A top Chinese official said Thursday that the U.S. should not have “any illusions” when it comes to Taiwan and reiterated that Beijing will not compromise on the issue, according to a report.
Small businesses are often at the greatest risk of cyberattacks because of their lack of resources and inability to invest in cybersecurity. However, with limited ability to protect the network from malware, ransomware, trojans and viruses, these attacks could lead to financial ruin.
Learn about the risks you can face if you do not prioritize cybersecurity.
What are the Risks?
Therisks of not having adequate cybersecurity include the cybercriminal being able to access the following sensitive information:
Client lists
Customers’ credit card details
Company financial data
Internal pricing, product, and structure
Designs, manufacturing details, and company secrets
Usernames, passwords, and employee records
Company processes leading to revenue
These risks have a serious impact on the company and can cause the entire business to fold if attacks are successful.
The primaryeffect of a cyberattack involves financial damage. But these incidents can also cause irreparable harm to the company’s reputation. Some cybercriminals are looking to steal data rather than usernames or passwords. This may lead to identity theft or a ransomware attack that locks down all computers until the demand for monetary compensation is met. If you have to tell customers there was a breach, this can damage the company’s reputation. You may need identity monitoring for customers or employees to protect possible loss of credit details and personal identifiable information.
Why Small Businesses are Easy Targets
The susceptibility of a small business lies in the lack of properly secured computers, networks, and systems. However, there are many otherreasons why they are targeted, including:
Data is valuable to anyone looking for it. Small businesses have plenty of it.
Hackers can mine cryptocurrency with access to computer data or use it for DDoS attacks on other businesses.
As an initial entry point, the small business can provide the cybercriminal with access to other financial institutions or businesses connected through its network.
Insufficient security measures lead to leaks in security with single computers and entire networks whether for work-at-home employees or daily processes.
Inadequate cybersecurity and a lack of employee education = about it can lead to a breach and theft of information for future use by hackers.
Financial data may provide hackers with sensitive customer details and connections to banks through leaks in security or breaches into the company.
How to Boost Your Cybersecurity
Adequate cybersecurity requires an understanding of what is lacking in securing your network. Having a dedicated IT team to support the company is vital. But it is not cheap.Boosting the business in this way requires covering the basics in software and hardware to defend against threats. And the company needs a business-wide policy on cybersecurity and employee education about possible cyber threats. This education should include how to handle mobile devices while on company grounds and away from them.
Keep security infrastructure up to date by automatically installing updates to your software. Continue improving and learn how to ensure software can spot possible problems. contingency plan in place. Business identity monitoring services can scan the dark web. They can look for stolen usernames, passwords, and personal identifiable information. Every business should have a response plan in place in case of a cyber attack.
If your employees and stakeholders are not aware of the potential risks, they are more likely to fall prey to cyberattacks. Here are some commonmyths that prevent businesses from taking cybersecurity concerns seriously:
The business is too small. But cybercriminals are willing to attack if there is any possibility of financial gain.70% of small businesses report being victims of cyberattacks.
If no products are sold, there is no worry. Every company has information, financial transactions, and user data. Yet with malware, ransomware and data breaches, a hacker can make money.
The company has nothing of worth. But cybercriminals can hold business data hostage through ransomware and demand money to return access. Also, about 70% of attacks of ransomware involved small businesses in 2018.
Our company information cannot be breached. Password protection ensures a solid defense. But all it takes is one employee to click on the wrong link in email or text to lead to a data breach.
Employees are aware of phishing emails. But not all phishing uses email. So some attacks appear completely genuine. Instead, they may appear as vendors or customers.
Cybersecurity requires a one-time setup. Rather, proper cybersecurity is a never-ending, ongoing process.
Cybersecurity is a vital part of any business. But with proper protocols in place, a plan, and a team dedicated to protecting the company, you can safeguard company information from many breaches. Also, always stay updated and remain informed of the newest changes in data security.
