Studying is not just about going to college and concentrating on your modules anymore. It is more about preparing for a future and a high-paying job so that you don’t have to struggle much later. When you select your master’s course, you have to be 100% sure because it is one of your very few chances of securing a good future.
Some Things That You Need to Keep in Mind While Choosing a Master’s Course:
Find what your interest is. It isn’t necessary that you have to do a master’s after doing a bachelor’s. You can take a couple of years off and work. Get yourself well-trained in your field of expertise. After two years, decide whether you really want to go ahead with your studies. If you want to settle in a foreign country, getting a master’s will be an ideal choice.
2. What Will Help Your Future the Most
A master’s course is highly specialized. Choose your course and university carefully. For example, you want to do a master’s in sports nutrition. University A is offering sports and exercise nutrition and University B is offering exercise science and nutrition. The course that University A is offering is more similar to your need than the other one.
College fees are a lot in the US, Canada, and the UK. The cost of living is very low in the UK. If you want to do engineering, go to nations like Germany, Finland, or Austria. They have exceptionally well courses and barely cost anything. These nations need engineers and are ready to pay high salaries to the students after completing their education. Think smartly.
4. Which Country Will Support Your Career the Best
Just like what is mentioned above, choose a country that suits your career. With the tension over visa issues going on in the US, going to Canada or European nations will be a sensible decision.
From business models to biological simulations, computer science has its applications in most, if not all, fields. There is a huge, ever-growing demand in the market for computer science professionals, and with so many options available to explore, it can get confusing when deciding which option suits your career needs best. This article details everything you need to know about some of the top computer science jobs with high demand in the market.
1. Software Developer
Ever wondered who came up with your favorite photo-editing app? Or, the video game you played after school? Or, the music player on your phone? Or, the software that keeps track of your tasks? All of these tools that have been making your life easier were designed and brought to you by software developers.
Software developers talk through with their clients in order to understand what they need from their software. They, then, are responsible for designing, developing, coding, and shaping the required tasks into software programs. Once the software is ready, they must test it and make sure that it meets their clients’ needs. Maintaining the software, coming up with updates, fixing bugs, and training its users is also the role of a software developer.
Skills Required to Be a Software Developer
Software developers typically require a bachelor’s degree in computer science or equivalent computer science fields. Good command of multiple coding languages is a must and sound mathematical knowledge helps in coming up with efficient algorithms for a program.
Besides technical skills, this job also demands strong communication skills in order to communicate with and understand the demands of the client, and also to communicate within the team of other software engineers.
Security analysis is one of those computer science jobs that would keep you under a lot of pressure.
The basic job of an information security analyst is to carry out safety measures to keep an organization’s computer systems and networks safe from potential security breaches.
What Does the Job of Information Security Analysts Involve?
Information security analysts design the security system of an organization, install firewalls, keep antiviruses updated, and more. They ensure the encryption of the company’s sensitive information and implement, conduct tests and analyze the security measures of an organization. During a security breach, it is their duty to investigate and resolve problems within the existing security system.
Skills Required to Be a Security Analyst
Usually, for entry-level jobs, a computer science degree is required. In-depth knowledge of operating systems, firewalls, antiviruses, IDPS concepts, and computer components — both software and hardware — is a must. Ethical hacking is a very useful skill that helps in conducting effective penetration tests and identifying potential threats and vulnerabilities in computer networks.
A security analyst should be able to anticipate complex problems and also have excellent problem-solving skills to resolve the same. In addition to that, they should also be a team worker and should be able to work under pressure.
Of all the computer science jobs, one of the most mathematically-inclined jobs is that of a Data Scientist. So, if you have a knack for mathematics and are fascinated by computer science, this is the job for you.
Data scientists are responsible for data acquiring, data storage, and data processing. The processing is done by creating algorithms and data science models with the help of data science techniques, like Machine learning, AI, statistical modeling, and more.
To put it in simple words, data scientists utilize their mathematical and computational skills to analyze big data to identify trends, and based on it, they come up with solutions to challenges — usually business challenges.
Skills Required to Be a Data Scientist
For entry-level jobs, typically a master’s degree in computer science is needed.
As you must have figured, Data Science is an amalgamation of both mathematical and computational methods. Therefore, employers look for a strong grip of mathematics and statistics for this job.
To implement these mathematical methods, a deep knowledge of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and programming tools, such as Python, SAS, or SQL, and their application in data science, is required.
Web development is one of the most time-wise flexible computer science jobs. One can choose to either freelance or work with a team or under a company.
This job is ideal for someone who has some interest in graphic designing and has a knowledge of coding computer languages.
Web developers design and develop the basic layout — from graphics to user interface — of a website according to their client’s/company’s needs and code for the same. Upon successful creation of a website, its maintenance, bug fixing, and updating also falls under the responsibility of the web developer. information research scientists
Skills Required to Be a Web Developer
A computer science degree is usually required for entry-level jobs. A standard knowledge of coding languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript is a must and should be familiar with database systems, like Oracle/SQL.
Employers may also look for basic knowledge of search engine optimization and a little bit of graphic designing. Some understanding of mathematics can also help produce more efficient codes and algorithms.
This job also demands strong communication skills to communicate well with clients and collaborate with the organization’s computer systems administrators and other team members.
How Much Do Web Developers Make?
The median salary of web developers is $77,200 per year.
