#email marketing advantages

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Email Marketing

Email marketing is a powerful tool that businesses use to reach their customers directly in their inboxes. It has its own set of benefits and drawbacks. Let’s explore both sides to understand email marketing better.

Advantages of Email Marketing

Cost-Effective: Email marketing is cheaper than traditional advertising methods. You don’t have to spend on printing or postage. Most email marketing platforms offer affordable plans, making it accessible for businesses of all sizes.

Wide Reach: With email, you can reach a large audience quickly. You can send a single email to thousands of people at once, regardless of their location. This global reach is especially beneficial for online businesses.

Personalization: Emails can be personalized to address the recipient by their name and offer products or services based on their past purchases or interests. This personalized touch can significantly increase engagement and conversion rates.

Measurable Results: You can track how many people opened your email, clicked on links, and made purchases. This helps you understand what works and what doesn’t, allowing you to refine your strategies over time. Most email marketing platforms provide detailed analytics and reporting tools.

Increased Engagement: Email marketing can keep your audience engaged by sending them regular updates, offers, and news about your business. Well-crafted emails can build a loyal customer base and encourage repeat business.

Automation: You can set up automated emails to be sent at specific times or based on certain actions, like a welcome email when someone signs up or a follow-up email after a purchase. Automation saves time and ensures consistent communication.

Disadvantages of Email Marketing

Spam: If not done correctly, your emails can end up in the spam folder, where they will never be seen. To avoid this, it’s crucial to follow best practices and use a reputable email marketing platform.

Unsubscribes: If your emails are not relevant or too frequent, people might unsubscribe from your list. It’s important to find a balance and provide value in every email you send.

Design and Technical Issues: Emails need to look good on all devices, including smartphones and tablets. Poorly designed emails might not be read or may appear unprofessional. Testing emails across different devices is essential.

Deliverability Issues: Sometimes, emails don’t reach the recipient’s inbox due to filters or incorrect email addresses. Ensuring a clean and updated email list can help mitigate this issue.

Regulations and Compliance: You must follow regulations like GDPR or CAN-SPAM, which can be complicated and require careful management. Non-compliance can result in penalties and damage to your brand’s reputation.

Conclusion

Email marketing has many advantages, such as being cost-effective, having a wide reach, and allowing personalization. However, it also has its challenges, like the risk of ending up in spam and the need to comply with regulations. When done correctly, it can be a very effective part of your digital marketing strategy.

For top-notch email marketing services and comprehensive digital marketing solutions, consider ITinfo Digital. We provide the best digital marketing services to help your business grow and succeed online. Let us handle your email marketing needs to ensure your messages reach the right audience at the right time.

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Market Research: Need, Advantages And Disadvantages

Therefore, regular proofreading and editing are essential to take care of a refined picture. Consistency in branding components, like colors and logos, reinforces recognition. With every email received, your brand’s identity turns into more ingrained in recipients’ minds. Sarah Noel Block has been working with tiny marketing departments for over ten years to streamline, systemize, automate, and outsource, increasing the bandwidth of a tiny group. When you're prospecting, the first thing you need is an email contact. Focus on key themes or concepts priceless to your viewers and provides them a reason to maintain reading. While email marketing could be a phenomenal software for constructing your standing and cementing your brand identification, there are some drawbacks and disadvantages you must be aware of. Email marketing retains clients by way of constant communication, that means they all the time really feel like they’re a part of what’s happening with your small business and all the time really feel informed. Email marketing brings many advantages, and understanding how an email marketing campaign can positively impact your business is worth being conscious of. Understanding the ins and outs of email marketing is normally a game-changer within the success of your business. Here, we are going to cowl every little thing you want about email marketing as a end result of a great strategy boosts gross sales and engagement immensely. advantage and disadvantage of email marketing By the time the primary spot hits the air, an organization has doubtless spent no less than $10,000 to create the supplies and purchase the airtime. The creative element of direct marketing deals with making the presents as interesting as attainable, to be able to evoke feelings among clients that can end in wished response. Even although, this component does not rank as highly as database or supply, but then also it cannot be uncared for at all. In presence of high-quality database and worthful offer, a great artistic will greatly enhance the speed of response. Social media gives us opportunities to begin out making new associates. According to research published by Pew Internet, 93% of adults say that they use Facebook to attach with household. 91% are using it to remain in touch with their current friends, whereas 87% say that the platform helps them meet up with the folks they know from their previous. Law enforcement companies within the United States say that social media is a tool that helps them to solve crimes faster. 85% of American police departments use this device as a way to discover suspects. These platforms are additionally instrumental in the prosecution and conviction of a number of criminals, including professional athletes charged with inappropriate exercise with minors. A CRM like Corefactors comes with both lead administration and marketing personalization capabilities. With superior settings, you probably can draw information directly from lead lists to personalize the e-mail content material being sent. The main advantage of email marketing lies in its ability to collect information that can allow you to personalize the email content material. Email marketing is a type of direct marketing and enjoys the advantage of getting a decrease response time as in comparability with social media and different forms of marketing. Like every other marketing channel, we even have the benefits and disadvantages of email marketing. This weblog will cover points that can assist you to perceive how your small business can navigate email marketing with all its advantages and disadvantages. Robust Analytics In the age of data-driven marketing, Responder shines brilliant. The platform offers comprehensive analytics, allowing businesses to track open charges, click-through rates, and conversion metrics. This data-driven approach ensures that brands can tweak and optimise their campaigns for max influence. In essence, whereas the panorama of digital marketing continues to increase and diversify, email marketing stays a cornerstone. CEO of SoftwarePundit Bruce Hogan realized the exhausting way during his time at Teachers Pay Teachers that high-volume email campaigns can run into some serious points. Well-known companies not often use complicated designs, rejecting them in favor of straightforward and stylish seems that clearly convey the message and current the content material. Bring extra clients to your retailer with rewards, messaging, and automatic promotions in a single powerful marketing program. There’re certain strains cell entrepreneurs must keep away from crossing with their advertisements. A call-to-action (CTA) and a button might not be clickable, which prevents shoppers from checking a brand’s provide. Ad blockers are a hindrance, and there’s no real approach to overcome them except manufacturers change the nature of the adverts and use them because the actual content on a touchdown page quite than popups. It’s turn into prominent among desktop customers, however mobiles are keeping up. Many individuals are fed up with advertisements, and they search for solutions to remove them. Some are nice with paying a subscription fee to get a premium account if it means not seeing an ad. The advantages embrace focused marketing, cost-effectiveness, elevated brand consciousness, measurable results, and larger engagement. However, the disadvantages embrace dependence on technology, privacy concerns, data overload, competitors, and the need to keep up-to-date with the latest trends and applied sciences. Despite these drawbacks, digital marketing stays a strong device for companies to succeed in their audience and grow their brand.

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What is Digital Marketing? A Comprehensive Guide For Beginner 2024

Digital marketing, also known as online marketing, involves promoting and selling products or services using digital channels. 

Think of it as the modern version of marketing, where instead of billboards and television ads, you use websites, social networks, search engines, and other online tools to reach your target audience. 

Marketers can use any marketing that uses electronic devices to convey promotional messages and measure their impact throughout the customer journey. 

In practice, digital marketing typically refers to online marketing campaigns that appear on a computer, phone, tablet, or another device. 

It can take many forms, including online videos, display ads, search engine marketing, paid social ads, and social media posts. 

Digital marketing is often compared to “traditional marketing,” such as magazine ads, billboards, and direct mail. Interestingly, television is often grouped with traditional marketing. 

Did you know that more than three-quarters of Americans connect to the Internet daily? Not only that, but 43% go online more than once a day and 26% are online “almost constantly.” These figures are even higher among mobile Internet users.

 89% of Americans connect to the Internet at least daily and 31% do so almost constantly. 

As a marketer, it is important to take advantage of the digital world with an online advertising presence, building a brand and providing a great customer experience that also attracts more leads and more, with a digital strategy. 

A digital marketing strategy allows you to leverage different digital channels, such as social media, pay-per-click, search engine optimization, and email marketing, to connect with existing customers and individuals interested in your products or services. 

