PSPINC Official Company Blog

What is Machine Learning?

Aug

30

People commonly use the terms machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) interchangeably. But they aren’t technically the same. Machine learning (ML) is just a subset of AI that refers to computers learning and adapting to new data without humans assisting them. Over the last ten years, ML has become one of the most critical parts of how AI works. And it’s only become more popular as Deloitte predicts the cloud ML market will reach $13 billion by 2025

Simply put, ML uses gathered and prepared data, be it numbers, photos, or text, and finds patterns and/or makes predictions. The more data human programmers provide, the better the program will be. After programmers supply the data, they then choose which ML model they want to use, and the computer trains itself. Then, programmers can also encourage more accurate results by altering the model and changing its parameters if needed.

There are three types of ML:

1. Supervised ML

Supervised ML uses past data to make predictions. As the most common type of ML, it uses labeled data sets and will become more accurate as the model learns over time. A widely used example is an email spam filter. It uses algorithms to predict which emails are spam and which aren’t after looking at data like past received emails. Email services that use ML for their spam filters include Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook.

2. Unsupervised ML

Unsupervised ML finds hidden patterns in unlabeled data. An example of this would be Facebook’s facial recognition. When users post a new image, Facebook will predict who’s in this photo by looking at their friends’ profile pages, available images, and other available data. Then, users can tag those people in the image, if they want to.

3. Reinforcement ML

a man watching a youtube video on a tablet

Reinforcement ML goes through trial and error to make the best decision by training machines. This type of ML is generally used to increase overall efficiency. An example of reinforcement ML in practice is the recommendations a user gets after finishing a video on YouTube. Just like other ML types, the more data it receives, the more accurate it is. If users click on the recommended video but don’t finish it until the end, the machine understands that it wasn’t a great match.

While the benefits vary across industries, businesses can gain an overall increase in efficiency when investing in ML. And many ML tools are relatively inexpensive as well as easy to use. For businesses, both big and small, investing in ML can help save valuable time and money. So, it’s no wonder why so many businesses are already taking advantage of everything ML has to offer.

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 #artificialintelligence #benefits #business #businessideas #businesstips #data #email #facebook #labeleddata #machinelearning #ml #programming #smallbusiness #spam #spamfilters #tech #technology #unlabeleddata #youtube #youtuberecommendations

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 130 “Business Growth Takes Time“

Aug

25

As a small business, the goal is always to grow. And helping small businesses grow online is our specialty. But that growth very rarely happens overnight. Even when things go viral, it usually only lasts a few weeks before people’s interests lessen and that momentum ends. Sustained growth, however, is something that happens gradually over time. But to achieve that steady increase, it helps to break up your big goals into smaller ones.

There’s a reason why sales goals are generally reviewed quarterly. Breaking them down into shorter-term goals makes them easier to manage and attain. It’s still important to keep the bigger picture in mind, but you still need something actionable to help reach those goals. Smaller, short-term goals achieve that. They create a guideline with clear steps, making it easier to measure success and determine where to go next. It makes the overall process easier for everyone, managers, and employees alike. Most importantly, it helps businesses in the long run not only grow, but maintain that growth.

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 #goal #goals #growth #marketing #marketingtips #officetips #pacificsoftwarepublishing #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #sales #smallbusiness

3 Ways Businesses Can Protect Themselves Online

Aug

23

Cybercrime has only increased over the past few years. And the average cost of cybersecurity for businesses has also climbed. Cybersecurity, according to IBM, is the practice of protecting critical systems and sensitive information from digital attacks. For businesses, it’s important to have a sound strategy in place to keep your company and employees safe.

The pandemic has intensified our reliance on technology, making it easy for hackers to gain access to sensitive information like client and customer information. So, it only makes it that much more important for businesses to protect themselves. And that goes for all businesses, regardless of size or type. With the added challenge of new technology, businesses must adapt to keep themselves safe. Here are three ways you can keep your business safe online:

1. Keep Your Software Up to Date

The simplest way for businesses, as well as individuals, to protect themselves online is by updating their software regularly. Not updating leaves users vulnerable to attacks and compromises their account information. Even though it’s easy, many people still choose not to do it. While devices already have built-in security features, it’s not enough. Cybercrime is constantly evolving and the only way for devices to keep up with them is through updates.

