The Software Development Guide For Startups

If you’re just starting out with your brand, you’ll no doubt have a whole shopping list of tasks to be completed – as well as a wish list as long as your arm.  In the brave new world of 2020, software is probably the single most important factor in the success of a brand. Whether you just need help with an operating system or, you fancy a shiny new mobile app for your brand, software is likely to become a top buzzword for your company in its infancy.  As important as software development is, many new startups find themselves overwhelmed at the thought of getting started.  The following is a guide to everything you need to know to get started on your software development journey but, first things first…

About Software

When we use the term software, we’re referring to programs and operating information that a computer uses to perform tasks.  A lot of software can be bought ‘off the shelf’ such as packages for Enterprise Resource Planning, Customer Relationship Management and Point Of Sale.  Although packages such as these are widely available and are relatively inexpensive, they have a tendency to be ‘one size fits all’ which is why an increasing number of brands choose to have their own bespoke software – for which, software development is required.

Common Types of Software for Brands

The term ‘software’ covers a multitude of functions and the following are the most commonly bought or commissioned types of software available: 

Website Development:

As the name suggests, this kind of development is all about creating functional web pages of varying complexity.  This kind of software development generally uses HTML, Javascript, Django, C/C++, Python, or ASP.NET.

Mobile Development:

These days, it’s all about the mobile and, as such, software development for mobile is probably the number one app development project requested.  Development for mobile will require knowledge of Android, Swift, HTML5, Java, or C#.

Data Science:

This kind of development is created to extract, collate, and analyze that all-important data to help brands to understand customer purchase decisions.  Data science software development increasingly uses AI or machine learning in order to provide more intuitive and accurate results.  C/C++, MATLAB, and Python are commonly used in this kind of development. 

Applications

These days, most of us have multiple apps on our phones and our laptops, and, as such, app development is huge in the development industry.  App developers will usually utilize Java, VB.NET, C/C++, C#, or Python. 

Back End

The back end (also sometimes known as a server) is the part of a website which stores super important data and takes care of making sure that a website is healthy and isn’t prone to errors.  Your back end software developer will have a wealth of knowledge including Python, Java, C, and C++ as well as (my)SQL, DBase, and Oracle. 

These examples give you a good idea of the broad scope of software development and, the languages needed to get the job done. 

What Is Software Development?

Software development is the process of using a programming language in order to create a unique piece of software.  Often complex, the process involves the writing of interrelated programming code which will provide a functional piece of software.  

A Brief History of Software Development

It’s thought that the first-ever piece of software created was all the way back in 1948 and was a mathematical calculator named the Manchester Small Scale Experimental Machine (SSEM).  Created by Tom Kilburn and Freddie Williams, the SSEM took 52 minutes to compute the greatest divisor of 2 to the power of 18 (262.144).  Back in these fledgling years, software was comprised of punch cards containing a series of holes which would denote specific instructions for the machine.   Things have moved on a little since then and, today, software development is slick, sophisticated, and a number one priority for brands.

 

From the advent of personal computing in the 1970s, software development has enjoyed a pretty steep trajectory which can be roughly mapped as follows: 

• Waterfall model – Early 1970s
• Development of programming methodologies – Early 1970s
• Development of design methodologies – Late 1970s
• Development of requirement engineering tech – Late 1970s
• Beginning of technical project management – Early 1980s
• Executable specifications and formal methods – Mid 1980s
• Object-oriented software development – Late 1980s
• Improvement of waterfall model – Late 1980s
• Process programming – Early 1990s
• CASE tools – Early 1990s
• Architecture centric development – Mid 1990s
• Maturity of software assessment technology – Late 1990s
• Iterative software process model – Early 2000s
• Agile methodologies – Mid 2000s
• Cloud, embedded system change of SPM – Mid 2000s

With every new leap forward, software development has continued to gain speed and momentum – something which is testified to by the number of people opting for software development as a career choice. 

Requirements for a Software Developer

Due to the complex and technical nature of software development, some specialist skills and experience are required.  Although this can vary from role to role and location to location, these will generally include: 

Skills

• Advanced technical capabilities
• Problem-solving
• Numeracy
• Creativity
• IT experience

Qualifications

Although you may have heard stories about some whizz kid becoming a software developer without any qualifications, this is very much the exception rather than the rule.  In general, a software developer will need an HND, foundation degree, or degree in one of the following subjects: 

• Computer Science
• IT
• Software Development
• Software Engineering
• Mathematics
• Business Information Systems

If you’re looking to hire a software developer for your brand, the above should be considered a minimum requirement for successful candidates.  

Hiring a full or part-time software developer for your company can often be expensive – particularly as, due to the nature of the work, you’ll often find yourself paying a salary to an employee who experiences a considerable amount of downtime.  For this reason, more and more brands are, instead, choosing to outsource their software development requirements. 

The Lowdown on Software Development Outsourcing

Software development outsourcing has a lot of moving parts and, it’s important to make sure that you know your options before committing to a company or individual.  The following is all you need to know about finding the perfect match for you and your brand:

Knowing What You Want

This may sound like stating the obvious but, before you even begin to research developers, you need to be crystal clear about what it is that you want from your software.  This is vital as, at some point, you’re going to need to communicate your wants and requirements to a developer and, so, getting this straight for yourself first will save a lot of time, money, and hassle.  In order to do this, you’ll need to ask – and answer – a number of questions including:

• What do you want your software to do? = the purpose of the software
• How do you want the software to do this? = the process of the software
• How do you want the software to look? = the interface of the software
• What will be the most important aspect of the software? = the main functionality
• What is it that you DON’T want from your software? = the negative wish list

By completing this stage, you’ve created a clear picture of what you expect your software developer to accomplish for you.  Additionally, knowing exactly what you want means that you’ll be able to form an idea of the kind of skill and level of expertise that your project is likely to require.  This will help you in your initial search for a developer – as we’ll come to shortly. 

Researching Developers

If you take a quick peek at Google, you’ll see that there are literally thousands of them out there, which can be overwhelming.  As with anything else, not all developers are created equal – which means that you need to be prepared to invest some time in research.  The first thing you need to decide is the location of your developer as this will impact the price of your project.  When it comes to location, you generally have three choices: 

Local:

Choosing a developer in the same town or city as yourself is a choice based on convenience.  Not only will you be able to meet with the developer before signing on the dotted line but, he or she will be able to visit your premises for meetings and updates.  On the downside, it may well be the case that a local developer is a more expensive option – particularly if your premises are in a major city. 

Semi-local:

Those who prefer their developer to be in the same country may opt to hire a company in a cheaper area; for example, a brand based in London might hire a developer from Carlisle.  The benefits of doing this include convenience for meetings and cost savings; although the latter is unlikely to be significant. 

Nearshoring:

“An increasingly popular method of outsourcing, nearshoring is the act of choosing a developer in a neighboring country in order to make significant cost savings,” says Jack Zmudzinski from startnearshoring.com. For example, a brand in Manchester might hire a developer in Poland in order to save money.  Although not as convenient as going local, short distances and cheap flights mean that meetings are still possible. 

