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All You Need to Know About The 3 Credit Bureaus

What are the 3 Credit Bureaus for Business All About?

Are they really different? The 3 credit bureaus all have reports – are any of them more valuable than the others?

The 3 Credit Bureaus for Business

There are three credit reporting agencies for business in the US:

  • Dun & Bradstreet
  • Experian
  • Equifax Commercial

These are the biggest and best-known bureaus reporting on your EIN credit. But they are not the only business credit bureaus.

The 3 Credit Bureaus and Their Data

The major credit bureaus get data from many different places. These may include:

  • Utility companies
  • Landlords
  • Companies that help set up new businesses
  • Insurance and benefit providers,
  • The internet, etc.

Dun & Bradstreet

They are the oldest and largest of the 3 credit bureaus. You need a D-U-N-S number to start building business credit. No D-U-N-S number? Then get one; they’re free. This number gets a business into their system. Check with D&B to see if they have a record set up for you now.

Get Set Up with D&B

If your search with D&B doesn’t show you have a D-U-N-S number, you’ll need one. This is a nine-digit number issued by Dun & Bradstreet. It’s assigned to each business location in the D&B database. Each business has a unique, separate, and distinct operation for the purpose. Every business must first have a D-U-N-S number before D&B will assign a PAYDEX business credit score.

Get a D-U-N-S number on the D&B site. During the D-U-N-S set up process you’ll be asked for a lot of information. If you select that you’re a government contractor, you’ll get a D-U-N-S in about 1-2 weeks. But if you don’t pay D&B anything and aren’t a contractor, it can take up to 30 days to get a D-U-N-S.

Your Initial D&B Record

But what if you find a record? If you pull up a record for your business with D&B, then consider pulling your actual business credit report. To do so, you’ll need to enroll for credit monitoring. In doing so, you’ll see if you have any credit reporting. You’ll also see if you have scores. If you have negative items on your report, then dispute those through Duns Manager.

Build Business Credit with D&B

One way to start building your business credit is by using D&B’s Credit Builder program. With this option, you are only setting up credit with D&B, and not Experian and Equifax. This runs $149 monthly (as of July 2021).

Dun & Bradstreet Scores

The main score is PAYDEX. But a business will not get a PAYDEX score, unless it has at least 3 trade lines reporting, and a D-U-N-S number. A business must have BOTH to get a D&B score or report.

Get our business credit building checklist and build business credit the fast and easy way.

D&B Reports

In general when D&B does not have all the information that they need, they will say so in their reports. But missing information does not necessarily mean a company is a poor credit risk. Instead, the risk is unknown. They favor objective and statistically derived data, rather than subjective and intuitive judgments. D&B’s database contains millions of companies around the world.

PAYDEX Score

This is Dun & Bradstreet’s dollar-weighted numerical rating of how a company has paid the bills over the past year. D&B bases this score on trade experiences reported by various vendors. The Score ranges from 1 to 100; higher scores mean a better payment performance. PAYDEX scores reflect how well a company pays its bills.

PAYDEX Yearly Trend

Reports also contain a PAYDEX Yearly Trend graph. It includes detailed payment history.  with payment habits and a payment summary. This helps show whether a business pays its bigger bills first or last.

D&B Rating

This rating helps companies quickly assess a business’s size and composite credit appraisal. D&B bases this rating on information in a company’s interim or fiscal balance sheet plus an overall evaluation of the firm’s creditworthiness.

The scale goes from 5A to HH. Rating Classifications show company size based on worth or equity. D&B assigns such a rating only if a company has supplied a current financial statement.

The rating contains a Financial Strength Indicator. It is calculated using the Net Worth or Issued Capital of a company. Preference is to use Net Worth. D&B will show if a business is new or if they never got this information.

This section also adds a Composition Credit Appraisal. This number runs 1 through 4, and it reflects D&B’s overall rating of a business’s creditworthiness. Lower numbers are better. A D&B rating might look like 3A4.

Financial Stress Class

Numbers range from 1 to 5. 1 is businesses least likely to fail. 5 is firms most likely to fail. The Financial Stress Class measures likelihood of failure.

Credit Score Class

The Credit Score Class measures how often a company is delinquent in paying its bills. Numbers range from 1 to 5. 1 is businesses least likely to be late. 5 is firms most likely to be late making payments. More granular scores run from 101 to 670. 670 is the highest risk.

Monitoring Your Business Credit with Dun & Bradstreet

D&B offers Credit Evaluator Plus™. According to them, it’s “A credit report for simple credit decisions.” It can help you quickly determine a company’s risk of late payment. And it can help you identify how much credit to extend based on a company’s D&B PAYDEX® Score, D&B Maximum Credit Recommendation, and past payment behavior. As of the third quarter of 2021, it costs $61.99 to get a report for one company.

D&B also offers:

  • Business Information Report™ Snapshot ($139.99 per report)
  • Business Information Report™ On Demand ($189.99 per report)
  • Credit Reporter ($799 for 5 reports)

All three offer what Credit Evaluator Plus™ does, with some extras. All prices are current as of the third quarter of 2021.

Monitoring Your Own Business at Dun & Bradstreet

Dun & Bradstreet also sells CreditSignal®. You can view four Dun & Bradstreet business credit scores and ratings for 14 days. Get unlimited access to inquiry, legal event, and trade payment summary data.

Receive email notifications when a change occurs in your business credit report. Free alerts to changes to these D&B® scores and ratings, including your D&B PAYDEX score. CreditSignal is free.

Experian

Experian focuses on providing data and analytics to help businesses better assess risk. They use both consumer and business credit information to gauge risk. They have found that blended data and reports work a lot better for them.

For troubled businesses, blended scores dropped an average of 30% over the four quarters leading up to a bad event. But the owner’s consumer scores showed no statistically significant decline during the same period.

Per Experian: “By combining personal and commercial credit information in one report, Experian provides a complete picture of the creditworthiness of small businesses.”

Get Set Up with Experian

Many credit issuers use Experian to see if you should get approval for a credit card, and how much you should get. Get started with Experian by using their BizVerify system. See if Experian has information about your company already. Verify the information they have.