2. Use a Password Manager

woman wearing a hijab on a laptop with a phone on the desk nxt to her

To keep your account information safe, use a password manager. Many on the market have free accounts available, including ours. Pass Wizard makes it easy to not only store passwords securely but also to generate strong and unique passwords. Plus, managers can use Pass Wizard Pro to better manage shared passwords among employees securely.

3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Two-factor authentication (2FA) confirms your identity through two different methods and keeps your accounts secure. It’s especially helpful when password managers give the option of 2FA, which is why Pass Wizard does. While there are many forms of 2FA, the most common are by email, mobile device, or both.

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.

#2fa #blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #cloudcomputing #cloudservices #cyber #cyberattacks #cybersecurity #data #databreaches #hacking #passwizard #security #smallbusiness #softwaredevelopment #tech #technology #web #webdevelopment #webtools

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 129 “Good Marketing Takes Time”

Aug

18

Business-to-business (B2B) marketing can be a hard task sometimes because it regularly takes time for results to occur. In fact, it takes longer than it would in a traditional business-to-customer (B2C) marketing campaign. But the key to any marketing effort is being patient. Marketing, in essence, is all about experimenting and figuring out what works for your business. While there are many industry-proven tactics and strategies, what works for one company won’t necessarily work for another.

For business owners, that can be a frustrating process. It’s tempting to give up altogether because it’s hard waiting to see if your efforts will be worth it in the end. But it’s essential. To truly find success, marketers need to find the right balance between all marketing facets like your audience, channel, timing, promotional offer, and more. In trying times, look at what’s working and what isn’t. It’ll help you figure out where to pivot your strategy and how to proceed. So, no matter how difficult it can be, just remember to be patient. You’ll figure it out, eventually.

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 #b2c #blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #digitalmarketing #maretingtips #marketing #marketingdigital #newsletter #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #smallbusiness #technology

The Difference Between Sales and Marketing

Aug

16

Sales and marketing are commonly used interchangeably in business, but they don’t mean the same thing. Sales and marketing work in tandem to increase revenue. When both strike a perfect balance, businesses benefit in the long run. So, it’s an understatement to say that those in sales and marketing can learn from each other.

Although they are different, it’s not surprising that many people think they’re the same. Mostly because they have the same end goal, and that is to generate revenue. What makes them different is how they go about it and what parts of the customer journey they affect.

Marketing Professionals and Salespeople

In short, marketing is how potential customers become aware of the company and what it’s selling. Those efforts, when done effectively, encourages customers to engage with the company to purchase or at least show interest in the product. Sales, however, pushes them across the finish line. Neither can work without the other.

Marketing efforts target much larger groups of people who may be or become interested in what the company’s trying to sell. Therefore, marketing professionals focus on long-term strategies, and they aim to meet customers’ demands. Those efforts are all done through indirect methods like advertising, social media marketing, email marketing, etc. Then, it creates a trigger that will lead customers toward sales.

Salespeople, however, are more often working directly with customers after they’ve already made contact with the company. Sales aims at understanding and meeting customers’ demands and desires. While their goals are generally more short-term, arming the company with more information about what customers are looking for only helps with future sales efforts.

Sales and Marketing Working Together

To remember the difference between marketing, think of them as the internet and email. They both use the same technologies, but one can’t exist without the other. Bringing awareness to products and driving interest through marketing efforts lead potential customers closer to the purchase stage. Sales comes in at the end to meet customers’ needs. Therefore, facilitating both to work well together will allow businesses to reach prospects no matter where they are in the customer journey.

