Bright Ewuru

The Importance of Video Interviews

Bright Ewuru — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 10:50:05 +0000

As the world hurtles forward on the wings of technology, the fields of human resources and recruitment in business have not been left out. According to this human resource survey by Gartner, 86% of organizations incorporated virtual technology to interview candidates due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Therefore, in this post, I’ll discuss the following:

What video interviews are
The types of video interviews
The importance of video interviews in the current business ecosystem

Here we go!

What are video interviews?

In simple words, a video interview is a virtual interview conducted using video interview software instead of in person or over the phone. So, instead of two people meeting up physically in a room, the interview is held online much like a simple video call.

There are 2 types of video interviews. They are:

1. Synchronous video interviews

Also referred to as two-way video interviews, live video interviews, or synchronous video interviews, these are regular interviews in real-time via a video feed. In this case, both the interviewer and the candidate log into the same video call and have the interview instantly.

2. Asynchronous video interviews

These are the direct opposite of two-way video interviews. They are referred to as pre-recorded video interviews or on-demand video interviews, and they involve the interviewer asking a series of questions. Each candidate, having the same time to respond, will proceed to record and submit their answers via the video interview platform.

The interviewer can then watch each of the candidates’ submissions in his spare time.

Granted, both types are beneficial in their own right. However, synchronous video interviews make for a natural experience as it seems like a conversation between two people getting to know each other.

On the flip side, asynchronous video interviews seem like a better bet to make a solid first impression. This is because the candidates can record and view their answers. If they are not satisfied, there is room for another shot before submission!

Having drawn these distinctions, it is appropriate to consider the importance of video interviews today.

The importance of video interviews in modern times

1. A streamlined hiring process

Tell me, as an employer, which would you prefer: sitting at your work desk and conducting multiple interviews within a short period of time via a video interviewing platform, or welcoming countless candidates to your office and conducting the interview while observing innumerable protocols?

It’s a no brainer that a video interview is a winning option.

Whenever the importance of video interviews is being considered, the fact that they smoothen and quicken the hiring process immediately comes to the fore.

Now, imagine a situation where in-person interviews are practically impossible or really risky, e.g as we have seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your best shot at keeping your hiring process going is video interview.

What’s more? Video interviews better engage candidates and give them the impression that they are being considered for the role. Additionally, they are cheaper because candidates can be hired quickly in case of immediate need.

2. A consistent interview process

The prior arrangement of questions and completion of the same interview by candidates ensures a consistent interview process. Everyone gets the same thinking and answer time.

This is essential as it ensures that relevant questions are duly attended to at all times. Also, the issues of forgetting to ask certain questions or questions being framed differently by varying interviewers do not arise since the interview process is standard.

Due to the consistency, the candidates are always evaluated adequately regardless of the interviewer’s experience competence.

3. Boost candidate experience

Did you know? A lot of people find interviews to be nerve-wracking.

Candidates can get jittery and even stutter uncontrollably when answering questions. If only there were a way for them to rehearse and review their answers so that they could submit the most impressive ones.

Video interviews to the rescue!

Another clear importance of video interviews, one-way video interviews particularly, is that they take the stress out of interviews and help with an objective assessment of candidates.

On another hand, video interviews help paint an impressive picture of your brand. Video interviews are a strong indicator of your concern for candidates. Also, elements of branding incorporated into such videos are a good way of creating a good impression.

And yes, candidates are increasingly mindful of brands that they work for. Go figure!

4. Eliminate geographical restrictions

Depending on the nature of your business, there could be a skill shortage and a limited local talent pool. Also, restricting yourself to local candidates won’t give your business enough wings to soar.

What gives?

Video interviews help you scale this hurdle as you can easily access and interview remote candidates globally without worrying about their time zones. Internet access is a prerequisite, though.

5. Increase the quality of hire

Another importance of video interviews is that they help with a more thorough evaluation of candidates.

Imagine hiring a candidate only to find out after the onboarding process that they are unsuitable. There are very few tragedies worse than that because getting rid of them after might be expensive in every sense. According to a study conducted by Harvard Business Review, bad hiring decisions are responsible for at least 80% of employee retention issues.

Video interviews help you identify possible red flags and deal breakers early on. Instead of picking candidates who only look good on paper to later find out that they do not live up to the billing, video interviews can help you make better judgments faster.

Also, you won’t spend your time entertaining low-value candidates. Once you find out that they are not what you need, you can easily skip to another candidate’s video. However, that is hardly possible in in-person interviews. Courtesy will compel you to endure the interview to the end no matter how torturous it might seem.

6. Align with the hiring team

Another importance of video interviews is that they provide the opportunity for the entire hiring team to sync with one another. Through the video interviewing platform, the one-way video interviews are accessible to the various members of the hiring team.

They make it possible for the brand’s recruiters and other team members to view the submitted videos, and deliberate among themselves before deciding on the fate of each candidate. Undoubtedly, this helps them make better-informed hiring decisions as they duly consider the thoughts of one another before hiring.

7. Reduce conscious and unconscious sentiments and prejudices

As humans, whether or not we are aware of it, the tiniest details have significant impressions on us. What that means is that we could be inclined to favor or be against a candidate during an interview due to a trivial factor, think the candidate’s perfume, accent, or step.

Quite frankly, a video interview does not entirely eliminate the possibility of bias in interviews. However, it reduces it significantly, and helps with objective assessment. It achieves this through:

Pre-set introductions and questions that eliminate room for small talk – a powerful trigger of sentiments
Multiple members of the hiring team going through the same videos makes it harder for the sentiments of a single person to affect the hiring process

8. Review and compare candidates’ answers

Another benefit of video interviews is that they avail the hiring team the opportunity to view the videos of the candidates over and over. This enables the assessment of how each candidate answered each question.

Such reviews and comparisons reveal the thought processes and strengths of each candidate. Also, other members of the hiring team can give their feedback. Thus, there will be a thorough assessment of the candidates’ answers.

In turn, this would help with improved hiring decisions.

Final Words

Having said that, there’s no denying the importance of video interviews in the contemporary world. It’s immaculate proof that videos are proving relevant not only in the world of marketing but in the recruitment sector.

Got any ideas on other benefits of video interviews? Do well to share in the comments.

The post The Importance of Video Interviews appeared first on Bright Ewuru.

Content Syndication: What It Is and How To Do It Right

Bright Ewuru — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 05:48:12 +0000

Your dream as a content marketer is to get your content before as much of your target audience as possible. Lots of resources go into the creation of first-class blog posts, videos, infographics, and images.

But what would it matter if no one knows about your website housing all your amazing content?

If only there were some method to get the same content on other more popular websites and draw attention to your site.

Even if such a method existed, is there not a possibility that posting the same content on different websites might reduce the visibility of your site to search engines?

Since we have these concerns about our content marketing endeavors, in this post, we will pay due attention to the concept of content syndication. This post will discuss its implications, benefits, various patterns and what to do to prevent a flop in your search engine visibility while syndicating your content.

What is Content Syndication?

Content syndication is the act of republishing a web-based content on a third-party website. The web-based content could be a blog post, video, or even an infographic. However, of all forms of content, blog posts are understandably the most syndicated.

Content syndication is more or less a symbiotic arrangement involving two figures: the smaller dude and the bigger dude.

In the arrangement, the smaller dude publishes stellar content on his website and then goes ahead to have the same content republished on the bigger dude’s site (the third-party website). Actually, the entire blog post could be republished. Or it could be a portion of it, such as the first paragraph, or just the headline, with a link leading back to the smaller dude’s site for the entire post to be read.

Just in case you were wondering why I chose to use the “smaller dude, bigger dude” reference, I will fill you in on that in a minute.

The most masterfully crafted and informative blog post (or any other form of content for that matter) on your website can only drive little traffic. Now, imagine such superb content on a website that receives much traffic and is regarded as a high-authority site in your industry. That is sure to get the attention of your much-desired audience.

Clearly, it avails you the opportunity to be noticed by an audience who wouldn’t have easily discovered you organically.

The “smaller dude, bigger dude” reference doesn’t seem so out of place after all. Does it?

Noteworthy is the fact that while the arrangement is between you and a third party, you can still get into the arrangement with multiple “third parties”. Therefore, the same content published on your website can be republished on the websites of third parties A, B, and C.

That’s a whole lot of exposure if you ask me.

Benefits of Content Syndication

There are a number of advantages that come with republishing your stuff on a high-authority website. They include:

Huge exposure because it gives you access to a larger audience
Boosting your SEO rankings and your domain authority
Helping your traffic grow organically
Establishing you as a thought-leader and an industry expert
Better exposure for your brand which is demonstrated in improved brand recognition and brand mentions
Showering your site with link authority and link equity which stem from the high-authority backlinks to your site
Increasing your followers and expanding your general online presence
Optimized lead generation opportunities
Deeper insight to consider concerning your buyer personas
Greater opportunities to nurture prospects

Obviously, the goodies that content syndication brings are too good to pass up on.

Do you know that some high-authority sites have the tradition of syndicating their content on other high-authority sites? (Keep Business 2 Community, Business Insider, HuffPost, and Inc in mind)

Imagine that a content originally published on your site is the subject of such repeated republishing on high-authority sites. Absolute gold!

Content Syndication vs. Guest Blogging

For many content marketers, whenever the issue of gaining audience and exposure through another site comes up, only two words come to mind. Guest blogging.

Put simply, guest blogging is the practice of blogging on third-party sites in your industry. As the author of such blog posts, you get a byline that contains information about you, your services and your website.

Guest blogging shares some characteristics with content syndication. These features are:

Content created by you is published on another site
Both of them fetch you extra exposure
In the two, there is a backlink to your site

However, the striking difference lies in the fact that for guest blogging, you have to create a totally new post which you have not published on your blog or any other site before. But for content syndication, the post must have been published on another site first.

Which Is Better?

If ever a question should arise as to which is better, between content syndication and guest blogging, here’s my candid response: None.

They are both effective strategies in their own rights in the world of content marketing.

