Businesses are increasingly focusing on how to optimize their supply chain operations such as transportation and delivery logistics and one way they can achieve this goal is to use transportation management systems. They are compelled to adapt to changing supply chain business environments including choosing a transportation management system that promotes efficiencies. There are many challenges facing large and medium transport organizations and they range from escalating costs due to increased fuel prices to proliferation of many ineffective and incompatible transport management systems- TMS tools in the market.
In order for logistic organizations and departments to improve their efficiencies, reduce costs and overheads as well as grow profits, while at the same time meeting customer satisfaction, they need to integrate the best TMS tools. When choosing a transportation management system, there are numerous factors, which should critically be considered;
1. The TMS technology solutions
Before you embark on any transport management system in your company, you need to analyze what benefits it offers. It is essential that you have a chronology and prioritization of the challenges your company is facing. Logistics organizations and departments want to achieve efficiencies in transport, reduce costs of transportation, optimize on distance and mileage coverage, initiate proper route planning and scheduling, avoid delays in delivery and promote customer satisfaction.
You need to evaluate how the management systems application is able to solve key problematic aspects in your transportation services. In cost management, when choosing a transportation management system, it is important to ensure that it addresses the aspect of load distribution and cost allocation in movement of goods.
The reason is that cost management in logistic companies is a major drawback. These companies are facing difficulties in cost allocation and dispatch scheduling. With fuel price margins not expected to go down, businesses need to streamline their costs of operations in supply chain to ensure high efficiencies in fuel consumption.
2. Upgrading needs of the system
It is important to point out that software application systems are dynamic and changing. This means that you may obtain a transportation management system today and after a few months or years, it is rendered obsolete. When choosing a transportation management system, you should examine the possibilities of upgrading its features to keep pace with new developments.
There are enterprise and network-based TMS solutions. The enterprise based models are highly customizable and require internal infrastructure and this means that if there are upgrades to be done, you have to meet cost of the upgrading the infrastructure too.
3. Data collection, evaluation and reporting
One of the main aims of using transport management systems is to be able to gather essential data that can be used in making decisions. When you are choosing a transportation management system, you need to ensure that it provides key metric data that can easily be interpreted for wise decision making. If the system is able to provide real time information, it means that companies can change their strategies to align with the prevailing transportation challenges and needs.
4. Compatibility/integration of existing management systems
One key aspect logistic companies should evaluate when choosing a transportation management system is its compatibility with the existing enterprise resource planning -ERP. If your TMS easily integrates with other software applications such as warehouse, accounting, purchase and HR resource management system, this means that information is easily shared among all the departments in a company.
With a TMS that fits in the Enterprise Resource Planning Tools, it means that logistic managers can share important information in real time with financial managers, purchasing managers and Human resource managers. This helps in the decision making process. If you are acquiring the best-of-breed TMS tool, you need to ensure that it can be incorporated in the already existing system.
5. User experience and navigation of the software interface
Whether you are using a third party logistics (3PL) tool or an in-house transport management tool, it is important to ensure that it can be accessed easily. The navigation and user interface should be self-guiding and easily maneuvered by users. If you have a complex system, this means that it takes a lot of time for the workers to derive the data they want.
If a staff is drilling down a report to find crucial data, it should easily be found within a click of a few buttons. This is essential because, at times employees accessing the data will need to provide instant feedback to questions raised by vendors and customers about their shipments or transportation orders. This will ensure that customer satisfaction is achieved. What this means is that if the system cannot easily be accessed with straightforward leading interfaces, then it can be complex for it to achieve its intended goal.
6. Sustainability of the TMS
The sustainability of a TMS tool can be analyzed in different perspectives whether in inbound transport, outbound goods movement or fleet management operations. If you are choosing a transportation management system, it should amicably address the aspect of sustainable growth in its application. The system should be able to reduce carbon footprints and environmental degradation, which have a cost implication on the company. It should also be able to provide in-depth analysis through key performance indicators (KPIs) of the aspects such as engine inefficiencies and amount of emission of carbon monoxide.
The system should have a trace back capability in monitoring green logistic infrastructure. It should be able to capture and report shipment information and history. There is need to get prove of the TMS’ reliability and scalability not to acquire a tool that will not be able to perform a few years down the line. This is a mission-critical application that should support current infrastructure and any future expansion and growth of the company.
7. Financial feasibility
Although you may acquire a TMS tool for your business at relatively low cost, if you are not careful, this could be trap that can easily lead your business into financial pitfalls. When you are choosing a transportation management system, you need to leverage current and future cost implications, which range from training of employees to execute the system, upgrading to new versions as well as offering network security measures to avert risks of hacking and theft of essential company information. Most in-house TMS tools can attract additional costs in the future.
This is one main reason why companies are outsourcing for the transportation management system so that they are able to concentrate on the application part. The infrastructure and maintenance tasks are left with the systems vendor, and the logistics companies can concentrate on key aspects of data analysis and implementation of key strategies.
