Friday, December 4, 2015

How To Improve Your Online Privacy With These Easy Steps

The good news is that it's really easy to beef up your online security. These quick and simple steps will considerably strengthen your systems against criminals and snoops.

1. Get a quality VPN service

The quickest and easiest way to improve your online privacy is to get a quality VPN provider. The best services, like ExpressVPN, will secure your internet connection from prying eyes. A VPN will make your internet connection completely private and will keep no record of your internet activity.

2. Use a password manager

It goes without saying that a strong password will protect you more. You should also always use a different password for each account you have online. The best way to do this is with a password manager. It will encrypt and store all of your credentials for every site, so that you don't have to remember them all. Logins will fill out automatically, which means you'll spend less time frantically trying to remember your pet's birthday. Pick a strong master password and let the program do the rest.

3. Keep your system up to date

Setting your OS to update automatically requires minimal effort, and will considerably strengthen your defence against cyber attacks. It's important that you always have the latest security updates on your machine. They are released for a reason - to fight the increasingly sophisticated criminals who are constantly searching for ways to attack you and harvest your data.

4. Don't forget Your Mobile Connections

Connecting from a mobile device is increasingly the way most people get online. There's no point securing your desktop if you leave your iPad connection open. That's why it's important to choose a VPN service which will work across all devices and operating systems.

5. Don't trust Free and Public Wifi.

In many cases, it's free because they are harvesting your data. And that's just the provider. Criminals and snoops can also use the same connection to gain access to your files.

Getting secure online is more common sense than cost. A few straight thinking minutes can have your systems operating far more securely. VPNs are worth more than their weight in gold.

VPNs Weigh Nothing

Literally. There's no bulky equipment, It's just software. It's also lightweight software that won't hog any resources. In fact, it can often speed up your system. ISPs increasingly throttle traffic to certain websites. They do this without telling you, or even admitting it. They may use phrases such as "Traffic Shaping", but don’t be fooled. It's throttling. A VPN hides the sites you are looking at, so it's impossible to have your connection "trafficked".

Honorary Mentions: What about Tor?

There are other methods of securing your data online. Perhaps by using the Tor network. And while it is not as tricky (or dangerous!) as some make out, it just isn't as simple as a good VPN service.

ExpressVPN will get you browsing safely within minutes. A quick install and a few clicks is all you need to increase your online security and protect your privacy. And with a 256 key encryption, it is near impossible to hack.

Friday, November 27, 2015

Learn How To Create Actionable Customer-Centric Mobile Marketing Campaigns

In 2015 PEW Research studied the smartphone habits of American adults. This intuitive study revealed that 46 percent of American adults say they "can't live without their smartphone." In 2015 eMarketer also conducted a study on smartphone usage and the predicted impact of mobile advertising. eMarkter's report unveiled that by 2017 over 59 percent of digital search ad dollars will be spent marketing on mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. These statistics show that mobile marketing is no longer a passing trend. It is a consumer-centric marketing effort that should be viewed as a chance to speak directly with your intended consumer by making a lasting connection.

5 Tactics To Create Easy-to-Implement Customer-Centric Mobile Marketing Campaigns

1) Tell a story through your blog -- Customer-centric marketing efforts should focus on involving your customers with the story of your brand. Your mobile marketing efforts will need to create mobile-friendly blog posts that can be read in three minutes or less. These blog posts should encourage people to share, like, and comment on what they've just read.

2) Begin a social media conversation
-- Social media conversations are a great way to create customer-centric mobile marketing efforts that focus on a customer's willingness to become involved with your brand. These conversations can also be a great starting point for you to share your latest campaign efforts. Whether it is sharing a new blog post, discussing the merits of a recently published white paper, or promoting your company's latest sale or discount, social media is the perfect platform to appeal to your customers. Be sure to encourage customers to comment by asking questions and don't forget to reply when someone does leave a comment.

3)Design mobile-specific email or SMS marketing campaigns -- Promotional content should focus on the customer and his or her potential needs. The customer doesn't want to be disappointed when they open a SMS or email message. Instead, the customer wants to see something of value. When you are crafting your promotional messages remember that nothing is more valuable than the customer's time. Messages that are succinct and add value are more likely to receive a positive reception.

4) Analyze metrics and make sure that your customers are happy -- Building a successful customer-centric mobile marketing campaign will require you to analyze a few key performance indicators. Ask yourself the following types of questions: how valuable are my customers; how can I attract more like-minded customers; how do I keep customer coming back? The common factor of the aforementioned questions is determining if your customers are happy. If your customer is happy then you know that your customer-centric approach is working. If your customers are dissatisfied, then you need to quickly adjust your efforts so that you don't lose your customers to a competitor.

5) Use proven marketing technology tools -- The right marketing technology tools will help you to gain valuable insights into your gathered customer data. In addition these tools can be used to help you automate certain processes, such as an automated "thank you for your inquiry" response that is designed to let the customer know that their request was heard, and that a company representative will assist them shortly. Marketing automation tools can also be used to deepen customer relationships and improve your customer communication strategy.

The Bottom Line

When it comes to customer-centric mobile marketing campaigns, the customer should always come first. Online sellers, retailers, and service providers need to put an emphasis on customer-centric strategies if they want to truly leverage the power of mobile marketing. By creating customer-centric mobile marketing campaigns you can help your organization create loyal brand ambassadors, build new customer relationships, and increase your ROI.
 


Author Biography 
Sophorn Chhay - Sophorn is an inbound marketer specializing in attracting targeted visitors and generating sales qualified leads. Through Trumpia’s SMS marketing automation solution he helps businesses and organizations communicate effectively with their customers or members. Trumpia is offering a free Mobile Marketing Success Kit so don’t forget to grab your free copy.