Instagram Marketing

Instagram is becoming one of the most used social media platform these days. Instagram can be used as a marketing platform for new business and events that are going to take place. Business can be promoted on Instagram by daily sharing of images , videos and by going live and give briefing about the event or the product . By interacting with people on platforms like Instagram you can grow grow your business and can easily make people aware about your event and business.    

5 tips for successful Re-branding

Branding is important for every business, irrespective of its size and nature. Having a brand will help people recognize your business, helps depict the company’s message for all customers, and is a guiding path for the employees of that brand.

When you brand your business, you set goals and directions which all employees follow and know what they have to aim for.

But sometimes, you have to re-brand. It is a huge decision as re-branding a brand that is already quite famous and known is a leap of faith. But getting confined to a specific portfolio can be more damaging, and re-branding becomes important.

If you are thinking about re-branding your business, here are some expert re-branding tips that can. Also, if you are not sure why re-branding can be good, let’s read about why sometimes it is needed.

Why Re-branding?

Most of the time a business re-brands due to competition:

1. Setting yourself apart from the competition is crucial, and re-branding helps with that.
2. Sometimes your brand and a competitor’s brand may emote the same emotions through their branding. In such a scenario, re-branding is important.

Also, some brands re-brand to drive more traffic, even though their current brand is working great, but change is good, and it can be more beneficial for a brand.

Re-branding tips

Establishing the idea or purpose behind re-branding
The first thing you need to do is understand why you want to re-brand your business is to ask what is the purpose or idea behind doing this? What do you want to accomplish with this new brand, what is your vision, and so on?
Do you want to drive more traffic or you want to create a new image for your brand or market a new product? Having answers to all these questions are important if you want to successfully re-brand.

Research
You now know why you want to re-brand, but before you make it a reality, you need to focus on other things as well. Like what is the route you should take and for that, you need to research. Whether you are changing your logo or name, you need to take a survey to make sure it will appeal to your new as well as old customers.
You can even ask your customers and what they think about your brand image. Take their feedback into considerations while re-branding.

Make sure all the key players are on the same page
A lot of people are part of a business and are involved in the decision-making process. Stakeholders, the board of directors, managers, and even employees of a business needs to be on the same page when it comes to re-branding.
You cannot re-brand if even one person has apprehension towards it because they also need to work towards promoting the new brand.

Be consistent
Re-branding does not mean that you completely change your brand. You must keep some colors or graphics or elements so that people can identify your new brand with your business. If you change it completely, people will not be familiar with your business. So keeping some things consistent is crucial.

Have a story
Even while re-branding, your brand needs to have a story. People need to have the answer to why they should purchase or use your services/products. It doesn’t mean that you present a lot of ads, but simply that you connect with people on an emotional level and solve their issues.

Re-branding is good for your business, but plan properly so that it doesn’t backfire.

Medical debt collection - an overview

Medical emergencies can happen anytime. A patient or their family might not have enough cash at the time of emergencies to pay the hefty medical bills. Moreover, the current demanding work lifestyles have further put people at health risks. This translates to more hospital visits which

Latest management trends you might not be aware of

All the companies have a digital presence as trade is being done across boundaries. The majority of their processes like finance, marketing, sales, etc. are moving to the digital domain. With so much happening in the digital domain, companies have to constantly focus on enhancing the online experience. Thus brands are putting more focus on web management and governance. This gives their products and services a competitive advantage in the market. Maintaining this customer relationship increases the brand value and trust quotient. 

Investing in web governance has become a necessity. But keeping pace with the scale with which the digital demand is growing is overwhelming. It isn’t easy to deliver on every demand within strict timelines. In this article, we have tried to bring forth the latest trends in web governance that you need to be aware of.

Challenging growth environment: 

In the early days of the internet’s invention, companies had to manage only one corporate website. But due to the rise of social media platforms, an online presence is needed everywhere. Companies now have multiple online accounts like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Moreover, all these accounts are accessed from a wide range of smart devices. Thus, the need for website and content design becomes important. Poor leadership in such cases results in stagnant growth. So, it is good to have a dedicated team that manages the online operations for your brand.

Data protection: 

Online presence has certain risks as the digital domain isn’t that secure. Your website can face issues like server crash, data loss, hacking attack, etc. Since data is critical to the company, there should be a mechanism in place to protect it. Web archiving comes of great help in such situations. In archiving, periodic snapshots of your website are stored at a secure location. This data can be accessed anytime and used to either recover your lost website or fight false lawsuits. Stillio is a third-party tool that offers web archiving service and is a better alternative of a Wayback machine. You can see a complete explanation of their differences here.

Online role definitions:

The digital domain is built on complex and intricate technologies. The standard job descriptions are no longer relevant nowadays. People experienced in niche disciplines like data science, blockchain, python, etc. are needed for managing the digital presence. These roles and responsibilities should be clearly defined so that the expectations are set from the beginning.

Online transition:

The laws related to the use of the digital domain are still evolving. But, professional support is easily available if your company wants to undergo a digital transformation. Some aspects might work for your business, some won’t. Thus, your team should have the right tools and be capable enough to get the job done. 

Digital tools:

Gone are the days when the businesses were handled without any documentation. Brands nowadays are using a wide range of digital tools to improve productivity. These powerful tools help the brands to make the most out of their limited resources. The decision-making processes and strategies are now being done based on the available data.

The new management tools will help you in taking the right decisions for your business. Proper web governance is the key to online success.

Stop making these 5 mistakes if you want more views on Instagram

Instagram is one of the most successful and easiest social media app for promoting your business and marketing your product. It is a great medium to connect with your global audience and answer their queries or solve their problem quickly.

It seems easy to make an account on Instagram and market your business and connect with your audience. But it is not!

If you don’t post engaging content and your content doesn’t get more views and likes and followers, it will be hard to attract the audience to your website or app. To engage your audience more, you want them to view your posts; it can be hard to get more views in the beginning. You can buy IG views at the start, click here to see views packages.

But still, knowing all this, brands make quite a few mistakes when it comes to tricks, or IG strategies for getting more views, followers, and engagement rates.

Mistake 1: Posting blurry or photos taken in bad light

Instagram is a visual platform, so you should take and share photos that are of high-quality. That is why you should make sure that you only post images or videos that are taken in a good light. They should not be blurry or pixelated.

