Selling on Amazon: Fee Increases for Sellers and Merchants

Those selling on Amazon will see increases in the fees they pay the online retail giant. These so-called third-party merchants market their products on Amazon’s platform in exchange for a cut of their sales and some additional fees for Amazon’s logistics services.

The sellers include small businesses that benefit from Amazon’s online technology as a supplement or in place of their own online presences.

Selling on Amazon: You Will Pay More

Recent increases started last month with the announcement that those selling on Amazon who use Amazon’s merchandise management services will pay more for the privilege.

On Feb. 18, 2013, a new set of fees for Fulfillment by Amazon services went into effect. By using the services, small businesses selling on Amazon can have Amazon store, ship and handle customer service for online inventory.

In an official company statement introducing the increases, Amazon insisted that the fee for a one pound standardized package, which Amazon says makes up a “significant portion” of the packages in the fulfillment program, would increase by only $0.09.

Other increases might be a bit steeper. For example, Amazon announced recently it will increase variable closing fees, the share that Amazon takes from each sale on its platform, from $0.80 to $1.35 for music, video and DVD products, a 55 cent increase or 69 percent. The increase brings the share taken out of each sale by Amazon up to the level currently collected for sales of books, software and video games.

The increase will take effect April 24, 2013 for sellers fulfilling their own Amazon orders, and April 24, 2014 for merchants using the Fulfillment by Amazon program. But that’s not all.

Amazon also announced it would be boosting its standard and expedited shipping rates, the share Amazon credits its sellers to cover shipping costs, in the same product categories. Domestic standard rates would rise from $2.98 to $3.99, an increase of $1.01 or 34%, while domestic expedited rates would rise from $5.19 to $6.19, a difference on one dollar per package or 19 percent.

The increase could change what those selling on Amazon in these categories charge for their products or even what they decide to offer. Small business owner John Baker, who operates on Amazon under the handle bestbookshelf, told eCommerce Bytes in an interview:

I use a scanner when buying (NeatOScan) and I set the scanner to reject any item whose FBA selling price is below my calculated minimum (thus leaving pricing room for a small profit for me). The recent increases to postal fees and to Amazon FBA fees combined to raise that threshold for a used, single-disc music CD in a jewel case by 13.1%. And now this latest increase will raise it an additional 12.9% from the December, 2012, figure.

The increase is affecting other merchants too. In an email interview, Louisa Eyler, President of Positive Distribution LLC, a company handling the marketing of Lock Laces, a brand of shoelace that has sold products on Amazon and other eCommerce sites, explains:

Prior to the spike in Amazon fees, the base fee for selling a pair of Lock Laces was $2.37. Today, the base fee is $3.62 -meaning for an item that is $7.99 - you (the seller) are only getting $4.37 of that sale.

Conclusion

Those selling on Amazon are concerned over the new Amazon increases and have discussed viable alternatives including selling through Amazon’s rivals, like eBay. However, small businesses that continue to sell online may also need to consider the benefits of using Amazon, even with increased costs, before making other arrangements.

The site continues to offer a well-known brand, high online visibility, features like Amazon’s customer fulfillment program and prompt and easy payment of merchants.

Merchants have also complained about eBay’s rate increases in the past, and certainly Amazon is not the only eCommerce site to increase rates for members recently, due, at least in part, to increased costs.

Small eCommerce businesses would also need to weigh the expense, time and expertise needed to establish their own eCommerce sites as well as the cost of providing customer fulfillment.

Three Lessons On Email Marketing From President Obama’s Campaign

Both in 2008 and 2012, President Obama made history with the amount of money he raised in his presidential campaign. More surprising than the total amount was how he raised the money and the number of people who contributed. An analysis of 2012 campaign finances shows that 57 percent of Obama’s non-Super PAC donors gave less than $200, compared to Romney’s 24 percent. So how did Obama raise so much when donors were contributing such small sums of money The answer lies in a massive email marketing campaign, where 4.5 million people donated at an average of just $53 per donation.

The huge email marketing campaign was constructed by Toby Fallsgraff, the Director of Email for Obama’s online fundraising efforts. One important aspect of the campaign was the importance of repeat donors. With about $690 million raised from 4.5 million donors, it is clear that many people were reaching into their wallet more than once. However, this wasn’t the only tactic used by Fallsgraff and his team of 20 writers. After interviewing Fallsgraff about his strategies, MarketingSherpa has uncovered three of the best fundraising tactics. Simple in design but huge in impact, these email marketing strategies could help your small business too. Here are three tactics that they used and that you can incorporate into your marketing campaigns:

Encourage Repeat Engagement. One important tactic is to encourage repeated donations through ‘quick donate’ links. When a first-time contribution is made, the donor must fill out a form with personal and payment information. Having to fill out the form a second time discouraged repeated donations. However, the fundraising team allowed donors to save their payment information if they wanted. When the “thank you” email was sent, they provided links to donate again that would simply require the click of a button. Making it easier to donate a second time was a great way to encourage repeat donations. One obvious challenge to this email marketing strategy is getting people to agree to save their payment information. Obama’s fundraising team found that offering incentives (like a free bumper sticker) to everyone who donated helped increase the number of people who saved their payment information. To avoid misunderstandings regarding the links, they also included clear statementsabout how the one-click payment works.

Targeted Emails. A second tactic the fundraising team used was targeted emails. By analyzing the behavioral response to a first email, they were able to categorize people into four categories: previous donors (people who donated to the 2012 campaign already), quick donors (those previous donors who had saved their payment information), non-donors (people who hadn’t donated in 2008 or 2012), and lapsed donors (people who donated in 2008 but hadn’t made a 2012 contribution yet). Understanding what category each person fit into, they were then able to send targeted emails where the message was tailored to the person’s behavior. This tactic capitalizes on the fact that there is no one email that will reach every person.

Test Your Emails. The final tactic the Obama fundraising team used was to rigorously test the emails they sent. A team of writers was constantly crafting different potential emails. The team then met to choose 4-6 of the best and they’d brainstorm eye-catching subject lines. The emails were then tailored to the behavioral groups (like previous donors, non-donors, etc) and they sent out a small number of test emails to each group. Following this structured plan allowed them to find the best emails that worked for each group, which translated into increased campaign contributions.

As a small business owner, you are probably not going to embark on an email marketing campaign to raise millions of dollars, but that does not mean you can’t learn from Fallsgraff and his fundraising team. One huge takeaway point is that there is no one-size-fits-all email marketing strategy. Take the time to learn about who you are marketing to and don’t assume it’s a homogeneous group. Anything you can do to tailor your message to different segments will help your chances of success. Since the email itself is so important, make sure to put extra effort into crafting an email that will work. Constantly evaluate your efforts, try new strategies, and adapt the message to the recipient rather than assuming the recipient will adapt to you. Finally, anything you can do to simplify the user’s experience will help.

