Digital Adoption – What You Need to Know and Where We Are Headed

Digital adoption is probably a term you’ve been hearing a lot about lately, but really aren’t sure what it is.

As the business world and pretty much everything around us continues to evolve in some digital technological way, it seems like the world and everything in it is talking with each other more and more. Whether it’s home devices connecting with personal devices, or enterprise businesses getting their employees and networking teams all on the same page with new software and task, it’s part of the digital adoption process.

In short, as explained by WalkMe, “digital adoption is defined as achieving a state in which digital tools are being used as intended, and to the fullest extent.”

However, as much as you might think you have a solid sequence of digital adoption in your business or everyday life, it’s likely not up to the standards of what the phrase really means. The truth is, unless people can actually use the technology they have in place (and as it was originally intended) with its full range of capabilities, it would be impossible to fully integrate it into an effective workflow.

At the same time, digital tools have a higher barrier to their productivity and innovation, which makes it tough to have a seamless digital transformation progress.

With all of this in mind, today we are going to highlight not only the importance of achieving digital adoption within your business, but also how it’s going to continue to play a major role in the coming months and years for enterprises.

Technological Advancement vs. Digital Adoption

When looking at how technological advancements have changed the way businesses and people connect in the world today, it seems to be changing daily. Not just through the means and power of the internet, but instead how it’s changing every single aspect of life and business as we know it.

Looking at some of the most popular and game changing technological trends anticipated through 2019, we’d be focusing on:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Machine Learning
• Chatbots
• Robotic Process Automation
• The Internet of Things

The common theme with each of these advancements, is that they are part of a useful tool, software or system that allows for faster data processing, connectivity, and getting work done.

However, without digital adoption in place, these game changing aspects could simply be looked at as just new tools and solutions that aren’t being used to their full potential.

A perfect example of this can be seen with chatbots, which are already a huge focus for many brands and businesses in the world today. Vistage has a great resource on many of the top technological advancements that are changing the business world in 2019, and had the following stats to share on chatbot usage as well.

• 85 percent of transactions will be possible without the use of a human being by 2020.
• 69 percent of consumers cite speed as their criteria in assessing satisfaction in a customer service transaction.

They also had the following nugget on The Internet of Things as well:

IoT devices will be in 300 million homes worldwide by 2020. About 85 percent of companies are expected to imbed IoT in their solutions to drive efficiencies and personalize experiences. Companies are starting to unlock the value of devices and data, from grocery lists to television viewing. Moving into 2019-2020, the emphasis will shift from selling 1.0 devices toward examining data in real time.

But again, as we reflect to digital adoption, without the necessary solution in place, these are all just new features and tools to play with. Time and time again we are seeing billions of dollars being spent on flashy new tools and devices for enterprise resource planning, only to see numerous failures and lowered business projections afterwards. (below image source)

Often, an inefficient implementation process acts as the main reason why business fail to adopt new technological tools. For digital adoption to fully take place, it’s not about picking the right system or platform, it’s also about making sure everyone is on the same page and willing to make the transition.

Where the Demand and Desire for Digital Adoption is Lacking

Just like anything in life, one needs to walk through a process and learn how to do something before becoming an expert at it.

Take mobile devices for instance. You could use them to send text messages and call the contacts on your phone, but you could also use the same device to boost productivity in countless tasks you’re doing on a day-to-day basis.

The same is true for businesses of all sizes. Whether it’s a small mom and pop or a Fortune 500 company, they likely are using (and paying) for a wide range of tools and solutions to power their business, but are only using them for a mere fraction of what they can actually accomplish. The same advanced technological abilities that are neglected do not only act as an oversight, but a nuisance as well. 

This means there is a huge demand for digital adoption across both areas, but most people and business owners aren’t willing to put in the time, work, and effort to see what’s possible.

This is where automation and a digital adoption platform comes into play.

In a recent article on this exact topic, WalkMe has the following to share:

A WalkMe study of 117 customers and more than 117,240 end users of HCM and CRM systems found that the ideal length of a business process is under 70 seconds. It also found that when employees don’t need to complete more than five steps, there is a 70% success rate by users.

On the other hand, if employees need to complete more than five steps, it’s likely they will drop off before finishing the process. The implications range from diminished business performance to employee frustration and diminished morale.

Using business process automation helps to reduce the length of business processes and delivers a range of other benefits from increased productivity to transparency.

By this we can see that there is a huge demand and need for digital adoption in many forms, but the process needs to be quick and effective in order for the end user to experience the implementation process successfully.

Ultimately, the lack of digital adoption that we are seeing in the industry today is as a result of these complications and the drop off from businesses, employees, and IT staff who don’t oversee the projects and tasks through to the end. However, when the time and effort is put into place to make sure digital adoption takes place, the result is magic.

The Future of Digital Adoption and Where We Are Headed

There is no doubt about it — digital adoption is here, and the individuals and businesses that take advantage of the huge opportunity in place are going to find themselves way ahead of the competition in nearly all facets. This is especially true for enterprise level businesses that would see exponential growth and scalability across their network of employees, co-workers and data driven results and operations.

However, keep in mind that it’s not just about businesses, but also how devices and technology is used in the world today. Just like how mobile device usage was mentioned earlier, digital adoption is something that should be focused on across all platforms and means in life. As a business owner or tech specialist, this is something that should always stick within your train of thought — as it’s not just about the task at hand, but how users (employees) can work with such solutions and advancements as well.

Now is the best time to start focusing on digital adoption in both life and business, and after reading through this quick resource guide and refresher you should have more focus and motivation than ever before.

 

 

Digital adoption is probably a term you’ve been hearing a lot about lately, but really aren’t sure what it is.

As the business world and pretty much everything around us continues to evolve in some digital technological way, it seems like the world and everything in it is talking with each other more and more. Whether it’s home devices connecting with personal devices, or enterprise businesses getting their employees and networking teams all on the same page with new software and task, it’s part of the digital adoption process.

In short, as explained by WalkMe, “digital adoption is defined as achieving a state in which digital tools are being used as intended, and to the fullest extent.”

However, as much as you might think you have a solid sequence of digital adoption in your business or everyday life, it’s likely not up to the standards of what the phrase really means. The truth is, unless people can actually use the technology they have in place (and as it was originally intended) with it’s full range of capabilities, it would be impossible to fully integrate it into an effective workflow.

At the same time, digital tools have a higher barrier to their productivity and innovation, which makes it tough to have a seamless digital transformation progress.
With all of this in mind, today we are going to highlight not only the importance of achieving digital adoption within your business, but also how it’s going to continue to play a major role in the coming months and years for enterprises.

Technological Advancement vs. Digital Adoption

When looking at how technological advancements have changed the way businesses and people connect in the world today, it seems to be changing daily. Not just through the means and power of the internet, but instead how it’s changing every single aspect of life and business as we know it.

Looking at some of the most popular and game changing technological trends anticipated through 2019, we’d be focusing on:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Machine Learning
• Chatbots
• Robotic Process Automation
• The Internet of Things

The common theme with each of these advancements, is that they are part of a useful tool, software or system that allows for faster data processing, connectivity, and getting work done.

