Yearly Archives: 2017

The much awaited Apple Pay made its debut today in UAE. Six local banks – Emirates NBD, Mashreq, RAKBank, Emirates Islamic, HSBC and Standard Chartered are the first to offer Apple Pay in UAE, supported by Visa and MasterCard.

Recent research reveals that card spending has increased substantially in the last couple of years and UAE is heading towards a digital economy with cashless environment. Interestingly, the UAE is now among only 20 countries worldwide that now enjoy this payment facility.

How Does It Work?

Using Apple Pay is as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Add your credit cards information to your iPhone’s Wallet app from the ‘Settings’ tab and following the prompts. You can even upload cards by using your phone’s camera to read the card details.
2. Hold your device near a contactless card reader at where you’re making a purchase and use Touch ID to complete it. You can also do this action with your Apple Watch and even if you leave your iPhone far away, you can still use the Watch for Apple Pay.
3. The Touch ID step is also available on iPads and Macs that support it. For in-app purchases, a user just needs to tap the ‘Buy with Apple Pay’ button.

In the soon to be launched, iPhone X. Face ID will be used to authenticate an Apple Pay purchase.

Who Can Use It?

Users will have to update their devices to iOS 11 or later and select United Arab Emirates as their region as well as have an iCloud account.

Apple Products Supported

• iPhone 6 or later in stores, apps, and websites in Safari
• iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3 and later for use on apps and websites
• Apple Watch in stores and apps
• Mac introduced in or after 2012 running macOS Sierra or later and Touch ID on Macbook Pro Touch Bar

How Secure Is It?

With Apple Pay, your card number isn’t exactly stored on the iPhone, on Apple servers or shared with merchants. Instead of the traditional method of storing details in devices, a unique device account number is assigned and encrypted, which is securely stored in a secure element on the device. Each transaction then, is authorised with a one-time dynamic security code.

You can view your last transactions in your Apple Wallet, and some allow you to see the last ten transactions. Each bank differs on what information will be displayed, so it’s best to check with your bank to see exactly how this works.

And even if you lose your iPhone, you don’t have to panic. By using ‘Find My iPhone’ or by going to iCloud.com, you can put a device in Lost Mode, which automatically suspends all the cards in Apple Pay.

What’s Coming?

Soon, you’ll even be able to send and receive money over iMessage. Move over banks!

Cyber Gear is now offering regional ecommerce web sites and mobile apps, the facility to integrate their shopping carts to accept payment through Apple Pay.

1. USP

State clearly your ‘Unique Selling Proposition’ upfront. It should be a game changer.

2. Attractive ‘Look and Feel’

Everybody is drawn to a pretty face. Ensure your images are eye catching.

3. Video Sells

Multimedia is a big winner on the web. Social media is driven by video content.

4. Create Curiosity

Unravelling a ‘First of its’ kind’ offer helps.

5. Benefits, Benefits, Benefits

The benefits should be very straightforward, practical and appealing.

6. Testimonials

Proof of concept always convinces newbies.

7. Call for Action

‘In the face’ is a good idea.

8. ‘Responsive’

Over half of all web traffic now comes from mobile devices, so be sure your landing page is mobile-ready.

9. Speed Test

Use Google Webmaster Tools to ensure your page downloads within 6 seconds

10. Monitor the Response

Optimise the design and concept based on analytics.

Thanks to Donald Trump, Twitter is one of the most popular social media platform.

The problem is that with so many people embracing Twitter as a channel for communication, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a Twitter account name (called ‘handle’) that relates to your identity, personal or business related. Each day, an average of 460,000 people sign up for a new account. This means about 320 people sign up for an account every minute. So your favourite name could be gone any second now, visit Twitter and find and reserve your favourite Twitter name as soon as you can.

Twitter awards the first person who requests for an available name and then prohibits their resale. Eight years after Twitter’s launch, it has become extremely difficult to secure short handles without resorting to the inclusion of middle initials, dashes, numbers or abbreviations.

If the handle you want is taken, there are ways to mutually negotiate with its owner to transfer it to you. Twitter can in some cases help in the case of impersonation or trademark violations. And, despite Twitter’s prohibition, there is an unsanctioned secondary market!