If your initial search shows your business information, pull your Experian credit report. Do so even if you have no trade lines. This is because Experian will give you a low, failing credit score. And this is if they have even basic information about your business.

Experian says:

  • “Experian® requires minimum information to generate a score. If a business doesn’t meet these requirements, a score is not generated. Minimum information is at least one tradeline and/or one demographic element.
  • [these are] Demographics such as years on file, Standard Industrial Classification codes and business size.”

Working with Experian

It only takes one account reporting to change credit status from high risk to low risk. Even one reported trade line can change a score from 27-29 to 85-100. That is, once that account is on an Experian report. Get approval for an account from a vendor which reports. Buy something and pay the bill. It takes about 30-90 days after that for that account to report.

Per Experian, each business credit score report includes:

  • Business credit scores and credit summary
  • Summaries of collections and payments
  • Uniform Commercial Code filing information
  • Bankruptcy filings
  • Judgment filings
  • Tax lien filings

Experian Business Credit Score

Business Credit Scores range from 1 to 100. Higher scores show lower risk. This score predicts the likelihood of serious credit delinquencies in the next 12 months. It uses tradeline and collections information, public filings as well as other variables to predict future risk.

Experian Financial Stability Risk Rating

Scores range from 1 to 5. Lower ratings show lower risk. A Financial Stability Risk Rating of 1 shows a 0.55% potential risk of severe financial distress in the next 12 months. Experian categorizes all businesses to fit within one of the five risk segments.

This rating predicts the likelihood of payment default and/or bankruptcy within the next 12 months. It uses tradeline and collections data, public filings, and other variables to predict future risk.

Credit Summary

This section contains several counts of various data points

  • Current Days Beyond Terms (DBT)
  • Current total account balance
  • Highest credit amount extended
  • Number of payment tradelines
  • The number of business inquiries
  • Number of UCC Filings
  • A percentage of businesses scoring worse than the company outlined in the report
  • Number of bankruptcies and liens

Payment Trend Summary

This section has two graphs. They show the company in question versus its industry on:

  • Monthly payment trends
  • Quarterly payment trends

These are the percentages of on-time payments by month and quarter, respectively.

Score Improvement Tips

Experian offers suggestions on how to improve your reports, such as:

  • Getting net-30 terms, if possible, from existing and future tradeline suppliers
  • Paying accounts on time or working with the tradeline supplier to work out a payment plan so a business is not reported delinquent
  • Lowering credit use
  • Making sure all the information in the report is correct

Get our business credit building checklist and build business credit the fast and easy way.

Monitoring Your Business Credit with Experian

Available options provide varying levels of detail. One such report is the Experian CreditScore SM Report. Get an Experian Business Credit Score (Intelliscore). You also get the Experian Financial Stability Risk Rating. Get information on derogatories like judgments, tax liens, and bankruptcies. Learn about any fictitious business name information in the file. As of the third quarter of 2021, this report costs $39.95.

Experian ProfilePlus SM Report

In addition to the Experian CreditScore Report, get:

  • Trade payment detail
  • Inquiry detail
  • UCC detail
  • Corporate financial information

As of the third quarter of 2021, this report costs $49.95.

Experian Business Credit Advantage SM Subscription Plan

You get (among other information):

  • Trade payment detail
  • Inquiry detail
  • UCC detail
  • Corporate financial information

As of the third quarter of 2021, this annual subscription costs $189.

Experian Business CreditScore Pro SM Subscription Plans

This is Experian’s most comprehensive plan. Along with everything above, you also get credit limit recommendations. Get reports on 30 businesses per month. As of the third quarter of 2021, this subscription costs $1,495 per year.

Experian BizVerify Report

This is Experian’s snapshot view of a business credit file. Use this report to verify that a new business is in their National Business Database. This brief summary report provides any available information on a business’s registration information. This is even for businesses that don’t yet have an Experian business credit score.

It isn’t much of a monitoring product; it’s more to make sure a business is in Experian’s records. As of the third quarter of 2021, this report costs less than $20.

Equifax

Most credit issuers and trade vendors report to D&B and Experian, not Equifax. So when you find trades that report to Equifax, apply, get approval, use your credit, and pay your bills on time. That way, you’ll build your reports and scores.

Many lenders pull your Equifax credit report for lending decisions. Your Equifax profile and score can also be a part of your FICO SBSS score. SBA lenders use this score for SBA loans. Build credit with Equifax when you can because it’s vital to getting the loans you need to grow your business.

Get Set Up with Equifax

If your search shows that Equifax has a record of your business, pull your Equifax reports and scores. See if you have trades reporting. Equifax can have an established report and score for you even if you have no trade lines reporting.

This is especially true if you have some type of public record out there, like a bankruptcy, lien, or lawsuit. In this case, access your Equifax company report and score even with 0 trades reporting.

Equifax Data

The company gets data from a data sharing agreement with the Small Business Exchange. They also use net 30 type industry trade credit information. They also get data from various suppliers of products and services to businesses on an invoice basis. Equifax combines financial data with industry trade credit data.

They add utility and telephone data and public record information. These are bankruptcies, judgments, and tax liens. Reports contain many calculated scores.

Get our business credit building checklist and build business credit the fast and easy way.

Equifax Reports

Equifax Business Credit Reports include:

  • Credit Summary – synopsis of credit accounts with banks, suppliers, and service providers
  • Public Records – Secretary of State business registration, judgments, liens, or bankruptcies
  • Risk Scores – Equifax Business Credit Risk Score™ and Equifax Business Failure Score™
  • Payment Index – a 12-month payment comparison to the industry norm
  • Additional Company Information – alternate business names, owner names, and guarantor names

It also includes business and credit grantor comments.

Credit Risk Score

This score runs from 101 to 992, and higher numbers are better. This section also shows key factors. These are positives and negatives about your business. Such as how old your oldest account is, and whether you have any charge-offs, and the size of your business.