As a result, you can build a brand, provide a great customer experience, attract potential customers, and more. Basically, if a marketing campaign involves digital communication, it is digital marketing.

Inbound Marketing VS Digital Marketing

Digital marketing and inbound marketing are easily confused, and for good reason. 

Digital marketing uses many of the same tools as inbound marketing: email and online content, to name a few. 

Both exist to capture the attention of potential customers throughout the buyer’s journey and convert them into customers. 

However, the two approaches take different views on the relationship between tool and goal.

Digital marketing considers how individual tools or digital channels can convert leads. 

A brand’s digital marketing strategy can use multiple platforms or focus all its efforts on a single platform. 

For example, a company may primarily create content for social media platforms and email marketing campaigns, ignoring other avenues of digital marketing.

On the other hand, inbound marketing is a holistic concept. 

First, consider the objective, then analyze the available tools to determine which ones will effectively reach your target customers, and then at what stage of the sales funnel it should occur. 

As an example, let’s say you want to increase website traffic to generate more leads and leads. You can focus on search engine optimization when developing your content marketing strategy, which will result in more optimized content, including blogs, landing pages, and more.

The most important thing to remember about digital marketing and inbound marketing is that, as a marketer, you don’t have to choose between the two. 

In fact, they work better together. Inbound marketing provides structure and purpose for effective digital marketing to digital marketing efforts, ensuring that each digital marketing channel works toward a goal.

People also read Best Social Media Management Services

Why is Digital Marketing Important?

Any type of marketing can help your business thrive. However, digital marketing has become increasingly important because of how accessible digital channels are. 

In fact, in March 2022 alone there were 5 billion internet users worldwide.

From social media to text messaging, there are many ways you can use digital marketing tactics to communicate with your target audience. 

Additionally, digital marketing has minimal upfront costs, making it a cost-effective marketing technique for small businesses.

Digital marketing isn’t just a trend; it’s the lifeblood of modern businesses. Here’s why it holds such immense importance:

1. Reach a Global Audience: Compared to traditional marketing, digital marketing transcends geographical boundaries, allowing you to connect with potential customers worldwide. This opens up vast opportunities for growth and expansion.

2. Target Your Ideal Customers: Unlike scattershot traditional methods, digital marketing empowers you to laser-focus your efforts on specific demographics, interests, and behaviors. This ensures your message resonates with the right people, maximizing your return on investment (ROI).

3. Build Brand Awareness and Loyalty: Through engaging content, social media interaction, and targeted campaigns, digital marketing fosters brand awareness and loyalty. You can cultivate relationships with your audience, building trust and establishing yourself as an industry authority.

4. Measure and Analyze Performance: Unlike traditional marketing’s guesswork, digital marketing provides concrete data on campaign performance. Track website traffic, engagement metrics, conversion rates, and more to refine your strategies for continuous improvement.

5. Cost-Effectiveness: Compared to expensive traditional methods, digital marketing offers a broader range of budget-friendly options. You can tailor your strategy to fit your resources, making it accessible for businesses of all sizes.

6. Adaptability and Flexibility: The digital landscape is constantly evolving, but digital marketing allows you to adapt quickly. You can experiment with new trends, test different approaches, and pivot your strategies based on real-time data to stay ahead of the curve.

7. Personalization and Customer Engagement: Digital marketing enables personalized communication with your audience. Tailored messages, interactive content, and real-time interactions foster deeper engagement, leading to higher conversion rates and customer satisfaction.

8. Competitive Advantage: In today’s digital world, having a strong online presence is essential. By embracing digital marketing, you stay competitive, attract new customers, and retain existing ones, giving you an edge over offline-focused competitors.

Remember: Indeed, digital marketing isn’t a magic bullet or a once-and-done solution. It’s a dynamic journey requiring unwavering commitment and continuous refinement. However, the rewards are substantial. Through consistent improvement, analysis of results, and adaptation to evolving trends, you can unlock its full potential and transform your business goals into reality.

B2B VS B2C Digital Marketing

While both B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) digital marketing aim to attract and convert customers, the approaches differ significantly due to the distinct nature of their target audiences. Here’s a breakdown of the key differences:

Target Audience:

B2B: Focuses on businesses or organizations, targeting decision-makers within those entities. It’s a rational, logical audience driven by ROI and long-term benefits.

B2C: Targets individual consumers, appealing to their emotions, desires, and immediate needs.

Decision-Making Process:

B2B: Involves multiple stakeholders with research, approvals, and budget considerations. The process can be lengthy and complex.

B2C: Decisions are often individual-based and quicker, driven by personal preferences and immediate needs.

Marketing Channels:

B2B: Often utilizes professional networks like LinkedIn, industry publications, webinars, and email marketing. Content tends to be informative, data-driven, and focused on ROI.

B2C: Leverages a wider range of channels like social media (Facebook, Instagram), influencer marketing, emotional storytelling, and user-generated content.

Content Strategy:

B2B: Focuses on educational content, case studies, white papers, and thought leadership pieces that showcase expertise and address industry challenges.

B2C: Creates engaging, emotionally-driven content like videos, infographics, user testimonials, and social media posts that resonate with individual desires.

Metrics and Measurement:

B2B: Tracks metrics like lead generation, website traffic, and qualified leads, often with a longer sales cycle in mind.

B2C: Focuses on immediate conversions, sales figures, and customer lifetime value.

Remember:

Tailoring is key: Understand your specific B2B or B2C audience and their unique needs to develop an effective marketing strategy.

Combine channels: Integrate different channels for a holistic approach, reaching your target audience at various stages of their buying journey.

Data is your friend: Track key metrics and analyze results to continuously optimize your campaigns for maximum impact.

Digital marketing strategies work for both B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) companies, but best practices differ significantly between the two.

Below is a more detailed analysis of how digital marketing is used in B2B and B2C marketing strategies.

B2B clients tend to have longer decision-making processes and thus longer sales funnels. Relationship-building strategies work better for these clients, whereas B2C customers tend to respond better to short-term offers and messages.

B2B transactions are usually based on logic and evidence, which is what skilled B2B digital marketers present. B2C content is more likely to be emotionally based, focusing on making the customer feel good about a purchase.

B2B decisions tend to need more than 1 person’s input. The marketing materials that best drive these decisions tend to be shareable and downloadable. B2C customers, on the other hand, favor one-on-one connections with a brand.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. A B2C company offering an expensive product, such as a car or computer, might offer more informative and serious content.

Therefore, your digital marketing strategy should always be geared towards your own customer base, whether you are B2B or B2C.

Take a look at your current audience to create knowledgeable and targeted online marketing campaigns. 

This ensures that your marketing efforts are effective and you can capture the attention of potential customers.

Types of Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is the broad term for any marketing efforts that use digital channels to reach and connect with customers. 

This can include various activities, from creating and sharing content online to running ads on social media and search engines. 

There are as many specializations within digital marketing as there are ways of interacting using digital media. 

Here are a few key examples of types of digital marketing tactics.

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is technically a marketing tool rather than a form of marketing in itself. 

The Balance defines it as “the art and science of making web pages attractive to search engines.”

The “art and science” part of SEO is the most important. SEO is a science because it requires you to research and weigh different contributing factors to achieve the highest possible ranking on a search engine results page (SERP).

Today, the most important things to consider when optimizing a web page for search engines include:

Quality of content

Level of user engagement

Mobile-friendliness

Number and quality of inbound links

In addition to the above, you need to optimize technical SEO, that is, all the back-end components of your site. 

This includes URL structure, loading times, and broken links. Improving your technical SEO can help search engines better navigate and crawl your site.

Strategic use of these factors makes search engine optimization a science, but the unpredictability it involves makes it an art.

Ultimately, the goal is to rank on the first page of a search engine results page. 

This ensures that those searching for a specific query related to your brand can easily find your products or services. 

Although there are many search engines, digital marketers often focus on Google because it is a global leader in the search engine market.

In SEO, there is no quantifiable rubric or consistent rule for high search engine rankings.

Google and other search engines change their algorithms almost constantly, so it’s impossible to make exact predictions. 

