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How To Boost Your Marketing Career

StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Marketing Career|How To Boost Your Marketing CareerIf you’re looking to build a career in marketing, then well done — you’ve chosen a career that is expected to balloon in popularity in the coming years, all because companies are increasingly placing emphasis on this aspect of their operations. However, while there may be plenty of work available, it’s also important to remember that competition for the jobs will be tough. As such, it’s important that you’re taking a proactive, positive stance when it comes to your career. In this blog, we’re going to run through some of the best methods for giving your marketing career a boost.

Improve Your Communication

It doesn’t matter what method of marketing a company is looking for, essentially they’re all asking for the same thing: someone who can take their ideas and communicate them to the wider world. So that means that communication is key. While you can know the ins and outs about how to market and develop a company’s reputation, if you don’t excel in communication, then you’ll find that it’s an uphill battle. Companies recognize the need for strong communication skills, which is why it’s one of the top things that they ask for.

Carry On Learning

You might have enough in your locker to market a company well today, but if there’s one thing to know, it’s that the marketing game doesn’t stay for too long. The methods used to promote a brand two years ago may not be as effective today. If you’re going to build a long-term marketing career, then you’ll have to devote yourself to learning. One mistake that professional marketers make is believing that they know everything when they get started — but the truth is that nobody knows everything. Don’t be afraid to take regular courses to brush up on your skills.

Get Certified

As we mentioned earlier, the competition for marketing jobs can be tough. As such, you’ll need to find ways to make yourself stand out from the crowd. What will tell a potential employer that you’re the marketer that they’re looking for? If you become google ads certified, then you’ll have credibility in the eyes of clients who need those kinds of skills. It’s a simple way to set yourself apart — it won’t just tell people that you have the knowledge they need, but also that you’ve invested your time into your career, and that can be a big plus point.

Find Your Speciality

The world of marketing is large, and, in truth, it’s not as if you’re going to be an expert in every aspect of marketing. As such, it’s a good idea to find an area in which to specialize. This can make everything easier — you won’t have to know everything about marketing, just the stuff related to your niche, and it’ll also make it easier for companies to find you. As with most things related to careers these days, it’s much better to focus on a niche and carve out a reputation as a specialist rather than to be a more general marketing expert.

A Guide for Business Owners: Protecting Your Company from Cyber Threats

StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Cyber Threats|A Guide for Business Owners: Protecting Your Company from Cyber ThreatsWhen you’ve spent time building and expanding your business, it can be easy to find yourself taking your foot off the gas. However, there are many areas you still have to think about, and although cybersecurity may not be at the top of your priority list, it needs to be. You may believe that your established business doesn’t face the same risk as new and small businesses, but all businesses — no matter how large or small — face the same threat when it comes to cyber-attacks.

This is why being continually aware of safety and protection methods when running your business will help you to implement them straight away.

What Kind of Cyber Threats Can Your Business Expect to Face?

Even if you employ a dedicated IT team, you may not be personally aware of the threats your business may be exposed to. Here are the most common cyber threats any business can expect.

  • Phishing. This type of attack leaves businesses extremely vulnerable and entails an individual posing as a secure organization in order to gain sensitive data from you. It can be very easy to misinterpret a phishing attempt and surrender personal data.
  • Ransomware. This is where criminals will lock down business information in order to then demand a ransom from the business to unlock it again. This is particularly problematic for businesses because being unable to access data can mean a loss of service or ability to do business until the ransom is paid.
  • Malware. The most common example of malware is a virus. Your business system may become infected or risk having its data corrupted or hacked.
  • Human error through employees. The threat of cyber-attacks increases when you take your staff into account. This is because the more employees you have, the more risk there is that each individual could make a mistake in regard to responding to phishing attempts, downloading information containing a virus, or even posing a risk to your company themselves.

How to Protect Your Business

Below are some of the ways you can incorporate a defense against these types of threats.

Increase Your Web Security as Much as Possible

Do everything you can to increase web security in any capacity. Even as an established business, this should be setting up dependable anti-virus and firewall software as priority. As well as this, be sure to look into the extra security options the services you already use may provide. For those businesses providing a network service for others, you can improve web security by using packages such as Allot’s Network Secure.

Use Strong Passwords

Always use strong passwords for anything you do within business, and be sure to change and update regularly. Try to avoid using the same password for everything within your business. Strong passwords should include a mix of lower case characters, upper case characters, numbers, and symbols.

Always Update Your Systems

It’s easy to let regular system updates slip under the radar when you’re trying to concentrate on running and expanding a business. However, regular system updates for your devices will make sure that the latest operating systems can be optimized and lower the risk of vulnerabilities.

Train Your Staff

Organize training for any new staff, or have a meeting in regard to safe web practices, so that your employees can learn to recognize potential threats, what not to download, and how to best avoid phishing scams.

How contractors could be vital for your business in 2021

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Development Article |Contractors|How contractors could be vital for your business in 2021The Covid-19 pandemic has forced businesses to change much about the way that they operate. Certainly, a company must be willing to adapt and change with the times in order to ride out the crisis. And in this regard, it is unsurprising that independent contractors have become in-demand through the pandemic.

