Apex Gifts And Prints LLP: June 2022

Sunday 26 June 2022

10 Best Python Web Development Frameworks

Python is a very popular, versatile, easy-to-learn, and easy-to-use programming language.

It has many uses, including machine learning, data visualization, web development, etc. There are different Python libraries for different tasks.

Python libraries are pre-written code by someone else. It’s a collection of modules that all are related to each other.

This article will discuss the top 10 Python frameworks for web development.

1. Django

Django is one of the most popular web development frameworks written in Python. Google, Instagram, Facebook, etc use Django as their backend framework.

Some Features Of Django

It is fast compared to other languages for instance PHP.

Very powerful URL system.

Built-in database system.

Different Python libraries can be used easily.

Source: FlaskPalletsProjects

2. Flask

Flask is also a web development framework made using Python. Moreover, many popular websites on the internet use Flask.

A group called Pocoo developed this framework. It’s mostly compared with other programming languages for instance PHP and Flask, etc.

Flask is one of the most lightweight web development frameworks that many companies use.

Some Features Of Flask

Very lightweight.

Built-in server and debugger.

Optimized for more performance.

Different Python libraries can be used easily.

3. Web2py

Web2py is an open-source web development framework written in Python but it mainly focuses to make websites very quickly.

In addition, it’s a cross-platform framework that walks the user through the test case from code editing to deployment.

Some Features Of Web2py

Very secure.

Has MVC architecture.

Has a cloud-based mechanism.

Source: CherryPy

4. CherryPy

CherryPy is a very powerful open-source web development framework. Even after the 10 years of this framework but still, it’s quite fast and stable.

Some Features Of CherryPy

Powerful configuration system in CherryPy.

Required no Apache server.

Has Android support.

Source: Pyramid

5. Pyramid

Pyramid is a lightweight and open-source web development framework. Moreover, it runs on Python 3.0 and above.

It’s a part of the Pylons Project.

Some Features Of Pyramid

Its documentation is very easy to understand and use.

Flexible authentication and approval.

Better performance.

Source: QuintaGroup

6. Cubic Web

Cubic Web is a free, open-source, full-stack web development framework written in Python and the most important aspect of this framework is its reusability.

Some Features Of Cubic Web

Integrated RQL.

Based on an explicit data model.

Offers support for HTML and XHTML.

7. Pylons

Pylon is a python-based open source web application framework and it improves reusability and splits functionality into separate modules while extending the WSGI standard.

Pylons, such as Django and TurboGears, are among the most recent web application frameworks.

It has some features the same as RubyOnRails but still, it’s not used the same as RubyOnRails.

Some Features Of Pylons

Has many other frameworks.

Fast and secure.

Can work fine with other Python libraries.

GitHub

8. Bottle

The bottle is also one of the most used Python web development frameworks and it was originally built for making APIs quickly using Python.

Some Features Of Bottle

It uses a simple syntax that is easy to understand.

It also templates engine with built-in speed.

HTTP-related data, cookies, file downloads, and other metadata are all easily accessible.

CGI framework is based on the WSGI framework.

Source: PythonMe

9. Tornado

This framework is not mostly used as compared to other Python frameworks. But it has some of the best features that any framework for web development should have.

Some Features Of Tornado

Assistance with translation and localization.

Supports user authentication and web templates.

No blocked HTTP clients.

Source: G2

10. BlueBream

BlueBream is an open-source framework, server, and library. Firstly Zoop created it which makes it reliable. Furthermore, it’s based on the Zoop Toolkit (ZTK).

Some Features Of BlueBream

Interface for the Python Web Server Gateway (WSGI).

The Zope Component Architecture allows for the creation of strong and reusable components.

Frameworks for unit and functional testing that are XHTML compatible.

It automatically generates.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we’ve discussed the 10 best Python web development frameworks which include Django, Bottle, Flask, etc. In addition, many companies for instance Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Google, etc use these frameworks.

However, it depends on your needs and which framework to use.

The post 10 Best Python Web Development Frameworks appeared first on ReadWrite.

source https://readwrite.com/10-best-python-web-development-frameworks/

In this blog you will find out about SEO news, tools and tips from different SEO companies and experts, which will helps you to grow your business.

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source https://www.facebook.com/108818354838599/posts/180583454328755/

Tax and Retirement Consequences of Biden’s 2023 Budget Proposal

As part of the Biden administration’s fiscal year 2023 budget proposal, aka the Green Book, for the Treasury Department, Janet Yellen testified before the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee in early June 2022.

Her first stop was the Senate Finance Committee, where she testified on Tuesday, June 7, at a hearing on‌ ‌“The‌ ‌President’s Fiscal‌ ‌Year‌ ‌2023 Budget.” That hearing was about inflation, food and energy prices, international tax agreements, and rewriting tax law‌ ‌to‌ ‌better‌ ‌support‌ ‌low-‌ ‌and‌ ‌middle-income‌ ‌families. ‌For the full transcript of the Senate Finance Committee hearing, click here.

On Wednesday, June 8, she testified before the House Ways and Means Committee in a hearing called‌ ‌“Proposed‌ ‌Fiscal‌ ‌Year‌ ‌2023‌ ‌Budget‌ ‌with‌ ‌Treasury Secretary‌ ‌Janet‌ ‌Yellen.” ‌This hearing focused on tax reforms, food and energy prices, rising prices, and controlling inflationary pressures in the president’s ‌budget‌ ‌request. ‌See the full text of the House Ways and Means Committee hearing by clicking here.

Additionally, if the Build Back Better Act (BBBA) passes, President Biden would raise revenue‌ ‌by‌ ‌$4‌ ‌trillion on‌ ‌a‌ ‌gross‌ ‌basis‌ ‌over‌ ‌the‌ ‌next‌ ‌decade. ‌Therefore, the proposed Biden tax increases in the budget and the BBBA could have affected the economy significantly. And, this is primarily in terms of tax and retirement implications.

Among the significant tax proposals are:

Income, business, and capital gain taxes at higher rates;

Terminating step-up in basis by making death taxable;

Making the active pass-through business loss limitation permanent and expanding the base of the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT);

International tax changes; and

New minimum taxes for individuals, corporations, and businesses.

All of that is a lot to process. So, let’s take a closer look at the potential tax and retirement consequences.

Table of Contents

Tax‌ ‌Policy‌ ‌Changes‌ ‌Aimed At High-Income‌ ‌Taxpayers

More Money to Social Security and Retirement Accounts

Surtax on Estate Transfers and Gifting

Proposed changes.

Changes to Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts

Modernize Rules for Digital Assets

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much did the president propose?

2. ‌How will this be paid for?

3. What are the possible effects of‌ ‌these‌ ‌proposed‌ ‌changes?

4. How Biden is Impacting Social Security?

Tax‌ ‌Policy‌ ‌Changes‌ ‌Aimed At High-Income‌ ‌Taxpayers

A major focus of the proposal is on three significant changes in tax policy for high-income earners‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌U.S.

“First, the treasury wants the highest marginal income tax rate to increase from 37% to 39.6% effective December 31, 2022,” writes Shehan Chandrasekera, CPA, Head of Tax Strategy at CoinTracker.i, for Forbes. “This increased marginal rate would apply to taxable income over $450,00 for married filers and $400,000 for individual filers.”

Moreover, if your total taxable income is above these thresholds, any short-term cryptocurrency gains (coins & NFTs sold after holding them for less than 12 months) as well as other forms of cryptocurrency income, such as mining, staking, and interest, would be subject to the‌ ‌higher‌ ‌rate, he adds.

A second proposal would subject long-term capital gains (which are generally taxed at a lower rate than ordinary income) to a higher rate for taxpayers earning over 1 million per year in‌ ‌taxable‌ ‌income. “For example, if your overall taxable income is over 1 million, long-term gains in excess of 1 million would be subject to a much higher ordinary income tax rate vs. the maximum 20% rate under the current law,” Chandrasekera explains. ‌Additionally, the proposal seeks to make gifts of appreciated property and transfers at death ‌taxable‌ ‌events‌ ‌for‌ ‌wealthy individuals.

“Third and arguably the most aggressive tax proposal included in the document is the 20% minimum tax on ‘Total income’ for taxpayers worth over 100 million.” ‌This would include regular taxable income such as wages and investment income and surprising unrealized gains from assets owned by the taxpayer.

More Money to Social Security and Retirement Accounts

Biden‌ ‌proposes boosting discretionary funding for the Social Security Administration by $1.8 billion in his proposed budget for 2023,‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌total‌ ‌of‌ ‌$14.8 billion. ‌About 70 million Americans will receive retirement, disability, and survivor benefits from the agency, which receives funding increasing by about 14% from the levels enacted in 2021.