Payment Index

A Payment Index score runs from 0 to 100, and higher numbers are better. It also shows Industry Median. Reports contain a table explaining the numbers:

  • 90+: Paid as Agreed
  • 80-89: 1-30 days overdue
  • 60-79: 31-60 days overdue
  • 40-59: 61-90 days overdue
  • 20-39: 91-120 days overdue
  • 1-19: 120+ days overdue

Monitoring and Disputing Issues with Your Equifax Report

Equifax will not change your scores without proof. They are starting to accept more and more online disputes. Include proofs of payment with it. These are documents like receipts and cancelled checks. Correct Equifax issues on their website. Be specific about the concerns with your report. As of the third quarter of 2021, you can order a single business credit report for $99.95. Or order a business credit report multi-pack (5 for the price of 4) for $399.95.

Monitor Business Credit at the 3 Credit Bureaus for Less

All these reports are expensive! But did you know that you can get business credit monitoring for all 3 credit bureaus, and all in one place – for less? Credit Suite offers monitoring through its Business Finance Suite (through Nav). See what credit issuers and lenders see. So you can improve your scores and get the business credit and funding you need.

Improving Your Reports

Whatever improves one report, is bound to improve your reports at the other two of the big 3 credit bureaus. Paying off accounts always pays dividends. So does avoiding bankruptcies, and correcting errors as you spot them.

The 3 Credit Bureaus: Takeaways

D&B is the largest of the 3 credit bureaus for business. Experian uses blended personal and business data. Lenders tend to use Equifax. Actions you take to improve one report tend to improve the other two. Let us help.

The post All You Need to Know About The 3 Credit Bureaus appeared first on Credit Suite.

Everything you need to know about NHL players heading back to the Olympics

The 2022 Games will feature a best-on-best tournament for the first time since 2014. Here’s intel on tournament format, which countries will be in, and much more.

The post Everything you need to know about NHL players heading back to the Olympics appeared first on Buy It At A Bargain – Deals And Reviews.

Should You Get a Personal Loan? Here’s What You Need To Know

Did you recently have an unexpected expense pop up? Are you unsure about how you’re going to pay for it? No matter how well we plan our lives out, sometimes we find ourselves in financial pickles that leave us strapped for cash. Don’t sweat it too much, though. You definitely have a few options available…

The post Should You Get a Personal Loan? Here’s What You Need To Know appeared first on MoneyTips.

The post Should You Get a Personal Loan? Here’s What You Need To Know appeared first on Buy It At A Bargain – Deals And Reviews.

3 Reasons You Need a Brex Alternative

Brex is a fee free banking alternative for businesses. They offer many services, but the big draw for startups and small businesses is the option for a business credit card that reports to Experian and Dun & Bradstreet, thus helping them build a strong business credit score. It’s not enough though. You need a Brex alternative.

You Need More Than One Brex Alternative to Get Everything You Need for Your Business

First, I highly recommend Brex for a number of things.  Yet, while Brex does offer a lot of great options for businesses, it really can’t be an all in one solution.  For many reasons, including building business credit, you are going to need a Brex alternative.  Actually, you are going to need a few of them.

Using Brex to Build Business Credit

While Brex is a fabulous option for managing business finances, it doesn’t really work for business funding when it comes to startups.  Here’s why. The corporate credit card that most startups qualify for only has a limit up to the amount of cash you have in your Brex cash account.

Now, that’s not a bad thing for managing financing or building business credit. There are no fees, and there is no personal guarantee required.  Your on-time payments are reported to two of the big three business credit reporting agencies. It’s a pretty sweet deal.

However, you are only able to use up to the amount of money you already have. Payment is taken from your cash account daily, and you cannot carry a balance. This means that, while this card is a great tool for helping you build business credit and managing funds you already have, it doesn’t actually help you get additional funds for your business.

Furthermore, one account reporting is not enough to effectively build business credit.  You need to find a Brex alternative, really a few, to do that.

Check out our best webinar with its trustworthy list of seven vendors to help you build business credit.

Brex Benefits

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t use Brex at all.  It is a useful tool, and actually has many benefits aside from helping you build business credit for your business.  It can definitely help you manage your cash flow. It’s also a great way to help keep your business expenses separate from your personal expenses.

The card also offers a pretty great rewards program. You can earn points at various levels depending on the type of purchase. Points can be redeemed for cash, statement credit, gift cards, and most recently, crypto!

Brex Drawbacks

With the standard Brex corporate card, you only have access to the amount of money you already have in your cash accounts.  What if you need more? There is the possibility of qualifying for a card that works more like a regular credit card.  The limit can be from 10 to 20 times higher than traditional cards.  You have the option to pay it monthly rather than daily, and you can pay from the account of your choice.

The thing is, not everyone qualifies for this card.  Qualification is based on a number of factors, including investors, cash balance, and spending habits.  Brex then sets the limits accordingly.  This isn’t bad in and of itself, as it’s a chance to get a credit card without a credit check, and it reports to Experian and Dun & Bradstreet.

However, you still cannot carry a balance, and again, one card is simply not enough to build strong business credit.

Why You Need a Brex Alternative

If Brex is so great, why would you ever need a Brex alternative?

# 1: You Need Actual Financing

Other than the one step up card where you have the possibility of a higher credit limit, there is no real financing available through Brex. Even if you get the higher limit card, it isn’t revolving credit. It’s more like net 30 credit, as the balance has to be paid at the end of the 30-day billing cycle.

If you need actual financing like a revolving line of credit, you are going to have to find a Brex alternative. Of course, finding financing that is as easy to qualify for as Brex is not easy.

Check out our best webinar with its trustworthy list of seven vendors to help you build business credit.

#2: You Need More than Brex Reporting to Your Business Credit Profile

If building business credit is your goal, and it should be, Brex is not enough.  The business credit building process has many steps.  These steps must be completed in order, and the first one after establishing a business credit profile for accounts to report to, is to get accounts that will report.  Brex is one.  You need a lot more than that to build a strong business credit score.

#3: You Need More Funding Than Brex Offers

Even if you get the higher limit card option from Brex right away, one card will likely not be enough. Besides not being enough on its own to build business credit, you may very well need more funding than that to run your business.  It depends, of course, on the limit they set based on the specific qualifications of your business.  Even if the limit is fairly high, you need more than one business credit card to build a well-rounded business credit portfolio.

Is There a Brex Alternative?