However, without digital adoption in place, these five game changing aspects could simply be looked at as just new tools and solutions that aren’t being used to their full potential.

A perfect example of this can be seen with chatbots, which are already a huge focus for many brands and businesses in the world today. Vistage has a great resource on many of the top technological advancements that are changing the business world in 2019, and had the following stats to share on chatbot usage as well.

• 85 percent of transactions will be possible without the use of a human being by 2020.
• 69 percent of consumers cite speed as their criteria in assessing satisfaction in a customer service transaction. 

They also had the following nugget on The Internet of Things as well:

IoT devices will be in 300 million homes worldwide by 2020. About 85 percent of companies are expected to imbed IoT in their solutions to drive efficiencies and personalize experiences. Companies are starting to unlock the value of devices and data, from grocery lists to television viewing. Moving into 2019-2020, the emphasis will shift from selling 1.0 devices toward examining data in real time.

But again, as we reflect back to digital adoption, without the necessary solution in place, these are all just new features and tools to play with. Time and time again we are seeing billions of dollars being spent on flashy new tools and devices for enterprise resource planning, only to see numerous failures and lowered business projections afterwards. The end result here is better technology and a goal for improved productivity and performance, but ultimately such projects haven’t been completely followed through.

More often than not, the main cause of failure on the inability to adopt such methods and strategies into the business, was the actual implementation process. For digital adoption to fully take place, it’s not about picking the right system or platform, it’s also about making sure everyone is on the same page and willing to make the transition.

A three step plan for initiating this process can be broken down as simple as thing.

• Tip #1: Begin the project with user involvement
• Tip #2: Define project roles and ownership
• Tip #3: Embed “micro learning” into the user experience

With all of these components and metrics in mind, it’s important to try and create an effective digital strategy that can incorporate each of these methods and solutions into your business.

And even if you are able to accomplish that feat, your business needs to not only understand how to use such solutions to their fullest extent, but to also commit to learning how to execute and scale out such solutions over time.

Where The Demand and Desire for Digital Adoption is Lacking

Just like anything in life, one needs to walk through a process and learn how to do something before becoming an expert at it. The same holds true with digital adoption in both life and business.

A perfect example of this can be seen with mobile devices. Nearly everyone has a super computer in the palm of their hand, but most people are just using them to send text messages to each other, make a few phone calls and play a few apps. With such technology and power in your hands, imagine what is really possible.

The same is true for businesses of all sizes. Whether it’s a small mom and pop or a Fortune 500 company, they likely are using (and paying) for a wide range of tools and solutions to power their business, but are only using them for a mere fraction of what they can actually accomplish.

This means there is a huge demand for digital adoption across both areas, but the majority of people and business owners are willing to put in the time, work, and effort to see what’s possible.

This is where automation and a digital adoption system comes into play.

In a recent article on this exact topic, WalkMe has the following to share:

A WalkMe study of 117 customers and more than 117,240 end users of HCM and CRM systems found that the ideal length of a business process is under 70 seconds. It also found that when employees don’t need to complete more than five steps, there is a 70% success rate by users.

On the other hand, if employees need to complete more than five steps, it’s likely they will drop off before finishing the process. The implications range from diminished business performance to employee frustration and diminished morale.

Using business process automation helps to reduce the length of business processes and delivers a range of other benefits from increased productivity to transparency.

By this we can see that there is a huge demand and need for digital adoption in many forms, but the process needs to be quick and effective in order for the end user to implement such methods and find success.

Ultimately, the lack of digital adoption that we are seeing in the industry today, is as a result of these complications and the drop off from businesses, employees, and IT staff who don’t see the projects and tasks through to the end. However, when the time and effort is put into place to make sure such adoption can take place, the end result is magic.

The Future of Digital Adoption and Where We Are Headed

There is no doubt about it — digital adoption is here, and the individuals and businesses that take advantage of the huge opportunity in place are going to find themselves way ahead of the competition in nearly all facets. This is especially true for enterprise level businesses that would see exponential growth and scalability across their network of employees, co-workers and data driven results and operations.

However, keep in mind that it’s not just about businesses, but also how devices and technology is used in the world today. Just like how mobile device usage was mentioned earlier, digital adoption is something that should be focused on across all platforms and means in life. As a business owner or tech specialist, this is something that should stick within your train of thought at all times — as it’s not just about the task at hand, but how users (employees) can work with such solutions and advancements as well.

Right now is the best time to start focusing on digital adoption in both life and business, and after reading through this quick resource guide and refresher you should have more focus and motivation than ever before.

The post Digital Adoption – What You Need to Know and Where We Are Headed appeared first on Zac Johnson.

Latest SEO Trends, Tips and Discussions to Improve Rankings in 2019

SEO… no matter what year it is, what your business focus, or what industry you are in, it’s always going to be a discussion.

When someone types something into Google, they actually are in buying or engagement mode. It’s not like social media where everything is scattered and your ads just happen to appear to an audience while scrolling through their feed. Throw voice search and mobile usage into the mix, and rules are changing at even faster rates.

If someone searches for something on Google, they are looking for information, to be entertained, or to purchase something. This is why Google Ads has always worked so well — as it’s hard to find a more targeted audience and monetization opportunity.

Even with all of that in mind, SEO and how to effectively rank content and websites in Google is still changing all the time.

What’s New In SEO In 2019

To help in the never ending journey to rank your site content higher, let’s take a look at some of the recent trends and discussions in relation to SEO in 2019.

Should you be linking out to other websites from your own?

With so much focus on link juice and getting the domain and page authority of your site up, there is often a concern for when sites should link out to other sites — and if they should at all.

This was actually a topic of discussion during one of the latest #AskGoogleWebmasters video series (a new series from Google) and was also featured on SERoundTable. You can see the short video and answer below.

This obviously isn’t brain surgery, and there have been many tests by site owners to see if linking out to other sites actually helps with their own SEO or not. This can also be affected y whether such links are DO or NO follow.

In summary, (as provided by John Mueller’s answer):

I would watch out for a few types of links though. In particular if you’re linking out to a site because of an arrangement, like you linked to me and I’ll link to you. Or because it’s an advertisement or if it’s being done in your site’s comments and you’re not really sure how good those links are.

So the best answer here? Leave the outbound links to high-quality sites and only those you are referencing to back up a statement or to provide further value to your audience.

How does Google Rankings actually work?

This has been one of the most commonly asked questions over the past two decades ever since Google first came out onto the scene. However, only the most important and secret people at Google really know the answer — and to be accurate, it’s actually changing all of the time.

Search Engine Journal has a recent article on this, which highlights and mentions the following:

There are hundreds/thousands of ranking factors. Google doesn’t tell us what they are in detail (which, by the by, seems to me to be reasonable).

They do tell us that they group them: Topicality, Quality, PageSpeed, RankBrain, Entities, Structured Data, Freshness… and others.

