PSPINC Official Company Blog

Everything You Need to Know About the Potential TikTok Ban

Mar

28

TikTok is a short-form video-sharing app geared mostly toward Gen-Z. Content on the platform ranges from cooking videos to funny animal clips to practically anything you could think of. According to Business of Apps, as of January 2023, TikTok had almost two billion monthly active users globally. And this doesn’t even include users from China since the app uses a different name there. As of just last week, TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, boasted that TikTok now has 150 million active monthly users in the U.S. alone. But this claim also comes amongst talks over a potential ban of the app.

TikTok’s Data Security Concerns

close-up of the settings app in the iOS interface

The app, while popular, poses privacy and data security practices for one big reason: TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has ties to China. Other countries worldwide, including the U.S., have banned the app altogether or restricted its use in certain cases. For example, India placed a ban on not only TikTok but also other Chinese-owned apps like WeChat, and Pakistan banned the app at least four times. While the U.S., Canada, and Taiwan haven’t officially banned the app, government-issued devices only have restricted access to TikTok. However, there isn’t currently any hard proof of these privacy concerns; it’s more of a concern for what China could do with TikTok’s users’ data in the future.

To counteract this potential, the U.S. government created the RESTRICT Act. This bipartisan bill, in short, allows the secretary of Commerce to ban apps that pose a risk to U.S. national security. It doesn’t explicitly name TikTok, but it covers companies owned not only by China, but also by Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela. Last week, Chew faced congress to answer questions they had over TikTok's data concerns. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to change the status quo as many representatives didn't seem to know much about how the app works. While this bill exists, U.S. lawmakers, including President Biden, aren’t pushing to ban the app. Instead, they’d much prefer it if a U.S.-owned company acquired ByteDance, removing its ties to China.

How Advertisers Are Responding

two women having a meeting in the office

Despite the uncertainty about the app’s future, advertisers are sticking with TikTok and are largely unfazed by it. Privacy and data security concerns on social media are nothing new to marketers. Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, is still a formidable force in the social media market today. Especially for marketers, as Facebook’s ad business has only gotten stronger since. So, it’s safe to say they were able to walk away mostly unscathed from the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica data scandal in 2015. So, with this example in mind, marketers know the privacy issue concerns will eventually die down.

Marketers have experienced this wave of security concerns for social media in the past, only to see it ultimately pass. So, for now, advertisers are sticking with TikTok and keeping their ad spend on the platform. And for marketers who have employed a TikTok-first approach, they’re sticking with it, despite the threat of a ban. TikTok, for better or for worse, delivers droves of the Gen-Z audience, making it an attractive marketing platform. So, as far as advertisers are concerned, TikTok is here to stay.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertisers #advertising #app #branding #business #businesstips #cybersecurity #data #datasecurity #marketers #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingnews #marketingtips #security #smallbusiness #socialmedia #therestrictact #tiktok

PSP Pilot: Company Search Results Update

Mar

23

1 Enhanced Company Search

Before:
Whenever a user searched, “PSP Pilot”, the only result that appeared was “PSP Pilot”.

After:
Now, when a user searches for “PSP Pilot”, the results page would show “PSP Pilot”, “PSP-Pilot”, “PSP&Pilot” etc.
※ The search results will now include partial matches rather than only showing exact matches.

2 New City Filter Added

• In addition to searching the company name, you can now search by city for companies that register a particular city name in their company address.
• Please note that this will only work if you check the “Location” filter box. Otherwise, it’ll grey out.
• This search box includes the same enhancement as the company search
• New autocomplete feature: when typing in the search box, it’ll suggest terms in the dropdown menu and allow you to automatically choose an option.

※You must type more than three letters to see the drop-down menu.
※Please make sure there is no blank space before the letters. It may cause the wrong result.
※This feature also isn’t sensitive to capitalization, so if you were to search for “san diego”, “san diego” and “SAN diego” would both display in the drop-down menu.

https://www.pspinc.com

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#PSPPilot #blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #clientdatabase #employeeportal #smallbusiness #taskmanagement #tech #technology #web

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 160 “Email Marketing Compared to Other Marketing Tactics”

Mar

23

One of the most effective marketing tactics today is email. With so many advancements in technology today, email still delivers the highest return on investment (ROI) compared to other marketing tactics. According to Omnisend, the average return per dollar spent on email marketing is $40. While social media and paid search are popular efforts, email marketing still delivers the best results. Why? Because everyone uses email. So, if anything, it makes it much more likely people will at least see your content whereas being seen on paid search and social media is determined by many other factors that are mostly out of your control.