Twitter says that in order to keep an account active, a user needs to log in and tweet at least once every six months, or risk permanently losing an account. But Twitter’s standards for inactivity can be more complicated than tweets alone. The company also states, “Inactivity is based on a combination of tweeting, logging in, and the date an account was created. Please note that you may not be able to tell whether an account is currently inactive, as not all signs of account activity are publicly visible.”

Here are some guidelines for selecting your Twitter handle:

1. Keep the name as relevant to your company name as you can if you want to be recognized and found with ease.
2. The shorter it is – the easier it would be for someone to mention you in their Tweets because of the word limit. Initials are a good idea.
3. The more unique your Twitter name is the easier it will be to find it.
4. You also want your Twitter name to be easy to remember.
5. Keep it consistent with your other Social Media addresses.
6. Adding your location as part of your handle can sometimes he helpful.
7. Special characters are not such a good idea.

If you are totally flummoxed, try http://twitternamegenerator.com

Digital Marketing moves at a frightening speed these days to be completely honest; and being in the know at all times is proving to be next to impossible. Regular reads and checkups on blogs are the only way to stay ahead of the game. Our blog here is quite a substantial source of information with regular posts coming in, but we don’t resort to keeping the advertising all to ourselves; let it be known that there are other magnificent blogs, pools of wisdom if you will, out there that are worth your time. But with thousands of blogs out there and only so little time, how do we figure out which ones are worth the read and which ones are overlookable?
Here are our top favorite Digital Marketing blogs for you to check out!

1. Marketing Land Our favorite thing about Marketing Land is that it includes every day breaking news stories about all parts of the digital marketing industry so you can get the greater part of your digital marketing news from the one place. The journalists at Marketing Land frequently let you indulge upon down to earth tips and hints you can use in your own particular digital marketing efforts. On the other hand, one of our most loved things about this site is that it highlights authority articles composed by topic specialists. This website also sends you notifications ahead of the crowd about the latest launches and announcements in the fast paced digital marketing industry.
2. Kiss metricsWhat we love about this website is that it represents considerable authority in analytics, advertising and testing; its blog entries mirror this expertise. You can anticipate a fleet of flawlessly outlined infographics containing the most recent digital marketing insights, studies and tests. You’ll likewise discover a variety of valuable digital marketing guides that handle fields like email promoting, online networking and client examination. In addition, it’s a great source for blog posts of your own; with statistical aid provided straight from the website.
3. Moz Blog If your company is an absolute gem in the SEO world, then this blog is right up your alley.  Says www.orbonline.co.uk. Moz Blog tackles a wide variety of topics, from specialized matters like how to conquer copy content issues to correspondence strategies like substance and relationship building. Our most loved thing about Moz Blog is that it helps you follow along and comprehend the mechanics behind the most recent SEO updates. With neatly laid out list guides, this blog will redefine your knowledge about SEO.
4. Content Marketing Institute With a rockstar level of fame, this blog provides unique content showcasing research, including data on the substance promoting the industry’s set bars of achievement, budget plans and patterns. The blog is home to various convincing articles expounded upon the content strategy system, narrating and blogging’s best practices. If that wasn’t enough, it also keeps you refreshed with the most recent content marketing launches and events. If content marketing strategies are your forte, then so is this blog.
5. Social Media Examiner As the name suggests, it acts as a professional counseller on all things social media, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest; the sky is the limit. While here, anticipate exhortation from online networking specialists on the best way to define a successful web-based social networking system for each channel. Blog entries and articles incorporate masterful interviews, creative contextual analyses, audits of the most recent industry inquire about, podcasts and the most recent web-based social networking news. Gather as much information as you possibly can from here; you can be sure they will be a great deal of help to your business.Follow these spectacular blogs and stay ahead of the game; Always!

The world has changed pace today with almost the entire human population being connected on social media. This connection breaks fences and brings about a sense of unity and empathy. In the business field, this connection is what started a brand-new revolution in content advertising; Influencer Marketing. Consumers now depend on other consumers to educate them of the right purchases. Rather than taking an interest in the opinions of other organizations, as they did previously, they now take a gander at each other and at their most loved social media influencers, who amass vast followings on media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, and many more.

