With distributed workforces the norm, incorporating video into communications with colleagues and customers isn’t just a nicety anymore–it’s a necessity. Recording the most important of these video calls helps you preserve information that can later be reviewed and shared with colleagues, customers, and even prospects. In this guide, I’ll show you how easy it is to record video calls and explain the reasons why you might want to hit the record button next time you’re in an online video meeting. I’ll also explain the basics of how video calls work, cover what makes video calls different from video conferences, and share tips on creating a professional video conferencing environment. Video Call Recording Quick LinksUse this quick link road map to go straight to the information you want to read now.
Ready to dig in? Let’s get started. Top Rated Video Conferencing ServicesVideo calls can be made with a tool like Skype or Slack. But these tools have limitations, especially when it comes to the number of people you can have on any call. And starting a video call is about all you can do with them—there is no easy way to record the video calls you make. As your video conferencing needs grow, you’ll want a more robust tool–one that easily connects many people in diverse locations. You’ll also want a tool that makes it simple to record and create a library of your past video conferences. Any of the following services will help you do all this with ease. So you can save your other chat tools for the thing they do best—quick and informal written exchanges.
Want to know more? Find out everything you need in my guide to the best video conferencing services. There you’ll find information about each service on the list, plus a framework to help you choose the service that best suits your needs. Video Calls ExplainedWhether you’re new to video calling or a seasoned pro, there might be things you never knew about this very convenient technology. But there are basic concepts you should know and understand in order to make the most of your next video meeting and elevate yourself to a video call pro. Video Call vs. Video ConferenceVideo call. Video conference. These two phrases get thrown around a lot in today’s business world. You might be wondering if they’re the same thing. They are…sort of. Video calls and video conferencing both use the same technology, and practically speaking, whether you say video call or video conference doesn’t have much impact on the call itself. To most people, either phrase gets the point across that the call includes video. But the two phrases do differ, and it’s helpful to know how. The main difference between video calls and video conferencing is how many people are on the call. Video calls are two people in different locations speaking in real time to each other. A typical example is two remote colleagues opting for a video call to chat about a complex issue they’re working on together. Exchanging chat messages takes too long and a phone call won’t let them share the visuals that will make things clear. Another example is a customer service representative helping a client solve a complicated product-related issue. The power of video lets the two connect and visually walk through the steps needed for quick resolution and ultimate customer satisfaction. Video conferencing, on the other hand, involves three or more people participating in a video conversation together. Some examples of video conferencing include company-wide meetings with dispersed workforces, weekly team meetings with multiple colleagues in different locations, and even online meetings with prospects or clients located around the world. In terms of the technology that makes the magic happen, though, video calls and video conferences are identical. In fact, you can use the same video conferencing service to video chat with one person or video conference with many. You can even use the service to make calls that don’t include video. The Technology Behind Video CallsThe magic that unfolds on your screen when you start a video call is thanks to a technology called Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP). This technology transmits both audio and video data from one remote location to another using the internet and algorithms called coders and decoders. One person on the video call speaks and both the sound and camera image is captured and coded. That coded data then gets distributed to all recipients on the call, where it is decoded on delivery so they can see and hear the information on their own devices. Dedicated video conferencing software takes care of the coding and decoding, so everyone on the call needs to be using the same tool. It all happens so fast it seems instantaneous, and that’s not by accident. The best video conferencing service builds echo cancellation into the software, so participants enjoy a seamless experience with no audio or video lag. Why Recording Video Calls Is ImportantThere are many reasons why you might want to record a video call, and a good video conferencing service makes it easy to do. That is part of the service’s value. Here are some of the most popular reasons you might want to record your next video call:
As you can see, there are a lot of reasons you might want to record a video call. That’s why it’s important to know how to make that happen. How to Record A Video CallWhen it comes to recording a video call, the “how” will depend on the tool you are using for the call. Every solid video conferencing service on the market today will make recording easy to do. For this guide, I’ll walk you through recording a video call using RingCentral. Why RingCentral? Not only do they offer one of the best video conferencing services on the market today, but they also offer VoIP business phone services that let you eliminate the need for a traditional phone line. For most businesses, this is a great way to gain efficiency and save money, too. Also, RingCentral offers a free subscription to their Video Pro plan that gives you unlimited meetings with up to 100 participants, temporary cloud storage for recordings, and integrations with popular tools like Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams. And it’s always free, with no credit card ever required. Here’s how to record your video call or conference on RingCentral. Start by downloading and opening the RingCentral desktop app on your computer or go to the RingCentral website. Whichever option you choose, the steps that follow are identical. Click on Sign In and follow the on-screen prompts for your username or email and password. On the left-hand menu, choose Video and then Start. When prompted, select Join audio by computer. When all attendees are on the call and you’re ready to begin the meeting, choose Record from the options at the bottom of the RingCentral window. You will then see an active recording window to the left and Record will now say Pause. You can start and pause recording as often as you’d like during the video call. Once you leave the call, recording stops. A copy of your recording is available in your RingCentral library once it is processed. How to Review and Manage Your Video Call RecordingsAs you record video calls and conferences, you’ll eventually build up a library and want to review those recordings. You may also want to download or share those recordings, too. Here’s how to do all of those things. From the menu on the left side of the screen, choose Video then All Recordings. You’ll see a list of each recording you’ve made, along with the length of the video or its current status if still processing. Click on the name of the recording you want to review or share and a pop-up window will appear. The options on this screen include download, delete, or share, and are all represented by icons in the upper-right corner. You can also replay your recording from here. To download the recording, click on the download icon. Your download will automatically begin.
To share the recording, click on the share icon. You’ll be prompted with a pop-up box where you can type in the name of the person you want to share the recording with, then click Share. And that’s all there is to it. You can replay, download, share, and manage your RingCentral video call recording library with ease. How to Set Up a Video Conference SpaceIf you’re going to regularly make video calls, you’ll want to create a space that ensures success and portrays you as the professional you are. Video Conference Setups for IndividualsIf you are a remote worker or someone that jumps on video calls regularly from your desk, all you need to make a video call happen is a solid internet connection and a device with a screen, camera, and microphone. Your laptop, desktop computer, or smartphone are usually enough. With just these basics, you can join a video call from virtually anywhere. Of course, just because you can join from anywhere, doesn’t mean you should. To keep things professional, be sure to consider good online meeting etiquette so that you present yourself in the best possible light on every call. Video Conference Setups for BusinessesThe stakes are a bit higher for businesses that plan to regularly host video conferences, especially when those events involve people outside the company. While a business can also get by with the basics, it doesn’t mean that approach is always a good one. Investing in high-quality equipment ensures your video conferences are seamless. It may even be the thing that sets you apart from the competition in a good way. The ideal business video conferencing set-up includes the following:
Yes, it can be an investment. But for businesses serious about video conferencing, it is an investment that reaps potentially large dividends. Pros and Cons of Recording Video CallsThere are many benefits that make recording your video calls a solid decision, including:
Of course, nothing is perfect and this applies to video conferencing, too. There are a few potential downsides to recording your calls, like:
The pros definitely outweigh the cons when it comes to recording video calls, but it is good to know what might go wrong. That way you can develop contingency plans and strategies to deal with situations that might arise. Final Thoughts About Recording Video CallsThe ability to conduct business from anywhere using video conferencing has changed the way we work. Entire companies are leveraging the power of this technology to run businesses with fully remote workforces. Even those businesses with traditional bricks-and-mortar locations are embracing video conferencing technology as a way to streamline workflows, engage with clients, and attract top talent. The ability to record video calls adds value to an already valuable technology, and it’s easy to do. That’s a win for everyone. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/video-call-recording/
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Webinar success is often measured by registration and attendance. But in today’s non-stop, tech-driven world, how do you rise above the noise and capture the attention of busy prospects? And once you do, how do you get them to actually commit their time to show up for your webinar? The secret is to offer a topic that is interesting, engaging, and, above all, valuable. If you don’t, you may find yourself presenting to empty seats. To ensure your webinar is standing room only–virtually anyway–it’s critical to choose a great webinar topic. In this article, I’ll show you how easy that is to do. How to Choose a Webinar Topic in 5 StepsSelecting the right webinar topic involves more than just picking a subject that is interesting to you. It requires a strategic approach and analysis. But that process isn’t as hard as it sounds. You can choose a winning webinar topic and create a successful webinar in just five steps:
Ready for success? I’ll walk you through the full webinar planning process in detail. #1. Identify Goals and ObjectivesChoosing a great webinar topic begins with a little legwork. Start by thinking about why you want to do a webinar in the first place. What do you hope to accomplish? Here are a few common reasons people put on webinars. Reach and Teach EmployeesWith more and more workforces going remote, sharing important information with employees–and ensuring they understand it–can be a daunting task. Zoom is a great option for smaller meetings among teams or departments. But when you need to reach larger groups or even an entire large organization, a webinar is far more efficient. It allows the host and presenters to control the exchange of information and avoid the typical interruptions that arise when anyone on a call can freely access their microphone. Onboarding and employee training are other areas where webinars can be quite valuable. Creating a webinar that covers all the basics of starting the new job or learning common performance skills and processes eliminates the need for HR or other managers to repeat the same information again and again for every new hire. Support Sales & Marketing TeamsWhen done well, webinars can be an effective component of your company’s overall marketing and sales strategy. Product-specific webinars can attract leads and get prospects in the sales funnel. Webinars can also provide valuable information that can be saved and easily shared with decision-makers when a prospect is considering your company’s products or services. The sales funnel itself is ripe with webinar opportunities, too. Find out where prospects tend to hit roadblocks, then build your webinar to ease those pain points. Whether it’s a lack of clarity on a product’s functionality or a missing value proposition, a webinar is a great way to have that information available to leads on demand. It can help move them through the funnel instead of being stymied by indecision and dropping out altogether. Help Customers After the SaleAfter the sale is an equally valuable place for webinars. When you know the common problems your customers consistently ask about, for example, you can design a webinar to solve them. Put the recording on your website and customers may even be able to solve their issue without ever contacting customer service at all. You can also design webinars that showcase unique features of your products that customers might not know about. This value-added approach is a great way to increase customer satisfaction, encourage referrals, and even turn a one-off customer into a strong referral source or even a repeat buyer. #2. Define the Target AudienceNow that you know the “why” about your webinar, it’s time to focus on the “who and what” part of the equation. Resist the urge to build a webinar that tries to be all things to all people. That strategy rarely succeeds. Webinars are way more successful when they offer a precise topic aimed at a narrow, well-defined audience. Here’s how to answer the “who” and “what” part of choosing a webinar topic. What does your ideal attendee look like?I’m not talking about actual appearance here. I mean the intangible characteristics of your ideal webinar attendee. For example, an onboarding webinar that walks someone through setting up benefits and payroll is geared towards new hires. A “how to” webinar explaining the nuts and bolts of registering a product warranty is geared toward customers who have already purchased your product. But when your audience isn’t so readily defined, it helps to think about audience characteristics when defining your ideal attendee. Start by talking to your sales and marketing teams. They can be a big help in defining your company’s ideal customer, and likely have audience personas created already. Reviewing this information can help you quickly hone in on what your ideal attendee looks like. What does your ideal attendee need?What is keeping your ideal attendee up at night? What issues are they having trouble solving on their own? Figuring out the problems they face or the fears they have will reveal a bevy of possible webinar topics your ideal attendee finds hard to resist. Perhaps your company sells a product that is great at solving a complex issue but is also expensive. Your ideal attendee is someone who already knows about your product and likes it, but also has a major pain point when explaining to their boss why the high price is justified. If you offer a webinar that clarifies all the ways your product saves time and money and enhances a company’s bottom line, you’ve helped solve that pain point. Your ideal attendee can take the webinar information back to their boss, move everyone past the price hurdle, and become a satisfied customer. #3. Finalize Your Webinar TopicFinally, the moment you’ve been waiting for! You’ve done your homework, figured out the “whos” and “whys” and created a webinar topic short-list. You’re ready to pick the best one. Before you choose your final idea, though, it pays to do just a little bit more research. Reach Out To Colleagues (again)Yes, you already spoke to your colleagues to get some initial webinar ideas. And your short list is the product of those conversations. But it never hurts to have a deeper discussion with these same stakeholders one more time to flesh out how each idea on your shortlist might come to life. If you are going to train employees, go back to HR and identify the most critical elements to cover for each of your short-list topics. They may come up with ideas you never thought of, or explain why one of your short-list topics should be tabled for the moment in favor of a more time-sensitive option. Is your goal to help sales and marketing bring in more leads or convert prospects? Share your pared down topic list, explain the content you envision for each, and get their feedback on the approach they think will work best given current market conditions. Your internal subject matter experts can be an invaluable resource for finalizing a webinar topic, and contributing to an outline that will eventually shape your final presentation. Look At The DataGoogle Ads Keyword Planner is a free tool that can help you identify keywords and topics that are hot right now. If you’re not familiar with this tool, check out our tutorial on how to use the Google keyword planner tool. The goal of Google’s Keyword Planner is to identify phrases that people are searching for right now, and determine which of them are most popular based on search volume. This type of information can help you in two ways. It will show you what is–and isn’t–being regularly searched for, helping you rid your webinar short-list of topics nobody cares enough about to bother with a Google search. And when you do narrow your topics down to that final winner, the data will also show you how to name and describe your webinar topic so that it is more likely to be found during a Google Search. #4. Determine the Webinar LayoutOkay, you landed on this post because you wanted to know how to choose a webinar topic, and I showed you how to do that. But picking a topic is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s a lot going on under the waterline that makes or breaks an online learning experience. Consider these two final steps a bonus to help you achieve webinar greatness. First things first, you have to decide how long your webinar will be. The most successful webinars are at or just under 60 minutes, with 30-45 minutes dedicated to the presentation and 15 minutes allocated for audience Q&A. Likewise, you’ll have to make a decision about what materials to show during the webinar. A Powerpoint presentation is a go-to favorite, but you can also share PDFs, spreadsheets, JPEGs, and other multimedia to keep your audience engaged. The benefit of including visuals is that it allows attendees to see the information in a different form than just a verbal presentation. This helps address a variety of learning styles, very important when you have a lot of attendees in the audience. You’ll also need to determine who will be presenting in the webinar. Some webinars can be run by a single expert who can speak to all aspects of the webinar topic. However, offering a moderator and two to three different presenters is also a great way to keep things fresh and maintain audience attention. This is an especially great strategy if your topic has diverse components, where different people are experts in each area. #5. Select High-Quality Webinar SoftwarePutting on your first webinar might seem overwhelming at first. The great news is there are many webinar software options available to make the job easier. You definitely don’t have to go it alone. Webinar software does the hard technical work for you, freeing you up to focus on the creative side of the equation. If you’re not sure where to start, check out our review of the best webinar software options. All of these tools will walk you through the process of setting up and hosting a webinar. And if you have other questions about actually hosting your webinar, be sure to check out our straightforward how-to host a webinar guide. Final Thoughts About Choosing a Webinar TopicPicking a topic for your webinar is not always an easy task. To achieve maximum success, it takes a thoughtful assessment of your goals and objectives and an analysis of your target audience. But once you’ve done your research, zeroing in on a great topic gets a lot easier. And when you’re ready to rock and roll, using webinar software will make planning and hosting your event easy and fun. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/how-to-choose-a-webinar-topic/ Want to jump straight to the answer? The best website builder for most people is Zyro or Wix. The best website builders make it easy for anyone to create a new website from scratch—even if you have zero experience. Just start with a professionally designed template and customize everything to make it your own. The 6 Best Website Builders