From a site owner and content marketer perspective, most of us are only looking at SEO from much smaller variables — which is often content, keywords, and building backlinks.

Val Zamulin, founder of Seologist, recommends that every site owner take advantage of every once of information Google occasionally leaks in reference to how their algorithm works. During a recent interview, Val went on to state:

One of the best ways to continually compete in the world of SEO and getting an edge ahead of your competition, is to track the performance of your main site and inner pages within a heavy data excel or Google docs sheet. Such information contained within the report should include the basics of site rankings, keywords, and in/outbound links — but to also include updated reports and data on pagespeed, rankbrain and last updated post data as well. By having all of this information documented and outlined in front of you, it will make for a much improved SEO report and strategy for tracking results and performance over time.

Such methods are also outlined within the full article from SEJ, as they have several documents and sheets ranking Google Ranking Factors, the power and influence of rich elements, bid based bidding, and how to also factor in multi-device rankings.

At what point should a website start focusing on SEO?

This is a very similar question to one we often hear in the monetization and affiliate marketing space — which is when should you try and start making money with your site? The difference between this question, and the original SEO-focused one we pose above are two completely different topics and worlds apart.

For the sake of this article, we will focus just on the SEO question, but if you would like to learn more about web you should focus on site monetization, you can read up/listen on that here.

In reference to when you should start SEO for a website or blog, the answer is FROM DAY ONE — even if your site isn’t ready to launch yet.

This can best be summarized into the following elements and factors: (source)

• Creating an optimized Coming Soon page
• Optimizing for mobile users
• Increasing site speed
• Using long-tail keywords
• Creating an XML sitemap

If you are launching a WordPress site, this shouldn’t be hard to accomplish — as there are many free plugins that can help with this.

However, keep all of these elements in mind and try to improve the performance of your site to the MAX before officially going live with your site.

Making sure your site speed is fast as anything, that your site is already optimized for mobile and all devices, and also is already ranking in Google (even without any real content), are all ideal and a great way to give your site a mega boost when it’s first launched and ready to go.

SEO starts from day one… and never ends. This is something that every site owner needs to remember and keep working on for the life of their site.

SEO Today, Tomorrow… and Years To Come

SEO is changing all the time. It’s not just about content, keywords, and backlinks, but also adapting to the way Google ranks content and how audiences search for it.

With voice search and mobile now being used more than ever before, search phrases and keywords are no longer what they used to be. Forbes even went on to state “By 2020, 30% of all website sessions will be conducted without a screen.” — and that same article also went on to say “By January 2018, there was an average of one billion voice searches every month, proving that voice search is on the rise.”

With this information now in hand, does that change or effect your SEO and content marketing strategy in anyway? It likely does.

SEO is here to stay and will greatly influence the way individuals search and find content online. And while it might be here to stay, the way it works today likely won’t be the same way it works tomorrow.

The post Latest SEO Trends, Tips and Discussions to Improve Rankings in 2019 appeared first on Zac Johnson.

Im.Deals – The New Internet Marketing Discount Coupons and Deals Platform

Internet marketing doesn’t only take time, but it also costly! Discount coupons and deals are a great way to get internet marketing tools at a more affordable price. These discounts can, however, be hard to track on the net. 

You stand the risk of invalid coupons. There are times you get good discounts, but they are gone before you have the opportunity to make use of them. One site that has been created with the end user in mind, while also providing a much needed service in the internet marketing space, is Im.deals.

The site is a new platform designed to give you the best coupons and discounts as they come out, while also being focused on saving you lots of money of in the process. 

What’s Im.deals About?

When it comes to creating an online deals and coupon web site, there are plenty of competitors out there to choose from. With this in mind, if you are going to launch a new site with this focus in mind, it’s going to have to stack up against the competition.

As mentioned earlier, Im.deals is the new internet marketing discount coupons and deals platform suited for the need of all internet marketers. As online marketers and content creators, we are often already away what products are being sold or marketed through an affiliate program, but often don’t have the resources or direct access to get a commission on our own purchased. With Im.deals, you are assured of valid discount coupons and deals — whether they be public access or brokered deals directly from the site itself. 

The creator of the site is Oliver Kenyon, who was also the founder of the largest ever Affiliate Marketing Forum; AffiliateFix. Im.deals is his latest venture and he’s looking to replicate the success he’s had with previous community sites into an active audience and following on his new coupon and deals site. Every detail on this platform reached the high standard widely claimed to him.

Designed specifically for internet marketers, im.deals is poised to take over the discount coupons and deals market as Kenyon has the tools, networking, and skills to propel it passed competitors that might be sitting stagnant, while trying to compete in such a fierce market.

With all of that being said, here are some reasons why you should definitely check out this new platform:

Massive Discounts

Im.deals has got the most generous discounts to grace the internet marketing world. You can get discounts as high as 70% on the website. Remember that marketing tool you wanted that cost way more than your budget? Search it on im.deals.

Massive discounts you can enjoy on im.deals include 60% off annual plans at Voluum, 58% off annual plans at Convertri, build your first website free at MySafeSite, 30% off all plans at Mail250 and many more.

Though new to the market, im.deals is already setting a pace with over 500 deals claimed. They have a total of 48 fantastic deals on excellent internet marketing tools. 

Evergreen Deals

You remember that discount coupon you had an eye on but was not ready to use. When you were finally ready though, the deal had expired. Well, this is not going to happen again with im.deals.

All the online discount coupons on im.deals are unlimited. You can unlock any deal or coupon that catches your attention. You can never miss the chance to redeem a deal. 

These evergreen deals are never going stale. Im.deals is constantly updated with the latest deals obtainable from the best marketing tools providers. 

Easy Searching

Time is Money. This is especially true for internet marketers. You do not want to spend the time that you should be using on a campaign scouring a webpage for elusive deals. Searching for codes and coupons has been made easy on im.deals.

On the landing page, you are presented with both the latest deals and recommended deals. Also, you do not have to keep clicking on several pages to get the tool you are looking for. Internet marketing coupons and deals are categorized according to their uses on im.deals for easy search. You can use the search box for a quicker search too. 

Efficient Service

As a platform focused on all aspects of digital marketing, im.deals gives you the best service. You can reach out to im.deals for inquiries and complaints through an easy-to-use contact us button at the bottom of the landing page. You can also sign up for their newsletter and get notifications on their latest deals. 

You can check out im.deals on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram; and connect with other users on the Facebook Group. 

You are a click away from saving thousands of dollars on various marketing tools. 

TOP 5 im.deals Discounts

Here are five of the most claimed deals on im.deals. You can easily slide in and make your own claims too. 

• Voluum: You can get 60% off annual plans at Voluum. This tool is an ad tracker that has excellent optimization features.
• Convertri: For building faster funnels and higher conversions. Im.deals offer you 58% off all their annual plans.
• Emojics: Take surveys and let your users express their feelings with emojis. Get 15% off all emojics plans on im.deals. 
• ProveSource: Make your website feel more like a community. Get a 50% off ProveSource on im.deals. 
• MySafeSite: Build your first safe site for free with im.deals.