Worthy of note, however, is the fact that content syndication saves time and is relatively much easier than guest blogging.

A single awesome post can be republished on five different high-authority third-party websites (if you go about your content syndication strategy just right) within a short period. Once you’ve created the post and published it on your blog, it’s all sunshine and butterflies.

For guest blogging, however, the boot is on the other foot. Most high-authority sites only post top-tier content. This means deeply-researched blog posts which number almost 1,500 words, to say the least.

Do you know that more than 60% of marketers admit that constantly creating spectacular content is challenging? They are not joking!

Imagine trying to create 5 top-notch guest posts for 5 different websites. That will definitely bite into your time and energy. Facts!

But, in favor of guest blogging, there is a point worth mentioning.

Guest blogging can be financially rewarding because some popular sites pay guest bloggers.

However, high-authority sites don’t (nor does any site that I know at the time this post is written) pay for content syndication. In fact, some of them actually charge you for it. Examples are Outbrain and Taboola.

The Various Patterns Of Content Syndication

Having understood what content syndication is and what it is not, it is appropriate to give attention to the different ways in which content can be syndicated.

Is it only content posted on your site that can be republished on a third-party website? Do you always have to formally liaise with other site owners? Can you go about this syndication process on your own?

Well, keep reading and you shall have your answers in a bit.

1. Syndicating Your Content On Other Sites

This is the pattern of content syndication which readily comes to mind. To get started, you have to find out the popular websites in your niche that engage in content syndication.

When you have found them out, go ahead and craft a good pitch telling them that you can provide amazing content on your blog which they can republish.

If your posts are truly awesome, they will be glad to join forces. You do not easily say “no” to good content offered on a platter.

2. Syndicating Third-party Content On Your Site

It might interest you to know that it is not only your posts that can be re-published on other sites. Even if you are the “smaller dude”, you can republish the “bigger dude’s” content on your blog.

The first step is to ask for approval to feature their content. Trust me when I say that this is not as daunting as it might seem. Actually, there is a huge chance they will agree because it implies you think highly of their content.

My word of advice is that you should republish content that will be of value to your audience. Featuring such a post from a high-authority website lends credence to your knowledge of your audience’s needs.

A clever move is to take advantage of this pattern when you contribute to a popular site via guest blogging. You might have to ask for permission to republish. Actually, the site might even provide terms for republishing on its guest posting guidelines.

Normally, some of these sites ask for a few weeks of exclusivity before you can republish the post.

Once the period of exclusivity expires, you are free to republish the post on your site.

3. Publishing On Sites That Syndicate Their Content

Another pattern of content syndication is to publish on websites that syndicate their content. A number of websites might have a syndication relationship going. They might even be owned by the same company (you never know).

Where this is the case, the sites usually make it clear in their contribution guidelines that your post might be featured on other sites. In that case, they do not have to seek your permission to syndicate the post.

Honestly, it is an idea to relish. As far as the post bears your byline and a backlink to your site, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

4. Self Syndication

If the idea of content syndication appeals to you, but you are too shy to reach out to site owners or editorial staff, chill. All hope is not lost.

You can actually go about this syndication process on your own.

There are sites out there that allow you to republish your content as you will. There is no requirement to send a pitch asking for permission. These sites recognize your desire to get your content before a larger audience, and they are here for that.

You can republish your posts on them, or publish on them and subsequently republish on your blog.

Some of these sites include:

Medium
LinkedIn
Reddit
Publish0x
SlideShare
Facebook Business
Mix
Pinterest (For pictures and infographics. Remember, all forms of content can be syndicated)
YouTube (For videos)
SoundCloud (For audio posts)

Content Syndication And SEO: The Ties That Bind

Some experts have gone to town saying that content syndication is not about SEO. They say it is about marketing, and gaining more exposure for your stuff.

With all due respect, I beg to differ. I say syndication is about both of them. After all, SEO is part and parcel of Internet marketing.

Generally, Google advises webmasters to avoid creating duplicate content. This is because it can whittle down a site’s visibility.

Eventually, syndicated content counts as duplicated content.

One of the utmost concerns of Google is to serve searchers better. In the event of syndicated content, Google shows only the one it deems to be of more value. Sadly, this might not be your site.

Imagine a third-party website ranking on the first page of Google due to your republished content, while your site bearing the original content is nowhere to be found.

You’ve created a monster, my friend.

What, then, can you do to avoid such a scenario? Can content syndication be SEO-friendly?

Well, here are three tips to answer your questions and save you from self-sabotage. Anyone of them can be used.

1. Utilize The “Rel=Canonical” Tag

The “rel=canonical” tag is a tag that is inserted in the HTML header of a page. It is a solid shield from the problems that duplicate content poses.

Essentially, when a page is tagged with it, it points Googe towards the original page of that content. It informs Google that it is only a republished content while indicating the original one.

In that instance, Google is aware of which one to show.

When the syndicated post attracts backlinks, the “rel=canonical” tag ensures you reap the fruits of such links.

When entering a syndication arrangement, you should request that the third-party websites use the “rel=canonical” tag. If you are republishing another site’s content on your blog, be fair and use this tag too.

Do unto others…

For WordPress users, indicating the original content to Google is an easy case that requires no knowledge of coding. The Yoast SEO indicator on the post editor page helps you do the job. Just click the “Advanced” tab.

The “Advanced” tab then reveals a number of fields. In the last field which says “Canonical URL”, enter the URL of the original content. That lets Google know the original content.

2. Utilize The “NoIndex” Tag

Another super-effective way to dodge duplicate content issues is by tagging the page containing the republished content as “NoIndex”. This tag is similarly inserted in the HTML header of a page.

The effect of such a tag is to tell Google bots not to index that page. When a page is not indexed, it doesn’t pop up on search engine result pages.

You see where we are going with this, right?

The tag stops the republished content from overshadowing the original content. Therefore, you will not lose your well-deserved organic traffic.

Always ask third-party websites if they would be willing to use this tag when they republish your content. Do well to use the tag if you are republishing another site’s content on your blog.

Again, do unto others…

This is another easy case, thanks to WordPress. Just as we saw above, this can be effected using the Yoast SEO indicator. Click the “Advanced” tab. In the first field asking “Allow search engines to show this Post in search results?”, click “No”.

This means that you do not want the post to be indexed.

Easy peasy!

3. Add A Clear Attribution And A Backlink

If, for whatever reasons, the third-party website administrators refuse to add any of the two tags discussed above, do not despair.

You can ask them to add an attribution with a backlink to your site at the end of the post. An attribution generally takes the form of “This post was originally posted on xyz.com.”

While this tip gives you the acknowledgment that you deserve, it totally pales in comparison to the two tips discussed above. This is because it does not seem to stop the republishing site from outranking the site with the original content.

However, better is half a loaf than no bread.

Be sure to include this attribution as well if you republish another site’s content on your blog. (Can I say “Do unto others…” one more time?)

Finally, it is appropriate to say that you can’t have content syndication without content. Therefore, you should create outstanding content that high-authority sites will consider worth republishing.

Having gathered this much information, go ahead and make the most of content syndication networks. Your site will thank you for the link juice that will follow. Also, your much-desired target audience will notice you.

Has this post impacted you? Do you have any ideas to share? Let us know in the comments.

The post Content Syndication: What It Is and How To Do It Right appeared first on Bright Ewuru.

7 Amazing Marketing Tips For Lawyers

Bright Ewuru — Fri, 06 Mar 2020 22:16:25 +0000

Knowing effective marketing tips for lawyers is as important as knowing the legal principles in various areas of law.

Why?

Because without sufficient knowledge of marketing tips, our careers as lawyers will suffer a great deal.

I understand how conservative the legal profession is. With all the rules and restrictions concerning soliciting and advertising, marketing for us, as lawyers, might seem like murky waters.

However, in this post, I’ll identify 7 ironclad tips that will shine the light on your practice and keep clients coming your way. More importantly, these tips are safe and won’t land you in any contests with the regulatory committee in your locality.

Let’s go!

1. Niche Down:

The riches are in the niches. This statement holds true even in the legal profession.

What ensures that the marketing scale tips in our favor is to decide on the kind of clients to target as lawyers. This step involves having a proper understanding of the legal market which, quite sadly, lots of lawyers lack.

Picking a niche trumps shooting your bullets sporadically. Since your resources are limited, running out of gas is one thing you don’t want to do. Also, niching down helps build and strengthen your brand.

To make this decision, you have to ask yourself a number of questions. The questions include:

What area of the law matches your skills the most?
In what area of the law do you want to build your career?
Does your area of choice have a shining future?
What are your financial goals? (Trust me, it’s all about the Benjamins)
Can your clients really pay?
Do issues that demand your services actually arise?

If you have good answers to these questions, thumbs up! You’ve made headway. This will save you from making the mistake of focusing on clients who do not realize the essence of a lawyer, or worse even, clients who are not willing to pay.

Another importance of niching down is that clients who seek out lawyers already have a specific challenge. They will most certainly choose an expert in that area instead of a generalist.

2. Create Quality Content:

Except you live under a rock, you must have heard about the concept of content marketing (a term which has kept the business world aflame in recent times).

Content marketing is a strategy that attracts, converts and retains customers by regularly providing informative content that educates the customers.

Such a strategy can prove useful because it will subtly market you as a lawyer. What you have to do is frequently provide educative content that answers the questions of your target audience.

Give it a thought. Lawyer A always says “I’m a corporate lawyer. Hire me”. But Lawyer B always churns out legal tips that help companies stay out of, and even handle legal problems.

Imagine that a company that knows the two of them finds itself in a legal battle. Which one of the lawyers do you think stands a higher chance of being hired?

If you said Lawyer B, then you know what’s up. This is due to the fact that problems gravitate towards their solutions.

As a lawyer, one sure way of producing content is by having a blog where you can share knowledge. Your law practice is a business, and every business needs a blog. I can’t overemphasize this.

Another way is by creating videos. These videos can feature you alone, or you and colleagues discussing legal issues. You can discuss frequently asked questions or trending matters in the legal field.

