Category: Strategies

In the current business environment where almost everything is done online, cybersecurity has become one of the biggest concerns of organizations. Ignoring cybersecurity precautions and best practices can cost a company much more than they expect, as we see companies trying to save themselves from the ruins of a data breach all over the news every day.

In order to make sure that their employees, devices, and data are secured, organizations practice cyber hygiene. Cyber hygiene is to safeguard sensitive information and protect it from theft and breaches. By adhering to cyber hygiene procedures, organizations can preserve their cyber “health” and make sure they are not affected by data breaches and cyberattacks.

What is cyber hygiene?

Cyber hygiene describes the core cybersecurity best practices that your employees and IT staff can implement. Following cyber hygiene helps you protect the network and assets of your company. Much as personal hygiene habits help you protect your own health.

The majority of data breaches are the result of making simple cyber hygiene mistakes. Your business must be able to correctly analyze its present cybersecurity posture and cyber hygiene. You and your IT staff must be aware of what is on your network, how everything is connected, and the risks involved.

Benefits of cyber hygiene

Protect your company from cyberattacks

One of the most prominent benefits of cyber hygiene is that it protects your devices, networks, and data against various dangers relating to cyberattacks. Your employees and clients depend on you to protect the sensitive data that you have, and not employing cyber security best practices can result in a loss of your reliable reputation.

More effective operations

Another benefit of employing good cyber hygiene is that well-maintained systems operate more effectively. In addition to that, lack of maintenance results in fragmentation, out-of-date applications, and other problems that disclose security gaps over time. Cyber hygiene makes it necessary to perform routine maintenance procedures to make sure that any hazards are identified early. This can help your company mitigate issues before they even emerge.

Reduced costs

It is obvious that data breaches are expensive for companies. Employing good cyber hygiene is therefore much more cost-friendly than risking losing millions of dollars as a result of a data breach or cyberattack. Also, cyber hygiene also helps you make sure that you are compliant with cybersecurity laws and regulations. Being non-compliant can have a high cost and is one of the main causes of company failure. With the correct tools, you can increase productivity while reducing expenses.

Cyber hygiene best practices

Make sure you have the right tools

When we think about our personal hygiene, we have specific tools for specific actions. We use a toothbrush to brush our teeth, a comb to brush our hair, and a washcloth to wash our bodies. The same can be applied to cyber hygiene. Personal data that you believe to be secure may really be in danger if you don’t use the proper goods and tools.

Use multi-factor authentication (MFA)

By requiring extra authentication steps such as a text message or a phone call before users are logged in to an account or access specific data, multi-factor authentication systems enhance enterprise security. Google claims that utilizing multi-factor authentication prevents all automated bot attacks. It helps to minimize the risk of data breaches by ensuring that every user that accesses sensitive information is indeed who they claim to be. 

Employ VPNs in the workplace

With the rise of remote work, employees have started relying on different Wi-Fi networks to get their work done. Public Wi-Fi networks in particular aren’t always secure. Using free Wi-Fi in public spaces like cafes and hotels can be dangerous. Even your client’s home networks may be compromised.

The best way for a cybercriminal to access sensitive data of your company is through an unprotected network. Especially for employees who access sensitive data on a daily basis, this should be a risk you’re not willing to take. VPNs are one of the best secure remote access services, which will ensure your data is safe. Your internet traffic is routed over a secure tunnel when you use a VPN. This results in the data being encrypted, so anyone, even if they access the data, can’t decipher and use it.

Back up your data periodically

Data loss can result from hardware problems, power outages, virus infections, and other problems besides end users mistakenly deleting files. Ransomware is another threat to data. It is a type of cyberattack where a sort of virus encrypts files in an organization, which results in the attacker demanding astronomical ransoms from businesses in exchange for access to their data.

By making backup copies of all crucial files, you can save your company time and money. To prevent laborious manual effort and eliminate potential user errors, you should have a backup schedule and maybe automate that schedule using a backup solution.

Final words

Developing a cyber hygiene plan that can stop cyber criminals from causing security breaches and putting your company at risk is more crucial than ever in the constantly-changing threat landscape of today. 

