the organization itself but the people whose data has been stolen. More often than not, this occurs because the businesses don’t take data security seriously.

In order to ensure that this non-seriousness is eliminated, GDPR requires businesses to employ state-of-the-art measures to protect personal data. In order to comply with the guidelines, companies must do the following:

• Gather data legally, and under strict regulations
• Manage and protect it in the best possible manner
• Maintain respect for the data owner’s rights

If there is any negligence in any of the above-mentioned factors, the business must remain prepared for facing huge penalties.

Here’s an infographic that explains how you can collect and process data under GDPR.

Does it apply to every business?

There has been a huge uproar about the implications associated with the GDPR. The biggest question that has been looming in the market has been – does it apply to every business?

Well, the answer is no. it only applies to organizations that operate with the EU. This includes the organizations that offer goods and services to customers in the EU even though they based outside the EU.

As part of the regulation, there are two types of data handlers:

Controller – the person or agency that is directly involved (alone or in joint service with others) in determining the purpose of data processing.

Processor – the authority that is responsible for the processing of data supplemented by the controller.

What falls under personal data?

Another important piece of information that you need to know is what is classified as personal data.

Everything that is personal to an individual falls under the personal data protection laws. This includes information like:

• Name
• Address
• Photos
• IP address
• Genetic data
• Biometric data

In short, any kind of information that a hacker can use to identify an individual is personal data.

How will GDPR impact your business?

Companies are expected to benefit from GDPR. Compared to having many regulatory bodies to take care of data-compliance for businesses, having a single body is going to make things simpler and easier for businesses.

In fact, instead of having 28 laws for 28 EU member states, the new single regulation is going to help save a total of €2.3 billion per year across Europe. This is big!

At the same time, it will also guarantee online data protection, which has been a major concern over the last few years.

Businesses that fail to comply with the guidelines can expect to face hefty fines that may go up to €20 million.

How will GDPR impact consumers?

We discussed the impact GDPR is going to have on businesses – now, let us have a look at how GDPR is going to affect consumers.

GDPR can prove to be a highly beneficial regulation for consumers, as they will no longer have to worry about cyber criminals lurking around websites that hold their personal data.

Most important of all, the new regulation will allow consumers to ask organizations about their data security policy and processes, and how they handle an incident of data breach.

In other words, GDPR will make it easier for consumers to access their data and get to know how it is being stored and processed. Therefore, GDPR comes as a blessing for consumers.

Report within 72-hours of the breach

One of the strongest points of the regulation that has come forward is the way a data breach should be reported. Specifically, in such an incident, companies need to report to the Information Commissioner’s Office for UK organizations within 72-hours – unless the personal data breach is unlikely to result in a risk to individuals.

Businesses must also notify the consumers about the data breach within the same time frame.

This makes it more transparent for the individuals to know whether there has been an invasion of their privacy, ultimately making sure that businesses don’t forget the phrase – The customer is King.

Conclusion

Looking at the growing concern about the safety of customer data, GDPR seems to be a huge step in the right direction.

Not only does it pull the strings for businesses to upgrade their security policies, but it also makes the data safety more transparent, since GDPR allows consumers to know how businesses handle their personal data.

As of now, the deadline for GDPR compliance is May 25th, 2018.

So, any business that fails to comply with the guidelines can expect to face serious consequences.

As far as the success or failure of this endeavor is concerned, we all will have to wait and see what happens. Let’s hope it all turns out to be good; after all, this change is made for the benefit of the consumer.

The post General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Requirements, Deadlines And Facts appeared first on Done For You.

Before you start putting together an effective online marketing strategy, you need to know the following:

• What is an online marketing channel?
• What different marketing channels exist on the Internet?
• What media do most marketers and business owners prefer?
• Which channels will bring in the highest ROI for your online business?
• What is the best way to choose your channels?

We’ll try to answer all of these questions and give you a checklist of the factors you need to consider before you make a strategic decision.

What is an online marketing channel?

For many of you, the word ‘channel’ may bring images of a waterway. You may think of Mark Twain’s lucid portrayal of the ever-changing channel of the Mississippi River in Huckleberry Finn. Or you might imagine the English Channel—the natural body of water between southern England and northern France.

But what are marketing channels?

A marketing channel is the means or method through which a message is delivered to a specific audience.

Online marketing channel definition

Now, let’s define what an online marketing channel is:

An online marketing channel consists of all elements that are necessary to communicate your brand message (i.e. advertising and promotion) from the point of production (your company) to the point of consumption (your customers).

