PSPINC Official Company Blog

Announcement: Click It Audio OS Upgrade with Downtime (05/07/2024)

May

2

Click It Audio Customers,

Thank you for choosing Click It Audio for your audio embed needs!

We’re happy to announce that we’re upgrading our operating system (OS) from Cent OS7 to Alma Linux 8 since there will no longer be technical support for Cent OS7 after June 30, 2024, and we continue striving towards making sure our service is the safest it can be. With this new upgrade, it will help patch any vulnerabilities to defend users against cyber threats.

However, updating the Cick It Audio OS will result in about 10 minutes of downtime for site login and audio embed playback, so we thought you should know ahead of time. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

This server upgrade will occur on:

* USA Pacific Daylight Time
- May 7th (Tue) 10:00-10:30am

* Japan Time
- May 8th (Wed) 2:00-2:30am

If you have any questions, please contact us at 1-800-232-3989 or email us at support@pspinc.com.

We would be happy to answer any of your questions by phone or email.

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.

#AlmaLinux #AudioEmbed #CentOS #ClickItAudio #Marketing #OS #PSPINC #Sales #SmallBusiness #Website

What are (Web) Cookies and How Do Marketers Use Them?

Apr

30

If you’ve spent enough time online, you’ve probably heard of the term “cookies” before. But what does it mean? A cookie, also known as HTTP cookies or web cookies, is a code snippet added to a web browser when a user visits a certain website and consents to the website’s use of cookies. The user’s browser then stores that code over a predetermined time set by its creators or until a user deletes it, changing how browsers interact with certain websites.

So, how do you know when cookies are in action? If you’ve ever experienced these encounters, that’s how you know:

Returned to a website where you’re automatically signed in.
Found items still in your shopping cart.
Saw the physical store location you picked last time on an e-commerce site you’ve been on before.
Discovered the product you were looking at during another session advertised in your email or on another website.
Checked out a purchase with your payment and shipping preference already stored and selected.

How Do Marketers Use Cookies?

With cookies, digital marketers can learn more about users coming onto their sites and better track users’ behavior on their websites. Knowing how people behave makes it easier to target potential customers and market to your users in the future since it’ll give you a good idea of what works and what doesn’t work on your website.

What marketers use cookies for:

Targeting: more user data and behavioral information that will help define target audience groups.
Personalization: after signing up for an email newsletter or purchasing a product on a website, cookies will remember the info users have filled in for the next time they come to that website.
Tracking: with more data on users, marketers can then use that data to better market in the future with targeted marketing campaigns.

Overall, cookies can be an invaluable tool for marketers. With the ability to collect more user data, marketers can use all of that to optimize their future marketing campaigns, resulting in more effective efforts.

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 #cybersecurity #digitalmarketing #google #marketing #marketingtips #mobile #sales #searchengineoptimization #seo #smallbusiness #tech #technology #web #webdesign #website #websites

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 217 “Get Up to $300 of Google Ad Credit!”

Apr

25

We're happy to announce that for a limited time, you can claim up to $300 of Google Ad credit with one of our marketing plans! Regardless of where you are in your business journey, we have an experienced team to help you with your business needs that’ll work within your budget. All of our marketing plans will include a voucher for Google Ad credit up to $300:

Sprout Marketing Plan: $100 of Google Ad credit.
Grow Marketing Plan: $200 of Google ad credit.
Thrive Marketing Plan: $300 of Google ad credit.

Add paid search with Google Ads to your marketing plan to increase your business’s overall brand awareness at an affordable price. PSPINC has over 36 years of experience helping small businesses grow online. Get started today with one of our marketing plans, built to work with your budget!

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.

#ad #advertising #blog #branding #business #businesstips #businesstools #digitalmarketing #google #googleads #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #ppcad #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #sales #seo #smallbusiness #tech #web #websites #webtools

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 215 “Google Analytics Update”

Apr

11

Last week, we received an email from Google Analytics, reminding us all about how they will be fully replacing Universal Analytics (UA) properties with Google Analytics 4 (GA4) on July 1. As a website owner, many of us know that using Google Analytics is vital in measuring how your website is performing. But if you haven’t switched your properties over to GA4 yet, you’re at risk of essentially starting over with new GA4 properties.

We recommend you switch over as soon as possible to build up website data so that when Google Analytics discontinues UA properties, you’ll still have some website data left. Plus, switching early gives you some time to learn the new GA4 system, if you haven’t already. If you’re not sure how to migrate your properties to GA4, reach out to our expert support team! Either call them at 1-800-232-3989 or email them 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 #google #googleanalytics #pspinc #sales #searchengineoptimization #smallbusiness #tech #technology #web #webdesign #webdevelopment #website #websites #websitetraffic #webtools #wordpress

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 211 “One More Week of Our Sprout Marketing Plan Sale!”

