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  • Different Types of Franchise Business Models

    A franchise can be defined as a license that is granted by a brand owner, known as the franchisor, to an individual or a corporate, known as a franchisee, to access business proprietary knowledge, process, and trademarks and to sell products or services under the brand name within a specified territory or region.

    The franchisee gets access to a few things from the owner to conduct business.

    • To operate under the franchisor’s brand name.
    • Use of the franchisor’s trademarks.
    • Operations Manual.
    • Marketing support from the franchisor.
    • Software and other operational requirements depending on the nature of the business.
    • Relevant proprietary knowledge and materials.

    How Does a Franchise Operate?
    Types of Franchise Business Models
    Company Owned Franchise Operated (COFO)
    Franchise Owned Company Operated (FOCO)
    Franchise Owned Franchise Operated (FOFO)
    Hybrid Franchise Model

    What is Franchising?

    How Does a Franchise Operate?

    Generally, a franchise business is fairly simple. A franchisee purchases a licence to operate a business using the franchisor’s proprietary knowledge, process, trademarks, and brand name. The licence cost depends upon the size of the business, its brand goodwill and the demand for its products. Apart from this initial investment, the franchisee is also required to pay an ongoing annual royalty, which is usually a certain percentage of annual gross sales.

    The business processes and operations of a franchise are defined by the operations manual and is a part of the franchise contract. The franchisee is required to uphold the terms and conditions of the contract and maintain set standards of hygiene, quality, visual merchandising, products, pricing, offers, etc.

    Types of Franchise Business Models

    Examples of Different Types of Franchise Business Models
    Examples of Different Types of Franchise Business Models

    There are essentially three different types of franchise business models:

    1. Company Owned Franchise Operated – COFO
    2. Franchise Owned Company Operated – FOCO
    3. Franchise Owned Franchise Operated – FOFO

    The type of franchise model that a brand offers is dependent on the nature of the business. Of course, there are associated advantages and disadvantages of each one.

    Company Owned Franchise Operated (COFO)

    The company invests in the franchise business, which then runs it as per the guidelines issued by the company. This model of a franchise business is not very common, as companies that invest in expanding their operations through a franchise model usually prefer to operate it themselves. One example of a COFO business model is call centres that handle phone calls for the company.

    Advantages of the COFO Model

    • The operational expenses are borne by the company.
    • The productivity and efficiency of employees is high as the outlet is managed by the entrepreneur.
    • The company has the advantage of opening outlets where it is otherwise difficult to find franchisees.

    Disadvantages of the COFO Model

    • The customer experience is dependent on how the franchise chooses to manage its operations. It can harm the company’s goodwill if it is not managed properly.
    • In the event of the franchisee exiting the contract, it can leave the company with no alternative.

    Franchise Owned Company Operated (FOCO)

    In this type of model, the franchisee owns the property and is responsible for all the resultant additional capital expenditure. The daily operations of the store or the outlet are managed by the franchisor. A prime example of this type of franchise model is Bistro 57.

    Advantages of the FOCO Model

    • The end customer experience is controlled by the company or the brand and hence better in quality.
    • The expenses are well distributed as the company does not pay for the set-up expenses and the franchisee does not pay for the operational expenses.

    Disadvantages of the FOCO Model

    • It is not a suitable option for property owners who want to rent their properties.
    • It is a continuous, collaborative business model, and the franchisee has no say in the day-to-day operations of the business.

    Franchise Owned Franchise Operated (FOFO)

    The term is self-explanatory in which the company allows the franchisee to use its brand name, process, and trademarks in its franchise outlet. The contract involves a non-refundable franchise fee and is for a pre-determined period, which can then be renewed. The product price is decided by the brand, and the franchise owner bears all the operational costs of the store. The franchisee is required to pay an annual royalty, which is essentially a percentage of the profits to the company. This is the most popular type of franchise model that is used in the market.

    Advantages of the FOFO Model

    • There is a wide variety of business and franchise opportunities available.
    • A successful franchise operation translates into an excellent return on investment.

    Disadvantages of the FOFO Model

    • This model of the franchise has a higher percentage of failure in comparison to the others.
    • The return on investment in this type of franchise model may not be very high due to the higher investments and fees.

    Within the FOFO type of franchise business model, there are two variations –

    Stock purchased by the Franchise

    This Franchise Owned, Franchise Operated business model works with brands by purchasing the stock from the brand and then selling it to the end consumer. There might be a contractual clause between the parties to return a part of the unsold stock and purchase new stock.

    Franchise Outlet Stocked by Brand

    This franchise model, while being owned and operated by the franchise owner, receives stock on a consignment basis. The brand provides the merchandise as per their indent to ensure a correct representation of the stock in the franchisee outlet.

    Steps to start franchise business
    Franchising is the way ahead for most of the businesses. Franchise business grow faster than any other start-up as the starting up franchise is quite inexpensive.
    StartupTalkyAditi Chawda

    There is a fourth variation which is not really a franchise model but is called Company Owned Company Operated (COCO). Just as the name suggests, the store unit is owned and run by the brand. The outlet is entirely funded by the brand and run by the employees of the brand. Some examples of a COCO model are Reliance JioMart and Big Bazaar.

    Advantages of COCO

    • The brand earns and keeps the total profits as there are no channel partners to share.
    • The company can expand into geographical locations where franchises are difficult to find.
    • A COCO model allows the company to showcase its outlet and product range.

    Disadvantages of COCO

    • The only major disadvantage is that the company spends monetary and manpower resources on activities that are not its core business.

    Hybrid Franchise Model

    This is a relatively new concept within the parameters of the franchise business model. It combines physical and digital franchises where traditional enterprises are digitally turned into multi-functional hybrid franchise platforms.

    This type of franchise gives the franchise owner scope of expansion while working within the concept and structure of a larger corporation. This business model can include running a brick-and-mortar store while also keeping an internet store and employing catalogue sales to generate orders via mail.

    Conclusion

    A franchise business model is a great option for a new and budding entrepreneur as the systems and operations are already set. The base platform is ready for the entrepreneur to then focus on expansion and building a customer base within their geographical boundaries.

    FAQs

    What is a franchise?

    A franchise can be defined as a license that is granted by a brand owner to an individual or a corporate entity to access business proprietary knowledge, process, and trademarks and to sell products or services under the brand name within a specified territory or region.

    What are different franchise business models?

    Different franchise business models are:

    • Company Owned Franchise Operated – COFO
    • Franchise Owned Company Operated – FOCO
    • Franchise Owned Franchise Operated – FOFO
    • Company Owned Company Operated Model – COCO
    • Hybrid Franchise Model

    What is a hybrid franchise business model?

    The hybrid franchise business model combines physical and digital franchises where traditional enterprises are digitally turned into multi-functional hybrid franchise platforms.

  • Best Resources to Learn Ecommerce Marketing

    Do you know that there are about 12 to 24 million eCommerce sites worldwide? When there is too much competition in this eCommerce field, it is difficult to make your place and thrive day by day. That’s why upskilling is necessary to develop in this digital market.

    There are countless resources through which you can get access to knowledge of eCommerce marketing. But reading everything is pretty impossible. However, reading important aspects of online marketing which are in trend to keep up with modern market strategies is mandatory. Good resources provide a thorough understanding of marketing automation, inventory management, product sourcing, consumer service optimization, and many other marketing aspects.

    That’s why we have brought you some best resources to learn about eCommerce marketing in 2022. You can opt for either podcasts, blogs, guides, websites, etc. as per your interests and convenience. Instead of hyping up anymore, let’s see what are these golden resources to get thorough knowledge of eCommerce marketing.

    Ecommerce Marketing Strategies

    Learn Ecommerce Marketing From Blogs
    Learn Ecommerce Marketing From Podcasts
    Learn Ecommerce Marketing From YouTube Channels
    Learn Ecommerce Marketing From Educational Resources

    Ecommerce Revenue Growth in India (2018-2025)
    Ecommerce Revenue Growth in India (2018-2025)

    Learn Ecommerce Marketing From Blogs

    The very first resource for learning different aspects of eCommerce marketing is blogs. Here are some popular blogs from where you can learn eCommerce marketing:

    Blogs to Help You Learn Ecommerce Marketing
    Blogs to Help You Learn Ecommerce Marketing

    The Shopify Blog

    Nowadays, eCommerce is incomplete without the name, Shopify. A large number of merchants land on Shopify blogs to collect ideas for their eCommerce business. From limited liability companies to B2B and B2C guides, Shopify blogs have solutions for every single term related to eCommerce businesses.