Within the proposed $14.8 billion budget, $1.6 billion more (an additional 14% increase over 2021) would be allocated to improving agency services, while $224 million would be allocated to safeguarding the integrity of the program.

Additionally, Biden proposed an increase to Social Security of 9.7%, or $14.2 billion total, for 2022 to help with‌ ‌the‌ ‌ongoing‌ ‌Covid-19‌ ‌pandemic.

$1.6 billion will go to field offices, disability determination centers, and teleservice centers. ‌‌Moreover, the money would help speed up disability processing and reduce waiting‌ ‌times. Additionally, the agency would be able to make changes so that everyone could get the services they need. ‌Additionally, $224 million will be added to track spending and support the investigation and prosecution‌‌ ‌‌of‌‌ ‌‌fraud.

Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., reintroduced a bill in October 2021 that would give beneficiaries a benefits boost of about 2%. ‌Also, low-income workers would receive a higher minimum benefit.

As part of the legislation, payroll taxes for those earning $400,000 and over would be reapplied to higher-wage earners. ‌As of 2022, 6.2% of those payroll taxes are applied only to wages up to $147,000 for both employees and employers.

As of 2034, Social Security’s trust funds will run out, making Biden’s new budget proposal even more timely. ‌By then, 78% of promised benefits will be paid out.

Surtax on Estate Transfers and Gifting

By the end of 2025, the current exemption of $12.06 million per person (in 2022) will expire. ‌Approximately half of the current exemption amount will be reduced at that time. According to earlier proposals under consideration, the higher exemption amount would have expired in‌ ‌2022. ‌Despite this, the Green Book does not address the broad issue of gift and estate taxation. ‌It does contain a few other provisions, however.

Proposed changes.

Gifts of appreciated assets resulting in unrealized gains that are received during life and held at death will be treated for tax purposes as “realization events.” ‌These gains will be taxed the same way as if they were sold. ‌A single taxpayer may exclude $5 million from their lifetime tax liability for unrealized gains from the property transferred by gift during life or held at death. ‌The unrealized gain on property owned at death can be offset by any unused exclusion during life.

A surviving spouse could also utilize the proposed exclusion if it is portable. ‌As a result, married couples filing joint returns can exclude $10 million of unrealized gains from their taxable income.

There would be no requirement to recognize gains on gifts or bequests to charities. ‌If you give or bequeath to a spouse, you won’t gain until either of you‌ ‌dies‌ ‌or‌ ‌disposes‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌asset. ‌The cost basis, however, will carry over in either case.

The tax would be imposed on the transfer of property ‌after‌ ‌December‌ ‌31,‌ ‌2022. ‌Or‌ ‌on the transfer of property owned by an individual who passed away‌ ‌after‌ ‌December‌ ‌31,‌ ‌2022.

A gift-like transfer of appreciated assets to or from an irrevocable trust, partnership, or other non-corporate entity would also be taxable if the gain is unrealized.

An irrevocable trust, partnership, or other non-corporate entity would also be subject to tax on unrealized gains in appreciated assets if they were not previously recognized as taxable income.

After December 31, 2022, the rules would apply to transfers and property owned by people who die after that date.

Changes to Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts

Currently, grantor retained annuity trusts don’t have term ‌restrictions. ‌However, all GRATs would be subject to a minimum 10-year term and a maximum equal to the annuitant’s life expectancy plus 10 years.

Additionally, the remainder interest of a GRAT must‌ ‌have‌ ‌a‌ ‌minimum‌ ‌value. ‌Typically, the value of the assets transferred to the GRAT would be equal to 25% of their value for gift tax purposes. Alternatively, it would be $500,000. But‌ ‌not‌ ‌more‌ ‌than‌ ‌the‌ ‌value‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌assets‌ ‌transferred. ‌During the GRAT term, the GRAT annuity cannot decrease. ‌Furthermore, the grantor can’t exchange assets held in the GRAT tax-free.

A trust formed after the enactment date would be subject to the new provisions.

By eliminating short-term GRATs, the risk of a grantor dying in the middle of the GRAT term would be reduced. ‌Therefore, the grantor’s estate would include the GRAT’s assets. ‌A zeroed-out GRAT would also be prohibited by this provision.

Modernize Rules for Digital Assets

Also in the budget is a plan to modernize digital asset rules. ‌According to the budget documentation, such a move would generate $4.9 billion in revenue in 2023.

As part of the new rules, certain financial institutions, such as brokers of digital assets, would also be required to report information. Certain taxpayers with foreign digital asset accounts would also be required to report, and the mark-to-market rules would be amended ‌to‌ ‌include‌ ‌digital‌ ‌assets. ‌In total, the administration predicts these rules will‌ ‌generate‌ ‌$10.9‌ ‌billion‌ ‌by‌ ‌2032.

According to a Treasury Department explanation, “tax evasion using digital assets is a rapidly growing problem. Since the industry is entirely digital, taxpayers can transact with offshore digital asset exchanges and wallet providers without leaving the United States.”

“In order to ensure that the United States is able to benefit from a global automatic exchange of information framework with respect to offshore digital assets and receive information about U.S. beneficial owners it is essential that the United States reciprocally provide information on foreign beneficial owners of certain entities transacting in digital assets with U.S. brokers,” the Treasury added.

Additionally, the budget seeks to enhance the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) ability to pursue cyber threats through investments that support a multi-year effort to enhance cyber investigative capabilities at FBI field offices.

“These investments include an additional $52 million for more agents, enhanced response capabilities, and strengthened intelligence collection and analysis capabilities. These investments are in line with the Administration’s counter-ransomware strategy that emphasizes disruptive activity and combats the misuse of cryptocurrency,” ‌the‌ ‌document stated.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much did the president propose?

A $5.8 trillion budget was proposed by President Biden. ‌With billions earmarked for police departments and the military, along with new taxes on the rich, this plan reflected growing concerns about security and the economy at home and abroad.

White House budgets aren’t really budgeting at all. They’re just requests to Congress to control the government’s ‌spending. But they’re snapshots of where the president wants to go with his priorities.

According to President Biden’s second budget request, domestic investments will amount to about $1.6 trillion for the fiscal year 2023. That’s a 7 percent increase over current levels. ‌Among the initiatives that are receiving additional funding are projects to prevent gun violence, improve the supply chain, and address the excessive inflation that has contributed to cost overruns.

One of the biggest increases was Mr. Biden’s $773 billion military proposals, an increase of 10 percent for the Pentagon following concerns like the Ukraine war.

The‌ ‌budget‌ ‌also‌ ‌includes‌ ‌nearly $70 billion for fighting violent crime through the F.B.I. and cracking down on gun trafficking. ‌There is a total of $45 billion allocated to combat climate change across the federal government, an increase of $16.7 billion over the level enacted in 2021.

2. ‌How will this be paid for?

Among the tax increases proposed by the president was a ‌minimum‌ ‌tax‌ ‌on billionaires.

Under the proposal, which must be approved by Congress, households worth more than $100 million would have to pay 20 percent of both their incomes and unrealized gains in ‌their‌ ‌liquid‌ ‌assets. ‌They include stocks and bonds, which are taxed only when they are sold after accumulating value for years. ‌Using the $360 billion raised by taxation that the White House is hoping to generate, the president could fund a broader agenda as well.

The‌ ‌White‌ ‌House‌ ‌budget‌ ‌also‌ ‌calls‌ ‌for‌ ‌higher taxes‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌rich. ‌The top individual income tax rate would increase from 37 percent to 39.6 percent under this proposal. ‌As for the corporate tax rate, Biden wants to raise it‌ ‌to‌ ‌28‌ ‌percent‌ ‌from‌ ‌21‌ ‌percent.

3. What are the possible effects of‌ ‌these‌ ‌proposed‌ ‌changes?

Although the Green Book proposes changes to a wide range of tax laws, these changes will mostly affect a ‌specific segment‌ ‌of‌ ‌taxpayers. ‌You may be concerned about the changes, though, if you fall into any of these categories:

If you’re single and filing a return, you need to have an adjusted gross income of at least $400,000, or $450,000 if you are married and filing jointly

You can itemize deductions on your ‌tax‌ ‌return

Currently or in the future have‌ ‌trusts

You own a limited partnership, limited liability company, “S” corporation or C corporation

Various changes to the law have been proposed, but their effective dates do not line up. ‌Some could take effect sooner than December 31, 2022. However, most would be implemented after that date.