Such videos can be posted on YouTube.

You can also provide educative content to your audience through email. This works if people sign up for your newsletters.

3. Set up an Optimised Website:

A website is an effective marketing tool. Firstly, it clothes your law practice with a garment of professionalism. It also serves as a platform for you to share content.

Ultimately, it helps with lead generation and can convert your visitors into paying clients.

Optimization refers to the techniques that increase the site’s chances of attaining the goals you want to achieve with it. The different ways of optimizing a site include:

SEO practices: These practices increase the visibility of your website to search engines. It takes a while to reap the benefits, but it is worth the effort.
Mobile-friendliness: According to The Next Web 52% of Internet users are mobile users. Your website should be made to respond perfectly to phones and tablets because that’s what most of your visitors will be using.
Call-to-Action: Your website should drive your visitors to do what you want them to do. In this case, it is smart to include an obvious button or form that triggers them to take action. Examples are a “Contact Us” button which leads to your contact page, a “Sign up for our newsletters” form, or a “download this template” button.
Live Chat: This feature encourages visitors to shoot their questions instantly. It is a step towards conversion as it assumes a friendly tone and the response is immediate. According to 99 Firms, live chat has the highest consumer satisfaction rate at 92%.

4. Leverage Social Media and Larger Platforms:

It is easy to mistake social media for a mere playground used by people generally unserious about life. If this is your situation, you need to have a rethink.

Online visibility might be the most underrated of all marketing tips utilized by lawyers. As a lawyer, you need to be seen- in every sense of the expression. Social media does a great favor to your online visibility.

There are millions of social media users on a daily basis. Imagine getting your law practice in the face of a significant fraction of such a number.

KABOOM!

Social media is cost-effective and helps establish you as a thought-leader. Prime instances of social media platforms that you can get on include Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

You can share your content on these platforms to raise awareness and alert potential clients.

In addition to social media are platforms that can boost your visibility. Examples include LiveLaw and iPleaders which have a large audience. Posting on such platforms will bring you the exposure you so desire.

You can also utilize Avvo to spike your reputation by building your profile and scoring a high rating. The options are plenty.

5. Lend a Hand:

Another move that is proven to aid your marketing is doing public interest matters. That’s what I said. Think of it as your way of “giving back to the public”.

What if you take up matters to prevent the violation of people’s human rights? Imagine helping tons of persons who can’t afford a lawyer get bail. Handling pro bono cases (a fancy legal term meaning cases “for the public good”) occasionally can do your image a world of good.

Because word-of-mouth is a powerful thing. Persons who benefit from your selfless actions are sure to relate to others about how you came to their rescue when all hope seemed lost.

With that will also follow tales about how you are so good at what you do. That means more clients for you!

6. Don’t be an Island:

The smartest way to sabotage your marketing efforts is by underestimating the power of networking. As a lawyer, you need to socialize. Step out, form connections, and link up with big playas in the legal field.

To double your results, step out of the legal circle as well. The persons outside are equally if not more important. After all, they are the ones who turn out to be clients.

Join a club in the community and be reasonably active in it.

If there are events hosted in your locality, do well to attend.

Listen up! We, lawyers, are seen as some sort of extraterrestrial beings who are to be approached only in times of trouble.

It’s up to you to mingle and change that view.

Join that soccer team; show up every Wednesday for practice. And don’t forget the dinner next weekend at the Wilsons’. Tasting their stuffed turkey would be quite a treat.

Do these things often and see how people would warm up to you and demand your services.

You are in for a treat! And I’m not talking about a stuffed turkey this time.

7. Referrals and Testimonials:

Stories travel.

But to market yourself optimally as a lawyer, you need to kick it full throttle. You have to fan the flames so that word about you can spread like wildfire.

Keep going hard and giving your clients the best. They will definitely say something nice about you to the next person, but you can speed up the process.

After rendering your services to a client, slip him a questionnaire asking him what he thinks about your service. If he gives a positive report… CHA-CHING!

Do this with each one of your clients and you will rack up testimonials like a deck of cards before you can say “justice”.

Also, you can get familiar with the top dogs in the legal profession in your locality. Show them how diligent and resourceful you are.

When it feels comfortable, you can gently ask them to say some kind words. Also, let them know that if they happen to know a client who needs services in your area of practice (assuming they specialize in a different area, of course) you’d be happy to have them sent your way.

Honestly, marketing yourself using these tips suitable for lawyers is a full-time job. It isn’t something you should neglect. But while you do it, find a pace and balance to avoid burning out. Follow these steps and watch amazing results unfold.

You are welcome to speak your mind in the comments. Do share this post too!

The post 7 Amazing Marketing Tips For Lawyers appeared first on Bright Ewuru.

Laws regulating E-Commerce: What You Need to Know

Bright Ewuru — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 13:02:22 +0000

The Internet is a noisy place. I’m sure you’ve heard that before. The laws regulating e-commerce exist to keep the cyberspace as peaceful as possible.

E-commerce simply involves the provision of goods and services usually for funds or other forms of payment over the Internet, computer networks and other electronic systems.

Truly, it is a blessing to both businesses and consumers. Because it has boosted sales and made for more convenient purchases. However, there are always issues, disagreements, and disappointments that come with commerce.

With that being said, this post points out the laws regulating the world of e-commerce.

There are certain considerations that online business owners should be aware of. However, other figures besides business owners matter in e-commerce.

The legal tips discussed in this post stretch to include requirements that inform consumers. In fact, some of them seek to help budding businesses survive the stampede that comes with competition, while some others are concerned with the regulation of marketing tactics in e-commerce.

Before we take off, here’s my disclaimer:

I am a lawyer by profession, but I am not your lawyer. This blog post serves strictly educational and informational purposes only, and its applicability may vary from one country to another. It does not form any sort of legal advice, neither does it create any attorney-client relationship between you and me. I am not liable for any damages resulting from or related to your use of the information contained in this post.

Without further ado, let’s get to it.

1. Policies:

Most online businesses have websites that serve as their shop on the Internet. Websites are legally mandated to have certain policies, and the various policies each serve distinct purposes.

Some of these policies are:

Privacy Policies
Shipping and Delivery Policies
Returns and Refund Policies

A privacy policy is a legal document that outlines how a business manages, uses and reveals the personal data of its customers. Various laws demand that the customers be notified of the fate of their personal details.

Therefore, it states the data being collected, the reason for such collection, third parties that will have access to the data, the rights of the owners of the data concerning their data, and much more.

A shipping and delivery policy is necessary if you sell commodities online. It is a robust document that explains when and how customers’ goods will be delivered to them, delivery costs and timeframes.

In business, returns and refunds are as natural as sudden rain.

We might not like them, but they happen. Therefore, it is advisable to include a robust returns and refund policy.

Should a customer cancel a purchase, he’ll be aware of how quickly he’ll get his money back. Also, he’ll know that he is obligated to return your product in a merchantable condition (without any defects).

Importance of policies:

The importance of having these policies on your website as an online merchant include:

They demonstrate legal compliance as in the case of privacy policies.
Usually, they help gain your customers’ trust.
They shield the business from legal actions.
They notify the customers of who handles their personal data.

2. Terms and Conditions

For an online business, the terms and conditions on its website serve as a shield. This is because they protect the owner from all sorts of legal troubles.

They point out, amongst other things, what is allowed on the website. Also, they indicate the rules that govern the transaction between the business owner and the customers.

Since they are delicate in nature, it is necessary to contract a lawyer. He can draft comprehensive and bespoke terms and conditions for your online business. It will serve as a binding contract between you and your customers.

Content of terms and conditions:

The terms and conditions house relevant clauses that generally protect the interest of the business. Some of them are added for the sake of the business, while some others are born out of legal necessity.

A non-exhaustive list of the contents of terms and conditions lies below.

The owner’s business identity, contact information, and products sold
Liability limitations which reduce obligations that could possibly arise from transactions
Rules regulating shipping and delivery when purchases are made. This can be stated there or a reference can be made to the shipping and delivery policy if it is housed separately.
Specifications in the case of a demand for refund and return of the goods. Again, this can be stated there, or a reference can be made to the returns and refunds policy if it is housed separately.
Governing law in the event of disputes.

Restrictive Terms vs Candid Reviews

It is worth mentioning that certain businesses have abused the power that terms and conditions afford. Since the terms and conditions constitute an agreement between businesses and customers, some businesses utilize it unethically.

Somewhere amidst the army of letters, words and punctuation marks that form the terms and conditions, the businesses usually hide a gag clause.

Also termed the non-disparagement clause, the function of the gag clause is to stop the customers from giving a negative review regardless of how shoddy the business’s product or service is.

It usually states that the customer risks legal action if he violates it. As odd as it sounds, some businesses are eager to go guns-blazing against disgruntled customers who won’t keep it on the hush.

Thankfully, legislators understood the importance of candid reviews in the world of commerce, as well as the impending dangers which the gag clauses posed.

As 2016 rolled to an end, the Consumer Review Fairness Act was signed into law. The law strikes a fine balance by:

Making void any gag clauses in consumer contracts
Ensuring that businesses can remove false and defamatory reviews.

All fair.

3. Protection of Customers’ Financial Data

E-commerce, in an ideal world, would be the answer to all of our problems. The benefits that come with it are off the charts.

However, that isn’t the situation. The prime obstacle getting in the way of e-commerce’s sweeping campaign is “fraud”.

On countless occasions, online merchants suffer chargebacks after they have supplied the goods ordered. This usually happens due to an unauthorized payment made using another customer’s account and credit card details in the business’s online store.

This means a huge loss for the online merchant.

However, bringing this misfortune to a halt is the PCI DSS – Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.

It is a regulation that lays down the standard that must be followed by online retailers when storing, processing and transmitting credit card data. These standards were created by the PCI Security Standards Council in a bid to improve payment account data security.

Therefore, to achieve PCI Compliance, amongst other things, the online retailer needs to:

Use a firewall between a wireless network and the cardholder data environment;
Apply the latest security and authentication;
Adopt a network intrusion detection system.