The Obama team found that even something as short as a two minute form was enough to discourage repeat donors. Reduce the time and effort required and you’re bound to see better results.

Five Tips To Hosting Your Own Customer Events

If you’ve spent any time manning a booth at a conference or convention, you probably know how futile such efforts can be. You stand there for days, shaking hands and making connections, but how often do you develop real, long-lasting professional relationships with the contacts you make there

Ramon Ray, editor of Smallbiztechnology.com, recently wrote an article for Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. that gives Five Tips To Hosting Your Own Customer Events.  Some of those tips include:

• Rent after-hours space
• Allow plenty of advanced notice
• Put technology in place
• Have usable content
• Provide a takeaway

For more insight, read the full article here.

Five Tips To Hosting Your Own Customer Events

If you’ve spent any time manning a booth at a conference or convention, you probably know how futile such efforts can be. You stand there for days, shaking hands and making connections, but how often do you develop real, long-lasting professional relationships with the contacts you make there

Ramon Ray, editor of Smallbiztechnology.com, recently wrote an article for Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. that gives Five Tips To Hosting Your Own Customer Events.  Some of those tips include:

• Rent after-hours space
• Allow plenty of advanced notice
• Put technology in place
• Have usable content
• Provide a takeaway

For more insight, read the full article here.

Five Tips To Hosting Your Own Customer Events

If you’ve spent any time manning a booth at a conference or convention, you probably know how futile such efforts can be. You stand there for days, shaking hands and making connections, but how often do you develop real, long-lasting professional relationships with the contacts you make there

Ramon Ray, editor of Smallbiztechnology.com, recently wrote an article for Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. that gives Five Tips To Hosting Your Own Customer Events.  Some of those tips include:

• Rent after-hours space
• Allow plenty of advanced notice
• Put technology in place
• Have usable content
• Provide a takeaway

For more insight, read the full article here.

Bed and Breakfast Owners: Focus More on Google, Less on Facebook

Bed and breakfast owners need to incorporate Google more into their marketing plans, according to a recent Local U bed & breakfast study.

Hospitality business owners tend to focus on travel-specific sites over Google and other general search venues, according to Mike Blumenthal of Blumenthals Blog and one of the Faculty of Local University.  However, the survey suggests that doesn’t necessarily match up with where consumers are looking to find B&Bs for their next getaway.

“Most bed and breakfast owners were focused solely on reviews on TripAdvisor, BandB.com, and similar sites, while people in the local search industry were focused mainly on Google,” he said. “But consumers said they were looking at reviews from everywhere.”

Of those surveyed, 31.5% said that the quality of reviews on travel sites were most important to them when choosing a bed and breakfast. And 20.9% said that the quality of reviews on Google were most important to them.

Because of this, Blumenthal said it’s important for businesses to make it as easy as possible for customers to leave reviews in different places. Let them leave Yahoo reviews if they already have a Yahoo email address. Or accept reviews on Citysearch since it allows users to sign in with Facebook:

“Give them more options - don’t just let them leave reviews on Google or TripAdvisor. A lot of people just ask for a review and forget about it, but you really need to consider the consumer in that process.”

Additionally, just 27% of respondents said that upon searching for a bed and breakfast on Google, they would go directly to the official website. The rest of consumers do other things like view Google Maps or Google Reviews. Therefore,  Blumenthal said it’s important for businesses to make their Google+ pages complete and visually appealing:

“You might not be doing the social part of Google+, but it’s still important to make your page stand out from competitors.”

Aside from having all the necessary information like hours and contact information, quality photos and visuals are essential on your Google+ local page. To go above the basics, Blumenthal suggested having a local Google photographer visit and create a virtual tour.

While the research suggested that a typical B&B focus more of their new customer marketing on Google, it also suggested focusing less on Facebook for seeking out new customers. Only 4% of consumers said they ask for recommendations on social media when looking for a bed and breakfast.  Facebook may be valuable for building repeat business among those who’ve already visited, however.  Blumenthal said:

“Facebook is not a place consumers are going to make buying decisions. They’re using it for socializing mainly. It’s a fine place for brand building and loyalty programs, but don’t count on it as a means for bringing in new customers.”

Three Lessons On Email Marketing From President Obama’s Campaign

Both in 2008 and 2012, President Obama made history with the amount of money he raised in his presidential campaign. More surprising than the total amount was how he raised the money and the number of people who contributed. An analysis of 2012 campaign finances shows that 57 percent of Obama’s non-Super PAC donors gave less than $200, compared to Romney’s 24 percent. So how did Obama raise so much when donors were contributing such small sums of money The answer lies in a massive email marketing campaign, where 4.5 million people donated at an average of just $53 per donation.

The huge email marketing campaign was constructed by Toby Fallsgraff, the Director of Email for Obama’s online fundraising efforts. One important aspect of the campaign was the importance of repeat donors. With about $690 million raised from 4.5 million donors, it is clear that many people were reaching into their wallet more than once. However, this wasn’t the only tactic used by Fallsgraff and his team of 20 writers. After interviewing Fallsgraff about his strategies, MarketingSherpa has uncovered three of the best fundraising tactics. Simple in design but huge in impact, these email marketing strategies could help your small business too. Here are three tactics that they used and that you can incorporate into your marketing campaigns:

Encourage Repeat Engagement. One important tactic is to encourage repeated donations through ‘quick donate’ links. When a first-time contribution is made, the donor must fill out a form with personal and payment information. Having to fill out the form a second time discouraged repeated donations. However, the fundraising team allowed donors to save their payment information if they wanted. When the “thank you” email was sent, they provided links to donate again that would simply require the click of a button. Making it easier to donate a second time was a great way to encourage repeat donations. One obvious challenge to this email marketing strategy is getting people to agree to save their payment information. Obama’s fundraising team found that offering incentives (like a free bumper sticker) to everyone who donated helped increase the number of people who saved their payment information. To avoid misunderstandings regarding the links, they also included clear statementsabout how the one-click payment works.

Targeted Emails. A second tactic the fundraising team used was targeted emails. By analyzing the behavioral response to a first email, they were able to categorize people into four categories: previous donors (people who donated to the 2012 campaign already), quick donors (those previous donors who had saved their payment information), non-donors (people who hadn’t donated in 2008 or 2012), and lapsed donors (people who donated in 2008 but hadn’t made a 2012 contribution yet). Understanding what category each person fit into, they were then able to send targeted emails where the message was tailored to the person’s behavior. This tactic capitalizes on the fact that there is no one email that will reach every person.

Test Your Emails. The final tactic the Obama fundraising team used was to rigorously test the emails they sent. A team of writers was constantly crafting different potential emails. The team then met to choose 4-6 of the best and they’d brainstorm eye-catching subject lines. The emails were then tailored to the behavioral groups (like previous donors, non-donors, etc) and they sent out a small number of test emails to each group. Following this structured plan allowed them to find the best emails that worked for each group, which translated into increased campaign contributions.

