Google Data Studio – an aesthetic way of presenting data

The Google Data Studio tool appeared in 2016 and quickly gained a lot of positive feedback, especially among analysts. It is free and, moreover, easy to use due to the transparent panel that appears after logging in. An additional convenience here is a short introduction in the form of a tutorial. With the help of Google Data Studio, you can collect all important data in one place, presenting it in an aesthetic and accessible way.

The tool provides access to ready-made report templates that can be modified in terms of background, font, colors of individual elements or dashboard dimensions. After a style is defined, all subsequent data sets will be automatically adjusted to it. If needed, you can use options such as inserting images from Google Drive or a computer, and even using text boxes, shapes, graphics, and other objects.

Google Data Studio allows you to create reports based on various databases. They can come from, among others with:
– Google Sheets,
– Google Ads,
– Google Analytics,
– YouTube statistics,
– Google Search Console,
– Facebook Ads,
– Ahrefs.

A significant advantage of the tool is that more than one person may be involved in creating a report. In addition, adjusting the appearance of reports to the company’s needs is not a problem.

Google Lens – innovative image search

Even though the Google Lens tool appeared in 2017, it is still gaining in popularity and is being discovered by an increasing number of users. It is an advanced application that allows you to recognize objects in photos and obtain various information about them. On some phones, the Google Lens is available immediately, for others, it is enough to download it from the App Store or the Play Store. The technology of scanning and interpreting images is constantly being improved, which enables it to be used in many situations.

The tool allows, among others to quickly translate the text (however, it is still not possible to paraphrase the text), to check the appearance of dishes from the restaurant menu or to identify specific plant species. All you need to do is point the phone with the application turned on at the selected object to obtain the necessary information. The Google lens is useful both in everyday life and at work, in many industries. It has long been said that visual search is the future of e-commerce. After scanning a specific item, you can quickly get a list of similar products ready for purchase. Perhaps in the future, image scanning will completely or almost completely replace text search. That is why it is worth optimizing marketing activities in this respect already, remembering, among others, about detailed metadata or the appropriate size of graphic elements on the website.

Performance Planner – easier optimization of campaign costs

Tools from Google such as Performance Planner will be useful primarily to people who create advertising spending plans. Thanks to them, they gain many new opportunities, including:
– viewing the results by adjusting the campaign settings,
– access to forecasts for conducted campaigns,
– budget management.

Performance Planner is usually updated every 24 hours and can handle up to billions of queries. This guarantees access to accurate forecasts. The tool takes into account important aspects such as landing page, seasonality and competition. It significantly facilitates the preparation of advertising spending plans, but not only. The Performance Planner is also useful for assessing how your changes to your campaign will affect its overall performance and key metrics. Thanks to it, you can receive suggestions on how to optimize the selected strategy without the need to increase the budget. The tool is available through Shopping, Local, Search, Display, and App campaigns.

The Performance Planner tells advertisers what bids and budget to set to maximize the data they choose for their campaigns. By using it, you can save a lot of time that would have to be spent on analyzing expenses yourself. The tool gives you access to several practical functions, and one of the most important is the summary chart. It is dynamic and at the same time transparent, reading information from it is not a problem. The comparative table of before and after data, in which key items are broken down into existing and planned, is also rated well. Performance Planner allows you to check many scenarios before choosing the most appropriate one.

Google Tools for Internet Businesses

Many small and medium-sized enterprises are already active both offline and online. Google decided to make it easier for such companies to develop and introduced two new, free tools: Grow My Store and Local Search Navigator. Their premiere in our country took place in September 2021.

Grow My Store was launched in several countries in 2019. It is a very useful tool with which sellers can improve the quality of their online customer service. It tests the website, taking into account over 20 indicators, measures, inter alia, mobile friendliness and loading speed, in addition, it checks the HTTPS protocol. Any retailer can take advantage of Grow My Store, whether online or offline only. It gives you access to information and tips on how to improve your website’s visibility in the search engine and increase traffic. All this is based on suggestions tailored to the needs of customers. The insights were gathered during research conducted by Google in collaboration with Ipsos MORI and Kantar TNS. Tips deal with aspects that play a significant role in shopping, including personalization and page performance.

The second tool, the Local Search Navigator, also helps companies reach a wider audience and increase profits. It tells you what to do to stand out on the Internet. The Navigator provides entrepreneurs with personalized tips based on a thorough analysis of their business profile on Google. It also suggests what data should be improved and what new information to enter. One of the greatest advantages of the tool is its intuitive operation. It is enough to enter the name of the company and after a few minutes you will see if it is visible enough on the web. The Local Search Navigator allows you to refine your Google My Business profile to attract potential customers to your offer. By using it, you can also make sure that you have entered all the necessary information to facilitate communication, making an appointment or performing another activity.