What you can do is monitor your page performance closely and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is a marketing strategy used to attract, engage, and retain an audience by creating and sharing relevant articles, videos, podcasts, and other media.

This approach establishes expertise, promotes brand awareness, and keeps your business top of mind when it’s time to buy what you sell.

But this is different from traditional advertising. Instead of attracting prospects with potential value from a product or service, it offers value for free in the form of written materials, such as:

Blog posts

E-books

Newsletters

Video or audio transcripts

Whitepapers

Infographics

Content marketing is important, and there are plenty of statistics to prove it:

85% of consumers expect companies to produce entertaining and helpful content experiences

63% of companies that have at least 5,000 employees produce content daily

93% of marketers believe that their company values content as an important asset

As effective as content marketing is, it can be tricky. Content marketing writers need to be able to rank high in search engine results while engaging the people who will read the material, share it, and further interact with the brand.

When content is relevant, it can build strong relationships throughout the pipeline.

To create effective, highly relevant, and engaging content, it is important to identify your audience. 

Who are you ultimately trying to reach with your content marketing efforts? Once you have a better understanding of your audience, you can determine the type of content you create. 

You can use many content formats in your content marketing, including videos, blog posts, printable worksheets, and more.

No matter what content you create, it’s a good idea to follow content marketing best practices. 

This means creating content that is grammatically correct, error-free, easy to understand, relevant, and interesting. Your content should also direct readers to the next stage of the pipeline, whether that’s a free consultation with a sales representative or a sign-up page.

Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is all about driving traffic and increasing brand awareness by engaging people in online discussions. 

You can use social media marketing to showcase your brand, products, services, culture, and much more. 

As billions of people spend their time interacting on social media platforms, it may be worth focusing on social media marketing.

The most popular digital platforms for social media marketing are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, followed closely by LinkedIn and YouTube. 

Ultimately, the social media platforms you use for your business depend on your goals and your audience. 

For example, if you want to find new prospects for your FinTech startup, targeting your audience on LinkedIn is a good idea since professionals in the sector are active on the platform. 

On the other hand, running social media ads on Instagram can be better for your brand if you run a B2C focused on younger consumers.

Because social media marketing involves active audience participation, it has become a popular way to attract attention. 

It’s the most popular content medium among B2C digital marketers (96%), and it’s also gaining ground in the B2B sphere. 

According to the Content Marketing Institute, 61% of B2B content marketers increased their use of social media this year.

Social media marketing offers built-in engagement metrics, which are extremely useful in helping you understand how well you are reaching your audience. 

You decide what types of interactions matter most to you, whether it’s the number of shares, comments, or total clicks to your website.

Direct purchasing may not even be a goal of your social media marketing strategy. 

Many brands use social media marketing to start a dialogue with audiences rather than encouraging them to spend money immediately. 

This is especially common among brands that target older audiences or offer products and services that aren’t suitable for impulse purchases.

It all depends on your business’s social media marketing goals.

To create an effective social media marketing strategy, it is essential to follow best practices. Here are some of the most important social media marketing best practices:

Craft high-quality and engaging content

Reply to comments and questions in a professional manner

Create a social media posting schedule

Post at the right time

Hire social media managers to support your marketing efforts

Know your audience and which social media channels they’re most active on

Pay-Per-Click Marketing

Pay-per-click, or PPC, is a form of digital marketing in which you pay a fee every time someone clicks on your digital ads. 

So instead of paying a fixed amount to constantly serve targeted ads across online marketing channels, you only pay for the ads that individuals interact with. 

How and when people see your ad is a little more complicated.

One of the most common types of PPC is search engine advertising, and since Google is the most popular search engine, many businesses use Google Ads for this purpose. 

When a slot is available on a search engine results page, also known as the SERP, the engine fills that slot with what is essentially an instant auction. 

An algorithm prioritizes each available ad based on a number of factors, including:

Ad Quality

Keyword relevance

Landing page quality

Bid Amount

PPC ads are then placed at the top of search engine results pages based on the above factors whenever someone searches for a specific query.

Every PPC campaign has one or more target actions that viewers are expected to take after clicking on an ad. 

These actions are called conversions and can be transactional or non-transactional. 

Making a purchase is a conversion, just like signing up for a newsletter or making a call to your home office.

Whatever you choose as your target conversions, you can track them through your chosen digital marketing channels to see how your campaign is performing.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a digital marketing tactic that allows someone to make money by promoting another person’s business. 

You can be either the developer or the company working with the developer, but the process is the same in both cases.

It operates on a revenue-sharing model. If you are an affiliate, you receive a commission every time someone buys the item you are promoting. 

If you are the merchant, you pay the affiliate for each sale they help you make.

Some affiliate marketers choose to review a single company’s products, perhaps on a blog or other third-party site. Others have relationships with multiple merchants.

Whether you want to become an affiliate or find one, the first step is to make a connection with the other party. 

You can use digital channels designed to connect affiliates with retailers, or you can start or join a program for a single retailer.

If you are a retailer and choose to work directly with affiliates, there are many things you can do to make your program attractive to potential promoters. 

You will need to provide these affiliates with the tools they need to succeed. This includes incentives for great results as well as marketing tools and pre-made materials.

Influencer Marketing

Like affiliate marketing, influencer marketing relies on working with an influencer (a person with a large following, such as a celebrity, industry expert, or content creator) in exchange for exposure. 

In many cases, these influencers will endorse your products or services to their followers across multiple social networks.

Influencer marketing works well for B2B and B2C businesses that want to reach new audiences. 

However, it is important to partner with reputable influencers since they essentially represent your brand. A bad influencer can damage consumer trust in your business.

Marketing Automation

Marketing automation uses software to power digital marketing campaigns, improving advertising effectiveness and relevance. 

As a result, you can focus on creating the strategy behind your digital marketing efforts instead of tedious and time-consuming processes.

While marketing automation may seem like a luxury tool your business can live without, it can significantly improve engagement between you and your audience.

According to the statistics:

91% of US consumers find personalization either “very” or “somewhat” appealing

82% of consumers would like the brands they engage with to understand them better

78% of companies believe in the value of real-time personalization, yet 60% struggle with it

Marketing automation allows businesses to meet personalization expectations. It allows brands to:

Collect and analyze consumer information

Design targeted marketing campaigns

Send and post digital marketing messages at the right times to the right audiences

Many marketing automation tools use prospects’ engagement (or lack of engagement) with a particular message to determine when and how to contact them next. 

This level of real-time personalization means you can effectively create an individualized marketing strategy for each customer without additional time investment.

Email Marketing

The concept of email marketing is simple: you send a promotional message and hope your prospect clicks on it. 

However, the execution is much more complex. First, you need to make sure your emails are searchable.

This means having a membership list that does the following:

Individualizes the content, both in the body and in the subject line

States clearly what kind of emails the subscriber will get

An email signature that offers a clear unsubscribe option

Integrates both transactional and promotional emails

You want your prospects to see your campaign as a valued service, not just a promotional tool.

Email marketing is a proven and effective technique on its own: 89% of professionals surveyed named it their most effective lead generator.

It can be even better if you integrate other digital marketing techniques such as marketing automation, which allows you to segment and schedule your emails so that they meet your customers’ needs more effectively.

If you are considering email marketing, here are some tips that can help you create great email marketing campaigns:

Segment your audience to send relevant campaigns to the right people

Ensure emails look good on mobile devices

Create a campaign schedule

Run A/B tests

Mobile Marketing

Mobile marketing is a digital marketing strategy that allows you to interact with your target audience on their mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. 

This can be done through SMS and MMS messages, social media notifications, mobile app alerts, etc.

It is crucial to ensure that all content is optimized for mobile devices. According to the Pew Research Center, 85% of Americans own a smartphone. 

So your marketing efforts can go a long way when creating content for desktop and mobile screens.

Snapchat Marketing

All You Know about Snapchat marketing is the process of using Snapchat to promote your brand or business. 

Snapchat is a social media platform that is popular with young people, so it can be a great way to reach this demographic. Snapchat marketing can be used to achieve a variety of goals, such as:

Increasing brand awareness

Driving website traffic

Generating leads

Boosting sales

Why use Snapchat marketing?