4. How Biden is Impacting Social Security?

SSA, which distributes benefits to 70 million Americans, will receive an additional $1.8 billion in discretionary funding in Biden’s proposed budget for 2023. ‌That‌ ‌would‌ ‌be‌ ‌an increase of 14% over the funding levels enacted in 2021, so $14.8 billion altogether.

In addition to the new funding, the SSA will increase its current funding by 14%, from $1.8 billion to $1.6 billion. This will improve the quality of retirement, survivor, and Medicare claims it processes each year, as well as ‌disability‌ ‌and‌ ‌SSI‌ ‌claims.

Among the things that the money would fund are field offices, teleservice centers for retirees, and state disability determination services, as well as:

Cutting‌ ‌customer‌ ‌wait‌ ‌times

Improved outreach to hard-to-find people

Streamlining the application process

Improved‌ ‌access to 800-numbers and online services

The‌ ‌other $224 million goes to program integrity, responsible spending, and investigating and prosecuting‌ ‌fraud.

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The post Tax and Retirement Consequences of Biden’s 2023 Budget Proposal appeared first on ReadWrite.

source https://readwrite.com/tax-and-retirement-consequences-of-bidens-2023-budget-proposal/

5 Meta Description Tips To Help Your Content Get the Clicks

Meta descriptions may be written late in your content process, but they shouldn’t be an afterthought. These tiny workhorses must capture curiosity and convey value in less than 156 characters. Try these tips to get the most from yours. Continue reading →

source https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/articles/meta-description-tips

Wednesday 22 June 2022

What is SaaS Security? Benefits, Challenges, and Best Practices

In today’s world, technology dominates everything from the simplest to the most complex of activities. Software is undoubtedly the primary need of the market. Most organizations are trending towards cloud and multi-cloud implementations.

This move is not surprising since many are shifting to working remotely, and cloud computing has its share of benefits and challenges.

What is SaaS?

Caption: Conceptual Diagram of SaaS platform (Source: Researchgate)

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is typically an on-demand, cloud-based software delivery service model. Besides, it is also a cloud-based way of delivering software and apps. If you choose to subscribe to this model, you can access apps without hosting them in-house; users don’t install or run the software on their devices.

As long as you have an internet-connected device, you can access the SaaS framework no matter where you are. This is especially useful for teams working remotely across the globe. Therefore, the managers looking to increase the productivity of their remote teams.

Organizations don’t need to build infrastructure and maintain it to provide the necessary apps to the staff. In brief, SaaS helps businesses grow faster in a tech-friendly world.

Benefits of SaaS

Caption: Global public cloud application SaaS applications end-user spending worldwide – 2015 to 2022 (Source: Statista)

The future of the global SaaS is bright, and its adoption is expected to grow. This encouraging growth is due to:

Scalable resources – Organizations can upscale or downscale resources on-demand, as and when needed.

Pay only what you use – Since organizations purchase on an as-needed basis, they only pay for what they use.

Quick and easy adoption – There’s no waiting period. Organizations can gain access instantly and provision employees. This is unlike on-site applications that need more time to deploy.

Monthly or yearly subscription fees – These are relatively cheaper, making it an economical choice for growing businesses.

Updates and maintenance – These are all handled by the SaaS provider, relieving the organization to focus on other pressing matters.

No infrastructure or staff costs – You’re going in remotely; you can access the SaaS platform from a web browser 24/7. You don’t need to pay for any in-house hardware and software licenses; Also, no need to hire much on-site staff to maintain and support either the infrastructure or software.

Application Programming Interface (API) integration – SaaS can easily integrate with other software via standard APIs.

Security – SaaS providers invest heavily in security, for instance by distributing servers across multiple geographical locations with automated backups.

Understanding the need for SaaS security

Caption: Shared responsibilities for security in the cloud, software-as-a-service (SaaS). (Source: McAfee)

Many SaaS providers host and provide SaaS services, security, and maintenance to their users. SaaS security is typically cloud-based security designed to protect all software and data that the service carries. It’s a set of best practices that organizations that store data in the cloud put in place to secure their information. The SaaS provider is expected to secure the platform, network, apps, operating system, and whole infrastructure.

Although SaaS security is the provider’s sole responsibility, both the customer and the service provider share equal responsibilities. Both are required to adhere to SaaS security guidelines by the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) in the UK, for example.

Cybercriminals tend to target SaaS environments because they have a large amount of confidential data. Data safety and integrity will compromise in the event of a security breach. Data safety and integrity will compromise in the event of a security breach. This can translate into massive financial loss. You don’t need us to remind you of the consequences. Any hacker successfully gains access to a SaaS environment; spells disaster of the highest degree.

So, if vendors are not delivering up to par services at all times, you might end up experiencing service disruptions or security breaches often. Therefore, before you sign up for any SaaS service, read the Service Level Agreement (SLA) thoroughly and throw the questions to the provider.

Businesses must ensure that they are carrying out the best practices. If not, businesses will fail, not to mention the many legal implications that will follow suit. Simply put, organizations that utilize the SaaS model must prioritize SaaS security. It involves not just the practical aspect of securing the environment but ensuring proper certifications are in place.

SaaS security challenges

Caption: SaaS application security concerns worldwide in 2019 (Source: Statista)

There is a range of challenges that SaaS brings to the table:

Complexity

As explained, SaaS resides in the cloud and caters to various teams across an organization and sometimes across the globe. SaaS applications are heavily used across the board by tons of users. All users are at different levels, holding different roles, not to mention varying levels of technical knowledge.

It makes SaaS applications tricky even for specialist security teams to grasp.

Communication

This is a common problem that occurs in an organization, be it when it comes to SaaS or onsite applications. The organization is hard to move forward because of the limited interaction between teams. Breakdowns in communication can also often be the root cause of security issues.

Collaboration

Often, teams have their own goals and functions, respectively. Unfortunately, most emphasize functionality and business requirements, rather than security. But, there is a real need to balance both business and security needs on an ongoing basis. This is a huge challenge that requires regularly educating your teams.

Less control

Businesses that opt for SaaS have to rely on third-party vendors to deliver secured services. Even though providers throw in everything to ensure top-notch security and operation, in reality, there will be times when there’ll be service disruption. Businesses don’t have complete control and rely on the providers for continuous uptime.

Performance issues

You usually don’t experience performance issues with cloud services. When a server shuts down, another will kick in and ensure the service will not be disrupted. Yet, you may experience some performance issues if located far from data centers. Therefore, check with your provider on their data center locations before signing up.

SaaS best practices

It is a good move to migrate your systems and processes to SaaS. But first, you need to take into consideration both your organization’s existing requirements and SaaS-specific security requirements as well.

Here are some cloud security best practices that you can upkeep to help the situation:

1. Access management and control

When offering cloud-based applications to users, your users require a means to log in to access the software. Only people with the proper permissions can access to suitable applications on the cloud. You can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to protect the user’s privacy and secure the communication channel.

Besides, you can consider using extra security features like multi-factor authentication (MFA) or other more robust authentication methods.

The system needs to take into consideration any data requirements and workflow assignments as well.

2. Data Protection

Users communicate with SaaS applications via tons of established channels. These channels must be secured using encryption and other security tools, keeping all data safe from prying eyes. Transport Layer Security (TLS) is a widely adopted security protocol to encrypt and protect data in transit.

Also, data at rest in your servers and databases must be encrypted to ensure that it’s safe from hackers. Only by ensuring data security via adequate security measures, especially for sensitive data, can they be deployed for use. Interestingly, you can also consider SaaS-based security solutions for your cloud infrastructure.

A SaaS provider should provide client and server-side encryption with security management. It needs to complete full audit trails, especially if any hardware is deployed on-premises.

It’s good practice for you, as the customer, to control the encryption keys. Protect ALL data by encrypting in transit and at rest, to prevent a data breach. Remember that ransomware is common today and backup lifecycles may not be enough protection.

You can also design data access policies that Data Loss Prevention (DLP) enforces. This, along with technology, effectively safeguards data in cloud applications, as well as at endpoints.

3. Use antivirus/anti-malware

Deploy the necessary advanced antivirus/anti-malware programs to protect from phishing and any cyberattacks. Such programs have behavioral analytics and real-time threat intelligence to help detect and block attacks and malicious files from spreading through cloud email and file-sharing applications.

4. CASB tools

Caption: McAfee MVISION Cloud for Office 365 (Source: McAfee)

Cloud Access Security Broker, aka CASB, is cloud-hosted software or on-site software/ hardware that functions as the intermediary between users and SaaS providers. It’s used to give you much-needed visibility. It enables you to extend the reach of your organization’s security policies from the on-site infrastructure to the cloud. You’re also allowed to design new policies specific to cloud use, too.