5. Database Developer
A database is a collection of structured data which can be stored and manipulated. An organization’s massive collection of data is organized into a database by a database developer, who develops and manages it.
Database developers are responsible for developing, managing, and troubleshooting a company’s database. They also develop database codes for the extraction or modification of data from the database.
Skills Required to Be a Database Developer
A bachelor’s degree in computer science or IT is required. Database developers should be well trained with both relational as well as non-relational database management systems, like SQL, T-SQL, PL / SQL, DB2, NoSQL, and Oracle databases. They should also possess strong analytical skills and should be able to perform cost calculations to come up with efficient, low-cost solutions to a company’s database management problems.
These analysts analyze the hardware, software, and existing systems of an organization and diagnose problems. Based on these analyses, they incorporate new technology which is cost-beneficial and then oversee its successful installation.
Skills Required to Become a Computer Systems Analyst
Employers usually look for computer science graduates for the job. Besides that, a systems analyst should have sound knowledge of computer hardware and software and should be up to date with the latest technology. Often, experience in business and management is also required.
Out of all the computer science jobs listed, this one is based on one of the newest technologies. To understand this job, let us first understand what cloud is.
Some would say that cloud practically is the internet. Cloud basically refers to the servers accessed by the internet. These servers are located in data centers all around the globe and can be accessed by users from any device. A lot of businesses are switching to this technology as this way they do not have to manage, update, or maintain physical servers on their own, and this way the servers are more easily accessible.
What Are the Responsibilities of Cloud Architects?
Since cloud technologies are relatively new, the job of shifting the company’s current servers to adopt cloud servers, is that of a cloud architect. They must design and assist this change and ensure a smooth adoption by using their cloud computing skills. Once live, they are responsible for maintaining and updating the cloud infrastructure.
Skills Required to Be a Cloud Architect
A major in computer science or a bachelor’s degree in information technology or electronics and communication is usually necessary. A decent understanding of various operating systems, networking, and basic programming knowledge is required for this job. Concepts of TCP/IP, HTTP, IP addresses, and DNS must be known.
Since cloud architecture enables easy access to company data from any location and device, it is also important to have a strong knowledge of security in order to make this infrastructure safe and prevent unauthorized access.
So, these were some of the best computer science jobs for computer science graduates. Let us know in the comments section which computer science jobs are you most interested in?
A backlink is one of the most cost-effective ways of marketing your website on the internet. Also, know as an inbound link, backlinks help direct traffic to your website. The more the number of backlinks a website has, the more are the chances of people visiting your website which in turn leads to a higher and more profound search engine ranking.
A backlink is the most practiced, efficient, and cost-effective method of marking on the internet. Also called the inbound link, a backlink reroutes the traffic to your websites with the help of various backlinks posted on other websites. Having a large number of quality backlinks enhances a site’s chance at search engine optimization (SEO), propelling and catapulting your website, business, blog, etc. at the top.
What you have to do is make sure that the website on which the links are posted has the relevant material for your business or blog. Selecting a niche for your website is really important.
Example: If you have a website selling alarm clocks, posting on a fashion website would not help you much. Sure, you can find a way of relating fashion to alarm clocks but it would not do any good for the incoming traffic on your website. It is essential that you decide the types of websites where the quality backlinks would work.
Before we understand the various methods of posting backlinks, let us understand how it can help and assist the growth of your website :
It is one of the cheapest and most free tools of marketing on the internet. It is based on a relationship that you develop with other websites. For a basic understanding: it is a give and take relationship. You provide the other website with material or content and they let you post backlinks to support your website.
Posting backlinks can also help you generate relevant traffic to your website. You should always choose to market to your niche or a selected group of target customers by writing and submitting content on a website that matches your product profile. It increases the chance of a reader to click on your backlink for more information on the product.
Relationship building is another added advantage to posting backlinks, it makes your product trustworthy and concrete in the marketplace. It is important that a follow-up is done regularly on every backlink created for your site.
SEO, posting quality links would escalate your search engine rank. The more the number and relevance of links, the more the ranking increases on the search engine.
Backlinks would prove to be a boon for your website by boosting sales and revenues as more and more people visit your website.
References are the number of people directed by a consumer’s suggestion. The chances of references also increase if the backlinks are posted with precision.
Always be sure of the viewers or the traffic of the blog before you start posting on it. Know what your market is and understand what you are offering to customers. Don’t go about posting backlinks in the dark as it would not help you. Writing and posting good quality content with your backlink would ensure SEO for the blog and the chances of targeted people clicking on your link.
2. Commenting
It is another useful way of posting a backlink. Good quality comments urge the readers to scroll further to understand the best point of view. A comment with good content and a link would increase the chances of readers traveling to your website
3. Forums
A useful way of marketing and posting good quality backlinks are various forums operating on the internet. Shortlist the forum relevant to your business and targeted customers and then post and discuss in an entirely professional manner to impress the readers. Do not spam or you will be banned from the website. Remember! The best way to do it is the power of suggestion. Keep posting and participating regularly in a particular forum so that people recognize you and have faith in your content and eventually in your link.
4. Free Articles
Writing an article is not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you are able to draft an article and submit it on a website, it would help your purpose immensely. An article with proper and formatted usage of keywords intrigues readers and hence escalates the traffic to your page. Always write with passion and never use the same heading twice.
5. Q & A Websites
There are many websites and subsites dedicated to solving the everyday problems that people face. Based on your expertise in your area of business, start writing answers to people’s questions. The answers should be valid and written well enough to ensure that people click on the link mentioned there. Such websites also help concrete your image and your brands as well.
