online reputation management

5 LinkedIn Business Tips to Claim Your Share of the Marketplace

August 20, 2019 by Advertising

Over the years, LinkedIn has become a resourceful platform not only for individuals looking for work but also for businesses trying to market their brand. Since this specific medium has always been rooted in networking, its marketing potential turns out to be so valuable these days.

Is your company actively present on LinkedIn?

There are many ways you can market your brand online. Here’s how you can use LinkedIn, the largest business networking platform in the world, to increase your share of the marketplace:

5 LinkedIn Business Tips to Claim Your Share of the Marketplace

Complete and Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile – The first impressions are everything. Not to mention they affect your search ranking score. Do yourself a favor now and make sure your work experience is up to date so others can quickly find out about your company, products or services you have to offer. Don’t forget to add you company profile to the page as well!
Connect with Others – While you should link up with those you already know, LinkedIn is a networking platform so don’t shy away from accepting invites from new people! The more you expand your network, the more marketing opportunities you get!
Be Creative – There’s over 500 million active users on LinkedIn. Find a way to stand out! Write a compelling bio, share insightful articles, include videos from your business and don’t forget to include a call to action!
Pay It Forward – Recommending others can be the greatest thing that ever happened to your business. A good old ‘word of mouth’ is still a powerful way to provide testimonials while marketing your business at the same time!
Join Targeted Groups – LinkedIn groups are a great way to focus on your niche. Use them to connect with others, spread your message and brand your business!

There you go! Use these 5 tips and take your LinkedIn profile to another level! If you need help managing your business account, don’t hesitate to contact Advertising Is Simple.

FIND US ON LINKEDIN for more digital marketing tips!

Advertising Is Simple is a full-service marketing agency located in Wilmington, Delaware helping small to mid-sized businesses with all their digital marketing, radio and television advertising needs.

Advertising Is Simple | 302.407.0431 | info@AdvertisingIsSimple.com

Are You a Potential Cybersecurity Victim?

March 12, 2019 by Advertising

Do you know the status of your cybersecurity? How about that of your business? If you aren’t sure of the answers to these questions, you could be making a big mistake. One that may cost you sensitive information, or worse, the data of your clients.

You’ve seen the news recently: hacks and data breaches have resulted in millions of pieces of information getting stolen by cybercriminals. And here’s the hard truth about the data that nobody wants to talk about: the victims are never going to get it back.

Unfortunately, your fears aren’t unfounded. According to former FBI agent and friend of WSI, Scott Augenbaum, cybersecurity costs will reach 1 trillion dollars in five years – and it still won’t be nearly enough to stop cybercriminals!

There’s no denying it: navigating the digital world with caution and awareness is a necessity for businesses, both now and into the future. The only way to avoid becoming a cybercrime victim is by taking preventative measures.

Cybersecurity eBook

If you want to protect your sensitive accounts and information – and the data of your clients and partners – this cybersecurity eBook can help you do that.

Download the WSI eBook:

5 Cybersecurity Threats Your Business Can’t Afford to Ignore!

The primary goal of the 5 Cybersecurity Threats Your Business Can’t Afford to Ignore eBook is to amplify the message that cybersecurity is important for every business that uses digital technology. In addition to learning about the 5 cybersecurity threats you can’t afford to ignore, resource also includes:

A Cybersecurity Self-Check Test
A Password Creation System
Cybersecurity Do’s and Don’ts
A Basic Cybersecurity To-Do Checklist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8bXr-bMHHo&feature=youtu.be

We know the digital world can be a scary, confusing place sometimes, but it doesn’t have to be. With the tips, checklists and password creation system in the cybersecurity eBook, you and your business can once again feel safe using the power of the Internet and digital technology.

Download your copy now

If you have and questions or would like to find out more about how Advertising Is Simple can help you avoid being a cybersecurity victim, get in touch.

