PSPINC Official Company Blog

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 143 “Press Releases”

Nov

24

In business, we still consider press releases as a fundamental part of the communication cycle when marketing new product launches and events. It is, after all, a direct link to local media publications. But it’s hard to know how much it helps and if it’s worth the effort. After all, people’s attention spans have gotten smaller and press releases generally aren’t very short. Additionally, there’s so much media for people to consume, it’s hard to get through all the noise. From a journalist’s point of view, it’s a necessity. For a company, it can feel more like a throwaway tactic if it doesn’t result in increased sales, user engagement, or even web traffic.

But it’s a business standard for a reason. At the very least, it helps to establish credibility and gives companies the chance to control the narrative. For a smaller company, credibility is vital to success. If customers decide they don’t want to purchase from a larger company, they need to know they won’t regret buying from a smaller company. Seeing educational content on the company blog is a great start, but seeing press releases about the company from other sources is better. Companies are still able to control the messaging, but the fact that it comes from a different source adds to its overall credibility. So, while press releases are no longer useful in the same way they used to be, there is still a benefit to using them.

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 #digitalmarketing #journalism #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #presserelease #pressreleases #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #sales #smallbusiness

How Personalized Marketing Can Benefit Your Business

Nov

22

With so many small businesses out there, it’s hard to convince customers to choose yours. Not only that, but you want those customers to stay with you long term. Customers want to feel special rather than just another customer. One way to do that is to personalize marketing messages to customers. Personalized marketing is when a business tailors marketing efforts based on collected customer data such as purchase history, interests, and demographic data.

According to Slideshare, 90% of customers find personalization very or somewhat appealing. And 80% of customers are more inclined to buy from companies that offer personalized experiences. Personalized marketing is, however, more than simply addressing customers by name in marketing emails. It can also include product recommendations based on purchase history, cart abandonment emails, birthday emails, and even personalized web pages or pop-ups for first-time or returning customers.

Benefits of Personalized Marketing

With so much content and advertisements out there, businesses won’t attract customers with irrelevant marketing messages. Personalized messages, however, will help retain customers and bring them back repeatedly. With personalized marketing messages, potential customers are more likely to convert into actual customers and purchase from you. It results in a better customer experience, one that may even be good enough to share online or with close friends. In turn, it simplifies the lead nurturing process, as personalizing improves the overall experience, increasing the likelihood that users will convert. And it’ll result in more customer engagement and feedback in the end.

As a business, you can also get valuable insight into your customers. By personalizing marketing efforts, you can see how customers shop, what they like, and what they don’t like. You can then use all this additional knowledge to see how effective your efforts are. More importantly, you can also improve in areas that could use an upgrade. With all this combined, it will ultimately lead to increased revenue.

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 #businesstools #customerfeedback #digitalmarketing #ecommerce #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #sales #seo #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #web #webdesign #websites

Get 50% Off Your First Year of Pass Wizard Pro!

Nov

21

The holidays are here early this year because we’re now offering 50% off your first year of Pass Wizard Pro, our secure password manager. Just use the code, PRO50, at checkout and you’ll see the price drop! When upgrading to Pass Wizard Pro, you can:

Securely store and manage as many passwords as you’d like, as opposed to just 30 with the free plan.

Generate strong passwords.

Add multi-factor authentication via SMS or an authenticator app.

Share passwords securely within a group, whether it’s family members, friends, or employees.

If you don’t already have a Pass Wizard account, sign up for free and upgrade to Pro by clicking on the banner at the top. Use the promo code, PRO50, at checkout to get 50% off your first year.

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 #businesstools #cybersecurity #passwizard #passwordmanagement #passwordmanager #promo #promocode #pspinc #sale #sales #security #smallbusiness #softwaredevelopment #tech #technology #webdevelopment #website #webtools

What is Blockchain?

Oct

11

You’ve probably heard of blockchain before, especially with the growing craze of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. But blockchain isn’t just for finances, it’s just where it’s gained the most buzz in the last couple of years. Blockchain, simply put, is a database made up of a transparent network where users can trade with one another without the need for an intermediary.

Blockchain works differently from a typical database, as it structures data into blocks (hence the name). When entering new data, it comes in as a new block. Users are also unable to go back to modify already entered data. But as it updates itself, the new data is later chained onto the previous block, ordering them in chronological order. Users in a blockchain network can see everything that happens within that network. To ensure transactions are secure, blockchain uses cryptography to encode them.