Mar

14

Take advantage of our marketing sale and get your first month free (a $160 value!) of managed paid ads. Google Ads can be tricky to navigate, in both the set-up and monitoring process. So, make it easier with professional marketing help. With our Sprout Plan, get:

One Google Ad
Campaign creation
Keyword and audience research
Conversion tracking setup
Performance analyzing and monitoring
Bi-weekly written reports
Competitor analysis
Ongoing optimization consultation
One weekly ad revision

With our Sprout marketing plan, marketing with Google Ads will only get easier with the help of our experts. There’s only one more week left in the sale, so get it while you can!

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 #b2b #branding #business #businesstips #digitalmarketing #google #googleads #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #newsletter #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #sales #seo #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #technology #web

Employee Spotlight: Meet Andres

Mar

5

At PSPINC, we pride ourselves on offering our customers the best customer support. This is thanks to our amazing support staff. In this series, we will highlight and showcase a number of those friendly faces who are standing by to take your call or email, help with your IT problems, and assist with your online solutions.

Meet Andres

Andres is one of our Support Technicians on our support team. We sat down with Andres and asked him some questions to get to know him better!

How long have you been working at PSPINC?

I’ve been working at PSPINC for four years.

What do you do at PSPINC?

I am a senior IT engineer and provide managed IT services to 15 companies in the Bellevue, Seattle, and Tacoma areas.

What does a typical day on the job look like for you?

I take care of a few customer support requests in the morning. Then, I usually head out to perform IT maintenance onsite for a customer for a few hours before returning to PSPINC to work on any of our current IT projects.

What’s your favorite part about working here?

I really like the team of people that I work with. All of them are nice, helpful, and very professional.

What’s the most challenging part of your job?

Balancing the tasks of providing great support to end users and working on complicated projects at the same time is the most challenging part for me.

Before working for PSPINC, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?

I designed and ran a 300.00-watt Bitcoin-mining facility in South America for two years before working here.

What have you learned while working here?

To rely on my team and to use my coworker’s knowledge on projects.

What skills do you think a tech support member needs to succeed?

IT changes constantly, so it’s important to have curiosity and the desire to research, while also being open to learning new things every day.

What has been your favorite project at PSPINC?

We did a complete network and server build for a new soy sauce factory in the area, and it was interesting to work alongside the construction crew of an industrial facility.

Why did you choose to pursue a career in IT?

IT has been in my life since I was a kid. It’s my passion, so it’s never really been a choice for me. I started to get IT requests and projects from everyone around me starting at 16 years old, and it has just never stopped.

What do you like to do for fun outside of work?

I like playing video games, watching some anime, watching movies, and going out with friends.

What is your favorite movie?

Probably a draw between Amélie, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Empire Strikes Back.

What’s your favorite food?

Chinese dim sum.

Where would you want to go on your ideal vacation?

My ideal vacation is a Caribbean cruise with family or friends.

We hope you enjoyed getting to know Andres today! If you’re a business in the Greater Seattle area that needs any remote or onsite technical support, don’t hesitate to contact our support team by calling 1-800-232-3989 or emailing them at support@pspinc.com. Andres and his team are the experts dedicated to helping you!

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 #blogger #business #businesstools #customerservice #employee #employeeappreciation #employees #employeespotlight #interview #it #itsupport #marketing #pacificsoftwarepublishing #pspinc #sales #smallbusiness #tech #technology #web

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 208 “Why Business Cards Are Still Relevant Today”

Feb

22

As important as having a digital presence for your business is, business cards are still relevant today. They’re an essential networking tool, which helps connect businesses, especially small businesses, to potential customers, partners, and/or employers. They convey professionalism and it is much more impressive to pull a business card out rather than verbally telling a potential lead your contact information.

Business cards also make it easy to market yourself and/or your business quickly but efficiently. You can easily slip it to someone in passing and it can serve as a physical reminder for people to check out your website or reach out to you later at a more convenient time. That’s why, along with our other brand and graphic design services like logo or custom web design, PSPINC offers business card design services. Get started by heading over to our Brand & Graphic Design page.

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 #b2b #blog #branddesign #branding #business #businesscard #businesscarddesign #businesscards #businesstips #customerservice #design #ecommerce #graphicdesign #marketing #marketingtips #pspinc #sales #smallbusiness #technology

What's New Newsletter Vol. 201 "Outsourcing Marketing Work”

Jan

4

Marketing is a constantly changing industry, which is why it's difficult to determine what works and what doesn't work for your business. What works for one company won't necessarily work for another, so marketing today consists of a lot of experimenting and testing, which can then take a lot of time and effort to get it right. So, with this in mind, it's not surprising that many businesses outsource their marketing work to a marketing agency or another company with the marketing expertise needed to succeed.

