The average American sees up to 10,000 ads and brand messages every single day. Sounds a little overwhelming, right? That’s because it is.
After seeing this many ads every day, viewers simply stop noticing them—meaning they aren’t engaging with them. As a result, you miss out on sales opportunities.
You need to go further to engage your target audience and convert them by personalizing the whole marketing experience through interactive marketing tools. Here’s what you need to know.
What Are Interactive Tools in Marketing?
Pretend for a moment that you’re looking for new hair color. It’s tricky because you’re unsure which colors suit you, and you could use some personalized help.
Finally, a website catches your eye because there’s an interactive tool designed to help you pick a hair color. All you need to do is input some simple details, such as your skin tone and eye color, and you’ll see a list of compatible hair dyes.
The outcome? You purchase a hair dye. In other words, you just went from a potential lead to a paying customer, and it’s all thanks to that interactive website tool.
Essentially, this is precisely how interactive tools for marketing are meant to work. And this particular example isn’t imaginary—you can check out Boots to see what I mean:
If you go through the sequence, you’ll find a list of compatible colors. Then, when you click on a color, a link pops up to take you straight to the right product:
How’s that for convenience?
With just a few minutes of interaction, users get helpful, meaningful results—and you may make a sale.
Examples of Interactive Tools
That’s just one example of interactive tools in a sales context. However, you can build many interactive tools and discover at least as many ways you can use them in your marketing strategy.
Here are five common types of interactive marketing tools we can use in different ways.
Virtual Try Ons for Interactive Marketing
This one’s similar to what we just worked through, but it’s not quite identical—we’re taking it one step further.
Embedded “quizzes” like the one we just looked at rely on customers clicking on certain answers. The algorithm then presents people with solutions matching their answers.
Conversely, virtual try-ons use augmented reality or simple image captures to let people use selfies to “try on” everything from makeup to glasses.
The benefit? Customers know whether the product suits them or not, so they’re more likely to buy. Briefly, here’s how they work:
Someone visits your product page.
They tap the “try on” link, which activates the user’s phone camera.
With augmented reality, the user places the product on their face to see how it looks.
If they’re happy with the appearance, the prospective customer moves the product to their basket and goes through checkout.
It’s not just limited to beauty products or accessories, either. For instance, platforms like Amazon allow their users to “place” furniture around the room to see if they look good in their home. The same technology applies.
Interactive Measurement Tools
Customers sometimes find buying products like shoes online challenging because it’s hard to determine what size to get.
They decide on the shoes they want and opt to “try them on.”
The camera scan’s the person’s foot to get measurements rather than using augmented reality.
Once the scan is complete, the app tells the person which size they should choose.
It’s easy to see how this may lead to more sales and, happily, fewer returns.
Interactive Calculators
Calculators are useful interactive tools for your website and can be used in more ways than one might think, including as:
Nutritional calculators
Pricing calculators to help potential customers build customized product “bundles”
Financial calculators to help people select the right financial product for their circumstances
Whichever sector you’re in, there’s a good chance you can use an interactive calculator to personalize the user experience.
For example, say you run a kitchen supplies website, and you want people to buy your recipe books. They’ve asked questions about how healthy the recipes are.
A nutritional calculator can help them out and, in turn, encourage people to spend more time on your website and potentially have more trust in your brand.
7 Reasons You Should Use Interactive Tools to Increase Sales
We’ve explored what interactive marketing tools are and how they work. There’s still a fundamental question remaining: Can these tools increase your sales?
The answer is: Yes! Here are my top seven reasons why interactive tools in your marketing strategy can increase sales:
1. Interactive Tools Boost Engagement Levels
Customer engagement is vital, but it’s hard to stand out from the crowd. Here are two reasons why:
The average person spends almost two and a half hours a day scrolling through social media. In this time, they’re exposed to countless marketing messages, from banner ads to PPC.
We’ve become “conditioned” to ignore banners (a phenomenon dubbed “banner blindness.”)
Don’t worry, though. This time is where interactive tools have their chance to shine. 66% of marketers report an increase in engagement levels after introducing interactive content to their marketing plans.
Ultimately, increased customer engagement is a pretty effective way to generate more sales in the long-term, so it’s worth using interactive tools in your content.
2. Improved UX Using Interactive Tools May Convert Customers
Conversion is what marketing is all about, and interactive tools could help you do just that. Let me show you how it’s working for JINS, a prescription eyewear provider.
As a forward-thinking company, JINS wanted a new, innovative way to increase conversion rates and improve customer experience. Their solution came via virtual try-ons for glasses.
All someone needs to do is turn on their camera and upload a selfie to the platform. Once that’s done, the user chooses which frames they’re interested in and puts them onto the selfie.
Here’s what it looks like in action. On the left, we have the selfie, and on the right, the actual frames after the customer made their purchase:
Potential customers now have a quick and accurate way to gauge which glasses to buy! According to JINS, conversion rates have drastically improved since they added this interactive tool.
3. Interactive Tools Allow Customers to Feel Confident in Large Purchases
Like I said earlier, this is not just about trying on hair colors or checking out fashion accessories. This technology is about making big purchases, too.
Take Target, for example. Users upload a picture of their room and place a true-to-life copy of a furniture piece in the space. They can also download the Target app and try out the augmented reality version instead, which is a little more engaging because you can move the product around the room. Amazon does this with many of their products in their app as well.
This feature allows users to check if the furniture or other large item fits their space before purchasing it, which means they’re more likely to click “buy” and less likely to make returns.
4. Personalized User Experience via Interactive Tools Can Increase Conversions
Do you see a pattern of personalization forming? Interactive tools allow us to personalize marketing like never before. Here’s why it matters from a sales perspective:
80% of customers are more likely to buy from a company offering a personalized experience.
Up to 56% of online shoppers return to businesses offering product recommendations and other personalized services.
These stats tell us two things:
First, customers crave personalization. They want to feel valued by companies.
Second, they’re more likely to become loyal customers if there’s a personal touch to your marketing efforts.
This is a no-brainer way to build brand loyalty and increase your chance of future sales.