In the minds of forward thinking marketers, rising stars in social media make ideal candidates to be marketing influencers, thereby, creating a universe of potentially beneficial outcomes. It opens up another channel for brands to associate with customers all the more straightforwardly, more naturally, and at scale. Through well targeted social media identities, brands can clarify their message while alluring their intended interest group.

Influencer marketing is based on a lot of trust between two or more parties and that is why it is still a relatively unknown revelation. People are not ready to invest in small time social media identities without the guarantee of an ROI. We are here to tell you that influencer marketing is the future of effective digital advertising; and here are 10 reasons why you should believe us.

1. It is highly InfluentialWord of mouth is the most effective marketing tool till date. It provides an air of trust and security, feelings that people want to experience before making a purchase. A recent study showed that “marketing-induced consumer-to-consumer word of mouthgenerates more than twice the sales of paid advertising.” And of those that were obtained through informal exchange of words had a 37 percent higher degree of consistency.
2. It is SocialOnline networking isn’t only another option to customary media—it’s turning the conventional model on its head. Customarily, buyers settled on choices considering the advertisements that they saw or listened to. Today, it’s less demanding to interact with different buyers through online networking and settle on better choices by finding out about their level of satisfaction with an item.
   Consumers today turn a blind eye to traditional ads listing out the benefits of a product. They want the brand to converse with them, in a personal manner. If businesses partner with the apt online identities, they can create a buzz on social media about their product.
3. It’s BrilliantConducting business with influencers and trendsetters will impart to the market that your brand might just be the next big trend. Also, you can repurpose the content created by them to inspire your current clients.
4. It’s Up and ComingOver the past year, influencer marketing has become a worldwide sensation with even Forbes magazine recognizing the benefits.
5. It is an ArbitrageAn arbitrage exists when something is being offered for less than its true worth. If you purchase this good, you will receive it at a reduced cost since the good’s real value is more prominent than its market cost. Lying in between the good’s market cost and actual value is your profit. To put it plainly, it is a chance to make huge benefits with minimal exertion.
   Influencer Marketing at the moment is classified as an arbitrage. The services of social media influencers are selling for much lower that their actual worth. This means that if you are one of the few marketers running influencer campaigns now, you can expect huge ROIs.
6. Rising CostsThe disadvantage of arbitrages is that it doesn’t last for a very long time. Once marketers catch on to this phenomenon and begin investing, the arbitrage will soon close, thereby drying up everyone’s ROI. For maximum profit today, invest in influencer marketers now!
7. Paid Ads are a painPeople on social media are exposed to over 5000 advertisements per day. The fact that we can’t remember a huge chunk of that statistic is scary to marketers running advertising campaigns as consumers are now turning a blind eye to traditional ads. This is why influencer marketing is definitely the way to go; it’s a fresh new approach to marketing and the public is responding well!
8. Native AdvertisingAs opposed to conventional publicizing, which intrudes on the purchaser experience, native advertising places brands and items inside organic content, making viewing ads a more pleasurable affair for consumers and an all more capable marketing answer for brands.
9. Helps with SEO OptimizationAlong with building your image and enhancing your business numbers, influencer marketing additionally helps you with SEO optimization. The more individuals specify your brand via web-based networking media, the more well-known and pertinent you will be on Google.
10. Targeting and Tracking Enabled

In the olden days, advertisers had minimal amount of information to go on to advertise their products. However, today in the digital world, analytics help us monitor every social media share and like, aiding your brand in segregating the audience and presenting targeted content; which in turn, brings about a greater buzz for your product.

