The most helpful feature of mobile forex trading is that it enables you to keep a watch on market at anytime you find convenient. For instance, you may commuting to workplace and yet keep yourself informed of the on goings in forex market. You can go through the charts to see how helpful the situation may turn out to be and act accordingly. You can indeed set up a trade while traveling in buses. Additionally, it enables you to persistently watch the market to decide on the trades you may like to make in future. It is also to be considered a good device for all traders who require screen time for watching current market trends and developing prices that helps to become a superior dealer.
Limitations of Mobile Forex Trading
Though mobile forex trading is indeed very useful, it’s not perfect for all users and under all circumstances. One feature of trading online via mobile that is often highlighted is that it’s not superb for short term traders. The reason is that traders can’t execute trades using their mobile phone or tablet as speedily as on any normal computer. So, the speed of executing trades is a major limitation of mobile trading. Additionally, the indicators you get on your mobile device aren’t as strong as those you get on your usual computer. You can get help from forex signal app for a successful trading.
When considering the benefits and limitations of mobile forex trading, we also need to consider its optimization. It is believed that this kind of trading proves more helpful to long term players compared to short term players. It does work for short term traders too who trade for a couple of minutes say ten to fifteen and are not thinking of getting into or out of the market instantly. So, if you don’t happen to be a professional trader, mobile trading is likely to be helpful for you. Moreover, you have to decide how you intend using mobile trading. You should also decide whether you are going to carry out your trades, monitor the same or simply seek opportunities which you may subsequently execute through your usual computer.
Conclusion
As you can see now, mobile trading happens to be an attractive idea but it’s not something that will work wonders for all. We already mentioned the kind of traders who could benefit the most through mobile trading and the way they could use it. However, don’t take our word for granted. You should take into consideration your way of trading before deciding if it would be appropriate for you to go for mobile forex trading. There are quite a few things needing your consideration before deciding on this kind of trading. For instance, you have to make up your mind whether you are going to make big money or simply keeping a track of your current trades. Some choose mobile trading only for monitoring the market and not for executing their trades. These are all viable and helpful options. It all depends on the user how to make it work the most for them.
Small and medium-sized businesses may not have the budget to invest in expensive and sophisticated telecommunication equipment. This doesn’t mean they have to offer less-than-perfect communication to their customers. Hosted PBX services allow companies to have a managed cloud PBX solution to deliver a state-of-the-art VoIP phone system to a business without a large investment and huge, ongoing communication bills.
What Is Business Hosted PBX?
With traditional PBX, you would need to make a large and ongoing investment in equipment, training and maintenance of your PBX system. A hosted system is accessible through an IP network and completely managed off site. The host takes care of the hardware, software, maintenance, training and more. You will be provided with the ability to manage your own phone system with user-friendly controls.
A hosted service relieves you of the costs for repairs and downtime that are common with in-house systems. The system uses your Internet connection to deliver your telecommunications, so you don’t need a complex infrastructure.
Grows with Your Business
As your business grows, your telecommunication system will seamlessly grow with it. You can add extensions, phone lines and connect to mobile devices because the system doesn’t have the limitations of older phone systems. A small business has world-class communications giving it instant credibility with customers.
More Uptime
When in-house systems go down, your communications virtually stops until it is fixed. With hosting services, this won’t happen. A hosted PBX service doesn’t need to be taken offline for servicing, repairs and maintenance.
More Reliable
You can count on a hosted system to deliver quicker response times without lapses, lags or delays in call quality. Each call will have clear reception because Internet-based telephony has much better quality than traditional PSTN connections.
Protected Infrastructure
When disaster strikes in the form of unforeseen storms, fire or power outages, the conventional telephone connections are usually the first to go. This will disrupt productivity and immediately impact your bottom line. External communications with your vendors and clients are cut. With hosted services, your communications will remain open even during an emergency.
Work from Anywhere
Your employees will be able to connect with the office communication center wherever they are. You can get local numbers in Bengaluru or Los Angeles. They can work from home, other offices, other states and overseas. For example, an employee can be working from home in Phoenix and transfer a customer to technical services in Vancouver, Canada.
