InsightsMartechProducts

10 Ways to Maximize your Kickstarter Marketing Strategy in 2020

At a very trying time of COVID-19, times are quite tough for businesses, especially startups and entrepreneurs. However, what if there was a way to get funding by putting your project, idea, or invention online?

In this article, we will look at:

What is Kickstarter?

For people who have been living under a rock, Kickstarter is a funding platform where creators can share and gather interest on a particular creative project they will like to launch.

Every project is created and independently crafted while the general public offers to fund them in return for rewards or the finished product itself.  They are the ones that ultimately send the projects into production.

Kickstarter is split into two types of users: creators and backers. Creators are of course the ones who present their project ideas and the backers are the ones who fund them.  To establish a great Kickstarter project, creators need to step up a page to display all the details of their project using text, video, and photos to tell viewers about their project. From there, creators set a funding goal and a deadline, and also need to include different levels of rewards backers can receive by pledging a specific amount because the more the higher the amount they pledge, the bigger the reward.

Kickstarter also has a number of general rules that creators must abide by for their projects. They must create something that can be shared with others; be honest and clearly presented; not be fundraising for charity; not be offering equity; and not involve prohibited items.

Marketing Tips for Kickstarter Campaign

The reality of any Kickstarter Campaign is that it takes a lot of time and energy o prepare, create, maintain, and manage a Kickstarter campaign. There are definitely certain steps that people as project creators can improve their chances of success on Kickstarter. 

1. Do your research

Creators need to research their project before anything happens. The questions that they need to answer before starting their campaign is: how much does it actually cost to make their project? What is the minimum amount of funding they need? How many days do they want to run the campaign? Are there already similar projects?

You need to figure out how much it actually costs because it will help when it comes to creating rewards. They also need to research domestic and international shipping costs. Kickstarter is all or nothing, so companies need to remember and understand that if they don’t reach their funding goals, they do not get any money. If they set the money goal too high, they risk not hitting their goal and won’t get any money and reciprocally, if it is set too low, you may not be able to fulfill your obligations to backers. 

Campaigns can last anywhere for one day to 2 months. Longer campaigns do not guarantee success because companies may have exhausted resources by the time the project wraps up and on the other hand, campaigns that are under 30 days risk not getting enough exposure and can result in less funding. 

Companies also need to do their research to see if there are other similar campaigns because if there are, there really is no point in putting the campaign up because just because something similar that raised a lot of money will not translate into instant success for your project. 

2. Spread the news about your upcoming launch

It is important to spread awareness for the upcoming launch. Having a website is very important because it drives traffic to it. Adding a banner at the top of your homepage with a call to action to sign up is very important so that people could learn more about your upcoming launch. The leads that you receive should be nurtured leading up to launch day with about one email a week. The emails that are sent out should educate subscribers on your product, tell them why they need your product, and explain how Kickstarter works and inform them of when and why you’re launching your project. 

It is also important to build up social media presence and creating advertising campaigns. The more informed subscribers are about your product and upcoming launch, the more likely they are to convert into actual backers once your project goes live. 

Sometimes it can be difficult to run everything and stay on it constantly, so employing companies like Pressfarm can help with public relations and creating everything needed to build a successful crowdfunding campaign. 

3. Email existing and new contacts

Email marketing is a great way to spread awareness for your upcoming launch to new and existing contacts who have shown interest in your product. The main goal is to get subscribers on board with your project and have them ready to spread the word. However, don’t stop emailing when you are live, you can keep sending out emails with important campaign milestones too. But, during your campaign, do not bombard your family, friends, or other subscribers incessantly because it can lead to a large number of unsubscribers. 

4. Make an engaging video

Your video that you create is the main point of your campaign and it is the first thing that people look at. You need to make sure that your video is easily understandable and gets your project’s point across. Longer videos tend to have a lower video completion rate and there is a correlation between a high video completion rate and overall funding.

5. Create an easy-to-read Kickstarter page

Digital content should be written for the people who tend to skim instead of reading in detail. When you do this, you are making your content more digestible and easier to understand. Campaigns should be very visual and get to the point without using too much content. 

6. Make sure your rewards are easy to understand

Keep your rewards descriptions short and to the point. You need to let people know what they are getting, how much they are saving and when they will be getting them. Do not over do your rewards because a campaign with a lot of rewards rarely works and creating a small quantity gives you a chance to introduce new rewards like flash sales, during your campaign.