The best way to ensure your email marketing campaign is successful is by having a definitive goal set in mind, testing email broadcasts, making emails visually appealing, tracking how well it performs and adjusting over time. And that’s exactly why we built NewsMAIL, our email marketing tool that makes it easy for businesses to easily create effective email marketing campaigns. Get started at just $20/month or take a look at some of our prepaid plans.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #digitalmarketing #email #google #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #newsmail #pspinc #seo #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #technology #web

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 159 “2 More Weeks to Get 50% Off Pass Wizard Pro”

Mar

16

In case you missed it, the Pro version of our password manager, Pass Wizard, is currently on sale for 50% off your first year. And it has been for a few months now. But that time is slowly coming to end on Thursday, March 30. That gives you two weeks to claim this offer!

With Pass Wizard Pro, in addition to a secure password storage and password generator, you gain access to multi-factor authentication (MFA) options via either SMS or an authenticator app, as well as group sharing features. To get 50% off, sign up for Pass Wizard for free (if you haven’t already) and upgrade to Pro. While checking out, enter the promo code, PRO50, to get 50% off. Then, you’re all set!

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #cybersecurity #newsletter #pacificsoftwarepublishing #passwizard #passwordmanager #passwords #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #security #smallbusiness #tech #technology #web #webdevelopment #webtools

5 Marketing Misconceptions Debunked

Mar

14

For businesses today, there are so many resources designed to help marketers promote their business. And with where technology is now, most marketers focus on digital avenues, as they’re much easier to track and are tailored to fit smaller budgets. But there are plenty of misconceptions about marketing that many people don't realize. So, let’s break some down and uncover the truth behind them. Because if you want to obtain the results you’re looking for, it’s important to base your strategy on facts, not myths.

1. Target everyone

five people of varying ages and races sitting next to each other in front of a window looking at their phones

Even if your product is comparatively among the best on the market, it doesn’t mean everyone will want it, let alone buy it. Everyone has different needs and interests. Certain products will always have buyers. But even within that large audience, different segments buy from different brands for different reasons. For example, there are plenty of different toilet paper brands out there: some are stronger, and now, there are even ones made from recycled materials.

Toilet paper is something everyone buys. The kind and brand they buy, however, differs depending on how much weight they put on price, quality, and other factors. So, even though toilet paper is something everyone buys, it doesn’t mean those that sell it should target everyone in their marketing efforts. Because when you target everyone, you end up with generic, vague, and uninspiring messaging that doesn’t really appeal to anyone.

2. Marketing Only Attracts New Customers

woman in white long sleeves holding yellow floral dress

From the outside, it might look like marketing just applies to bringing in new customers. But marketing also includes retaining customers, encouraging them to come back time and time again, and creating brand evangelists. When done effectively, companies will have a steady flow of new business while still appealing to their past customers as they bring in additional sales. Your past customers helped get your company to where it is today, so don’t ignore them in favor of new potential customers. It’s important to maintain a healthy balance between the two for future success.

3. Quantity is Better than Quality

A big number of new sign-ups or new sales is nothing to scoff at. But the better question is how many of those customers will come back? And how many of those new sign-ups will still be there in a year? Or even next month? Big numbers are impressive, but it only means so much if those customers aren’t going to come back. If you only focus on attracting new customers, you may risk losing the ones you already have. Getting customers to purchase isn’t where the overall customer journey stops: you don’t just want a one-time customer; you want a repeat customer.

Instead, delegate time to focus on customers you already have by creating the best experiences for them. With so many products and companies out there, customers like feeling like they matter rather than just another sales number. To do this, brands can work to personalize the overall experience by addressing customers by their first names, remembering their preferences, and offering stellar customer support.

4. Digital Marketing Costs Too Much

With so many advertising options out there, it’s only natural to realize that costs add up. And they do. But the great part of digital marketing is that the cost of advertising on social media and Google is not only affordable but also flexible. To make sure your efforts are both effective and inexpensive, have a goal and strategy in place. Without one, you’ll end up spending money to advertise, hoping it’ll have the outcome you want it to.

5. Digital Marketing Produces Immediate Results

two woman looking at calculators with papers and notebooks around them

Digital marketing can be great for businesses, regardless of size. But many people expect results to appear immediately. The truth of the matter is that it’s not fast. On average, results take about six to 12 months before results start rolling in. And if you’re a B2B business (one that sells to other businesses), results take even longer. So, digital marketing can be a great help to your business. But it’s also important to recognize that it’ll take time before you start seeing the results you’re looking for.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #blog #business #businesstips #customerjourney #customersuport #digitalmarketing #facebook #google #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #personalization #sales #smallbusiness #socialmedia #web

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 158 “Company Blogs”

Mar

9

It may be more work, but there’s a reason why many companies have a blog; they allow businesses to demonstrate their expertise and establish credibility. Customers aren’t just looking at the price and quality of products anymore; they want to know who they’re buying from and compare it to others before deciding who to purchase from.