Less known tools from Google that are useful not only in marketing

One of the tools that undoubtedly deserves attention is Google PageSpeed Insights. It allows you to check how fast the website loads on computers and smartphones. The categorization of user experiences is presented in three categories, namely: Good, Needs Improvement, and Poor. This data is based on Chrome User Experience Report information. The tool also makes suggestions on how you can improve your site to reduce its load time. They are useful because page loading speed is currently one of the most important factors influencing the Google ranking.

It is also worth paying attention to the Public Data Explorer. It is used to view and visualize large data sets that may relate to many different areas, e.g. fuel prices, demographic indicators. The tool allows you to navigate between different views, share results, and compare individual information. Although Explorer was introduced in 2010, many people are still unaware of its existence.

There are also a few other tools that are not popular, but can be useful not only at work, but also in everyday life. This, for example:
– Google Keep – an application for taking notes, also works on phones. You can add photos, letters, and drawings to your notes, and copy them to Google Docs and share with others. The tool allows you to mark your notes with different colors and labels to keep everything in order.
– Arts & Culture – online service and smartphone application from the Google Cultural Institute. The tool allows you to search and admire the greatest works of art from dozens of countries without leaving your home. It is also a source of valuable knowledge. Arts & Culture has a lot of interesting features, such as spherical films, virtual tours of museums or turning your own photos into works of art.
– Google Flights – online flight booking tool. At the same time, it is a server that allows you to search for connections via external providers. To find your flight ticket, simply specify the type of flight ticket (e.g. one-way) and fill in other important information, including the place of departure and destination. In Google Flights, it is possible to use an interactive calendar as well as a price chart, which allows you to easily find the best offer for you.

Google is not only a search engine, although it is the basis of this company. Currently, many people cannot imagine everyday functioning without the tools they offer, because they often prove to be helpful not only at work, but also outside of it. Since many are available for free, you won’t have to pay extra for using them.

The times when we waited for a colorful advertisement on TV with flushed face are gone. It is true that there are still outfits that effectively attract our attention and are remembered, but when everything has already happened, it becomes increasingly difficult to find an original and thrilling spot. Currently, there are so many messages, including advertising ones, that we are happy to be silent. How can entrepreneurs present their products well in this difficult world?

The answer is obvious and absolutely natural. The place to present the offer is on the vast internet. It is an (un) tame space that gives a lot of opportunities to promote material goods, services and brands. Top companies and conscious entrepreneurs settled here some time ago. As a result of the pandemic, it was necessary to make room for other strategists who saw the possibility of developing their sales in digital marketing. This raises a lot of questions, including one quite obvious: how to stay ahead of the competition and stay at the top of the list in all of this? Support from proven players will come in handy. And here we come to the point …

Before we get down to business and find out who the real internet marketing ninja is, let’s first explain what digital marketing is all about.

Internet Marketing – What Is It?

To paraphrase the words of Benedict – what marketing is like everyone can see. And the internet one?

This is its most dynamically developing branch. So what is internet marketing all about? It focuses mainly on websites and social media channels. Its main assumptions and goals are unlikely to surprise you – they are attracting and retaining customers and building a good brand image.

What is working in internet marketing? First of all, increasing the company’s visibility on the web, which translates into sales results and increased consumer awareness. The biggest difference between traditional marketing and digital marketing is the role of the recipient. In the virtual world, “Your opinion is important to us”! Forget about passively receiving a message. Of course, this has its advantages and disadvantages.

When offering a product or service, you can count on a wealth of forms of expression in communication with recipients, the lack of a one-sided dimension and on customer reviews practically in live mode. The comments will not always be positive, but that is a topic for another article.

Working in internet marketing – what is it?

Internet marketing and the work of people who deal with this issue on a daily basis are a river topic! Therefore, work in network marketing has many faces. It is an action not only with the broadly understood word, but also with sound, image and data. After all, it is also about optimizing the materials created and making them more accessible – also for Google robots. So what is internet marketing and what does a marketer’s job look like? Below are some of the activities undertaken as part of its implementation:

– conducting Google campaigns and their optimization – creating an advertising creation in the search engine, partner websites and on Youtube, monitoring the campaign results and its modifications in order to obtain the best results while using the optimal budget,

– marketing activities in social media – Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and TikTok are used to the limit! It is not only running a company account on the aforementioned social networks, but also using their platforms for advertising campaigns.