5. Interactive Tools Increase Lead Generation
I’ve touched on this already, but it’s worth emphasizing just how effective a lead generation strategy using interactive tools can be from a sales perspective.
Firstly, there’s an SEO angle. If you can attract more social media shares and inbound links, you should generate more traffic. Additionally, if people spend more time on your website and there’s a lower bounce rate, your search engine ranking can improve. Social shares may boost your SEO ranking by over 20%, too. (You can check who’s linking back to you with my free backlink checker.)
The upshot of interactive tools catching people’s eyes is that there could be more organic traffic and better quality leads because the people you’re attracting are already looking for your product or service.
Let’s think about this from another angle, too. The data you’re capturing from prospects as they use your tools may help you figure out what your customers want so you can improve your products and services.
Consequently, you can generate more quality leads in the long-term, all without much extra effort from a marketing perspective.
Sounds great, right?
6. Automate Your Marketing With Interactive Tools
Yes, interactive tools can help you automate your marketing efforts, and the tools do much of the work for you. The algorithms detect what the customer wants and make recommendations or offer solutions based on this information.
This can help you increase sales and make alterations as needed because you can:
Make changes to the UX based on what you’re seeing
Compare performance across different interactive tools and invest time, energy, and resources in the ones performing most effectively
7. Interactive Tools May Draw Traffic to Your Website
Without traffic coming to your website, there’s little chance you’ll make sales. Again, interactive tools can help you out here. Here’s why.
Firstly, 47% of people use ad blockers now, so there’s a chance some potential customers won’t even see your marketing if you’ve focused efforts on those. Interactive tools help you sidestep this problem.
Secondly, 79% of successful marketers say interactive tools and content encourage people to return to their websites. It’s not just about creating new content, either—you can use the same content time and time again when you have interactive tools.
Think about it. If a customer loves the eyeglasses they purchased from you the first time around, they’re more likely to return to your online shop. There, they’ll use the same virtual try on tool they used before to check out different pairs. You didn’t have to try to impress them with new interactive tools, promotional emails, or any other marketing strategy—they liked what they used the first time and engaged with it again.
How’s that for a cost-efficient way to solidify a lasting relationship with your customer base?
Conclusion
Why should you build interactive tools to increase your sales? Well, as we can see, they’re not just a reliable way to generate leads and improve conversion rates, but they’re cost-effective, too.
They’re not especially challenging to deploy, either. It’s easy enough to find interactive tools you can tweak to suit your needs and embed them on your website. If you want more help with introducing interactive tools into your marketing strategy, check out my consulting services.
Thinking of throwing in the towel, as it looks like the US slides further and further into a recession? Don’t! This can be a great time to regroup and get your business set up for even more success down the line. Building business credit should be on your to-do list. So, find out the best way to build business credit in a recession.
Learn the Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession
We can show you the best way to build business credit in a recession! Get the kind of business funding that can take your business to new heights! And it can happen no matter what goes on with the economy.
Economic Downturns and Company Funding
The United States’s economy has been through any variety of changes throughout the years. Our financial fortunes can depend upon developments in technology, diplomatic ties (or cutting those ties), the weather, and also more. Business credit, fortunately, is an asset which you can develop even during financial slumps. Nonetheless, you may need to get a little creative with it, and with various other forms of business funding.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – But What’s Business Credit, Anyway?
Small business credit is credit in a business’s name. It doesn’t link to a business owner’s personal credit, not even if the owner is a sole proprietor and the sole employee of the small business.
Accordingly, a business owner’s business and individual credit scores can be very different.
The Benefits
Because business credit is distinct from consumer, it helps to secure a business owner’s personal assets, in the event of a lawsuit or business bankruptcy.
Also, with two separate credit scores, a business owner can get two different cards from the same merchant. This effectively doubles buying power.
Another benefit is that even start-ups can do this. Heading to a bank for a business loan can be a recipe for frustration. But building company credit, when done the right way, is a plan for success.
Individual credit scores rely on payments but also various other factors like credit usage percentages.
But for company credit, the scores actually just hinge on whether a company pays its debts on a timely basis.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – The Process
Building business credit is a process, and it does not occur automatically. A business will need to actively work to build company credit.
Nonetheless, it can be done easily and quickly, and it is much speedier than building consumer credit scores.
Merchants are a big aspect of this process.
Undertaking the steps out of order will lead to repetitive rejections. Nobody can start at the top with business credit. For example, you can’t start with retail or cash credit from your bank. If you do, you’ll get a denial 100% of the time.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – Enhancing Company Fundability
A company must be fundable to credit issuers and vendors.
Therefore, a company will need a professional-looking web site and email address. And it needs to have site hosting bought from a vendor like GoDaddy.
Also, business telephone numbers must have a listing on ListYourself.net.
Also, the business telephone number should be toll-free (800 exchange or comparable).
A business will also need a bank account dedicated strictly to it, and it needs to have all of the licenses essential for operation.
Licenses
These licenses all have to be in the exact, appropriate name of the company. And they need to have the same business address and telephone numbers.
So bear in mind, that this means not just state licenses, but possibly also city licenses.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – Working with the IRS
Visit the Internal Revenue Service website and get an EIN for the company. They’re free of charge. Select a business entity such as corporation, LLC, etc.
A company may begin as a sole proprietor. But they absolutely need to change to a type of corporation or an LLC.
This is to limit risk. And it will make the most of tax benefits.
A business entity matters when it concerns tax obligations and liability in case of a lawsuit. A sole proprietorship means the owner is it when it comes to liability and taxes. Nobody else is responsible.
The best thing to do is to incorporate. You should only look at a DBA as an interim step on the way to incorporation.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – Starting Off the Business Credit Reporting Process
Begin at the D&B website and obtain a cost-free D-U-N-S number. A D-U-N-S number is how D&B gets a small business into their system, to produce a PAYDEX score. If there is no D-U-N-S number, then there is no record and no PAYDEX score.
Once in D&B’s system, search Equifax and Experian’s web sites for the business. You can do this at www.creditsuite.com/reports. If there is a record with them, check it for correctness and completeness. If there are no records with them, go to the next step in the process.
