Click Fraud Is a Plague on Online Advertising

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Online Advertising|Click Fraud Is a Plague on Online AdvertisingAs more businesses go online and compete for the same customers, PPC ads seem like the best way to capture users and direct them to their websites. This is because when users see highly targeted and personalised PPC ads for products and services they are interested in, they are much more likely to click on those ads and purchase the products and services. However, some businesses do not want to compete fairly in this way and this is why click fraud is becoming a problem.

What Is Click Fraud?

Before we look at whether click fraud is illegal or not and what can be done about it, we need to look at what click fraud is exactly. Click fraud is any type of invalid click on a link, with malicious intent. In many cases, click fraud is perpetrated by people who want to drain their competitors’ advertising budgets. They know that if they do this successfully, their competitors will not have any funds left to run their advertising campaigns. This would leave the field open to only them. This article from ClickGUARD answers the question, “What is click fraud?” in more detail, and they also provide tips on how to prevent it from happening to you.

What Are the Sources of Fraudulent Clicks?

These sources often include bots, infected computers and servers as well as real people clicking on ads with no intention of interacting with the website the ads lead to. It is important to remember that these sources of malicious clicks will continue to become more sophisticated and varied and this is why it is important to identify these new sources as they emerge.

Tools like the abovementioned ClickGUARD are very effective at identifying the sources of these malicious clicks thereby stopping click fraud before it happens. They monitor your ads to identify threats to your links and ads, thereby getting rid of wasteful clicks. This ensures your website receives quality clicks from real people who are likely to convert.

Is Click Fraud Illegal?

Click fraud is considered illegal in many parts of the world. Many people do not know that clicking on people’s ads with malicious intent is illegal, but it is. Because of how much money is lost and how many businesses are decimated due to click fraud, it should be stopped before it even begins.

It is important to remember that most countries do not have specific laws about click fraud, but people have been jailed due to click fraud and this is why it is considered illegal. In many cases, laws that cover cybersecurity, wire fraud, deception, data theft and money laundering have been used to prosecute these cases.

By its very nature of being one of the most progressive regions for digital rights, the European Union has some of the strictest laws against fraud. Law experts think that with the data protections afforded by the enacted GDPR laws and these anti-fraud measures, it could form a legal basis for these cases.
Many countries have some form of protection against ‘computer fraud’ but what that means depends on the context, the country in question, as well as the evidence law enforcement officers can gather.

Click fraud is one of the worst things that could happen to digital and online advertising. It robs businesses of precious advertisement funds, it prevents consumers from finding the right websites, products and services and it wastes everyone’s time. It is time that countries came up with comprehensive click fraud laws to cover this one specific area.

Business: Dealing With The Digital World

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Digital World|Business: Dealing With The Digital WorldFor businesses, it seems that everything is going digital. Long gone are the days where it was filing systems and a ton of paper being relied on. Offices used to look far different to what they do now. Don’t get us wrong, there are definitely still going to be filing cabinets with a million different pieces of paper in, but they have become more like storage now. We’re living in the modern world now where technology is pretty much ruling everything that we do. From the phone calls we make, to the websites we load, the internet or something digital is always involved. So that’s why businesses are now having to adapt and evolve to make sure that they have a big enough digital presence, and an understanding on how to grow it and how to use digital aids to do so. If nearly everything your business does is based online then this article is going to be great for you. We want to show you how you can deal with the digital world head on with some great tips. Keep on reading to find out more.

Why Are We So Digital?

This is the first thing we wanted to talk about because we think it’s important to understand why we’re so ruled by the digital world, and it’s simply down to the invention of the modern smartphone. Interest no doubt started when the internet was created and computers became slightly more modern. A dial up connection would have been used to slowly load even the smallest of pages. But this gave people a taste for the internet and a taste for what else would be possible. People started to rely on the internet like never before, meaning the demand grew. Then came the smartphone, which most of us are now glued to and can’t go a day without. We can Google whatever we need to and have the answer within seconds. We can Google and business and know so much about it within seconds. So businesses are now having to understand that people want to do everything through their smartphones. They don’t want to have to go out of their way and go into a shop when they could do it all from the comfort of their own home. So that’s how the world has become so digital, the demand began to grow as new technology was introduced and the public realised how easy it was to access a business through the internet.

