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There are many touchpoints along the customer journey. The transaction is of course one of the most important, if not the most important.

So, the way in which you accept payments matters for both you and the customer. You need to have the right software and/or hardware in place to make sure transactions are simple and secure for both parties. 

Not only that, as a business owner you need to know that you’re not shelling out cash on inferior services or unnecessary additional fees.

Therefore, this post will cover everything you need to know about choosing the right credit card processing company. Plus, I’ll introduce my top picks for a wide range of businesses of different sizes and with different needs.

The Top 10 Credit Card Processing Companies

1. Square
2. PayPal
3. FIS
4. Stripe
5. Payline Data
6. Fiserv
7. BitPay
8. Adyen
9. Dharma Merchant Services
10. Fattmerchant

How to Choose the Best Credit Card Processing Company for You

Here are some key elements to consider when choosing the right credit card processing company for you:

1. Fees

Look at the payment terms and fees carefully. Different companies offer different pricing models and things can start to get a little complex.

Firstly, there are interchange fees, which is the percentage taken by the company on every transaction made. Full-service credit card processing companies also take a monthly fee. There may also be additional costs, such as setup or monthly minimum fees.

2. Accepted Payment Methods

Nowadays, you need a payment processing company that accepts more than just debit and credit cards. Digital wallets like PayPal, Google Pay or Apple Pay have become extremely popular. 

3. Customer Experience

When shopping, customers want the entire experience to be quick and easy. This is particularly important in e-commerce where the checkout process needs to be streamlined. 

In fact, a long and complicated checkout process is the number three reason why consumers abandon their carts in 2020.

It’s also vital that the payment gateway is secure because obviously we’re dealing with sensitive data here. So, look for elements such as PCI compliance and encryption.

4. User Experience

Of course, you or your staff are going to be the ones actually using these systems. Thus, the software, apps and/or hardware need to be user-friendly.

Furthermore, with tech, there’s likely to be a glitch or an issue at some point. This means that you need a credit card processing company that offers superior customer support. The reason being, the longer your payment processor is down, the more sales you lose.

Now you know what you need to consider when researching credit card processing companies, let’s take a look at how they work.

The Different Types of Credit Card Processing Company

There are two main types of credit card processing company. Here’s the 411:

Credit Card Processor

A credit card processor is the go-between that takes care of transactions. The processor takes the funds from the customer’s account and deposits them in your merchant account. It also ensures that the transaction information is correct, the customer has sufficient funds and notifies the payment gateway that the transaction was successful.

Full-Service Credit Card Processor & Merchant Account

Full-service providers do the same as credit card processors but also provide a merchant account, meaning you don’t need an additional merchant account with a bank. These providers tend to offer lower interchange fees but also charge a monthly fee and additional fees, such as the above-mentioned setup fees and so on.

Depending on the size of your operation and the volume of payments you receive, you’ll have to calculate which type of credit card processing company is going to keep costs low overall. Look for companies that are transparent and straightforward about the way in which they operate and take fees.

#1 – Square — The Best for Ease of Use

Square is a hugely popular, low-fee credit card processing company for online and brick-and-mortar stores.

Its POS app is rich in features and easy-to-use. Square is also known for providing an exceptional, frictionless range of POS systems:

Bonus: you can get the software and Square Reader for free.

The beauty of Square truly lies in its simplicity. The company offers a transparent, straightforward pricing model: 2.6% + 10¢ for every tap (mobile payment), dip (chip card) or swipe (magstripe card) on the POS and 2.9% + 30¢ for e-commerce transactions.

Other benefits include active fraud prevention, end-to-end encryption, a quick sign-up process and live phone support.

Essentially, Square is an easy-to-use all-rounder that would be an excellent choice for a wide range of businesses.

#2 – PayPal Commerce Platform Review — The Best for Individuals & Low-Volume Sellers

You’re no doubt familiar with PayPal (unless you’ve been living under a rock), but you may not be as familiar with its commerce platform.

With the PayPal Commerce Platform you can take payments online, in-store, on-the-go with an iZettle card reader, by QR code, over the phone and via social shopping links:

If you’re a solopreneur or small business just starting out then the platform is a fantastic choice for you. PayPal offers a flat-rate system where you only pay for the processing services you use.