Online marketing channels may also be called new media or advertising channels. These terms refer to the internet communication vehicles discussed in this article.

Types of marketing channels for your online business

Let’s leave theory aside and talk about specific online marketing channels.

Almost all online marketing channels or media can be classified into Owned, Paid, and Earned Media.

Owned channels

Owned channels or owned media are your property. You have the ownership, and you are in direct control of the medium. Examples of owned online marketing channels are:

• Your website and your blog
• Email marketing
• Social media
• Webinars

You can influence how your business is represented and what goes where on these spaces or accounts.

Paid channels

Paid media are essentially ad placements that you pay for. Again, you control the content your audience will see but don’t own the medium through which it is displayed.

Examples of paid online marketing channels are:

• Paid search or PPC (Pay Per Click)
• Retargeting / Remarketing
• Affiliate marketing

Earned channels

Earned media are free to use. Still, you don’t have complete control over them. It is offered at the sole discretion of a third party.

Some examples of earned advertising channels on the Internet are:

• Word-of-mouth (WOM)
• Reviews and posts about your business on other sites
• Testimonials

Why is the choice of online marketing channels important?

Think of owned, paid, and earned media like a tripod. Each of the three elements is an integral part of the whole. All three contribute to a complete online marketing strategy.

Furthermore, there are several reasons why every online business should use a mixture of these channels to get their message across to their target audience.

First off, every company needs a way to find buyers for their products. The online marketing channels provide the perfect medium to identify, reach, and sell to potential buyers.

Nowadays, marketing through offline funnels is not enough. It might generate a good income for your business, but there’s still so much more potential to reach a wider audience online.

Also, using one online medium only is not enough in most cases. The competition is fierce. Having only a website that presents your team, products, and contact information won’t help you reach your marketing goals. A website with static content is a somewhat passive type of marketing because you put your content out there and expect people to find you. With all the competition, you’ll be too lucky if Google ranks your site on the first page of search results.

What you need to do instead is understand the importance of using the right mix of online marketing channels to grow your business. While all of this sounds good, it’s common to see enterprises marketing their products without a plan. If you dive into online marketing channels without a plan, you will waste resources and leave your business success to luck.

Deep dive into the most effective online marketing channels

Now, let’s dive into the most effective online marketing channels that fall under the three categories, namely owned, paid, and earned media, that we previously discussed.

Website and Blog

Your website and blog form the foundation of your online identity. But it’s not just that. A website with a blog can be your business’s most important online marketing channel. To make the most out of the website, marketers use techniques like SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) to attract their ideal customer avatars and optimize the processes of converting them into paying customers.

Optimizing your website for SEO and CRO involves tactics like keyword research, link building, on-page SEO, content marketing, landing page creation, A/B testing, click-through rate (CTR) tracking and improvement, optimization to reduce cart abandonment, etc. These are just a few examples of what website owners and marketers spend their time on to make the best out of their websites.

Email Marketing

Email marketing falls under “owned media” because you have complete control of your brand image, content, and processes when you do email marketing. Most businesses use third-party email marketing platforms to host their accounts and databases. With email marketing, you collect email addresses from prospects and then deliver your messages with the sole aim of converting these prospects into customers.

You might find yourself working on newsletters, autoresponder series, lead nurturing campaigns, launches, and other tasks when using email marketing as an online marketing channel.

Email is arguably the second most crucial marketing channel after your website and blog. It is often said that for every 1$ you spend on email marketing, you get $30 to $40 back —more details further down this article.

Social Media

Social media as a marketing channel refers to your accounts, pages, or profiles on social networks in which you market your business. SMM (Social Media Marketing) is the art and “science” of leveraging social media to earn visibility traffic. Almost every company today that has an online presence utilizes at least one social network to get its message across to a  larger audience.

Some examples of actions you might perform on social media channels are posting in a Facebook group, updating your Facebook pages, publishing an article on LinkedIn, or doing Twitter marketing, and all these are just the tip of the iceberg.

Social media usually comes right after email marketing when marketers are asked what online marketing channel has the highest ROI.

Webinars

Webinars have become a marketing channel in recent years due to an explosion in the need for demand generation via video. It’s now a mature but reliable marketing technology that “just works” when attracting leads, pitching your offer, and increasing sales. These days, some businesses base most of their lead-generation efforts on sales webinars and webinar funnels.

Suppose you decide to use webinars as an online marketing channel. In that case, you might be involved in activities like building a registration page, rehearsing your webinar script, and pitching during the webinar.

