What’s New in Digital Marketing?

The worldwide pandemic hastened the development of digital marketing. As one on one interaction came to a halt, organizations and consumers both immediately switched their focus and activities online. To develop stronger and long-lasting relationships with the tech savvy clients, marketers have substantially put effort in social media, email marketing, mobile apps, websites and several other digital platforms. Due to all this, the world of digital marketing has undergone significant change and numerous ideas and techniques are still in use today even after the Covid.

Following are the areas where marketers could expect to see big changes soon

Marketing Automation

Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and deep learning (DL) are the three main technologies that are playing a vital role by helping marketers in their tasks through the computer capacity. Artificial intelligence gives power to the computers to imitate human intelligence. Algorithms are used by machine learning to parse data, learn from that data, and make wise judgements based on what it has discovered. Additionally, deep learning organizes algorithms into layers to produce an "artificial neural network" that is capable of independent learning and deductive reasoning.

Programmatic Advertising

Programmatic advertising is one of the marketing automation technologies. Here automated technologies are integrated to purchase advertising space. Programmatic advertising employs data insights and algorithms to offer ads to the target audience at the perfect time, and at the best price, as opposed to a marketer manually bidding, placing content or copy, and selecting the timing for a particular ad. With these systems, marketers only have to focus on content, campaign goals (such as maximizing brand engagement), budget constraints, and the campaign hurdles (that is place and demographics), and the system will optimize the campaigns to come up with the highest returns possible given the aforementioned objectives and hindrances.

To provide a customized experience, a personalization engine (PE), also known as personalization engine, combines data from other users who share similarities with the user's conduct. The user should receive contextually appropriate material that complies with their needs and preferences. The more data personalization engines access and analyze, the more precise their predictions are since they use cutting-edge AI and machine learning-based algorithms to predict what customers will require.

Conversational Marketing & Predictive Analysis

Conversational Marketing & Predictive Analysis are one of the personalization engine tools. Conversational marketing is a strategy for interacting in real-time with your target market through activities like live chat, messaging applications, and conversational AI (chatbots). Utilizing historical data, predictive analytics foretells patterns, occurrences, and prospective scenarios in the future. Many analytics systems are now generating forecasts instead of just reporting what happened, which can assist users in making plans and becoming ready for the future. The clearest illustration is Google Analytics 4. To provide users with more insights and predictive analytics, generally relating to enhancing conversions, this edition of Google Analytics, which launched in October 2020, uses machine learning.

In recent years, digital marketing has developed significantly. The future appears quite promising given the above-mentioned growing trends and advances. It will surely be a thrilling adventure for all of us if marketers continue to address the requirements, goals, and desires of their target customers.

Why Choose Software Development Outsourcing?

 

The full story
Trusting can be daunting in a situation where you entrust an outside party to deliver you services and complete your business tasks. Companies have to rethink many times before they outsource and the same is the case while opting for software development outsourcing. Many of them believe that it is better to have in-house teams of software developers who understand your product better and help you to achieve your objectives. However, outsourcing can be a faster and viable option for scaling operations. There are a number of reasons why companies are eager to outsource software development which will be discussed in this blog. So, let’s have a look!

1. Talent Acquisition
It is very difficult to find the best suitable talent in a highly competitive industry like IT or software development. The demand for software professionals is always high and when businesses go for outsourcing, they get access to a whole new lot of skilled individuals from all around the world, irrespective of geographical boundaries.

2. Low cost of labor
Sometimes when organizations outsource software development teams, the cost that incurs is low and the quality of services that they provide is superlative or up to the mark. This is because the country or the area where they belong has a lower cost of living. Some companies do not want to spend too much on advanced tools and technologies and keep themselves away from hefty upfront investment. However, they should not compromise on the quality while minimizing their costs.

3. Easy Access to Domain Expertise
For in house talent the company utilizes the specialized skills of their existing employees but that’s not all. It’s a great challenge for organizations to look for developers or engineers that have proficiency, domain expertise, knowledge of industry and its requirements. Software development partners have prior understanding which allows you to choose the best product features. They also help you out by giving suggestions on the tech stack that would be in line with your requirements.

4. Takes less time to market
In order to achieve competitive edge, companies tend to bring their products in the market before their rivals. It requires a lot of time, resources and effort in order to build your own in-house team and hire, train and retain them. Through software development outsourcing, organizations can scale up their operations and their products can be marketed efficiently and quickly.