The other great thing about PayPal is that it’s a highly recognizable and trusted brand. Therefore, advertising the fact that you accept PayPal payments could lead to more conversions.

Overall, the PayPal Commerce Platform is a secure, user-friendly and low-cost solution for beginners, individuals and low-volume sellers.

#3 – FIS — The Best for Small Businesses

FIS (formerly Worldpay) is a global banking software provider that offers payment processing solutions for large enterprises, small businesses and e-commerce stores.

However, this company puts most of its focus on small businesses, serving a range of industries including grocery, retail, restaurants, personal and professional services: 

And this is where FIS really shines as they work directly with small businesses to give them competitive terms and rates. You must contact FIS for a quote.

FIS also stands out as a great provider because of their superior 24/7/365 customer support. Furthermore, their software integrates with 1000+ POS systems which is great if you don’t wish to purchase one of their smart terminals.

FIS is the choice for you if you own a small business and want a customizable solution.

#4 – Stripe — The Best for Internet Businesses

Stripe was designed with a range of online businesses in mind, including e-commerce, mobile commerce, subscription services, marketplaces and other platforms. So, if you’re primarily a web-based business then Stripe is the choice for you.

What also makes it the best choice for online businesses is that the company provides tons of pre-built integrations and ready-made checkout forms for major e-commerce platforms, subscription services and the like:

There’s a simple pay-as-you-go pricing model of 2.9% + 30¢ with no additional monthly or setup fees. 

Stripe is also one of the most technologically-advanced solutions out there with its dedication to improving the platform and machine learning models for intelligent optimizations.

If you’re looking for a competitively-priced credit card processor that will integrate easily with your online business, choose Stripe.

#5 – Payline Data — The Best for High-Risk Merchants

Payline Data offers in-person, online and mobile payment solutions for companies of varying sizes. 

It’s the best option for high-risk merchants that struggle to get approved for accounts elsewhere. Thanks to its partnerships with major banks and premiere support team, Payline Data is able to simplify high-risk account management.

Payline Data’s pricing model is a little more complex than other options with setup, monthly and other additional fees involved. Take a look:

However, you can work out exactly what your monthly costs will be using their payment calculator tool.

Another advantage of using Payline Data is its integrations with major POS, shopping cart and accounting software providers, along with developer APIs for a customizable solution.

As long as you consider the costs carefully, this could be the simplest and cheapest option for those looking for a high-risk merchant account.

#6 – Fiserv — The Best for High-Volume Retailers

This company provides a convenient, secure and reliable payment processing service as well as end-to-end accounting services, if you require them.

What makes Fiserv the best choice for high-volume retailers is the fact that you can negotiate favorable interchange-plus pricing and terms. Or you can opt for flat-rate pricing via its Clover platform.

Having recently merged with international payment processing leader First Data, Fiserv is also a great option for those who operate globally. 

Seven out of the ten largest digital merchants trust Fiserv. Plus, retailers can accept a range of payment methods that are popular around the world, such as Alipay.

Fiserv is the right choice for more experienced, high-volume and global retailers.

#7 – BitPay — The Best for Accepting Crypto

Though technically not a credit card processing company, BitPay is a forward-thinking payment processing company for those who want to add crypto into the mix.

Owned by Shark Tank powerhouse, Mark Cuban, BitPay allows you to accept a range of cryptocurrencies online, via email and in-store. 

The way it works is simple – the customer gets an invoice, they pay in crypto at a locked-in exchange rate, BitPay converts the payment into your local currency and you receive the payment in your account the next day:

Due to the nature of crypto, you can accept payments from around the globe without having to worry about fraudulent purchases. What’s more, BitPay promises a flat rate fee of 1% and no hidden fees. 

So, if you’d like to expand your reach and gain access to the crypto market, BitPay is for you.

#8 – Adyen — The Best for Growing Enterprises

Adyen isn’t for newbies. It counts the likes of Uber, Virgin Hotels, Hunter and Spotify among its customers. So, it’s perfect for growing enterprises that are ready to take their business to the next level. 