6. Using Social Media
Another easy way to post for your site would be making communities, joining communities, sharing, composing updates, etc. by using social networking and media websites. The field that relates best to your business should always be the priority so that valid clicks are promoted. Impressive work can gain various followers, likes, and highlights making more people interested in your post.
It seems like the UK is planning to revamp its immigration policy after Brexit in 2016. In next year’s budget, the UK government will ease student visa rules, making it easier for international students in the UK. If everything goes as planned, international students will be able to apply for a work visa as soon as their course ends and not after getting the graduation certificate. It is a huge relief for students planning to study in the UK.
Amber Rudd, the home secretary, and home office have eased visa rules for students applying for postgraduate courses in Imperial College of London, and Oxford, Bath, and Cambridge universities. All this information was released in the budget report on 22 November. However, everyone is still concerned about the government’s immigration bill post-Brexit.
According to the Budget Red Book, the government plans to change immigration rules so that scientists and researchers apply for work in the UK. These talented individuals are endorsed in the UK through Tier 1 – Exceptional Talent visa, which allows settlement after three years. It reduces the pressure of hiring international scientists and researchers. More international students will be interested in completing higher studies and take up research in the UK, strengthening its research and development. Earlier it would take five years for a person on a Tier 1 visa to settle, but now the government has cut off two years
Recently, the UK government announced that it has doubled the student visas from 1,000 to 2,000. The UK is changing its approach towards immigration and inviting highly skilled people to join its workforce. If international students obtain the visa and are meeting the salary threshold, then they will be given the Tier 2 visa immediately. There is no doubt in saying that everyone is going to welcome the new law happily.
Studying abroad is a very bold decision. No place is bad to study, it only depends on how you use it. However, studying at a good university makes it easier to get a high-paying job. Always keep a list of points on which you judge which country will be the best for you to study.
Here are Four Points That Can Help You Choose the Country You Want to Study in:
If you go study medicine in New Zealand won’t get you anything but peanuts. But if you go study IT or business there, then you will definitely land a high-paying job. The Middle East is ideal for business and nutrition studies. Medical professionals are highly needed in all European countries.
2. Visa and Language Skills
It is easier for Indian students to get a UK student visa. Australian students visa are more difficult to get because the rules are very strict. The US student visa depends on the type of study you are going for. Also, what about a post-study work permit? The UK doesn’t have a post-study work permit like the US and Australia. You have to find a job immediately but the permanent residency rules are very easy in the UK.
3. Tuition Fees
Many European countries don’t charge international students. You only have to pay the administrative fees. American universities have varying costs and it depends on what type of university it is. Australian universities charge the highest fees.
4. Cost of Living
The cost of living is the lowest in European countries followed by Russia and then the US. Canada and Australia are very expensive in terms of the cost of living. Always choose a geographically big country to study, so that you can travel around and tick things off your travel bucket list.
Who would have thought there would be a day when one could read a book on a tablet? The world has changed ever since the advent of the computer and its latest accessories. The world today has been taken over by storm by the concept of the tablet. This lightweight, easy-to-carry piece is a genius creation that extends the functionality of the computer.
Ranging in size from 5 inches to 10 inches and each weighing only a couple of grams, tablets seem to be even taking over computers nowadays! Various operating systems work on multiple tablets. While the newest tablets have been roped in by Windows 8, the Apple iPad works on iOS, and most tablets run on Android. So, while many people use tablets to surf the internet, play games, and even send out e-mails, they are used to a large extent to read books.
There has been a constant debate among the various brands that serve as the best e-book reader for Android, as this operating system is most common! Let’s look at the multiple options of Android e-book readers and how each of them functions differently.
1. Kindle
This is one of the first few books that emerged. Solely being used as an e-book reader, this tablet created by Amazon took over the world like a storm.
Advantages:
As it is connected to your Amazon account, your purchases are made via the same. This is a convenient feature of the Kindle. While browsing through Amazon on any other day and any other device, you have the option of purchasing a book and pushing it to your Kindle device as well. This no-glare device proves to be an excellent option to read books on for a longer period.
Amazon has also come out with the kindle H’’ for better quality! with Kindle’s soaring sales numbers.
Disadvantages:
Using the Calibre application to concert content in your Kindle is quite painful as it does not support the ePUB format. They should bring out a direct and simpler way of doing so. Kindle could also introduce a function by adding two pages on turning the tablet horizontally for increased usability.
2. Google Books
Google has also not fallen short in bringing out a reader for e-books! As a version to contest the iBooks, you can buy books via your google checkout account. You can even rate your Google books for other readers.
As you already have a Google account to use your Android tablet, book purchases are not a problem. As it supports the standard ePUB format and Adobe PDF, books can be scanned originally from a book or in the two-page format.
Disadvantages:
A slight disadvantage is that you cannot upload the content you have bought, say from a vendor directly or any document. Hopefully, Google Books will figure something out and sort out this issue.
3. Nook
Barnes and Noble use their Android application known as Nook. The sideloading feature is a great advantage that allows you to load ePUB books that you have purchased from the public Library or what you have purchased otherwise.
Advantages:
Nook cashes on the two-page layout, which is extremely convenient. You also have the option of turning off the page flipping if, for any reason, it slows down your device. The ‘‘LendM’’ feature is also an interesting option for lending books to users for two weeks.