As a small business owner, you are probably not going to embark on an email marketing campaign to raise millions of dollars, but that does not mean you can’t learn from Fallsgraff and his fundraising team. One huge takeaway point is that there is no one-size-fits-all email marketing strategy. Take the time to learn about who you are marketing to and don’t assume it’s a homogeneous group. Anything you can do to tailor your message to different segments will help your chances of success. Since the email itself is so important, make sure to put extra effort into crafting an email that will work. Constantly evaluate your efforts, try new strategies, and adapt the message to the recipient rather than assuming the recipient will adapt to you. Finally, anything you can do to simplify the user’s experience will help.

The Obama team found that even something as short as a two minute form was enough to discourage repeat donors. Reduce the time and effort required and you’re bound to see better results.

Four Tips To Creating Stellar Presentations and How Prezi Can Help

Steve Jobs changed not only the way we viewed mobile phones and laptops, he also revolutionized the world of corporate presentations. It is said that Steve was the greatest presenter that corporate America has seen. There are more YouTube videos of him (35,000 as of 2010) than any other business leader. The key elements that set him apart were his ability to tell a story, use humor, present business numbers effectively and create an ‘experience’ so convincing in the minds of the audience that they became the evangelists of the Apple brand. Steve Jobs’ enthusiasm shone through his presentations, completely belying the fact that his presentations were in fact meticulously rehearsed over hours and hours of practice.

While Steve honed the art of presenting over three decades, for lesser mortals, such as this blogger, thankfully there is Prezi.com to turn to. Prezi is a cloud based presentation software which our very own Ramon Ray and some of the other brilliant folks with Smallbiztechnology.com, have written on.

And here’s the latest addition to Prezi’s features - you can now add audio to your presentationsl a feature it’s users asked for, so they are now delivering. Prezi has clearly struck a chord with its users; how else would you explain that it today has more than 20 million users, with an unbelievable 1 million users being added every month. Here are some tips they offer to small businesses to help them make stellar presentations:

• Adapt your story to your audience: Every audience is different. The best presenters deliver unique and interesting perspectives just for that audience.
• It’s a presentation, not nap time: Engage with your audience and create visual triggers to help bring your presentation to life.
• Set the stage: Choosing the right visual aid sets the tone of your presentation. Choose wisely.
• Practice and improve: Understanding what you did right and wrong can make all the difference. Take time to ask questions after your presentation, these responses can really make an impact.

If your business involves pitching to clients on a regular basis, then its definitely worth your while to check out Prezi.com. It offers three usage plans. The basic plan is free but all your presentations will be visible to the public. The paid plans have a free trial period of about 30 days and range from $4.92 to $13.25 a month. The paid features include private presentations, using your own logo and higher storage space.

One can only wait and watch  to see what Prezi.com has in store for us next! But more importantly are you willing to take that leap of faith from the comforts of your powerpoint presentation to a prezi  We look forward to hearing from you on your maiden ‘prezi’ experience!

Eight Project Management Tools That Help You Pull Your Team Together

Project management tools are applications or software that manage and track all projects, documents, clients, discussions, files, and events. They typically use a cloud-based system which means everything is stored within the application rather than across countless individual devices. The single biggest benefit is the ability to manage your entire business using just one website, software, or mobile app.

Whether you have a team of three or thirty, project management applications allow you to manage your entire business and all your projects through one simple interface. Tired of forgotten tasks, lost documents, poor collaboration, or miscommunications Project management tools allow you to plan, manage, and track everything to ensure you are always working toward your goals.

You can use these apps to organize, manage, communicate, schedule, collaborate, make decisions, create and edit documents, and a lot more. Whatever your business does or whatever your project is, you can definitely find a tool that suits your needs.

At SmallBizTechnology, we use Asana to manage all content and writers. Administrators post available article topics and assign them to individual writers. When you assign a task you include the main notes relative to the task, any subtasks, attachments, set priorities, and assign due dates. As an administrator you can set permissions for your team so individuals only have access to specific tasks or projects. The application allows the editor and the writer to collaborate more effectively since everything is always right there, in one single location. Asana is free for teams with under 30 members. while larger teams can access premium packages starting at $300 per month.

Another good cloud-based project management app is inLoox, which allows you to plan, manage, track, budget, report, and document everything in your daily workflow using any device. You can also opt for the traditional desktop installation software that fully integrates with Microsoft Outlook. The application has a number of different licenses you can purchase starting at $390 for a single-user and a sliding scale for teams depending on the number of members. Unlike the other tools, you only buy the license without having to pay a monthly fee.

One of the most popular project management tools out there is Basecamp, which allows you to see everything going on in your business on a single page. That page includes every project, list, discussion, document, and deadline you have. You can also add clients, vendors, and contractors with variable permission settings. Basecamp starts at $30 per month for 15 simultaneous projects while the unlimited version costs $150 per month.

While Basecamp is one of the more full-featured applications, Trello is a free and minimalistic approach to project management. The app is essentially designed as a web or mobile version of a bulletin board. You can create unlimited boards with unlimited categories. Everything you post goes on a card that goes on the board. Cards can include tasks, checklists, attachments, due dates, and any notes and discussions. You can assign cards to members and track all of the activity on each card.

Other popular options include DeskAway, LiquidPlanner, Zoho Projects, and Producteev but the list in pretty much endless.

Project management tools are quickly becoming the standard in small business because they empower you to dramatically improve planning, tracking, and the overall focus of your daily workflow at a very accessible price tag. These applications are great for ensuring your team is working toward your business goals and avoiding anything being lost in the shuffle.

Four Tips To Creating Stellar Presentations and How Prezi Can Help

Steve Jobs changed not only the way we viewed mobile phones and laptops, he also revolutionized the world of corporate presentations. It is said that Steve was the greatest presenter that corporate America has seen. There are more YouTube videos of him (35,000 as of 2010) than any other business leader. The key elements that set him apart were his ability to tell a story, use humor, present business numbers effectively and create an ‘experience’ so convincing in the minds of the audience that they became the evangelists of the Apple brand. Steve Jobs’ enthusiasm shone through his presentations, completely belying the fact that his presentations were in fact meticulously rehearsed over hours and hours of practice.

While Steve honed the art of presenting over three decades, for lesser mortals, such as this blogger, thankfully there is Prezi.com to turn to. Prezi is a cloud based presentation software which our very own Ramon Ray and some of the other brilliant folks with Smallbiztechnology.com, have written on.

And here’s the latest addition to Prezi’s features - you can now add audio to your presentationsl a feature it’s users asked for, so they are now delivering. Prezi has clearly struck a chord with its users; how else would you explain that it today has more than 20 million users, with an unbelievable 1 million users being added every month. Here are some tips they offer to small businesses to help them make stellar presentations:

• Adapt your story to your audience: Every audience is different. The best presenters deliver unique and interesting perspectives just for that audience.
• It’s a presentation, not nap time: Engage with your audience and create visual triggers to help bring your presentation to life.
• Set the stage: Choosing the right visual aid sets the tone of your presentation. Choose wisely.
• Practice and improve: Understanding what you did right and wrong can make all the difference. Take time to ask questions after your presentation, these responses can really make an impact.