    Beeketing Blog

    Beeketing blog is an incredible blog specifically for beginners who are trying to fit their feet in eCommerce marketing. It offers three major guides for beginners in the field of eCommerce. The first guide instructs on how to sell elements digitally. The second directory guides you toward aspects of Facebook and advertising. Last, but not least is the beginner’s guide to successfully establishing a business on Instagram.

    The BigCommerce Blog

    Another resource for efficient eCommerce techniques is the BigCommerce blog. Despite furnishing valuable blogs, BigCommerce has a lot to offer. It has productive webinars, guides, events, case studies, ebooks, and live reports to make you perfect for monitoring your digital business. The best part about their blogs is the regular updates and explanations of new trends and strategies that can help you sharpen your online business.

    Jungle Scout Blog

    Jungle Scout releases blogs specifically relating to expanding online businesses in association with Amazon. You can get the slightest information about starting and selling products on Amazon. As an established FBA seller, Jungle Scout blogs take you to the deepest knowledge of Amazon product analysis to keep you at number one in seller’s positions. It has the power to convince why one should opt for Amazon as their next online selling platform.

    A Better Lemonade Stand

    Richard Lazazzera who started his career as a marketer is now an established founder of many startups. A Better Lemonade Stand is a platform of practical blogs started by Richard, where he shares his aptitude and experience on how to become a successful, online marketer. His site, ABLS has profited more than 100,000 active entrepreneurs as its readers.

    Learn Ecommerce Marketing From Podcasts

    Podcasts to Help You Learn Ecommerce Marketing
    Podcasts to Help You Learn Ecommerce Marketing

    The following are some of the most popular podcasts that will give you insights into eCommerce marketing:

    Shopify Masters by Felix Thea

    The podcasts of Shopify by Felix Thea are popular for capitalizing on some eCommerce marketing strategies which you can implement in your digital business. The strategies put more stress on increasing sales and traffic on websites for their Shopify listeners.

    The eCommerce Fuel Podcast by Andrew Youderian

    Let me tell you that this ecommerceFuel Podcast is not designed for every eCommerce marketer. It is especially for those marketers who are already established in their eCommerce business and looking forward to taking their business one step forward by upskilling. These podcasts contain master blueprints to start earning six or seven-figure incomes in your online profession.

    My Wife Quit Her Job by Steve Chou

    Steve Chou, the owner of BumbleBee Linens, shares his insights on how to expand your legs as a retail marketer of an online business. Their target audience remains the persons who are thinking of starting their career in eCommerce. Such individuals fear investing their whole money in their digital enterprise. That’s why Steve furnishes strategies to enhance business while keeping financial security, in their 200-long episodes of the “My Wife Quit Her Job” podcast.

    Nerd Marketing Ecommerce Podcast by Drew

    Nerd Marketing’s host Drew seems more like an eCommerce influencer and has furnished more than 40 podcasts on his website. He can successfully convince you and change your mindset toward becoming a millionaire through an eCommerce business. No wonder why his followers earn 7 figure incomes by digital business as boasted by Drew in his podcasts.

    The Ecommerce Influence Podcast by Austin Brawner

    We can bet you that after listening to eCommerce influence’s episodes, you will be too fueled up to obtain a mindset of taking your digital business to the moon and stars. The methods and strategies shared by Austin every single week, work as fuel for knowledge and experience for eCommerce marketers.

    Top 10 Best Marketing Podcasts to Listen to in 2022
    Podcasts are some of the best ways to learn something. If you want to learn marketing here are the best marketing podcasts to listen to.
    StartupTalkyRoshni Tamta

    Learn Ecommerce Marketing From YouTube Channels

    YouTube Channels for Ecommerce Marketing
    From left to right Brian Dean, Travis Marziani, Neil Patel, Ritoban (Flying Start Online), Jake Alexander (Casual Ecommerce)

    Flying Start Online

    The best part of Flying Start Online YouTube channel is that it always remains ready to bring new challenges to its viewers. Recently, Ritoban, the curator at Flying Start Online took up a challenge where he created an online student store and committed to bringing his first customer in just 7 days. The whole challenge was seen live by viewers. Moreover, he keeps coming up with further interviews, reviews, and entrepreneur talks.

    Neil Patel

    When it comes to marketing, Neil Patel is one of the best people to learn from. Neil has introduced an eCommerce marketing course on his YouTube channel, named “E-commerce Unlocked.” In this series of YouTube videos, he covers aspects like SEO, CRO, paid ads, and more. His channel will help you learn about every aspect of eCommerce marketing.

    Brian Dean

    Brian is the founder of Backlinko’s blog and YouTube channel. His YouTube channel is a great source of learning eCommerce marketing as it helps marketers and business owners to take advantage of the search engines for their business growth in an easy and efficient manner.

    Casual Ecommerce

    Casual Ecommerce pays more heed to run a successful Shopify store. The channel is full of live Shopify tutorials where Jake Alexander talks about Facebook ads and store-running discussions. By following Casual Ecommerce strategies properly, you can just fuel up your monthly sales and earn out of your thinking.

    Travis Marziani

    The reason why you should follow Travis Marziani as your eCommerce learning resource is its owner, Travis. Travis lost his full-time job in 2013 to run an eCommerce business and ended up generating $700,000. You can find the best profit plans, eCommerce trends, and strategies on his channel. Travis’s YouTube channel will help you get aware of the latest marketing trends and take advantage of them.

    Top 6 YouTube Channels to Learn Digital Marketing for Free
    The field of digital marketing is going to explode in the future. YouTube channels to learn digital marketing- Neil Patel, Ahrefs, Semrush, etc.
    StartupTalkyDev Gupta

    Learn Ecommerce Marketing From Educational Resources

    Educational Resources to Help You Learn Ecommerce Marketing
    Educational Resources to Help You Learn Ecommerce Marketing

    Hubspot Academy

    An established excellent source of learning eCommerce marketing is Hubspot academy. You can learn various skills on this platform including Facebook marketing, graphic design, content writing, SEO, etc. You also get certification after course completion.

    YouTube Creators Academy

    YouTube is one of the greatest platforms that help brands gain immense popularity, and that too, on a budget. It offers an amazing combination of Google’s search engine features and social media engagement. It is important for an eCommerce brand to market on YouTube to stand out in the market. Therefore, YouTube Creators Academy is another major source that will help you learn how you can market your eCommerce store and reach potential customers with YouTube.

    Google Academy for Ads

    Searching for some excellent resources to master the ad outputs of Google? Google Academy for Ads is the best place to master. You can grasp almost every single topic of Google Ads including display, shopping, search, advertisement exchange, DoubleClick, etc. It also provides specialized courses on online advertisement.

    Meta Blueprint (Facebook Blueprint)

    Ecommerce business remains incomplete and unprofitable without taking it to the heftier platform, Facebook. That’s why mastering Facebook to run your digital business is a must nowadays. Meta blueprint provides access to various free series of courses where you can learn and earn Facebook systems strategies and credentials.

    Coursera

    Coursera was founded by two computer science professors, Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller with a vision to provide an exclusive learning experience to learners all around the world. Now Coursera is getting extremely popular because of its resourceful and wide variety of courses that includes marketing, product promotion, SEO, email marketing, and many more. The cost of courses starts from $20 and reaches up to $100.

    Conclusion

    Hence, this was about the best resources to learn eCommerce marketing. Whether you love reading, listening, watching, or obtaining information step by step from educational resources, we brought you every option to choose from. So start grabbing information from any of these platforms and rock your sales of eCommerce business by implementing the strategies learned from the above-mentioned resources.

    FAQs

    What is eCommerce marketing?

    Ecommerce marketing simply means any marketing effort made for the promotion of an online store and generating more sales. It covers the aspect of customer acquisition as well as retention of existing customers.