5. Flexibility
Outsourcing enables companies to manage their resources well as they don’t have to hire employees on a full-time basis, they can simply work with the outsourcing teams who can complement their existing employees in the form of a contract. Whenever required, companies can scale up or down their resources, depending on the tasks and their load.

In conclusion, outsourcing software development allows you to minimize bottlenecks, successfully accomplish your projects and at the same time you can get acquainted with new technologies.

Usefulness of NLP

Our social interaction would be nothing without language or communication. Whether we have to convey a written message or a verbal, express our feelings or emotions or even share information, we require a language that anyone can understand. Now, even computers are trained in a way that they can recognize the tone or translate a foreign language for us in a quick and efficient way. A technology and a subcategory of Artificial Intelligence (AI) known as the Natural Language Processing (NLP) allows computer systems to interpret and understand information or all the essential elements of a conversation just like we do. The NLP technology is used in several fields and provides fast and efficient customer service while cutting down cost. Let’s look at its usefulness in terms of data science.

1. Forecasting the spread of disease

NLP technology has served the healthcare sector by detecting illnesses and anticipating the spread of impending diseases. By decoding the speech patterns, it gives a clear knowledge to medical practitioners regarding illness related progression (e.g. post-traumatic stress disorder or depression etc.). This helps doctors to better understand their patients and their predicament.

2. E commerce

Competition is rising in e-commerce and companies must ponder over creative solutions to deal with the inefficiencies that occur while tending to their customers. They can use sentiment analysis tools to look for products that best satisfy their customer. Moreover, through the help of NLP they can go through the internet data to check their platform's performance. They can offer hyper personalized communication to their customers on the basis of social media listening.

3. Language translators

You can translate the online text in different languages and all this is not possible without the NLP tool. One example is Google translator that translates and converts pages into any language, eliminating the language barrier and offering cross cultural communication. One interesting thing to note is that, more than 100 billion words are translated into a number of different languages.

Natural Language Processing has spread out in almost every field we talk about. It provides users with accurate and comprehensive information, while also saving their time. Businesses are all set to invest in this technology so that they can keep their customers happy and increase their revenues. By incorporating this unique form of human and machine interaction in their systems and operations some of them have already enhanced their productivity.

Why Multichannel Marketing is important for businesses?

Companies have to trail behind their customers all the time in order to win their hearts and successfully sell their products and services. For this, they must use a multichannel marketing approach to communicate with them. With time and rapid advancement in technology, more and more marketing channels have been added to the list. Consumers’ needs and preferences have changed, and they are shifting towards online buying. Thus, as a marketer you have to choose the channel which they like and prefer. In this article we will be discussing the major benefits of multichannel marketing but firstly you should get acquainted with this term. 

What is multichannel marketing?

This term is quite self-explanatory, multichannel marketing refers to the brand’s interaction with the target audience or the existing customers through different platforms, mediums or devices. Through this method, you can engage with your customers with different demographic backgrounds, using slogans and advertisements that best suit them. 

Want to hit the jackpot?

The art of effective marketing lies in being attentive and responsive to consumer requirements and needs and delivering services in the right manner and at the perfect time and place. The relevance, authenticity and the trustworthiness of your ad campaigns counts the most for your target market. A study has revealed that 74% companies were able to boost their sales by implementing multichannel marketing techniques.

Spending a huge sum of money on quality content and then spreading it via a website is not enough. You must make it visible in the eyes of your customers through other mediums and channels including emails, SMS, WOM, social networks, billboards, television, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or even through stores. Consider the example of Apple that reaches out to their audience via their brick and mortar store i.e. Apple Store. Here customers can preview their products, making their experience more enjoyable and providing them top notch services. Later, they can buy the same product online if they wish to.

Customer knowledge can be enhanced in this way and simultaneously the way they interact with your brand enables you to provide them a personalized experience. Moreover, higher revenues can be generated through impulse buying as consumers are sometimes inclined towards products they see either on shelves or come in their product recommendation list while they scroll on their phones. This spontaneous purchase can in turn lead to upselling or cross selling success for companies. 

Multichannel marketing is the best strategy to nurture and build relationships with your customers and gain more access to customer data. This trend will grow more in the coming years so companies must tread in that direction to drive away the competitors.

