In the US, an estimated 40% of adults block online ads on PCs or phones.
While Facebook and Apple tussle over the harms and benefits of online advertising, more and more of us are sidestepping the issue by blocking ads completely. Use of ad blocking software like web browsers is surging, especially on smartphones, a study published Monday concludes.
The number of people using ad blockers has remained mostly level on personal computers, with 257 million people using them monthly by the end of 2020. But it’s on mobile devices where ad blocking is really increasing, doubling over the last five years, from 282 million to 586 million at the end of 2020, according to the 2021 PageFair Adblock Report from ad tech firm Blockthrough. That’s a 10% increase over the 2020 PageFair report on ad blocking.
Blockthrough makes money by helping advertisers try to cope with ad blocking. It offers a system to try to persuade website users to opt into delivery of the less intrusive system called Acceptable Ads. Though the ads might not be as distracting, they still face criticism that they they enable tracking, the central issue in the dispute between Apple and Facebook.
Advertising has funded countless online sites besides the dominant beneficiaries, Facebook and Google. Indeed, it propelled much of the foundation of internet businesses. But Apple’s privacy-first stance and the increasing use of ad blockers show major pushback to the approach.
Use of ad blocking software is increasing on mobile devices, a study by Blockthrough found. Blockthrough
Blockthrough also funded a survey of 5,423 Americans to gauge their opinions on online ads. One conclusion: About 40% of US adults use an ad blocker, more than twice what publishers often report based on ad-blocking detection software, Blockthrough said.
The top reason for blocking ads was to avoid interruption and annoyance, with 81% of survey respondents selecting that as a motivation. The second-place reason was protection against malware, at 62%. Third place, at 58%, was privacy.
To estimate ad blocker use globally, Blockthrough based its PC figures on downloads of the ad-blocking address list from Eyeo, maker of the Adblock Plus browser plugin. Its mobile ad blocking use was chiefly from download figures and app developer disclosures about usage. The top ad-blocking browser remains UC Browser, still with an estimated 310 million users despite bans in India and more recently China.
Feature Image Credit: Ad blocking is surging on smartphones with the use of browsers like UC Browser and Brave. Eyeo; Illustration by Stephen Shankland/CNET
According to the company, 21 million people attended virtual events on the platform last year.
Virtual events had a moment in 2020. While their 15 minutes of fame might be coming to a close, they aren’t exactly going anywhere, since hybrid events are expected to be the next big thing. Want your lanyard and mediocre coffee in a freezing conference room? Great. Prefer to stay in sweatpants and watch from home? That works, too.
LinkedIn, for its part, is helping marketers get the word out about whatever events they’re cooking up. This week, it rolled out tools that make it easier to plug events + learn more about who’s attending:
Its new Event Ad format highlights details like “date, time, and how to join.” Plus, it lets users see if a mutual connection has expressed interest in attending.
Rishi Jobanputra, senior director, product management at LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, told Marketing Brew that these ads also provide event-specific metrics that its other ad formats do not. “Marketers can see exactly how many members clicked on or saw an ad and then registered for an event, so they know how effective their campaign spend was at driving event registrations,” he explained.
Jobanputra said 60 brands created campaigns using this tool during its beta phase. During testing, he claims Event Ads reduced cost per registration by an average of 40%, compared to LinkedIn’s Single Image Ad format.
+1: LinkedIn has also released an Event Analytics tool that pulls together insights related to reach, engagement, and makeup of attendees so marketers can “more easily and effectively plan for future events.”
According to Jobanputra, 21 million LinkedIn members attended virtual events on the platform last year, while its livestreams increased more than 400% from September 2019–September 2020.
So profesh
In recent months, the Microsoft-owned company has been trying to position itself as the home for B2B advertising. A campaign it released in March told marketers that its platform, teeming with job updates and career advice, isn’t a place where cat videos and vacation pics regularly show up.
“Reaching your target audience when they’re in a ready-to-do-business mindset is particularly crucial on social media,” it said at the time.
Big picture: The latest updates come roughly a month after LinkedIn said its ad revenue was up 60% year over year, surpassing $3 billion.—MS
Starting a home business is an exciting prospect for many, but only a fraction of would-be entrepreneurs succeed in making and running an enterprise. Coming up with a great idea is good, but doing your research, setting realistic goals, and creating a workable action plan is what transforms “could be” into “is.”