7. Include multiple images

You should use high resolution, high-quality images for your social networks, advertising efforts, press releases and blog posts. Also, if you will be using any print media, they should also be hi-res images. 

8. Create a Bitly link

You can use Bitly to shorten your Kickstarter page URL and use that link when you are referencing your project. Bitly actually provides great stats because it includes how many clicks you link there and where they are coming from. This information will help decide where to spend the most time promoting your project. 

9. Utilize updates and your backers

You should create periodic updates on  Kickstarter to send to your backers. Write updates when you hit milestones to thank your backers and use them to pass on the message of new stretch goal rewards and drive backers to your social network. 

Your backers already like your project, so they are the ones that will help you and be your biggest advocates. Ask them to help spread the word whether it be word-of-mouth or social media. Make it easy for them to share by including short messages they can copy and paste to share on social media outlets. 

10. Social media is important

Create your profile on the top networks by starting a Facebook Advertising campaign to build an audience base, help build your email list and begin building buzz around the upcoming launch. 

Conclusion

Creating a Kickstarter Campaign is very easy, but getting the right backing and the right amount of money is the hard part. Timing is everything because you want to be the project that people are wanting to back, so you need to see what your competition is. Your product needs to be something that people want and are willing to put money into. These tips are as simple as it comes and used correctly will maximize your Kickstarter Marketing strategy. 

DevelopmentInsights

6 Internal Communications Best Practices to Connect Your Workplace

How much internal communication matters in the business world simply can’t be stressed enough. When the management and the employees communicate effectively, all chances for misunderstandings disappear. The work environment is healthy so employees have all the conditions necessary for performing well at work. Through open and efficient communication, completing tasks and projects will be smoother and faster. For this reason, let’s look at the top 6 practices for enhancing communication at the workplace. 

 

Photo of Women at the Meeting

 

1. Use a Platform for Connecting Employees 

 

There is no better way of connecting employees than through a platform or an app. We live in a high-tech era so why not use it to our advantage. Although selecting the right platform seems like a piece of cake, it is easier said than done. There are so many options available that make it harder for managers to select the proper tool. In this situation, intranet systems are the go-to tool for most companies, especially large ones. They are largely praised for their ability to connect all employees and the management in one place. Once you have all the staff connected, you have set a great foundation for improving other, equally important, business aspects.

 

2. Celebrate Milestones 

 

Employees are an important, if not the most important, part of any company. They like to have their efforts acknowledged and valued. It motivates them to participate more and work even harder at their job. For this reason, it is essential to publicly recognize their contribution and share it with everyone in the company. This praise can take many forms. It can be a simple shout out in a corporate app, post on social media, or a special article on the company’s website. Celebrating milestones has a dual impact on the company. Firstly, it keeps all the staff informed about the latest events in the organization. Secondly, the management has clear insight into employee engagement and performance. This is why it is important to mark employee success, big or small.

 

3. Include Visuals during Communication

 

Most people are visual beings. For this group of people, messages containing images, colorful charts, and objects are more effective than plain text. With this in mind, managers should make use of visual effects to deliver the message more efficiently during communication with employees. Presentations are the ideal way to communicate effectively with employees. It not only allows managers to present their message visually but also concisely and straight to the point. As a result, employees will be able to refer to the presentation in the future if needed. Videos are another useful visual tools. However, they demand more time and it is easy to get carried away and show more content than actually needed.

 

4. Videoconference with Remote Workers

 

Past months have shown an increase in remote workers all around the world. While this arrangement has many advantages, employers are afraid internal communication and employee collaboration suffer. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. With proper video conferencing tools and apps, employees can be well connected even when working remotely. Managers should make sure video conferences are timely scheduled and everyone is familiar with the agenda. Participants can clearly see each other so they have a feeling they are attending the real meeting. Before or after the meeting, managers can spare a couple of minutes and allow employees to catch up and chat. This way, all participants will relax and eagerly participate in discussions and brainstorming sessions.