– SEO – the fight for the highest positions in search engines. It is worth mentioning here that the goal of an SEO specialist is to obtain valuable and measurable traffic that brings tangible benefits to the brand. For example, increasing the number of visits to the website, increasing conversions from the organic channel, reducing the bounce rate, increasing the time the user spends on the website, increasing the value of the shopping cart and, consequently, also the profit. In addition to website optimization, content created in compliance with SEO principles is also important.

– content marketing – a specialist in this matter is a master of delivering engaging materials that tie the recipient to the brand, create dedicated communities around it, build awareness or strengthen the position of an expert in a given field. It’s not only fun with words (which seasoned copywriters specialize in), but also creating compelling videos, eye-catching photos, listening podcasts, thought-provoking infographics or life-enriching webinars.

– UX – the user experience. This concept is based on the concept of website usability and the impressions accompanying the user visiting the website. In short – it should quickly find the necessary information and proceed to conversion (e.g. purchase) without unnecessary perturbations. Intuitiveness is the key! Is your website based on it? You may be wondering about it or simply commission a professional UX audit. Yes, this is also what internet marketing is about.

We have already explained what internet marketing is. What job would be the most interesting for you? We hope you can answer this question now. Then we can go on …

How to start working in internet marketing?

You already know what and where you would like to do … So you definitely want to know the answer to the question of whether it is difficult to start working in internet marketing and what conditions must be met to be the perfect candidate …

In the home office era, an important piece of information is that internet marketing and working from home go hand in hand. Monitoring campaign results, creating inspirational blog posts or video creations is possible virtually anywhere! As a result, internet marketing is very flexible – and so is the job in this industry. Would you like to travel or work in the comfort of your home in your beloved tracksuit? You will have a field to show off!

If you already have a few years of experience and internet marketing is as close to you as a wetsuit surfer, your chances increase significantly. There will be a job for you – for good money. The amount of remuneration will depend on your competences, previous projects, negotiation skills and the possibilities of the agency in which you will apply for the engagement. It is also important to ask what position you will apply for. You already know that there are many possibilities! You can find out about the people we are looking for to work in internet marketing at Paraphrase Online and what we offer them in our other blog posts.

If, on the other hand, you are “freshman”, you will have to “feather” a little. Students of digital marketing faculties receive a solid base for later conquering the world. Especially the virtual one!

However, if you have long passed and written your master’s thesis and you are not in a hurry to get to pass tests and exercises, you can invest in specialization courses or participate in free webinars. In addition, a few obligatory readings, watching valuable industry blogs and watching video materials, as well as constantly keeping your finger on the pulse of online marketing – and we have it!

Remember that this industry is constantly evolving, so you always need to be up to date. There is no way to stop expanding knowledge!

Martin Grossberg, Head of Content Marketing at Paraphrase-Online.com, also reveals how to get started in internet marketing. So the guy knows what he’s saying!

– With today’s baggage of experience, I can clearly state that the key to success in the internet marketing industry is specialization in a specific field. The times when a marketing specialist could do everything with the thought “somehow it will be” have left us forever, just like the people of the Renaissance.

There are too many pieces of the puzzle for this puzzle to be completed alone. The multitude of advertising channels (Google, Facebook, SEO, Allegro, Content, Influencer, Pinterest, TikTok, Youtube and a lot of other options), the progressive degree of their complexity, the ability to aggregate data and draw correct conclusions from them in order to optimize activities – all this makes that currently it is not possible to dedicate each of these areas enough time to use them fully – Grossberg explains.

Does the size of the company matter when determining the scope of digital marketing activities?

– Regardless of whether we are talking about a small company or an entity from the SME sector, it is rational to hire people with specific competences to be a pillar in one of the basic advertising environments. It is important for you, the prospective employee, to realize which of these environments is the most used. If you start to develop in them, your competences will count on the market and it will be easier to find a well-paid job. But remember not to close yourself in one area – he continues.

– After reaching an advanced level in a given field, I would also recommend diversifying and deepening your knowledge in a related field. The thing is, marketing channels are increasingly reliant on specific vendors, who may sometimes, for unknown reasons, change their “policies” or limit their ability to display ads. Ultimately, ad accounts are also the target of hacking attacks, and it’s not worth becoming addicted to just one channel. Therefore, I suggest creating competence mixes (of course, a lot also depends on your interests):

– Google Ads + Facebook Ads,
– SEO + Content marketing,
– Content marketing + Facebook Ads,
– Marketplaces + Google Analytics,
– Google Analytics + Google Ads,
– SEO + Google Analytics,
– Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok + Influencer Marketing.