 

Applications of Robotics

Naturally, human beings are gifted with both intellectual and physical abilities. As a result of this, they have been able to reach and explore the depths of seas or the galaxies in outer space. However, technology has become so incredible that now robots are there to assist them in literally everything and the way they perform tasks with precision seems so unreal. So, let’s have a look at the applications of robots in different sectors.

Logistics and manufacturing

In terms of machines and industrial work, the manufacturing sector can be called the pioneer for using robots. These robots work side by side with the workforce assisting them in product testing or in the assembling of materials and equipment. Similarly, in logistics robots play a major role in moving or transporting goods and products from one place to another in warehouses. From packaging, shipping, handling products, replenishing items on shelves to keeping quality checks these robots are time saving machines and ensure maximum efficiency is achieved. Many companies are now using robots for the speedy delivery of your parcel, making sure they reach right at your door steps.

Household Chores

The daily household activities such as washing dishes or laundry, trimming plants, watering the garden, cleaning your pool or house, are all done by robots now. You can now relax and watch your favorite shows on Netflix rather than hiring household help to do your chores. You don’t even have to worry about cooking because companies like Moley Robotics have introduced robots that can make your favorite dishes.

Healthcare and Travel

There are patients that require surgeries or physical therapy and visit medical practitioners or doctors for treatments. Many such professionals now take help from robots to recover their patients from injuries and illnesses. Robots are also replacing nurses by doing tasks such as bringing medicines and cleaning rooms etc. Pharmaceutical companies use them to do tests and trials. In the travel sector, robots in the form of self-driving cars and vehicles are now in demand and renowned companies such as Volkswagen and Tesla are all dredging on it.

Entertainment

In the real-world robots cannot fully act like humans but they are used in dangerous situations like action movies in which stunts can cause injuries or fatalities i.e. jumping from the top floor of a huge building. They can also handle the camera and perform monotonous work. World famous theme parks such as the Universal Studio use robots to entertain their visitors and enhance their experience.

Robots are being used today in almost every industry, providing quality living and changing the way we work. In order to achieve maximum productivity, humans and robots must work side by side without ousting the former. 

 

Applications of Blockchain Technology

There has been a paradigm shift in the financial sector since blockchain technology came into existence, stirring up many individuals who can have a prospective career in this promising field. It is a field that is being accepted globally mainly because of its data security feature which effectively deals with money laundering and black money related issues. The potential threats to businesses are increasing so they are being touted and lured towards this technology in order to secure their data. Let’s see how it is progressing in different industries:

Cybersecurity

Blockchain has more scope in terms of cybersecurity. Since companies are vulnerable to external threats like illegal seizure of data or data tampering, cryptography encrypts their data. Also, the ledger ensures that sensitive data remains safe and verifiable.

Healthcare

In the healthcare niche, blockchain can not only keep a safe record of the patient’s data but also assist in the smooth running of operations such as billing and payments. Also, medical data of a patient can be shared with the healthcare professionals.

Supply chain

The traceability feature of blockchain has revived the supply chain sector. As goods and materials pass through different processes, blockchain keeps a check on all the procedures. It overlooks the expenses, reduces human errors and tracks employment. Thus, minimizing the chances of fraud and enhancing reliability. It also helps in auditing, ensures there are no time delays, and maintains transparency. Blockchain can put an end to gray marketing and prevent the loss in company's revenues, too.

Financial Institutions

Undoubtedly, Blockchain has been consistently delivering what it promised. After assessing the progress of blockchain many financial institutions have started investing in it, particularly because of the way it immaculately deals with the issue of black money. Governments are taking initiative to adopt blockchain technology in order to buff the economy through its transparent ledger system.

IT Industry

In the IT industry, there are multiple cases of data loss, theft, hacking or human errors. All these are because of the centralized system, but blockchain addresses them by resisting the hackers and providing better security in terms of cloud storage.

Digital Advertising

Digital advertising has to face fierce competition from its rivals on a daily basis. Sometimes failures are due to poor payment structures or domain name scams. Blockchain can help them to efficiently manage their budget and transactions because of its dependable and transparent nature.

On the whole, the hype about blockchain is real and this technology is mounting because it is trustable and immutable. Since 2017, the blockchain and cryptocurrency are being considered as the most valuable assets in the financial market. The governments of many countries are planning to participate in the open market by investing in digital currencies. In the upcoming years, there will be massive demand for experts and engineers in the field of blockchain.