By doing this, Experian and Equifax will have something to report on.
Starter Vendor Credit
First you should establish tradelines that report. Then you’ll have an established credit profile, and you’ll get a business credit score.
And with an established business credit profile and score you can start to get credit for numerous purposes, and from all sorts of places.
These kinds of accounts have the tendency to be for things bought all the time, like marketing materials, shipping boxes, outdoor workwear, ink and toner, and office furniture.
But first off, what is trade credit? These trade lines are credit issuers who give you starter credit when you have none now. Terms are usually Net 30, instead of revolving.
Therefore, if you get an approval for $1,000 in vendor credit and use all of it, you need to pay that money back in a set term, like within 30 days on a Net 30 account.
Details
Net 30 accounts have to be paid in full within 30 days. 60 accounts have to be paid in full within 60 days. Unlike revolving accounts, you have a set time when you have to pay back what you borrowed or the credit you used.
To launch your business credit profile the right way, you should get approval for vendor accounts that report to the business credit reporting bureaus. As soon as that’s done, you can then make use of the credit.
Then repay what you used, and the account is on report to Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, or Equifax.
Vendor Credit – It Makes Sense
Not every vendor can help in the same way true starter credit can. These are vendors that grant approval with very little effort. You also want them to be reporting to one or more of the big three CRAs: Dun & Bradstreet, Equifax, and Experian.
Uline is a true starter vendor. You can find them online at www.uline.com. They sell shipping, packing, and industrial supplies, and they report to Dun & Bradstreet and Experian. You MUST have a D-U-N-S number and an EIN before starting with them. They will ask for your business bank information. Your company address must be uniform everywhere. You need for an order to be $50 or more before they’ll report it. Your first few orders may need to be prepaid initially so your company can get approval for Net 30 terms.
How to apply with them:
Add an item to your shopping cart
Go to checkout
Select to Open an Account
Select to be invoiced
Quill
Quill is another true starter vendor. You can find them online at www.quill.com. They sell office, packaging, and cleaning supplies. And they also sell toner, office furniture, and even shipping and school supplies. They report to Dun and Bradstreet every quarter.
To apply, you MUST have a D&B PAYDEX score. If not given a Net 30 they will ask you to do prepaid orders of $100.00. Normally any prepaid order won’t report but you would need them to have given you a Net 30 account. Net 30 accounts require $50.00 purchase to report.
New business or businesses with no credit history may need to prepay purchases until Net 30 approval. Terms are Net 30.
Here’s how to qualify:
Your business entity must be in good standing with the applicable Secretary of State
You must have an EIN and a D-U-N-S number
Business address (it has to match everywhere)
Business license (if applicable)
A corporate bank account
Apply online or over the phone.
Grainger Industrial Supply
Grainger Industrial Supply is also a true starter vendor. You can find them online at www.grainger.com. They sell hardware, power tools, pumps and more. They also do fleet maintenance. And they report to D&B. You need a business license, EIN, and a D-U-N-S number.
To qualify, you need the following:
A business license (if applicable)
An EIN number
A business address matching everywhere
A corporate bank account
A D-U-N-S number from Dun & Bradstreet
Your corporate entity must be in good standing with the applicable Secretary of State. If your company does not have established credit, they will require additional documents. So, these are items like accounts payable, income statement, balance sheets, and the like.
Apply online or over the phone.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – Accounts That Do Not Report
Non-reporting trade accounts can also be helpful. While you do want trade accounts to report to a minimum of one of the CRAs, a trade account which does not report can still be of some worth.
You can always ask non-reporting accounts for trade references. Additionally, credit accounts of any sort should help you to better even out business expenses, consequently making budgeting less complicated.
Store Credit
Store credit comes from a variety of retail companies.
You must use your Social Security Number and date of birth on these applications for verification purposes. For credit checks and guarantees, use the small business’s EIN on these credit applications.
Fleet Credit
Fleet credit is from companies where you can buy fuel, and fix and maintain vehicles. You must use your Social Security Number and date of birth on these applications for verification purposes. For credit checks and guarantees, make sure to apply using the business’s EIN.
These are businesses such as Visa and MasterCard. You must use your SSN and date of birth on these applications for verification purposes. For credit checks and guarantees, use your EIN instead.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – Monitor Your Business Credit
Know what is happening with your credit. Make certain it is being reported and deal with any inaccuracies ASAP. Get in the habit of taking a look at credit reports and digging into the specifics, and not just the scores.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – Fix Your Business Credit
So, what’s all this monitoring for? It’s to challenge any inaccuracies in your records. Mistakes in your credit report(s) can be taken care of. But the CRAs normally want you to dispute in a particular way.
Disputing credit report inaccuracies generally means you mail a paper letter with duplicates of any proof of payment with it. These are documents like receipts and cancelled checks. Never mail the original copies. Always send copies and keep the original copies.
Fixing credit report inaccuracies also means you precisely itemize any charges you dispute. Make your dispute letter as clear as possible. Be specific about the concerns with your report. Use certified mail so that you will have proof that you mailed in your dispute.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – A Word about Building Business Credit
Always use credit smartly! Don’t borrow more than what you can pay off. Monitor balances and deadlines for payments. Paying promptly and in full will do more to raise business credit scores than nearly anything else.
Building company credit pays. Good business credit scores help a small business get loans. Your credit issuer knows the small business can pay its financial obligations. They recognize the small business is bona fide.
The business’s EIN links to high scores and lenders won’t feel the need to ask for a personal guarantee.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – Takeaways
Business credit is an asset which can help your company for many years to come. The recession will not last forever.
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You’re determined, hard working, crushing your goals, and passionate in what you do. Without noticing it, you’re already building your personal brand. It’s time to take it to the next level – to digital. Your …
Overtime – Episode #382 (Originally aired 03/25/16) – Bill and his roundtable guests Cory Booker, Jerrod Carmichael, Ian Bremmer, Jennifer Granholm and Reihan Salm answer fan questions from the latest show.