Setting goals can be helpful in every area of your life. Goal-setting can enhance motivation, self-confidence, and independence.1 When it comes to establishing a business, having a plan is crucial.
According to Bernard Ferret, a senior business counsellor with George Mason University’s Small Business Development Centre, good goals are “based on solid research, provide a clear direction, and set expectations for all involved.”
In this article, you’ll learn what an action plan is and how to create one that really works for your home business.
What Is an Action Plan for a Home Business?
An action plan acts as your guide to ensure your organization’s vision and goals shine through. It often describes the way your business will use strategies to meet already-set objectives. A good plan not only addresses what needs to be done, but the how, when, and who of what is involved with the task as well. It should clearly outline strategies to meet your objectives, and include deadlines and possible obstacles.
NOTE: Your action plan will need constant revision as your business evolves. When you are creating an action plan, work to make it as complete, clear, and current as possible.
To create a successful action plan, you need to go into the process fully prepared, Ferret said. Prior to joining George Mason University, where he advises hundreds of clients and leads business counselling workshops, Ferret ran his own successful home-based business.
“There are two things they should ask themselves: ‘Is this business a good idea?’ and ‘Can it be successful?’ ” Ferret said. “The only way to know is to speak to people about it. Conversations reveal habits, likes, dislikes, etc.”
Ferret suggests talking to at least 100 people about your ideas, products, and/or services before diving into the concept. According to him, the more people you talk with, the better. In addition, educate yourself with help from books, online courses, or videos surrounding your industry.
When done correctly, your written action plan will break down the steps you need to take to meet the objectives you’ve set for your business. For instance, to establish your home-based business, you likely need a permit and license from your local government.
NOTE: In most cases, businesses are required by the IRS to get an employer identification number (EIN).2 The online portal from the IRS makes it easy to apply, and helps with filing your taxes.
The Power of Marketing
According to Ferret, a key factor many new small-business owners neglect to think about when creating their action plans is the importance of marketing. Along with this, many new entrepreneurs don’t realize how long it may take before they break even on their investments. According to Ferret, no matter the industry you are in, an action plan should focus extensively on marketing strategies.
“Branding is a long-term, strategic practice that includes the company’s image, logo, and look, but it also includes the opinions of your customers,” Ferret said. “Spend time on developing a marketing communication strategy based on what you learned from those 100 conversations.”
As the business owner, it is important you take a leadership role in setting goals. According to a recent study, your marketing ability has an impact. The study found that in small- and medium-sized companies, if an entrepreneur had strong marketing skills, it had a positive effect on the company’s ability to successfully meet goals.3
TIP: There are many online resources you can use to set goals, both as an individual and for your company team. PositivePsychology.com, for example, offers three free Goal Achievement Exercises you can download on your smartphone or computer.
Set SMART Goals
When working on your action plan, take extra care to clearly define your goals, and make them SMART. This concept—S.M.A.R.T. goals—was first introduced in a 1981 article written by three professionals: George Doran, Arthur Miller, and James Cunningham.4
Specific: It’s important to make your goals detailed and precise when creating them. If you’re in sales, for example, a possible goal may be to sell 100 widgets in the month of May, rather than simply “sell more widgets.”
Measurable: As illustrated in the example above, set goals that can easily be quantified.
Attainable: Make your goals realistic based on your current financial situation, experience in the industry, and access to resources. Don’t be so conservative that you limit yourself; you should challenge yourself yet still be realistic.
Relevant: Think about whether the action you are planning to take will move you closer to where you need to go. Is it going to be effective? With limited time and resources at your disposal, you need to keep your efforts specific to what works.
Time-Bound: Setting hard deadlines for accomplishing tasks will keep you focused on the goal in front of you.
In addition to setting SMART goals, it takes a certain amount of discipline as well as the development of good habits to yield results.
“Even if you are not at an office, you should be working eight hours a day,” Ferret said. “Multitasking is the death of effectiveness.”
TIP: To ensure your business is thriving, consider creating a home workspace, if possible. By having a dedicated space to conduct business, you’ll limit distractions and focus on the goals in front of you. It also is beneficial to stay organized with the help of digital calendars, reminders, and notifications.
Find a Team and Hold Each Other Accountable
Finding a team as a home-based business owner can take some effort, but it’s an essential part of a successful business. This doesn’t mean you have to have several employees. Even if your business is a sole proprietorship, there are other ways to create a support system.