– It is also worth mentioning that competences in a given field are built differently and they are not correlated only with the time spent on a given channel. If, for example, there are 2 people, the first of whom worked in the agency with Google Ads accounts for 2 years, and the second worked in one company with Ads for 5 years, the first one should statistically be better prepared to work in this environment, because she observed more non-standard situations and based on a greater number of different accounts and data, she made different decisions. The agency environment also forces the optimization of activities and constant training in the subject, which is extremely important in the case of paid channels. Therefore, remember that training is training, but every area of internet marketing is based on experience and observation of smarter than us – ends Martin Grossberg.

Internet Marketing – A Job For Everyone?

Apart from competences and experience, there are also natural predispositions. Which of them should a person for whom internet marketing is attractive should have? The work will be easier if he has a lot of divisibility of attention and the ability to work on several projects at the same time. In this world, there is no such thing as “stimulation” and no time to “step out.” Oh no!

There’s a rodeo all the time here, show must go on! This is not a joke. If you don’t like adrenaline and work at top speed, it’s probably not your piece of cake. Working in digital marketing is based on a quick mind and constant readiness to act. Does social media ever sleep? Of course not! Can campaigns be neglected and content allowed to be nudged with the mouse? No, no and no more. So you are in for a dynamic action and constant change. As we know – this is the only constant, especially in the virtual world. Boredom won’t touch you!

What other personality traits will be useful to win awards in the Digital Marketer of the Year category every year? A bit threadbare, but very desirable creativity, the ability to speak words, level PRO interpersonal and communication skills, but also analytical thinking, “connecting the dots” and drawing conclusions. You got it? In that case, internet marketing and work in this plot are meant for you! What to do with this…?

For example, you can take a look at Paraphrase-Online.com and send us a message with special care that you want to work with us. Who knows, maybe you will get to know the sweet taste of digital marketing with us? Yummy!

Contextual advertising: definition

Contextual advertising is a promotional message that is embedded in a context close to the recipient. The point is that the ad presents content related to, for example:
– the interests of its addressee,
– information recently sought by him,
– products that he has almost purchased or is regularly purchasing.

This means that contextual advertising transmits information of value to the recipient. So it is not doomed to failure, like most messages that reach random recipients. It can therefore be said that the idea behind contextual advertising is that it should reach potentially interested, not random recipients. Which is why it works so much better.

Think for a minute: you are a cooking fan and you are visiting another recipe portal. Is it likely that when you see a banner advertising, for example, an exotic grocery store on one of them, you will click on it? There is definitely no one hundred percent guarantee – after all, a lot depends on how much time you have and how much you want to delve into such information. Nevertheless, the chances are much higher than if you were shown a banner with an advertisement for pet food in return, right?

How does contextual advertising work in practice?

What makes the displayed ads really put in the right context? In the past, they were simply related to the subject of the portals on which they appeared. For example, cooking pages featured banners from kitchenware stores, restaurants, and the like.

Today, it can also work to some extent, but most websites are based on advertising systems – primarily Google Ads. And here we are dealing with a much more precise “targeting” of customers, i.e. with the exact matching of the message to the person who visits a given page.

On what basis does the system display such and not other advertisements?

There are two basic mechanisms.

First, answer one important question to yourself: are you logged into your Google Account? Most of us have them. You need, among others because Google offers the most popular e-mail box. But that’s not all. Let’s not forget about mobile traffic, largely based on Android phones. And to use such a smartphone, you also log in to your Google account.

When creating this account, you have probably provided your personal data – at least your gender and date of birth. Most of us provide truthful information – if only because it can be useful for password recovery. These simple demographic data, combined with your location, are an important reference point for contextual advertising.

Second – cookies! These are, of course, cookies. These are small files with information that are saved in your browser. On the one hand, they serve your convenience – for example, that you do not have to log in to your favorite websites every time and re-select their settings. On the other hand, they are a real “gold mine” for advertising systems. They show them what websites you watched before, what you were interested in, what you buy, what topics keep you for longer… in one word: they let you get to know you better and, consequently, show you ads that interest you. It’s so simple!

Therefore, when you visit another page, an ad system, such as Google Ads, sends a query to your browser and accesses cookies in response. From there it is a simple way for algorithms to match advertising messages to what you really are interested in, and then – to conversion.

What types of contextual advertising can be distinguished?

Contextual advertising is a very powerful tool that can fulfill various promotional goals. First of all, there are various advertising systems – apart from Google AdSense, you can mention Programmatic and many others.

