Secure Socket Layer is 100% secure. Guaranteed.

SSL certificates are supported across a wide range of browsers and your favourite, from Apple Safari to Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Netscape and more, is sure to be included.

If you’re looking to accept payments via your website, SSL is for you. It is required to meet the Payment Card Industry compliance criteria.

SSL equals higher conversion rates! Google gives websites using Secure Socket Layer a boost in the search engine rankings.

SSL encrypts information. This means that, if information ends up landing in unintended hands, it will be unreadable. Encrypted data can be read and understood only by the intended recipients.

SSL protects against phishing, which is the creation of websites for the malicious purpose of gathering others’ credit card details. These websites typically do not possess an SSL certificate, which makes them appear much less safe to visit.

These tips and benefits are just a few of the reasons why Secure Socket Layer is the way to go. A great way to protect your business online, you can contact Yabsta Digital today to find out more!

Does this sound familiar? If so, you’ve probably entered into a project with a poorly laid out project scope. You’re not alone – 85% of projects go overtime and over budget!

Wikipedia defines Project Scope as “the work that needs to be accomplished to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions.” Too often, we enter into a situation where the project is loosely defined and we experience the dreaded scope creep – new features are added as the project progresses and the longer the length of the project, the greater the chance there is of this happening. Scope creep increases the cost of the project, the complexity and time to completion and ultimately the profitability of the organisation.

So, what can be done to prevent it? When defining the scope, what does the project manager need to understand at the outset? How do we keep a project on track and on budget?

Requirement analysis – customers don’t always know exactly what they want and often provide vague ideas of the solution they require. As their knowledge of the project increases through the process they then have new ideas which change the original plan. It is therefore vital to have an initial understanding and education of the process and what needs to be achieved.

Involve users from the outset – don’t make assumptions about what people need. A Project Board needs to include representatives from the executive, supplier and user.

Understand the complexity of the project – has it been done before? What were the lessons learned? How can we improve next time?

Process of change control – any project will likely have changes. How we manage, document and approve them is important to keeping the project on track and on budget.

Communicate – often a project can run off track because of unclear internal and external communication, or using the wrong tools to manage the project. Clear communication at all levels is key to success.

So what should the scope include? It should contain, but not be limited to, the following:

Justification – a brief statement outlining the business need the project will address. This is the business case for the customer.

Product scope description – the unique characteristics of the products, services, and solution your project will produce. For example, in a website build, the description of the sitemap and unique functionality.

Completion criteria – how will we know the project is complete? These are the conditions that must be met in order for a project to be considered finished.

Deliverables – the objectives, or what the final result will be.

Project exclusions – statements about what the project will not accomplish or produce.

Constraints – restrictions that limit what you can achieve, how and when you can achieve it, and how much achieving it can cost.

Assumptions – statements about how you will address uncertain information as you conceive, plan, and perform your project.

Get the scope right. Work closely with the client and make an effort to truly understand and implement the right solution for them. This will give the project the best chance of being delivered on time and on budget, creating a solution that meets the expectations of all parties.

It can be scary stuff. Let’s say, for example, that you own the most popular restaurant in a place called “Anytown”. You get loads of web traffic that regularly converts to a return on investment via people finding out about you for the first time online, because you’re always the #1 result whenever someone types “Anytown restaurants” into the Google search bar. No matter how popular and highly-trafficked your site is, Google may very well demote your high ranking because it looks terrible on a smartphone or tablet.

You’ve probably experienced it before; visiting a website on your iPhone only to discover that the text is way too small to read without zooming in, and a bulk of the content is cut off on the right-hand side. Put simply, this is not an ideal user experience, and due to the ever-increasing importance of mobile search to Google’s search product, it seems like they’re now taking matters into their own hands to ensure that your site is ideally suited for those browsing on the go.

Don’t panic, because this isn’t exactly a bad thing. If trends continue, mobile will eventually become the dominant force in online search overall, and you’ll be happy that the majority of your potential customers will have a clear, easily-browsable experience when deciding whether to buy your product or service.

There are many options for making your site mobile-friendly, and the best thing to do is talk to your local creative agency to explore them. In many cases, a full site rebuild isn’t even necessary: there are several ways to upgrade yours existing site at minimal cost.

Klout is a powerful aggregating tool that indicates your overall social media effectiveness based on a score of 1 to 100. By plugging in all of your various platforms into its algorithm (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google Plus etc.), you can get a better idea of how influential your business is on the web, and plan future posts accordingly based on what worked and what didn’t. In addition to helping you decide on what kind of content to post, Klout also recommends other popular accounts to follow based on your business’s field of interest, allowing you to see how other pros in your arena are getting their message across.