 

Diverse coworkers having online conference in modern office

 

5. Avoid Overwhelming Employees

 

Every day, employees are swamped with numerous pieces of information, especially on a busy day at the office. It is impossible for them to consume so much content all at once. It can cause them to feel stressed, anxious, and frustrated which can reflect poorly on their performance. For this reason, managers should use various channels for various message types. In accordance with employees, they can decide which channel should be used for which type of information. If something demands their immediate attention, then the corporate app is the place to send it to. When internal communication is organized, employees won’t feel overwhelmed. They will receive the most important messages and act accordingly.

 

6. Encourage Employees to Post on Social Media

 

Social media has finally found its way into the workplace. Every company has profiles on the most popular social networks. Managers can encourage their employees to either take over them for a day or post photos from the offices followed by an appropriate hashtag. This is the ideal opportunity to let everyone interested in joining the organization see what is it like from the inside. Also, the brand will become more exposed and it will attract greater attention. All employees should be encouraged to participate in the activities, but only if they want to. Forcing them will only cause the opposite effect.

 

About the author

 

Sarah Jessica Smith is a young blogger from Sydney. She is in love with life and all the things that can make her daily routine easier. She loves to write about business, marketing, productivity and workspace décor.

Products

Various Applications of Blue Hydrogen for the Energy Industry

Hydrogen is the tenth most abundant element on the earth. In order for it to be used at scale, hydrogen has to be extracted from compounds. Blue hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels, typically natural gas. One of the mainstream methods used to extract blue hydrogen is known as Steam Methane Reforming (SMR). A considerable amount of carbon dioxide and methane is produced during the production of blue hydrogen. However, around 80% to 90% of the total emission is captured and stored. This process is known as Carbon Capture and Store (CSS). 

The potential for hydrogen to be used at a larger commercial scale is definitely promising and how it could positively impact the decarbonization of the energy sector is clear among industry operators, however, questions remain. Is it versatile enough to invest billions of dollars on? 

Various Applications of Blue Hydrogen 

Blue hydrogen is extremely versatile. It finds several applications across an array of energy-consuming industries. It is speculated that hydrogen fuel will eventually transform the energy industry, making it more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Considering that private companies are being incentivized to reduce greenhouse emissions, this makes it extremely important to take initiatives to start integrating hydrogen into mass-scale production. 

Along with various energy consulting firms in the UK and all around the world, key members of the energy sector are also taking keen interest and making great investments in hydrogen, especially blue hydrogen. 

  • Fuel Production 

Hydrogen is used in the production of fuel in many ways. Typically, it is used to process crude oil. As a result, refined fuels such as gasoline and diesel are produced. It is also employed in the fuel production process to get rid of various contaminants from crude oil or refined fuels. For example, hydrogen is used to remove sulphur from refined fuels, especially diesel. 

Over the years, the consumption of hydrogen in refineries has increased significantly. This is mainly due to the strict rules and regulations, such as the IMO 2020 sulfur regulation, regarding maintaining the quality of diesel by lowering the amount of sulphur in it.

  • Industrial Applications 

Hydrogen has an exhaustive list of industrial applications. It is extremely versatile, which is why it is used abundantly in not only the energy industry but also other core industries around the world. 

One major example is hydrogen’s application for energy production. Specifically, it can be injected into current grid pipelines so that it can be stored for later use. Examples include transport applications or power generation.

Some industrial applications of blue hydrogen outside of the energy industry include its use in the production of ammonia and flat glass. Blue hydrogen is used in metalworking, especially for metal alloying. It can also be used in the direct reduction of iron ore, which is an important process in steel manufacturing. It finds applications in the electronic industry as well.    

  • Energy Generation 

Blue hydrogen plays a vital role in generating electricity more efficiently. It can be used as an alternative to air-cooling methods for the cooling of power generators. However, the biggest contribution of blue hydrogen in regards to energy generation comes in the form of stationary fuel cells. 

Blue hydrogen can be used in stationary fuel cells. These cells are often employed as backup energy sources in buildings and there are major implications for long haul transport and commercial fleets that rely on fuel cells to operate. It is speculated that stationary fuel cells possess the potential to revolutionize the transport industry if they are used for other vehicular options like trains, cars, and buses. 

Blue Hydrogen or Green Hydrogen – Which is Better?

Many industry experts are still divided over the blue hydrogen-green hydrogen debate. 

We cannot ignore the economic benefits of blue hydrogen. While it is true that blue hydrogen is not as eco-friendly as green hydrogen, its current production costs are significantly low compared to green hydrogen. Plus, advancements and growing support for CCS is making blue hydrogen one of the most viable sustainable energy solutions at the moment. Across Europe, many hydrogen-CCS projects are going ahead.