Whether online or in-person, there are various business-oriented communities you can join. These groups can offer support, share experiences, and also provide mentoring opportunities. A few examples include:
There are Small Business Development Centres in every state, as well as SCORE, a non-profit that seeks to foster vibrant small-business communities through mentoring and education. SCORE, in partnership with Constant Contact, has created action plan templates during the global health crisis to assist small businesses and organizations in recovery.
Evaluate Your Progress
Having SMART goals is important, but making the time to review and update those goals regularly is key. At prescribed times, whether weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly, take some time to evaluate various elements of your action plan. What is working? What isn’t? Are you meeting the deadlines you’ve set for yourself?
As you gather experience and learn new information about the industry, your products or services, yourself and your employees, you may realize some adjustments are required. Don’t be afraid to make a course correction—it may help you see better results. Revising your action plan can make it much more useful, and also make you a better business owner.
Business leaders have great ideas, but don’t always share them clearly in writing. It’s time to change that.
Jeff Bradford, an Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) member in Nashville, is the founder of the Bradford Group and president of Bradford Dalton Group, a full-service public relations and advertising agency with offices in Atlanta, Jacksonville, and Nashville. We asked Jeff how you can improve your writing skills. Here’s what he shared:
I’ve spent a lifetime learning how to write and edit other people’s writing. Below is a collection of tips I’ve amassed over the years to help you become a better writer.
Good writing is good thinking.
Too often, I see people simply throw everything they know on the page with nothing connecting the dots. Make sure your ideas are clear before trying to communicate them, and that the flow of thoughts you want to communicate proceeds in a clear and easily decipherable pattern. Make sure that each sentence and paragraph flows naturally and rationally from the one before it. The reader should be able to easily retrace the path you followed to arrive at your conclusion.
If you want to write better, read better writers.
Good writing requires more than knowing the rules of grammar. It has a certain style and art about it that makes people want to read it. It’s not easy to describe, but there are basic rules like: avoid redundancy, don’t use the same word twice in close proximity, and use an active voice. The best way to learn a compelling writing style and how to use the right style in every situation is to read good writers. To paraphrase Truman Capote, writers who don’t read aren’t really writing: They’re just typing.
Jargon is about pre-chewed ideas.
Jargon is often used by people who can’t digest original concepts. Don’t get me started on jargon. I loathe it. It’s ugly. It makes you look stupid. It annoys people. It’s cheap substitute for thinking.
Empathize with your reader.
A writer’s primary job is to make it easy for readers to understand him. It’s not to show off what a good writer you are. In fact, the more you draw attention to your writing, the worse it is.
Think only about the reader and his needs when you’re writing, not about you and your needs. Try and get inside your reader’s head. Seek to understand what he wants to know, how he feels about your topic, what his fears and delights are. Then, do you best to give him what he wants without drawing attention to how you’re doing it.
Use only as many words as necessary.
Good writing is economical. Unfortunately, because of college requirements to write essays with a specified word count (it was 500 words when I was in school, which seems short now, but was such a hurdle then), many of us got into the habit of padding our writing with unnecessary verbiage. Stop that. I recommend you re-read what you write and find a way to cut it down by at least 10 percent. It will always be a better product if you do.
Good writers are naturally curious.
Always seek something new to learn, and you’ll be worth listening to. Good writing requires a deep well of knowledge you can draw from to make your point, explain an idea, or capture the reader’s imagination. So, in addition to reading often and widely, you should also live life fully to build up a cache of experiences.
Avoid adjectives and adverbs.
Use more precise nouns or verbs instead. Don’t say that someone lightly knocked on the door. Say she tapped on the door. I think Hemingway was the best at this.
You can’t break rules you don’t know.
Picasso once said, “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” That is, he had internalized the rules of classical painting to such a degree that he was able to paint so compellingly by breaking those rules. He knew how to break them in a way that led to better art. Same with writing. The best writers successfully bend the rules because they know them so well.
The best way to write well is to write often. Write when you don’t feel like it, when you think you have nothing to say, and under a pressing deadline. Write in different formats, and learn how to adapt your style to each. Practice, practice, practice. Eventually, writing will come as naturally as speaking–and your speaking will probably become more precise, with fewer “you know” and “like” and “um” and other filler words.
Let me take you back to December 2010, when Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest outside a government office in the town of Sidi Bouzid. In a matter of days his act of defiance set off a revolutionary movement, which became known as the Arab Spring, that rippled across the Middle East and North Africa, toppling several long-standing authoritarian regimes.