BIO
David Lukić is an information privacy, security and compliance consultant at IDstrong.com. The passion to make cyber security accessible and interesting has led David to share all the knowledge he has.
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…
What’s important is once you get them to your site, you offer more than just a catchy headline.
In this post, we’ll explain why clickbait works, how to do it ethically, and why you should be using more of it.
What Is Clickbait?
Clickbait is any content written to attract clicks. It can include any web content, from news articles to blog posts, infographics, videos, interviews, and more.
Clickbait content usually contains:
a catchy or compelling headline
a strong appeal to emotion
scannable content optimized for web reading
witty copy
content aimed at social media sharing
Although widely attributed to online media, this type of content has been around since the dawn of print journalism. In the 19th century, when newspapers were fighting for circulation numbers, they found the best way to attract new visitors was using catchy headlines to entice readers.
Here’s an example from a 1913 version of New York World, a newspaper run by the infamous Joseph Pulitzer. As you can see, every headline is attention-grabbing, emotional, and aimed at hooking a read at first glance.
Fast forward to the 21st century, and catchy newspaper headlines have transformed into catchy blog titles.
With the introduction of SEO, and more brands wanting to increase traffic to their websites, clickbait titles had a mainstream resurgence.
It’s also important to avoid misleading clickbait on your website, as it can damage trust in your brand.
Ultimately, success comes down to two things:
Write compelling, honest, engaging headlines.
Don’t disappoint your readers once they click on them.
Tips to Use Clickbait in Your Content Marketing Strategy
Now that you know how to use clickbait ethically, it’s time to implement these strategies into your content marketing.
Here’s how to get started:
Utilize the curiosity gap, but don’t exploit it. Avoid sensationalist material and inaccurate claims.
Deliver on any promises you make. Your audience expects the information you promise to them. If they consistently feel they can’t trust your claims, they won’t continue interacting with your brand.
Be honest with your readers and avoid misinformation. Be a beacon of honesty. According to Edleman, 53 percent of consumers need to trust brands they purchase from. If you remain truthful with your viewers, you’ll have a better chance of converting them.
Use numbers in your headlines. Numbers represent actionable steps users can use to reach their goals. Numbered lists also improve scanability and make it easier for readers to digest content.
Pay attention to your data. When using clickbait headlines, measure them against other headlines and see which perform better. Like anything in marketing, the numbers don’t lie. There’s no point investing in a tactic if it doesn’t work for your audience.
Write for more than clicks. A headline is just the beginning. What really matters is the quality of your content as a whole. While a witty headline may bring them to your page, your content will make them stay—so don’t neglect the rest.
Examples of Great Clickbait Strategies
Now that you know what not to do, let’s take a look at some clickbait strategies done right.
When Shopify and Google teamed up to promote Shopify Premium plans, they knew the best way to get people interested was to offer them something in return.
By using numbers, Blocks displays the high worth of its product, public trust in the campaign, and scarcity.
Not only will users who read this headline trust a large community supports Blocks, but they will also feel motivated to act immediately before the campaign ends.
Another great example of clickbait in ads comes from One Smart Penny, a financial advice blog.
In their ad, they use the curiosity gap, by alluding to a secret you’ll only find out if you read the blog. They also leverage the power of celebrity with a feature by Barbara Corcoran, which brings an element of social proof to the ad.
How to Create a Clickbait Headline
Ready to start writing your own? Follow these steps to write a great headline that drives clicks.
1. Use Google Alerts to Find Out What’s Trending
Leveraging popular trends and news is a great way to engage your users.
By setting up Google Alerts for trending or viral topics, you can stay ahead of your competition and be the first to break the news to your audience.
Pair your trending headlines with relevant keywords to boost your SEO.
You can offer physical value through discounts, free products, consultation services, and more. Or, you can offer something less tangible, such as a secret or an industry trick.
When using this clickbait strategy, be sure to follow through with your promise in your post.
No one wants a misleading headline, and if you don’t seem trustworthy, you’ll lose your audience’s attention.