Disadvantages:
The LendMe option is available once per book, and items you have sideloaded aren’t options.
4. Moon Reader
This is a device you can use on your cell phone to read e-books.
Advantages:
You can adjust the brightness of your screen to suit your preference and even save your color settings and animations as a theme ready to use later on. Sync between phone and tablet is also possible.
Disadvantages:
Free downloads have ads, and it does not support PDF files.
5. FB Reader
A new free application for Android, the look seems to be fairly simple.
Advantages:
You have access to a Network Library that contains a wide range of free books and paid books. The Library also has segments and more for easy use.
Disadvantages:
Like the Moon reader, it does not support PDF or .chm, which they can consider changing in the future.
By this time, you may have heard about the Google Penguin update and the havoc that it has created an SEO business. If it is the reason that has brought you here, then you have landed at just the right place. The update has given a big blow to millions of web admins and their websites; before we analyze anything further, let us understand the update better.
Google Penguin Update
Google’s Penguin update was an attempt to combat web spam and penalize all those sites which have used negative search engine optimization techniques to build up their ranking. The update held many websites spamming Google’s search results, concentrating more on those particular websites that did so by obtaining the inbound links with the help of networks designed especially to promote Google rankings or simply buying incoming links that matched the same anchor text. As a result, Google decreased the rankings of all such sites and blocked many others, found guilty of violating Google’s quality guidelines.
With its latest update, Google had put stiffer guidelines on search engine optimization to penalize all such websites and reward those webmasters who are doing things right. So, if this change has clutched you too, here is what you need to do. Now that you know the Penguin update and how it works, check if your inbound link profile is over-optimized.
Since you would be required to remove some unwanted incoming links from your website, start by running an analysis on your backlink profile so that you know which links are unnatural and have to be removed. Remember that the Penguin update is a major algorithm update and directly deals with your website rankings where ‘back link’ and the content it relates to are the prime factors. Hence, you must clean up your website range by removing unwanted backlinks.
How Many Links Should You Remove?
As such, there is no specific number to know how many backlinks you should remove; it will entirely depend on the web spam factors that your website contains, including stuffing of keywords, unnatural or spammy links, cloaking, and content spinning. If incoming links to your website contain any factor, it has to be removed straight away.
Look for all those links which are frequently appearing on your website (sometimes, more than a thousand times), links which you have created by non-organic means, links that match the same anchor text, and those for whom you have paid, find them and remove them.
Buying backlinks is something Google strictly discourages. In recent times, Google has started sending many messages to web admins, warning them about various bad linking structures about their websites. These are automated links are bad for your website and sets off the penalty alarm. So beware of what types of links your website contains.
Another practice that people usually follow is generating backlinks from other sites one might own himself. Several web admins create more than one website to supplement their main site. Of course, these multiple sites are of poor quality, and so are the backlinks that come from such websites. Google will eventually recognize them, no matter how many automated mechanisms one employs to make these low-quality backlinks appear genuine.
If your inbound links contain similar anchor text, then it too hints at automation which happens when you pay for backlinks, and this is why you should avoid doing this. Apart from these, you should never practice cloaking or hidden text techniques, these are cheap and unethical search engine optimization practices, and thus, you should never do that. Also, avoid links with too many keywords and meta descriptions as Google also penalizes the websites with high keyword density.
How to Get Over?
The best way out is to practice white SEO techniques. It is not like removing bad backlinks from your website is not important, but what is more important is not to create such links in the first place since they are against SEO practices. Google has come up with many changes, but an algorithmic update is all about long-term changes.
It is better that you follow the guidelines and shape your website accordingly instead of bending it. So do not waste your time trying to remove all bad backlinks; focus on what you should do for now and play safe for the future.
E-commerce is a very interesting way of building a business venture and attracting new consumers. It is the process of conducting business via electronic mediums, that is, through the Internet. It may seem easy to have a shop online, it does take time to set up and can be quite challenging to maintain. However, sometimes, what is challenging is what you want to continue doing. Thus setting up the e-commerce store is the first thing that needs to be tackled.
This is one of the most important things to incur while setting up an online shop. The store’s design must be extremely attractive and should make people want to visit the website. It shouldn’t be too hard to use; users should be able to use it at ease. Because once you manage to increase the traffic, the customers would be making their way around the website a bit more than usual.
While it’s good to go for high-quality fascinating graphics and motion pictures, some people may not be able to witness it due to their slow internet connection.
And since most consumers may not have the patience to wait until it loads, they can very well switch to another website in the meantime.
Product display
Since consumers are coming to the website primarily to purchase the products it sells, their display should be clear and open without a fuss. It should clearly state the price, the availability, colors, size, and maybe a short product description.
This section is important because the consumers cannot feel or see the product, so they have to rely on the photographs.Thus the picture should be able to portray exactly how the product would seem in person. The product gallery must open at ease and quickly. There are methods to reduce the image size without compressing the quality of the image.
Trust
It is important to instill the trust factor into your consumers. Owners of e-commerce websites must get across the message that they are not around to fleece them! So on the payment page, make sure the page is secure, and the consumers are assured of the fact. Have all sorts of payment options available such as credit card, debit card, net banking, and NEFT transfer of money, cheque, and even payment-on-delivery.
There must be a section that also clearly mentions specifics of the product, the delivery, warranty, guarantee, and the purchase process. This is important not to have any misunderstanding with the consumers.