Advanced Features of a Hosted Service
The main primary features are caller ID, toll-free numbers, local and international numbers, to name a few. Group and user features include voicemail, music on hold, extensions, account codes, auto attendant and more. The voice services that are available are:
SIP Trunking
Hosted Call Center
Voice broadcasting
Mobile link
Interactive Voice Response
Video Conferencing
Your business can take the next step and become a partner with the PBX hosting service. This will allow you to stay in the forefront of technological advancements in business communication. Today, technology is driving the way most people do business, and this is the way to keep your business ahead of your competitors. If you have sales agents and consultants, a franchise organization, are an IT service provider or a value added reseller, you may benefit from becoming a partner. These are some of the solutions you’ll get by becoming a partner with your PBX host:
Extensive sales tools
Sales engineering
Technical support
Sales order desk
Customer care term and partner portal
Dedicated account managers
Project coordinators
Implementation engineers
How to Find a Good PBX Hosting Company?
A good hosting company will provide fully managed virtual private network (VPN) that has reliability, speed and built-in security. It will offer serious competitive advantages that save you money while providing digital switching technologies across the continent and promise 99.9 percent uptime. You can count on custom-made solutions for your unique requirements. It will offer high-quality voice transmission, quality data services, a unified product for your whole company and video conferencing to cut travel time and expenses while maintaining face time.
A hosted PBX service is the best solution for a small or medium-sized business that doesn’t have a huge budget to invest in top-of-the-line communications. The service will eliminate the need for software and hardware as well as training and equipment to maintain a communication system. It also promises to provide virtually continual uptime even during natural disasters, maintenance procedures and more. There is no one-size-fits-all. Your company can choose the services it needs to stay ahead of the competition.
We live in a world dominated by the influence of the internet and more specifically, of the social media impact. If a couple of years back feedbacks would come from real-life interactions, nowadays we are witnessing an avalanche of opinions, critics, and approvals from people that you don’t even know.
This does have its bright side, however, since it represents a good way to boost a business’s visibility, and expose it to many potential customers. But that doesn’t usually happen overnight, and to attract and engage people in the social media universe you usually need to understand a couple of basic psychology principles.
It is not unreasonable to say that human beings respond to the same kind of triggers, which makes it easy to use in your favor. Also known as “ethical persuasion,” this is often used by marketing companies. The art of using psychological triggers to make people more aware of your products and more willing to buy them is fairly easy to handle once you get to know how it works.
Reward the Users
Much like children, users love to feel appreciated and occasionally even rewarded. It is a known fact that receiving confirmation of our efforts and skills is deeply satisfying.
According toNir Eyal’s taxonomy, humans will sense three types of rewards:
the tribe reward, which makes them seek rewards that give them a sense of inclusion and importance
the hunt reward, which makes them feel thrilled of even the smallest “chase.”
the self-reward, which targets personal gratification.
A subtle way to exploit Eyal’s information is by rewarding the clients precisely through their user experience. You can do that by putting them on top of a leaderboard, or by giving them a badge, or even by letting them unlock certain levels.
Exploit Desire
It is well known that from a myriad of ways of achieving something, people will always prefer the one that involves less work. This tendency can easily be applied to your social media management by trying to keep everything simple and using specific words like “want” and “need” to trigger the desire in the customer’s brains.
Also, by presenting facts in a simple way, the readers will be more tempted to follow whatever advice you are giving there, and they are more likely to find solutions to their problems through you.
Tempt with Novelty
Do you love new things? According to scientist and common sense, yes – dopamine gets released from the brain when people are exposed to new, exciting experiences. The novelty comes with the hope of reward, so the simple possibility of digging into something new is exhilarating for humans.
This psychological trigger is the exact reason companies always release new products and services – although the changes might not be that significant, people still love the idea of new.
A common practice amongst marketers is to release a product or a service only for a limited amount of time; knowing that there is a clock on that offer, buyers will be more tempted to purchase.
Throw Some Knowledge Here and There
There is nothing that keeps people more “on their toes” than explanations. The key word in social media is “why”. Use it and people will be instantly hooked. The catch here is to explain previously to your readers why they should know that specific information and how watching or reading your materials will get them all the answers they need.
Become a Storyteller
Stories have been the core of human groups for centuries; it is the glue that binds them. Science explains why stories are so appealing to the human brain: they trigger the parts that are associated with movement, sight, taste and sound. The feeling of being transported to another place works like a drug for your brain, thus making you more prone to buying things that are sold with a story.