Narrowing the Search

Once you’ve decided on the location of your developer, it’s time to see what’s out there.   You can, of course, simply turn to the Gods of Google for this, however, it’s a really good idea to first ask for recommendations.  You can do this by tapping into forums, Facebook groups, and review sites.  From here, you should be able to create a shortlist of potential developers for your software.  

Just as you would interview a candidate for a position with your company, you now need to probe your potentials to see if they’re up to snuff.  You can do this by asking a series of questions including: 

• Do you have experience with this kind of software?
• Can I see examples of your previous work?
• What technical expertise/qualifications do you have?
• What security measures will be put in place regarding privacy?
• What is your quality control process?
• How will my project be managed?
• What is your reporting process?
• Who else have you worked with?
• How long will the project take?
• How much will the project cost

Where possible, it’s always best to meet with potential developers in person as this will give you a much better idea of how they work, how professional they are and, whether or not they share your brand’s ethos and work culture.  

Although the process of finding and researching of developers may seem long-winded, it’s a necessary investment of time.  As we rely more and more on software for our businesses, our software requirements will increase over time.  For this reason, most brands find it important to find a software developer with whom they can form a long term relationship and, so, finding the right one first time really is more than half the battle. 

Conclusion

Whether you’re just looking for a super-clever piece of kit to help with customer support or, you’re after a whole Starship Enterprise style system for the running of your brand, your software developer will be an essential part of your team.  Knowing where to look and what to look for is an incredibly valuable tool in making sure that you have a developer who will be able to go the distance with you. 

DepositPhotos – software

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source https://tweakyourbiz.com/technology/start-ups/software-development-guide

5 Tips to Handle Political Talk in The Online Workplace

If you thought the last four years was difficult trying to keep politics out of the workplace, get ready for the next few months. The race to the November election is heating up, and you can bet that discussions about politics will bleed over into the workplace, especially online if your employees are still working remotely.

What’s more, is that even if you manage to successfully avoid those dreaded political discussions with your colleagues, it may very well still come up with customers, vendors and especially when you least expect it.

Discussions about politics in the workplace have proven to reduce productivity, decrease quality, increase difficulty in getting work done on time, increase negative views of coworkers, add to job stress, and make employees dread coming to work even if that’s working virtually.

Talking politics at work equals a toxic work environment. If you think you’re safe because you don’t see people face-to-face right now and are working from home, think again. Political talk can easily invade the online workspace, too.

Here are five ways you can keep political talk (and tempers) in check at work during this election season.

Establish Ground Rules

Some companies will decide to implement a ‘political free work zone’ and take this very seriously whether in-person or working online. The other way to approach it is for a company to make a statement about the general discourse about what is playing out in the political field. Let everyone know it’s ok to have emotions about what is taking place, but not to lose site of the greater picture of the business, your team members and customers. It’s a decision that each company will have to make for itself.

Separate Your Online Personal and Professional Life

At some point, a coworker or customer may very well check you out on social media. If you are someone who tends to post your political views online, or talk about other controversial topics, consider adding some form of privacy settings such as only allowing your direct connections to be able to see your content, or going private altogether. Remember that anything you post to social media always has the potential of being discovered by others. Be smart about what you post and remember: sometimes it’s best just to remain quiet.

Don’t Fan the Flames

A lot of business is being done on Zoom calls, but don’t let your guard down because you never know when someone might start talking about politics. If the tone of the conversation starts to rise, it’s time to end things. Acknowledge what the other person is saying, make a vague comment, and then change the subject to a work-related topic. This allows you to acknowledge a differing point of view while keeping things civil and professional, and agreeing to disagree.

Keep Your Background Professional

When talking to coworkers, managers or customers on Zoom or Skype, remember that with these video platforms not only can they see you, but they can see your background. Keep it professional. Reframe from backgrounds that display political banners or pictures. Keep attire professional and avoid political shirts, hats and buttons that can start a confrontation.

It’s Always Your Right To Decline Comment

If a coworker or customer really pushes you to discuss politics even in an online setting, remember that it is always your right to not comment. Simply say, “I’d rather not discuss my political views at this time. I wish you the best with your political decisions.” Or, “I’m still evaluating the issues and would rather focus on getting the best results on this project.” Always remain calm and don’t lose your cool even if they push you to discuss.

Find common ground if you do discuss

There is always a common ground in politics. You just have to find it and focus on it. Even coworkers with differing political views can find topics they see eye-to-eye on. If you do decide to engage in political talk, even in an online setting, focus more on the topics you agree on and avoid the areas you completely disagree on for another forum outside of work.

The Takeaway

The dreaded anticipation of talking politics at work can leave us all feeling more than a little unprepared. However, handling political talk isn’t something businessowners and leaders need to be afraid of. With a little preparation ahead of time and a plan to disarm the situation if needed, you can rest easy that this time leading up to the November election can go smoothly.

The reality is political conversations are an inevitable part of life. At the end of the day, remember what’s most important: coming to work should feel like choosing to be part of a team—not picking a side.

Angela Civitella is a business leadership coach and founder of Intinde. www.intinde.com

workplace conflict -DepositPhotos

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source https://tweakyourbiz.com/management/workplace-relationships/handling-political-talk

Having These 5 Traits Can Polish Your Crude Leadership Skills

If you’re a businessman or you work in a corporate firm, after taking a mere glimpse at the title, you’d know by now how crucial it is to acquire traits that lead to craft the best leader out of you. I mean, this is why you are here reading the blog because the bait, title, has worked on you!

In this blog, we are going to unpack a few characteristics you must have that can push your hidden leadership skills to a whole new level that can put you in limelight in your top management’s eyes.

1- Mental Discipline

A psychologically vulnerable person who can be subjected to bullying easily and give in to the pressure and fears of his own cannot make a leader, let alone a good one. One of the fundamental grounds one needs to be a leader in any field is having a solid metal discipline.

Having control over your thought process and not allowing yourself to dwell in anxiety can take you to places you have never imagined. Kubler Ross model teaches us how to overcome the stages of grief.

2-  Go SMART

This is not the usual smart you hear all the time, it is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based. As these words can give you an idea, only after acquiring these characteristics you can hope to shine through the dark clouds of being an average employee.

This smart principal can shift your entire life helping you to realize that only the sky’s the limit.

3- Accountability

This could be one of the hardest jobs to do to yourself as it is not easy to go through the pain of self-criticism. But trust me when I say it, it will only bring about the best in you.

You will be able to see through an impartial, less narcissistic and more progressive lense that what do you need to quit to grow in future. It will teach you to give up your self-sabotaging habits that served as a great hindrance to your advancement.

4- The Power of Decision Making

When your boss demonstrates a totally new idea to a group of employees including you asking who would like to execute it, there will always be at least one amongst you guys who’d plunge it.

It is not because they think they have the relevant experience or qualifications to do so but the power to decide on time with regards to what can be of their best interests. Obviously, this could make them stand out in the boss’s eyes given the fact that they’ve dared.