    Which are the best educational resources to learn eCommerce marketing?

    The best educational resources to learn eCommerce marketing are:

    • Google Academy for Ads
    • Meta Blueprint (Facebook Blueprint)
    • YouTube Creators Academy
    • HubSpot Academy
    • Coursera

    How can I promote my eCommerce website?

    There are many ways in which you can promote your eCommerce website. These include:

    • Blogging
    • Podcast Advertising
    • Partnerships with Brands
    • Offer Deals and Discounts
    • Social Media Marketing
    • Create Interesting content

    Which Blogs are the best for learning eCommerce marketing?

    The following are some of the best blogs for learning eCommerce marketing:

    • The Shopify Blog
    • The BigCommerce Blog
    • Beeketing Blog
    • Jungle Scout Blog
    • A Better Lemonade Stand

  • Amazing Workplaces Certifies Digital MarkEthics for Work from Home Best Practices

    Amazing Workplaces declared that Digital MarkEthics, an end-to-end digital marketing agency offering enterprises tech-driven branding solutions has been certified as Amazing Workplaces® for Work from Home Best Practices for 2022-2023. The certification is based on the feedback received from the employees about their experience of working remotely with Digital MarkEthics assessed on the basis of an in-depth employee assessment survey conducted by Amazing Workplaces®.

    Ekta Capoor, Co-founder & Director, Amazing Workplaces®, a passionate proponent of workplace culture said,

    “The Amazing Workplaces®, Work from Home certification is granted to organizations that look at remote work culture from a long term perspective and are trying to create a thriving workplace culture remotely on the basis of the 9 pillar framework. I congratulate the Digital MarkEthics team for genuinely taking care of their people by providing a flexibile, transparent and psychologically safe work environment in a remote set-up.”

    Digital MarkEthics is an end-to-end digital marketing agency offering enterprises tech-driven branding solutions. Saurabh Ganguly, CEO & Founder – Digital MarkEthics said ,

    “We empower growth by optimizing the digital marketing funnel to drive sales. We believe that our employees are our biggest assets and we help them by providing the best working environment. We ensure that everyone gets their proper recognition and motivation to grow as a professional as well as a team player. Work-life balance is another important aspect of the work culture at DME. We work as a family, encourage each other to bring out the best within, and grow together.”

    Shreyasi Raghav, Co-founder & Director, Amazing Workplaces® stated that

    “It is easy for organizations to slip into a mode of distrusting employees and resorting to micro-managing their people in a remote set-up. Through the Amazing Workplaces® Work from Home assessment, we go deep into the employee satisfaction aspect to understand this sentiment. It’s not surprising for us to know that workplaces that are amazing like Digital MarkEthics have won the trust and commitment of their employees by taking steps towards trusting their employees first!”

    As more and more employees show reluctance to return to office and prefer to continue working from home, the debate about return to work is still on.

    In a bid to retain talent, avoid retention and woo new talent, many organizations like Airbnb, Meesho, Swiggy, Shopify, NoBroker, Magicpin, Spinny and Zerodha etc have given their employees an option to permanently work from home.

    In this scenario, it is important for organizations to build an employer brand that portrays that they don’t just adopt and encourage work from home but also go out of their way to ensure that their employees have a great experience while working remotely.

    Ekta also added:

    “The past 2 years brought in the trend of Working remotely which posed various problems for the employers as well as the employees.
    To understand this better we surveyed various organizations and employees. We not just got inputs from the leadership but also at the grass root levels to get a deeper understanding on the important aspects of remote work and problem areas of working remotely. On the basis of the data collected and analysis, the Amazing Workplaces® Work From Home Assessment & Certification was developed by a team of Sr. HR Experts.”

    The Amazing Workplaces®, Work from Home employee survey is especially meant for organizations which are currently continuing to work from home and are planning to make this a long-term practice in the future, or who follow a hybrid system and have a significant percentage of population who prefers to choose working from home.

    This survey is designed to get insights into the various aspects of working from home, to help organizations measure and improve employee satisfaction in a remote setup with regard to the 9 pillar framework that includes Hiring & Retention, Culture, Compensation & Benefits, Employee Engagement, Internal Communication, R&R, L&D, DEI and CSR which help form the foundation of Amazing Workplaces®.

    Specific questions about vital work from home environment issues which include compensation and benefits, leadership, engagement, communication, transparency, flexibility, psychological safety, mental & physical wellness, work life balance, diversity and inclusion to general feelings of purpose and fulfilment are covered in detail in this assessment.

  • 16 Chrome Extensions for Better Google Searching

    Google indeed gives you everything you need in just one tab. But many times, finding crucial and little information becomes very difficult. Plus, the results on its standard page are highly influenced by its products, services, and ads.

    In such case scenarios, the user looks for a solution to help them navigate their searches in the right direction. And for that, nothing works better than Chrome extensions.

    Today, we are talking about those Chrome extensions which are helpful for you to improve and filter out your searches. There are numerous Chrome extensions that help you get your search results better. In this article, you’ll find the list of the essential Chrome extensions you need for better Google Search. So, let’s get started!  

    What is a Chrome Extension?

    1. Multiple Tabs Search
    2. Web Search Navigator
    3. Google Search Filter
    4. ChatGPT for Google
    5. Bard For Google
    6. Infinite Scroll for Google
    7. Wikipedia Search
    8. SearchPreview
    9. Simple Search
    10. Search All
    11. Context Menu Search
    12. Google Similar Pages
    13. InvisibleHand
    14. View Image
    15. Google Scholar Button
    16. Search the Current Site

    The above graph shows the different categories of Google Chrome extensions in percentage
    The above graph shows the different categories of Google Chrome extensions in percentage

    Multiple Tabs Search - Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results
    Multiple Tabs Search – Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results

    If you are looking for a Chrome extension that helps you open multiple search tabs simultaneously, then Multiple Tabs Search is the perfect pick. This Chrome extension automatically allows users to open various accounts. All you have to do is, switch to the Multiple Tabs Search extension and enter all the words or phrases you want to search. Then, press search.

    Multiple Tabs Search is quite famous among users, with high ratings as well. They prefer it above all its competitors and highly recommend it to developers.

    Web Search Navigator

    Web Search Navigator - Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results
    Web Search Navigator – Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results

    Researching search engines through a mouse can become really time-taking and boring. That’s why you can easily navigate search results using just some keyboard shortcuts using the Web Search Navigator Chrome extension.

    You would be surprised how easy and quick navigating search results could be. The best part of Web Search Navigator is that it can run on many websites, including GitHub, Youtube, Brave Search, Google, Amazon, and Startpage.

    Using this tool is very simple. You can manage to open different web pages in the background or to a separate window, filtering search results by time, navigating any specific section, or going back-forth to the previous and next page, all by keyboard shortcuts using Web Search Navigator.

    Google Search Filter

    Google Search Filter - Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results
    Google Search Filter – Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results

    Many times while doing some research, Google’s standard page shows results according to that only. And to filter out the search results, what could be better than the Google Search Filter Chrome extension. It highlights your preferred pages and hides those you don’t need.

    Google Search Filter is a great Chrome extension tool that filters out your search results and saves a Google amount of time as well.

    ChatGPT for Google

    ChatGPT for Google - Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results
    ChatGPT for Google – Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results

    ChatGPT for Google is a great Chrome extension that brings the power of AI right into your Google search results. With features like markdown rendering, code highlights, and clipboard copy options, it makes it easy to communicate with ChatGPT and get quick, accurate responses to your queries. Whether you need definitions, explanations, or even complete paragraphs, this extension can help you save time and effort by providing natural language understanding and generation capabilities.

    By integrating Open AI with the Chrome browser, the extension enables you to browse and work while getting the information you need at the same time. It is an excellent Chrome extension for researchers, students, and anyone who wants to enhance their Google search.

    Bard For Google

    Bard For Google - Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results
    Bard For Google – Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results

    If you want to make your Google search far better, then the Bard For Google Chrome extension is just perfect for you. The extension integrates Bard AI with your browser and enables you to get conversational human-like responses that are easy to understand along with your Google search results, thereby enhancing your search and making it more efficient and productive.

    It supports multiple languages and also provides personalized responses based on user input and preferences. It is a great time-saving extension that allows you to find information faster and more efficiently.