There’s one more factor that must be considered when it comes to the significance of hydrogen for the energy industry – the storage of excess electricity or surplus energy. 

Storing Excess Energy

The energy industry is evolving and more sustainable, energy efficient solutions are being sought after. Unfortunately, certain technological advancements are required to ensure grid infrastructure is able to meet high demand and alleviate storage and demand imbalances.  As a result, many energy companies still favor the use of fossil fuels to produce energy. 

The good news is that hydrogen may be able to bridge this gap between energy production and consumption. There are electrolyzer technologies that are being used at scale today, which can draw hydrogen out of storage and place it into a fuel cell for subsequent electricity production or power-to-liquid schemes.

Author Bio

Pangea Strategic Intelligence’s on demand energy consulting platform facilitates engagements with market-embedded Experts so Clients make better business decisions, faster.

Development

Everything you need to know about Full-stack development

A site is created starting with it’s design and then working on the codes. The development is divided into three parts, FrontEnd Development, Backend Development, and Full Stack Development.

Here, Front End stands for the visible parts of a website or app while back end represents the hidden databases and infrastructure. Hence full stack development provided clients with a one-stop solution for creating websites and providing easier coordination and efficiency.

What is Full Stack Development?

Full-stack developers use languages like Ruby or PHP or Python, more than one usually if experienced and come with other skills like project management, visual design, web design, or user experience skills to complete the package and provide the best for any project. Appointing a full stack developer

  • Makes it easier as they can decide on whichever tool to use for development irrespective of the fact that it is front end or back end. 
  • Can always review the entire project unlike separate frontend and backend
  • Projects are more budget-friendly and cost-effective
  • Delivery of the project can be taken care of easily
  • Wapping up and troubleshooting ideas are more sophisticated

Why choose a Full-Stack Developer?

Looking at the industry and client demands, it is advised to contact a full stack development company rather than an advisor or two separate developers for back end and front end. Why so? take note of the points below:

  • Project will be handled with better expertise in the hands of someone who observes and control the project 100%
  • A full stack developer will be able to provide solutions to issues without depending on anyone else, and with lesser people to consult with, the solutions will be delivered faster
  • Someone who handles both the ends of the project will be having immense knowledge of the subject as opposed to someone with only knowledge of the infrastructure or the codes, thus being more versatile.
  • On interacting and explaining the designs and the idea in your mind, the full stack developers will be able to provide more practical solutions. 
  • Eliminating aspects that can affect the project will increase the chances of efficient project delivery by 50-70%.

Project progress based on full-stack development:

Hiring a full stack developer cuts out many steps and processes, including working personnel which would have been involved otherwise. The working of a full stack developer can be described in a few factors like:

1.    Front end development ( Using CSS, SPA, and JS)

2.    Back end development ( Using Python, NODE JS, PHP, GO)

3.    Databases ( Using MYSQL, SQLITE, Postgres, MongoDB)

4.    Developer Operations( Using CI, CD, AWS)

5.    Mobile app development (Using Hybrid Apps, IOS, Android)

DevelopmentInsightsProducts

How Can a Medical Device Company Stay Competitive in The Medical Device Market

There is currently a period of steady growth in the global medical device industry. Competition-driven innovations have enabled small companies to enter the market and compete with established companies. Competitive analysis consulting firms also play an important role in the success of a medical device innovator. Competitive market analysis delivers an understanding of both the direct and indirect competitive landscape. Using medical device competitive analysis consulting experts, a medical device developer can identify the target market’s unmet needs, underserved market segments and clinical expectations competitors are unable to meet. This supports decision making that attracts the allocation of available resources and can drive accelerated adoption. Competitive analysis consulting experts assess the target market space, strategic product positioning and potential existing technology’s product line extension. Product positioning analysis may include: 

  • Competitive landscape 
  • Competitive pricing 
  • Product positioning analysis     
  • Competitor corporate deep dive 
  • Competitive product and company documentation 

A medical technology that enters the target market and delivers accurate and efficient clinical results at a reduced cost can earn a significant market share. Hospital value analysis committees focus on the value a device delivers in terms of healthcare outcomes, cost and safety.

