Category: Insights

DevelopmentInsightsSaaS

Deciding on the Best Software for Structural Designing and Analyzing

on June 20, 2019

When it comes to the importance of technology in the construction industry, the majority of people immediately assume that one’s talking about the construction equipment, improvements in PPE or construction material. However, what they often ignore is the fact that the majority of work starts in the planning stage, which usually implies the design of the construction in question. Here, the role and importance of adequate tool are unparalleled and there are many different fields where proper modeling and analysis could make all the difference. With that in mind and without further ado, here are several things you need to understand when choosing the best software for structural designing and analyzing.

1. Static analysis of the structure

The first step when it comes to the assessment of structure in the development process is its static analysis. What this means is the analysis of components caused by loads that do not induce significant inertia and damping effects. We’re mostly talking about factors like strains, displacements, stresses, etc. One of the most important things when it comes to structural designing and analyzing is how the model will behave in a real-life environment. This is why you need a software that allows inputs for wind and seismic loads, as well as one that’s able to generate stability checks for nonlinear load cases. This is not just important for the safety of the structure but also for the overall business efficiency of your organization.

2. 3D modeling

The issue of 3D modeling is the most definite must in 2019 for several reasons. In fact, there are a lot of people who believe 3D modeling to be the best thing that has happened to the construction industry in a long time. First of all, it gives designers more creative room to try out different solutions to the same problem and pick the best one. Second, the designs made this way are much easier to share, which helps in the decision making the process, as well as enhances the collaboration. Most importantly, it gives you a chance to experience the building long before the construction works actually begin.

3. Cloud-based tool

The next thing worth mentioning is the fact that the best structural design and analysis tools like Autodesk Fusion 360 are cloud-based is an enormous plus. This is mostly due to the fact that it allows for a greater level of collaboration and makes the end result more impressive. Even if there’s just one person working on the project, cloud-based software can allow one much greater flexibility of work, especially when it comes to the issue of off-site designing. Remember that BYOD (bring your own device) trend is getting more and more popular amongst architects and this is something that a cloud-based tool can greatly help out with.

4. Open source vs. premium

When it comes to the issues of budget, you need to keep in mind the fact that a professional architect needs to approach the cost of a software license as an operational expense. Still, open source tools have some advantages that one shouldn’t ignore. First of all, if you decide to use a plethora of tools, you can opt for open source ones as back-up, due to the fact that they’re free and, therefore, don’t contribute to your operational expenses. Second, they usually have an amazing community, which can be a major turning point in this industry. Lastly, they offer greater transparency and outstanding security. Needless to say, both of these features can become an important asset.

5. Impressing the client

One of the reasons why a lot of people use tools like Photoshop in this field is due to the fact that they have a responsibility towards their clients to present them with a visual representation of the end result of the project. One of the benefits that you can get from this is the possibility to integrate the image created and rendered this way into your digital marketing. This is important for both firms and freelance architects who are quickly becoming a bigger and bigger part of the industry. In other words, the quality of the image and the effect that it makes is just as important when choosing your tools.

6. Integration with other tools

The last thing you need to check before picking the adequate software is the possibility of integrating it with other tools, platforms, and plugins. For instance, SketchUp can be integrated with Google earth in order to help you make a much better positioning of the structure on the property in question. This and other plugins can make your job a lot easier. This particular trend is also quite important if, in the future, your company decides to start developing their own specialized tools and apps. While this may still be just a distant possibility, it’s also a concept that you should definitely not rule out.

In conclusion

In the end, it’s important to mention that you’re in no way restricted to a single tool or a single software that you can use and that you have a plethora of options and combinations to choose from. Also, as a freelance architect or a person in charge of a small construction business, you’ll also need to use a range of tools that aren’t necessarily related to the structural design and analysis. For instance, you’ll need a reliable construction accounting software, a platform for comparing material and equipment prices, etc.

DevelopmentInsightsMartechSaaS

How Modern Data Centers and SaaS are Changing Each Other

on June 14, 2019

They say the key to any relationship is the ability to bring out the best in each other. This has definitely been the case in recent years between most SaaS providers and major data centers.

SaaS evolves and data centers adapt. Data centers evolve and cause SaaS to evolve again, and the cycle repeats.

Let’s take a closer look at how this perfectly harmonious relationship has looked over the last few years. Also, if you’re currently exploring your options for a new data center, you can get more information by clicking that link. Another tip, you can take advice from companies that provide ultra-fast connectivity, business focused cloud and cyber solutions to organisations around the world like 4D Data Centres.

SaaS Cloud Computing Is Driving Data Center Evolution

In recent years we’ve seen the rise of mega-SaaS providers such as Salesforce, SAP, and Workday. We’ve also seen software companies like Microsoft and Adobe reach new heights by properly transitioning their SaaS proposals and offerings into SaaS-based solutions.

The most obvious impact is the sheer number of data centers now required to facilitate a market-wide mass exodus across all boards.

The move towards SaaS has also caused a surge of data centers moving to private cloud deployment to implement new software, using a combination of internal or hosted private clouds, managed by a third party.

According to data from Gartner Inc., 46% of data centers surveyed said they’re pushing for private clouds for deployment across all software markets over the next two years. Only 24% said they will push for a public cloud.