A leader does not hold back or shy away, he likes to experiment with new things even when the stakes are high!

5- Great Communication

A lot of things can go wrong when not communicated in the right way. A productive employee does not just sit in front of his computer screen all day long, he makes his way through his convincing communication skills. He knows when to say what to someone at work and the consequences it will have.

We hope you loved reading an overview of these tips and traits you must have if you dream big!

The post Having These 5 Traits Can Polish Your Crude Leadership Skills appeared first on Tweak Your Biz.

source https://tweakyourbiz.com/management/improving-leadership-skills

Top Ten Tips for Buying Packaging Supplies

Packaging supplies are generally required by business owners as well as companies that sell goods. If you are running an e-commerce store, you will want to make sure that all of the products that you sell are properly packaged and then dispatched to your customers. Needless to say, you are going to have to make sure that the goods reach your customers in a safe and sound condition, otherwise you are likely to refund their money. You will have to buy packaging supplies in large quantities for your company. Here are seven tips on how to buy supplies for your company’s packaging.

1. Decide What You Need

The first step is to make a list of everything you require. You need to make sure you list everything you are going to need, ranging from the size of the boxes, the number of boxes, packing materials, and tape. Make an exhaustive list of everything you are going to require because it’s important that you don’t miss out on anything. It’s going to save you from a great deal of trouble because you won’t have to go shopping for essential supplies again and again.

2. Find a Reliable Supplier

Arguably the most important step is to find a reliable supplier who can deliver all of the packing materials and supplies at your company’s warehouse within the stipulated time. There are quite a few companies that offer packaging supplies around the country. But, as a business owner, you might be interested in bespoke packaging for your goods, so it’s recommended that you check with the packaging provider and find out if they provide customized packaging or not.

It’s recommended that you read a few reviews about different companies and then make your decision. If you know someone in the industry who is using the packaging materials provided by another business, you can ask them for a reference. Carefully go through the company’s website to find the different kinds of services they offer.

3. Cost Optimization

A very important thing you need to focus on is cost optimization. You will want to make sure the cost of packaging does not increase significantly because that could lead to a serious issue. In fact, if the packaging of your product isn’t cost-effective, you could end up losing money for every product you sell. The pricing must be balanced so you can set up the profit margins on your product effectively. The best way to do that is by optimizing your costs accordingly.

4. Packaging Design

When you talk to any company that offers packaging supplies, you also have to pay attention to the design of the packaging. If you are ordering bespoke packaging, it’s imperative that you visualize the designs first and find a style that will look really good. Packaging often becomes a part of the branding of the company itself, so you have to make sure you design it accordingly. The more colors you use in the packaging, the more it’s likely to cost you.

5. Lead Time

More importantly, you have to factor in the lead times before placing the order. The lead time is the amount of time it takes from the time the company receives your order until the time your order is received. You need to make sure that you keep the lead times as low as possible so that the deliveries aren’t delayed. If the company takes a long time to process your order, you might want to look at other options.

6. Final Quotes

You also need to compare quotes from different companies before placing the order. Provided the order is large enough, there are a few companies that might offer customization as an add-on package. You need to ask for final quotes from different companies in the city before you make a decision.

7. Quality

You should always place a trial order first to determine whether the supplies are of decent quality or not. Once you are satisfied with the quality, only then should you place a large order with the company.

8. Buy in Bulk

Most packaging suppliers typically offer volume discounts for bulk purchases. If you can accurately estimate your packaging supply usage over the next several months, you should strongly consider buying in bulk. While it may cost you more upfront, you will find significant savings over a long period of time. Another strategy is to increase purchase volume by buying related items. Packaging supplies such as packing tape, tape dispensers, tube caps, cushioning material, etc. are usually offered as well which can help boost your purchase volume for a bulk discount.

9. Invest in a Label Printer

Many businesses are still using a standard inkjet printer to print their shipping labels. While this may not seem like a big deal, inkjet printers are quite costly in paper and ink usage. Further, it takes quite a while to print large volumes using an inkjet printer. Depending on the size of your business, you could be not just spending a considerable amount of money on labels but time as well. A label printer while typically more expensive than an inkjet printer is much more suited for label printing. For one, the paper is the right size so there is no paper wastage. It works fast and the cost per label is extremely cheap, costing anywhere from 1 to 3 cents per label. Over a period of time, you’ll find yourself saving money and time on your investment.

10. Customization

It’s important for any business to have its brand recognized on its packaging. This can be done in various ways. Depending on the size of your business, there are various ways that range from cheap to more expensive. The expensive and most well-known method is custom-printed boxes. These are usually the best way to have your brand associated with your products and should be your go-to method if you want to associate your business with professionally made products. An alternative is custom printed stickers which while not as professional as custom-printed boxes, are cheaper and great if you are a small-time business that doesn’t need custom-printed boxes but would like some level of customization. Lastly, the cheapest method is usually including a custom business card in your boxes. While a business card doesn’t help with brand recognition, it can help you get repeat future orders with a low initial investment.

box and tape gun -DepositPhotos

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source https://tweakyourbiz.com/business/e-commerce/packaging-supplies

The Future of Cybersecurity Is SIEM: 4 Signs It’s Time to Invest

If there’s one safe bet in data security, it’s this: The more connected our world becomes, the more cyberthreats we’ll face.

Either heed that trend, or fall victim to it. Whether your company has been breached before or not, the best way to level-up its cybersecurity is to invest in an SIEM service.

What is SIEM?

SIEM stands for “security incident and event management.” SIEM software pulls data from event logs and analyzes it for potential abnormalities or threats. It creates a central hub from which you can monitor alerts and take action against breach attempts. 

SIEM technology can be deployed on premises, or you can co-manage a SIEM platform from the cloud with a company like StratoZen. There are pros and cons to each approach, but the main drawback to in-house SIEM software is that it requires a team of trained IT personnel. SIEM systems show what threats need attention but not how to respond.

Once an SIEM system flags suspicious activity, it’s up to you. You can either employ a team of data security experts — whose annual salaries can easily run into the six figures — or use an automated approach known as “SOAR security.” SOAR, which stands for “security orchestration, automation, and response,” can shut down certain threats before they get a foothold. 

To be clear, SOAR is not a hands-off solution. Many actions can be automated; others will need a human to initiate them. In most cases, however, that takes one or two people, not an entire team — as is required by manual case management and security protocols. 

Whether you go with SOAR or an all-human approach to incident response, SIEM technology gives you the top-down view that today’s cybersecurity environment requires. 

When SIEM makes sense

Is it time to invest in SIEM technology? If you see any of these four signs, don’t hesitate:

1. Your business stores sensitive data.

Whether your organization stores sensitive information on-site or in the cloud, you need to know if it’s accessed suspiciously. Without SIEM technology, experienced cybercriminals can get in and get out without being noticed. 