For me, this was also a defining moment that demonstrated the power of user-generated video (UGV) in communicating to the rest of the world what was happening on the ground. Videos published on social media began acting as a megaphone or rallying cry for the cause. It was also perhaps an eye-opening moment for publishers, coupled with the realisation they must evolve alongside their audiences, who were increasingly turning to the internet for information.
Fast-forward to 2021 and UGV has become an invaluable source for publishers, and an ever-more important component in newsgathering, storytelling and entertainment.
UGV has changed newsgathering
Some of the most important stories of recent years have largely unfolded thanks to UGV. Evolving from its roots in the reporting of the Arab Spring, it’s increasingly become a vehicle through which human rights, gender, and environmental issues are made public. Perhaps most notable being the video of the murder of George Floyd, which ignited a movement that was waiting to happen. That movement gained momentum with countless other videos of protests and even rioting across the world. Follow the video and you follow the story.
Frequently now, a journalist starts researching a story with a video. Eye-witness video offers the opportunity to deliver stories grounded in a moment. It allows publishers to not only cover a story, but to show the actual moment the story took place. It plays an important role in the verification of the facts that support a story, as well as adding a level of credibility to reporting in an era of disinformation. It also provides speed and access to tell stories in real-time. A great example of this was the recent coverage by Sky News of the Sarah Everard vigil in the UK. Using entirely UGV, Sky News presented an incredible timeline of the story as events unfolded.
Most importantly, UGV is a powerful storytelling tool, that brings us closer and fosters a deeper understanding of shared struggles, greater context and comprehension to reporting. It’s no longer enough to simply report the news. Audiences crave a sensory experience when it comes to news consumption. They want to feel the story.
The light and the dark
2020 was a year when movements and events around the world, including the pandemic, Hong Kong riots and Black Lives Matter, gathered momentum from UGV more than ever. When the world outside was lost to us, our desire for emotional connections, community and to be close grew exponentially. Increasingly audiences want to participate and interact with the stories happening around them – let them do so, and you grab them from the noise of a crowded newsfeed and keep them engaged. But let’s be honest – there is only so much distressing content people can take. Successful publishers in 2021 know that it is critical to maintain a healthy balance of ‘the light’ and ‘the dark’, and nothing provides the breadth of content to achieve this than UGV.
Content creators are capturing the happy, the sad, the weird and the wonderful on a range of devices. It’s these unvarnished, unbiased, authentic moments that audiences crave, and publishers need. UGV offers publishers more than just the ability to create attention-grabbing news; it provides them with a vast quantity of really compelling content that resonates with audiences and can hold their attention for longer periods of time, even on perpetual-scroll platforms.
The long and the short of it
It’s a paradox of the social media age that audiences desire immersive storytelling, and yet attention spans have reduced to that of a new-born puppy. We are operating in the attention economy. Human attention, as a measure of success, is fast becoming a unit of trade and publishers are not immune – they are competing for the attention of users with the likes of TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts as well as Candy Crush and Fortnite.
Publishers must invest in providing content that ‘kills time’ and entertains – be it the latest adorable pet video, celebrity tweet or ‘break the internet’ moment of the day.Capturing UGV from all over the world ensures publishers can remain relevant and make themselves impossible to ignore when competition is at an all-time high for people’s attention.
But it’s not all about clicks, it’s also about reputation. The fake news and click-bait phenomena have put the publishing industry through a crisis of public confidence. To retain attention, and even push audiences through the paywall, publishers must also invest in unique, distinctive content that provides readers with a perspective, angle, or reporting they can’t find anywhere else.
Long-form video offers publishers the opportunity to build beautiful, immersive stories quickly as well. For example, South China Morning Post’s ‘China’s Rebel City’ video is an hour-long piece of documentary-style video journalism about the Hong Kong protests, that previously would have only been the realm of documentary producers.
It’s about building an ecosystem of content that’s responsive to the non-linear nature of the audience journey. Audiences want to be entertained, but they also seek to understand, and demand greater context. By combining long-form and short-form video publishers can maximise their appeal to the largest possible audience, providing them with what they are craving at any given moment in time, and content that’s hyper-relevant to their lives.
And finally, monetisation…
As audiences began pivoting attention even more in the direction of digital channels, so too did advertisers. Audience trends over the last few years have shown that time and again UGV is the content they most want to see – a trend that only accelerated in 2020. If that content relates in whole or in part to a product or service, then it’s the perfect opportunity for publishers to monetize the content with advertising and affiliate marketing.
