Email Mistakes You Need To Avoid

According to studies, there are around 5.6 billion active email accounts today. This is perhaps one of the reasons why email is still one of the best sales and marketing tools in the age of social media.

However, everybody else is using email to communicate with each other. Many inboxes are filled with emails not only from co-workers and family but also from relatives and other marketers. How do you stand out?

One of the best ways to do so is by avoiding the following email mistakes.

Using a Misleading Subject Line

Some emails have subject lines that read along these lines: “Next Week’s Meeting” or “A Follow-up On Yesterday’s Call”. The problem with this type of subject line is that you might not have spoken with these people or are going to be in a meeting with them.

These subject lines are lazy, dishonest and should be relegated to the spam folder immediately. Email marketers are always looking for attractive subject lines that will get recipients to open the email. However, deceptive subject lines are not the right way.

Lazy Greetings

One of the best ways to get recipients to engage with you is by personalizing emails. This can be a gigantic task especially if you have a big email list. The good news is that there are many email marketing tools you can use to make personalization easy. This is why greetings like “To Whom It May Concern” are not only lazy but also a turn off.

Not Formatting Message

According to a study conducted by Litmus, 46% of email recipients open their emails on their phones. This means that if you like to write long emails with multiple paragraphs without bulleting or formatting a large number of people will close your email without even reading the rest of the body.

Let’s be honest. Nobody likes to read long emails even if they’re using their desktop or laptop. Do yourself a favour and make your message short. Best of all, format your email so that it is readable on mobile devices.

Start with a killer subject line and then introduce the reason for your email in the first paragraph. This will immediately grab the reader’s attention and prevent them from closing your email.

No Call To Action

The purpose of an email is to get receivers to do something. You want them to go to a landing page to buy a product or to subscribe to your newsletter or blog. This means that emails with a purpose should have a call to action.

Calls to action should be specific. Instead of sending another email to announce something or to make a request, tell them what you really want. For example you can include something like “click this link to subscribe to our blog”.

Using “Decorative” Font

Is your favourite font Curlz or Lucida? Do you think these fonts help you express yourself better? It’s better to save these types of fonts for personal use. If you’re sending a professional email better stick to the classics like Arial or Times New Roman.

These fonts are easier to read. For example, Times New Roman has contrasting line weights that help guide readers eyes from one line to the next. Arial has similar looking letters that gives your email a non-invasive look that is appealing to many readers.

Following-up Too Soon

Do you think waiting 24 hours for an answer is enough time? Sending a follow-up email within this time frame can be disastrous. Readers will think that you’re rude, impatient and have nothing better to do.

As a rule of the thumb, wait 7-10 business days before sending a follow-up email. This will give receivers time to answer your email or acknowledge that they were too busy to respond to your request.

Avoiding these mistakes will help you avoid miscommunication with your readers. Better communication in turn can help boost understanding of your product and service which can lead to improved sales.

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How To Perform A Cyber Security Assessment

Cyber security is an important factor in a company’s risk management strategy. It needs to be performed correctly so that it won’t leave the company vulnerable to potential threats and attacks.
When it comes to security assessment, the needs of companies vary because the needs of a multi-national corporation cannot be compared to a mid-sized business. However, all companies regardless of size will always try to minimize the amount of risk it undertakes. To do this, risk assessment is a procedure they cannot do away with.
Luckily, risk management does not have to be complicated. It can be broken down into these steps:
Come Up With A Risk Management Plan
Even if you’re good in cyber security, you can’t be everywhere at once. You need a team to back you up and help you gain insights to the total risk of your company. Businesses are usually composed of departments and all of them work differently. Therefore it is important to have a team that can work cross-functionally not only to communicate risks but also to come up with holistic analysis. A good team should have:

• Senior management to provide oversight.
• Chief information security expert (or its equivalent) to check network architecture.
• Marketing to discuss stored information.
• Product management to guarantee product safety as it undergoes development cycle.
• Human resources to provide insight to employee information.
• Manager for each significant business line to take care of all data at this level.

You want to make sure that business objectives are aligned with security goals which is why you need a cross-functional team so that you can get the desired results.
Catalog Information Asset

Interdepartmental risk management is important because it allows you to catalog all information assets. Let’s say that some things won’t escape your notice such as information your business collects, stores and transfers but the same can’t be said with different Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) used by other departments.
Departments might not also realize that they can put information at risk by using some SaaS vendors. In fact, 3
rd
party vendors are usually the source of data breach risks. There are questions you need to ask yourself to help you understand the different information collected, stored and transferred by your company. These include:

• Types of data collected by department.
• Where is it stored?
• What is the transmission process?
• Why are you collecting this information?
• Which vendors does each department use?
• Which info is accessed by vendors?
• What is the authentication process for info access?
• What devices are used by the workplace?
• What are the networks utilized to process these information?