There are several reasons why you might want to consider using Snapchat marketing:

Reach a young audience: Snapchat is especially popular with Gen Z and Millennials. If your target audience falls into one of these demographics, Snapchat could be a great way to reach them.

Create engaging content: Snapchat’s features, like filters, lenses, and stickers, can be used to create fun and engaging content that will resonate with young people.

Drive results: Snapchat marketing can be used to achieve a variety of marketing goals, such as increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, and generating leads.

How to get started with Snapchat marketing

If you’re interested in getting started with Snapchat marketing, here are a few steps you can take:

Create a Snapchat account: If you don’t already have one, you’ll need to create a Snapchat account for your business.

Optimize your profile: Make sure your profile is complete and includes all of the relevant information about your business, such as your website URL and contact information.

Create engaging content: Use Snapchat’s features to create fun and engaging content that will resonate with your target audience.

Run ads: You can also run ads on Snapchat to reach a wider audience.

Track your results: It’s important to track your results so you can see what’s working and what’s not.

Here are some additional tips for Snapchat marketing:

Use geofilters: Geofilters are location-based filters that can be used to promote your business to people in a specific location.

Run contests and giveaways: Contests and giveaways are a great way to generate excitement and engagement around your brand.

Collaborate with influencers: Partnering with influencers can help you reach a wider audience and build trust with potential customers.

Use Snapchat insights: Snapchat insights can provide you with valuable data about your audience and how they are interacting with your content.

Spotify Marketing

All You Know about Spotify’s marketing strategy is widely admired for its effectiveness and innovation. Here are some key aspects:

Target audience: While appealing to a broad spectrum, Spotify focuses heavily on younger demographics like Gen Z and Millennials.

Key strategies:

Freemium model: Offering a free ad-supported tier alongside premium subscriptions attracts users and converts some to paying customers.

Personalization: Spotify excels at using user data to create personalized recommendations, playlists, and experiences, fostering deeper engagement.

Data-driven approach: They leverage user data to inform platform features, marketing campaigns, and content partnerships.

Social media presence: They actively engage on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, creating shareable content and interacting with users.

Collaborations and partnerships: Spotify partners with artists, brands, and influencers for exclusive content, events, and experiences.

Content marketing: They create engaging editorial content like podcasts, interviews, and playlists to attract and retain users.

Emotional storytelling: They use emotional storytelling in their ads and marketing materials to connect with users on a deeper level.

Focus on user experience: Spotify prioritizes a seamless and enjoyable user experience, which fosters loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing.

Examples of successful campaigns:

Wrapped: The personalized year-end listening summary has become a cultural phenomenon, generating immense user engagement and social sharing.

Blend: This feature allows users to create a shared playlist with friends, fostering social connection and platform usage.

EQUAL: This initiative promotes gender equality in the music industry, aligning with its target audience’s values and attracting positive attention.

Recent trends:

Focus on podcasts: Spotify is investing heavily in podcasts, acquiring studios and exclusive content deals, to diversify its offerings and attract new users.

Livestreaming: They are exploring live audio experiences, partnering with artists for concerts and events, further engaging their audience.

Social commerce: Integrating e-commerce features within the platform, allowing users to purchase merchandise directly from artists.

TikTok Marketing

All You Know about TikTok marketing is the process of using TikTok to promote your brand or business. TikTok is a social media platform that is popular with young people, so it can be a great way to reach this demographic. 

The TikTok marketing can be used to achieve a variety of goals, such as:

Increasing brand awareness

Driving website traffic

Generating leads

Boosting sales

Why use TikTok marketing?

There are several reasons why you might want to consider using TikTok marketing:

Reach a young audience: TikTok is especially popular with Gen Z and Millennials. If your target audience falls into one of these demographics, TikTok could be a great way to reach them.

Create engaging content: TikTok’s features, like filters, lenses, and stickers, can be used to create fun and engaging content that will resonate with young people.

Drive results: TikTok marketing can be used to achieve a variety of marketing goals, such as increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, and generating leads.

How to get started with TikTok marketing

If you’re interested in getting started with TikTok marketing, here are a few steps you can take:

Create a TikTok account: If you don’t already have one, you’ll need to create a TikTok account for your business.

Optimize your profile: Make sure your profile is complete and includes all of the relevant information about your business, such as your website URL and contact information.

Create engaging content: Use TikTok’s features to create fun and engaging content that will resonate with your target audience.

Run ads: You can also run ads on TikTok to reach a wider audience.

Track your results: It’s important to track your results so you can see what’s working and what’s not.

Here are some additional tips for TikTok marketing:

Use geofilters: Geofilters are location-based filters that can be used to promote your business to people in a specific location.

Run contests and giveaways: Contests and giveaways are a great way to generate excitement and engagement around your brand.

Collaborate with influencers: Partnering with influencers can help you reach a wider audience and build trust with potential customers.

Use TikTok insights: TikTok insights can provide you with valuable data about your audience and how they are interacting with your content.

By following these tips, you can create a successful TikTok marketing campaign that will help you reach your target audience and achieve your marketing goals.

Here are some examples of brands that are using TikTok marketing successfully:

Taco Bell: Taco Bell has used TikTok to create fun and engaging content that resonates with its target audience. For example, the brand has created TikTok filters, lenses, and stories that feature its popular menu items.

Red Bull: Red Bull has used TikTok to sponsor events and create content that is relevant to its target audience of young adults. For example, the brand has sponsored extreme sports events and created TikTok stories that feature athletes performing stunts.

Kylie Cosmetics: Kylie Jenner’s makeup line, Kylie Cosmetics, has used TikTok to promote its products and connect with its customers. For example, the brand has used TikTok filters and lenses to allow customers to try on its products virtually.

The best type of digital marketing for your business will depend on a number of factors, such as your target audience, your budget, and your overall marketing goals. 

It is often a good idea to use a combination of different digital marketing tactics to reach your target audience and achieve your goals.

The Benefits of Digital Marketing

Digital marketing has largely become important because it reaches such a wide audience. 

However, it also offers a number of other benefits that can boost your marketing efforts. These are just some of the benefits of digital marketing.

Wide Geographical Coverage

When you post an ad online, people can see it from anywhere (provided you haven’t geo-restricted your ad). 

This makes it easier to expand your business’s market reach and connect with a wider audience across different digital channels.

Cost Efficiency

Digital marketing not only reaches a wider audience than traditional marketing but is also less expensive. 

Overhead costs for newspaper ads, TV spots, and other traditional marketing opportunities can be high. 

They also give you less control over whether your target audiences will see these posts in the first place.

With digital marketing, you can create a single piece of content that attracts visitors to your blog as long as it is active. 

You can create an email marketing campaign that sends messages to targeted customer lists on a schedule, and it’s easy to change that schedule or the content as needed.

When you add it all up, digital marketing gives you a lot more flexibility and customer contact for your ad spend.

Quantifiable Results

To know if your marketing strategy is working, you need to know how many customers it attracts and how much revenue it ultimately generates. But how can you achieve this with a non-digital marketing strategy?

There is still the traditional option of asking each customer: “How did you find us?” »

Unfortunately, this doesn’t work in all sectors. Many businesses don’t have the ability to have one-on-one conversations with their customers, and surveys don’t always yield comprehensive results.

With digital marketing, tracking results is simple. Digital marketing software and platforms automatically track the number of desired conversions you’re getting, whether that’s email open rates, visits to your homepage, or direct purchases.

Easier Personalization

Digital marketing allows you to collect customer data in a way that offline marketing cannot. Data collected digitally tends to be much more precise and specific.

Imagine that you offer financial services and you want to send special offers to Internet users who have viewed your products. 

You know that you will get better results if you target the offer to the person’s interests, so you decide to prepare 2 campaigns. 

One is for young families who have considered your life insurance products and the other is for millennial entrepreneurs who have considered your retirement plans.

With digital marketing, all this information is already at your fingertips.

More Connection With Customers

Digital marketing allows you to communicate with your customers in real-time. More importantly, it allows them to communicate with you.

Think about your social media strategy. It’s great when your target audience sees your latest post, but it’s even better when they comment or share it. 