These are the ways to build an effective store design as well as make the space user-friendly. Both points are important in the success of online stores. It doesn’t mean that adopting one idea makes you let go of the other. Creating a store user-friendly may prove to be an exhausting process, as every detail needs to be looked into carefully. However, it will prove helpful in the long run.
Finding the Best E-Commerce Web Designer for Your Online Shop
The simple explanation of e-commerce is to conduct business online. While selling goods always entailed being physically present and billing for the purchases physically, the Internet has taken this definition to a whole new level. Today, you can shop online for various products and bill for them with the swipe of your card!
While shopping was considered a woman’s birthright, you have men spending more hours and money glued to their computer screens to buy products of their choice! With almost everything available online today, you don’t need to step out of the comfort of your home and shop for something.
However, someone who wants to start an e-commerce website must find the best e-commerce web designer for your online shop. While it may be a fruitful and interesting venture to start, it requires appropriate guidance and patience. Here are some tips for finding the best e-commerce web designer for your online shop.
Experience
Several web designers claim to have worked on several projects in the past. However, it is important to check their experience by asking them personally or doing a general background check. The credentials of the company also matter. They may be new in the business, but sometimes ideas of newcomers also work well.
Programming Skills
While you are looking to hire a website e-commerce designer, it is also important to ask him to brush up on his programming skills. He must know the language of the computer and how to tackle any program that might require him to step out of his comfort zone a little.
Creative Eye
While you may want your designer to have programming skills, it is most important to have a creative eye for things. This is how he will showcase creativity within the online store he will build for you. A creative look can lend many creative ideas.
Previous Projects
A look at his previous projects will give you a fair idea of his work. This way, you can also decide if his style is something you are looking at and whether it agrees to a certain extent with your idea. Taking a look at his previous projects can also determine the time of his success and failures. But most importantly, it acts as a portfolio of sorts to showcase his last work, not just the award-winning ones.
Designing capabilities is extremely important while choosing an e-commerce web design. It’s not easy to maintain a store online for consumers, and it must be attractive enough to keep them interested. After all, a lot of people end up judging a book by its cover! However, for the online store owner, there are certain things that one must keep in mind.
E-commerce involves selling and buying products over the Internet and other electronic systems and computer networks. It is a transaction done without the use of paper documents. It is a great way to reach existing audiences and to reach out to newer audiences as well.
Today there are many e-commerce solutions to choose from that can help you build your website properly. Now, there are many ways people buy and sell over the Internet, using various methods. All of these interconnected methods make for an e-commerce website.
1. Electronic Funds Transfer
Every website needs to have an in-built banking system to transfer money for the products. Electronic fund transfers are passed to and fro since there are no actual physical counters and billing machines. Electronic funds transfer (EFT) is electronically transferred or exchange money from one person’s account to the other. This can happen within a single financial institution, within a single bank, or between multiple banks. For example- If I buy a bag from you and you have an account with bank X. However, I hold an account with bank Y. Today, money can even be transferred from Bank X to Bank Y. All of these transfers happen via computer-based systems themselves.
This not only happens with money but can also occur via debit card transfers or using a credit card. For international bank transfers, you can also make use of Wire Transfers. These transfers can be done via the electronic medium from one bank to another bank account and be physically done by depositing cash at a cash office. The other option is to use direct deposits via some payroll service bureau.
2. Supply Chain Management
Proper and effective chain management should be put in place. This involves the design, planning, execution, control, and monitoring of other activities. Only once such a system is established strongly will a commerce website work well enough.
Thus, this would involve everything needed in a store but operate via an electronic medium for a website. Therefore, it essentially spans the movement of products from procurement of raw materials to storage to finished products.
3. Electronic Data Interchange
As the name suggests, electronic data interchange (EDI) involves transferring data electronically from company to company without a person involved in between. While the information exchanged can be just an email, it often requires trading bills, receipts, or other information. The messages exchanged are usually of commercial matter and follow a certain standard and procedure.
E-commerce can also be further sub-divided into B2B, business-to-business; B2C, business-to-consumer; and C2C, consumer-to-consumer. Some websites indulge in e-commerce for sites that span all these requirements.
Marketing is the procedure of planning and executing activities of promotion, pricing, and distribution of goods and services or ideas to create an exchange that satisfies organizational and personal goals. In today’s world, Marketing has a huge role in every organization, and it is considered a substantial career option by people.
In simple words, Integrated Marketing Communications means integrating various promotional elements and marketing activities to promote a particular product/service effectively among end-users. Other levels of integration are vertical, horizontal, external, internal, and data integration.
In all the business functions and marketing mixes, there is Horizontal integration. Encouraging the staff and keeping them informed over any new progress is Internal integration. The assistance of communication and marketing objectives to the high-level corporate objectives and missions is Vertical integration.
Collecting important data that is shared across various divisions is Data integration. External integration brings partners from outside the company, such as a Marketing and Public relations agency, to work together to form an integrated message.
What is Integrated Marketing Communications?
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) refers to carefully integrating and coordinating all the methods of brand promotion of a company to deliver a clear and consistent message to its customers.
In IMC, there is an added value of a comprehensive plan that analyzes the strategic roles of– Sales Promotion, Public Relations, Advertising, Social Media, Direct response and combines these principles to provide consistency, clarity, and maximum communications impact.