Answers to these questions will give you a clear insight as to what your business is dealing with.
Risk Assessment
Importance of information varies in every organization because some are more critical than others. This is also the reason why not all vendors are secure. After taking a look at your information assets you should now turn your attention to the possible risks posed by vendors.

• Identify networks, system and software crucial to your business.
• Identify information that should have management confidentiality, availability and integrity.
• In case of data loss, which devices are at high risk?
• What are the chances of data breach or corruption?
• Determine the system, network and software that are vulnerable to data breach by cyber criminals.
• What is the potential financial reputation in the case of a data breach?

Risk assessment is not easy and takes time. However, it can be made easier by making a catalog out of your information assets and identifying areas that are easily accessible by cyber criminals. Therefore it is important to go over every information, data, software, network, system and device to understand risks they pose.
Risk Analysis
Risk analysis is the next step to assessment. The way information is secured is not always risk-free. Therefore it is important to consider:

• Probability of cyber criminals accessing data.
• Financial, reputational and operational impact of a data breach.

Determining the probability of impact will help you determine risk tolerance level. This way you can accept, transfer, mitigate or refuse a risk.

Come Up With Security Controls

Coming up with risk tolerance will give you ideas on security controls. They should include:

• Network segregation.
• Password protocol.
• Workforce training.
• At-rest and in-transit encryption.
• Vendor risk management program.
• Anti-malware and anti-ransom software.
• Firewall configuration.
• Multi-factor authentication.

These are just examples of some controls. The most important thing is to always remember to align business goals with security needs.

Monitor and Review Effectiveness
Cyber security is always a hot topic. Somebody will always try ways to come up with methodologies to compromise security controls. This means that businesses need to maintain a risk management program and monitor IT environments regularly for any new threats that could arise. Make sure that your risk analysis is flexible to adjust to new threats. An unbreakable IT security profile is something that can evolve with any risk that comes along the way.

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Reducing IT Costs

It’s no secret that can be expensive especially when it comes to business. However, it is the cornerstone of many businesses so it’s not really something that you can easily do away with. Aside from this, IT costs are continuing to rise as technology becomes more advanced so budgeting for it can be difficult.

Luckily, there are ways you can reduce IT costs without sacrificing the quality of your service or security. Here are some ways you can reduce IT costs for your business.

Renegotiate Existing Contracts

If you don’t ask then you won’t receive. Some business owners simply sign a contract with their vendors and then leave them as is. What they don’t realize is that could be missing out on deals, promos, price reductions and offers.

Negotiate with your vendors if you’re serious about reducing IT costs. Some benefits include:

• Get what you want.
• Receive a good deal.
• Save money.
• Win-win situation for both of you.

Consolidate

Some businesses don’t realize that they’re using multiple vendors for different needs. However, consolidating vendors, platforms and software can help you reduce IT costs meaning more spending power. It will also help improve security.

Other benefits of vendor consolidation include:

• Easier vendor management – fewer vendors mean less relationships to manage.
• Lesser freight costs – the more vendors you have the higher the freight cost since you have to pay for every fare.
• Better relationships with vendors – easier to cultivate vendor relationships. Now that you’re spending money on your chosen vendor they will value your relationship more.

Use the Cloud

The cloud has become an indispensable tool for many businesses. Using the cloud can help reduce IT costs because it can eliminate the need for expensive storage hardware kept on-site.

Cloud computing is cost effective because businesses can scale their needs as they arise. It is also efficient because businesses don’t need to worry about underlying infrastructure costs or maintenance. Best of all it gives businesses a technological advantage by providing innovative technology.

Use Open Source Software

Software can be very expensive in terms of purchasing cost and annual maintenance. Luckily there are open source software that can help you eliminate this cost. There are even software that you can customize because you have access to the source code.

Other benefits include:

• Ability to let your start small. You can start with a community version and then upgrade to commercially supported editions as your business grows and expands. If it doesn’t require support you can continue with the community version indefinitely.
• Solid security. Open source sometimes gets a bad rap in terms of security. However, this is not true because the open source community is very responsive especially when it comes to information security.
• Attracts better talent. Many industry experts believe that IT is headed towards open source. Many like to create their own projects and have the ability to interact with others to develop solutions. Having the ability to be flexible and free helps to attract better talent.
• Flexible and agile. Technology is evolving fast so you have to compete not only on flexibility but also agility. If not you’re going to lose to the competition. Open source gives you the ability to be technologically agile especially when it comes to solving problems.