Make Them Feel Like It Is an Offer They Can’t Refuse
Nobody wants to feel like they are left out. People strive to be included. The fear of missing out on something important or interesting is far more powerful than one might think. The key here is to give your customers every opportunity to participate in your actions. This way, it will become personal to them too.
Create a Common Enemy
If people are somehow dissatisfied with a certain brand or product, sharing that “enemy” with them will make them eager to sympathize with you. There are nuances here, of course; going to rough on a certain category can have the opposite effect, and determine people to dislike you. Also, things like religion, politics, race and sex are off limits. Go for neutral elements.
The idea of the “smart home” is nothing new. Take a quick trip back in time to any expo-style exhibit in the 1950s, and you’ll see depictions of homes featuring robotic maids, talking appliances, and every other imagined luxury that the future was sure to bring. Jump back to the future (today), and you may find a small group of smart-home owners across the U.S. that may actually enjoy such luxuries; yet for the most part, today’s residential homes are still much the same.
Recognizing Where Smart Home Benefits Are the Most Apparent
Part of the reason why you and many others have yet to see the advantages offered by home automation is because they are difficult to pinpoint individually. However, if viewed as part of collective collaboration at the community level, they become crystal clear. This is why so many within the residential technology industry believe that smart homes will never become the universal standard of living without being part of a larger smart community.
It may be almost impossible to tell just how much bang you’re getting for your home automation buck without having external data to compare it to. If you participate in a much larger connected community, you can compare elements such as your energy usage and your utility costs. Information can be shared between households to enact positive change, which then allows communities to optimize the use of their resources.
If this idea of shared access doesn’t seem all that foreign, it’s because it’s not. After all, you and your neighbors all draw energy from the same electrical grid and utilities from the same access lines. Why not go one step further and create a community network of smart technologies?
Using Community Demand to Control Home Automation Prices
Some will argue that it’s because of the price. That’s because the common perception of home automation systems is that they’re little more than expensive ways to dim lights, lock doors, and play music throughout the home. What’s lost in this assumption is their ability to help you optimize your energy efficiency. By focusing only on home automation features that allow you to control your heating, cooling, and electrical systems remotely, you get the main benefits of home automation at a fraction of the cost of more comprehensive system.
At the community level, these costs can often be offset by a slight increase in homeowners’ association fees. If you and the other members of your HOA can agree together to share the expenses of home automation services like those offered through Savant, then retrofitting the homes of your community with smart technologies becomes hardly an expense at all.
Taking this one step further, imagine the impact that could be had if home builders were to work in conjunction with tech providers to establish smart communities supported by these technologies. Not only could the installation costs be wrapped in the purchase price of a home, but also shared technologies within neighborhoods could take community customization to new heights. The possibility for advanced applications could be endless, such as:
Street-by-street flash flood warnings based upon moisture sensor readings from basements
Real-time weather forecasts pulled from micro-climate sensors
Live traffic reports streamed to smartphones from geofences placed along local roadways
It’s said that it takes a village to raise a child. The same might be the case with home automation technology. Without homeowners being able to see all of the benefits that smart homes have to offer by way of comparison, few will ever find the incentive to upgrade. Yet, by communities banding together to retrofit their residences with shared technologies, or home builders partnering with tech companies to create whole communities supported by home automation, a mass shift to smart homes may happen a lot sooner than you may think.
Everyone knows that failures are simply a part of the IT world, and with this fact comes the risk and reality of major loss and high costs. Below you will learn the keys to improving performance and preventing failures for your backup and restore processes.
Because of the reality of Murphy’s Law, a higher than 98% success rate is not likely achievable when it comes to backup. Human error, combined with power and network failures are often the culprits. Did you know that several companies maintain 80% or LESS when it comes to rates of success? For those who boast of 100% success, it is probable that they are simply viewing an isolated moment or have altered various data points. In the end, this does not serve anybody well, as trust is lost when the system and spreadsheet data don’t match.
Below you will see the major concerns of backup professionals with respect to their backup success rates.
The Process of Monitoring
The Concern: In these technologically advanced days, many IT environments are growing larger and larger and the amount of systems is much larger than originally planned for. Thus many add-ons are required to monitor systems successfully. Backup failures are therefore not as easily grasped, which in turn, creates an opportunity for more failures in the future.
The Solution: A user interface that offers graphs is needed, which would allow IT departments to view the backup environment as a WHOLE, along with each separate server and client. This system would also combine data automatically, and have the ability to be multi-vendor friendly.