    Infinite Scroll for Google

    Infinite Scroll for Google - Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results
    Infinite Scroll for Google – Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results

    During Google Search, we often waste a lot of time going through a maximum number of pages. But, this issue can quickly be resolved using Infinite Scroll for Google Chrome extension. It saves a lot of time during Google searches by increasing the loading time of the first search page.

    Infinite Scroll for Google goes through several search pages and does not show the next page until you reach the very bottom of the first page. It indeed makes Google search more convenient and better for users.

    Wikipedia Search - Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results
    Wikipedia Search – Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results

    While surfing Google searches, many of the results lead to Wikipedia pages. So, why not directly open the Wikipedia page right from the address bar by typing “wiki” along with the keyword you want to search for.

    However, the functioning of the Wikipedia Search Chrome extension isn’t limited to that only. You can look for terms inside Wikipedia and check out its brief descriptions. Plus, it has hundreds of languages so that you can pick out your preferred one.

    SearchPreview

    SearchPreview - Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results
    SearchPreview – Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results

    Another Chrome extension that makes Google search better is SearchPreview. This extension allows the user to take a quick glance at search pages before opening any site from the search result page. This saves the user a reasonable amount of time and helps get the research done quicker.

    Using SearchPreview is quite simple, which is why it is considered one of the most demanding and popular Chrome extensions for help in Google searches.

    Simple Search - Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results
    Simple Search – Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results

    While using any search engine, most of the page gets occupied by ads or sponsored links. This makes researching a little much and time-taking. To deal with this problem, Simple Search exists.

    The primary purpose of this Chrome extension is to remove all the distractions such as info boxes, ads, and sponsored links from the search page and show a simple and uncluttered list of results.

    Simple Search simplifies the search results and takes the users directly to the original website instead of directly to any promotional or sponsored site.

    Search All

    Search All - Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results
    Search All – Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results

    While doing any research, we only use one search engine. Although it works, to have more thorough research, you need to explore other search engines, such as Wikipedia, Bing, Amazon, YouTube, Twitter, and others, along with Google. And for this, Search All is the best Chrome extension.

    This Chrome extension allows users to easily switch between search engines and provide the best possible result by exploring different options such as shopping sites, image sites, video sites, image databases, movie sites, or anything you have in mind. Plus, it also offers various customization features that modify better results.

    Context Menu Search - Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results
    Context Menu Search – Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results

    We often search for any random phrase we read somewhere on a page, and then Context Menu Search comes in need. It is a Chrome extension that comes in-built into the Chrome context menu while searching on Google.

    Moreover, Context Menu Search works pretty well on other search engines also. All you have to do is highlight the phrase and click on this extension. This helps in saving a lot of time and makes the process easy for you.

    Google Similar Pages

    Google Similar Pages - Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results
    Google Similar Pages – Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results

    To find more similar pages on Google search results, the Google Similar Pages Chrome extension comes in need.

    Using this tool is quite easy; just click on its icon when you find the right site, and it will provide you with a list of similar Google pages.

    InvisibleHand

    InvisibleHand - Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results
    InvisibleHand – Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results

    InvisibleHand is a Chrome extension that automatically runs in the background of your searches. And based on your searches, if InvisibleHand finds something at a better price deal on any other website, it shows it directly to you.

    Plus, InvisibleHand will inform you about the different relevant coupons from the sites you visited during your searches or notify you about any price alert you set up on your desired product. This saves the time of manual research on the web and lets you know where to find the best deal on your selected product or services online.

    View Image

    View Image - Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results
    View Image – Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results

    The next Chrome extension on this list is View Image. With the new update feature of Google, it has removed the option of “view image” from its search results. And this has made things challenging for many people.

    To solve this problem, the View Image Chrome extension was introduced that allowed users to reinsert the view image option on Google search results.

    Google Scholar Button

    Google Scholar Button - Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results
    Google Scholar Button – Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results

    Google Scholar Button is a great Chrome extension for students depending upon Google searches for all their work. This extension allows the users to search by using the full text of any article.

    All you have to do is highlight the article’s name. After that, Google Scholar Button will do its work and find out where that article is available online that you can download.

    You can use its app version for better features, allowing users to generate citations in any format.

    Search the Current Site

    Search The Current Site - Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results
    Search The Current Site – Best Chrome Extensions to Improve Google Search Results

    Search the Current Site is considered one of the most crucial Chrome extensions whose work is to search through every site on the search result page using the keyword you provide and presenting the required information you need.

    This works great for those who prefer using the “site:” operator while running single-site searches on Google search engines.

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    Conclusion

    Being one of the tech giants, Google has an enormous customer base. Google search results have made our life very easy, but that cannot be a criterion for undermining its flaws.

    Using Chrome extensions, you actually get the option of improving your search results and making them quicker. It helps in getting done with things in just a few clicks. The article contains a list of the essential tools to add up as an extension in Google Chrome.

    FAQs

    What is the best browsing extension?

    Some of the best browsing extensions are uBlock Origin, Internet Download Manager (IDM), Malwarebytes Browser Extension, etc.

    What are Google Plugins?

    Plugins are also referred to as add-on extensions. Google plugins are the shortcut of add-on extensions that are displayed under the Google Chrome plugin page.

    How many extensions does Google have?

    Roughly, Google has 176,608 to 188,620 extensions.

    What are some good extensions for Google Chrome for students?

    Some of the useful extensions for students on Google Chrome are Scribe (a knowledge-sharing tool), Kami (a PDF and document annotation tool), Reverso (real-time translation tool), etc.

  • What Is Edge Computing? | How Can It Enhance the Customer Experience?

    The world is becoming more digital, and your customers are starting to expect a personalized experience with you.

    Customers love to chat with companies over the phone, but they also expect to get instant answers and personalized interactions with their favourite brands. That’s why they look for ways to engage with your company in new ways.

    The first thing mobile customers want is simple access to information while sitting on a couch or relaxing at home — even for those with limited data plans. Edge computing will help you solve this problem by delivering advanced services right where your customers already spend their time — whether it’s on their laptop, tablet, or smartphone, Let’s get started.

    What is Edge Computing
    Features of Edge Computing
    The Key to Delivering a Delightful Customer Experience
    Three Ways Edge Computing Can Impact Customer Experience
    Why Is Edge Computing Crucial for CX??

    What is Edge Computing

    Simplified Process of Edge Computing
    Simplified Process of Edge Computing

    Edge computing is the technological advancement that enables customers to interact with your website and products without going through the internet. Now, that’s a big deal when you think about it!

    Edge devices such as smart speakers and smartphones can significantly impact how your customers interact with you, resulting in more personalized experiences. Let’s experience some features of Edge Computing.

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    Features of Edge Computing

    Edge can reduce bandwidth bottlenecks and improve response times. When you’re a small business, you don’t have the resources or workforce to handle everything independently. That’s where edge computing comes in.

    Edge computing uses the internet from the edge of your network—anywhere within your local area network (LAN). This means that instead of sending data through your central infrastructure, you can use it directly without going through the rest of the network.

    This can help reduce bandwidth bottlenecks and improve response times. It’s also easier to deploy because it doesn’t require much extra hardware or software.

    Edge computing helps protect against data loss.

    As you know, the internet is a scary place. It’s full of viruses, malware, and attacks from hackers looking to steal your information or cause you harm. We want you to use edge computing for all your online security needs!

    Edge computing is one way to protect your data from getting into the wrong hands by keeping it on your local device instead of on the cloud. With edge computing, you can keep your personal information safe and secure with no worries about someone else snooping around in your data—significant concerning sensitive information like health records or financial records.

    Edge can help you achieve compliance and reduce costs.

    Edge computing can help you achieve compliance, increase security and reduce costs. You can use data to improve your compliance with regulations. This helps you get rid of the risk of fines and penalties.

    By using edge computing instead of traditional servers or cloud storage services like Amazon Web Services (AWS), you can save money while also increasing efficiency and productivity since fewer resources are required for processing tasks at once rather than having multiple servers working together all at once just like how companies would do before with their servers within their networks which require more overhead costs for maintenance,  etc.

    Edge computing aids in improving customer experience management.