Medical device companies are now able to achieve the highest possible return on investment with early and extensive exit planning. Medical device consulting firms can identify potential mergers and acquisition targets. They can also identify potential companies for strategic alliances. This allows an innovator a range of desirable exit strategies.

With the full suite of strategic consulting services by medical device consulting companies, a medical device developer can address hurdles presented by reimbursement constraints and compliance-related restrictions. This allows the company to divert its resources to an innovation that has the potential to secure accelerated adoption and the highest return on investment. With strategically informed internal and external decision making, this affords a range of medical innovation to remain competitive.

Harmonize Operations 

A medical company that effectively achieves operational harmony will have the highest probability to achieve successful commercialization. Harmonizing operations can leverage real-time information across the company. This information typically includes end-user procedural preferences, post-market clinical data including cost-effective clinical outcomes data along with research and development effectiveness. This information guides device development.

The medical device company must ensure seamless data sharing across different departments. For this, the company requires the right infrastructure to transfer data. The company also requires high-quality analytics to utilize available data. Medical device consulting firms have the required communication tools and resources to gather, verify and analyze data to develop an improved and cost-effective technology.

Leverage New Markets 

A company can identify a new market or a segment of the market for its existing medical device. Identifying expanded markets can offer longer and sustained competitive advantage. However, the company is recommended to work with a competitive analysis consulting expert to analyze the level of current and future competition in the new market. A company can identify new markets with medical device market analysis by a medical device consulting firm.

SEO

This Is How SEO Reviews Will Benefit Your Business!

Those who are in the field of business, promotions, and marketing know the importance of SEO for their business. And, they also know how much SEO reviews can affect their business in a good and a bad way. Every business that wishes to go digital, SEO plays an important role. Seo ranking today gives utmost importance to consumers’ user experience and what they have to say about the brand.

It is because of the practice of SEO that the website of the businesses gets maximum and good quality, i.e., organic traffic that will eventually turn into their profits. With the right strategies of SEO, increases the user experience, conversion rate increases, money is saved, the brand becomes credible, and brand awareness improves along with various other benefits. SEO review not only creates a great online reputation but also impacts search engine ranking.

And, as we are talking about SEO, professionals in business need to know that SEO reviews are also important for their business. Where good reviews can do wonders for them, some bad reviews can affect their reputation in the market. Also, both types of reviews can help them in creating the best SEO strategies. 
Most consumers today want to read online reviews before spending their hard-earned money to know about the experience of other consumers, also about product efficiency.

Ways Reviews Can Benefit SEO

1. As you are going through the reviews given by the customers, you should not just see them as good reviews or bad reviews, but you should see them as content for your growth. Read them carefully and you will come across different useful keywords that can help your business and the content on your website. They can have the keywords related to the services you are providing, so see them as content apart from seeing them as feedback. Moreover, it also helps in SEO for local ranking. Customer reviews may contain concerns of customers how effectively and quickly brand deal with them creates a positive impression among consumers.

2. As we carry forward to talk about the SEO reviews, you should know that positive reviews are very important for your business if you want to see your brand grow. It is because of the good reviews that you will eventually start appearing at the top search results on the internet. Google always values the brands with good services and reward them by offering enough exposure to a higher conversion rate.
Businesses who have a customer-centric approach can only survive in the competitive global business environment.

3. If you are concerned about SEO reviews, another thing you can do is to quickly respond to the feedback. Google reviews values those brands who value their customers. Responding to the reviews means that you care about your customer and you are trying your best to offer them the best services. And you know that a good brand is always rewarded by Google.

4. To talk about the reviews, we all know that the more there will be genuine reviews, the lesser will be the bounce rate. Customers prefer to go through the reviews of the products and then decide to make the purchase. If the reviews are good, the bounce rate will be low and there will be chances of higher Google rankings. And if the reviews are not good enough, the situation will reverse. 

5. Reviews can help you to know the products or services people like more and more. Then, you can use these reviews to promote those services or products on social platforms and use them for interactions and conversion rates. Your strong presence on social platforms is also important for the best SEO results. SEO reviews can also help businesses to improve the quality of their product and services, which can be optimized to meet the customers’ requirements. 