Be sure to check out the new coupon site, so you can find the latest software and tools that top marketers are already using, while also saving some extra money in the process.

The post Im.Deals – The New Internet Marketing Discount Coupons and Deals Platform appeared first on Zac Johnson.

How to make money ironing

Reading Time: 6 mins

So, you want to spend your spare time ironing?

Let’s just say, better you than us!

Since that’s what most people think, there’s an extremely high demand for efficient ironing services that do quality work. People will rather pay extra to outsource their laundry than iron it themselves and that’s where you come in.

If you can get your hands on some coat hangers and know your way round an ironing board, this may well be the money-maker you’ve been looking for.

Read MoneyMagpie’s quick guide to starting your own ironing business below:

• What’s involved in an ironing business?
• How do I start my own ironing service?
• Top tips for making money with ironing

 

What’s involved in an ironing business?

In order to offer a high quality ironing service, you will need the essentials: a good iron and ironing board. It’s worth investing in good quality tools – it’ll make the labour easier and there’ll be less of a chance they damage your customers’ clothes. You should also have experience ironing, even if it’s just your own garments, and know the basics, for example, different heat settings for various types of fabrics. You’ll probably want to offer your clients higher ironing standards than you do for your own clothes.

There may already be an ironing service in your vicinity with plenty of customers, so delivering the best possible results is of the utmost importance. Do some market research to check what others offer in terms of pricing, services and delivery options. Then have a think about how you can top their offer.

Starting out ironing for cash

You basically have two options:

1. Sign up with an agency,
2. Or start your own ironing business.

ironing agencies

With the first option, it’s as simple as finding the closest agency and convincing them that you’re good at ironing. You can find it online through a quick search for iron agency and the name of your area.

Different agencies provide different services – some include alterations and repairs – so find one that best suits your skills.

When you sign up with an agency, they deal with administrative aspects such as insurance, however, if you must be registered as self-employed (and the agency should tell you this), you will have to consider some income tax issues which you can read about in this article on paying tax on your extra income.

Some agencies simply put you in touch with a local customer and leave you to arrange payments yourself.

Others have clients who typically need housekeeping, cleaning and ironing work. So, they match an ironer to their client’s needs and allow the two parties to agree a price.

If you decide to  collaborate with an agency, the work is normally part-time and often flexible.

Payment ranges from hourly rates to a fee per item or a fee per pound.

In general, you can expect to earn between:

• £8 and £12 per hour
• 50p and £1 per item
• 50p and £1 per pound

Although some agencies won’t require you to drive, having wheels definitely makes your job easier. If you don’t already have a vehicle, read our article on car leasing.

starting your own business

The big advantage of running your own operation is that you get to keep all of the money! You also get to work whenever you want and pick your clients.

The downside is that you have to do all the work of advertising, invoicing, dealing with customers and so on.

However, if this doesn’t put you off, read on to see how you can get all of this going.

 

How do I start my own ironing service?

Research

Start by scouring your local paper and in-shop windows to find out how stiff the competition is. Have a quick search online too and check any local Facebook sites – people often advertise on community or neighbourhood pages.

If there’re lots of ironing services available already, there probably won’t be room for any more.

If, however, you don’t notice any, great start. There may actually be demand for your services. A good way to get your business off the ground is to start small and gradually build it as you gain more clients.

For tax purposes, it’s important that you register as self-employed within three months of working for yourself. Visit Gov.uk to find out more.

Services

Start by offering a simple ironing service and then take things from there. You can also offer seasonal services, such as special offers for school uniforms in September or polishing up people’s outfits for the wedding season.

And you can branch out. If you’re a confident sewer, for instance, your talents will definitely come in handy. You can offer mending and even washing services too.

But it’s not just about getting stuff ironed. Remember – presentation is everything. It’s common practice to return a customer’s ironing in a clear plastic bag or on hangers, so be sure to have a constant supply of these. You can ask your clients to include their own hangers when you pick up their order but make sure you have some extras on hand.

A major service that most customers appreciate, is collection and delivery. It’s acceptable to charge a small fee for this, based on the cost of fuel and time spent driving.

On the plus side, when you register as self-employed, you can claim the tax back for the costs incurred when driving to and from the customer – so keep all your petrol receipts.

Costings

The starting-out cost of an ironing gig is low but setting up a budget is an essential part of any business – and it shouldn’t take too long.

All you have to do is draw up a list of expenses – including supplies, fuel, advertising, rent etc – and work out their total. When you quote customers, ensure that you cover all these bases and also add an amount for labour. It’s a good idea to compare your prices with other businesses offering ironing services. Many people in the ironing business admit they started out charging way too little and found it hard to increase their prices later as it posed the risk of losing good clients. Make sure you’re confident your fees reflect the work you put into your business.

Advertising

There’s lots of different ways in which you can advertise your ironing business but word of mouth remains the best. So, let all your friends, family and work colleagues know that you do this and ask them to help you spread the word.

It will also help to set up a Facebook page for your business. You  can use it to post regular updates and it’s a place where your customers can share their reviews. If they’re positive, it’ll encourage others to use your services.

You can also consider advertising in shop windows, libraries, your local paper, the Yellow Pages and, eventually, even setting up your own website.

 

Top tips for making money with ironing

Running an ironing business doesn’t have to be complicated but there are a few things you should keep in mind:

• Get some business cards printed cheaply with Vistaprint and hand them out at every opportunity. You could also design some simple leaflets and deliver them to houses in your neighbourhood.
• Smokers need not apply. If your customers get a whiff of cigarette smoke on their clothes you won’t be expecting any repeat business. It’s also a good idea to work away from strong cooking smells and pets (allergies).
• Ironing in the summer can be hot work so pick up a cheap fan to keep you cool while you’re working.
• Good professional indemnity insurance is a must in case you iron a hole in anyone’s designer suit. Accidents happen!
• Advertise your services on free local sites like Facebook groups, local supermarket notice boards and cheaper places like Gumtree.
• Websites such as Indeed or Totaljobs also post ironing jobs every so often so make sure you set up job alerts. Freelance sites like PeoplePerHour could also be a good way to find new clients.

Hopefully you now know everything you need to start ironing to ramp up your income. The beauty of this money making strategy is how easy and flexible it is to set up. Your ironing gig can be as small as only doing a few shirts for someone you know or it could be a proper full-time job. You can iron when kids are in bed or while watching TV. Happy ironing!

The post How to make money ironing appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

5 ways for mums to make money

Reading Time: 8 mins

Our readers often ask us how they can make money whilst stuck at home with the kids or what type of jobs can be fitted around school hours.

If you too would like to make some extra cash while looking after your little ones, we have some good news – there are loads of ways for stay-at-home mums and dads to make extra money.  Whether it’s monetising your time, space or skills, try our top five methods for making money if you’re a stay-at-home parent.