    Regarding customer experience management, edge computing is one of the most important trends. Edge computing refers to a new wave of technology that allows companies to run their business processes at the network’s edge.

    This means that instead of having all their data and processing power in one centralized location, companies can now run their own high-speed processing power in their needed neighbourhoods.

    Helps in a real-time conversation between different parties

    This has enormous implications for customer experience management because it allows companies to serve customers better and faster. For example, suppose you have a team responsible for customer support.

    In that case, you might be able to give them more information about your customers so that they can provide better service—and do it faster than ever before!

    And not only does this make life easier for your customer support team (or whoever needs access), but it also makes life easier for everyone else who works at your company: no more waiting for information from headquarters or another office before responding. Edge computing is already transforming how we live our lives in ways that are hard to imagine–but it’s just getting started!

    The Key to Delivering a Delightful Customer Experience

    Benefits of Edge Computing
    Benefits of Edge Computing

    Understanding how edge computing works is the key to delivering a delightful customer experience. For example, let’s say you’re a jewellery store and you want to send a customer an email offering them a discount on their next purchase.

    You could try sending them an email when they check out—but that would mean the customer has to wait until they’ve checked out before getting their discount. Or maybe they won’t see the email at all!

    With edge computing, however, you can send the email immediately after checking out (and even before leaving the store). This will ensure that your customer gets their discount as soon as possible. And because it’s happening in real time, no one has to wait for anything—they get what they need fast!

    Three Ways Edge Computing Can Impact Customer Experience

    1. It will allow you to analyze the data from your customers’ real-time interactions with your products or services. This means you can use that information to improve your products and services and give your customers more personalized experiences.
    2. It will allow you to simultaneously collect and analyze data from different devices—including mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PCs, and even wearables! You can use this information to identify trends among your users to tailor their experiences as closely as possible.
    3. Edge computing will allow for better security because it gives businesses access to all information about their users’ online activities without storing it on their servers. This means that even if someone hacks into one company’s servers or data centre (which often happens), they won’t have access to any private information about that company’s customers—which is good news for everyone involved!

    Why Is Edge Computing Crucial for CX?

    Advantages of Edge Computing
    Advantages of Edge Computing

    When it comes to customer experience, you want to ensure your customers are having a good time. And when it comes to making them have a good time, there’s no better tool than the Internet of Things (IoT).

    But there’s a problem: the IoT is slow and unreliable. It takes up too much energy, and it’s not able to process transactions quickly enough. And since there are so many IoT devices in our homes and bodies, we need better ways for them to communicate with each other.

    That’s where edge computing comes in. Edge computing is where all the processing happens—where machines handle things like machine learning algorithms that can help us understand what our customers are doing online or shopping for with us—and where all these communications between devices happen simultaneously as they’re happening in real-time. It’s an exciting new frontier in tech that will allow us to make our products more valuable and relevant!

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    Conclusion

    The edge computing revolution is in its early stages, with many practical constraints and obstacles to overcome before its potential can be fully realized. But it’s worth keeping tabs on this technology and how it’s likely to affect the e-commerce world. We hope that the points we’ve made here will help you to keep up with ongoing developments and lead you to success in a dynamic marketplace.

    So, in conclusion, Edge computing is undoubtedly an exciting new technology that probably won’t impact your company for a couple of years—but the tech world is so rapidly changing these days that companies are advised to keep their eyes peeled and their ears to the ground.

    FAQs

    What is edge computing?

    Edge computing is the technological advancement that enables customers to interact with your website and products without going through the internet.

    What are the features of edge computing?

    Edge computing uses the internet from the edge of your network—anywhere within your local area network (LAN).

    What is the main purpose of edge computing?

    Edge computing has more than one purpose. But the main purpose remains one only. The main purpose of Edge computing is to reduce long-haul data transfers.

  • 5G Launch in India and Its Impact on the Internet of Things

    With the expansion of the urban ecosystem since the beginning of the 21st century, there is a tremendous technological shift that drives the country forward. India is all set to put its digital revolution game on a higher pedestal through the launch of 5G services in the country. Heralding the dawn of instant connectivity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 5G services in India on 1st October 2022 in New Delhi at the 6th edition of the India Mobile Congress.

    With the rollout of these services, it is expected to benefit more than 98% of internet users. All the telecom giants, including Reliance Chairman, Mukesh Ambani, Aditya Birla Group Chief, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Bharti Enterprises Chairman, Sunil Bharti Mittal, and others, look forward to this development with a lot of hope and optimism. The fifth-generation wireless technology will provide connectivity with higher speed and lower latency, with a capacity greater than that of 4G LTE. 5G will give huge leverage to IoT, AI, AR/VR, and private LTE, all of which will inadvertently support industry 4.0. As a result, IoT service provider will be able to offer users a more seamless experience.

    This article will discuss the impact of 5G on the Internet of Things.

    Internet of Things (IoT)
    IoT After 5G
    Things to Look Out for at the Advent Seamless Experiences

    Which Companies Will Provide 5G Technology in India?

    Internet of Things (IoT)

    According to Ganti and Lei, the basic concept of IoT is to “enable objects of all kinds to have sensing, actuating, and communication capabilities, so that locally intrinsic or extrinsic data can be collected, processed, transmitted, concentrated, and analyzed for either cyber-physical goals at the collection point (or perhaps along the way), or for process/environment/systems analytics (of a predictive or historical nature) at a processing center, often “in the cloud”. These objects range from those that can be employed in infrastructure, critical-infrastructure support, healthcare, education, households etc.

    As per reports, the number of IoT connections will triple to reach 25 billion and the global IoT revenue will soar to reach $1.1 trillion by 2025. As far as India is concerned and its goal of being a $5 trillion economy by 2025, investing more in the expansion of IoT and 5G will be a wise decision. According to McKinsey, the effective rollout of 5G technology alongside IoT in mobility, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail can increase the global GDP by $1.2 to $2 trillion by the end of 2030, which can have an impact of $1 trillion on India by the year 2035.

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    IoT After 5G

    Size of 5G Infrastructure Market Worldwide (2020-2030)
    Size of 5G Infrastructure Market Worldwide (2020-2030)

    As per the projections by the International Data Corporation (IDC), there will be 41.6 billion IoT devices by 2025. In fact, this surge in numbers is also a clarion call for launching 5G services in India as it will demand wireless connections with more reliability, ultra-low latency, high network capacity, and improved availability. 5G will ensure stable connections for the hassle-free functioning of IoT. The latency will be reduced to as low as 1 millisecond, which is 10 times less than 4G. The network hyper densification laid out by 5G networks is going to be commendable, which will result in a traffic-free digital space. With an efficient processing system in place, 5G will ensure optimised network energy consumption.

    The transmission of data through sensors will become more and more efficient. One problem that happens when multiple devices are connected is the menace of erratic connection. 5G can largely solve this problem by bringing together its nuances.

    5G is also going to bring a sea change to the domain of heavy machinery. With the help of advanced data transmission and precise technology, IoT can be employed to operate heavy machinery to better employee safety and protection, especially in hazardous environments. It will also enable better control over those machineries that have to be operated remotely.

    The IoT is also expected to revolutionise the medical industry with the advent of 5G. Through thorough exploitation of technology, telesurgery and remote surgery will become a daily affair. With a speed that could peak at 10 Gbps, it can totally bring about revolutionary changes in the ways in which IoT is managed. It can also penetrate into the diagnostic systems so as to facilitate faster diagnosis and reports with fewer errors.

    At a time when automatic and autonomous cars are on their test runs, the rollout of 5G will have a catalytic effect. The benefit of low latency and high connectivity has far-reaching implications beyond GPS and driving alone. It can reduce accidents and the risks of accidents to a great extent. The unique sensing and connecting facilities can be employed to detect and avert any potential roadblocks. The inadvertent effect that it has on overall traffic goes without mentioning.

    As far as the domestic space is concerned, the confluence of 5G and the Internet of Things will change the way in which a regular household functions. They can be effectively employed to do cleaning and cooking. Floor cleaners and home robots have already become regular purchases in upper-middle-class houses. 5G integration will make them smarter and thus more reliable. Automated gates, cameras, and other security systems will enhance the pursuit of safety within the home to a great extent.