These are just a few benefits of Supple reviews. Once you will start taking the reviews seriously for the formation of your SEO strategies, you will come to know about more advantages as well. But for now, you need to keep these benefits in mind and grow your business by involving them in your strategies. It is assured that SEO reviews will offer you the desired results and you will be able to earn profits with the quality traffic that you have always desired. When it comes to feedback just be as genuine as possible and you will be rewarded with positive results. 

Development

How to Setup a VoIP Server at Home & in Your Office

Photo by UX Store on Unsplash

Novel tech-driven solutions pop up around every corner, and most companies dread the notion of implementing yet another intricate system into their operations. It takes time to not only set up the system in place, but also to train and educate your employees on how to best use them, and it requires a substantial investment to make sure that you’ve purchased the best possible option for your business. Faulty equipment, subpar software performance, and lack of intuitive features makes it a tough choice for companies today to weed out the fad trends from actual innovation.

As far as boosting communication goes, your business cannot do better than VoIP. The abbreviation stands for voice over internet protocol, and it’s a true godsend for businesses to interact in smarter, simpler ways with their customers and employees alike. The fear of setting up the system, however, might deter them from making the switch. Here’s a simple guide to walk you through the process, so that you can focus on transforming your communication systems with this impeccable tech!

Choose the right equipment

First of all, check if your current internet package allows you enough bandwidth, speed, and security to expand your communications to include VoIP without losing quality. Now that you’ve made sure that the key vessel for your new VoIP platform is all set, the main portion of setting up the system will boil down to the right hardware. You’ll need adapters for your phones both at the office and at home so that your employees can use their own devices instead of your traditional landlines to make and receive phone calls.

Photo by Lucian Alexe on Unsplash

Every package requires a router for the office, so make sure that you select a high-quality router to increase security, speed, and of course, a stable connection. At the office, you might need a few more pieces of equipment, such as a computer to serve as a PBX server – or a private branch exchange server, to make sure your employees can make internal calls over the same system. You can also invest in VoIP compatible devices such as phones, but that’s entirely up to you.


Find the most feature-rich VoIP service

The technology in question is far from new, so there are all kinds of valid options out there, but you need to find the perfect match for your business. That will mostly depend on the variety of features providers offer within their package. If you take a look at the comprehensive Nextiva VoIP service, you’ll notice that phone calls are only one part of the package. 

You can also use other handy features such as call recording, sending a voicemail to email, texting, and setting up conference calls for your team. Check your budget, your number of users, and then find a plan that comes with the features that will be useful for your company.

Select your optimal number of users

Companies, or at least most of them, know that VoIP is used for phone calls and thus ideal for customer support departments. However, VoIP also works in favor of your entire organization, since it lets you communicate internally, as well, set up more productive meetings with your team via video conferencing, and the like. 

Depending on the purpose of your chosen VoIP system, you’ll need to be careful when selecting your plan. Why? Because each provider will charge differently, and various plans come with different features. So, count your number of users, go through the plans on offer, and then make sure that your teams are well-equipped to make the most of your new communication platform. 

Test your system and train your team

Photo by Dylan Gillis on Unsplash

Following guidelines and respecting the designated directions is all fine and dandy, but we all know that technology can come with its own quirks. That said, before you launch your VoIP system into full speed ahead, you should conduct various test calls to check the call quality, to see if the adapters are working properly, and to make sure that every single user knows how to utilize the equipment.

Furthermore, a test for any delays in the calls you make or receive. This can be due to poor internet connection, which is why double-checking your network strength is essential for your VoIP to work. Finally, check that your firewall settings aren’t preventing your calls to go through, so you should ensure that your security systems are in line with your needs.

See Also: 10 Best Call Tracking Software Tools

Of course, you’ll find that each VoIP system has its own unique process of setting up that’s outlined in their own guidelines. That said, the core of the system is quite simple and straightforward, and takes very little getting used to on your end. Make sure that you’ve selected a trusted provider, invested in the right hardware, and your office as well as your home will soon be ready to take on calls from your customers with ease.

DevelopmentInsights

How to Measure the Effectiveness of your Intranet Collaboration Solution

Modern intranets have completely replaced the dead, traditional intranets. Modern intranet solutions are more than a powerful collaboration solution. Implementing an intranet solution allows your employees to access valuable content anytime and from anywhere. It is a reliable tool that your employees can use to share knowledge and collaborate.