All that’s left for you to do is set it up in your autoresponder!  Or, if you’d like it completely done for you, you can tell us about your project here!

Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)

Now, let’s move on to paid channels. In a recent article about the pillars of an online marketing strategy, we explained exactly what falls under PPC, SEM, display advertising, network advertising, and all types of paid advertising. For simplicity and as an example of paid advertising in general, we will only refer to PPC in this post.

PPC is an online marketing channel where advertisers bid for placement at a search engine to earn visibility and traffic when users enter relevant queries into search engines. Advertisers are only charged when users click on their ad, hence the name “pay-per-click.”

When marketers use PPC advertising, they spend their time on tasks like adding relevant keywords to Google Adwords or adding copy to Bing Ads.

Retargeting / Remarketing

Retargeting, also known as remarketing, is about displaying ads to people who have recently visited your site but haven’t performed a planned action, like subscribing to your newsletter or adding a product to the cart.

It is a powerful marketing channel that contributes to conversion optimization. It’s a marketing tool that works with other marketing channels as part of your larger digital strategy. Remarketing works best when you are already sending paid traffic to your website via PPC or other paid marketing channels.

Retargeting is effective because retargeted customers are much more likely to click on your ad since they have recently demonstrated interest, compared to internet users who haven’t interacted with your brand before.
When trying to convert random visitors into leads, retargeting can give you a second chance; with retargeting ads, you can bring visitors back to your site and keep your message fresh on top of their minds.

When preparing for retargeting campaigns, you’d create display ads in AdWords or set up your site’s Google tracking.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing is another paid channel incentivizing marketers or site owners to promote your product. The incentive is a commission, a percentage of the revenue they drive to your business.

Companies that use affiliate marketing to promote their products use in-house tools to manage their affiliate programs or third-party platforms like ShareASale and Commission Junction.

Word Of Mouth

WOM refers to organic marketing, which doesn’t cost you a penny. It’s all about people talking about your company and your products. Word-of-mouth is one of the most trusted online marketing channels because it involves a direct recommendation from one customer to another.

When WOM goes wild, your brand is the first thing that comes to mind when shopping for similar goods. This can swing either way; while positive WOM is what you’d be looking to achieve, negative WOM can also be as influential on a potential customer’s purchase decision.

We’re talking about viral content when you choose to affect online WOM. In this case, your goal is to generate content worth sharing so that you influence how people spread the word about your brand and ultimately earn more traffic back to your offers. With viral campaigns, you’d look at linkbait production, guerilla marketing, viral video creation, etc.

Posts about you on other sites

Often, good products will receive online reviews. These reviews might appear on specialized product review sites or other blogs. If you have a good product, bloggers, and YouTubers will likely discuss it and share their customer experience with their audience. Sometimes, they might be affiliated with your brand and receive a commission for every customer they refer to your company.

Posts and reviews on other sites make an essential marketing channel because most people look for reviews and feature comparisons before they make a buying decision.

Accordingly, acquiring more reviews should be an integral part of your online PR efforts. And this point takes us to the last earned marketing channel, which is…

Testimonials

When pleased with your product and customer service, your customers will happily give you a testimonial. Customer testimonials should be on your website, landing pages, and sales emails.

When potential buyers evaluate different offers, they usually do all of the following: look for reviews, look at what bloggers and influencers say about you, and finally, examine customer testimonies. The impact of earned media is vast.

Therefore, make it a priority to ask happy customers for a testimonial and publish them in a prominent location on your site and other owned media.

How to choose the right online marketing channel for your business

In our opinion, the right approach is to adopt a multichannel strategy. Relying on one online marketing channel only is not likely to bring the desired business results. Let’s see how you can evaluate the channels and choose the right one for your business.

Target audience

To that end, you must consider who you want to market your business to. In other words, you need to define your target audience.

Type of business

Your choice of suitable online media depends on your business type and who you want to serve. Do you have an e-shop selling consumer goods? Do you sell a B2B digital product to small businesses? Or do you sell a training course that is meant for individuals?

Is your product targeted at fathers, executives, women, or children? Is your product innovative or a commodity? Knowing your industry and customer avatar is imperative to deciding which online marketing channels to invest your resources.

Survey customers

Do you have existing customers? Conduct a short survey using the proper tools to uncover your actual customers. Use quizzes, emails, and surveys to learn more about their needs and challenges.

Where are your customers?