According to a 2012 Supply Chain Software User Survey conducted by Logistics Management (LM), a supply chain news and resource information analyst, it shows that 37% of companies are using TMS. This is an increase from 32% in 2011. The report cites that the use of TMS is slowly-and-steadily gaining a positive growth path. However, companies are facing challenges on how to go about in choosing a transportation management system that fits to their business goals and objectives. In essence, despite the slow adoption of the TMS by logistic companies and departments, this transportation systems management tool has a proven track record of enabling companies adopt efficient and cost effective freight movement only if the right software tool is obtained.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Prepaid Credit Cards...a Killer to those Wishing To Repair Damaged Credit Score
When prepaid credit cards first hit the market, they were they were pitched as good options for those who could not qualify for credit cards. However, these prepaid credit cards are actually debit cards because they do not carry credit limit. You can only use what is loaded on the debit card and no more and therefore it does not provide credit facilities like you would find with credit cards. If you have less-than-stellar credit, it means that the first priority is building the score. This cannot be achieved with prepaid debit cards because they do not offer credit and no payments are reported to credit reporting agencies.
If your credit is bad, you should work on bringing it to better levels so that you have access to regular credit cards, low interest personal loans and other credit facilities. A secured credit card can help you raise your score and the good thing with this card is that it is accessible to anyone with good or bad credit. What you need to do is look for some money to put as deposit against the card. That deposit acts as the collateral or security against the credit on that card.
Secured credit cards attract low interest rates and can help you push up your score to a better higher point. The deposit you place against the secured card is not used and only remains on the account until you close your account. The reason why prepaid cards are killer to those focussing on bringing up their credit score is because they cost the card holder a lot of money in terms of fees. If you check the monthly fees charged by prepaid cards, they are far way above the fees for bad credit secured credit cards even those, which attract annual fees.
For example, if you acquire American express prepaid card, and you reload the card and use it in the ATM two times each month, you are likely to pay a cost of about $11.90 per month. This comes from the card loading fee of $9.90 and the ATM fees of $2. An ideal secured card can cost you about $4 to $6.5 per month. This means that at the end of the year, you can save a lot of money with secured credit cards.
A prepaid debit card only adds more burden to your spending because of the fees. Although consumers say that they do not worry about the fees, this cannot be overlooked because it contributes to the state of indebtedness. The prepaid card does not allow you to enjoy credit facilities. It cannot help you rebuild your bad score and it will cost you more in monthly fees.
Perhaps a prepaid card is not designed for people who are truly working hard to have their score push upwards. Prepaid debit cards are known to help those with lose money-spending morals and who cannot hold money in their accounts. You can use these cards to put a gauge on your spending patterns and habits. You only load what you want to spend in specific time and after spending what is on the card, no credit. You must reload your prepaid debit card again.
If your credit is bad, you should work on bringing it to better levels so that you have access to regular credit cards, low interest personal loans and other credit facilities. A secured credit card can help you raise your score and the good thing with this card is that it is accessible to anyone with good or bad credit. What you need to do is look for some money to put as deposit against the card. That deposit acts as the collateral or security against the credit on that card.
Secured credit cards attract low interest rates and can help you push up your score to a better higher point. The deposit you place against the secured card is not used and only remains on the account until you close your account. The reason why prepaid cards are killer to those focussing on bringing up their credit score is because they cost the card holder a lot of money in terms of fees. If you check the monthly fees charged by prepaid cards, they are far way above the fees for bad credit secured credit cards even those, which attract annual fees.
For example, if you acquire American express prepaid card, and you reload the card and use it in the ATM two times each month, you are likely to pay a cost of about $11.90 per month. This comes from the card loading fee of $9.90 and the ATM fees of $2. An ideal secured card can cost you about $4 to $6.5 per month. This means that at the end of the year, you can save a lot of money with secured credit cards.
A prepaid debit card only adds more burden to your spending because of the fees. Although consumers say that they do not worry about the fees, this cannot be overlooked because it contributes to the state of indebtedness. The prepaid card does not allow you to enjoy credit facilities. It cannot help you rebuild your bad score and it will cost you more in monthly fees.
Perhaps a prepaid card is not designed for people who are truly working hard to have their score push upwards. Prepaid debit cards are known to help those with lose money-spending morals and who cannot hold money in their accounts. You can use these cards to put a gauge on your spending patterns and habits. You only load what you want to spend in specific time and after spending what is on the card, no credit. You must reload your prepaid debit card again.
Prepaid Debit Cards... Some 4 Viable Alternatives to Prepaid Debit Cards
Prepaid debit cards can enable you manage your spending patterns so that you do not overspend your money. These cards also enable you alleviate some of the troubles that come with credit cards such as late or missed payments as well as over-the-limit penalties. However, prepaid cards come with fees such as ATM withdrawal fee, annual fees, monthly fees, transfer fees, loading fees and other types of charges. It has been argued that prepaid cards are costly than some checking accounts. They are also costly than secured credit cards but despite these aspects, people are preferring use of prepaid cards.
Prepaid credit cards do not help in rebuilding credit score because they do not offer loans or credit limits. Therefore, card issuers or banks do not report the card usage in credit reporting companies like Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. Below are 3 alternatives to prepaid debit cards;
1. Secured credit cards
Although there are many alternative to prepaid debit cards, the right choice is determined by the reason why you are looking for a prepaid debit card in the first place. If you are seeking for a card to use when you are in bad credit, then a secured credit may be the right choice. Prepaid debit card cannot help you repair your damaged score and therefore if you have a less-than-stellar credit score, then you would better seek for secured credit card.
It only requires you to seek for a few hundreds of dollars to put as deposit against the secured card. A secured card cannot cost you more than a prepaid debit card if you make balance payment in time. The secured credit card will help you build your score and eventually qualify for a regular credit card.