NathanIves.com Digital Products Platform Online Training Program

Understanding Customer Wants

This is probably the hardest thing to do because we believe that the customer wants are always changing, and the customers can be very demanding. They might want something one day, and then want something completely different the next. To understand your customer wants we’d recommend doing some market research. Their wants are going to be similar to their needs, except their needs are going to be the side you work on. The wants of a customer are what you can build the basis for the needs around. Some of the wants are going to be far too outlandish for what you might be able to achieve. Market research is a great way of getting the bigger picture. All you have to do is send out questionnaires, or perhaps put one on your website for people to complete before they start browsing. Not everyone is going to be willing to do this but the information you do get should be enough! Just make sure that you leave the questions open-ended so that you can get a more well rounded answer. You can then use this information to better your company in the eyes of your customers. The only time that you should really listen to your customer wants is when something has gone wrong. Perhaps their order was wrong or they’ve received it late, or perhaps it just wasn’t to the standards that they would have hoped. When this is the case and you have an annoyed customer on your hands, bend to their wants and make sure that they come out of the situation happy.

Understanding Customer Needs

Customer needs are definitely important to the end goal of your business. The more needs you can meet, the more successful you’re going to be. To understand your customer needs we think it’s important to adapt your business to what they’re asking for. If they need a business to offer a slightly cheaper, yet more durable product, why not try and achieve that. If they need a business to order services from where they can track the progress of that, why not have a dashboard created for them to log into. There are so many ways that you can truly meet the needs of your customers. It’s always good to work on any feedback that you get, especially negative ones. If you’re always having complaints of a website that doesn’t function very well, for example, you might need to change something about that. Rather than just focusing on what you need to do to make the most money and to make a sale, you need to think about ways of acting on information you’re given by customers. In the long run this will definitely help to improve the amount of money that your business can make.

Utilising Your Database

Your database is definitely going to be one of the staples to your business. It’s a database full of all of the data that you will have collected over the years, about customers, sales, marketing, and anything else that you’ve managed to cram into your database. All of the documents are something you’re going to heavily rely on. As your business grows and the amount of documents you have grows with it, it’s important to think about how you can organise and utilise this whenever you need to. One way of doing so is to get a company to do it for you, especially if you have no knowledge of what you’re doing. DocuWare document management solution is just one route you might want to try. You need to be working with a company who understands your data and understands how you need to use it. It’s also so important to have a firm understanding of your database and how to protect it. There have been too many instances where hackers have got into a company database and have stolen so many different customer pieces of information and used it to commit fraud. Cyber security is more important than ever before, so you need to focus on changing your passwords regularly and always making sure they’re strong passwords, and working alongside cyber security businesses who can put extra measures in place for you.

Creating A Website Ready To Sell

Your website is going to be the main selling point of your business. As we said, everyone is glued to their mobile phones and if they want to start browsing, the internet and a website is the first place they’re going to go to. So if you have a sub par website you’re only going to damage your business. If it’s slow to load, the images are of poor quality, and your products are hard to find, then you’re going to lose credibility. It might be wise to work alongside a web developer to spruce up your website. Make sure you have an about us page, especially as a small business. Customers want to know that you’re trustworthy. You also need to think working with a professional photographer to make your images stand out more. Finally, it would benefit you to have your website SEO optimised. Have content created that’s SEO friendly so your website can rank higher in search engines. That’s the main trouble small businesses have, when people search for a keyword to find a product, their website might be 10 pages back, and nobody goes back that far! SEO is a marketing technique that aims to bring your website to the first page, especially when people are searching for keywords.

How To Be More Noticed

Following on nicely from the last section, you need to find ways to make yourself more noticed as the digital world is just so big right now. One way of doing so is to use the SEO that we were talking about. Campaigns might be more expensive but they are worthwhile for your business. Making your website stand out more is also going to make you more noticeable. But to truly stand out you need to make sure that you’re being different from everyone else. You need to make sure that your business is bringing to the table something different that people haven’t been able to experience before. If you’re just the same as every other business selling the same thing you are, the businesses who are bigger and more established are obviously going to get the majority of the attention. Find ways of finding a gap in the market you’re in, and go for it, trying something new is always good for business.

A Business That Never Sleeps: Running A 24 Hour Business

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |24 hour business|A Business That Never Sleeps: Running A 24 Hour BusinessBeing open 24 hours is necessary for some businesses such as hotels and security companies. For others it can be convenient (such as businesses that deal with international clients in different time zones). Running an around-the-clock business can be very different from running a nine to five business. Here are just some of the measures you may want to consider when going 24 hours.