CASB typically serves as a policy enforcement center. It combines various types of security policies in the cloud so that businesses can safely use the cloud. Also, take some time to look into any shortcomings in the SaaS provider’s security features, as you can use CASB tools to help address these.

CASB tools can help remove any security misconfigurations and correct high-risk user activity applications. Furthermore, they can also detect any unauthorized usage of cloud services, track users’ access, and control cloud services based on user, device, and application.

Pay attention to the various CASB deployment modes and choose the best one that fits your organization.

5. Monitoring

Like any other technology security, frequent updates are crucial. As such, SaaS providers must update their standardized Virtual Machine (VM) images and software. You must monitor and track all SaaS usage. Likely, information can prove helpful to detect any abnormalities or unexpected behavior.

Examine the data collated from tools like CASBs. Analyze the logs provided by the SaaS provider. Be proactive, especially when it comes to security. Use a combination of automation and manual tools within the SaaS management systems, along with systematic risk management. So that you can keep in touch with any evolving SaaS usage, unexpected behavior, or anything suspicious.

These measures are essential to ensure that users use SaaS safely while you always stay ahead and on top of things.

6. Network control

It is important to have security group control configured to access specific instances across the network. This can include jump servers and Network Access Control Lists (NACL). Controlling at the network level provides an additional layer of security for virtual private clouds. This acts as a firewall to control and track traffic to and from the subnets.

Such control at the network layer helps filter dangerous or suspicious traffic. This is done based on a pre-configured set of rules about the permitted types of traffic on the network. On top of that, some even implement higher protection such as prevention systems (IDS/IPS); these watch for suspicious traffic even after the firewall.

7. Proper governance and incident management

This means putting in place the necessary Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all types of incidents. Likewise, they have to capture, note, report and track to closure. The SOPs should cover the investigation procedures even for any potential security breaches.

8. Scalability and reliability

Many go for SaaS because of its capability to do vertical and horizontal scaling. The size of the server restricts the former while the latter focuses on the means to connect multiple hardware or software entities so that they can still function as a single unit. To cater for this, a SaaS provider must have sufficient redundancy in the infrastructure to ensure continuity of service.

This is a best practice that all SaaS providers should have in place. Last but not least, there should be a reliable Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) in place to mitigate any disasters.

Conclusion

Cloud computing will evolve with time and will gain even bigger momentum in the future. SaaS technology promises you a more agile performance and higher scalability at lower costs. As such, business will prefer the SaaS framework.

With the right technology deployed and best practices in place, SaaS can be a serious contender, far better and more secure than on-site applications, even for those in critical financial and regulatory areas. There are ways to overcome SaaS challenges and help your business grow with time.

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Beh always shares her thoughts and experiences on the Internet. As a digital marketer, she loves to meet and build relationships with different people. Reach out to her on LinkedIn or WebRevenue.

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The post What is SaaS Security? Benefits, Challenges, and Best Practices appeared first on ReadWrite.

source https://readwrite.com/what-is-saas-security-benefits-challenges-and-best-practices/

The Semrush Website Migration Checklist

Website migration is a complex and challenging process—definitely not something you want to go into without a clear plan. To help you out, we’ve created an in-depth website migration checklist. Learn how to today.

from Semrush blog https://www.semrush.com/blog/website-migration-checklist

What is an SEO company? What do SEO agencies do?

This guide is dedicated to holding business owners by the hand, leading them through the ABCs of SEO services, what is included in SEO, how SEO business works, what an SEO company is and what to expect from them, how to hire the best one, and what it might cost and why.

from Semrush blog https://www.semrush.com/blog/seo-business

Tuesday 21 June 2022

21 Excellent Examples of Emotional Ad Copy (+97 Words & Phrases to Try)

When you hear the term “emotional ads,” chances are you’re thinking of the cry-and-buy ads like Subaru’s tear jerkers or the SPCA + Sarah McLaughlin ads.

Case in point.

Now these ads are powerful, yes, but you don’t have to move your customers to tears to have an effective emotional ad. Nor do you have to have music and video, or even images in some cases. In fact, there are plenty of businesses just like yours who are marketing with emotion through their ad copy. And that’s what we’ll be diving into today. So read on for 13 types of emotional ad copywriting techniques, 21 ad examples that demonstrate them, and 85+ words and phrases inspired by them to use in your copy.

Choose your mood

Click to jump to any emotional ad copy style.

The doubt seed planter

The hard truth teller

The indignant anger stirrer

The playful warning

The subtle threat

The overt threat

The hero

The reassurer

The curiosity sparker

The visionary

The go-getter

The wooer

The idealist

Negative emotional ad copy examples

Negative emotions tend to be more powerful motivators than positive ones—when used correctly. Here are some ads that nail it.

The doubt seed planter 🙁

Sometimes the tiniest seed of doubt is all it takes to motivate action. In this Facebook ad example below, Mailchimp writes “Freelancers know they need to hustle to succeed—just don’t hustle too hard. Why?” Then it shares some stats about overworked freelancers generating less revenue. In the ad creative, it also asks the question, “Are you overdoing it?”

Well shoot. Maybe your reality as you know it is not quite what you thought. Are you overdoing it? Better download that report to find out.

Words and phrases to plant doubt seeds

But do you really

Can you be sure?

When was the last time you checked your…

Do you know what your ___ is?

You can’t always rely on your instincts

The hard truth teller 😧

No doubt or mystery here. 360Learning takes a firm stand by telling you that traditional elearning “isn’t cutting it anymore” and is “set up to fail,” causing “the greatest learning crisis in recent memory.” If I’m in search of a learning management software, I’m not about to invest my money into something that, according to science, is set up to fail. I think I’ll go’head and do some learning about learning.

Words you can use for hard truth

Isn’t cutting it anymore

Set up to fail

Doomed

On the fast track to failure

Fall short

The truth is

We hate to break it to you, but

We’ve got good news and bad news…

The only thing is…

The indignant anger stirrer 😤

In some cases, you can address a pain point in your ad that your customer might not be fully aware of. For example, this ad starts off with “The majority of the day should NOT be spent waiting in the pharmacy.”

Now someone who has never used a different pharmacy than their current one, or even an older individual who might have the patience to wait—might not realize that there’s a better option out there. This Facebook ad copy introduces the pain point and encourages a feeling of assertive pursuit of what you deserve.

Here’s another example. SoFi (one of my favorite conversational tone brands) has a video of a woman being left out in the rain with copy that reads, “Broker leaving you out in the cold? Warm up to an investing relationship wtih SoFi—and pay $0 in commission fees..” Then the Facebook ad headline says “break up with bad brokers.”

And finally, this Google Ad copy from a law firm reads “Don’t let the insurance co. push you around. Take back control. Discuss your rights today.”

Words to stir up indignant anger in your ads:

You deserve better

Stay away from greedy ____

Put a stop to

You should not have to

The ____ game is over

Don’t let ____ walk all over you

You’re not a doormat

You’re worth more than ____

The playful warning 😜

These ads strive to make you laugh while also not really laughing…

In this ad, we see a picture of a wide-eyed cat with ad copy that reads, “That feeling when you forget to download Capital One Shopping and overpaid online.” Then we see a little more urgency below with “You’ll want to check this out ASAP.”

Words & phrases to warn

Now this strategy can be used with any emotion, but if you want to convey regret/panic, these trigger words and phrases can work:

Oh shoot

If only

Could have spared yourself

Hindsight

Coulda shoulda woulda

Facepalm

Retrospect

Don’t miss your chance

Missed opportunity

Better safe than sorry

Seemed like a good decision at the time.

But is it?

The subtle threat 😐

These ad examples below are for Talkspace’s Employee Stress Check Report. There isn’t an explicit threat—just stats. At least 25% of employees are underperforming regularly due to stress. More than 40% of employees are likely to consider a job change to resolve stress. Then you’re told you can learn more with the report. Then the subtitle of the report is “The tipping point between retention and resignation.”

See what they did there? Managers and HR employees…we’re not saying your employees are about to quit…but lotssss of them do….so, just sayin’.

Words & phrases to drop a subtle threat

On the verge

Only X (minutes, clicks, experiences) away from…

When you least expect it

Never

Under the radar

Inadvertent

Fail to realize

Accidentally neglect

Misrepresent

The overt threat 🤭

You could also just go with a flat-out statement like CallRail does. In this display ad example, it reads “You’re wasting money on marketing.” Then the call to action says “Find out where, free.”

Well done.