Offshore Outsourcing

It’s no secret that offshore outsourcing is a good way to cut IT costs. There are many talents around the world that offer lower prices in exchange for their abilities. Outsourcing can also give your on-site talents a break. However, work should always be carried accurately and existing workflow should be maintained. This is why you have to hire outsourced talents only from reliable providers.

Use Managed IT Services With Fixed Fees

Use managed IT services that have fixed fees. IT services usually have varied fees depending on your requirements or whether you need it long or short term. However, using services with fixed fees can make your budget easier to manage.

IT services should include security service that protects your business from cyber-attacks. This should help reduce cost because maintaining an in-house cyber security team can be expensive.

IT costs can be expensive but it is essential for all types of businesses that operate on the web. The above strategies are good examples of those that don’t sacrifice quality. These tips can help you free up cash and maximize profit without compromising the IT requirements of your business.

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E-Commerce Predictions For 2019

The ushering of the New Year is usually accompanied by predictions. However, unlike the spiels you usually hear from fortune tellers at your local flea market, these predictions are more reliable since they are backed by some of the most important names in the internet and tech world.

As we all know, WordPress is powering approximately half of the world’s website. It is being used not only for blogging and networking; it is also the top choice for E-Commerce websites. With so many users around the globe there might be people who are wondering what’s 2019 going to look like for WordPress and E-Commerce?

Let’s ask the experts who were present in Nashville for the WordCamp US in early December of last year. WordCamp is the national conference for WordPress.

Zach Barrientos – PayPal

Zach Barrientos of PayPal merchant services is predicting a boom in the marijuana industry. He explains that as the US federal government regulates the industry, demand for the product will increase and so will the number of sites catering to this type of business.

Matt Cromwell – GiveWP

Matt Cromwell is a partner and head of support for http://GiveWP.com. His prediction centers around donations and non-profits. His prediction is in line with the increase of donations given in the US during Giving Tuesday. According to him, people in the US gave $70 million in 1 day and he sees this number increasing phenomenally. Donations are part of e-commerce so many people are paying attention to this space.

Patrick Garman – Mindsize

Mindsize Partner Patrick Garman predicts more people moving out of the WooCommerce space and moving to WordPress. WooCommerce will remain as a heavy player in the e-commerce space because everyone can use this and WordPress to start their shop. As stores grow and expand there will be many users who will have a love-hate relationship with these builders. This is why he predicts that WordPress will develop a more hybrid approach with other platforms like Big Commerce and Shopify to help provide solutions.

He hopes that solutions generated by these players will be agnostic so that it will become easier to integrate between WordPress and whatever platform they are using.

Justin Nealy – GoDaddy

GoDaddy hosting supervisor Justin Nealy helps people set up their websites every day and predicts that e-commerce ecosystems like WordPress will make it easier for newbies to create an online store. While WordPress is easy to set up, it can be overwhelming to somebody completely new to creating a website or selling online. With help from plugins like Gutenburg, he states that anybody can create a WordPress site with whatever plugin they want.

Brian Richards – WPSessions

Brian Richards runs WPSessions and by extension WordSesh conferences. His prediction for 2019 is a more headless style e-commerce approach just like what BigCommerce is bringing to WordPress.

He is interested in seeing more boutique shops with people creating more independent Etsy shops because barrier of entry for these types of e-commerce shops is reduced.

Chris Badgett – LifterLMS

Chris Badgett of LifterLMS on the other hand predicts a shift from off hosted eCommerce to WordPress eCommerce due to GDPR and privacy issues in Europe. He predicts that users from this area will want to move from the SAS kind to self-hosted WordPress so they have the data located in their country, which is one of the requirements for European GDPR.

He also predicts more complex tax issues in e-commerce and hopes to continue to see more innovation in this space. He predicts that more players will emerge in the tax solutions so that the average user can easily figure out and manage tax especially on a global scale.

What are your e-commerce and WordPress predictions for this year? What do you think about the predictions above? Tell us by leaving your comments below.

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Keynote or PowerPoint: Which App To Choose For Presentations?

When it’s presentation time, using the right kind of software can make the job easier. For PC users, the choice is obviously PowerPoint but Mac users have another option: Keynote. So which one do you choose? They’re both great for different uses. This article will talk about the pros and cons of the two software to find out which one is suitable for your needs.

Keynote

Keynote is designed for Apple devices. It works on their computer, tablet and phones using the iOS software.