The average editorial site will convert approximately 3% of its audience, whilst one featuring UGV will convert as much as 10%.
Jon Cornwell, CEO, Newsflare
Looking ahead to the future, social commerce will become an increasingly significant component in publisher revenue streams. They must act now to innovate and grab a slice of the pie from the social platforms, but that means doing more than simply embedding affiliate links and delivering branded content. Publishers must build huge, highly engaged communities, and they must be seen as relevant to audiences on every platform, be it Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Snap or Twitch. Once again, UGV offers the fastest, most cost-effective, and importantly the most engaging format for growing audiences quickly and maintaining their loyalty.
Jon Cornwell
CEO, Newsflare
Headquartered in London and with offices in Los Angeles, Newsflare is a global leader in licensing user-generated and eyewitness video to TV producers, brands, advertising agencies, and publishers. Its unique model, which combines tech-driven optimization with the expertise of seasoned editorial and production teams, sources UGC from a diverse partner network and 40,000 strong content creation community. With viral video and breaking news from around the globe uploaded daily, a back catalog of nearly a quarter of a million videos, and an ability to crowdsource content, Newsflare ensures the stories buyers want to tell are easy to source and quick to license.
In today’s world, it is easier than ever to start a business. Explore Instagram on any given day and you will inevitably see an ad for some new online retailer. It begs the question: How, in such a saturated online marketplace, can a fledgling brand separate itself from the pack and survive?
There is no one answer to such a complex question, but for many consumer brands, the key is brand storytelling.
In short, brand storytelling is a marketing strategy that references a product’s functional benefits and establishes a context for when, where, and by whom that product is to be used. Oftentimes the goal is for a consumer to see her/himself in that scenario; for example, a casual menswear brand might produce a shoot involving a group of men on a weekend trip to the outdoors.
In other cases, the audience or customer profile is more aspirational in nature; an example of this might be a company that makes luxury handbags producing a shoot with beautiful talent up and down the Amalfi Coast. The average consumer will not be traipsing about the Mediterranean coast all that often, but with the right handbag, they feel like someone who would. Here emerges the two primary ingredients behind the secret sauce that is brand storytelling: Functional benefits and emotional connection.
Functional Benefits
Integral to any sensible advertising is a display of the product’s functional benefits. If you are a photographer shooting a campaign for a pair of boardshorts, it’s fairly obvious in what context that shoot will take place. You wouldn’t showcase a pair of sunglasses lying in bed, and you certainly wouldn’t photograph a pair of boardshorts at the opera. There is a natural association between a product’s benefits — in this case, probably lightweight and fast-drying material — and the expected scenario in which you would find that product. Once you identify a few key benefits, then you can begin to segment your market by other metrics like price: Yes these shoes are comfortable, but are they lounge-in-a-hammock comfortable or sip-martinis-on-a-yacht comfortable? Think of it like a mind map; identify your core benefits then branch out from there.
The primary benefit of Kuju Coffee is convenience, but here’s the thing: K-Cups are convenient and easy to use too, just not while hiking. So when I decided to produce a spec shoot for Kuju, I had to go beyond the logical appeal of convenience and portability and tap into something deeper.
Emotional Connection
Think back to my examples in the opening paragraphs. In either scenario, the advertiser’s goal is to strike an emotional chord with their audience. One plays on a sense of belonging and friendship, while the other taps into a bit of envy and longing for a future perfect self. The narrative being told tells us who is expected to buy certain products and for what context.
With Kuju, the emotional association I wanted to make was a sense of adventure and wanderlust. Shooting in a location like the mountains of West Virginia is generic enough to have a universal appeal while still evoking this feeling of envy and a yearning to go somewhere beautiful. If your coffee can go wherever you go, then why not go anywhere? Suddenly your mind is flooded with possibilities far beyond the coffee itself.
By driving home this connection between product benefits and emotion, you effectively marry the two in a consumer’s mind:
“Man, I need to get out and see the world and with this coffee I don’t even have to give it a second thought.”
Or:
“You know, I’m going hiking with some friends next weekend, this coffee would be perfect!”
Whatever direction the consumer’s mind takes them, at the end of the day they want to buy your coffee.
Good Versus Great
Brand storytelling is the key to levelling up your company’s marketing strategy and zeroing in on your target market. In fact, you could argue that for many companies these days, it is the only thing separating one brand from the next. Good content is well lit, properly exposed, and captures the mind; truly great content goes a step further and captures the head and the heart, showing you not only what’s being sold, but why you need it in your life.