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 #branding #business #businesstips #customersupport #digitalmarketing #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingprofessionals #marketingtips #sales #salespeople #smallbusiness #tech #technology

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 128 “Delegating as a Small Business Owner”

Aug

11

As a small business owner, it’s hard not to want to be involved in everything. After all, it’s your company. So, it’s not surprising to learn that many entrepreneurs try to do it all on their own in the beginning. But no one can be good at everything. Running a startup involves many tasks that one person alone cannot tackle on their own. So, being able to delegate is an important skill business owners need to learn.

The easiest way to do this is by focusing on what you’re best at. Then, you can hire experienced and talented people to do the rest. If you don’t know where to start, write down everything that needs to get done for your business on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis. Then, sort through which tasks you can pass off to someone else. If you try to do it all yourself all the time, it won’t be long before you feel burnt out. For someone investing so much of their time, money, and hard work into a company, it’s hard to give up control. But it’s a necessary skill for businesses to thrive.

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 #businessowner #businesstips #delegating #entrepreneur #marketing #marketingtips #newsletter #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #smallbusiness #smallbusinessowner #startup #tasks

How Voice Assistants Are Changing Marketing

Aug

9

Are you one of the many people who use a voice assistant like Siri, Amazon Alexa, or Google Assistant? Insider Intelligence predicts that 123.5 million adults will use a voice assistant at least once a month in the U.S. this year. While this technology isn’t particularly new anymore, it is still rife with opportunities from a marketing perspective that many are unaware of as well as not taking advantage of.

For example, people largely use voice assistants to get quick answers to their questions. Voice assistants, as a result, emphasize what’s called featured snippets. If you type a question into a search engine, you’ll get an immediate answer. And that’s because, at the top, there will be some bolded text that should answer your question. But that text is pulled from a specific website. That whole section is the featured snippet. And for voice assistants, that’s where they pull their answers from. And website owners, in turn, will get a bump in website traffic.

How It Affects Marketing

From a marketing standpoint, this only enforces the need for great search engine optimization (SEO) for your site. If your site is well optimized, it’s more likely it’ll pop up as the first search result, making it the most relevant to Google’s algorithm. If you’ve optimized your site well enough, it’ll show at the top when users search certain queries and you’ll receive better results. And luckily, we here at PSPINC have a lot of experience helping customers with their website SEO.

But voice assistants have more marketing potential for business as well. For example, did you know you can order a pizza from Domino’s using Amazon’s Alexa? Well, you can. And with it being an Amazon product, you can also order products off of Amazon with just your voice. The biggest benefit that voice assistants offer is convenience. And it's a convenience that’s just unmatched when compared to other platforms.

So, while voice assistants have gained popularity over the years, it still isn’t used as a marketing tool on a wide scale just yet. But those who are, reap the benefits they provide. And advertisers predict this will change in the next few years. While it doesn’t exist yet, voice assistants could integrate sponsored ads by having advertisers pay to be mentioned first when users ask a question like, “what Italian restaurants are near me?”. With Spotify already personalizing its ads based on what users listen to, it’s not too big of a stretch.

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 #amazon #amazonalexa #blog #business #businesstips #cortana #digitalmarketing #google #googlehome #marketing #searchengineoptimization #seo #siri #smallbusiness #tech #technology #voice #voiceassistants #web #website #websites #webtools

PSPINC What’s New Newsletter Vol. 127 “Boosting Employee Morale”

Aug

4

One of the secrets of building a productive team at work is focusing on boosting employee morale and encouraging employee advocacy. People like to feel appreciated, and the same applies when they’re at work. When working in a team, members want to know they’re heard and that they’re on the right track. Conversely, constantly criticizing your team for not doing things your way will lower overall morale. But more importantly, it’ll also result in lower overall performance.

When employees feel valued, they’re not only happier, but they're also more willing to hit company goals. It can also help in future marketing endeavors. If your employees like working for you, it’ll make it easier to encourage them to check and engage with your company’s social posts. Or they may even seek it on their own outside of work hours. Employees interacting with your company’s social posts will not only help increase your brand’s overall exposure, however. It’ll also show how great it is to work for your company.