4. Use a Teaser
One of the best clickbait strategies is to use a teaser in your headline.
By suggesting the reader will find something they don’t already know in your post, you’re leveraging the curiosity gap and creating immediate engagement.
A teaser can be a number of things, from “The X things you wish you knew…” or, “You’ll never guess what ____ did in Paris”.
As we said before, be sure to follow through with your teaser in the body of your post to avoid annoying your audience.
Clickbait FAQs
Is clickbait good or bad?
Neither. It is a powerful marketing strategy if used correctly. There’s nothing wrong with encouraging clicks on your post, as long as you’re offering value to your audience that goes beyond the headline.
What is the goal of clickbait?
The goal is to grab a user’s attention and encourage clicks on your content.
Does clickbait still work?
Yes, though it is different now. Because of the prevalence of misinformation online, many entities now have regulations in place to discourage misuse of clickbait headlines. Yet there are still ethical and productive ways to use this tactic.
How does clickbait affect us?
It works in our curiosity gap and piques our interest in topics or news.
Currently a business owner chooses to sign up with the associate advertising and marketing organization, he browses in an associate advertising and marketing directory site as well as he is promptly provided with a really variety of solutions as well as items, and also with numerous associate programs. The associate advertising and marketing organization is without a doubt a growing company as suggested by the countless online sellers that are supplying associate programs.
With numerous alternatives prior to him, a business owner might choose to go back as well as study extra regarding which items he ought to advertise, which associate program he ought to sign-up, and also which vendor he need to associate with. He is purchasing himself time as well as he wished to be much more ready prior to really establishing his associate advertising and marketing organization.
On the various other hand, a business owner will certainly be so ecstatic that he will certainly sign-up with the very first associate program that he discovers fascinating. The only point that the brand-new associate has to deal with is his absence of expertise regarding the items he has actually picked to advertise.
If the brand-new associate will certainly backtrack his actions, he will just be placing off the day when he will certainly be appreciating monetary success. The brand-new associate merely requires to check out.
When the brand-new associate has actually made a decision to check out up on his items, he needs to initially position concerns that he desired to understand concerning the items. If the items are ceramic things, possibly he desired to understand very first exactly how the ceramic sector came around.
The solutions to these concerns will certainly give great web content for the brand-new associate’s web site. The info that the associate has actually gathered, in order to address his concerns will certainly be the emphasis of the posts that will certainly be published in the site.
One more perk to checking out the items is the gotten capacity of the associate to authoritatively and also instantly respond to the concerns that the site visitors will certainly upload in the web site. When the target customer is pleased with the speed as well as efficiency of the responses, he will certainly probably patronize as well as acquire the items that are suggested by the associate.
The only point that the brand-new associate has to deal with is his absence of understanding regarding the items he has actually picked to advertise. The brand-new associate merely requires to review.
When the brand-new associate has actually made a decision to review up on his items, he must initially present inquiries that he desired to recognize concerning the items. The solutions to these inquiries will certainly supply excellent material for the brand-new associate’s site.
A recent study found that 70 percent of Americans are shopping online more than ever. E-commerce is booming, and there’s never been a better time to start an online store. One of the best platforms to launch your e-commerce store is Shopify. Why do so many people love Shopify? In part due to its: affordability …
E-commerce is booming, and there’s never been a better time to start an online store. One of the best platforms to launch your e-commerce store is Shopify.
Why do so many people love Shopify? In part due to its:
affordability
ease of use
scalability
security
One stand-out reason many e-commerce store owners love Shopify is the flexibility it offers through Shopify themes. With thousands of paid and free themes available, you can create a unique e-commerce store that offers your customers a positive user experience (UX).
That could be why over a million businesses use Shopify to build their e-commerce stores.
What Are Shopify Themes?
Shopify themes are a template that determines the way your website looks and feels to customers who visit your store. Different themes offer different styles and layouts. Also, each theme offers a different UX, depending on how it is designed.
Design plays a massive role in the way your store attracts, engages, and converts. That’s why the Shopify theme you choose is critical to your business’ success.