An intranet collaboration solution is a much-needed tool for an organization having a dispersed workforce. According to an estimation, one-third of the workforce of an organization will be mobile workforce in the next ten years. 70% of business professionals do their jobs remotely at least once a week. With this shift towards mobile and remote workforce, organizations require a digital workplace solution, a solution that is efficient, fast, secure, and provides all the required features and functionalities. 

It often takes too long to find and share documents. Modern intranet collaboration solutions offer document management and other features to solve the problems with traditional intranet solutions. Traditional intranet does not offer the functionalities and features required in modern organizations.

When you are using a modern collaboration solution, you want to make sure that it meets your expectations. For this, you need to measure its effectiveness.  

You need a plan to address your business needs with an intranet solution. As your intranet requirements change, you may need to make some changes in your collaboration solution as well. You also need to make sure that you measure the right things. 

The following are the metrics you can use to measure the effectiveness of your intranet collaboration solution.

  • Usage and engagement
  • Employee satisfaction
  • Productivity

Usage and Engagement

It is important to see that employees use the intranet and understand its value. Measure their awareness of the intranet. See how often they access and use the collaboration solution each month. You can measure the usage and engagement of digital workplace solutions such as your integrated social channel, a newsroom, or an onboarding center. These are the solutions employees commonly use to connect and share information.

Engagement is more important than usage. You can determine the level of interaction to measure employee engagement. If they are accessing content, it doesn’t mean that they are engaging. Are they sharing content? Are they commenting? Make sure that they are participating in conversations.

Employee Satisfaction

The right collaboration solution can play an important role in improving overall employee satisfaction. The number of quality tools and development opportunities available at work influences employee engagement. When it comes to workplace satisfaction, most employees rank technology above office space, heating, and other physical aspects of the workplace.

There are different ways you can measure employee satisfaction such as user ratings, internal surveys, and polls, and the most important, changes in retention rate. 

To determine the shortcomings or limitations of your intranet collaboration solution, you can ask pointed questions about communication and collaboration. Now you need to make changes in your intranet collaboration solution to keep it relevant.

Productivity

Communication and collaboration are important but composing, sending and receiving emails reduce employee productivity. Although it is not easy to measure productivity, if your employees have been using an intranet collaboration solution for several months, you can determine the level of impact by comparing productivity metrics before and after the implementation of the intranet collaboration solution. 

A next-gen intranet collaboration solution can make you a forward-thinking organization. You can use an intranet collaboration solution as a powerful tool to address specific business challenges.

An effective intranet software connects local and remote employees and allows them to create, share and respond to content.

However, your intranet must evolve with your business. For this, you must measure the effectiveness of your intranet collaboration solution.

DevelopmentInsights

Culture Shock: Improving Company Culture Through Technology

Corporate culture matters. Shared values and beliefs backed by strong business strategy help staff feel valued and connected, boosting engagement and productivity. Implemented effectively, cultural conventions can ensure employees are certain in their response to any given situation and are confident they’ll be rewarded for demonstrating key organizational values

However, there’s a challenge. Small business owners and entrepreneurs must keep in mind, legacy solutions and software deliver digital disconnects, in turn forging fragmented cultural frameworks that frustrate staff and C-suites alike. Improving corporate culture demands a kind of system shock — an effective implementation of new technology services that cultivate communication, collaboration, and connection at scale.

Shock Value

Culture is often viewed as an organizational opportunity — the chance for small businesses to act in concert based on shared understanding — but also offers practical potential.

Consider teamwork and morale. When employees trust one another, their earnest efforts will be met with appreciation from upper management. They’re more efficient and effective. Projects are completed more quickly and with fewer interpersonal issues, and personnel is more likely to stay engaged. 

This cultural creation is often undercut by cumbersome legacy technologies. From proprietary tools that limit connectivity to outdated solutions that complicate communication, tech-savvy staff members need ways to interact and innovate on demand.

Here, strategy is key. Simply tossing technology at the problem can have the opposite effect intended if workers are suddenly faced with fragmented functions and digital distractions. For culture shock to be positive, permanent, and productive, it’s critical for companies to adopt a two-factor approach that articulates key values and delivers actionable results.

Talk the Talk

To build corporate culture that lasts, businesses must streamline staff communication. This starts with multiplatform collaboration tools that make it easy for employees to connect and create wherever, whenever, and however, they want. By removing common collaboration barriers, it’s possible to facilitate effective interactions and reduce potential frictions, in turn improving project outcomes. Over time, this boosts morale and motivation — employees are confident they easily tackle big projects and that their contributions will be recognized.