A Brex alternative is not necessarily to be used instead of Brex, but rather as an additional tool for your tool box to be used in conjunction with Brex.  Here are a few other tools for your tool box.

Credit Line Hybrid

This is a unique and powerful business funding tool that, like Brex, can also help you build your business credit because it reports on-time payments to your business credit profile. Unlike Brex however, the Credit Line Hybrid works as an actual, revolving credit line up to $150,000.

You do not have to submit any documents, and you can get an interest rate as low at 0% initially. You can get approved with a personal credit score of 680 or better, or like many other businesses, you can use a credit partner with a high enough score to qualify if you do not. The credit is still in your business name, so you will still be building credit for your business.

401K Financing

This is another powerful funding tool that few business owners know anything about.  It is a way of funding your business that uses funds from a 401K, but it is not the same as a loan from your retirement account.

In fact,with 401K financing, called a ROBS by the IRS, you can fund your business and still keep earning interest on your investments. A qualifying account will have at least $35,000 in it, and you cannot still be contributing. It also needs to be from a previous employer, not your current employer.

Starter Vendors

How about a Brex alternative for building business credit? If one account is not enough, how do you get more? How many more do you need? You need 5 to 8 accounts initially reporting to be able to qualify for most business credit cards. These have to be accounts that will both extend credit without a credit check, and that will report those payments to the business credit reporting agencies, just like Brex does.

The issue with that is, only 7% of companies that extend credit to businesses report payments. They may report missed payments, but that doesn’t help. There are some vendors however, that will do just that. We call them starter vendors.

Check out our best webinar with its trustworthy list of seven vendors to help you build business credit.

They will issue net terms on invoices without a credit check and report payments.  They use other factors to determine creditworthiness, like time in business, balance in business bank accounts, and more. Sometimes, they will require a few initial purchases before approving for net 30 terms.

These types of accounts, combined with Brex, can help you build strong enough business credit that, eventually, you will be able to qualify for any business credit card out there.  Then, you can be sure you always have the funding you need to run your business.

Brex Is Great, But You May Still Need a Brex Alternative

While Brex can work very well as a business money management tool, it’s not really intended to be a funding source.  Furthermore, even though it can be a wonderful addition to your toolbox for building business credit, it is not possible to build business credit with just one account reporting. You would never try to build a house with just a hammer or just a screwdriver. It takes a toolbox full of tools. That’s what Brex is. It is one very useful, multipurpose tool in the toolbox to help you build business credit, which is the foundation for a strong, well-rounded business credit portfolio.

The post 3 Reasons You Need a Brex Alternative appeared first on Credit Suite.

Why You May Need a Content Calendar For Paid Campaigns

If you create content, you need a content calendar. I know—not an earth-shattering revelation!  What about a calendar specifically for your paid content?  Should it be part of your regular editorial calendar? A separate calendar? Do you even need a paid content calendar?  The answer to the first two questions is: How you structure your … Continue reading Why You May Need a Content Calendar For Paid Campaigns

Why You May Need a Content Calendar For Paid Campaigns

If you create content, you need a content calendar. I know—not an earth-shattering revelation! 

What about a calendar specifically for your paid content? 

Should it be part of your regular editorial calendar? A separate calendar? Do you even need a paid content calendar? 

The answer to the first two questions is: How you structure your marketing calendar is up to you and your company’s needs. 

The answer to the third question is: almost definitely.

Read on to learn what a paid content calendar is, why you should consider having one, and which tools we recommend for creating your own.

What Is a Paid Content Calendar?

It may seem self-explanatory: A paid content calendar is a calendar you use to plan for paid content, right?

Well, it’s a little more complicated than that because paid content works differently than other types of content.

It’s usually more direct and sales-oriented than other kinds, and unlike your other content, which is likely owned (even if it does end up also being earned), it can exist on multiple platforms.

A content calendar for paid ads doesn’t strictly plan what you want to post; it plans when and where you want to post it, as well as how much you want to spend doing so.

What’s the Difference Between a Blog Content Calendar and an Ad Content Calendar?

A blog content calendar is for owned media, specifically on a blog, while an ad content calendar is for paid content.

Your blog content calendar likely goes through a somewhat lengthy process from start to finish, starting with initial information gathering, going through researchers, writers, and editors, being published, having quality assurance checks, and so on. 

A paid content calendar focuses more strictly on the buyer’s journey with the goal of making sales. It’s the schedule you follow when you plan to get information directly in front of people.

Sometimes these two types are on the same calendar; sometimes, they’re separate. It depends on what you want them to do.

5 Reasons to Use a Content Calendar for Paid Ad Campaigns

Using a paid content calendar is a good idea for many companies, whether it’s connected to or separate from their regular content calendars. Here are five reasons why.

1. Pre-Plan Your Entire Ad Campaign

You can use a paid content calendar not only to determine dates and times but also to finalize where you’ll post your ads and what they’ll say.

For instance, Hootsuite does this (with Google Sheets) when planning its social media campaigns and determining what topic, site, copy, and link to use when it’s ready for the ads to go live.

Reasons to Use a Content Calendar for Paid Ad Campaigns - Pre-Plan Your Entire Ad Campaign

2. Avoid Reinventing the Wheel for Evergreen Campaigns

In the Hootsuite image above, you may have noticed they don’t have dates on those specific campaigns—they’re held under an “evergreen” tab.

This is when having a separate calendar for your paid ad campaigns may be of real benefit: You have a paid campaign that does well. You don’t want to overstay your virtual welcome, but you know it could do well again in the future, with little to no changes to the content.

Why try to dig through old campaigns, whether through your content calendar or your ad history on your chosen site, when you could just organize things in one spreadsheet or another documentation system?

When it’s time to pull out one of these evergreen campaigns, you can simply move it to your dated paid content calendar, and, except for actually posting the ad, you’re done.

3. Plan for Holidays

In many industries, holidays are big sales times, and, whether or not you’re in sales, holidays like to sneak up on you.

Depending on the type of calendar you use, the program may auto-populate holidays into your calendar. You can also download a template that does this for you, like the one HubSpot created:

Reasons to Use a Content Calendar for Paid Ad Campaigns - Plan for Holidays

If your brand wants a campaign for World UFO Day (who knew?), and it usually takes your team two months to go from brainstorming to promotion, count back two months. Then, add an event titled “Brainstorm World UFO Day Ideas.”