By Brad Vassallo
About the author:Brad Vassallo is a commercial and outdoor lifestyle photographer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A creator since his earliest days, he once had the dream of being a National Geographic photographer. In spite of those aspirations, he spent the better part of his life chasing other people’s dreams of what he was supposed to do and who he was supposed to be. At a certain point though, the voice inside got to be too loud, too persistent, and told him that the path he was on was not his own. He began to listen to that voice, affirming his own creative aspirations and returning to his creative roots. You can see more of his work on his website and Instagram.
Launching a successful Amazon product is both exciting and challenging too.
Getting a product on the biggest buying website in the world takes time, knowledge, and patience.
Sellers often fail to realize it takes more effort than just listing a product for sale and waiting for the money to pour in.
AJ Rantz is a former bartender turned entrepreneur who turned his idea for drink mix recipe cards into a business after going viral on TikTok.
“Over the past 10 months, I’ve been able to launch cocktail cards my very own business on Amazon, and it’s been absolutely incredible,” explains Rantz.
The entrepreneur was willing to share that while his recipe cards are currently selling well on Amazon, he made several costly mistakes when first launching his business.
The first big mistake Rantz made was not outsourcing a bulk of the day-to-day work.
At first, Rantz launched the product and designed all of the cards on his own.
Unfortunately for the mixologist, he’s not a designer, and his original cards looked amateur. Eventually, Rantz hired a designer but admits that he should have outsourced other tasks as well, like social media management, video editing, and general email and DM correspondence.
The second mistake Rantz admits to making while launching his Amazon business was not trusting his gut.
“There were a lot of decisions that we had to go back to because I just didn’t trust my gut,” explains Rantz.
Rantz’s mistake involved including QR codes on each card, which he had initially, and then took off each card. Finally, he realized the QR code was a smart idea – after polling his fans – and put them back on each card.
This wishy-wash approach costs Rantz time and redesign dollars.
Not being firm with expectations from people was Rantz’s third mistake when launching his product on Amazon. He wanted to avoid confrontation, but in the end, the processes took longer because he wasn’t specific about what he wanted and expected from employees.
Rantz’s fourth mistake was believing he could please every single customer.
“A good example of this is when I got my first order. I did 700 units by plane and 800 units by ocean.
Well, the plane came to me in a week, and the ocean took around five weeks, and I really had no idea we were gonna sell so well. On Indiegogo, we actually did really good marketing, and by the time I got the plane shipment, I had sold all 700 units already.
At that point, I’ve already had this expectation that I’m shipping out to customers that I just convinced myself that if anyone purchases on Indiegogo, they would not be willing to wait a month for the product to be shipped to them, which is kind of silly, because Indiegogo is a crowdsourcing platform where people invest to be one of the first to get a project.
They typically know that it’s gonna take anywhere from 1-to-6 months to get their product.”
Rantz estimates this mistake cost him anywhere from $5-10K.
And the final mistake Rantz made while launching his product on Amazon was not continuing to push the product after he’d sold out.
Rantz said he waited three weeks to promote the cards again in hopes of supplies being replenished. Many of his mentors told him to keep pushing the product even when sold out.
Rantz estimates this costly mistake also lost him about $5-10K in sales.
LinkedIn Learning published a list of free courses that you can take on its platform to continue acquiring skills and succeed in your professional career.
An entrepreneur knows that he never graduates or finishes preparing and that training is key to achieving goals. LinkedIn Learning published a list of free courses that you can take on its platform to continue acquiring skills and succeed in your professional career.
Become a graphic designer : If you are interested in knowing the basics of graphic design to generate innovative visual concepts, this course is for you. Master the basics of building innovative design projects, and discover the skills you need to become a great visual thinker and communicator. Also, learn how to manage design teams and take your first steps managing your design company.
Master digital marketing : In this course with more than 24 hours of content, you will use your creative, analytical and tactical skills to help companies grow by generating new opportunities as a digital marketer. From creating marketing plans and content strategy to lead generation and SEO, learn digital marketing principles and best practices and tools to successfully navigate the world of digital marketing.
Learn to manage projects : Project management is one of the main activities of companies seeking to become catalysts for change. Through this course, you will learn the skills necessary to inspire your team to work with the vision and objective of having a common cause, and to manage projects from the beginning with the most effective techniques and knowledge of project management.