If you are posting low-quality photos or photos taken in a bad light, your business will never get high engagement.

Mistake 2: Posting too many posts about market pitches
We get it that the Instagram account is for your business and marketing your brand. But you cannot only post content that pitches your brand or markets your product. You need to switch it up once a while. Share memes or post content on events that are targeting or are the talking point in the world, but no personal photos. More on that later.

You can also post pictures related to your brand or product without pestering the customer to buy them. How? By showing the process of creating a product, or posting BTS content, and so on.

Mistake 3: Posting personal photos
Most brands don’t make these mistakes, but for a photographer or a blogger or a sole entrepreneur, this is an important point. Sometimes, you may feel like putting a random photo of you and your family having dinner or a photo of your dog, but you need to resist it.

Keep these kinds of photos for your personal Instagram or Facebook account. On your business page, you should post videos or photos that are relevant to your business.

Mistake 4: Don’t repeat photos

Your Instagram page needs a theme certainly, but that does not mean that you become repetitive. For instance, if you have to upload a few photos of the same product, make sure that capture different images in different angles or setting to give them a new look.

Mistake 5: Using Hashtags wrongly
If you are using a hashtag that doesn’t relate to your content, then it is a mistake. It is because the person who found you due to that hashtag won’t follow you because you are posting content that is not interesting to you. They won’t view your posts and you will lose credibility.

Keep these points in mind to increase your IG view!

5 unique gifts for a coffee lover

So your friend or sister is a coffee lover? Then you have gifts sorted for all special occasions for them. Whether it is their anniversary or birthday or something else special, gift them something related to coffee, and they will be the happiest.

And coffee is one thing that most people like that is why there are huge options to look for. You can go for a coffee machine, or a personalized coffee cup, and you are good to go.

In this blog, we will look at some great gifts for a coffee lover.

1.    Coffee pods

They are not cheap, so don’t think that you are gifting something cheap, or invaluable stuff to your coffee-lover friend. Coffee pods are quite expensive, and since you can use them only once, they make for a valuable gift.

Coffee pods are pouches with ground coffee beans that are biodegradable and compostable. They are good for the environment, and you can take it with you while traveling. Nespresso coffee pods are available in various flavors, so they are a great gift.

2.    Good morning gift box from bean box

For someone whose morning doesn’t start with coffee, this gift box from the bean box is perfect. In this box, they provide you with high-end coffee beans from Portland and Seattle. The box has best-handpicked coffee (4) that they get from great coffee roasters from Pacific Northwest, two biscotti and gourmet granola’s two pouches, Dutch stroopwafels (2), and two jars filled with artisans-crafted preserves.

They have subscriptions and sample boxes too.

3.    Black Ivory coffee

For the person who loves to experiment, and drinks pricey and exclusive coffee, this is a perfect gift. Another name of this coffee is ‘elephant poop coffee’, and it is recommended by many people.
Most people who drink it swear that it makes for a delicate brew with no bitterness. It has quite many weird flavors like a hint of grass, tobacco, floral, leather, malt, chocolate, and cherry.

4.    Espresso machine

For a serious coffee drinker, this is an amazing gift. An espresso machine is not that expensive, especially if you buy it in a group. It is a perfect gift for a serious coffee drinker because it is a great method of brewing the perfect blend of coffee.

There are tons of coffee makers in the market, look at all of them and choose the authentic one, has great reviews, and is within your budget.

5.    Wacaco Miniespresso

For a person who doesn’t like coffee that they get in a hotel room, this is a perfect gift. A wacaco mini espresso is a portable espresso machine that you easily stow in your luggage. If you gift this to someone, they will love it and will think of you every time they take out this machine to make a better cup of coffee.

6.    Stanley classic vacuum bottle

A coffee-lover is always on the lookout for a coffee holder that doesn’t leak and keep their drink fresh for longer. A Stanley classic vacuum bottle does this only; it keeps the drink fresh and doesn’t let it leak. It has a lifetime warranty.

Do you have any other special gifts in mind? Tell me in the comments below.

Use Infographics for Marketing

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7 tips a debtor should know to protect themselves from collectors

When a collection agency like Cedars financial contacts you, it will surely make you nervous. It doesn’t matter whether you have a debt or not, getting a call from a collector is nerve-racking.

Advantages of having International Debt Recovery Agencies

The world markets have become global in its true sense. Even small businesses have the internet to showcase their products and services globally. This enables them to execute a trade with companies in other countries. Since the transactions either happen online or through emails, there are chances that a customer can default on payments. This puts the creditor in trouble because their business has minimum visibility in the debtors’ country for extracting the payment. 

5 things a small business owner can do when a customer doesn't pay

For a small business owner, it is frustrating to deal with a customer who doesn’t want to pay or unable to pay or has simply disappeared after rendering your services. When you provide a service on credit or half payment, you trust the other person to withhold their side of the end and pay you back. When they don’t pay or are late in paying or refuses to pay, it can create a lot of problems for the business owner.

When you should hire a debt collection agency?

The world economy is in a volatile state currently. It is experiencing a slowdown due to some unpleasant world events. Thus, the increase in the number of loans or money defaulters shouldn’t come as a surprise. Collecting dues is not an easy task, especially if you don’t have the right resources to do so. Hiring a collection agency is a good option as you will be saved from the hassles of debt collection. The collection agencies work with the defaulters and help them in paying the due amount. They create a step-by-step plan based on their financial status for easy payment of dues. In this article, we have outlined some reasons why you should send a claim to a collection agency. 

4 tips that can help you collect debt with ease

Debt collection is a form of salesmanship that you must learn. A debt collector is a bridge between a creditor and the delinquent. To recover the debt that a debtor owes to the creditor, you need to be calm. Use persuasion instead of threatening or arguing with the debtor to pay.

A guide to celebrate your kid's graduation

For parents, it is quite exciting to see their kid graduating from college or high school. Your best graduation wishes are with your kid on this joyous occasion, but you can make it more happening and happy. How? By throwing your kid an amazing graduation party.

Not sure how to do that? Well, read this guide and it will be clear.

1. Ask your kids what kind of party they want
The first thing you need to do is ask your kid whether he/she wants a big party with all relatives, close friends, and family members or just his/her friends.
Ask this as it will help you decide the venue and menu and so on with ease.

