Reginald Chan

Author: Reginald Chan

  • Building Long-Term Customer Relationships: Lessons from the Casino Industry

    Building Long-Term Customer Relationships: Lessons from the Casino Industry

    Every business should have strategies in place to help it build long-term customer relationships. Customers who repeatedly visit your business, website or any other sales channel are much more valuable over time and can transfer their love for your business to others. Building these relationships is never easy, but there are important lessons to be learned from an industry that has been able to do this over and over again – the casino industry.

    Complimentary Rewards

    A common feature among casino websites is how generous they are with their complimentary gifts. According to several surveys, only about 40% of companies not in the casino industry give customers, leads or other businesses they are building relationships with complimentary gifts.

    From free drinks and meals to hotel rooms, casinos lean heavily into this relationship-building strategy and it is relatively easy to find examples of Australian gambling websites doing this. To get started, think about what your clients and customers want. For customers, gift cards are inexpensive and work really well while for larger clients, you might have to go with something bigger.

    Taking Advantage of Events

    One of the best ways to make customers feel important is to invite them to events. Your repeat customers, especially other businesses, likely have a lot in common, and getting them together for an event makes them feel appreciated and thought about.

    Additionally, you can use your social media as a way of building these relationships by inviting people who share your products on social media to VIP events.

    Demographic Preferences and Segmentation

    Although casino players might look like they have the same needs, that is not always the case. A close look reveals that older players spend about 80% of their budget on gaming and the rest on food while younger generations spend about 30% on gaming and 70% on other activities.

    This means that if you were to come up with a marketing campaign, you would advertise your games to older generations while advertising a full-featured experience for younger generations that focuses less on gaming and more on the activities that surround it.

    The lesson here is that by segmenting your demographics and cross-referencing them with their spending habits, you can find out what they prefer. You can then invest in the products and services they are likely to spend money on. Doing this makes your customers feel catered to which improves their relationship with your business.

    Partner with Other Businesses

    Casinos know that players do more than sit at the table and play. They may need food, drinks or even hotel rooms. They collaborate with other businesses to cut deals to offer additional services to their high-end customers and big spenders. For example, it is common to see casinos cutting deals with travel companies to offer discounts to their best customers.

    To use this strategy, think about what else your top customers and clients need besides your products and services. Then, cut deals with other businesses to offer discounts to your customers and you to do the same for their customers who need your products and services. The casino industry builds strong customer relationships in ways other industries struggle to. The casino industry views relationship-building very differently, and if your business can have a closer look at how it does this, you could end up with valuable lessons that help you build stronger and better customer relationships in your business.

  • 7 Essential Tech Solutions for Small Businesses

    7 Essential Tech Solutions for Small Businesses

    Technology can always improve businesses and their daily activities, streamlining every step to save time, effort, and money. Implementing tech solutions can empower your employees, making them work harder and focus better. 

    If you’re thinking about taking your business to the next level, then read on to learn more about seven essential tech solutions that can be beneficial for you and your company.

    1-Artificial Intelligence (A.I) 

    One of the most effective tech solutions that any business should utilize is artificial intelligence (A.I) because it effortlessly streamlines every task. Implementing it will transform small businesses and help them compete with bigger corporations. The benefits you gain include machine learning, which means processing large amounts of information, tasks, and data quickly. Automation protocols that finish trivial and repetitive tasks quickly, giving your employees a chance to finish their important duties. A.I should be managed and set properly to ensure that it continues to minimize mistakes for you, eliminating human errors that can be easily missed.

    2-Cybersecurity

    Small businesses need defense protocols against malicious digital attacks and using cybersecurity solutions can keep their data protected. Having the right software programs and the professional IT specialists that can manage it is key, allowing you to prevent cybercriminals from penetrating your system. Kansas has several major companies that can be targeted by hackers and cybercriminals, making protective software programs a necessity. Advice from several digital specialists and IT support in Kansas City suggests that threat monitoring tools that protect networks should be easily managed to eliminate IT frustrations. This means that the right program that is simple to use and effective in protecting data can be worth the cost to have complete digital security.

    3-Electronic Timesheets

    Utilizing electronic timesheets can increase productivity levels significantly in your business. This type of tech solution allows you to monitor the progress of each employee, project, timestamps, history data, and reports. One of the best advantages of timesheets is that it can be customized to fit your business needs and requirements, allowing you to create custom fields that don’t require manual entries. It reduces time and effort, allowing every supervisor to monitor and oversee each project and every department effortlessly. Electronic timesheets allow you to see which project is progressing right and which ones aren’t profitable. The perks of monitoring each task this way will always improve productivity and success levels in any small business. 