We’re also seeing a higher demand for the flexibility of a hybrid model of on-site data, coupled with colocation data center providers and public infrastructure as a service (IaaS). This opens the door for better efficiency through cloud bursting within a hybrid model.

How Data Centers are Changing SaaS Companies

In previous years, front-line employees enjoyed the simple convenience of a SaaS-based solution. However, department leaders may have found it difficult to get high-level data. Getting richer analytics may have been stalled or cumbersome.

This often meant that leaders would lose time to manually requesting data from the SaaS provider, followed by a frustrating cycle of FTP protocols and encrypted email attachments. Or they may have even had to wait for a manual shipment of data stored on hard disks. By the time leaders got their hands on the data they requested, it may have been outdated, devalued and stale.

However, that “trapped” data can be freed up by data centers evolving from a data warehouse to a data share-house. A data share-house takes away the waiting and inefficiency by removing the steps previously needed to manually move data around via FTP, email, or even courier. This is the end of data silos and gives everyone access to the same data at any time.

No two other industries are doing more to help each other evolve than SaaS providers and data centers. SaaS companies are constantly pushing to improve the customer experience, while they also look to solve any problems a customer may have with a data center. The same can be said for data centers, as they look to solve issues customers may have with a SaaS.

With this type of true synergy in place, it will be exciting to see where both industries are in 5, 10 and 15 years time.

Insights

How to Get Traffic to Your New Store

on June 14, 2019

Starting from the bottom can be one of the most difficult times for your eCommerce website. Not only is it hard to get backlinks, it is hard to convince people to visit your site and buy from you.

But you have to start somewhere. You need to start with one visitor before you can get a million. Similarly, you need to start from one customer before you can get a thousand. If you will let this problem faze you, you will not get anywhere.

Today, you’ll learn about 6 strategies that you can use to get more traffic to your eCommerce website. These are designed for new eCommerce website owners. So you don’t need to worry even if you don’t have a list of customers. I’ll handhold you from the bottom so that you can reach the top.

Start with Your Family and Friends

You cannot reach a hundred if you don’t start from one. So start small. Often, business owners would set their goals high. They would set their bar as high as getting a hundred customers per day right from the launch of the website. But this is a setup that is doomed for failure. After all, a website’s popularity grows over time. No one will read your blog just because you have written it. You are not as special as you think.

But there is one segment of the market where you are special. To these people, they will support anything that you will do. In fact, some of them may even bend backwards for you. The people that I am talking about are your family and friends.

If you have just launched a new website, it may be best to start with your family and friends. These people will not judge you and they will not be skeptical about what you have to offer. Sure, they may not give you your initial boost of sales but they can help you jumpstart your marketing.

Remember, every family member or friend also have their network. They also have family members and friends that they can refer your website to. The good news is that direct recommendations from family members and friends are usually stronger. This means that people tend to act on recommendations given by people who are close to them. So you should use this to your benefit if you are marketing your eCommerce website. You should use exhaust your existing network before you proceed with the next strategy.

Offer Something More than the Regular Online Store

If you have done the first strategy, you should already have at least 10 visitors or customers in your website. Getting 10 people is not that hard. As long as you have at least 5 family members or friends that know another person, you are on your way to getting 10 new people into your website.

But getting people into your website is just one part of the picture. You also need to give your visitors a reason to stay. You need to give them a reason to choose you over your competitors.

This is where most eCommerce marketers fail. Often, they will set up a website with the same items as their competitor and offer the same service. Then, they will stand back and wait for sales. When no one is coming to buy their stuff, they start to wonder. “Why are they not buying my stuff when I am already doing what my competitor is doing?”

But that’s the problem. The problem is that you are content with providing just what your competitor is providing. You don’t want to offer more. You don’t want to exceed expectations. So you stay in the safe zone hoping to be noticed.

In this world where the Internet is loaded with businesses and information, it is time for you to step up and offer something more. It can come as a simple free shipping or it can be in the form of the product that you are selling. As long as it is unique and it fulfills a particular need in your target market, you are bound to make some sales.

Target Big Influencers By Featuring Them

One of the best ways to get more traffic to your website is to be featured by influencers. These people are more than just online celebrities. They have command over what people will buy or use. So if they recommend you, you can expect an influx of sales.

However, getting a big influencer to feature you is easier said than done. After all, these people are busy. On top of that, they are so used to getting business proposals that they expertly ignore them. They are so used to it that when they get an email from a business, they delete it right away.

So how can you get past their ignore zone? Here’s a secret. While influencers often appear cool on the outside, they are not as cool as you think. Just because they have cool videos or they talk cool in their blogpost doesn’t mean that they are not human. Inside is an ego that is constant need of stroking or a business owner that desperately need some sales. If you know how to approach these, then you can easily get them to promote you. 

Fortunately for you, it is not that hard to do. In fact, this is a strategy that has been done by business owners in the past and it instantly got them in the good side of influencers. All you need to do is be part of their community. Join their coaching program or buy their products. From there, you can review their products and show the world how the product has helped you.

From here, all you need to do is email the influencer. You’ll be surprised that a simple act like this can instantly gain their attention.