2. Send out the invites 
If you are celebrating the graduation on a big scale, why not send out invites as well? You can opt for a video invite which you can e-mail to your friends or family. Or you can go for a simple and casual print invite and post it. But make sure you ask people to RSVP so that you can set the menu according to the number of people coming.

3. Date and venue
Keep the party on a weekend so that it becomes easy for people to fly in for your party. As for the venue, you can do it in your backyard. A simple brunch on a weekend after the graduation day is a great way to celebrate the joyous occasion.
If you have a guest list with people or friends of your child overlapping with his/her friend, consider throwing a joint party. This way you can celebrate it on a bigger scale and rent a big venue too.

4. A small party only for family members
If your graduate doesn’t want a big party with all relatives or friends, but a simple celebration with his/her best mates, siblings, and you, then plan a party cum trip.
It can take quite a few forms:

• A small weekend trip, or hiking trip with grad’s close friends and family.
• A family trip

5. Menu
If you are hosting a big party or a small one instead of going on a trip, you mustn’t plan the party around mealtimes. It can cost a lot, instead keep the party around brunch time or around evening snack time.
Have a cake which is enough for the entire guest, customize it according to the occasion, and have beverages according to the age of all people.

6. Decoration
Keep the decoration simple, a congratulation banner or happy graduation banner. Some balloons and floral arrangements and so on.

7. Entertainment
You don’t want the party to be boring; you need some form of entertainment. Some tips:

• Have a photo booth and some props. Kids will love it, and even adults will have a gala time.
• You can also have games like charades or volleyball or so on.
• Play a video montage including all the memories from childhood till graduation day and so on.

Keep these tips in mind and have a great celebration for your young one!

6 ways to make your friend feel special

Friendship is a special relationship that makes us cry and laugh, sometimes at the same time. No matter, whether you are best friends or a simple friend, every person you call a friend and have proven to be there with you through thick and thin deserves gratitude and appreciation.

We don’t express gratitude or tell our friends enough how much they mean to us, but you should. Efforts are the fuel that will help keep the relationship alive for long. And you don’t have to big things like gifting them expensive things to tell them what they mean to you.

Simple gestures and being there for your friend when they need is enough. Here are some tips that can help you express your love to your friend daily.

1. Send them a good morning text daily
Make sure to disturb your friend always, it will help them smile, or get annoyed; in any case, you will always be in their mind. So, send a good morning SMS to your friend and a good night's message. It can be a text or a quote, and you can send it alternate days. But make sure that you send this type of message, especially when they are sad.

2. Give them a sincere compliment
You must keep complimenting your friend. But make sure that the compliment is genuine and not fake. Appreciate them or compliment them on a quality that is unique to them and something that they don’t hear often.

3. Encourage them especially when they are feeling negative
 If your friend is in a negative space or facing a situation which is making him depressed or see him/her in a negative light, encourage them. A few kind words of inspiration can help them see the right path or see positivity in every situation.
If the need arises, drag your friend to see a therapist because it is the right thing to do, especially if they are not being themselves.

4. Hug your friend
Why do you need a reason to hug your friend? Do it often and without reason and hug them tightly on occasion when they are feeling sad. When you hug them, it will release their stress and can lighten their mood and make them feel happier.

5. Cook for them or order their favorite food
If you live with your friend, one of the best ways to show your love, appreciation, and gratitude is by cooking their favorite milk for them. Or you can make them a big cup of their favorite beverage-tea or coffee.
If you don’t cook or are busy, order their favorite dish from their favorite restaurant. These small gestures can mean a lot and can make their day.

6. Simply listen
Most of us want to have a person who we can talk to about anything without judgment. Be that friend to your friend, when they have something to share, give them your undivided attention. Don’t use your phone, make eye contact, and listen before you make any assumption or proceed to give them any advice.

A friend is someone who we can count on even in the worst of circumstances, it is important that we show our love and appreciation towards with them through small acts daily.

7 ways to make your boyfriend feel special

If you think that it is only a man’s job to make you feel special, then you are wrong. If your boyfriend or partner is feeling down or sad or upset with you for any reason, you should make him feel better.
Don’t think the traditional way that all these things should be done by a man only. Even without reason, you should make your man feel special and thank him for taking care of your every need and listening to every tantrum. It is one of the best ways to maintain a healthy relationship.

Also, start your day by sending a good morning message to your boyfriend, especially when he is feeling down. Here are some other ways to make him feel special.

Here is the list of thing you can do to make him feel better

1.    Compliment him
When your boyfriend or partner does something special for you or does something which affects you positively, compliment him. It will make him feel special that you have noticed their efforts.
Also, make sure that the efforts are natural and genuine, even if they are only one or two. Don’t give fake compliments, because people can figure that out with ease.

2. Give them attention 
We girls love attention and if our partner forgets to focus on us and give attention to someone else, we get really upset. Well, men won’t say, but they too love it when you give them attention. When you give them your undivided attention, they will feel special and important. Especially, focus your attention on them when you find them feeling down or upset.

3. Take him out for dinner or lunch
Plan a date night and take your boyfriend out for lunch or dinner at his favorite place. Let him order anything he wants or order all his favorite things in the world.
Also, since you planned the date night, don’t be hesitant to pay the bill.

4. Surprise him
Surprise him with a little gift that holds something of value to him. You can also take him out for a little trekking or camping nearby. Plan a game night with him or invite his friends along.
You can even plan a long drive with him with all his favorite music playing in the background; you can chat and enjoy each other’s company.

5. Be affectionate
Be affectionate towards him. Hold his hands in public, introduce him as your boyfriend, and give him lots of hugs. When your purpose is to make him feel special, don’t criticize him for a small mistake.
Also, when having a romantic moment together, don’t bring up past mistakes or fights that are bygones now.

6. Stand up for him
If someone from your friend or family group is criticizing your men for no reason, you need to stand up for him. Support your men and defend him as no one has the right to throw stones at him without any reason.

7. Encourage them to talk
Men don’t talk about their fears or anxieties. That is why when your man is down or feeling sad, you should encourage him to talk and be there for him no matter what.

A relationship will be healthy if both parties work on it, so keep making efforts to make your man feel special.

5 ways to make your girlfriend feel special

If you have a girlfriend, you must make her feel special. Especially, try harder if you feel the charm and attraction between you two have disappeared or reduced. You may find that your partner might be behaving cold or distant, and if that is happening, it can be because of this reason. You are taking her for granted and not treating her the right way. If this is the case, do something nice to make her feel special. If she is happy and loves it, she wanted more attention and care.