    4-Customer Communication Tools

    Another way to improve your company’s practices is by having customer communication tools that make it a hassle-free experience for both your customers and employees. Increasing satisfaction and retention levels should be one of the main priorities of a small business because customers can elevate the company to gain more success. 

    Your business should have systems that allow clients to open a line of communication with you through live chat systems, emails, or virtual assistants. You could either hunt for a pre-made system for that specific purpose or have one custom-made by a programmer. However, make sure you know the right way to find a programmer for your start-up.

    As a result, problem-solving protocols will be easier and customers will be happier, increasing your brand recognition levels significantly.

    5-Employee Collaboration Tools

    Implementing software programs and digital tools that increase employee collaboration can improve productivity levels. Staff members will be able to communicate easily and in real-time, sending important documents or data to each other effortlessly. Team leaders can use these tools to coordinate between every employee, ensuring that everyone is on the right track. Communication and collaboration can streamline your small business and allow it to succeed a lot more.

    6-Cloud Systems

    Cloud systems are quite useful for storage and protection, making the process of saving and sending data a hassle-free experience. Backing up your data on the cloud will always protect your company from system failures or cyberattacks. Even if your main servers and data were compromised or got deleted, you will have the essential backup to ensure that your client and project information isn’t lost.

    7-Mobile Applications for Payments

    Companies can use mobile applications for payments to speed up the process, making it easier and better for both the business and the customers. The idea is to incorporate a tech solution that allows customers to pay using their smartphones, getting funds directly and quickly from them without waiting. Mobile applications will streamline the payment process and save a lot of time because credit and digital payments are easier for the customer.

    Business owners and entrepreneurs must utilize tech solutions for the sake of survival. Customers and clients will appreciate a company that uses technology to improve their experience, increasing your customer retention levels tremendously. When your employees don’t waste time on trivial tasks and finish important activities quickly, productivity levels will skyrocket beyond your expectations. Undoubtedly, technology will always improve and elevate any small business and help it expand for more success.

  • Why Speed Matters: The Impact of A Responsive Website For A Business

    Why Speed Matters: The Impact of A Responsive Website For A Business

    If you are a business owner and have a business website, the chances are that you have seen the mobile revolution technology has brought to the business scene. Whether you like it or not, you want your business website designed in such a way that favors mobile users. 

    In this day and age, website developers are so much into how websites can be responsive via mobile devices. But this is not what website responsiveness is all about. Various elements must be at play for this to happen. So, what’s all the fuss about website loading speeds? Here’s the impact of a responsive website for a business. 

    Adjustability

    Gone are the days when you had to make do with a slow website. Today, and if you haven’t noticed, consumers are savvier than they used to be. Not so many website visitors will be willing to waste their time on a non-responsive website. This can be attributed to the fact that life has gotten busier and not to forget the power of fast connectivity. Needless to mention is the fact that your business profitability is highly dependent on your website’s loading speeds. 

    Additionally, mobile design technology is at another level. The best part of it all is that you have the option of choosing web designers and hosting services of your choosing. This way, they’ll create a web design that’s easily adjustable and one that will provide you with the flexibility you deserve. This bronze reseller hosting option is one example of the many hosting services you can rely on to ensure that you get the hosting services you deserve. So, why do you need a good hosting company? Here’s why: 

    • Improved web loading times
    • You get to benefit from a secured IP address
    • Lowered chances of disruptions and downtimes
    • Professional advice on how to manage your website
    • 24/7 customer support
    • It makes it easier to scale your business operations
    • Better website maintenance services

    Increased Sales And Great ROI

    The fact of the matter is, you still want to have your investment bear fruit. No one creates a responsive website without a clear cut-out plan. While there exist a plethora of SEO strategies that are geared to improving your business website, none is as effective as having a responsive website. A responsive website helps to generate quality traffic to websites, and this is what most, if not all, profit-oriented businessmen and women are capitalizing on. At the end of the day, you want your products to receive the attention they deserve. Do not limit your business to just having an ordinary website. Consider a website that can help to expand your business horizons.

    Manageability And Increased Efficiency

    Never has it been easier to manage a responsive website as in this day and age. Today, you have the option of investing in an all-inclusive platform that can be integrated into most of your business processes, making it easier to track results. Now, this is where analytics come in handy. With a generated responsive website design from the best web designers, you’ll have the ease of tracking success. You’ll also be aware of how your competitors are doing in the market. This has, in so many ways, helped businesses develop strategic tactics to help overcome today’s competitive market space. 

