Learn More in College

If you’re looking to learn as much as you can, going to college is the best route. Social media has become so big, that most colleges and universities offer degrees in it. In fact, social media has become a career within itself. It’s no longer just a place where people can share pictures and their status. Social media has become the central hub for everyone and almost everything, including business practices. Creating social media strategies isn’t as easy as it sounds, but a college degree can make it so. You can take out a student loan to cover the high expenses of going to college. Student loans don’t only cover tuition costs. You can use it for a number of things, like new equipment and school supplies.

Understand Your Target Audience

The first step to creating a social media strategy is having a keen understanding of your target audience. Some of the reasons behind Apple’s customer loyalty have a lot to do with their initial identification of their target audience. A target audience is always going to differ based on your business’s niche and the demographic. Age demographic is among the most important factors as people of different ages want to see different types of content. The best way to figure out who makes up the majority of your audience, you’ll need to conduct polls and review your KPIs. Key performance indicators show which platforms are performing the best. This information is vital to your strategy as it allows you to maximize engagement.

Create SMART Goals

If there’s one thing businesses should already have a grasp on, it’s coming up with goals. Goals are the main drive of your business; they’re what encourage you and your employees to push the boundaries of success. However, setting goals can be difficult at times, especially when it comes to social media. This is where SMART goals come in. They’re no different than any other goal in hindsight. What makes them unique is that they’re more organized than simply saying you’re going to increase your Instagram’s follower count. SMART goals break the goal in mind down to the smallest detail by listing the following:

• Specifics
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timeliness

The specifics are the goal itself, measurability is how much you’re aiming for, attainability is whether or not it’s doable, realistic is understanding the potential outcomes and risks, and timeliness is the timeframe you set to accomplish said goal.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post How to Create a Social Media Marketing Strategy appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

There is a direct relationship between user interface, marketing, and experience that can get overlooked by website developers. However, all three are integral pieces to the UX puzzle. A proper user interface can enhance your ROI, so it’s important to know how UX/UI designs can impact your digital marketing strategy.

UI Elements

One of the most important elements a UX/UI designer can implement is a beautiful external shell of a site (its face). User experience begins once the customer looks at your website and can visually scan its features based on appearance. UI designers know that “judging a book by its cover” is essential because it’s the first impression your customers have of you. 

Color

The psychology of color is vital in marketing and web design. We form an assumption of an item based on the colors we associate with a product. For example, blue and white are used for confidence and security. It’s no wonder PayPal chose these colors because it makes the customer feel trusting and safe (which is good for a business that safe-keeps money).

Value

In this case, the product or service needs to have value to your audience, and this value tends to be shown visually on the websites. Rule number one of the digital product strategy is understanding what your audience wants and needs. Using attractive CTA buttons around your website that is linked to Google Analytics will give you a better understanding of the number of satisfied customers you have on a daily basis.

Reliability

No one wants to browse a website that constantly crashes or re-directs you to a location you’re sure you didn’t click to. Each button needs to have a place that meets the expectations of the user. Otherwise, the connection between navigation, functionality, and marketing will become severed. Your marketing strategy leads users to the site, but the proper navigation keeps them there. If you make the website difficult to navigate, that customer will likely disappear forever.

UX Elements

UX, or user experience, is how successful your customer can navigate the website (but don’t forget about the overall appeal, which is where UI comes in). The marketing component here may not be as apparent as UI elements. Let’s take a look at some examples.

Mobile Experience

Websites that don’t have a mobile equivalent lose over 50% of their user base. Unless you want to lose more than half your potential customers, it’s crucial to have a reliable, modern, and working desktop and mobile version. It’s easy to see why not having a mobile version of a website will kill marketing. It makes your product and business look outdated. Users should be able to make purchases and send emails effortlessly from their smartphones.

Speed

47% of users expect a website to load in two seconds. Five seconds is too slow. If a user attempts to interact with a site that is slower than that, they’re going to click off and likely never return. Sometimes, the issue may not be on your end – it could be that your customers’ internet connection is too slow. Still, if your customers want to leave immediately, that will kill your marketing strategy. What’s the point of marketing a website when it doesn’t even load? To combat this, many website owners try to reduce the amount of data their site uses to load by reducing videos, pictures, and effects on the front page. 