You can benefit from transaction optimization to help you get the most revenue from your sales, as well as in-depth reporting on the platform to better understand your customers and aid growth:

Fees vary depending on the payment method used. Yet, Adyen provides a transparent list of all fees for each payment method on their site.

Other benefits include data-driven security, fraud prevention and access to a dedicated team of payment specialists who will provide you with expert advice.

Overall, if you’re focused on growth, Adyen is the perfect partner.

#9 – Dharma Merchant Services — The Best for Quick Service Payments

Dharma is a low-fee credit card processor that specializes in retail and quick service transactions. In other words, if you own a restaurant, bar, fast food joint or other quick service business then this is a great choice for you.

The company offers a low fee of 0.15% and $0.07 per transaction above interchange for storefronts and restaurants:

Plus, the virtual terminal and app are free. The e-commerce rate is slightly higher at 0.20% + $0.10.

With Dharma, you also benefit from exceptional customer service. If you’re new to credit card processing you can get a free consultation and ask all of the questions you need to. Plus, they offer 24/7 tech support.

Choose Dharma if you own a quick service business and need support along the way.

#10 – Fattmerchant — The Best for Professional Services

Fattmerchant provides a range of smart payment processing solutions, but really nails it when it comes to professional service providers.

The reason being, the platform offers the ability to send invoices and retrieve recurring payments quickly and easily. There’s also the option to create payment links and even buttons to take payments for subscription services.

The platform has features which will speed up your business processes through automation, e.g. automated payment reminders:

Fattmerchant offers a different pricing model to many other credit card processing companies. There’s a flat rate subscription fee starting at $99 but 0% markup on interchange and no pesky additional fees.

Essentially, Fattmerchant’s software is a fantastic choice for a range of businesses, but especially for those in professional services or that take recurring payments.

Summing Up

Naturally, there are several criteria to consider when choosing a credit card processing company. Often it will depend on the type of business you run and the volume of payments you take.

Furthermore, some options are better suited to smaller businesses or beginners while others provide more advanced solutions for experienced, higher-volume companies.

Above all, you want a company that offers transparency, security, strong customer support, great software and hardware and the right pricing model to suit your needs.

Now it’s over to you to explore these top providers further and make the right choice.

The post The Best Credit Card Processing Companies (In-Depth Review) appeared first on Neil Patel.

The advantages of shared hosting always come back to the fact that it’s the cheapest, easiest and most popular way to get a website online in which the website owner remains free to move his website around without being forever bound to stay with any particular internet service provider. In this post, we’ll explore the advantages of shared hosting. We’ll also look at the types of sites that will benefit most from this type of web hosting. If you are planning to host a website or blog for your business, you can decide it after going through this article.

Advantages of Shared Hosting

As the name implies, shared web hosting allows multiple users with individual Internet domains to share and utilize one web server. Multiple websites can also be set up under one user account.

Before you make a decision to use or discard using a shared hosting option, it is important to understand both the advantages and disadvantages of the service.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of shared web hosting is that it is usually offered at extremely affordable rates. Account-holders can benefit from choosing these services over some other, more expensive ones while also having many opportunities for acquiring more space almost free of charge, if and when their websites and the traffic it attracts grows. This is due to the strong competition caused by the very large number of web competing shared hosting firms in the market.

There is no predetermined maximum number of websites that a single server may host, so the number could be in the tens, or the hundreds or even in the thousands. This sharing of the resources of a single server is the very reason why shared hosting plans are offered at affordable low and cheap prices.

Aside from the resources mentioned above, you are also made to share with the computer processor, the memory and the maintenance costs of the server.

Shared hosting plans comes much cheaper compared to dedicated hosting and VPS which means that even websites for personal blogging and small businesses can afford it. The low cost and easy availability of shared hosting make it possible for just about anyone to open an account, sign a contract and begin setting up a site.

Shared hosting works best for new sites and small sites that don’t see much traffic. That allows them to remain within the limits established by many users drawing from a shared server’s finite resources and allows sites room to grow – to an extent. In web hosting, there are many different types of web-hosting environments, web-hosting types with examples. Here we go with the concept of shared hosting in detail and its advantages. You will get a clear idea about the concept of shared hosting after reading this article.