Find the right staff

If you’re open all hours, you need to be able to have staff on duty 24/7. You may want to hire set staff to work night shifts rather than encouraging everyone to work flexible patterns. Alternatively, if you’re struggling to find candidates willing to work night shifts in your area, you may find it easier to create a system in which employees work one night shift per week. In certain lines of work there may be creative ways of sourcing night staff. For instance, if you’re looking for a task that can be carried out remotely, you could consider hiring staff from another country that operates in a different time zone.

Train them to deal with emergencies

When operating 24/7, it’s impossible for you to always be on shift. As a result, you need to enable your business to run without you. On top of carrying out essential tasks, your night time needs to be ready to deal with emergencies and they need to be able to carry out response plans without having to wake you up for support. You can train your employees to deal with various emergencies by conducting drills and by setting up handbooks that they can easily refer to if necessary.

Take advantage of outsourcing

Outsourcing could be a low-cost way of handling certain roles. For instance, if you need to keep your network monitored 24/7 and maintain a constant defence against cyberattacks you could consider outsourcing a managed service provider. This could be a lot cheaper than having to hire several IT specialists to work shifts around the clock (outsourcing may cost as much – or even less – than hiring one employee, while giving you the manpower of several employees). Other tasks you may want to outsource in such a fashion could include phone answering or email support. Not all tasks can be outsourced so bear this in mind.

Schedule maintenance tasks during your least busy times

Some businesses like to carry out tasks like cleaning, repairs and servicing outside of opening hours, so that day-to-day work is not interrupted. If your business is always open, you cannot do this, so you have to consider the next best alternative – which is to carry out these tasks at your least busy periods. The quietest time may not always be the best time. For instance, 3AM may not be the best time to carry out noisy cleaning tasks in a hotel – you might be better off doing these tasks during the day when customers aren’t likely to be disturbed. Make sure that maintenance tasks are carried out, otherwise you’ll run into numerous problems in the long run.

How to improve conversion rates on high-value items

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Improve Conversion Rates|How to improve conversion rates on high-value itemsSelling high value items online can be hugely profitable for businesses – but it can also be a challenge. Naturally, the more expensive the item, the harder it is to convince a customer that they need to make the purchase, and (even harder) to convince to make that purchase from your store.

You need to be doing everything you can, then, to make your store the most attractive place to buy a high value item. In short, you need to improve your ability to convert. And you might think that this is as simple as offering a great price and a fantastic service, but it is about so much more than that.
Here we take a closer look at how you can improve conversion rates when selling high-value items on your ecommerce site.

Improve informational content for mobile pages

For high-value items, customers will typically take an average of 68 days doing research before they are ready to complete their purchase. This shows us something very important – making conversions is about much more than just the moment the customer clicks ‘add to basket’. There is a great deal of build-up to get to that point.

It is also interesting to note that when people carry out research on products, they are actually more likely to do it on their mobile devices. So, optimising informational content for a page on a desktop screen isn’t actually your best bet. There is some evidence to suggest that customers are still more comfortable making purchases on desktops and laptops than they are on handheld devices, however, the majority of internet traffic is now from mobiles and tablets.

Optimise the call to action button

Just as we have stated that it can be important to remember that there is more to a sale than the final click, it is still important to do everything you can with regards to the optimisation of the product page itself. This is something that can be done through A-B testing to find out the best available option.

“We rigorously test our CTA buttons,” says Steven Joy, Director at Golf Swing Systems “on expnensive products it is surprising how much of a difference can be made by simply changing the colour of the button from green to orange, or by changing the wording just slightly”.

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Limit the choice available

Many ecommerce sites believe that the best way to sell is to give customers as much choice as possible – but this isn’t always wise with very high end items. Having a lot of choice gives customers a good selection, but it also makes it harder for them to pick out what they are going to buy.

There’s a reason that Apple brings out its iPhones in such a limited range of colours: it gives customers less to decide on. Having to make a decision takes time, and can eventually lead to someone rethinking a purchase. So while it might seem like a benefit to have a large variety of options available, it isn’t necessarily a positive.

Use a broader range of content

It’s a great idea to use a variety of different types of content on the page in order to appeal to as many customers as possible. Some will be looking for a fast overview of the key details of the product, others will want in depth descriptive details.