CSS AG | https://www.css.de/en/ | Fulda, Germany | Onsite/ Remote (during COVID) | Full Time
Established in 1984, CSS AG continuously develops modern, user-oriented business software for demanding mid-sized companies of all industries – also for international use. CSS is one of the major developers of business software in Germany with nearly 2.000 customers.
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Reseller hosting can be extremely lucrative. Whether it’s an add-on to your existing business, a side hustle, or the start of a standalone hosting company, there are plenty of ways to turn a profit in this space.
Every website needs a hosting service. White label resellers become that solution for their clients. By renting servers at wholesale rates from web hosting providers and reselling them to other sites, it’s easy to generate a substantial ROI.
But it all starts with finding the right reseller hosting company for your needs. Which one is the best? Find out below.
A2 Hosting — The Best For Billing and Client Management
Liquid Web — The Best Variety of Reseller Packages
How to Choose the Best Reseller Hosting For You
Certain criteria must be evaluated as you’re shopping around and comparing reseller hosting companies side-by-side. The factors identified below should be considered before finalizing a decision.
Hosting Type
By default, most reseller packages are offered on shared hosting servers. But different providers offer various hosting options, including VPS reseller hosting, cloud reseller hosting, and even dedicated server reseller hosting.
The hosting type you select will have a direct impact on performance. For example, shared hosting is considered to be entry-level. So, your clients won’t necessarily have the highest performing websites if you’re reselling shared hosting. Traffic spikes on one site could lead to crashes or slow loading times on another.
VPS or dedicated hosting would improve site performance for your clients. These are more expensive, but you can pass those costs along to each client.
Quality and performance will both be a direct reflection of your brand and services. Often, prioritizing quality is worth the added cost. Choosing the right type of hosting is a crucial decision.
Number of Clients
There’s a big difference between selling reseller hosting services to 20 clients versus 200+ clients. Be realistic, and ask yourself how many clients you plan to acquire and retain on a monthly or annual basis.
Some reseller plans are better for managing smaller client lists, while others are built to scale. There are even reseller hosting packages out there that can accommodate an unlimited number of websites.
Billing and Client Management
The best reseller hosting plans set you up for success and come with add-ons or built-in tools for managing your clients.
Look for features like web hosting manager complete solution (WHMCS). It’s an industry-leading web hosting and billing management tool. You can use it to automate billing, collect payments, set up provisioning, and more. Blesta is also a popular tool for billing and client management.
Some plans come with a free WHMCS or Blesta license, while others charge extra for access to these tools.
Technical Ability
Ease of use with reseller hosting is not universal across the board. Some platforms are definitely more user-friendly than others.
Some reseller hosting solutions are made for developers and other tech-savvy users. Others are designed to accommodate beginners or agencies looking to add-on to existing services.
Be honest about your technical ability and that of your team, and the learning curve associated with the tool. It should be reasonably easy to determine if the plans you’re evaluating fit within your level of comfort. The terminology and use cases described for each package can be very telling. If it feels like you’re reading a foreign language, it’s probably not the best option for you.
White Labeling
Hosting for clients can typically be offered in one of two ways—managed or white label.
Some resellers build and manage sites for clients behind the scenes without granting the client access to their site’s hosting control panel. Others simply re-brand the hosting services and give clients log-in access to manage the hosting service independently.
With a white label plan, the client never knows where you’re getting hosting from. You’ll have the ability to put your own branding and logos on this dashboard. Not every reseller plan comes with white label capabilities out of the box.
The Different Types of Reseller Hosting
There are different options when it comes to reseller hosting. They typically fall into one of the following four categories:
Shared Reseller Hosting
Shared hosting is when all websites share resources from the same server. Clients will be sharing server space with each other, as well as other sites that you’re not directly selling hosting to.
If no hosting type is specified on the package being evaluated, it’s usually safe to assume that the plan is shared.
Shared hosting is typically the cheapest, but the performance isn’t always great. Clients may experience slow loading times or even crashes if other sites on the same server use up resources.
VPS Reseller Hosting
VPS stands for virtual private server. Websites are still hosted on one central server, but they’ll have dedicated resources on their own virtual servers.
VPS hosting is an excellent option for white label resellers. It offers flexibility and improved performance without breaking the bank. This option will be more expensive than shared hosting, but it’s still a good value.
Dedicated Reseller Hosting
Dedicated reseller hosting involves renting an entire server from a hosting provider. In this case, resellers won’t have to worry about other websites being hosted or sharing resources with their clients.
This allows you to provide more RAM, CPU, bandwidth, and storage to your clients. It’s more expensive, but the performance will be top-notch.
Dedicated reseller hosting is generally better for resellers with a high volume of clients. If you’re only managing a dozen sites or so, this really isn’t necessary.
Cloud Reseller Hosting
Cloud hosting is a bit new compared to other types of web hosting. It’s not necessarily the most popular option for resellers, but some providers now offer this choice.
Think of cloud hosting like a hybrid version of a VPS. Rather than each site being split into a single virtual private server, each is hosted on multiple cloud servers.
Cloud hosting is a good option for resellers who want to give clients the ability to scale their resources on-demand. These packages typically offer “pay as you go” pricing, so clients pay based on usage.
#1 – SiteGround Review — The Best For Unlimited Sites
SiteGround is one of the most popular and reputable web hosting providers on the market today. Their reseller plans are no exception.
Resellers benefit from everything they need to start selling hosting and managing multiple sites out of the box. One unique standout of SiteGround is that it’s built to scale. All reseller packages support an unlimited number of websites.
Even the entry-level package supports unlimited sites. You won’t find a value like this from other hosting providers on the market today.
SiteGround is also flexible enough to accommodate resellers with different needs. For example, you can resell hosting to clients without giving them direct access to the control panel for each site. This is a popular choice for developers who build and manage sites for clients.
Alternatively, you can give clients full access to their control panel by assigning them as white label users. They won’t see any SiteGround logos or branding when they log in, so you can brand the hosting service as your own. White labeling is offered with the GoGeek and Cloud plans.
The cloud reseller hosting plans from SiteGround also allow you to set up custom packages and user access for your clients.