    Increased Visibility

    Now, who wouldn’t want their brands to become the talk of the town? Today, brand awareness is among the factors that contribute to success. Even with the best marketing strategies, you wouldn’t want your web visitors discouraged just because your website loading speeds are below average. Investing in responsive websites has helped businesses boost their brand visibility and, in a way, helped to boost awareness and sales. Profitability should always be at the top of every entrepreneur’s priorities. And what better way than in ensuring that your website is responsive?

    Compliance With Google’s Recommendations

    Just the other day, Google announced that only responsive websites would be awarded the best positions, this, coupled with other SEO strategies such as ensuring that websites are optimized for mobile use. There have been, however, recent changes and updates to ensure that these recommendations are towards improving user experience. Investing in responsive websites has helped businesses comply with Google’s recommendations. It’s for this reason that some sites will rank higher than others. By this, it means always ensuring that your website is always as per Google’s ever-changing algorithm updates. 

    Time Management

    Time is money. Every second wasted is money flushed down the drain. Rather than going for the conventional approach that involved creating a dedicated website for mobile users, you’ll have a single website that is optimized for all users. This is not only time-saving, but it’s also a cost-effective approach when running an e-commerce website. 

    Additionally, this has allowed entrepreneurs to minimize the resources they’d have otherwise used in administrative tasks. Enlisting the help of expert web designers means that you’ll have your work cut out for you. You’ll have a single interface that you can manage from anywhere, even while on the go. It’s for this reason that hiring a professional web hosting company cannot be reiterated enough, as it’s the only way this can be made possible. 

    Creation Of Advanced Business Website Management Tools

    You’ll agree that since the inception of this idea of having responsive websites, a lot has changed in the business management arena. Its become easier to manage business websites than it was years back. This has helped to trim the workload business managers had to put in. This is a smart move for e-commerce businesses looking to cut their business running costs. This has helped to boost profit margins as well as help to boost efficiency. 

    There you go! If you are yet to get on board with the idea of having a responsive business website, then your business could be bleeding valuable resources by the minute. The above pointers will provide you with insights on how your business could benefit from having a responsive website. Others are doing it, don’t be left out!

  • Expert Tips That Will Prevent Your Office From Experiencing Serious IT Problems

    Expert Tips That Will Prevent Your Office From Experiencing Serious IT Problems

    A person can have their hands full setting up a company and keeping it running. There are so many considerations ranging from budgeting, employment, providing goods and services, premises, marketing, and advertising. 

    Virtually every business is dependent on its computers. They provide access to the internet, cloud data, customers, and so on. When a workplace goes paperless, it means the work data has migrated online. This is a very popular thing because it makes offices tidier, but it creates a huge vulnerability too. What if the computers crash or the data is hacked? Could a company survive such a hit? Let’s look at some tips to help protect a business from the unthinkable. 

    Understand the Implications

    If a business doesn’t grasp the full risk, it will not invest in protecting its computer systems. The money will be spent on ‘more important things’ than employing quality staff to oversee the IT.

    Almost one-third of all small business crimes related to malware issues. It’s a sobering statistic that the average fee to recover from an online data breach is $4m. Few small businesses have this much money in reserve! That’s why 60% of businesses only last half a year after encountering a cyber attack. 

    Obtain Third Party Help

    It can be very reassuring when certified Microsoft or Apple engineers visit the workplace to make an IT assessment. People often employ the use of manager services so they can have the latest technology and platforms recommended to them. Such IT companies will know how to bring together the different streams of email, data storage, software, and the internet seamlessly.

    On a continuing basis, IT management companies perform risk assessments, look at cost savings, and recommend upgrades and downloads.

    Employ Quality IT Staff

    A business should never cut corners when employing its own computer technicians. If it cannot afford a third party to oversee its IT, everything will depend on them. Computer staff will have access to all company data, so it’s essential they can be trusted. 

    Money should regularly be spent on keeping IT workers up to date because today’s cutting edge computer systems will become tomorrow’s dinosaurs. Spend money on training and let them gain new qualifications. 

    The world of IT is very broad, however, and it’s unlikely one person will have the expertise to cover everything for one business. 

    Manage the Staff

    Every business should have an IT policy. Employees need to be educated that there are risks when a person leaves their computer unlocked. If they leave their workstation to urgently catch someone or make a coffee, anyone can access their data. 

    If access to the work building is gained using security cards, this can be really helpful. Different staff can be given access to different areas. 

