PSPINC Official Company Blog

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 148 “Custom Web Development”

Dec

29

With so many web builders out there today, you may be asking yourself, why do people pay for web development? Well, the biggest difference between using the available web tools out there today versus paying a developer to create your site is simple: customization. When using popular web builders, you’re stuck with whatever themes and templates they offer. And they may be nicely designed and easy to use, but it might not be enough. Over the years, we’ve learned that every small business is different. And that means their needs are different, too. While there are a lot of intuitive tools and resources out there, they can’t meet every business’s needs.

Sometimes, businesses want unique features that aren’t readily available or easily created by generic web builders. That’s where custom web development comes in. And that’s why we offer it as a service. PSPINC’s web development services have a long and successful history creating unique features for small businesses that need them. To see some examples, head over to our custom development page on our website. And if you’re looking for custom web development services, look no further!

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 #businesstools #customersupport #digitalmarketing #marketing #marketingtips #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #searchengineoptimization #smallbusiness #tech #technology #webdevelopment #websitebuilder #websites

Click It Audio Free Plan Updates

Dec

22

Starting today, our free Click It Audio users will now be able to replace their audio content as many times as they want! Previously, users could only replace audio up to three times, but we've removed the limit altogether.

With unique audio QR codes and audio embeds, you can market to your customers uniquely and personalize your marketing efforts. Add them to product packaging, business cards, greeting cards, or even blog posts to grab your audience's attention and provide more valuable information to your customers. Sign up for Click It Audio for free today or upgrade to our Standard plan to unlock an ad-free experience.

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.

The term "QR Code" is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.

#audio #audioembeds #audioqrcode #b2b #blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #clickitaudio #digitalmarketing #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #pspinc #qrcode #smallbusiness #tech #technology #update #webdevelopment #website #webtools

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 146 “Ditch Perfection”

Dec

15

Being perfect is overrated. In a business setting, trying to make everything you do perfect won’t work in the long term. But it’s only natural to want to do well and limit the number of mistakes. Especially in a professional setting. But trying to be perfect can be exhausting. And it can hurt your business more than you realize. For example, perfectionists are typically slower at accomplishing tasks, which can also increase stress levels because of how much work piles up and how slowly everything goes about.

With an attitude like that, very little will get done in the end, which isn’t ideal. Especially for a small business that always has ideas on how to better their business, all of which they’d like done in a short amount of time. So, don’t worry about being perfect. There’s no use in trying to be perfect all the time because it’s impossible to always be perfect. Mistakes happen, and when they do, you’ll grow from 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.

#b2b #blog #business #businesstips #digitalmarketing #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #newsletter #pacificsoftwarepublishing #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #sales #smallbusiness

The Difference Between B2B and B2C Marketing

Dec

6

When marketing a business successfully, a lot of research, strategy, and execution goes into it. But what works for one company won’t necessarily work for another. Even if both companies are relatively the same size and sell similar products. This is because their audiences and end goals can be completely different. One company could be selling computer software to everyday customers to use at home, while another could be selling something similar for other small businesses to use on a wide scale. Think of it this way: a customer buying a computer to use at home is very different from a customer buying computers for their entire office to use.

Therefore, a company’s marketing strategy towards one customer buying a computer is going to be completely different from one trying to sell to a business. And that’s why B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) marketing exist. B2B marketing refers to marketing to professional buyers, who are looking to purchase products or services that will benefit the company they work for. B2C marketing, however, refers to marketing toward individual customers.

B2C Marketing Strategies

A Woman in White Long Sleeves Tapping Her Phone on a Payment Terminal at the Counter

When marketing to individual customers, messaging is the most important aspect of your advertising efforts. With the right message, you can create loyal customers, confirm your credibility, and emotionally connect with your customers. And it will help in achieving the ultimate goal: motivating them to purchase from you. An effective way of delivering the right message is to evoke emotion in your ad copy.

The relationship between the brand and customer in B2B marketing is transactional in the sense that it’s quick and easy when done right. And the audience is much larger and broader compared to B2B businesses. So, it only makes it that much more important that your ad copy is effective. Because of how short the experience is between the customer and company, making sure it’s memorable will better ensure they’ll not only remember you but come back to purchase from you again.

B2B Marketing Strategies

Man in a Suit Talking with a Couple in an Office

Unlike B2C marketing, B2B focuses more on establishing a long-term relationship with customers. And your audience is much smaller compared to B2C. While there is some overlap between B2C and B2B marketing, B2B ad copy will usually consist more of establishing your positioning in the market and showcasing your expertise.

The best way to do that is by constantly creating educational content and keeping a line of communication open. B2B customers take much longer to make purchasing decisions compared to B2C. It’s because it’s not just a personal purchase, it’s one that they’re hoping will benefit their business, employees, and colleagues. So, it’s important to B2B customers that the products or services come from a reputable company. If the company provides plenty of content that shows off their expert knowledge, it makes B2B customers much more likely to purchase from 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.