Missing Alerts
The Concern: Protection alerts are often sent through email to specific administrators, and there is concern that over time various changes WILL occur, causing these alerts to be missed. Discipline and detailed instruction must be administered in order to ensure the appropriate person gets each message. Timely reception of alerts allows for prompt investigation, which is essential in the world of backup.
The Solution: Proper tools must be used, which will alert command centers and various administrators in real-time through email, SNMP integration, as well as through SMS. Using tools such as these, the appropriate person will have the ability to directly address error conditions involved in the backup system. It will also grant opportunity to quickly generate detailed information regarding the failure, which is certainly a time saver!
Command Line Driven Operation is Prone to Errors
The Concern: Even though the command line interface is the first choice for most administrators to quickly finish something, it is a challenging method in that it does not allow consistency in terms of backup operations. As staff varies over time, so do operations. It is important to implement best practices with respect to these procedures.
The Solution: A user interface must be added to backup systems which grants GUI operation regarding backup. Also, the error prone command line operation must not be available to be used as the standard.
Reports and Planning are NOT Given Enough Time
The Concern: One report is usually focused upon by administrators, and that is whatever system sent an alert last. Even though this is important, it also equally as important to create reports regarding alerts, trends, and forecasting. Also important to note is that fact that data is constantly being removed from the distributed servers. This removal offers more space for incoming data. Information as to why there was a backup failure could potentially be in the data that was removed, causing the analysis to take much longer.
The Solution: Data collection must be acquired from BOTH backup servers in individualized databases. This way, the daily tasks involved in backup operations will not be disrupted.
Misconfiguration
The Concern: Misconfiguration of backup and recovery systems can cause various challenges, and often happens as growth occurs within data and servers spheres. Below you will see some common challenges during misconfiguration.
-Recovery Logs Not Sized Properly: Information regarding backup goes from a recovery log to a database. To make room for new data, the recovery log is purged. Manually enlarging (and restarting) the file space of the recovery log must be completed prior to its availability. Problems arise when failure takes place during a time in which the log is not available.
-Disk to Tape Error: Where tape is still commonly used, writing from backup disk to tape is a general occurrence. A small disk pool can cause delays in backup and a missed backup window. Technology is needed which allows for more than a single thread from disk to tape. Speed is also an issue, and if the tape and disk speeds don’t match, the disk pool will refuse further backup data.
-Multiple Backup Sessions Occurring: It is easy for the number of clients to exceed what is acceptable for a given backup system, especially in new environments. This overload of clients can also cause missed backup windows.
The Solution: Now days, it is easier for certain IT departments to watch their backup environments more closely due to better monitoring systems. These systems allow for quick identification of errors and help teams watch for changing environments. The truth is however, mistakes DO happen, and while it would be lovely to set up a backup system and walk away in confidence, it is important that backup software is paired with a good monitoring system. This way, success is more likely.
So…Is it a Matter of the Arts or the Sciences?
The answer is…BOTH! Backup environments are fragile spheres, depending on rates of failure, capacity, speed and timing. There is a precise science behind this world that is under continual pressure and variation. But, let’s not forget that managing this scientific sphere is also an art, relying heavily upon tools which project trends and upcoming challenges. The art of backup administration is something that needs to be passed on carefully, as there is a high learning curve when this knowledge is transferred. Those that have high success rates can attribute some of it to the effective art of combining monitoring and reporting tools with their backup software. With these monitoring and reporting systems, the backup sphere is carefully watched and will ensures high rates of completion and restore processes.
About the guest author:
Mike Johnson is a Technical Writer for Rocket Software. He writes on topics like data protection, backup monitoring and reporting software. He holds a Bachelor of Science Management degree from DeVry University.
Cloud technology is the future of software industry. Today, most of the high-end and advanced software applications offer cloud solutions for their users. Considering the immensity of large-scale, complex projects which require several teams to handle multiple fronts, it has become important to incorporate different software applications which cater to specific project requirements. This creates a lot of confusion and hassle for team members as they tend to switch from one aspect of a project to another. Often, web designers working in teams on large web design projects face this similar dilemma. Hence, it becomes important to organize project files at one shareable location which allows locating and sharing files with ease. Cloud technology does exactly this.