If you are seeking for an alternative for a prepaid debit card, you may consider secured credit cards from Capital One and Citibank. These are primed institutions that offer secured cards with low fees and also an option to be able to trade up or increase the credit limit after 12-18 months if you demonstrate that you can really use the card wisely and competently without late payments and over-the-limit use.
2. Unsecured credit cards
Besides the secured credit cards, there are also unsecured cards and these are designed for those people who cannot afford to pay the little deposit to secure a secured credit card. However, an unsecured credit card opens doors for fees levied by banks and card issuers and therefore, they may not be a perfect alternative to prepaid debit cards. Some banks are helping people with stinky or bad credit by offering them credit cards with low limits so that they develop their scores.
3. Rewards checking accounts
If you want to control and manage your spending, instead of going for a prepaid debit card, you can opt for rewards checking account. With this checking account, you cannot overdraw and this means that you do not incur the over-the-limit fees charged on credit cards. With this account, you can transfer money between your checking account and saving account. A rewards checking account can also earn you interest. It is important to check a reward checking account that offers low minimum balance. Instead of losing money through prepaid debit cards fees, you can earn as much as 4% with high-yield checking accounts.
4. Cashback debit cards
Moreover, you may choose a cashback debit card. Rather than going for prepaid debit card, you may choose a cashback debit card which works comparatively the same as prepaid debit card but you can get refunds or cashbacks on your purchases. This means that you save about 1 to2 percent on your purchases. This can help meet some of the fees that come with these debit cards.
Prepaid credit cards do not help in rebuilding credit score because they do not offer loans or credit limits. Therefore, card issuers or banks do not report the card usage in credit reporting companies like Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. Below are 3 alternatives to prepaid debit cards;
1. Secured credit cards
Although there are many alternative to prepaid debit cards, the right choice is determined by the reason why you are looking for a prepaid debit card in the first place. If you are seeking for a card to use when you are in bad credit, then a secured credit may be the right choice. Prepaid debit card cannot help you repair your damaged score and therefore if you have a less-than-stellar credit score, then you would better seek for secured credit card.
It only requires you to seek for a few hundreds of dollars to put as deposit against the secured card. A secured card cannot cost you more than a prepaid debit card if you make balance payment in time. The secured credit card will help you build your score and eventually qualify for a regular credit card.
If you are seeking for an alternative for a prepaid debit card, you may consider secured credit cards from Capital One and Citibank. These are primed institutions that offer secured cards with low fees and also an option to be able to trade up or increase the credit limit after 12-18 months if you demonstrate that you can really use the card wisely and competently without late payments and over-the-limit use.
2. Unsecured credit cards
Besides the secured credit cards, there are also unsecured cards and these are designed for those people who cannot afford to pay the little deposit to secure a secured credit card. However, an unsecured credit card opens doors for fees levied by banks and card issuers and therefore, they may not be a perfect alternative to prepaid debit cards. Some banks are helping people with stinky or bad credit by offering them credit cards with low limits so that they develop their scores.
3. Rewards checking accounts
If you want to control and manage your spending, instead of going for a prepaid debit card, you can opt for rewards checking account. With this checking account, you cannot overdraw and this means that you do not incur the over-the-limit fees charged on credit cards. With this account, you can transfer money between your checking account and saving account. A rewards checking account can also earn you interest. It is important to check a reward checking account that offers low minimum balance. Instead of losing money through prepaid debit cards fees, you can earn as much as 4% with high-yield checking accounts.
4. Cashback debit cards
Moreover, you may choose a cashback debit card. Rather than going for prepaid debit card, you may choose a cashback debit card which works comparatively the same as prepaid debit card but you can get refunds or cashbacks on your purchases. This means that you save about 1 to2 percent on your purchases. This can help meet some of the fees that come with these debit cards.
Prepaid Debit Cards Cannot Help Rebuild Your Credit score...What Reasons are People using Prepaid Debit Card?
The need for prepaid debit cards has moved from a fringe need to a mainstream. Many consumers are finding it within their comfort and fulfilling to use prepaid cards despite the fees these cards carry. Although there are better options such as secured credit cards and low fees checking accounts, consumers never seem to go for those options. So what are the reasons why consumers are opting for prepaid debit cards yet they cannot help in improving credit score?
The answer to this question depends on preferences, consumer education, and the circumstances in which the cards are being used. Initially, prepaid debit cards were seen as good alternatives for people with bad credit who cannot get credit cards. However, this is not the case today, because there are bad credit credit cards and also secured cards that even people with bad credit can get.
Prepaid cards tend to eliminate the bottlenecks that come with credit cards such as late payment fees, and overdrawing fees on credit card balance. When you make late payment as it may happen with or without your consent, this can put you into a fine of increased interest rate of up to 15 percent in just one missed payment. Although the first and second missed payment may not attract an increase in APR, if it becomes a habit, then you will bear that cost.
Similarly, if you are tempted to use more than the credit limit, you are also subjected to hefty fines because of over-the-limit use of the credit card. These are some of the fees that you can do away with when you use prepaid cards but then again, these prepaid debit cards have their own fees. They charge ATM withdrawal fees, annual fees, monthly fees and other types of fees.
If you are not in bad credit and you do not intend to use a credit card to improve your score, then you may opt for the debit cards. They can help you manage your spending. A study released by Pew Health Group discovered that consumers are not even wild about the prepaid debit card fees and they say they are better than checking account fees.
