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Blogging

Tax guide for YouTube bloggers: Here’s how to determine your income tax liabilities

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

The recent years have witnessed the emergence of a new profession—video blogging—more popularly called as vlogging. YouTube is its main medium. Many of you might be ardent followers of such YouTubers who give quirky life lessons, offer fashion tips, review books or movies or just repost clips from popular movies among others. India can now boast of its own YouTube stars with millions of subscribers.

Several budding vloggers, who make a mint by uploading popular videos (ideated by self or from credited sources), are uncertain about their tax implications. Let us explore this in detail. Before getting into tax rules for YouTubers, it is important to determine the source of income of such vloggers.

Nature of income of YouTubers

One aspect that attracts entrepreneurial minds to vlogging is that there are no age constraints and everything you make will be owned by you. It doesn’t require a lot of investment. Many YouTubers have started with uploading videos shot on their mobile phones. Many even keep their regular jobs until they get a breakthrough. Here are the kinds of income made by YouTubers.

-Payment from YouTube for audience engagement (assessed based on the number of reach, views and comments)
-YouTube advertisements
-Consultancy services on video making, designing and optimisation

-Affiliate sales or other freelance income from YouTube

Tax Implications for Income from YouTube

You will be taxed as a sole proprietor unless you register your business as a company, LLP or Partnership Company. Tax provisions applicability depends on the source and nature of income. Here, a YouTuber’s income is considered as business income.

Being a service sector business, the assesses can only opt for normal provisions under the Income Tax Act,1961. If the gross total income exceeds Rs 1 crore, then section 44AB i.e., tax audit will be applicable to the YouTuber. Additionally, Tax Deducted at Source(TDS) provisions will also be applicable to you on every receipt of payment. You can view your TDS amount through 26AS, which can be generated electronically.

If your gross turnover is below Rs 1 crore, then you have to follow the normal tax provisions to calculate taxes and maintain books of accounts. But if your gross total income exceeds Rs 1 crore, you must follow all bookkeeping requirements under Rule 6A and get your accounts audited by a Chartered Accountant(CA) under section 44AB of Income Tax Act,1961. You will have to pay taxes on the net taxable income after considering all the business expenses and depreciation as per the income tax slab applicable to you.

You may also have to pay advance tax if your total tax liability is more than Rs 10,000 in a financial year. You have to pay advance tax in four instalments given your tax liability is more than Rs 10,000 in a financial y year (FY).

Starting from June 15 , 15 percent of the advance tax has to be paid. Then by September 15, you should have paid 45 percent, by December,  75 percent of the advance tax liability and by March 15, 100 percent of it.

You have to pay your advance tax liabilities by the due date after considering the amount of TDS that has been already deducted from payments made to you. This TDS can be cross-checked from Form 26AS.

Don’t forget to claim the below expenses

a. General Expenses: If you can submit the required bills, expenses directly related to earning your income are fully deductible. It includes your internet bill, costs incurred for computer or camera maintenance and any other cost for creating and uploading the videos.

b. Other Expenses: Costs to promote and market your video expenses.

c. Depreciation: Please remember that the expenditure of assets cannot be deducted completely deducted against your income. For instance, you can only claim 15 percent depreciation of the camera price and 60 percent depreciation of the cost of the laptop.

In case you have calculated your taxes under normal provisions and tax audit does not apply i.e., your gross total income is less than Rs 1 crore, you will have to file your income tax return by July 31 of the assessment year. For assesses who are subject to tax audit, the return filing deadline is usually September 30 of the assessment year.

 

 

[“source=moneycontrol”]

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Blogging

3 REASONS CREATIVE BLOGGING IS VITALLY IMPORTANT FOR BLACK ENTREPRENEURS IN 2019

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

3 Reasons Creative Blogging Is Vitally Important for Black Entrepreneurs in 2019

Content marketing has been an indispensable trend for some time. This is due to the rapid evolution of the digital world and has meant that traditional forms of marketing have lost their impact (and possibly overall value). Reaching consumers through creative content is very much the way things are done now. When done right, information, education, and opinion should come before any sales techniques. Blogging is also transforming as websites need to work harder to pull in their core audience with organic content.

Creative blogging is critical for black entrepreneurs to gain a leg up on their competition. For tips on leveraging your content for content acceleration head over to my recent BLACK ENTERPRISEarticle here.

ENGAGING CONTENT IS NECESSARY TO COMPETE

The days when large blocks of text could be used are virtually gone. A large portion of people now access blog posts on a phone or tablet. This means that text needs to be split up in a number of creative ways. Listicle content has become incredibly popular because of this (think Buzzfeed style content).

It’s also important to use multimedia tools and strategies such as embedding tweets, video content, and engaging images. An advantage is that you can manually post (or automate) the same or similar graphics to promote posts on multiple social media platforms (reducing a brands digital marketing outsourcing cost). As a bare minimum, you want to have a feature image for each post and make content uniquely yours. Within a short amount of time, you will start developing a voice through your content and differentiate yourself from the crowded marketplace. As a black entrepreneur, it’s essential to give the market a unique viewpoint on your brand all while promoting your unique skill set and passion for running your enterprise. Don’t be modest, stop being humble and let the world know how great you (and your brand) are!