Overt threat words

Tell your audience they are…

Wasting money

Losing time

Throwing away precious ____

Breaking

Offending

Overspending

Overlooking

Positive emotional ad copy examples

Now you don’t want your emotional words and phrases to always be prompting negative feelings. Here are some positive examples and tactics to balance things out.

The hero 🙏

This Facebook ad creative first reels you in by capturing that feeling of dread and defeat. It’s a mother in complete disarray in her living room with text overlaid that reads “My house used to be clean, then school let out…”

Then the primary text reads “That feeling when you realize the house will be a wreck until August…but hey, no need to stress! The Maids can help control the chaos with regularly scheduled cleanings, or a deep clean to reset the house after school starts in the fall.”

In just a few seconds, we go from stressed to relieved, thanks to this cleaning service.

Words to bring relief

But before you panic

Don’t stress

We’ve got you covered

No worries

Fear not

Good news

____ is hard….until now

The struggle is [real, strikethrough] over

From woes to wins

Don’t sweat it

The reassurer 👍

If there’s one thing that every human wants, it’s control, and what better way to convey that than with a play on words. This ad from a local moving company reads “You’re in the drivers seat at Red Rover. You load the unit, drive the truck & we store it!”

Plus, in less than 10 words I know exactly what to expect from this service. This is concise copy that sells.

Words to help your customers feel in control

You call the shots

You set the pace

Take control

Take back

You’re in control

Hey, we get it

Data-backed

Head honcho

The curiosity sparker 🤔

This one is nothing revolutionary, but it’s a tried and true copywriting technique. This ad by GRIN inspires a mix of curiosity and exclusivity with “We compiled insider tips from 14 leading ecommerce brands. Discover the secrets for yourself.” Words like “insider,” “discover,” “take a peek,” and “secrets” give me the feeling that there’s gotta be something in there that I don’t yet know. And even if I’m a know it all, now I have to download the guide to confirm this.

Words to inspire curiosity

Want to learn more?

See the proof

Let us change your mind

Try not to ____

Discover

Take a gander

There’s something in here for everyone

You’ll wish you knew sooner

Hacks/tricks

The visionary 🙌

Evoking a sense of potential or possibility is a great way to approach your customers’ pain points. Instead of saying “we help you do X,” this ad puts the focus on the customer with “imagine being able to compare your surgical data to other US surgeons. Our integrated mobile app puts this data at your fingertips.”

Here’s another one:

Words to help with possibility and contemplation

What if you could

What if we told you

Picture this

Ever wonder

Beyond

Could

Push boundaries

Pioneer

Rethink/reimagine

The go-getter 🏃🏾

The “stop X-ing start Y-ing” approach is a solid way to exude confidence (apart from including a photo of yourself in a power stance on a rock). You’re commanding your reader to take action that is in their best interest. This ad reads, “Stop dreaming about owning your own travel agency franchise and start living it!”

Words to inspire confident action in your ads

Enough waiting….do X already

What are you waiting for?

Isn’t going to do itself

You’ve waited for far too long

This doesn’t have to be a dream

If not now, when? If not you, who?

The time is now

This is your time

Pull the trigger

Your move

The wooer 😚

This ad has a similar feel, but it’s less about telling your customer to go out and get something and more about honoring something that’s already there—or something you know they want to be there. It reads, “You’re an innovator at heart. Your curiosity sparks ideas. Every day at HPE is a new opportunity to make your mark.”

Words to woo your customers

To try this technique, think about how the individuals in your target audience would want to be described. But if you need some starting points:

Hard worker

Talented

Authentic

Unique

Passionate

Committed

My core values list can also help you out here.

The idealist 😊

The ad below reads “You’re justs clicks away from equity-free funding through Shopify Capital—built to flow with your business as you scale.” Then there’s a screenshot in the creative of a notification that reads “You’re eligible for funding.” In another ad for this product, the pretext has phrases like “There’s an easier way to sell online and in person” and “Skip the stress and switch.”

See what’s going on here? Clicks away…equity-free…flow….eligible…easier way…skip the stress. While the Maids approach above uses the pain-agitate-solution copywriting formula, this one just immerses you in the relief of the solution. You’re invited to get a taste of all these green lights, so to speak—not to mention the green theme in the ad creative).

Words and phrases to emulate that ideal state

With ease

Seamlessly

Effortlessly

In minutes

And that’s a wrap! Which emotional copywriting technique are you going to try out? Maybe woo your customers with words of affirmation? Or drop a subtle threat with an eye-opening stat? Here’s the list to recap:

The doubt seed planter

The hard truth teller

The indignant anger stirrer

The playful threat

The subtle threat

The overt threat

The hero

The reassurer

The curiosity sparker

The visionary

The go-getter

The wooer

The idealist

The post 21 Excellent Examples of Emotional Ad Copy (+97 Words & Phrases to Try) appeared first on WordStream.

source https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2022/06/21/emotional-ad-copy-examples

Share of Voice: What Is It and How Can You Increase Yours?

Share of voice refers to a special marketing calculation. Click here to learn why and how you should be following this marketing metric!

from Semrush blog https://www.semrush.com/blog/share-of-voice-how-to-increase

Monday 20 June 2022

What Are the Best Ways for a New Startup to Build Trust?

If you want your startup to be successful, especially in the long term, you need to find a way to build trust. Hopefully, you operate your business so ethically and transparently that trust will become natural with time. But when you’re first starting out, you don’t have much of a history for people to investigate – and newcomers will naturally be suspicious of your brand.

What are the best ways for a new startup to build trust initially? How can you start convincing new customers that your new brand is trustworthy?

A New Startup Should Start With a Trustworthy Core

To build trust there is nothing more important than to start with a trustworthy core. If your business is naturally trustworthy, people will eventually come to trust it.

For trust-building — start with the big three:

Quality

Focus on the quality of your products and services. You probably didn’t get into this business to scam people or cheat them out of money, so make sure you adhere to those principles. On the other hand, suppose you’re genuinely interested in providing high-quality products and services to those who need them. The trust will come naturally eventually — and it will be easier to build trust from the outset.

Leadership

If your startup can attract funding, it probably already has strong leadership in place. Make sure you highlight at least a few team members with lots of experience and knowledge in this industry. People are more likely to trust people than faceless institutions.

Ethics

Operate your company as ethically as possible, focusing on honesty, transparency, sustainability, and mutual respect. Of course, ethics can be a bit subjective, but there are clearly some “wrong” things to do in the business world.

Demonstrate Thought Leadership and Expertise

As much as possible, demonstrate your thought leadership and expertise. If you become recognized as a true authority in this space, people will naturally trust your brand more. There are many ways that you can do this.

One of the best is to launch a content marketing strategy. Using written, video, and audio content, you can directly engage with your audience and prove to them that you know what you’re talking about.

A combination of blog posts, whitepapers, eBooks, podcasts, and even streaming video sessions can help you educate your audience and get more visibility. If you consistently produce high-quality work, and other significant players in the industry respect that work, people will naturally trust you more.

Practice Guest Posting and Link Building

There are many viable link-building strategies, but one of the best is guest authorship, which will boost your trustworthiness in multiple ways. The idea goes like this: after establishing an archive of content on your own website, you can use the strength of your author profile to request permission to create posts on external websites.

Once you’re established as a guest author, you can write content for these publishers and include some links back to your main website.

The practice of guest posting and link building has several benefits. For starters, you’ll be able to expand your visibility and ensure your status as a thought leader is seen across many different channels. You’ll reach thousands, and potentially millions of new people with your words — and all those people, we’ll come to trust you more as a result.

The links you build will also build trust and generate referral traffic.

Your goal with guest posting and link building is to build trust, as well as send people directly to your website as they encounter your links in your work. These links also serve as a kind of vote of confidence, boosting your authority in the eyes of search engines; this is why link building is such an essential strategy for search engine optimization (SEO), ultimately helping your website rank higher in search engines and attract more organic traffic.

This strategy grows more powerful as you work with more prominent and trustworthy publishers. You can “climb the ladder” of trustworthiness, so to speak, gradually working with more trustworthy and more recognizable brands as your authority as a guest author grows.

Be Honest and Transparent in All Matters

Next, ensure your company is as honest and transparent as possible, especially in publicly visible communications. For example:

Answer questions honestly and in full to build trust.

If someone asks you a question, answer that question directly, honestly, and in full. Dodging the question, answering ambiguously, or deliberately lying could compromise your reputation, especially if you’re publicly exposed for doing so.

Address bad news proactively to build greater trust.