AdvertisingIsSimple | 302.407.0431 |info@AdvertisingIsSimple.com

5 Tips on Protecting Your SMB from Cybercriminals

November 28, 2018 by Advertising

Just because you are a small to medium-sized business (SMB) does not mean you are not a target for online criminals phishing attacks. In fact, it’s the opposite. Being a small to medium-sized business makes you an easier target for cybercriminals. While targeting a larger corporation may lead to more lucrative payouts, these larger corporations typically have IT departments that catch these attacks. Typically smaller businesses do not have full-time IT help that assists them in their cybersecurity. Cyber-attacks will mostly be initiated through email, here are 5 tips on protecting yourself from cybercriminals.

1. Attention to Detail:

You may receive an email from what appears to be a co-worker or even superior. This email may have some odd request like requesting an invoice or for you to send the company’s credit card information to pay a vendor. In this situation, check the email address for any characters that are out of place. Cybercriminals will attempt to mimic the email addresses of your co-workers to try to deceive you into releasing valuable company information. In the event of this happening, contact to the supposed sender via telephone or in person to question their request.

2. Download a Free Anti-Phishing Toolbar To Your Browser.

There are plenty of free Anti-Phishing browser extensions available. Some are only available for certain browsers, causing you to have to download multiple extensions to different browsers and learning how each one works. If you are looking for an Anti-Phishing browser extension that is compatible for Firefox, Chrome, and Safari we suggest Bitdefender Trafficlight. This extension protects from phishing attacks, filters out malware, identify trackers, and scans links.

The Danger of Using PHP 5 into the New Year

3. Be Careful With Your Browser Updates.

While It is always important to update your browser, you must be cautious with your updates. These updates are created to protect you from online phishing and malware, and phishing predators are fully aware of these. You may receive a notification telling you it’s time to update your browser or a new version of your browser is available for download. Do not blindly trust these and automatically download them. Simply take the time and perform a simple internet search to see if it is, in fact, a true browser update. If it is not, I can almost guarantee you are downloading a nasty malware onto your computer.

4. Frequently Back up Your Data!

In a world with cybercriminals attacking small businesses with ransomware, backing up your data has never been more important. A ransomware attack encrypts your hard drive, locking you out of your computer and work files. The cybercriminal will then ransom access to your files in the form of a crypto currency like Bitcoin. If you have backed up your data to a remote hard drive this attacks will leave you unaffected. Simply back up the existing backup files and wipe your primary hard drive clean.

5. Question Authority.

Cybercriminals may attempt to target you by posing as an authoritative figure in the digital world. This could be them pretending to be Google or Microsoft telling you an update is available for your Gmail or Outlook account. Much like browser updates, do your due diligence to conclude the authenticity of the requests.

Phishing in the USA – Why SMB Need to be on Red Alert

Navigating the cyber world can be a difficult and intimidating task, especially when it comes to your cybersecurity. Not only is Advertising Is Simple here to build and spread your digital brand, we are here as a source of knowledge for protecting your digital property, allowing you to spend the time necessary to run your business.

At Advertising Is Simple, we have prepared ALL of our client’s websites for the coming new year. We actively backup, maintain and update all our websites to keep them secure and running seamlessly. If your website was designed years ago and it has not been maintained, it is a ticking time bomb.

Need Help? Get in Touch:

302-407-0431 | info@advertisingissimple.com | AdvertisingIsSimple.com

How to Get Client Testimonials to Up Your Marketing Game

September 27, 2018 by Denise Bernstein

One of the most powerful and cost-effective marketing tools for your business are client testimonials. Why? Because they deliver value from the people that know your services or products best.

If you’re wondering how to ask your clients to provide feedback about your work, we have great ideas that bring quick results. Check them out below!