Contractors offer a range of benefits to your business that are especially relevant in 2021: here are some of the ways that contractors could be vital to your company.

A more flexible workforce

Perhaps the most crucial quality that contractors can bring to a business is flexibility. The situation regarding Covid-19 changes so often that it is necessary for businesses to be able to be agile, and open to changing up their ways of working.
If you are used to working entirely with a salaried base of in-house staff who come to work 9 to 5 – this may no longer be ideal for the duration of the pandemic. It can be necessary to work differently, and contractors offer you a way to do this.

Keeping salaried costs down

In 2021 it is more important than ever that businesses look for ways to minimise their outgoings. It is the case for the majority of companies that salaries actually make up a huge amount of the overall costs to the company. It is also a fact that bringing in salaried staff is expensive, especially over time. Depending on the sector, businesses can use up to 80% of their gross revenue on salaries.

Using contractors is actually a really useful way to lower your salary costs. Yes, typically contractors will demand a comparatively higher hourly or daily rate than staff – but as they are used infrequently and only on specific tasks, this can make them effectively far more cost-effective.

The exact expertise you need

“Contractors are typically brought in because they are able to offer specific expertise that a business only requires for a single project or for a short time,” says Giles Knights, General Manager at ClearHub, a specialist contractor recruitment agency “this could include everything from DevOps specialists to digital transformation consultants”.

One of the major benefits of working with contractors is that you are getting their very specific specialism for the duration of a short period or over the course of a project. Rather than hiring a member of staff with more general skills or paying for a specific expert full-time to carry out tasks outside their field, this allows you to get the exact person you need for the job.

It also means that when the next project comes along and you need a different form of expertise, you can get it easily.

Suited to a remote working environment

Contractors are perfectly suited to the environment of remote work that has been necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Many contractors actually prefer the flexibility and ease of working from home and might be very used to it.

Unlike hiring members of staff who might prefer an office environment, or simply don’t have a great deal of experience outside of it – contractors are regularly asked to work remotely.

Additionally, being able to recruit remotely means that you have access to a much broader range of talent. Now that you are more likely to have the kind of systems in place to allow for simple remote working, it is easier than ever to hire contractors who are based a long distance from you. This can make the task of finding the right person not as arduous as it may have been previously.

More talent available

There is another fact about contractors and the workforce generally that Covid-19 is having an effect on. Functionally, as there are fewer opportunities, there is a greater workforce available. This means that it is both easier and more cost-effective to get the contractor that you need for the job.

Clearly, it is important for businesses to be able to bring in the staff that they need if they are going to have a successful 2021. The fact that there are more contractors looking for work gives organisations the opportunity to carefully select not only for the right skills but also the people who come in at the right time.

Final thoughts

Contractors can be hugely beneficial to businesses of all sizes through 2021. They not only provide specialist skills in a cost-effective way, but also they are perfectly suited to the ever-changing working environment of the Covid-19 pandemic.

How to Save Money on Image Resizer

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Image Resizer|How to Save Money on Image ResizerPeople’s eyes gravitate toward beautiful things. That’s a fact of life! Hence, whether you’re a businessman looking to promote products online, a student making slideshows, or a mom looking to share vacation photos, you need to ensure your images look amazing so your intended audience looks at your work. No matter how great your composition is, it won’t translate well in your chosen medium if the image is not sized proportionately to the given space. Thankfully, you can count on an image and photo resizer to help you scale down your photos without compromising the quality.

If you think this digital solution will cost you an arm and a leg, put off that thought. Gone are the days when you needed a professional designer to help you edit, crop, or compress your photos. With the help of an image resizer, you can now do everything on your own without breaking the bank. Should you still feel reluctant to use this digital solution for content marketing, now is the time to quash that myth. Take a look at how you can save loads of money by using an image resizer:

Save Time, Conserve Money

Time equates to money because you spend on things using your life hours to earn your paycheck. Thus, when you save time, you save money. An image resizer assures seamless photo editing with its easy user interface. Unlike the coast’s complex software, today’s photo editors come with a seamless dashboard where everything you need can be accessed in one go. For example, it comes with sizing suggestions for various social media posts or web pages. Simultaneously, you can also customize any photo by putting in the specific size you want.

Today’s digital image resizers come with seamless tools that make it easy for you to compress your photo files without breaking into a sweat. Just drag and drop your chosen image, and it will convert it to the size you need with a few clicks of your mouse. Take a look at the following features of an image resizer:

  • Offers suggested size templates.
  • Allows batch resizing to save time.
  • Assures well-proportioned images.
  • Permits use of images from other URLs.
  • Proffers easy download or sharing directly on social media.