 

 

Strategies to overcome procrastination at work

Are you a goof off? Here are some tricks for you to overcome this habit!

Procrastination is a major barrier that impedes an individual's personal and professional growth. There can be an imbalance in your work life and a decrease in your efficiency if you continue to delay your tasks. In order to be more productive at work and to minimize procrastination and achieve success, you must follow the below mentioned hacks. 

1. Have clarity about your goals

Many individuals are not clear about their goals or what they want to achieve in life so they end up postponing their actions. What you need to do is set your agendas, divide your tasks, work on the ones which are more important and stay focused by sticking to them with perseverance.

2. A proper work schedule

Make sure that you do not overburden yourself with work as it can result in burnout. Break your tasks into time slots or into more manageable portions because this will make them less complicated. This will also improve your work ethic and will motivate you, since lengthy tasks are often monotonous and take several hours to complete. A sense of accomplishment develops within you when tasks are divided into smaller chunks. Through the pomodoro technique you can spend 25 minutes at work and then take a short break of 5 minutes to stretch yourself and ease your mind.

3. Get rid of all distractions

We often get distracted by colleagues, social media, or even intrusive thoughts. Adhere to your rules by either turning off or muting your notifications. Also, set a specific time to use social media, go through your mails, and talk with your colleagues (preferable after task completion).

4. Develop a positive mindset

Some people are pessimists and the fear of failure makes them apprehensive for the future. So, it is essential to shun away the negative thoughts and adopt a positive mindset. Past mistakes and self-doubt won’t let you succeed so focus on your accomplishments and do not try to attain perfectionism, rather be a realist.

5. Look for a mentor

Find a like-minded individual such as a friend or a colleague who encourages you when you feel unmotivated. Tell them about your goals and set a specific time when you can talk about the progress, problems and the challenges in detail. Also, you should reward yourself for the achievements or when you successfully perform a challenging task. You can either arrange a trip or pampering yourself with food (anything that makes you happy).

By clinging to these strategies and with self-determination, you can end procrastination, increase your productivity and achieve success.

 

 

Best Business Intelligence Tools

There are a number of Business Intelligence tools that can be used in this era in order to make data driven decisions. However, we will be discussing the pros and cons, pricing, and features that will help you choose something that fits your needs. This article shares the business intelligence applications to include on your shortlist of analytical tools and describe web-based reporting tools to assist you in determining what reporting software you require.

1.      Zoho Analytics (BI tool for small companies)

Given its extensive feature set, user-friendly interface, and reasonable pricing for a limited number of users, Zoho Analytics is an excellent business intelligence tool for small businesses. To analyze the visualized data, you can use this tool to pull data from a variety of sources and create clear, useful reports. The artificial intelligence "AI" assistant "Zia" will respond to inquiries entering a query box by using the data gathered along with machine learning and natural language processing tools. Zoho Analytics has a free 15-day trial and prices start from $24/month for 2 users.

2.      Click Up (Best for BI tools integrations)

Powerful project management tool ClickUp can extract a ton of data from the program and display it in the form of stunning graphs. Although not by definition a BI tool, it can undoubtedly help you make better decisions. ClickUp itself has acknowledged that its current product cannot compete with BI tools. They have a Tableau integration because of this. Through this integration, Tableau will be able to take a screenshot of one of your ClickUp spaces and combine it with the rest of your company's data on their end. Unlimited users can use Clickup for free but it has a small amount of storage. Also, paid plans come with a free trial and start from $5 per user per month.

3.      NetSuite (Best customizable BI software)

A cloud-based BI ERP business software solution is NetSuite. To provide a full range of BI functions, the tool combines financial data with dashboards, reporting features, predictive analytics, and other features. When certain services are purchased, users of NetSuite can automatically create new projects and track the percentage of completion, time budget, and amount of time spent on project tasks. Business users can analyze employee workloads and efficiency using reports on utilization and backlog.

Numerous project types, automated job creation, the project center, timesheets, mobile time and expense, performance measurement, and project tracking reports are additional crucial features. On request, NetSuite pricing is provided.