    Things to Look Out for at the Advent Seamless Experiences

    5G is going to be all about immersive experiences rather than just speed and smoothness. It comes with its own threats and vulnerabilities, which need to be simultaneously taken care of while the benefits are enjoyed. With so many integrations going on at the same time, the threat of data leakage is prominent. It is important to know who has access to your data and how it is used. When it comes to the medical industry, this data usage and storage issue has become a more pressing issue.

    The need of the hour is to develop policies that will equip the telecommunication industry and its customers to use 5G technology and IoT in a safe manner. The developments that are stemming only from the technological domain can have far-reaching consequences on the users. The recent discussions on the data protection bill are an excellent attempt in this regard. Through a holistic advancement of technology and awareness, the Indian community can harness the most out of 5G and IoT in all walks of life.

    Conclusion

    The launch of the 5G network is all set to bring a revolution as it will offer ten times faster speed than the current networks. The increased speed will allow the IoT to share and communicate data faster, helping different industries work more efficiently. Thus, the 5G launch in India is going to be a great contributor to the overall success of the economy.

    To get more details on IoT and to know how your business can use it, reach out to CBNITS at business@cbnits.com.

    FAQs

    Is 5G launched in India?

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 5G services in India on 1st October 2022 in New Delhi at the 6th edition of the India Mobile Congress.

    How can a faster network like 5G impact the global GDP?

    According to McKinsey, the effective rollout of 5G technology alongside IoT in mobility, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail can increase the global GDP by $1.2 to $2 trillion by the end of 2030, which can have an impact of $1 trillion on India by the year 2035.

    Where will 5G launch in India?

    At first, the 5G network will be launched in 13 cities in India. These include Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Gurugram, Chandigarh, Gandhinagar, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Jamnagar, Chennai, and Kolkata.

  • What is User-Generated Content? | How to Promote Your Brand Using UGC?

    What is the best method of marketing? Probably, when your customers talk and rave about your product. When they sell your product by recommending it on your behalf. Right? I am talking about word of mouth.

    Word of mouth is when your customers love the product/ service so much that they give references and tell people about you. Word of mouth is powerful and can impact your business revenue and brand image.

    User-generated content is today’s social media era’s word of mouth. People share their positive or negative experiences on the internet with their friends and family. But the scope of UGC is beyond social media. So, Let us first understand what exactly is user-generated content.

    What is UGC (User-Generated Content)?
    Why Do Companies Love UGC?
    How to Leverage UGC?

    Tips for Managing UGC

    How to Become a User-Generated Content Creator?

    What is UGC (User-Generated Content)?

    User-generated content (UGC) is the content produced by the end user of the product.

    For instance, if a person buys a phone and posts its review on YouTube, that is UGC. Similarly, if you post a picture of that cute cafe you visited last week on Instagram, that is UGC. In a way, you are marketing those products. You let your circle know about a particular product you liked or disliked.

    UGC is not restricted to Instagram posts, YouTube videos, or visual images/ videos. It includes:

    1. Images
    2. Videos
    3. Social media posts
    4. Testimonials
    5. Product reviews
    6. Blog posts
    7. YouTube content
    8. Live stream

    So, whenever your customer talks about your product on the internet, it becomes user-generated content. Apart from customers, posts by brand loyalists and employees are also part of UGC.

    For instance, your employees could post about the production behind the scenes. Similarly, the brand loyalist could show the product in use.

    But what makes UGC so crucial for a brand? No doubt, it saves money and time for you but is that it? Let us look at some benefits of UGC.

    Why Do Companies Love UGC?

    Forecast for the Global User-Generated Content Platform Market
    Forecast for the Global User-Generated Content Platform Market

    How many times have you ordered something that you saw on someone else’s table because it looked delicious?

    This is how UGC works. People post about your business and create awareness with authenticity. Let us see some benefits of UGC:

    1. UGC gives a better understanding of the target audience. Since UGC comes directly without any filters from the end user, you get their honest feedback and review. It is not necessary to just look at the testimonials. For instance, people tweet about their grievances on social media.
    2. UGC improves site engagement. When users post about your product, people search for it. As a result, site traffic and engagement get a boost. Also, this increases the conversations about and with your brand on a larger scale. This allows brands to connect with their audience and build credibility.
    3. UGC is hard to copy or plagiarise, this gives you a competitive advantage. You build your content library which is authentic and builds authority in the market.
    4. UGC enables brands to build brand loyalty and grow communities simultaneously. You get to connect and communicate with your audience. Also, you do not pay your users to generate content and boost brand promotion. In a way, it becomes more cost-effective than influencer marketing.
    5. UGC covers the top and bottom of the funnel content. It creates brand awareness and provides different use cases for your business. This adds to the social proof and enhances conversions.

    Even though UGC takes away the control and moderation of the media, if your company can leverage it correctly, the benefits are immense. But is there some way to leverage UGC? Well, there is no correct way or playbook but here are 5 ways to extract maximum value out of UGC.

    How to Leverage UGC?

    Often when we as brands create content for the audience, it has gaps such as technical or product-centric content. However, UGC is not only simple but focuses on the product more naturally and authentically. Those brand reviews, press releases, and recommendation articles boost brand awareness and build trust. But, how do we ensure to extract the maximum value? Let us look at 5 ways you can leverage UGC.

    Get Reviews

    Try and get customer feedback at different stages and platforms. Reviews are a great way to gain insights into customer’s pain points and product deal-breaking features.

    What are the features that make the customer switch? What are the features that customers love? Which features are difficult to use?

    You could use these as product development feedback, and push the positive reviews as use cases for better conversions. You could highlight the reviews by popular/ notable entities on your website, landing pages, and in your email sequences.

    Hashtag Contests

    Coca-Cola #ShareaCoke Hashtag Campaign
    Coca-Cola #ShareaCoke Hashtag Campaign

    Run hashtag contests on social media. Pick brand-specific hashtags which are short and catchy. Ask people to post about your product with the hashtag in exchange for gifts, discounts, coupons, or any other incentive. This incentive is crucial to motivate people but should cost you a bit. Alternatively, you could opt for dedicated hashtag campaigns where people post your new product and help in brand awareness.

    For instance, Coca-Cola had a hashtag campaign #ShareACoke to promote its personalized coke labels for gifting options. It collaborated with the actors to reach the masses. Result? Even after the campaign ended, people post and order personalized cans boosting the company’s revenue and customer engagement.

    You might have to motivate the audience with monetary or non-monetary incentives. However, the mass reach, customer engagement, and increased conversions cover the costs faster than ever. Plus, it has a long-lasting effect on people as hashtags don’t die, and you can reuse the strategy/ hashtag multiple times.

    Video Testimonial

    Sugar Cosmetics Video Testimonial Example

    Not every customer can give a video testimonial. However, your brand loyalist and employees would help you cover the gap. Also, in the present-day era of Instagram reels, getting video testimonials is easier. It doesn’t take time and gets done with a few clicks.

    A video testimonial could include product use cases. What problems did the product solve for them? Are product adoption and usage easy? What are the plus points of the product? Why did they choose your product over others in the market? What are their favourite features? You could even try to cover the FAQs or brand queries within the testimonial.

    These testimonials can be added to the website, brand decks, high-value website pages, and email sequences. They are way more credible than any written review. Also, for YouTube video reviews, you could share a portion/ clip of the video. In the case of reels, you could repost them on your stories. Also, in case of poor feedback, you could interact with the post and try to resolve the issue.

    Social Media Shares

    Social media platforms have made extracting UGC easier. People post about the product they love/ hate on social media channels like Twitter and Instagram.

    People post stories, post reels, and put dedicated/ integrated posts, and tweets about your product. These could be general feedback, product recommendation, how-to guide, or generic update.

    You can leverage these by resharing the posts and building credibility. Also, these social media posts bring a lot of traffic and an engaging audience.

    Showcase Customers as Experts

    This tactic is very useful for B2B brands, where your customers create content about your product as a niche expert. It works great for almost all the industries, such as food, electronics, retail, and SaaS.

    Your customer talks about your product as the niche expert. They could mention your product as a recommendation. It is somewhat similar to influencer marketing, except that it can go beyond social media.