Get Social Media Influencers to Promote You

Let me introduce you to a different breed of influencers. These are the influencers that don’t have millions of followers yet there are people who follow them everyday. These influencers may not have a huge following but they are still called influencers because they influencer their audience’s buying decisions.

These influencers are called social media influencers. You’ll rarely see these people on television and they will often post in their Youtube channel or just update their blog. But while they may not be on mainstream media doesn’t mean that they have less of an influence. In fact, some of them have massive influences in highly targeted niches.

The good news is that reaching these influencers are not that hard. Since they are available on social media, their contact information are often shown on the Internet. From here, all you need to do is contact them.

But here’s a technique. Instead of just contacting them to say ‘Hi’, you can do something more. You can offer them your product for free. Why should you do this? It is a way to get on their good side as well as getting them to review your product for you. Of course, it’s a risk. But if they like your product, they would be more than happy to promote it to their followers.

Of course, there is a chance that the strategy will flop. Some influencers will not reply to your proposal while others will just take the free product without giving it a review. Even if that happens, you should just dust yourself off and look for the next influencer.

Free Samples Can Get You Traffic

You have seen the power of free samples in the previous strategy. This is where you send influencers some samples with hopes that you will get a review in return. While this may not work all the time, its percentage for working is pretty high. Why is that? It’s all because of the ingrained concept of reciprocity.

You see, human beings are very fascinating. While most of them close themselves off from the world, they will often open up with the slight show of care. Sending free samples can show that your business cares about them no matter how they feel. And this care can often move their hearts and make them move according to how you want them to move.

Because of this, free samples really has its power. And it is not just for influencers. I think that you can also use the same strategy for your customers. You may have already observed how free samples work in a grocery store. People tend to buy the product once they taste it. It works in the same way online. If you will give people some free samples, they are often more than happy to recommend your product to their family and friends.

Don’t Forget about Micro-Influencers

Now that we are talking about influencers, let’s stop and define what influencers are for a minute. These are people who have a significant but indirect influence in the purchasing decisions of their audience. Celebrities are natural influencers. Once people see them using or wearing a particular item, they would often like to get the same item. However, it is an entirely different world online. While celebrities may have millions of followers online, they are not the only people that you can target. There are also the micro-influencers – people who have a small but highly engaged market.

A good example of micro-influencer is a blogger in a particular niche. This blogger may not be the most popular but his website is steadily getting some traffic each month. This is an example of a micro-influencer and they are highly valuable when it comes to promoting eCommerce products.

You see, micro-influencers may have a small market but that doesn’t mean that you should ignore them. That’s because these people are more open to collaborating or promoting online stores than the big guys.

Since they are more open, their chances of agreeing to your offer is often higher. With this, you can ask multiple micro-influencers to promote you with a higher chance of success. The result? You’ll get more people to promote your site.

Have a Referral Marketing Program

If you can only use one strategy out of this guide, you should use this one. Referral marketing is by far the easiest and best way to build traffic to any eCommerce website.

Let me illustrate this by narrating the experience of PayPal. PayPal started as a small player in the industry – This means that they only have a few signups. But when they implemented their referral marketing program, everything changed.

Here’s what PayPal did. They opened a program where they will pay every person that get them a new signup. They paid real money and they were losing money in the beginning. But they didn’t care. They know that this is crucial to getting them off the ground so that they can become the primary payment processor online.

And they managed to become like that after a few years. Today, no one tops PayPal when it comes to online payment processing. It is the most used online payment platform today.

You can learn from PayPal’s story. It really helps to encourage your audience to refer their family and friends in exchange for a reward. This is the quickest way to boost your eCommerce traffic.

NOTE: If you don’t know how to code, you’ll need a referral marketing software. The software should be able to set up the program automatically for you.

Conclusion

Looking at the strategies above, you’ll find that starting from the ground is not that bad. In fact, most online businesses that already made it on top lack the tenacity of those at the bottom. So even if it is hard to get that first visitor or sale, don’t give up. Just keep on promoting. Change your strategy if needed. Eventually, you’ll break through and make that sale.

So what strategy did you like from the list above? What do you plan on using? If you have any questions on the implementation part, don’t be afraid to ask me.

DevelopmentInsightsSaaS

Do You Really Need to Hire a Software Testing Company for Penetration Testing?

on June 12, 2019

The United States of America proposed a budget of US $17.43 billion just for cybersecurity for the fiscal year 2017-2019. According to another survey, the firms which have 20,000 or more employees spend an average of 10.6 million US $ on cybersecurity in the USA alone. These stats clearly show the importance of cybersecurity of a company and also the country for that matter. In this blog, we’ll focus on the importance of hiring the software testing company for penetration testing. Before we move forward, you need to understand what penetration testing is and why it is important.

What is Penetration Testing?

Penetration testing also known as pen testing or pen-test is a type of testing which is specifically performed to test the security of a software or an app. Penetration testing is very important because your software or app contains very sensitive database and any kind of data leak or cyber-attack can cost you a fortune. Therefore, penetration testing is important. However, the real question is do you really need to hire a software testing company for penetration testing? In order to find out the answer, give a read to the following:

Great Talent Pool

Software testing companies make sure that they hire the best talent pool. Therefore, if you hire a company for penetration testing, then you’ll be getting the services of the domain experts. However, if you go for other options like hiring a freelancer, then there is a big possibility that companies won’t get the desired results. It is because they lack the resources which a proper testing company has.