Other top features and benefits of using SiteGround’s reseller services include:
Single dashboard to manage all sites
Built to scale
30+ tools like FTP client, PHP version manager, app installer, etc.
Free WordPress installations
Automatic WordPress updates
Daily backups
On-demand backups
Free SSLs
Free CDN
Free email
Unlimited databases
Caching to boost speed
Ability to add collaborators
SiteGround also has exceptional support for resellers. If you need help or have a question, their hosting experts are available via live chat and ticket support.
Reseller plans start at just $5.99 per month.
#2 – HostPapa Review — The Best For Reseller Beginners
HostPapa is perfect for anyone new to reselling. The platform is straightforward to use, and advanced technical knowledge is not a requirement.
They handle everything on the backend, so you never have to worry about the server architecture being sold to clients. HostPapa takes care of server firewalls, brute force detection, site security, network monitoring, IP deny manager, SSL encryption, and so much more.
The exceptional support and resources designed specifically for resellers are highly beneficial to beginners. HostPapa offers free 30-minute training sessions, self-help guides, reseller tutorials, and award-winning customer service.
You’ll even have the option to provide your clients with their own control panel access through a brandable white-label portal. This includes branded white-label nameservers.
Here are some other top reasons to choose HostPapa for reseller hosting:
One-click installation for 400+ apps
Built-in automation to manage client subscriptions
WHMCS billing system
Free site transfers from other hosting providers
Simple dashboard to manage all sites
Unlimited sites
Easy to scale and add resources
99.9% uptime guarantee
24/7/365 tech support
Reseller plans start at $29.99. All packages are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
#3 – InMotion Review — The Best Reseller VPS Plans
InMotion is another industry leader in the world of web hosting. They offer six different white label reseller plans, including three VPS reseller packages.
For those of you who want to take your reseller services to the next level, a premium VPS plan from InMotion has everything you need.
Every plan comes with free SSD storage, free billing software, cPanel and WHM, free domain reseller, 24/7/365 support, and white label resources. InMotion is optimized for WordPress out of the box as well.
But if you select a reseller VPS plan, you’ll benefit from additional features like:
Up to 50 free cPanel transfers
Hosting optimized for e-commerce
High availability with real-time redundancy
Free server security, management, and maintenance
Optional root access
High performance with allocated resources for each site
Scalable resources
The shared reseller packages start at $15.39 per month, whereas the VPS reseller plans start at $46.64 per month. There’s definitely a significant difference between these starting rates, but the VPS reseller hosting’s quality and performance are unmatched.
All InMotion white label reseller hosting plans are backed by a 90-day money-back guarantee.
#4 – A2 Hosting Review — The Best For Billing and Client Management
A2 Hosting is synonymous with speed. They are known for providing some of the fastest web hosting servers on the market today.
When you sign up for an A2 Hosting reseller package, you’ll have the option to upgrade to a turbo reseller plan, which gives you and your clients access to servers up to 20 times faster than most other options.
In addition to the top-notch performance, A2 offers a free WHMCS or Blesta license with its reseller packages.
WHMCS and Blesta are two of the best client management and billing solutions for resellers. So, you’ll have no problem managing your client lists at scale with A2 Hosting.
Other top features offered in A2’s reseller packages include:
24/7/365 guru support
Free account migrations
99.9% uptime commitment
Free SSL certificates
cPanel and WHM
White label capability
Developer-friendly tools
The entry-level reseller servers from A2 Hosting start at $18.99 per month. Turbo reseller servers start at $29.99 per month, and I strongly recommend them. Your clients will definitely notice a difference in terms of speed and performance. The extra $11 is well worth it.
A2 also has a ton of guides and resources made specifically for resellers. You really can’t go wrong with any of these plans.
#5 – Liquid Web Review — The Best Variety of Reseller Packages
Whether you’re starting a new reseller hosting business or scaling an existing one, Liquid Web has everything you need to succeed.
They offer a wide range of reseller options, including dedicated reseller servers, VPS servers, and cloud servers.
All of these options perform significantly better than an entry-level shared reseller plan.
Liquid Web also has a unique billing structure for reseller customers. The program allows resellers to purchase any hosting solution at a discount. But the exact discount is based on monthly revenue. The more hosting solutions you sell, the higher your discount will be:
$250-$500 per month — 5% discount
$501-$1,000 per month — 7% discount
$1,001-$2,000 per month — 9% discount
$2,001-$5,000 per month — 12% discount
$5,001-$10,000 per month — 17% discount
$10,001-$15,000 per month — 19% discount
$15,000+ per month — 20% discount
As you can see, there’s an opportunity to make a significant profit here with these discounts as your reseller program scales.
All of Liquid Web’s reseller packages come with a free WHMCS license. This makes it easy for you to customize plans for clients, generate invoices, and provide support to your clients within a single interface.
Liquid Web allows you to give your clients complete control of their plans so that they manage things like service provisioning, reboots, and load balancing on their own.
Pricing for Liquid Web’s reseller program starts at $99 per month.
Summary
Every website on the Internet must have a web hosting service, and there’s no shortage of potential prospects for resellers in the hosting space. But having success as a reseller starts with choosing the right program.
Which one is the best?
The top five options reviewed above is the best place to start your search. Whether you’re a beginner, an experienced reseller, or somewhere in between, you can find what you need with the recommendations listed in this guide.
Between the sound equipment, hosting options, learning to edit, and everything else that goes into starting a podcast, the very concept can be overwhelming. But, I’ll let you in on a little secret: It isn’t that difficult to start a podcast.
In fact, you can get one up and running in about two weeks. In this post, I’ll outline exactly how to do that.
The order of my steps might look a little wonky to you. That’s because if you’re going to start a podcast in two weeks, actions you may typically hold off on need to occur earlier because they take longer to complete.
By no means should any of these tasks be completed in a day. The day simply indicates when you should kick off each step.
While this timeline is here to give you an idea of how to prioritize your work, you needn’t follow it to the letter. If you’re working with a team, some of these steps can happen simultaneously.
For instance, you can have your creative department working on your artwork while editorial hashes out the content calendar and you reach out to potential guests.
Why Start a Podcast?