If you suffer a security breach, if you’re going to miss a deadline, or if your company is about to deal with a massive PR incident, try to address the bad news proactively. It might temporarily hurt your reputation, but it’s much better than the alternative; most customers would prefer to work with a brand that honestly addresses bad news rather than a brand that tries to cover the bad news up.

Acknowledge mistakes and apologize.

Your company will make mistakes, especially in your early stages of growth. Be ready to acknowledge those mistakes and apologize.

Form Recognizable Partnerships and Affiliations

If your brand isn’t trustworthy, consider partnering and affiliating your brand with other trustworthy brands. If you can land a significant client that people already trust — that’s a major win.

If you can’t do that, try to get certifications from respected organizations, affiliate status with specific partners, and credits from the past publishers you’ve worked with. Trust by association is incredibly powerful, and you can’t afford to neglect it.

Prioritize Fast, Clear Communication to Build Trust

As much as possible, you should prioritize fast, clear communication. People should be able to reach your company and talk to a representative within a day or two, preferably within hours. They should also get clear, concise information from you.

Because of this, it’s essential to train all your staff members on effective and trustworthy communication. Templates can help, but it’s also important to be sincere and authentic in your communications.

These are some of the most important areas you’ll need to focus on to build trust are as follows:

Sales for better trust-building

People aren’t going to buy from you if your salespeople are unreliable, unclear, or unavailable. Make sure your sales staff are equipped with the resources they need to answer customer questions fully, respond quickly, and provide support when necessary.

Customer service is a big area of trust-building

People need to know that they can count on your brand to step up when something goes wrong. A strong customer service team can easily make up for any mistakes you make and turn disappointed customers into reassured ones. Your customer service department should make good use of the advice to acknowledge mistakes and apologize; they’ll likely have to do this regularly, period.

Social media

Get active on social media. This is potentially your biggest communication channel, and the one that’s most publicly visible, so it needs to present your most trustworthy side. Don’t bury unpleasant comments or questions; acknowledge them and address them to the best of your ability.

Earn Good Reviews

Do your best to earn good reviews from your customers. If you’re dispensing high-quality products and services and you’re providing adequate customer service, this should happen naturally. But you can make this process even faster and more reliable by directly asking for reviews from your customers.

As an added bonus, good reviews are one of the best ways to grow your business. More people will see your brand name, and they’ll be much more likely to purchase products and services from you in the future because you have the support of your customers from the past.

Building trust is no simple matter. You’re probably going to encounter several obstacles on your way to establishing a better reputation for your brand, especially if you’re just starting out. But with these strategies, you can build trust much more reliably and start generating more revenue from new customers.

Image Credit: by William Fortunato; Pexels; Thank you!

The post What Are the Best Ways for a New Startup to Build Trust? appeared first on ReadWrite.

source https://readwrite.com/best-ways-for-a-new-startup-to-build-trust/

SERP Analysis on Semrush (2 Free SERP Checker Tools)

With every query comes a unique marketing challenge and opportunity. It’s your job to uncover them and take advantage. By running SERP analysis, you can determine your challenges and opportunities and devise an SEO plan to get to the top of the results and bring new traffic to your site.

from Semrush blog https://www.semrush.com/blog/serp-analysis

SEO Split Test Result: Should You Add a Star Emoji and Reviews to the Title on Travel Pages?

We ran an SEO experiment with Semrush SEO split-testing software, SplitSignal, where we added a star emoji to H1 and a title to the group of product pages on the travel site.

from Semrush blog https://www.semrush.com/blog/seo-split-test-result-should-you-add-a-star-emoji-and-reviews-to-the-title

Friday 17 June 2022

37 Free & Creative July Marketing Ideas (With Examples!)

July: It’s the seventh month of the year (fifth in the Roman calendar), rhymes with reply, should rhyme with truly, has a whopping 31 days—all great marketing opps for your business! Just joshin. That’d be sad. But July is filled with many opportunities for creative marketing—it’s National Anti-Boredom Month, Independent Retailer Month, home to World Emoji Day, Pandemonium Day, and plenty more.

Celebrate World Emoji Day and National Ice Cream Day in one post.

Better yet, you don’t even have to do the brainstorming! In this post, I’ve taken care of all of that for you with:

A list of July awareness causes, themes, national days, and holidays.

Over 35 creative ideas for incorporating them into your articles, posts, events, and promotions.

Real examples of these ideas in action.

Table of contents

Lists

July awareness causes

July national day highlights

Full list of national days/holidays

Ideas based on

Diversity, equity, and inclusion

National months

National days

4th of July

July awareness causes

Fireworks Safety Month

Eye Injury Prevention Month

UV Safety Month

Minority Mental Health Month

Ice Cream Month

Anti-Boredom Month

Grilling Month

Purposeful Parenting Month

Independent Retailer Month

Therapeutic Recreation Week (second week of July)

Everybody Deserves a Massage Week (second week after 4th of July)

Parenting Gifted Children Week (third week of July)

Clean Beaches Week (July 1-7)

World Reggae Day (July 1)

July holidays and national days

You can see a more complete list at the end of this post, but here is my curated mix of the serious, the sophisticated, and the downright silly:

July 1: Postal Worker Day

July 3: Compliment Your Mirror Day

July 4: Independence Day

July 11: Cheer Up The Lonely Day

July 13: Cow Appreciation Day – Changes Annually

July 14: Pandemonium Day

July 15: Get to Know Your Customers Day – Third Thursday of Each Quarter

July 17: World Emoji Day

July 18: Ice Cream Day – Third Sunday in July

July 25: Hire a Veteran Day

July 26: All or Nothing Day

July 28: National Buffalo Soldiers Day

July 30: National Get Gnarly Day

In July we celebrate, America, parents, and cows. (Image source)

Diversity, equity & inclusion marketing ideas in July

While it’s always a good idea to include diversity, equity, and inclusion marketing in your plans year-round, there are a few observances specifically in July that you won’t want to miss:

National Minority Mental Health Month

July was proclaimed Minority Mental Health Month in 2008 by the US House of Representatives. This helps ensure that not only do people of color have access to adequate mental healthcare, but also that health professionals are culturally aware, empathetic, non-judgmental, and able to properly diagnose each patient who walks into their office.

Spread awareness using resources like BIPOC’s MMHM toolkit, or come up with an event of your own to support this inclusivity-related cause.

RELATED: 10 Tips for Minority-Owned Businesses

Recreation for the Disabled Day (July 2)

Did you know over 15% of the world’s population lives with a disability? Historically, people with different abilities have had limited access to recreational activities. Recreation for the Disabled Day aims to change that by bringing awareness to the ways the world can be more inclusive for all.

To take part in this day, sponsor or volunteer at a local recreation center that’s accessible to folks with varying abilities. Alternatively, reminding your audience to help spread awareness and providing tips on how they can make a difference can be just as effective.

Image source

Malala Day (July 12)

Malala Day celebrates the work of Malala Yousafzai, an international human rights activist and the world’s youngest Nobel prize winner. Malala is from Pakistan which is an area known to deprive women and young girls of education. Her stand on education for all ultimately lead to her being shot by the Taliban. Despite this event, Malala courageously continued with the cause she believed in.

Her perseverance has inspired a worldwide movement for more accessible education across all corners of the world. Inspire your audience with Malala quotes, like those included in her memoir: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot. Another idea would be to celebrate the work of Malala, and share how your business’s community is working towards better education accessibility for minorities.

Image source

National Buffalo Soldiers Day (July 28)

It’s important to seize every opportunity you can to celebrate diversity in your marketing. Acknowledge National Buffalo Soldiers Day on July 28 to commemorate some of the earliest Black troops in the US Military who served on the Western frontier after the Civil War.

July marketing ideas for month-long awareness

And now, it’s time to get down to (marketing your) business. We’ll first start with July marketing ideas based on monthly awareness causes and then move to single-day observances.

National Independent Retailer Month

July is the designated month for celebrating independent retailers who, like all local businesses, help to build our economy, towns, and communities. Promote your own business if you are one, or show your support for independent retailers in your community.

National Anti-Boredom Month

After the July 4th festivities, the summer heat and structureless days can start to creep in with looming threats of boredom.

Here are some ideas to help your target audience avoid the dog days of summer:

Host a gratifying month-long challenge around food, fitness, hydration, or something related to your business.

Share your favorite summer spots and activities.

Write a blog post compiling events going on in your area.

Ask your followers for recommendations on books, places to go, DIY projects, etc.

Or, take a no-nonsense approach like this business did:

National Grilling Month

I tried to think of ways to put a creative twist on things to make it more widely applicable, but to no avail—unless you’re into grilling your customers for feedback…

But I did find some ideas on Facebook. This business ran a contest with a grilling-themed prize.