The trouble is, many small- to medium-sized companies believe, incorrectly, that they don’t have any information worth stealing. When most people think of “sensitive information,” they think of credit card numbers, passwords, email addresses, medical records, and financial information. While these things are worth safeguarding, they’re not the only data hackers might be after.

Just this month, Intel became the latest victim of a breach resulting in intellectual property theft. Hackers made off with 20 GB of data, including firmware code and debugging tools. Last month, two Chinese nationals were indicted for hacking hundreds of companies and attempting to steal COVID-19 vaccine research.

These days, startups store intellectual property that’s every bit as valuable as major companies. Imagine what the consequences would be if every trade secret and internal document your company has developed was suddenly dumped on the web. This might be reason enough to invest in an SIEM service.

2. Your business deals with complicated compliance standards.

The financial services industry, the medical community, and any business that handles customers’ credit cards are subject to special compliance standards. HIPAA, the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act, and the Payment Card Industry Security Standard all add complications to the already complex world of data security.

According to a recent report on payment card data breaches, none of the companies that have had a breach since 2008 was in full compliance with PCI DSS at the time. In fact, only one in five American companies were completely compliant with PCI DSS last year. 

Slipping into noncompliance is as easy as leaving a database unencrypted. An SIEM service can help you fix vulnerabilities before a breach attempt is successful. 

3. You don’t have (and can’t afford) a dedicated security team. 

Having a good SIEM security tool but no one to monitor it is like having a home security system with no law enforcement around. Although some sophisticated SIEM solutions can recommend follow-up steps, no software is ever going to replace expert human analysis.

Seventy-two percent of organizations cite inadequate staffing or a lack of staff expertise as a barrier to fully utilizing their SIEM software. Many organizations simply don’t understand the investment required to set up SIEM software on-site or anticipate the challenge of finding qualified people to manage it.

To deploy SIEM software in-house, you must first prepare the infrastructure, such as servers, that will house the software. Then you have to manage the event logs, implement access restrictions, and of course, train your IT team. Add it all up, and most companies simply don’t have the budget or bandwidth to do it themselves. 

4. You don’t have a plan to respond quickly to threats. 

From an attacker’s first action to compromise, a successful data breach takes only minutes. Unfortunately, breaches often go undiscovered for months. On average, it takes 280 days to identify and contain a breach, in which time the organization may spend millions on remediation.

Reducing the lifecycle of a breach can dramatically cut its costs. But stunningly, only 36% of employees involved in data-breach response plans for their organizations say they are equipped to respond to a hack.

When it comes to detecting and stopping a breach, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. According to a 2020 IBM report, organizations with fully deployed security automation solutions were able to cut the dwell time of a breach down by 74 days. Companies with a battle-tested incident response plan and team in place dropped the cost of a breach by an average of $2 million. Having a SIEM and SOAR system in place can quite literally save seven figures.

Cybersecurity can be intimidating, especially for non-technical business leaders. But don’t let that stop you from taking action. If any of these factors ring true for your company, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Pulling the trigger on SIEM services now could make all the difference if your company becomes a target. 

The post The Future of Cybersecurity Is SIEM: 4 Signs It’s Time to Invest appeared first on Tweak Your Biz.

source https://tweakyourbiz.com/technology/siem-4-cybersecurity

10 Winning SEO Practices for Business Websites

Did you know:

People use Google to perform over 3.5 billion searches every day?

According to HubSpot, 80 percent of a business’s website’s traffic starts with a search query. In the U.S. alone, 78 percent of people research services and products on the web before buying.

And with millions of websites competing for user’s attention, how will you stand out?

Winning SEO Practices!

By implementing excellent website SEO, your website has a better chance to rank in the first pages of Google search results. This equates to more visibility, more traffic, more conversions, and more revenue.

But why the first page?

Well, 75 percent of users do not bother to click past the first page.

And the first three organic results get 60 percent of all traffic from a web search. Plus, leads coming from an organic search have a 14.6 percent close rate, compared to the 1.7 percent from channels like direct mail advertising or print.

Both B2C and B2B marketers want more search leads since they carry at least 8.5 times higher chance of conversion than the outbound leads.

Thus, businesses will need to take their SEO practices seriously if they want to navigate the competitive digital world.

10 SEO Practices To Drive Traffic For Business Websites

 

1. Target Local Searcher

Fact:

It could be:

• Local shops
• Addresses
• Contact info
• Opening hours

So, if you have a physical business store, you simply can’t neglect local SEO and listings. Here’s what you need to do:

• Double-Check Directory Listings

Bigger search engines rely on these directory listings like Google My Business, Moz Local, and Bright Local. These directory listing services fill any information gaps in their own database while also cross-checking info to make sure to display up-to-date facts.

• Optimize Local Landing Pages

To reach the shortlist of SERPs is to actively target keywords on your website with a local landing page.

Take a look at this:

 

Notice how they are all local landing pages for the Orlando area, instead of a general AC repair service page or a homepage. By building and optimizing landing pages, you can start targeting local searchers who are ready to visit your physical store.

• Local Search Technical SEO

To further optimize local search, you need to carry out technical SEO. You can do so by utilizing schema as well as JSON injection via Google Tag Manager. This results in higher visibility and CTR without having to spend effort and time in coding.

2. Use Social Signals

Social platforms are an integral part of any SEO strategy for a business website. Thus, you have got to focus on building and increasing your social signals.

And while social signals are not a factor of Google’s ranking algorithm, it still has an impact on your rankings.

Several case studies revealed the impact of social likes, shares, pins, and tweets on rankings.

Shrushti’s rankings improved from page 400 to 1 because of social media. Moz, on the other hand, started to rank on Google for the “Beginner’s Guide” keyword after Smashing Magazine tweeted the guide.

 

So, how do you get more social signals?

• Get more shares by hosting contests on social media
• Create relevant and share-worthy content across your social media pages
• Ask users to share
• Link and mention social media influencers
• Add share buttons to posts

3. Design for Mobile

Statistics say that 81 percent of Americans own a smartphone.

 

The majority of searches and half of all online purchases take place on mobile.

More importantly, Google has gone mobile-first. In March 2020, Google announced that it would primarily use the mobile smartphone user-agent to crawl websites.

This means that the mobile version of your website will be indexed and crawled ahead of the desktop version if the desktop version gets crawled at all.

Thus, any new website you build should prioritize the mobile experience. How it performs and appears on a desktop is still important; however, mobile should be your first priority. Fortunately, if you are using the WordPress website design you can rest assured that your website is responsive enough and works for mobile, too.

4. Eliminate Anything That Slows Down Your Website

Page loading speed is a critical factor in website SEO.

A slow page can be quite annoying and ultimately discourage users, causing them to click on the back button.

In fact, data shows that:

 

In addition, Neil Patel revealed that 40 percent of people abandon a site that takes over 3 seconds to load.

Why?

Well, potential buyers think that a slow website is an untrustworthy website.

So, how do you speed up your site’s loading time?