OPINION ALONE ISN’T ALWAYS ENOUGH

It’s certainly true that opinion writing still has a part to play and in certain circumstances it is sufficient. However, when thinking about your company’s blog, it’s necessary to build your authority as much as possible. This may mean using industry data to validate your point.

For example, social media content with images tends to be more successful than text-based updates. However, if you can add more depth to it by saying that visual social media content is more likely to be shared and citing a specific number, then you grow your authority. Doing this also gives you the opportunity to link to other sites, which can increase your influence on Google. As a nationally syndicated columnist, I have leveraged opinion writing to establish myself as an industry expert, however, be cautious regarding the type of industry you want to insert your opinion into. Simply put, stay in your expertise lane.

GENERIC CONTENT WON’T ALLOW YOU TO STAND OUT

Looking around company blogs, it’s fair to conclude that there isn’t an awful lot of content originality. It’s good to see more blogging happening, but the level of the content quality you put out is essential. This means you should continually look for ways you can leverage your expertise and choose topics that won’t age too quickly.

A lot of companies in your sector will report breaking news or generic content that anyone in your industry could have written. Try not to do that, instead look to put a unique spin on things using real expertise. Talk about your experiences rather than the theory of something and look for ways to present your information distinctly. If you look at blogs from your competitors, it will quickly become apparent there are things they are not doing, which ultimately creates an opportunity for you!

Hopefully, by now, you have already experimented with content marketing. Simply having a blog isn’t enough though, so this article has looked at some of the reasons that creative blogging is vital for black entrepreneurs in 2019. To sum this piece up, opinion alone isn’t always enough, and generic content won’t allow you to stand out in our hypercompetitive business environment.

 

[“source=blackenterprise”]

 

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Online Marketing

7 Digital Marketing Channels for Apparel Wholesalers

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Apparel wholesalers and manufacturers often neglect digital marketing, focusing instead on trade shows and in-person events. This is a mistake.

A primary marketing vehicle for apparel wholesalers is exhibiting at trade shows. It means booking space, creating and printing marketing materials, funding travel, and entertaining clients — spending big bucks for a limited number of buyers.

Unfortunately, apparel wholesalers don’t typically devote an equal amount of money and effort to online marketing. This is a huge mistake. Exhibiting at a trade show can expose products to a few hundred buyers for a couple of days. Marketing online can expose those products to thousands of potential customers every day, worldwide.

I call this “manufacturers’ mentality” — i.e., just obtain orders and manufacture products. Many manufacturers and wholesalers view online marketing as a gamble. They spend the money and pray for results. And most of the time, the results are unsatisfactory because the manufacturers don’t invest in top talent, consultants, tools, and other resources.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. I recently took a startup apparel manufacturer from zero sales to hundreds of thousands — all with a small budget. It’s a simple strategy with, usually, seven components.

I’ll describe it in this post.

High-converting Website

The owner of fashion wholesaler recently told me that he spent tons of money on pay-per-click ads with insignificant results. The problem was high bounce rates on the home page and fewer than expected customer registrations. The site was unclear as to what kind of business it was and why a retailer would buy from it. New visitors — potential customers — could not understand. I impressed on the owner that he has just a few seconds to convince visitors to stay.

I suggested these steps:

  • Have a dominant and clear message that explains the website.
  • Treat the primary home-page banner as a booth display at a trade show.
  • Have consistent colors and images.
  • Use readable, traditional fonts — not trendy or old fashioned.
  • Pay close attention to photography. It is the primary selling tool when prospects can’t touch a product.

The site should also emphasize compelling content.

  • The “about us” section should explain what the company can do for customers.
  • A “frequently asked questions” section is for selling. It should clearly address common buyer questions.
  • Testimonials are for selling, too. Use them to explain your company’s top benefits.
  • Non-gated pages should have keyword-based text and multimedia.

And the most important aspect of a high-converting website is having the right products that retailers want and need.

Search Engine Optimization

In my experience, most apparel executives know that search engine optimization is critical. They just don’t know how to do it.

To start, search on Google for important keywords, such as “wholesale clothing.” Then analyze the organic results. Why are companies on page 1?

For example, when a client asked why his site is not ranking for “wholesale clothing,” I pointed out that his page 1 competitor had 3.6 million backlinks from 903 referring domains. I explained that he needed to match or at least to get close to those numbers.

Google Ads

If you don’t have an experienced employee, consultant, or agency to run your pay-per-click advertising, use Google AdWords Express. Do not spend heavily on Google Ads (formerly, AdWords) without experience. You can quickly lose money. Start slow, with low budgets. Do not advertise worldwide, at least initially. Target a city or state, test the results, and expand from there.

If you are a fashion wholesaler — clothing, accessories, handbags, cosmetics — in my experience, most customers will come from five states, in this order: Texas, California, Florida, Georgia, and Illinois.