Web Hosting Types – Their Advantages And Disadvantages

For someone on shared hosting wondering whether to upgrade, we ask: “does it make sense to upgrade to Virtual Private Server (VPS) cloud hosting”? The answer to this question is not a simple and straightforward yes or no. There are many factors that need to be taken into account.

Both shared hosting and VPS cloud hosting hold the data for your website on shared server resources. When web users access your website from their browser, the server sends your data to them. The “cloud” is a computing concept there are no computers in the clouds! The idea of a cloud is the computer servers space is available on more than one server globally and the files which are served can, and will, be moved around to be where they are needed around the world according to the demand for your website. The difference between the two hosting types is the type of server on which your website is stored. With shared hosting, your website lives alongside others, which are neighbouring users utilizing the same server.

With dedicated hosting plans, your website has a server all to itself, and on a virtual server, although the server storage space is shared, your website looks to the web as if it was a dedicated server. Virtual means in this case that your website is sent out using clever software that ensures that your server space runs very much as if it was not shared.  There are distinct advantages and disadvantages to all types of hosting. The one certain difference between shared hosting and dedicated hosting or VPS is the cost of the account. Shared hosting is always cheapest, and if you find an offer which doesn’t comply with this rule do look very carefully because there are almost certainly hidden costs you will discover later, and the second billing period (and beyond) is undoubtedly going to hit your wallet very hard!

The Shared vs VPS Hosting Comparison

In addition to the above benefits, many VPS plans offer you a choice of services. In comparison, most shared hosting provides little other than a place to store and run your site. One of the most important decisions to make is whether to opt for a managed or unmanaged VPS plan. An unmanaged VPS offers complete freedom, but also makes you responsible for configuring and maintaining your virtual server. If that sounds like a lot of work, then you can opt for a managed plan where your web host takes care of everything for you. That way, you can focus on your website and business but the cost will be higher.

Shared hosting wins hands down under the cheapness category. However, VPS web hosting prices can justify its greater advantage for larger and higher traffic websites. While VPS hosting costs slightly more than the shared hosting plans, they offer more storage space and much more bandwidth when compared to what shared hosting has to offer.

Those are some of the general benefits of each hosting type: advantages of shared hosting vs. VPS. vs dedicated servers. However, this doesn’t tell the whole story. Let’s get a bit deeper with some one-on-one comparisons.

The Bad Thing About Cheap Hosting

There are a number of issues with standard shared hosting, most of which stem from its business model. Although the accounts are cheap, they’re cheap because hundreds (sometimes thousands) of users are put on the same server. This leads to the so-called ‘bad neighbour effect’. The server, which houses hundreds of accounts, has a fixed amount of memory. If one website exploits more than its fair share of the available memory, all of the other sites housed on the same server will experience issues because of this one ‘bad neighbour’. This essentially means that one troubled website has the potential to cause thousands of unrelated sites to load slowly, or even in the worst-case scenario, not at all.

How To Choose The Right Web Hosting Service

The exponential growth of the web hosting industry can be attributed to the fact that the internet has reached every nook and cranny of the world. This wide reach of the internet provides an excellent opportunity for marketing and promotion for various business houses out there. For marketing, promotion or even to provide information about your business on the internet, you need a website. Your web hosting forms the foundation for your website. Your website is built on it, and functions from it. A web hosting service has the potential to make or break any online business if it is good or bad. That’s why it’s very crucial to choose your web hosting service wisely and don’t be afraid to spend some time to compare the services and prices of various companies in the market. The reason we say that is that once chosen its a bit of a chore to change the web hosting service for your website.

If you are looking for a middle approach for the best shared-hosting experience, our own EZi-hosting account should be your prime choice, and you can find out more about just how competitive we are on pricing by looking at our banner below:

While there are several entry-level options in the form of 1&1 and high-end options like Amazon, EZi Hosting would be your excellent option to choose between the two options. You get assistance installing cloud hosting by Cloudflare with built-in SSL Security, which is free fully-fledged cloud hosting. Alternatively, you could make a choice between the popular cloud services such as Amazon, Vultr, Google, Linode or Digital ocean, but it would be a lot more difficult. You can configure them using their web portals. On the other hand, the EZi-hosting service provides all of the excellent Cpanel services and features including cloning, backup and restores, and email. High-end performance at a lower cost and more straightforward usability should make EZi Hosting an easy choice!