Website builders have gotten so much better over the years. Today, you don’t have to struggle getting a site online or updating it with the times. To find out which ones were the most helpful, the Quick Sprout research team got in touch with people who used these website builders for their business. Through surveys and interviews, we were able to get a really great picture of how each website builder performs in real life. Keep reading to get the real story. Zyro – Best for Keeping Website Costs Low
Zyro (pronounced like zero) is the perfect low-cost solution if you want a website you can build and update yourself. There are only a handful of excellent website builders–this is the least expensive one that doesn’t cut corners. You won’t have to hire a developer. You won’t have to learn WordPress or HTML. Drag, drop, and click your way to a great-looking website. And you’ll save hundreds of dollars a year compared to similar services. If you are a freelancer or run a small business that just needs a website, Zyro should be at the top of your list. Can it do everything Wix and Squarespace can do? Not quite, but it’s a fraction of the price, and basically as easy to use. There are a few tradeoffs that come with the low price of Zyro. I’d argue that many of these missing bells and whistles are not going to matter much to users that just need some digital real estate for their business. If every dollar counts, there is no better way to build your website than Zyro. Building a Website with Zyro“Easy” and “affordable” don’t usually go together when it comes to website builders. Zyro can offer this because they were acquired by Hostinger, one of Quick Sprout’s top picks for affordable web hosting companies. Zyro already offered a great website builder, and now it’s running on Hostinger. It’s this partnership that allows them to keep prices low. The end result is that you don’t have to compromise: pay low hosting rates and get a super-easy website builder. This is the appeal of Zyro in a nutshell. A total beginner can build, edit, and update their website for a few bucks a month. We interviewed a Zyro user who needed a polished website when they struck out as a freelancer. She’d never built a website before, and told us that Zyro is “great for anybody who’s intimidated by the web.” It took her less than a day to build her site with Zyro. “This is your confidence builder,” she said, “very, very intuitive.” When you’re designing your site on Zyro, it’s truly “what you see is what you get.” Pages are automatically optimized for mobile or desktop, with no extra work on your end. Everything is laid out in a grid system, which helps non-designers keep the site looking organized. Your website visitors won’t see the grid, it’s just there to help as you build. You don’t have to start from scratch, either. Zyro has 148 templates ready for you to customize. If you are willing to keep things conventional, you could have a Zyro site built in minutes. Of course if you want to get real crafty, that will take a bit more time, but it’s all point-and-click. Add videos, links, maps, galleries, or switch up the color scheme–you’ll never have to jump into CSS or HTML to get things looking good. You could use WordPress with a solid host (like Bluehost or Hostinger) to keep costs down, but it’s not as easy for beginners to get their site looking the way they want it. You’ll have to add plugins and potentially dive into the code if you want to add visual elements. With Zyro, you can avoid all of that. Zyro includes simple tools to handle the fundamentals, like creating contact forms, landing pages, and scheduling blog posts. But there are also some standout features that you wouldn’t expect from such a low-price option. The AI Heatmap tool, for instance, shows you where people are clicking, moving their cursor, or scrolling down. You’ll see a heatmap of “hot” and “cold” areas on your site based on where users spend their time. You’ll also get access to a logo maker, image-editor, and tools to generate writing, slogans, and titles. These are all things you need for your website. The AI-generated writing for your website isn’t perfect, but it’s a start, and sometimes that’s all you need. Zyro isn’t giving away million-dollar design software for free. The benefit is that you’re not going to have to hunt down some free website to compress images or get rid of the background of your logo. You can do everything in Zyro. Never had to optimize an image or use SEO to improve your site’s rank in Google? Don’t worry, Zyro walks you through everything the first time you do it. There’s plenty of online help if you get stuck, and you can reach out to customer service 24/7. Some website companies won’t offer much in the way of customer service, but Zyro is there. They have a pretty good track record from what we could see online, and the users we spoke with were very happy. “They’ll give you a canned response in some cases,” one user told us, but it “wasn’t a big deal” most of the time, because the online FAQs were very good. Overall, she said, the agents she connected with “were very, very helpful, right from the start.” Tradeoffs with Zyro Website BuilderIn terms of design, you can do more with a WordPress website than you can (currently) with Zyro. The same is true of Wix and SquareSpace. If you are trying to make a splash in the world of web design, I might point you to one of those options. Wix has hundreds more templates to choose from, for example, and far more integrations with other online tools to amp up your site. Another thing to bear in mind is what we call “template lock-in.” Some website builders like Wix and Zyro don’t allow you to switch templates. You can copy everything over to a new template in Zyro, sure, but that takes a lot more time. Squarespace lets you switch templates whenever you want with little fuss. Some users we talked with felt a little constrained by the grid system. Yes, it helped keep the page organized, but sometimes it was tough to fine tune things the way they wanted. “Spacing was a big issue for me,” said one user. “I wanted to move the wording down half an inch, but I had to move it a whole inch,” they explained. “It wanted to force me into that grid.” In the end, they were able to find a solution, but Wix is definitely more of a flexible tool in terms of design. One word about price. Zyro is the best price on a good website builder looking at the total cost over time. But like most web hosting companies, you get the best deal by signing up for a long time. It’s a really low per month price, but you have to pay upfront for the whole thing. This kind of commitment can deter people. If you’re always going to need a website, I’d say this tradeoff is one worth making. Over the years, you will save a ton of money. Why We Recommend Zyro Website BuilderZyro squares the circle when it comes to a low-cost, easy-to-use website builder. You’ll be paying less than the cost of a cup of coffee each month for a fast, reliable website. Want to change the store hours or run a special sale? You can do it yourself in minutes. If you know that you always need a website, there’s not a lot of downside to signing up for a long plan, especially when that price is hundreds of dollars less over the years. Zyro gives you everything you need for your website and tools that anyone can start using right away. Bottom line: Don’t spend any more than you have to get a great looking site for your business. Try Zyro free for 30 days. Wix – Best Website Builder for Your First Website
If you’re a beginner looking to build your first website, there’s a clear choice: Wix. It offers a way that makes your website building experience painless and, dare I say, fun. Their AI helps you create a website after answering just a few questions about your goals. It’s like taking a Buzzfeed quiz, but when you’re done you have a great website (instead of just wasting time during your work day). All the users we spoke to attested to how easy Wix was to use—without sacrificing the quality of the final product. “[Wix] is very intuitive and they give you great tools to create great websites,” one user told me. They also spoke highly of the hundreds of templates the builder offered, praising the variety of great-looking designs along with “its easy-to-use drag-and-drop builder.” They have templates for music, art, fashion, health, travel, photography, construction, and restaurant sites—just to scratch the surface. Wix also offered numerous revenue streams for one user we talked to. “My Wix website got me a few jobs,” they told me. “I’m also making consistent monthly income because of an online store I built on my site.” Even though Wix offers a user-friendly website builder, they also give you a comprehensive knowledge base of articles you can use if you ever get stuck. “If I’m unsure about a certain topic, it’s quick to find via their support,” one user told me. If you need a little bit more hands-on help, they offer a 24/7 callback service for US-based users so an actual person can walk you through any issues. That’s a rarity in the website builder world—and definitely something that’ll help you in the long run. That way, if something breaks or your website crashes, you can immediately call someone up to help you. Of course, I wanted to test it out for myself, so I jumped in and created my own Wix page from scratch. Building a Website with WixWhen I set up my Wix account, I was surprised to find that they actually gave me a few ways to create my own website. First, I could get my hands dirty and choose a template and build my website from the ground up. Or, I could simply answer a few questions about the type of website I wanted to build and Wix’s ADI builder would handle all of the work for me. I had a decent-looking site after just a few answers. Once you pick a template, you can update everything from the font, logo, and colors to images and more. That means you can make any of the already great-looking templates all your own with a little bit of tweaking. When I tested Wix, I loved how easy it was to find a template that matched our vision. The AI stayed with me as I edited the page, helping me pick the next thing to edit and showing me how to do it. The Wix AI matched my new site to my existing social media accounts, used my logo to create a color palette for my site, and gave me a template pre-populated with that logo and our street address. Connecting images from existing social media accounts made it easy to pull in all the assets we already owned. Pick a business you already know and see how close Wix’s AI comes to replicating it. I used a local yoga studio as an example and Wix did closely match the studio’s existing site. Even better, I bet they paid a web designer a bit for their design and I did mine for free with an AI assistant. Tradeoffs With Wix Website BuilderTake note: all of Wix’s plans are automatically set to auto-renew. Sticker shock is real, especially if you signed up with an introductory promo pricing. As one of our users put it, “the price per month tends to be quite high.” That can be a big deal if you’re, say, a scrappy startup trying to make and save as much as possible. If you want to recoup some of the expenses with an ecommerce site, you’ll still have to pay for a more expensive plan for the subscription fee. Zyro is going to be a good bit cheaper than Wix. If you just need a website that looks good, the extra cost might not be worth it. Most of our users we spoke to did use Wix to build their own personal portfolios and blogs. That allowed them to find clients and customers. Since Wix occasionally features their own users on their official blog, it can lead to more opportunities for you if you choose the platform. That’s exactly what happened to one of our users who said, “Being featured on Wix got me some freelance opportunities and ultimately landed my full-time job.” Why We Recommend WixOverall, Wix offers the best combination of ease-of-use and customization of any platform we looked at. It’s not the cheapest, but people seemed really excited about the sites they were building. Their themes are varied and fantastic. You’ll also be armed with the tools you need to customize its look and feel to your exact specifications—or pretty darn close. Wix gives you the option to essentially build your website for you through their AI site builder. That’s an amazing feature that no other website builder we reviewed offers. It takes the guesswork out of everything, especially if you just want to get a website up and running right away. Bottom line: Wix is a great website builder for beginners looking to build a beautiful site right out of the box. Bluehost WordPress Website Builder – Best for Building Sites That Grow With You
A quick disclaimer: WordPress is the content management system (CMS) we use here at Quicksprout. They don’t pay us to, mind you—we just like the product. So, I can personally attest to how great it is. We’re not alone either. If you use WordPress, you join the likes of Vogue, Bloomberg, and even Beyonce’s own website who use it as their CMS. Don’t just take my word for it though; our users all thought the same thing. “With no knowledge of WordPress when I started it was a bit of a steep learning curve but I figured everything out quickly enough,” said one user. “WordPress is very intuitive and if you can’t figure something out, you just have to Google it or check on YouTube and you will likely find an answer.” Not only is it highly customizable, but it’s also scalable. This is a CMS that can grow as large as you want, or be scaled back to as small as you want. Another user loved how flexible WordPress was. That’s because it’s an open-source application so the back-end code is widely available—allowing developers and creators to make their own themes, widgets, and plugins for the CMS. That means there are a ton of different ways you can mix and match plugins and themes out there. And, if you want to get your hands dirty, you can jump into the backend yourself and customize your site to your heart’s desire. WordPress also has more than 11,000 themes. Many of them are free, some of them are paid. My recommendation: Go with a paid one if you can afford it. One of our users paid for their theme, customized the heck out of it, and made it their own. The benefit of doing this is that your website will easily stand out from the rest. When you go with one of the popular free themes, it’s just going to look like hundreds of other WordPress websites. However, if you put in a little work—and a little money—you’ll end up with a site that’s uniquely you. All of our users built their sites exclusively to draw in leads, customers, and sales. The CMS allowed them to do so with easily integrated ecommerce functions, as well as powerful SEO tools such as Yoast to help capture organic traffic. “I was able to monetize my website using affiliate marketing,” one user told me, “along with infoproducts like ebooks and minicourses once my audience got big enough.” This user runs a genealogy website dedicated to helping people connect with family members. They were able to use their ancestry-specific blog along with a popular newsletter to build a loyal community of readers (and therefore customers). “One thing that helped with that was creating an email subscriber list and a newsletter using the Mailchimp plugin,” they said. “It’s a must-have if you want to monetize your blog.” Building a Website with WordPressLike I said, this is what we use here at Quicksprout—so I’m well-versed in WordPress. That said, there is a little bit of a learning curve for new beginners. The backend dashboard can frankly be overwhelming. The good news is that after just a little bit of exploring and experimenting, you’ll get the hang of it in no time. From your dashboard, you’ll be able to do everything from creating new pages for your site, to crafting blog posts, to downloading new themes, plugins, or widgets. The blog and page editor uses WordPress’ proprietary Gutenberg interface: a user-friendly blog and page creator that leverages drag-and-drop tools to help you create the page you want. It’s not the What You See Is What You Get interface that Zyro or Wix have—but it’s close. If you want to see what your page or blog post looks like in the final product, you’ll have to click on the Preview button at the top of the editor. That’ll open up a new tab with the preview of your page/post. It’s much, much more intuitive than its old editor—and will give any other WYSIWYG editor a run for its money. Like I mentioned before, WordPress is scalable. If you want to build a big website with a ton of different assets, you can choose the right plugins to help. You can hire a developer (or yourself if you have PHP skills) to jump in the back end and build exactly what you need. “WordPress gave me everything I needed to create the blog I wanted,” one user told us. “It gave me an easy interface to post my blogs, as well as everything I needed or wanted in my blog: a subscription box, an author area; just the look I wanted and the flexibility to change things as needed.” I highly recommend you start small when it comes to plugins. My favorite plugin is Yoast SEO. It’ll help you make your page and blog posts rank better on Google search results by helping you find optimization opportunities in your content. Choosing a HostIf you want to build a website with WordPress, they give you two options:
We have a lot more information about this in our article about the best web host and best web hosting for WordPress—but the short answer is choose Bluehost. It’s one of the most popular web hosts out there. It’s also the one I highly recommend to beginners. Every Bluehost plan comes with one-click WordPress installation, allowing you to easily create a website using the CMS once you sign up. Each plan also comes with a free domain name registration too. In one fell swoop, you’ll be able to get a great domain, set up powerful and affordable web hosting, and create your WordPress site. Triple win! All of our users surveyed used the powerful combination of WordPress with Bluehost. “I’m still using Bluehost after four years for most of my sites,” said one user. “It’s great for beginners due to how the pricing model is structured.” Bluehost offers rock-bottom promotional pricing starting at just $2.75 per month. Every Bluehost plan comes with 24/7 customer support. You’ll be able to email them directly and they’ll help solve your issue as soon as possible. That was the case for one of our users when their website crashed—but they said, “I contacted their chat support and they were able to identify the issue (a broken plugin) and fix it immediately. [I’m] very grateful for that.” They’ll also help you migrate to their host if you’re coming from a different hosting service. This can easily be the biggest headache for any website manager—but Bluehost makes it a snap. “The website migration was unbelievably easy!” one user told me. “And I really prefer the portal at Bluehost compared to the old place plus the service is better for me.” Cons of WordPress’s Website BuilderWhen it came to the drawbacks, our users agreed on one thing: It’s not the most beginner-friendly website builder. In fact, they each told me about their frustrations when using the CMS for the first time. One user said, “I don’t like how it does take a bit of a learning curve to use. Sometimes I’d like to have my hand held more through the [website creation] process rather than having to look up a bunch of YouTube how-to videos to learn how.” The dashboard is complex at first look. Once you learn it, you’ll be able to jump into the backend of any WordPress website and know how to get around with ease. This can be a valuable skill set to have—and one that employers frequently look for. Still, this isn’t going to be the website builder for you if you’re looking to easily create a website out of the box with little to no site building experience or knowledge needed. For that, we recommend you look towards Zyro or Wix instead. But if you’re willing to put in the work, learning even just the basics of WordPress can result in a massive return on investment. Not only will you be able to create a fully customized website, but you’ll have a valuable skill employers definitely look for. Another thing to mention is that WordPress doesn’t have the most comprehensive support system. “I wish there was a help desk that you could contact either by email or chat,” one user opined. In fact, the only option WordPress offers for support is a forum where you can pose questions or bring up issues you’re having with your site. I decided to jump in and test it out and posted a question about a fake issue I was having with my website. It took about two hours before I received a reply. While the answer was comprehensive and answered my question, it still took two whole hours before it was answered. If I had a business and relied on that income to keep my lights on, those two hours represent my livelihood. I would need help faster than that. Why We Recommend Bluehost Website BuilderWordPress is the most popular website builder on the planet, and it’s not an accident. The users we spoke with liked how easily they were able to monetize their blogs to turn their websites into income generation engines. While there is a learning curve, once you get the hang of it, we promise you won’t look back. By the end of it, you’ll have a website that is endlessly customizable—and it’ll be able to grow as big as you or your business gets. That means if you’re creating a blog for your passion, and the blog grows a big audience, you’ll be able to turn the same WordPress blog into a website that generates revenue for you from your audience. Bottom line: It’s going to take a little bit more elbow grease, but once you create a WordPress website, you’ll have a customizable website that you can make into whatever you want it to be. Couple that with Bluehost and you’ll be able to do so easily in one fell swoop. Squarespace – Best Website Builder for Creators of All Stripes
Squarespace has long been the top choice for creatives and business owners that really care about the look of their website. It’s no coincidence the Squarespace users we talked to had creator-focused websites. These users included a web design expert who teaches students how to create jaw-dropping sites, and an interior design blog who features gorgeous home tours on their website. “I think I had my blog up and running within a day,” said one user. “Squarespace offers clean, beautiful templates you can easily tweak.” Building a Website with SquarespaceJumping in, I found that Squarespace does indeed give you an easy way to start a blog just like Wix. However, I had to admit that as much as I liked Wix’s themes, Squarespace would take home the Best In Show ribbon for how gorgeous their themes looked. The backend editor is also fairly intuitive. That’s great for beginners like the newly graduated graphic designer looking to build their portfolio, or the photographer who wants to make their first business website. They’re also great for the new generation of creators and influencers across platforms like YouTube or TikTok to create a home for your brand outside of those platforms. Squarespace plays especially well with YouTube allowing you to embed videos along with more information or content that exists solely on your website. “They have a great What You See Is What You Get builder,” said one user. “That means when you’re building the page, you see what the page will look like as you’re building it.” In fact, this is something that builders like Squarespace and Wix have an edge on WordPress. You can easily see the changes you’re making to your website as you’re making them. No clicking back and forth between preview windows. This can make it easy to use if you’re just starting out. Even seasoned website managers might find it a breath of fresh air compared to the alternative. “Sometimes, like in WordPress, you’re editing your site in the backend, but then you have to go to the front end to see what it’ll look like when you’re finished,” the user said. “With Squarespace, as you’re building the blog post, you’re seeing the changes happen at the same time. And I think that’s really useful. That’s one aspect that makes it easy to use.” Tradeoffs with Squarespace Website BuilderWhile Squarespace ranked fairly high on customization, it was still an area of some contention for our panel of interviewed and surveyed users. One user enjoyed what Squarespace offered in terms of customization options and extra tools such as an ecommerce function, integrated email marketing, and podcast support. However, it’s still fairly limited when compared to the enormous customizability of WordPress. Not to mention, you might have to pay more for the plugins and widgets you need to make certain things work. “Custom CSS is only available in the Business Plan,” said one user. “It’s doable for my website, I found some great tutorials on the internet for extra CSS customization and I had to buy a sidebar plugin because it wasn’t integrated in my template. For more complex websites this might be a problem.” Mobile customization is also an area our users flagged. One user found it particularly frustrating since they essentially had to create your website twice—once for desktop and another time for mobile. But, it should be noted that the Squarespace version you use might result in a different desktop vs mobile experience. For example, Squarespace version 7.0 might have templates that include extra built in mobile styles that’ll make your site look differently depending on what device you’re using to browse. And while the website builder is easy to use, it could certainly be more intuitive. This is an area where Wix has an edge on Squarespace. One user told us, “It could be more obvious how to perform certain actions. Sometimes you have to hunt and click here and there. Every now and then I’ve accidentally deleted a blog because I’ve clicked the wrong button.” Why We Recommened SquarespaceSquarespace allows you to create a striking blog or portfolio without a lot of trouble. For people who want a million interactive features on their site, it might not be the best. But if your aesthetic is minimalist, or you really need to showcase images and videos–Squarespace should be your top choice. The website builder’s gorgeous templates and creator-friendly features earned it a spot on our list. Their designs truly can’t be matched. Bottom line: If you’re a creator looking to show off stunning visuals of your art, photographs, graphic design, and more, then Squarespace is the builder for you. Weebly – Best for Making Money with an Ecommerce Store
Weebly is another flexible, out-of-the-box website builder in the family of Wix and Squarespace. However, where they stand out is their ecommerce functionality. Their ecommerce builder plans are some of the most affordable out there—even lower than Wix or Squarespace. In fact, they have a free plan that gives you basic ecommerce functionality at no cost at all. If you’re a beginner looking to step up from your Etsy shop and own your platform, I highly recommend Weebly. Weebly is powered by Square—the folks behind the popular point-of-sale system. That means if you sell products in-person like at a farmers’ market, you’ll be able to easily integrate your POS sales with your website. This is another area where Weebly edges out other builders like Wix or Squarespace. Where they offer that type of integration at a higher paid plan (Wix) or with limited integration (Squarespace), Weebly just gives it to you. Our panel members ranged from a musician who used Weebly to sell music directly to fans, to a LinkedIn coach and blogger who sold her coaching services via sessions directly on her website, to a website designer who used her Weebly site to bring in new clients. “I chose Weebly to design all of my websites years ago with the idea that it was simple enough that my clients could update their own websites,” said the web designer. That user went on to add that they purchased third-party Weebly templates to access even more design options for her clients and herself. Squarespace users talked a lot about how easy it was to get their website looking the way they wanted it. “The themes are a perfect starting point though and provide more than enough for anyone to create their own website with little or no digital expertise,” one user told us. “Once you know your brand color codes it is simple to change the look and feel to your own brand, and you can build it up from there by adding your own images and testimonials.” Building a Website with WeeblyAfter hearing our users glow about Weebly’s easy site building process, I had to jump in for myself. True to their word, our users were right when they said it was easy. Weebly offers a intuitive website creation process. It is as simple as choosing a domain name and a template, and creating the site. It’s also easy to add new pages to your website. One of our users told us that, “Creating the blog section of my website was super simple and took less than five minutes to set up.” I found that Weebly integrates nicely with other third-party tools that you’ll definitely want for your website such as Google Analytics and Mailchimp. The builder itself is drag-and-drop a la Wix or Squarespace. So like those platforms, it’s minimal effort and headache free. What you see is what you get. There are tools for email, SEO, site analytics, shipping, and inventory for the ecommerce plan. You’ll be able to even add a product search to your online store—which I love. If you have a big catalog of products and services, you’ll definitely want to add this function in. They also give you the ability to add badges to your products and services for when they go on sale or when inventory is low for a specific item. That’s a great way to build scarcity into your products—and make your customers want to click the buy button all the more. Setting it up is simple and straightforward too. Since it’s a WYSIWYG builder, I can easily swap out products, prices, and descriptions, along with digital assets like logos, product images, and banner images. Setting up a rudimentary store took less than five minutes to do after sign up. I was also pleased by how I was able to accept payments via gateways like Paypal, Stripe, and—of course—Square. Those options are a boon for users who will be able to pick the gateway they want. Tradeoffs with Weebly Website BuilderOne of our users didn’t like how Weebly doesn’t allow you to “save” changes on your site before it goes live. That would be a good addition if you were in the process of redesigning your site. If you have a ton of products on your store or if you have a lot of traffic coming in, this means if something goes wrong and breaks, it’s going to be much harder to fix. Another user we spoke to didn’t like how complicated it was to sync up their inventory between their Weebly website and their Square POS system. “Square and Weebly sometimes don’t cooperate with me or each other,” the user said. “So I can’t have full, accurate inventory reflected between the two entities.” That user also opined the fact that they had to jump back and forth between Square support and Weebly support if they needed help fixing an issue. It’s like a game of tennis and you’re the ball. “If I want to fix something and I go to Weebly, they go, ‘No, go to Square,’ and Square’s like, ‘No, you have to go back to Weebly.” Why We Ranked It at #4Weebly offers a great and affordable ecommerce solution to website builders. Like Squarespace, Weebly also lacks the comprehensive customization and scalability of WordPress. But if you are looking to start an online store, then Weebly should be high on your list. It makes the entire process of getting set up and managing inventory as easy as possible. Bottom line: If you’re building a website with an online store, choose Weebly. GoDaddy – Best for Building Your Website from Your Phone
On top of solid domain and hosting services, GoDaddy offers a simple and straightforward website builder. It’s not necessarily the best at any one area—but think of it as “jack of all trades, but master of none.” From ecommerce websites to blogs to portfolios, they have tons of different templates to help you create the website that’s right for you. If there was one single thing that GoDaddy does well though is its intuitiveness and simplicity. That was the biggest stand out for Gabriel Smith, one of the users we spoke to. In fact, Gabriel built his GoDaddy website all from his phone while he was homeless living on the street. You read that correctly. He had just finished his memoir, also from his phone, and wanted to get his words out there. So he found GoDaddy and got to work building an entire website from his phone. “I literally did it because I was homeless,” Gabe told me with a laugh. “What else could I do? Some way, somehow I was going to get my story out because I didn’t know how many people that could possibly help.” Gabe was able to easily create his website using one of his few possessions: a smartphone. Using just the mobile editor, he was able to create a website that worked for him and his goal of promoting his book. In his own words, he ranks GoDaddy’s ease of use at a five “only because ten isn’t an option.” So simplicity is definitely a strong suit for the website builder. With some more hustle and grit, Gabriel was able to secure speaking engagements because of his book and website, as well as coaching opportunities to help out folks who were in a similar situation to him. Now, he has a successful career as a motivational speaker and a self-improvement author. Building a Website with GoDaddyI tried it out for myself and found that Gabe was correct. GoDaddy offered an intuitive way to create a website via a mobile editor or a desktop site builder. That’s not to detract from Gabriel’s immense accomplishment of building a successful website on his own while homeless, mind you—just verification that it is in fact easy to use. I like that it gives you tools to book appointments, sell different products and services, and take reservations. Their drag-and-drop website builder makes it easy to do so too. One user we spoke to owns a gardening shop and regularly offers classes. They said that they like the way GoDaddy “easily integrates appointments and workshops into the site.” Our entire user panel of users also liked the tools offered—but occasionally wanted more. One user who owns a coffee roastery said they were “able to build an email list with our Godaddy website which is an extremely effective way to grow, but outside of that, the growth tools were limited.” The simplicity is a boon and a drawback (as we’ll get into shortly). But overall, I enjoy it because of how easy it is to use. It’s pretty affordable though, with plans starting at $9.99 a month. I highly recommend it if you are already using GoDaddy for your domain or web host. Cons of GoDaddy’s Website BuilderGoDaddy does seem to trade off simplicity for depth of customization. In fact, they’re too simple in some ways. One user said that while the drag and drop editor was easy to use, it’s still “quite limited and you can’t easily alter things like font size.” That user also criticized how slow the editing tool becomes if you have too many digital assets on the page. Also, if you’re hoping to direct your emails to a portal of your choice, it’s going to be tough. “I think my biggest issue with them is their webmail that’s tied to the website,” one user said. “After a very frustrating season of my emails to customers constantly getting stuck in spam filters I had to give up and switch to Gmail for all correspondence. GoDaddy has not been able to fix the issue.” They continued, “It’s a bummer because I’m paying for the service and I want to have that professional email address but I just can’t use it and have confidence that it will get to my customers.” Another user actually recently switched from GoDaddy to WordPress because they felt like they had to “compromise on some aspects” of their website when building with GoDaddy. “I wanted a store list of the physical locations people could buy our [products]. This didn’t exist,” said one user. They ended up having to get creative with a menu tool to create this page—but it obviously wasn’t ideal. The user also added that, “The lack of ability to have recurring purchases for our [product] subscription service was also a big factor in deciding to switch from Godaddy to WordPress.” Why We Recommend GoDaddy Website BuilderIf you’re looking to build a website easily and quickly and don’t expect to upkeep it too much, GoDaddy could be a good choice for you. It’s a fantastic alternative if you’re a busy, on-the-go professional or someone who might be limited in the ways they can create their website looking for a dead simple website builder to get the job done. In any case, Gabriel is more than happy to tell you how happy he is with GoDaddy—and that makes it a fantastic choice in my book. Bottom Line: GoDaddy offers a simple, easy website builder—but not much else. How We Chose Which Products to ReviewI chose all six website builders based on three criteria:
I took a look at dozens of the most popular website builders on the market today, and benchmarked each of them against the three qualities above. For each website builder I found, I created a bare bones website to test out their tools and features. I also took into account the things offered in paid premium plans. Using this method, I was able to narrow down my list of more than a dozen website builders to what I considered to be the six best. These six best showcased the three criteria above in unique—but effective—ways. In all, this stage of the research process took two weeks to complete. When I finished, it was time to find real users of each product. How We Reviewed Each ProductAt Quicksprout, we believe that if you want to get actual insights about a product or service, you need to talk to actual users. You can’t just trust the website builder’s marketing or even the testimonials you find on review sites. Instead, you need to find the people who have used the builders before. Only then can you get the good, the bad, and the oh-so-frustrating. It took time to find and verify users, but in the end, we were able to connect with a few dozen people that used these website builders for their business. Each person agreed to either a phone interview or a survey. Questions for both were identical, though some of our interviewees had a lot to say about their experience. We took all of our research, interviews, and surveys and synthesized them into the post you are reading now. What We Learned Choosing the Best Blogging PlatformThere’s no such thing as a “perfect” website builder. Instead, each one offers a unique set of features and tools for a different kind of user. Everyone wants something easy to use, but what exactly does that mean when it comes to website builders? Keep reading to hear insights from our research and user interviews that can help you hone in on a website builder that really matches your needs. Ease of UseIf you’re reading this, you’re likely a beginner. We all need to start somewhere. What that means is that ease of use plays a bigger role in your ultimate decision than ever. The reason is because it’s easy to get frustrated and burned out when learning a new skill like website building. That can easily result in abandoning your website building efforts entirely. To combat that, you want to make things as easy as possible in the beginning. That’s why we highly recommend finding a platform that can help you create a site easily and quickly. With something like Zyro or Wix, a first-time user is not going to run into any trouble. “[Wix’s] intuitive and has great tools to create individual website designs,” one Wix user told us. We also love that it will hold your hand through the process—and will even build out the website for you if you want. That said, Squarespace, Weebly, and GoDaddy are also easy-to-use products as well. It just depends on what you’re looking for. For example, if you’re looking for a great WYSIWYG website builder to create gorgeous blogs and portfolios, Squarespace is for you. If you want to create a cheap but lucrative online store, Weebly is for you. If you want a simple builder with a great mobile editor, look no further than GoDaddy. Depth of CustomizationBeing able to customize your website to the exact look and feel you want is crucial—but it sometimes makes the learning curve for the builder a bit steeper. This is a delicate balancing act. But once you strike it, the platform will allow you to not only align with your brand, but also draw in the type of readers and customers you want. Customization also includes things outside of the way your website looks. It’s also the ability to add the features you need to accomplish your goals. For example, if you want to build a list of email subscribers for a newsletter, you want to find a website builder that’ll allow you to easily capture your visitor’s contact information. For that you might want to go with Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress as they give you either native tools to do so or allow you to download a third-party plugin like Mailchimp. Not all platforms offer the same amount of customization. A website builder like WordPress offers the deepest level of customization on this list. You’ll be able to create the exact website you want so long as you have the knowledge to code and edit, or are willing to pay someone to do so. A website builder like GoDaddy offers likely the least amount of customization. That’s not to say you won’t be able to build a good website. They’re just not open-source. As such, there’s no community out there dedicated to creating widgets, plugins, and themes for GoDaddy sites. A builder like Squarespace allows you to include things like ecommerce stores easily right out of the box. “One of the reasons why I recommend Squarespace to small businesses or bloggers is because you don’t need to go get a third-party plugin to add a shop or to have your Instagram in the footer, or create your email newsletter collection,” said one of our users. “It’s really an all-in-one system, which is wonderful.” It all starts with the templates that they give you. You start with a theme, but are able to use it as a launching point. Once you tweak and customize it to your specific needs, it becomes virtually whatever kind of website you want it to be. Ability to Earn MoneyIf you’re building a website for your business, or portfolio, or even a simple blog, you likely want to make money from it. Websites are marketing channels after all. They exist to promote brands, products, services, movements, and more. The website builder you choose will have a fairly big impact on how much money you can earn. For example, if you want to build a good ecommerce store, I would highly recommend going with Squarespace or Weebly. They both have native ecommerce store builders. However, Weebly is partnered with Square—and offers ecommerce features across all their plans (including the free one). So if you want to have a good way to make sure all of your sales system is in sync from inventory, to card swipes, to price changes, (while saving money) it’s the best choice for you. If you run an info product business where you offer online courses, ebooks, and the like, WordPress is a great option for that. They offer a ton of great third party plugins to help you build a list and sell. Sure, you won’t have out-of-the-box ecommerce functionality. But WordPress gives you a much higher ceiling in terms of being able to customize your website and creating even more avenues to revenue beyond sales. The Top Website Builders in SummaryThere’s no one-size-fits-all solution for website builders. What works for one person or business might not work for you—and that’s okay. Look for a website builder that addresses your needs and skill level. Start with a template, and you’ll be on your way. Use the recommendations in this guide as a resource as you’re evaluating the best website builders. Our reviews still steer you in the right direction. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-website-builder/ Slack is a ubiquitous business communication tool, but using it without a strategy to keep channels organized can lead to chaos. Lost messages and confusion over channel purposes are just a few common Slack pitfalls. Whether you’re managing Slack for your team or the entire company, a few minutes of planning and organizing your channel strategy at the start will save time and eliminate confusion down the road. It’s easy to do, and I’ll show you how. Organize Your Slack Channels In 4 Easy StepsSlack is the most versatile team messaging software on the market today. It’s an easy and effective tool to make everyone’s workday more efficient. Streamlining Slack channels takes just four steps.
Ready to become a Slack channel master? Let’s get started. 1. Create New Slack ChannelsSlack comes with two public channels already created–#general and #random. By default, every member you add to Slack is automatically added to both channels. The difference between the two default channels is that members cannot leave #general, making it a great spot to share company-wide announcements. Of course, you’ll want to add more channels to fit your business needs. There are two types of channels you can create in Slack:
Now that you understand Slack basics, you’re ready to create your own channels. Three things are important to keep in mind when building your Slack channel strategy. Purpose of the ChannelEvery Slack channel should have a unique purpose. This helps eliminate duplicate or redundant channels. Sometimes your channel purpose will be for entire teams to stay in contact and discuss team-wide topics. Other times, it will be for cross-team collaboration to help facilitate project work. Also, don’t underestimate the importance of fun channels. Non-work related Slack channels are a great way to build camaraderie and help colleagues get to know each other, especially in fully remote workforces. These channels also help keep this type of chit-chat out of your business-focused channels. Once you identify the “why” of your new Slack channel and you know a channel like it doesn’t already exist, it’s time to name it. Naming Strategy for the ChannelA cohesive naming strategy is key, especially since every Slack member can create channels by default. Without a naming convention plan in place, your Slack channels will quickly start looking like the wild, wild west, with everyone doing their own thing. One way to keep everyone on the same page is to use channel prefixes. Channel name prefixes help organize channels by purpose. Here’s an example of what that strategy might look like:
Your prefixes will vary depending on your business, but you get the idea. Once you have your list of approved prefixes finalized, it’s important to share your new naming strategy with everyone that needs to know about it. The easiest way to do this is to pin your list of prefixes in a channel like #general for your entire organization or a #team_ channel for smaller groups. Here’s how to do that: Create your Slack message, covering all the details anyone needs to name a future Slack channel. Once everything is clear, click the green arrow to share your informative masterpiece with all channel members. You’ll next want to pin your message so it is easy to find in the channel. To do that, hover your cursor anywhere in your posted message. On the pop-up menu that is displayed, click on the three dots in the upper right corner to access More actions. On the pop-up window that is displayed next, choose Pin to channel. Once you’ve successfully pinned your post, your message will show with a yellow background and a notation that the post is pinned and by whom, as shown below. Slack unfortunately doesn’t keep pinned messages at the top of the channel feed. But Slack does keep a tally of pinned messages in the channel header. When a channel has pinned messages, you’ll see that noted below the channel name. To see the pinned messages in the channel, just click on Pinned and the messages will appear in a new pop-up window, as shown below. When there is more than one pinned message in a channel, you’ll see all pinned messages displayed in chronological order. Description of the ChannelDon’t stop with just a channel name. Be sure to also take advantage of Slack’s ability to include a topic and description for each channel, too. This keeps members and prospective channel members informed. You can add this information once your channel is live by selecting the down arrow in the channel header. You will then see the channel details screen, as shown below. Note: Only the channel creator can edit the channel name. To add or change the topic, select Edit in the topic field. You are then presented with a pop-up window, where you can enter the topic information. Select Save when you’re done. Repeat this process to add or change the channel description. 2. Set Up Slack Channels For Maximum SuccessYes, you can stop after naming your new channel and giving it a topic and description. But why not do a bit more to make your new channel as successful as possible? A few additional steps will give your new channel Slack superpowers. Include Important FilesBy default, every file or image that is shared in a channel can be found in the channel details screen. So if there is a file that members need regularly, it is a good idea to share this in the channel. You can find all shared files by accessing the channel details screen. Select the down arrow next to the channel name. Scroll down to the Files section at the bottom of the pop-up window to find all files shared in the channel. Of course, members tend to share numerous files over time. As you’d expect, this list eventually becomes an unwieldy way to locate the most important files. The good news is you can easily pin the messages that contain those important files. How to do that and how to find the files afterwards is identical to the instructions found in step one, above. Encourage Conversation ThreadsEvery active channel soon contains page after page of messages. To avoid discussion confusion, encourage channel members to keep topic discussions in one place by using threads to respond to original comments within the channel. It’s easy to do. Here’s how: Hover your mouse over the original comment you want to respond to, then click the bubble caption icon. In this example, I want to reply to a G Suite document that has been shared. A sidebar window will appear on the right side of your Slack screen. Type your message and click the green arrow to send it. Channel messages that have in-thread replies display in the main channel feed as shown in the example below. Just click on the reply link and you’ll see the original comment plus all thread replies in the sidebar pop-up window. You can add to the thread directly in the sidebar window. Using this thread strategy makes it easy to locate all comments related to a single topic. 3. Put the Right People in the Right Slack ChannelsYou can also keep your Slack channels organized by adding only the people who need to be members of certain channels. Some channels, like #general, are mandatory for all employees, and becoming a member happens by default. All other channels must have members added when the channel is created. There are two things to consider when managing channel membership. Add Only Necessary MembersThe key to channel success is to keep a person’s role and interests in mind when deciding whether to include them in the channel. For example, you aren’t likely to add the company CEO to a project channel. And you aren’t going to make a senior management team channel public and open for anyone to join. So as you’re creating new channels, consider whether to make them public vs. private and only add members that make sense to be there. To add a new member to your channel, click on the image (or cluster of images for channels with multiple members) in the upper right of the channel header to open the member window. The member window pop-up will appear. Select Add people. Type in the first few letters of the name of the person you want to add. You’ll see a list of possible matches. Select the person you want from that list. If you want to add more than one person at a time, just repeat this step for everyone you want to add. Once the person’s name is displayed in the blue box with an X next to it, press Add. That’s it! You’ve added a new member to an existing channel. Delete Unnecessary Channel MembersAs time goes by, you might want to remove members from a channel. You can view current channel members anytime by clicking on the cluster of images in the upper right corner of the channel header. You’ll then see a pop-up window that lists all channel members. See someone that needs to go? Find the person you want to delete, and click Remove to the right of their name. Note: If you don’t see the option to remove a member, you don’t have permission to delete members from the channel. See your Slack owner or administrator for guidance. You will be prompted to confirm your removal action. If you’re sure, go ahead and hit Remove. Poof! The person is no longer a member of that channel. There you go! Adding and removing members from Slack channels couldn’t be easier. 4. Archive Old Slack ChannelsSome Slack channels eventually outlive their original purposes. To keep Slack streamlined and organized, archive channels when they’re no longer needed. Here’s how. Click on the drop-down arrow next to the channel name in the channel header. In the pop-up window, choose Settings to reveal the archive option. Choose Archive Channel for everyone. Select Archive Channel to confirm. Archiving a channel rather than deleting it allows you to keep all channel history and restore the channel at a future date. Final Thoughts About Organizing Slack ChannelsSlack is a great way to keep everyone in an organization connected. Whether for teams, projects, or just for fun, people simply communicate better with Slack. Staying organized is the best way to ensure everyone’s Slack experience is a positive one. A solid channel naming strategy, clear channel topics and descriptions, and only including members that make sense in a channel are three key strategies to keep Slack organized. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/how-to-organize-slack-channels/ Whether you attend one online meeting a month or a dozen each week, it’s important to know what to do–and what to avoid–to maximize the success of each call. While online meetings are a lot like in-person meetings, there are some nuances that require you to pivot and up your meeting etiquette game. Don’t worry if you’re not sure where to start. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the “hows and whys” of online meeting etiquette, so you can avoid being that person in your next Zoom call. Everything you need to know to be an online meeting pro is covered here. Online Meeting Etiquette Guide Quick LinksIf you’re new to online meetings, reading through this entire guide from start to finish is a great way to get up to speed. But if you’re an online meeting veteran, feel free to jump to the sections you most want to know about right now.