Attention to Detail

Since you hire a company specifically for penetration testing, they will help give their best to find out all the security lags in your project. Hence, you can sit back and relax because your project is now in safe hands. They will pay attention to every single detail since they have domain experts which will ensure the quality of the project.

On-Time Delivery

Outsourcing testing company can save you a lot of time. The testing company is bound to deliver the product on time. Above all, they offer real-time testing. Hence, you make the required changes in the code and get your code check for security leaks at the same time. This makes the whole process smooth and streamlines the workflow. Hence, you are able to deliver the product at the ideal time.

Cheaper Option

You simply can’t hire a complete testing team for penetration testing for a single project. It will cost you a lot of money and efforts. Above all, you will not be able to hire domain experts since they are not that easy to find. Therefore, hiring a testing company is a cheap and convenient option.

Conclusion

Now you know all the benefits of hiring a testing company for penetration testing. Therefore, you can decide for yourself if you really need to hire a testing company for penetration testing or not.

Author Bio

Ray Parker is a senior marketing consultant with a knack for writing about the latest news in tech, quality assurance, software development, and travel. With a decade of experience working in the tech industry, Ray now dabbles out of his New York office.

DevelopmentInsightsMartech

Here Are the Reasons that Web Development Is Essential for Business

on June 9, 2019

Do you want to expand your business? If so, then this place is very beneficial for you. In today’s world, the development of the website is becoming the main requirements of our business, which across different industries. As we know that some of the people are still don’t aware of this method and its importance in the business.

Nowadays customers buy their things online, that’s why on the internet millions of the consumers are present. So many companies are there who take benefit by creating their online website to attract many customers as they can. But before all these things, companies need to create their website according to the competitors. Today, we are here to tell you about some reasons for the web development which you need to know.

After knowing those reasons, you will be able to understand that Nicholls Web Consulting Adelaide SEO professionals play a vital role in expanding our business.

  • Convenience

If your website is well-developed, then it is beneficial for both you as well as your users. By developing your website, it makes your website simple and even creates it. Due to this, your site becomes straightforward; it means that every people can easily understand what you are offering them?

If the visitors know what is your exact business? And what are you offering them with the help of the website? Then it creates lots of chances that they all are converted into the customer.

  • Marketing on a global scale

If you have a better online presence with the help of the balanced website, then you can easily achieve your target. All those customers are not only from your local area, but they are also from different areas of the world. On the internet, we can see that there are millions of people who are all around the world.

You must make your website and wait to find out your website. When all the things have done, then you can easily do a conversation with your customers.

  • All-time business accessibility

If you are running the online business, then it means that your business becomes available every time. People can be able to visit your site at any time when they need. Due to these reasons, so many customers attracts towards our business. If you are doing the offline business, then you can’t get that type of ease.

  • Believable source

When you are creating your website then with the help of the web development company, make their features very easy and good approach, which is easily understandable. Due to this, you will be able to get all the important information related to your company in just a few minutes.

When people realize all these things, then it will make your site a believable source, and you must promote to your friends. It means that web development optimizes your website and makes it a credible source and a good source of information.

These are the reasons which express that web development is beneficial for business.

DevelopmentInsightsMartech

5 Ways to Boost Your SEO With Visual Marketing

on June 7, 2019

Visual marketing can propel your SEO strategy, but it is often overlooked by companies who focus on optimizing their text for search engines, without giving proper credence to their visuals. Strong imagery can have a measurable impact on how your website ranks on Google.

With all the innovation we have seen in the digital medium over the last few years, Google is still the leader in determining which websites get the highest rankings, and that impacts the number of sessions the websites receive. It is with Google’s organic rankings in mind that you need to create your plan for visual marketing before you put in the time, effort, and money to design visuals, especially if you’re a small business with limited resources.

Here are five simple tips that will help boost your SEO:

  1. Write optimized alt tags
  2. Don’t use stock photos, create infographics
  3. Create accompanying text for your infographics
  4. Keep an eye on file sizes
  5. Capitalize on image shareability

1. Write optimized alt tags

Keywords are crucial to creating any piece of content, but they also make a difference to the images you use. One of the easy-to-miss steps when creating visual content is with regards to optimizing alt tags. The alt tag is a text alternative to the image attributes which allows images to show up in Google’s text searches. You can already see why this would be so important in your website’s Google ranking.

Consider uploading an image without an alt attribute or alt tag. Google’s search algorithms will not be able to read the image as it is not equipped to do so, but it can read the text you add in the alt tag section of the image. This will give Google the ability to read the image in context of your website’s text and rank the website accordingly.

Alt tags are usually easy to edit. Most content management systems allow you to change the text in the alt tag or attributes text box, so you can make adding alt text to your image part of the uploading process. Here’s an example in WordPress:

When creating your alt text, you should keep it short as Google will find it easier to index shorter tags. As you wouldn’t include too many keywords in your text content, you should avoid doing the same when using keywords in the alt tag. Search engines pick up on keyword stuffing and can actually lower your website’s rank as a consequence.