Email Marketing

For apparel wholesalers, at least 40 percent of sales should come from email marketing. Open rates should exceed 25 percent.

Emphasize transactional emails to follow up with buyers who create new accounts. Use the space to address your company’s benefits, promotions, and anything else that can help your company to stand out.

Social Media

Content creation and content promotion are equal parts of social media marketing. Create compelling content — how-to guides, fashion tips — to generate leads. And then promote it.

Which social media channels are best for fashion wholesalers? Here are my choices.

  • YouTube because it is the number two search engine.
  • Pinterest because it is more search engine than a social network.
  • Instagram because it is visual and because most retail businesses have Instagram accounts.
  • Facebook Groups because they are targeted with, typically, engaged members.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing works for wholesalers in much the same say as for retail companies. But, in my experience, influencers for wholesalers are more professional — they cater to businesses — and have smaller followings, which make them more approachable.

Owners of Facebook Groups are often influencers. Working with those owners can be effective since the members are so engaged. Influencers’ YouTube channels can generate targeted traffic. But LinkedIn influencers are less effective.

Online Marketplaces

Fashion wholesalers often ask if they should join an online marketplace. Generally, the answer is always “yes.” Wholesale fashion marketplaces are a tremendous opportunity for growth. Typically, each marketplace has its own buyer niche, at least partially. And wholesale marketplaces typically offer attractive advertising options, including dedicated emails.

However, join a wholesale marketplace only if you are willing to invest time in updating your collection and adding new items. If you upload your collection once and then ignore it, marketplaces would be a waste of money — even for premium, attractive products.

 

 

[“source=practicalecommerce”]

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Online Marketing

How Digital Marketing Can Be Beneficial For An SME India?

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

SME India

Digital marketing can be very beneficial for an SME India. It is vital to run the business successfully. With the advent of digitalization, there has been a recent shift from the traditional path of buying to a conventional method. Thus, it is not only a smart idea but also the need of the hour to turn your SME India into a digitally empowered one which will only succeed in the coming time.

So, invest in digital marketing and see your business grow. However, first let’s take a look at four prime reasons why digital marketing would definitely be very beneficial for your business.

Customer’s Online Presence

SME India

ALSO READ: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO DIGITAL MARKETING FOR YOUR BUSINESS

With easy access to the internet and almost every person having a phone, about 97% of the customers search online for the products they need. Simply put the customers are digital savvy. So, with SME India having an online presence, the customers can access your business from any location and at any time.

The internet has an interactive nature that provides the businessman with an opportunity to obtain the needs and requirements of the target customers. This helps in creating better products and services and optimizing them according to customer requirements. So, a social media platform will help you create a strong customer base and establish a good relationship with them. A good and easy to access website attracts digitally savvy customers and also ensures high rate conversion.

Customer Expectation

SME India

ALSO READ: THESE 4 CUSTOMERS RETENTION STRATEGIES WILL HELP YOU BEAT COMPETITORS

In order to keep the business running, it is important to engage customers online with different strategies. With the presence of other competitors in the market, the customers tend to change their mind. They expect to have a more accessible and interactive connect. So, developing an interactive medium is imperative to meet your customer’s expectation.

This will provide extensive engagement and attract potential customers as well who prefer to shop online.

Seasonal Trends

SME India

ALSO READ: HOW ONLINE REVIEWS CAN AFFECT YOUR BUSINESS?

With the use of various online marketing tools, missing out on any seasonal business is absolutely inevitable. Different research shows that an effective digital marketing strategy used by an SME India tempts buyers to shop online. You can lure them with different strategies and send discounts and offers via emails and social media.

With the help of digital marketing, you don’t waste any time, interact with your customers fast, and progress in a way that you make your customers interested in what they want to buy.

Customers are Mobile

SME India
ALSO READ: LOCAL SEO TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

Smartphones these days play an active part in changing the customers’ viewpoint – what they want to buy or what not. Customers can search for solutions to their problems in one go and in a convenient way from anywhere. Some research claims that mobile digital media time is higher than the desktop time with the former being 51% and the latter being 42%.

So, it can be concluded that digital marketing is the need of the hour for an SME India. They can optimize their website for mobile viewing to get better results – it will help in greater sales. Also, you can register the business with digital business directories and rank high in Google and another search engine.

It can be said that digital marketing is essential for a business to survive and thrive in today’s world of cutthroat competition. Internet will expand in the time to come and it certainly is capable of attracting an audience and luring it will different offers. So, investing in digital marketing can be a vital step for your business.

[“source=blog.ziploan”]

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Blogging

8 Mind-Blowing Secrets for Guest Blogging Success

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

8 Mind-Blowing Secrets for Guest Blogging Success

It’s one of the best inbound marketing strategies out there.

Strategic guest posting has many benefits, including:

  • Driving more traffic.
  • Attracting backlinks.
  • Generates tons of leads.
  • Building brand authority.