Why Online Meeting Etiquette Is ImportantWith remote workforces the norm these days, chances are you’ve been invited to more than a few virtual meetings lately. It’s also likely that at least one of those meetings didn’t feel as productive as it could have been. Meetings are a necessary part of the work day, whether they are in-person or online. But inefficient meetings rob businesses of valuable employee productivity time, which has a cumulative effect as the number of meetings and attendees increases. Any meeting can go south fast, but online meetings are even more susceptible due to their more casual nature and ease of scheduling. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. One way to boost the efficiency and effectiveness of online meetings is by knowing and following basic meeting etiquette rules, especially those unique to online venues. These etiquette best practices eliminate common meeting pitfalls and maintain a professional tone in online meetings, which helps make those meetings more efficient, productive, and enjoyable for all. Key Rules of Online Meeting EtiquetteSome traditional meeting etiquette guidelines apply universally, whether you’re seated in the boardroom or joining a meeting from your living room. But in the more casual atmosphere of working from home, many of these common-sense etiquette rules unintentionally fall by the wayside. Then there are the unique etiquette considerations that only arise when the meeting venue is online. Whether you’re a Zoom expert or an occasional online meeting attendee, I’ll guide you through everything you need to know to bring your best self to your next online meeting. Let’s get started. Before the MeetingGreat online meetings begin long before the scheduled start time. Whether you’re the meeting organizer or an invited attendee, dedicating prep time before you click the launch button goes a long way toward online meeting success. As your meeting date approaches, make sure all the following boxes get ticked. Make an agenda. If you’re the meeting organizer, take time to put together an agenda that spells out everything to be covered during the meeting, then distribute it well in advance. Whether your agenda is a formal memo/email or a simple bullet list within the meeting invite is up to you, as long as it informs attendees of what to expect to discuss. If you’re a meeting attendee who receives an agenda, review it ahead of time. This helps you adequately prepare so you can add value to the meeting discussion. If you’ve been invited but haven’t received an agenda, ask the meeting organizer for one. Agree on meeting ground rules. This doesn’t have to be anything oppressive, just basic stuff that helps keep a meeting on track. Make clear whether using chat during the meeting is okay, what to do if you have to temporarily leave the meeting, how to handle interruptions, etc. The key is to ensure all attendees are on the same page and expectations are understood before the meeting begins. This helps your meetings run smoothly and minimizes interruptions or undesirable behavior. Be thoughtful about the guest list. If you’re the meeting organizer, limit your invitees to only those people who really need to be there. Don’t waste your colleagues’ time with unnecessary meeting invites. If you’re on the receiving end of a meeting invite and can’t identify why you were invited, ask the meeting organizer before clicking accept. Get in the right headspace. When you’re joining a meeting from your computer, it’s easy to go straight from whatever you’re working on to clicking “join” at the meeting start time. But resist that urge, and take a lesson from the old days when you used to attend meetings in person. In a traditional office setting, you likely stood up from your desk, perhaps grabbed a beverage from the break room, and then walked to the meeting room. All that activity gave you a mental and physical reset between activities. Try and do something similar before an online meeting starts, even if it is just standing up and stretching or walking away from your computer for a few minutes. When you return, you’ll find your head clear and ready for engagement. Test your equipment. It doesn’t matter if you’re using a new piece of equipment or the same old computer and headset you’ve always had, making sure it works before the meeting starts is important. Few things are more embarrassing than fumbling around at the start of a meeting trying to get your headset working while your colleagues look on and wait. Log in early. This goes hand-in-hand with testing your equipment. Don’t wait until the last second to join an online meeting. If you log in early, you have a chance to work out any bugs and slide into the meeting looking like the pro you are. Dress appropriately. There’s no need to bust out formal business attire unless your company or the circumstances of the online meeting require it. But don’t go too far with the super-casual nature of working remotely. Don’t check into an online meeting looking like you just rolled out of bed or came straight from the gym. A simple rule of thumb is to wear something comfortable and/or professional that isn’t a distraction to other meeting attendees. Consider your environment. A quiet, private space with a neutral background and great natural lighting is the ideal spot to join an online meeting. An online meeting is not the time to showcase your eclectic collection of medieval weaponry on the wall behind you, unless you’re meeting with a group of fellow collectors! The same rule of thumb about your attire not being a distraction goes for your environment. If you can’t create a distraction-free space, then use the background blurring or virtual background features available in most online meeting software tools. If that feature isn’t available, consider a more neutral location to join your online meetings. During the MeetingYou’ve prepped, tested your equipment, joined early, and are ready for the meeting to begin. But how you act during the meeting is equally important as how you prepped for it ahead of time. Turn your video on. It’s fine to keep your camera off while you wait for others to join the call, but once the meeting officially begins your camera should go on. Seeing faces during an online meeting makes the experience more personalized and human. Limit distractions. Mute all notifications, including email, chat apps, and anything else that might be an attention breaker during the meeting. This is especially important if you’ll be sharing your screen during the call. Unexpected pop-up notifications are the fastest way to share things with your colleagues you might not want them to know. Likewise, if you’re easily distracted, close all unnecessary browser tabs and put your phone away. There’s nothing as annoying during a video call than other people visibly doing non-meeting related things, like surfing the web or scrolling on their phone. Make appropriate introductions. This probably isn’t necessary for a standing meeting that includes the same people every time. But if you’re hosting a meeting where everyone doesn’t know each other well, take a few minutes to run through brief introductions. This will set context and help others identify and understand who’s on the call and why. Assess your audience. If you’re going to speak during the meeting, take a minute to understand who you’re talking to. Choose vocabulary and language they will understand. For example, if you’re a technical engineer speaking at a meeting with non-technical people, avoid jargon or specialized terminology that isn’t widely understood. The fastest way to lose your audience is speaking in a way they don’t understand. Avoid talking over others. This is easier said than done sometimes, especially when there are a lot of people engaged during an online meeting. One way to minimize this is to pause for a second or two after someone stops talking before you begin to speak. And if two of you start speaking at the same time, go ahead and defer to your colleague. You’ll get your chance when they finish. To mute or not to mute. For meetings with just a few participants, keeping your microphone on lets the conversation flow naturally, much as it would if you were together in person. The informal nature of small meetings also isn’t too impacted by the normal sounds of daily life, like loud cars driving past or a telephone ringing. However, for large meetings with many participants, muting yourself unless you’re speaking is a good general practice. That way you minimize the risk that Fido interrupts someone’s presentation when the UPS driver rings your doorbell. And if you’re the host of the meeting and doing most of the talking, you might also consider muting all other attendees until you’ve finished speaking and are ready to take questions. Pay attention. Sure, it’s tempting to quickly fire off an overdue email response or answer a chat message when you’re in an online meeting, especially a long meeting. But don’t go there, especially if you’re not on mute and your camera is turned on. Keyboard clacking, message arrival chimes, and your furrowed brow looking away from the camera are surefire indicators you’re not tuned in to the meeting. It’s not a good look, especially if your boss is also in the meeting. Allow participants to leave early. If you’re the meeting organizer, make it clear that it is acceptable for some participants to leave the meeting if their purpose there is finished. Don’t get in the habit of making all attendees stay for the sake of staying. You’ll usually end up with people multitasking once they see no value in being there. Keep meetings short and sweet. The silver lining of online meetings is that the usual digressions into off-topic conversations doesn’t happen as naturally as when you’re meeting in person. Use this to your advantage. If you’re leading the meeting, follow your agenda closely, build time in for Q&A at the end of the meeting, and don’t let tangents spiral out of control. That way, your meeting only lasts as long as necessary, even if it ends earlier than planned. End your meeting on time. Good meeting management by following a clear agenda is the best way to ensure your meeting ends at the planned time. If you do need to go over the allotted time, be sure to ask attendees if they can stay–don’t just assume they’ll all hang on longer than scheduled. If they have to go, reassure them it is fine and promise to bring them up to speed later about anything substantive that was discussed. Thank participants for attending. Everyone’s time is valuable and online meetings have a way of sucking time away from the workday. Before screens go dark, be sure and recognize the attendees and show your appreciation for their time. After the MeetingGood online meeting etiquette doesn’t end when the meeting ends, especially if you’re the meeting organizer. If you are in this role, make sure you take care of these final tasks after every online meeting. Summarize and share meeting notes. Every productive meeting should result in notes identifying what was discussed and agreed to. Be sure to send this information out to all attendees, so they can remember what transpired. Assign tasks and deadlines. If assignments were made during the meeting, be sure to identify who is responsible, what they need to do, and when it must be completed. You can include this in the meeting notes, input it into your project management system, or do both. Schedule followup meetings if needed. If the same group needs to meet again in two weeks, or if you need to follow up with each individual attendee, make sure to put those meetings on the calendar and send out new invites as soon as possible, so everyone can plan for them right away. Considerations For Hybrid MeetingsWhen some attendees are together in a conference room while other attendees are calling in from remote locations, all the general etiquette rules still apply. But there are a few more considerations to keep in mind to ensure these hybrid meetings are most effective. Make sure everyone is visible. If the conference room has built-in technology for video calls, then make sure everyone gathered can be seen on the screen. If not, have each attendee join via their own computer, just like their remote colleagues. Focus on inclusivity. Side conversations tend to naturally happen when people are physically together in a room for a meeting. Try to avoid thisq since remote attendees cannot easily be part of the chatter. Likewise, when some people are gathered in person but others are on video, you may need to go to greater lengths to engage the remote attendees. If you’re not hearing much from the remote people, check in with them throughout the meeting to make sure they’re getting what they need to make the meeting productive for them. Give remote speakers the floor. Remote attendees don’t have the benefit of nonverbal cues like people physically together have. If two attendees speak at the same time and one is in the meeting room and the other is remote, defer to the remote speaker. Likewise, ask remote attendees questions throughout the meeting to make sure they aren’t forgotten. They may have valuable information to share, but be unsure when to interject. Conduct post-meeting outreach. It’s easy to engage in a post-meeting debrief when a colleague is standing next to you, but not quite so easy if the person disappears behind a dark screen. Make it a point to call or message remote colleagues after the meeting to debrief and catch up. Use The Best Tool For Your Online MeetingCommon team messaging tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams are great for informally communicating with individuals or small groups of team members in dispersed locations. But when your needs exceed the limitations of those tools, you’ll want something beefier to manage online meetings. This is where conference call services like Nextiva, RingCentral, and Zoom come into play. Choosing a tool that offers robust video and audio quality, includes the ability to record calls, and accommodates large numbers of attendees is crucial to business success. You might already have one of these tools in place. If so and you’re happy with it, congratulations. You’re already well on the path to online meeting success. If you aren’t already using such a service, be sure to check out my review of the top-rated conference call services on the market today. I walk you through the things to consider when choosing an audio/video conferencing tool, and dive into the pros and cons of each product. Final Thoughts About Online Meeting EtiquetteDistributed workforces are here to stay and with them come the need for online meetings. To master this convenient technology and get the most out of every scheduled meeting, following good online meeting etiquette is crucial. Ensuring you’re prepared before, during, and after every online meeting helps to make the most of your virtual meeting time. It also results in more satisfied colleagues and a more positive attitude toward online meetings, too. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/online-meetings-etiquette/ Effectively sending a fax takes more than just transmitting the pages of the actual document. Without also including a fax cover sheet as page one, you expose yourself to a few easily avoidable risks, like disclosing confidential information, creating uncertainty about the intended recipient or document purpose, or simply appearing unprofessional. Luckily, it’s easy to create a fax cover sheet and include one with every fax you send. I’ll show you how. Write Your Fax Cover Sheet in 3 Easy StepsIf you’re going to send a fax, you want to make sure to include a fax cover sheet with every transmission. The cover sheet makes the who, what, and why about your fax crystal clear to the receiver. A fax cover sheet also serves as a layer of protection for confidential or sensitive documents. Fax cover sheets are easy to create, and it takes just three steps.
