milaeryomina's blog

Over the years, several investors, no matter beginner or experienced, have gained significant profit by planning and investing in stocks.
However, there are investors whose success formula didn't work at all that makes every people think twice before entering the stock market and investing in stocks.
When an investor makes the right and correct decisions, there are higher chances of booking profits from those investments.
After all, stock market is truly unpredictable. However, investing in stocks has several major benefits than other investments.

Ownership Stake in the company (All Benefits will be H2)

An investor who buys a particular company's stock essentially means getting an ownership stake in that specific company. Thus, it will give the investors a feeling of ownership after purchasing stocks.
Having ownership means that they will become shareholders and play a vital role in a company's decision. Investors will also have the power to vote in decisions taken by the company.
They also receive annual learn reports to get detailed insights and learn more about the company. Owning a particular company's stock will be a way to express their loyalty towards a company and the business's success as a whole.

Investors who put their hard-earned money into multiple types of investment, a stock market investment delivers a major advantage by providing diversification.
The investments in the stock market change its value independently of other investments such as bonds and real estate.
Holding stocks for a longer period will help an investor to forecast losses to other investment products. Adding stock in their portfolio creates a greater risk and delivers large and rapid gains that help investors avoid overly conservative investment strategies.

A dividend refers to a reward which the company gives to its investors. In simple words, it is an additional income of the company for investors that is paid yearly by every company.
No matter if the stock has lost its value or representing profit coming from the stock, the dividend payments will arrive.
Dividend income can help an investor to fund a retirement or pay for another investment to grow their portfolio over time.

One of the major benefits of investing in the stock market is that investors get the chance to earn more money. Over time, if the stock market rises in value, the prices of a particular stock can rise or fall.
However, investors who have put their money in stable companies will see profit growth. Likewise, investing in several different stocks will help investors build their wealth by leveraging growth in multiple sectors resulting in a profit.

Stocks are generally known as liquid assets because they can be easily converted to cash that consists of several buyers at any given point in time.
However, when compared to other assets, it’s more difficult to look for a buyer for some assets like property.
However, in the case of stocks, its much easier because the average daily volume of transactions on NSE and BSE is high. It means that there are several buyers and sellers paying attention to a single stock.

The biggest and primary advantage of investing in stocks is that it has the potential to generate high returns in a short period of time compared to other investments roads like Bank FDs.

The stock market of India is regulated by the Stock Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Security Board Exchange of India (SEBI) is majorly responsible for regulating the stock exchanges, their developments and mainly protecting the rights of all the investors.
When an investor puts their money in various financial products on the stock market, their interests are also protected by a regulatory framework laid down by SEBI.
This helps them in reducing the risks of several fraudulent activities by companies.

An investor is looking to enter the stock market can start their small investments in the stock market by purchasing stocks of small-cap or mid-cap companies but in smaller units.
Another major advantage of directly investing in stocks is that investor can buy as per their own choice, and it is not mandatory of investing a specific sum of amount every month.

Corporate earnings usually tend to increase as there is growth in an economy. This is usually due to several factors like increased job creation, leading to an increase in income and sales.
Thus, an investor putting its money in stocks of the businesses influenced by economic growth helps them grow better.

The process of buying and selling in the stock market is simple and easy for all investors. Buying of stocks is done with the help of a broker, financial planner, or online mode.
It takes hardly a few minutes to set up an account and start trading. An investor can also buy and sell stocks easily without going anywhere, and the profit is directly credited into their bank account

The last installment of our Fly Safe, Fly Smart series tells you how to pick between airlines when you don't recognize the names.

American, United, Delta. Yeah, yeah, we can debate, but they're peas in a pod. But if you find a cheap fare on Allegiant, or Porter, or Fly540, what are you supposed to think?

Smaller airlines come and go. Back in 2005, I wrote an article about flying on smaller airlines -- of the 13 companies mentioned, three have gone out of business and one now only flies charters. Meanwhile, new airlines keep cropping up, like Porter in Canada and VivaAerobus in Mexico. With an airline industry permanently in flux, don't worry if you've never heard an airline's name before -- rather, check it out. Here are some tools and tips for giving an airline the once-over.

Check the Blacklists

The U.S. and EU governments both keep lists of airlines they consider unsafe. The U.S. government actually blacklists entire countries based on assessments of the countries' airline-safety standards. The agency offers the results as an Excel spreadsheet with the unsafe nations listed as category 2. Right now, that includes Belize, Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Israel, Kiribati, Mexico, Nauru, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Philippines, Serbia, Swaziland, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Zimbabwe. Carriers from those countries aren't allowed to set up new service to the U.S. until they improve safety standards, although they can maintain existing service.

The EU keeps a blacklist of individual airlines, which you can find at Air-Valid. These specific airlines aren't allowed to operate in the EU, so you can pretty much assume they're not the best of the global array. The vast majority of the airlines are smaller African and Asian airlines, but there are a few more prominent players on there such as Iran Air and Philippine Airlines.

Ignore the Boards

Don't turn to boards like TripAdvisor or our own forums for good advice on airlines. People on forums tend to draw wild conclusions from single events -- saying, for instance, that you should never fly United Airlines because of one incident involving a rude flight attendant or a poorly-handled cancellation. Every airline has made mistakes, and you need to take a longer view.

How About Awards?

Skytrax, Zagat, Conde Nast and JD Power and Associates all take that longer view. Of the bunch, Skytrax (a UK-based consultant to airlines) has by far the widest range of airlines listed, rating them from one to five stars and giving them sub-ratings based on everything from food quality to "assisting parents with children." Skytrax's set of hundreds of traveler reviews is also a great exception to the "don't pay attention to forums" rule, as their reviews are mostly from experienced road warriors.

According to Skytrax, the finest airlines in the world are Asiana, Cathay Pacific, Kingfisher, Malaysia, Qatar and Singapore. Among the lowest-rated airlines is one very popular European one -- Ryanair -- chosen in large part because of its famously, abysmally poor customer service.