Not sure, what else you can do to make her feel special? Well, these tips might help.

1. Send her cute messages/text
When our days start with a beautiful message and end with a loving text, we do feel special, especially if the person who sent it is someone we adore. Text romantic good night messages to your girlfriend, instead of a simple Good Night. It will make her feel special, bring a smile to her face, and make her remember you instantly. Do the same in the morning, you don’t have to do this every day, but once a while, this sounds nice.

2. Look at her lovingly when talking to her
It is a known fact that when we look into the eye of the person we are talking about, it means we are interested in hearing what they are saying. So, the next time you talk to your girlfriend, make sure that you look into her eyes and hold it. Don’t look here and there, but look into her eyes and make sure that when she is talking, you seem interested and proud of her.

3. Show affection to her in public
It is easy to hug your girlfriend or tell her how much you love her in private, but if you really love her, you would have no problem admitting it publically, especially in front of your friends. So, introduce her to other people like your girlfriend or hold her hand while going to malls or to a restaurant or so on. When you show affection to her in public, it shows that you are proud of being with her.

4. Take her out on a romantic date
If you two have been dating each other for long, sometimes the spark and passion can fade. To make sure that it doesn’t, keep taking her out on romantic dates. Or if she plans a date with you, don’t keep canceling her.
You don't have to go to a fancy restaurant to make each other feel special. A romantic candle-light dinner at home where you cook for her (It can even be Maggie, but she will appreciate the effort), and you dance and talk is enough to make her feel special.

5. Give her surprises
You can also give her cute little surprises to make her feel special. Gift her, her favorite flowers or gift her book that she has been meaning to buy for long or something like that.
Don’t ever stop trying, once we get comfortable in a relationship we stop trying. This can cause a problem and it goes for both people involved.

Data Security Measures For Your Business

Data is critical to a company. Hence, data security becomes an important part of business operations. A lot of technological advancements have taken place in the cybersecurity industry. Apart from installing state-of-the-art security software, there are other simple measures that you can take to protect your business’s data. Below are some of the methods if implemented, can significantly reduce security risks in your organization. 

Password selection

Enforce strict guidelines for your employees to set strong passwords. Encourage them to create passwords with a combination of lowercase letters, numbers, symbols, and uppercase letters. You can also educate your employees about the risks of sharing passwords through emails, messages, chat forums, etc. Password generators can also be used to generate strong passwords.

Antivirus protection

Malware, spyware, Trojans, etc. can easily get into your computer’s network through other files or links. Install good antivirus software that can scan the entire computer and catch infected files. Another option would be to install firewalls on your business devices. Keep updating this software or firewall so that you have the latest version installed always.

Phishing emails

Hackers have started sending phishing emails to get into a company’s network. A phishing email generally has a link in it, which if clicked gives complete access to the hacker. You should educate your employees about such hacking attacks. Make sure that you conduct security training periodically so that everyone is aware of safety measures.

Data archiving

Hacking attacks, server crash issues, etc. can happen to any business. Thus, it is important to archive the important web pages of your business. This ensures that all the sensitive data is protected and safe. God forbid if any mishap happens, then you can access the archived data to get your business back on track. A lot of third-party archiving solutions are available in the market that you can choose from. Make sure that you get the process automated so that everything happens at the backend.

Security Audits

Most of the businesses generally forget to audit the security systems. Like financial audits, a security audit helps you in finding vulnerabilities in your company’s networks. If any issue is found during audits, then you must rectify it immediately. Regular audits keep you aware of possible threats. You can update your safety systems accordingly to prevent data loss or hacking attacks.

Employee training

Even though you have installed all the latest security measures, employee training is a must to safeguard the business. Create security and integrity guidelines for your company and train all your employees in it. Keep doing refreshers throughout the year so that there are no misses. Designate point-of-contact for reporting phishing emails or suspicious behavior. If everyone in your organization follows a standard protocol, then the safety of your business strengthens automatically.

Conclusion

Protecting the business from malicious attacks isn’t easy, but is necessary in this fickle world. By implementing the security points mentioned above, your business will be better equipped to face any security threat. Do share your ideas with us in the comment section below.

Tips on writing a great captions for Instagram

How to get more Instagram likes? Well, one of the many ways to do that is by writing beautiful, unique, and attractive captions that capture the attention of your audience, and urges them to like the post, share it, and follow your account.

The caption gives voice to your visual content and is great for making a connection with your customer and marketing your account. A caption is a medium to tell your audience about the post, explain it, and convince the users to take immediate action. Captions are a great place to add CTAs, which is what encourages the customer to go your blogs or buy your products.

 

In this blog, we will learn some tips to write a great caption.

1. Keep writing drafts, until you find the perfect caption
A lot of times, we think of a perfect caption after we have published our posts. To avoid doing this, you should take enough time to come up with a caption that is perfect for your post, relevant, and which explains your sentiments.
You will have to write a lot of drafts for that show it around to your colleagues or friends or family, and then choose one amongst them which is the best.

2. Add a call-to-action button
Another thing to add in your caption is CTAs as it is one of the best ways to engage your followers and encourage them to take action. CTAs are action verbs that urge people to take action, like open the link that you mentioned or an app or so on. Here are some great ways to add CTAs:
Ask your audience a question: it will make people comment and start a conversation. If you reply to their comments, you will increase the engagement rate of your posts.
Ask people to click on your URL directly: You can only post clickable URL in your bio. So, you need to keep updating it according to your latest project and so. Thus, in your caption, you can directly ask people to open your link or follow your app and so on.

3. Use relevant hashtags but limit yourself to four or five hashtags
Hashtags are great because it lets people find you even if they don’t follow your account. So, use hashtags and make sure that they are popular and relevant to the content. Also, you can use branded hashtags as they can help you make an identity for your brand. The only you should remember is to use 4-5 hashtags per content. The limit is thirty, but using too many hashtags is of no use. Using too many hashtags will make it look spammy, which is something that you don’t want.
Another point to remember is that unless the hashtags fit with your content, you should use them only at the end of your caption.

4. Use emojis in your caption
Emojis are a great way to connect with your audience and it adds personality to your caption as well. Choose from the varieties of emojis available according to your content.
Follow these tips to write a beautiful and unique caption that attracts and encourages the audience to like your post and follow your account.