Invest In Multi-Platform Dashboard Software

There are loads of software examples, both downloadable and in-browser, that offer you the ability to post across all your social media platforms at once, alleviating the annoyance of having to log into them individually to share what could be the exact same content. A great (and popular) tool with which to do this is HootSuite, which currently has the ability to integrate up to 35 different social media platforms into its dashboard functionality. Most of these types of software will also give you enhanced analytics that go beyond those of the social platforms themselves, so you’ll have extra data to show your clients and/or management.

Add Social Media Buttons To Your Email Signature

This is a simple, yet effective change that can actually have a significant impact on your overall social media views. By adding link buttons to all of your various platform below your name, title and contact info, you’re essentially letting each email you send act as an advertisement for your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or what have you, and interested parties will have yet another way to reach your pages. Ensure that the links to your pages are added with corresponding graphic buttons so that the email signature itself is more visually appealing.

The point I want to drive home is that as a client, you stand to get tremendously more value from your social media contract if you make the effort to reach out to your manager on a semi-regular basis. Granted, the reason most people outsource their SM in the first place is because they simply don’t have the time to do it themselves, but the impact of even a 15-minute meeting can be quite impressive and have implications that last for months.

Let’s say, for example, that your business has several upcoming promotions over an imminent 6-month period. If you have the promotional material at hand, you and your SM manager can iron out the full posting schedule in one meeting, saving you both time and giving the manager the means to find supplementary content that could help your offer(s) “pop” even more.

Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, the more one-on-one time you spend with your SM manager, the better he/she will be able to understand you as a person and business owner, thus leading to clearer messaging being delivered on your behalf. In our digital world, the human connection still remains the most powerful tool in your social media marketing arsenal.

Image Credit: elycefeliz (flickr)

1. Plan Ahead and Start Early

For next year, come up with your holiday ideas and concepts well in advance (maybe even before the decorations are up in stores). Devise a schedule, come up with designs and dates and, if you’re hosting a special competition or promo, start teasing it online before the season starts.

2. Create a Unique Twitter Hashtag

Nothing brings people together in 2014 like a hashtag campaign. During the holiday season, tag your related tweets with a hashtag like #CarolsChristmasRecipes. This is a great way to foster interaction, engage followers and generate a broader audience.

3. Encourage Discussion

Encourage your followers to share Christmas tips, memories, gift ideas, wishes and more. Simple questions, such as “what is your favourite holiday tradition?” and “what do you want from Santa?” are sure to be well received.

4. Go For a Christmas-y Look

Change or edit your profile and cover photos to reflect the season. This ensures that your brand is in the spirit online and adds holiday cheer to Facebook, Twitter and other networks. Try adding a Santa hat to your logo!

5. Host a Contest

An exciting contest is a great way to get noticed on social media. Ask your followers to post their favourite holiday photo, or an image of themselves completing a good deed. Selfies in the snow is guaranteed to go over well and you can also present a different challenge each day for the 12 Days of Christmas.

Christmas is almost here, readers, and there’s no time like the present to get into the spirit. Boost your business’s online presence this season with themed contests, questions and cover photos, unique hashtags and, most importantly, a head start and a solid plan.

Image via Flickr, Rainy Winter Night by Justin Brown, CC License

Share Original Content In Local Facebook “Groups”

Unlike the “business page” format, Facebook’s “group” format is a more personal medium that prioritizes engagement based on the most recent comment on a given thread. This in mind, if you have an interesting blog post/whitepaper/list of tips that you can promote with a holiday-themed message, members of a given group will be more likely to click through than on a business page, where the post will automatically be pushed to the side (depending on the page settings).

Theme Your Content Holiday-Style

If you happen to have an existing piece of content that you want to push out, you can theme it in the style of the holidays regardless of whether the content itself has any relative significance. With a few simple graphical tweaks, any digital whitepaper can become Christmas-ey, vibrant and more likely to catch the eye of somebody who already happens to be in the holiday spirit.

Don’t Overdo It

While people are generally open and receptive to holiday-themed content, it’s important not to push it so far that it seems like you’re marketing yourself cynically. When creating your content, don’t make it overly obvious that you’re pushing for a sale, but rather space out useful material in a scheduled fashion so you don’t overdo it. If your content is truly valuable, this probably won’t be an issue, but annoying your potential customers isn’t something you want to risk.

1. Optimize Your Post

If you’ve been here before, you will already know the importance of using keywords in your blog posts. A recent study by blogger.com from August 2014, shows that although 60% of businesses have blogs, 65% of those spaces haven’t been updated in the past year. So whether you’re old or new to us, we suggest that there’s nothing wrong with giving all of your posts an SEO review.