Hedge Bets With Alliances

The major U.S. airlines are members of three alliances: OneWorld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance. If you're flying on a foreign airline that makes you a little nervous -- say, Aeroflot -- see if you can get a seat on that flight using its American partner's code (in this case, Delta's), which makes the American partner partly responsible for getting you to your destination. 

Scope Out Safety

If your airline hasn't won any awards, but it isn't on any blacklists, you might want to scope out the airline's safety record. For more than a decade now, AirSafe has been tracking air crashes and other safety-related incidents. They can tell you the rate of fatal events per million flights, and when the airline had its most recent incident.

You have to be smart about this data. Midwest Airlines, for instance, appears to have a high fatal accident rate -- but that's just because of one accident back in 1985. That said, a combination of a high fatal-event rate plus recent fatal events might give you pause.

Make Note of Fees

Smaller airlines, especially low-cost ones, may have different baggage allowances or fees than larger carriers. If you're assembling a multi-airline itinerary, pay attention to those fees. The most notorious culprit is Europe's Ryanair, which has very low base fares but also very low allowed baggage weights. It doesn't make sense to book an itinerary which would force you to re-pack your baggage when you change planes.

Compare Seats

If you're trying to decide between two airlines which are "just fine," you can easily see which one has comfier seats, better food and in-flight entertainment. Seatguru gives you seating charts and details of in-flight entertainment for many popular airlines and aircraft.

Someone once said, “if you want something done well, do it yourself.” Today, this couldn’t be farther from the truth, especially when it comes to the world of digital marketing. There is no better way for brands to expand their reach than by virtual word-of-mouth through their own affiliate programs. 

Affiliate marketing programs are an effective way for businesses to expand their reach. Who is better at promoting your product than those who love it and know your verticals, after all?

Real talk; by working with affiliate partners, you aren’t “doing it yourself.” And while we’re getting others to sell your products, why not get some help to collect and track every customer interaction and data from all touchpoints?

And why not a bit of hand-holding from marketing tools to turn that data into business growth, too? For all that, look no further than affiliate tracking software! 

What is affiliate tracking software?

Affiliate tracking software helps you manage and track the performance of your programs and partnerships. These platforms streamline the process of monitoring traffic and conversions. Your marketing partners can be bloggers, influencers, or any other content producers. Whichever, you’re kept in control thanks to accurate tracking.

Essential features of any affiliate tracking software include:

  •  Affiliate tracking code and link generation
  •  Dashboard with analytics and reports
  •  Tracking sources of traffic
  •  Tracking affiliate performance (clicks, conversions, traffic, lead generation)
  •  Fraud detection
The benefits of affiliate tracking softwareMore productive affiliate management

Affiliate tracking platforms make it easy to manage everything from one place. Dashboards give you customized views in real-time with just a few clicks.

Save time with automation

Automation of offers, payments, and much more saves your valuable time. Spend that time elsewhere, like on your other marketing campaigns. Affise’s CPAPI solution saves businesses even more time with automated offer pulling. 

Gain a deeper understanding

Like SEO, affiliate marketing optimization requires lots of data.  Customizable and detailed reporting lets you take a deeper dive into the statistics. You will gain a better understanding of your target audience and ad networks.

Optimize your marketing campaigns

Live reporting and analytics tools boost campaign optimization. And your team will be better equipped to leverage insights and find the right marketing partners.

Save money

Your team will get more done in less time. And automatic fraud detection means you only pay for authentic performance metrics.

Increase revenue

Affiliate tracking tools make it easy for you to get a better ROI. You can discover your best customers and affiliates to streamline your campaign growth.

Must-have features of affiliate tracking software

Affiliate marketers need to use software with the best features.

Variety of trackers

Affiliate tracking software is mainly about, well, tracking! And no matter how new and shiny a piece of tech looks, you don’t want to put all of your eggs in one basket! 

Regional compliance and third-party browser tracking protections are here to stay. The best affiliate marketing platforms feature tracking methods like pixels and postback URLs, among others.

Customizable

This should go without saying. Customizability is very important in any partner tracking software. First, this helps you find the right fit for your affiliate program as you hit the ground running. And it also allows for you to tailor your platform as your network grows and becomes more successful. 

Intelligent reports

There’s no point in using an affiliate tracking solution if you can’t have intelligent reporting. Customizable reporting options help your team connect the dots and find hidden gems. 

Fraud detection

Many businesses are blind to the black-hat tactics within the affiliate industry. Using an affiliate platform that cannot detect fraud is the blind paying out of pocket to be led by the blind!

Any affiliate tracking system should have up-to-date fraud detection functionality. Your business cannot afford to be paying out for clicks and views that have no potential ROI. 

Stellar support 

Most affiliate tracking platforms are designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. But many times, they require more technical knowledge to set up properly. A business like yours should opt for an affiliate tracking service with a smooth onboarding experience and a 24/7 customer support team.

6 Recommended affiliate tracking software alternatives

There is a sea of options when it comes to affiliate tracking software. Don’t get tossed around by the waves of industry noise and hype. Here are six of the best affiliate tracking solutions available today.

Affise

The Affise platform encompasses a wide range of affiliate marketing software. Affise’s Tracking and Attribution Software product has everything your business needs. From one platform you can manage, track, analyze, and optimize online advertising campaigns in real-time. 

In terms of tracking you get:

  • Click tracking – Trace user engagement via tracking URL clicks
  • Impression tracking – What visitors view can be leveraged to improve lead generation
  • Conversion tracking – Better explore the relationship between offers and campaign performance
  • Special pixels and postbacks and promo codes

Affise records attribution at each customer touchpoint and credits the correct sale channel. Choose from a range of models including last-click/last touch and first-click/first touch attribution. But you also get models like probabilistic attribution, which is better suited to measure mobile attribution from iOS. 

Affise has a streamlined onboarding experience with smooth migration. And the automated offer pulling service, CPAPI, makes transitioning even more of a breeze.