Remember the days when catalog shopping was the buzz? Purchasing clothes, electronics and even furniture; all by flipping through a few pages of a book. Times have changed drastically now with the digital world almost completely eclipsing the simplicity of man; everything, these days, can be found on the marvel that we call, the Internet. And since everything has a relation to the web these days, the need for effective marketing gets called to action. Digital marketing is a giant industry in today’s world and Content Marketing plays an equally giant role within that realm. Suitable content marketing can tip the scales of your business, from success to total bust. So, when content marketing is such a vital component to the businesses of today, staying up to date with its trends is essential, if not critical. We are here to help you with that! Listed below are the 5 latest most influential trends in content marketing; to not just keep your business afloat, but to help it steam ahead.

1. Creating user-friendly content in bulkThe online user community is ever increasing; this also increases the amount of content consumed, drastically. Over the years, millions of businesses have capitalized on this by churning out content paired with effective content marketing. More to the point, 70% of B2B marketers have set themselves to producing a greater amount of content in 2017. But keep in mind, content cannot win alone; it is important to pair it in the right context. Google has advanced light years in recent times with new bots being able to spot content that is relevant and content aimed at optimizing SEO. There is no getting around it so relevant content is a must! Also, marketing your content in the intended context pulls in a greater audience.
2. Influencer MarketingInfluencer Marketing has existed in the past with companies reaching out to celebrities to endorse their products. This strategy has worked out well in the past but it does have a downfall; the costs. Buying the time of a celebrity does not come cheap. That’s where 2017 makes a revolutionary discovery; Micro-influencers. Micro-influencers are small, but trusted, authorities that businesses reach out to; they ask these people to review their products on their blogs, social media platforms and other online channels. Micro-influencing seems to be the next up and coming content marketing trend that is sure to stick.
3. Personalize your ContentAdding your flair to your content will target a specific section of your audience and will resonate with them well. Many businesses use analytics to help with the segregation of their audience, to create more targeted content. Although, this process doesn’t have to be so technical. Anyone can churn out targeted content by relating to at least one common factor with a section of your audience. For example, using the location tag or hashtag features on social media is a great start to targeted marketing that doesn’t require a highly technical approach.
4. Video MarketingUsing visual aids to market your content is no new feat. Businesses, small and big, have been doing it for years, even decades now, with great results; because why not? Humans are visual creatures and visual aids help us focus better. However, that focus is what matters. If the focal point of your video marketing campaign is not your product or if the whole project isn’t engaging at all to even have a focal point, then you’re in trouble. Video marketing is tricky; it is about producing eye-catching, engaging content coupled with the right ideas. Without the right ideas, your video marketing campaign will never take off.
5. Talk on Social MediaThe era of the newspaper is dying in today’s world as everyone has transitioned to receiving their news, on the go, through social media platforms. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter are the biggest in third party applications to provide news to the public. This is a boon in business terms; there is nothing easier than marketing your content on social media. If there is news within your business about a new product or a grand new innovation, make sure it is being talked about on social media. This will be your biggest, most widest platform to get through to the audience you want.
   Digital Marketing is and always will be a wave of change. It will change tomorrow, the day after that and the year after that. There is no stopping it. The only way to keep up, is to ride the wave through. Follow these 5 trends to keep your business afloat! 

Are you in the mood for some new furniture? How about a new laptop? A new piece of artwork? Or even a new car? All without leaving the comforts of your couch? This is the simplicity of the world of ecommerce! In today’s day and age, almost every product imaginable is purchasable online; pay the prize required and bam! The product is at your doorstep. This ease of shopping has now almost completely eclipsed conventional ‘brick and mortar store’ shopping as everyone prefers to shop from the comforts of their homes. As of last year, the ecommerce ventures have snowballed to become a trillion-dollar industry. This megalith amount of revenue has pulled many an entrepreneur to join the ecommerce realm; and today with the help of this article, you can too!

Take a walk on the street. Together with the sights of your locale, people walking along with their heads bowed down will come into view; these people are not taking part in some sort of walk of shame. No, they are looking down at their mobile phones in their hands. A common sight these days, the mobile phone has become an integral part of oneself and of the smooth running of the community. Everyone seems to be connected to the internet through these small yet powerful devices. Companies worldwide pushed to involve themselves in this revolution of the fast moving mobile industry. Organizations, small and big, made sure that their virtual stamp would be clearly visible on the mobile phone; without hassle, without clutter.