It’s important to keep your content fresh and modestly packed with keywords that are relevant to what people are searching for today. Not to mention, adding SEO to your images which are just another opportunity to be found on the web.

2. Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest

If you don’t have time for anything else, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are your main channels through which to send your posts out to the sphere. If you didn’t catch it, our latest piece taught you how you can create Social Media Posts on the Fly using our Professional Online Marketing Toolkit. Sending your post through these channels will be the first place to go and will continue to get you the same amount of attention—so far this is probably getting you likes, but we can do better.

3. StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon was founded in 2002 and is a discovery engine that finds and recommends web content to its users—being you. After you sign up for an account you are able to “stumble” and rate different blogs and webpages, and others will be doing the same for you. This means that you will be getting more views that can translate to more likes and shares of your content.

4. Google +

Many people have created an account, but aren’t really sure how to maximize its use. In their Complete Guide, Mashable asks users why someone should use Google+. They received over 500 positive responses advocating for the platform including: “a cleaner way to selectively share data with others,” “a lack of distracting elements,” the ability to “share based on mutual interests and get exposure to interesting people and ideas”. Google+, at the end of 2013, was receiving 1.2 million page views per month.

5. Delicious

Similar to StumbleUpon, Delicious is a social bookmarking web service for discovering new web pages according to interests. They make it very simple to add web pages.

6. Friends and Colleagues

Don’t be shy about asking friends and colleagues to share your content. As long as it’s quality (which we already know that it is), your associates won’t mind giving it a little push. The more people in your circles you get to pass it on means more exposure to their circles and so on.

 7. Link to Your Own Past Blog Posts

Wherever possible, link to your past blog posts. Just because it was written last month, doesn’t mean that it isn’t still relevant to your reader. Presenting them with a link lets them know that it’s there. By doing this, you’re still adding to the virality of your past posts while simultaneously enhancing the information on your most recent—creating more reason for people to share.

 8. Reference Other People’s Blog Posts

Referencing content from other people or businesses with the same interests helps you to get noticed. Directing people to other experts in your field shows that you are familiar with the leaders in your industry, the literature that they write and you aren’t afraid to share the wealth. These people will come to you for their next question.

9. Add it to Your Newsletter

If you are writing for a business blog, they may send out a monthly newsletter to keep your potential customers updated on the latest news in your company. You’ll want to secure a spot to include a summary of your posts for the month—these readers are actually interested in receiving your content.

10. Add it to Your Signature

Adding your URL to the bottom of your email signature is simple, but effective. Add the name of your blog plus a path to click and you’ve instantly increased the potential eyes on your space. You’ll be promoting your content without even thinking about it.

Optimizing your post, shameless social media posting, subscribing to social bookmarking sites, sharing within your own circles, back-linking, using your company newsletter and adding to your email signature are all ways to make your blog posts go viral. Add these steps to your marketing mix when promoting your blogs and watch your numbers immediately increase.

Let us know the results with any comments or questions on Facebook.

Try the PAS formula

The Problem-Agitate-Solve (PAS) formula is a proven method to create Facebook copy that is precise, clear and persuasive. It will also help to produce faster posts, since we know that Social Media Managers usually have their hands in more things than one in the business.

The formula works like this:

1. Identify the problem
2. Agitate that problem
3. Solve that problem

For example:

Feeling physically unfit? You don’t want to be left behind watching everyone else around you become their best selves for the new year. Luckily, our new book, [insert name here], includes everything you need to get on track to your best body ever, including workout schedules, healthy recipes and more. Check it out here [link].

The question at the beginning immediately identifies your target customer by highlighting their problem. Once you’ve caught their attention, the next sentence agitates the problem by making them feel bad for ignoring it. This is where you come in to solve the problem that you presented in the first place. This will get more of your quality people listening, and not to mention, question posts get 100% more comments.

Note: This won’t be as effective if you don’t know the persona you are targeting. 

Make Photos Self-Explanatory

One of the biggest mistakes on Facebook is posting photos without text or that have nothing to do with the post itself. We’ve already explained in the past the importance of images where photographic posts get 53% more likes, 104% more comments and 84% more click throughs on links. To take this further, according to a study done by www.fastcompany.com, the picture posts that performed the best, were the ones where the pictures were self-explanatory.

For example, in an attempt to advertise an infographic called “Novelty and the Brain: Why New Things Make Us Feel So Good”, the researchers found that the post showing a snapshot of the infographic itself had 70% more interaction than one with a simple photo of an illustrated man and a brain. So make sure to be clear about your reason for the post.