Other features include:

  • Complete and total control over your affiliate spending limits 
  • Alternative cost per action (CPA) commission fees, such as pay per conversion 
  • Loads of API integrations including AppFlyer, Adjust, and Kochava
  • Extensive targeting options
  • Shortlinks
  • Excellent 24/7 technical support! 

Affise is perfect for SMEs and larger enterprises looking to level up or get a head start in affiliate marketing programs. Plans start at $499 per month. Contact Affise for plans that include Affise Academy and pain-free migration services.

iDevAffiliate

iDevAffiliate has been a mainstay in partner marketing solutions for over 20 years. Their affiliate plugin is a flexible solution for affiliate tracking and management. 

Source (idevdirect.com)

The iDevAffiliate plugin can help businesses create and launch an affiliate program within an hour. With that being said, maximizing the iDevAffiliate toolset can have a bit of a learning curve, making it a less attractive option to Affise. But subscribers do get access to over 40 hours of video tutorials (if you’ve got time for such things!).

Other features include:

  • Dashboard to monitor general leak tracking, affiliate performance, commissions, top referrals
  • Social media sharing for Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter
  • Several commissioning options including coupon codes and product-specific
  • 175+ integrations including Bigcommerce, Magento, WordPress, and Shopify

iDevAffiliate is a decent option for businesses on a tight budget. And for those with good technical knowledge or willing to spend time learning the platform.

Pricing plans range from $39-$79 per month, depending on what options you require. The base package includes unlimited affiliates and commissions. Premium options include larger click-based traffic per month and custom subdomain parking.

OSI Affiliate

OSI Affiliate Software offers a range of tools for affiliate programs. The platform emphasizes customer referral programs as part of your affiliate network.

The customer referral program is driven by website popups, forms, and auto-signups. These features target website visitors and new customers. You can also incentivize brand advocates with a customizable Smart Rewards program.

OSI Affiliate boasts many, but not all, of the must-have tracking features, including:

  • Promo code tracking
  • Social media sharing – Integrations with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn
  • One-on-one customer support sessions
  • Use your own domains, including custom affiliate links
  • Email templates
  • Detailed reporting
  • Banners and landing page templates
  • Discount codes and coupons

OSI Affiliate Software is a fair choice for businesses looking for simplicity and flexibility. And it is useful if you are looking to focus on customer referrals with your affiliate network. The service pricing starts at $47 per month, but you can try it for free with a 15-day trial.

Tapfiliate

Tapfiliate is a service aimed at those dealing principally in ecommerce and SaaS. Tapfiliate focuses a lot on playing well with your existing business applications. The software integrates with your website whether it’s built around Woocommerce, Shopify, WordPress, or 30 other platforms. 

The platform also comes with many tools for affiliate recruitment and ad promotion, including on social media. 

Besides affiliate reporting and tracking, other features included are:

  • Branded dashboard and links for your affiliates to use
  • Custom signup fields and payout methods
  • Six supported affiliated languages
  • Support for 37 integrations including Zapier, Mailchimp, and Stripe
  • Adjustable, recurring, or lifetime commissions
  • Performance bonus options
  • Automation of commissions and payment

Tapfiliate is a sensible choice for businesses running on ecommerce or SaaS platforms that want minimal setup. If you have more diverse needs, though, you may need to look elsewhere. Pricing for Tapfiliate starts at $89 but you can try it out with a 14-day risk-free trial. 

Anytrack

Anytrack.io provides an affiliate tracking platform for your existing marketing stack. The platform is essentially a tool to connect your data streams. You will have a consistent and up-to-date view of your affiliate marketing activities and statistics.

With just a few clicks, the platform automatically sends all tracking to Google Analytics. This allows your team to view all types of traffic performance. And they can quickly glean actionable insights. The tracking automation works similarly with the Facebook Conversion API. Having to rely on various different platforms and outlets, though, isn’t exactly intuitive or user-friendly. 

Other features include:

  • One tag system for easy automation of all data tracking and synchronization
  • AutoTag for funnel tracking and attribution
  • More than 60+ integrations with affiliate networks
  • Custom audiences
  • Connection of traffic and conversion data to your analytics tools

Anytrack is a decent option for larger businesses with a proven marketing stack looking to raise their affiliate game with real-time insights. 

ShareASale

ShareASale has earned a reputation as one of the most trusted performance marketing networks. The network boasts over 225,000 active affiliates. And network publishers include companies like Forbes, Business Insider, and CNN.

ShareASale offers affiliate management software for merchants that streamlines partner marketing. 

Features include an intuitive interface and automation tools for things like marketing emails, as well as: 

  • Real-time affiliate tracking for clicks and conversions
  • Custom tracking values and scenarios–e.g., new customer acquisition, coupon code usage, mobile
  • Audience segmentation 
  • Custom commissions rules like PPC, CPA, and more
  • Cookieless coupon tracking
  • Clickstream reports
  • Access to training webinars

ShareASale is an option for those looking to tap into their powerful partner network, but also want an affiliate tracking solution. 

Boost your affiliate marketing with Affise

Effective affiliate tracking is only one part of a greater whole that is your partner marketing program. With Affise, you get robust features to boost your performance marketing across the board.

Multichannel analytics and smart dashboards

Affise Analytics and Business Intelligence tools let you dive deeper into the data. You will gain insights and make more accurate forecasts by relying on an simple interface with an easy-to-use dashboard.

Powerful reporting

Highly granular customizable reports with affiliate reports, customer reports, fraud-related reports, payment reports, and so on. It allows you to make unique correlations with all data viewable on one page. These reports are easily shareable with partners. 

Fraud prevention

Affise includes several options to protect your affiliate marketing campaigns from fraud. It has a complete security system with fraud detection, general internet security, and data privacy; This includes click-level fraud prevention, third-party tools, IP monitoring, and many tracking metrics.

Seamless offer pulling

CPAPI makes it a cinch to transfer offers instantaneously between all sources in your system.

Automation

Affise helps to eliminate the time spent on repetitive tasks. You can automate activities like opening offers to publishers, partner communication, and billing.