Be aware of where your customers hang out online. This information could help you determine whether to use those online marketing channels to reach potential customers. Are they on Facebook or LinkedIn?

Are they blogging? Are they buying from Amazon? Connect the dots to paint a picture of your online marketing strategy and decide on the vehicles you want to market your products.

Targeting options

Moreover, you may want to look at the different targeting options in paid advertising channels. Can you target your audience using keywords only? Do you have the ability to show your ads to those who are already engaged with your brand?

Can you target specific demographics? Can you upload your lead database and target those people only? Targeting looks different in AdWords, LinkedIn Ads, and Facebook Ads. Other platforms offer different options, so keep that in mind.

Stage of your business

Then, it would help if you considered the stage of your business. Are you just starting up? Are you an established business in the growth stage? Have you reached a plateau? Any existing data from previous online marketing campaigns will give you valuable information about how effective each channel is for your business.

Budget

It wouldn’t do you any good to choose an effective online marketing channel when you can’t afford it. Look at your budget and other resources. A common question is, “How much does PPC cost?” There’s no definite answer because you pay a price per click. Still, you can’t estimate the total cost without considering factors like your goal in terms of revenue, the keywords you want to target, the projected CPC for different keywords, and so on.

Also, the advertising platform plays a role when determining your total cost. For instance, as a rule of thumb, CPC for the same keyword is higher in AdWords than Bing Ads.

Other resources

What other non-financial resources do you have? Think of team know-how, talents, and business culture that affect your choice of marketing channels.

For example, do you have the resources to create epic content? Or who from your staff comes to mind when you think of a webinar host? Do you have tech hurdles preventing you from making an efficient email marketing workflow? What would you need to outsource?

Competitor intelligence

Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Look around and see how your competitors promote their products. What channels do they use? What seems to be working for others? Competitor intelligence is always an excellent means to generate ideas.

Business goals

Don’t forget to focus on your goals when devising a strategy and making essential marketing decisions. Your choice of the perfect marketing channel will depend on the top priorities you want to achieve for your business.

Is brand awareness your goal? Is it to create a market for a new product? Do you have sales goals you must accomplish by drawing a clear market segment to your site? Your marketing goals will strongly affect your choice of online channels.

But wait… Which marketing channel has the best ROI?

Okay… We’ve discussed several factors you need to consider when putting together a list of online channels that you will use in marketing. But…when you’re on a limited budget, you might want to ask, “Which online marketing channels have the biggest impact on ROI?” Ultimately, if you have to pick one or two channels along with your site or blog, you need to know which channel will most likely produce the highest ROI.

So, is there an objective answer to the question, “Which online marketing channel is most effective?” Let’s see if there’s proof on the web…

What do the famous think?

Andrew Chen of Uber talks about the marketing channels best for a startup company looking to grow. These channels are scalable, and they are:

• Paid acquisition
• Virality
• SEO
• Sales
• Other (rare and situational opportunities for growth, like a partnership with a corporation)

Boris Wertz, the founder of Version One Ventures, narrows it down to two levers that allow high growth:

• Paid acquisition coupled with a high Customer Life Time Value (CLTV) because high CLTV gives you the freedom to spend significant money on customer acquisition.
• Virality, because that lets you amass users cheaply or even without spending any money at all on paid acquisition.

Rand Fishkin of MOZ uses his own opinions and experiences to produce a ranking of different online marketing channels from high to low ROI combined with effort and cost to achieve that ROI

Effective marketing channels for retailers

Brilliant Insights published a benchmark of the most successful acquisition channels for retail.

The data from US e-commerce sites shows that nearly 40% of e-commerce traffic comes from organic search, while paid search and email marketing account for 25% each. Of course, those numbers don’t prove that the above channels have the highest ROI, but they indicate what works best for the top US retailers.

The same source, Smart Insights, examines how e-commerce purchases are attributed to different channels. They conclude that organic (22% of assets), email marketing (20%), and CPC (19%) are the online marketing channels driving most purchases.

Email marketing has a fantastic ROI

In a classic survey (updated in 2017), DMA asked the participants who could calculate the return on email marketing, “How much is the approximate return you get back for every pound spent on email marketing?” The answers revealed that the average ROI is £30.01. Because email works so well, it is probably unsurprising that marketers reported sending over four emails per month.

Website, Email, Social media, and SEO are the channels that stand out

Another survey published by Ascend2 reveals which online marketing channels are worth your attention. Marketers say these are the most lucrative and engaging channels that could give you the best results.

