Tag Archives: BEB

Voice Search Defined

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So, what exactly IS Voice Search? Voice search (also known as voice-enabled) is a voice activated Internet search. The search method is same as the performing a normal search on your computer or mobile device. Voice search is often interactive and allows a system to ask for clarification. The search can be done on any device with a voice input dialog system.

Language is the most essential factor for a system to understand and provide the most accurate results. This covers multiple languages, dialects, and even accents. Systems can recognize speech in hundreds of languages, as users want a voice assistant that both understands them and speaks to them understandably.

Mechanisms use Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) for input. They can also include Text-To-Speech (TTS) for output. Users might sometimes be required to activate the virtual assistant before performing the search. The search system will detect the language spoken by the user, then detect the keywords and context of the sentence. Next, the device will return results depending on its output. A device with a screen might display the results, while a device without a screen will speak them back to the searcher.

Voice search is currently not a part of Google’s algorithm; however, it is still dictating current search results. Voice search queries often yield different results than if the user had typed in a text-based search. For SEO, it’s a good idea for businesses to be on their toes with voice search components for their consumers who are adapting and switching over to that medium.

Voice search content must be specifically optimized for voice. It needs to be more direct and conversational so that it will accurately sync with search queries. This will help boost traffic by staying relevant and more visible to consumers.

Below are some mind-blowing statistics as it pertains to voice search. It is the wave of the future and marketers need to construct their digital marketing plans with a focus on how Voice Search can benefit their business.

  • Grocery shopping accounts for more than 20% of voice-based orders
  • Voice-based shopping is expected to jump to $40 billion in 2022
  • By 2024, the global voice-based smart speaker market is estimated to be worth $30 billion
  • 60% of smartphone users have tried voice search at least once in the past 12 months
  • 55% of teenagers are using voice search daily
  • Top 3 common keywords in voice search phrases are “how”, what” and “best”.

All About Data

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When preparing a direct mail campaign for prospecting new business, be sure and take advantage of the wealth of expanding demographics that are available today.

So much data is being collected, and a lot of it is self reported, allowing for a wide variety of demographics to select. Before you purchase your next prospecting list, take the time to
research the criteria of your best customer. Then use that criteria to select your list.

In addition to the tried and true staples such as age, income, and occupation; additional
demographics available today include:

  • Lender Information
  • Buying Activity | Average Spent
    • Vehicle types
      Primary or Secondary
  • Children in the Household
  • Generations in Household
  • Hobbies & Lifestyle Indicators
  • Newlyweds
  • Newly Divorced
  • Type of Vacations:
    Casino
    Cruise
  • Social Concerns
  • Music Preferences
  • Pets

Data from a source known as an ailment file is also available. Due to the nature of the data collected, there are a few restrictions that include pre-approval of art. However the data is reliable and net excellent returns. Data available from ailment files include:

  • Acne
  • Allergies
  • Birth Control
  • Bladder Leakage
  • Diabetes
  • Hair Loss
  • And more

Business list compilers are expanding their available demographics to include:

  • Expenses
  • Advertising
  • Payroll
  • Rent and Lease
  • Sales Volume
  • Square Footage
  • Woman Owned

Even saturation or walk sequence data is benefiting. Compilers stack the saturation file with consumer data and aggregate at the carrier route level enabling mailers to take advantage of the carrier route walk sequence postal rates.

Don’t limit your data when launching your next direct mail campaign. Expand your criteria
selects and watch your return expand too. With the data selects available today, we could probably find a list of skateboardinggrandmas!

The Company Website. An Under Utilized Communication Tool

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Your company website is a reflection of your business. It is the billboard for potential clients,
an invaluable resource tool for your existing clients, and a central focal point dedicated solely to
promoting your business. Why then, do so many companies neglect their website?

Numerous companies will dedicate an extensive amount of time building or rebuilding their site. Once it’s published, they forget it until four or five years pass when it’s time to make a new one.

At a minimum, every business owner should monitor their website activity monthly. And it only takes a few minutes.

Using the free version of Google Analytics, you can (very quickly) see so many important things. Items such as how many people are visiting your site, how many are first time visitors, the length of time visitors stay on your site, what pages they visit, and how they found your site.

It also helps to identify areas that are weak or maybe even irrelevant. Every business has tried to sell a new product or expand service offerings with something that just didn’t sell. It’s part of growing your business. Lack of activity and visits to certain parts of your website may be telling you that its time to delete the page, or simply update it.