Billing and accounting

Besides invoice generation, you can automate partner payouts with Affise. And you can choose from a list of different currencies and payment providers

Customization

Affise provides plenty of connection options with multiple integrations. But the platform has a feature-rich API that also allows you to conduct any needed custom integration yourself to ensure your networks are always perfectly in tune. 

Find out other features to maximize the opportunities that you can find on the Affise ecosystem:

  • Easy integration with eCommerce platforms such as BigCommerce, Shopify, PayPal, and other eCommerce products;
  • Product feed with imports, edits, and downloads;
  • Product level tracking to set commissions on a product level;
  • Media Management with the ability to host, import, export, and replace various media types (jpg, png, video banners, text links, HTML5, etc.);
  • External Data Integration with Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, etc;
  • Key Metrics Tracking and payments on CPA, CPL, CPM, CPC;
  • S2S Postbacks to set up postbacks on affiliate accounts directly from the interface.
Conclusion

If you’re not effectively tracking and collating data from your partner program, you’re already losing the battle. You can’t afford to wait any longer. Connect your business affiliate tracking solution today.

With a robust platform like Affise that helps your affiliate program reach for the stars, you gain insights to optimize your campaigns and grow your partner networks like never before.

You can make discovering somewhere new even more exciting in just the right rental car. Find out how to pick your ideal wheels for your next road trip.

It might take months of meticulous planning, but there are essentially only three things you need to guarantee an amazing road trip: the right car, the right route and the right companion/s. Here's how to choose the right car for your road trip – the rest is up to you.

Things to think about before you hire a car 
What size car works for you? 

If you're going on a family holiday, there's no point hiring a two-seater convertible – no matter how tempted you are to leave the kids at the airport after a stressful flight. So, make sure your hire car has enough seats for everyone who'll be travelling (having passengers sat on knees is never an option, even for really small children). 

If you're booking your car online, it should show exactly how many seats the car has – smaller cars tend to have only two seats in the back whereas larger models will have three, for example. If you have passengers in the back, it's worth booking a car with at least four doors, so everyone can get in and out easily.

How big a boot do you need?

Consider how much boot space you're going to need, bearing in mind that everyone's luggage will have to fit in the trunk as roof bars and boxes are rarely, if ever, an option when hiring a car. The only exception to this is if you're going skiing – you can get a rental car fitted with a ski rack. 

Leaving luggage on view on the back seats isn't a good idea either, as it can attract thieves and may compromise your travel insurance. 

Is fuel economy important?

Although the idea of hitting the open road in a V8 gas-guzzler is undoubtedly tempting, you might not want to blow half your holiday budget on fuel. So, working on the assumption that smaller cars are generally more fuel efficient, map out how far you'll be travelling, then calculate roughly how much fuel this will use in your preferred type of car. 

Specific models can't be guaranteed at the rental counter, so think the class of car instead, such as compact, economy, luxury, SUV, etc. Also keep an eye out for the rental car company's fuel policy, a 'full-to-full' fuel policy is the most common, and often the best choice, especially for road-trippers.

Do you need an automatic?

If you're used to driving a car with automatic gears/transmission and want to stick with what you're familiar with, look out for the type of gears each car has when you're booking. It's worth looking out for when you're choosing your rental car, particularly if you're travelling to a country where most cars have manual gears/transmission.

Do you need any extra kit?

If you're travelling with children, check the child seat policy of the country you're travelling to, as it may be different to what you're used to. If you need child seats, it's best to reserve them at the same time you book your hire car, as they won't come as standard. The same goes for GPS/satnav systems. You'll pay for these when you arrive to pick up your car, and rental companies can't usually guarantee them. These extras are charged at a daily rate, so you can save money by taking your own. And, if you're travelling anywhere hot, make sure the car has air conditioning, or your road trip might quickly become too hot to handle.

Is the hire car in your price range?

Upgrading to the bigger or faster model can be very tempting, especially if it looks like it won't add much to the overall cost. But that little extra each day can quickly add up over the course of one, two or three weeks' worth of car hire. And then there are the added fuel costs, bigger security deposit and higher excesses that come with bigger cars. Once you've chosen a model that comfortably ticks all your boxes, you can happily resist hard sell at the rental counter, and stick to your budget.

Then there's just one final thing to bear in mind – not all road trips are created equal, so you'll have to match your car to the type of trip you're taking. Here are our top picks for specific trips: 

Note: The cars below are just examples – you'll find different models available in different countries with different rental companies. And you won't be guaranteed to get the exact model you booked, when you come to collect your car. To find out more, see What does 'or similar' mean in car rental?

What are the best hire cars for city breaks? 

Stressed out drivers, congested roads, and baffling one-way systems mean city driving can be hectic – and that's before you consider everyone might also drive on the wrong side of the road. So, it's probably best to go for a small car that handles well on city streets and is easy to park, possibly an automatic, so you've less to think about in the stop-start traffic. 

Try something in the Mini or Economy group, such as an eminently sensible and reliable VW Golf or Ford Focus, or a Mini Cooper or Fiat 500 if you're after something that's a bit nippier and more fun to drive.

What are the best hire cars for adventure holidays? 

If you're off on an adventure holiday, whether skiing, rock climbing, windsurfing, or whatever you fancy, there's a good chance you'll be lugging a lot of kit around with you, and maybe even driving on some rough roads.

You might be best off choosing an SUV, maybe even a 4X4 model, such as a Skoda Yeti or VW Tiguan, or a Jeep Grand Cherokee or Range Rover Sport if you're looking for a more luxurious off-roader. 

VW Tiguan, Skoda Yeti, Range Rover, Jeep Grand Cherokee

Do check where you're allowed to take your hire car. Many rental companies don't allow their cars to be taken off-road.

All of the SUVs above come with loads of luggage space, and if you hire in snowy or mountainous areas, your car will come fitted with a winter safety kit. It's also worth swotting up on how to drive safely in snow, before you set off.

What are the best hire cars for family holidays? 