Actually, it is a mighty hurdle for small businesses to attain PCI Compliance. Also, certification as compliant takes a great deal of time.

A viable option in the instance is to outsource PCI to a third party that has the payment system to make sure your business meets the standard.

4. Marketing and Advertising

If you are engaged in business, it is only natural for you to want to create sufficient awareness to increase conversion.

The story is the same if you are an online merchant.

However, the law is eager to protect consumers from desperate and unscrupulous business owners. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission holds online marketing and advertising to the same standard as other forms of advertising.

Firstly, the advertisements must always be truthful, and not deceptive. Additionally, whatever claims that are made must be established.

Another area of online marketing is email marketing which has proven to be quite popular in recent times. The US law governing it stepped in to clamp down on spammers and businesses that resort to unfair practices in their marketing.

The CAN-SPAM Act (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act 2003) governs email marketing in the US. Some of the rules it laid down are that the sender must:

Obtain the consent of the recipients
Make it clear that the emails are advertisements
State his current address, residential or postbox
Offer an option and means for recipients to opt-out
Opt recipients out promptly

Under this law, a violation of these provisions could result in outrageous fines (about $16,000 for each non-compliant email).

5. Taxes

For online merchants, the nuances of sales tax laws regulating the e-commerce ecosystem could appear tricky. It is advisable to contact the relevant local authority to ensure you are appropriately informed.

Other than that, are you aware that when you make a purchase at a brick-and-mortar store you are paying tax on the commodity bought?

This same principle extends to electronic commerce. However, the US tax laws apply certain principles in determining this.

If you pay attention, you’ll notice that certain e-commerce websites charge you tax when you make a purchase, while some others don’t. This is a result of the element of “nexus” and its implications.

Nexus:

An e-commerce business is bound to charge tax if it has nexus in any state in the US.

Nexus means any business link in that state which indicates that the venture is doing business in that state.

However, we must keep in mind the fact that different states have different definitions of “nexus”. Some forms of nexus that make e-commerce ventures taxable include:

Physical presence nexus which is triggered if you use an office, place of distribution, warehouse or storage place; or if you employ a representative, agent, salesman, canvasser or solicitor in that state.
Economic nexus which is triggered if you reach a certain amount in sales or complete a certain number of transactions.
Affiliate nexus which is triggered if you are affiliated with a business individual in the state and this connection yields sales.
Click-through nexus which is triggered if you run advertisements or links on an in-state website, and they generate leads and channel potential customers and opportunities to you.
Web cookies nexus which come into play if you utilize web cookies on in-state devices.

Armed with these details, as an online merchant, you must ask yourself a number of questions to determine whether “nexus” exists or not. The questions include but are not limited to:

Do I have any sort of physical presence in the form of a studio, production site, warehouse, or store in any state?
Do I have employees, agents or contractors in any state?
Where are my affiliates located?
How many sales have I made; or how much have I made, and has my business reached the state’s threshold?

At this point, I should stress that it is necessary to have a look at each state’s tax nexus policy to find out the fate of your business in that state.

If there is a nexus between your business and a state, it would be appropriate to register for the state’s sales tax permit, then begin to collect and remit sales tax.

With these tips, you are sure to have your tax game on lock!

6. E-contracts

In the regular world, contracts lie at the heart of commerce. The same is the case with commerce on the Internet. However, the fact that the parties involved are not face-to-face usually raises some questions.

These contracts usually take different forms. They are:

Clickwrap contracts which feature a body of text, usually popping up on the website’s first page, laying out the terms of the contract, and buttons that the user or customer must click to indicate his acceptance or refusal. This actually determines whether he can proceed to use the website.
Browsewrap contracts which contain the terms of use of the website. A separate page of the website accessible via a link placed in the footer usually houses them. This kind of contract does not demand the user to click in order to show acceptance or rejection of the terms. Continued use of the website serves as implied acceptance of the contract.
Electronic documents which outline the terms agreed upon by parties to govern a certain business relationship that they have. In this case, the contracts normally have the signature of the parties appended to signify their acceptance.

Enforceability of E-Contracts

As a general rule of thumb, the law honors these online contracts, with few exceptions. Such exceptions are:

Where they are for illegal purposes (because duh!)
If they contain gag clauses as pointed out above
Where any element of a valid contract is missing.

For contracts contained in electronic documents, the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act endorses contracts executed by electronic signature.

The law recognizes that signatures and contracts should not be denied legal effect and validity merely because they are in electronic form.

Therefore, consumers of products and services are adequately protected since they have the opportunity to read through and actually consent to the terms.

7. Intellectual Property and E-Commerce

While you are busy trying to increase your conversions as an online merchant, you should note that certain actions can land you in legal hot water!

This is because the law is serious about intellectual property rights. These rights include copyright, trademark, patents, and trade secrets. The goal is to protect the effort of original creators and prevent unfair competition in business.

It’s easy to wonder how you might be violating these laws but the instances are not far-fetched. Even without infringing on the rights of others, you could be sabotaging your entrepreneurial efforts.

Those pictures you posted showing off the items you have for sale are quite attractive. But do they belong to you? Did you obtain the owner’s permission before using them?

How about the blog posts you copied and pasted? You need to know when you’re crossing the line.

Mainly, the Digital Millenium Copyright Act governs copyright on the Internet.

Oh! You sell designer products too? Amazing! But that logo isn’t yours now, is it? It’s the trademark of a million-dollar fashion company.

Ahem.

By the way, those secret tips that have kept your online store booming, you shared them with that ambitious investor on Facebook. Umm, did you get him to sign a non-disclosure agreement? Sheesh!

I could go on and on. Legal actions for infringing one’s intellectual property right could well result in fines running into tens of thousands of dollars.

That would snap your fragile venture’s wings before it can take flight. It would seem that most online merchants get away with such violations, but that is only because they aren’t big players.

What to do:

In order to steer clear of these legal mud-pits, it is necessary to engage the services of a lawyer. He would guide you every step of the way. For starters, avoid using images, videos, and literary works that are not yours or do not exist in the public domain either.

If you have yours, then use it.

Also, if you create a logo for your business, register the trademark speedily before someone else does. That way, you can prevent others from taking advantage of your branding efforts.

Non-disclosure agreements are relevant to protect your trade secrets and are binding. Even if the recipient of the information is miles away from you, signed electronic contracts are available to protect you.

This is business!

8. Antitrust Laws

Also recognized as competition law, antitrust law exists to prevent conspiracies and monopolies in trade. As one of the various business laws, it helps in regulating e-commerce as well.

There is the chance that big players in every industry could get even bigger. As a matter of fact, they could get too powerful to a fault. In the world of e-commerce, the reality of this can’t be denied.

Consequently, the Sherman Act seeks to clamp down on contracts and commercial collaborations aimed at unreasonably restricting trade. Agreements between competitors to fix prices, rig bids or divide markets and other such practices are illegal.

Since all business ventures are trying to make a way, it is unfair for the powerful few to seize the market simply because they can. The opportunity to advance and compete favorably should be afforded to all and sundry.

In the event of a violation of the law in this regard, there are intimidating penalties lying in wait. If the perpetrator is an individual, he could face 10 years in prison.

For companies, the penalty is a heavy fine of up to $100 million or double the gain made (or loss suffered) due to the violation; whichever is greater. In the case of individuals, the fine is up to $1 million or double the gain or loss (whichever is greater).

Also, if an aggrieved victim of such a collaboration succeeds in a civil case, the defendants will pay damages, the plaintiff’s attorneys’ fees and costs (including the defendants’ attorneys’ fees).

9. Restricted Products, Territorial Issues, and Permits

In the business of buying and selling there are usually restrictions. The products, where the products can be sold, or who can sell such products are usually the subject of such restrictions. With possible modifications, this is the case with electronic commerce.

Online merchants, for the most part, are hardly ever aware of which restriction applies to them, and this is where the problem begins.

It is regular for laws to mandate that every business owner obtain some sort of license before commencing business. This can be the situation in the case of e-commerce wherever you are based. In that case without that certification, you can’t operate (at least not legally).

Additionally, there is the ever-present possibility that you are authorized to sell, yet the authority doesn’t cover certain products. To sell such products, you normally need an extra license and/or qualification. Alcoholic beverages, weapons, medicine, and certain food items are examples.

Sometimes, other locations may prohibit the sale of such goods. This is normally due to legality, or industry practices as is the case with organic products.

Finally, some goods are just plain illegal to sell. With all the certifications in the world, they would still be out of bounds. A textbook example is … you guessed it… narcotic drugs. The laws of each country determine what’s illegal.

What to do:

The answer is for online merchants to keep their eyes open, and their ears to the ground. It’s easy to know the drill in one’s locality, but what then happens in the case of cross-border trade?

Just in case doing all the research would prove overwhelming, there is always the option to engage a lawyer. Knowing where not to step, and avoiding potential losses and lawsuits is a significant benefit.

Final words:

Legal regulation is necessary to ensure that the ecosystem of e-commerce runs smoothly for popular good. In the bid to protect one party, the law might heap some obligations on the other party. This is in the spirit of justice and fairness.

Without these legal regulations, e-commerce would imply chaos.

Therefore, at each point, everyone should endeavor to know what the law demands and then act accordingly. This will enable us to gleefully transact online and dodge much-dreaded court cases, fines, losses, and even imprisonment.

Do you own an online store? What legal regulations have you encountered in the course of your business? What are your thoughts? Feel free to share in the comments.

Also, kindly share this post.

The post Laws regulating E-Commerce: What You Need to Know appeared first on Bright Ewuru.

12 Legal Tips for Bloggers

Bright Ewuru — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 22:40:04 +0000

Oh! Yes. You read that right… legal tips for bloggers.

I know you’ve been nursing dreams of launching your business online. You know, having a website with a blog, in order to milk all the possible benefits. Chances are that you’ve already kicked off.

Soon enough, the paper’s gonn’ start rolling in.

Right?