Get rid of the non-essential elements slowing down your website. For WordPress users, you can deactivate plugins that you might have installed and activated, but that isn’t actually needed. Lastly, you can declutter your sidebar and place only the essential widgets.

5. Write For Humans First, Search Engines Next

If you are still using the old SEO practice of using keywords without offering valuable and engaging content to drive search results, then you need to stop it right now.

Do not prioritize search engines over the actual people reading your blog just because you want to rank higher.

Search spiders are just scripts. And they will not engage with you on social media, buy your products and services, and they definitely won’t become a loyal customer of yours.

Instead, you need to write for users; for humans who have eyes to read and the credit cards to buy your products or hire your services.

But how do you prioritize people over search engines?

Forget that search engines exist when writing. You need to create content that is actually valuable and helpful to someone.

Why?

 

 

And that’s not where it ends. When you put humans first, you will write valuable content that search engines love and reward.

Search engines follow users and not the other way around. Search engines serve their users and want content that serves them well.

6. Optimize for Voice Search

A report revealed that 24 percent of people over 18 years of age own at least one smart speaker. That’s about 60 million people.

In addition:

So, it is safe to say that voice search is one of the winning SEO practices you should be implementing.

The question now is how to optimize for voice search?

• Restructure and re-imagine your content
• Optimize for rich answers
• Target the long-tail keyword phrases
• Use conversational language
• Optimize local SEO

7. Write Longer

Google prefers content-rich sites. The graph below shows that the top 10 search results usually have over 2,000 words.

 

In addition, Backlinko saw a correlation between backlinks and word count. They concluded that the longer contents are more likely to accumulate backlinks. This translates to more traffic with better rankings.

Some of the popular types of long-form content are tutorials, ultimate guides, case studies, how-to guides, and more.

Now, in terms of creating a long-form blog post, you can either spend a whole day whipping up original content or refresh your old content.

The latter is an easier and hassle-free way to do it. You can just expand an existing blog post from 1,000 to 2,000 words in just a few hours.

In addition, existing content already has authority with an established readership, so it is much simpler to boost its performance in search results. 

8. Establish a Distinct Backlink Portfolio

Links are another winning SEO practice. But not just any link will do. You’ll need high-quality links. Spammy links can hurt your website.

With that in mind, Backlinko stated that links from older domains are perceived to possess more value than the newer sites, and links from low DA are unlikely to possess much value at all.

Meanwhile, links from outreach, high-quality content, and influencer marketing are extremely effective and safe.

So, why do you need backlinks?

• A vote of confidence
• Boosts credibility and trustworthiness
• Helps drives traffic
• Builds authority
• Improves ranking

So, how do you build a clean backlink portfolio?

• Submitting to directories
• Obtain local link in Bing Local, Yahoo Local, and Google Local listings
• Linking from related blogs
• Social linking

Also, when promoting your content, consider targeting the smaller sites, too. They are usually more responsive than the larger sites and are niche-specific, too. 

9. Try YouTube SEO

Fact:

 

Not only that, but YouTube is also the second-largest search engine, after Google. In fact, videos, especially from YouTube, are common in SERPs. 

 

Unfortunately, most people implementing an SEO strategy for websites tend to forget about YouTube and only think about Google and other search engines.

So, how do you get into YouTube SEO?

• Create SEO-Friendly Videos

Like Google spiders, YouTube’s algorithm collects and uses information about videos. The title, filename, and descriptions of the uploaded content will affect your ranking in YouTube search results.

• Create Customized Thumbnails

Search engines usually use CTR as a ranking factor. And if people are searching for a specific term, and clicking on your site. As a result, then you must be providing them something valuable. To do so on YouTube, you will need to optimize your video with an attractive thumbnail.

Don’t just use the YouTube screenshots of the video. Instead, create a customized thumbnail featuring a compelling image complete with a title card.

Here are some examples:

• Create a Playlist

Creating a playlist and breaking down a story or subject into a series of videos can encourage users to stay on your channel for longer and interact with more content.

YouTube’s algorithm will pick this increased duration of interaction and reward you by positioning your videos higher in search results and recommending them more often.

10. Measure SEO Performance

Lastly, analytics and reporting are two critical elements of any winning SEO practice. Both are indispensable in improving your overall SEO strategies.

And effective reporting means that you need to understand these questions:

• Which part of the site had the most UX issues
• Which SEO adjustments resulted in the higher or lower rankings?
• What content appealed to your users and customers?
• Which pages were the most (or least) visited, and why?
• Which keywords should you focus on more and which to eliminate?
• Which keywords should you focus on more and which to eliminate?

It can be tricky to understand how your SEO strategies are faring without regular monitoring and analyzing your results.

Conclusion

SEO is continuously evolving. Thus, marketers and business owners need to adapt to keep up with this rapid shifting.

There is a lot to consider. However, don’t feel that you need to become the top SEO expert in the world overnight. But you will need to make an effort to fully understand SEO basics and implement the above winning SEO practices.  By doing so, you’ll find that you can slowly and steadily make your way to the first page of search results.

DepositPhotos – business seo

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source https://tweakyourbiz.com/marketing/seo/business-websites

7 Crucial Steps To Take When Looking for a Business Loan

If you are searching for the best business financing option, below are some essential steps worth following to ensure you make the right decisions.

How Much Do You Need?

Firstly, you should figure out the amount you need to borrow. Never answer the lender’s question of “How much money do you want to borrow” by saying “Any amount you can offer!” Lenders should see you thought through your financial needs and objects to determine the much you need. Have a plan that states how you will utilize the money wisely. Run the numbers to know the exact costs for your business, whether your goal is to purchase new machinery or open a second location. Moreover, calculate the repayments for the loan and figure out how it will affect your budget going forward.

What Type Of Loan Best Fits Your Business Needs?

After determining the amount to borrow, you then will look for a type of loan that suits the financial purpose. The most common business loans to consider are:

• Bank loans: They are installment loans with fixed monthly repayments. You can get them as long-term or short-term. Short-term bank loans have a tenure of about 6 – 24 months while the long-term have 3 years or more. Either can be borrowed as secured or unsecured loans, although the former offers lower interests than the latter.
• SBA guaranteed loans:   While you can get loans from the SBA, a government agency that offers financial help to small businesses, it does not make the loans. Instead, it has partnered with various lenders, nonprofit organizations, banks, and credit unions to guarantee a portion of the loan. As such, lenders are more willing to take the risk when financing borrowers.
• Microloans: If you are looking for a smaller amount that what banks can provide, consider approaching a microlender who deals mostly with small loans, preferably an SBA-guaranteed microlender. You might get loans of up to $50,000. Conversely, you can reach out to nonprofit organizations that work with disadvantaged businesses and business owners with goals that align with the organization’s mission.
• Equipment loans: If you need money to grow your machinery and equipment inventory, then go for an equipment loan that lets you use your machines and equipment as collateral. It works the same way as a car loan, having fixed monthly repayments. You can get this type of loan from specialized lenders, banks, or directly from some equipment/machinery manufacturers.
• Business line of credit: It is not that different from a home equity line of credit in which you can borrow up to a set credit limit. You will have the opportunity to borrow again once you start repaying the loan up to a certain amount. The business line of credit will be helpful if your customers are taking longer to pay you, ensuring that you do not run out of the capital as you wait for the payments.
• Accounts receivable financing: It is a type of loan that will accept your company’s receivables as collateral. It is a loan type also known as invoice financing. The creditor will advance you the amount you need based on your outstanding invoices. With the accounts receivable financing, you will have the money you need without waiting for payments from your customers. And once you get the pay, you will pass the remaining percentage of the loan less the set fees and interest.