When you're travelling together, you'll want to make sure your car is not only safe, comfortable and spacious, with more than enough room for all passengers and luggage, but is also kitted out with any number of cup holders and USB ports.

People carriers are really roomy and ideal for families. Some have sliding doors for easy access – try a Ford Galaxy, a VW Touran, or a Dodge Grand Caravan, for example. There's no guarantee you'll get the exact model you booked, or that the car you get will come with everything you need, of course. For a comfy trip, it's worth keeping your drinks in resealable bottles rather than cups, and taking USB chargers that plug into the car's 12V/lighter socket, to keeps all those devices topped up.

If you can, it's also worth taking your own child seats and satnav/GPS to save money. For more tips on hassle-free family road trips, check out Enjoying family travel.

What are the best hire cars for multi-location holidays?

Road trips are all about driving long-distances and stopping off at places well off the beaten tourist track, which means you could spend large parts of your trip living out of your trunk. If you're embarking on a multi-location odyssey, you'll want a car that is comfortable enough for long hours behind the wheel, has loads of luggage space, and a great fuel economy. We recommend picking an estate car, about the size of a Ford Focus, Skoda Octavia or VW Passat - anything smaller might feel a bit cramped, while larger models might not be as good on the gas.

What are the best hire cars for honeymooners? 

A honeymoon is a time in your life you can enjoy a little luxury and excess, so if you're planning a post-wedding adventure, why not splash out on a luxury car, or convertible? Rental companies offer luxury models like the Porsche Cayman or Mercedes Benz S-Class, or Jaguar F-Type and Mercedes E250 convertibles. Some car hire companies will even guarantee the exact model when it comes to luxury car hire, so if you want to be 100% sure what you'll get rather than go for a lucky dip, check before you book.

The global luxury car rental market is expected to grow from $32.7 billion in 2020 to $38.8 billion by 2028, according to Zion Market Research in a report.

You’ll find that there are many different reasons why people pursue a luxury car rental. In fact, you might be able to relate to at least some of them.

Have you considered renting a luxury vehicle? If so, there’s no better time to do so than now.

Keep on reading to find out seven reasons why you should consider a luxury car rental.

1. Luxury Car Rental Lets You Drive the Car of Your Dreams

Do you want to drive the car of your dreams without having to go to a dealership and haggle with a salesperson? One way is to rent. You won’t have to save up or take on debt.

When you find a reputable luxury car rental company, you’ll get to check out their stable of high-end cars. While renting a luxury car is more expensive than renting a non-luxury car, you get what you paid for.

For a reasonable sum, you’ll be able to drive the car or cars you’ve always wanted. Whether for a day, a weekend, or longer, you’ll have the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a vehicle you’ve always wanted to drive.

If you have a bucket list that includes driving something exotic, renting a vehicle will allow you to check that item off of the list. And you don’t have to limit yourself to driving just one luxury car. Check out as many as you want.

2. Test Some Out Before Taking the Plunge and Buying One

Are you interested in one day buying a luxury car? If so, you might not be sure which one to get. You can get the information you need to make a sound decision by renting a luxury car.

You might want to rent one or more over a couple of weekends. By so doing, you’ll have the chance to check out different models. And since renting is relatively inexpensive, you won’t need to spend an arm and a leg to do so.

You could go to a luxury car dealer and go for a test drive. But renting a car for a few days will give you a lot more time to drive it around and check it out.

3. Go Someplace Special in Style

Another reason to consider luxury car rental options is if you have somewhere to go and want to go there in style.

You might, for instance, want to attend a high school reunion, wedding, workplace function, or something else. If you want to make a good impression, try renting a car for the occasion.

4. Try Something New

If you’ve never owned or driven a luxury car before, you can do so by renting a luxury vehicle. There’s nothing wrong with having a regular four-cylinder sedan in the driveway. But why not switch things up by renting a luxury vehicle?

As the old saying goes, “you only live once.” So, it makes sense to check out the stable of luxury vehicles at a luxury car rental company near you. You’ll probably get hooked and want to try out other luxury vehicles.

5. Steer Clear of Maintenance Expenses

One reason many people steer clear of luxury cars is because of the maintenance costs. Sure, high-end cars come at a higher sticker price. But the maintenance expenses aren’t anything to sneeze at, either.

These costs can make it too expensive for many people to own a luxury car. But if you choose a luxury car rental service, you won’t have to worry. Your rental price will spare you from taking on maintenance costs.

You also need to consider the monthly insurance costs you’ll have to shoulder if you buy a luxury car. It can burn a hole in your wallet.

Renting will be a lot cheaper. You’ll get to enjoy the thrill of driving a car that attracts attention for all the right reasons. And you won’t have to worry about the ongoing expenses associated with keeping a luxury car in tip-top shape.

6. Drive Something Hard to Find on Dealership Lots

If you’re a fan of luxury cars, you know that some brands and models are hard to find on dealership lots in the U.S.

But you’ll be able to find some of the most exclusive luxury car models at luxury car rental companies. You can check out their websites to see what they offer. Chances are they have something that interests you.

7. Get Chauffeured Around

If you patronize the right luxury car rental business, you’ll get chauffeured around and about town in a luxury car.

If you have somewhere to go and want a chauffeured luxury car, that’s a good reason to call a luxury car rental company. Ask if the company offers chauffeur services if that’s what you want.

Here are the five cybersecurity services that MSPs should provide to drive revenue, meet customer needs and tap new markets.

Small to midsize businesses (SMBs) are becoming increasingly aware of cybersecurity as a major area of concern. In fact, our 2020 ConnectWise State of SMB Cybersecurity report found that over half of SMBs don’t have the skills to properly manage cybersecurity. 

Cybersecurity services represent a massive window of opportunity for managed service providers (MSPs) in 2021 and beyond. Consider that the same report also found that 91% of small businesses would consider switching IT service providers if they found a new one that offered the “right” cybersecurity services. 