    For instance, often, book publishers reach out to professors and give them their books complimentary. This is to reach a larger audience through a credible and authentic source. In the case of B2B companies, your customer could write a review, a product blog, or create a YouTube video to include your product.

    In all these ways, not only do you reach an engaging audience with credibility and authenticity but get an in-depth review from your customers. You could understand what features are most crucial and which ones need modifications. It also assists in mapping customer journeys in a way.

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    Tips for Managing UGC

    UGC will not generate the best results by sitting on your or customers’ feed. You have to take a step further and leverage it efficiently. So, here are 5 tips to manage UGC to extract maximum value and boost conversions.

    1. You should acknowledge and encourage people to talk and post about your product. This could be through a dedicated hashtag, some incentive, or personal product giveaways.
    2. You should request permission before using or sharing the post with the customer. This ensures transparency and a good relationship with them. Also, with this, you could use the content in multiple ways, like website/ email sequences easily. Additionally, it shows the brands’ professionalism.
    3. You should always source back the credit to the original creator. Do not just use the content without mentioning the source. By giving credit, you invite more people to post about your product and enhance brand loyalty.
    4. You should try to reward people for sharing your content. This could be a discount or some offer to motivate customers to post about your brand. It could be as simple as using a hashtag on Twitter to avail yourself of 10-15% discounts.
    5. You should try to find shareable content that can be repurposed in multiple ways. You don’t want a review that lies on your website. You should look for blogs covering your business and other content which could give you SEO benefits, generate traffic and boost conversions.

    These tips will help you to manage the UGC efficiently. You can repurpose them and reach the masses as you build credibility and authority simultaneously.

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    Conclusion

    UGC can assist a lot in scaling when you have a moderate user base and some brand loyalists to talk about your product. You reach more people as a trusted brand. Also, you get insights into the customer product journey, which helps you understand road blockers and map vital product features. So, if you are in the market for some time serving satisfied customers, and wish to scale, look for UGC.

    FAQs

    What is User-Generated Content?

    User-generated content (UGC) is the content produced by the end user of the product.

    What does Word of mouth mean?

    Word of mouth is when your customers love the product/ service so much that they give references and tell people about the product.

    What does UGC generally include?

    Images, Videos, Social media posts, Testimonials, Product Reviews, Blog posts, etc.

  • What Is Tattoo Advertising? | How Do Companies Buy Space on the Body to Advertise?

    The concept is known as Human Billboard Advertising. It includes having advertisements tattooed on the body, wearing advertisements as clothing, or even holding or wearing an advertisement sign. The people who engage in these activities are known as ‘Human Directionals.’

    History of Body Tattoos as Advertisements
    Companies That Have Used Tattoo-Vertising
    Tattoo Advertising and Its Importance for Companies and Brands
    Perks of Tattoo Advertising

    Different Types of Advertising to Use for Marketing 

    History of Body Tattoos as Advertisements

    Global Advertising Spending from 2014 to 2022
    Global Advertising Spending from 2014 to 2022

    The idea first emerged with the magazine ‘Vibe’, which first predicted the use of tattoo advertising by brands in 1999. Early 2001 saw the cheerleaders of Lincoln Lightening’s High Voltage Dance Team wearing temporary tattoos on their bare midriffs advertising local companies. September 2001 saw boxer Bernard Hopkins being paid USD 100,000 by a prominent online casino to wear a temporary tattoo on his back during his championship fight with Felix Trinidad. He was the first athlete to wear a tattoo advertisement during a professional sports event. Six months later, the participants of the show, Celebrity Boxing, were sporting similar tattoo advertisements from the same company.

    The tremendous success that this advertising move generated for the online casino encouraged them to engage in more advertising tattoos in 2003 at the US Open, French Open, and UEFA Cup Final. Andrew Fischer auctioned his forehead space for advertising on eBay in 2005. It drew a final bid of USD 37,375 for thirty days. It was the time when tattoo advertising gained popularity, with big brands and companies using these services. It has earned the name of ‘tattoo-vertising’.

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    Companies That Have Used Tattoo-Vertising

    Toyota Tattoo Advertising for Scion tC
    Toyota Tattoo Advertising for Scion tC

    Toyota is a prime example of tattoo advertising. They hired 40 people to wear temporary tattoos on their foreheads which showed the brand name, car model, and asking price. They were paid USD 11 per hour to wear those tattoos. It was to promote their new car, the Scion tC. This non-traditional form of advertising was used to target customers between the age group of 30 and 40.

    United Kingdom cities of Leeds, London, Glasgow and Cardiff used Forehead tattoo advertising to promote a European television channel.

    The airline company, Air New Zealand hired a woman to display a temporary tattoo advertisement. After this, there were 30 people who joined this campaign, earning various gifts from the company.

    Tattoo Advertising and Its Importance for Companies and Brands

    The world of advertising is continuously evolving and that evolution has happened by leaps and bounds with the advent of the internet. Brands and businesses evolved their marketing strategies to suit the changing world of advertisement. There are many marketing avenues available to companies – television, radio, internet ads, social media, SMS messaging, email campaigns and many others.

    The newest evolution in the world of advertisements is Tattoo branding. Tattoos were once seen as a silent cry of rebellion. However, over time their status has grown more mainstream which has resulted in advertisers using them to market their products and services. Marketers and companies are increasingly leveraging the power of tattoo advertising to establish an emotional connect with their audience and turn them into loyal customers.

    The iconic cultural status of the tattoo is now exploited by marketers to deliver a specific message relating to their brand. Companies like Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Co., and Volvo have used tattoos for advertising and promotion. In fact, Dunlop, which is Goodyear’s tyre unit, had offered a free set of tyres to people tattooing their flying-D logo on their bodies. They got approximately 100 people who took up the offer. Volvo created a unique fictional character whose tattoos revealed an undersea location co-ordinates that had USD 50,000 in gold coins and the keys to a new car. This was an attempt to get people to view the brand differently.

    The popular marketing gimmick has also been utilized by wine sellers like Yellow Tail Brand which sent out 600,000 temporary tattoos with an issue of the New Yorker magazine. Billington Wines, the wine importer named its USD 10 bottle, Big Tattoo Wines.

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    Perks of Tattoo Advertising

    This particular medium of advertising has witnessed tremendous growth, as it offers a few benefits and perks to companies and people alike.

    • Perks for Companies

    For various companies and brands, tattoo advertising is more cost-effective than other media like television or print. They offer cash and various other prizes to people, who wish to tattoo their brand name on their bodies.

    • Perks for People

    There are a few professionals who actually make a living by tattooing logos and slogans of different brands. It is a way to earn money, as companies are willing to pay for it. Sometimes, people also get perks like travelling vouchers or the use of some high-end facility for specific services.

    Conclusion

    Tattoo advertising is a relatively new and emerging concept within the advertising industry. Tattooing has emerged from the shadows to occupy a space within the corporate industry. As an advertising medium, it is here to stay.

    FAQs

    What is tattoo advertising?

    Tattoo advertising is a type of advertising in which a brand pays a person to get a permanent or temporary tattoo to promote its products or services.

    Which companies have used tattoo advertising?

    The companies that have used tattoo advertising are:

    • Toyota
    • Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Co.
    • Volvo
    • Billington Wines
    • Yellow Tail

    How did Toyota use tattoo advertising?

    In 2004, Toyota hired 40 people to wear temporary tattoos on their foreheads that showed the brand name, car model, and asking price. It was to promote their new car, the Scion tC.

  • Best Part-Time Jobs for College Students

    A college education gives you the tools you need to succeed professionally. You can practice this knowledge and tools even before you graduate by starting a part-time job. In addition to the economic benefits, you’ll get from it, it also allows you to put your skills into practice and learn new ones that will help you greatly in your professional and personal future.

    You will have glorious moments in this new experience and moments that will make you mature to learn from the mistakes you will inevitably make. The key is to learn from those mistakes and not repeat them.

    Babysitting

    Babysitting is the perfect opportunity to earn money as a college student. You can dedicate part of your time to babysitting, either at night, picking them up from school, or taking care of them while their parents are traveling. There will always be someone looking for this service; therefore, it is a profitable niche in good demand.