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 #digitalmarketing #employee #employeeadvocacy #employeemorale #marketing #marketingtips #newsletter #officetips #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #smallbusiness #technology

How to Create a Brand

Aug

2

A brand and a company, while used interchangeably, are not the same. A company is the name of an organization that engages in business activities, like producing and selling products. A brand, however, is about how people perceive your company through identifying brand attributes like your logo, name, and products. To remember the difference, think of it this way: a business owner, founder, and/or CEO owns a company whereas the people own a brand. While there’s significant influence coming from whoever’s in charge, the people are the ones who derive meaning from what you have to offer.

Starting a company can be as easy as setting up a great e-commerce website and selling products. However, creating a great brand isn’t quite as easy to do. Setting up your company website is a great first step because it forces you to figure out the essentials needed to run a business. If you’re just creating a business, it’s easy to go on from there by designing your website, adding your products, and advertising said products. A brand, however, also requires a vision and mission statement. A mission statement tells people where your company currently stands and what it does. A vision statement is more aspirational and tells people where you want to see the company go in the future.

After creating your mission and vision statements, it’s time to determine your brand’s values. This is what you want your business to stand for. More importantly, this is what you want your business to be known for. Truly successful brands keep all of those in mind in every experience a customer has with them. Look at Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most successful brands. But it isn’t based on the product alone. Coca-Cola’s brand is about refreshing the world in a way that makes a difference. While their drink is known to be refreshing worldwide, Coca-Cola also actively works toward its commitment to making the world a better place. And this can be seen through multiple sustainability efforts by the brand.

Lastly, with so many other small businesses out there, it’s important to consider who your competitors are and what makes your business different. To succeed, your business needs to be different in a way that’s attractive to your target market. And creating customer persona to figure that out will help immensely. After figuring all that out, then come all the recognizable elements of a brand like designing a logo and determining a color palette. While developing a brand can be a lengthy process, it’s not impossible. And great brands tend to change and evolve, so just remember that when trying to create your own.

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 #brand #brandidentity #branding #brands #business #businesstips #businesstools #cocacola #digitalmarketing #logo #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingonline #marketingstrategy #marketingtips #smallbusiness #success #tech #technology

PSPINC What's New Newsletter Vol. 126 "Business Competition"

Jul

28

Making it today in business can be difficult. And one of the reasons why is because of how competitive the small business world can be. The best way to combat that is to always be aware of what your competitors are doing. While trends in your industry will come and go, seeing which ones perform well will help you stay ahead of the game. When looking at your competitors, you’ll want to look at what products they offer, how much they cost, and how they market them. Then, you’ll want to compare them to your business.

Through this, you can figure out what your weaknesses may be and what competitive advantage you have by comparison. Generally, the most important purchasing considerations are price and product quality. If your offering is cheaper than your competitor, market that. If it’s more expensive, maybe it’s because the quality's better than your competitor's. Make sure your customers know that. But don’t obsess over your competitors. In the end, the focus should still be serving your customers’ needs and desires.

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 #businesscompetition #businesscompetitors #businesstips #competition #digitalmarketing #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #newsletter #pacificsoftwarepublishing #price #quality #smallbusiness #technology

PSPINC Official Company Blog

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What is Machine Learning?

1. Supervised ML

2. Unsupervised ML

3. Reinforcement ML

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 130 “Business Growth Takes Time“

3 Ways Businesses Can Protect Themselves Online

1. Keep Your Software Up to Date

2. Use a Password Manager

3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 129 “Good Marketing Takes Time”

The Difference Between Sales and Marketing

Marketing Professionals and Salespeople

Sales and Marketing Working Together

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 128 “Delegating as a Small Business Owner”

How Voice Assistants Are Changing Marketing

How It Affects Marketing

PSPINC What’s New Newsletter Vol. 127 “Boosting Employee Morale”

How to Create a Brand

PSPINC What's New Newsletter Vol. 126 "Business Competition"

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1. Supervised ML

2. Unsupervised ML

3. Reinforcement ML

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1. Keep Your Software Up to Date

2. Use a Password Manager

3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

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Marketing Professionals and Salespeople

Sales and Marketing Working Together

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