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Why SMBs should use Google Posts

Launched in 2016 during America’s presidential election, Google Posts was originally intended to be used by the candidates. In response to the extreme limitation, Google expanded the service to a number of local businesses in the same year. Here’s why it gained popularity among small- and medium-sized businesses so quickly:

What they can do
Google Posts basically allow users to communicate directly in the search results.

The post Why SMBs should use Google Posts appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

17 Jul, 2017 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Uncategorized category
Why SMBs should use Google Posts

Launched in 2016 during America’s presidential election, Google Posts was originally intended to be used by the candidates. In response to the extreme limitation, Google expanded the service to a number of local businesses in the same year. Here’s why it gained popularity among small- and medium-sized businesses so quickly:

What they can do
Google Posts basically allow users to communicate directly in the search results. This differs from the Knowledge Panel since you can highlight content, information, products or services. These posts can be images, videos, or even animated GIFs. You can even add inline links on the posts to drive traffic to a particular page, service or product. According to Google, this enhanced format enables searchers to hear directly from you while complementing existing search results across the web.

Postings
Your posting instantly shows up in search results on both mobile and desktop platforms. Whether they’re texts, images, videos, or events, you can schedule the time and duration of the post with ease. This is a great feature that provides immediate access and can be particularly useful when you are planning to launch a product, open a pop-up store, or run a promotion. Also, Google Analytics will give you updates on how many people have seen and interacted with your content.

How it differs from Google+
Google+ helps small businesses by working with Google Search to improve the ranking of your content on search results. It also integrates with Google for Business services to provide business information such as location, directions, phone number, photos, and reviews. The difference with Google Posts is the interaction, where you can communicate directly in the search results.

Availability
Google has yet to announce when it will make Google Posts available to everyone, but if you’d like to use it for your small- or medium-sized business, you can request access. If Google supports your company’s category and geography, it will verify some of your information and keep you posted on the status of your approval via email. Applicants can expect the first response within one week of submitting the form.

If you have any questions or are interested in using Google Posts, feel free to contact us. Our team of experts are always ready to help!

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post Why SMBs should use Google Posts appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

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What’s new in macOS High Sierra?

macOS High Sierra’s public beta is now available and it happens to be the first full OS upgrade since Snow Leopard. Despite that, the new OS’ most notable enhancements are not about features per se, but rather speed and future proofing Apple’s technology.

The post What’s new in macOS High Sierra? appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

12 Jul, 2017 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Uncategorized category
What’s new in macOS High Sierra?

macOS High Sierra’s public beta is now available and it happens to be the first full OS upgrade since Snow Leopard. Despite that, the new OS’ most notable enhancements are not about features per se, but rather speed and future proofing Apple’s technology. Having said that, here’s the latest from High Sierra.

Photos

Photos gets the most visual upgrade designed to improve user experience especially for those with numerous pictures to browse through. The toolbar has been revamped and is now customizable, allowing you to re-order sections. Media is now organized by content type, like Bursts, Live Photos, Panoramas and more.

Apple has also brought in a new editing tool with plenty of filters and basic photo-editing features like Curves, a color adjusting tool, and Selective Color, a dropper tool that allows you to choose a certain color and manipulate it according to its hue, saturation, etc. What’s more, if you’re already using other photo-editing software like Photoshop or Pixelmator, you’ll now be able to open images on those programs directly through Photos. No more going back and forth over importing images.

High Sierra’s new editing tools will also be available in the iPhone’s Live Photo feature, allowing you to crop and adjust the color of animated images in the toolbar.

Safari

Safari’s settings now feature a Website pane that allows you to customize the way you interact with different sites. You can make a site always appear in Reader Mode, shut off autoplay, apply content blockers, and more.

But the real excitement comes with Intelligent Tracking Prevention, a new feature that uses machine learning to remove cross-site tracking. This is ideal for sites with annoying tracking tendencies and eliminates things like advertising cookies, so the things you shopped for don’t follow you to every site you visit.

Useful contextual information, however, is saved for pages you actually visit so not all will be lost. This feature is activated by default but you can disable it in Safari’s settings.

New file system

Introduced at the last WWDC, Apple’s new file system, known as Apple File System (APFS), is finally seeing the light of day with High Sierra. Apple claims that APFS is a crucial component in making High Sierra its fastest operating system ever.

What’s so special about APFS? Speed, efficiency, and security. Copying large files now runs almost instantly on Apple File, plus it supports far more files than ever, letting you put nine quintillion of them onto a single volume. It’s also backwards compatible with all of your current formatted drives and features multikey encryption that integrates with all of your Apple devices.

Be warned that installation could take some time. This is because High Sierra is converting your boot drive to support the new file system. While Apple is confident that all your files will be intact, we recommend you conduct a full system backup prior to installation just to be on the safe side.

Other minor upgrades

  • Siri: You can expect a new voice for Siri just in time for the arrival of Apple’s HomePod, the company’s take on smart home assistants.
  • Metal 2: Apple’s graphics API gets VR and external GPUs support.
  • Mail: Messages are compressed differently to ensure they use up to 35 percent less space than before.
  • Spotlight: Finder’s built-in search now features flight tracking (also added to Safari). Just type in a flight number and it will provide relevant information like status, delays, gates, etc.
  • FaceTime: You can now snap a Live Photo-style moving screenshot of your conversation with another person while FaceTiming.
  • Messages: Conversations are now automatically stored in iCloud to improve syncing across Apple devices and free up local storage space.