Become a true IT administrator : IT administration has become one of the top priorities for companies during the transition from new remote work schemes. Through this course, you will learn to design your own network and you will develop and expand your knowledge of cybersecurity, as well as the different skills that you will need to carry out a correct management of your own company’s networks on a day-to-day basis.
Learn the skills necessary to be a sales expert : If your thing is to make sales and get new business opportunities, this course is for you. Through 10 hours of content, you will learn how to convey trust, be attentive to your customers, influence their decisions and learn from their mistakes. Likewise, you will develop the necessary tools to become a sales professional, from attracting new clients to negotiation and sales techniques.
Apple’s iOS 14.5 update has triggered an unstoppable collapse in Facebook’s ability to collect user data
It is not unusual for the bosses of Apple and Facebook to be at loggerheads with each other over privacy. Back in 2018 Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg accused his Apple counterpart Tim Cook of being “extremely glib” for making scathing remarks about Facebook’s involvement in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Weeks later Apple introduced privacy controls that hampered Facebook’s ability to collect user data via Apple devices.
Things moved up a notch at the end of last year after Apple revealed that app-tracking transparency would be installed as part of its latest system update. Until iOS 14.5 came along, apps like Facebook could automatically track what people were looking at on their phones and sell targeted ad space accordingly. The update was designed so users were asked their permission for the tracking to happen first.
Facebook responded to the move by taking out full-page ads in the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal accusing Apple of posing a threat to the “10 million businesses [who] use our advertising tools each month to find new customers, hire employees and engage with their communities”. Cook retaliated by tweeting that users “should have the choice over the data that is being collected about them and how it’s used”.
It may have looked like little more than a war of words between two rivals, but Facebook – which warned of the “headwind” posed by iOS 14.5 in its 2020 accounts – was right to be concerned. Since the update went live last month iPhone owners have been opting out of data tracking in their droves. According to Flurry Analytics, 85 per cent of worldwide users clicked ‘ask app not to track’ when prompted, with the proportion rising to 94 per cent in the US. Apple did not respond to requests to comment.
For an organisation like Facebook, whose entire business model is based around collecting, analysing, selling on and profiting from data about its users’ likes and dislikes, such numbers could be devastating.
“It’s a huge blow for Facebook,” says Jake Moore, cybersecurity specialist at ESET UK. “They have major issues when another huge tech firm such as Apple comes along and says privacy is important. When Apple is asking users not to track – and that language is important – if anything it’s sticking a couple of fingers up at Facebook.”
This strategy is important for a business that wants to position itself as being above the privacy concerns that have dogged the technology industry. Lawyer and data privacy specialist Heather Anson, director of Anson Evaluate, says that for a company that can make money from its hardware regardless of regulatory constraints, it’s reasonably easy for Apple to score points over its rivals by doing that. “Apple is very good at using these types of issues to make itself look better,” she says. “There was a case in San Bernardino where a guy shot his co-workers and the FBI wanted to get the log-ins to his iPhone. Apple said no because it would weaken security, but that was technically more of a publicity stunt than something that was legally binding, they could have handed it over.”
By taking this stance now, Anson believes, Apple is pre-empting strict data protection laws that have been mooted in US states including New York and Virginia as well as in the European Union. As with the EU’s Draft Digital Services Act, the US proposals, which are modelled on an existing Californian law, would require user permission to be given for data to be used. It is a carbon copy of what iOS 14.5 has already introduced.
While that puts Apple ahead of the curve, it creates an even bigger problem for Facebook. That is in part because it will further restrict its ability to target ads to individual users, but also because the more these rule changes are spoken about the more it shines a spotlight on exactly what it is Facebook does with user data.
Facebook still makes billions from advertising. But the world in which it operates is changing fast. How Facebook attempts to keep pace will be telling. Depending on take-up, Facebook’s digital currency diem, which will be piloted later this year, could also create masses of data due to the way digital transactions are logged by the technology that powers them. Meanwhile, WhatsApp, which Facebook acquired in 2014, is to start gradually switching off functionality for users who refuse to let it share information with Facebook about the businesses they have communicated with.
Even taken together, they are likely to be a poor substitute for what Facebook will lose if the iOS 14.5 opt-outs continue apace. For now, Facebook is continuing to frame the advent of the Apple update as an affront to the smaller businesses that benefit from its platform. The impact on its advertising revenues will, it says, “be much less than what will befall small businesses” that rely on its algorithms to promote their wares. “Many small businesses won’t grow, continue hiring or even survive as a result of an impact of this magnitude,” it says.