    When computer data are held in the cloud, access levels can once again be restricted. Selected folk will be able to open documents, edit them, and share them. This can provide a safeguard against everyone looking at whatever they want. 

    Install a Firewall

    This needs to be an integral part of a company’s IT infrastructure. It will be designed to keep intruders out of the computer network. Firewalls watch incoming and outgoing computer traffic day and night. If it detects something as a threat, it will report and block it. 

    Use Antivirus Software

    These days this protects against more than just viruses. The online world is full of malware, ransomware, trojans, spyware, and more. 

    It’s a sound business decision when a company purchases an expensive version. This is because the more costly software can also tackle such things as online banking or phishing attacks, or spam emails.

    Maintain Passwords

    Just as emails are more secure when they are encrypted, passwords are more secure when they are complex. Staff should have their key documents (e.g. in Excel or Word) password protected. Access to different software should be by password only. 

    Staff should not write down their passwords in a book. This is because the information could easily be found by someone else. The IT policy should advise that people must not share their passwords either. 

    Backup All Data 

    This can be so easy to ignore, yet be perilous in its implications. If people keep key documents on USB sticks or external drives, the data can degrade over time. They can also get lost or stolen. 

    When data is stored on a cloud system, it won’t matter if an individual computer or laptop breaks – the data will still be secure.

    Have a Backup Generator

    If a business encountered a sudden power outage, valuable equipment could be irrevocably damaged. Access could suddenly be lost to email, the internet, and the cloud. Valuable data could be lost at that moment too. 

    Companies should invest in backup generators. The portable versions may work for small businesses, but a fixed one would be needed for something larger. When the equipment has been installed, there would merely be a ten-second gap before the electricity was restored. It would be a totally automatic procedure, requiring no human intervention. 

    An added bonus would be that the electric locks, cameras, and alarms would also be back up and running in no time. The premises would be fully protected once more, including the valuable IT equipment. Staff would be able to continue working normally. 

    Have a Disaster Recovery Policy

    Every company needs to have a business continuity plan. This would be for such events as power cuts, hurricanes, fires, or earthquakes. Perhaps an insurance policy should be put in place.

    Businesses should consider certain scenarios and document how the company could continue. A strategy would need to be put in place. If a third party company is overseeing the IT system, they would be able to help with compiling this report. 

    Companies should look at what is held online or in paper format. What data would be backed up, and could there be alternative premises and equipment available at short notice? These are all valuable questions. 

    We have discussed enough aspects to realize that IT problems can not just cripple a company- they can destroy it. Businesses are not wasting money when they act to protect themselves; they are investing in their future. Everything has to work together, from the equipment to the staff and external companies.

  • Integrating Salesforce With WPForms

    Integrating Salesforce With WPForms

    Have you ever wished to integrate Salesforce with your WordPress site? If you have been thinking about it, I’ve some awesome news for you today!

    Salesforce is now easily integrate-able with WordPress using WPForms plugin. The Salesforce addon will let you automatically send form entries from WPForms to Salesforce CRM.

    If you’ve been copying data from your form entries to Salesforce, this addon will be a game-changer.

    And you don’t need to pay for a service like Zapier to connect WordPress to Salesforce. So you’ll save money too.

    Automatically Create Salesforce Objects

    The new integration between Salesforce and WPForms allows you to easily create objects in Salesforce without coding skills.

    The best part? You can do it directly with WPForms.

    Here’s how it is done quickly and correctly.

    Create Salesforce Object Wpforms
    Create Salesforce Object in WPforms

    There are many other ways you can use WPForms with Salesforce, including creating a new Lead from each submission. In short the possibilities are rather endless right here.

    The next step involves mapping the fields. Here’s how it is done quickly.

    Salesforce Wpforms Addon Field Mapping
    Salesforce WPForms Addon Field Mapping

    Not only what you can also leverage the advanced Conditional Logic if you want to have a better control on both WPforms and Salesforce integration.

    Salesforce and WPForms

    I find this integration very cool and I recommend you to give it a shot!

    Oh yes, this unique WPForm integration with Salesforce is available for Elite plans (and above). Click here to learn more about WPforms (and free download).

  • How to Easily Get More Instagram Likes

    How to Easily Get More Instagram Likes

    Every successful marketing strategy makes the most out of social media platforms. Depending on the needs of your business, you can come to realize that Instagram is one social media platform you must exploit. Not only is it favored by customers of all backgrounds, ages, interests, and behavior, but it’s also widely utilized by the top brands. You can’t miss out on the benefits of implementing sound Instagram marketing strategies, and your plan will ultimately focus on getting more likes. 