Cloud solutions are aimed at providing large storage space and collaboration features for users. Moreover, a lot of cloud applications integrate with other cloud-based tools, which offers flexibility in terms of project management.
So, it is important for designers to make utmost use of these cloud-based applications in their web design projects. There are plenty of cloud-based tools in the market which are designed exclusively for web designers to simplify their workflow and assist them in their creative venture.
Alright, so here I am providing a list of 12 such useful cloud-based apps catering to the various aspects of a design project, such as wire framing, prototyping, image editing, file sharing, coding, collaborating and more. These cloud applications can definitely help designers to improve work productivity, simplify project workflow and deliver better results. So let us get ready to check out this list of 12 Cloud-Based Applications for Web Designers and Developers.
1) Dropbox
Dropbox is one of the leading cloud-based, file hosting service providers in the world. Dropbox offers a range of features, including cloud storage, private cloud, file synchronization and more. Dropbox files can be accessed through various devices as well as Dropbox website and integrated mobile applications. Dropbox offers cloud storage space depending on free and premium accounts.
2) Evernote
Evernote is a cloud-based productivity tool which allows users to perform a variety of tasks from a single application. It allows users to perform web research, write notes, capture information on the web, collaborate with other users in real-time and deliver presentations. One can easily clip web articles, share multimedia content with others, create to-do lists and do much more. Evernote supports multiple platforms, such as iOS, Android and Windows. It has free and premium plans for availing free and private cloud space.
3) GitHub
GitHub is an online place to host open-source and private software development projects. GitHub is built to host GIT repository providing all of the functionalities of GIT, such as distributed revision control and source code management. It also offers other features, such as a web-based graphical interface, bug tracking, project WIKIs, code management, desktop and mobile integration and collaboration features. As of 2015, there were over 11 million users with over 29.4 million, public and private repositories on GitHub, making it the largest host of source code in the world.
4) Snipplr
Snipplr is a huge repository of code snippets available for a range of programming languages. It contains useful code snippets for C#, C++, JavaScript, HTML, Scala, Python and more. Snipplr allows users to upload code snippets and maintain code libraries which are accessible to everyone. With 149,397 registered users and 58939 code snippets, Snipplr is currently one of the largest code snippet repositories on the web.
5) Cloud9
Cloud9 is a robust integrated development environment (IDE) for programmers. It has a powerful online code editor and Ubuntu workspace which allows compiling SASS, check server output, run apps, debug code, preview and do much more. Cloud9 offers support for 40+ languages, including JavaScript, PHP, Go, Ruby and Python. Developers can easily build and test Django, WordPress and Rails websites for various browsers and platforms.
6) Codeanywhere
Codeanywhere is a cross-platform and cloud-based, modern integrated development environment (IDE). The IDE provides support for 75+ languages, such as JavaScript, PHP and HTML. Codeanywhere supports Dropbox, SFTP, Google Drive and FTP to provide real-time collaboration and cloud storage features. Besides, it offers various advanced features, such as multiple cursors, code completion, built-in terminal console, revisions and more.
7) Adobe Color CC
Theme building is an important aspect of any web design project. Adobe Color CC is a software application which allows creating color palettes using up to 5 shades for designing a colourful website theme. The application also allows exporting color palettes to InDesign, Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. One can also import images, save color palettes on the cloud and do much more.
8) PIXLR
PIXLR is a web-based image editing software application offering a range of editing features. It provides PIXLR Editor and PIXLR Express which allows designers to apply effects, create overlays and borders, fix layers and replace colors. PIXLR is also available as a mobile application for iOS and Android platforms.
9) InVision
InVison is a multi-purpose, design and productivity tool for web designers. It allows creating interactive prototypes by allowing designers to add animations and gestures as well as apply transition effects to uploaded design files. The application also offers advanced features for managing project assets, creating custom boards, user testing and sharing feedback.
10) UXPin
UXPin is a powerful prototyping and wire framing tool with modern customization features. It provides a graphic design editor for customizing typography, adding animations and designing backgrounds. Designers can easily create mock-ups and wireframes using built-in UI elements, including icons, design patterns, as well as iOS and Android UI libraries. It also allows importing design files from Photoshop and Sketch.
11) JumpChart
JumpChart is a modern project management and online collaboration tool for team members working on web design projects. It provides a common platform for web designers, information architects, copywriters, project managers and others to organize project files and manage workflow. JumpChart allows sharing content, mock-ups, attachments, notes and other files with team members.