• Website – 63%
• Email marketing – 52%
• Social media – 49%
• SEO – 31%
• Paid search – 29%
• Mobile – 28%
• Display ads – 24%

But what are the most challenging online marketing channels to execute? Here are the responses:

• Website – 40%
• Social media – 40%
• SEO – 39%
• Email marketing – 36%
• Mobile – 34%
• Paid search – 30%
• Display ads – 29%

A Vocus digital marketing survey asked small business owners which digital marketing channel is most effective.

Here’s how the top online marketing channels ranked:

• Website – 33.9%
• Social media – 24.9%
• Email marketing – 19.6%
• SEO – 16.2%

Webinars

Now, how about webinars? We know webinars bring consistent marketing ROI for nearly any business, but let’s look at some stats supporting that claim.

The Content Marketing Institute reported that 64% of marketers consider webinars “very effective” or “effective.”

ReadyTalk, a webinar platform, was conducted with their clients, and they found that between 20% and 40% of webinar attendees turned into qualified leads.

A study from the Content Marketing Institute found that marketers rate webinars in the top 5 in terms of the most effective tactics they use.

But how do you get people to register for your webinar? The answer is to let people know about your webinar via other marketing channels. This source reports that on a scale of 1 to 5, email marketing ranked 4.46 and was the top tool for promotion. Scoring 2.77 out of 5, social media was the second most widely used promotional tool for webinars.

How can you tell which option is best for your business?

As a business owner or marketer, you’re constantly looking for new ways to attract customers, but not everything is black and white regarding effective online marketing channels.

You don’t need to get blinded by those survey answers. Keep an eye on trends and emerging channels that might be an opportunity for your business growth. Listen to your entrepreneurial intuition, and start with what you believe would work best for your business. Choose the online marketing channel that makes more sense, try, evaluate, and revisit.

Here’s a summary of the digital marketing channels we discussed in this article and a checklist of the essential variables you must examine before deciding.

• Owned channels
  • Your website and your blog
  • Email marketing
  • Social media
  • Webinars
• Paid channels
  • Paid search or PPC
  • Retargeting / Remarketing
  • Affiliate marketing
• Earned channels
  • Word-of-mouth
  • Reviews and posts about your business on other sites
  • Testimonials

Conclusion

Now, at this point, and with the help of the digital marketing channel checklist, you should be able to identify some candidates who would make good online marketing channels to put them to the test. Generally, SEO, email marketing, and social media can give you a good start.

If you’re a startup or any new business, these three channels provide the perfect opportunity to establish an awareness of your products and services and gain your first customers.

You don’t need to be everywhere, though, if you don’t have the resources to support an omnichannel strategy. Go with as many different media as you can handle. It’s preferable to focus on two or three media instead of trying to be good at everything.

Start small and focused, then use cross-channel leverage and scale as you see results from your chosen online marketing channels.

The post The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Online Marketing Channels for Your Business (Avoid Costly Mistakes) appeared first on Done For You.

With time flying in a jiffy, it becomes important for companies to come up with strategies that can help them make the most out of this time for their business.

In other words, they need to come up with ways that can push the limits of their business and help them make more money this year.

Suffice to say that, if you run a business and you have been waiting for things to happen then we have good news for you. And the good news is that we are going to share some tried and tested strategies that will help you scale your business in 2018, and make more money. Without further ado let us get to those strategies one after the other.

1. Start a blog for your business

People love businesses that value their customers.

Good quality content is one of the biggest assets in which a customer finds value from a business.

By creating a blog where you can post regular updates about your business, share tips and tricks to help customer problems, and letting people know about your niche expertise you can eventually build a loyal following, which could pave way for authority in the market.

And, authority always attracts customers.

2. Get Social

People love what they see.

If you want people to love your business, you need to make your presence felt at a place where your audience is more active.

And, social media is the first thing that comes to mind on this list.

Make your social media presence felt if you want to scale your business this year.

Hire experts who can plan, and strategize your social media marketing strategies.

Once the strategy is ready, create engaging and powerful content that is too compelling to be ignored by the customer.

Here’s a small statistic that will show you how important it is to have a solid social media presence:

In the year 2015, more than 52% of the consumer’s decision to buy a product online and offline were influenced by Facebook.

3. Influencer marketing

Another powerful, fail-proof strategy that has gained popularity over the recent past has been the rise of influencer marketing. With influencer marketing you can scale your business fast.

People who have a strong social or channel based following can easily influence the buying decisions of consumers.