You could even have a reminder a week before saying, “Remind everyone about World UFO Day brainstorming session.”

Depending on the calendar program you use, you could even set it up to repeat your event yearly, so the brainstorming session would already be on your calendar for next year’s holiday.

4. Monitor Results and Adjust Plans

Your paid ad content calendar should include the anticipated and actual start and end dates of your campaign, but it could also include a daily or weekly breakdown of the campaign’s results. 

You’re already monitoring how well your campaign is going; putting the information in the calendar lets you see at a glance whether the campaign is working as planned and consider if you should extend the campaign or end it early.

Since this is all in one central calendar, you can look back or look ahead to see if you can replace an ad that isn’t doing well with an ad you think will perform better—or if you need to delay the start of a new one because of how successful a current campaign is.

5. Prioritize

Some programs allow you to set priorities for different projects. 

For instance, imagine it’s late October, and you want your holiday campaign to be ready to roll by mid-November. However, you also have a cool blog you want to write and promote. 

They’re different enough to promote both simultaneously without any kind of conflict, but one is a higher priority than the other.

If you use a program that allows you to prioritize your paid content (like Asana), you give yourself some wiggle room.

Reasons to Use a Content Calendar for Paid Ad Campaigns - Prioritize

High-priority paid content takes precedence over the others, so you ensure those head down the pipeline on time. Lower priority ones stay in the system, and you can get to them later if you need to. 

In addition, most of these programs alert you when a project is “late” so you can adjust your dates and change priority levels as needed.

Content Calendar Tools for Paid Ad Campaigns

There are a ton of content planning tools available out there, and if you already use a calendar program for your content, chances are you can use it for paid ad campaigns as well.

I have 14 favorite tools for organizing content, but let’s look at just three of them for our purposes: Google Calendar, Asana, and HubSpot.

Google Calendar for Paid Content Calendars

Who doesn’t love products that are both free and effective?

Google Calendar integrates well with other Google products, so if your organization already uses things like Google Docs for content, you don’t have to do much to make your different products play nicely together.

Like many paid options, you can color-code your entries, set up start and end dates, invite relevant people to view or modify the calendar, and more. When it comes to scheduling, at least, it’s kind of a one-stop-shop.

Content Calendar Tools for Paid Ad Campaigns - Google Calendar

The downside, when compared to paid options, is that you can’t collaborate directly on the calendar task. Of course, you can integrate this with other Google products, but the collaboration occurs on the products and not the calendar itself.

Asana for Paid Content Calendars

Asana could be ideal if you like seeing the big picture and the small details with just a click of a button. 

You can create a seemingly endless number of projects and subtasks (and subtasks of subtasks), with over 100 integrations available.

One beneficial aspect of Asana is you can look at a graph showing exactly how much each member of your team has on their plate.

Content Calendar Tools for Paid Ad Campaigns - Asana

This can help when planning your campaigns because you can see—even months in advance—who has the bandwidth to complete different tasks.

HubSpot for Paid Content Calendars

If you’re looking for an option encompassing calendars, automated marketing, customer service functions, and more, Hubspot has you covered. Anything you want to do with your content or paid campaigns can probably be done on the platform.

If you’re wavering about whether they’re right for you, they offer a Social Media Content Calendar Template you can download for free. However, it doesn’t have the bells and whistles the paid membership does.

That membership gives you access to many marketing tools, including a highly flexible and easy-to-read social media marketing calendar.

Content Calendar Tools for Paid Ad Campaigns - Hubspot

FAQs About Paid Content Calendars

What is a paid content calendar?

A content calendar that helps you plan when, where, and how you’ll promote your content.

How is a paid content calendar different from a blog calendar?

A paid content calendar focuses on the details about your marketing campaign, while a blog calendar focuses on the content you plan to create.

How is a paid content calendar different from a blog calendar?

A paid content calendar focuses on the details about your marketing campaign, while a blog calendar focuses on the content you plan to create.

Do I need a paid content calendar?

Yes, if you run more than one paid campaign a year, you should use a calendar to keep you organized, plan for holidays, and better monitor your results.

How can a paid content calendar help my company?

It can help your company in dozens of ways, including pre-planning entire campaigns, easily accessing evergreen materials, preparing for holidays, monitoring and adjusting work, and helping with prioritization. 

Paid Content Calendars Conclusion

Calendars are essential to running any kind of business, and using calendars to monitor your paid campaigns could be particularly important. 

They help you plan when and where you’ll post content, monitor the success of your campaigns and adjust accordingly, keep track of dates and evergreen content, and more. 

If you have a calendar for your blog content, chances are you can use that same calendar—or at least that same program—to house your paid content calendar. However, if you need a new system, you have a ton of content management systems to choose from.

If you need a little extra help, we’re always here to give you a consultation and assist you on your way to marketing success.

How do you use your paid content calendar?

Do You Need Business Credit Cards for Bad Credit?

Yes, there are Credit Cards for Bad Credit

Are you looking for credit cards for bad credit?

We researched lots of company credit cards for you. So, here are our choices.

Per the SBA, business credit card limits are a whopping 10 – 100 times that of personal credit cards!

This shows you can get a lot more money with company credit cards.

And you will not need collateral, cash flow, or financials to get small business credit.

Business Credit Cards for Bad Credit: Benefits

Benefits can vary. So, make sure to pick the benefit you would prefer from this selection of alternatives.

And always check rates on the appropriate website to get current specifics.

Trustworthy Credit Cards for Bad Credit, Not Calling for a Personal Guarantee

Brex Card for Startups

Look into the Brex Card for Startups. It has no yearly fee.

You will not need to provide your Social Security number to apply. And you will not need to supply a personal guarantee. They will take your EIN.

Nevertheless, they do not accept every industry.

Likewise, there are some industries they will not work with, as well as others where they want more paperwork. For a list, go here: https://brex.com/legal/prohibited_activities/.

To determine creditworthiness, Brex checks a company’s cash balance, spending patterns, and investors.