Well, not so fast Mr. Make It Rain.

Running a business is fun, but there are tons of dangers lurking. Imagine how much more dangers there could be when a business is on the Internet.

These dangers include court cases, outrageous fines and orders to take down posts on your website to name only a few.

The truth is that lots of entrepreneurs are in the dark about the relevance of the law. Trust me, that long arm will get you if you run foul.

Also, many are daunted by the technicalities involved, but it doesn’t have to be so. Certain persons are trained to handle those technicalities. For example, ahem, lawyers.

Having said that, in this post, I’m going to point out 12 different legal tips for bloggers. This will serve as a guide to help you blog legally and remain in the good books of the law while you make your mullah!

I’m aware that different laws govern different countries. So, while I’m not going to bore deep into the legal requirements of any particular country, I’ll highlight the legal issues that confront bloggers all over the world.

Also, I’ll keep the legalese to the barest minimum. This is a blog post, not a session in the Parliament.

By the way, before we kick off, here’s my disclaimer:

I am a lawyer by profession, but I am not your lawyer. This blog post serves strictly educational and informational purposes only. It does not form any sort of legal advice, neither does it create any attorney-client relationship between you and me. I am not liable for any damages resulting from or related to your use of the information contained in this post.

1. Privacy Policies

A privacy policy can be defined as a statement or legal document that explains how an entity collects, manages, uses and reveals the personal data of its customers, clients or users.

Any piece of information which can be used to identify a person counts as personal data. Examples of one’s personal data include:

The person’s name
Marital status
Medical history and records
Contact details
Credit and debit card information
Date of birth
Driver’s license details
Other forms of identification and financial records

The essence of a privacy policy is to completely notify the users of a website of the fate of their data.

Such personal data are worthy of protection.

For most websites, the privacy policy is usually contained in a page, and the link to the page is placed in the footer section of the site.

Many laws require a privacy policy on every website. Some of these laws include:

Children’s Online Privacy Act (for the US)
General Data Protection Regulation (for the EU)
Privacy Act of 1988 (for Australia)
Personal Information Protection and Electronic Document Act (for Canada)

Contents of a Privacy Policy

The contents of a website’s privacy policy depend largely on the governing law. However, the usual contents include the following:

The data being collected
The legal basis for the collection of the data
The purposes for which the data are being collected
Third parties who will have access to the data and how
If applicable, details relating to international data transfer and measures created to enhance the process safely
The rights of users concerning their data
How users will be notified of changes to the privacy policy

Frankly, this is one of the legal tips which bloggers should take seriously. And that’s because the governing laws are serious about it too.

It makes no difference whether your business is only a budding venture that has barely seen the light of day or whether it is a company of global renown.

They will come for you.

The great Google felt the burn in a sizzling legal contest. Sure, they survived it, but the Silicon Valley company, Path, couldn’t.

Honestly, your business might not either.

Importance of privacy policies

In many countries, it is a legal requirement if you collect personal data.
Having a privacy policy fulfills the requirement of third-party services that you might be using. For example, Google Analytics actively requires you to have a privacy policy that contains details of your use of their services.
A privacy policy on your website shields you from many legal complications and thus, saves you from much dreaded legal battles.
It breeds trust and comfort between you and your customers because people are sensitive about their personal data in recent times. Revealing concrete information about what data you collect and what you do with it helps up your users’ trust.
If you have a privacy policy on your site, you have a higher chance of making more conversions and more money. This is because customers patronize whomever they feel comfortable with.

2. Terms of Use

Terms of use are commonly referred to as terms and conditions or terms of service. The names mean the same thing and can be used interchangeably.

It is not a legal requirement. However, it serves as a body of rules and an agreement between you and the users of your website.

Basically, it outlines the do’s and don’t’s of your blog, and reminds visitors to your site that you are in charge.

Providing the terms of use page is one of the legal tips highly recommended for bloggers. This is because it pinpoints the rights and duties of all parties using the site.

Whenever a case arises in court between a user and the business, the courts pay due attention to the terms of use to determine whether or not the claim holds water. This makes it necessary for all websites to have comprehensive terms of use to protect them and reduce their liability in the event of legal actions.

It is worth mentioning that the terms of use should be drafted by a lawyer. Just downloading a template from the Internet hardly helps as such documents might not be tailored to suit your business.

The terms of use page is usually housed in a separate page, and the link to the page is normally placed in the site’s footer section.

Contents of Terms of Use

The particular contents of terms of use differ from one website to the other, but there are general elements that are normally found in it. They include:

The governing law in the event of legal disputes
Rules about intellectual property, use of the site’s content and uploading content to the site
Rules for use of the site
Relationship between the site and third-party links
Termination of a user’s access to the site
Limitation of Liability
Applicable policies (such as warranty policies, refund policies etc)

Importance of Terms of Use

Even though it is not required by the law, the terms of use address a number of legal issues that concern bloggers. A number of them are outlined below.

It prevents unlawful use of the website. Unlawful use includes anything that interferes with the smooth operation and enjoyment of the site by all, and this ranges from spamming other users to posting hateful content. This comes in handy as one of the legal tips aiding bloggers, because now and then, some odd fella spews vulgar language in the comment section.
Also, it declares that the blogger who owns the website is the owner of the logo, site design, and content made by the owner. This further informs the users that such content is protected by international copyright laws.
The terms of use state the right of the site owner to terminate the access of users and site visitors who use the site unlawfully.
It also houses a disclaimer which reduces liability on the owner’s part for errors and omissions in contents uploaded on the site. In such instances, it states that the owner can’t be held responsible for any inaccuracies or mistakes.
Additionally, the terms of use state the governing law in the event of a legal dispute, as well as steps that must be taken (such as mediation and arbitration) before the matter goes to court.

3. Disclaimers

Let’s face it. You make painstaking efforts to put out high-quality content. On paper, the tips and tricks you lay out in your posts are fool-proof and always produce the best results every dang time.

Here’s the shocker. It could all go wrong, even if a user follows your instructions to the letter.

Who’s to blame?

You, of course!

Except you have the shield of the “disclaimer” to ward off the fiery arrows of legal action from disgruntled readers.

By having a disclaimer on your blog, you deny liability for the content you publish, the inaccuracies in them or the possible mishaps that may arise from a user relying on them. These legal tips help bloggers in more ways than we can imagine.

Believe me. Site visitors sometimes trust bloggers a little too wholeheartedly. And we can’t blame them now, can we?

Personally, long ago, I googled up “how to make the best peanut cookies”, and followed the tips laid out in the top-ranking result.

The outcome? Third World War, inside me!

With a disclaimer on your site, you’re simply telling visitors who read your posts ” I dunno though, so you can’t say I ruined your life”.

That’s it.

Without a proper disclaimer, you open yourself to all sorts of court actions and claims from people who didn’t get the results you promised, or worse still, sustained injuries while following your instructions.

A disclaimer might not protect you from being sued in the first place, but it will go a long way in protecting you from liability.

There are 2 popular ways of putting a disclaimer on your site. The first is to create a page for it, with the link in the footer. The second way is to include it in a post. I’m sure you spotted mine up there.

Contents of a Disclaimer

Understandably, the contents of a disclaimer depend on the nature of business you hope to carry out on your blog and the relevant niche. It should be crafted to perfectly suit your business. Therefore, the contents include, but are not limited to:

A disclaimer of liability for the accuracy of the information in your posts;
Also, disclaimer of liability for physical harm caused by the goods you sell;
A disclaimer of third-party responsibility;
And a disclaimer of implied warranties;
Additional disclaimers.

Importance of a Disclaimer

Generally, the essence of a disclaimer as one of the legal tips is simply to protect bloggers from liability. That pretty much sums it up. However, it is proper to consider the functions individually.

It helps you disclaim liability for the accuracy of your information. This is necessary because mistakes always occur. Also, facts and records always change. Effecting such changes in your posts as soon as they occur is darn near impossible.
Secondly, a disclaimer helps you deny liability for any physical harm caused by the items you sell. In this instance, it doesn’t entirely mean that a disclaimer will help you get away with selling flawed goods. The court will definitely pay attention to the surrounding circumstances, but you are always better off with a disclaimer than otherwise.
If you run ads on your site or insert links to third-party sites, a disclaimer can help you avoid liability for harm effected by such third-party content. The disclaimer will state that you are not responsible for the actions, omissions, and errors of the third parties.
It also helps you veer away from legal troubles that may arise from accidents or injuries sustained in the process of following your information. For instance, a fitness coach, or a business coach will do well to state that no information on the site is to be deemed as professional advice because no such relationship is created. Otherwise, such a coach is prone to all sorts of claims.
A disclaimer covers various other issues such as earnings, the transmission of viruses by users or third parties, copyright violations by third parties and many more legal issues relating to blogging.

4. Disclosures for Sponsored Content

Blogging is a sweet deal. Know what’s sweeter?

Getting paid to do something you already love to do. That is a regular experience for bloggers.

Occasionally, bloggers are engaged by brands and businesses to write posts that speak well of the brand’s products. The bloggers get some form of compensation which could be in the form of money or otherwise.

So, what’s the business of the law with this, yeah?

The law (keep the Federal Trade Commission of the US in mind here) simply demands that you let your readers know when your opinion is being influenced by an advertising collaborator.

Whenever you are paid to write a post on your blog, you should indicate at the beginning that you received some form of compensation for the post. If you are an affiliate marketer and have links, you should also indicate that you will be earning a commission.

The law expects transparency between bloggers and readers.

You need not spell out what you received. A brief statement making it clear that you were paid suffices. Additionally, you could include in the statement a link that leads to a page housing a comprehensive version of the disclosure policy.

The importance of having a disclosure is to notify your visitors that there’s an incentive behind the post. This will help them make informed decisions about purchasing the product.

As odd as it might seem, this will lead your visitors to trust you more. Because you upheld your integrity!

I’ve witnessed many bloggers do this. Normally, they also state that they will only recommend products and services which they have personally used themselves.