This electric company encouraged its followers to save electricity by grilling outside:

National UV Safety Month

The sun won’t run out of hydrogen for another 5 billion years, so consider it an evergreen topic. No matter what business you’re in, you can’t go wrong with posting UV safety tips.

Make your own image with a content marketing tool like Canva, like this business did:

Or borrow an infographic from the CDC:

Everybody Deserves a Massage Week (usually 3rd week in July)

If you are in any way connected to massages, whether that be a traditional massage studio, a physical therapist, or a salon, you should definitely be taking advantage this week by running sales promotions.

If you’re not a spa or salon, partner up with a local provider to see if you can run a mutually-beneficial deal.

Or take it a step further like these guys:

July marketing ideas based on national days

Christmas in July (varies)

According to my cursory research ( aka the Real Simple magazine), Christmas in July began in 1993 with a summer camp in Brevard, NC. And then somewhere along the line, businesses began using it as a marketing tool. Here are some ways you can follow suit.

Run deals and sales to get new customers coming in. BigCommerce tells us that repeat customers spend 25% more per transaction during the (real) holiday season, while a new customer spends only 17% more. So start building that repeat customer base now!

This photographer promoted family photo shoots, framed as a way to get your Christmas card photo taken care of early (and when you’ve got that summer look going). Depending on the weather, winter clothes may or may not be a good idea!

Or simply run a generous flash sale that’ll feel like, well, Christmas in July.

Compliment Your Mirror Day (July 3)

Compliment Your Mirror Day, observed on July 3rd, encourages people to feel positive about themselves—inside and out. If it fits with the tone of your brand and your audience, acknowledge it on social media.

You could even Instagram campaign where customers can receive a percentage off products or services in exchange for posting a selfie and custom hashtag.

International Chocolate Day (July 7)

Anyone can get behind this holiday. Whether it’s with a candy counting contest, giving out Hershey’s Kisses to customers, or just posting a funny meme. Or, you could get some chocolatey USB drives made up with your logo on em!

Gruntled Workers Day – July 13

So yes, gruntled is a word. It means pleased, satisfied, or content.

Gather feedback from your employees to see if you can make any improvements to their experience. Happy employees make for happy customers (who write reviews).

Write a thought leadership post on company culture building and highlight yours in the process.

Remind your audience of your commitment to customer experience.

Give Something Away Day (July 15)

Rather than running an Instagram giveaway, consider hosting a charity fundraiser for Give Something Away Day. Consumers like doing business with people that share their values. Doing something for your community or a greater cause will engage your followers and make a positive impact.

National Ice Cream Day (third Sunday in July)

I’m going to spare you the “I scream you scream” and share a little history with you. Back in the day (1984), former President Ronald Reagan decided July was to be National Ice Cream Month and that the third Sunday in July would be National Ice Cream Day. Ice cream shops, you know this one well. For the non-frozen dairy-delighted, try out these ideas:

Run an ice cream social: Use that frozen sugary goodness to lure customers into your store! In addition to offering free ice cream, provide special discounts on items or coupons with a purchase.

Have an internal ice cream sundae party at your business and share on social media: the delicious masterpieces, the mess, the people indulging. Even better, purchase the ice cream from a local store and tag them in your posts.

Offer free ice cream after a class or session: Get more signups for a workout or yoga class with the promise of a free ice cream afterward. (Organic ice cream for the yoga folks).

Try getting creative with your content: We don’t always use ice cream cones to explain marketing concepts, but when we do…

Get to Know Your Customers Day (third Thursday)

You should already know your customers like the back of your hand, but you should also always be learning—especially with the shape-shifters we consumers have become due to the pandemic.

Get to Know Your Customers Day happens on the third Thursday of every quarter—a good reminder to stay on your toes and a good opportunity to strengthen your client relationships.

Share a survey via email or social media—something brief but meaningful enough to demonstrate that you value your customers, and to be informative to you.

You could also take a lighter approach on social media. Ask more playful questions, like “would you rather,” “yay or nay,” “when was the last time you…” but keep the topics relevant so you can glean something from the answers.

National Parents’ Day (fourth Saturday in July)

With Mother’s and Father’s Day taking up all the wholesome limelight, Parent’s Day often gets neglected. Parents work tirelessly for their children, so honor the parents in your audience!

Consider taking a more emotional approach with your brand on this day. Acknowledge the hard-working parents out there, but stay sensitive to the fact that not everyone has living parents, that not all parents are one item, and that there are many caretakers who are like a parent.

Fourth of July marketing ideas

But of course! It’s the biggest holiday of the summer. Here are some ways to incorporate this patriotic holiday into your marketing:

Holiday promotions: Offer a 17.76% discount, reduce an item price to $17.76, or use promo codes like FIREWORKS or FREEDOM. Create buy-one-get-one deals for appropriately-themed products. Or just run a sale simply because it’s a holiday—ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.

Run a giveaway: Offer up a red, white, and blue-themed prize, barbeque supplies, a gift card, or even a survival kit like a lawn chair, bug spray, hand sanitizer, glowsticks, etc.

Write a blog post on topics related to your business, through the lens of themes like freedom, independence, stars, stripes, and more. Or, if applicable to your business, write more practical posts like firecracker safety tips, tips for keeping your dog calm during fireworks, or travel tips.

Get creative: Ditch the stock photography and get creative with your digital media.

Image source

Got any July marketing ideas? Share em!

Not all of the July awareness causes and observances were covered in this post. There are far too many. But if you have any ideas of your own, we’d love to see them in the comments.

PS here’s our full series of monthly marketing ideas

15 January Marketing Ideas to Start the New Year with a Bang

20 Fabulous (and Affordable) February Marketing Ideas

30+ Creative and Cost-Friendly March Marketing Ideas

20+ Free April Marketing Ideas to Freshen Up Your Content Calendar

50+ May Marketing Ideas for Any Business or Budget

50+ Free June Marketing Ideas for Sizzlin’ Hot Campaigns

37 Free and Creative July Marketing Ideas (With Examples!)

17+ Free and Creative September Marketing Ideas

21+ Free and Effective October Marketing Ideas

19 Simple Yet Superb November Marketing Ideas (with Examples)

20 Super-Festive December Marketing Ideas

And for a year’s worth of marketing ideas, check out this marketing calendar template from our friends at LOCALiQ.

As promised, here is a more complete list of July observances that may or may not apply to your business:

Full list of July holidays

July 1

Canada Day
International Joke Day
American Zoo Day
National Postal Worker Day

July 3

National Eat Your Beans Day
National Hop-a-Park Day (first Saturday in July)

July 4

Independence Day
National Barbecued Spareribs Day

July 5

National Hawaii Day
National Workaholics Day
National Bikini Day

July 6

International Kissing Day

July 7

National Tell the Truth Day
National Dive Bar Day
National Father-Daughter Take a Walk Day
National Strawberry Sundae Day

July 9

Collector Car Appreciation Day – Changes Annually July 9, 2021

July 10

National Kitten Day
National Pina Colada Day

July 11

National Cheer Up The Lonely Day
All American Pet Photo Day
National Mojito Day
National 7-Eleven Day

July 12

National Simplicity Day
National Different Colored Eyes Day

July 13

Cow Appreciation Day – Changes Annually

July 14

National Pandemonium Day
National Tape Measure Day
National Nude Day

July 15

National Give Something Away Day
National I Love Horses Day
National Pet Fire Safety Day
Get to Know Your Customers Day – Third Thursday of Each Quarter

July 17

National Lottery Day
World Emoji Day
Toss Away the “Could Haves” and “Should Haves” Day – Third Saturday in July

July 18

National Ice Cream Day – Third Sunday in July

July 19

National Get Out of the Dog House Day – Third Monday in July

July 21

National Junk Food Day
National Be Someone Day

July 22

National Hammock Day
National Rat Catcher’s Day
National Refreshment Day – Fourth Thursday in July

July 23

Gorgeous Grandma Day

July 24

National Drive-Thru Day
National Cousins Day
National Amelia Earhart Day
National Day of the Cowboy – Fourth Saturday in July

July 25

National Hire a Veteran Day
National Wine and Cheese Day
National Parent’s Day – Fourth Sunday in July

July 26

National Aunt and Uncle’s Day
National Bagelfest Day
National Disability Independence Day
National All or Nothing Day

July 27

National Love is Kind Day

July 28

Buffalo Soldiers Day
National Waterpark Day

July 29

National Intern Day – Last Thursday in July

July 30

National Father-in-Law Day
National Whistleblower Day
National Talk in an Elevator Day – Last Friday in July
National System Administrator Appreciation Day – Last Friday in July
National Get Gnarly Day – Last Friday in July
National Support Public Education Day
International Day of Friendship

July 31

National Mutt Day

The post 37 Free & Creative July Marketing Ideas (With Examples!) appeared first on WordStream.

source https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2021/06/07/july-marketing-ideas

In this blog you will find out about SEO news, tools and tips from different SEO companies and experts, which will helps you to grow your business.