The dos and don'ts of making a digital business card

With everything going digital, how can business cards remain behind? Business cards or visiting cards are a small piece of card that people give to prospective clients so that people can contact them when required.

Nowadays, the trend of digital business cards is becoming more popular. It is not different from a physical business card, it is the same, but it is digital, and you can create it using a website or an app. You can also get it in a physical form, but having a digital business card is better as it saves paper, and also you don’t have to worry about carrying them with you everywhere you go.
But you must know how to create a digital business card to make sure it works for you. Here are
some dos and don’ts for making a digital business card.

Do’s
1. Add a note to make the business card a little personal
 A digital business card is still something new thus you must make it a bit personal before sending it to a client. Include a simple note that makes the customer feel special; they should not feel that they received a generic card. The note can be simple, but explanatory like “It was a pleasure doing business with you. I am attaching my contact details, and I look forward to doing business with you”. You can change it, but the gist of the note should be like this.

2. Design the digital business card well
 A business card is quite important for your business, and whether it is physical or digital, it should not affect its importance. Thus, make sure that you design the business card in a manner that everyone is proud of it, especially you. Keep improving it until you feel like it is the best version and defines your brand and its goal and has all the information about the same well.

3. Practice sharing the card
Sharing a digital business card is a bit different than a physical card. That is why you should first practice sharing it with your friends or colleagues so that you don’t make a bad first impression on your client. Once you are familiar with the process, it will be a piece of cake.

4. Use a headshot
 A professional headshot used in your digital card is important and can increase its effectiveness by 40%. And your business card needs to look professional and represent your brand well.

Don’ts

1. Never use an unprofessional picture
It is important that you use a picture that makes you look like a professional. You cannot use a picture from a vacation or dinner party.

2. Don’t forget to upgrade your details in the card
You will keep changing jobs or your house or your phone. If there is a change in your job or contact information, you need to update your business card immediately. You cannot give people a card with old details; otherwise, they won’t be able to contact you.

The time is changing and with that, you have to change too. Having an NFC or digital business card can work for you and you must explore this opportunity once.

How can you avoid accounts uncollectible?

The main work of a debt collection agency is to recover the debt that a delinquent owes to a creditor. They take accounts from creditors and work hard to recover the outstanding payments. They take commission only once they recover the debt.

But there are some accounts that are hard to collect and can also become uncollectible, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. But if the creditor and the debt recovery agency like Cedar Financial recognize such accounts before only, something can be done about it.

In this blog, we will talk about accounts uncollectible, and what to do about it.

Accounts uncollectible

Accounts uncollectible are also called uncollectible debts. They are those accounts that have zero chances of getting recovered. The reason behind this can be:

• The customer’s ability to not pay
• Unable to reach the customer
• The consumer declared bankruptcy or disputes the debt
• The statute of limitation on the debt is over

Indeed, sometimes you cannot recover a debt and it becomes uncollectible. But you can take measures to make sure that debt doesn’t reach the stage of becoming an uncollectible debt, and has no serious repercussions for the creditor.

The reason behind a debt becoming uncollectible is simple- the creditor took too long to take a collection solution. The more you wait, the higher the chance is that a debt can become a bad debt, and you would have to write it off.

Tips to avoid accounts uncollectible

1. Take prompt action

When the customer hasn’t paid for over 90-180 days, you should hire a third-party debt collection agency. You mustn’t waste time and hire the collector on time otherwise; it is a race against time to recover the debt quickly before it becomes uncollectible.

2. Reach out to customers and give them time to pay you back

If you give enough time to the customers, they might pay you back. Thus, before taking any serious action, make sure that your customers are aware of the debt and what it can do for their credit score. Make sure you provide them with some time to pay the bills before you send their deb to collection or sue you.

3. Provide them with multiple payment methods

 It is also important that you let the customer pay you back using the means that they are comfortable with. Don’t only demand cash and check, if they feel more comfortable making an online transaction or if they want to pay with their credit card, let them.

4. Analyze each call

To make sure that you recover the debt, analytics is also important. You need to make sure that you have a detailed record of all the calls that went out to each debtor and note how the conversation went. If you can figure out which call was persistent and had more engagement, you can figure out which account is likely to pay fast.

Don’t wait longer than you have to; hire a collector on time so that no debts become uncollectible.

5 Myths about debt collection that you need to stop believing now

Most businesses that write-off their debt can save their cash flow, and recover their outstanding amount, if only they agreed to hire a debt collection agency. A debt collector has immense knowledge and techniques to their advantage that helps them in recovering the debt successfully.

But some businesses don’t believe in hiring a debt collector because they believe the old age rumors about a collection agency. Myths like they are aggressive and abusive (not all collectors are, some dishonest collectors have to lead to this myth), and so on. That is why in this blog, we will try to bust these myths.

Myth 1: Debt collection is an expensive process

The reality is that most debt collection agency works on a commission model. They only take a 25%-45% commission from the amount that they have recovered. And if they don’t recover the debt, they don’t take money for it. It is pretty affordable and profitable as compared to you writing the debt-off. Writing off a receivable will probably cost you more loss.

Myth 2: Only big enterprises hire a debt collector

It is completely untrue. A lot of small business owners and startups hire a debt collector too. They help them recover the debt, which leads to increased cash flow. A small business owner has so many responsibilities and limited time and resources. Thus, hiring a third party collector who knows how to collect the outstanding amount is a better option for them.

Myth 3: Going for legal action is better than hiring a collector

Taking legal action against your customers should be the last resort you ever take. It is because it is a time-consuming and expensive process. Also, it can damage your relationship with the customer. Instead, go for a collector as they can help convince the customer to pay without damaging your relationship with them.

Myth 4: My customers won’t prefer their debt in collection

Yes, your customers won’t like that they have debt in collection, but it is only because they refused to pay. Till, you are working within the laws, and work with a collector who understands that maintaining a relationship with your customers is important for you, sending a debt for collection is not wrong. A customer will not like it, but they will understand, especially if the collector helps them pay the debt easily.

Myth 5: Debt collection agencies are best for old debts only

Not true, when debt gets old, it becomes hard to collect it. That is why as soon as your customer goes beyond 90 or 180 days without paying the debt, you should hire a collector. It will help you save time and resources and the percentage of recovering the debt successfully and quickly increases too.