It can also be hugely beneficial to use supplemental content such as videos and a wide range of photos in order to give the customer as much context and information as possible. This can be an extremely valuable way to set up your page to convert.

Final thoughts

Selling just a small number of high value items can be extremely valuable for your busines, so if you can make even a small difference to your ability to convert, it can pay dividends. Perhaps most important is to note that you need to establish what works for you and your website – some things that are extremely effectively for some, will be not be quite the same for others.

The techniques above have been shown to work as ways to improve conversions on high value items, so they are worth trying.  To learn more, check out this CRO Guide.

8 Essential Tips for Creating Effective Sales Pitches

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article | 8 Essential Tips for Creating Effective Sales PitchesYour sales pitch is vital in securing clients for your business. Without a great sales pitch, you’ll have a hard time meeting your quotas or keeping your business afloat. But over 40 percent of salespeople say that it’s the most difficult part of the process. If you want to stay ahead of the game and become the best salesperson you can be, apply the following tips to create more effective sales pitches.

1. Make it a conversation

The days of talking at your prospective customers are over. Today, people prefer to be part of a conversation with sales representatives. Modeling your sales pitch to accommodate input and questions from your prospects creates an atmosphere of camaraderie and transparency.

For instance, you could begin by asking them a question. If you’re making a pitch for memberships to a spa, you could ask your prospect “What is a table shower?” You can capture their interest and sate their curiosity at the same time with that conversational gambit.

2. Offer solutions

Many novice salespeople will focus on talking up the features of their product or services. But this is an old-fashioned and ineffective approach. Customers don’t just want to know how good your products are; they want to know it can help them with their problems.

If you’re selling insurance for condominiums, talk about probable solutions your company is offering. For example, when selling insurance to condominiums in Florida, talk about how you offer financial security in case of hurricanes or flooding.

3. Support your pitch with facts

Salespeople have gotten the unfair reputation for being unreliable. According to a recent survey, an overwhelming 97 percent of people say they don’t think they can trust salespeople. Know that your prospects are no longer willing to take your word about your products or services. Support your pitch with solid and authoritative facts.

Your company should have case studies and expert research on the efficacy of your products and services. In a pinch, provide prospects with authentic customer testimonials which could be just as persuasive.

4. Become an adviser

People are looking into value-laden interactions with sales representatives. They’re not just looking for people who will sell them things, they’re looking for experts. Approximately 78 percent of customers are looking for salespeople who can offer them trustworthy advice.

Do your research not just on the benefits of your product or services, but also its application. You should be able to talk to prospects confidently about how to best use your products to improve their lives or businesses. Offer insights gleaned from your experience with the product to establish authority and trust with the prospect.

5. Identify objections

Before you even pick up the phone or meet with a prospect, you should do your homework and identify their most likely objections to buying your product. You can go online and search for reviews and scroll through forums regarding your products and see what people are saying. Come up with reasonable counterarguments for these objections.

If people are mostly concerned about the cost of your services, bring up discount programs or alternative payment plans. Offer solutions to their objections and you can secure a sale.

6. Get ready to negotiate

When prospects are hemming and hawing without closing, it’s time to reach out and negotiate. Their willingness to bargain will indicate how serious they are about closing the sale. Before going into a meeting, set your minimum acceptable terms for the pitch. Negotiate with the prospect and only ever put the minimum acceptable terms on the table as a last resort.

7. Ask them for the sale

Confidence is important for being a successful salesperson. At the end of your sales pitch, you should have answered all the prospect’s questions and overcome their objections. At this point, you should be able to easily segue into asking them to close the sale. If you’ve crafted your pitch correctly, you should have built up their confidence in this decision and showcased that you sure it’s the right choice for them.

8. Follow up on prospects

Sometimes, no matter how great you make your sales pitch, it ends with rejection. Or your prospect may require more time to think about their decision. In these cases, you should consistently follow up on them.

Don’t be too pushy as that could be annoying. Instead, try to set predetermined follow up calls or meetings. Or you could regularly schedule a follow up call with enough time between them to avoid being irritating. Following up on prospects can ensure you secure a sale long after you made your sales pitch.

Your sales pitch needs to be effective and appealing enough that you can meet prospects and ensure you walk away with a sale. This is the only way to achieve success for your entrepreneurial ventures.