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Credit Dependency And How To Reduce It

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Finances Article |Credit Dependency|Credit Dependency And How To Reduce ItBeing able to rely on credit to help you make purchases and achieve your dreams is something we are fortunate to have. As saving huge sums can be time-consuming and difficult for some to do regularly, being able to take out a loan or get approved for a credit card helps bridge the gap and speed up the process. However, there can be too much of a good thing, and becoming credit dependent is not an ideal situation to be in. So, how can you avoid becoming credit dependent and what can you do to reduce your reliance on borrowing?

Borrow Only When You Need it

If you are in the habit of borrowing money regularly, whether it be to maintain a certain lifestyle or make purchases you otherwise couldn’t afford, this is a sign you have a credit dependency. Ideally, you should only be choosing to borrow money when you really need to, for example, in an emergency when you have no available savings. Payday loans UK lenders are available for this reason to provide short term help when the unexpected happens. Borrowing this type of loan when you have no other available options is more justifiable than continuous borrowing for non-essential reasons. If you can avoid borrowing money to pay for purchases, this will reduce your credit dependency.

Start Saving More

The quickest way to reduce your overall credit dependency is to boost your savings each month. The more money you have put aside, the less you will need to rely on borrowing. If you are someone on a low income, the amount you can save maybe less than others, but even a small amount is a start. Eventually, you will have enough savings to cover any unexpected expenses or to put towards larger purchases such as a deposit on a property or vehicle. Whilst it can be easy to take out credit for big-ticket items you want, having money you can put towards a larger deposit will help decrease how much in total you need to borrow.

Review Non-Essential Spending

One of the main issues for those with credit dependency is having very little disposable income. If the majority of your income disappears quickly each month, leaving little for anything else, this could indicate your finances are overextended. The best way to find out why is to review your expenditure so that you can discover exactly where your money is going. What many people may find is once their essential bills are covered, they in fact do have disposable income but this has been depleted due to non-essential spending. It can be easy to spend a little every day without realising how much in total you are spending throughout the month. If need be, set a budget of how much you want to save from your disposable income and what you can spend on non-essential purchases. This way, you’ll reduce how quickly you run out of money each month and your credit dependency should reduce too.

Once you become dependent on credit, it can be difficult not to stay in this cycle. The risk can be eventually falling into financial difficulty where it will be even harder to resolve. By taking steps as soon as possible to reduce credit dependency, you can reduce debt and put money towards your financial goals.

Job roles within video production

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Video Production|Job roles within video productionOver recent years within the United Kingdom, video production has become an effective way for brands to market themselves and tell their brand story. A lot of work and effort goes into producing a video for a business; therefore, it requires a team of talented people. If you are interested in starting a career in video production, or just want to learn more about what goes into creating a video for a business, then here is a list of job roles that are available within video production.

Director

One of the main roles within video production is that of a director. Directors are typically involved in all stages of creating a video. Video production companies, for example this company who work in video production Cardiff based, play an integral role in boosting sales for a business. Therefore, having a good director is vital for the videos and business’ success. Directors oversee and manage all aspects of the video production from start to finish. It is the director’s job to set the scene for the video production, and essentially direct all crew members on how to create an effective video.

Producer

A producer is another vital job role within video production and is necessary for making effective marketing videos. Producers ensure that a schedule is followed, secures funds for the production and manages the entire cast and crew of the video production. Depending on the size and scale of the production there could be a number of producers working on a project at a time. Producers also usually stay involved throughout the whole video production development and would have the most contact with the business client.

Camera operator

Camera operators, also known as videographers, are the people who are in charge of operating all the cameras and equipment on the production set. Along with the help of a lighting, sound and technical team, camera operators have the role of capturing the footage that will be used in creating a video production for a business. People who work in this role typically have a good eye for things and great attention to detail. Camera operators can create a scene or clip of footage based off what they have been told by the producer and the director. Essentially, they have the role of bringing a client’s vision to life.

Lighting operator

Lighting operators work closely with the camera operates, helping them to create effective videos for a client. Lighting operators must make sure that a set is well lit by coordinating all of the lights on set. Good lighting is essential for achieving the look envisioned by the client and producer. It is also extremely important if the video production company is creating a video that markets a certain product. Lighting operators must make sure that the product that they are trying to market is clearly seen in the video, that way it will catch people’s attention.

Voice over talent

When creating videos for a business client it is quite common for videos to include voice overs. This involves someone speaking over a series of clips, typically about the brand or the product or services that they offer. This narration is usually recorded off camera, and the person doing the voice over will often read from a script that that been written by the client. Voice over is considered to be one of the most important steps in video production marketing as they play a huge role in building a connection with the audience. Businesses typically use someone who is relevant to their audience, making the video seem more personal, therefore building a strong connection.