Blockchain Use Cases

An obvious example of blockchain is Bitcoin. The easiest way to think of Bitcoin is thinking about how you obtain goods and services. Generally, you pay with traditional currency and the merchant gives you the product in return. Then, money’s put in a bank where it’s managed by other people. Blockchain allows users to manage the transaction on their own in a way that’s transparent and immutable. And that is essentially what Bitcoin is.

Another example is how Walmart and IBM worked together to bring about transparency to the food supply chain. In 2018, Walmart did two test runs using Hyperledger Fabric, a blockchain created by IBM. One with pork, and one with mangoes. Today, Walmart can trace over 25 products from 5 different suppliers to their origin because of this partnership. As a result, Walmart’s food supply chain is much more transparent and easier to track. And this wouldn’t have been possible without blockchain.

The Benefits of Blockchain

round silver and gold bitcoins on top of dollar bills

Blockchain embraces the idea of transparency and encourages trust. Users can see every step of transactions in its entirety. For security reasons, they can’t see every little detail as cryptography encodes those details. But they can at least see enough of the details to know it occurred. Because users can’t alter past data, it results in timely, accurate, and secure data.

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.

#banks #bitcoin #blockchain #blog #business #businesstools #currency #cybersecurity #ecommerce #finance #foodsupplychain #ibm #security #softwaredevelopment #tech #technology #transparency #walmart #webdevelopment

InforMakers Enhanced Form Settings Page Layout

Sep

29

Click to display and change more advanced settings

Following the recent update of the UI/UX to InforMakers, we have divided various items in the form settings into basic information and advanced options.

If you want to skip the advanced settings and simply create a form, entering only the basic information will be easy and quick.

If you want to add Google reCAPTCHA verification or have more customization over your form, you can do so in the advanced options.

We will continue to make improvements and add new features.

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.

#InforMakers #OnlineForm #PSPINC #businesstools #pacificsoftwarepublishing #webtools

Dreamersi UI Update

Aug

31

We’re pleased to announce that we’ve now updated the user interface (UI) user panel for the non-admin users of our web hosting service, Dreamersi.

screenshot of the new user panel in dreamersi that shows the offers and services section and the online tools section

In this update, we've:

Organized and updated the "Offers and Services" section

Added "Web Design"

Added "Custom Development"

Dreamersi is our premiere hosting service that we’ve designed in-house that is perfect for your web and email hosting needs. If you need help setting up your site with our hosting services, we have an incredible support team who'd be happy to help. To contact our support team, you can call us at 800-232-3989 or email us at support@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.

#blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #customerservice #dreamersi #email #emailhosting #hosting #pspinc #smallbusiness #softwaredevelopment #tech #technology #update #web #webdesign #webdevelopment #webhosting #website #websites #webtools

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

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

What is “Big Data”?

Jul

19

Big data is exactly what it sounds like: an enormous, exponentially growing amount of data. Data versus big data really comes down to three factors known as the three V's: volume, velocity, and variety. Volume refers to the sheer amount of data. Velocity, however, looks at how fast it generates. Lastly, variety includes structured (numerical data), semi-structured (machine-generated documents and data in a no-SQL database), and unstructured data (text and image files). But over the last few years, two more V's have emerged: value and veracity. They involve determining how accurate your data is, how much you can rely on it, and what kind of value you can gather from it.

The Benefits of Big Data

a business woman pumping her fist int the air while holding a piece of paper sitting in front of a laptop

Big data is, like the name suggests, big. But it means nothing if you can’t derive value from it. Cleaning, curating, and preparing data for clients takes up a significant amount of time. But in the end, valuable data remains prime for companies to use to their advantage. So, it’s no surprise that data is behind some of the world's biggest companies' success. Those companies have figured out how to use their data to develop products better, improve customer experiences, and drive innovation.

For example, Spotify and Netflix look at what their customers listen to or watch and use that data to determine what else they might like. Then, they can recommend content based on predictive models created from collected data. Businesses can also gather an immense amount of data from social media, website visits, call logs, and other customer actions to analyze how they interact with the company. Then, they can use it to see where they can improve. And that includes enhancing their overall efficiency and identifying new ways to drive innovation.

How Big Data is Changing

a finger pointing at a dark screen with a bunch of numbers

As great as big data is, the real challenge comes in keeping up with it. Year after year, newly developed technologies emerge to help store all that data. But data volumes continue to increase exponentially. Because of that, organizations struggle keeping up with the accelerating pace. And it doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. But when businesses can find relevant meaning behind all that data, that can lead to true success.

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.