Like I mentioned earlier, readers easily trust bloggers. So, with disclosures, we are building trust, making money and also blogging legally.

Bull’s eye!

5. Put it in Writing

Contracts. Written contracts.

Bloggers get into contracts with other entities frequently. These entities could be sponsors who want bloggers to promote their brand. Or collaborators and independent contractors who will help the bloggers with one or two tasks such as creating images, or writing blog posts (think of graphic designers and freelance writers).

Often, bloggers even get into contracts with their friends, not because the latter is rendering any peculiar service. But because the blogger disclosed a secret plan to him and wants him to keep it on the hush. In this case, they enter into a non-disclosure agreement.

Contracts seem to be the most underrated of all legal tips that bloggers know. Why?

Because lots of newbie bloggers are so excited when business opportunities pop up. Also, they usually think “oh yeah, well when I’m big enough”.

Sometimes bloggers are scared to speak of written contracts because they don’t want to seem difficult.

Ugh! That’s just sad.

Importance of Contracts

A contract, written and signed, shows professionalism.
It protects you when the chips are down.
A contract defines expectations and lays out important details that seem trivial during mere conversations.
Also, it helps the parties steer clear of misunderstandings and quibbles.
It does a world of good to your image as an entrepreneur.

Contents of Contracts

If you ever need a contract as a blogger, here are the basic elements which it should contain.

The parties to the contract, which could either be the individuals or businesses involved as the case may be and their addresses. Usually, this element of the contract spells out the capacity in which both parties are contracting. They normally contract in the capacity of collaborators or independent contractors, and not in an employer-employee capacity.
Scope of work to be done. This clearly states what the work involves, and what is expected. It helps keep scope-creepers at bay.
The number of reviews and changes. This comes in handy where one collaborator needs to go through the content and suggest alterations to be made. It helps limit the number of times alterations can be asked for and states the fees that will be charged for extra changes.
Copyrights and usage. This explains who owns the copyright and how the work can be used by each party. Can each party repost? If reposts are done must the other party receive credits? Stuff like that.
Turnaround time. This states specifically when the work should be done and submitted to the other party.
Terms of payment. This part of the contract pinpoints when payment will be made and the mode of payment. It could also outline the penalty for late payment such as interest rates etc.
The governing law. This indicates which law will hold sway if irreconcilable differences arise between the parties.
Confidentiality clause. This is particularly relevant if it’s a non-disclosure agreement. It binds each party to seal his lips about their plans.
Signature of the parties and date. Without this, the contract is nothing beyond a meaningless choreography of words and punctuations.

6. Copyright laws

While we’ve been discussing legal tips in the form of documents and website pages written by bloggers, another consideration that must be noted is the law of copyright.

This aspect of the law subtlely holds sway even in the world of bloggers.

The Internet is no man’s land and everything belongs to everybody, right?

WRONG!

The law of intellectual property protects people’s works such as their blog posts, images, songs, videos, ebooks, and courses. Therefore, only the creator and those he permits can reproduce, distribute, or publicly display the work, and even create derivatives from it (eg animations, or sequels to a movie or book).

Producing quality content takes effort, and the law seeks to stop one from taking unfair advantage of another’s hard work.

The law kicks in to protect your work once that work is expressed (in its final form). The law of copyright is alive in many countries (something we bloggers can be thankful for), but a huge plus to that is the Digital Millenium Copyright Act.

How the DMCA operates

The DMCA is a US law aimed at protecting digital copyrights. If you notice that another site owner has posted your content as his, as a first step, you can simply write to them, asking them to take it down. If they do, great!

But if they don’t take it down, you can issue a DMCA takedown letter to their hosting company which will take the stolen material down. Of course, this isn’t all there is to it. The DMCA has all the tiny details you need, and you might consider consulting a lawyer just in case.

The implication of Copyright laws for bloggers

These legal tips serve as both a sword and a shield for bloggers. So, while we are keen on learning how to protect our copyright, we also need to understand how not to violate the next fella’s.

I like to think of bloggers as decent people, so why any blogger would mindlessly copy and paste a post from another site is beyond me. That is a violation of the original creator’s copyright and you could get into a pool of trouble for it.

However, this does not mean that you cannot get ideas from other people’s posts. Sure, you can. As long as you craft and word your post in a manner peculiar to you, you are safe.

The law of copyright does not protect mere ideas.

Another area in which bloggers must be careful is the use of images.

Downloading and using about any image you find on Google Images will land you in a bitter pot of soup before you can say flick.

The safest option is to reach out to the creator asking for permission to use the image.

On the flip side, you can use images that are not copyrighted. Personally, I find this the most convenient option because it removes the worry of a potential violation and the hassle of contacting the creator. A number of places where you can find non-copyrighted images include:

A violation of copyright can land a blogger in prison, or make him liable for a fine of more than $100,000 for each work.

That’s scary!

To be certain about what works, it is wise to consult a lawyer in your locality for more legal tips about copyright and how they affect bloggers.

7. Email marketing campaigns

For many of us, this is the dream: email lists longer than the Missouri River, and an endless barrage of marketing emails to our subscribers.

While these dreams are valid, there are laws existing to stop your dreams from becoming a nightmare to others.

These laws point out important steps that must be taken in any email marketing campaign. Flaunting any of them could lead to huge fines – a corner you’d never want to be in.

These laws are majorly aimed at spammers and unscrupulous businesses who improperly acquire the email addresses of people and send unsolicited emails ceaselessly.

Therefore, the goal is to protect people from unnecessary and destructive spam and revive consumers’ trust enough for them to release their email addresses to businesses they want to hear from.

Laws governing email marketing

The laws governing email marketing in different countries include:

Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations of 2003 (for the UK)
General Data Protection Regulation (for the EU)
The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (for the US). CAN-SPAM means Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing
Candian Anti-Spam Law (CASL)
Australian Spam Act of 2003

Legal tips for bloggers running email marketing campaigns

The various laws governing email marketing identify a number of regulations that must be complied with. They include:

Obtain the consent of the people on your email list.
Avoid misleading header information just to trick recipients into opening emails.
Clearly indicate that the email is an ad and not a personal email.
State your address (it could be your current residential address or a postbox address).
Offer an option and a way for recipients to opt-out of receiving future emails from you.
Opt your recipients out promptly (without charging a fee for it and within 10 business days).

It is noteworthy that these rules are binding on you even when you delegate the task of email marketing to a third party, for instance, a digital marketing company. Therefore, ensure that they comply with the regulations before the emails are sent.

The good news is that if you make use of reputable email service providers, by default, you’ll be complying with the majority of these policies.

However, transactional emails (such as emails of order confirmations, emails for password change and emails that provide details about current membership) are not bound to follow these rules.

But you have nothing to lose if your transactional emails are compliant. Because these practices are ethical and indicate due respect for your recipients. Also, they give your emails a genuine look, instead of the suspicious appearance of spam.

8. Blogging and Libel

As much as we love to write, we bloggers need to be aware of our obligations under the law.

Anybody can get sued for libel and defamation, not just journalists or on-air personalities. Clearly, that includes bloggers. So, what, exactly, is libel? What is defamation?

Defamation is a term that generally refers to saying bad and untrue things that can hurt one’s reputation about a person. When such statements of fact are in writing, it is termed libel (yup, that’s for us right there).

However, if they are just verbal, it is referred to as slander.

Elements of Libel:

The basic elements of libel are some of the legal tips bloggers need to know.

First, the statement must be bad and hurtful to one’s reputation (at least in the mind of an average guy). This makes a whole lot of sense because, duh, no one gets mad when good things are said about him.

Secondly, the statement must be untrue. Right? So, if the hurtful things you write about a person are true, then you should not really worry. But if you are spewing lies, man, you are in for a rough time.

Also, the statement must be published. I keep this particular element in my mind before hitting the “publish” button after writing a blog post (I’m sure you can see why). This element implies that at least one other person must have read the post. Yup, just one loyal follower of your blog is enough to complete the circuit and have you entangled in a nasty lawsuit.

My personal advice concerning this issue of libel is for all bloggers to simply avoid writing hurtful things about others. I mean, how hard is it to not say something bad about another person? Sheesh!

As I indicated, these are just the basic elements, but they are enough to open your eyes and save you from trouble. It would be appropriate to seek legal advice if you are concerned about the nitty-gritty of the law on libel and defamation.

9. Blogging and Trade Secrets

The law stretches farther than we assume.

You could possibly be wondering “Why the heck would a blogger be concerned with a person’s trade secrets?”

Well, I’m here for such questions.

A trade secret refers to an intellectual property that exists as a process, mechanism, pattern, style or formula which is not known to the general public, but through which the business or person who owns it can get some advantages in business.

The laws vary from one country to another, but generally a trade secret

is not known to the public;
helps the owner make progress in business;
and the owner is eager to preserve the secret.

A perfect example is the formula for Coca-Cola which has been protected for over 20 years.

Imagine that you worked in a popular bakery and you were one of the very few who knew the special recipe behind the remarkable taste the pastries had. Usually, employees who have such knowledge sign a non-disclosure agreement and you did.

Now, imagine that you resigned from this hypothetical bakery a few years later and launched a blog for baking tips. It’s all coming together, yeah?

The non-disclosure agreement stops you from giving away the secret recipe which that bakery uses. And if you go ahead to release such closely guarded information, a serious lawsuit just might be coming for you.

It is easy to think this instance is extreme, but these things happen! The essence of these legal tips is for fellow bloggers to have a fair understanding of the law and steer clear of trouble as much as possible.

The wrong end of the law is an unpleasant place to be and we should be mindful of these legal issues.

10. Blogging and Personality Rights

Personality rights, which are also called rights of publicity refer to a person’s rights to regulate and earn from the use of his name, image and other forms of identity.

The law in this aspect is aimed at preventing a person from losing commercial worth due to the unauthorized use of his identity for commercial purposes. If the user is making money from it, he should be doing so with permission, otherwise, he must give the actual owner his due.

Almost every country has this sort of law in place, but some make the law applicable only to celebrities and really famous persons, while others make the law applicable to any individual.