Many businesses today recognize the need of maintaining good cyber hygiene. They are aware that continuing procedures that support cyber hygiene will keep their employees and company secure from online dangers that have the power to devastate entire organizations. Be one of those companies by following the cyber hygiene best practices above.

The American business environment is more competitive than ever, and it is an industry-wide phenomenon. Brands need more than top-notch products and services at the best prices to entice customers and retain them for the long run. Marketing is the mainstay of success, but you cannot rely on average marketing ideas to drive results. Even if the conventional strategies work for once, you cannot expect them to deliver consistently. However, you can depend on creative marketing to be memorable in customers’ minds and differentiate yourself from your competitors. Let us explain how creativity can give your business a competitive edge.

Drive brand recognition and awareness

Buyers in the current landscape encounter information overload as different sellers constantly bombard them with marketing campaigns. The only way to stand out is by ensuring recognition for your brand so that they recall it whenever a need arises. Likewise, brand awareness is a factor to rise above competitors in a crowded space. A creative approach can cover both fronts for your business. A popping logo design, a captivating slogan, and an empathic tone of voice are creative elements that can make your campaign different from the rest. If good enough, these elements can make the customers click and stick with loyalty.

Engage your customers

Creative marketing gives you an edge by engaging your customers. It is perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of running a business because buyers are spoiled for choice. If they are not happy with the way a brand interacts with them, it is easy to move to a better alternative. Moreover, they have no reason to give you a second chance because there are endless options in the market. You can engage them creatively with ideas like social media conversations, compelling blog posts, and rewards for feedback and reviews. Everything boils down to holding their attention and keeping them hooked for the long haul.

Build an emotional connection

Customer engagement is only a start when it comes to gaining a competitive advantage. Building an emotional connection with your audience is even more crucial. It starts with an understanding of your buyer persona, their pain points, and cultural norms in the local market. For example, an average consumer in New York will not have the same expectations as someone in a small town. You can collaborate with a creative agency new york to design a creative campaign that picks the pulse of the audience and establishes an emotional connection with them. Emotions work better than anything else to drive purchasing decisions, foster loyalty, and make people stick for the long haul.

Reach your target market

Creative marketing does not take a one-size-fits-all approach but digs deep to reach the target market. Once again, it relies on the emotional part of selling by linking sales with needs, wants, and motivations. There couldn’t be a better way to stand out from competitors. Marketers leverage relevant content to win customers and stay on top of their minds every time they create their shopping lists. It is much like convincing them that you have the best offering for their needs and that you care about fulfilling them.

Consolidate your business reputation

A robust reputation is the cornerstone of competitive advantage for a business. Nothing matters more than gaining the trust of your customers and prospects, and a good reputation does it for you. A creative marketing plan goes a long way in instilling customer confidence. You can utilize it to communicate the vision, values, and mission of your brand to customers. Integrating buyer reviews into your campaign is an even better way to win because people tend to trust others more than brand statements. You can go a step further by promoting your CSR strategies to maintain your business reputation.

Getting a competitive edge for your business is a challenging feat in the current landscape. There are no shortcuts, but the effort is worthwhile because standing apart is the key to visibility, trust, and awareness. You can leverage creativity to achieve all these goals without spending a fortune. The best part about the approach is that it can help you achieve more with less and sustain the edge over your competitors in the long run.

Business and AI, depending on who you talk to it’s either a marriage made in heaven or a companionship doomed to trauma and drama. One thing is for sure, AI is transforming business. The fascinating thing is that it’s not just transforming business in one sector. You could imagine AI taking hold within tech easily, after all that’s where it is born from, but AI is stretching its tendrils into sectors and industries across the market. From advertising to retail, copywriting to manufacturing, AI is making itself known. And it’s here to stay.

5 Ways AI is Transforming Business 

Before we investigate the specifics of how AI is transforming specific sectors, we should look to understand how AI affects business in more general terms. The changing landscape of AI and business tends to stem back to one of these 5 key features.