    Of course, this job represents a great responsibility, so you must have enough confidence in yourself and take classes to carry it out.

    What you can charge varies depending on your experience, the city you live in, the child’s age, and how many there would be. Be well informed before doing so, as services may include cooking or other more elaborate activities.

    Tutor

    If you’re good at a particular subject, whether math, chemistry, or something else, you can use your knowledge to teach those who are struggling and earn money in the process.

    It is a great option to earn money by teaching those who need reinforcement in their subjects. You can also provide tutoring for college students or work with a team of essay writers and write essays for sale. You will find students interested in your tutoring at the same university, and you can also help with social networks to attract more attention.

    Teaching languages virtually

    Now that teaching is almost entirely done virtually. This represents an opportunity for you to teach courses virtually. Pay attention because this is one of the good business ideas for university students in our time.

    Language courses are in high demand, as they are indispensable for today’s professionals. If you are studying for a university degree related to Languages, Education, or similar, this type of business is ideal.

    Social Media Management

    The rise of social networks has allowed new opportunities to start a business. The Community Manager and Social Media Manager figure becomes more critical in an increasingly digital world.

    You can venture into digital marketing if you are studying a career related to Social Communication, Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations, Administration, or Graphic Design.

    It is a dynamic activity that requires continuous learning to take advantage of online platforms and maintain effective communication between the public and the brand. As in any other economic activity, you are identifying a niche is essential for your efforts to be profitable.

    It is also essential to delimit your market because, in that way, you will gain more experience in a given sector, and your solutions will be accurate. For that reason, you should specialize in areas such as health, finance, commerce, recreation, tourism, arts, education, online learning tools, or any other required in the market.

    E-commerce

    If you desire to undertake this as a student, you should consider electronic platforms as one of the best options. It is a business idea already known and taken advantage of by many people. However, it is still profitable and, like the previous options, it does not require a significant investment.

    You could even start by providing some service, and when you have appropriate capital, you can invest it in purchasing and selling products that the market needs. Do some online market research to identify the market needs and look for suppliers that may be ideal for you.

    You can start selling from a Facebook page, a catalog on WhatsApp, or even an online store, when you can afford that investment. The idea is that you start investing very little and grow continuously.

  • 7 Best Pop-Up Examples and How You Can Use Them?

    If you’re running a website, there’s a good possibility that you’re using pop-ups. And if not – well, you should be. Pop-ups are one of the most versatile tools that help accelerate the conversion rate on your website. Further, they can be completely customized and help showcase your brand. However, it is challenging to create outstanding pop-ups that grab people’s attention. And so, in this post, we’ve furnished the best pop-up examples of big brands’ websites. We’ve also provided some tips that will help you design pop-ups and come up with fantastic results. Let’s get to it!

    What are Pop-Ups on Websites?
    Best Pop-Up Examples and How to Use Them?

    What are Pop-Ups on Websites?

    Formulated using Javascript, pop-ups are graphical overlays that are displayed to your website’s viewers. They are created by adding a short line of Javascript code or any other type of code. In simple words, pop-ups are small windows that “pop up” on a website. Website owners employ these to gather email addresses. However, they can also be employed to:

    • Generate leads
    • Promote new products
    • Recover abandoned carts
    • Suggest assets
    • Improve demo sign-ups
    • Segment email list
    • Recommend related products
    • Ask users to submit questions

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    Best Pop-Up Examples and How to Use Them?

    Though pop-ups can get a little annoying sometimes, they’re incredibly useful. If you know how to execute them correctly, you can capture the user’s attention instantly. Well-used, relevant popups bestow value to your website viewers. The following are some of the best pop-up examples that you can try on your website:

    Giveaway Pop-ups

    Giveaway Pop-upGiveaway Pop-up Example
    Giveaway Pop-up Example

    One of the most effective popup displays is the on-site giveaway pop-ups. When executed correctly, it can help you acquire email subscribers who are inquisitive about your business or brand. If you don’t want to provide your consumers with discounts on every sign-up, giveaway pop-ups are your ideal capture tool. However, to avoid appealing to freebie-seekers, offer a relevant prize with your pop-up. Let’s say one of your top-selling products or store credit.

    Take care of a few primary elements in this pop-up:

    • A benefit-driven headline: Create a benefit-driven headline that emphasizes your chance to win a bestseller.
    • A product or store credit image to make the prize attractive to the eye.
    • One input field to enhance the chances of more sign-ups.
    • Precise instructions on how to join the giveaway.
    • A countdown timer to state when the competition ends and drive urgency. This allows your consumers to know that they need to sign up before they run out of time.

    Lead Magnet Pop-ups

    Lead Magnet Pop-up Example
    Lead Magnet Pop-up Example

    Oftentimes, brand owners are under the impression that content marketing is irrelevant and time-consuming. On the contrary, it is not. Lead magnet pop-ups make content marketing incredibly easy and efficient. Besides, they are one of the most extensively used pop-ups in the SaaS industry. However, to create these pop-ups, you don’t need to start a YouTube channel or a blog/website. Rather, put together your expertise in a docs file. You can also collaborate with an expert. Next up, use a free, useful resource as a lead magnet and display them on related product pages.

    Discount Pop-ups

    Discount Pop-up Example
    Discount Pop-up Example

    When running a business, discounting can be dangerous. Provide it too much and your consumers will expect it every time. But don’t use an inducement and your sign-ups will go for a toss. Many E-commerce business owners choose to offer an immediate discount code upon signing up. However, that’s not the only way out. If you can’t afford to offer too many discounts or don’t want to discount your products, compile emails with the guarantee of something more unique. For instance, you’re planning to run a summer sale by the end of the month or a winter sale in three months. By using this exclusive sale offer, you can influence your visitors with early access to the sale – or an additional discount.

    The Animated Pop-ups

    Have you ever noticed your eyes naturally being drawn towards movement? The human brain is designed to entertain movement. So, why not implement this science and create an animated pop-up to attract more visitors? Animated pop-ups are either optical or sound cues. If you cannot incorporate animated elements on a pop-up, animate the entire module. Create a fly-in pop-up that’s triggered by a certain event and you’ll achieve insanely valuable results thereafter.

    The Countdown Timer Pop-ups

    Countdown Timer Pop-Up Example
    Countdown Timer Pop-Up Example

    A predominant psychological hack – the “going, going, gone” mentality can be extremely influential. Marketers make use of scarcity to promote products. Scarcity refers to attracting consumers by hinting that the product they’re looking for is available in limited quantities – for a limited amount of time. When a person thinks “What I want right now may not be available tomorrow”, they’re more likely to place the order. Swiss Watch, using the countdown timer pop-up is an effective lead-generation tool.

    The Value-driven Pop-ups

    People always look for value in the product/brand. If your pop-ups do not highlight your brand’s value, you’re sure to lose leads. This is where the value-driven pop-up comes in handy. Marketers should always include a USP (Unique Selling Proposition) to attract more buyers. Further, marketing strategies should be designed to emphasize the “whys” and address the question: What’s in it for the consumer? When creating value-driven pop-ups, clearly state the “why”.

    The Authority Pop-ups

    Another aspect of psychology is to make use of “authority”. When people are not sure of their decision, they seek information. Any brand or business that can offer guidance from authoritative figures, credentials or even an air of confidence can be considered an authority. You can create this pop-up on your website and furnish specialized knowledge to your consumers.

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    Conclusion

    Pop-ups are a great tool to grab viewers’ attention. When you produce it efficiently and use it alongside other professional website presentation elements, it bestows the appearance of a much more sophisticated business or product. However, make sure that your pop-ups are convincing – and not disturbing. Conduct usability testing to ensure your pop-ups aren’t frustrating. To be effective, you need a good offer and a strong copy. Together, they can furnish high-performing campaigns to generate leads and conversions.

    FAQs

    What are Pop-ups?

    Pop-ups are small boxes or windows that appear when you open a site.

    What are Pop-ups used for?

    Pop-ups are mostly used for online advertisement or promotion or lead generation.

    What are the types of Pop-ups?

    Giveaway Pop-ups, Lead Magnet Pop-ups, Discount Pop-ups, Animated Pop-ups, etc.