As SMBs start thinking about security, they’re often turning to MSPs for help, and well-prepared MSPs who adopt an MSP+ playbook (traditional MSP services plus cybersecurity support) will be better equipped to take advantage of this growing demand.

Below, we’ve broken down five key cybersecurity services that MSPs should offer. Take a look to see where you could increase your service offerings to drive revenue, meet customer needs and tap new markets.

Threat Detection and Response

Every endpoint—from laptops, to mobile phones, to tablets—in your customer’s organization represents a potential entry point for a hacker to infiltrate their systems. That’s why endpoint management is a crucial part of any cybersecurity program. One key service MSPs can offer their customers is monitoring for cyber threats, detecting them if/when they occur, and responding quickly to stop them in their tracks and prevent fallout.

For example, email is one of the most common ways hackers try to enter systems. By monitoring popular software and SaaS apps on your customers’ endpoints—such as Microsoft 365 and Azure—you can detect abnormal behavior, stop it and investigate whether something malicious (or accidental but dangerous) is happening.

Other core threat detection and response services can include:

  • Monitoring and analyzing logs
  • Security information and event management (SIEM) management
  • Customizing alerts for individual users and devices
  • Dark web scanning to detect stolen credentials
  • DNS protection

The least impactful cyberattacks are those that are caught, stopped and remediated early. Endpoint monitoring and threat detection are the frontline in preventing attacks.

Risk Assessments

Dental offices, legal firms, and medical practices are all busy doing what they do best—fixing teeth, practicing law and treating patients. They’re typically not cybersecurity experts, and they know it. So, while your SMBs customers may be aware that cybersecurity is important, they may not know where their risks are or what to do about them. At the same time, they must keep up with industry regulations like the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and protect patient and client data and confidentiality at all costs.

MSPs can prove value to customers like these by identifying potential security risks proactively. And that starts with having the security conversation and conducting a risk assessment.

Presented in an easy-to-read report, a risk assessment should cover areas such as:

  • How employees are trained/educated about cybersecurity
  • If and how threats are documented and addressed internally
  • Whether the organization assesses IT assets for vulnerabilities
  • Any plans or processes for addressing cybersecurity incidents (and whether that plan is followed during an actual incident)

Based on the information gathered in a risk assessment, MSPs can then recommend actionable next steps for their customers to shore up security. A thorough risk assessment includes network vulnerabilities, data compliance issues and even internal threats. It can also make the threat of cyberattacks more real for customers who are not well informed or fully aware of their risks.

A risk assessment can be a starting point for a discussion around compliance with key security and privacy regulations—such as the EU’s General Data Protection Rule (GDPR) or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)—and the difference between being secure and being in compliance. For healthcare and medical companies, HIPAA may come into play, and for law practices, there are often client confidentiality rules and laws that must be respected.

How people view furniture is in a constant state of change. Home and business owners are ready to exploit several furniture options provided they meet their style and complement their spaces. The epoxy wood table is currently very popular in the market. You can ascertain this by browsing the various styles of epoxy wood tables on Alibaba. You can have any epoxy wood table with the style that you want without spending a lot of money. One of the main reasons for the tables’ popularity is the alluring charm and lustrous shine. The table also offers its consumers many benefits.

Advantages of investing in a epoxy wood table

Whether it is for home use or you want the tables for your luxurious business spaces like hotels, you can never go wrong with epoxy wood tables. Are you wondering what you are about to gain upon purchase? Below are its top merits.

A wide array of color and design

One of the best things about the epoxy table is that it is available in various designs and colors. It offers buyers limitless options. Some of the table’s common designs include patch, hex, live edge, and primitive; the tables also have a naturally rich appearance and an appealing glossy finish. Do you know that the epoxy wood table also offers the impression of increased space? Their optical illusion involves a fabulous light play that ensures the perception of space expansion.

Guarantees excellent performance

One of the factors that most people look for in a table is durability. The epoxy wood table ensures you will enjoy it for an extended period. The material does not deform easily. It means that the table maintains a shiny new appearance for years. The wood table is also waterproof and scratch-resistant. It is also lightweight. If you compare traditional wood tables to epoxy, the epoxy table is lighter. Depending on the table’s size, the weight will vary. The lightweight means that you can move it easily.

Easy to maintain

The epoxy wood table does not wear under harsh cleaning products. It means that its maintenance process is very straightforward. The easy-to-maintain aspect of the table ensures convenience in care. The epoxy wood table also does not require expensive cleaning products or vanishes. Simple soapy water and cloth are enough.

It is not affected by external elements

The epoxy wood table does not wear after too much exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Its wear resistance feature ensures its durability. It also allows you to place the table outside without any repercussions as it will maintain an excellent appearance. One of the essential features that anyone looks for in kitchen furniture is moisture resistance. The epoxy wood table is moisture resistant. It means it can withstand the humid kitchen environment without experiencing any damage.

Conclusion

The world today is constantly evolving, and furniture is not left behind. The epoxy wood table offers a durable solution that meets the demands of your dining area and kitchen space. Its longevity ensures it can serve you for an extended period while maintaining a new and shiny appearance.