Similar to Apple’s strategy of proclaiming itself a privacy champion, it is a smart tactic for Facebook to put itself on the side of the little guy, particularly as laws such as the EU Digital Services Act remain in their infancy. “The EU act will be lobbied and debated over and won’t be passed for another couple of years then it will be another couple more before it comes in,” says Anson. “By that time Facebook will have done what it needs to do to comply and it will have bullied the EU by lobbying to get something it likes.”
It’s clear that Facebook needs that time to come up with a strategy that will allow it to thrive without unfettered access to data at its core. David Wehner, the social media giant’s chief financial officer, wrote in the company’s fourth quarter 2020 earnings report that “over time, we hope to help businesses by providing more on-site conversion opportunities through initiatives like shops, and also click to messaging ads”. A blog posted on Facebook’s corporate site last month says it is “important to acknowledge that the ways that digital advertising collects and uses data will evolve” and that Facebook is “investing in new approaches to privacy-enhancing technology and building a personalised advertising ecosystem that relies on less data”.
Less data is not no data, though. The problem Facebook now faces is that as time passes and developments like iOS 14.5 make users more aware of how their data is used to manipulate them they might not want to give any of it up at all.
“Over the next five to ten years people will start to learn the importance of privacy and keeping their data,” says Moore. “Facebook’s business model is all about tracking – they are not a social media company, they are an advertising company and if they can track you they can make more money. Apple has got nothing to worry about, but Facebook could be gone in ten years.”
Podcasts, specifically, have exploded in recent years, and Clubhouse trying to become the YouTube of audio. Are you already taking advantage of these platforms?
It seems that lately they only talk about social audio . A few weeks ago, Clubhouse announced that it had closed a new round of financing (the amount was not disclosed) to respond to the exponential growth that the platform has had.
Facebook was not far behind and reported that in the coming months it will launch two social audio products: Soundbites (short audios like reels) and Podcast (a tool to discover podcasts); While Twitter is still standing up to now with the millionaire purchase of an audio application, after having launched Spaces in 2020, a kind of chat rooms with limited capacity.
In reality, this social audio boom has been going on for some time now with the growing popularity of music streaming services, podcasts, audiobooks, and new hands-free hardware like wireless headphones and earphones that have made listening and using voice commands necessary. voice easier.
Podcasts , specifically, have exploded in recent years, largely due to Spotify’s efforts to dominate the audio market by buying Gimlet Media and Anchor, as well as podcast studio Parcast.
I’d say Spotify has been paving the way for platforms like Clubhouse by trying to become the YouTube of audio, creating opportunities for content creators to make money, attracting more creators and getting us used to listening to audio beyond music. .
The new social audio platforms then have come at a time when not only was audio consumption ubiquitous, but people were eager to connect and share experiences.
Social audio and content marketing
Image: Depositphotos.com
In my opinion, social audio is content marketing . It’s just another form of content, like an infographic, blog post, or video tutorial. It is simply the distribution and sharing of this content in audio format within a social environment.
Among social audio platforms, Clubhouse’s success is evident both because of the novelty, as well as the longing for connection and belonging that people from all over the world have in what has been a time of isolation and uncertainty.
From a content standpoint, brands can start leveraging the app right away by hosting a Clubhouse room at least once a week where they can collaborate with colleagues, make new connections, and lead conversations on topics that matter to the industry. .
Whether you’re hosting a room or participating in someone else’s room, the best tactic is to focus on adding value.
My recommendation to all of us in this industry is to use your experience to share knowledge, provide useful information, and ask questions that enrich the conversation.
Brands can also work on connecting with their audience by sponsoring rooms or chats organized by industry leaders. This collaboration can give marketing executives the opportunity to share your brand story, connect with customers, and have a speaker in the room highlight a product.
The biggest challenge for brands right now is being consistent. Many brands start a Clubhouse room but end up closing it shortly after or without giving it continuity.
Then there is the expectation factor. Even if your brand is successful with its Clubhouse strategy, the maximum capacity of the room at the moment is 5,000 people, so it cannot be compared to the massive audiences of other social media platforms and expect to have the same reach and engagement, and much less access to metrics.
It is still too early to take full advantage of the marketing potential of social audio. At the moment we have to be creative, active and constant.
Over time social audio will pay off as a new frontier for social media.