• Data: In business, data is power. The more you know about your consumers, the more likely you are to keep them as your customers and entice new prospects to your services. Businesses leverage data through a variety of different channels, from cookies to surveys, social media to accounts, data is everywhere and it can be complicated to analyze and handle. AI is able to look at all of these channels and not only consolidate them into actionable clusters, but look for patterns, behaviors, and potential future prospects. 
• Automation: The majority of businesses are in a position where they are looking to grow. Grow their market share, grow their revenue generated, and grow their profits. Growth in a manual way takes time, and resources and has high associated costs. With AI-powered automations, the effort expended, plus the time saved is dramatically reduced. Consider car production lines, now almost exclusively manned by AI-controlled robotics.
• Personalization: You might be surprised to see personalization in a list of AI features, it’s almost oxymoronic, but AI genuinely helps with personalization. Most people receive a personalized AI service within their homes every day. With the advent of Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, and other home AI services, we allow AI to get to know us, our movements, our habits and even create routines for us. Beyond the home, AI is able to look at our personal data and create hyper-personalized recommendations for our lifestyles and our shopping habits.
• Cost: It’s true that AI was expensive, but the emphasis should be on was. AI is becoming more and more commonplace, with a greater number of companies offering solutions, therefore the price is reducing. This makes AI not only an affordable option but often the most cost-effective. Taking the example of frontline customer service, many questions can be answered by a chatbot that might cost a fee of a couple of hundred dollars a month, versus the cost of a human’s salary.
• Cybersecurity: Avoiding the implied connection to Skynet, AI can hugely benefit in the fight to secure the online world. Fighting against computer-powered bot attacks happens on such a large scale that we genuinely need to employ AI to assist in the battle. Using AI we’re able to create even simple systems that remove potential phishing emails before they reach a user.

Advertising

With the sheer volume of data accrued by businesses, understanding, interpreting, and making use of the data is a difficult if worthy task. AI is able to access the data, analyze it and return information on potential customers’ likes, dislikes, behaviors, and typical purchase routes. The fascinating element is that AI is able to not just look at a dataset and report on the past, but also make predictions on how a prospect might act in the future. 

Platforms such as Google Ads no longer need to include an element of human guesswork. There are tools, such as SwiftAds, that can create entire Google Ads campaigns for you with minimal input. By simply inputting your business information, your audience, and your competitors, SwiftAds will generate unique targeting criteria, generate the actual ad copy, and then will assess performance after a number of months of testing.

Copywriting Tools

A great deal has changed in the relationship between copywriting and AI. For many years, AI-generated copy read like, well, a robot had written it. Following the development of revolutionary technology where AI is more capable of natural language generation (NLG), AI copywriting is sounding more and more human. 

This might sound like human copywriters are on the verge of being replaced, but for now, it seems that humans are still necessary as they are human. AI doesn’t have the necessary emotional intelligence to understand subtle nuance. What AI is brilliant at is providing frameworks for humans to optimize and develop. Consider tools such as Growthbar, alongside their AI writing tool, you’re also able to generate outlines, meta descriptions, generate topics, and more. All of which, in human hands, can then be used to create valuable, useful content.

Retail And Fashion

You might raise your eyebrows at the mention of retail and fashion in an article about AI, but AI has made serious improvements to the industry. Considering the sheer volume of customer support, logistics, and administrative tasks that take place in the industry, AI has the opportunity to massively improve things.

A key area where AI features in retail and fashion is the use of chatbots. With some major brands receiving thousands of customer messages a day, a system that can automatically reply, provide information, and even prioritize support provides a monumental time and cost saving.

Business Intelligence

Business tools themselves are beginning to play host to multiple AI features. Many marketing and sales tools now have AI-based features that offer effective research, analysis, and optimization of campaigns as they run, before they begin, and once they conclude. A major role of AI in business is the automation of simple administrative tasks, AI is able to complete these previously human-based tasks 24/7 365 days a year.

Manufacturing

We already touched on how major manufacturing industries such as the automotive industry have been using AI to replace human workers to increase efficiency and output. When machine learning is paired with artificial intelligence algorithms can be created that are not only a step up from human output but look to continuously improve the quality and efficiency of the manufacturing process.

Key Takeaways

AI has a key place in the future of business and is already transforming it at an astonishing rate. The most interesting aspect is how AI has a part to play in such a variety of businesses, no matter the sector and no matter the size. It seems that before we know it AI will have transformed businesses as we know them forever.