This program allows users to create sleek presentations with its easy to use tools and intuitive design. The side navigator has options for designing slides and different layouts, animations, fonts. Keynote is also able to make presentations from other software.

Keynote Pros

• User friendly.
• Lots of themes to choose from.
• Basic setup lets you align and position elements for a sleek looking design.
• Can be used for different types of multi-media like sound, video and other file types.
• Great integration across different devices.
• Polished animation, transition and transparency effects.
• Software is free for all iOS devices.
• Photo manipulation tools like cropping is easier in Keynote.
• Lots of extra templates you can download.
• More polished overall aesthetic.

Keynote Cons

• Not highly adopted as other programs.
• Does not support 3D effects.
• Learning curve if you’re coming from software.

Choose Keynote if you’re a Mac user and want to make your presentations look like PowerPoint. It is relatively easy to use and comes installed with your OS. It’s a good option for creating presentations.

PowerPoint

 PowerPoint is probably the most popular presentation software in the world. When it comes to going head to head with other tools like Keynote, ease of use is always the biggest consideration. If you’ve been using PowerPoint for a long time, switching to Keynote might not be easy for you.

PowerPoint was originally designed for PC and is now part of the Microsoft Office Suite. It works on PC and Apple devices. Keynote works well on mobile devices but PowerPoint is more limited to creating presentations on your desktop.

PowerPoint Pros

• Thousands of themes and templates.
• Editing is easy thanks to drag and drop interface.
• Easy and seamless integration with MS Word and Excel.
• Slides can be converted to handouts and look really great.
• Easy data and chart integration for building quick graphic works.
• Advanced functions provide a lot of control for pro users that can control almost any aspect of the design.
•  Smart design suggestion can help you create more visually appealing slides.

PowerPoint Cons

• Adding multi-media can be flaky.
• Cropping and photo editing can be tedious.
• It’s easy to create bad design with garish animation with just 1 click.
• It’s not free.
• There are a lot of unneeded functions that get in the way.

Use PowerPoint if it’s the best option for your working environment where people are used to collaborating on PowerPoint. It’s the go to option for people who don’t use Mac. It’s compatible with any type of computer since the slides will work.  It’s also preferable if you’re bringing complex data into charts or slides because it is integrated with Excel.

Conclusion

If your working environment is composed of people who do a lot of presentations, it’s probably a good idea to have everybody comfortable with both Keynote and PowerPoint. If you have an option, Keynote is a good choice if you’re working in slides without massive amounts of data and PowerPoint is preferable when working with charts and numbers.

Do you prefer Keynote or PowerPoint? Which tool are you most comfortable with? Tell us by leaving your comments below.

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Best Ways To Boost E-Commerce Conversion Rates

There are many ways to get people to visit your e-commerce site. But getting them to go to your website is just half the battle because the real one is to convert visitors into paying customers. According to Moz.com, average conversion rate for a typical e-commerce site is 1.6% and 92% of people who visit a website don’t make a purchase.

Unlike traffic, there is no direct way or a fool proof formula to boost conversion. All websites have to create an experience so that your website sells. There are also many different factors that influence a customer’s decision to buy. Website owners and webmasters need to be intentional and strategic in setting up the buying process so that your website converts.

Here are some of the best ways to boost e-commerce conversion rates.

Recommend Products Based on Customer Behavior

If you were in a real store, the salesman would not suggest products that were irrelevant to your choices. The same is true when it comes to interactions between your website and the customer.

There are many tools you can use that recommend products to customers based on their behavior. A good example is Unbxd which uses AI to analyze actions of users on your site to suggest the best products in the footer and sidebar automatically.

A/B Test Whenever Possible

Every single detail in your e-commerce store matters because they will want to make your visitors stay or go. Luckily unlike brick and mortar stores, it is very easy to make little changes on your website to test different options like CTA, content, header and footer options, buttons, colors and other details.

Constantly doing A/B testing can help increase your revenue because you can consistently improve the little details that can help or hinder the conversion process.

Reviews and Peer Generated Content

Almost all people who buy online read reviews first before making a purchase. According to a study conducted by the Spiegel Research Center, 95% of people read reviews before purchasing a product.

This means that including reviews can help boost conversion rates by aiding customers in making a decision on your site rather than searching elsewhere.

Amazon does a good job of not only including customer reviews and peer generated content. They also allow users to post photos of their purchase.

 Customer Support

In a brick and mortar store, staff would be available to guide customers through the decision making process. However, in an e-commerce site, a customer usually decides by himself. All they have is your interface to help them figure out their options. This means that their experience in your website drives sales for you.