4.      Datapine (Best BI dashboards)

Because it combines straightforward, intuitive usability with powerful analytics capabilities, Datapine is a fantastic business intelligence tool. Business users and data analysts can both generate useful business insights and make well-informed data-driven decisions with the help of the self-service BI solution. The complete BI Suite, Datapine, provides all the features you'll need for your analytics journey. First off, it only takes a few clicks to connect practically any type of data source (such as databases, flat files, CRM and ERP systems, marketing, social media, or help desk data, etc.). To speed up querying, you can opportunistically store connected data in their high-speed data warehouse. The core of the product, where data analysis and visualizations are carried out, is shown in the analyzer section in the screenshot above. Datapine offers a limitless 14-day free trial with custom pricing that starts from $250 per account.

5.      Domo (Best for sharing analytics with external vendor portals)

You can create unique workflow apps and gather data from various sources using the Domo Business Cloud platform. Dashboards, reporting, machine learning, predictive analytics, and external self-service reporting are some of their features. The emphasis Domo gives to your relationships with vendors and other external stakeholders is praise worthy. Domo Everywhere is a feature that enables you to create portals for your third-party partners. They can therefore independently analyze the data you choose to share with them and draw their own conclusions.

Additionally, the independent widgets that make up the data visualization boards can be easily edited, filtered, and resized. Finally, irrespective of the account (Domo or not Domo), the platform enables you to set permissions on both internal and external users. Through their 1000+ pre-built connectors, which include Shopify, Salesforce, Amazon S3, Adobe Analytics, SharePoint, and Survey Monkey, Domo integrates with external data sources. A free trial of Domo is offered, and cost estimates are available upon request.

With the help of the above-mentioned information, companies can determine which software might be most suitable for their company. The report generation software can help you improve your marketing efforts. Make sure you have the resources necessary to support these initiatives so that you can continuously expand your business operations based on pertinent real-world data for both you and your clients.

 

Applications of IoT in Health care

Globally, the healthcare sector is facing a number of challenges which has unlocked the doors of new technologies for us. Not all individuals can afford the healthcare services to shield themselves from the lethal illnesses, even basic health facilities are out of reach for many. Other than that, there has been a significant increase in the number of chronic diseases making people more vulnerable than ever. The population around the globe is aging which means without proper health care services many people will become unproductive. Thus, it has become crucial for service providers and doctors to come up with lifesaving treatments and quality services that improve people's health.

The Internet of things (IoT) has considerably eradicated the aforementioned issues with its innumerable benefits. Let’s see what role IoT is playing and discuss some of the new technologies or devices that have been introduced in the healthcare industry.

1. Robotic Surgery

Medical practitioners can now perform complex surgeries through the internet-based robots which can be embedded in the human body. These small IoT devices are less painful for patients, results in quicker healing as the incision is smaller and requires minimal human interference. Such robots allow surgeons to diagnose the illness and proceed with the surgery. With precision, complex internal issues can be detected and doctors can make better decisions.

2. Ingestible sensors

Collecting data related to the unseen internal human body parts is a very complex procedure. The insertion of a camera or a probe inside their digestive organs is a risky way. With the help of ingestible sensors, medical experts can monitor their PH level, check their heart rate, and can also tell about the internal bleeding etc. These are ingestible and non-invasive pills with sensors inside them that detect digestive disorders, once the patient swallows it.

3. IoT connected inhalers

There are some conditions i.e. asthma, bronchitis or emphysema in which the attack can be triggered by factors such as pollution, dust mites or cold etc. The cause of such sudden attacks can be detected by IoT connected inhalers which monitor and gather data from the environment that is useful for pulmonologists to diagnose their patient’s illness. They can even learn about the intensity of the attack and in case patients forget to take their inhalers when going outside or do not use it properly, it automatically alerts them.

4. Detects depression 

There are certain disorders whose symptoms cannot be interpreted easily and gathering such data is also cumbersome for medical practitioners. For example, sometimes patients are not able to articulate or express their feelings and if they do, those are not accurate. So, psychiatrists use a mood aware device backed by IoT technology which allows them to check their pulse rate, eye movement, body temperature and blood pressure. This clearly tells them about the condition the patient is suffering from. Other than that, they can perform brain scanning to better understand their mental condition.

5. Reminders for hand hygiene

In hospitals we often see boards with instructions or reminders to wash our hands frequently in order to prevent the spread of diseases. Many hospitals now use advanced IoT technology and devices to remind people who enter the hospital to wash their hands and how to properly sanitize them. This has significantly reduced the spread of diseases and infection rates.