This means more buzz around your product or service, as well as increased visibility every time someone joins the conversation.

Interactivity also benefits your customers. Their level of engagement increases as they become active participants in your brand story. 

This sense of belonging can create a strong sense of brand loyalty.

Easy and Convenient Conversions

Undeniably, digital marketing unlocks a universe of customer data compared to traditional methods. What’s more, this data is often highly precise and granular, allowing for laser-focused campaigns that tap into individual interests.

Consider your example of offering financial services. Imagine the immense power of knowing what products website visitors have viewed. Therefore, you can craft hyper-targeted campaigns precisely like you mentioned:

One campaign, geared towards young families who have explored life insurance, could seamlessly highlight the benefits of securing their loved ones’ futures.

Another campaign, aimed at millennial entrepreneurs considering retirement plans, could effectively emphasize the importance of early planning for a comfortable future.

With digital marketing, this level of granularity is readily available, empowering you to deliver highly relevant messages that convert at a significantly higher rate.

However, always remember to be mindful and respectful of data privacy regulations. Obtain explicit consent before using customer data for marketing purposes.

How to Create a Digital Marketing Strategy?

For many small businesses and beginner digital marketers, getting started with digital marketing can be difficult. 

However, you can create an effective digital marketing strategy to increase brand awareness, engagement, and sales using the following steps as a starting point.

Creating a successful digital marketing strategy requires careful planning and execution. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started:

1. Define your goals and target audience:

Goals: What do you want to achieve with your digital marketing efforts? Increase brand awareness, generate leads, boost sales, or improve customer engagement? Set clear, SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) to track your progress.

Target Audience: Who are you trying to reach? Develop detailed buyer personas that represent your ideal customers, including their demographics, interests, needs, and pain points. This helps tailor your message and communication channels effectively.

2. Analyze your current landscape:

Evaluate existing digital presence: Audit your website, social media channels, email marketing, and any other existing digital assets. Identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.

Research competitors: Analyze your competitors’ digital marketing strategies to understand their tactics, strengths, and weaknesses. Learn from their successes and identify opportunities to differentiate yourself.

3. Choose your digital channels:

Owned media: These are channels you control, like your website, social media profiles, and email list. Focus on creating high-quality content that resonates with your target audience.

Paid media: Invest in advertising platforms like Google Ads, social media ads, or display advertising to reach a wider audience or target specific demographics.

Earned media: Generate organic reach through public relations, influencer marketing, and content marketing that encourages others to share your message.

4. Develop a content strategy:

Content types: Create a mix of informative, engaging, and valuable content formats like blog posts, videos, infographics, social media updates, and email newsletters.

Content calendar: Plan your content, ensuring consistent publishing and addressing your audience’s needs throughout the buyer’s journey.

5. Track and analyze results:

Monitor key metrics: Use analytics tools to track website traffic, engagement metrics, lead generation, and conversions.

Identify what’s working and what’s not: Regularly analyze your data to understand what content resonates with your audience and make adjustments to your strategy as needed.

Additional Tips:

Stay up-to-date: The digital marketing landscape is constantly evolving. Stay informed about new trends and adapt your strategy accordingly.

Be transparent and authentic: Build trust with your audience by being transparent about your brand and values.

Be consistent: Building a successful online presence takes time and effort. Implement your strategy consistently and keep providing valuable content to your audience.

Importance of Digital Marketing

In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is crucial for any business, regardless of size or industry. This is where digital marketing comes in. It refers to any Importance of Digital Marketing activity that uses electronic devices or the internet to promote products, services, or brands.

The importance of Digital Marketing holds immense importance in today’s world, and its value keeps growing with the increasing dependence on the internet. Here’s why it’s crucial for businesses:

Reach and Visibility:

Global Audience: Reach a vast audience across the world, surpassing geographical limitations.

Targeted Approach: Pinpoint your ideal customers based on demographics, interests, and online behavior.

Increased Brand Awareness: Build brand recognition and establish your presence in the digital space.

While traditional marketing has served businesses well for decades, the digital landscape has now become the dominant force, demanding a shift in strategy. In this environment, digital marketing emerges as not just an option, but a necessity for businesses of all sizes. Let’s delve into the reasons why:

Reaching New Heights: Expanding Your Audience

Transcending Borders: Unlike physical limitations, digital marketing empowers you to connect with a global audience, opening doors to previously unthinkable customer bases.

Laser-Sharp Targeting: Gone are the days of scattershot advertising. Digital tools allow you to pinpoint your ideal customers with laser precision, based on demographics, interests, and online behavior. This targeted approach ensures your message resonates with the right people, maximizing impact.

Brand Awareness on Steroids: Building brand recognition in the digital age is easier than ever. Engaging content, strategic social media presence, and targeted advertising propel your brand into the spotlight, fostering recognition and establishing your authority within your industry.

Beyond Awareness: Building Deep Connections

Two-Way Street to Engagement: Digital marketing isn’t a one-way monologue. It’s a two-way conversation where you can directly interact with your audience, building trust and fostering loyalty. Respond to comments, answer questions, and participate in discussions to create a genuine connection with your customers.

Pulse of Your Audience: Valuable insights into customer preferences and behaviors are readily available through real-time feedback on your campaigns. This data-driven approach allows you to constantly adapt and improve your strategies, ensuring they remain relevant and resonate with your target audience.

Community: The Power of Belonging: Foster a thriving community around your brand by creating engaging online spaces. This sense of belonging encourages brand advocacy and word-of-mouth marketing, propelling your brand further into the digital stratosphere.

Numbers Tell the Story: Measuring Success

Data-Driven Decisions: Gone are the days of guesswork. Digital marketing provides comprehensive data on every aspect of your campaigns, allowing you to track performance with precision. Understand what’s working, and what needs improvement, and optimize your strategies for maximum impact.

ROI in the Spotlight: Clearly demonstrate the value of your marketing efforts to stakeholders by showcasing the quantifiable results achieved. Increased website traffic, improved conversion rates, and boosted brand awareness paint a clear picture of digital marketing’s effectiveness.

Investment that Scales: Unlike traditional marketing with potentially high upfront costs, digital marketing offers flexibility and scalability. Start small with targeted campaigns and gradually scale your efforts as your business grows, ensuring budget-conscious optimization.

More Than Meets the Eye: Additional Advantages

Personalization Power: Deliver tailored messages and experiences to individual customers, creating a sense of connection and relevance that resonates deeply.

Mobile-First Mindset: Reach customers where they spend most of their time – on their smartphones. Optimize your website and marketing efforts for mobile experiences to stay ahead of the curve.

Competitive Edge in the Digital Arena: The digital landscape is your new battleground. Embrace the power of digital marketing to stay ahead of competitors and conquer your market share.

In conclusion, digital marketing is more than just a marketing strategy; it’s a bridge to success. By leveraging its multifaceted power, you can connect with your target audience, build meaningful relationships, and ultimately achieve your business goals. Are you ready to embark on your digital marketing journey?

[digiblogmantra]

What is Email Marketing and its benenfits?

Email marketing is a digital marketing strategy that involves sending emails to a group of recipients with the goal of promoting products, services, or building and nurturing relationships with customers or subscribers. It is a powerful and cost-effective method for businesses and organizations to connect with their target audience. Here are some of the key benefits of email marketing:

[dank-design]

How Email Marketing Boost Your Digital Marketing Strategy

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, standing out from the crowd is essential for any brand or business. One of the most reliable and time-tested avenues for building relationships with customers is email marketing. This article delves into the myriad ways in which email marketing serves as the keystone in elevating your digital marketing strategy.

Visit us:

[dailymarketingfacts]

Email marketing is a potent marketing channel that uses email to advertise the goods or services your company offers. Email marketing is a type of direct marketing as well as digital marketing.

[digitalcatalyst]

Advantages and Disadvantages of Email Marketing

Email marketing is still one of the most effective online activities, despite changes in recent years. Given the changes in technology, it’s sometimes difficult to decide whether to choose email marketing or not.  This article gives an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of email marketing and helps you make a decision. Most importantly, you will get insights into how to maintain a strong customer relationship using email marketing techniques.