Singapore financial experts 1AP Capital advise that you remember to weight your choices to determine the criteria the creditor uses when assessing your loan application and qualification. For instance, a bank loan might require three-year business tax returns yet your company might have been operating for less than a year. As a result, you are forced to look elsewhere.

Check Your Credit Scores

When checking your credit score, you will to types to deal with: business and personal. If your business is still starting, you will not have a substantial credit history. For a sole proprietor, the lender will focus on your personal credit score. But if you have been in business for a while, your credit score will not be a significant factor governing the loan decision.

Before you start the loan process, obtain a business credit report along with a personal credit report as you identify the financial troubles. Ensure your credit score is near-perfect when applying for a business loan. It will help boost your chances of qualifying to receive the money. Therefore, do not let your bad credit cause you to despair.

Put Together the Required Documents

After identifying where to apply for the loan, check with the creditor to know the paperwork and information you need when preparing the loan application. Banks tend to have very stringent requirements, asking borrowers for their business financial statements (balance sheet, cash flow statement, and income statement) along with other things such as the company’s bank statement, tax returns, financial projections, licenses, and leases. The banks might also ask for a written business plan. Other lenders may not request borrowers to submit as much documentation when applying for the loan. Nevertheless, you should prepare adequately and make sure you can provide whatever information lender requests.

Assess Your Collateral’s Value

If you have collateral that you can put up, it will make things easier for you when borrowing money to finance your business. It also helps you get better terms. The collateral can include machinery, vehicles, accounts receivable, real estate, and inventory.

If your company has no collateral, you can rely on personal assets which can include your home, valuables like art pieces and jewelry, savings or retirement accounts, and vehicles. However, exercise caution when pledging personal collateral. Avoid risking items that you are not ready to lose.

Shop for the Best Business Loan Terms

The business bank is an ideal place to start if you are already in business, but do not stop there. Shop around; check other viable lenders to compare their credit terms. Some of the crucial elements worth considering include how fast the loan will go through, the APR (Annual Percentage Rate), penalties, and the loan’s terms and conditions. Also, consider the loan’s total cost, ensuring the monthly payments are within your budget.

Submit Your Loan Application

The loan’s approval might take weeks or months depending on the lender. Avoid waiting until the last minute to prepare and send your application. As the creditor about the required documents, you should prepare to avoid sending incomplete information. any missing paperwork can delay your loan’s approval. Therefore, review the application before submitting it.

DepositPhotos – business loans

The post 7 Crucial Steps To Take When Looking for a Business Loan appeared first on Tweak Your Biz.

source https://tweakyourbiz.com/business/funding/exploring-loans

What Is the Future of Digital Corporate Banking?

Introduction

The technological disruptions in the past decade have nudged several business sectors to carefully assess their business processes and reevaluate their priorities. Admittedly, the banking sector lethargically hopped on this bandwagon.

Although the banking sector slowly adapted technological advancements, it has tremendously benefited from technological innovation. Digital corporate banking witnessed its first tech overhaul with analytics, data, and social platforms. This digital-first strategy is ushering the banking sector into a new era of digital transformation in banking.

Nonfinancial, tech-savvy businesses pioneered the past decade of digital innovation. This altered the business landscape across industries and also changed customer expectations drastically. Complete banking transformation is a must for the banks to eliminate barriers to growth, stay relevant, and become future-ready.

Corporate banking challenges are still in their nascent stage. If the banking sector can accelerate the pace at which future banking technology is embraced, it will have a better chance to thrive and remain profitable for the foreseeable future.

What is Digital Corporate Banking?

Digital corporate banking refers to a specific segment of the banking sector that provides financial and banking services to corporate clients via digital channels. This includes corporate account management and maintenance, digital cash management, transaction management, account onboarding, account setup, and other essential corporate banking features.

From a commercial banking perspective, digital corporate banking has several advantages; some of the most prominent benefits are seamless customer experience, faster customer acquisition, expedited service delivery, and a reduction in operation costs.

Corporate banking is very different from consumer banking; corporate clients are restless and if their requirements are not met, they have no reason to remain loyal. Performance and agility are the two important factors that corporate clients look for in their commercial banking partners. Financial management of huge corporations is a challenging endeavor. Corporate clients want to partner with banks that can help navigate the complex financial ecosystem with the help of digitally-enabled corporate banking solutions.

Banks that are short-sighted with reactionary measures as their primary strategy will continue to lose out on this opportunity. However, banks that are equipped to address this need will always be viewed in a favorable light by corporations.

Now that we have understood the need and importance of digital corporate banking, let’s learn more about what the future of digital corporate banking entails.

The Future of Digital Corporate Banking

Digital transformation in financial services will define the next decade (and beyond) of the commercial banking ecosystem. A few key technologies will facilitate this inevitable banking transformation. This section gives you a brief overview of what they are.

3 Key Technologies for Digital Transformation in Banking

Artificial Intelligence

In order to map accurate customer journeys and offer a rich customer experience across multiple touchpoints, banks will rely on the capabilities of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence (AI) combines the power of advanced data and analytics; this combination offers key insights for better decision making. AI allows banks to combat fraudulent transactions and improve compliance. This will boost customer sentiment and increase trust.

Additionally, with the help of predictive analytics, banks can understand future scenarios and customer behavioral patterns by analyzing past behavior. Armed with this information banks can customize financial products and services and deliver a wholesome customer experience. By delivering personalized services banks can build strong relationships with customers. This will significantly improve customer engagement in banking, resulting in overall business gains.

Blockchain

One of the most transformative technologies to enter the banking space is blockchain. A technology that was initially developed for tracking Bitcoin transactions has now gained global prominence. Blockchain offers high-security and low-cost capabilities for cross border payments and other financial transactions. For this reason, blockchain will be one of the vital corporate banking trends in the coming years.

Because of the way the banking infrastructure was built, an average transaction takes up to three days to get clearance and settlement approval; one of the biggest advantages of blockchain is its method of verifying and tracking transactions. Blockchain enables banks and it’s partners to process transactions without the need for third-party verification or a central bank.

This provides a reliable alternative to the current method that needs to go through several intermediaries. Along with decentralizing trust blockchain offers other benefits such as enhanced security, decreased costs, and improved efficiency. Therefore, banks that design corporate banking products that integrate blockchain into their processes will have an unmatched advantage over their competition.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Robotic process automation is nothing but the use of software tools, commonly known as bots, that are programmed to complete repetitive and labor-intensive manual tasks. It is estimated that RPA can reduce manual efforts by 65% and dramatically increase efficiency for all corporate banking functions.