IoT has been very much beneficial for the healthcare sector. It is not just assisting the healthcare professionals but also informs people about the preventative measures they should take, thus saving lives of many individuals.

 

Content marketing for IT companies

To succeed in the digital age, IT companies must engage in content marketing. Content may help IT companies better explain their goods and services. Good content that is widely shared can boost your brand's authority, increase the number of leads entering the sales funnel, and improve your ranking on search engines. The six basic methods for developing a content marketing strategy for technology are listed and discussed below:

1.      Create an innovative brand voice

Companies can use brand personas to alter their voice in the same way that they use buyer personas to better understand their target for marketing and sales initiatives. The personification of a company's products and values is known as a brand persona. It is a fictional being with its own language, preferences, and hobbies.

2.      Close the gap between technology and people

When choosing your brand persona, there is a very fine line you must be aware of. Many CMOs in this field focus too much on the technological side and lose sight of the intended audience for these developments. If technological advancement does not benefit humans, it is useless. Yes, the specs and technical accomplishments still need to be the main focus of your material. However, the focus should be on how those advancements will affect our daily lives. Investing in storytelling is a terrific way to get started in the right direction. The ability to use relatable anecdotes in marketing materials can bring the reader and the topic closer together and humanize an otherwise impersonal language.

3.      Be Sociable

When planning content marketing, it's interesting to keep in mind that it's not only about the content you provide. information also depends on how you convey information and direct the conversation that follows. If people are at the core of the strategy, there can be no barriers between the brand and the audience. This is a continuation from the previous topic. As a result, be sure to strengthen your social media presence as well. Participate in community discussions and respond to inquiries about topics that the company dominates. Also, ask questions. Encourage the target market to participate in the brand's life. This common interaction will not only increase awareness of your company and its goods and services but also imprint your name in their memories.

4.      Invest in multimedia content

To be everywhere online, your material must be modified for each platform. An editorial calendar should account for various information types (based on conversion stages) and format types (based on display locations). Consider the top social media platforms currently in use: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok. If engagement is your top priority, each of them needs quite specific kinds of material. Therefore, don't skimp on diversity. Create interactive material, eBooks, movies, photos, and blog articles. Repurposing themes and information into multiple parts to reach more people is a terrific tip. Finding the marketing channels that your buyer persona uses the most and focusing on them is another smart move.

5.      Elaborate a mix of topical and evergreen content

Technology is constantly evolving, which can be problematic for a marketing team if their material is not well planned. The issue is that tech news changes quickly. After a while, no content regarding a dated product or service receives significantly more views due to lack of interest. Therefore, a technology corporation should combine both novel ideas and timeless concepts. You can devote more time to in-depth discussions of ideas and theories and provide more content regarding the effects of new developments on society and culture. On this method, you gain the peak of views from innovations while also laying the groundwork for a long tail plan on your blog and social media profiles.

6.      Go into the subjects that matter

One further thing distinguishes a technology marketing strategy from those in other industries: tech fans are knowledgeable. It is always crucial to produce content that draws in and engages a larger audience, but your content needs special consideration. Conceptual and technical errors will be highlighted and exploited against you. Therefore, it is best to spend more time with this type of media.

All in all, content marketing has become an essential part of tech companies in order to reach out larger audience.

The Benefits of E-Marketing

We are living in a time where businesses cannot survive without the internet facility or online platforms. In order to direct traffic towards their business and promote products or services to the relevant customers, companies have to use e marketing techniques, unavoidably. E-marketing has become an invaluable and a sophisticated source to further polish their brand image. It has already overtaken the traditional marketing tools that comprises billboard, television, print ads, newspaper or radio etc. Apart from being cost effective there are several over benefits of web marketing that will be discussed in this blog.

The bright side 

Every move that companies make are based on what their customers want. Likewise, people have become much acquainted and habitual to social media and mobiles, scrolling and searching for products so marketers have to promote their products through these platforms to get their attention. Even startups can gain global recognition or vie in the international market. We all know about Amazon, Ebay and Ali Baba who are prosperous because of global accessibility and e marketing strategies. They do not have to fret about their marketing campaigns, nor there is a need to spend a hefty sum of money on television, magazine, billboards or newspaper ads. All that they need is a reliable device with internet connection and platforms to engage with the target market.