Before you can start effectively marketing to your target customers, you need to know who they are. However, basic demographics like their gender, age and annual income aren’t going to suffice; you also need an insight into the nitty-gritty of what makes them tick.

If this idea makes you uncomfortable, it might be because you can’t figure out how you are supposed to learn about people in such depth without giving rise to privacy concerns. Fortunately, there are a fair few answers to this conundrum…

Go undercover in online communities your target customers frequent

There’s no shame in lurking like this to see what these people are saying about your industry or niche when they don’t think you are listening in. Still, you should be careful where exactly you do eavesdrop.

As an Inc. article explains, while software firms should peruse sites where the tech-savvy gather, like Quora, you might be better off looking at certain Facebook groups if you offer parenting solutions instead.

Keep track of hashtags on social media

These can include hashtags relating to your industry, not to mention those that are simply trending, but you reckon could have some relevance for your own offerings.

For example, what if you are a clothing retailer and there are certain hashtags for a music festival that is coming up? You could consider using these hashtags in social media posts drawing attention to clothing items you stock that would look just right when worn by music fans on a festival field.

Question target customers directly about what they want

Yes, it might initially sound like something of a ‘it might just be crazy enough to work’ point. However, when it comes to getting valuable opportunities for soliciting customers’ thoughts, you could need to put in a certain amount of legwork.   

You could, for example, use a platform like ON24 Forums to hold your own virtual networking events – and keep attendees so engaged that they don’t even realize how much they are letting slip about themselves.

Piggyback on what other people have found out

One Entrepreneur article calls this “entry-level market research at its finest”, adding that you could consult case studies and psychological analyses from sources including market researchers, industry reporters and even, to a certain extent, sociologists.

You may find that competitors of your company have undertaken and published market research of their own – in which case, why not take advantage of it? You could also look closely at how these businesses reach out to their potential customers.

Consider what products and services your target customers are already using

Many people might be loyal to specific brands because they continue to fulfill certain practical needs. So, if you have established what brands people are buying from, you can proceed to investigate what products and services are in particularly high demand. 

Many members of your target audience might casually mention these in online conversations, making it easier for you to figure out if – or just how – you could beat other companies at their own game.

When you want to foster improved loyalty in your customers, you shouldn’t underestimate your customer service’s influence.

One statistic shared by Business News Daily reveals that 93% of customers are likelier to make repeat purchases from businesses that excel in customer service.  

This helps to explain why, as numbers cited by CustomerThink indicate, companies offering the best customer service outperform others by up to 80%. However, why could unified communications prove the secret weapon in your loyalty-boosting arsenal?

Unified communications ties together various communication channels 

Unified communications (UC) enables users to access and use a range of communication channels via one management system. The channels in question can include text messaging, voice calling and emailing.

Therefore, once you have a UC system, you will be able to flick through these options quickly and seamlessly without ever having to abandon one device for another. All of this adds up to a smoother experience for customers who get in touch with you.

You can improve your First Call Resolution (FCR) rates 

Naturally, when a customer calls you to obtain your help with an issue, it would be convenient for you to resolve it on that one call. This type of resolution is known as First Call Resolution (FCR) — and UC can make it much easier to achieve. 

That’s because, if you can’t rectify the caller’s problem by yourself, UC would let you speedily connect a work colleague who is capable of helping you.

The customer can choose how to contact you 

The customer probably has their own preference of how to make the initial enquiry with you. Fortunately, once your business has a UC system unifying all of the communication methods listed on your corporate website, you will need to check only one place to see the enquiry.

UC can also enable you to efficiently switch the customer between channels. For example, if the customer calls but gets cut off, they could easily recommence the conversation via email. 

UC delivers better audio quality 

This is compared to the audio available with traditional telephony, and can give the caller the impression that the customer service agent is speaking to them privately rather than in a crowded, bustling office. 

According to research mentioned by CustomerThink, 82% of consumers appreciate feeling as though they are having a private call with customer service agents. The improved sound quality offered by UC can thus increase customer satisfaction and, as a result, assist in spurring sales.

UC is also cost-effective  

For example, not only would a UC system from the telecoms giant Gamma be fantastic for enhancing your communications, this solution would also be easily scalable. 