You can get 7x points on rideshare. Get 4x on travel. Likewise, get triple points on restaurants. And get double points on recurring software payments. Get 1x points on everything else.

You can have bad credit (even a 300 FICO) and still qualify.

Find it here: https://brex.com/lp/startups-higher-limits/

Secure Corporate Credit Cards for Bad Credit

Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business

Have a look at the Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business. It has no annual fee. There is no introductory APR offer. The regular APR is a variable 26.99%. You can earn unlimited 1% cash back on every purchase for your company, without any minimum to redeem.

While this card is within reach if you have average credit scores, beware of the annual percentage rate. However if you can pay on schedule, and in full, then it’s a bargain.

Find it here: https://www.capitalone.com/small-business/credit-cards/spark-classic/

 

Score the best business credit cards for your business.  Check out our professional research.

Gas Credit Cards for Bad Credit

You can get gas cards via our Business Credit Builder.

Our Business Credit Builder is full of amazing business credit cards. And that includes gas cards! These cards are starter vendors. We know they report to business credit reporting agencies. Whether you’re new to business credit building, or have been at it for a while, it pays to get these cards.

Marathon

Marathon Petroleum Company provides transportation fuels, asphalt, and specialty products, throughout the United States. Their comprehensive product line supports commercial, industrial, and retail operations. This card reports to Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax. Before applying for multiple accounts with WEX Fleet cards, make sure to have enough time in between applying so they don’t red-flag your account for fraud.

Your Social Security Number is necessary for informational purposes. If concerned they will pull your personal credit talk to their credit department before applying. You can give a $500 deposit instead of using a personal guarantee, if in business less than a year. Apply online. Terms are Net 15.

Qualifying for Marathon Credit Card for Bad Credit

In order to qualify, you need:

  • Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
  • EIN number with IRS
  • Business address- it has to be matching everywhere.
  • D-U-N-S number
  • Business License- if applicable
  • Also, a business Bank account
  • Business phone number listed on 411

Get it here: marathonbrand.com.

76

76 is owned by Phillips 66 Company. They sell gas in more than 1,800 retail fuel sites in the United States. This card reports to Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax. And it can be used at any P66, 76, or Conoco fueling location.

Your Social Security Number is necessary for informational purposes. If concerned they will pull your personal credit, talk to their credit department before applying. If not approved based on business credit history or been in business less than 1 year, then a $500 deposit is needed or a personal guarantee (PG). Apply online or over the phone. Terms are Net 15.

Qualifying for Credit Cards for Bad Credit from 76

In order to qualify, you need:

  • Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
  • EIN number with IRS
  • Business address- it has to be matching everywhere
  • D-U-N-S number
  • Business license- if applicable
  • Also, a business bank account
  • Business phone number listed on 411

Get it here: 76fleet.com.

Score the best business credit cards for your business.  Check out our professional research.

Wex Fleet Card

Wrights Express (WEX Card) offers universal fleet cards, heavy truck cards, and universally accepted business fleet cards. These cards have features that support small business, including a rewards program.

Before applying for multiple accounts with WEX Fleet cards, make sure to have enough time in between applying. This way, they won’t red flag your account for fraud. This card reports to Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax.

If you’re not approved based on business credit history, or been in business a 1 year, then a $500 deposit is needed or a personal guarantee. Apply online or over the phone. Terms are  Net 15 for a WEX Fleet Card, Net 26, and Revolving for a WEX Flex Card.

Qualifying for a Wex Fleet Card

In order to qualify, you need:

  • Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
  • EIN number with IRS
  • Business address- it has to be matching everywhere.
  • D-U-N-S number
  • Business License- if applicable
  • And a business Bank account
  • Business Phone Number Listed in 411

Get it here: wexinc.com/solutions/fleet-management

Fleet Credit Can Help with More than Fuel and Maintenance

All forms of business credit can help you build good business credit scores, as business credit is mainly based on your payment history. As a result, fleet credit can help your business eventually get funding, such as loans and other forms of financing.

Score the best business credit cards for your business.  Check out our professional research.

The Very Best Small Business Credit Cards for You

Your straight-out ideal company credit cards depend upon your credit history and scores.

Just you can choose which features you want and need. So, to do your research. What is outstanding for you could be disastrous for another person.

And, as always, make sure to develop credit in the recommended order for the best, speediest benefits.

The post Do You Need Business Credit Cards for Bad Credit? appeared first on Credit Suite.

Alonso: No excuses, I need to be better

Fernando Alonso has said there is no excuse for his performance at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The post Alonso: No excuses, I need to be better appeared first on Buy It At A Bargain – Deals And Reviews.

How to Use a Web Cache Viewer: Everything You Need to Know

Pages on the internet don’t last forever.

Some disappear overnight without warning. Other times, servers go down, or maybe you’re simply curious what your website or someone else’s looked like ten years ago.

So how do you re-access this information?

You need a web cache viewer.

It’s a tool that helps you recover backups or snapshots of websites.

In this guide, we’ll go through some of the best web cache viewer tools to help you turn back time to find missing information or even spy on your competitors.

What Is a Web Cache Viewer?

A web cache viewer lets you see the older version or snapshot of any website, called a cache page. A cached page is a snapshot of the raw HTML and content of a page.

For example, when Google indexes your website, it takes a screenshot of what it looks like at the time and indexes it.

There are several tools to view an archived page, such as Google’s cache feature on search results and websites like the Wayback Machine dedicated to saving the internet’s history.

When to Use a Web Cache Viewer

A web cache viewer is a valuable tool to have in your back pocket. Here are a few times you might want to use this handy tool.

A Website Is No Longer Available

Need to get information from a page with a pesky 404 error? A web cache viewer can help you see the last archived version before it went offline.

A Page You Want to View Has Changed

If a website went through a major makeover, you could use the cached version to revert the site to what it used to look like. This is particularly helpful for doing competitor analysis. For example, if a competitor suddenly overtook your site in the search results, you can look at older versions of their site to see what they changed.

Improve Your SEO

Not seeing the SEO results you want? Did you know page caching can improve your site speed by reducing server load time by up to 80 percent? Viewing the cached version shows you what Google sees when it crawls your page. If your website is not cached, it can increase your page load times and drastically affect your bounce rate.