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10 Easy Ways to Get More Likes on TikTok

It’s no secret that social media is a powerful tool. What may be less well known, however, is how to use it to your advantage by growing your following and creating high-quality content.

In this article, I’ll explore 10 tips for getting more likes on TikTok. I’ll start with the basics – creating videos that are attention-grabbing and using hashtags to reach a wider audience – and move on to some more creative methods, such as staying up to date on the latest trends and leaving your viewers with a cliffhanger.

How to get more likes on TikTok

Use these 10 tips to improve your reach and relevance on TikTok to the people most likely to like your videos.

1. Hook your viewers in the first 2-3 seconds

If you’re looking to get more likes on TikTok, one of the best things you can do is create compelling videos with a hook. In other words, make videos that are so eye-catching and engaging (especially for the first 2-3 seconds) that viewers can’t help but stop and watch.

There are a number of ways to do this: Use colorful visuals, tell a compelling story, incorporate humor, and ensure that your videos are well-edited and polished before you post them. Another idea? Add a “just wait for it” text like the example below.

Or show the last clip of your video at the beginning so that you show the finished product first. This works well for food or DIY videos because you’re able to intrigue people with the finished product and then they’ll be much more likely to stick around and see how it’s done.

With a little effort, you can create scroll-stopping content that will help you attract new followers and get more likes on TikTok.

2. Use hashtags to reach a wider audience

TikTok hashtags are a powerful tool for reaching new audiences. By including relevant hashtags in your videos, you can make your content more discoverable to users who are searching for topics that interest them.

In addition, using popular hashtags can help you to get more likes on your videos, as the more users who see your content, the more likely you are to get likes and engagement.

But just like with Instagram hashtags, use them sparingly, as too many can make your content appear spammy. If your content is for a broad audience, use 1-2 popular hashtags mixed with 1-2 topic-specific hashtags. If it’s for a specific subset of people, go with 2-3 topic-specific hashtags. There’s no magic number, experiment and eventually you’ll see what works better for your audience.

3. Stay up-to-date on the latest trends

Anyone who’s using, marketing, or advertising on TikTok for more than a few months has undoubtedly noticed how quickly trends come and go. What was popular last week may be completely forgotten by the time the weekend rolls around.

For users who want to get more likes on their videos, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends. By posting videos that are relevant to what’s currently popular, users are more likely to get views and engagement from other users.

That’s where TikTok’s Creative Center comes in. This powerful analytics tool shows you what’s up and coming in the way of:

Hashtags

Songs

Creators

Videos

When it comes to finding hashtags to use in your content, or even ideas for creating content for that matter, the Creative Center is a great place to go.

Under the Hashtags section, for example, you can see what was trending just yesterday, add your industry for more granular results, and even click on each hashtag individually to get more details about the audience insights, regional popularity, and more.

When you stay up to date on the latest trends by using TikTok’d Creative Center you’ll be able to create more compelling, likeable content, use relevant hashtags, and take advantage of trending sounds.

4. Use sounds to your advantage

Speaking of trending sounds, sound is a key part of the TikTok experience. In fact, many users create videos specifically for the purpose of pairing them with popular songs or sound effects.

Just check out this Dua Lipa and Calvin Harris song “One Kiss” which has had 1.9 million videos paired with that song alone.

When a particular song or audio clip is used over and over again, people become accustomed to it. They almost expect the video to be good because they’ve seen so many other good videos in the past with the same audio.

TikTok’s Creative Center is a great way to find popular sounds to use to your advantage. If you want to try and ride a trend up, search through the breakout sounds. If you want to find a song that’s already popular, browse through the Popular tab.

When you can use popular sounds combined with a scroll-stopping clip you’ll have a much better chance of getting views and likes on your TikTok videos.

5. Use captions

Many people watch videos on social media with the sound off, so it’s important to make sure your videos are captioned. This way, you can appeal to a wider audience and get more likes on TikTok.

Captions also help to provide context for the video and make it more engaging. To get the most out of your captions, make sure they are clear and easy to read. Use a font that is legible and large enough to be seen on a small screen.

You can easily add captions in TikTok’s video editor by selecting the Captions icon. TikTok will then analyze the words in your video and will automatically generate captions for it.

You can edit the placement and wording of the captions if TikTok doesn’t get it quite right.

Making sure you have captions added to your video is an easy way to get more likes and to have more people stick around until the end of your video.

6. Collaborate and duet

A great way to get more likes on TikTok is to connect and collaborate with other users. You can start by finding users who produce content that is similar to yours in terms of style or subject matter.

Once you have found a few potential collaborators, reach out either via DM or their contact link in bio and see if they would be interested in working together. Collaborating with others is a great way to get more exposure for your account, and it can also be a lot of fun. So don’t be afraid to reach out and connect with other TikTok users.

Another great way to collaborate without directly reaching out to others is to duet or even stitch their videos (how to stitch on TikTok here). When you duet a video, your video appears alongside the original video, therefore viewers may recognize the original video and take that extra second to hear what you have to say about it.

7. Use TikTok’s effects to enhance your videos

TikTok offers a wide range of effects that can help to enhance your videos and make them more engaging. By using the right effects, you can add visual interest, create a certain mood, or emphasize certain elements in your video.

Take the Green Screen effect, for example. Essentially, you can record a video of yourself and it will crop out everything around you so that you can place a still image of something else behind you, like this:

This helps create visual interest which can either be used in a humorous or informative way.

8. Edit your videos with CapCut

If you’re looking for more advanced editing features than what TikTok’s video editor can provide, then CapCut is a great choice. You can add audio, captions, overlays, stickers, and so much more.

CapCut is made by the same parent company as the creators of TikTok so their app is optimized for creating high-quality TikTok video content. Use it to create professional-looking videos with just a few taps. Plus, Capcut is free to use so you don’t need to use video editing software.

On the other hand, you can always go live on TikTok and go for the uncut look.

9. Leave your viewers on a cliffhanger

One of the best ways to get people to engage with your content and like your videos is to leave them wanting more. That’s why many content creators choose to end their videos on a cliffhanger.

By creating a sense of anticipation, you can encourage people to tune in for the next installment of your video series. Just be sure not to overly drag out your videos using this method. If you make your videos or series too long, viewers will become impatient and eventually leave the video entirely.

Create something that’s snappy yet can be long enough for at least a two-part series.

Using the cliffhanger strategy is a great way to get more likes on your video. If you can pique the viewer’s interest and keep them engaged you’ll not only get more likes on one single video but on every video in the series.

10. Post regularly and stay consistent

Any social media expert will tell you that consistency is key when it comes to social media marketing. The same is true on TikTok, where regular posting and consistent content can help you attract more followers and get more likes.

Of course, quality is also important—no one wants to see a stream of poorly produced videos. But if you can find a balance between quality and quantity, you’ll be well on your way to TikTok success.

So if you’re looking to get more likes on TikTok, use your analytics and overall benchmarks to find out the best time to post on TikTok for your audience, and then post regularly and stay consistent with your content. Your efforts will eventually pay off.

How to get more likes on TikTok: recap

As you can see, there are a number of ways that you can increase the likes that you get on your TikTok videos. By following these 10 tips, you should be able to start seeing an improvement in the number of likes that your videos receive.

Hook your viewers in the first 2-3 seconds

Use hashtags to reach a wider audience

Stay up-to-date on the latest trends

Use sounds to your advantage

Use captions

Collaborate and duet

Use TikTok’s effects to enhance your videos

Edit your videos with CapCut

Leave your viewers on a cliffhanger

Post regularly and stay consistent

About the author

Cody Arsenault is the founder of CodyArsenault.com, a blog that focuses on providing the tools and techniques to help others learn how to make money online. He’s operated several ecommerce and niche blogs and has generated multiple seven figures in online sales.

The post 10 Easy Ways to Get More Likes on TikTok appeared first on WordStream.

source https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2022/06/17/how-to-get-more-likes-on-tiktok

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37 Free & Creative July Marketing Ideas (With Examples!)

10 Easy Ways to Get More Likes on TikTok

10 Best Python Web Development Frameworks

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