But customers have questions during the buying process and this is where customer support comes in handy because any unanswered question can cost you a sale. Studies suggest that 92% of customers feel satisfied when a website has a live chat feature.

Speed Up Your Site

Your website should not take more than 3 seconds to load. According to Hubspot, fast loading pages can deliver between 7-12% higher conversion rates compared to slower ones.

Luckily, this can be fixed easily by installing tools such as W3 Total Cache that can help you minify HTML, CSS, etc.

Include Exit Offers

90% of the visitors that come to your website for the first time are not coming back. This can be disheartening because you worked hard and paid for the traffic and it’s not making you money.

A good way to entice this type of visitor is to include exit offers to communicate with them and to convert them in the future. Tools like OptinMonk uses AI to determine when a guest is leaving your site and offers products based on their behavior. You can offer them a discount and get their email to make the sale later.

Remove Checkout Friction

Amazon has mastered the frictionless checkout. The more hoops customers jump through during a checkout process, the more likely they will abandon their shopping cart.

Always strive for a one-click-checkout. There are checkout plugins so that customers are taken directly to the checkout process. This is better compared to clicking multiple times or having popups disrupt or confuse customers.

Multiple Payment Options And Free Shipping

Free shipping used to be a perk but customers nowadays are expecting it (thanks Amazon).

Many customers don’t like to see their total go up because of shipping fees. Instead of letting customers see the shipping fee, include the cost of shipping on the items. Also include multiple payment options like Paypal and credit cards so that customers can choose the most convenient choice.

Taking a few extra steps to make sure that your customer experience is well designed and covers all the bases of customer service can boost conversion rates. Once you get the formula down, your growth can be exponential.

What do you think of our suggestions? Do you think they will work on your e-commerce site? Tell us by leaving your comment below.

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Factors To Consider When Choosing A VPN Provider

As more and more people use the internet, privacy and security are becoming major issues. VPN or virtual private network can come as a handy tool if you want to hide your internet footprints.

There are still many people who are unsure about VPN especially because there are so many myths surrounding it. The most common question regarding VPN pertains to its safety and the next is which service is the best?

Here are some factors you need to consider when choosing a VPN provider.

Protocol and Anonymity

People turn to VPN when they want to be anonymous on the web. There are many reasons for this and the most common is for privacy and protection. This is why the foremost on your mind when choosing a VPN provider is their protocol and encryption technique. This is to ensure that date is transmitted securely from your device to the VPN server.

VPN service providers usually use many different protocols. However always choose a VPN provider that uses OpenVPN protocol. For encryption, your best bet is a provider that uses AES-256 bit encryption.

No Data Logging

Choose a VPN provider that does not log your data. There are service providers that log and store data such as your websites visited, payment information, connecting time stamp and other details which defeats the purpose of using VPN in the first place.

Shortlist a number of VPN providers and then check their privacy policy thoroughly. Check how these companies store, collect and dispose data. The best VPN provider has a no data collection policy.

No To Free VPN Providers

Nothing in this world is free, including VPN service. You should be wary of companies that provide free VPN service. If services are free, this means that something is compromised. Always remember that it’s better to spend money than compromise your privacy.

If you’re looking at VPN services for home or personal use, make sure that it is within your budget. Usually price increases as the number of connections and features increase. There are also VPN companies that provide generous discounts if you avail of their services for a year rather than paying monthly. If you feel that a certain plan and its features are best suited for your requirements, it’s better to get a yearly subscription compared to a monthly one.

Getting a free trial is not bad though. There are many options to consider and you can check out their features during the free trial to find out which one is the best suited for your needs.

Number Of Servers

When it comes to servers, the more the better.

VPN bypasses the geographical restrictions imposed when accessing the internet. This is why there are people looking for VPN services so that they can view Netflix or other sites not available in their countries.

Check the locations where the VPN servers are located. If you want to connect to a specific location, make sure that they have a lot of servers available in that area.

At Least 2 Concurrent Connections

Choose a provider that allows for multiple concurrent connections. You might want to connect to a desktop and your smartphone at the same time.

There are many VPN providers that have this feature. It is best to use a provider that allows at least 2 concurrent connections at the same time. Check the number of connections you need before subscribing to avoid inconvenience.

Platform Compatibility

This is pretty straightforward. If you need a VPN for Mac, then it should be able to support this platform. The same is true for Windows and others. It is also best to make sure that it can also run on Android and iOS.

Always make an informed decision before subscribing to a VPN provider. It can be an intimidating task but doing research can help you make a better decision.

What features do you look for in a VPN provider? What is your experience with your VPN provider? Tell us by leaving your comments below.

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