Successful Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be a tricky balance. For example, Google likes for your homepage to be relatively static. You gain better traction when your homepage doesn’t receive a lot of alterations or changes too often.

On the same token, Google gives you “points” for keeping information on your homepage refreshed and current, which seems to be a conundrum, but it isn’t.

Adding a blog to your homepage is a great way to keep content current and fresh without changing the basics of its layout. Blogging also gives you a library of posts to use for your social sites which also enhances your SEO. A blog is an excellent medium to show your business expertise too. Enhance your blogs using keywords to help potential clients find you faster via the web.

Finding subjects to blog about isn’t as difficult as you may think. Go through the pages of your website, and use Google statistics as your guide, and you will find a wide variety of topics to blog about that clients are hungry for.

If your business is consumer based, you may benefit by adding a picture carousel to your home page. This allows you to feature selling points such as sales events, special offers, or highlight products.

The images that are loaded onto the carousel can enhance your SEO too. Be sure that you name every photo that you upload to your website. Instead of uploading “Image 9652q7”, save the image using your company name and specifically what the image is about. For example, save the image of a 15% off coupon as ‘Arrow Stores 15 percent off coupon’. This naming convention allows for search engines to verify content and will enhance your optimization.

If you haven’t reviewed your website or its statistics lately, now is a perfect time to check it out and see what is working or what isn’t. If you need assistance, we can help. We offer a website review for only $500. Call us for more information at 713-275-9045.

The Bureau – August 2020

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Be on the lookout! Our award winning newsletter, The Bureau, is on its way to you soon!
Inside this issue:

Didn’t receive a printed copy, but want one? Just click here and give us your mailing information, we’ll send it to you right away!

BEB Wins Graphic Excellence Awards

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We are so excited to announce that The Printing United Alliance of the Gulf Coast has bestowed upon us two print awards:

The Award of Excellence for our 2020 Digital Calendars

An Award of Merit for our Digital Cookbook

We are (so) excited to be recognized by the Printing United Alliance. They are the largest graphic arts trade association, representing an industry with approximately one million employees and serving the interests of thousands of member companies through advocacy, education, research, technical information, and cost-saving resources.

 

Small Business COVID-19 Sign Packages

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BEB is your small business partner. We have created a variety of COVID-19 signs for small businesses to post throughout their facility/facilities. You can order the signs individually starting at $5.50/each, or discounted package pricing, and you can place your order ONLINE! Posters are available in English or Spanish.

All posters are printed on 130# Card Stock. They are intended for indoor use. Click here to check out our incredible pricing and to order yours today:

 

COVID-19 Operations Update

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Business Extension Bureau did not close during the COVID-19 stay home order as we are deemed an essential business within the CISA (Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency). We remain open today and are conducting our operations using recommendations given by the CDC, global, national, and local government agencies and The World Health Organization.

The safety of our staff, customers, and partners is paramount and we have implemented stringent safety procedures that include:

  • Only employees, maintenance staff, and delivery personnel are permitted inside our buildings.
  • Anyone entering our buildings must wear a mask.
  • Deliveries are only accepted through the warehouse.
  • Employees must sanitize their work stations before the start of each shift, mid-day, and again at the end of each shift.
  • Gloves and hand sanitizers are positioned throughout all of our buildings and office areas, and all staff are encouraged to use them throughout the course of each day.
  • Employees whose job functions allow them to work from home are working split shifts. Every other day at home, every other day at the facility; altering days weekly. This will be seamless to our clients and vendors.

We are operating with a core-group of people and understandably our turn times may not be as fast as usual. Your patience is appreciated as we work through this crisis. We appreciate your business and partnership and we will keep you abreast of any changes in our operating schedule as it unfolds.

The Postal Service has so far experienced only minor operational impacts in the United States as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A temporary suspension of the guarantee on Priority Mail Express International destined for China and Hong Kong, remains in effect since Monday, Feb. 10, 2020, due to widespread airline cancellations and restrictions into this area. In addition, customers may see delays in mail and packages destined to China as well as from China, as well as to and from European countries subject to restricted passenger airline travel. The Postal Service is undertaking all reasonable measures to minimize the impact to our customers.

Please exercise caution and common sense during this trying and extremely unusual time. As always, we appreciate your business and partnership.

Stay safe & healthy-
BEB-Business Extension Bureau

 

 

 

 

Louis DeJoy, US Postmaster General. Daylight or Dark for the USPS?