Now that your myths about debt collections are burst, why not hire a reputable collection agency like Cedar Financial to solve your debt problems. Visit their website to know more about their process and hire them.

4 common invoice disputes and how to handle them

For a business that depends heavily on cash flow to sustain the business, coming across invoice disputes is a serious issue. Dealing with disputes over the invoice with your customers is not something any business wants to do. It is a long and frustrating process, which makes everything complex.

Most of the time the disputes over an invoice are something that you can deal with easily and in fewer times. But there are instances when the customer or the client is making an issue only to avoid paying you. If the case is such, you need to hire a debt collection agency to recover your outstanding payments.

You must take precautions to avoid such disputes. But knowing how to handle such disputes is important too, and we can help you with that. Here are five common invoice disputes and how to handle them.

Let’s look at these invoice disputes

1.  Goods with fault

If your client is telling you that the products you provided were defective or were not fit, firstly express your apology, and then ask for proof. You can offer them a replacement.

 But if the client had to use the product, ask them to still give you some proof, so that they can make sure that the product had faults. Also, tell them that the return products can help you to figure out if the whole batch is defective or just the ones they got.

If after proper investigation, you find that you were at fault, offer them a discount to maintain a relationship with your client.

2.    The work wasn’t satisfactory

If the dispute over the invoice is due to unsatisfactory work, ask the client what was unsatisfactory. Did the work didn’t fulfill the purpose, or maybe the client had other ideas about the project? If the client says that your service didn’t fulfill the project’s purpose, ask for evidence, and ask them how to rectify the same.

If they say that it didn’t deliver the results that they had expected, but the work was good. Check the contract and also let them know that delivery wasn’t part of their service, and you should get paid.
If they had other ideas about how the work will go, ask them to give you a chance to make it right.

3.    Not on time delivery

Until and unless there is a clause which states the time and place of the delivery, you deserve full payment. If you are late in delivering your product, you have to owe your mistake and offer some kind of discount to the clients so that both parties are content.

If due to late delivery, the products got spoiled as they were perishable, ask them to let you re-stock, and ask for payment for the new products only.

4.    Not able to pay

If the customer is unable to pay due to financial troubles, it can be frustrating to deal with. But you can try to make it work; by offering them a discounted price or letting they pay in installments.

You need to be a little flexible if you want your business to succeed and also to maintain relationships. If even after negotiating with the customer, he/she is unwilling to pay, visit a debt recovery agency like Cedar Financial to recover the outstanding amount.

A guide for recovering international debt for businesses

No business can run away from customers or clients who are late-payers or refuses to pay the debt altogether. While it is still easy for a business to collect a debt from a delinquent who is local to their region, it is extremely difficult to collect a debt from debtors who live internationally. Debt collection internationally is difficult because a business has no idea about the laws of that country. Collection laws in each country are different, and also a business has no right to recover any outstanding amount from international waters. But they can hire an international collection firm like Cedar financial for recovering their debt.

Still, it is better to prevent such debt and that is why you need to ensure that you perform the following checks.

Things to do before you offer credit to a customer

1.    Credit checking

You must check the credit history of the customer to ensure that they will pay the bills on time, and there are no outstanding payments. You don’t need permission to run a credit check unless the client is a sole trader. When you check the credit history of an individual or a business, you get information regarding their net worth, their credit rating, whether they have other debts, and if they are paying on time or not. All this will help you decide if the customer is trustworthy enough to give credit or not.

2.    Ask them to fill a credit application form

You must get the customer to fill a credit application form. It will provide you with information regarding the name of the company or the individual, their home and business addresses, contact numbers, and so on. It will help you get references from the bank, and other suppliers about their credit history.

If you want, you can add a personal directory to it, which states that in case of liquidation, the director of the business who is resisting the debt is responsible for it. This is crucial for credit control, and in case a debt collector is hired.

3. Check the references

Make sure you check all the references that you take from the customer. Search them on Google and make sure that they are authentic and genuine. Also, talk to their other creditors to get the knowledge about how prompt they are in their payments.

What to do when your international clients refuses to pay the debt?

The first thing you need to do is figure out the reason why the debtor is not paying you. It can be because of some business or financial issues or simply due to their forgetfulness. In both the case, if the delinquent refuse to pay or is in international waters and tracking him/her is hard, you should hire a debt collector. Also, if the debt goes beyond 180 days, you need to hire a collector who can collect the debt on your behalf.

A debt collector will work for you without any fee. They only take commission and that too after they recover the debt. They are familiar with all international laws and have offices in various countries that help them recover debt easily.

If you want to know more about the international collection agency, visit our international debt recovery page.

Instagram Do’s and Don’ts Infographic

Source

If you are account on Instagram, then you must know its do's and don'ts. Presenting an Inofgraphic. Must read this.   

Received a check that bounced? Here’s what you can do

Whether you are a debt collection agency or a business owner, receiving a cheque that bounced or a bad cheque is common and inevitable. As a business that deals with giving products to people on credit or lending a loan, you have to be prepared for a situation in which a cheque given to you by the customer or client will bounce. Now, most people assume that the reason for a bad cheque is an insufficient fund or no money in the account of the person who wrote the cheque. There can be other reasons too and you should figure out the reason for cheque bouncing first.

It is damaging for both parties involved as both parties incur a fee for issuing and receiving a bad cheque.

Here are some ways to deal with a bad cheque.

If the cheque you have received is bad or has bounced, you need to act quickly and here are some things that you need to do:

Track the customer and make contact with him/her immediately

The chances of a person writing a bad cheque intentionally are less, so when the cheque bounces, the first thing you need to do is contact the person. The cheque will have all information like the customer’s name, address, and phone number, use that to call him/her up, and inform them about the cheque bouncing. Ask them to pay you immediately using some other option.

If the customer seems reluctant or doesn’t respond to your calls or emails, hire a debt recovery agency. They can track the customer down and convince them to pay the money that they owe to you. Visit our website for collection services.

Cheque the state laws

Depending on the state where you live, you should cheque with the state department what rights you have if the cheque given to you by a customer bounces. In most states, when a customer unintentionally writes a bad cheque to you, you have the right to collect three times the amount of the cheque and the original amount from the customer. If the court agrees to the charges that the customer wrote the cheque intentionally, the lender can also ask the customer to pay the attorney charges as well. Treble damage is the name of this law, which lets the lender collect a bigger amount then the cheque’s original amount. It is viable if the customer doesn’t pay the amount within 30 days of getting a written request to pay the amount of the cheque that bounced.