Video editor

Without a video editor, a video would not exist. Video editors have the task of taking all the clips that were previously filmed by the camera operators and compiling them together into one video. They will also take the voice over audio that has previously been recorded and edit that over the video. Video editors usually spend a lot of time cutting out unnecessary clips and condensing all the clips into a shorter video suitable for the clients. They will also use a variety of sound effects, graphics and special effects while editing the video, in order to enhance the clips. Along with the camera operators, video editors play a huge role in bringing a client’s vision to life. Poorly edited videos do not usually market well, therefore they must make sure that their editing is seamless.

From reading this list hopefully you will now be aware of some of the amazing jobs that video production has to offer. Whether you have just graduated from university or are looking for a new and exciting career change, you’ll be sure to find a great job in video production Cardiff or UK based.

PR Success Secrets – How To Use Publicity Campaigns To Boost Your Business

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Publicity Campaigns|PR Success Secrets - How To Use Publicity Campaigns To Boost Your BusinessCompany leaders usually consider the best-case scenario when planning a PR campaign. The usual points to consider include – the story angle, conversion rate, and the credibility they will gain through these activities.

Of course, the best campaigns are modeled around the ones that have already garnered successful results. In other words, there is a blueprint for PR campaigns that most successful PR campaigns follow around.

In this article, we have collected some of these campaigns. Look at them, and who knows, you may find your befitting strategy from these ideas only.

Real Beauty Campaign – Dove

Unusually, the soap company – Dove – decided to go beyond the conventional marketing campaigns. They created a campaign called “Real Beauty.”

The company decided to go all punchy and redefined perceived and actual beauty concepts. In other words, it appealed to the customers, discarding the distorted perceptions of beauty as fair skin tones.

Their first campaign included a short commercial showing how the cosmetics industry popularized the broken concept of beauty. A normal woman enters a studio in the video and gets her makeup and hair done for a photoshoot. Later, the photos are dramatically enhanced before landing on a billboard.

That video appealed to the shock value and the sinking truth of the social stigmas. Later, in the second part of the campaign, the company hired real women instead of models to represent the brand’s face. And surprisingly, it worked. According to a report, the annual sales for the brand almost doubled over the decade from $2.5 to $4 billion.

Timing Is Everything – Shopping Slot

2020 has been a learning chapter in our lives. And as far as businesses are concerned, many attracted PR attention for how they responded to the changing needs during the pandemic.

One of the most significant examples during the pandemic was Shopping Slot. The startup was about gathering and sharing information about available delivery slots. Well, it seemed appropriate in times when delivery spots rarely seemed open.

Its PR campaign outstruck many, leading to a frenzy among its target users. It only released a “press” article that attracted 3 million site viewers. Subsequently, though the company gained half a million users, the website crashed due to a sudden surge in traffic.

Well, the key here was the timing. Besides, it created an incentive for the corporates to give back to the community. Sabrina Stocker, the co-founder of Shopping Slot, said, “We used real-life case studies and stories of how the service was bettering lives — these are the stories that stick.”

User Participation – #ALS

How many of you remember the ice bucket challenge? Well, it indeed did went viral on social media. And since social media is (mostly) the source of ideas about what’s essential for humans as a society, using it to gain real campaign exposure can be pretty resourceful.

Good challenges spread like wildfire, and there’s no doubt in it. Nonetheless, to your surprise, the ice bucket challenge was introduced by the ALS Association.

First of all, it was fun to watch someone pour a bucket full of ice-cold water on themselves. It doesn’t matter who’s taking up the challenge as long as it is good entertainment.

And the best thing about that challenge was, it was all meant to raise awareness and money for the ALS Association. According to some reports, the campaign raised around $115 million from about 2.4 million online videos. And all of them hashtagged with #ALS.

The Takeaway

What’s common in all the campaigns mentioned above? – They were all enticing and tried to break away from the common agendas.

If any of these ideas intrigued you, the next intimidating task you have at hand would be measuring the success of your campaign.

Remember, you need inspiration and no plagiarism in your campaign. To put it simply, you just have to have the idea of thinking out of the box. And wait for your drive to see the success lights.

Nonetheless, some key takeaways from these examples can help you redefine your PR campaign.

Say What Your Audience Doesn’t Expect You To

Thinking that your PR campaigns are primarily advertising strategies might be foolhardy. They are indeed a lot more than that.

Think of how you can capture your audience. Can you deliver a compelling message that out-shadows advertising norms? Or is your campaign enough to create a statement for your brand that your customers can relate to? What is the cause that your brand stands for?

Answering these questions, you may find it easier to build a rapport for your brand.

Invite Participation From Your Audience

PR campaigns can also be about engaging your customers. It gives them a feeling of belongingness that they can associate with. And this is precisely what the ALS Association did with their campaign.

There are many ways to do that. Creating funny challenges on social media is just one of them. You can pick, mix, and make your challenges that can connect with your audience. And invite them to participate.

In a nutshell, this would not only increase your brand’s reach but also build a community of loyal users around it.

Learn The Art Of Storytelling

This is what helped Shopping Slot gain that immediate surge in its web traffic. Though they didn’t plan for it, as was evident from their site being crashed, they still outperformed the conventional norms.