However, because it’s such a popular strategy, everyone’s now doing it.

Site owners are inundated with pitches.

It’s getting harder to get tangible results through it.

But with the right tactics, you can still make guest posting work and reap handsome benefits for your business.

In this post, we will reveal eight secrets to guest blogging success.

1. Develop Relationships with Niche Influencers Beforehand

Developing relationships with influencers in your space now rather than later can give you an advantage over competitors when you are pitching.

Most sites typically receive thousands of pitches. If a host blogger knows you, the probability of your email being opened rises significantly.

These days most site owners won’t look at a pitch from a total stranger.

Here’s how to get into the radar of niche influencers:

  • Comment on their posts.
  • Write them a thank you note.
  • Share their posts.
  • Reach out to them on social media.

Do all this and you’ll be instantly recognizable when you pitch. You’ll get a head start on your competition. When you do this genuinely amazing things happen.

For instance, Kevin Duncan of Be A Better Blogger was invited to guest blog for Smartblogger because of his prolific comments.

Guest blogging email

Bottom line: doing good to influencers triggers reciprocity which builds goodwill towards you.

2. Carefully Select Your Target Sites

Many businesses claim guest blogging isn’t working for them.

Often, the reason for dismal results is targeting the wrong sites. Jumping into the guest blogging bandwagon without choosing your target sites properly only leads to failure.

The secret to success is picking your targets with care. Choose blogs that fit what your company wants to achieve.

  • Target popular sites in your space that are frequented by the audience you are after.
  • Zero in on general sites that may be interested in your topic (e.g., if you are a website designer you can contribute to a marketing site and talk about how to design a smashing marketing site).
  • Download this useful list of almost 500 high-ranking websites that publish guest posts, grouped by niche.

Aaron Orendorff, of Iconicontent, quickly established a successful business within a couple of months using guest blogging as the backbone of his strategy. He mainly targeted A-list commercial websites.

Check out his Twitter profile:

Aaron Orendorff Twitter Profile

His target is evident: top-notch commercial sites.

3. Pitch like a Pro, Not a Bungling Amateur

Without a stellar pitch, your guest post campaign falls flat.

The key to winning pitches is sidestepping rookie mistakes like:

  • Failure to include the host’s name or getting it wrong: Check the target site’s about page so you get the name right.
  • Not including links to your previous work: Throw in at least three links to your previous posts to showcase your writing talent to the host.
  • Pitching topics totally unrelated to the site: Make sure your topic fits the blog perfectly.
  • Glaring grammar and spelling mistakes: Use editing tools like Grammarly to improve and polish to your post.
  • Not reading and following the writers’ guidelines: You can find the writers guidelines on the main menu, sidebar, or footer. These common phrases are used to describe the guidelines page: “writers guidelines”, “write for us”, or “contribute”.

4. Pitch a Fully Written Customized Post

Every site is looking for quality content to keep their content marketing engine going.

If you give a site owner a publish-ready customized post, you are likely to get a yes.

To nail this approach, do the following:

  • Use a tool like BuzzSumo to analyze the top performing posts on the site and model them.
  • Look for a content gap to fill. Do this by scouring the comments of popular posts to hear what the audience wants to learn more about.
  • Make sure you link to other related posts on the host site. Webmasters appreciate this as it saves them time.
  • Include their favorite sites in external links. To discover these, examine the sites backlink profile using Link Explorer or Monitor Backlinks. This shows the host you know their site and mission.

5. Offer an Extra Resource Alongside the Post

To increase your chances of having your pitch accepted, go the extra mile.

Offer the host a valuable resource that complements the post.

Here are super simple types of content upgrades you can come up with:

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  • A checklist.
  • A template.
  • A cheatsheet
  • A case study.
  • A list of resources.
  • A PDF version of the post.

Let’s say for example the host publication is about camping. You can draw up a New Campers Checklist PDF. The host can offer it to readers as a free download and grow their email list.

This shows the host how serious you are about adding value to their audience. On seeing this unparalleled commitment, they’ll say yes.

6. Include a Relevant Contextual Backlink

Usually, blog owners don’t allow links in the post itself.

They only give free rein in the author bio.

Does this mean getting a link in the body is impossible? Not at all. What webmasters want are relevant resources that add value to an article.

Here’s the intel on getting a contextual backlink.

  • Ask: When you are upfront about links, the site owner will see your motives are good and grant your request.
  • Relevance: As long as what you’re linking to adds value to the post, you will succeed.
  • Natural: If the link is not forced, but fits naturally into the context of your subject, you’ll get the green light.

Here’s an excellent example of a contextual link from Backlinko’s Brian Dean.

8 Mind-Blowing Secrets for Guest Blogging Success

This was a guest post for Buffer where Brian was demonstrating how he substantially improved sign-ups by offering a unique laser targeted content upgrade on the post itself. The link isn’t spammy or unnatural.

7. Optimize Your Author Bio for Maximum Conversions

Probably, the last thing guest posters think about is their bio if at all.

This is a big mistake.