Walk the Walk

Talk isn’t cheap — the right collaboration and communication tools demand strategic investment to drive ROI — and it’s not enough in isolation.

For effective cultural transitions, corporate leaders must walk the walk. This starts with transparency: Delivering consistent messaging about what’s expected, what’s appreciated, and what’s next on the cultural horizon. Automated messaging tools help shorten the distance between intention and action by allowing C-suite members to quickly draft and distribute companywide corporate mandates.

There’s also a need for operational insight that doesn’t come from inside the organization. From security assessments to software adoptions and service analytics, third-party expertise can help identify potential issues, suggest specific solutions, and show staff you’re committed to completed cultural transformation.

Cultural Relevance

Corporate culture matters — great culture cultivates trust, enhances communication, and improves staff commitment. Yet existing technology processes often frustrate the development of effective office culture, forcing staff to fight complexity rather than facilitating operations.

System shock can help short-circuit company culture challenges by empowering employee collaboration, facilitating C-suite connections, and delivering transformative strategy solutions. Be sure to review the accompanying infographic for more ways of strengthening company culture via technology.

Sources

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/understandinganddevelopingorganizationalculture.aspx

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2018/05/23/digital-disappointment-your-employees-top-five-it-frustrations/#e9c412d60d62


Courtesy Of Halock Security Labs
DevelopmentInsightsProductsSaaS

What You Need For Your Next Online Business Meeting

With more of the world working from home than ever before, chances are you will attend or run an online business meeting. And since the majority of businesses usually use face to face meetings, it takes an adjustment to run a meeting online while remaining effective. 

That is why it’s essential to learn what you need for your next online business meeting because virtual meetings require equipment and software you might not currently have. So, in case you have to run your business in the virtual world, even if it’s temporary, follow this guide to set up your tech.

Meeting Software

The central part of any online business meeting is your meeting software, and there are several programs to choose from. Zoom is a popular software choice for businesses to meet with their staff because it’s free and easy to use. That said, Zoom isn’t the only meeting software you can choose for your business meetings.

Here are some other software choices you could download and use:

  • Cisco Webex Meetings
  • Join.me
  • GoToMeeting
  • BlueJeans
  • UberConference
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Google Meet

Be sure the software you pick has the capabilities you need, like screen sharing, whiteboarding, or dedicated sub-rooms for breakout sessions. Each conference software has different amenities, so choose one that works for you and your business.

Also, be sure that your team can easily download the software because each participant will need the software to join your meeting.

Proper Lighting

Using your computer’s camera or your front-facing phone camera is probably your best choice if you don’t want to invest in a third-party camera.

The problem is, you still have to worry about proper lighting because if your lighting is in the wrong place, your staff will have a hard time concentrating on your words. So, you want to gather three LED daylight bulbs and place one directly in front of you, one at 45 degrees to your right, and one 45 degrees to your left.

Be sure these lights are slightly above you, so the lighting isn’t too harsh, and they will give you sufficient lighting for your meeting without distracting shadows.

Up to Date Microphone

More important than lighting is your staff’s ability to hear what you’re saying, and for that, you need a proper microphone. You might have a sufficient microphone inside your computer already, and the best way to tell if your audience can hear you is to test it before your meeting.

If you don’t like the sound coming through your microphone, you want to invest in a standalone microphone. These products have noise-canceling features that block out surrounding sounds so that your staff can hear you better. 

For example, noise-canceling features could block out a residential air conditioning repair Santa Rosa residents might need during a business meeting to stay cool. In fact, that feature would be helpful in any house across the world because sometimes there are loud noises during your meeting and you don’t want the disruption.

The Blue Yeti microphone is a popular model for podcasters and would work perfectly for any online business meeting you conduct.

Bring Your Teams Together

Businesses need to adjust to current times and that means conducting business meetings online. The truth is, it doesn’t take a whole lot of preparation to have business meetings with your staff because you already have most of the equipment you need. 

When you don’t or if it’s not good enough, ordering tech gadgets to enhance your current equipment is a smart investment in your business. Doing so will allow you to conduct business anywhere and in any climate so you can carry on regardless of the state of the world.