View a Page Faster

If the web page is slow or unresponsive, you can use the cached version to see a snapshot of the site the last time Google indexed the page. Although a cached page won’t always have up-to-date information, it can help you save time.

Check When Google Last Indexed a Page

It’s helpful to know when the last time Google bots successfully visited your page, especially if you’re making changes to your site.

By viewing the cached version, you can see if a page is unresponsive, how it is being cached, and if there is anything you need to un-do.

Web Cache Viewer Tools and Tricks

While viewing cached versions sounds like an admin nightmare, several tools make the process easy, simple, and fast.

1. Use a Chrome Extension

Not using Chrome extensions? You’re missing out.

Google’s Chrome extensions are programs you can install to your browser to change its functionality.

For example, you can add extensions that:

  • Block ads from displaying on any site you visit.
  • Pin any image to your Pinterest boards.
  • View the DA of any website.
  • Quickly access any of your passwords with a password manager.

The Web Cache Viewer Chrome extension makes it easy for you to view a snapshot of the page you’re visiting. This is useful if you come across a 404 error and want to revert to the older version to see the information.

Wayback Machine Vs. Google Cache on the Chrome Extension

The Web Cache Viewer extension will:

  • Let you view the Google Cache or Wayback Machine versions.
  • Intelligently redirect you to the archived page instead of taking you to the archive selection screen on the Wayback Machine website.

Which option should you use? The Wayback Machine or Google Cache?

It comes down to what result you want from the tool.

For example, if you want to check Google is caching your site, or you need to view the last cached page of a site, Google Cache is the best option for you.

However, if you want to turn back the wheels of time and dig through a website’s past, you’ll want to use the Wayback Machine.

How to Use the Chrome Extension’s Web Cache Viewer With Wayback Machine or Google Cache

Got five minutes? That’s all you need to set up the extension and start using its caching functionalities.

Here’s what you need to do.

Step 1: Install the Web Cache Viewer onto your Chrome and activate the extension.

Web Cache Viewer - Chrome extension

Step 2: Go to the target URL of your choice, right-click on the page, and scroll down to “View Cached Version.”

How to Use the Chrome Extension's Web Cache Viewer With Wayback Machine or Google Cache

Step 3: Select either the Google Cache or Wayback Machine option.

After choosing, the extension will show you the Wayback Machine URL for the page or show you the last Google cached version.

Web Cache Viewer Tools and Tricks - How to Use the Chrome Extension

2. Use Google Search to Find Cached Pages

Each time Google crawls a web page, it creates a backup, which becomes part of Google’s cache.

How to Get a Cached Link With Google Search

Step 1: Do a Google search on your computer for the page you want to find.

Web Cache Viewer - How to Get a Cached Link With Google Search

Step 2: When the search results load, click on the down arrow next to the site’s URL and select “Cached.”

Web Cache Viewer Tools - Use Google Search to Find Cached Pages

Step 3: The cached version of the page will load. You can view the “Full Version,” “Text-Only Version,” or “View Source.”

Web Cache Viewer Tools - Use Google Search to Find Cached Pages (NeilPatel Example)

Keep in mind that you won’t be able to navigate to other pages on the site. If you do, it will take you to the live version. You can also access the live page by clicking on the “Current Page” link at the top of the page.

3. Use the Address Bar in Chrome to Find Cached Pages

Struggling to find the page you want via search results? If you have the Chrome browser, you can use the address bar to get the cached version of any URL.

How to Get a Cached Link With The Address Bar in Chrome

Step 1: Open the Chrome browser.

Step 2: Type “cache” in the address bar followed by the URL. For example, “cache:https://neilpatel.com”

Web Cache Viewer Tools - Use the Address Bar in Chrome to Find Cached Pages

Step 3: The cached version will load, and you’ll have the same three version formats to choose from with the Google search method.

Web Cache Viewer - How to Get a Cached Link With The Address Bar in Chrome

4. Use the Archive Today Web Cache Viewer

Wish you could travel back in time? Well, you can with Archive.Today.

The website is a time capsule for the internet. It takes a snapshot of a page and stores it forever, even if the original disappears.

The site saves text and graphics and will give you a link to the unalterable record of the web page.

The only catch?

You need to manually submit web pages and can only view entries that have previously been saved.

How to Get a Cached Page With Archive.Today

Step 1: Go to Archive.Today and scroll down to “I want to search the archive for saved snapshots.”

Step 2: Enter the URL you want to search.

Web Cache Viewer Tools - Use the Archive Today Web Cache Viewer

Step 3: A new page will load, and you’ll see snapshots listed from oldest to newest. Click on the one you want to view.

Web Cache Viewer Tools - Archive Today Example

A secure, non-editable version of the page will load. You have the option to download the zip file, share the link, and view the webpage or screenshot.

Web Cache Viewer Tools - Example of Cached Page with Archive Today

5. Use Wayback Machine’s Desktop Web Cache Viewer

The Internet Archives runs the Wayback Machine. It’s a non-profit building a digital library of the internet’s history.

You can explore more than 553 billion cached web pages, and the site hosts an archive of text, video, audio, software, and images.

How to View a Cached Page With The Wayback Machine

Step 1: Go to Archive.org and enter the URL or keyword you want to view in the Wayback Machine search bar.

Web Cache Viewer Tools - Use Wayback Machine's Desktop Web Cache Viewer

Step 2: A search results page will load. Click on the URL of the page you want to view.

Wayback Machine's Desktop Web Cache Viewer

Step 3: Use the calendar at the top of the page to see what the website looked like during a specific time period.

Web Cache Viewer Tools - How to View a Cached Page With The Wayback Machine

For example, if you search neilpatel.com, you can see what my blog was like in 2013!

Don’t want to log onto the Wayback Machine every time you want to view a cached page? Download the Chrome extension.

If your site is not on the Wayback Machine, you can manually submit your URL, and it will automatically create a snapshot for you. This is useful if you want to track how your site evolves through the years.

6. Use Cached Page Web Cache Viewer

Cachedpage.co is a website that consolidates a few of the tools I’ve mentioned already.