When you take a closer look at the set of available tools, you can see that the person planning the campaign may choose several models of contextual advertising. Due to their purpose, they can be divided into messages focused on:

– sale – this type of advertisement is chosen for the implementation of short-term goals, e.g. various promotional and sale campaigns in the store. It is most often chosen by e-stores,
– acquiring leads – valuable contacts that may result in a purchase in the long run,
– increasing traffic on the website – the campaign is primarily to attract attention to the website and increase the number of visits to it (which also translates into the effectiveness of positioning),
– brand awareness – messages addressed to “strangers”, i.e. recipients who have never dealt with your brand, but may be interested in the solutions it offers,
– arousing interest in products / services – messages addressed to people who initially express the need to use a given solution.

Where do contextual ads appear?

Contextual advertising can appear in several forms. Those are:
– classic advertisements – e.g. promotional banners on websites or on social networks,
– sponsored links – are published above, below or next to organic search results,
– sponsored e-mails – this form of promotion can be used for Gmail users who will receive sponsored messages to the “regular” mailbox, in relation to the visited pages.

On what basis can contextual ads appear?

Contextual ads target people at different stages of the sales funnel. Among them, the following messages can be distinguished:
– thematically matched to the content viewed by the user – targeted at those who are generally interested in a given issue,
– dedicated to people who initially expressed an interest in purchasing a specific product – e.g. those who viewed offers in e-stores or searched for information about various versions of the product,
– “remarketing“ – targeted at people who have already visited a specific store, most often with the intention to buy, spent a certain period of time on the website, maybe even put the product into the basket, but … changed their mind at the last moment.

The audience you want to target with contextual advertising can be determined during the planning and setup of your campaign.

Multi-level marketing – what is it?

Multi Level Marketing or network marketing is best known for its short name MLM. Most of us have ever met with this name and probably know, more or less, how people involved in it work. Let us, however, bring its definition a bit closer: the premise of multi-level marketing – MLM – is the sale of products and services through direct marketing. So it is based on relationships with people and WOM (Word of mouth) or viral marketing. What, on the one hand, completely differentiates multi-level marketing from other forms of marketing is that every buyer who wishes to do so can be involved in sales. Then it gains not only discounts on given products, but also a commission on sales (both its own and sales representatives taking place below in the structure). On the other hand, some issues are relatively similar to other forms of marketing, e.g. in internet marketing, where customer references and WOM opinions are equally important.

How does sales look in multi-level marketing?

The quintessence of sales in multi-level marketing are commands and a large part of business is based on them. Distributors purchase products from the company and then sell them to others. Nevertheless, sales representatives, i.e. people involved in the operation of a given MLM, can reach their clients in very different ways, using both more traditional forms and more often, they are leaning towards online solutions, for example by acting in social media.

Nevertheless, according to a report carried out for the global MLM association in 2018, direct contact still plays the largest role. As much as 74% of distributors rely on such contact, and the majority of sales are made via traditional channels (61% by phone and 50% during product presentation, e.g. at distributors’ homes). Unlike most prosperous businesses today, companies based on multi-level marketing only make limited use of sales through their website or social media.

Products or services are therefore sold by people who have often tested them on their own and want to recommend further. Everyone involved in multi-level marketing can earn in two ways:

– by employing more people who also become distributors (earning a commission for each sale),
– by selling yourself.

People involved in sales decide themselves how they want to acquire new customers and increase their network. According to the MLM report (2018), distributors contact potential customers and sell through:

– contacts with relatives (family, friends or neighbors),
– business contacts (work friends, conferences, business events),
– social media activities,
– meetings at home and during product presentations,
– phone calls,
– email
– other unplanned occasions,
– own website or blog,
– door-to-door sales.

Structure in multi-level marketing

A company operating in the form of MLM sells its products to distributors, also known as consultants or ambassadors, at much better prices. Discounts reach up to 60% and depend on the sales volume of a given consultant. Not without reason, multi-level marketing is also known as network marketing – because each of the distributors can encourage sales to more people, thereby benefiting from commissions and increasing their profits. Each subsequent person can also involve others, thus building a network and moving higher in the entire pyramid.

What is the most common way of recruiting new people to MLM?

First step
For many people, joining the group of consultants and starting sales seems relatively easy. Most often, it is enough to purchase products of a certain value and register on the website of the company selling in the form of MLM. There is no obligation to set up your own business or other requirements that could make registration difficult at the beginning.

Second step
A new consultant is required not only to regularly purchase products of a given brand, but also to increase their sales in subsequent periods in order to be able to receive further discounts and take advantage of additional sales opportunities (e.g. during specially organized events or meetings).

Third step
Expanding your network of contacts and recruiting new people. A consultant can also make profits from the sale of people he recruited himself and who will be lower in the hierarchy. Additional bonuses and bonuses are dedicated to those who have extremely fast increases. By increasing their earnings and expanding the network, a given consultant has the opportunity to further develop.