Some consumers even cited that they do prefer prepaid debit cards because they simply do not like banks. They argued that banks only lure you to have a sense of comfort while on the backside side they are slowly ripping from your account through fees and other charges. When the pre paid debit cards first entered the market, they were being marketed as alternatives for people who could not qualify for a credit card. Those days are gone when consumer ailing in bad credit could not get credit cards.
The prepaid cards only offered the consumer a way of using a card like debit card without a credit limit. These cards were and even today are not solving the problem of consumers with bad debt. A prepaid debit is not a good substitute for helping in building credit score. If you have a bad and stinky credit, then be wise and save a few hundred of dollars and use that amount to acquire secured credit cards. Using a credit card can be a good way of building your credit score. You save a few bucks to enable you place a deposit against a secured credit card and be able to get a card that helps in repairing your credit history.
The answer to this question depends on preferences, consumer education, and the circumstances in which the cards are being used. Initially, prepaid debit cards were seen as good alternatives for people with bad credit who cannot get credit cards. However, this is not the case today, because there are bad credit credit cards and also secured cards that even people with bad credit can get.
Prepaid cards tend to eliminate the bottlenecks that come with credit cards such as late payment fees, and overdrawing fees on credit card balance. When you make late payment as it may happen with or without your consent, this can put you into a fine of increased interest rate of up to 15 percent in just one missed payment. Although the first and second missed payment may not attract an increase in APR, if it becomes a habit, then you will bear that cost.
Similarly, if you are tempted to use more than the credit limit, you are also subjected to hefty fines because of over-the-limit use of the credit card. These are some of the fees that you can do away with when you use prepaid cards but then again, these prepaid debit cards have their own fees. They charge ATM withdrawal fees, annual fees, monthly fees and other types of fees.
If you are not in bad credit and you do not intend to use a credit card to improve your score, then you may opt for the debit cards. They can help you manage your spending. A study released by Pew Health Group discovered that consumers are not even wild about the prepaid debit card fees and they say they are better than checking account fees.
Some consumers even cited that they do prefer prepaid debit cards because they simply do not like banks. They argued that banks only lure you to have a sense of comfort while on the backside side they are slowly ripping from your account through fees and other charges. When the pre paid debit cards first entered the market, they were being marketed as alternatives for people who could not qualify for a credit card. Those days are gone when consumer ailing in bad credit could not get credit cards.
The prepaid cards only offered the consumer a way of using a card like debit card without a credit limit. These cards were and even today are not solving the problem of consumers with bad debt. A prepaid debit is not a good substitute for helping in building credit score. If you have a bad and stinky credit, then be wise and save a few hundred of dollars and use that amount to acquire secured credit cards. Using a credit card can be a good way of building your credit score. You save a few bucks to enable you place a deposit against a secured credit card and be able to get a card that helps in repairing your credit history.
Choosing Reward Credit Cards … What Exactly Are The Things To Look For?
You will most likely notice that rewards on credit cards come in two versions. There are those that attract no annual fees and others that impose annual fees but offer higher rewards. In addition, if your credit card carries a balance, it is essential that you do your mathematics properly to determine whether you will save when you transfer it. Balance transfer cards come in different forms. There are those that offer 0% intro rate in their first months mostly about 18 months but the interest rates hike to higher levels than those balance transfer cards, which attract some interest rates during the first months.
If you are able to repay your balance within a short time, you may need balance transfer cards that attracts some intro rates but does not hike the rates to very high levels after the introductory period. However, if you cannot repay the balance in a shorter period, you may go for the 0% intro rate cards.
Today, mass market airline frequent flyer reward cards are offering good deals such as free check in baggage and travel insurance and these are deals which previous used to come with only the high-free premium cards. Although 0% balance transfer cards could seem enticing for people with big balances they have to pay off, on the other hand, low-rate cards might do better in the deals in the long run.
Maximizing rewards on credit cards can be a complex thing for card owners. Although cash back reward may be straight forward, others may be difficult. For example, if you are spending in categories like gas, you may earn the set maximum reward up to a particular amount but after that, the percentage rewards go down. This means that you will only enjoy the maximum rewards in a certain period and after spending certain minimum amount, which you may not be able to achieve sporadically.
Planning the spending patterns on your credit card benefits in order to optimize on rewards can be difficult and could plunge you into impulse purchase, which does more damage on your finances. You should not be ruined or tempted to spend more that you have planned simply to get the rewards. This can cost you a penny. It is essential that you keep note of confusing deals on cards.
Spending tiers are some of the confusing aspects you will find in rewards on credit cards. Some rewards cards will require that you spend up to certain amount so that you get the advertised deal. Consumers need to look for phrases such as “up to” when choosing the card offers. This could mean that you can only get the highest rewards only if you spend the set amount, which could be thousands of dollars in a year.
Similarly, if you find the phrase “up to” on a card deal, you also need to check on the other part of the rewards on credit cards that is not shown. If you do not spend the amount required to get the maximum perk advertised on the deal, what are the other options? In addition, you also need to check on hidden caps where cards such as gas rewards credit cards reduce the rewards percentage when you have spent the initial deal amount. Other important aspects you may need to check in rewards on credit cards are missed payment penalties, changes in terms and expiry dates of the rewards.
If you are able to repay your balance within a short time, you may need balance transfer cards that attracts some intro rates but does not hike the rates to very high levels after the introductory period. However, if you cannot repay the balance in a shorter period, you may go for the 0% intro rate cards.
Today, mass market airline frequent flyer reward cards are offering good deals such as free check in baggage and travel insurance and these are deals which previous used to come with only the high-free premium cards. Although 0% balance transfer cards could seem enticing for people with big balances they have to pay off, on the other hand, low-rate cards might do better in the deals in the long run.