The hidden weapon of successful guest posts is an optimized author bio.

  • Statistics from LinkedIn reveal the power of including a photo on your social media profiles. You receive 36x additional messages, 21x extra profile views, and 9x more people reach out to link up with you.
  • Show off your personality so readers are drawn to you.
  • Avoid using a one-size-fits-all bio. Tweak it to fit the specific audience you are writing for. You will connect better with audiences.
  • Massage your keywords into the copy.
  • Add some social proof so readers take you seriously.

Check out this optimized bio below.

Marcus Ho - Sample SEJ Profile Bio

The bio covers all the bases.

It includes a pro-looking headshot, links back to my site, shares my company’s unique selling proposition, and underlines my authority by showcasing my book.

8. Link to a Dedicated Landing Page, Not the Homepage

When you write a guest post do all you can to maximize gains on the warm traffic you get.

Do this by linking to a special landing page.

Here’s how to do just that.

  • Design a specific page targeted at your host site’s visitors instead of sending traffic to a generic page.
  • Complement your guest post by offering users a relevant giveaway that suits the campaign you are running.
  • Use interchangeable language on your author bio and landing page to enable readers to connect the two pages easily.
  • Strip the page of anything that may cause readers to leave without converting or taking the desired action (e.g. don’t add link to other pages).

 

 

[“source=searchenginejournal”]

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News Update

New WhatsApp beta update for Android allows users to download single sticker

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

New WhatsApp beta update for Android allows users to download single sticker

WhatsApp is having a busy 2019. It has been adding new features every other day and now with the new beta release the Facebook-owned company has added another nifty feature. The WhatsApp for Android beta version 2.19.33 gives the messenger app the ability to download a single sticker from a pack. Earlier, there was no option to download a single sticker and the users had to download the whole pack even if they wanted only one sticker from the pack. The beta testers for the WhatsApp can check this new feature before it is made available for everyone.

In case you are a beta tester, you can update your WhatsApp Messenger to the new Android beta version 2.19.33. After downloading the update, open the in-app WhatsApp Stickers Store and long press on a sticker in a stickers pack you have not downloaded yet. WhatsApp will then prompt to ask if you want to save that sticker as favourite. It will show you the download size of the single sticker and offer a download option at the bottom for saving the sticker in the app.

First spotted by WhatsApp beta news tracker WABetaInfo, the ability to download just one sticker is very useful. First of all it will save your phone’s space and will make your sticker menu uncluttered. It will be nice to have the relevant stickers at your disposal. It also saves valuable internet data for all the limited pack users.

WABetaInfo also said that the Android 2.19.33 beta update also indicates that WhatsApp plans to introduce its WhatsApp Pay feature in some more countries like Mexico and USA. It also added that the new features about private sharing in groups and improvements for stories would also be introduced soon.

Earlier in February 2018, WhatsApp had introduced WhatsApp Payments in India for both Android and iOS apps. However, the Payments feature got stuck in the regulatory hurdles and has not taken off yet.

[“source=businesstoday”]

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News Update

iOS 12.1.3 Update With Bug Fixes for iPhone, iPad Pro (2018), and HomePod Released

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

iOS 12.1.3 Update With Bug Fixes for iPhone, iPad Pro (2018), and HomePod Released

Apple has released iOS 12.1.3 as a new software update for all the compatible iPhone and iPad models. Similar to the previous iOS 12 update, the latest software version doesn’t bring any noticeable changes on board. It, however, addresses some minor bugs to enhance the user experience. The iOS 12.1.3 update also fixes some known vulnerabilities. The Cupertino giant has also brought watchOS 5.1.3 with bug fixes. Apple’s HomePod has also received a couple of improvements to address the existing issues.

As per the official changelog, the iOS 12.1.3 update fixes a bug that was impacting scrolling through photos in the Messages Details view. The new iOS version also addresses the problem that was bringing striped artefacts to photos after being share from the Share Sheet. There is also a fix for the issue that was causing “certain CarPlay systems” to disconnect from the new iPhone models, including the iPhone XR₹ 72,484, iPhone XS₹ 91,131, and iPhone XS Max.

Specifically for the iPad Pro (2018) models, the iOS 12.1.3 update fixes an issue that was causing audio distortion with some external audio input devices. The latest iOS release also has some fixes pertaining to the HomePod. It essentially addresses a random restart issue and fixes a bug that was causing Siri to stop listening to your commands.ios 12 1 3 update gadgets 360 iOS 12

Notably, Apple hasn’t detailed in the official changelog whether the iOS 12.1.3 update fixes the cellular data connectivity issues that were reported for the iOS 12.1.2 update last month.

Aside from the latest iOS update, Apple has released watchOS 5.1.3 for Apple Watch Series 1 and above models. The update carries unspecified improvements and bug fixes, as noted in the official changelog.watchos 5 1 3 update gadgets 360 watchOS

You can read about the security content of iOS 12.1.3 by visiting the official support page. Apple has also detailed the security content of watchOS 5.1.3 on its support page.