8 Ways to Get Client Testimonials

Ask Immediately – Timing is everything! You should reach out right after completing a project for your client. If they’re happy with your service, they will surely want to share feedback with you right away.
Create a Review Sheet – Create your own document to solicit review on your Google My Business, Facebook and Yelp business listing to encourage your clients to leave reviews. Have the links go directly to your reviews page.
Make it Easy – It’s important to provide simple ways for your clients to leave a testimonial. Whether it’s linking a specific page you want your reviews on in the initial email request or bringing a camera to the meeting for a video testimonial, make sure it’s all clear to follow!
Ask the Right Questions – This is especially important if you’re asking your clients to provide a video testimonial. Having a set of questions to answer by your clients will help you get the information you need fast and efficiently. Not to mention, it will be much easier for your clients to provide specific feedback!
Offer Different Ways to Provide Testimonials – If your clients are not comfortable with providing a review in front of a camera, ask them for a written testimonial. Also, determine whether you need more feedback left on your Business Facebook Page, Google Listing or any other local directory. Make sure your clients know how to leave a review on each platform!
Look Out for Testimonials – Sometimes you don’t even have to ask for reviews. If you received a complimentary email from your clients or they left a great comment about your work/ products on social media, ask them if you can share it on your website. Just remember to put all screenshots in a separate folder to keep it organized before sharing.
Create a Testimonials Page – Encourage your clients to provide a video testimonial so you can share it on your website. It will help your business with ranking higher in search, which equals to capturing more leads in the future.
Use an Automated Service – There are certain platforms that will do the work for you. Just set up an account and customize your review request to start gathering those reviews. Customer Lobby is a great place to start.

See examples of our client testimonials below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKf1XegdbGw

https://youtu.be/KKf1XegdbGw

Related article: 10 Steps to a Stellar Online Reputation

What’s your most effective way for getting client testimonials?

Advertising Is Simple is a full-service marketing agency located in Wilmington, Delaware helping small to mid-sized businesses with all their digital marketing, radio and television advertising needs. Call us now.

Advertising Is Simple | 302.407.0431 | info@AdvertisingIsSimple.com

Is Your Website on Par with Legal Compliance and User Trust?

September 11, 2018 by Denise Bernstein

So far, 2018 has been a big year for enforcing legal compliance (GDPR) and user trust (HTTPS), which are both critical elements to running your business online these days. The important question to ask now is: When was the last time you updated your website?

If lately you’ve been noticing less traffic and conversions, it’s time to make changes. Without these important updates to your website’s functionality, you’re doing your own business a disservice. Here’s what you need to take care of immediately.

GDPR (legal compliance)

The sooner you get your business GDPR compliant the better. According to this regulation approved by the EU Parliament, any company in the world that stores or processes data of people who live in the European Union needs to be in compliance with GDPR by May 25th 2018. Otherwise, you might face hefty fines – up to $24million (20m Euros) or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher.

Now, how to get your business compliant with GDPR? First, assign someone on your team responsible for reading the provisions of the GDPR to fully understand the requirements and specific circumstances your business might be involved with. Then make sure all your employees are aware of the new laws.

Bottom line is, you need to immediately update your Privacy Policy and have it visibly displayed and easily accessible on your website. See our example here.

Next, you need to inform your online visitors of the cookies available on your website and give them a choice to opt in or out.

It should look similar to this:

User Trust and Data Security

Data security has been the top concern in 2018, and it all comes down to establishing and maintaining user trust. Google Chrome announced a lot of changes to their online functionalities, especially regarding old http websites. The question is: Have you implemented the SSL Certificate on your website yet?

What is SSL Certificate?

According to Go Daddy, a certificate serves as an electronic “passport” that establishes an online entity’s credentials when doing business on the Web. When an Internet user attempts to send confidential information to a Web server, the user’s browser accesses the server’s digital certificate and establishes a secure connection.

(what you see when you enter old http websites)

In other words, if being authentic and making your customers feel well taken care of is your top priority, this update is crucial to running your business online. Trust, confidentiality, protection and better search (SEO) are some of the major benefits of upgrading your old http website to https.

Call 302-407-0431