Maximizing rewards on credit cards can be a complex thing for card owners. Although cash back reward may be straight forward, others may be difficult. For example, if you are spending in categories like gas, you may earn the set maximum reward up to a particular amount but after that, the percentage rewards go down. This means that you will only enjoy the maximum rewards in a certain period and after spending certain minimum amount, which you may not be able to achieve sporadically.
Planning the spending patterns on your credit card benefits in order to optimize on rewards can be difficult and could plunge you into impulse purchase, which does more damage on your finances. You should not be ruined or tempted to spend more that you have planned simply to get the rewards. This can cost you a penny. It is essential that you keep note of confusing deals on cards.
Spending tiers are some of the confusing aspects you will find in rewards on credit cards. Some rewards cards will require that you spend up to certain amount so that you get the advertised deal. Consumers need to look for phrases such as “up to” when choosing the card offers. This could mean that you can only get the highest rewards only if you spend the set amount, which could be thousands of dollars in a year.
Similarly, if you find the phrase “up to” on a card deal, you also need to check on the other part of the rewards on credit cards that is not shown. If you do not spend the amount required to get the maximum perk advertised on the deal, what are the other options? In addition, you also need to check on hidden caps where cards such as gas rewards credit cards reduce the rewards percentage when you have spent the initial deal amount. Other important aspects you may need to check in rewards on credit cards are missed payment penalties, changes in terms and expiry dates of the rewards.
10 Ways to Increase Your Business Sales with Corporate Video Production Companies
A corporate video is one of the modes of communication, which a business can use to further its growth, profitability and customer satisfaction and this is why corporate video companies are essential in your business success. As businesses strive to increase their profit margins, videos can be used as tools of boosting sales. Different video media production can be developed for a company and each of these corporate video creations can be used in enhancing business performance and sales growth.
They can be used as training and instruction videos, safety videos, financial results videos, promotional and advertising videos as well as product launch videos. Businesses can also develop business event filming as well as live and on-demand webcasting with help of corporate video film companies.
Below are top 10 ways in which businesses can use the services of corporate video production companies to further their business sales.
1. Train your employees with aid of training video production
Whereas you can train your employees with other media such audio training materials, use of videos production is one of the most effective ways. Workers grasp, understand and comprehend the concept and subject of discussion more easily, fast and clearly when presented in graphic motion form.
Corporate training videos can impart great knowledge and skills in sales lead generation and customer relations. They can be used to train production workers on how to produce quality goods. These types of corporate video trainings help in tapping new customers, enhancing customer satisfaction, improving sales and attaining good returns on investment (ROI).
2. Elaborate your brand with e-Commerce videos
You can develop corporate video production for your e-Commerce application, which can help communicate your brand to the consumers more clearly. Whereas photos present 2 dimensional features, on the other hand, video productions can show 360-degree of a product. This offers a better visualization of the product. These videos can be used online or they can be used in exhibition stands to reach out to consumers and communicate the brand. This helps in influencing the buying behavioral of the consumers.
3. Use compelling video ads on your website
With statistics showing that 60% of all traffic on the internet emanates from online videos, this means that marketing video ads developed by professional a videographer are essential tools for a business to boost its sales. When these videos are embedded on websites, they help usher in the audiences and they also help in converting the leads into sales. You can use corporate video ads done by an expert corporate video company to enhance the conversion rate of your website landing page. This means increased sales and improved profitability.
4. Create convincing customer Testimonial videos to reach audiences
The buying behavior of consumers can easily be influenced by viewing testimonials of what kind experience other consumers have had with your products and services. When you present these corporate video production screenshots in exhibitions, conferences and trade shows, you are linked to hook the audiences and they can be carried away by what other customers say about your business.
This can easily contribute to making a buying decision and it is a good way in which you can increase your business sales. You can use the videos on webinars and other on-demand shows to showcase your business, its culture, products and services.
5. Present your new product launch with cutting edge videos
When you have a new product to introduce in the market, there are different ways in which you can do this. Corporate video production is one of the most exciting ways to present the new product whether in exhibitions or trade shows. In your business reception area, you can create an interactive point where customers waiting to be attended can have a view of your products and services.
The newly launched product can be presented in such a setting where many customers pass before they reach your business offices. This can help the consumers know more of any products your business has released in the market. Visual presentation grabs the eyes of the audiences quickly and strongly.
6. Film your special events to reflect your brand
Whether it is employees’ end of year party, a new product launch, or workshop video production and presentation, you can film that event and use it as a tool of increasing sales growth. When employees see such special events where the company has excelled previously, they are able to put more efforts in their production and sales obligations.
7. Educate your consumers with use of videos
When you are designing your corporate video production, you need to know your audience. This will help you prepare a video that will communicate the message across properly. Depending on the type of audience, you can change the tone of the video content while retaining the overall theme.
A video production that presents a launch of a product for young people may not have the same tone as a video that is produced for the adult audience. This will ensure that the message about the product is understood clearly by the consumers. These consumers are more likely to buy your products when they understand its formulation features, ingredients or its characteristics through visual aid.
8. Make use of quality videographers
The video you use is a brand image of your business. It speaks something about your business. In order to stand out of your competitors, you need to create video productions that are of the highest quality. Using a high quality video production company can earn you good reputation from the audiences.