While macOS High Sierra might not be the most exciting upgrade in Apple history, it’s an imperative one focused on refining an existing product, one that builds a solid foundation for Apple’s future technology. If you’d like to know more about other Apple products and how they can drive value for your business, just give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Add minutes to your day with email automation

How many routine emails would you say your sales and marketing teams send every day? If it’s not many, is that because you don’t have the resources for mass outreach campaigns? Either way, email automation is the perfect solution to staying in touch with customers and prospects without wasting company resources.

The post Add minutes to your day with email automation appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

11 Jul, 2017 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Uncategorized category
Add minutes to your day with email automation

How many routine emails would you say your sales and marketing teams send every day? If it’s not many, is that because you don’t have the resources for mass outreach campaigns? Either way, email automation is the perfect solution to staying in touch with customers and prospects without wasting company resources.

What is email automation?

Usually included in customer relationship management (CRM) software, email automation centers around the idea of combining your business data into emails to customers and prospects. This allows you to draft templates with placeholders for names, addresses, and other variables that the platform will match with individuals from your email list.

Even better however, is personalizing how and when your emails go out to clients. Automatically inserting customer data into an email is great, but it still requires that you draft the content that surrounds it and hit Send. Email automation grants you the ability to create templated emails that are automatically merged with client data and sent when certain conditions are met.

Examples of email automation

To really get an idea of how valuable this solution is, it’s important to see what it looks like in action. Say you own an eCommerce site that sells complementary goods, like golf clubs and golf balls. You could create a campaign wherein anytime someone buys a set of clubs, pre-written emails automatically go out one month later on how high-quality golf balls improve your handicap.

You’re not limited to two-step workflows either. Take a look at this example:

  • Step 1: Send a personalized email with a special offer on golf balls for existing customers.
  • Step 2: Send a follow-up based on how customers interacted with the offer email:
    • If a customer cashed in the offer, send a thank you email.
      • Step 3: Follow it up with a similar offer three months later.
    • If a customer visited the promo page but didn’t convert, send a promo email for another type of product, like golf bags.
      • Step 3: Follow it up with either a thank you email or another promo for golf clothes.
    • If a customer didn’t even open the email, send a survey email asking about their interests.
      • Step 3: Follow it up with email campaigns based on what they selected.

Email automation means there’s no need to micromanage your customer relationships. As long as you define the path to purchase for high-volume products, you can program workflows to nurture customers and prospects automatically.

For as little as a couple hundred bucks a month, your customer outreach campaigns can compete on the same level as your corporate counterparts with little effort from your team. Add in an expert IT provider and you have the ability to blow the competition out of the water. To learn more, contact us today!

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post Add minutes to your day with email automation appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Read More

Add minutes to your day with email automation

How many routine emails would you say your sales and marketing teams send every day? If it’s not many, is that because you don’t have the resources for mass outreach campaigns? Either way, email automation is the perfect solution to staying in touch with customers and prospects without wasting company resources.

The post Add minutes to your day with email automation appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

11 Jul, 2017 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Uncategorized category
Add minutes to your day with email automation

How many routine emails would you say your sales and marketing teams send every day? If it’s not many, is that because you don’t have the resources for mass outreach campaigns? Either way, email automation is the perfect solution to staying in touch with customers and prospects without wasting company resources.

What is email automation?

Usually included in customer relationship management (CRM) software, email automation centers around the idea of combining your business data into emails to customers and prospects. This allows you to draft templates with placeholders for names, addresses, and other variables that the platform will match with individuals from your email list.

Even better however, is personalizing how and when your emails go out to clients. Automatically inserting customer data into an email is great, but it still requires that you draft the content that surrounds it and hit Send. Email automation grants you the ability to create templated emails that are automatically merged with client data and sent when certain conditions are met.

Examples of email automation

To really get an idea of how valuable this solution is, it’s important to see what it looks like in action. Say you own an eCommerce site that sells complementary goods, like golf clubs and golf balls. You could create a campaign wherein anytime someone buys a set of clubs, pre-written emails automatically go out one month later on how high-quality golf balls improve your handicap.

You’re not limited to two-step workflows either. Take a look at this example:

  • Step 1: Send a personalized email with a special offer on golf balls for existing customers.
  • Step 2: Send a follow-up based on how customers interacted with the offer email:
    • If a customer cashed in the offer, send a thank you email.
      • Step 3: Follow it up with a similar offer three months later.
    • If a customer visited the promo page but didn’t convert, send a promo email for another type of product, like golf bags.
      • Step 3: Follow it up with either a thank you email or another promo for golf clothes.
    • If a customer didn’t even open the email, send a survey email asking about their interests.
      • Step 3: Follow it up with email campaigns based on what they selected.

Email automation means there’s no need to micromanage your customer relationships. As long as you define the path to purchase for high-volume products, you can program workflows to nurture customers and prospects automatically.

For as little as a couple hundred bucks a month, your customer outreach campaigns can compete on the same level as your corporate counterparts with little effort from your team. Add in an expert IT provider and you have the ability to blow the competition out of the water. To learn more, contact us today!

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post Add minutes to your day with email automation appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Read More