Hence, if you have not included it in your list, then, 2018 is the right time you need to invest in influencer marketing.

Get an influencer on board to promote your brand.

Eventually, you will see an instant rise in the popularity and number of sales that your product and services will generate.

According to a study by Tomoson‘for every dollar spent on influencer marketing, a business usually wallops $6.5 in return.’

So, you can see for yourself the power of influencer marketing.

4. Contests and giveaways

People love getting freebies.

It is up to you to present them with an opportunity to win those freebies.

Creating campaigns and running regular contests for your business is a great way to entice and keep the consumers hooked up towards your brand and business.

Leverage the power of freebies, and people will certainly love to spend more time and invest more money in your business.

5. Focus on whitehat SEO

It is often said, slow and steady wins the race.

Investing your effort in whitehat search engine optimization might be time-consuming, however, the results you can reap out of it, not just in 2018 but in the long run as well, are simply above and beyond what you would have ever thought or imagined.

Google’s algorithms are constantly being updated.

As a result, you need an expert who can help you keep pace with the changing search engine guidelines, and bring changes to your website according to those updates.

Once done right, you can eventually see an increase in your business visibility, reach the right audience and also see an automatic boost in sales.

6. Quora is the way to go in 2018

Quora is a goldmine for businesses, which are smart enough to handle the platform.

With more than 190 million monthly users, Quora is certainly an online space where businesses can capture the eye of the global audience.

With the adoption of paid-ads in Quora, businesses have a great opportunity to invest a little and earn a lot leveraging this knowledge sharing platform.

And, at the same time answering genuine questions and helping people with answers to their problems can put you in their good books.

This can work as a really smart way to establish your expertise and authority in the market.

7. Paid marketing

Paid marketing is a surefire way to give your business revenue a boost in 2018. It is actually the fastest way to scale your business – that is if you have enough money to spend in Google AdWords or Facebook Ads.

If you take a look at the trends in the past few years, businesses have invested heavily in paid advertisement and marketing.

And, they have also reaped great rewards out of it as well.

Paid marketing, therefore, is the one thing that must be on the list of activities you need to focus on if you want 2018 to be a successful and more profitable year for you.

With almost every platform, starting from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, to Quora, and, Medium there are options of paid advertising for your businesses; there is no better time than now to invest money in it and leverage the power of paid marketing.

Be creative and results will start to follow

Now, these are just a few of the tried and tested techniques that have proved to be the game changer for many businesses in the past.

However, one thing that never goes out fashion is innovation.

If you can come up with some innovative ideas to entice your customers into the sales funnel, there is nothing quite like it.

Think of innovative ideas that no one has ever implemented before, bring a sense of genuineness and creativity into your business marketing, and you will create an impact like no other business has ever done before.

As they say, innovation is the change that unlocks new value. If you are really interested in giving your business the boost it deserves in this year 2018, coming up with innovative ideas to touch the heart of your audience must be the first thing on your list.

Get your creative thinking hat on and come up with ways that can inspire not just your audience but your competitors to follow your footsteps as well.

So, are you ready to make 2018 a year of success, prosperity and skyrocketing profits for your business?

The post Powerful Ways to Scale Your Business And Make More Money In 2018 appeared first on Done For You.

At the beginning of every year, marketers typically have ad budgets unlocked and come up with their predictions, analysis, and trends that are going to rock in the months to come. If you are running a business, and are looking forward to making this year a successful growth year, then this post will present you with some amazing tips that will help in the same.

Let us have a look at those tips one by one and see what you can do –

Aim Big, Plan Small

Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor can your business empire be. You cannot expect to get results in a day unless you are following a paid traffic strategy and already have your sales funnel set up.

While it would be awesome to climb the ladder of success and make your business a household name, it is also a fact that you are not going to reach that goal the first day out.

The first thing on your list must be to figure out where you want to go in the next 12 months. Once you’ve got that locked in, it’s time to put together your action plan.  And if you don’t have an action plan in place, it’s something we can help you with if you book a call with us here!

Suppose you want to generate twice the number of leads and sales from your paid marketing than you did last year… So, create a step by step strategy on what you would need to do in order to achieve this – like how to get a conversion bump on your landing pages and sales letters.

Keep Your Competitors Close

Imitation is the truest form of flattery. You aren’t in business to flatter someone though. You need to keep an eye on what others are doing, but rather than copying what they do, take a lesson out of their book and come up with something unique.