It also improves your image to the consumers. The consumers would like to be associated with a brand that shines above the rest. Your corporate video leaves a lasting impression for your business and must professionally be done whether it is a video ad, a training video, a new product launch film or a company overview/descriptive video.
9. Develop an outstanding corporate overview video
Overviews are descriptively the launching point of many companies and this is perhaps the first video that a company develops. You can develop a short video that gives an overview of your business in just 2-5 minutes and give what the audiences want to hear about your business.
The video production may entail a brief history of your company, introduction of the executive and senior management team, its location, facilities and the key products and services. This corporate video helps portray the image of your company to the consumers and it can help create confidence and increase clientele base.
10. Reach your audiences with Video News Release (VNR)
Video news releases are like press releases. They are ideally 90 seconds or so videos that your company distributes in television channels so that they can be aired in news programs. These video press releases need to be created thoughtfully so that viewers can feel them as original news stories. This not only helps strengthen your brand name but also helps in increasing consumer confidence and sales growth.
These corporate video news releases can be produced by featuring professional actors who perform as news correspondents. The professional actors may also feature as experts who are interviewed by news anchors bringing a feeling of real and true experience.
In a nutshell, corporate video production is not an easy undertaking that can be done by neophytes. It requires a high degree of expertise in creative video services to enable a videographer develop a video masterpiece that has interesting storyboard, engaging quality images and sound effects as well as convincing video tone and content.
They can be used as training and instruction videos, safety videos, financial results videos, promotional and advertising videos as well as product launch videos. Businesses can also develop business event filming as well as live and on-demand webcasting with help of corporate video film companies.
Below are top 10 ways in which businesses can use the services of corporate video production companies to further their business sales.
1. Train your employees with aid of training video production
Whereas you can train your employees with other media such audio training materials, use of videos production is one of the most effective ways. Workers grasp, understand and comprehend the concept and subject of discussion more easily, fast and clearly when presented in graphic motion form.
Corporate training videos can impart great knowledge and skills in sales lead generation and customer relations. They can be used to train production workers on how to produce quality goods. These types of corporate video trainings help in tapping new customers, enhancing customer satisfaction, improving sales and attaining good returns on investment (ROI).
2. Elaborate your brand with e-Commerce videos
You can develop corporate video production for your e-Commerce application, which can help communicate your brand to the consumers more clearly. Whereas photos present 2 dimensional features, on the other hand, video productions can show 360-degree of a product. This offers a better visualization of the product. These videos can be used online or they can be used in exhibition stands to reach out to consumers and communicate the brand. This helps in influencing the buying behavioral of the consumers.
3. Use compelling video ads on your website
With statistics showing that 60% of all traffic on the internet emanates from online videos, this means that marketing video ads developed by professional a videographer are essential tools for a business to boost its sales. When these videos are embedded on websites, they help usher in the audiences and they also help in converting the leads into sales. You can use corporate video ads done by an expert corporate video company to enhance the conversion rate of your website landing page. This means increased sales and improved profitability.
4. Create convincing customer Testimonial videos to reach audiences
The buying behavior of consumers can easily be influenced by viewing testimonials of what kind experience other consumers have had with your products and services. When you present these corporate video production screenshots in exhibitions, conferences and trade shows, you are linked to hook the audiences and they can be carried away by what other customers say about your business.
This can easily contribute to making a buying decision and it is a good way in which you can increase your business sales. You can use the videos on webinars and other on-demand shows to showcase your business, its culture, products and services.
5. Present your new product launch with cutting edge videos
When you have a new product to introduce in the market, there are different ways in which you can do this. Corporate video production is one of the most exciting ways to present the new product whether in exhibitions or trade shows. In your business reception area, you can create an interactive point where customers waiting to be attended can have a view of your products and services.
The newly launched product can be presented in such a setting where many customers pass before they reach your business offices. This can help the consumers know more of any products your business has released in the market. Visual presentation grabs the eyes of the audiences quickly and strongly.
6. Film your special events to reflect your brand
Whether it is employees’ end of year party, a new product launch, or workshop video production and presentation, you can film that event and use it as a tool of increasing sales growth. When employees see such special events where the company has excelled previously, they are able to put more efforts in their production and sales obligations.
7. Educate your consumers with use of videos
When you are designing your corporate video production, you need to know your audience. This will help you prepare a video that will communicate the message across properly. Depending on the type of audience, you can change the tone of the video content while retaining the overall theme.
A video production that presents a launch of a product for young people may not have the same tone as a video that is produced for the adult audience. This will ensure that the message about the product is understood clearly by the consumers. These consumers are more likely to buy your products when they understand its formulation features, ingredients or its characteristics through visual aid.
8. Make use of quality videographers
The video you use is a brand image of your business. It speaks something about your business. In order to stand out of your competitors, you need to create video productions that are of the highest quality. Using a high quality video production company can earn you good reputation from the audiences.
It also improves your image to the consumers. The consumers would like to be associated with a brand that shines above the rest. Your corporate video leaves a lasting impression for your business and must professionally be done whether it is a video ad, a training video, a new product launch film or a company overview/descriptive video.
9. Develop an outstanding corporate overview video
Overviews are descriptively the launching point of many companies and this is perhaps the first video that a company develops. You can develop a short video that gives an overview of your business in just 2-5 minutes and give what the audiences want to hear about your business.
The video production may entail a brief history of your company, introduction of the executive and senior management team, its location, facilities and the key products and services. This corporate video helps portray the image of your company to the consumers and it can help create confidence and increase clientele base.