Its main objective is to ensure that all aspects of marketing communication collaborate for higher sales and maximum cost-effectiveness. Also, it enables a company to convey the correct message to customers at the correct place and correct time.
What is Integrated Marketing?
Integrated marketing is a marketing approach that joins all marketing channels to make them a unified force. This approach creates a more unified and seamless experience for customers.
This means that all marketing efforts, be it on the internet, T.V or billboards, should have a similar style that will connect them to that company. Companies ensure that via this method, all communication with customers is consistent across different platforms.
IMC Tools
IMC tools are various marketing tools such as online marketing, advertising, public relation activities, sales campaigns, direct marketing to promote brands so that the same message gets to a wider audience. Promotional tools are more productive when they work together rather than in isolation.
Let me take you through the Integrated Marketing Communications tools:
1 . Advertising
Advertising is paid and one of the most effective communication tools because it reaches a wider audience immediately. Billboards, radio, television, print media are various ways of advertising to increase sales and create brand awareness among customers.
2 . Sales Promotion
Sales promotions are short-term incentives like free samples, discount coupons, special schemes, membership cards given to consumers to increase sales. It gives customers a reason to buy the product/service.
3 . Direct Marketing
Direct Marketing is the oldest form of communication that allows organizations to communicate directly with their customers. Various tools are telephone, fax, text messages, emails, catalog, and brochures.
4 . Personal Selling
Personal selling is face-to-face communication with customers to publicize the product/service and convince the customer to purchase the product.
It is an important and effective IMC tool as the biggest advantages are that the message can be customized as per the buyer’s needs, issues can be resolved on the spot, and it helps build a long-term relationship with the buyer.
5 . Public Relations
Public relations is the policy of maintaining a relationship between an organization and the public. PR activities help in brand promotion through press releases, event sponsorships, news, and public appearances.
People share their feedback with the organization, and hence it is two-way communication.
6 . Mobile Marketing
Mobile Marketing means sending text messages to customers on their mobile phones. It is a cheap and traditional marketing strategy for promoting a particular brand.
7 . Social Media Marketing
It is a cost-effective and powerful way of brand promotion through various social media channels. Companies manage to get loads of attention on social media platforms and interact with customers when browsing the internet.
8 . Event Sponsorships
Sponsorships improve the visibility of a company and create brand loyalty, also helps in differentiating the product from competitors.
Top 10 Examples of IMC:
Let us now have a look at the top ten Integrated Marketing Communications examples.
Domino’s is a pizza restaurant chain that established the AnyWare campaign. This campaign allows people to order pizzas in more suitable ways by ordering with a text, tweet, smart televisions, and smartwatches.
Domino’s established Pizza Profiles which save customers’ payment information, Easy order, and address just two years before the AnyWare campaign. In Easy Order, a customer’s dearest food order is saved along with the preferred payment method, chosen store, and order type (delivery or carryout).
To attract customers to AnyWare.Dominos.com, where they can order pizzas in unique ways, Domino’s arranged a national television campaign, press releases, and online marketing.
The result of all the marketing efforts put by Domino’s was that the site got 5,00,000 more visits and generated 10.5% annual sales growth.
One of the most impactful examples in top integrated marketing communication campaigns is GoPro: Be a Hero campaign. GoPro, the video camera brand, has mastered the use of online content to grab its target audiences’ attention.
GoPro has a YouTube channel where it has uploaded videos of high-quality, mini action cam including unique, thrilling, and beautiful shots taken by users and by the company itself to reach its target audience.
They have plenty of follows and likes on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and have used the platforms to catch people’s attention by posting visually stimulating videos taken with the cameras.
GoPro looked to create content to expand its target market by capturing a larger audience like professional athletes, tourists, photographers, hikers, and many others. The Be a Hero campaign appealed to the audience’s emotions, and that’s the reason it succeeded.
3 . Always #LikeAGirl
Always is a feminine care brand that wanted to target the next generation of customers. The company saw a chance to support girls as they transition from Puberty to young women.
This idea was very successful because of the problem it tackled and was interesting for their primary target audience, i.e., teenage girls, and their whole target market of women. Always found out that close to half of the world identified their campaign and their brand.
They thought of Social media as the right path to make the campaign go viral and introduced #LikeAGirl to co-create the message that the company is trying to spread. This campaign went viral like nothing else and resulted in the company’s growth and considerable global awareness.
4 . Volkswagen: Think Small
Volkswagen’s integrated marketing campaign in the 1960s changed people’s perception of the brand and drove sales through honesty. The Company was against a challenge to increase car sales in the United States of America even after 15 years of World War 2.
It was difficult to sell German products in the USA market at those times, and on top of it, the car was much smaller in size than the other cars or what the buyers used to purchase.
The company embraced the fact and used the small size of the cars to its advantage by starting a campaign that conveys a message to the audience to Think Small.
Its longevity marks the success of this campaign as it ran in popular magazines and newspapers across the country for years. After being triumphant in print, the integrated approach was used with the campaign in TV ads, posters, and radio to great success.
The series of 66 television ads featured comedy actors representing the two computer brands, PC and Mac (by Apple). This ad aimed to convince people to switch from a famous and reliable brand, PC, to Mac’s lesser-known competitor.
The Ad was funny and competitive, which described Apple as a good guy who always used to tell PC not to be so harsh on himself. The campaign penetrated popular culture almost straight away because it was superbly executed.