Moreover, there are no time restrictions as you can post unlimited ads 24/7 without worrying about special occasions, holidays or off days. For customers there is ease and convenience as they can visit your website anytime for online purchase, making it profitable for the company and increasing their sales. The risk involved in this type of marketing is very low, since the operational cost of such stores is very less as compared to the brick and mortar stores. The internet allows you to analyze your consumer preferences and needs. There are some common questions that customers ask and have to be addressed by the customer care representative on time, since it results in customer delight and satisfaction. For example, when all the relevant details such as size chart, delivery time, exchange and return policy for brands selling apparel are mentioned on the website, companies do not have to hire more customer sales representatives.

The growing use of chatbots and automation have made e marketing processes quicker. Brands are very much concerned about their products being noticed and seen by the customers, e marketing has cornered their worries as their products get more exposure and recognition which in turn can lead to more sales. Also, the interaction between brand and customer has been more personalized. For example, based on the personal data that they submit, you can send them emails according to their names. Even data collection, analysis, evaluation or performance monitoring has become a cinch which if done through traditional ways would be time consuming and expensive.

E marketing has almost eliminated the need for posters, television, print and radio ads. A few years down the road, digitalization will completely change marketing modes and traditional marketing ways will be long forgotten.

Why are Tech Blogs Important for Tech Businesses?

The only constant is change

There is always room for upgradation in the tech industry. With time, prior technologies become outmoded and obsolete which means their replacement is necessary. In a world where technology rules, inevitably, companies have to keep themselves up to date so they are not left behind in competition. According to a study, each week around 60% of individuals skim through different blogs. Thus, technology blogs keep them in the loop by providing them information related to the most recent occurrences. For example, it enhances our knowledge by providing information related to the newest gadgets, upcoming technologies or product development etc. Below are some of the benefits of technology blogs.

1. Provides objective product reviews

With the help of technology blogs customers are able to make informed decisions when choosing between products which are available in the market for purchase. The unbiased nature of some blogs provides people with authentic information and product reviews, highlighting their benefits (quality, price, features) and disadvantages in detail. It also provides answers to their queries i.e. proper usage of product. Since there are a lot of products, models and brands which are continuously being launched in the market, it’s difficult to decide which is the best but reliable sites make all this easy for you.

2. Helps in marketing products

Blogs provide a platform to businesses through which they can promote their products or brand and reach out to their potential clients. A large amount of website traffic is generated when your target audience views your products, reads the blogs or when you put your ads. Search engine optimization tools and techniques are a major facilitator here as potential clients can find you easily on Google. Companies can also increase their brand engagement by posting them on various platforms i.e. Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

3. Builds audience trust

The content of a blog is a great way to show your company's professionalism. Your existing and potential customers can learn about your values and expertise. The use of digital marketing strategies plays a crucial role here i.e. using multiple channels to reach different demographic segments, adding personalization and evince empathy through your content. This helps to gain their trust and leads to retention.

Both tech startups and well-established businesses can use blogging for the purpose of marketing, to communicate with their audience, inform them about critical changes that take place with time and also to increase their brand awareness.

 

Applications of Predictive Analytics

In the late 19^th century, Henry Ford made his first attempts towards gaining business insights through analyzing data. Hence, predictive analytics is a concept emerging from a long period of time. Later in the 1960s, computers became part of various industries thus, data analytics gained more importance.

The broad term "business intelligence" gained popularity in the late 1990s. It provided software programs to effectively organize large data, handle it, and have a thorough perspective of the data in an organization. One of such examples is Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). Such software programs allow managers to make modifications in the processes for the future or make conclusions regarding prior operations.  The idea of business intelligence made use of a variety of data science approaches like data mining, modeling, classification, analytics, visualization and statistics helping organizations in all ways to collect or organize their data.

Predictive Analytics operates on past and current data and mathematical models. If one wants to implement a predictive analytics strategy to a business, certain steps must be taken. Firstly, it is important to identify the problems that need to be solved. This can be done through a thorough check of data and answering several questions as to, “Who will buy our new product?” or “Which target market is the service most suitable for?” Once certain relatable questions are answered, the specific problem will be identified. Secondly, one should have sufficient necessary data in order for the predictive model to work and give efficient output. This data must comprise detailed information over the problem over a period of time like one year, because the analytics model will need to identify the patterns to make the correct conclusions. For example, if one needs to know what type of customers will buy the product, there should be enough information on the potential customers’ buying patterns, what type brands they buy, as well as their personal information.