Also, in some countries, the right is only protected if the person has previously earned some commercial benefit from exploiting his identity.

What this implies for bloggers is that we could be violating an individual’s rights if we use an unmistakable form of his identity for commercial benefit.

We usually post different forms of media such as videos and audio on our blogs. Sometimes, bloggers even create online courses for sale. Imagine buying a course from a blogger only to hear the lessons going on in Barak Obama’s voice!

Odd right?

It might serve the desired purpose for the sake of the lesson, but the blogger is only an inch away from legal action.

11. Legal tips concerning intrusion upon seclusion by bloggers

Bloggers should be mindful about publishing stuff about people. And I don’t mean that for just untrue stuff.

You could get into a legal mire for publishing the truth (gossip bloggers, please take note).

The laws concerning intrusion upon seclusion seek to preserve people’s private lives and save them unnecessary embarrassment.

Little wonder the offense is also referred to as publication of private facts.

Elements of intrusion upon seclusion

There must be public disclosure of facts. Posting on your blog is enough to count as publication.
Secondly, the facts disclosed must be private. It must not be known by the general public. This includes intimate details about a person’s life which are unknown to the general public. Examples are a person’s medical conditions, sexual orientation and history, and financial records. However, if the information has already been made public by a magazine, newspaper, or another blogger, it is no longer deemed private.
The facts disclosed must be offensive to a reasonable person. If the publication of the fact would be annoying to a regular fellow, then this requirement is satisfied. It doesn’t matter if the person who was written about found it offensive.
Finally, the facts stated must be an issue that doesn’t legitimately matter to the public (that’s to say the fact is not newsworthy).

With these details, you are armed with the necessary information to blog legally and stay out of harm’s way.

12. Business Entity

This last legal tip should be the first consideration (what an irony!) when you want to start the business of blogging.

You can embark on a business as a sole proprietor, or you could form a company.

The implications of running a business as a sole proprietor are huge. In the event of legal action, and award of claims against the blogger, the blogger will be personally liable. This means he will pay whatever fines and damages out of his pocket.

However, if the business is being operated as a company, the idea of a corporate veil comes into play.

The concept of a corporate veil implies that in the event of a legal claim against the business, no one will be personally liable. Instead, the business will be liable, and all fines and damages will be paid out of the business’s coffers.

This protects the actual persons who formed the business from liability. This is important for bloggers because you could wind up on the wrong end of a legal suit at any time.

Conclusion

So, now that you know the legal tips that help bloggers, be quick to take a look around your blog.

If there’s a legal loophole in any part, do well to patch it up ASAP. But, if you hope to start a blog sometime in the future, well, the force is with you! Here’s a trove of precious knowledge for you.

Do you know any more legal tips that would be of help to bloggers? Have you had any legal issues as a blogger? What are your thoughts on this post generally?

Let me know in the comments section. I’m all ears. Kindly share this post, too.

The post 12 Legal Tips for Bloggers appeared first on Bright Ewuru.

17 Powerful Reasons Why Every Business Needs a Blog

Bright Ewuru — Fri, 06 Sep 2019 02:07:38 +0000

These records only identify why every business needs a blog.

You find the numbers staggering, don’t you?

Well, I do too!

But I’m not exactly surprised.

I’m talking about a Content Marketing Institute research which revealed that 79% of B2B companies have blogs, while 70% of B2C companies have blogs.

Now and then, I hear people talk about how much blogging is overrated. I dismiss people who think so as being just unaware of the importance of blogging to businesses.

If you are keen on promoting your business as much as possible at minimal cost, then blogging is the answer.

In this post, I’m going to identify 17 strong reasons why every business needs a blog. These will open up your eyes to the benefits of blogging for business, branding, and marketing.

The rules of business and marketing have changed remarkably from what they used to be half-a-century ago.

To make greater conversions and stay ahead of the competition today, entrepreneurs utilize all possible means to remain in the thoughts of prospective customers.

And the Internet has a huge role to play in all of this.

A business blog refers to a channel for the production of content (mainly written) that helps the business grow and gain greater visibility online.

It is quite similar to social media, emails, and other numerous marketing channels except that it is usually on the business’s website.

Business blogging refers to the marketing strategy of utilizing the business’ blog to grow and promote the business.

The essence of business is to make a profit and expand. From the simple definition above, business growth is the major concern of business blogging.

Blogging works perfectly for both small businesses and big businesses, so don’t be discouraged if you are an up-and-comer. If you run a small business, blogging is your surest bet if you want to make it to the big league.

Having pointed those out, let us dive into the various reasons why every business should have a blog. These reasons pinpoint the countless benefits of blogging for business and marketing.

1. Blogging keeps your audience informed about your business

This is one benefit of blogging for your business. Whether you sell a product or render a service, it is really necessary to constantly keep your audience in the “know”.

You have to inform them about the features of your products or services as well as any modifications in design or mode of service.

You might also want to notify them of the latest trends or share a handful of tricks.

What better way is there to do that other than your blog?

Ads are outrageously expensive in the long run and will leave a bad taste in the mouth of small businesses. Social media platforms are good too, but they can only go so far.

However, if the business has a blog, which is usually an integral part of the website, that would be an absolute playground for the business to churn out information for its audience.

The good news is that hosting websites and creating blog posts are incredibly affordable and easy in recent times ( Bluehost and WordPress, I gat ma eyes on y’all!).

With a blog on your business’ website, you can produce content often and on, at little to no expense, to the delight of your audience.

2. Blogging strengthens your SEO

You call it SEO.

I call it WAR!

Google and other search engines are almost as good as battlefields today. Except that there are no dead bodies lying around, thankfully.

Businesses need greater exposure and online visibility, so they constantly try to outrank one another on search engines.

Statistics show that businesses with blogs get a whopping 55% more traffic than businesses without it.

Why?

Because, according to the rules laid down by the almighty search engines, blog content spikes the chances of popping up on result pages when searches related to the content are made.

Therefore, more blog content implies a greater chance of visibility.

It would be foolhardy for any business owner to ignore this benefit of blogging to business and marketing.

Search engines are besotted with new and informative content.

What else?

“Content is king”. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that…

These facts indicate that pumping out good content and observing the rules of search engine optimization help prove to search engines that your business deserves to be seen.

You can only accomplish this feat if your business has a blog.

Mind you, your SEO won’t just bump up overnight. It’s not a magic beanstalk, neither is it a bodybuilder on steroids (Yup! Disregard the image up there).

All good things take time and so does the traffic and exposure that your business craves.

3. Blogging supports your Email marketing strategy

Blogging helps you boost your marketing campaign. It does this by taking your email marketing scheme a rung higher.

If you consistently put out useful content on your blog, your audience will hold you in high regard and willingly sign up for your newsletters.

This will make it possible for you to fill them in on the latest improvements in your business and recent posts on your blog as well.

It is easy to downplay the importance of blogging to this marketing tactic, but that could be a fatal mistake.

I mean, it’s really easy to get people to sign up for your newsletters right?

WRONG!

People are suffering from information overload today, so whatever looks like more text to read is intimidating.

However, if you have proven to be worth your salt in an industry that they care about, BOOM!… It’s a one-way ticket to more email subscribers.

4. A blog makes your website easily navigable

Having a website is good for a business, but having a blog on the website is a cherry on the top.

This is because a blog clothes the website and the business in general with extra professionalism!

Imagine reading an intriguing post on a website and having no way to find another post thereon. That would be frustrating, particularly if it is related to a subject that you care deeply about.

However, a blog makes internal linking a huge possibility. Internal linking is a fancy term for links from one page of a domain to another page within the same domain.

There are various benefits of internal linking, and some of them are:

It helps with site architecture.
Internal linking helps search engine bots in crawling and indexing a site.
Also, it reduces a site’s bounce rate and increases the time spent on the site, as it links one meaningful post to the other.
Additionally, it spikes a page’s importance (PageRank) in the eyes of search engines.
It increases page views as the visitors easily surf from one page to the other.
Internal linking helps spread links to other pages of your site, and this ups the ranking of each page on your site.
Importantly, it boosts your website’s usability because the anchor texts point your readers to posts that they might find interesting.

All of these advantages are sure to cast a good light on your website and business in general. But that would only be possible if you make efforts to reap the benefits of business blogging.

5. A blog extends your customer service

Another importance of blogging to your business is the fact that it helps you hear from your customers much more than you would imagine.

Think about the number of times you’ve purchased a product, only for it not to give as much satisfaction as you had hoped for.

Did you pick a phone to dial the customer care line?

Hardly ever! Most times, you’d just chalk it up as a bitter experience.

But a blog allows readers and customers to bare their hearts in the comments.

A blog takes a huge stride farther than a static website and regular customer reviews.

Your business blog subtly creates a highly effective two-way communication channel because it allows your customers to voice their thoughts.

Consequently, you gain insight into the expectations of your customers as well as the weaknesses of your product or service.

With such knowledge, you can then tie up all loose ends and effectively satisfy your customers.

6. Blogging assists your social media marketing

Businesses go all out to promote themselves and gain greater visibility. Marketing takes different forms and could be via ads, email, or on social media platforms.

Social media marketing is an excellent strategy, but it has its pitfalls. Sometimes, you could run short of ideas for content creation.

Would you employ professional content creators? That’s okay, but keep an eye on your purse.

A blog would, however, be helpful to your marketing and it can accomplish this in various ways. Let’s consider a few.

A blog makes it easy for your posts to be shared on social media through social share buttons that are powered by plug-ins.
Quotes from your post can be posted on social media to awaken the interest of your followers.
Linking your posts to social media favors your SEO because it helps search engines identify your site as authoritative.
It helps improve your marketing strategy on certain platforms such as Pinterest.

This is a textbook example of how a blog can help your business and marketing.

7. A blog indicates that you are an authority in your industry

A blog on your website acts as the face of your business. So, it will prompt you to be up and doing about the information and facts on your posts.

You have to constantly provide content that caters to concerns in your niche. You also have to learn how to write captivating and engaging posts.