If your business involves pitching to clients on a regular basis, then its definitely worth your while to check out Prezi.com. It offers three usage plans. The basic plan is free but all your presentations will be visible to the public. The paid plans have a free trial period of about 30 days and range from $4.92 to $13.25 a month. The paid features include private presentations, using your own logo and higher storage space.

One can only wait and watch  to see what Prezi.com has in store for us next! But more importantly are you willing to take that leap of faith from the comforts of your powerpoint presentation to a prezi  We look forward to hearing from you on your maiden ‘prezi’ experience!

Gary Marcoccia: Value of the Affiliate Marketing Channel #AMDays

Gary Maroccia, Director of Strategic Partnerships at AvantLink affiliate network joins Geno Prussakov, Founder of Affiliate Management Days and AM Navigator LLC to discuss the value of the affiliate marketing channel and the importance of attribution modeling for affiliate programs to track sale referrals.

* * * * *

Question: If you were to emphasize one important area that every affiliate manager should be paying more attention to, what would it be and why

Gary Marcoccia: Attribution modeling for affiliate programs. Seek out more intelligent ways to track all sale referrals.

As performance marketing continues to evolve, affiliate managers should look beyond the all or nothing “last click wins” model of crediting publishers.

With online consumer behavior changing and becoming more savvy, customers visit many publisher websites searching for the best value. Insight on every move a customer makes (sometimes over many weeks) on the path to purchase is crucial to have.

With complete click stream data/analysis affiliate managers can make better informed decisions on who to work with and how to structure attribution, resulting in a much stronger program ROI (return on investment).

Question: What do you see as the main areas of opportunity for online and affiliate marketers in 2013 and 2014

Gary Marcoccia: Mobile shopping compatibility. Whether you are a retailer using Magento, or a publisher using WordPress, be sure you have a mobile version of your site. Here are a couple of statistics to consider:

1. By the end of 2013, there will be more mobile devices on Earth than people.
2. The number of U.S. mobile coupon users will rise from 12.3 million in 2010 to 53.2 million in 2014, driven by the rapid adoption of smartphones.

Question: As a director of a reputable U.S. affiliate network, what do you view as the main areas where affiliates can truly help online merchants, adding value to the pre-sale process

Gary Marcoccia: The most value publishers (in any category) bring merchants is via new customer referrals. Often times, new customer acquisition by way of affiliate marketers is completely overlooked. A 10% commission on a $100 sale (or commissions paid on several sales within a cookie life) is a small price to pay for a new and loyal customer.

Question: It isn’t unusual to hear that since affiliates operate in the mix with other marketing channels that merchants use (paid search, retargetting, social, etc.) With this multi-touchpoint ecommerce, the last-click attribution model is not longer an optimal one. What do you recommend

Gary Marcoccia: One of our primary objectives at AvantLink is to be transparent with the data we collect. This is true on both sides of the equation. As long as program terms are clear, attribution modeling can be applied in a fair and effective way. This holds true within the Affiliate channel itself, and also with a merchant’s internal marketing channels.

Since you asked for my recommendation, take a look at AvantMetrics.com, an AvantLink product and solution for attribution modeling, multi-network de-duplication and more. It makes attribution modeling possible using the publisher referral classification framework of “introducer,” “influencer” and “checkout influencer.” Merchants set their own business rules based on this framework.

For example, perhaps they want to award a “checkout influencer,” defined as a publisher who sets a cookie after the customer has initiated the checkout process, 50% of a standard commission.

Question: If you were to leave online advertisers/merchants and affiliate managers with one piece of advice, what would it be

Gary Marcoccia: Invest in your Affiliate program, and be patient. Do not put the program on auto-pilot.

To build an affiliate program the correct way is a process. It takes time. Be sure to have an experienced program manager, pick a network that fits (or two, but not five) and communicate regularly with publishers to build relationships.

Regardless of what you may have heard, you will not flip a switch to live status at any network and see sales start coming in immediately. If that does happen, look closely at publisher tactics to be sure there is a true ROI (return on investment) on their sale referrals.

* * * * *

The upcoming Affiliate Management Days Conference takes place April 16-17, 2013. Follow @AMDays or #AMDays on Twitter. When registering, make sure to use the code SBTAM250 to receive an additional $250.00 off your two-day (or combo) pass.

See the rest of the interview series here.

BlackBerry BB10 fails government security test

The UK government has rejected the BB10 software, calling it not secure enough for essential work.

According to a report by the Guardian, the operating system on the new Z10 device has been rejected after BlackBerry version 7.1 was cleared by the UK's Communications Electronics Security Group (CESG) for classifications up to ‘Restricted' - two levels below ‘Secret'. A survey by Trend Micro deemed that the BlackBerry 7.0 was named most secure mobile OS for enterprises.

However tests on BB10 and the BlackBerry Balance software have failed the same security requirements and BlackBerry could not offer a date when revised software would be submitted.

A BlackBerry statement said: “We have a long-established relationship with CESG and we remain the only mobile solution approved for use at 'Restricted' when configured in accordance with CESG guidelines. This level of approval only comes following a process which is rigorous and absolutely necessary given the highly confidential nature of the communications being transmitted.

“The current restructuring of this approval process, due to the Government Protective Marking Scheme review and the new CESG Commercial Product Assurance scheme has an impact on the timeline for BlackBerry 10 to receive a similar level of approval.

“The US government's FIPS 140-2 certification of BlackBerry 10 and the selection of BlackBerry 10 by the German Procurement Office and Federal Office for Information Security underline how our new platform continues to set the standard for government communications.

“We are continuing to work closely with CESG on the approval of BlackBerry 10 and we're confident that BlackBerry 10 will only strengthen our position as the mobile solution of choice for the UK government.”

The main problem is the Balance software, which Domingo Guerra, president and co-founder of Appthority, said was an interesting approach, but was flawed by the fact that some applications bridge the work and play gap, such as the camera and social networking.

Eight Project Management Tools That Help You Pull Your Team Together

Project management tools are applications or software that manage and track all projects, documents, clients, discussions, files, and events. They typically use a cloud-based system which means everything is stored within the application rather than across countless individual devices. The single biggest benefit is the ability to manage your entire business using just one website, software, or mobile app.

Whether you have a team of three or thirty, project management applications allow you to manage your entire business and all your projects through one simple interface. Tired of forgotten tasks, lost documents, poor collaboration, or miscommunications Project management tools allow you to plan, manage, and track everything to ensure you are always working toward your goals.