Instead, focus on using the alt tag as an opportunity to describe what is in the image with words, as alt tags are generally used for screen readers for the visually impaired. By optimizing your alt tags, you will not only boost your SEO on Google but reach out to a demographic that may not have been able to properly access your content before.

2. Don’t use stock photos, create infographics

Source: https://infograph.venngage.com/ps/vW02fA1pnzc/infographics-and-visual-marketing

The quality of your visuals will impact the way visitors to your website engage with your content, and will, as a result, affect your SEO. But when we talk about high-quality visuals, many companies immediately turn to stock photos that are of high quality. It is not the same thing.

Because of the proliferation of stock photo providers, and the increased savviness of users, stock photos have become easily recognizable. So much so that users can become bored by their appearance on websites and may even feel that they are unable to trust a site that has not created its own visual language.

Investing in overused stock photo properties may be the cheaper option, but it isn’t the best one to use if you want to enhance your SEO. You should be working towards creating strong visuals that not only grab the attention of users but make them stay on your website. You need engaging visual content that gives visitors information in a quick, concise way, while still being attractive, and shareable.

One way to do all this is to use infographics. This is particularly true if your website is data-heavy. Infographics can relay a wealth of information in attractive and interactive ways. Venngage’s timeline Infographics give you the option to convey a variety of information – historical milestones, event calendars, product deliverables, even superhero origin stories – that will make the user experience that much more engaging.

If you want proof, use heatmaps to analyze how your readers spend time on individual pages and what images they engage with more.

Here’s an example of an infographic we created for Mention to visualize their unique research:

3. Create text for your infographics

Once you have begun using infographics to deliver your information and data in an attractive way, you need to ensure that your infographic is optimized for Google. As with images and alt tags, infographics are not easily indexed by Google without proper text accompanying it. Google’s image search will be able to index the infographic but to boost your site’s SEO, you will need the infographic, and the page it is uploaded to, to appear in Google’s text search as well.

The best way to do this would be to write accompanying text on the page featuring the infographic. This will help Google scan the text and evaluate the content so as to give the page its deserving rank. To do this, you should create written content that complements your infographic.

Here’s an example we did at Venngage. We teamed up with SurveyMonkey to do a study of logo styles, made an infographic with the results and put it on our blog. Check out the introductory text:

It is best to avoid explaining what is in the infographic because the user does not want to read a repeat of what they can easily see in the infographic. With the combination of a strong infographic and relevant text, you will add value to your page, the user experience, and to your site’s Google ranking.

4. Keep an eye on file sizes

We have stressed on the importance of good quality visuals but it is also important to keep your file sizes small when uploading them to your website. Large file sizes will slow down your website’s loading time, and that is guaranteed to frustrate users enough for them to leave your site. This is not something you want.

Beyond the user, what many companies don’t realize is that Google’s organic search ranking is also affected by site speed. The faster your site loads, the better your rank is likely to be; on the flipside, Google will penalize your site if it loads slowly.

One of the major factors in your website’s loading speed is the size of your images. You should be testing your site speed using Google’s Page Speed Insights Tool, and if your site isn’t loading quickly enough, you should take a look at your images to see whether their sizes are slowing your site down.

Here is a screenshot of Venngage’s site speed using the Google Page Speed Tool:

Some points to keep in mind about uploading images and infographics. PNGs, SVGs, and GIFs are good for graphics as well as infographics, because they maintain the quality of the image even in small sizes, while JPEGs are best for photographs. You can also use image compression tools like ImageOptim before uploading images on to your website to ensure that the site loads quickly.

5. Capitalize on image shareability

Source: https://infograph.venngage.com/ps/X5EkhFNfmhs/image-shareability-simple-chart

Images, and infographics, in particular, are excellent for sharing because of their visual appeal and the ease with which they can be shared widely.

When you create visual content to accompany your text, it is likely that others who view it will share it with others or re-use it on their own sites, hopefully with permission and with backlinks to your site. This process not only taps into audiences that you may not have been able to reach, but the use of backlinks increases your Google ranking.

If someone uses your images without your permission, you are well within your rights to ask them to credit you. You can use Reverse Google Image Search to find sites that are using your visuals to ensure that you are receiving due credit and to find out about backlink opportunities.

Another way to capitalize on image shareability, and to get more backlinks, is by pitching to the media or influencers. Images enhance text properties, and if you are able to create high-quality infographics that will enhance a news piece or help an influencer get more traction on their guest post, you can build a partnership that will be mutually beneficial for you and your partners. Do remember that Google has strong backlink policies that you need to keep in mind. SEO best practice says you should not request backlinks directly. Allow the relationship to evolve organically and you will most likely get the backlinks you deserve.

Conclusion

Images and infographics can make a world of difference to how your content engages with users and can help your rank on Google. Following these few helpful tips will make a difference to how your visual marketing boosts your SEO because if you are spending the time and money on creating beautiful and informative visuals, you should be getting the most out of them.

About the author

Ronita Mohan is a content marketer at Venngage, the online infographic and design platform. Ronita is interested in a variety of topics with regards to digital marketing, visual content, and online engagement, which she enjoys researching and writing about.