By being a part of cultural discussion, Apple secured its fate with the younger generation who were already well-informed of the brand due to iTunes and iPod. There was a growth of 12% in Mac sales right after the first few commercials were aired.
6 . Old Spice – The Man, Your Man, Could Smell Like
Old Spice aimed to build a campaign that would fascinate both men and women. In 2010, two of their ads were aired, but the real victory was found on social media.
It was noticed by the company’s creative unit that the ad was becoming famous online, and they followed the TV ads with an interactive video campaign. The customers’ reactions were stunning as the videos received more than 11 million views, 30000+ Facebook fans, and 55,000+ new Twitter followers.
7 . Southwest Airlines Transfarency
An Airlines company named Southwest Airlines had launched an integrated marketing strategy called Transfarency. The company uses T.V, print media, radio, and digital assets to inform customers about paying for things like flight changes, checked bags, snacks and drinks.
For this campaign, the company has made a microsite that displays the importance customers will receive by choosing Southwest airlines over other airlines. The site has fun and informational content like-
A Fee or Fake game checks customers’ understanding of unforeseen fees they will encounter when travelling with other airlines.
A #FeesDontFly compares Southwest and others like United Airlines, American Airlines, Spirit Airlines, etc.
It’s great to watch a big company like Southwest Airlines use a sense of humour to differentiate itself from its competitors.
8 . The Martian Movie Prologue
Films about Mars had suffered negative box office results before the release of The Martian. Some failed movies about Mars are Disney’s John Carter, and the animated Mars needs Moms.
The prologue campaign for The Martian decided to reverse the box office misery through integrated marketing strategies, and its goal was to bring the movie to life.
The marketing managers had to partner with various organizations like GoPro, National Geographic, Under Armour, NASA, Microsoft on a multi-platform narrative to achieve this goal. The marketing efforts included social media channels and celebrity endorsements to maintain enthusiasm.
The Martian opened at the No. 1 position at the box office in the USA, and the videos, apart from the trailers, received more than 20 million views, and the campaign was honoured with several awards. The movie was loved by people and earned more than $600 million worldwide.
9 . Dove: Campaign for Real Beauty
An Integrated Marketing campaign is successful when it sparks conversations and draws attention, and in 2004, Dove’s campaign for Real beauty did just that exactly. The company used a series of billboards across Canada and London that featured pictures of different women to start the campaign.
The advertisement asked the passers-by questions about the ladies, like whether these ladies were Fat or Fit or Wrinkled or Wonderful. Dove prompted people to talk about female beauty with these bold questions.
The Ad was featured on billboards, but through smart marketing, Dove successfully made people discuss the brand message on social media platforms. This helped the campaign to go viral and to trend.
Annual sales of Dove products increased from $2.5 billion to $4 billion due to this superb campaign. Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty was a financial success, and it was also unorthodox, which celebrated women of all shapes and sizes.
In 2018, New York Times, a popular newspaper company, was struggling. They had a decrease in total subscriptions, and people were losing trust in their news, so the company had to figure out ways to regain the public’s trust.
They came up with the campaign Truth is Hard, a prominent example of an integrated marketing communications plan. The campaign’s goal was to offer transparency to the citizens, and it had a clear story to prompt people to learn more about the issues at hand.
In the same year, they released a short film that displays the clarity of the newsprint. This film was appealing to viewers who felt challenged and realized what truth meant to them. The campaign also showed what journalists endure to deliver accurate coverage to the public.
The New York Times then launched paid campaigns on social media, and due to this, the message reached the whole world. All this resulted in The Times’ skyrocketing subscriptions, and its subscriber base went up by 100%.
I hope this article was helpful and fun-reading to you. Thank you for your time. If you want to read more of our articles, click here.
If you have ever worked at a construction site or disaster scenes, you probably have heard of mobile offices. A mobile office is a portable office built in a trailer, motor vehicle, or small storage. Portable offices can be conveniently packed up and moved. These modular offices have electric service from a nearby source of power, and it is utilized for wifi services, air conditioning, and electronics. They are a great catch at a low cost. You can buy, rent or lease modular offices for the needed period.
Why Are Mobile Offices Useful?
Mobile office trailers provide a professional atmosphere when you are working on temporary projects or construction sites. Unique office mobile functions include storing electronics, paperwork, holding meetings, and even allow employees to take a break from all that hard work.
In the current times, startups seem to be the most common up-and-coming businesses. Portable office trailers will also gain hype. To start your own business is not easy, then add the burden of needing an office to house your few employees. Makes for a very stressful and poor financial situation. An easy solution is to lease out a mobile office trailer until you can move to more permanent places.
Well, you might be wondering if it is comfortable working in such tight spaces. It can be straining. However, you can design a functional and productive workspace for your mobile office trailer with the correct adjustments.
To have a mobile office trailer, let’s first answer a few questions that will determine your exact needs.
Where do you work?
How much do you work?
How many people will be working with you?
What are you working on?
For how long will you be working?
Once you have answers to all the questions, you can buy your portable office trailer and begin renovating to fulfill your temporary office needs. Here, we will discuss 11 basic ways you can design a productive workspace in the mobile office.
1. Environment
Working in an unpleasant environment can be distorting. It can cause eyestrain, headache, fatigue, stress and can also lead to accidents. One way to create a comfortable workspace is good lighting. Dull lighting, as well as way too bright lights, can be damaging. Invest in some good quality lights for your space, especially white lights and not yellow ones. Moreover, make sure you get plenty of natural light into your office.
