Do you own a blog? this is for you !

Are you interested in starting a blog?
If yes, start right now by finding a theme, naming the blog and start posting.
Not every blog post gives you the feedback that you expect it to produce.

Here are some easy to follow tips for you to host a top notch blog.

1. Be true and create content of what you love. Don't do it for the sake of it.
2. Continue and continue with your good content, because blogs don't become popular overnight. It takes time.
3. Always post true content, even if there's nothing to write about.
4. Post it with enthusiasm and encourage others to interact with it, in the form of comments and likes.
5. Be a human, Comment and reply to comments. this shows that you care about the readers/fans.
6. A quick response to a comment is important.
7. Do not clutter the website/blog with too many adverts.
8. Many of your readers will like to follow it regularly, provide good options to make this easy.
9. To increase comments, try to remove the login-required in the comments window.
10. Provide as many options to easily share the blog post in other social media.
11. Choose your article topic wisely and write it attractively.
12. If you took any photo or text from other website, feel free to cite it.
13. Focus only on providing good content and not on money making, money will come as the blog grows in stature.
14. Regularity of posting content is important.
15. Try not to use a long URL, buy a domain name for you, its easy and cheap.
16. Whenever possible move your blog to an independent blogging platform other than depending on Blogger and Tumblr.
17. Now coming to the crucial stage, that is doing SEO for your blog. Look for SEO getting started guide on internet and act.
18. Submit your article or blog link in related websites and forums.
19. Take great photos and videos for your blog, the reach is quite astonishing.
20. Trust your gut feeling and march ahead. 

You'll see the results soon.

Start blogging and share your results with us.

Advertising in Facebook, tried it ?

Facebook Advertisements are an easy, cheap and highly influential way to brand and to reach your potential clients. These are great lead magnets and eventually will improve your profits. The important aspect of FB advertising is that they are incredibly easy for big, medium and small biz owners, and even for individuals.

If you own a product or a software, this is your best choice to promote it on the web. Check this article to help you to get started with your first Facebook ad. Don't miss to read the guide released by Facebook.

This article will give you some valuable points to remember before or after launching a Facebook ad. Just try to make use of the following points...

• Always wait, watch and execute. Try to prepare an engaging content and prepare your content strategy well in advance for a perfect execution.
• Do not just post marketing or branding stuff, instead be a real human. Know your readers and post attractive content for them.
• Create a good landing page on your own website and try to get the FB users to land there through ads.
• Your ad should have a simple, innovative call for action text and image to encourage the customers to take action.
• Encourage your friends, relatives and employees to share your advert or your content, so that it gets notified to many friends of friends. You never know where the opportunity lies.
• Stop posting 100% promotional contents, studies show that the audience get bored.
• Be quick to find which content is showing good engagement and try to promote that post.
• Everyone knows that videos are viral. Try to create a short video and promote that in facebook ad.
• Remember, the people may not know about your brand, keep this in mind while creating text for your ad.
• Use a image with high quality so that it appears great in all devices.
• Choose all the right parameters in the Facebook ad config screen, so that it is targeted right.
• Try to convert the ad viewers into an email list, so that you can target them later.
• Split your single advert into 2 or 3 mini campaigns and look for insights.
• Time your advertisement right, according to the country and audience.

Many more tips are there to be shared, we'll do that in our Part 2 next week.

Till then happy advertising !

Quick Response Code - Heard of it? Used it?

Quick Response Code - Most of the smartphone users would have used this in some way or other. Yes, its the QR code, people are more familiar with QR than Quick Response codes !! In this article we'll have good look into What is QR code? How its used in present day? 

Everyone would have heard and used Bar codes, QR codes is similar to this. In fact its a variant of Bar Code itself. These codes are basically meant for quick information distribution to smart phone users. QR code will have text information stored in it, all you have to do is just open a simple QR code reader app in smart phone and scan it, to see the information stored in it. The information can be a simple invitation, wish message, call for action or a url.

There are 2 types of QR codes, one is static and another is dynamic. If a code is created and printed in a paper, then the info stored in the code cannot be edited or updated thru its life time. Meanwhile, in a dynamic code, the info stored can be altered at any time depending on the need. These type of codes are web based or mobile app based codes, which get generated in the servers and displayed. Since the codes are generated in back end, all the data that is stored can be managed in real time.

Following are some of the great and simple usage of QR code in static and dynamic formats.



QR codes in marketing

Marketing an app or a physical product, QRs are vastly used in present day world. These usage are seen on the rise due to extensive availability and usage of Android and IOS mobile phones. QR codes  with website link can be stamped in biz cards, pamphlets and loyalty cards. Even more these codes can also be part of email signature, Facebook ads and website ad banners. One such super example of it is done by Victoria Secret ad campaign in USA

QR code in attendance

A simple QR code based attendance system can be developed. Each and every identity card of the employees should have QR code with their employee number printed on it. Whenever they enter the premises, they've to show the code in the identity card on a Android mobile phone or tablet placed in a convenient place. One such app can be downloaded here.