Thirdly, predictive analytics models should be built and taught. These models need to have necessary past data, be upgraded from time to time according to changing business surroundings to identify and analyze patterns set for predictability. Lastly, one needs efficient managers who will make sure that the insights gained from the predictive analysis are effectively part of the decision-making process.

Examples of Predictive Analysis

There are several examples of predictive analytics that are used in multiple types of industries. Some of them are stated below:

1.      Retail

This industry uses most applications of predictive analysis as it helps organizations to monitor, identify, analyze, and provide quick responses to the changing environment and behaviors of customers with the ever-changing market trends. Thus, retail has multiple uses of these software solutions in order to help the marketers from the start of the customer buying process till the end of it. They use predictive marketing to analyze customers’ personal information, their buying patterns, and market trends. It also helps to apply customer segmentation and market segmentation. Insights can be used to modify and maximize marketing campaigns consequently adding to higher customer retention and higher profits. Furthermore, it uses predictive inventory to forecast product demand helping organizations to keep the inventory on an optimum level hence, minimizing waste or extra costs of overstocking. These industries make use of predictive analytics to even optimize supply chain through predictive supply chain. It can help make use of optimal routes that will be most cost-efficient along with monitoring fuel consumption that allows transportation costs to minimize.    

2.      Internet of Things

Since the Internet of Things collects bundles of information to analyze, predictive analytics and IoT are closely related. Predictive maintenance is currently the key use case in smart manufacturing. IoT sensors that are mounted on machines constantly gather information about how they perform and transmit it over to the processing platform, where predictive algorithms evaluate the data, spot anomalies, and recommend maintaining a particular spare part. Plants and manufacturers can prevent downtime and equipment malfunctions by using such analytics.

3.      Sports

Even in sports, predictive analytics help to track players’ performances and allows managers to select the most profitable and rewarding contract. It can aid to check players’ metrics on-field like tactics, speed, health condition, scoring and so on, and their off-field metrics like the amount of profit each player can draw in for the club they play for. This will eventually help the club to know more about the ticket sales, fan engagement, and predict each player’s value.

4.      Weather

Since the emergence of predictive analytics, weather forecasts have been more accurate. These models are provided with constant upgraded information collected over the history of met observations as well as existing information from the satellites helping in accurate forecasts for the long-term. More importantly, it helps to accurately measure and foresee adverse weather conditions like extremely high temperature, hurricanes, etc. this precision of predictability helps avoid multiple losses and prepare beforehand for the storm ahead to come.  

5.      Social Media Analysis

In today’s world, social media is the most important tool for brands and organizations on the whole, to communicate with their customers. Since there is tons of information to collect and analyze through social media, predictive analysis comes in handy. This information must be used in the appropriate manner to maximize results. Through customers’ posts, their interaction with the brand or rival brands, comments, reviews, polls, discussions, engagement and so on, companies now make most use of what they bring to the market, what they offer to the customers and what are the required arrangements or upgrades towards their business operations.

6.      Human Resources

Since HR departments deal with a lot of data on people, they make use of predictive analytics to improve their workflows. Facts that have been compiled and examined can highlight problems with human resource management and assist managers in assigning personnel to various positions based on these facts. Precise estimates on employee performance, staff attrition, the effect of various actions on employee engagement, and more are available to HR specialists. Workforce data analytics will increase productivity and make employees happy.

7.      Financial Modeling

Financial planning is a crucial component of every organization. To predict risks and income, optimize processes to reduce unanticipated expenses, allocate resources effectively, and other objectives, many financial managers already use predictive analytics or intend to do so. Predictive analytics capabilities are already included in many finance management software programs, showing the widespread use of intelligent algorithms in the financial sector in the years to come.

Given the above discussion, it has been seen that predictive analytics can be used by any sort of industry to reap the benefits of numerous information lying within. These software solutions can lead to beneficial outcomes if used appropriately and managed well. Customers can also benefit from the use of predictive analytics. As far as organizations are concerned, predictive analytics helps them to minimize risks and waste, increase productivity, enhance customer understanding, reduce inefficiencies, and ultimately increase profits.