According to Edison Research, the number of monthly podcast listeners in the U.S. grew by 17 million people from 2018 to 2019. And the number of podcast listeners is expected to increase by 20 million each year, passing 160 million by 2023.
Suppose you’re looking for a new avenue to build revenue, raise awareness, or improve conversions. In that case, podcasting may just be the way to do it—particularly if you’re trying to reach a younger audience. In 2020, according to Statista, almost 50% of podcast listeners were between the ages of 12 and 25, and 40% were between 25 and 54.
Start a PodcastDay 1: Do Your Research on Radio and Podcasting
Horror writer Stephen King has written more than 50—and sold about 350 million—books. His advice to new writers? Read. Read everything you can get your hands on because reading other people’s work and understanding how all kinds of novels are written informs your own writing.
The same is true of podcasting. Listen to all kinds of podcasts from a variety of genres. Listen to radio shows, too, both old and new. They are, after all, the ancestors of the modern podcast.
Take notes when you hear something you like—a format, an interview technique, an introduction, anything. When it’s time to construct your podcast, you can pull out your notes and incorporate those elements into your show.
Start a PodcastDay 2: Research and Purchase the Right Podcasting Equipment
At the very least, you’ll need a decent microphone, some recording and editing software, and a quiet place to record your podcast.
While you can use a computer microphone, an external microphone, preferably one with a pop filter, will pick up the sound of your voice better without too much background noise. You should also consider getting an isolation shield if your microphone setup allows one.
And that quiet place to record your podcast? Choose a small space if you can, ideally one with a door that can close and a fair amount of insulation in the walls.
If you can set up a room with soundproofing panels, all the better. Not only will all this cut down on background noise, but it will also reduce echo in the room.
If all that isn’t possible, something as simple as a clothesline with a blanket hanging off it surrounding your recording space can make a world of difference. You can get a special acoustic blanket or just use one from your linen closet.
Finally, research and choose the best recording and editing software for your podcast. The most popular recording apps include
Garageband: Works with Apple products, allows you to record and edit your podcast and create original music, free to use
Audacity: Works on Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux, and more, allows you to record and edit audio, free to use
Apple Logic Pro X: Works on Mac, interfaces with GarageBand, offers advanced tools, $200 one-time purchase
Adobe Audition: Works anywhere Adobe products work, lets you edit, record, and create sound effects, $20.99 per month (or part of the Creative Cloud at $52.99 per month, which includes Photoshop—though which you could work on images to go with your show)
But you could even use Skype, Zoom, or Otter.ai to do your recording, then upload your file to one of the programs above so you can edit.
Start a PodcastDay 2: Determine Your Podcast Content Goals
Every part of your content plan has a goal, right? So what would a podcast do for you? Would it:
Raise awareness of your brand?
Be a way to promote new products?
Position you as an expert in your field?
Keep in mind that all content has the same ultimate goal: To solve a problem, or a pain point, for their audience.
For example, my Marketing School podcast, which I co-host with Eric Siu, directly addresses the brands’ marketing pain points. Each week, we share and discuss best practices to help brands grow their businesses.
But some branded podcasts aren’t so direct in their approach. Some brands even create content purely for entertainment—but even this kind of content solves a problem: boredom.
For example, GE has two science fiction podcasts: The Message and its sequel, Life After. These weave in existing GE technology to decode alien messages and solve futuristic problems.
But there are plenty of ways to solve a problem for your audience while accomplishing your content goals.
GE’s goal is to raise awareness of its tech and expand its audience.
Our goal at Marketing School is to raise awareness of our content marketing services and increase conversions.
No matter your goal, remember this: A podcast can generate more than a 4% increase in brand recall, and 61% of listeners exposed to podcast ads for major brands were more likely to buy those products.
So, what’s the problem you’re trying to solve for your audience? How will you solve it?
Start a PodcastDay 3: Identify Your Podcast Audience
If you already have a strong social media presence, you may have your target audience and audience personas ready to go. And you can use your podcast to reach that audience on a different channel, particularly if they’re moving away from traditional social media.
But consider using podcasts to expand your audience. A podcast, after all, should fit into your holistic content marketing strategy. It can be yet another tool to grow awareness of your brand.
In that case, identify the audience you want to make aware of your brand—and make sure it’s one you can reach through podcasting in the first place.
Start a PodcastDay 4: Choose Your Podcast Format
I’ve talked a little bit about the format already. For example, my podcast is either a monologue or dialogue format, whereEric and I—together or separately—discuss a content or social media marketing topic and share our insights.
Monologue or dialogue formats are great for educational and how-to podcasts.
GE’s podcast follows a theater format, reminiscent of the radio dramas of old. It’s a great entertainment format. GE found a creative way to include their products, but not all brand-related podcasts directly discuss their products.
Some of the other more popular podcast formats include:
Interview Podcasts
The interview podcast is just that; a question-and-answer format where the host interviews guests on a topic related to the podcast’s content goals.
Founder and CEO of Foundr magazine, Nathan Chan, interviews entrepreneurs and startup executives in his podcast, Foundr Podcast, to help educate other entrepreneurs on everything from marketing to raising capital to growing their business.
Informal Discussion Podcasts
For an informal discussion, two or three people, whether they be hosts or one host and guests, choose a topic and discuss it freely without a script. A host may have a few bullet points to keep the conversation on track, but there is no other script to speak of.
Slate Magazine’s Spoiler Specials brings movie critics together to discuss recent movies, with plenty of spoilers sprinkled in. While they don’t promote the brand, it positions them as SMEs in movies and entertainment.
Panel Podcasts
Insurance broker Allianz hosts a panel discussion podcast called Insurance Tomorrow, where panelists discuss current events and how they affect the insurance industry.
In this type of podcast, a host kicks off the discussion and keeps a list of questions or bullet points to keep the conversation on track.
Journalistic Podcasts
A journalistic podcast can take a few forms. It can merely relay the news of the day, or it can tell longer-form stories, much like you would hear on a news magazine show.
For a branded podcast, the longer-form version is probably best. And it doesn’t necessarily have to relate to your product.