In other words, you could, as when and necessary, extend or rein in the amount of UC infrastructure available to your business — meaning that you can avoid paying for more of that infrastructure than what you genuinely need.

The financial savings consequently made can allow you to increase your spending on other aspects of the business, a tactic that can help with customer loyalty.

When luxury brands are mentioned, certain words come to mind. Craftsmanship, exclusivity, and the price tag of course. Names such as Ferrari, Hermes, and Cartier may also occur. The most successful luxury brand in the world in 2021 was Louis Vitton Moet Hennessey. The revenue for the LVMH Group that year was around $75.7 billion.

The most successful brands can sell simply because of their logo or branding. Iconic and timeless are two other words that might be attached to some of the biggest luxury brands, but sometimes the exclusivity that a brand may want to express can go awry.

The luxury brand, Burberry, suffered unwanted attention in the UK as it was adopted by C-list celebrities and individuals who were not the demographic that the brand sought. It took Burberry many years to shake off the ‘chav’ tag that their famous check pattern had become attached to.

Incidentally, Burberry had a revenue of nearly $4 billion in 2021 and was in the top ten most successful luxury brands. So, how do luxury brands become successful, and if their star slips as Burberry’s did for a while, can they re-establish their exclusive status?

How do luxury brands become successful?

There are a number of steps and strategies that luxury brands follow to achieve success in key areas. Below are some of the factors and strategies for improving the reputation and success of a luxury brand.

Use a brand consultant

Utilizing a brand consultancy, or bringing in an expert in this field can help build a long-term strategy for success. Hiring a manager for brand consulting will help with analyzing the business and improving its performance against competitors in the same field.

These consultants will implement brand strategies, and marketing, introduce solutions and provide analysis. They will help to establish the true value of the brand.

Find a niche

Luxury brands have to appear exclusive. The most successful brands have what is known as a high symbolic value. While the craftsmanship will be expected to be high and the materials of the best quality, there is a value associated with luxury brands that go beyond the literal cost.

Luxury brands can become desirable when they have a high symbolic value. This represents status, culture, and any number of other factors including being on trend, or being limited in numbers.

Establish an emotional connection

Establishing your brand’s symbolic value is vital. The success of a brand is often due to perception. How consumers perceive your brand can add to its growth and value. When Burberry was adopted by an unwanted demographic, it lost that air of exclusivity, and the perception was that anyone could wear the brand.

An emotional connection is also critical for a luxury brand. Marketers and brand consultants will try to establish a link with consumers’ emotions and desires. A strong brand story can help to introduce ways to make customers engage with your brand. A marketer will look to make the brand aspirational, and even appeal to an individual’s ego.

Strong IP protection

The brand needs to be protected from imitators and plagiarism. Luxury brands have all had their clothing copied and their logos reproduced for inferior fake products. Gucci, Armani, and Rolex fakes are sold all over the world, and this has a huge impact on revenues.

It is expected that the global counterfeiting industry will be worth $4.2 trillion by the end of this year. Clothes and shoes are some of the most pirated items as they are easy to replicate. Shoddy counterfeit clothes not only hurt revenues, but they can damage the perception and symbolic value of a brand.

Use influencers

Luxury brands are using influencers more as they adjust their marketing strategies to modern consumer trends. Now with the growth of ecommerce, more luxury products are being sold online, and not just in traditional outlets.

Major global firms grow brand awareness with an influencer through social media. A luxury brand can link up with the right creators to produce aspirational lifestyle posts. It is estimated that for every $1 spent on influencer marketing, a return of $5.20 will be gained.

Establish a differentiation strategy

This is an important and necessary strategy for luxury brands. Not only does the brand need to appear exclusive, but it also needs to be unique. Take Louboutins’ red sole feature for instance. A differentiation strategy means that a brand has a unique selling point, and is clearly recognizable.

Summary

Some other factors will help establish a luxury brand’s success or failure, but these are some of the more vital steps to take.

The quality of luxury branded products is expected to be superior, and the craftsmanship will help to establish trust. An emotional connection is vital, and when this happens, luxury brands will see it purely because of the name and logo behind it.