Don’t forget – innovation is the biggest asset for your business. So, while keeping an eye on the competition, don’t miss out on being innovative.

For example, you can consider looking at what big brands are doing in your niche… Then, incorporate some of the best elements into your marketing efforts, without making it too obvious. Small, meaningful, tweaks will help you eventually define yourself in your category.

Step Outside Your Bubble

Your biggest rewards lie outside your comfort zone. This is one harsh reality that businesses usually realize too late (or worse, never).

If you stay in your comfort zone, you never split test or experiment and continue to run on a single track…  A track that’s not getting you anywhere.

However, smart businesses are always willing to take the leap of faith. They are always willing to experiment and come up with strategies they’ve never tried before. Again, innovation is the one thing that separates successful marketing strategies from the not so successful ones.

If your business hasn’t tried utilizing the power of social media – test it.  If you’ve never built an audience – start working on it.  If you’ve never thought about what a sales funnel would look like – use one of these.

Who knows it could turn out to be the potential gold mine that you have been looking for (it is a goldmine for businesses that have been able to use it to good effect).

Build A Strong Foundation

No matter how much you ignore it, the fact of the matter is that paid marketing reaps great rewards. Analyze the pros and cons, keeping customer lifetime value at the front of your mind.  Are you spending less for a customer than what they’re worth to you?  If so, paid traffic is a great fit.  If not, free traffic will work for you.

Get in touch with us to help you understand the paid marketing process thoroughly, and even help you create a foolproof plan on how to get the best results out of your paid marketing endeavors.

Make Content A Priority

Just like an alchemist that turns everything he touches into gold, powerful content can convert even the most rigid customers into paying ones.

Content is The King!

Get your creative juices flowing and focus on creating powerful, meaningful and effective content. What this means is that you need to develop a content marketing strategy that brings together your marketing aim, and your interest in spreading the word about your business.

Targeting multiple content platforms can be one great way to begin. Wondering how can you do it? Multiple platforms mean video content, graphic content, along with the usual form of written content. Try an experiment with the different content mediums and see what your audience resonates with…

Or, you could always just publish the type of content that you enjoy creating the most :0)

Now, these are a few strategies you can easily implement without giving them a second thought. At the end of it all, just know that marketing is constantly evolving and coming up with new tricks to keep your audience hooked is how you’ll be spending most of your days.

Whether you are running a small shop or multi-million dollar business, as long as your marketing strategies are being updated, you’ll never be caught off guard.  And if you’d like a fresh set of eyes on your campaigns and sales material, make sure to book a call with us!

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The post The Perfect Growth Strategy For Your Small Business appeared first on Done For You.

Mark Zuckerberg unleashed nuclear-level hysteria on the Internet for publishers, Facebook page managers/owners, experts, social influencers, and Facebook advertisers.

Chances are that you belong to one of those categories and that you’d be affected too. We certainly were glued to the unfolding events, news, and all sorts of theories flying around. It’s time to clarify what the Facebook news feed change update meant and how it affects all of us.

What’s the fuss about?

Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that they’ll focus on showing updates that make more meaning for you, as a Facebook user. You’ll see more updates from friends and family; from things that matter to you; and to only see those updates that make a difference to you.

Here’s the point where advertisers panic based on what Mark said:

“But recently we’ve gotten feedback from our community that public content — posts from businesses, brands, and media — is crowding out the personal moments that lead us to connect more with each other.”

Now, since the next Facebook Ad you’ll see on your newsfeed isn’t exactly “friends and family”, you can now imagine why the community is going hysteric.

And this:

“As we roll this out, you’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media. And the public content you see more will be held to the same standard — it should encourage meaningful interactions between people.”

So, hear this. If you:

• Have a business that provides products and services that make a difference to your customers
• Develop a long-term, value-rich, personalized, and meaningful business marketing strategy
• Your sales funnels aren’t just for gobbling up people’s personal information but are actually in place to engage meaningfully and to enrich people’s lives

You don’t have to panic at all. Here’s what happens and what you should be doing:

Organic Reach on Facebook Was Long Due

Mark Shaefer, in his post, Don’t Panic: The Facebook Announcement Is No Big Deal, puts it nice and succinct:

“Your content has to matter”.

But then, the death of organic reach on Facebook is long due.

If any content or update you put out on Facebook (or anywhere else for that matter) doesn’t add value and if it isn’t worth it, you don’t stand a chance.

Since what your customers are likely to see is only that which is meaningful for them, you’ll now be forced to add value, create conversations, and beat any sort of changes Facebook makes to its algorithms.