How to download iOS 12.1.3, watchOS 5.1.3

The iOS 12.1.3 update is compatible with all the iPhone and iPad models running iOS 12. To download the latest version on your device, go to Settings > General > Software Update and then follow the on-screen instructions.

Your device should be using a Wi-Fi connection to download the over-the-air update. Also, it is recommended to back up your data, and ensuring your device has over 50 percent of charge or connected to a power source before beginning the update process.

The watchOS 5.1.3 update is compatible with all Apple Watch models running watchOS 5. To download the update, go to the Apple Watch app on your iOS device and then visit General > Software Update.

The Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent of the battery charge to enable the installation process. Also, it is recommended to keep it on the charging dock while installing the new update. Your iPhone will also need to be in close proximity to the Apple Watch and will need to be on Wi-Fi. The Apple Watch should restart twice before the update is completely installed, and you need to enter the Watch passcode if prompted, after beginning the update and then follow the prompts from your iPhone.

[“source=gadgets.ndtv”]

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Online Marketing

Online marketing is the way to go for Ugandan businesses

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Robert Ssenkasi

By Robert Ssenkasi

The Internet has radically transformed how we build and promote businesses. With this trend, entrepreneurs have access to far more resources and far more potential than ever before. However, so many of them end up neglecting these fruitful opportunities by foregoing marketing or delaying it as an unnecessary expenditure. With online marketing, entrepreneurs can use a wide range of methodologies to promote their business activities (products and services).

Unlike the traditional marketing strategies, online marketing avails entrepreneurs with a couple of marketing essentials because of the extra channels and marketing mechanisms available online. These include banner ads, pop-ups, search advertising, emails/newsletters and heard-behaviours.

However, majority of customers seem not to be taken up by the online marketing strategies widely adopted by various entrepreneurs and businesses, this is likely to be attributed to the ineffective approaches.
This discussion explores and addresses the silent strategies businesses and entrepreneurs need to embrace for an attractive online marketing effort.

These range from effective personal branding, content designs and marketing, conversion optimisation among others. By developing proper personal branding under this strategy, Ugandan entrepreneurs need to use the best brand of their businesses since this will provide opportunities for influencing a more trustworthy and personal image that later boosts the business brand.
Secondly, business operators in Uganda need to adopt a modest content marketing system a key in attracting customers’ attentions concerning a particular product posted instantly. This strategy involves various forms that are dependent on the nature of business. Ugandan business operators, therefore, need to embrace content marketing because it allows online customers to buy products of their real choice willingly and convincingly, thus paving away in issues related with refunds.
For effective online marketing, enterprises should use an optimized search engine. Accessing Uganda’s businesses, company’s portals should be provided and visible in the search engines. This will subsequently increase online customer traffic since the ability of a customers to perform online transactions is based on how reliable and stronger the portal it could be.

Significantly, email marketing is an outstanding potential strategy that Ugandan business operators need to employ to plough more returns on investment because it is affordable and reliable, which makes it easy for online customers to get right information concerning online products/services. Instantly, the business operator needs to start collecting Data from the existing online customer bases or cites, like social media platforms and other new existing online business opportunities. From there, even a simple content newsletter would still encourage repeated purchases on the business sites, increasing online customer engagement with the brands thus keeping the brand onto the client’s mind.

Designing a well-organised Web page, which is up to date, entrepreneurs in Uganda need to use websites easy to read, up-to-date, directive, attention-grabbing, interesting and most of all, user-friendly. No matter how much a business operator invests in designing a web site, losing customers will be continuous if the business website is complex and complicated to online customers.
Lastly, businesses in Uganda need to start offering contests and giveaways to customers to effect on line business. This is simply because many customers love contests and giveaways. Anytime a businesses can encourage marketing through exchanging of free products or services with customers (incentives). Undoubtedly, Ugandan entrepreneurs will realise an upsurge in online purchases, orders and connections.

Conclusively, through proper personal branding, modest content marketing, optimised search engine, availability of portals, email marketing, use of web pages, which are up to date and well design, offering contests and giveaways, there is one other key advantage these strategies offer since they all work together.
If Ugandan business operators and entrepreneurs complement the above efforts across their businesses, then higher potential returns will be realised and recorded.

[“source=monitor.co.ug”]

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Online Marketing

10 marketers share their top predictions for marketing in 2019

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

We reached out to some top influencers and leaders in digital marketing and asked for their perspectives. What are their top predictions for marketing in 2019? What are current trends and challenges in the industry? Looking forward to rest of year, what do they anticipate will happen?

They shared their views and predictions for marketing in the coming year, including insights on the role of artificial intelligence in marketing, voice search, content marketing, and aligning sales and marketing.

10 predictions for marketing in 2019

1. Deepened understanding of audience and customers

“The only long-term way to stay competitive in marketing is to continue to deepen your understanding of your audience and customers.

There is a wide range of tactics available to do this including qualitative user research, surveys, web user session recording, split testing, and analytics.