#b2b #b2bmarketing #b2c #b2cmarketing #blog #branding #business #businesstips #businesstools #customerjourney #digitalmarketing #ecommerce #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #officetips #onlinemarketing #smallbusiness #web

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 144 “Advertising on Google”

Dec

1

For a small company, it can be hard to justify spending money on marketing. Especially when there are ways to promote your business for free through social media, email, and your own website. But there’s a reason why most small businesses use Google Ads. Organic posts will only get you so far. The biggest benefit that Google has to offer is brand awareness and reach. Sure, you can tell your family and friends all about your business. And share your website on social media. But it’s not enough.

There are billions of internet users out there, millions of which could be potential customers looking for what you have to offer. But they can’t purchase from you if you don’t know you exist. The best way to make sure that doesn’t happen is by advertising on Google. And it’s great for small businesses because it’s not super expensive like some other advertising avenues. So, even though you can market your business for free, it doesn’t mean you should.

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 #businesstips #businesstools #digitalmarketing #facebook #google #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #newsletter #pacificsoftwarepublishing #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #socialmedia #tech #technology #web #websites

PSPINC is #17 on Puget Sound Business Journal’s Asian-Owned Business List of 2022

Nov

30

We’re so excited to announce that we’ve made it onto the Puget Sound Business Journal’s list of Asian-Owned Businesses of 2022 at #17! For 35 years, Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. (PSPINC) has been helping small businesses everywhere grow their business online with digital products and services. And we couldn’t be prouder of the work we’ve done so far.

To see how we can help your business with your online needs, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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.

#asianownedbusiness #award #b2b #blog #branding #business #businesstools #digitalmarketing #diversity #ecommerce #marketing #marketingdigital #pacificsoftwarepublishing #psbj #pspinc #pugetsoundbusinessjournal #smallbusiness #tech #technology #web

The Benefits of Authenticator Apps

Nov

29

For many online accounts, users can add an extra layer of security with two-factor authentication via authenticator apps. To do this, authenticator apps generate a six to eight-digit code every 30 seconds, which users will enter whenever they log into their accounts. According to Embroker, the pandemic has only accelerated cybercrime, as it’s increased by 600%. And it hasn’t only affected individuals, but small businesses as well. Therefore, multiple-factor authentication (MFA) methods have become more popular over the past few years. And some may argue they may become a norm in the next few years.

To use an authenticator app:

Sign up and install an authenticator app on your mobile device.

Go to any of your online accounts that support two-factor authentication (2FA).

Choose the option to use an authenticator app.

Tap on Add Account in your authenticator app.

Tap on Scan QR Code in your authenticator app and scan the code the website shows you.

Your authenticator app will add your account, giving your account a name and icon.

The next time you sign into your account, you will need to open your authenticator app to enter an access code, which will only last for about 60 seconds before a new code generates.

How Authenticator Apps Work

Authenticator apps use a time-based one-time password (TOTP), a standardized method that generates a routinely changing code based on a shared secret. When setting up 2FA with an authentication app, the server of whatever online account you’re using creates a secret key made up of random numbers and letters. Then, users can save this key by either scanning a QR code or manually entering the longer code into their authenticator app. Doing this then shares the secret key between the server and the user’s phone.

When logging into their account next time, the server asks for proof of this key by prompting users with an access code. Users will then have to open their authenticator app (be it Google, Microsoft, etc.) and enter a six to eight-digit access code to log in. This code, however, isn’t the secret key. Instead, the authenticator app uses a secure-hash function to mix the secret key with the current time to produce a temporary access code. To make it even more secure, the access code is only valid for about 60 seconds, making the code that much more unique.

Why Authenticator Apps Are More Secure Than Text-Based Verification

Another way to protect your online accounts can be through a text message or SMS verification. But SMS verification ties directly to a user’s phone number and SIM card. Ultimately, this means that anyone with access to a user’s phone and/or SIM card can log in with SMS verification. A cybercriminal can attain a user’s SIM card by convincing a mobile provider to send them a SIM card with your number. Or they can intercept your text messages, also known as a “man-in-the-middle” attack.

An authenticator app makes it harder for cybercrime to occur by constantly changing access codes after about 60 seconds. So, if thieves do manage to intercept both the access code and a user’s password, they have a very limited time to use it. And while there are still ways for criminals to hack your account, having 2FA in place for online accounts is still better than not having one at all. And it’s why our password manager, Pass Wizard, gives users the option to add 2FA to their account, either through SMS or one-time password (OTP) via an authenticator app.

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.

The term "QR Code" is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.

#app #authenticatorapps #blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #cybersecurity #digitalmarketing #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #mobile #security #smallbusiness #softwaredevelopment #tech #technology #web #webdevelopment #webtools

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

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 142 “Social Issues”

Nov

17

Over the last decade, some companies have announced their support for or opposition to a social issue. And it’s happened much more in the past few years as there’s been more evidence of customers purchasing based on where brands stand on certain issues. But as a small business, it can be a risky move to do so. Even though there are many successful examples of brands achieving this, there are also many who have failed. If you decide to take a stance as a small business, extensive research and testing are necessary before you announce it publicly. But it’s also important to point out that even after all of that, it can still fail.

That’s why many companies, especially small businesses, opt to completely stay out of it. Sometimes, companies don’t realize just how smart customers are. If it seems like your company is just supporting or opposing something just to say something, your customers will pick up on it. And they won’t be happy about it. For any company, regardless of size, having something like this backfire on you can be catastrophic. So, sometimes it’s better to just stay out of social issues.

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.