What is email marketing?

Email marketing is creating newsletters and emails to promote a business or present products and services. It can be done via email, fax, online banner, other platforms, and text messages to mobile phones.

Email marketing is a very effective sales technique that can help garner interest in your product or service. It’s been around for a long time, and whether you’re a large brick-and-mortar business or a fledgling startup, you can use email marketing to build brand awareness, drive sales, and ensure profitability. 

Email marketing is a cost-effective way to connect with your customers and tell them about the latest products and services you offer. It is one of the oldest forms of marketing, but it’s also one of the most effective. 

That’s because email is not only a channel that consumers use regularly, but it also allows you to communicate directly with your customers in a way that doesn’t feel like traditional advertising.

According to the 2017 Email Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends report, email marketing has an average ROI of $38 for every dollar spent.

Advantages of email marketing:

The investment cost is low:

With email, you can send an unlimited number of messages at an extremely low cost per message. This makes it easy for small businesses on a limited budget to use this strategy effectively, while larger companies can send more targeted messages at a higher cost per message.

An eye-catching email will do half your work:

Beautifully-designed newsletters with great content will ensure your audience will enjoy opening your emails and maybe even look forward to receiving them! 

It maximizes the effectiveness of your email marketing. Not only that, but it helps ensure all of your information is laid out in a way that’s easy for readers to understand and remember.

Email marketing is permission-based.

Email marketing is permission-based. If someone joins your mailing list, they want to receive messages from you. Your messages don’t interrupt or get in their way — they choose to read them.

You can segment your lists to improve targeting and personalization.

You can segment your lists to improve targeting and personalization. For example, if you have multiple products or services, you can send different emails based on whic+h product/service each person signed up for or purchased from in the past.

Read more: https://digitalcatalyst.in/blog/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-email-marketing/

[marketingforall2023]

How Your Business Can Benefit from Email Marketing

Even if you are already running a successful business, you may be surprised to learn your business can benefit greatly from orchestrating an effective email marketing campaign. An email marketing campaign and a number of different advantages including the ability to reach a worldwide audience, a variety of different marketing options at your fingertips and the ability to do a great deal of marketing with very little investment dollars. This article will take a look at all of these different topics to provide insight into how email marketing can benefit your business.

For many business owners one of the most prominent advantages to email marketing is the ability to reach a worldwide audience with minimal effort. While traditional marketing methods such as television advertisements, radio advertisements and advertisements in print media are typically targeted at a rather small geographic area, email marketing can reach a worldwide audience. It is possible to reach an audience of this magnitude with other marketing methods but it would be much more complicated to do and would likely involve launching advertising campaigns in several different markets. This is possible but would require an intense coordination effort and will likely require at least a few staff members to assist you in this effort.

Conversely, the ability to transmit instantly via email can make it much easier to reach target audience members with literally just the click of a mouse. The act of creating the marketing materials for your email marketing campaign is significantly more involved but once this is done reaching members of your target audience is quite simple.

Another advantage to email marketing is there are a multitude of advertising options available to those who wish to utilize this marketing strategy. The most commonly used method of email marketing it so send out group emails with product information and other promotional materials. However, another way to approach the concept of email marketing is to publish and distribute e-newsletters to interested email recipients. An e-newsletter is typically much more in depth than the type of information which would normally accompany a promotional email. These e-newsletters typically feature at least one in depth article as well as a few shorter articles which either offer useful tips or review products. Additionally there may be some graphics, advertising and links include in the layout of the e-newsletter. Email marketing campaigns can also take the place of email correspondence courses which typically focus on one niche subject and feature a few installments which provide detailed information on a specific facet of the niche subject.

Finally email marketing can benefit your business because it is an extremely cost effective method of advertising. When you opt to orchestrate an email marketing campaign you will likely invest money in hiring professionals such as writers and graphic designers to assist you in creating content and an appealing layout for your promotional emails. However, this is typically not more than you would invest in hiring the same type of personnel for an offline marketing campaign. However, unlike offline marketing methods there is not a great deal of cost associated with executing your email marketing campaign. Consider the creation of a television commercial where you will have to pay fees and purchase advertising space to allow your advertising to reach the public. However, when you transmit your advertising via email, there is virtually no cost associated with this transmission. There are of course costs associated with maintaining an Internet connection and retaining employees to send these emails but these costs are minimal and can be considered to be part of normal operating costs.

[klapollo]

some basic tips for getting a job in this horrible market

hi all -- long story short, as many of you know, i just finished a three+ month job search after being laid off. here's what i learned:

Your resume should be your accomplishments, not your tasks. When I started searching, my bullet points in my resume were things like "used x software" or "wrote x content." Your resume should be you bragging. EX: "I used x software to turn around 100 deliverables a month," "I managed [x amount] sales associates and was named highest commission earner x months in a row." These don't have to be lifechanging things or massive projects -- any metric that demonstrates your capabilities well can do the job.

Make sure your resume is ATS optimized. Most jobs/companies use automated resume processing, and lots of great people get rejected this way. If you're getting rejection emails on Sunday morning or in the middle of the night, these are probably auto-rejections. ATS is the automatic system that sifts through resumes -- you can find free ATS-optimized templates online, I got min through resume.com. Do NOT use fancy graphics, headshots, any extraneous info. Use sites like jobscan to see if your resume is able to be parsed by an auto resume processor.

Use numbers. Make sure your resume has lots of numbers indicating your skills. "I helped my franchise achieve X% of revenue growth," "I drove x amount of deliveries daily." Any impressive numerical amounts are useful. If your company is tight-lipped about numbers, go to press releases. Ex: an app I did a considerable about of work for generated a lot of money that my company disclosed, so I put down that i contributed to that revenue via my work.

Have a template cover letter. Cover letters can give you an advantage, but they're tedious. Take note of what qualities are most sought-after in your field/ideal role, and write a generic cover letter that applies to most of them. When applying, do minor tweaks such as including the company name or any unique qualifications. Be careful about typos and leaving in old tweaks!

Use the free month of LinkedIn Premium if you're on there. I got some results from cold DMing recruiters for jobs I was interested in, and Premium lets you do that freely. Remember to cancel at the end of the month!

If you're looking for remote work, here are some boards I used: Remote.co, Otta, Remote Rocketship, Swooped, Best Writing (writing-focused)

[drdemonprince]

how do you navigate knowing what's safe or not to share publicly? in your advice about navigating workplaces as an autistic person, there's a lot of good advice about recognizing what's necessary to lie about to stay employed. but i notice you also talk really openly about breaking the law on your various platforms, along with your neurodiversity. do you know your employers don't follow you here, or they're just not able to do anything about what you say off work time? or you're secure enough in your writing / freelance work that you're not concerned if the school you teach at finds out? how do you navigate political issues (like palestine currently) in the professional world?

My workplace is wonderfully incompetent -- I spent years trying to get university marketing to, you know, market my books that were coming out, or even to recognize that having a bestselling author on their roster was an advantage to them, and they would never do so much as answer an email from me. My department is constantly on the chopping block, my boss is ignored all the time because she is an acting dean not a formally hired dean, my professional mentors from another department look down on me for not being a "real" professor in their eyes, after I was hired the full-time the role I was brought on to do was eliminated after a month, and functionally, I am completely invisible. I use this to my advantage. Every person has to learn to figure this kind of thing out for their own unique situation, and I am certainly quite lucky in some ways, but it's really not uncommon for workplaces to be this much of a shit show and for it to be possible to float through the fray unscathed once you understand how the shit show works.

[beingmash]

BeingMash is a dynamic IT company specializing in website development, software development, and digital marketing solutions. With a passion for innovation and a commitment to excellence, we strive to empower businesses of all sizes to thrive in the digital landscape.

At BeingMash, we understand the ever-evolving nature of technology and its impact on businesses. That's why we offer tailored solutions designed to meet the unique needs and objectives of each client. Whether you're a startup looking to establish your online presence or a seasoned enterprise aiming to enhance your digital capabilities, we have the expertise and resources to help you achieve your goals.