A Definition of QR Codes
Quick Response codes, or QR codes, are becoming more popular both in and out of warehouses and storage facilities. QR codes originated in Japan and are used to take information about an item or business and put it into a cell phone or hand-held scanner. QR codes first were developed to track parts in the manufacturing process of vehicles. Once the code is read by a cell phone or scanner, it gives more details about a business or item, shows a URL for even more information, provides coupons, and more.
QR codes encode information from left to right and from top to bottom. Also known as matrix barcodes, QR codes hold more data and can encode various types of data because they are encoded in two different directions at once, unlike standard barcodes.
Benefits of QR Codes
In supply chain management, QR codes are important tools for inventory management and manufacturing. Organizations use QR codes to track more than names and prices of products; they include information including serial numbers, part numbers, lots and dates, and other data. They also turn to QR codes when their barcode systems run out of capacity because the components they use exceed the maximum number of items they can encode in a standard barcode.
Inventory management professionals also choose QR codes because they typically are more easily read by cell phones and do not require bulky hand-held scanners to read them. In fact, QR codes can be scanned from any direction for 360 degrees, to make it easier for a device to read them and to lessen the chance of having issues with background interference. Additionally, QR codes can store up to a hundred times more information than a conventional horizontal barcode; businesses are choosing QR codes over standard barcodes because they can store and present URLs, geo coordinates, and text.
QR codes keep costs low because companies do not need to purchase scanners for recording inventory transactions efficiently. Warehouse and storage facility employees prefer to use smartphones for scanning QR codes because they are more convenient and easy to use. Smartphones also do not need to be physically connected to a computer or be in close proximity to one for inventory management operations in a warehouse. All in all, QR codes are becoming the codes of choice for supply chain operations because they contain more data and information and lend themselves easily to scanning with smartphones.
Disadvantages of Using QR Codes in Inventory Management
One of the biggest disadvantages of using QR codes in inventory management is their size. Typically, QR codes need to be at least 2 cm x 2cm in order to be scanned properly. If organizations want to put more information into the code, they need to enlarge its size to make it usable. This poses a problem for tracking smaller assets.
Many organizations already have asset tracking and inventory management systems that are based on barcodes. Removing labels and relabeling with QR codes is not cost effective for these organizations. Organizations also avoid using QR codes for inventory management because scanning them on mobile devices typically takes more time than scanning standard barcodes. This may account for why QR codes have not been as widely adopted as predicted.
Depending on your inventory management needs, QR codes may or may not be a cost-effective solution for you. Some companies choose QR codes for their inventory and asset management system because they want to enable workers to use smart phones to scan labels rather than hand-held banners. Other companies opt for standard barcodes over QR codes because they do not need to include more data and information in their labels and they need labels that can be scanned more quickly.

Youtube is the world’s second most visited website with more than 2 billion monthly active users. As crazy as it may sound, but videos are dominating the marketing world today, especially YouTube, which is used by 55% of marketers. 

Gaining more YouTube views is on the top of every marketer’s list these days. But increasing YouTube views and building a sizable subscriber base does not happen overnight.  

To amplify your brand’s message on YouTube there are strategic steps that marketers with vision follow. By generating quality content and using view generating tactics, YouTubers are leveraging the potential of this platform to the fullest. 

Many marketers, in the past, gave in to the temptation of achieving short-term targets and letting go of this brilliant medium. The tables have turned now. YouTube has now become the most prominent marketing channel with a highly versatile audience and marketer base.

Techniques to Increase YouTube Views on Your Videos/Channel 
  • Use descriptive titles and descriptions

The proper use of keywords is critical to improving organic traffic on any platform. The same holds true for YouTube as well. To increase the number of views on your YouTube channel, a good place to start is with the title.  An engaging and descriptive title enables YouTube algorithms to mark and index your video and conveys to users exactly what your video is about.

Using SEO research tools like SEMrush, Keyword Planner, and so on, you can find the keywords that are most popular in your video’s segment on YouTube, and incorporate them in your titles and descriptions. This will help your videos record significantly more organic views. Good titles also make your videos easier to find on YouTube. 

  • Create and optimize YouTube thumbnails

The first thing a user sees on YouTube videos are thumbnails. They create the first impression and therefore, can do wonders in increasing the number of hits to the video. The thumbnail you use, therefore, must always be the visual equivalent of your video’s description and title. 

Moreover, the thumbnail can be a big point of attraction, as it appears on search engine result pages (SERPs), social media, and even the ‘suggested video’ sections on YouTube. A good way to build a customized thumbnail is to use high-quality images, which can be edited and filled in with text in engaging fonts, describing the video or being clickbaity.

  • Use proper YouTube tags 

To help the YouTube algorithm understand your videos and distinguish them from the others, you must use YouTube tags properly. This step is a fundamental step to increasing views on YouTube. Using YouTube tags, you can help YouTube categorise your videos and associate them with similar videos to increase its reach through ‘suggested video’ sections and recommendations.

Additionally, YouTube tags also help you organize your content on the channel through self-reference tagging. Tags also help in battling the “misspelt keywords” situation, in which you can use the target keyword, which is usually misspelt, and use it in the tags instead of titles and descriptions.

  • Optimize videos for likes, comments, subscriptions

Optimization of YouTube videos is not just limited to technical tasks and YouTube SEO tips. The number of views your video gets is considered an essential ranking factor by YouTube’s algorithms. However, the algorithms also check for the amount of engagement your video is generating amongst the viewers. Hence, a short call to action must be placed in every video, asking the viewers to like the video, subscribe to your channel, and comment on the video. Not only does this generate a good amount of interaction and engagement, but it also indicates to the YouTube algorithms that your videos are interesting enough to start conversations.

  • Create videos that are useful for users

Providing value to your viewers is the easiest way to build a following and increase YouTube views on your videos. This value can be in the form of entertainment, education, or both. Offering value through your videos will encourage viewers to check your channel out, subscribe, follow you to watch future videos, and even watch your previously posted content. This is the most practical and effective way to increase the views of your YouTube content.

  • Promote YouTube videos

Promoting your YouTube channel or videos can do wonders for you. Just like an expert guest blogger can enrich your website with their content and bring in more visitors, industry influencers, popular YouTubers, people with a good following, and so on, can rake in those additional views on your videos. You can promote your videos in collaboration with these people, or invite them to do guest appearances so that heir followers check your content out. This helps you reach out to a completely untapped audience.

  • Create and optimize end screens

End screens encapsulate almost everything about your content and you as a content creator when your video ends. They provide relevant information about your videos, channels, playlists, personal websites, recommended videos, and much more. These can both simultaneously increase your subscribers, and increase YouTube views on your videos.

  • Add videos to your blog

Videos embedded in blogs generate a lot more high-quality views than other videos on YouTube. They help increase the number of YouTube views and help your videos rank higher in YouTube’s search results. Top ranking videos on YouTube usually have much higher backlinking and embeds than the lower-ranking ones.