12) Tavern
Tavern is a platform for web and product designers to share ideas and draw inspiration. It is a Q&A or online discussion site, similar to Quora and StackOverFlow, which allows designers to interact and connect with other professionals from the designing community. Tavern allows users to pull images in to answers and create answer drafts.
Conclusion:
With that we have come to the end of our list. I am sure that you will have a wonderful time making use of these modern cloud applications in your web designing projects. If you want to share any feedback or add more important names to the list, then you can definitely go ahead and write your thoughts in the comments section below. Thank you.
About the Guest Author:
Paddy Lock is an Developer and Content Strategist Eduonix Learning Solutions since 2013. Content planning for websites, blogs, guest posts, articles, press release, etc.
Social media marketing isn’t the same as it was some years back. Customers are more social savvy now.
Isn’t it natural to assume that it’s hard to make a prominent place for your brand in this crowded space? Or that to stand out, you need a large budget?
Well, true to some extent. Of course, a good sum of money can help you do that. But, with the right strategy, you won’t have to pay for attention!
A simple mindset and a dose of creativity can help you achieve the engagement level you seek. Any business, irrespective of their budget can replicate these tactics.
This article lists helpful takeaways and tricks to kick-start your social media campaign.
How can you stand out in Social Media with a small budget?
1. Go Bold and Take Risks!
If you want to occupy a prestigious spot on various social media platforms, you need to take risks that resonate with your business values. Doing something out of the blue increases your brand exposure and attention. Get the users talking about you and bring the real ROI.
Let’s take Taco Bell’s social media blackout for instance. A day after launching their mobile app, Taco completely wiped out their social media accounts. Subsequently, they posted only one single image directing customers to their app.
Result? Within 24 hours 75% of their stores were receiving mobile payment. They took the huge step with the sole purpose of promoting their app.
Taking reasonable risks can give you great results. Understand your customers and come up with an idea that balances risk and rewards. Mold this into one strategy and surprise your users.
2. Create Original, Valuable and Shareable content
If you want to sustain your business reputation, you need to create original content that users love to read and share.
For starters, drill into trending content which might gain popularity among your users. You can use tools like BuzzSumo to get this information. Another alternative is going through your competitor’s best-performing posts. Let’s say they have a blog on “5 Ways to Standout in Social Media with a Tight Budget”. You can write on a topic like “How to Run a Successful Facebook Ad Campaign with 20 USD”.
Don’t hesitate to post visuals as they tend to perform better on social media.
Also, make sure every piece of content has your brand logo. This will help build recognition.
Don’t stop posting content just because you have the feeling that nobody is listening to you. Your efforts are not going void, keep working towards your goal.
Also, just because you received a thousand likes in your previous post your work does not end. To establish your brand, you need to post the latest, most unique and valuable content.
Keep a running list of ideas with you, maintain an editorial calendar and stick to it.
Communication is crucial for increasing the engagement level. Always respond to your followers and strike off a conversation whenever you can. This implies responding to every user who might have contacted you (mentioned you, replied or commented on your post, directly messaged you) on any social media platform.
If you do not actively respond to your fans on Social Media, you lose their trust. This might lead your potential customer to move over to your competitor. Hence, the lack of communication can turn fatal for your business. But, replying thoughtfully and timely will help you build your authority over time.
Respond to the negative feedback carefully with patience and respect. Use the platform to showcase how delightfully you treat your customers.
Do not run after a large number of posts, concentrate more on their quality.
Do your research and know more about the people you are writing for. Use Facebook’s Audience Insights to get information about your potential and current customers. Know more about what people are searching for through Google Adwords. Based on this data, create a marketing front that would interest your target audience.
Craft content that not only reflects your products, but also your core business values.
For example, Redbull posts photos with people doing extraordinary and extreme things. This appeals to risk-takers, athletes or people who believe in Redbull’s vision of adventure.
For example, Oreo began a Wonderfilled Campaign. It consisted of 30-second video clips that showed the joy of sharing Oreo among a wide variety of people. From an American hip hop artist to a little girl, each of these videos has a specific theme and targets a different audience. They also launched a series of “Snack-hacks”. These are 10-second YouTube videos showcasing some cool and innovative ways to enjoy Oreo.