10. Reach your audiences with Video News Release (VNR)
Video news releases are like press releases. They are ideally 90 seconds or so videos that your company distributes in television channels so that they can be aired in news programs. These video press releases need to be created thoughtfully so that viewers can feel them as original news stories. This not only helps strengthen your brand name but also helps in increasing consumer confidence and sales growth.
These corporate video news releases can be produced by featuring professional actors who perform as news correspondents. The professional actors may also feature as experts who are interviewed by news anchors bringing a feeling of real and true experience.
In a nutshell, corporate video production is not an easy undertaking that can be done by neophytes. It requires a high degree of expertise in creative video services to enable a videographer develop a video masterpiece that has interesting storyboard, engaging quality images and sound effects as well as convincing video tone and content.
10 Ways to Increase Sales with Online Video Ads
Statistics show that over 60% of all traffic on the internet today originates from online video contents meaning that a marketing video ads are very essential tools in your marketing strategy. A website is embedded with video ads attracts a higher ranking by the search engines like Google and Yahoo and this can easily help increase sales in your business. However, the ability of your corporate video to deliver good results in achieving sales growth is based on many factors which range from the design aspects of the video, through the level of engagement and the type of channels where the video is submitted.
It also depends on how you measure your video ad performance and adjust to the prevailing demands in online video ad creation and marketing. Nonetheless, when the business video ads are used intuitively, they can deliver very good results. Below are top ten ways in which you can increase your sales through use of corporate video;
1. Design engaging online video ads
The design of your business video ad is the building block for an effective video. There are different corporate videos, which can be prepared such as training videos, special occasion videos and advertising videos. All these require varying designs in order to fit their applications. To enhance the effectiveness of your online video ads, you can consider animated videos for instance, which influence the viewers greatly than the traditional 2D or 3D videos. The videos should be created by professionals so that they bring out the best qualities that are required for a corporate video advertisement.
2. Know your audiences
Before you embark on any video creation, you need to understand the audiences, which you are targeting. This is one aspect which helps define how the audiences will respond to your video ad. If you do not know your audience and their likes and dislikes, you are likely to create a very high quality video but which does not yield any results. You need to influence your audience viewers and convert them into leads and then into sales. This needs to be done intelligently. The message you put across should fit well to the cadre of audience you are reaching out to.
3. Make your online video short, precise and targeted
Before you create your video, you need to understand how the audiences behave when they are viewing videos online. According to a survey carried out by Poll Position, it showed that 54% of the interviewees think that 15 seconds is the acceptable that they would dedicated to view an online video ad from YouTube, Google Video or any other video channel. 12% of the participants said that 30 seconds would be suitable for an online video ad.
The poll involved 1,179 participants and the general message put across by the interviewees is that patience is low in regard to viewing commercials on the internet before consumers can access the information they want. It is recommended that a corporate video should run between 2-5 minutes depending on the content being put across to avoid abandonment by the viewers. Before, viewing a video ad, the viewers check the time it runs.
4. Optimize your online video on the website
The way in which your video is embedded on the website determines how it will perform. The ranking of your online video ad by the search engines like Google will depend on many factors such as the title and description tags, views and frequency, likes and dislikes, flagging, sharing, comments, age of video, video responses, subscribers, favorites, inbound links, and embeds.
Your corporate video helps in creating inbound links to your website. The keywords, titles, and description tags for your videos should be relevant, creative and unique. Tags help search engines to crawl your site and readers to find your web pages.
5. Engage viewers in your video ad
Your video should be able to engage viewers from the beginning to the end. This is because, if the viewers abandon the video, they will not get the message put across and will also not be able to visit the main website page. The first 15 seconds of your video will determine if the audience will continue watching the video or not.
The first seconds should spark curiosity among the viewers to continue watching. The opening part of your corporate online video should be compelling in both personality and content. The personalities should usher in the viewers and ask a question that teases the rest of the video. The content should start with a quick recap of what is to come thereafter. In the video, you need to create short attention spans that hook the readers and keep them engaged. You also need to use “call-to-action” phrases.
6. Put your video on the first page
Viewers may not have the time to navigate through other pages and it is good that the video is embedded on the first page. The video helps create an image of your business. The first impression lasts and this can help redefine the kind of response that you get from the viewers. In addition, the video helps create confidence among viewers, which can easily influence the buying behavior.
7. Submit your online video ad to social bookmarking
There are plenty of social bookmarking sites which you can submit your online video ad such as Digg, StumbleUpon, Delicious, and SocialMaker. The aim is to increase the level of viewership for your video, which helps increase inbound links to your website. The more quality links a website receives, the higher it is ranked on the SERPs.
8. Don’t just rely on YouTube, diversify your video ad channels
In order to increase the level of viewership of your corporate online video, you should not rely on one channel. There are many channels that you can upload your video. YouTube is the most popular video platform for creating video engagement on the internet and it has a total of 81.9% of the total embedded and linked videos on the internet. It is followed by Vimeo with 8.8% and DailyMotion with 4%. My space has 1.1%. Other video channels you can consider are such as Yahoo Video, Google Video, MySpace, Flickr and Blip TV.
9. Ensure consistency in your video ad
Viewers will not want to see the same video clip over and over again every time they visit your site. You need to ensure that you keep on changing the video themes while still capturing the right message to pass across to the readers. This will ensure that they remain engaged in your site.