For three years and 58 episodes, Basecamp’s podcast, The Distance, used a journalistic approach to tell the stories of small businesses that had been in business for 25 years or more. The idea was to inspire other small business owners.
Start a PodcastDay 5: Begin Choosing Your Concept
Once you know your audience and your content goals, you can start brainstorming the podcast’s concept and topics.
Your concept should be unique. Take a look at other podcasts for inspiration, but make sure you’re not duplicating a podcast that already exists.
Your concept should relate to your brand and products in some way. The GE podcast, for example, is loosely related to tech.
Finally, your concept should appeal to your audience and solve a problem for them.
Choosing a concept will take market and audience research. You may even want to survey super users of your product to get an idea of the kinds of topics they would be interested in.
Start a PodcastDay 6: Start Researching a Name
There are a few ways to name your podcast. You can use your podcast’s content, your name if you have a decent following, or your company’s name if it’s well known.
Whatever you choose to do, make sure your title is clear, catchy, and memorable—and not already taken. Of course, it should also include keywords that help you appear in search.
You should also look up both your chosen name and variations on it, combined with “podcast,” “TV show,” “book,” “movie,” and anything else you can think of that may force you down in SERPS. Look for these not just on Google but on social media sites as well.
Start a Podcast Day 7: Begin Design of Your Podcast’s Thumbnail Artwork
Apple and other podcast hosting platforms require artwork for your podcast, so there’s something to display in search.
For this step, we’re focusing on what will appear in podcast apps themselves—what you saw above are more akin to the large cover photos (more on those later). What we’re looking at now appear more like Instagram pictures in shape:
Apple remains the big name in podcasting— after all, “podcast” is short for “iPod broadcast!” So, you want to pay attention to Apple’s recommendations for creating good cover art:
Keep it simple and easy to recognize, with relevant images.
Have your podcast title visible with a clear, large font.
Keep it to a max of 3000 x 3000 pixels.
Avoid logos that are in use by others.
Don’t put artwork at the bottom of the image—it could end up hidden in apps.
Consider dark mode when creating your art.
Where do you get this art?
In a perfect world, you’d have an incredible artistic team at your disposal—use them if you do. But, not everyone is that lucky, and you may need to find someone to do this work for you. Consider:
Looking at the show notes of podcasts to see who they credit for logo creation. Could you contact them as well?
Checking out freelance sites like Fiverr for freelancers.
Creating your own via apps like Canva—just double-check any copyright rules before nailing down the final product.
Start a PodcastDay 8: Create Your Content Calendar
Now it’s time to determine how often you’re going to post new episodes and what those episodes will be about. Brainstorm topics and keywords for your episodes, and write down a list of guests you might want to have on the show.
Create a content calendar that includes enough time to schedule your guests (if you have any) or write your script (if that fits your format), and record, edit, and post your podcast.
Start a Podcast Day 9: Write Your Podcast Script and Find Your Music
Developing a full script can take anywhere from a day to a few weeks, depending on the format, amount of research needed, and how many review levels it has to go through. But here are the basics.
The Podcast Script
The type of script you write—if you write one at all—depends on the format you chose for your podcast. Most podcast scripts include the following:
Theme music
An intro that mentions the show’s name and concept, describes the episode’s topic (including keywords) and introduces any guests.
An outro, or conclusion, that wraps up the show and includes a call to action. Your call to action should tell your audience to rate, review, subscribe, join you on social media, and, most importantly, spread the word.
If you want a more informal feel to your podcast, you can simply write an outline or some bullet points of what you want to talk about and then riff on your topic from there. Or, you could write a full script, but be ready to go off track and banter with your cohost.
If you’ve chosen a story-telling format, like GE’s podcast, or even a how-to format, you will need to develop a fully fleshed-out script.
For a tutorial on scriptwriting, check out NPR’s guide for students. It’s full of helpful tips to get you started.
Podcast Music and Sound Effects
Most podcasts have some kind of music before the intro to their show. If you want something unique to your podcast that is consistent with your branding, this is something you’ll want to commission.
Like with artwork, you can bring on a local musician or friend, a freelancer from a site like Fiverr or via a local job board, or, ideally, use someone in your office. No matter who you use, be sure to give them credit on every set of show notes—it’s just good practice.
If you don’t want to commission someone, you can look into royalty-free music sites, such as bensound.com. These generally allow you can browse music in a variety of genres.
There are also free and subscription services for sound effects, such as Zapsplat, if you need sound effects for your podcast. Like with music, some of the recording options we talked about a while back also have these available.
Start a Podcast Days 10 and 11: Record Your Podcast
It’s finally time to record. There are some best practices you should follow, though. Even if you’re comfortable speaking in front of a crowd, setting up a sound system and using a microphone is different for podcasts.
Using Your Podcasting Microphone Correctly
The good news is that most of your recording equipment—especially if you bought from some superior brands—will likely have videos you can watch to help you set things up and use them appropriately.
You can generally find these on the company’s website or YouTube. On YouTube, you may also be able to find podcasters using them, and their tips maybe even more helpful than the company’s because they’ve done practical troubleshooting already.
Be sure your microphone is stable: If you’re using a mic stand of any sort, make sure it’s not easy to knock over.
Get your distance right: Being too far will make you sound like you’re speaking from a distance, while being too close will make you either sound too loud or catch too many things, like breaths. Two to three inches is usually best, but you’ll want to try different things with your microphone. A pop filter may allow you to be a bit closer to your mic.
Angle your microphone appropriately: There are a couple of ways to do this, and what works best for you is up to you. You could have the mic angled directly at your mouth, which may provide you with the highest among of clarity and “fullness” of your voice. However, you could also turn your mic slightly away, which could mitigate any issues caused by high frequencies.
Check your mic level: “Gain” and “input level” mean the same thing, and your microphone setup may use either term to describe the control for how much signal is recorded. Speak into the microphone in the tone of voice you plan to use and adjust until you’re in the -10dB range. If you’re using headphones adjust the knob until you hear buzzing, then turning it down a bit if you’re using GarageBand or Audacity.