You can use these apps to organize, manage, communicate, schedule, collaborate, make decisions, create and edit documents, and a lot more. Whatever your business does or whatever your project is, you can definitely find a tool that suits your needs.

At SmallBizTechnology, we use Asana to manage all content and writers. Administrators post available article topics and assign them to individual writers. When you assign a task you include the main notes relative to the task, any subtasks, attachments, set priorities, and assign due dates. As an administrator you can set permissions for your team so individuals only have access to specific tasks or projects. The application allows the editor and the writer to collaborate more effectively since everything is always right there, in one single location. Asana is free for teams with under 30 members. while larger teams can access premium packages starting at $300 per month.

Another good cloud-based project management app is inLoox, which allows you to plan, manage, track, budget, report, and document everything in your daily workflow using any device. You can also opt for the traditional desktop installation software that fully integrates with Microsoft Outlook. The application has a number of different licenses you can purchase starting at $390 for a single-user and a sliding scale for teams depending on the number of members. Unlike the other tools, you only buy the license without having to pay a monthly fee.

One of the most popular project management tools out there is Basecamp, which allows you to see everything going on in your business on a single page. That page includes every project, list, discussion, document, and deadline you have. You can also add clients, vendors, and contractors with variable permission settings. Basecamp starts at $30 per month for 15 simultaneous projects while the unlimited version costs $150 per month.

While Basecamp is one of the more full-featured applications, Trello is a free and minimalistic approach to project management. The app is essentially designed as a web or mobile version of a bulletin board. You can create unlimited boards with unlimited categories. Everything you post goes on a card that goes on the board. Cards can include tasks, checklists, attachments, due dates, and any notes and discussions. You can assign cards to members and track all of the activity on each card.

Other popular options include DeskAway, LiquidPlanner, Zoho Projects, and Producteev but the list in pretty much endless.

Project management tools are quickly becoming the standard in small business because they empower you to dramatically improve planning, tracking, and the overall focus of your daily workflow at a very accessible price tag. These applications are great for ensuring your team is working toward your business goals and avoiding anything being lost in the shuffle.

Certain Cisco IOS, IOX XE devices susceptible to brute-force attacks

Networking vendor Cisco Systems Inc. has issued a security advisory regarding password issues discovered in a limited number of its IOS- and IOS XE-based networking devices that could create conditions for successful brute-force attacks.

Cisco was notified about the issue a week ago by Hashcat Project researchers Philipp Schmidt and Jens Steube. It is centered on the Type 4 algorithm, which is used in the Cisco IOS 15 code base to hash user-provided plaintext passwords.

Originally designed to be a strong alternative to Type 5 and Type 7 password protection mechanisms, the researchers found that an implementation flaw with Type 4 user passwords leaves them vulnerable to brute-force attacks because they are not salted; a single iteration of the SHA-256 cryptographic hash function is used instead of the intended Password-Based Key Derivation Function version 2 (PBKDF2).

The networking giant noted that only IOS and IOS XE devices with support for Type 4 passwords are vulnerable to this issue.

According to Schmidt, this discovery came about after some discussion on Hashcat forums regarding the security of the Type 4 passwords. Though the user interface running on Cisco's devices referred to the hashes as SHA-256, he commented that they expected "something more secure" from Cisco. With the newest version of oclHashcat-plus password cracking and recovery tool, Schmidt said the encryption used with Type 4 passwords can be cracked quickly.

Schmidt also took Cisco to task for replacing what he considers to be the more secure Type 5 passwords with the highly vulnerable Type 4 passwords.

"Our discoveries show that the problems around Type 4 secrets are severe, and shockingly, Cisco even wanted to replace older secret types (e.g. Type 5) with the Type 4 secrets," he said via email. "Indeed, the newest versions of IOS and IOS XE display warnings whenever Type 5 is used. In our opinion, Type 5 hashes, which have 1,000 iterations plus salting, are much more secure."

For those seeking to revert to Type 5 passwords, the Cisco advisory delivered more bad news. Devices running its IOS and IOS XE software with support for Type 4 passwords are incapable of creating a Type 5 password. Customers that wish to generate Type 5 passwords must do so using another device without Type 4 support, and then copy the Type 5 password to the device configuration. For those companies considering downgrading from a release that supports Type 4 passwords to one that doesn't, Cisco also warned that backward compatibility problems may arise, depending on the specific device configuration.

Regarding future IOS and IOS XE passwords, Cisco has stated that it intends to deprecate Type 4 passwords and remove the deprecation warning for Type 5 passwords. The company also plans to introduce a new password protection scheme based on the original design intended for Type 4 passwords, including the use of PBKDF2 with SHA-256 encryption, with an 80-bit salt and 1,000 iterations.

Research highlights speed, frequency of ICS security attacks

If the results of Kyle Wilhoit's honeypot experiment are any indication, industrial control systems have become a top target for cyberattackers all over the world.

I think it will take some large companies releasing information that their ICS devices were compromised before many companies take notice.

Kyle Wilhoit,
threat researcher, Trend Micro

Wilhoit, a threat researcher for information security vendor Trend Micro, set out to discover what kinds of attacks and attackers are currently targeting industrial control systems (ICS) and SCADA systems, the computer systems that control many critical infrastructure facilities like power plants and water treatment facilities.

Conducted over a 28-day period, Wilhoit built a total of three honeypot architectures meant to mimic the security posture of ICS and SCADA systems, including typically weak ICS security aspects, such as using default login credentials. The results were harrowing: Wilhoit found that attackers needed just 18 hours to discover and begin attacks against the honeypots, a troubling indicator of how focused adversaries are on finding and exploiting critical infrastructure.

In a Trend Micro report released late last week, titled Who's Really Attacking Your ICS Equipment, Wilhoit detailed the 39 separate attacks he observed, defined as "anything that may be deemed a threat to Internet-facing ICS/SCADA systems." That figure did not include automated attacks like SQL injection or port scans.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, China-based attacks led the way, counting for 35% of the recorded attack attempts, but even Wilhoit was caught off guard by the wide range of countries represented, including Japan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Attacks included malware via spear phishing

U.S.-based attacks accounted for 19% of the recorded attack attempts. Wilhoit declined to provide further details on those attacks, as he and Trend Micro are working with applicable law enforcement agencies to investigate them.

Wilhoit, who presented the research at Black Hat Europe 2013 last week, had expected the experiment to yield the typical automated attacks usually experienced by Internet-facing devices. Instead, the honeypot environments attracted a wide range of attacks, including one notable attempt at malware exploitation via spear phishing.

"While the malware contained within the phish was not particularly interesting," said Wilhoit via email, "the method in which it was sent/targeted was surprising."

The report (.pdf), available as a free download from Trend Micro, includes recommendations to help secure Internet-facing ICS and SCADA systems, including disabling Internet access to trusted resources, ensuring the latest software patches are applied and setting secure login credentials instead of leaving defaults. Though these measures won't necessarily protect ICS and SCADA systems from the most advanced attacks, they will serve as a deterrent to the most common exploitation attempts.