Ready to level up your faxing game? Let’s get to it. 1. Decide How You Want to Send Your FaxToday, you have options when it comes to faxing documents. The option you choose dictates how you’ll create a fax cover sheet. Use a Traditional Fax MachineReaders of a certain age surely remember fax machines of old. These are standalone units where you manually type in the recipient’s fax machine telephone number on a keypad, then listen to ringing and the random beeps and hums until your call is connected to the recipient’s fax machine. If you haven’t had to fax anything since the early 2000s, you might think those old-fashioned fax machines are obsolete. But you’d be wrong. There are many businesses and organizations that still rely on traditional fax machines to send important documents. Why? Fax machines can be used without any internet connection, you just need a working telephone line. If your internet connection goes down, you can still fax. Plus, with a traditional fax machine, you don’t have to worry about your physical fax being sent to someone’s spam email folder where it is overlooked. Likewise, your faxed documents don’t become part of internet traffic. This eliminates the risk of being intercepted during transmission. And you’ll never question whether your fax was successfully sent, since the confirmation page that prints out at the end offers proof of when, where, and to whom your fax was sent. So don’t write off using a traditional fax machine. Depending on your business needs, it may be the preferable way to share important documents with third parties. Subscribe to an Online Fax ServicesOf course, there’s a higher-tech solution for faxing, too. With the advent of online fax services, you can leverage the power of your computer or smartphone to share documents with others–no fax machine or dedicated telephone line needed. Online fax services offer a number of other benefits, too. They keep all your faxes digitally organized in a single location. They also secure your faxes with 256-bit SSL encryption, the most secure protection publicly available, to keep your information protected as it moves through the cloud. But one of the biggest features is convenience. With an online fax service, you can send and receive faxes from your computer, tablet, mobile device, and even a fax machine. Yes, that’s right–if you do have a traditional fax machine, it can be incorporated into your online fax service, giving you even more flexibility. Best of all, online fax services include the option to automatically include a fax cover sheet with every fax you send. You set up your preferred cover sheet options once, and the service takes care of it after that. A fax cover sheet is automatically created for you every time you use the service. If this type of convenience sounds good to you, check out our comparison guide to the best online fax services. Whether you send just a few faxes each month or are a power faxer, there’s a service that’s perfect for you. 2. Include All Essential Cover Sheet InformationAs you create your fax cover sheet, keep in mind that its purpose is to make things crystal clear for the recipient. The more information you include, the better the chance of your document getting to the right person right away. The information you include also depends on the nature of what you’re sending. Private documents, business contracts, and employment agreements are just a few things that demand a specialized fax cover letter noting the confidential nature of the documents. In some cases, like medical records, specific disclaimer language is required by law. Basic Information to Include on Every Fax Cover SheetNo matter what you’re sending, at a minimum your fax cover sheet should include the following:
Special Requirements for Confidential Fax Cover SheetsIf you’re faxing anything that contains sensitive or confidential information, you’ll want to be sure that it is clearly noted on your fax cover sheet. While such a notice won’t eliminate the possibility that someone other than your intended recipient will view the information, it does provide a warning, which is the best you can do when sending a fax. In addition to all the basic information listed above, there are two additional things to include when sending private documents. The word CONFIDENTIAL should be prominently displayed on the fax cover sheet. Use a large font and capitalize all letters for maximum impact. The point is to make it easily known that the pages that follow are intended only for the named recipient’s eyes. A confidentiality clause should also be included, usually at the bottom of the page in smaller font. Again, it isn’t going to eliminate the chance that your fax is viewed by someone other than the receiver, but it at least explains the importance of the confidential materials. You can find many examples of confidentiality clauses, like the one in the example below, by doing a basic Google search. As a general best practice, you can create a single fax cover sheet that includes these confidentiality notations, and then use the same cover sheet no matter what you fax–confidential or not. Here’s an example of what such a multipurpose sheet might look like. HIPAA-Compliant Fax Cover SheetsThere’s a separate category of faxes that have special legal requirements for their cover sheets. Any time you transmit a patient’s healthcare information via fax, you’re governed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. This set of U.S. laws is more commonly known as HIPAA. It’s very important to be HIPAA compliant when sending faxed medical records. Violating HIPAA can result in large fines. While HIPAA laws themselves don’t spell out exactly how to design a compliant fax cover sheet, there are basic elements that must be included. In addition to the bullet list above, a HIPAA-specific disclaimer is required. This can replace or be in addition to the general confidentiality disclaimer discussed above. Here’s an example of what a HIPAA-compliant fax cover sheet might look like. Now that you know what to include on your fax cover sheet, it’s time to create your own. 3. Create A Fax Cover Sheet TemplateLet me help you streamline all your future faxes. The best way to do that is with a template. A template helps you avoid reinventing the wheel every time you send a fax and saves you cumulative time and effort. If you choose to use an online fax service, it should provide a template you can customize. The service will walk you through the process to create your fax cover sheet when you sign up for a plan. But even if you intend to send most of your faxes through the online service, there still might be an occasion when you need to send something manually on a fax machine. For those situations, you’ll still want to have a fax cover sheet available. And if you’re not using an online fax service, you’ll need to create a fax cover sheet on your own. So no matter what, it’s a good idea to design and keep a fax cover sheet template on hand. Using Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or other word processing software is the fastest and easiest way to create a fax cover sheet template that you can use again and again. You can find and modify these templates in the software’s template library or import a template from a third-party source. I picked Microsoft Word for this example since they have a very robust library of fax cover letter templates. Here’s how to create a personalized fax cover sheet template. From the Word main menu, select File > New from Template. In the search bar, type in Fax to display all the available fax cover sheet templates. Select the template you prefer, then choose Create. Edit the template to your specifications, then click File > Save as Template. Name your new template, then click Save. Note: The default location will be Word’s template directory, and the default file extension will be .dotx. Do not change either of these settings. Your new template should now appear at the top of the screen anytime you visit the Word start screen, as shown below. And that’s all there is to it. Once you create a new fax cover sheet template, it will be ready to electronically fill in anytime you need it. Alternatively, you can print a few and keep them close to the fax machine for those last-minute transmissions. Final Thoughts About Writing a Fax Cover SheetWhether you use an online fax service or still rely on your trusty fax machine, a fax cover letter is an essential part of the faxing process. They’re easy to create and should be included with every transmission you send. Make sure you include key information on your fax cover sheet and that it is the first page of your fax. This way the person on the receiving end knows exactly what and why they’re getting something from you. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/how-to-write-a-fax-cover-sheet/ Fax machines have been around for more than 150 years, though the way people send a fax today is quite different than it used to be. So how does fax work? The short answer is that it depends on how you’re sending a fax–with a fax machine connected to a landline or a device connected to the internet. Let’s go through how fax works, each way you can fax, and everything else you need to know about faxing. Quick LinksHave a specific question about how fax works? We probably cover it below:
The Basics of How Fax WorksRegardless of how you get it done, the goal of faxing is the same: to transmit a document from one place to another. There are three distinct technologies that support fax. They all handle the transmission differently, and so the way that fax works is based on the technology you’re using. Landline FaxThis is the “traditional” way of faxing documents. It requires a wired connection to the public-switched telephone network (PSTN), as well as a fax machine or multi-function printer (MFP). To use this method, you feed hard copies of your documents into a fax machine, which codes the black/white spaces of the documents into a signal. This signal is sent across the PSTN using the receiver’s fax number to get it to the right place. That signal is then reconstructed by the receiver’s fax machine, which prints out a hard copy at the new location. Online FaxOver the last 20 years, people have begun using the internet instead of the PSTN to send and receive faxes. This requires an internet connection and online fax service. You can use a computer, tablet, or mobile device to send faxes online. With an adapter, a fax machine or MFP can use the internet to fax as well. Similar to sending an email, your digital document is sent over the internet as data packets. Since a fax machine can’t interpret data packets, your digital document goes to your online fax service, which converts your document into a signal before passing it on to the receiver’s fax machine. Cellular FaxThis is not common, but if you don’t have access to a landline or dependable internet, you can get a cellular-enabled fax machine. Like a cell phone, the machine has a unique number, SIM card, and uses cell towers to transmit signals. Benefits of Using Online FaxWhile some folks still use a traditional fax machine hooked up to a landline, most users today opt to use an online fax service. This is because every aspect of sending, receiving, storing, and retrieving faxes is a lot easier online. There really aren’t too many benefits for sticking with a landline, especially for fax. Yes, it will work during emergencies more reliably than the internet, but that’s about it. On the other hand, switching from a traditional fax machine to an online fax service comes with the following advantages:
I don’t think it’s all that much of a competition at this point. Do you want a fax system where someone has to be standing next to a machine in order to make it work? Or would you rather give your employees a lot more flexibility in when, where, and how they can fax? Every Way to Send a FaxAs long as you’ve got the internet, you have a lot of different ways to send a fax. Some online fax services will even let you send or receive a limited number of faxes without creating an account or spending any money. Let’s walk through each way to send a fax. I’ve used examples from the most popular online fax services in order to show you what to expect. Fax from ComputerTo fax from your computer, log into your online fax service via a web browser. In the following example from FaxZero, you can see how you simply enter the info for sender, receiver, and attach files. Most online fax services offer this type of web application that is much easier to use and much less expensive than a fax machine. For busy offices that fax a lot, this web application is also a highly comprehensive tool. It will include access control to ensure that faxes are only read by authorized users, tools to archive faxes at scale, and a larger range of supported documents. Fax from Cell PhoneTo fax from a cell phone, you can either download an online fax app or log into your account via your browser. In the following example from RingCentral, you can see how simple the app interface is. Enter the recipient details, attach your file, choose your cover page style–and that’s it. Fax is now just another channel that your employees are completely fine handling on their phones, no matter where they are. I like RingCentral because the app works well on iPhone and Android, so your employees can bring their own device and not worry. Most people also like cell phone fax apps because they can take pictures of documents and fax them straight away–no scanner necessary. Fax from EmailMany online fax services allow you to send faxes directly from your email. You can simply attach the fax to an email and send it through your online fax service. In the following example from Nextiva, the recipient’s email address is formed by the desired fax number plus “@nextivafax.com”. Note that fax by email works whether you are on your desktop or mobile phone. All that you need is the special address provided by your fax service, and they will take care of everything else. Fax from a Fax Machine or MFPSay you have a fax machine or multi-function printer at the office, and you want to keep using it even though your office is moving to the cloud. That’s totally fine because you can get an analog telephone adapter (ATA) that converts phone signals into data packets and vice versa. On this ATA sold by RingCentral, you can see how it joins the telephone line from your fax machine to your ethernet cable that hooks up with the rest of your network. Once the ATA is set up, you’ll be able to use a fax machine without a landline. Programmable Fax APISome fax services allow developers to use an application programming interface (API) to integrate fax with their other business apps. It might trigger an automatic fax request any time a certain type of sale is logged in a CRM, for example. RingCentral offers a programmable fax API that lets you automate fax workflows across different services. Here is a PHP code sample of an automated fax request in RingCentral. If you need to manage fax at scale, an API that lets you build exactly what you need may be the best route to go. 6 Facts About How Fax WorksThere’s not a ton that the average end user needs to know about how fax works in order to get what they need. And yet, fax just seems unfamiliar and confusing to many users, which throws a wrench into an otherwise easy process. Here are six facts about fax to help clear up the confusion: 1. Fax does not work well over VoIP Companies use VoIP (voice over internet protocol) to make calls over the internet. Since VoIP effectively replaces a business phone system, you might think that it supports fax. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Voice data can be compressed–analog faxes cannot. Without getting into the weeds about compression, jitter, and packetization, just know that analog fax transmission just doesn’t work well over VoIP. And it’s certainly not reliable. The good news is that most VoIP providers offer additional tools to fully support online fax. You’ll see these solutions billed as online fax services, IP fax, or FoIP (fax over internet protocol). These provide the missing link that lets faxes travel over the internet. I’m calling this out because you shouldn’t assume that all VoIP services will give you the ability to fax. Most do, but you might have to pay extra. 2. Faxes take an average of 30-60 seconds to send per page Faxes don’t go through immediately. There are a number of factors that influence the speed at which a fax is received:
3. Lowering the baud rate can improve fax transmission If you are experiencing transmission errors with your fax, lowering the baud rate can improve quality. Yes, this slows the speed of transmission, but that may actually help, especially when you are sending faxes over an IP network. The reason is that fax wasn’t designed for IP networks, and doesn’t do a good job handling latency, jitter, or packet loss–three common VoIP issues that cause transmission problems. By lowering the baud rate to 9600 bps (or calling the recipient and asking them to lower theirs), you can decrease the fallout from these VoIP issues and increase the chance that the data of the fax will arrive correctly. 4. Not every fax will go through Faxing is extremely reliable, but it can fail, and it’s important to know when it does. Traditional fax machines will usually print a confirmation page after the fax transmission has completed (or a page to let you know the transmission failed). Online fax services typically use fax tracking to let you know a fax has arrived, but not all vendors offer this service. For legal reasons or your own protection, it may be important to have a record that faxes have been received, so I highly recommend a fax service with tracking built-in. 5. Faxing for healthcare has additional regulations The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) set strict laws to protect the privacy of patient health information. It’s perfectly safe to fax medical records, you just have to use a HIPAA compliant fax service. The key requirements for HIPAA compliant faxing are:
6. Online fax services are not all the same A fax is a fax, and while it might appear at first blush that all services “do the same thing,” that’s not really the case. For personal use, you’re probably fine using one of the free online fax services–they’re easy, secure, and relatively inexpensive if you have to fax more than the free plan allows. Offices looking to fax have to think about how it fits into their workflows and integrates with other business software they use. You can save your employees a lot of time and frustration by finding something that gives them the tools they need. Here’s the questions I’d be asking:
You’ll be able to test-drive any of the online fax services I recommend. I would take that opportunity to see how well each of these features work in practice. How Fax Works: In SummaryCompanies still rely on fax everyday to transmit their most important documents. Today, they are sending faxes by landline, email, cell phone, fax APIs, and more. Now that you know more about how fax works, you should be able to choose a service that works well for your company. Yet fax is hardly the only communication channel your company depends on. Continue exploring Quick Sprout to find guides and information about every way that businesses stay connected with their partners and customers. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/how-does-fax-work/ If you want the answer up front, the best way to host a webinar is with LiveStorm. Hosting a webinar is a little different from hosting a normal video conference. If you’ve never done it before, don’t worry, I’ll walk you through how to host a webinar. There are a number of excellent webinar software options out there that give you everything you need–registration pages, dependable video quality, tools to engage the audience, and more. Top-Rated Software for Hosting WebinarsThe best webinar software makes it easy to register attendees, invite guest speakers, and coordinate with your team. When you go live, you’ll have tools to poll the audience and run Q&As. These are the best tools for helping you host an engaging webinar:
With these options, everything you need to promote and host a webinar is included, so you can start filling seats today. Quick Start Guide for Hosting A WebinarIf you already have your webinar mapped out and you want to get started today, this section will get you to the finish line as quickly as possible: Sign up for Livestorm. Any of my recommendations will work, but Livestorm offers a complete platform with everything you need to get started for free. Schedule a webinar. Once it’s on the calendar, you can send invitations, invite panelists, open registration, and start building interest on social media. Host your amazing webinar. You can use interactive tools to engage the audience both during and after the webinar to find out what’s working well. Okay, that’s the 90-miles-an-hour version. Here’s everything you need to know to host your webinar from start to finish. How to Host a Webinar in 6 StepsFollow these six easy steps to host a webinar:
To walk you through how to host a webinar, I’ll be using Livestorm. It’s my top recommendation for webinar software because it’s a robust, easy-to-use platform that you can start using right now for free. 1. Sign Up for Webinar SoftwareFirst, sign up for your free Livestorm account. There’s nothing to download and zero hidden fees. You don’t even have to provide a credit card. Simply follow the link and click Try for free now. Once you fill out the basic information, you will be able to start hosting webinars within a few minutes. Livestorm works best in Chrome. You can use another browser, such as Safari, Edge, or Opera–but Livestorm highly recommends using Chrome for the best experience. 2. Organize a New WebinarEverything you need to plan, schedule, and coordinate webinars is in the Livestorm dashboard. On the left side, you will see tabs for Events, Instant Room, People, App Marketplace, and Updates. The Events tab is featured below. This is where you will start when you log in. We’ll go over each of those tabs during this post, but for now, select the blue button in the upper right-hand corner to create a new event. This opens up a screen that lets you set all of the essential parameters for your webinar. First, enter the name of your new event. You’ll see the URL generated below the name. This is the link you will share with prospective attendees. If you want to edit the URL for length or clarity, you can do that here. Next, you want to designate speaking permissions based on the format of your webinar. Most of the time, you only want a few speakers, but you can always switch this up. You might start out with a two-person interview and then invite users to speak during a Q&A. Click the date below Sessions to pick a date and time for your webinar. This will bring up a window that lets you choose the date and time, as well as the time zone. Double check to make sure the time zone is correct. Click Save. Skip the part where it asks you to add team members for now. It’s easier to do this once you have invited other team members and guest speakers, which we will do in the next step. Click the button that says Create event. Once you have created your event, you’ll be able to see it on the events dashboard and modify the settings at any time. Before you publish your event there are a few optional settings I recommend checking out. Create a description of your webinarFirst, create a short description in the settings tab of your new event. You don’t need anything fancy in your description, just a short teaser about what people should expect. Stick to your brand story and keep it brief. This description will appear on your Registration page, which is where people will sign up. Adjust registration settingsNext, you should take a look at the registration settings, under optional settings. The default settings are fine, but you can add required registration fields to pick up more information about attendees. Simply click the add a field button, and select options like job title, company, or location. You can also add consent forms if you need people to sign anything in advance by clicking add a consent. Under advanced settings, it’s fine to keep the defaults unless you are hosting a paid event. If you find that you are dealing with a lot of fake Gmail or Yahoo accounts, you can always check the box to only allow registration from people with work email addresses. What about hosting a paid webinar?If you want to charge admission for your webinar, Livestorm has you covered. First you’ll have to disable the registration page under the advanced registration page settings, and then enable Zapier to connect a payment processing application. Livestorm recommends Stripe, Typeform, and Eventbrite. You can log into Livestorm’s knowledge base for step-by-step instructions for how to connect each payment processor. 3. Publish Your WebinarIn the events tab, hover over the event you just created, and then click on the three horizontal dots: This will bring up a dropdown menu. Select Publish: Once you select publish, Livestorm will ask you to Confirm publication. Once you confirm, you will see that your event is now live. A new window will appear that will let you invite other users and view the registration page: We’ll take care of invites and registrations in the next step. 4. Invite People to Your WebinarAt this point, your webinar registration is live, which means you can send invitations. We’ll cover how to invite:
Invite Attendees to Your WebinarAt any point, you can share your event by clicking the light blue Share button at the top of your Livestorm dashboard. This will bring up a new window that lets you share the registration page link, or post it directly to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. You can also embed the link, or display it on the company page that Livestorm automatically creates for you. On paid plans, you’ll be able to invite contacts via email directly on the platform. With the free plan, you can still share the link with emails you write yourself, but it’s a few extra steps. At scale, built-in email invites will save a lot of time. For now, you can select the second tab in order to register someone manually. Simply choose a webinar session from the dropdown menu and enter the email of the person you want to invite. You will get a confirmation as soon as the registrant has received their notification. That person will be able to add the event to their calendar with a single click. They’ll also receive an automatic reminder email shortly before the event. Invite Team MembersTo add someone from your team who is going to contribute to your webinar (versus just attending), there are slightly different steps. Team members will have access to the Livestorm dashboard. They can help answer questions from registrants, plan new events, and moderate during a live webinar. To invite a team member, click on the account settings tab in your dashboard. You’ll find that tab by clicking on your avatar in the lower-left corner. In the account settings page, open the team members tab. In the team members tab, invite a new team member by clicking the button in the top right corner. This brings up a new window, where you can decide whether you want the team member to be a Host or a Moderator. The difference between these two types of permissions is very important:
With Livestorm, you will pay per Host, but you can have unlimited moderators and guest speakers for free. Invite Guest SpeakersYou can also invite people to be guest speakers at individual events. This way you can feature someone as part of your webinar without giving them control of the dashboard. To invite a guest speaker, select the option to edit your event: This will open a new box that will let you make changes to the event, including a button that lets you add a guest speaker. Fill out all of their information and send your guest speaker a confirmation email. Once they are registered, they will have speaking permission and be able to join your event before the start time. 5. Run a Full RehearsalI’d highly recommend a full practice run of your webinar before the real thing. If this is the first time you have ever hosted a webinar, definitely do this, though it’s good practice even for veterans. Here’s a quick checklist of everything you want to have dialed in before you get started:
Once you have a few webinars under your belt, you’ll probably put together a rehearsal plan so you can ensure that everything goes off without a hitch. 6. Host Your WebinarIt’s game day–you’ve run through everything, got a great crowd, and it’s time to go. Click on the details for your upcoming session to open up the dropdown and select event room: Once you are in the event room, you’ll see all of the event details as well as a video preview of your camera, so you can test audio/visual one last time. If it all looks good, click Join event and participate. You’ll see your video feed as well as those of other team members and guest speakers. To officially start the event, click the button in the upper right-hand corner. This will begin a 10 second run down before officially kicking off your webinar. After this point, everything will automatically be recorded as part of a replay you can share later. On the right-hand side of the screen, you’ll see a chat along with a few tools in other tabs at the bottom: The chat will be familiar to most users, and contains several helpful tools for audience engagement during the webinar. These include:
You’ll also be able to share your screen, as well as files from Figma, Google Drive, or YouTube. When it’s time to close out your webinar, thank everyone who came and spoke, and click the end event button in the top right-hand corner of the screen. Congratulations, you just hosted a webinar! Final Thoughts About Hosting a WebinarOne more great thing about webinars is that you can record and reuse them. If you are using webinar software like Livestorm, everything gets recorded automatically, and you can easily download and share your recording. It’s very possible that people might sign up for your email list, or even pay a fee, to watch your webinar in the future. So I’d recommend keeping the registration page up even after the webinar ends, especially if the content in the webinar is evergreen. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/how-to-host-a-webinar/ Want to jump straight to the answer? The best digital marketing service for most people is Ignite Visibility or Web.com. Digital marketing services can increase the demand for your business overnight. They’re the reason some companies are constantly selling out of inventory or have a line of customers stretching around the block. Hiring the best digital marketing services to get customers in your doors or visiting your website means that you can spend more time doing what you’re really good at—delivering an incredible product, service, or experience. Want More Traffic? Get professional help with improving your traffic today! Call 888-421-8700 to get a free quote. The 14 Best Digital Marketing Services of 2021
Each service is segmented by category, so you can find the digital marketing firm that best fits your needs. I’ll give you an in-depth review of each digital marketing service below. You’ll learn more about each specific area of expertise and what makes these services so good. Best Digital Marketing Services ReviewsIgnite Visibility – Best All-Around Digital Marketing Agency
Ignite Visibility is an excellent full-service digital marketing agency, offering expert services in SEO, paid media, email marketing, and more. They’re ranked as the number one search engine marketing company in the United States by Clutch.co and are highly awarded for their email marketing, paid media, social media, Amazon, conversion rate optimization, analytics, and digital marketing strategy services. Ignite Visibility says they focus on “bringing certainty to digital marketing.” They do this through industry goal setting, benchmarking, strategy, service-specific methodologies, forecasting, project plans, timelines, and clear quarterly business reviews. Here are some of the things that set them apart from a normal SEO, paid media, Amazon, email, or social media company. They offer the following.
If you are looking for a digital marketing agency that understands the entire picture, has award-winning services, and excellent customer support, Ignite Visibility is a great option. Learn more about Ignite Visibility here. Web.com – Best for DIY Digital Marketing
Web.com is a full-service website and digital marketing company dedicated to helping its clients get the most out of their website. From DIY options to fully customized marketing plans, Web.com has options for any budget and any requirements. That’s right–Web.com can take over as much (or as little) of your online marketing as you want. Their DIY services include simple SEO tools and business directories that will get you found faster. Web.com offers SEO services, PPC services, business listings, directory services, and more. They have a team of experts on hand to assist you throughout your journey or create and follow the path for you. Because digital marketing plans and needs are different for every company, the experts at Web.com go out of their way to create marketing strategies tailored to your needs — and your budget. The experts will understand your business and build an effective strategy to reach your goals. Web.com helps clients boost their search engine rankings, gain authority, build trust, and increase traffic to your website to boost conversions and help you make more money. Services offered include:
And, unlike many other digital marketing services, Web.com is a one-stop-shop for many of the backend technology that makes digital marketing possible. They can set you up with secure websites, email, hosting, and domains. From solopreneurs to larger organizations, Web.com is available to help you reach your digital marketing goals no matter your budget. Pearl Lemon – Best SEO Services
>> Compare Quotes Pearl Lemon is a UK-based SEO service agency. They have more than two decades worth of SEO experience on their team. That means if its related to search engine optimization, they can help you with it. In fact, they claim that they can double your organic traffic in just 90 days. It’s quite the promise, but their client testimonials and reviews back this claim. I found more than 200 client reviews across a wide range of third-party review platforms (Google, Trustpilot, Facebook, etc.), and all of them are positive. Pearl Lemon offers platform-specific SEO for ecommerce websites like:
They also provide exceptional SEO services specific to CMS platforms such as WordPress, Joomla, Magento, Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, and Moonfruit. Additional SEO services from Pearl Lemon include:
As you can see, they offer any SEO service that you can imagine, and that’s all that they do. Pearl Lemon typically works with midmarket organizations and ecommerce websites. If your website needs SEO assistance, this is the place to get it. Schedule a risk-free strategy session and get a free website audit to learn more about what Pearl Lemon can do for your business. >> Compare QuotesLyfe Marketing – Best Social Media Management Services
>> Compare Quotes Lyfe Marketing specializes in social media marketing and social media management services. They’re trusted by popular brands like Hilton, Crunch Fitness, Domino’s Pizza, and Wingstop. Over the years, Lyfe Marketing has generated over 983,000 leads for clients through digital marketing, with the primary area of focus on social media. With hundreds of glowing reviews and recommendations across third-party review sites, Lyfe Marketing has an exceptional reputation. Whether you’re starting social media marketing from scratch or need to revamp your existing strategy, Lyfe Marketing has you covered.