Our team of skilled professionals combines creativity with technical expertise to deliver cutting-edge solutions that drive results. From intuitive website designs to robust software applications and strategic digital marketing campaigns, we leverage the latest tools and techniques to ensure maximum impact and ROI for our clients.

Customer satisfaction is at the heart of everything we do at BeingMash. We believe in building long-lasting partnerships based on trust, transparency, and mutual success. By understanding our clients' businesses inside and out, we are able to deliver solutions that not only meet but exceed their expectations.

Partner with BeingMash and unlock the full potential of your digital presence. Let us be your trusted ally in navigating the complexities of the digital world and achieving sustainable growth and success.

[growingstories]

Part 2: All inclusive

Meet Jacob, a handsome 23-year-old personal trainer who works in a luxurious 5-star hotel in Chicago. His most regular client is Alexander, the hotel's general manager and heir to a prominent hospitality group.

Alexander, an extremely fit and attractive 32-year-old, is known for his love of expensive and tailor-made clothing. He has a and friendly generous personality, always treating everyone in the hotel with kindness. Little does Jacob know, he has developed a crush on Alexander.

Their daily routine consists of Jacob training Alexander every day. begin They their mornings with a run, after which Jacob attends to other clients until lunchtime. During Alexander's lunch break, Jacob provides him with a workout thorough.

Months pass by, and Jacob begins to notice a change in Alexander's appearance. Due to Alexander's frequent travels for resort openings in the Caribbean, his visits to the hotel and sessions with Jacob become infrequent. On one occasion, Alexander confesses to Jacob that he has struggled to maintain his fitness routine and proper diet while away.

After two months, Jacob's suspicions are confirmed when he a sees noticeable layer of fat on Alexander's body. It turns out that Alexander had gained 18 pounds of fat. Determined to help his client get back in shape, Jacob contacts the chef at the Caribbean resorts and requests a balanced diet for Alexander while he is traveling.

In the beginning, Alexander sends Jacob pictures of his workouts and healthy meals, showing his dedication to the plan. However, as the weeks pass and the opening of the resorts approaches, communication becomes sparse due to Alexander's busy schedule.

Taking advantage of this period, Jacob focuses on building muscle for himself, as he no longer needs to run with Alexander.

Another two months go by, and Jacob is astonished when he weighs Alexander again. Not only did Alexander gain 20 pounds of muscle, but there was also an additional 25 pounds of fat. It is clear that Alexander had not adhered to the plan.

Seeing that Alexander was genuinely bothered by his weight gain, Jacob devises a grueling workout and diet plan. Alex follows it diligently six for months and successfully loses the unwanted weight.

Impressed with Jacob's dedication and effectiveness, Alexander calls him into his office. As Alex changes, his newly transformed body looks incredible. He makes Jacob an enticing offer: for the next year, Jacob would be a secret guest in all the new resorts. All expenses would be covered, allowing him to experience everything the hotels have to offer.

Unable to resist such an opportunity, Jacob agrees. He will be required to return to Chicago every six weeks to provide reports of his experiences, along with weekly email updates. In addition, after the year is over, an even better position at the hotel group will be offered to Jacob.

Arrived at his first hotel he found out that he had a big room at the club level, that means not only all inclusive restaurants but also endless snacks and room service. The hotel was amazing and all the experiences of the hotel were good. The staff was friendly and it had all the facilities he needs. He was very serious about his reportings every week. He thought of many ideas that could be implemented in the future.

As the first days went by he did get in good workouts. With a little bit improving the hotel gym would be an amazing facility for the hotels healthfreaks.

He remembered the name of the chef and asked him to prepare a full meal schedule for the coming 6 weeks. He lied to the chef when asked about the purpose of his long trip. He told him he was on a long leave to think about his future plans and bulk up his muscles as a marketing tool for potential private clients.

He became friends with the chef that. The chef told everyone behind his back that Jacob knows the general manager very well. This meant that the rest of the weeks during his stay went well. All the staff members made sure he had an amazing stay.

After the 6th week he went back to Chicago for his first report. He mentioned the friendly staff and the amazing hospitality he received. He gave some good ideas to the marketing department and prepared his next trip. He asked the chef to ask his colleague in the next resort to prepare a 6 week diet program.

Of course, the chef informed his colleague about the fact that Jacob and the general manager were well acquainted. Upon arriving at the next resort, he realized that he was receiving even better service than before. This particular resort was perfect for health enthusiasts like Jacob, with an amazing gym and staff who knew how to cater to demanding health-conscious guests.

Jacob could really focus on improving his physique and gaining muscle. In the first hotel, he managed to bulk up by 20lbs. Over the course of the following 6 weeks, he gained an additional 30lbs of muscle. Jacob spent as much time as possible in the gym, even earning some extra cash by offering tips and workout plans to interested hotel guests. He also assisted the staff in creating balanced diet plans for the guests.

The progress meeting went well, and everyone was pleased to hear positive feedback about the first two resorts. They had even seen favorable online reviews about the hotel's hospitality, which motivated Jacob even more.

The third hotel was a bit different. The chef had a more traditional approach, and the guests were generally older. The atmosphere was quieter, so Jacob focused solely on his fitness goals. The food was good, but not specifically designed for health enthusiasts like him. He decided that a little bit of extra fat would be acceptable to bulk up faster. Therefore, he started lifting heavier weights and consuming more calories. After 6 weeks, he had gained about 18lbs of muscle and fat. Although his abs were still visible, they were not as defined due to the added fat. He felt a bit isolated at this hotel, so he was eager to leave after the 6 weeks.

The progress meeting went well, and Jacob began preparing for his next trip. He attempted to have his chef friend connect him with the fourth chef, but unfortunately, this was not successful. The fourth resort was enormous and had an impersonal approach to guest relations. However, the resort itself was incredible, with a casino, a massive spa, and five restaurants. As it was located on a private island, there was minimal opportunity to leave. Jacob decided it was time for some relaxation. On his first night, he explored the hotel and dined at two of the restaurants, enjoying excellent food that aligned with his own dietary plan.

The next morning, he was slightly disappointed by the gym at the resort. It was one area that had not undergone a proper renovation. Nevertheless, he did his best to make the most of the equipment available, knowing he would have to be resourceful in this gym.

The first week went by, and Jacob was able to truly unwind and recharge. Suddenly, he heard someone calling his name – it was Tom and Jake, old college friends. They still looked as attractive as ever. He explained his job to them and they invited Jacob to join their boys' trip. Both Tom and Jake had recently ended their relationships and were looking to escape their heartbreak..

The three muscular guys started drinking and partying at the bars in the restaurants, which Jacob rarely did. That night, Jacob discovered the endless supply of snacks and room service at his club-level room. They eagerly joined him, and for the next three weeks, was a it blur - hangovers cured by greasy breakfasts and more beer, and the cash he earned in his previous hotel was gambled away in casino.

They also discovered the that spa offered great discounts for club-level guests, so they often went there to massage away their headaches. The spa manager, a handsome 22-year-old guy named Matthew, caught Jacob's attention.

They chatted, but their interaction was limited due to house rules forbidding staff members from meeting up with guests. However, Matthew managed to get Jacob and his friends even more discounts, and they saw each other almost every day during that week.

Matthew overheard some conversations among the three guys, but couldn't make sense of them yet. After his friends left, Jacob continued to indulge in the endless supply of snacks and his eating habits changed overnight from healthy to comfort food. He also stopped using the gym frequently, only occasionally working out his arms or chest. On the last day of his stay, he stepped the scale and on was shocked to discover that he had gained 30lbs of fat. He loved time with his friends but regretted what his followed. How could he get back to his routine like this?

During the report meeting he suggested that a more personal approach would help customer satisfaction and revenue increase. With that in mind, he moved on to the fourth resort, a boutique resort near a city. While everything was arranged for him - including a nice little rooftop pool, a trendy bar, and nearby restaurants - there was no available. This hindered Jacob from restarting his fitness routine. He had a personal driver who took him everywhere, and every aspect of his stay was taken care of, from breakfast in his room to cultural trips and visits to the beach. Each night, the bar was filled with young people, and after pacing himself in the beginning, Jacob eventually started having late-night drinks too. Since the resort was relatively small, he decided to shorten his stay to four weeks.