Put your Game Face on

Jay Baer of Convince and Convert writes,

“Facebook is too big to ignore. Instead, create content that stimulates meaningful responses, encourage user- and employee-generated content, use live video, (and more suggestions you can see in his post”

Jay quips that most content out there sucks anywhere and that’s precisely the reason why Facebook wants to pummel it down its own archives, collectively (Does this remind you of Google’s cleaning act to weed out crappy content off the web with updates like Panda and Penguin?).

Facebook is just reminding you to be real, authentic, and provide content that changes lives. Truly go out there and help instead of trying to “game the algorithms”.

Don’t Blame Facebook. Blame Yourself

Marketers, publishers, and businesses are to be blamed. By taking “social” out of context of “social media” and treating Social media as any other media, marketers, and businesses have flushed in so much of worthless content (in addition to ads and videos) that platforms like Facebook (and Twitter, and any other) have to take a call in the interest of keeping their own users’ interest in mind.

The kind of news that Facebook wants to devalue had no value, to begin with.

Good marketing is hard work.

• You need a fantastic, consistent, and sustainable content marketing strategy.
• Your marketing is not marketing when you don’t have sales funnels, landing pages, and email marketing list building (with the right kind of tools and software to help create powerful funnels or marketing pages, it’s not even an excuse anymore)
• Have a way to attract, engage, and then profit from it (Register for our webinar to learn just how to do that)
• Marketing is never a “do it once and leave it” or a “We’ll do when we can…” kind of a priority. Either you do it to win or you lose.

Try to tiptoe around what users really want and news feed updates like this are bound to happen.

Manipulative tactics will only last as long either a platform devalues your efforts or you go bust.

Instead of fumbling and panicking, it’s only time to get your digital marketing act together.

TL; DR: Facebook is too big to ignore. It’s latest news feed update only pushes you to do better marketing, provide value, and do digital marketing the way it should be done in the first place.

How are you going to change your Facebook marketing strategy?

Want a custom marketing strategy for your business? Get on a strategy session call with us now

The post Will Facebook’s New Feed Change Affect Your Business? appeared first on Done For You.

Producers and consumers.

We, as business people, are both; producers and consumers.

We produce content. Videos. Courses. Products. Ebooks. Manufactured good.

We take an IDEA and turn it into a reality.

And that’s the magical part. We dream something up, put it to paper, and create something out of it. Something that can be sold. Something that will help others.

Every once in a while, a ‘producer’ will create something so rare, so unique, that it’ll be a viral hit. They’re vision will hit the market at the right time and be adopted by the masses.

Think GoPro. iPad. Facebook. Pinterest. Instagram.

More often though, the road to success is quite a bit longer.

Having a Great Product Is Not Enough

It’s not enough that we have a great product or that it serves people and fixes their problems. It’s not enough that our product is offered at a fair and decent price.

Nor is it enough that we think that everyone in the world should buy our product.

You see, a product on it’s own rarely scales.

You might sell one copy. Maybe two. And that’s if your friends and family decide to help you out.

More likely, you won’t sell anything.

You will have put all the hard work into producing or creating something, only to fall short when the rubber meets the road.

When it’s time to actually start selling it.

And that’s where most people stop.

The Key To Success Is Failing Fast

They tried. They hoped that it’d work, but it didn’t. They put months and months into bringing something to market and had no success.

No results.

That’s the unfortunate reality for most producers. Most entrepreneurs. They try and fail – and then give up.

There are a very select few who don’t.

They don’t care how many times they fail.

Or how many ideas fall short.

They are going to ‘win’ come hell or high water.

Those are the folks who succeed – the ones who know that survival in business is based on the idea that it takes multiple efforts.

Multiple products.

Multiple ideas.

Your Product Doesn’t Matter

And really, in the overall scheme of things, the product is what matter least of all!

You can take a shitty product and put great marketing behind it, and make millions. You just need to understand who you’re buyers are and what problem they’re trying to solve!

If you know that, you can sell anything.

And it all starts with a simple process… Engagement.

It doesn’t matter if you’re buying traffic or working with free traffic, you need to get engagement from your prospects.

That might be an optin to your list, a video view, or a clickthrough to an affiliate product. Once you get engagement, you can start to split test and scale your product.

It all starts with mini-successes and starting with something that works! It doesn’t have to be a sale, but it does have to be something.

So tell me, what challenges are you having when it comes to selling online?

The post The Road To Success appeared first on Done For You.