Moneymagpie’s Top 5 Ways For Mums to Make Money:

1. Make money at your computer
   
2. Make money from your home
   
3. Make money from childcare
4. Make money from offering a service 
5. Make money from hosting

 

1. Make money at your computer

Online surveys 

A handy little earner is completing online surveys in your spare time.

You won’t necessarily make oodles of cash, but if you have 15-20 minutes to spare once or twice a week, you might as well make some money out of it.

Sign up online to the following survey sites, which reward you for giving your opinions:

• Swagbucks
• Nielsen Online Panel
  
• InboxPounds
• Toluna
• The OpinionPanel Community
• LifePoints

Some sites will offer you freebies or vouchers for every survey you take, others will reward you with small amounts of cash – but note that quite often this will only be paid when you hit a certain threshold, for example £50. Read terms and conditions before you sign up.

You can learn much more about this way of earning extra cash in our article on online surveys.

Use cashback sites

You might not have heard of those, but cashback sites are a  solid money-maker. They  are handy when you buy pretty much anything online – groceries, insurance, electronics and much, much more.

Search for what you need and buy it through the cashback site, and you’ll get a percentage of what you spend back. It’s basically free money.

Read our article on cashback websites for much more information, including details on many of the leading sites.

Become a virtual assistant (VA)

Hiring online help is a fast-growing business – it’s estimated 1.8 billion people will be using virtual assistants by 2021. If you choose to go down this route, you’ll be carrying out administrative jobs for a company, all from the comfort of your home.

Typical tasks include making and taking phone calls, sending emails, transcribing, and a variety of other everyday office activities. Not a bad deal given VAs tend to be paid a minimum of £25 per hour.

The main requirements are that you’ll need to be confident with computers and have a great telephone manner. Learn more in our article on how to become a VA and check out iceni-it.co.uk for further information on getting started.

It’s worth noting there’s a specific type of VA – a medical secretary. Companies such as DICT8 will pay you to write up medical notes, and your earnings are determined on a ‘per line’ basis.

Enter competitions

Online competitions are everywhere and the fact that many people ignore them means that there’s a pretty decent chance of winning. Many people do it professionally (there’s even a name for it – comping) and it’s estimated that in the UK there’re as many as 30,000 competitions running at any one time. You might as well take your chances.

Online competitions are typically pretty quick and easy to enter, and they offer a chance of winning prizes such as cash, exotic holidays, spa breaks and (our favourite) luxury food.

Competitions are often easy because companies just want your email address, so you may want to think about setting up a separate email just for this purpose.

Others competitions can be much more inspiring, tapping into your creativity with things like art, writing or photography. Find out much more in our article on making money from competitions.

Lend to your peers

Peer-to-peer lending is a rapidly growing market. Sites like Zopa cut out the middle men (the banks) and allow individuals to lend directly to borrowers. It’s a hybrid way of saving and investing money, but it’s yet another source of extra income you can easily try at home.

Returns for lenders can be more attractive than with regular savings rates, while borrowers can often find cheaper loans compared to other sources.

Some of the bigger names in this industry such as RateSetter, Funding Circle and Zopa are now very well-established, but there are many others which allow specialisation in all sorts of areas, such as property crowdfunding.

Lending your money through peer-to-peer sites involves more risk than leaving it in a bank or building society as it won’t be backed by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Many see peer-to-peer lending as a half-way house in terms of risk and reward, lying between cash savings and stocks and shares.

 

2. Make money from your home

Rent out your parking space

If you have a driveway or a garage that you don’t use and you live in an area where parking space is in high demand, you can let it pay for itself. Rent it out and make money from doing nothing at all.

Parking is more desirable in London and you can charge a lot more there than anywhere else, but don’t feel discouraged if you live elsewhere. If, for example, you live close to a large football ground you could charge a premium on match days.

Read our article on renting out your driveway for more information and, if you want to register your parking space, go to JustPark– you can advertise your space for free. It’s very easy to set up – you advertise your spot, drivers book it and you watch the money come in. One thing to bear in mind is that the site makes money by taking a percentage of the rent you make.

Rent out a room or spare space

If you have a spare room, think about taking in a lodger – since 2016, you can make up to £7,500 a year tax-free. Read more about the things to consider in our article on renting out a room. Once you’re happy to rent out your space, use Gumtree or SpareRoom to advertise for free.

If you’re not sure about having someone around full-time, you might want to check out Airbnb. It’s a great solution for when you’d prefer to take in the occasional holidaymaker. Alternatively, you can also make money – and expand your horizons – by hosting foreign students. We’ve got this topic covered in our article here. But you don’t have to fill your spare space with human beings.

Many people just need somewhere to put their stuff. They are prepared to pay to leave their goods in storage space and that could be your spare room, attic or garage. It’s yet another effortless way to make money and websites such as Stashbee can help you get started.

Set up a B&B

This is the ultimate work-from-home job. While it certainly involves hard work, it can still leave you with lots of free time, too. Find out more about running your own b&b from our top tips-packed article.

 

3. Make money from childcare

Childminding

If you love children and you’re at home all day looking after your own kids anyway, this might be the job for you.

As long as you don’t have a criminal record, you can be a childminder. If you’re on your own, you can look after a maximum of six children under 8 years at a time, although the rules are different for babies – you can normally only look after one at a time if they’re under 1 year old.

It’s typical to charge per child, per hour, and the amount will vary based on the ages and where you live.

Childminding UK is full of tips on this topic and our article on how to become a childminder should give you all the information you need.

Become a doula

Anyone who’s a mother can be a doula, also known as a birth coach or birth companion. These are women who have had a child of their own and are hired to assist new mothers.

Think of a doula as a parenting ‘expert’; they can do anything from helping with cooking and cleaning to looking after the baby and sharing tips that only another mum can give.

They’re often brought in before the birth and continue to help out through the pregnancy and in the first few weeks afterwards.

If you’re serious about being a doula, it’s worth taking a course – you can find out more about training and how to get work in our be a doula article.

 

4. Make money from offering a service

Monetise your cooking skills

If you’re into your cooking, you can monetise your culinary skills. Selling edible goodies seems like an obvious solution and  it can actually earn you a tidy sum.

With the rising popularity of artisan goods and websites selling handmade things, there has never been a better time to make money out of your gourmet produce. Our guide to making cakes, jams and sweets shows you where you can find places to sell your edible goods. If things go well, you never know where cooking could take you – you could even start up a small business if the demand’s there.

Another option is to start your own cooking or baking blog and while it might take a little more work, you could be the next Deliciously Ella. Other creative ways to make extra income through food is becoming a recipe writer or starting off a supper club – learn more about it from our article.

Become a tutor

You could earn extra cash as a home tutor. There’s demand for a range of subjects and levels, usually on a one-to-one basis. This could be at your home or the student’s – or even online.

Check out the London’s Learning website for details on tutoring in the capital or agencies like Personal Tutors for more information on nationwide options. You can also advertise your tutoring services on local ad websites such as Gumtree.

For more information on who to contact and how much you could earn, have a look at our article on earning money as a tutor.