The social media marketing experts at Lyfe Marketing will help you come up with a custom advertising strategy. You can spend as much or as little as you want on social media ads, but they recommend committing at least $300 per month. On average, their social media management services range from $400 to $1,000 per month. But this depends on how many channels they’re managing on your behalf and the types of posts you need. If you sign up for Lyfe Marketing’s social media management services, they won’t charge you extra for your advertising budget. There is a $150 setup fee associated with these social media advertising services. But this fee covers everything from creating and setting up all of the necessary advertising accounts, social media pages, and analytics software. You won’t have to do any of this on your own. You’ll also benefit from a dedicated account manager, 24/7 analytics, custom ad creation, and no long-term contracts. >> Compare QuotesVertical Measures – Best Paid Media Services
>> Compare Quotes Vertical Measures is a full-service digital marketing firm that was acquired by the corporate communications juggernaut Investis Digital. That means they assist with a wide array of areas such as content marketing, search engine optimization, and paid media to help you nail your marketing needs. However, they are best known for providing exceptional paid media services. Some of the top paid media services provided by Verticle Measures include:
Whether you want to run a PPC campaign in Google or create a brand new display ad from scratch, Vertical Measures will get the job done for you. From international brands like Puma to healthcare providers, educational organizations, and small businesses, Vertical Measures can handle it all. Vertical Measures has a 95% client retention rate, which is exceptional in this category. They’ve seen clients increase their leads by up 350% while simultaneously decreasing cost-per-lead by 50%. The team at Vertical Measures ensures that your paid advertising campaigns generate a high ROI. Vertical Measures works with B2C organizations, B2B brands, and ecommerce websites alike. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in or the size of your business, this is the best option for all paid media services. >> Compare QuotesMainstreethost – Best Technical SEO Services
>> Compare Quotes Mainstreethost is a digital marketing agency with 20+ years of experience and 130+ digital marketing experts on their team. The org has locations in NYC and Las Vegas. Over the years, they’ve worked with 10,000+ businesses. From individuals to nonprofits, small businesses, mid-sized companies, and enterprises, Mainstreet host has seen it all. While the firm does have a wide range of offerings, its technical SEO services are the best standout. Some of the top technical SEO services from Mainstreethost include:
The digital marketing experts at Mainstreethost go beyond keyword analysis and content creation for SEO. They specialize in the fundamental details on the backend to help websites rank above the competition. They’ll help you with redirects, indexing, robots.txt files, duplicate content, site architecture, internal link structure, mobile performance, and more. Mainstreethost has SEO service plans to fit the needs of all businesses and budgets:
All rates are based on an annual contract. If your website is in need of a technical SEO audit, contact the team over at Mainstreethost for a solution. >> Compare QuotesConversion Rate Experts – Best for Turning Leads into Sales
>> Compare Quotes Conversion Rate Experts specialize in CRO services. These guys eat, sleep, and breathe CRO—it’s the only digital marketing service that they offer. But they do that one thing very well. Some of their top clients are industry giants like Apple, Facebook, Verizon, Dropbox, GE, Dell, GQ, Xero, The New Yorker, PayPal, Dyson, and Amazon. The list is impressive, to say the least. The Conversion Rate Experts use A/B tests and other data-driven insights to build web pages that convert. How is their strategy so effective? Their team is unique compared to every other digital marketing service out there today. Instead of just staffing general digital marketing consultants, the Conversion Rate Experts hire entrepreneurs, bestselling authors, former Google employees, former eBay employees, agency heads, Ph.D. scientists, and direct response marketing veterans. Some of their top services for conversion rate optimization include:
The list goes on and on. Essentially, any aspect of your business or website that can be optimized from a conversions perspective, the Conversion Rate Experts can handle. There are two main ways to leverage these services. The Conversion Rate Experts can become your conversion manager by working alongside your current team. They’ll develop your in-house capabilities by training your existing staff. Alternatively, the Conversion Rate Experts can do everything for you, or customize a solution somewhere in between these two options. You can even use the Conversion Rate Experts if you’re an agency and need to improve your clients’ conversions. Contact their team for a free strategy session. They’ll analyze your website to see if you’re a good fit for each other. To be considered, your company must generate at least $250,000 per year. >> Compare QuotesKoMarketing – Best B2B Digital Marketing Services
>> Compare Quotes KoMarketing helps B2B brands and companies through strategic search marketing, social media marketing, and content marketing. Common industries served by KoMarketing include software, technology, industrial, manufacturing, and professional services. They even help create content for other marketing professionals. For the most part, KoMarketing works with mid-sized organizations and Fortune 500s. To be considered for their services, your company must spend at least $60,000 per year on online marketing activities. So it’s not an ideal solution if you’re operating on a tight budget. KoMarketing’s B2B digital marketing capabilities include:
Within these categories, their areas of expertise expand to demand generation, marketing measurement, global reach, online PR, and B2B ecommerce. >> Compare QuotesStellar SEO – Best Link Building Services
>> Compare Quotes As the name clearly indicates, Stellar SEO provides SEO services. But what the name does not tell you is that this service provider specializes in one specific component of SEO—link building. Links have historically been one of the most important Google ranking factors. Stellar SEO understands the systematic approach that must be taken to build links for your company’s website. They’ll help get more valuable website traffic by securing the best links. Some of the top ways that they get links for their clients include:
As an agency, you can even white-label Stellar SEO’s link building services for a minimum of $2,500 per month. Stellar SEO offers guest posting services and blogger outreach programs to help you get the best links for your business on high-quality websites. They’ll even create the content for you. These services start at $167 per link and go all the way up to $367 per link, depending on the scope of your campaign. Discounts apply if you order 10+ links. There are bulk pricing options for any business or agency ordering 50+ links. >> Compare QuotesInstaboost – Best Local SEO Services
>> Compare Quotes Instaboost is another service provider focusing on a specific component of SEO. They specialize in local SEO digital marketing services. For small businesses and local companies, Instaboost will help your business get discovered for “near me” searches and relevant equivalents. Let’s say you have a plumbing business in Seattle, Washington. You want to make sure your company appears as a top suggestion when Seattle residents search for a local plumber. Instaboost makes this possible. The strategy focuses on Google My Business (GMB) and citation building through online directories and platforms like Apple Maps. They’ll also help optimize your website for specific keywords that will be found on Google local searches. 800+ businesses trust Instaboost for local SEO. Here’s an overview of the plans and pricing for these services: Boost — $299 per month
Boost+ — $599 per month
Instaboost — $999 per month
As you can see, Instaboost has plans to accommodate even the tightest budgets. Their top of the line services are still extremely affordable for small businesses. >> Compare QuotesMoburst – Best Mobile App Marketing Services
>> Compare Quotes Moburst specializes in digital marketing services for mobile apps. Whether your entire business is an app, or you’re trying to promote your app as an extension of your business, Moburst can help you out. The 3,800+ mobile campaigns run by Moburst have resulted in 140+ million app installations. They’ve worked with global brands like Uber, Gmail, YouTube, Food Network, and Dunkin Donuts. In addition to working with household names, Moburst has experience working with innovative startups and advanced gaming companies worldwide. Their top services include:
Beyond digital marketing services, Moburst will also test every feature of your mobile app itself to ensure that it works properly. They analyze user behavior and psychology to enhance the total mobile experience. >> Compare QuotesAdvantix Digital – Best Email Marketing Services
>> Compare Quotes Advantix Digital is a full-service marketing agency. While the firm offers a wide range of services, their specialty is definitely email marketing. Founded in 2001, Advantix Digital has nearly 20 years of experience in the digital marketing industry. They are experts in helping businesses of all sizes craft personalized messages to targeted audiences. The firm will help humanize your content while leveraging automation for a maximum ROI. First, they’ll get to know your business, industry, and establish key benchmarks and KPIs for your email campaigns. Then they’ll help you compile a qualified email list if you don’t have one already. Advantix Digital will help you grow your list via social media, paid search, and other digital marketing methods. Once you’ve segmented your targeted list, the email marketing experts at Advantix Digital will help you determine the best way to approach each unique segment. From abandoned shopping cart campaigns to newsletters and product launches, this firm knows what it takes to deliver killer emails that generate results. The team at Advantix Digital prioritizes data-driven optimization. They provide advanced analytics, transparent communication, and updated reporting for all campaigns. >> Compare QuotesBukhash Brothers – Best Influencer Marketing Services
>> Compare Quotes If your company wants to work with the top influencers in the world, Bukhash Brothers is definitely the place to get connected with them. Founded in 2014, Bukhash Brothers is based in the UAE. They pride themselves on building meaningful and long-lasting relationships with their clients and celebrity partners. The company has been recognized and awarded by publications like Forbes and Esquire for their success in this space. Bukhash Brothers have existing relationships with global icons like Selena Gomez, Will Smith, and Mike Tyson. They also work with global soccer stars like Lionel Messi, David Luiz, Thiery Henry, Diego Maradona, and more. These relationships have allowed them to run influencer marketing campaigns for brands like Nike, Visa, Red Bull, Samsung, Dyson, Nespresso, and Hugo Boss. In addition to talent management and celebrity influencer acquisition, Bukhash Brothers also offer services for digital content creation, social media consultancy, creative concept development, and sales consultancy. If your brand has a substantial budget for celebrity influencer campaigns, contact the team over at Bukhash Brothers to get started. >> Compare QuotesColumn Five – Best Content Marketing Services
>> Compare Quotes Quality content is the backbone of any successful digital marketing campaign. Column Five media specializes in creative content creation for businesses. Column Five was officially founded back in 2008. At the time, they were working with Mint.com before the client was acquired by Intuit in 2009. After this acquisition, the reputation for Column Five’s work caused the company to explode at a global level. Today, they help produce content for giant brands like Microsoft, Zendesk, Visa, Spotify, Red Bull, LinkedIn, and Pacific Life. What type of content can they create? Basically, anything that you can imagine. Column Five specializes in simplifying even the most complex subjects. For example, they helped Visa reinvent its explainer videos for fingerprint scanner technology. You can use Column Five to create the following types of marketing content:
Column Five will help your brand identify and properly articulate its best stories. They’ll also determine the best content formats to convey those stories and bring them to life. At the end of the day, Column Five ensures that your projects get seen by the right eyes, so your current and prospective customers can consume your creative content. >> Compare QuotesHow to Find the Best Digital Marketing Services For YouThere are thousands of different digital marketing agencies and service providers that you can choose from. Narrowing down the best option for your business can be tough if you don’t know what to look for. This is the methodology we use and recommend when you’re evaluating prospective service providers. Specialty ServicesAs I explained earlier, not every digital marketing service provider is a full-service agency. Some of them only specialize in one or two things. If you are in need of one particular element of digital marketing, then look for providers who specialize in that. For example, if you only need assistance with conversion rate optimization, you don’t need an agency that manages social media profiles, creates content, and helps you build backlinks. Instead, choose a team that knows CRO better than anyone else. If a company focuses on one thing, there’s a good chance they’re better at it than other firms with dozens of service offerings. Company SizeIt goes without saying that small startups and global enterprises won’t have the same digital marketing needs. Certain service providers are better for small businesses, while others typically work with B2B companies or mid-market organizations. Depending on the service you need, some providers won’t consider taking you on as a client if you don’t meet certain qualifications. It’s not uncommon for an agency to ask for your annual revenue and monthly marketing budget, then analyze your website before even offering a consultation. Target MarketDo you want to target buyers across the globe? Or are you focusing exclusively on prospects in your local state or region? Your target market will make a big difference on the service provider you choose. For example, Pearl Lemon and Instaboost both provide SEO services. But if you’re a big brand with a global reach, you’d be better off working with Pearl Lemon. If you’re a small business that wants to prioritize local SEO, Instaboost will be a better choice for your business. Are you targeting general consumers (B2C) or other businesses (B2B)? These types of questions are important to answer as they will influence your search. BudgetYour financial position will play a crucial role in finding a suitable digital marketing service provider. It’s common for firms to have minimum monthly requirements in order to work with any client. Rates vary dramatically depending on the service you need and the provider in question. You can find some services for as low as $300 per month, while others require a minimum of $60,000 per year. Generally speaking, most businesses seeking these services will fall somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. Assistance RequiredIt’s important to ask yourself how much you want your digital marketing service provider to handle. For example, let’s say you need help with social media marketing. Do you just need help with your campaign strategy and creating ads? Or do you want a service that will take over posting content to all of your accounts? Are you going to create your own videos and pass them over to an agency? Or do you need an agency with video production capabilities as well? The level of assistance you want will affect your rates. The Top Digital Marketing Services in SummaryDigital marketing isn’t something you can learn overnight. While you can do a lot of digital marketing on your own for free using social media, a true professional can get more done in less time. Some of the top digital marketing plans include SEO services, CRO, PPC and paid media campaigns, link building, content marketing, local SEO, and more. Depending on the service you choose to partner with, you can take on specific challenges or outsource marketing altogether. Want More Traffic? Get professional help with improving your traffic today! Call 888-421-8700 to get a free quote. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-digital-marketing-services/ |
Sean BrianWhile radishes deter certain insects naturally, they require similar growing conditions as carrots. Although the crops both have roots, radishes grow and germinate quicker, allowing carrots to continue growing in the soil space available when the radishes are harvested, Archives
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