In e-commerce, your theme of choice must reflect your industry and niche. For example, if you’re in the health and wellness niche, you’ll want a theme that looks professional and feels reassuring.
If, on the other hand, you’re into electronics, you’ll want a theme that’s sleek and energetic.
Will Changing Themes Break Your Store?
One fear that most store owners have when changing themes is that it will break their Shopify store.
That’s not true.
Changing your Shopify theme (or editing your current one) doesn’t affect your content or other parts of your account.
So feel free to play around with your theme settings or even getting a new Shopify theme that you fancy. Your e-commerce store won’t break, and you’ll rarely have any downtime if you do it right.
Why Your Shopify Theme Matters
Now that you know what a Shopify theme is, let’s briefly look at why your theme choice matters so much.
Helps Project Your Brand Personality
One of your most important assets as a business is your brand.
An essential aspect of branding is your brand personality. Brand personality is a set of human characteristics that can be attributed to a brand. For example,
sophistication
excitement
fun-loving
sincerity
ruggedness
Your theme plays a critical role in helping you project these characteristics. As a result, your Shopify store will attract customers who share and love your personality.
Determines Your Website’s UX
Your theme is a crucial aspect of your store’s design because it determines your website’s UX. That’s because your theme determines essential facets of your e-commerce store like navigation, layout, color schemes and aesthetics, and more.
Your theme determines the experience your customers will have as they navigate your store, consume your content, and search for products. If the experience is positive, they’re likely to keep coming back. A negative experience, on the other hand, leads to high bounce rates.
7 Tips to Pick the Perfect Shopify Theme for Your Store
Ready to shop around for the perfect Shopify theme for your store?
Here are a few tips to help you find the perfect one.
1. Decide on Your Budget
Shopify stores come at varying price points. That’s why your first step to choosing your Shopify theme is to determine how much you’re willing to spend on a theme.
Examples of factors that impact the theme’s price include:
The developer: More experienced and well-known developers tend to charge more for their themes.
Flexibility: The level of customization of your theme impacts its price. For example, if it has drag-and-drop functionality, you can expect to pay a bit more.
Level of functionality. Some themes are limited in functionality, while others allow you to turn your e-commerce store into anything you want. Those with extra bells and whistles, like forms or SEO features, tend to cost more.
Like everything else in life, you get what you pay for when it comes to Shopify themes. Make sure to read the fine print and understand what features and functionality a theme has before buying.
2. Prioritize Themes on the Shopify Theme Store
Shopify theme developers are a dime a dozen. You can get a theme for your Shopify store from many theme marketplaces.
However, I highly recommend choosing from the themes on Shopify’s theme store.
One of the main reasons is that Shopify carefully screens all themes submitted, so you can be sure to get a quality, secure theme.
Another reason to prioritize themes on Shopify’s theme store is that you’ll be assured of regular updates and world-class support.
3. List the Main Features and Functions You Want
The key to finding the perfect Shopify theme for your store is to consider the main features and functionality you want for your store.
Do you want a slide-out cart drawer?
Is a video player a priority?
Do you need forms, landing pages, or a blog?
Finding a theme with most of the features you’re looking for will help you cut down on development costs. When you find a theme with one of the most important features you’re looking for but not the others, move on. The key is finding one that has most of the themes you want. You can always have a developer add the missing feature(s).
To find features included in a theme, check out the theme preview page. However, because not every feature may be listed there, you may want to play around with the theme demo.
You can also use the live store examples to help you get a feel of all the features of a theme you’re considering.
4. Consider Your Niche
Most themes are developed for specific industry types. When picking a Shopify theme, you must make sure it was designed for your niche. For example, an e-commerce store that sells various electronics and accessories can’t easily use a theme designed for fine art pieces.
That’s because the electronic store needs a theme that can handle many categories and advanced search capabilities. The art store, on the other hand, doesn’t need as much advanced functionality.