Tasks such as sending emails, filling forms, opening applications, client documentation can be completely automated with RPA infrastructure in place. For instance, RPA can check a client’s loan eligibility in just a few automated steps. A process that requires a bank employee to manually check every step is replaced by a software tool that can finish this task under 10 minutes.

RPA is easy to customize and extremely fast to implement. Robots can also work 25/7 and 365 days per year. This boosts employee morale and allows them to focus on value-add services that require human interaction and complex decision making. Therefore, in the upcoming years, RPA will become an important part of corporate digital strategy.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is safe to reiterate that digital corporate banking is due for yet another overhaul that integrates advanced technologies in everyday banking practices.

The banking sector is trying to become a customer-centric industry focused on delivering financial services that cater to every single need of their clients. Technologies such as AI, Blockchain, and RPA are the upcoming corporate banking trends that can propel this agenda forward. They have the potential to democratize banking operations, encourage transparency, and rekindle the sentiment of trust.

digital banking concept -DepositPhotos

The post What Is the Future of Digital Corporate Banking? appeared first on Tweak Your Biz.

source https://tweakyourbiz.com/finance/business-finance/digital-banking-future

How Effective are Balance Transfer Cards?

Balance transfer cards can work great to help you pay off your credit card dues. This type of credit transaction will transfer credit card debt from one account to another. Suppose you have a high amount of credit card debt with a high rate of interest. In that case, you may potentially save a significant amount of money when you use the strategy. An example of this is the money you save by balance transfers to cards with an introductory offer of 0% interest. It lets you pay off your debt without paying interest.

What are the Pros and Cons of Balance Transfers?

You can always pay off your credit card debt in Australia through balance transfers. But it should be remembered that balance transfers are a mixed bag. This means paying off your credit card debt with them comes with some disadvantages besides its set of benefits. The benefits of balance transfer cards are as follows:

• It lets you save money by moving debt from accounts that charge a high-interest rate to an account that charges lower interests.
• It presents the convenience of not having to manage several separate credit card debt payments by yourself. You can pay all of them through your balance transfer card by combining your existing debts.
• There are usually attractive promotional offers that accompany balance transfer cards. Such offers often include a 0% introductory interest rate, as we mentioned above. You can use this to pay off your debt by the reduced interest amounts swiftly.

As with everything else, there are a few disadvantages to balance transfer cards as well. Some of them are:
• Typically, a balance transfer fee comes associated with the balance transfer. This amount is usually three to five percent of the debt amount you transfer to your new balance transfer card. So, it is crucial to calculate your savings beforehand.
• Remember, balance transfer cards come with the additional risk of making further purchases instead of paying off your debt. Such purchases might put you at financial risk!

It’s also important to know that the pros and cons vary from country to country and bank to bank. We recommend using a comparison service as a starting point. Here’s one for the US, this one’s for Canadians, and this is for Australians. The beauty of these sites is that you get a good idea of the credit card market straight away, then you can continue and do further research from that foundation if you wish to.

How Does a Balance Transfer Affect Credit Scores?

It is not uncommon to find people being wary of using balance transfer cards and save on interest payments due to apprehensions that such cards might negatively affect their credit scores. While this is indeed the short-term case for some instances of credit history but typically a balance transfer card is a great long term option. Having a balance transfer card affects your credit scores in several ways. These include:

• Upon application for a balance transfer card, usually, a hard inquiry of your credit report is requested. This results in a slight lowering of your credit score.
• A new card serves to reduce bank account average age. This too serves to negatively affect your credit scores.
• On the other hand, a new card expands your credit limit. This in turn lowers the utilization of credit which might work positive wonders for your credit score.
• You can choose to transfer several balances to your new card resulting in a reduction of balance accounts. This too gives a healthy boost to your credit scores.
Who Makes More Credit Card Purchases?
Though credit cards are almost the de-facto method of making purchases in the US, it wasn’t always so. The figures have boomed since the start of the 90s. It went from an annual $69 billion to $1.8 Trillion in 2006 as per the site demos.org. It is indeed true that the financially tough times caused some of the debt. Still, the fact remains that now we use credit cards to make small purchases of essential services and products.

The situation, however, is not the same everywhere. A Citibank poll found the Chinese to use credit cards for high-cost items like home-electronics. Australians use credit cards as a daily financial instrument, with half of the surveyed people using it for everyday necessities like utility bills. They make $7,889 worth of transactions, according to Euromonitor International.

Forrester Research reveals people in different regions prefer different modes of payment for the things they shop online too. Americans prefer credit cards, while the debit card is the tool of choice for French and British people. Germans fall back on online bank account transfers and even PayPal.

man holding credit card using tablet -DepositPhotos

The post How Effective are Balance Transfer Cards? appeared first on Tweak Your Biz.

source https://tweakyourbiz.com/growth/personal-growth/balance-transfer-card

Some Ways to Help Your Business Avoid a Lawsuit

Having and running your own business can be extremely challenging at times, but the upside is that it can also be very profitable. In the past, the fruit of your labors went to your boss, and all you received was a meager salary every week. That has all been turned on its head now, and you are the sole person who will benefit the most from a successful business. This is why you need to do everything that you can to protect what is yours, and to reduce your liabilities. No business owner wants to be involved in a lawsuit with a wholesaler, competitor, or customer, and so it is essential that they hire themselves a professional, that understands the intricacies of business law, and general law.

It is your business lawyer’s job to make sure that you are not contacted by compensation lawyers on behalf of your customers, because you have failed to meet the terms of a contract, or maybe a customer has been hurt while shopping on your premises. A lawsuit can be incredibly time consuming, expensive, and this can really drive your emotions to the edge. There is a culture of going to lawyers now, that was never prominent in the past, and so as a business owner, you need to take steps to protect yourself from the expenses that might come, from an unfavorable decision in a court of law. The following are some of the ways that your business can avoid a lawsuit.

• Separate yourself from liability – If you operate as a sole trader, then you are leaving yourself open to liability when it comes to a judgment against your business. Your personal property, including your home, your back accounts, and any other assets that you might have, will be open to recovery in the event that you receive an unfavorable decision in the law courts. The best thing that you can do is to incorporate your business, and try to separate yourself from these liabilities. This way, if you do get sued, they can only take the assets that are associated with your business. A good business lawyer can help you to minimize liability, plus they can assist you with business formation and tax strategies, and ensure that you have adequate insurance to cover every eventuality. As a business owner, it is your responsibility to minimize risk and taking out specific insurance policies helps to protect your business from compensation claims.
• Staff Training – If your employees receive the right training, this will minimize the risk of accidents, indeed, many companies hire manual handling experts to put together a course to teach staff correct manual handling techniques that prevent back and neck injuries. If you would like to learn more about manual handling training, a Google search will put you in touch with a provider and they would be happy to visit your business premises and carry out an inspection to see exactly what your workers do. This allows them to create a short training session when they can demonstrate correct manual handling techniques, and the session would take half a day and would include all relevant employees.
• Get the relevant insurance – You need to talk to your local insurance company to set up a policy that will help you to meet your legal fees and other liability costs, in the event of a loss in court. There are a wide number of liability policies currently available, and so you need to take your time and consider which is the right insurance policy for you. Many businesses across Australia take out liability insurance that helps protect them in the event that an employee decides to file a lawsuit, due to getting hurt while doing their job. You can also get insurance policies that protect you in the event that a mistake is made during a contract, and so you need to talk to an insurance broker to figure out which policy is best for you. You will need public liability insurance of at least a few million dollars, which would cover most things, and if you are employing staff, you will also need employer’s liability insurance, plus your business premises, stock, vehicles and other assets should all be insured.