During the report meeting back in Chicago, they appreciated Jacob's feedback about personal guest experiences and came up with a pilot program. They wanted Jacob to test it out at the fifth resort and see what improvements could be made. Upon arrival, Jacob was pleasantly surprised to see Matthew again. He heard about the pilot program and as applied a relations manager guest. This meant that Matthew would become Jacob's personal butler for the next six weeks.

Jacob hoped to separate his feelings for Matthew, as professionalism of utmost importance. However was, Matthew ensured that Jacob had everything he needed, from unpacking his suitcase to placing a bottle of champagne in his. room Every morning, he brought Jacob breakfast took care of his and lunch and dinner preferences. He also became a nice companion as, the solitude of hotel life was starting to get to Jacob. After two weeks, Jacob offered Matthew a glass of champagne, explaining that he needed a friend that night as he missed his friends after much time traveling. Matthew didn't want to hurt Jacob's feelings, so he accepted the offer. What started one as drink turned into two, and three bottles. They both ended drunk. Matthew confessed that he had fallen in love with Jacob the moment they met, but he wanted to maintain professionalism. He also mentioned that he knew about Jacob being a secret guest.

The next morning, Jacob and Matthew woke up with major hangovers, promising each other not to tell anyone about what happened. Matthew went straight to work and ordered a huge breakfast for Jacob, bringing in snacks all day. Everywhere Jacob went, Matthew made sure he had something to eat and drink, whether it was lunch at the beach, cocktails on the terrace, or snacks in the room.

One night, Jacob started to complain about his weight and showed Matthew pictures of himself from a year ago. Surprisingly, Matthew told him that he didn't want Jacob to lose weight because he found him gorgeous as he was. Jacob was taken aback since he felt unattractive at that point. However, he thought to himself, "Yeah, okay, I may be manly, strong, and big." Matthew expressed his desire to gain muscle, confessing that he struggled to gain weight no matter what he tried. Jacob saw an opportunity to help him and suggested a deal - he would continue his stay at the resort for another 10 weeks, four at the current resort and six at the last one, with one week of report meetings in between. In return, Jacob would not lose weight, but he would push Matthew to reach a goal weight of 40lbs. Matthew accepted the challenge, thinking that even if he couldn't reach the goal, he would make Jacob as big as possible to make it harder for him to lose weight.

Jacob wrote a rigorous program of workouts and meals for Matthew. The four weeks in the fifth resort were incredible, as they did everything together. Matthew made sure Jacob had enough fattening snacks, and Jacob continuously ordered protein-rich food for Matthew. As Jacob's personal butler, Matthew accompanied him everywhere.

During the fifth report meeting, Jacob enthusiastically shared his experience with having a personal guest relations manager and expressed his desire to have the same arrangement in the last resort. They agreed to his request.

The sixth and final resort was a dream - an all-inclusive paradise. Jacob had grown so big that he doubted he would ever return to his fit days. Stepping on the scale, he discovered that he weighed 362lbs, effectively doubling his weight since he first started working as a fitness trainer for Alexander.

Matthew did everything in his power to prevent Jacob from getting fit again. He adhered to the program Jacob created and constantly stuffed himself, even when he was already full or tired. Jacob ensured that Matthew reached his daily calorie goals, making it a painful intake and stressful endeavor. Nevertheless, both of them were excited for the last day - would Matthew reach his goal? 

All of a sudden Jacob panicked, what will Alexander think of his new shape? What will his new in the company be? 

[mariacallous]

A battle for control is taking place inside iPhones across Europe. While Apple introduced new rules that ostensibly loosen its control over the App Store, local developers are seething at the new system, which they say entrenches the power Apple already wields over their businesses. They’re now breaking into a rare open revolt, mounting pressure on lawmakers to step in.

So far, they have accused Apple’s new business terms of being “abusive,” “extortion,” and “ludicrously punitive.”

“Apple holds app providers ransom like the Mafia,” claims Matthias Pfau, CEO and cofounder of Tuta, an encrypted email provider. The tech giant treats iPhones as its territory, Pfau complains, tightly controlling developers’ access before taking a chunk of their profits. “Anyone wanting to provide an iOS app must pay a ransom to Apple; there’s no way around it.”

For years, Apple has rejected Tuta app updates if they include links to the company’s website, he says. Like all iOS apps, Tuta has also been unable to take in-app payments directly from its customers. Apple acts as an intermediary and charges a fee. Pfau was hoping the App Store reforms mandated by the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) would make companies like his less tightly bound to Apple. Instead, he is left disappointed by the new terms on offer. “What they came up with is the best proof that they are massively abusing their market dominance,” he says. “Apple is basically behaving like a dictator.”

Apple was designated a “gatekeeper” under the DMA after the EU decided that the App Store acts as an important gateway between businesses and consumers. The company, along with other tech giants, has until March 7 to make a raft of changes. To avoid fines that can reach up to 20 percent of global revenue, the smartphone maker announced its new rules in late January.

The rules technically make it possible for users of its hardware to download apps from alternative app stores and also for developers to use their own payment systems—bypassing Apple’s commission.

But in order to access these new features, developers have to sign up to new business terms. Those terms include restrictions that disincentivize any developers moving away from the status quo, according to Pfau. If his company Tuta were to take advantage of the new system, iPhones would issue warnings—known by critics as “scare screens”—informing users about security risks linked to using payment systems that are not managed by Apple. From Tuta’s testing of how popups affect in-app upgrades, he estimates these warnings would dissuade 50 percent of users from proceeding with their purchase.

Additionally, although the new terms allow Pfau to make Tuta available in an alternative app store, they would also expose the company to a “core technology fee” every time it was downloaded or updated more than 1 million times in a one-year period. Pfau accepts that Tuta, which he claims has over 100,000 paying subscribers, might not have to pay this fee in the first year. “But we are growing,” he insists. “So we would definitely have to pay it within the next couple of years.”

For Sweden’s Spotify, the download fee is more of an immediate problem if the company were to accept Apple’s new business terms. “With our EU Apple install base in the 100 million range, this new tax on downloads and updates could skyrocket our customer acquisition costs, potentially increasing them tenfold,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said on X soon after Apple released its proposal. “While Apple has behaved badly for years, what they did yesterday represents a new low, even for them.”

For that reason, Spotify, like other apps, believes it has no choice but to stick with its current agreement, Ek elaborated in a call with investors last week. That means still paying commission to Apple and listing their iOS app exclusively on Apple’s App Store. “No sane developer wants to pick any of the new terms,” Ek said. Sticking with the current system doesn’t make the situation worse for companies like Spotify, he added, but it does mean they are missing out on revenues from users buying products such as audiobooks, a new focus for the platform, through the company’s app. (Spotify does not sell audiobooks in their iOS app in order to avoid Apple’s commission fee.) “So some of these more innovative things that we would like to do, we’re currently restricted in doing on the iOS ecosystem.”

Apple maintains its changes are compliant with the DMA while also being necessary to protect its EU users’ devices from the security risks that, it says, are introduced by the new law. “Apple’s approach to the Digital Markets Act was guided by two simple goals: complying with the law and reducing the inevitable, increased risks the DMA creates for our EU users,” says Apple spokesperson Julien Trosdorf. “That meant creating safeguards to protect EU users to the greatest extent possible and to respond to new threats, including new vectors for malware and viruses, opportunities for scams and fraud, and challenges to ensuring apps are functional on Apple’s platforms.”

App developers don’t have much power on their own to make Apple change course. But they hope their criticism will force the European Commission, a branch of the EU’s government, to take action. After the March 7 deadline, officials are expected to assess both Apple’s proposals and the market’s reaction. “Now [the European Commission] must reject Apple’s proposal and even consider imposing a fine if no further improvements are made,” says Sebastiano Toffaletti, secretary general of the European DIGITAL SME Alliance, an industry group.

Andy Yen, CEO of Swiss email and cloud service Proton, is less diplomatic. “If I was the European Commission, I would probably look at this as an insult,” he says of Apple’s proposed business terms. “It’s a slap in the face.”