They not only earned customers but turned them into clients. In other words, rather than making claims about how your business is different or better, let your work speak for itself.

Ask yourself, what are you trying to solve, and how is it helping people. And when you have the answer, you already have a story to tell to your audience.

Summing It Up

Creating PR campaigns that resonate with the audience and your brand at the same time is certainly no easy task. And we didn’t intend to imply any such claims. However, there’s one thing that all of these campaigns tell us – it’s about defining your brand and letting your audience decide what they want to relate it with.

Steps to Save A Failing Business

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Save a Failing Business|Steps to Save A Failing BusinessNo one plans for their business to fail. But a harsh statistic is that in the first five years of trading, almost 50% of start-ups will fail for various reasons.

If your business is falling, you must take the steps to address what is going wrong and if there is anything you can do to rectify this.

Top Reasons Why Start-Ups Fail

  • 79 percent of businesses fail because they start with insufficient funds.
  • 78 percent fail due to a lack of a well-developed business strategy and inadequate market analysis.
  • 77 percent struggle because they don’t price items correctly or don’t account for all relevant factors when calculating prices.
  • 73 percent struggle because they are overconfident about the number of profits they will make, the amount of money they need, and what they need to do to succeed.
  • 70 percent of people struggle because they don’t understand or consider their flaws and don’t ask for support.

Steps you Can Take to Save Your Business.

      • Make sure the price you get for your product or service is higher than the cost of delivering an additional device (e.g., make one more widget or perform one more hour of service). If you have several items, repeat the process with each one. If you charge different prices to different consumers, you must research the consumer level. Increase the price, reduce the cost of delivering the incremental unit, or avoid selling the product or service when you find circumstances with a negative variable contribution. There may be unusual exceptions to this law, but in general, you must ensure that each sale generates enough revenue to cover your overhead.
      • You’ll almost certainly have to cut costs to remain in operation. To begin, cut out all discretionary spending. The business holiday party or the summer outing must be canceled. Then there’s the expense of things that don’t include people. Is it possible to lower your travel or utility costs? If the alternative is space because you are out of business, the landlord might be able to reduce rent, at least temporarily. Unfortunately, cutting costs may necessitate the difficult decision of laying off employees, reducing their hours, or lowering their pay. Austerity steps are never simple, but if the alternative is to close the firm, it is preferable to keep some employees working than to lose everybody when the company closes.
      • Address your debt levels. You cannot keep ignoring your debt levels both professionally and personally. Consult specialists such as Strategic Consulting Firm who can assist in moving forward to clear your debt levels.

    Being proactive when it comes to saving your business can help you identify ways you can drive to save the company instead of burying your head in the sand until it is too late. After all, you have poured your heart and soul into this venture; chances are you will thank yourself in the future for doing the hard work now to rescue anything you can and push for success in today’s harsh climate.

4 Simple Ways To Bring New Customers To Your Business

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |New Customers|4 Simple Ways To Bring New Customers To Your BusinessAre you thinking about ways that you can boost your business customer numbers and guaranteeing that you do attract more clients to your company? This might be a lot easier than you’d imagine. Here are some of the possibilities that could certainly be worth exploring.

There’s An App For That

If you want to attract new customers to your business, then you need to make sure that you are breaking down the barriers that could be stopping them from buying. This might include the fact that customers want to make purchases in a particular way. As such, you should think about giving them more ways than they can buy. For instance, you could think about including an app in your business model. Companies like Jackrabbit mobile will guarantee that you have the power to create a compelling and user-friendly app as part of your business model.

Influencer Magic

You could also think about using the power of influencers to ensure that customers are more inclined to buy from your business. The right influencers are always going to help you attract additional levels of attention. You might think that influencers are only going to work for certain business models. However, this is not the case and the reality is that there are influencers for every type of industry that you can imagine. That’s true regardless of whether you work in fashion or construction. You can think about reaching out to influencers on social media to ensure that you do gain their interest.

Going Guerilla

It’s also worth thinking about going guerilla with your marketing campaign. There are a wide range of guerilla marketing tactics that could be suitable for you such as sticker marketing, contextual marketing, and reverse graffiti, among others. Guerilla marketing is essentially all about ensuring that you make the promotion part of the show and that it completely immerses customers in a buying experience. Guerilla marketing can differ depending on the type of campaign that you are working on. For instance, you might want to focus on an online campaign where you encourage users to use hashtags. Don’t forget, a strong campaign like this will also attract media attention as well.

Killing The Costs

Finally, you should think about killing the costs in your business. Reducing your business costs will guarantee that you don’t have to worry about your business prices being too high for your customers. This can also stop you from remaining competitive in the long term. Luckily, there is a wide range of different options that you can explore to reduce your costs. For instance, you might want to think about making your entire business model more efficient. You can do this, by going green in your business which will help the costs trickle down through your entire business model.

We hope this helps you understand some of the key steps that you can take to ensure that you are bringing new customers in your business. By using these strategies you will be able to make sure you don’t have to worry about not reaching the right levels of profitability in the long term.