Seemingly, MLM recruitment seems to be a simple path to success and high cash. Nevertheless, very often people involved in the sale of products have to resort to aggressive licks to increase their shares, which is negatively assessed by many consultants (especially beginners). Character traits play a key role here, and whether a person likes the product they are selling. According to the report, those who liked the product they sold and believed in a given product were more willingly involved in and more satisfied with working at MLM.

Multi-level marketing – working time and consultant’s duties

According to the analyzed report, over 60% of people operating in MLM have another job in full or part time, and MLM is an additional form of income, for which 45% of people devote on average 1 to 8 hours a week. Less than 30% treat work in MLM as the only form of income and very often devotes more time to it, i.e. from 8 to 30 hours a week.

The responsibilities of distributors include both acquiring new contacts and recruiting new people to the network, as well as taking care of regular customers. According to the report, distributors offer their regular customers free samples of new products, additional discounts and loyalty bonuses as well as product catalogs or special meetings to discuss current issues and help build their network.

Sales motivations in multi-level marketing

There are many reasons why more people start working as a consultant at MLM. The study participants most often agreed that working in direct sales at MLM gives many opportunities to meet new people, improve their communication skills, manage themselves over time and learn sales techniques. This type of business was also a great solution for those who work full or part time, and thanks to MLM they could earn extra money.

Respondents equally often stated that working at MLM allowed them to develop their confidence and courage.

Multilevel marketing companies motivate their distributors in various ways and encourage sales growth by offering, among others:

– cash rewards (e.g. for reaching a given sales ceiling)
– material prizes (and prizes in the form of meetings and events reserved specifically for people who have achieved a given level or reached a given level of sales),
– commissions for the sale of persons who have been awarded recruited persons,
– greater discounts on products or services.

About the controversy around multilevel marketing

Multi-level marketing has both its supporters and opponents, who spread their opinion among the closest people, thus creating an opinion on the operation of MLMs. Around the activities of companies based on multi-level marketing, there are also many controversial rumors related not only to the issue of financial pyramids, but also relationships or activities of distributors to increase sales. In the history of MLM we will encounter several cases of total fraud and unlawful activities. This is often associated with the inability to regulate the obligations and manner of work of distributors.

MLM is also often associated with the use of sales techniques that are unethical and based, for example, on the consumer’s ignorance and tricks that they simply manipulate. It should be emphasized that not every company that uses multi-level marketing has resorted to such methods, but it is something that – especially in recent years – consumers have paid special attention to.

It is estimated that most people involved in MLM lose money. Only a few people who have been operating for a relatively long time are able to build their network and profit from these activities. Therefore, many people who have tried to start their career in a company based on multi-level marketing, but have not managed to develop their network, have a very skeptical approach to the operation of such companies. The problem is also repeatedly the lack of transparency in such companies, which makes it difficult to simply calculate profit and loss.

Summary – is it profitable to develop a multi-level marketing business today?

Nowadays, it is impossible to rely solely on one marketing channel. It turns out that despite the fact that some channels do not sell directly, they play an important role in the entire purchasing process and direct the customer towards the final decision which is to buy or use the services of a given company. What’s more, focusing all your activities on direct sales may not bring the fast and pre-planned results that the entrepreneur is waiting for. Especially in times when most companies move their activities to the online world and completely give up offline sales – such as multilevel marketing. An entrepreneur who wants to develop his company and invest in additional marketing activities must consider many channels and forms of communication with customers and sales. More and more companies are leaning towards omnichannel marketing, which uses different channels to reach the recipient (both online and online).

First a good word

First of all, it is worth realizing that March was dramatic only for a few industries, such as catering and hotel industry. Services also started to slow down considerably, but the first two weeks of the month allowed a slight amortization of the financial result for the whole month. However, there were a lot of industries in our online garden, which even soared up and pulled the overall picture hard enough to relatively even the results of all campaigns.

An online business, before it decides to limit or suspend expenses as a result of emotions, should first consider whether it makes sense. In many cases, irrational decisions can result in the forfeiture of earning opportunities. In other cases, there may be opportunities for savings. All this requires deep analysis and embedding it in the entire economic context. Before you make a decision, think over the topic twice and consult the topic with your agency or freelancer.

Offline to Online – who can’t

Undoubtedly, each business should be treated individually. For all companies that cannot move from the Internet for various reasons, we recommend that they create various bricks, vouchers and coupons that can be redeemed at a later time. For now, it is difficult to predict how the situation will unfold, but it is reasonable to assume that in the coming months, there will be less money on the market, and the will to spend them may be less. Therefore, if you are a hairdresser, photographer, selling accommodation or undertaking other activities that need to be postponed, then today start the form of sales “for later”. The later you do this, the less customers will be able to spend money.