Look at it this way when considering shared vs dedicated hosting. The main advantage of having your own server is that you can control everything you do. You are solely responsible for maintaining the server. With dedicated web hosting, you can avoid any problems due to the actions, or inactions of other people also on your server. Choosing the right host for your website is one of the most important things to think about. Many of these companies offer different packages depending on the services you want to use. You can choose between, uninterrupted service, managed service, and a dedicated server. Each option offers advantages in terms of the site administration at a cost. You should choose the web host with the most features and benefits you actually need in the foreseeable future for your business. You can get the most benefits by comparing the characteristics of different providers. This will save you a lot of time and is the best guarantee that you’ll get the service you want.

Essential Features of Web Hosting

As we’ve noted, shared hosting plans are typically very inexpensive, typically costing only a few dollars per month on a provider’s introductory promotional rates. Those rates typically go up to the site’s standard package rate after that promotional period ends, but even at those standard rates, shared hosting remains the least expensive option for basic website hosting. And while shared hosting generally offers relatively few extra features, it does include the essentials for setting up and maintaining a small website.

Choosing Web Hosting to Maximize Your Online Profitability

Would you be wealthy if you had all the information necessary to maximize your online profitability? You probably don’t know the answer, but ensuring that your web hosting plan is the most affordable you can get for the products you use is a great first step to getting control of your budget. This provides you with the information you need to find a good hosting service for a great price. All good web hosts offer a variety of add-ons to their plans, but the types of features will differ between companies. When you are analyzing the different providers, compare the different levels of service so you know you are getting the right features you require. For example, one host’s low price advantage may disappear when you find that a feature you want is only included on a higher-priced package.

In choosing a website hosting service, most website owners usually consider several website hosting features such as affordability, scalability, reliability, security and level of restrictions website-hosting service providers offer to their users. Web owners should also consider their website inherent features and needs. Shared website hosting services are perceived to be most suitable for establishments whose websites generate low to medium range of traffic and who are comfortable with the level of control exercised by the hosting provider. On the other hand, institutions whose websites generate heavy traffics and support custom applications mostly welcome VPS hosting.

The standard Cpanel back-office used for Linux web hosting is an integral part of most hosting plans and widely popular among web developers. There are many options for web hosting services in all nations, but to choose shared web hosting or dedicated web hosting is a challenging question. Here are the benefits of shared web hosting compared to dedicated hosting. Shared web hosting has multiple benefits. Here go some notorious benefits of shared web hosting. One of the most prominent reasons for citing the advantages of shared hosting is that it is pretty cheap. Price flags higher if you go for dedicated server services, but for shared web hosting, you don’t have to pay much. You may buy these web hosting services by simply paying 5-10$. The best part of shared web hosting services is that the customers do normally get enough space on even the cheapest entry plans to place their website, due to the high competition in the market. Normally 10 Gb to 40 Gb space is provided along with the shared hosting within the hosting plan purchased.

Managing Your Website Hosting Files With Cpanel File Manager

With a  little practice and a lot of watching YouTube how-to videos, most people starting-out can manage their sites without any technical skills. In reality, the majority of popular shared web hosting services provides a good control panel like Cpanel which lets you upload and download files with easy clicks. In addition, the Cpanel file manager tools come with options to copy, delete, rename, move, and even change the permissions of files and folders of your blog or website. Unlike VPS or dedicated servers, when you have a shared web hosting account, you can easily add FTP users, change passwords, and compress folders or unzip them on upload. That’s not possible on the VPS or dedicated hosting without expensive tools and complicated configurations.