To make your office refreshing add some greens. And by that, I mean, bring some plants into your space. It will provide a fresh feeling. The next thing to keep in mind, nobody wants to work in a hot and humid environment. So, have good portable air conditioning for your ground-level offices. Additionally, make sure the walls of your mobile office are of a light color.
The organization is key to working in small ground-level offices. If you have a clutter of things lying around, it will make your workday very difficult. Situations like misplacing important papers, not being able to find your pen drive will become common. Always organize your things in boxes and label the boxes. You can use a label maker or just use sticky notes. There are a variety of foldable boxes available in different sizes, shapes, and colors. You can fold them up went not in use and save some space. You can also buy small storage cupboards for storing things that remain more permanent in your temporary office.
3. Paperless Filing
Storing and organizing all that paperwork is not easy in a mobile office. It becomes even more difficult once you have to move from the mobile office. Important files can be lost during moving, and that will be a disaster. Opt for paperless filing and shift to a digital filing system for your office.
If you are worried about storing such large files, you can use USB drives, hard drives, intelligent cloud services. Cloud-based storage can quickly share information between devices or even share it with people in offices in other countries. You can store all your scan pdf files in cloud services.
This method of storing will have save space and save time and produce less waste. We save time because you won’t have to spend time searching through hundreds of papers; all you have to do is log in to your system and conduct a search. Buy Laptops, Tablets, Bluetooth keyboards to save space and time rather than installing computers. You should also invest in portable speakers, usb drives, hard drives, etc., for your temporary space.
4. Apps For Office
Microsoft Office is probably the go-to app that people think of when it comes to apps for offices. You can excess it remotely anytime by accessing integrated office features. Microsoft corporation is the leading provider of office apps. Widely used tools are Ms word documents, excel files, PowerPoint files, etc., to note down things. You can use Microsoft tools like PowerPoint presentations, create spreadsheets for a seamless experience. Access it using a personal Microsoft account or school account.
You can unlock premium features in-app with Adobe scanner to open and sign pdfs and gives you editing capabilities for all those online meetings in your office trailer.
You can use a third-party app publisher for storing and organizing documents anytime. You can use one app and its features from your mobile device apps to scan QR codes, pdf scanning, using digital images from camera roll to create pdf files. Many templates available make it easier to access word docs, files, usable excel spreadsheets and share with your contact, and so on.
To boost better work ethics in the office, we need to have positive reinforcements in place. A good snack bar for employees is necessary. It will allow them to take a break when work gets hectic, refresh and come back with a more positive mindset to work. It will also allow you to not mess on your desk if you think of eating on it. As there is not much space in mobile office trailers, a small snack trolley can do wonders.
6. Different Space For Modular Offices
Now we understand it’s a small space and giving everything its own space in your temporary office is impossible. However, you can decide on certain things being in certain places. Have all desks at one side, place a few bean bags or a small cushion chair on the other. You can have printers and scanners in one corner and the snack bar near the bean bags. This will create a layout and will give you a feeling of being in a traditional office. It will give a more professional look to your office and look good to your customers.
7. Desk For Mobile Office Trailer
A desk can be a tricky thing. They take up a lot of space and are usually the place where there is a lot of clutter. On the other hand, working without a desk is impossible. A simple solution is investing in a desk that utilizes minimum space and is super functional.
The edge: It’s a two in one chair and desk system. It does not have a single application but two. It takes 10 seconds and can be folded up and stored when not in use. It’s the best thing for mobile offices.
Office in a case: It is literally an office in a case. In this case are desk and chair. The case itself is part of the desk. When you fold the desk and put the chair in it, and fold it up, it becomes a case for you to carry and store it.
Stork stand: This is a standing desk that attaches to the back of your office chair. You can work sitting, and when you get tired you can stand and work, it’s amazing and good for your health.
8. Comfortable Chairs For Office
Working for long hours in an office can be tiring. But working for long hours in an uncomfortable chair in a small office is just painful. Invest in some comfortable chairs that help your posture. Another simple solution is to buy chair pillows to make them more comfortable. You can also opt to work standing or use bean bags for your office.
9. Functional But Fun Knick-Knack For Mobile Office Trailers
ChatBox is a throwable microphone. This will help make your meeting fun, engaging and encourage more participation. Another fun thing to add to your office is The Everlast notebook. It was created for the people who still crave that pen and paper experience in the digital age. Write in it with any Pilot Frixion line pens, then use the Rocketbook app to scan your notes, transfer them to any cloud service, and share it with your contact. Why is it considered everlasting? Because you can just wipe pages clean with a wet piece of cloth. And then reuse it.
10. Portable Scanner
Invest in portable scanners for your office. A good portable scanner is Doxi Go. This device helps you scan your paper documents and send them to your laptop, phone, or cloud storage in a couple of seconds with a good network connection. You can then store them as scan pdf files.
11. Portable Printers
Portable printers are small and don’t take up much space in your office. You don’t want to bring a traditional printer to your small temporary office and make it congested. A portable printer you can invest in is the Canon Pixma TR150 Wireless Portable Printer; it will give you a seamless experience for your small office. It is a color printer and prints legal-sized papers. You can connect it to your laptop or phone.
With a few changes to your mobile office trailers, you can create an effective, comfortable and functional portable office for yourself. In these changing times, this might be just the thing you need. Don’t be stressed about it being a small work office. You can do wonders with it once you set your mind to it.