"Some of these measures wouldn't have necessarily helped prevent Stuxnet or the like, but it could have slowed propagation and spread of the malware itself," Wilhoit said. "The recommendations are more security best practices for ICS devices to help deal with low-hanging fruit."

Even though the report offers a sampling of the variety of real-world attacks critical infrastructure providers are likely facing, Wilhoit said more compromise disclosures may be needed before companies responsible for ICS and SCADA devices take these sorts of attacks seriously.

"I think it will take some large companies releasing information that their ICS devices were compromised before many companies take notice," he said.

The How To’s Of Writing Content For Your Blog vs. Social Media vs. The Web (Infographic)

As the CEO of a small business, you are undeniably wearing multiple hats and deciphering your marketing strategy is just one of them. Today, regardless of the size of your business, you need to reach out to clients beyond the brick and mortar via emails, social media, websites, blogs and professional networks, with the style of communicating being markedly different across these channels.

VerticalResponse, an all-in-one provider of marketing solutions has prepared what it cheekily calls the ‘Copywriting Cheat Sheet’.  It’s an info-graphic on how the text, length and pace of the copywriting should be attuned as per the internet tool used, to make that all important customer impact. 

Email Promotions & Newsletters - Email-marketing is one of the most effective methods to sell your product / service over the internet. So before you embark on an email campaign, be very clear who your customer is and the relevance of your message at that point of time. Regardless of whether the email is sent as a promotional message or a newsletter, the benefit to the recipient needs to be clearly communicated using impactful headers like this one - “Three Simple Reasons Why XYZ Services Works Better for You!”. Language in an email promo needs to be sassy, energized (focus on ‘you’ rather than a group of customers) accompanied with visual imagery. A newsletter will have a comparatively subdued but friendly tone. Both should have a clear call to action such as ‘Buy Now; Call Now; Click Here to Place Your Order!’ 

Blogs- The one simple rule to writing a good blog is that you got to ‘write the talk’ .The writing style in a blog has to be conversationalist, as though you were talking to a friend or colleague, compared to just placing informative content. The topics could vary from the latest trends in your business to sharing of relevant personal opinions and experiences. It can be a great way for you to engage with existing and potential customers by showcasing your ‘persona’.  Blogs should have catchy headlines and 2-3 sub headings with short paragraphs. A relevant image is also a good way to grab attention on what the blog is about.

Social Media - Social media can be used by businesses to garner visibility, engage customers, advertise promotions,showcase new launches and at times to even challenge the competition. It is estimated that 53 percent of SMB businesses use social media to promote their business but interestingly 74 percent manage social media efforts by themselves which is what makes it ever so challenging. Be careful in choosing a platform that is best suited for your business. For instance if you are selling to other businesses you can target professional audience via LinkedIn, while if you are selling to customers then Facebook or Pinterest would be more suitable to start with. On sites such as Facebook and Twitter open ended questions seeking opinions or perhaps ven a solution to a problem are best for starting an online conversation. Address criticisms received via social media as quickly as possible to avoid any further negative publicity.

Website - For a customer looking for information on your business, your company website is likely to be the first stop. The  website content should truly reflect what your business stands for with its imagery, choice of words and color schemes.

It is said that online content written in fonts such as Arial, Verdana and Helvetica is easier to read. Also while the style of communication varies across your social media page or your business website, you need to ensure that  the information shared across all platforms is updated and coherent.

And before you go, don’t forget to pin this infographic on your work board.

 

4 R’s Boost Engagement: Respect, Respond, Relate, Recognize

So much of our success in business and life depends on our ability to be a “people person” and our likeability factor.

We spend a great deal of time interacting and dealing with people in person and equally online now.  Not everyone is a people person, or cut out to be a social butterfly. But it is an important skill that impacts our success.

From his book Engage, Brian Solis says:

“Engagement is shaped by the interpretation of its intentions. In order for social media to mutually benefit you and your customers, you must engage them in meaningful and advantageous conversations, empowering them as true participants in your marketing and service efforts.”

There’s a lot of content talking about engagement, engagement marketing, connecting, making connections, growing fans, followers, and community. People are driven and on a mission, but don’t always go about it the right way. There is, in my opinion, a right way. And it’s based on common sense human principles.

I recently removed someone on LinkedIn who has a large following in their niche and is quite well known. They never responded to any of my efforts over time to engage them and then started sending me mass sales letters like we were great friends.

Not responding because you have too many followers and connections is not acceptable. I know many people with large followings who engage with their community.

Simple things like noticing, paying attention and doing your research on people goes a long way. Being clear and focused on what you need and what you have to give in return to people also goes a long way. Below are four simple, common sense R’s to boost engagement.

Boost Engagement by Showing Respect

There are many ways to show respect, especially online. Follow the etiquette and rules of engagement each site or platform requests and suggests. No need to use profanity to make any points, spew hate or be mean.

Show it, earn it, acknowledge it and encourage it and you will receive it back.

Unfollow anyone who doesn’t fit this criteria.

Boost Engagement by Being Responsive

If you put yourself out there, be responsive to people who comment or reach out to you, who you know or don’t know, unless it’s clearly spam. Thank people for finding you and taking the time to connect with you through your website or social sites. A simple, genuine reply is all you need to make.

If you blog regularly and you get comments, respond to them within reason or hire someone to help you with them. Make it about mutuality.

Boost Engagement by Finding Relatability

Find reasons and ways to relate to people and find commonality in their values, life experiences and ideas.

Relatability can be found in some of the simplest ways: Family, hobbies, animals, music, books, learning, etc.

Boost Engagement by Recognizing Others

If I’m paying attention and keeping up with people who are active in my community and doing good or need support, I acknowledge and support them. It will only foster more goodwill.

Honoring people you admire and respect by recognizing them creates great mutual karma.

[Click image for full size infographic]

According to the infographic above by NetBase and J.D. Power and Associates, the good news is:

• 58% want you to engage in times of need.
• 42% wish to hear from you in good times.

The not so good news is:

• 64% only want you listening, to be at their beck and call, only if they are speaking directly to you.
• 50% of all consumers don’t want you listening at all. They want to talk in secret - about you.

To help improve products, services and relationships, NetBase and J.D. Power and Associates offers four steps to follow from their slide share on enhancing social listening and engagement.

If you’re going to be out there today and want to be found in the best possible way, then having a dedicated and consistent way to boost engagement is expected.

What tips do you have to boost engagement

Four R’s Photo via Shutterstock

China remains heavily targeted by cyber attacks

China has continued to come under ‘severe' cyber threats over the last 12 months, with a rise in attacks of 15 per cent.

According to Xinhuanet, a report from the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team Coordination Center (CNCERT) claimed that in 2012 the nation saw attacks rise by 15 per cent from 6.1 per cent or 21.4 per cent year on year. It also said that hackers tampered with 16,388 Chinese web pages, which included 1,802 government websites from 73,000 overseas IP addresses.