DevelopmentInsightsMartech

3 Massive Benefits of Deploying a Sales Engagement Platform

on June 4, 2019

Technology has touched nearly every aspect of modern business, and sales are no exception. Whereas before, sales reps had to manually choose which leads to follow, schedule their follow-ups, dial their phones and log information – a process as inefficient as it was non-systematized – technology has gifted sales teams a better solution.

It’s called a sales engagement platform, and it’s an easy-to-integrate, easy-to-use software that helps your reps engage and qualify leads with greater efficiency. If your sales team is just operating with a simple SaaS CRM, you only have part of the equation: you need a way to put your CRM’s info into action and push those leads through the pipeline.

Still unsure? Here are three, massive, undeniable benefits of deploying a sales engagement platform.

Enjoy a Boost in Productivity

A sales engagement platform automates reps’ workflow and therefore, increases productivity. You can check out Vanillasoft.com for the stats (for instance, they measured a 94% increase in productivity when using their sales engagement platform) or read client testimonials – either way, the proof is pretty apparent.

How an engagement platform does this is, basically, by removing as much keyboard activity as possible. The auto-dialing and auto-email-population functions of a sales engagement platform save reps a lot of time, as does the queue-based lead routing (more on that below). It allows sales development reps to touch more leads, more often, qualifying more leads for your AEs to close.

Don’t Let Leads Slip Through the Cracks

Without a sales engagement platform, an SDR has to hunt their CRM for their next lead. Inordinately, they will choose the biggest lead in terms of size, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best lead – they overlook the mom-and-pop business hiding in plain sight in the CRM, who just expressed interest in the product, for instance.

A sales engagement platform takes the guesswork out of lead prioritization. With queue-based lead routing it constantly pushes the next best lead up to the top of your SDRs’ lists, meaning that the moment they’re done contacting the last lead, they are onto the next best one. It also means that “speed to lead” is optimized – that is, the time it takes SDRs to make the first contact, a metric that is of crucial importance to successful engagement.

Develop & Automate an Effective Sales Cadence

If you’re unfamiliar, sales cadence is a term used to describe the choreography of touch points a salesperson makes to engage a lead. Together, the number of touches, the type of touch (email, phone, voicemail, SMS, etc.) and the timeline of the touches create a cadence.

Without a sales engagement platform, that cadence can be all over the place, totally at the mercy of an SDRs whims. With one, however, you can automate the cadence, and ensure that each prospect receives the right amount and type of touches, over the right amount of time.

If your sales team isn’t already making use of a sales engagement platform, maybe it’s time to try one out. It’s not simply about modernizing for the sake of modernizing – it’s about better productivity, more qualified leads and an automated sales cadence.

DevelopmentInsightsSaaS

7 Modern Techniques of SEO That Will Work for You This Year

on June 3, 2019

There is no denying the fact that search engine optimization is definitely a significant thing, which needs to be embraced by the website owners, who want their sites to gain a high rank on the search engines. In order to get high rankings and also boost traffic, it is crucial that you employ the ideal and best strategies of search engine optimization. However, one important thing that you have to understand is that the modern techniques of SEO are responsible for focusing on both the search engines as well as the experience of the users. Furthermore, Google is also responsible for updating the algorithm and what you need to understand is that the tactics that were being used by the professionals almost 5 or 10 years ago are not at all going to be effective right now. A proper and ideal approach is crucial.

Given below is a list of the modern techniques of search engine optimization, which is definitely going to work in a positive manner for you.

Optimize the site and make it mobile-friendly

If you are interested in experiencing the ideal outcomes of search engine optimization, it is mandatory to ensure that your website is completely mobile-friendly. If you are asking why you need to understand that Google has updated the algorithm in 2016 and mobile-first indexing has become one of the most important ranking factors of SEO. According to www.thenextscoop.com, 55% of the customer conversations are responsible for happening within a single hour of conducting thorough research on mobiles.

You need to understand that currently, billions of people are using mobile devices constantly. Therefore, it is your responsibility to ensure that your site is optimized, so that you get a high SEO ranking.

Concentrate on SEO optimization locally

Another important technique that you need to keep on your mind is that it is imperative that you concentrate on local SEO. Currently, the ‘near me’ searches have seen a lot of popularity because each and every user is looking for services and products, which are near them. You do not need to sell anything online in order to try local SEO. The main objective is that users need to locate your business. It will be easy for users to locate you when your contact details, as well as directions, are given on the website. If your business is completely online, you need to optimize the site for the local searches. This is one of the most effective SEO strategies.

Improve the experience of the users

If you want to see your website gain more traffic as well as obtain a high rank in the search engines, you need to ensure that it is extremely user-friendly. When your site is going to provide a visitor with an ideal experience, he will definitely want to spend a lot more time on the site, which is responsible for improving the rank of your website on the search engines. Google is also responsible for identifying the total time that a particular user spends on your website.

If Google identifies that any user is spending a long time on your website, Google will ensure that more relevant results are provided to him. However, in order to make sure that a user is spending more time on your website, it is crucial for you to post high-quality and relevant content.