Once you type the URL of the page you want to view, you have three options to choose from:

  • Google Web Cache
  • Internet Archive
  • Website

Select the one you want to use, and Cached Page will redirect you to those respective sites.

It doesn’t do any caching itself, so this site is only useful if you want to save time hopping between caching tools.

Use Cached Page Web Cache Viewer

Conclusion

As you can see, a web cache viewer is an important SEO and marketing tool to have in your online arsenal.

It can quickly help you find information removed from the internet, see how your site has changed over the years, and tell you if Google isn’t indexing your site correctly.

While there are many tools available, remember to keep intent in mind. Do you only want to view the last cached version of a page, or do you need to go further back into time?

Your answer will help you find the right solution to your caching problem.

What’s your favorite web cache viewer tool, and how to use it?

4 New Work from Home Tips To Get The Funding You Need

There are tons of articles on the internet about how to make working from home work for you. How to run a business from home is a popular topic.  You don’t need me to give you more ways to organize your work space or keep yourself out of the fridge. No one needs more work from home tips on how to schedule your day and avoid distractions.  There are plenty of places to get those. 

I’m going to give you something you can’t in every internet search that includes “work from home” and “tips.”  I’m going to tell you how to get the funds you need to run your home based business now, and how to ensure you’re set up properly to get more funds in the future. 

Little Known Work from Home Tips To Get the Funding You Need for Your Home Based Business

You may think you can just go to the bank and get a home based business loan just like any other loan.  However, you may be wrong.  If your personal credit score is really high, it’s possible.  Yet, home based businesses do not traditionally bode well with lenders. These work from home tips can help your business appear fundable to lenders.  They can help you build your business credit score. Even better, they can point you in the direction of the best funding options for work at home businesses. 

Check out our best webinar with its trustworthy list of seven vendors to help you build business credit.

Work from Home Tips #1: Work With a Business Credit Expert

This tip comes before all the other tips because frankly, some of them are almost impossible to pull off without a business credit expert.  This is someone who can help you: 

Work from Home Tips #2: Work on Fundability

Working on fundability is essential.  This is a tip for any business, but fundability is something that many home based businesses struggle with. There are many factors that affect fundability.  Still, home based businesses struggle with a few specifically more than others.  

The thing is, a major aspect of fundability is to appear to lenders to be separate from the owner.  They want to see that a business is fundable on its own.  For this to happen, the first thing you have to do is set up your business to be separate from you the owner. 

The Home Based Business and Fundability Conundrum

What makes this an exceptional issue for home based businesses? Well, it’s no secret that one of the major benefits of working from home is not having to pay for an office space.  There is no lease, no extra utilities, you just use the space you already have.  

In fact, most home-based businesses are run as sole proprietorships with the same contact information as the owner. Many do not even open a separate business bank account at first.  Also, it’s quite common for sole proprietor’s to simply use their social security number rather than using an EIN from the IRS. 

While there is nothing wrong with any of this, it does not suit the purpose of separating your business from yourself for fundability.  To do that, you need a separate phone number and address for your business.  Do not think that means you have to have a separate location.  You do not.  There are ways to get a business home phone number and even a separate business address and still run your business from home.  You also need an EIN and business bank account.  

You also really need to incorporate as an S-corp, LLC, or corporation. For fundability purposes, it doesn’t matter which one you choose.  Discuss the options with your tax professional and attorney.  They can help you determine which one is best for your budget and needs for liability protection.

Work from Home Tips #3: Open Accounts that Report to Your Business Credit Profile

If you set your business up to be fundable, it will also be set up the way it needs to be to establish a business credit profile. This means you can start to build your business credit score separate from your personal credit score. 

Here is how it works. You have to open accounts in your business name, using your business contact information and your EIN, not your SSN.  The catch is, they need to be accounts that will report to the business credit reporting agencies.

Check out our best webinar with its trustworthy list of seven vendors to help you build business credit.

This is easier said than done, as most vendors do not make it easy for the general public to figure out whether they do this.  In fact, many do not report, which makes this particular tip harder. In the beginning, you have to find vendors that will extend credit and report payments without checking your credit.  That is, if your personal credit isn’t good. 

This is one tip where a business credit expert can be especially helpful.  These experts know many vendors that will report. They also know which ones you qualify for an account with right now.  Even better, they know how to position you so that you can be eligible for more accounts in the future. 

Work from Home Tips #4: Home Based Business Loans

With strong fundability you’ll be able to get pretty much any funding your business could ever need, even if it is  a home-based business. However, in the beginning, some loans are going to work better than others. Here are some examples. 

Credit Line Hybrid

With the Credit Line Hybrid, you can usually get a loan of 5x the amount of your highest revolving credit limit account, up to $150,000. Honestly, this is more than what you could get on your own when applying for credit cards. Furthermore, you can get cash out on this program.

Also, there is no impact on your personal credit with this type of financing. You need a 680+ credit score, but if you don’t meet that you can take on a credit partner who does. A lot of business owners use the good credit of friends or family to help them get the funding they need. 

It does not affect your personal credit score at all.  In fact, it can help build your business credit score if your business is set up properly as mentioned above.

401K Financing

Your existing 401(k) or IRA can help fund your business as well. The funds work as collateral for business financing. As a result, your personal credit score isn’t really an issue. This program uses IRS proven strategies. You will pay no tax penalties, and you still earn interest on your 401(k).  Even better, rates are low, and this option usually has a quick closing and funding process.  If you are currently struggling to fund your home-based business, this is an excellent way to get started.

Check out our best webinar with its trustworthy list of seven vendors to help you build business credit.

SBA 7 (a) Loan

The SBA offers federally funded term loans up to $5 million. The funds can be used for expansion, purchasing equipment, working capital and more. Banks, credit unions, and other specialized institutions process these loans and disburse the funds.

Credit Suite business credit experts can help you with these types of funding and more!

A Business Credit Expert Can Help You With These Tips and So Much More

While there are plenty of work from home benefits, there are also some disadvantages of working from home. If you want to work from home, you have to find a way to overcome these work from home challenges. If you are running your business from home, one of the greatest of these challenges is funding your business. A Credit Suite business credit expert can help.

The post 4 New Work from Home Tips To Get The Funding You Need appeared first on Credit Suite.