Use FREE Digital Tools

In today’s modern world, you can optimize technological advancements to make your life easy. Luckily, you can save money because you can use many free image resizers online. This means you can edit your images to your heart’s content without breaking the bank. Take a look at the top 3 free image resizer companies online:

1. Promo.com

This company does as its name says by assuring you can promote your best work no matter your purpose. Whether you are a businessman looking to share news on social media or a student making a PowerPoint presentation, you can use this resizer to edit any photo. Most importantly, it allows bulk resizing for social media posts, web pages, emails, or other documents.

Hence, you can readily pick what photo dimensions you want, saving you the trouble of doing it one by one. It comes with so many suggestions, such as Facebook cover, IG square post, Twitter header, LinkedIn background, and more. Undoubtedly, with its easy user interface, you can enjoy the following:

  • Drag and drop capabilities
  • Personalize resizing to suit your requirements
  • Template suggestions for social media, web pages, and other documents
  • Select photos from any URL
  • Allow direct download for saving or instant sharing.

2. BIRME

This acronym means Batch Image Resizing Made Easy, and it does exactly as it says. You can efficiently and effectively resize images without any hassle. Moreover, you can resize multiple photos simultaneously, assuring you can finish your task swiftly. With this tool, you can do the following:

  • Include photo borders
  • Select pixel size
  • Look at previews

3. Free Image and Photo Optimizer

The producer of this editor is no other than Shopify. Thus, you can rest easy knowing your pictures will look amazing. However, it only allows you to load a maximum of six images you can upload from your device or any webpage. You can also only edit the photos into three possible sizes:

  • Large (4472 x 4472)
  • Medium (2048 x 2048 pixels)
  • Compact (1024 x 1024 pixels)

No Need to Buy Expensive Gadgets

With a free online image resizer, you don’t need to buy any fancy computer to accommodate the software. This works on your laptop, desktop, or any mobile device. In addition, you don’t have to purchase more memory because you’re not downloading the software but using it virtually. Best of all, with an image resizer, you can compress the photos without compromising quality. This means when you make presentations, you will not consume so much memory on your hard drive or flash disk as the files have become smaller.

Save on Professional Fees

Back in the day, only professional designers can edit photos. Today, if you feel like cropping or sprucing up your images, you can do it from any gadget, no matter where you are. Moreover, you don’t need technical skills to get things done. The image resizer tools of this modern world come with an effortless learning curve. Furthermore, you don’t need any special training to use it. Best of all, if you encounter any problems, just contact the company for help.

Make Projects That Convert

Every penny saved is a penny earned. When you compress your photos with an image resizer, you create more engaging images. Firstly, you can assure that the images you showcase on your site will not take a long time to load. Unfortunately, “netizens” possess reduced attention spans, so if your pics take too long to load, they will leave your page. Secondly, an image resizer helps you edit your photos for any project. Whether you’re making a brochure, printing a newsletter, or printing photos, you can use this tool to make sure your pictures fit in the space.

Final Thoughts

Above all else, this digital solution assures you can optimize all your photos on your social media profiles without compromising the quality. With this, you can create a better connection and engagement with your audience. With such beautiful images, you can even monetize your accounts. How cool is that?

Key Things to Remember When Setting Up Your Business Website

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Business Website|Key Things to Remember When Setting Up Your Business WebsiteYou’ve decided it’s time to set up your business website, but what are your next steps? A business website is a big opportunity, but there are plenty of things you need to remember when it comes to planning your online presence.
Here are some important things to remember when setting up your business website.

User Experience

It’s easy to focus internally on your business when creating a website, but you’ve always got to remember the user is one of the most important aspects of this process.

You can make your website do all these fancy things, tracking analytics, helping you create leads, and so on, but if you’ve not got a good user experience, then it’s all going to be for nothing. As a consumer, you know how frustrating websites with a poor UX can be, so don’t let your website be one of them.

Security

Security is a huge priority for any modern business. When it comes to your website, you’ve got to make sure you’re protected, and your users are too.

If your website fails to protect its users from things like cross-site scripting, then it can do huge damage to your brand and seriously affect your business. We see big security incidents on the news all the time, and it can happen to any business if it is not investing in cybersecurity.

Invest in Quality

There’s no point in creating a bare-bones website. If you’re going to have success with it, then you need to build it out properly and invest in your content.

Your website is always evolving and growing, and this reflects your brand. As soon as you stop updating your site, it will lose some relevancy, so it’s best to keep investing and keep growing what you’re doing.

Get Your Site Ranked

No matter how big or small your business is, you have the ability to rank your website in the search engines. This can bring in targeted, sustainable traffic, so it’s well worth focusing on your search engine optimization and following the right steps.

SEO might seem like something very technical, but in reality, it’s not. It’s just about following good practices and making sure your website appeals to the right audience. If you can do this, then you will find you start to have success in the search engines.

Share Your Work

If you’re doing amazing work with your website, then share it with as many people as possible.

Create social media accounts and get your message in front of a large audience. You can build your website and hope people find it, or you can be active and make sure people find it. Sharing your work is easy to do, and it can be a great way to introduce people to your brand.

You have gone to the effort of creating the content, so make sure you get the most value out of each piece by sharing it on multiple platforms.