CNCERT said it monitored 22,308 phishing websites targeting China's online population last year, with 96.2 per cent of the phishing websites running on foreign severs. It said that US-based sites account for 83.2 per cent of them.

China has consistently said that it opposes any form of cyber attack and hacking, and last week foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that it would like to discuss the issue with the Unites States.

A year ago, China said that it is the world's biggest victim of cyber attacks, with the National Computer Network Emergency Response Co-ordination Center of China (CNCERT/CC) saying that 47,000 overseas IP addresses were involved in attacks against 8.9 million Chinese computers last year.

The APT1 report from Mandiant showed the level of sophistication of state-sponsored hacking that it had uncovered, although this report was criticised for revealing too much information, and praised for its sharing of information.

6 Tips To Adding Live Chat To Your Website

This generation is one that is used to textual communication. In a previous article, we talked about a study that found 48 percent of 18-24 year olds believe text messaging is just as meaningful as an actual conversation with the person on the phone. A lot of your younger customers may prefer to communicate through text, and if you don’t have an option for them, you could be missing out on their business. If a customer browsing your website has a question about a product and the answers aren’t there, they may move on.

LiveChat offers a real-time live chat software tool for e-commerce sales and support. LiveChat is being used by businesses in a wide variety of industries, according to LiveChat spokesperson Szymon Klimczak:

- startups (Animoto, SmugMug, SproutSocial)
- online retailers (ModCloth, ASOS, Beachmint, PromGirl, Quiksilver)
- hosting providers (MediaTemple, Lunarpages, JaguarPC, Site5, iWeb)
- education/universities (UCLA, Stanford, UNF)
- software (Adobe, Kaspersky Lab)
- hardware (Asus, Acer, Roku, Netgear)
- tourism (HomeExchange, AirAsia)

The cost of the software goes from $36 a month for one agent, to $39-$59/month for larger teams, with discounts available for longer subscriptions.

In terms of best practices when implementing customer service chat on your website, here are some tips:

• Make your chat pages consistent with the rest of your site. You want your customers to have a uniform experience.
• Your analytics should be able to tell you when customers are visiting your site the most, and thus, when you need agents available.
• Your agents should have a shared knowledge-base available to them, with canned answers for the fastest response to common queries, and customer history data, if possible.
• Agents should have strong language skills. They should avoid jargon and typos when chatting with customers.
• In chat, even more so than on the telephone, it’s important for your agents to let the customer know what you’re doing and if you’re not going to be writing back to them for a minute or two while you deal with any issues they may have. You’re bound to lose them if they’re sitting there without a clue what’s going on on the other end and no indication from the agent that their problem or query is being responded to.
• Have agents focus on solving any problem fast and in one session.

LiveChat has a lot more on agent etiquette on their blog.

Do you have experience with customer service chat What have you learned from implementing it Did it increase your profits Let us know in the comments!

The How To’s Of Writing Content For Your Blog vs. Social Media vs. The Web (Infographic)

As the CEO of a small business, you are undeniably wearing multiple hats and deciphering your marketing strategy is just one of them. Today, regardless of the size of your business, you need to reach out to clients beyond the brick and mortar via emails, social media, websites, blogs and professional networks, with the style of communicating being markedly different across these channels.

VerticalResponse, an all-in-one provider of marketing solutions has prepared what it cheekily calls the ‘Copywriting Cheat Sheet’.  It’s an info-graphic on how the text, length and pace of the copywriting should be attuned as per the internet tool used, to make that all important customer impact. 

Email Promotions & Newsletters - Email-marketing is one of the most effective methods to sell your product / service over the internet. So before you embark on an email campaign, be very clear who your customer is and the relevance of your message at that point of time. Regardless of whether the email is sent as a promotional message or a newsletter, the benefit to the recipient needs to be clearly communicated using impactful headers like this one - “Three Simple Reasons Why XYZ Services Works Better for You!”. Language in an email promo needs to be sassy, energized (focus on ‘you’ rather than a group of customers) accompanied with visual imagery. A newsletter will have a comparatively subdued but friendly tone. Both should have a clear call to action such as ‘Buy Now; Call Now; Click Here to Place Your Order!’ 

Blogs- The one simple rule to writing a good blog is that you got to ‘write the talk’ .The writing style in a blog has to be conversationalist, as though you were talking to a friend or colleague, compared to just placing informative content. The topics could vary from the latest trends in your business to sharing of relevant personal opinions and experiences. It can be a great way for you to engage with existing and potential customers by showcasing your ‘persona’.  Blogs should have catchy headlines and 2-3 sub headings with short paragraphs. A relevant image is also a good way to grab attention on what the blog is about.

Social Media - Social media can be used by businesses to garner visibility, engage customers, advertise promotions,showcase new launches and at times to even challenge the competition. It is estimated that 53 percent of SMB businesses use social media to promote their business but interestingly 74 percent manage social media efforts by themselves which is what makes it ever so challenging. Be careful in choosing a platform that is best suited for your business. For instance if you are selling to other businesses you can target professional audience via LinkedIn, while if you are selling to customers then Facebook or Pinterest would be more suitable to start with. On sites such as Facebook and Twitter open ended questions seeking opinions or perhaps ven a solution to a problem are best for starting an online conversation. Address criticisms received via social media as quickly as possible to avoid any further negative publicity.

Website - For a customer looking for information on your business, your company website is likely to be the first stop. The  website content should truly reflect what your business stands for with its imagery, choice of words and color schemes.

It is said that online content written in fonts such as Arial, Verdana and Helvetica is easier to read. Also while the style of communication varies across your social media page or your business website, you need to ensure that  the information shared across all platforms is updated and coherent.

And before you go, don’t forget to pin this infographic on your work board.

 

South Korean bank and broadcaster networks \'paralysed\' by attacks

South Korea is investigating attacks which have paralysed its banks and broadcasters, with the Korean Internet Security Agency saying the networks had been 'partially or entirely crippled'.

At least three broadcasters -- KBS, MBC and YTN -- and two banks -- Shinhan Bank and Nonghyup -- reported to the National Police Agency (NPA) that their computer networks were entirely halted around 2pm for unknown reasons.

According to BBC News, defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok said that it is not ruling out the possibility of North Korea being involved, 'but it's premature to say so'. An official from the National Computing and Information Agency (NCIA) said that no government-related computer networks had been affected.

Although Korea's Yonhap news said that Cheong Wa Dae, the office of the President of South Korea, was looking into possible North Korean involvement in the incidents.

James Clapper, director of National Intelligence for the US government, recently warned about 'unsophisticated' attacks that could penetrate poorly protected computer networks for power grids and posed an 'increasing risk to US critical infrastructure'.