10. Measure your video ad performance
One of the most effective ways in which you can succeed in internet advertising and marketing including corporate video marketing is to measure the performance of your video ad. This gives you a direction on where you are heading in your video campaigns. It can help you change tactics in the video design as well as content presentation. There are many analytics tools you can use such as the YouTube analytics. This tool provides deep insights about your video, content, as well as the audiences. The tool helps you prioritize video optimization and measure impacts of new strategies that you have applied.
In essence, when you apply the above tips, you can greatly increase the performance of your corporate online video ad and build confidence within your audiences. This increases the traffic in your websites and enhances the conversion rate of your landing page. What this means is that you increase sales and returns on investment (ROI).
It also depends on how you measure your video ad performance and adjust to the prevailing demands in online video ad creation and marketing. Nonetheless, when the business video ads are used intuitively, they can deliver very good results. Below are top ten ways in which you can increase your sales through use of corporate video;
1. Design engaging online video ads
The design of your business video ad is the building block for an effective video. There are different corporate videos, which can be prepared such as training videos, special occasion videos and advertising videos. All these require varying designs in order to fit their applications. To enhance the effectiveness of your online video ads, you can consider animated videos for instance, which influence the viewers greatly than the traditional 2D or 3D videos. The videos should be created by professionals so that they bring out the best qualities that are required for a corporate video advertisement.
2. Know your audiences
Before you embark on any video creation, you need to understand the audiences, which you are targeting. This is one aspect which helps define how the audiences will respond to your video ad. If you do not know your audience and their likes and dislikes, you are likely to create a very high quality video but which does not yield any results. You need to influence your audience viewers and convert them into leads and then into sales. This needs to be done intelligently. The message you put across should fit well to the cadre of audience you are reaching out to.
3. Make your online video short, precise and targeted
Before you create your video, you need to understand how the audiences behave when they are viewing videos online. According to a survey carried out by Poll Position, it showed that 54% of the interviewees think that 15 seconds is the acceptable that they would dedicated to view an online video ad from YouTube, Google Video or any other video channel. 12% of the participants said that 30 seconds would be suitable for an online video ad.
The poll involved 1,179 participants and the general message put across by the interviewees is that patience is low in regard to viewing commercials on the internet before consumers can access the information they want. It is recommended that a corporate video should run between 2-5 minutes depending on the content being put across to avoid abandonment by the viewers. Before, viewing a video ad, the viewers check the time it runs.
4. Optimize your online video on the website
The way in which your video is embedded on the website determines how it will perform. The ranking of your online video ad by the search engines like Google will depend on many factors such as the title and description tags, views and frequency, likes and dislikes, flagging, sharing, comments, age of video, video responses, subscribers, favorites, inbound links, and embeds.
Your corporate video helps in creating inbound links to your website. The keywords, titles, and description tags for your videos should be relevant, creative and unique. Tags help search engines to crawl your site and readers to find your web pages.
5. Engage viewers in your video ad
Your video should be able to engage viewers from the beginning to the end. This is because, if the viewers abandon the video, they will not get the message put across and will also not be able to visit the main website page. The first 15 seconds of your video will determine if the audience will continue watching the video or not.
The first seconds should spark curiosity among the viewers to continue watching. The opening part of your corporate online video should be compelling in both personality and content. The personalities should usher in the viewers and ask a question that teases the rest of the video. The content should start with a quick recap of what is to come thereafter. In the video, you need to create short attention spans that hook the readers and keep them engaged. You also need to use “call-to-action” phrases.
6. Put your video on the first page
Viewers may not have the time to navigate through other pages and it is good that the video is embedded on the first page. The video helps create an image of your business. The first impression lasts and this can help redefine the kind of response that you get from the viewers. In addition, the video helps create confidence among viewers, which can easily influence the buying behavior.
7. Submit your online video ad to social bookmarking
There are plenty of social bookmarking sites which you can submit your online video ad such as Digg, StumbleUpon, Delicious, and SocialMaker. The aim is to increase the level of viewership for your video, which helps increase inbound links to your website. The more quality links a website receives, the higher it is ranked on the SERPs.
8. Don’t just rely on YouTube, diversify your video ad channels
In order to increase the level of viewership of your corporate online video, you should not rely on one channel. There are many channels that you can upload your video. YouTube is the most popular video platform for creating video engagement on the internet and it has a total of 81.9% of the total embedded and linked videos on the internet. It is followed by Vimeo with 8.8% and DailyMotion with 4%. My space has 1.1%. Other video channels you can consider are such as Yahoo Video, Google Video, MySpace, Flickr and Blip TV.
9. Ensure consistency in your video ad
Viewers will not want to see the same video clip over and over again every time they visit your site. You need to ensure that you keep on changing the video themes while still capturing the right message to pass across to the readers. This will ensure that they remain engaged in your site.
10. Measure your video ad performance
One of the most effective ways in which you can succeed in internet advertising and marketing including corporate video marketing is to measure the performance of your video ad. This gives you a direction on where you are heading in your video campaigns. It can help you change tactics in the video design as well as content presentation. There are many analytics tools you can use such as the YouTube analytics. This tool provides deep insights about your video, content, as well as the audiences. The tool helps you prioritize video optimization and measure impacts of new strategies that you have applied.
In essence, when you apply the above tips, you can greatly increase the performance of your corporate online video ad and build confidence within your audiences. This increases the traffic in your websites and enhances the conversion rate of your landing page. What this means is that you increase sales and returns on investment (ROI).
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