Become a proofreader

If you’ve got an eye for grammar and detail, you can earn decent money proofreading manuscripts from home – the rate you can earn at will be determined by your level of experience.

The Society for Editors and Proofreaders hosts regular meetings across the country where you can network, get training and gain opportunities to advertise your skills to local businesses. That could lead to more work – and more cash.

Doing other people’s laundry

Do you sometimes feel that you’re not appreciated for all the washing and ironing you do in your household?

There are people who would appreciate you doing theirs – and who are willing to pay per load.You’ll have to be really good and quick at ironing to make any real money, though. There’re different ways of deciding on what your fee may be – some people charge by the hour while others by weight.

You can either set up your own business collecting, washing, ironing and delivering, or sign up with an agency, such as All Ironed Out, which can organise delivery to your door.

Make money from arts and crafts

If you’re the creative type who is good at arts and crafts, there’s money to be made from your hobby. Sites like Etsy and Folksy are crying out for people like you to sell their handmade goods online.

These sites normally take a small commission of any sale you make (usually around 2-3%) but in return they give you a virtual shop so you don’t have to set up and promote your own website.

 

5. Make money from hosting

Hosting a product party

Companies from the likes of The Body Shop to Ann Summers are always looking for people to host product parties at their home.  . And no wonder it’s a popular sales strategy – word of mouth is the most powerful influence. Hosting a party is often as easy as filling in a form online and gathering a few friends – the brand’s local consultant will do the rest. Find out more from our article on product parties.

Become an Avon lady

If you’re into beauty, it’s easy to join a cosmetics company such as Oriflame or Avon as an independent rep. An Avon lady is someone who distributes and sells products from the Avon catalogue.

You can buy them at a discounted price directly from Avon, and sell them on at the full price to make your profit.

If you know a lot of people that already regularly buy from Avon then it could be easy money.

If you’re a talented salesperson, so much the better, although it really is a job for anyone.

You can do this in your spare time, or as a full-time job.

Take a look at our article on being an Avon lady for further information.

The post 5 ways for mums to make money appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Which of the Latest IPOs Are Best For Your Portfolio?

IPOs have been making headlines throughout the first half of 2019. Lyft, Pinterest, and Uber are all huge names that have gone public this year....

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8 Tools for Producing Top Quality Podcasts for Your Business

You’ve listened to podcasts and heard about their marketing potential, but you still have a lot of questions. Are podcasts free to produce or will you need to dip into your ad budget? Will you need a fancy recording studio? What happens if you end up with dead air time or a screaming baby in the background and don’t know how to fix it?

While recording a high-quality podcast does require purchasing some equipment, such as a USB microphone, you won’t need to break the bank to break into this popular genre. Here are eight free and low-cost tools that will allow you to record, edit, and promote podcasts, all from the comfort of your home.

Audacity.

With software that works equally well on Mac, Windows, and Linux, this free, open-source app has everything a beginning podcaster needs. Monitor recordings in progress, mix audio tracks, and access all your editing tools from your main dashboard. Audacity even has a few more sophisticated audio-processing features, so you can remove distracting sounds like coughs or static. 

GarageBand.

While Audacity is designed to be bare-bones, GarageBand is an option for beginners and veterans alike. This free digital workstation for Mac is a full-fledged recording studio complete with a MIDI synth and instrument plug-in support. Designed with musicians in mind, the app includes a suite of digital instruments, including keyboards, drums, and guitars, but it also provides podcasting templates. Its library of sound effects, jingles, and sound profiles with male and female voices might also prove useful to podcasters. 

Adobe Audition.

Known for its movie editing software, the Adobe suite has much to offer podcasters as well. For those who understand the basics of audio editing, this premium, subscription-based option provides more fine-tuning and flexibility than most free apps. For $20.99 per month, Adobe Audition Pro will help you produce the kind of crisp sound quality you’d expect from a professional studio, while the comprehensive toolset reduces the time required for editing. 

Rearrange any clip to fit any timeframe with the Remix tool. Set levels for each voice in your podcast and edit them separately in post-production. Use the Diagnostics panel to repair and restore audio based on the spectral frequency display. Craft layered compositions and adjust the audio amplitude. 

Hindenburg Journalist.

If you’re creating a narrative podcast in the vein of NPR’s This American Life, you need a tool designed specifically for storytelling. Hindenburg Journalist is a treasure trove of broadcasting journalist essentials. While the Pro version is pricey, a free trial is available.

The software works across multiple devices and records uncompressed sound, so you can record in multiple locations without sacrificing sound quality. The automated equalizer creates a consistent voice for your radio persona. Hindenburg also automatically sets volume levels for any audio clip you import, so you don’t have to worry about sample rates or bit rates. The clipboard allows you to get a bird’s eye view of all your material and build a story from interview sound bites, music, and ambient sounds.

Zencastr.

One of the challenges of podcasting is interviewing guests remotely. Many podcasts have gone awry due to lags or audio issues. Zencastr, however, is an easy-to-use system that records each guest on a separate audio track locally to maintain sound quality. Even if you lose your connection to your guests, their words are still recorded.

Zencastr has a soundboard for live editing, so you can insert ads and segments as you record. Connect it to your Dropbox or Google Drive to access the MP3 files. The free version includes eight hours of audio and two guest tracks, while the professional plan includes unlimited guests and episodes, post-production features, and lossless.WAV recordings.

Notion. 

Producing a successful podcast requires more than recording and editing. It takes plenty of research, brainstorming, planning, and organizing, especially if you’re working with a team. You’ll need the tools to ensure everyone is on the same page during the entire process. Notion is an online collaborative workspace where your entire team can take notes and access information.

Create a list where your team can jot down their ideas for new episode topics. Create a folder where your co-host can leave information on guests, so you can prepare for upcoming interviews. Use the Knowledge Base to upload information everyone needs to know and the Task Board to manage everyone’s assignments.

Descript.

After you’ve recorded and edited your podcast, you want to make it as accessible as possible. Creating a transcript of the audio will allow the hearing impaired to access the content, but it will also come in handy for show notes or blog posts. If a transcript exists, your podcast will be searchable on Google, which means more potential subscribers will find you. 

Descript analyzes your audio file to produce a high-quality transcript. When you cut out noises, awkward sentences, or other mistakes from the written transcript, the corresponding footage automatically gets deleted from the audio track, which makes editing your podcast a snap. 

Wavve.

One of the problems with podcasts if they’re difficult to share via social media. Wavve allows you to promote your podcasts by creating customizable audiograms. Choose from different waveform animations and select the clips to highlight your best segments and guests. Best of all, Wavve generates closed captions so your social media followers can view your content with the sound off. 

Podcasting… It’s All About You (and the Tools You Use)

Right now podcasting is a very hot niche market. However, unlike blogging or affiliate marketing, it’s not something you can really do behind the scenes and just casually create and launch.

A lot of time, work, and effort goes into launching a podcast, and it’s not just about the voice/audio you put into it, but also the tools that you use as well.

Be sure to run through the list above and see which of these tools best fit your needs to improve your podcast while also making you sound better in the process.