One of the reasons that artificial intelligence (AI) is coming to the foreground in marketing is that it can extract more subtle patterns about your customers out of the mountain of data that you are collecting.

Expect more of this, but never forget that the best companies combine all of the approaches to relentlessly focus on the needs and desires of their online users.”

— Tim Ash, CEO of SiteTuners, international keynote speaker

2. Customer experience will continue to differentiate the best from the rest

“Customer experience will be one of the key differentiators among brands and email marketers will begin to call upon the three pillars of Customer Experience Email Marketing: helpfulness, personalization, and customer focus.

By using these three pillars, marketers will be delivering emails that are more valuable and appealing to the consumer, because they will have the consumer at the very heart of them.”

— Kath Pay, Holistic Email Marketing, Founder & CEO

3. More focus on trust and transparency

“Trust is fundamental, people buy from people they trust.

And that trust is being eroded; fake news, Facebook defending its privacy practices and Google+ shutting due to data leaks.

The call for businesses to increase transparency and government to act is set to grow. The US Department of Commerce has already started looking at the issue.

In email, consumers are looking for personalized relevant experiences. Our email addiction consumer report found 35% of consumers welcome offers and products based on their previous purchases.

But more trust and transparency is needed for consumers to happily share their data, the data enabling the marketing experiences they desire.”

— Tim Watson, Email Marketing Consultant, Zettasphere

4. Email marketers will use the power of AI to automate, personalize, and create content

“Artificial Intelligence is slowly being a part of different marketing channels in form of chatbots and dynamic websites.

Email marketing is catching up with innovations such as smarter email automation workflows, personalization in the subject line & email copy using AI.

Although AI in emails is not strong enough to handle email campaigns by itself without involving an email marketer in the mix, it surely does reduce the workload for an email marketer.

What needs to be seen is how email marketers will utilize the power of AI in the coming future.”

— Kevin George, Head of Marketing and Branding at Email Monks

5. Brands will co-create content with users

“The blog, the how-to videos, the infographics… They’re all good, but they’re table stakes now.

Buyers continue to deflect and reject advertising and direct their affection toward what’s real and genuine.

And media consumers have and always will continue to love a good story. Put these ideas together and watch out for big ideas brands come up with to invite customers to do their marketing with them.

I don’t have the perfect name for this marketing trend I see blossoming.

The closest I can get is “user generated content.”

However, I believe what we’ll see more of going forward is truly interesting content forms co-created with enthusiastic customers. Reality TV struck gold. Social media struck gold.

A golden approach in 2019 and beyond is reality media.”

— Barry Feldman, CEO Feldman Creative 

6. Precision marketing will become more common

“Precision marketing is a concept you’re going to hear more and more about in 2019.

What is it? It’s the ability of marketers to hyper-target prospects based on their behaviors, their desires, and their previous purchases.

If you use marketing automation, you’re using a form of precision marketing. But true precision marketing goes even deeper than that.

A full-on precision marketing campaign uses information about previous purchases to hyper-targeted ads to individuals and then allows you to calculate a return-on-investment on an ad-by-ad basis.

Keep an eye out for precision marketing – it may be something new to you today, but tomorrow, you’ll be talking about it and using it on a regular basis.”

— Jamie Turner, author, speaker, and CEO of 60SecondMarketer.com  

7. The line between sales and marketing teams will continue to blur

“In 2019, sales and marketing departments must become more closely aligned; with the impetus of social selling / digital sales transformation.

Marketing pros must become sales experts and modern sellers must become marketers.

I definitely see the line between the two departments continuing to blur, if not disappearing altogether. If marketing is to have a future, they must adjust and align.”

— Viveka von Rosen, Chief Visibility Officer & Co-founder at Vengreso

8. Product-led growth will be a cost-effective alternative to emails and PPC to build trust

“The trend around product-led growth has been on the rise in 2018 and will continue to grow for 2019.

With PPC channels getting more competitive and expensive all the time, and more traditional channels like email becoming saturated, product-led is the most cost-effective way to build trust with and convert skeptical buyers.”

— Alex Theuma, CEO, SaaStock

9. More organizations will reach customers via their beliefs and cultural DNA

“In an era where it’s harder than ever to break through, and every little thing can breed controversy, some companies are gaining attention (and customers) by leaning IN to delicate situations.

REI closing their doors on Black Friday and asking consumers to #optoutside.

Nike embraced Colin Kaepernick’s role in the fight against policy brutality.

And even Salesforce stood in favor of a business tax to help combat San Francisco’s homelessness program.

We’re seeing more and more organizations using their beliefs and cultural DNA to galvanize a portion of their potential customer base.

While these moves turn off some consumers (witness people burning Nike gear after the Kaepernick ad debuted), they also increase kinship between like-minded customers and the company. And when kinship is greatly diminished, or significantly increased, it often manifests in social media chatter.

One way to create customer conversations in social media and beyond is to develop and implement a sustained word of mouth strategy rooted in company operations, like DoubleTree Hotels and their free cookie gifted at check-in.