That's why we offer marketing packages that don't just break down the kind of work we do for our clients, but they're also affordable, so they'll fit your business needs and budget. After decades of helping small businesses grow online, we have the experience and expertise you need to thrive online. To learn more, head over to our Digital Marketing page on our website and check out our budget-friendly marketing plans, designed to fit your specific business needs.

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 #b2b #blog #branding #business #businesstips #businesstools #digitalmarketing #google #marketing #marketingtips #newsletter #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #sales #seo #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #technology #twitter #web #webdevelopment

The 5 Biggest Marketing Trends to Look Out For in 2024

Dec

26

As this year comes to a close, we’re reflecting on how marketing has evolved over the past year and how we can improve for next year, not only for our company but for our customers as well. When looking back, one thing’s for certain: advancements in technology are driving the trends that will only become even more popular next year. Here are five of the biggest marketing trends to look out for in 2024.

1. AI Marketing Automation

Artificial intelligence, or AI, has become an increasing trend over the past few years in multiple industries, but many marketers have also jumped on the bandwagon. Marketers have started using AI to create content and to take advantage of how AI integration analyzes data, personalizes customers’ experiences, and optimizes campaigns. Integrating AI into marketing strategies also helps hyper-personalize content, which has gained popularity over the past year.

But as helpful as AI technology has been to the marketing industry, it’s important not to employ a “set it and forget it” type of strategy. It’s still a largely developing technology, so there are still times when it’ll get things wrong, so it’s better to use AI integration in a more collaborative approach.

2. Video Marketing

person recording a video with their phone

As we’ve mentioned before, video marketing, especially short-form video marketing, has become more popular over the past few years. The rise of TikTok, Facebook/Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts made this clear. Other video marketing tactics that have also shown great success include live streaming and interactive video content. For more tips, check out our blog post all about how to start marketing with short-form videos.

3. User-Generated Content (UGC)

a person presenting user-generated content results to a marketing team

One of the best ways to build credibility, increase user engagement, and foster a sense of community online is through user-generated content (UGC), which just refers to content your customers share about you online. This usually involves encouraging customers to share their experiences with your brand on social media through a specific hashtag or throwing contests where the best entry wins. But there are other ways to garner content from your customers.

Customer reviews, either on Google, Facebook, Yelp, or any other platform, also count as user-generated content. It just takes a little more work to share it on social media since it isn’t already on the same platform. You can either take a screenshot and resize it for social media, or you can add it into a template of sorts from a site like Canva to share with your social media followers.

4. Social Shopping

Over the past year especially, selling and shopping directly on social media has only become more accessible with Facebook Marketplace, Instagram’s buy button, and TikTok Shop. It’s pushed social shopping more toward social media, being an e-commerce ecosystem all on its own. With social shopping already gaining popularity, marketers expect this will significantly impact the online shopping landscape.

5. Privacy and Data Protection

One of the largest growing concerns among customers today consists of protecting their data, thanks to the uptick in cybercrimes over the past few years. Because of this, customers are much more informed and vigilant about how others handle their data and how they share their data. On the business side, it’s important to implement secure data collection and storage practices to protect your employees’ accounts, which is easy to do with a password manager like Pass Wizard. On the consumer-facing side, businesses should be very transparent about their data collection and storage practices and obtain explicit consent when collecting user data.

With how fast technology evolves today, there are bound to be many more marketing trends coming next year that we haven’t anticipated. However, our team here at PSPINC has the experience and expertise to help you grow your business by strengthening your marketing efforts. Whether it’s social media marketing, paid ads on Google, email marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, or even blogging, we’ve got you covered. Get started today.

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 #b2b #blog #branding #business #businesstips #data #digitalmarketing #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingonline #marketingtips #passwordmanager #sales #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #ugc #usergeneratedcontent #videomarketing #web #website

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 195 “Establishing Brand Identity Through Design”

Nov

23

Brand identity is important to any business, especially small businesses. Large businesses have an advantage in terms of credibility compared to small businesses. A solid brand identity helps small businesses gain credibility and inspire customer loyalty. But what is brand identity? Internally, it’s the values your company stands for and how you want your customers to feel about you. Externally, it’s your logo and other graphic design attributes.

Here at PSPINC, we pride ourselves on helping small businesses every step of the way in the design process. If you’re unsure what your brand should be or what it should look like, or if you’re looking for a fresh rebrand for your company, we have your back! Whether it’s creating a logo design, designing a business card, or custom designing your website, we have you covered. Just visit our brand and graphic design page and/or our web design page to get started.

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.