The post 8 Tools for Producing Top Quality Podcasts for Your Business appeared first on Zac Johnson.

Make money from pet sitting and pet boarding

Reading Time: 7 mins

If you love animals, pet sitting and pet boarding can be an easy and fun way to make money at home. As around 50% of British families own a pet– but many of them go on holiday without their animals – there’s a lot of money to be made by offering doggy day care. Millennials, currently the largest pet-owning generation, reportedly spent £1.7 billion on their beloved animals in 2018. Among various expenses such as grooming and clothes, the money was also spent on dog walking and pet sitting.

Tap into this potential source of income – Simply sign up for free to a relevant site to advertise your services to thousands of dog owners a month. You can easily get involved with this fun and simple yet well-paid business.

• What is pet sitting?
• What is pet boarding?
• How can I start pet sitting?
• What else is important?
• Will I need pet sitter’s insurance?

 

What is pet sitting?

Pet sitters look after people’s animals visiting them in their house while the owners are away from home.

They tend to check on the pets a couple of times a day, typically for between 30 minutes to an hour at a time (the owner and pet sitter can decide on time and length of the visit depending on their pet’s needs).

Pet sitters ensure that the animals are fed, given water or any medication they require, and they also clean up litter or cages and play with the pets.

Some dog sitting and cat sitting services also offer extras such as walking and grooming.

In most cases, such as the services promoted via Cat in a Flat, pet sitters only visit during the day but owners may arrange for minders to be house sitters as well through sites like Trusted Housesitters. It’s the perfect solution if they don’t want their pets or home left unoccupied (see our article on house sitting here).

Pet sitters usually charge per pet, per hour but weekly rates or discounts for multiple pets can be put in place. Rates tend to range from around £6 per visit up to £25.

This means you could make between £12 and £50 a day for a couple of visits to one house.

If you did three or four homes, you could make up to £200 a day.

 

What is pet boarding?

Pet boarding is a popular alternative to kennels. So popular, in fact, that dog owners in the UK spend over £1.5 billion each year on this type of accommodation.

Many owners don’t like putting their animals in kennels for a long time– it’s like leaving your children in a hotel or a school while you go on holiday. Very often pets are unhappy and feel unloved.

Not only that but doggy day care is expensive. Basic kennels can cost between £20 to £50 a day, sometimes adding up to more than the cost of your own holiday!

This is why many owners prefer to leave their animals with other families. It’s more friendly and usually cheaper for them.

Pets stay with a host family and they’re able to continue with their normal routines in the kind of home atmosphere they’re used to. Cats in particular can get very stressed when they’re sent to a kennel so many people now see pet boarding as the best option.

Stays can range from a few nights to a number of months depending on need. School holidays and the summer months are great times for pet boarders.

Even though the recommended maximum extra pets per boarder is just three at any one time, you could stand to make a lot of money during these busy periods.

Again, rates vary but, for example, Animal Aunts will pay you 75% of the total fee (£102 for an overnight stay for one dog). Some boarders increase their prices at busy times such as bank holidays.

So, if you board three extra animals in your home, you could make around £230 a day (minus the agency fee). Not bad money!

 

How can I start pet sitting?

Although you can actually apply for an animal boarding licence through your local government, you don’t need a permit to start pet sitting. The easiest way to get involved is to sign up with a local agency. Search for terms such as ‘pet sitting’ or ‘pet boarding’ alongside the name of your local area. That’ll bring up agencies near you.

You could also get on the books of a national agency. Trusted Housesitters, for example, lets you advertise your services.

If you’d rather work for yourself as a pet sitter, then you’ll need to promote your services in your neighbourhood. You could try advertising in your local vet’s surgery, contact local schools to put an advert in their newsletter or pin your business cards or flyers on bulletin boards in hospitals (you could really help a patient unable to walk their dog).

You could also put a free advert on sites such as All Pet Services or Jobsgrapevine so that if anyone from your area is searching the website for pet sitters, your details will be available to them.

In the ever-growing world of mobile, the increasing need for dog sitters has pushed developers to create pet sitting and pet boarding apps. Tailster, recently bought by UK’s biggest pet retailer Pets at Home, connects over 26k self-employed animal carers with clients. Rover promises to be the world’s largest network of five‑star pet sitters and dog walkers, while Wag offers on-demand dog walking services. Your next pet sitting gig could be a touch of a button away. Many customers feel more comfortable dealing with someone who also has pets. If you do have an animal of your own (ideally a cat or dog rather than a snake), make this clear in your pet sitting advert.

If you already own animals, you could also think about joining Pet Sitter Swap. This involves swapping pet care duties with someone in your local area. Although it’s not paid, it’d be a good way of getting the word around about your services and level of care.  Think of it as networking for pet sitters.

Potential clients may also request that you visit them so they can see how their pet reacts to you. This usually involves you spending some time alone with the animal and the owners then assess the situation. Make spare time for such requests as they’ll help increase your business opportunities.

After that, it’s really word of mouth. You’ll find that if you provide a good pet sitting service, then news will get about very quickly.

 

What else is important?

Some of the things you need to consider before you take pets in are:

Will you provide food and supplies or will the owner?

Most owners prefer to supply their own foods as their pets are used to a particular diet.

Check with clients to see what they want and make sure they know exactly what to bring. It might still be an idea to have extra stock in case of an emergency, or treats in the cupboard so that the pet feels happy and loved.

What type of pets will you look after?

Many pet boarders have rules regarding what type of dogs they allow into their homes.

Aggressive and unruly dogs are usually a no-go. Some boarders refuse male dogs that haven’t been neutered.

You should also be aware that most insurance covers only domestic animals so if you’re looking after more exotic types, you may need extra insurance (see below for details on insurance).

Draw up a contract with customers.

Unless you’re helping friends, drawing a contract will protect you both.

This can include who’s responsible for vet bills and state any emergency contact details.

You should seek legal advice if you want to set out a formal contract, or have a look at contracts on the web and create your own.

Paying tax

You may wonder whether you have to pay tax if you make some extra money occasionally pet sitting or feeding someone’s dog/cat for a week. In general, it depends on whether you have another source of income. Under the current personal tax allowance you can make £12,500 before you have to pay 20% tax on your earnings. If you’re starting out your self-employment venture, trading allowance will save you from paying tax on your first £1k of income. Double check if you’re not sure about your tax situation.

Laws about pet sitting

There are no laws which directly relate to pet sitting or pet boarding but Animal Aunts recommends registering with the local council if you run a pet sitting business.

You should also make yourself familiar with the laws about looking after animals.

If your pet-sitting services include extras such as dog walking, you’ll need to be aware of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and the Animals Act 1971 (if you live in an area near livestock).

Will I need pet sitter’s insurance?

Insurance isn’t a legal necessity if you’re going to be looking after pets in your own home.

However, you need to think carefully about what the consequences could be if something went wrong while they’re in your care.

Check out our pet insurance article which has all the latest special offers from insurers. But, remember there are some things you should keep in mind when making your insurance choice.