The above are a few of examples of the many things that you can do to protect yourself. Others include the need to draft legal contracts that protect your interests. The addition of company policies and procedures with regard to the workplace, is something else that you really need to consider, and hiring a good business lawyer is the best way to move forward in regard to protecting your business. A Google search will put you in touch with an established business lawyer who can help  to protect your business, and they would offer you a free initial consultation, when the expert can show you a range of business protection solutions.

The post Some Ways to Help Your Business Avoid a Lawsuit appeared first on Tweak Your Biz.

source https://tweakyourbiz.com/global/legal/avoid-a-lawsuit

How to Trademark a Phrase: Everything Businesses Need to Know

Consider the Adidas company’s phrase, “Impossible is Nothing.” How does it make you feel? Would you spend $200 on a Basketball Shoe that is marketed under this slogan? Do you believe somewhere in the back of your mind that you will be more athletic when wearing these shoes? Well, the Adidas company thinks the answer to all of these questions is a resounding, yes. Human psychology dictates that consumers connect on a deeply emotional level with meaningful and powerful messaging.  Pick the right phrase to market your product, and you will crush the competition. Of course, once you select your phrase, you must protect it and shield it from appropriation by competitors. How? By registering a trademark.

What Is a Trademark?

A trademark, at its core, is simply a symbol that is paired with a product or service. It is a branding device, such as a name, logo, or phrase that, when used alongside the sale of a good or service, enables a consumer to understand the source-company that is selling the goods/service.  The trademark imbues a particular set of beliefs and conceptions about the product merely because the trademark is attached to it. For example, when a consumer in the market for watches sees the iconic Breitling symbol on the face of the watch, he/she is likely to think that the watch is a quality product and, therefore, worthy of the steep price. 

A name or logo only becomes a trademark, in the legal sense, when it is used in conjunction with the sale of a good/service and obtains federal rights when those sales are made across state lines. Thus, to accrue federal protection, a boutique watch company in New York using the phrase, “We Keep You Punctual” must sell watches to consumers outside of the State of New York.  Obtaining federal trademark rights through trademark registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) would, in this case, prevent any other watchmaker from marketing their watches under the phrase, “We Keep You Punctual” throughout the United States.

Step 1: Conduct a Trademark Search

A trademark’s eligibility for registration with the USPTO is a function of its “distinctiveness” and the existence of existing trademarks that are already in use for the same goods/services.  , the more “distinct” the prospective trademark is given the goods/services sold under the banner of the trademark, the more likely it is to obtain trademark protection. In contrast, the less “distinct,” the less eligible it is for protection. For example, the phrase “We Keep You Punctual” for the watch category is quite distinct, while “TIMEKEEPER” for the watch category is not distinct.

Once you determine that the trademark is in theory distinct enough for registration, the applicant must examine the pending and registered trademarks in the USPTO to ascertain whether an identical trademark or sufficiently similar trademark, for the same set of goods, already exists. If no such mark exists, you are ready to proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Determine Ownership of the Trademark

When submitting a trademark application with the USPTO, you need to instruct the Office who the actual owner of the mark will be. You will find that you can choose from one of several options, including but not limited to, Individuals, Corporations, Foreign Citizens, LLCs, Partnerships, Trusts,  Estates, and Joint Ventures.

The trademark owner should be the one who directly controls the mark, or who sells the products or services and licenses them to others.  If you have co-founded a company with multiple partners, it is wise to register the trademark under the auspices of an LLC or Corporation rather than assign the trademark rights to anyone individual owner.

Of course, please make sure that your business’s entity is active before you apply for a trademark and that the person or entity listed on the TM application as the owner, must be the rightful owner. Otherwise, you could face some serious legal issues down the road.  

Step 3:  Trademark Goods and Classes

When registering your phrase for trademark protection with the USPTO, you must assign the specific goods/services, which are to be covered under the phrase AND the “Class” most appropriate to house these goods/services.  You may choose from 45 classes of products and services. For example, if you are selling watches, your trademarked Goods would go under class 014. Maybe you fix watches as well. If you are in the businesses of providing transport services exclusively for high-end watch companies, you will select CL 039.  The key to understanding here is that the trademark class must correspond precisely with the goods/services sold under the trademark.

Step 4: Select the “Basis” for the Trademark and Submit the Government Filing Fees

As this article has hopefully made clear already, a phrase cannot transcend into a full-fledged trademark until it is actually used in interstate commerce. However, the astute reader might very justifiably wonder, what if I want to protect my trademark before making any sales?  Well, for this reason, the USPTO allows the trademark applicant to apply either under a 1(a) designation, suggesting that the trademark is already in use OR a 1(b) designation, asserting that the applicant intends to use the mark in commerce at a later date.  The USPTO charges a flat fee of $225 or $275 per class of goods upon applying regardless of whether or not the TM is filed under a 1(a) or a 1(b) but if it is filed as a 1(b), the applicant will have to pay an additional $100/Class at a later date.

Step 5: Wait for an Update From the USPTO

Of course, conducting a thorough TM search and filling out your trademark application’s phrase correctly is absolutely critical. If the USPTO finds any issues with the trademark application, you will receive an Office Action detailing the defects with the trademark application and what, if anything, can be done to fix it.  Assuming that you have already used your mark in interstate commerce and have filed under a 1(a), expect to hear from the USPTO in about six months with a publication date for the trademark to post to the Official Gazette and ultimately a Registration Certificate.  If you filed under a 1(b), Intent to use Application, the timeline will vary a bit, and you can likely expect to receive your trademark closer to a year from the time it is submitted.

Making Phrases Work for You

Remember, ultimately, the purpose of a phrase is to cultivate a feeling in the consumer when observing the chosen expression.  The extent to which you can achieve this subtle emotional transformation in the consumer will dictate your success. So, ask yourself, how do you want your target customer to feel when viewing your phrase? Powerful? Sad? Empathetic? Invigorated? Choose wisely.

DepositPhotos – trademark law

The post How to Trademark a Phrase: Everything Businesses Need to Know appeared first on Tweak Your Biz.

source https://tweakyourbiz.com/business/branding/trademarking-phrases