He also said that he was concerned about North Korea following recent threats of a nuclear attack on US soil from North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. According to Sky News he was dismayed by 'very belligerent' statements coming from Kim Jong-Un, saying: “The rhetoric, while it is propaganda-laced, is also an indicator of their attitude and perhaps their intent. So for my part I am very concerned about what they might do."

Christopher Boyd, senior threat researcher at ThreatTrack Security, said: “There have been numerous serious attacks on South Korean networks and systems over the last few years, from recent newspaper site defacements and the most recent network attacks to the so-called ‘Ten Days of Rain' denial-of-service attacks on multiple government sites and the USFK in 2011.

“While it's tempting to attribute these attacks to the north given the current state of play in the region, many attacks are not so easy to pin down - the Ten Days of Rain used compromised machines inside South Korea to launch the DDoS attacks, and in 2009 the JoongAng Daily claimed that a South Korean man allegedly purchased infected games in North Korea, only to take them back and infect gamers - using them to DDoS the website of the Incheon International Airport.”

Ross Brewer, vice president and managing director for international markets at LogRhythm, said: “The cause of yesterday's network problems are still unclear and managed to infiltrate systems to the point of ‘crippling' them - indicating that these organisations didn't have the visibility required to effectively monitor IT systems and identify and remediate any anomalous IT network behaviour in real time.”

 Jarno Limnell, director of cyber security at Stonesoft, said: “The choice of targets is telling of the trend that the chief candidates for attack are increasingly likely to be global financial markets and critical infrastructure systems, which if taken down have the power to cripple a nation. In today's digitally interconnected world there is huge potential for unpredictable side effects and collateral damage from aggressive actions. As such, fighting fire with fire is a dangerous tactic.”

6 Tips To Adding Live Chat To Your Website

This generation is one that is used to textual communication. In a previous article, we talked about a study that found 48 percent of 18-24 year olds believe text messaging is just as meaningful as an actual conversation with the person on the phone. A lot of your younger customers may prefer to communicate through text, and if you don’t have an option for them, you could be missing out on their business. If a customer browsing your website has a question about a product and the answers aren’t there, they may move on.

LiveChat offers a real-time live chat software tool for e-commerce sales and support. LiveChat is being used by businesses in a wide variety of industries, according to LiveChat spokesperson Szymon Klimczak:

- startups (Animoto, SmugMug, SproutSocial)
- online retailers (ModCloth, ASOS, Beachmint, PromGirl, Quiksilver)
- hosting providers (MediaTemple, Lunarpages, JaguarPC, Site5, iWeb)
- education/universities (UCLA, Stanford, UNF)
- software (Adobe, Kaspersky Lab)
- hardware (Asus, Acer, Roku, Netgear)
- tourism (HomeExchange, AirAsia)

The cost of the software goes from $36 a month for one agent, to $39-$59/month for larger teams, with discounts available for longer subscriptions.

In terms of best practices when implementing customer service chat on your website, here are some tips:

• Make your chat pages consistent with the rest of your site. You want your customers to have a uniform experience.
• Your analytics should be able to tell you when customers are visiting your site the most, and thus, when you need agents available.
• Your agents should have a shared knowledge-base available to them, with canned answers for the fastest response to common queries, and customer history data, if possible.
• Agents should have strong language skills. They should avoid jargon and typos when chatting with customers.
• In chat, even more so than on the telephone, it’s important for your agents to let the customer know what you’re doing and if you’re not going to be writing back to them for a minute or two while you deal with any issues they may have. You’re bound to lose them if they’re sitting there without a clue what’s going on on the other end and no indication from the agent that their problem or query is being responded to.
• Have agents focus on solving any problem fast and in one session.

LiveChat has a lot more on agent etiquette on their blog.

Do you have experience with customer service chat What have you learned from implementing it Did it increase your profits Let us know in the comments!

A Quick Guide to Choose, Find and Use Infographics

Infographics are everywhere these days and you can find them on just about any topic. Infographics are a great option for supplementing your content and providing great information to your readers. There are many great infographics out there, but there are just as many that are no good.

So how do you choose

I am going to start with how to choose an infographic so that when you are in the search process, you can keep these ideas in mind.

How to Choose Infographics

Always think about how relevant the infographic will be to your target audiences.

For example, if your blog is about gardening, there are multiple ways you can go. You could easily focus on “5 Flowers That  Must  Have Sun to Grow”, but  this would also be relevant, “10 Ways to Get Dirt and Grass Stains Out of Clothes.” Even though the stained clothing is not exactly on target with your subject, it still relates.

Keep your mind open to options.

The next thing you need to do is make sure the information provided is accurate and useful. There are many infographics I see that were created quickly with no fact checking done. Sometimes they are made to be beautiful, but offer very little value. For me personally, the infographics with no value are waste of time.

The goal is: Find an infographic that is both attractive and offers valuable information to the reader.

How to Find Infographics

Sometimes finding Infographics can be difficult. Obviously you can use the main search on search engines, but there are other strategies to find the best ones out there. I use the following below to get more recent infographics.

1). Check Sites That Collect Infographics:

2). Check Google News and Google Blog Search

Typically, I can get the best and latest infographics in Google News. Just search for your subject and “infographic” and see what appears. Sometimes I just search for “infographic” and I find hidden gems that I may use or save for later.

I use Google Blog Search the same way and I often find different infographics than I found in Google News. I use news and blog search because it gives me more up-to-date information.

3). Twitter Search and Hashtag #Infographic

People share infographics on Twitter all the time. Make sure you check this search to find new and recent items.

4). Google Alerts

If you don’t want to spend all your time searching, you can have Google find them for you with Google Alerts. Just have a Gmail account ready to go and add the search queries you are interested in. When things you are looking for are published and Google finds them, you will receive an email.

However, lately the service has not been working as quickly or effectively as I would like in some circumstances, but in other cases it is. You can always see if it works for you and if it doesn’t - just delete the alerts you set up.

Things You Must Do When Using Infographics

Anytime you use an infographic you should have a solid introduction to the infographic. Note who created it and link to them. It is really important to give credit to the infographic creator and a name and link is the proper way to do that.

When creating your introduction you should create at least 2 paragraphs on why this infographic could be helpful to your readers. Quickly review the interesting points and tell the reader why the infographic could be useful to them.

You also want to make sure that the infographic is sized to fit your blog well (width-wise).

Tips on Saving Infographics

If you download every infographic you like, your computer will fill up fast. I use Evernote to save all the infographics I am interested in possibly using. I tag them accordingly and can go back and use them when I need them.

You can also create a Pinterest board for infographics based on subject.

A Humorous Infographic for You

Why is this useful

Well it makes people smile because it has cute cats in funny positions and it makes fun of social media. I just thought I would throw the infographic in to entertain you. As an editor and writer, I have found that appropriate humor does well with most audiences and can drive a lot of traffic.

This infographic was created by Avalaunch Media.

[Click image for full size version]