Do a test recording: Use the full range of the voice you plan to use for your podcast. If you know you’ll get excited or upset, talk about those things in the way you would on your show—as well as things you’d be speaking about in your normal voice—so you can hear yourself and change levels and mic angle and distance as needed.
Best Practices For Recording Your Podcast
Now that you’ve tested everything out with your microphone and other recording equipment, it’s time to get down to business. Make sure your recording studio is closed off to others and that people know not to enter while you’re working, then get started!
Like with microphone use, though, there are some best practices while you record:
Warm-up your voice first: Do some vocal exercises, so your voice is at its best the whole time you record.
Recheck your levels: You can sometimes do this before you even begin recording, sometimes after. Make sure everything still looks right and adjust if needed.
Start with silence: Leave about five to ten seconds of actual silence at the beginning of the episode. Watch your levels to make sure it’s not picking up your breathing or any other noise that won’t usually be there. This lets your app read the actual level of background noise so you can edit appropriately later.
Watch for filler words—but don’t panic about them: “Filler words” are the things we say without realizing it, like “um,” “like,” and “okay?” when they’re not adding anything. We all do this, so don’t feel embarrassed by them. Be aware of your filler words and try to avoid them, but remember you can often edit many of them out later.As you go through more episodes, chances are you’ll become better at not using them.
Find a way to note mistakes for easy editing: This is especially important if you’re editing the show yourself. If something happens that you don’t want your audience to hear—a big stumble over words, a sneeze, a barking dog, a passing train, something that just came out wrong, etc.—find a way to make them visible in your editing process. This could be a long silence or snapping your fingers at the microphone three times, as that will show a great change in volume. You could also note the time the issue happened. If you have someone else editing, you can also just say “cut that out” directly in the recording.
What if a noise issue is unavoidable? Let your audience know. For instance, if you can hear your neighbor mowing the lawn, but you have to record right now, just mention it and move on. Or if you’re recovering from a sore throat but can’t miss an episode? Just tell them. People are usually pretty understanding.
Keep excess noises away from your mic: Taking a sip of water? Turn away. Notes on paper? Keep them far away from your mic. Blowing your nose? Well, maybe make the editing note above.
Start a PodcastDays 12 and 13: Get to Editing
Allow at least a day for editing your podcast and then another day for final approval. This is when you add in your music and sounds, edit mistakes, or take out entire parts that you don’t feel add any value to the podcast.
Like recording, there are some best practices for editing. If you’ve got a pro on board, you probably don’t need to worry about this. But if you’re doing it yourself, you should take some time to learn about these. Thankfully, YouTube comes in very handy for things like this.
While the best practices will vary slightly based on the editing software you’re using, here are the basic steps you should take while editing—and be sure to wear headphones while you do it. While this advice is intended for Audacity users, it applies to most editors:
Listen to the material before you do anything else. Note the times of things you want to change.
Use the noise reduction tool to get rid of any background noise—this is why we recorded that silence at the beginning. (We also did this so you have a background noise level you can insert elsewhere, so don’t delete this silence until you’re done.)
Get rid of what you don’t want content-wise.
Remove other noises you don’t want. This includes filler words—though be careful not to overdo this because you don’t want to sound unnatural. If cutting a filler word or other short piece of audio makes you sound like your words are jumping on top of each other, that’s where pasting in some of that silence from the beginning comes in.
Normalize at about -2.0.
Amplify anything that’s too quiet.
Compress and equalize.
Add in your music, sound effects, and—unless your hosting site does this automatically—any advertisements.
For very detailed advice about editing, check out this article from Podcast Rocket.
Start a Podcast Day 14: Post and Promote Your Podcast
Okay, this one is a bit out of order—we’re talking about in-the-trenches promotion, not pre-show promotion. When you’re starting a podcast for your brand, you should let your audience know before your first episode. Hype them up.
Here’s a fun fact: If you post your podcast to the three major platforms—Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts—you’re already in front of more than 95% of all podcast listeners!
One common misconception about podcasting is that these platforms host your podcast. Not so. You first need to sign up for a hosting site, such as Buzzsprout. Some hosts automatically submit your podcast to several platforms, while you may need to do it manually for others. You do this with your RSS feed, which you can find in your account on your hosting site.
Your RSS feed will need the right tags, your artwork, and at least one episode to be accepted. Once you have all that submitted, you’re up and running!
Now it’s time to promote your new podcast. Utilize your social media and own website for this, but be aware of other avenues as well. For instance, if you have a guest on the show, make sure they’re going to advertise their involvement. You could consider purchasing ads on social media or other sites, too. And if you have a brick-and-mortar store? Put up signs with QR codes to your podcast’s website, post on your main site, social media, or use Linktree.
Beyond Two Weeks: Track Your Podcast
Your podcast host, Apple, Google, and Spotify all provide analytics, so you can track how your podcast is doing. Additionally, Chartable compiles several apps’ data, so they could also be helpful. Use that information to inform when you should post, how well you’re promoting it, and what your next episode should be about.
Be sure to Google your podcast several times over the following weeks to see if you’ve been picked up by platforms you didn’t know about so you can add these options to your “where to listen.”
You should also keep an eye on reviews. Many podcast apps don’t have reviews, but Apple does. Reviews aren’t the end-all, be-all, but they can help you move up charts, better advertise your show (if the reviews are good), and see where you need to improve. Just bear in mind not all reviews are valid—they could be from rivals or from people who just like to complain—so use your judgment about how to go forward after reading them.
If You Can’t Start a Podcast From Scratch, Partner With Someone Who Can
Even enterprise brands need a little help podcasting sometimes. If you don’t have the time or resources to start your podcast, try partnering with a brand or business that can.
Sephora, for example, partnered with GirlBoss Radio to create a branded podcast called #LipStories. The podcast features interviews with remarkable women from around the world.
Conclusion
Podcasts can help your brand reach an entirely new audience, and starting one doesn’t have to be as stressful as it may seem on the surface. If you follow these steps and make your podcast SEO friendly, you may be well on your way to increasing your sales.
And you may even have some fun along the way.
What kind of podcast are you thinking about? How can it help your brand?
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