One additional advantage of adding relevant videos in your blogs can be more subscribers. Providing a direct subscribe button to your channel’s readers can prove very valuable for your videos in the long run. It was reported that 50-60% of the views on videos come from the subscribers. Hence, adding videos in your blog can boost the number of subscribers, subsequently increasing the views on your YouTube videos.

  • Rank videos on Google search

Using traditional SEO can help increase YouTube views. Videos have the potential to outrank even the websites on which they’re featured on SERPs. Hence, SEO for search engines can also increase the views on videos. Embeds that lead to a YouTube video on websites count as backlinks and significantly help in the video’s SEO ranking. With a good enough ranking on SERPs, you can organically increase your YouTube views and increase your subscribers.

  • Share videos on social platforms

Lastly, share your videos across all your social channels like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and so on. Cross-platform promotion can drive a significant number of views towards your videos. This has another advantage that is usually unknown to people. YouTube algorithms favour videos that originate from other platforms. YouTube sees your video as the one to bring in users to their platform, and so provides your videos organic ranking and even more suggested videos mentions.

Social platforms also prove to be a very effective marketing tool for your videos, as they have the potential to reach an audience that you might not even be aware of. Likes, comments, and shares of your video’s YouTube link on social platforms can drive a significant amount of YouTube views on your videos.

  • Collaborate with Other Content Creators

The goal to increase YouTube views can seem daunting at first, even if you have a healthy marketing budget. Most content creators realize that there is no guaranteed way to build your YouTube audience. But there are ways to grow traction in your favour – collaborating with other content creators.

The process might seem intimidating at first, but all you have to do is build a relationship with a content creator who possesses considerable authority in your vertical. You can start by posting links to their videos on your channel and reaching out to them. Such collaborations will help your channel stand out and attract the audience your collaborating creators bring in.

  • Upload Transcript of Your Video

When you hear how to increase YouTube views, what is the first point that comes to your mind? For many content creators, the path of least resistance is to buy followers. However, this is not a sustainable solution, even if it gives a semblance of some social proof. 

YouTube favours behavioural metrics like engagement rates, video completion rates, etc. You can use more straightforward methods like uploading a transcript and enabling closed captions on your videos. This will help your videos perform well among the audience with special needs, linguistic barriers, and even in cases if you have poorly recorded audio.

  • Create Playlists

It might seem like this advice is for the more advanced content creators, but it is the foundation of a successful YouTube channel. Early in your content creation journey, you might get tempted to post a video or two every week to increase YouTube views. While the strategy will help you get incremental traction, it can overwhelm your audiences and distract you from the best-performing content on your channel.

Putting together a playlist helps you categorize content on your channel and makes it easy for your viewers to navigate between your videos. This can result in consistent subscriber rates and longer time spent on the channel per subscriber.

  • Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing differs from collaboration in the sense that it can be a more transactional relationship. Collaborative relationships among content creators take time to culminate. This way, you are not limited by having to work with subject matter experts in your field. Instead, if you have some marketing budget or a physical product you can provide to the influencers, you can reach out to more people who might be targeting the exact audience you want to cater to. Your job is done as long as your message reaches your audience via the right influencer. You can use Traackr, Upfluence, BuzzSumo, etc., to locate relevant influencers and increase YouTube views.

Continue Building Your YouTube Views

Now that you’re aware of the various techniques on how to increase YouTube views on your channel, you can leverage them to increase your subscribers and probably make your videos “viral-worthy”. These techniques will not only help you to increase the number of views on your YouTube channel, but will also help you in organically ranking higher on YouTube, and becoming a prominent channel down the line with an impressive subscriber base.

Social content marketing is the area where content marketing and social media meet. We already gave you tips on how to do content marketing right for website content. Now let’s talk about why you should provide social content and keep constant activity in social business profiles. Find out how social media marketing can help bring traffic to your website, bring interest to your brand and improve your business.

What are the main benefits of social media marketing for your business?
  • Faster and easier content spreading

SMM is extremely effective when it comes to sharing contemporary content. When you are planning seasonal sales, giveaways and other special offerings, delivering information on time matters a lot. Have you ever been in a situation when you find out about some sale after it’s over and regret not knowing sooner? The more people you inform, the more customers you’ll get and the more successful your marketing campaigns will be.

  • Increased brand awareness and brand recognition

Creating pages that represent your business on different social media platforms is a way to advertise for free. Getting your employees, partners and investors to repost and share your social content in private messages lets more and more people get acquainted with your products and services. If you include your logo and brand colors in your posts, they will become more recognizable.

  • Higher lead generation and lead conversion

Nowadays, almost every person uses at least one social network daily. The right SMM allows your business to reach prospects among social media users, capture their interest in your products and stimulate them to become your clients. SMM helps not only spread awareness about your products and services, but make deals and run business directly there. Practice social selling along with selling in your physical shops and on your ecommerce website. According to Social Selling 2017 Trends Report, companies who use social selling consistently see 15% better conversion rates.

  • Regular interaction with the target audience

You’ll be closer to your potential clients and could provide long-term customer retention and customer satisfaction when communicating with them via social media channels. They will also feel your virtual presence more if they know that they can see when you are online and chat directly with you or with your company representatives who moderate social pages. Also, your customers can communicate openly with you and with each other through comments on your posts. Just don’t forget to respond in timely manner.

  • Industry, marketplace and competitors insights

Monitoring your colleagues’ and competitors’ social activities helps you keep pace with the times. Start following authoritative pages relating to your industry and frequently check your newsfeeds to know what’s going in your marketplace. Use this information to compare it with the state of things, assess it and decide on how to improve your own social media marketing strategy and your business. Get inspired for new ideas and get encouraged to be ahead of the curve.

  • Increased website traffic

As well as social media follow buttons being placed on a website to help direct users to your social business pages, links to your website placed in your posts help direct users to your website, where they can find more information. So your website can get not only organic traffic from search engine result pages, but also increase site attendance and site usage through people who came from social media.

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