To put out meaningful content, you are pushed to learn more about the business. This makes you the go-to resource person for customers and readers in the industry.

This is because thought leadership is a thing.

The outcome? An upward spiral!

Positioning yourself as an expert in your business through your blog reveals your depths of knowledge and compels prospective customers to patronize you.

For instance, if you want to learn how to market your business, chances are that you’ll end up on Neil Patel’s blog where you’ll be fed fat with tons of relevant details.

Later on, if you happen to need a marketer for your business, he’ll most probably be the first to come to mind.

The truth is that customers want to work with experts.

You can prove to be an authority in your industry by writing deeply researched posts, or highly opinionated posts that stir up ideas.

Better yet, you could share some tips and tricks to aid other people in the industry. Psst… almost every mom who cares about blogging and working from home knows the name, Elna Cain.

Don’t be intimidated by the task it might involve. You don’t have to read every text in the world. A fair measure of discipline will get you there.

8. Blogging helps your business compete favorably

Your business needs a blog if it must favorably compete or even outperform other businesses in the industry.

Let’s admit it. Other businesses are vying for the attention of your current and potential customers.

The benefit of blogging in this instance is that it can help you magnify your products and services.

You could blog about the strengths of your products while subtly highlighting the weaknesses of your competitors’ products.

Be careful not to name names though.

It’s an entirely fair move in business.

All is fair in love and war (as long as you don’t make any malicious or defamatory moves).

I’ve got three words for you.

COMPETITION IS STIFF!

A sure way to keep your head above the water is to embrace business blogging for your good.

9. A blog teaches you about your audience

It’s impossible to know all about your audience. The best you can do is keep up with them.

This is mainly because interests, trends and culture change like the seasons.

Having a blog makes keeping up with your audience fun.

This is achieved through observing their comments on your blog posts, their feedbacks on your website, and effectively utilizing search engine analytics such as Google Analytics.

Customers can also give reviews about your products and services on your blog.

Do you know that your audience can also serve as a source of ideas?

Many businesses have cultivated the habit of asking their audience to indicate what they would want to know more about in the comments section.

This helps the business figure out what piques the audience’s interest, what makes them tick, as well as what will boost engagement with them.

10. Blogging is an effective tool for lead generation and conversion

Lead generation means the process of identifying and grooming a potential customer for a business’ products or services.

Conversion means getting a customer to do what you want him or her to do in furtherance of your business goals. It could be to buy a product, sign up for newsletters, or download a particular file.

So, how does blogging play a part in fostering these?

If your blog post is filled with worthy content which captures the interest of your audience, you are halfway towards meeting your goal.

A good blog post always contains a call-to-action that urges the audience to do what you want. Also, most blogging platforms have tailored their layout to optimize conversion.

So whatever it is you want, whether it is for your audience to buy an online course, get a consultation and a quote for your services, your blog can help you accomplish it.

Statistically speaking, consumers are 131% more likely to purchase from a company immediately after reading quality content provided by the brand.

As if this isn’t enough, research has further shown that blogs that publish 15 posts monthly convert about 1200 new leads.

Every business should get a piece of this pie.

11. A blog generates inbound links to your site

Your blog is sure to catch the attention of other businesses in your industry or other related industries.

These other businesses in their blog posts will eventually refer to posts on your site. These links coming back to your site are termed inbound links.

The inbound links have various benefits which include:

Driving more traffic to your site
Juicing up your website’s SEO
Increasing awareness for your brand
Building networks and public relations
Developing mutually beneficial relationships with other businesses

Without a blog, your business would be missing out on all these goodies. Businesses that blog generate 97% more inbound links than those that don’t.

These businesses that have such inbound links will be miles ahead of their counterparts who aren’t reaping the benefits of blogging.

12. Blogging is beneficial for branding your business

“Branding” is one of the most used words in the business sphere today.

This is due to its relevance. It implies the practice of promoting and differentiating a business by utilizing a distinctive name, symbol, color, design, or even tone.

Blogging helps with branding for your business because it gives your business a voice.

Through your blog, you can communicate your thoughts and ideas about issues in the industry.

Your blog can also serve as a platform for you to effectively communicate your beliefs, values, and ideals.

It is an avenue for you to sensitize the audience to your tone as you are at liberty to speak in a manner you deem fit.

Consequently, your blog can help you reap the benefits of branding which include:

Separating you from the crowd
Indicating that you mean business
Boosting customer loyalty
Defining and supporting your business strategies and goals
Helping with referrals

13. A blog creates an impressive return on investment for your business

Setting up a website and a blog for your business in recent times is relatively cheap. Additionally, they are easy to use.

With all the conversion and exposure that they can bring to the business, it is worth it.

This research shows that companies that optimally utilize their blogs are more than 10 times more likely to have a higher marketing return on investment.

The return on investment will be made. Just keep making the most of your blog. It might take some time. All good things take time (can i say that one more time?).

14. Blogging is relevant to digital marketing

Almost every business today is trying to get on the digital marketing bandwagon.

Digital marketing means what it says- marketing via digital channels.

To fully utilize the digital channels in a business’s marketing, social media, email, websites, and blogs must be adequately harnessed.

The various channels have their strengths and weaknesses, with one’s strengths making up for the other’s weaknesses. Failing to implement a blog in your marketing strategy would be nothing short of a clog in the wheel.

15. A blog activates the creativity you need in business

All the feedback gained from your blog posts can give you ideas. They can adequately inform you about your customers’ preferences, thoughts, tips, and expectations.

The smartest thing you can do with all these details is to readjust and remodel as required to properly satisfy your audience.

Business is all about evolution, and a blog helps you make informed decisions in your evolution journey.

Without such nuggets gotten from the feedbacks and blog comments, your business just might evolve into irrelevance and extinction.

Or, you might just be at the mercy of your competitors, trailing behind and copying whatever design you see them adopt. This strategy is enough disgrace in itself, and your business doesn’t deserve such a loss of credibility.

16. A blog helps your business initiate demand

Another benefit of blogging to your business is the fact that it can be used to create demand even before the product hits the stands.

The secret lies in the fact that blogs can serve as regular ads that we see on TV and online.

Speaking candidly, most of the trendy products that record outrageous numbers of sales are products that we can perfectly do without.

Life was going on smoothly without them and nobody complained.

Then, aggressive ads and campaigns started popping up here and there (keep the Apple iPods in mind). Next thing you know, there’s a craze and people can’t wait for the products to be released.

Once the products are released… BOOM! Sold out!

On the first day!

You’d love to have such a success story in your business, right?

So, if you blog regularly about this fantastic product of yours that is soon to be released, you can lure your audience into seeing why they need it.

If you do that well enough, you just might find them itching to make orders even before the product is released.

17. A blog helps your business create value

Customers are not robots.

Trust me when I say they have experienced enough waves of marketing to last them a lifetime. Any business which constantly puts salesy stuff in front of its customers will seem desperate.

Desperation sucks!

Also, your audience needs to feel the warmth of your concern for consumers in that industry. Your blog helps you build trust and a sense of belonging.

If you employ your blog appropriately, then don’t worry about the sales, because customers will keep buying.

Personally, my business is freelance writing, and I render various kinds of writing services. A splendid way to display my samples is through my blog.

Immediately you think about starting a business, think about blogging as well, just as I have.

Are there other benefits of blogging that you know? Has blogging boosted your business? What are your thoughts?

Let me know in the comments.

Also, please share this post. It just might be what a business owner somewhere needs.

The post 17 Powerful Reasons Why Every Business Needs a Blog appeared first on Bright Ewuru.

Bright Ewuru

The Importance of Video Interviews

What are video interviews?

1. Synchronous video interviews

2. Asynchronous video interviews

The importance of video interviews in modern times

1. A streamlined hiring process

2. A consistent interview process

3. Boost candidate experience

4. Eliminate geographical restrictions

5. Increase the quality of hire

6. Align with the hiring team

7. Reduce conscious and unconscious sentiments and prejudices

8. Review and compare candidates’ answers

Final Words

Top trends in video marketing

1. Personalized Videos

2. Vertical Videos

3. Interactive Videos

4. Vlogging

5. Long-form Videos

6. 360-degree Videos

7. Video Testimonials

8. Tutorial Videos

9. Soundless Optimization

10. Live Videos

11. Video Reportage

12. Shoppable Videos

13. Optimization for Different Channels

14. Virtual Reality

Last words

Content Syndication: What It Is and How To Do It Right

What is Content Syndication?

Benefits of Content Syndication

Content Syndication vs. Guest Blogging

Which Is Better?

The Various Patterns Of Content Syndication

1. Syndicating Your Content On Other Sites

2. Syndicating Third-party Content On Your Site

3. Publishing On Sites That Syndicate Their Content

4. Self Syndication

Content Syndication And SEO: The Ties That Bind

1. Utilize The “Rel=Canonical” Tag

2. Utilize The “NoIndex” Tag

3. Add A Clear Attribution And A Backlink

7 Amazing Marketing Tips For Lawyers

1. Niche Down:

2. Create Quality Content:

3. Set up an Optimised Website:

4. Leverage Social Media and Larger Platforms:

5. Lend a Hand:

6. Don’t be an Island:

7. Referrals and Testimonials:

Laws regulating E-Commerce: What You Need to Know

1. Policies:

Importance of policies:

2. Terms and Conditions

Content of terms and conditions:

Restrictive Terms vs Candid Reviews

3. Protection of Customers’ Financial Data

4. Marketing and Advertising

5. Taxes

Nexus:

6. E-contracts

Enforceability of E-Contracts

7. Intellectual Property and E-Commerce

What to do:

8. Antitrust Laws

9. Restricted Products, Territorial Issues, and Permits

What to do:

Final words:

12 Legal Tips for Bloggers

By the way, before we kick off, here’s my disclaimer:

1. Privacy Policies

Contents of a Privacy Policy

Importance of privacy policies

2. Terms of Use

Contents of Terms of Use

Importance of Terms of Use

3. Disclaimers