Maximizing on social networking platforms

If there is an ideal SEO technique, which can help in boosting the rankings, it is undoubtedly social media marketing. If you consider the trends and the statistics of the usage of social media in the last 10 years, you will understand that the total numbers of users are going to keep increasing with each passing year.

This means that your business should have the ideal social media presence as well because it helps in promoting brand awareness and also, it will become easier for you to interact with the target audience. In addition, social media profiles are also responsible for appearing on the search engines. If all your posts are capable of attracting the readers, it is obvious that your rankings are also going to improve. If you are looking for an SEO expert in Adelaide, ensure that you have knowledge about this technique.

Ensure that you are not ignoring YouTube SEO

YouTube is also a search engine, which has the second most popular after Google. If you did not have this knowledge, now you know that ranking on YouTube is also imperative. YouTube is also searched by millions of users each month and if you are attempting YouTube SEO, there is a chance that your site is going to rank on the top of the reputed search engines as well. It can help in improving traffic with the total number of views that you receive. However, you definitely need to get YouTube subscribers and ensure that YouTube videos are search engine friendly.

Rely on the SEO tools that are available

A digital marketer has sound knowledge about the importance of search engine optimization tools. They help in getting a clear grasp of the performance of a website, and they help in analyzing, fixing errors, and generating site reports.

Numerous tools are responsible for performing different functions that can help in boosting the SEO rankings of a site. You need to ensure that you are using them accordingly; however, you also need to understand that you will come across both free as well as paid tools. These tools will help in managing as well as optimizing your website in the best manner.

Link building

Another modern technique of SEO is link building, which is not going to fade away anytime soon. The reason behind this is that every search engine is responsible for considering the backlinks to be an important factor of ranking. In addition, link building helps in driving organic traffic to your site, which is crucial as well.

Conclusion

In order to ensure that your business is gaining success in the online world, SEO is necessary. Make sure that you are considering the SEO techniques that have been mentioned above so that you are on the right path.

Insights

Real Estate Is Investment You Won’t Regret – it Is For Everyone Who Sells and Buys

on May 24, 2019

Real estate is a term used to describe the process of buying of a property, building a house or a building in it, and selling it at a higher price to another. Real estate is very popular in the US, and a few millionaires made their money through this. Real estate means the whole process of buying land, selling land, and building on the land. Real estate has gained a lot of importance because people are very interested in buying new land, building a house on it, and selling it at a higher rate to someone else. In certain countries, you can obtain residency or citizenship by investment, after buying real estate in the required conditions. 

If you are in the business of real estate you must know that you need specific measures to promote your business. It is a crowded market so you need to make sure that you reach to the right people. T some point you will need to promote your business or site at relevant platforms. Here you can take the help of professionals to aid you.

There are different kinds of real estate. Let’s take a look at them

Residential real estate

The residential estate is one in which the property is solely used for residential purposes, these buildings are built keeping in mind for a single family, or the families can live together in an owned property but live in different flats, or they can be built to accommodate only one family. It depends on the wish of the client. Residential real estate helps in getting the people with money their ideal place to live in.

Commercial real estate

Another kind of real estate is the commercial estate this includes shopping malls, hospitals, educational center, hotels, and even apartment buildings can be called commercial real estate’s because they generate income. The commercial estate is the estate which is used to generate income, and people who own these properties are either millionaires or billionaires. Those who are interested in this trade set to gain a lot of money through these estates. It’s to be mentioned that commercial estate also benefits those who have a share in the building.

Industrial real estate

The industrial real estate includes property that deals with manufacturing; it also includes warehouse any property used for the distribution of goods is known as an industrial estate. These estates are generally very big, and they generate a lot of money. These kinds of estate are generally used for the distribution of goods, research, and production. Industrial real estate could be owned by a single person or by multi persons.

Land

The land is a great asset. If someone decides to buy land, they are investing in the right place because the value of land increases every year. Land can essentially mean just vacant land or ranches and working farms. It’s the best asset to own. Barren land or ranches, they generate a lot of income. A real estate developer would always advise his clients to buy land over anything else.

What the agents do

The real estate agents are those who specialize in real estate they are the ones who advise businesses, homeowners and investors on what to buy when to buy and when to sell they know the market flow so well that they know who stands to lose and who stands to gain. To know more about optimizing your real estate site you can check Clicks Geek. There are two types of real estate agents –

Sellers

The seller agents are those agents who will help buyers buy their best property, these sellers have contacts, and through their contacts, they help the buyer buy their best deal, although going through an agent will cost you a few, but you’ll get the best deal. Seller agents will help renovate your homes so they are perfect for the customers and you get a well round check for your property. Seller agents compare your property through the comparative listing of recently sold, also known as comps, the agents are skilled in negotiation too so they can help you sell the place at the best rates.

Buyers

The buyer agents are skilled in helping you buy the properties at the best prices. Knowing the competitive markets, these agents are skilled at getting you a place of your dream with a price to match. They are avid negotiators too so they can help you get the best deals. They will assist you with everything in the buying process from the legal procedures to the inspection. Although you might have to spend a few dollars to pay them, you get the best-priced home because they have done their research and they compare the prices of the different houses you’re willing to buy.