    While gaining more likes can feel like an impossible task for starting brands, you’ll be glad to know that it’s much easier than you’d previously thought. Here are ways through which you can easily get more Instagram likes.

    Analyze Your Audience

    As it is the case with all marketing strategies, your first step is to analyze your audience and understand their interests. You won’t be able to create, much less share, relative content if you’re unaware of the behavior of your audience. Using the demographics and analytical tools, you’ll build more awareness to help you create a more realistic strategy. This will also help you schedule your posts so they can hit high-traffic periods where people are most likely to see your post and engage with it. 

    Provide Quality Content

    Instagram will always be a platform for sharing pictures – and pictures have to be artistic. Whoever said a picture can speak a thousand words wasn’t mistaken. In your case, you want to publish photos that stir the hearts of viewers, imploring them to take action, and raise the popularity of your brand. 

    Many factors go into creating quality content. The pictures (or visuals) you post should be engaging and meaningful. They also need to be artistic, as we’ve mentioned – but being artistic doesn’t just mean using filters. Whether it’s a picture or a video, make sure you’re sharing content your audience is interested in. Avoid straightforward advertising – no one likes that. Moreover, the captions you post should be well-thought of and crafted, delivering your message concisely and pleasurably. 

    Use Instagram Automation Tools

    Unlike other social media platforms, automation has been majorly limited on Instagram. That’s a shame for many Instagram marketers, as automation tools had previously helped them achieve targets seamlessly. Not to fret, though. The experts at https://www.socialproof.xyz/ explain that you can still use automation tools by using the Chrome browser extensions. These automation tools can help you get more likes provided by real people, contrary to the empty likes generated by buying fake accounts. On the plus side, automation can help you engage with your audience by wide-scale replying to the comments on your posts, so you don’t have to do that manually. 

    Keep Testing Hashtags

    Sometimes, you’ll use a hashtag only to realize that it doesn’t mean what you thought it meant. Your realization often comes too late, after you find a weird target segment swarming your posts with comments. To make sure your strategies are well-executed, don’t stop experimenting with hashtags. Find the popular hashtags and jump the trend, target the hashtags of popular brands and causes, and keep analyzing the performance of your posts. While we’re at it, never use hashtags like #Follow4like, #FollowMe, or the like. 

    Exploit Affiliate Marketing Principles

    If you have the chance for Instagram affiliate marketing, then you’ve embarked upon an invaluable like-generator. That’s especially true if your affiliate marketing partners are popular brands. However, you don’t have to start affiliate marketing to benefit from its principles; you can tag popular brands, iconic influencers, and well-known individuals to cross-promote your services and products. 

    Add Location to Your Posts

    If you’re wondering about the link between geo-tagging your posts and increasing the likes, then it’s a huge one. For starters, adding location to your posts will help your local audience to find you in real life. However, the real value comes with expanding your presence to reach potential customers, who won’t only hit the like button but are likely to become regular customers as well. 

    Run Contests

    Running contests is a tried-and-proven way to accelerate your like count like nothing else. If the rewards and get-aways of your contest are appealing enough, you can expect your audience to engage with you like crazy. Better yet, make sure to take full advantage of the contest by making a few requirements, such as stating that the participants have to tag their friends, share the post on their stories, or upload pictures and tag you. 

    Promote Your Posts

    Getting organic likes on Instagram can be difficult for starting marketers and brands. Thankfully, you can get around this obstacle by utilizing the paid advertising option. Although you’ll have to add this to your advertising budget, it will enable you to reach audiences that you wouldn’t otherwise reach. IN the bigger scheme of things, it’s undoubtedly a worthy investment. 

    Hijack Trends

    Trends go viral for a reason; everyone is interested in the topic. When presented with such a golden opportunity, you can’t afford to miss out on its benefits. Keep a close eye on all trends, and try to hijack the trend as early as possible. In your effort to hijack the trend, don’t forget to remain relevant and maintain your brand tone. 

    Use Other Social Media Platforms

    Finally, the best thing about social media marketing is that it’s extremely easy to cross-market across multiple platforms. If you’ve been on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube for a while and managed to build a solid fan base in the process, what’s stopping you from diverting your followers to your new profile?

    When the like count was hidden, many people assumed it’s not an important factor in the marketing strategy anymore. Although no one else but you can see the total number of likes on your posts, getting more likes remains very much crucial for any business. The main purpose of removing the like count, as explained by the creators of Instagram, is to let people focus on the quality of the content instead of the total like count. However, the Instagram algorithm still operates in the same way it always had – and your likes and engagement rates are primary factors.