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On June 16, 2020, Louis DeJoy, a successful businessman from the private sector and Republican Party fundraiser, was sworn in to serve as the USPS CEO and our nation’s 75th US Postmaster General. DeJoy was appointed in May by a unanimous selection of the USPS Board of Governors.

DeJoy represents a new era of Postmaster General because he is not a career postal employee unlike his predecessors dating back over 19-years. John Potter served from 2001-2011. He was a second generation postal person, and his career spanned over 30-years. Up next was Patrick Donahoe, USPMG from 2011-2015. Donahoe worked at the US Postal service for over 35-years before retirement. And finally, there is Megan Brennan, the first female USPMG. Megan started as a letter carrier in 1986 and grew through the ranks during her 29-year career.

75th USPMG Lois DeJoy

75th USPMG Lois DeJoy

DeJoy’s career prior to the USPS was serving as chairman and CEO of New Breed Logistics. He spent decades in collaboration with the U.S. Postal Service, Boeing, Verizon, other public and private companies to provide supply chain logistics, program management and transportation support. New Breed Logistics was a contractor to the U.S. Postal Service for more than 25 years, supplying logistics support for multiple processing facilities.

In 2014, New Breed merged with XPO Logistics, with DeJoy serving as CEO of XPO Logistics’ supply chain business in the Americas before his retirement in December 2015. He then joined the company’s board of directors where he served until 2018.

To some, Mr DeJoy is expected to be in alignment with the current administration because of his political background and affiliations, but for right now, we don’t know.  The postal unions are likely to be leery of him because of his political background and because he’s an outsider. The unions are unlikely to give him any slack, and will test his ability to deal with organized labor.

His biggest challenge will be dealing with the mailing industry, the businesses who bring the USPS’ lion’s share of revenue, and whose support he needs. Since Amazon is one of the USPS best clients, the tumultuous relationship between Trump and Bezos may have a determining factor on future policy for the USPS. Mr. DeJoy has donated over $300,000 towards the president’s re-election campaign since January of this year.

In the meantime, it is unclear what direction Mr. DeJoy will take the US Postal or what his long-term vision is for the struggling entity. We will keep you abreast of progress as it unfolds which should be unveiled by August.

 

 

The Basics of Networking Have Not Changed

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Networking is to continually establish connections to generate business and feed our growth, professionally. It is an essential part of the sales and service cycle for every business. However, in our current climate, it seems impossible to do…or is it? The basics of networking have not changed, even during a pandemic that requires social distancing.

Developing and deepening relationships during this time is absolutely possible. Below are 4 easy ways to approach networking and help your business grow during these troubling times:

Prioritize Quality of Quantity
Networking has never been about casting a wide net around a large group of people. It’s about making connections to people and businesses that are likely to engage or support your business. You’re searching for potential clients or vendors. If you network with 250 people/businesses and only 10 are likely to engage or support your business, you have been wasting a lot time, money, and energy. It’s much more productive to engage 10 people on a regular basis, rather than 250 occasionally.

Unsubscribe from email lists from companies that are filling up your inbox with emails you only delete or don’t read. This will help prevent friends and colleagues emails from “getting lost” in the shuffle. Comment, reply and share posts on social media from the people/companies you have identified are a potential partners and customers, and do it often.

Stay True to You
If you aren’t your true, authentic self while networking, you are selling yourself and your client short. If you have a sense of humor, use your sense of humor. If you are a little irreverent, you should be a little irreverent. Networking is about being human. And the idiosyncrasies surrounding your humanness is what makes you interesting and is foundation for building trust.

Also, don’t forget to give your networking contact the license to be themselves too.

Help Others to be Heard
Instead of competing for the spotlight to focus on you or your business, try amplifying other peoples voices instead. People are drawn to those who are unselfish, especially in the business world, and are often most willing to reciprocate. Help to promote an event, or share a testimony within your social media or online circle, and lend  hand to those potential partners and clients. They will remember it, and in the course of that simple action, you are building trust.

Search for Ways to Service Your Network
This requires one to think out of the box. A good networker is a very good listener. Most people will tell you exactly what they need if you are willing to hear it. A new connection is participating in a community project over the weekend, can you offer to print some signs to help promote the event? Can you post the event on your website, blog, or social media pages? Even it’s not part of your core business, find ways to simplify projects or solve a person’s problem and your networking will turn a prospect into a client.