In addition, if your business is standing, you can successfully use this time to strengthen your competences in the area of e.g. online advertising. Once the battle dust settles – and it settles down – then the competition will be really fierce. Therefore, it is worth taking care of the tools and additional competences that will pay off later.

Transformation from offline to online – who can

Fortunately, there are plenty of businesses on the market that can at least partially transfer to online. Here are some real-life examples:

A small store in the construction category/house and garden.
This industry is currently doing very well on the internet. If you don’t have an online store, you can try your hand at online auctions with virtually no startup costs. Of course, the competition is powerful there, but you can also use the advertising system. These are internal ads that you only pay for when you switch to your offer. It’s very fair and will allow you to download (with proper design), caloric movement. Of course, online auctions will also charge a commission and you should calculate your sales well, especially taking into account the services that users like. People, taking advantage of the “opportunity” went to small or large renovations in their homes. Thanks to the favorable weather, they also decided to refresh their gardens. Everything – from flower pots to tulip bulbs, is currently selling perfectly.

A small shop from the industry category
There are plenty of stationary and at the same time small industrial chemistry stores as well as individual pieces of given products from heavier categories. Such stores should use their supplier base as soon as possible and lead their activities to the Internet. At Paraphrase-Online.com, we’ve seen a huge increase in product searches and purchases such as glove dispensers, but also power generators and portable freezers. Sale of even several dozen such products will allow you to survive the most difficult time of such small stores.

Gastronomy
Do you currently run a restaurant without customers? Already a lot of such businesses have quickly dealt with this by turning waiters into … drivers. If you do not want to use ready-made applications, you might as well create a simple promotion and post sponsored on Facebook, which informs you about the offer and encourages you to order take-out food. Believe me – if customers like your kitchen, they will successfully use your offer with delivery.

Courses
Like mushrooms after rain, companies that have so far trained only offline have grown up on the Internet. Many freelancers or service providers have joined this trend – even as hairdressers or make-up artists. They can all transfer their knowledge online. The success of this sector is also reflected by the fact that everyone sitting at home is looking for new ideas not only how to survive a difficult time, but also to get out of the intensified situation. It is therefore a great moment to raise your competences, the more that online courses are usually cheaper and often available in the on demand formula, which is when we want to. The same applies to language schools.

From online to … online

It is not, however, that only offline businesses got a slap. There are online stores which, due to their product range, have also seen large declines. In this case, it is worth considering introducing new products that are just selling well and will be somehow related to our business.

Not everyone is eager to see this because of the laboriously built brand. After all, we are building a brand based on given products. Everything depends on how severe the situation is for a given business. Brand is important, but if you are wondering whether your business will survive at all, it may be time for – at least temporarily – the evolution of the product range.

You can find the full article on the topic here.

From detail to general

Above were the specifics. If, after reading the above, you still don’t know what to do next, general tips on how to respond to changes may help you. Remember that they should be treated randomly and only part of them may be justified in your situation.

A. Move from offline to online in various ways – choose the best promotion channel for you and do anything – training in your field, voucher, delivery on the phone or quickly set up an online store.
B. Analyze data – check what sells, capture trends, learn to sew masks if you have no other choice.
C. Copy other solutions that work. Instead of finding innovative and incredibly creative processes, you can use what already works. In the short term, it’s simply worth it.
D. Try to transfer your employees to online.
E. If they are at home anyway and work efficiency decreases, it is worth creating even a mini incentive program in promoting your company or selling products. They can just as well take care of your company’s image. If your employees are at home and cannot do much for the company and its clients, then you can involve them in creating content. They can create content for your blog or website, they can expand existing things, they can respond to opinions about the company in various channels, and they can also temporarily take over your various marketing channels like Facebook, so that your profiles remain active. Here a lot depends on creativity.

We hope that every business will survive this storm and return to the strengthened market. Good luck!

Is it worth spending your time, energy, knowledge and sometimes money to have a blog on your website or online store. From a specialist’s point of view, SEO is an idea that can be described briefly as excellent. What speaks for having a blog on the site and what is a blog?

A. The presence of a blog means the systematic addition of new content thematically related to the page’s offer, which can translate into better page indexing by Google and, as a result, higher positions. A page with new content is perceived by Google’s web robots as more attractive, more up-to-date, potentially more interesting to the reader. That is why they are ready to reward it with a higher position in the search engine ranking – of course if the texts posted on the blog are unique, correct and valuable.

B. We gain the ability to perform internal linking using blog entries that supports positioning. In blog entries (including those already published) it is worth adding links leading to products or categories that logically relate to the topic of the entry.