As you hunt for a Shopify theme, make sure to filter your top picks by niche. Fortunately, the Shopify theme store makes it easy to search for themes by niche and number of products.
5. Design and Aesthetics
Global e-retail sales is a whopping $4.2 trillion industry.
Website speed is crucial to online success, as it can impact search rankings, conversions, and bounce rate. To offer visitors the fast page speed they want, you need a fast, lightweight theme.
Lightweight themes focus more on performance and tend to avoid busy elements like animations, fancy scrollers, and other unnecessary features that increase the size of the file.
Another advantage of lightweight themes is they’re designed to be simple. Their main goal is to help customers navigate around your store and perform the action they came to do.
To deliver a fast, easy-to-use site, you’ll want to choose a mobile-friendly theme.
7. Optimized Checkout
Studies show that the average e-commerce store losses about 75 percent of its sales to cart abandonment. The same studies show that one of the leading reasons for cart abandonment is a complicated checkout process.
That’s why you must make sure the Shopify theme you choose offers an optimized checkout experience.
The best Shopify themes offer a fast and intuitive checkout process, well-designed add-to-cart buttons, and an easy way to check the total cost.
Making the checkout process easy should be a priority, so ensure the theme you choose makes this as easy as possible.
3 Examples of Great Shopify Themes
Now you know how to pick a suitable Shopify theme for your store. Before you run off to find yours, let’s look at a few great Shopify themes and discuss what makes them stand out from the rest. You might just find your perfect match right here!
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is one of the top free Shopify themes out there.
The theme is designed for the apparel and accessories niche. Because of that, it focuses on a brand image by enabling you to show off your inventory with stunning visuals. Some notable features include:
A Slide Out Cart: Helps customers easily add items to their cart without leaving the current page.
Home Page Slideshow: Use the top of your homepage to showcase multiple products or brand images.
Video integration: Grab attention, tell your story, and showcase your best products in action by featuring a YouTube or Vimeo video on your page.
If you’re bootstrapping your way to e-commerce success in the apparel niche, Brooklyn is a the Shopify theme to help you get there. (Did I mention it was free?)
Icon
Looking for a lightweight and easy-to-use Shopify theme that will help you set up a stunning store quickly?
The $180 Icon Shopify theme could be what you’re looking for.
One of Icon’s greatest strengths is that it’s built to power omnichannel marketing campaigns. That’s thanks to seamless social media integration and a blog to power your content marketing. Other features include:
Sticky Navigation: Keeps your menus fixed to the top of your page as customers scroll down.
Product Quick View: Customers can view product details in a popup, so they don’t have to leave the current page
Multi-column menu: Helps you feature product images in a large, multi-column drop-down menu.
As the name suggests, Icon is one Shopify theme that will help you build an iconic e-commerce store and generate a lot of revenue.
Expression
Have a large inventory of products?
Then you need a Shopify theme that can help you display them all beautifully. Your theme should also make it easy for your customers to find what they’re looking for.
Expression is one of the best Shopify themes that can help you do that and more.
That’s because some of the theme’s prominent features include drop-down menu bars, advanced search functionality, and a dynamic slideshow.
Other notable features you can expect are:
Versatile Sidebar Area: You can use your sidebar to display blog posts, images, advertisements, and more.
Product Image Rollover: Hovering over products reveals different product images, giving customers a clearer picture before they buy.
Grid-Style Layout: This allows you to feature multiple products or promotions in a grid-style layout throughout your store.
Expression will set you back $180, but it’s worth the investment as it helps you create an e-commerce store with attention-grabbing visuals. It’s also designed to make your promotions stand out, thereby encouraging more conversions.
Conclusion
The e-commerce space is fast growing as more entrepreneurs are launching e-commerce stores. One of the most trusted platforms to launch a store is Shopify. As you design your store, pay careful attention to the Shopify theme you use.
Remember, your theme affects your store’s:
user experience
aesthetics
performance
All three are factors that have a huge impact on your conversion rates.
Which Shopify themes have you had experience with? What do you like about it?
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