For blog posts, businesses should look to create informational content about their company, industry, and customers. Businesses can feature their blog on their website, which will help increase the company site’s overall website traffic. Or they can use a separate blogging platform like Bloguru, which is what we use for PSPINC. If you need more help setting up a company blog or brainstorming content ideas, we have experts who would be more than happy to help.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#blog #bloguru #business #businesstips #businesstools #digitalmarketing #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #newsletter #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #searchengineoptimization #smallbusiness #tech #technology #web #webdesign #website

What is Web Development?

Mar

7

Web development refers to all actions required to build, maintain, and manage a website. There are three types of web development: front-end, back-end, and full-stack. Front-end development is the clint-facing side of the website, app, or digital product, and refers to everything users will see and interact with. This usually entails designing the site and developers use their knowledge of HTML, CSS, and sometimes JavaScript to do so.

Back-end development refers to everything that happens behind the scenes, ensuring a site works the way it’s supposed to. This usually includes creating a site’s basic framework, like database interactions, server, network, and hosting configuration, and business logic. To do so, back-end developers use their knowledge of server-side programming languages, which include PHP, Ruby, and Python. Lastly, full-stack development combines knowledge and tasks from front-end and back-end development, so full-stack developers usually take on more leadership roles on projects.

Steps in the Web Development Process

1. Acquire a domain name

Domain names are the unique URLs users will type into their browser windows to get to a website. Good domain names can be hard to come by, so doing this step first helps lower the chances someone else will snatch the one you want first. But the name of your domain will also heavily influence the overall design of the site.

2. Form a plan

If you’re building a website for a client, the planning steps include meeting with said client and figuring out what they need. Even if they’re not entirely sure what they’ll need, as the developer, you’ll need to determine the site’s overall purpose and goals. That will then help inform the kinds of content that will be on the site and how it’ll be arranged.

3. Create a mockup

To give you and your client a better representation of what the site will look like, create a mockup. This will generally start with a wireframe, which is a two-dimensional skeletal outline of a webpage or app. And it’ll also involve creating a sitemap, which lists files on your site to help search engines like Google crawl and index your site’s context. In addition, you may also need to create a prototype that takes the mockup a step further to show how the site will function.

4. Research your client’s target audience

Learning more about who the website’s meant for will give you a better idea of what content will be on the page. And that will then help inform how the site should look. Again, the site’s overall design should appeal to the client’s audience, encouraging them to take action like purchasing a product or staying on the site longer.

5. Build the back-end

Back-end developers will start by building the back-end of the homepage first and move on to the other pages by creating a “shell”, which front-end developers will later fill with content. During this step, developers will add functional elements like contact forms and shopping carts and make sure they work properly.

6. Build the front-end

Working on the front end of the website will focus more on the design aspect of the site and will include some basic coding using HTML and CSS, as well as JavaScript, if needed.

desktop and mobile view of pass wizard's website

desktop and mobile view of pass wizard's website

7. Test your site features

To ensure everything works the way it’s supposed to on your site, test your site features. This will prevent users from coming to your site and clicking on a broken link or encountering other issues. Another thing to look out for is seeing how different the site may look on different devices and different browsers.

8. Launch your site

After finishing the development phases, it’s time to launch your site!

9. Promote your site

While having a site is a great first step, no one will come to your site if no one knows it exists. That’s where promotion comes in, which you or the client could do in-house or outsource marketing work to an outside agency like PSPINC. Web development work doesn’t always involve a lot of marketing, but it’s important to remember that the site you’ve built and the marketing work it’ll take to promote that site directly correlate; the site needs to stand up on its own once the marketing team leads users to the site. A good marketing strategy will bring users to the site, but the site and its offering will determine if users stay and convert.

10. Monitor your site

Lastly, your web development duties may also involve monitoring the site, which includes checking website traffic, adjusting content to better optimize the site, and updating content as needed as time goes on.

If you’re looking for custom development, custom design, or even marketing services for your business, reach out for a free consultation on our website so we can work together to find the right solution for you and your business.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #digitalmarketing #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #mobile #seo #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #technology #web #webdesign #webdeveloper #webdevelopment #website #websites

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 157 “Pass Wizard Giveaway”

Mar

2

If you’re a customer of our password manager, Pass Wizard, you could win one year of Pass Wizard for free! With Pass Wizard Pro, not only can you store your passwords securely, but you can also share them securely with family members, friends, and even trusted employees. To further secure your account, you can even add multi-factor authentication (MFA).

Just fill out this survey to enter the contest. We’ll be using this survey to determine what features we should prioritize in our next development phase, so we’d love to get your feedback on how you’re liking Pass Wizard so far. This contest ends at 11:59 pm PST on Thursday 3/9.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #cybersecurity #marketing #passwizard #passwordmanager #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #security #smallbusiness #tech #technology #web #webtools

What is ChatGPT?