C. Properly writing and extensive texts on blogs index well, ensuring good visibility of the website – many a person can get to the website thanks to the text from the blog that they found in the search engine.

D. The saturation of keywords on the page increases. Inevitably, texts added to the blog are often thematically related to products or services, the promotion of which the client is particularly interested in. This is reflected in the use of certain terminology that also includes keywords. As with us, you can find a lot of information on positioning, content marketing or text paraphrases.

E. Blog on a website or online store is a help in positioning on the so-called long tail.

F. Blog can perform the function of supporting the sales process and become part of the conversion funnel. This benefit is unrelated to SEO, but worth noting.

G. Blog helps to shape and strengthen the desired image of the company.

Since we already know why it is worth to engage your funds and have a blog on the site, now it’s time for a few tips on how to run a company blog to work effectively for better search engine positions.

What is a blog – basic guidelines

A. Subdomain or subpage?
A better solution from the SEO point of view is a blog that is part of the website, functioning as a subpage available at e.g. www.company-name.com/blog.

B. Length of texts published on the blog.
The length of the text should be adapted to the subject, so that the text appears complete and exhaustive of the issue. it is also worth considering how it can be perceived by a potential reader – whether it will provide him with the information he needs, and at the same time be understandable and simply enjoyable to read. The length of the entry is also important. We urge you to diversify in this area and adapt to the nature of the blog post. After all, there can be such concise, very informative, in which there is nothing to dwell on, as well as their opposite – topics demanding a comprehensive entry. It can be assumed that the minimum length is 1000-1200 characters (counted with spaces); Of course, this would not apply to an entry saying that the company is not in the middle of a long weekend or that it is changing its headquarters.

C. Frequency of publishing texts.
Fortunately, the blog supporting the positioning process does not require pharmacy accuracy in the publication of texts. There is no requirement to publish texts daily. Entries also do not have to appear in a perfectly even interval. We suggest introducing 4-7 unique texts per month, focusing on their size and quality rather than the frequency of publication. Longer texts, even less frequently published, can bring more SEO-benefits to a website than the often released “serfdom” blog.

D. Use of keywords in texts.
When writing texts for a blog, it is worth using the keywords selected for positioning our website. One text should contain 1-2 keywords selected for positioning. Avoid reaching too often for one word and using it in most of the written texts – in order not to achieve the opposite of the intended effect. The frequency of occurrence of a keyword in a dedicated text should be 1-3 times depending on the length of the text and the possibility of its use – so that the text looks sensible and attractive in terms of language. The keyword should be used unchanged and not split by another word. An exception can be made for the place name. Introducing it in a rigid and unchanged form, such as “cleaning Boston air conditioning” can be stinging in the eye of the reader. In this situation, the text “cleaning of air conditioning” and “Boston” may appear separately. Of course, it is possible to use these changed forms in the text, but they do not have the function of a keyword then. Of course, keywords do not have to be entered in every entry.

E. Division of text into parts.
The preferred form of text placed on the blog is an entry divided into paragraphs, blocks, parts. A good idea might be to use a frame or information box. Blog text should not look like an overwhelming monolith. The title and subtitles should also be used for the natural and logical division of the text. They should be marked e.g. as h1, h2, h3 – depending on the length and planned division of the text. Whenever possible, we’ll enrich titles and headings with keywords. Of course, not every headline must contain them – let’s reach for them in a reasonable way. It is worth using the bold option in the text for phrases containing keywords or for the keywords themselves (the number of bolds – moderate, giving an exaggerated impression). At the same time, there is no reason to use several font types within one entry.

F. Adding graphics to the entry.
The text should include graphics or charts that will also visually divide parts of the text and make it easier to read. Let’s not be afraid of graphics! It is worth noting here that the graphic that illustrates the text can also be used to enter a link to our entry. The link in the graphic can also be used e.g. to perform internal linking within our website.

G. Adding links to the entry – tips & tricks
Blog entries may contain links entered in the text or graphics leading e.g. to specific subpages or products corresponding to the content of the entry. Entering a link to the entry to be effective support for SEO and not harm our site, must be skillful. If we do it, it is worth remembering a few principles of “SEO”:
– the link does not have to be in every entry,
– enter 1-2, a maximum of 3 links to one entry; their quantity is related to the length of the text (more links can be included in longer text),
– if the blog has outbound links that do not lead to our website or other customer-owned pages (e.g. other blogs or online store), then these links should be marked as “nofollow“
– it is very important if we do not want to weaken our website (and since we decided to position it, we definitely do not care about this effect),
– Links to subpages within one site do not have to receive the ‘nofollow’ attribute.

Note: the above recommendations for blog entries can also be used in the context of keeping the news section.