You don’t need a big budget to produce these! Just a video camera and some good presentation software. There are audiences which do not know about you but are in great need of your product/service. Promoting your webinars and video training series via social media platforms is the best way to target them.
Share your content, value and context freely (who doesn’t love free stuff?) with your targeted audience.
Providing this value will help you establish your brand authority and gain the trust of your users.
Undoubtedly, it will promote your product.
Easy Webinar is an affordable software which can help you automate webinars and online events.
Create a post to promote your event over social media. While drafting it, mention very clearly what will people gain out of this or what should they expect upon sign up.
8. Involve your followers – organize polls or hold a Q&A
Polling is one of the most powerful tools that should definitely be incorporated into a social strategy. Polls are a great medium to drive engagement and get valuable information and data about your customers.
People love when their opinions are given importance. It sends the message from your brand that “we care”. This way you can easily garner their trust, confidence and loyalty and build your brand image in the long run.
You simply have to ask a question and ask for their opinion (For example, Which burger are you crazy for? “McSub or Mcgrill”?) Or something like this:
(Source)
Organizing a Q&A session is another great idea to increase your engagement with the target audience. It provides a direct line of communication which strengthens the connection with your users. Thus, you can answer any of the queries your audiences has and provide some valuable information about your products/services.
Social media contests not only help increase the engagement of your current audience but also bring more people to your page. To make it even more interesting, you can ask your users to vote and decide the winners.
You can choose from a variety of contests including a simple sweepstake (a simple lucky draw), trivia (where you ask a question and reward the first person who answers it correctly) or some creativity-based contests.
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People love free giveaways! You can leverage this to get more likes, follows or emails. Be very clear on your objective and the rules before launching a contest in order to get the best outcome.
For example, Klik (a chocolate snack company) based in Israel wanted to increase its brand engagement among teens. So they chose Whatsapp, which is the #1 platform amongst their targeted audience. But since it didn’t offer any media inventory (back in 2013), they came up with a WhatsApp version of “Simon says”.
Klik posted their phone number on their Facebook page and encouraged their fans to add Klik to their Whatsapp groups. Once Klik was invited, they started giving fun tasks like the one below:
The result? Over 2000 teens participated and 91% of them completed the provided tasks.
Klik increased their engagement rate by 51.8% on facebook and brand engagement increased by 10 times.
10. Use Facebook’s “Boost” option to advertise at a cheap cost
Yes, advertising does not always have to be about spending lots of money. Facebook’s “boost your post” option offers very affordable choices for advertising your post which you can customize as per your budget. It’s one of the most viable options to promote your content.
It gives you the flexibility of deciding the reach of the post.
Facebook offers to boost your post depending on 4 options:
Location: You can choose to be as specific as a city o
Gender: Do you want to target male audience, female audience or both?
Age: which age group do you want to target?
Interests: target people on the basis of pages they like or any closely related topic, on the basis of apps they’ve used or ads they’ve clicked and so on.
In order to get the maximum impact out of your ad post, you need to narrow down your targeted audience.
Let’s have a look at the following demographics:
Location: A 80-mile radius from Chicago
Interest: Social marketing, digital marketing
Excluded: People who already like RankWatch
Age: 22 – 40
Language: English
Through this, you can easily target some 3000 people per day who might see your ad.
Before targeting your audience, always have a look at your past data to understand the demographics which interacted the most with the posts. Content on beauty products is mostly read by the younger females – so a cosmetics brand can choose to target females around the age 18-30. This will increase their chances of CTR (Click-through-rates) and reduce their CPC (Cost-per-click).
If you are paying more than $4 a day, I don’t think it’s worth it. Do not go for anything which gives you a CTR lower than 1.5%. Also, before launching the campaign, test your ad for the relevance score (aim for 7 and above on the scale of 10).
Try and stick more towards your niche audience for better and quick results.
Once you run a few ads, you would be able to monitor the results more precisely, learn more about your targeted audience and accordingly adjust your strategies for the best results.
Now over to you.
What strategies would you recommend to win over social media when spending big bucks? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Guest article by: Sahil Kakkar
Sahil is the CEO and Founder of RankWatch – a platform, which helps companies and brands stay ahead with their SEO efforts in the ever growing internet landscape.
Sahil likes making creative products that can help in automation of mundane tasks and he can spend endless nights implementing new technologies and ideas. You can connect with him and the Rankwatch team on Facebook or Twitter