Visit the bank

Pay a visit to the bank that is listed on the cheque as letting them knows everything will help you avoid bad cheque fee. Also, talking to a bank might work in your favor because if the customer has disappeared the bank can help you with the money.

The bank will decide what to do. If it cannot help you, move on to the last option.

Seek help from a collector

The last thing you can do is higher a debt collection agency. They can advise you on what to do next and also track and convince the debtor to pay the amount. They work within the law and are discreet and successful too.

Don’t fret when you get a bad cheque, follow these tips and things will sort out soon enough.

Have A Medical Debt In Collection? Read On To Find How To Negotiate The Debt

Having a medical debt collection service provider or agency calling you constantly to recover the outstanding patient bill you owe is no fun. Medical debt is fairly less problematic than other debts, but it still affects your credit score, and can also break you financially, if you are struggling with money.

Engagement gift ideas for your brother

Your brother is your favorite person on Earth and now he is getting engaged. It is a special occasion as the person who was your confidant; your partner in crime is now getting hitched to the woman of his dreams. It is a day you should celebrate and make sure that it becomes one of the most memorable days of his and his partner’s life.

What Are Coffee Pods And How You Can Use Them

The food industry is constantly evolving in terms of recipes, compositions, and formulations. New food products are being launched almost every month. Every time you visit the supermarket, there is a surprise waiting for you. The catalog of varieties, flavors, tastes, etc. is amazing and unique in the food industry. Coffee is one such product that people love across the globe and hence its taste, texture, and form have been ever-evolving. A coffee pod is the latest invention in the food industry. It is nothing but pre-packaged ground coffee beans in a filter. It is a single-serving alternative that is easy to use and make coffee with.

3 Facts About Building Wikipedia Backlinks

What is the first thing that comes to mind after listening the word ”Wikipedia”? If someone will ask me  I’ll say Wikipedia is the only site who helped me in completing my school work and projects. Not only this, it also has answers to every question. It is the best encyclopedia on the internet.

And the second thing I love about Wikipedia is the fact that you can edit their pages sitting anywhere in the world. And after knowing that it is one of the most authoritative sites on the internet everyone definitely wants to create a backlink from wiki. Infact, this is the perfect place  to build high quality links.

But it is not that easy to do. Wikipedia only approves the changes  when they are useful and add value to the content.

Today I’m going to tell some facts about Wikipedia backlinks which you need to know.

Benefits of Wikipedia Backlinks

Facebook, YouTube and Moz are the good authoritative sites but not more than Wikipedia, it is right up in the list.

Everyone trust and use the content of Wikipedia, that's why it is one of Google’s most trusted site. So, yes it is great to build links to boost the presence of your site on the web. Many people search their queries on Wikipedia and you can attract that traffic on your blog. It will work fantastically for your webpage.

Wikipedia gives no follow links not do follow, but it has such a super high Domain authority, trust flow and citation flow that it affects your rank positively.

And who said that the nofollow links are not effective? Nofollow links have their own sort of SEO value that’s worth adding to your backlink profile.

Have High quality Content

Before creating a link from Wikipedia, make sure you have something worth linking to. Always remember that Wikipedia checks the changes you make to their content. Always try to make your content valuable, because once your content get rejected they will keep a record of your profile and may keep rejecting your future edits too.

Monitor your backlinks too? Well, it’s also important to monitor your backlinks because Wikipedia admins will review before approving your changes. Once you make a change to their content, it takes them 24 hours to either approve or decline the changes.

Improve a Wikipedia Page

Wikipedia allows you adding or changing the link only to improve it. If the aim in your mind is simply to create a backlink on Wikipedia for the sake of SEO, you’re missing the point.

Wikipedia is so strict? Yes, just for now, I want you to forget about SEO and change your mindset about what you’re going to do? You’re going to add value to one of the most visited websites on the web. This comes with a lot of responsibility and that’s why Wikipedia is so strict.

Hope you guys found a lot to learn about Wikipedia backlinks here.

7 gift ideas for your engagement anniversary

So, your engagement anniversary is coming up? Wow, congratulations on completing one more year together. It is a huge accomplishment, especially in today’s time. The day calls for a personal celebration between the couple. Go out for dinner or brunch, and present something simple and unique to your partner to mark the occasion.

Now, you need to come up with a gift idea that feels special to your partner and celebrates the uniqueness that you both have. Scratching your head for the perfect gift? Don’t worry; we have a list below which will help you out. Also, to start the day, you can send a text or write a letter to your partner and use these happy engagement anniversary wishes for the same.

Let’s begin with the gift ideas

A customized ring dish

Gift your husband, fiancé, or partner a ring dish to store their rings and other jewelry. Make it more special for them by customizing it and adding the initial of your names or your wedding or engagement anniversary. It is a unique gift with use too, which your partner will certainly treasure for life.

A print of bended knee proposal

No matter in what setting you proposed your partner; you would certainly have got down on your knees, and asked her to marry you, right? Well, this unique gift idea will make that day even more memorable. This print will have a guy bent on knees and asking the girl to marry him, you can ask the artist to get it customized according to your hair color or skin tone. Also, you can get your wedding date or so on engraved on it. It is a great idea, and any of the partners can gift it to other the partner to imprint that moment forever.

Customize doormat

You can gift your partner a customized doormat; add your surname or your wedding date. It is a thoughtful and useful gift, especially if you are moving to a new place.

Velvet album

If you are celebrating your engagement anniversary and the wedding day is far away, and your partner loves to take pictures to preserve the memory, this gift is perfect. Buy your partner a velvet album with good quality and let them organize your beautiful moments in it. Also, you can use it a guest book for the wedding day.

Smartphone vase

Is your partner a phone addict? Yes, then this gift is perfect for them. This smartphone vase is incredible; your partner can keep it near the bed and put their phone on it. Also, the little flower on the vase ads beautiful texture to your bedroom.

Champagne and flowers

A simple idea works wonders, and you can never get wrong with champagne and flowers. Make a package of the favorite flowers and champagne that your partners love and surprise them at night or their workplace or in the morning.

Gadget

A little expensive gift item on the list, but if your partner is a gadget freak, gift him/her the latest toy and make their day.