Feb

28

ChatGPT is a popular free-to-use AI-generated chatbot. To use it, just go to the ChatGPT webpage and enter a search query, much like you would in a search engine bar. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, however, recommends typing search queries as a statement instead of a question as it will render more accurate results.

After entering your query, ChatGPT will generate a response using AI technology. More specifically, ChatGPT (according to ChatGPT when entering the query: “How ChatGPT works”) “takes the input text and uses its learned knowledge of language patterns to predict and generate the most likely continuation of the conversation”.

Business Examples

depth of field photo of man sitting on chair while holding cup in front of table

With the growing popularity of the tool, businesses have found merit in using ChatGPT to help automate processes and increase overall productivity. Businesses are already using AI technology in different areas like chatbots, virtual assistants, and fraud detection measures, so it’s not surprising that they’re starting to use ChatGPT as well. Some examples include:

Marketing research: ChatGPT isn’t always known to be the most accurate source, but it can at least serve as a base point much like searching for something on Google and reading a Wikipedia page. From there, it’ll be easier for businesses to research topics further for content creation purposes like social media copy and product descriptions.

Customer service and support: To help automate customer service inquiries, businesses can integrate ChatGPT into chatbots, which have only gotten increasingly popular over the last few years.

Coding: For basic coding requests, ChatGPT can generate code snippets in coding languages like JavaScript, Python, and React. But as mentioned before, ChatGPT isn’t perfect, so it can be prone to mistakes.

Microsoft Bing and ChatGPT

Earlier this month, Microsoft announced they would start integrating ChatGPT into their search engine, Bing, as well as their web browser, Edge. In response, Google announced Bard, their own AI chatbot that would rival ChatGPT. Although there’s plenty of criticism and apprehension about using AI-generated language models like ChatGPT, the technology continues evolving as OpenAI continues working on improving the chatbot.

While still in the early testing stages, as Google and Microsoft are only giving power users access thus far, it does give credit to the rise in popularity of AI-generated language models. Especially in the business world. As time goes on, experts only expect it will continue to transform how companies operate.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#ai #aitechnology #bard #bing #blog #business #businessideas #businesstips #chatbot #chatgpt #coding #customerservice #digitalmarketing #google #marketing #marketingdigital #microsoft #microsoftbing #openai #research #smallbusiness #tech #technology

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 156 “Focusing on Customer Experiences”

Feb

23

Some customers hate dealing with customer service. Part of it’s because it means they don’t know how to use something or something isn’t working properly. But another big reason why is that many customer service experiences can be frustrating. Instead of being helpful, the support staff isn’t always the best at helping customers, and there’s been plenty of instances where they’re outright rude. So, when companies focus on delivering great customer service, it shows. And it brings those customers back without the dread they may feel when dealing with other companies.

Here at PSPINC, we have a real, live support team because we want to make that personal connection with our customers. When customers call us, they know exactly who to ask, and their support technician will remember them from the last time they called. Keeping our focus on creating and maintaining those relationships not only results in a world-class support team, but also simplifies and improves the overall experience for our customers. So, if you need any IT support, contact our support team who would be happy to take your call.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #blog #branding #business #businesstips #customerexperience #customerservice #customersupport #itsupport #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #smallbusiness #support #tech #technology #techsupport

PSPINC Official Company Blog

freespace

Everything You Need to Know About the Potential TikTok Ban

TikTok’s Data Security Concerns

How Advertisers Are Responding

PSP Pilot: Company Search Results Update

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 160 “Email Marketing Compared to Other Marketing Tactics”

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 159 “2 More Weeks to Get 50% Off Pass Wizard Pro”

5 Marketing Misconceptions Debunked

1. Target everyone

2. Marketing Only Attracts New Customers

3. Quantity is Better than Quality

4. Digital Marketing Costs Too Much

5. Digital Marketing Produces Immediate Results

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 158 “Company Blogs”

What is Web Development?

Steps in the Web Development Process

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 157 “Pass Wizard Giveaway”

What is ChatGPT?

Business Examples

Microsoft Bing and ChatGPT

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 156 “Focusing on Customer Experiences”

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latest comments

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TikTok’s Data Security Concerns

How Advertisers Are Responding

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1. Target everyone

2. Marketing Only Attracts New Customers

3. Quantity is Better than Quality

4. Digital Marketing Costs Too Much

5. Digital Marketing Produces Immediate Results

People Who Wowed This Post

People Who Wowed This Post

Steps in the Web Development Process

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Business Examples

Microsoft Bing and ChatGPT

People Who Wowed This Post

People Who Wowed This Post

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