Note: Always think about copyright for your images.

Use Self-Referencing Words

Don’t underestimate the importance of “you” in your Facebook strategy. Dan Zarella, a Social Media Scientist at HubSpot, found that self-referential words such as “I” and “me” can be very powerful on Facebook and tend to get more likes. Perhaps this is difficult for a professional business to do, but continuing to remind your followers that there are real people operating the page gives your fans a great morale boost. If this is a bit too personal, the next time you write a post, try adding in “we think” or “tell us” instead and observe the difference for yourself.

Write Less to Get More Engagement

The people working hard over at KISSmetrics have found that posts with 80 characters or less get 66% more engagement —meaning likes and comments — then posts with 81 characters or more. The next time that you are posting and you are tempted to add in a quote or write a novel  — stop and do a quick word count before publishing.

Schedule Posts Strategically

One main point runs through this entire post: it’s important to know who you’re targeting before publishing. This will help you to schedule your posts strategically.  For example, if you are advertising a new blog post for professionals, to start, we know that on weekdays, Monday morning around 11am is usually the highest traffic hour.

Let’s take this further and hone in on our target. If you’re looking for a specific gender, know that men tend to read their ritual blogs at night, while most women read them in the morning. Overall, you will see the most comments coming in on Saturdays. You can find more stats to help with your targeting here.

The PAS formula, self-explanatory photos, self-referential words, writing less, and strategically scheduling posts are just 5 ways to get more likes on Facebook. The next time you decide to post, stop to assess your work against this strategy before hitting the publish button. Stop posting willy-nilly and enjoy watching the likes roll in.

http://blog.bufferapp.com/7-facebook-stats-you-should-know-for-a-more-engaging-page

Do…

Assume that everything on the Internet is copyrighted

Copyright protects the intellectual property of content creators and gives them exclusive rights whether it be a piece of writing, music, photography, graphics, video, design or any other creative work. It gives the author complete control over where, when and how their work is distributed and used. In most countries, copyright is automatic upon publication, so it is best to treat every photo, video or quote as a protected piece of property.

Create original images, content, graphics, music and designs to avoid copyright infringement

Since we’re assuming everything is copyrighted, it is best to create your own works in order to avoid any potential infringement. Write down your own ideas and take your own photos to demonstrate. If you must use an excerpt of another person’s words, use quotation marks and a clear citation back to the source. For images, be sure to use those that are in the public domain, royalty-free or have a Creative Commons License (see next point).

Understand the Creative Commons and its different licenses

Creative Commons was created to help with the difficulties of traditional and digital media and its ever-growing sharing capabilities. It’s a standardized way for individuals or large institutions to give permission to use, copy, distribute, edit and build upon their work. The different licenses take into account the different levels of permissions. Some licensors allow full distribution with a simple attribution and link back to the license (click here for an example), while others are more restrictive.

Don’t…

Misunderstand the idea of fair use

The argument of fair use (or fair dealing in Canada) basically allows for copyrighted material to be used without acquiring permission from the rights holder. In instances such as news reporting, for educational or research purposes and parody, copyrighted material can be used and will be assessed by factors that are different according to different country legislature. For example, in the US, fair use is assessed by four factors: the nature, purpose, amount of material used, and the effect it had on the market. In Canada, the factors are a bit stricter. It’s important to understand the rules set by the country of your registered IP address before using any material under this law.

Think that your duplicated content will be hard to find

Although the Internet seems vast, Google Image Search has made finding images easier for content creators. So you may say to yourself that no one will find your blog in the midst of all of the others, but with the click of a button, the depths can become very shallow and you may have to deal with the consequences that are not easily remedied by simply taking the content down. In these cases, the creators still have an argument. To avoid this, always use material that is 100 % your own.

Simply give attribution credit back to the author

It may sound polite to do this but a common misconception is that a simple attribution or credit link will legally satisfy the rights of a content creator — it won’t. Permission directly from the author is required and if you cannot get in touch with the original maker, it’s best to use a different image altogether. Chances are, there are many other images that will convey the same message in your post.

While reflecting on the rules of copyright, it’s best to assume that all content is protected and to go forward with this thought in mind. Creating your own material, understanding Creative Commons, not mistaking the idea of fair use and realizing that you are never too small to be found on the Internet are all great ways to ensure that your blog is legal and free from copyright infringement. Enjoy the freedom of the blogosphere, but do it legally!

For more on where to find royalty-free images, check out our blog post “4 Types of Images to Enhance Your Content – A Breakdown”.