In love with these ideas, well I sure am. Try these ideas and make your engagement anniversary a memorable day.

Why Instagram likes matter?

Social media platforms are a force that every business must use now for growing their brand. Instagram is one such powerful social media platform that helps us interact with a global audience and see its results. When it comes to Instagram, we all talk about getting more likes? But here is food for thought? Does IG like matters? Do they make any difference?  Well, yes they do.

In this blog, we will learn why IG likes matter.

They motivate us to work with good content

We all need the motivation to do productive work. And Instagram likes to motivate us to post good and relevant content because we can see that someone appreciates our hard-work and our posts helped someone or made someone smile. That is motivation enough to keep working to find the right type of posts that will resonate with your audience and help them and your business too.

It helps you do a quality and approval check of your product

When you post an image or video regarding your new product or service, likes can help you assess whether customers like it not. It is like getting pre-approval before you invest more money and time in a product.

The number of likes and comments can help you figure out what people think about it.

They attract people to your website or app

The main agenda behind posting an image or video on Instagram is for people to see it. You want your users to see what you are doing. But when the same people like your photos or videos, it makes sure that the post is available in search results for other people too as more likes get you higher in user feed. That means that more people will see your posts and your followers will increase and you will get more referrals for your website or app.

For an influencer, it means more sponsorships and deals

If you are an influencer, you can get more brands to sponsor your posts or partner up with you if you have huge likes and followers. It is because they want someone who has large user-base so that their brand gets exposed to tons of new followers.

You connect with users who have an interest in your product

When you get more likes, you get higher results in the hashtag search. That means that when a user searches using the hashtag that you are using, your post will appear in their feed higher. So, you get to a new follower you have a similar taste or have an interest in your product.

Now, that we know that Instagram likes to have some weight in them, it is important to work to get more likes. In conclusion, we can say that they matter a lot and can help us positively if we know why they matter. You can start with buying likes and for that, you should click here to get real IG likes.

Why you should file for bankruptcy?

When a creditor contacts a third-party debt collector for international recoveries or national ones, it is because the customer has missed all the payment deadlines. If you are one such debtor who has not paid the bills on time, and now you are getting calls from the collector, getting anxious is given. Especially, because you don’t know how to pay the bills and maybe due to other reasons, you are now broke. Then what is the next step?

Well, filing for bankruptcy is certainly an option and not a bad one at that. It is because bankruptcy can stop the lawsuits, collection calls, and even the wage garnishment. It increases your credit score and erases your debt.

Why bankruptcy?

Now, the question is why you should file for bankruptcy. To answer this, first you should know that when you do this, an official person will verify all the facts, so, don’t lie about going bankrupt just to get out of paying the debt. Now, why? 

It is the only option

A lot of people have already used all their money or savings to either pay for multiple debts or on other things and paying the debt is difficult for them and bankruptcy can help them make a fresh start. 

It improves your credit score

Also, if you think it won’t affect your credit score, think again. By the time a person files for bankruptcy, their credit is already in pretty bad shape. So, when they do file for bankruptcy, most of the time their credit score rises, which is a good thing.

It ends the collection cycle

When a debtor has not made any payments beyond 120 days, their financial troubles can get worse. They have a collection in their credit report, which can create problems; they may get court summons or lawsuits.

When you file for bankruptcy, the underlying debt disappears, and the lawsuits and wage garnishments against you disappears too.

Gives you access to credit

It can be difficult to ask for credit right after you file for bankruptcy. But after 18 months or getting a new line of credit is far easier than if you had not filed for it, and were struggling to pay off the debt.

Things to know when filing for bankruptcy

If you can pay your bills, do that because having debt is never a good option. But if you are filing for bankruptcy, make sure you cover these points:

Hire a lawyer

Without proper documentation, your case can get dismissed, and you will end up worse than before. So, hire a bankruptcy attorney, some will want to you pay in advance while some will do it pro-bono. 

Raise the cash

Reduce your expenses, sell things that you don’t want or borrow money from family and friends. Don’t open new credit lines, as it can create problems. The best thing to do is to sit with your attorney and talk about your options.

Bankruptcy is not the end of the world. It can open up new opportunities to make credit and start a new chapter.

These signs indicates that you need a debt collector

So, you have launched your startup, congratulations. A startup doesn’t start to make a profit before they complete three years of running. That is why they cannot afford any bad debts or unpaid invoices. When one of your customers doesn’t pay a bill, it can certainly affect your business as it decreases your cash flow.

When it comes to unpaid bills, a startup doesn’t have enough resources or time to chase a debtor to collect the payment. Still, they can try, but when things become worse, it is best to hire a debt collection agency.

Let’s look at five signs that can help you determine whether you need a debt collector or not.

Unpaid bills that are at least 90 days old

If you have any account or outstanding bills that are older than 90 days and the debtor is showing no interest in paying the debt, then it is the correct time to hire a debt recovery agency like Cedar Financial.

Also, a debt collection agency can help you look for an account or identify a customer which can pose a problem or is unlikely to pay the debt. 

If the check of the customer has bounced, they might not pay

If a customer has given you a check and it bounces, it is a sure sign that the customer is not reliable. Especially, if they feign ignorance or don’t return your calls, make sure you move quickly, otherwise, they would leave you hanging.

Another advantage of hiring a debt collector is that they can advise you on how to handle such clients, and even help you figure out people who can do this by researching their credit history.

If you have dealt with more than one delinquent

If in the course of running your business, you have come across more than one customer who has not paid the debt on time, and you had to write them off, it is best to hire a collector. A collector can help you get those outstanding amounts and, also if you faced two or three delinquents, you can face more. And at that time a collector that you know, and have trust in, can help you.

Your debtor is not local

If you are dealing with a debtor who doesn’t live in the same location as yours or has left for a foreign location, you cannot collect the debt from him/her. It is because you are allowed to collect debt internationally, and it will mean spending a lot of resources and money.

But a collector who has a national or international presence can easily recover debt from delinquents living in different cities or regions.

You are not able to track your debtor

Sometimes a debtor goes MIA, and even after contacting every friend or relative of theirs, if you are not able to find the delinquent, opts for a debt collector. They have numerous techniques like skip tracing, which helps them trace the debtor using lots of databases.

If your startup is seeing any such signs, it is best to hire a collection agency.