How to invest in real estate

Real estate is a growing industry, and anyone who is either selling or buying property is directly or indirectly associated with real estate. If you are an investor, you’ll want to invest in real estate because it helps you earn a fortune. If with the help of an agent or your research you will know the prices of the properties, they can be industrial property, commercial or residential property the goal is to gain, therefore investing in the right property is important.

Many realtors became successful millionaires through real estate. It is a known the fact that barren land will cost less than a residential property and the residential property will cost less than commercial property and so on so forth. So if you don’t have big bucks then investing in the barren land is advisable, and the land will cost more within a year or two, and you can sell the property then and buy a residential property. So knowing when and where to invest is very important.

Briefly

Therefore real estate agents or realtors stand to gain a lot from real estate because they’re aware of the fluctuating market they know when and where to invest and help others too in the process for a few bucks’ .therefore realtors have become millionaires and billionaires and the US market gains a lot from real estate.

Finally

Finally, it is to be seen that the US economy stands to gain a lot from the real estate. As shown in some studies, they profit a lot from real estates, and the real estate companies are flourishing.

DevelopmentInsightsStartups

Starting an Online Retail Business (The Road to Success)

on May 22, 2019

The competition in the retail business of today is more than fiery and the biggest rivalries can be found online. Even websites that had been trading for years are running into difficulties and they are forced to shut down so a newbie on the scene will have to have their work cut out for them. Any enthusiastic entrepreneur needs to acknowledge the main features his online shopping platform must have in order to succeed in the online retail business. The road to success is by no means easy but if you stick to the following guidelines you stand a huge chance of coming out on top in a relatively short period.

The importance of a good product description

Posting and advertising thousands if items for sale can tedious at times, so people are tempted to cut corners by simplifying the description and the name of the product. For instance, if you are selling an office swivel chair with an adjustable backrest, you could just write “office chair” in the description box. Such a move will significantly decrease the chances of anyone finding the chair either by browsing the office “furniture category” or typing in the type of chair he or she needs in the search box.

You are probably aware of the importance of SEO on Google by now but you ought to know that search optimization is important on online retail websites as well. Let your hand go and imagine you are writing a novel because you are not setting down mere words, but keywords that will help people find your merchandise. Have a talk with the webmaster in order to improve the search box as much as possible.

A picture is worth a thousand words

You can have the longest and the most exhaustive product description possible but it’s not accompanied with great pictures, then you’re products are less likely to sell fast. Human are visual learners and often it is enough for us to the shape of an item like a teapot or a car and we will instantly know what the object in the image is. By posting clear images that are large enough and not blurred, you are ensuring that your marketing message is put across fast. That is why hiring a professional photographer will help a lot not just when it comes to image quality but you will benefit from the uniformity of all images on your website, thus establishing an unmistakable visual identity.


Image source

The call-to-action button in the dead center

An online shopping platform needs to have a well-chosen and a well-positioned call-to-action button or buttons. In most cases, you are going to place the search bar in the center of the page because that is going to be the feature that visitors are immediately going to go for. In addition, you can have an outline of the most popular categories on either side of the homepage so your website can be browsed by desired categories as well.

Proper storage space

A major advantage of online trading is the fact that you don’t need to have a physical location of the store. Of course, you should list all the contact details on the website, including the exact address, phone number, and an e-mail even if you don’t sell offline. This is done for reasons of credibility to assure potential clients that you are not running a scam but that you merely wish to avoid tete-a-tete contact with your clientele (and the tax inspectors).

The fact that you don’t have an actual store doesn’t imply that you are selling mist but items that, by all means, needs to be stored somewhere. Unless you are willing to pay high rental fees, running your own warehouse will require a lot of work that you have to be prepared for. Transporting fragile boxes and crates would be impossible without the right materials handling equipment that you have to own from day one. Even if your beginnings are humble and you are running the online retail operation from your garage or basement, you are still going to have to take great care about logistics.

Simplifying the ordering process

Once a customer settles on a particular item he or she likes and they click “order” or “buy,” you need to ensure that it is all smooth sailing from there.  The button should be large enough to notice immediately and the number of pages that subsequently open should be decreased to a bare minimum. Firstly take the address of shipping and contact info and then allow the client to fill out the necessary information regarding the credit card payment. Any additional info should not be mandatory but optional, such as polls, quizzes or personal preferences. People visiting your online shopping platform need to leave the website happy they have made the purchase in the shortest time possible.

“You might like as well…”

Not burdening your clients with additional shopping options doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t exist. Just take a look at how people passionately collect coupons they receive at supermarkets and you will realize that there are many fervent shoppers out there. For those people who want more from an online shopping experience include links to other product and product categories they might like. You, something like that pop-up: “people who bought this product also liked …” The content on the website should be interlinked and each product should have links leading to similar items. By including these features on the website, customers will get the impression that you care about their preferences and shopping habits.

The final piece of advice we can give you is to update your online presence. If you are passionate about starting your online retail business then you will have no trouble logging in every day to add new items or improve the description of the existing ones. Also, try to be in vogue by starting seasonal sales or offering holiday decorations. In other words, the person opening pages on our shopping platform needs to recognize the dedication and hard work you have put in the success of your enterprise.

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