Public Liability insurance  – You could be sued for negligence if an animal in your care gets out of control and causes harm to a member of the public. Public liability is essential if you plan to include dog walking as part of your services. Find the right public liability insurance for you here. 

Key replacement – If you lose a client’s keys and you don’t have insurance, you could be liable to pay for the cost of replacing all the locks.

Housesitting– If you’re being asked to house sit as well as pet sit, most pet-sitter’s insurance won’t cover this, unless your house-sitting duties are significantly less than your pet-sitting ones.

Discounts – If you’re considering becoming  a member of a national organisation, then it might be a good idea to sign up with Petsitters Alliance. They have a deal which includes membership plus third party liability, house-sitting, pet-accident and lost-keys insurance for £95 per year.

If you found this article useful then we think these’ll be right up your street:

• Make £60 an hour by dog walking
• Make money house sitting
• Money-making ideas for the over 60s
• Making extra money – do I have to pay more tax?
• Top 20 tips for running your own business

 

Have you had any experience pet sitting? Maybe it’s your ideal job but you still have questions. Let us know in the comments section below – we love to hear from you!

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5 Things You Can Do to Earn More Tips

Many servers in restaurants rely on tips to secure their financial well-being. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, establishments like restaurants are only legally...

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3 Ways to Increase Webinar Engagement and ROI with ClickMeeting

Webinars remain among the most effective ways to learn about, nurture and pitch to an audience. You can use webinars to establish your expertise, to deliver useful tips, to harvest data about your leads, to convey the value of your product to them, and to suggest next steps to your audience.

While the concept of using webinars is nothing new for online marketers and brands, the way you should be using webinars and advanced technology is changing all of the time.

For example, it wasn’t long ago that all leading webinar platforms required audience members to install apps. Not only did this add friction to the webinar attendance experience, making it less likely that people would have the ability to join webinars, but it also caused some cybersecurity vulnerabilities – even webinar platforms with the best reputations have experienced snafus with their client apps, as recently as last week.

What’s more, many of the top solutions out there still simply provide you with a screen and a way to talk or chat with your audience. Not that you need bells and whistles for the sake of getting fancy. It’s just that if you want to make the most of the opportunity that your webinars represent – where dozens if not hundreds of people have blocked in an hour to pay attention to what you’re sharing – then you’d do well to keep these people engaged. And interaction is the best way to do that.

If you are still using one of these confusing, outdated solutions, then not only are you leaving money on the table, you’ll also come off as archaic to your leads.

There must be a better way.

Introduction to ClickMeeting Online Webinars

A more advanced and better webinar solution is ClickMeeting, which not only has zero software or plugins to install, but is also loaded with in-webinar interaction features, as well as being extremely easy to use.

In short, it’s one of the best ways to engage with you audience through live webinars, without needing to hire an expensive tech team or programmer to have all the functionality and features one would want to have to run a successful lead generation and webinar campaign.

Best of all, in comparison to other webinar solutions out there, ClickMeeting is quite competitively priced, and also allows for individuals, businesses, and brands to get started with memberships as low as $25 per month, for up to 25 attendees.

ClickMeeting also has quite the history and volume behind them as well. Over 604,000 webinars were hosted on the platform last year, an average of nearly 70 webinars per hour, welcoming over 17.5 million attendees. Since launching in 2011, ClickMeeting has hosted some 95 years’ worth of video content.

With all of this in mind, let’s take a look at five unique and creative ways ClickMeeting is changing the world and business of online webinars.

Three Ways ClickMeeting is Dominating the Webinar Space

Now that you have a good understanding of what ClickMeeting is and how it can help improve your business and ROI, let’s take a look at some of the latest features added to their webinar platform to help you reach your goals.

1. Paid Webinars

For most situations, the concept of a live webinar is to get people to join for free, and then to pitch them with a paid product or service at the end of the webinar.

This model works great, but there are other winning methods out there as well — such as running that same webinar promotion, but attaching a price to it and pre-selling your audience before you even get started.

This is beneficial for many reasons, such as knowing that all of your attendees are invested, they have money to spend, and they are serious about whatever it is you have to offer.

ClickMeeting has a new system in place that makes it easy for clients to run paid webinars without needing to set up different mailing lists, payment platforms, and up-selling systems.

You can view the short video below to see how simple and fast it is to set up a paid webinar through the platform.

This can all be done in four simple benefits and features in mind:

1. Easily charge for any of your selected paid webinars
2. Set the fee for each event
3. Manage all the payments from one place (integration with Paypal)
4. Easily access your paid events’ statistics to see which webinars bring you the most profit

If you aren’t keep on the idea of selling paid webinars to your audience, no worries, the free option is always there — however, I would definitely recommend you try it sometime, as you might see a huge uptick in converts, attendance and sign ups.

2. Facebook and YouTube Live

There is no doubt about it… audiences love being on social media, and advertisers love reaching audiences through social as well.

However, with Facebook and YouTube already having live video stream offers, how can you take advantage of a webinar through their platforms as well.

This is something new that ClickMeeting has put a lot of time and effort into as well. It’s not just about hosting video on these platforms because you read somewhere that it’s a good idea – it’s also about expanding your webinar reach and social engagement in the process.

Through ClickMeeting, users can stream their content live and build your audience like never before. When profiles go live, followers who happen to be browsing on Facebook or YouTube will see prominent promotions recommending that they click through and view, so ClickMeeting’s live simulcast functionality is a great way to get the people who follow you on these channels to tune in for your presentation.

3. Call to Action within Webinars

As someone who has run plenty of webinars, one of the most important (and awkward) parts of the process is when you are ready to make a pitch and sell to your audience.

This is one area when many webinar solutions are lacking, which often leaves hosts with their PowerPoint slides on the screen and simply telling their audience to type in a specific URL, or to use a coupon code on a site. As marketers, we know that every complicated step along the way greatly reduces conversions in the long run.

ClickMeeting understands this as well, and they have a very nice call-to-action (CTA) system built right into their live webinars. You can see a preview of how this might appear in your own webinar through the screenshot below.

No more needing to tell your audience to type in some long discount offer URL you created. Instead, provide your audience with a quick and easy popup window, while giving your attendees immediate access to your offer while they are still engaged and in buying mode.

Another quick and useful tip for using such a feature, is to have your audience share your webinar on social media or enter a contest for attending the event. This can all take place during the first few minutes of your event. Having your audience engaged right from the beginning is a great way to keep them watching until the end of the webinar.

When It Comes to Webinars… ClickMeeting is the Way to Go!

If you were to head over to Google and search for “best webinar solutions,” you would likely find a bunch of paid placement ads and review articles on the first page. This in itself is enough to cause a headache and would definitely take up a lot of your time to go through.

With ClickMeeting, you already know about some of the best tools and features they have to offer. Sign up now for your free account, which gives you full access for 30 days.

The post 3 Ways to Increase Webinar Engagement and ROI with ClickMeeting appeared first on Zac Johnson.