Content

In the blogging world, the customer is king, and content is queen. The content on your website is another brilliant way to market your website because it brings in people who want value from your writing. Creating and delivering content has evolved into another industry called content marketing, and it’s possible to sell anything with the help of the written word. If you can convince users that what they’re buying will improve their lives and then use clever ways to direct them to the payment page or landing page, you’ll generate more sales.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post 6 Ways UX/UI Design Impact Digital Marketing Strategy appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

Be Creative

You can’t attend a trade show and be bland with your ideas. You need to find ways to really stand out and make an impact on all the passers by. You can turn your creative vision into a reality with Open Exhibitions. Their modular exhibition stands are completely customised to suit your individual requirements. This means that you won’t be able to see a single stand like yours anywhere else in the exhibition. Start drafting down some ideas on paper and you will soon have a finished product that is ready to be created. If you’re unsure where to begin, you might want to think about some of the following elements.

Evoke All the Senses

Nowadays you can’t just create an eye catching stand that is made up of bold and loud shades; you need to learn how to evoke all of the senses. Think about how you can incorporate touch, taste and smell into your stand. Do you have a good or drink product you can give out as a taster? Could you use scented diffusers to make your stand’s aroma stand out? There are so many ways to make your stand pop, so start exploring your options.

Choose Your Colour Schemes Wisely

Once you have figured out how to evoke all of the senses you will need to make the all important decision surrounding colour schemes. If you’re an eco friendly business then green seems like a stand out choice, but if you’re looking for a more unique shade you might go with purple or orange. There are so many different colours that you can experiment with so use your imagination and choose wisely.

Make It Interactive

People who are interested in purchasing your product will only do so if there is a certain level of interactivity that’s relevant to the product or service you’re offering. If you’re selling gym equipment you might want to give demonstrations and allow people to try it out. If you’re trialling a service you could give potential buyers a sneak peek into what they might get. Think of ways to boost the interaction between your trade show stand and your target demographic.

So use your instincts and discover how you can be completely innovative when it comes to creating your trade show stand. As long as you consider colour, the senses and interactivity yours will be bound to pop at the next event.

This is an article provided by our partners network. It might not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of our editorial team and management.
Contributed content

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post How to Make Your Trade Show Exhibition Pop appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

Is your product suitable?

The first thing to ask yourself is whether the product your selling will be suitable for the foreign markets you want to enter. Is there already a competitor there who can sell what you’re selling for much cheaper? Is there something in the culture that would render your products useless to the citizens? Is it suitable to be able to be shipped overseas? Some materials and ingredients for example are banned in other countries. These are all things you’d need to think about. That way you can work out which countries you;re best selling in and which to avoid. Do your market research, don’t just go in and hope for the best. There are lots of reasons why a company that’s successful in one country can be a huge flop (or worse, an insult!) in another.

Is your marketing strategy correct?

The difference between different cultures in the world is massive. What consumers want, what appeals to them and the best way to target them with marketing will all need to be looked into. Utilise online marketing services who will be able to promote your website and push forward the right content based on the culture and country. Just because a campaign or strategy worked in your home country doesn’t necessarily mean it can be recycled and used abroad. It’s all about planning and preparation- as well as ensuring your product is something that people want you also need to know the best way to sell it to them.

Are you making the most of software?

The right software will allow you to do your job much more efficiently which is important when you’re wanting to expand and go global. By the time you’re looking to sell worldwide, chances are you have a number of department, and the right software can make sure they’re all interlinked. So from manufacturing, warehousing, overseas shipping and delivery you know exactly what’s going on.The right software won’t just help you when it comes to business, it really can be the difference between success and failure. Either see what’s on the market already, or have software designed especially for your company.

Selling globally could make your company millions. However, expanding into a country where your business doesn’t work will simply waste money, so be prepared. Find out if your product is needed or wanted, and if people are actually likely to buy it. Discover if you have competition, and from there you can work out the best plan of action.

Have you ever taken a business venture global? What advice would you give to entrepreneurs looking to do the same?

This is an article provided by our partners network. It might not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of our editorial team and management.
Contributed content

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Crucial Questions to Ask Yourself Before Taking Your Company Global appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.