QR code in tickets

Recently, many movie theaters, restaurants and tourism industry is using tickets printed with QR codes, which will entice the user to scan and get more info about the movie or about a place. Some companies have encouraged the users to scan and get rewards or even win a free ticket for a friend. Restaurants use these in customer loyalty programs and to give offers.

In India, you can find QR code is printed in Aadhar cards. 

How can i create a QR code online for my purpose, and that too with my logo? Check here for more.
If you want to promote your own brand, print a T-shirt with a big size QR on it. 
QR code reader is the simple and best code reader for your Android mobile phone, download one now, you never know when you'll need it !

What you should know about Periscope and Meerkat !!?

Meerkat and Periscope apps are live streaming social apps, both these apps use Twitter as social media platform. Using these apps, one can live stream an event directly in twitter and it'll give a chance for the followers and new users to watch and comment on it.

Recently in Feb-2015, the periscope app is acquired by twitter and has released its own version for iOS only as of now. The competitor Meerkat app is left out by twitter and chose Periscope instead. You know one thing, very recently Meerkat has added option to stream videos directly to Facebook account, and now a twitter account is optional in the case of Meerkat. Even more, Meerkat is now available in iTunes and Google Play store. Bit unfair from Twitter, they cut or restricted the Meerkat's usage of Twitter's Social graph. Please note the Facebook support on Meerkat is now available on iOS app and not in Android app.

Whether you chose to use Periscope or Meerkat, here are some important points to ponder when using it.

• As always title is very important for any social media status to gather attraction. Try simple keywords such as "live and exclusive" and "Learn it free".
• Analyze the twitter feeds to find which time is suitable for the broadcast.
• Use good and trending hash-tags to make the users come to you.
• To be even more true, try to enable the location tag.
• When you receive a comment, please respond, this is one of golden rule in social media.
• Use these apps to cover an event and brand yourself.
• Remember, these apps are new in market so it is vulnerable to bugs.

Both these apps will surely infringe with someone's privacy, and this is going to be a problem to handle when these apps become even more popular and extensively used by people around the world.

This problem is evident, when some Periscope users live streamed the entire boxing match between Mayweather and Pacquiao. This match was supposed to be live as Pay per view.

Oh. You can watch the fight for free on Periscope. F. T. W. pic.twitter.com/U8GutF51ID

— Jonathan Louis May (@jmay11) May 3, 2015

In all ways possible, these apps are going to play an important role in marketing. In future article, we'll cover on how to use Meerkat and Periscope for marketing your blog / app / product ?

Do you know that #IPL is also live on Periscope ...

LIVE on #Periscope: #ipl #cskvsrcb https://t.co/C6Ms2b6lWE

— IPL Now (@IPL_Update) May 4, 2015

Present and future usage of Drones !

Drones ! What is it? Not so long ago, it was used only in warfare. These remote controlled flying machines are now slowly being used in many fields, more usage found in warfare, farming, photography and as toys.
Some of the present and future usage of flying drones are compiled here.

1. Toys

Flying drone as toys are more common these days. Some of the toys are available commercially in India. Interestingly, you need a permission or license to fly those in public in India. The price starts at around Rs. 2500 to Rs. 50000. One of our favorite drone toy available in India is "The flyer's bay Phantom drone with camera" which comes for Rs. 5599

2. Photography

A powerful drone "Phantom 2 with GoPro HD cam" is the best you can get for a professional photography work. Take a look at the video to get some inspiration to own one and use it ! With Phantom 2, you can add a great feature in your photography profession.


3. Project Lifesaver

This is a project undertaken by Lockheed Martin, USA to help local law and order enforcers to find missing people. The project was intended to help locate people with cognitive disabilities that make them wander around. The vehicle can fly for 50 min non-stop and travel with control up to 3 miles. Presently an experiment is going on to find wildfires using this drone. Most importantly its compact that fits in a backpack.

4. Robot force

The futuristic idea of robot force in Army was a vision in year 2005, now it's becoming a reality. US military has invested a lot in creating a Robot force. Recently they've successfully tested a UAV that can re-fuel in mid air. Don't worry, there's a long way to go before implementing pilot less commercial passenger air crafts. Future UN peacekeeping missions will have a drone force to assist with the personal on the ground. Click here to read more about Drones and UN missions.

5. Drones for farmers

Research in Agriculture has gone ten-folds and more coming up from them. Drones can boost their yields, How? by providing cheap areal photos and infrared of the farming land. Interestingly, there's research going on to protect crops from flying insects. 

Have you heard that Amazon.com is trying out a drone for delivering their products !!
Remember, not all drones are flying machines. And flying unauthorized machines can cause danger to passenger planes and buildings. Still a long way to go, for using drones in all domains.