The other way is to take a stand. We’re going to see more of both approaches in 2019 and beyond, because they dramatically increase reach at comparatively low cost.”

— Jay Baer, Entrepreneur, Marketer, Member, Professional Speaking Hall of Fame 

10. Less content marketing, more time off technology?

“Content marketing is at its peak right now. Where everybody is on the internet creating videos, doing podcasts, writing bite-sized blogs and what not.

So, we are approaching a stage of content overload and more people are now taking more time off technology than ever.

It will be interesting to see how businesses will engage their prospects in 2019 to address this challenge.”

[“source=clickz”]

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Five Online Marketing Strategies For Law Firms

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Based on my experience working with many law firms and other industries, I can tell you that trust is important to the success of your online marketing campaigns. Your marketing plan should start with building a reputable brand and website, followed by ongoing strategies that educate and hopefully turn website visitors into loyal clients. It’s important to be at the forefront of their mind when they need you most.

Let’s discuss five marketing strategies that can help your law firm reach new clients:

1. Optimize your website.

A website needs to be more than a homepage, about page and contact us page. It should be a tool that converts visitors into customers.

When designing the layout for your website, the first thing to ask yourself is: What are my target customers looking for in a law firm? In other words, what would make you choose your website as a potential legal resource?

Make it mobile-friendly.

Remember, your customers aren’t just using desktops. They’re also using mobile devices to search for legal information and expertise while on the go.

Be sure your content is easy to read. Just like your desktop layout, your mobile site and content should encourage readers to contact you. Make sure your phone number is showing prominently and globally. Consider making it a button so visitors know where to look — and click. Adding a CTA at the bottom of your service pages and blog posts is another way to encourage your website visitors to contact you. It’s also a great place to offer a free resource or link to a contact form, as they might be in the research stage.

Showcase your expertise.

Competitive analysis and thinking like your target customer will help you create a useful and informative resource. To position yourself as an expert, answer frequently asked questions and share information on relevant topics related to your geographical area and practice areas. In other words, be the go-to hub for legal information.

Offer value.

If people bounce away from the same page they entered your site on, there’s a greater chance of a search engine lowering your relevance score for that keyword or advertising campaigns. Attract visitors to your site and encourage them to click deeper into the site once they arrive.

Videos are a great way to keep visitors engaged and lower bounce rates. Consider video content like client testimonials or a Q&A with a lawyer on your team, or maybe you build an animated explainer video.

Another way to share content is through a downloadable checklist or guide. This is a great way to collect email addresses for your next targeted email campaign, nurturing leads deeper into the sales funnel.

All your content should provide helpful, keyword-rich information that establishes your expertise and that draws in search engines with organic SEO best practices.

2. Create a content marketing strategy.

In addition to videos and downloadable content, establishing a strong content marketing strategy can help you build a positive online reputation and benefit from SEO. One way to do this is to build credible backlinks. Create content on your website that points to other pages on your site as additional resources, such as press releases and blog posts.

Another way to add value to your audience is to contribute content to other websites. This can help drive traffic back to your own site while also providing helpful information that can build trust with prospective clients.

3. Leverage social media.

According to an Attorney at Work study, which surveyed 302 lawyers, almost all (96%) of respondents said they utilize social media. LinkedIn was ranked at the top, with 84% of respondents saying they’re on the platform. But Facebook was the social platform bringing in the most business (31%) versus LinkedIn at 27%.

Whether you’re bringing in new business or want to gain authority as a lawyer, Facebook and LinkedIn may be the two most important channels every law firm should have a presence on.

Types of content that can be shared on social media include:

• Pointing to positive reviews, wins and industry accolades: Reviews can help a potential customer decide whether or not they trust you handling their legal problem. Both Google and Facebook are considered top review sources. Plus, you can share quotes from your clients in a graphic on your social media newsfeed.

• Sharing content with useful information: Share your own blog posts and other credible sources to support your passion and commitment to the law.

• Illustrating your firm’s commitment to giving back to your local community: Social media is a great place to share volunteer experiences, showcasing your dedication to your community.

• Answering common legal questions related to your practice areas: FAQ is a great place to start for blog posts and social media posts. Maybe try out a Facebook Live interview.

4. Use data to refine strategies and boost results.

Measurement is the key to success with any law firm marketing strategy. Digital marketing analytics will allow you to better understand traffic sources, click-through rates and bounce rates. Analytics can go even deeper to help you with site navigation refinement, too.

Analytics provides invaluable data about organic and paid search campaigns. Plus, it shows which topics, ads or site layouts draw the best results. Measurement can help you refine marketing strategies to repeat winning approaches and stop the failing ones, maximizing your marketing budget.

5. Continually work at it.

Internet marketing isn’t evergreen. You can’t set it and forget it. Things continue to change, and new competition is always going to be nipping at the heels of the best-ranking law firms in any given area.

Ongoing efforts in law firm marketing are vital to helping you not only build on marketing tactics but sustain results.

[“source=forbes”]

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