A Definition of Shared Hosting – Making It Work The Way You Want

Shared hosting’s definition describes it as a web hosting model whereby a variety of websites make use of a common pool of server resources. This process entails distributing storage capacity, ram, and the device’s CPU (which acts as the basis of this model) throughout all the involved users. Websites running on shared servers can be accessed with their own individual domains and are stored on a separate partition of the hard drive space. This allows users to work on their own individual projects despite the fact that hardware is being shared. Inexpensive hosting options are particularly popular when starting out. We’ve laid out the advantages of shared hosting as a web hosting model and highlighted some of the differences to look out for when opting for free hosting options, using dedicated servers, and operating private servers.

Despite the number of advantages that shared hosting plans bring to their clients, it also has its share of disadvantages. These are the common disadvantages of shared hosting plans: security concerns, the number of websites sharing the same server could bring serious security concerns, despite the number of deterrent factors that service providers have put in place. It is inescapable that, any website on shared hosting that is affected with any malicious activity could put the entire network of websites using the server at risk. Another concern about shared hosting is often also sluggish website performance – except when using the Cloudflare free service on EZi domains hosting.

Advantages of a dedicated server and other hosting services

Before discussing the VPS in the UK’s main hosting packages, let’s have a look at some of the advantages of shared hosting. Most of the web hosting providers offer different characteristics in shared hosting. The top-most reason that customers get attracted to shared hosting is its flexibility of sharing server resources. Shared hosting is an open-source hosting platform that provides many free-cost services, you get to use it at a low price. Whereas the VPS holds the advantages of shared hosting and dedicated hosting. In short, VPS lies between the shared and dedicated server hosting.

Benefits of VPS Hosting for Your Website

With the internet becoming more resilient, routers being more advanced as well as server technology growing at a record pace, shared hosting performance is increasing. Sure, it will never be as fast as a VPS or dedicated hosting, but for most people that’s ok. Most people’s blogs and small business run very smoothly on shared hosting servers. As you can see, there are many benefits to going with shared hosting. It’s affordable and it works for the majority of website owners. Make sure to check out our reviews of the best shared hosting companies and pick the right web host for you.

Shared hosting plans bring along with them a lot of benefits. Among these benefits are the following: shared hosting plans comes much cheaper compared to dedicated hosting and VPS which means that even websites for personal blogging and small businesses can afford it. Shared hosting plan prices are usually offered with prices ranging from $3 to $10 per month. The administration and maintenance of the server are taken care of by the hosting provider which means that you don’t need to concern yourself with technical issues of the server.

First off, shared hosting is not a bad thing. As a matter of fact, it is the most popular and common type of hosting around. That there are many advantages of shared hosting being said, it does lack a lot of VPS benefits. Shared hosting is very popular for small business websites and personal blogs that are low in traffic. A shared platform means your website shares resources with a bunch of other websites at the same time. This is why most of the newer shared hosting plans offer a lot of “unlimited” resources.

Circumstances When You Must Buy the Best Cloud VPS Hosting for Your Business

A dedicated server is a physical server that you buy or rent solely for your own business. Dedicated servers are mostly favoured by large businesses that require high-level data security or have a high demand for server capacity. Just like with cloud hosting or VPS hosting, you will still need technical knowledge to maintain and update the dedicated server. Dedicated servers do cost more than other hosting options, but there are plenty of reasons businesses choose them. For instance, a dedicated server is your own personal server that is not shared by anyone.

What is Shared Hosting?

Web hosting is an incredibly useful service, as it allows a company to ‘host’ your website on the internet, generating traffic and interest in your content. However, it can be difficult to determine which exact service that you require. For instance, when should you use shared hosting, and when should you use a managed VPS host? We walk you through an explanation of the two different services and some ideas of when one should be used rather than the other.

Hostgator is one of the largest web hosting companies in the world. They offer shared hosting, reseller web hosting and dedicated server. You have the option to host personal sites large and small, blogs, forums and online retailers of all sizes. For just $ 14. 99 you are entitled to unlimited disk space, host unlimited domains, unlimited bandwidth, MySQL databases, CGI, PHP, Perl, SSL, a website builder software, Cpanel, etc. But in reality, they place limits on the total resources your websites can use which varies with each hosting plan. They do that by limiting the number of iNodes each account holder can use in each month and if you exceed the number allowed they shut down your website for the rest of the month.

As web hosting evolves as a service in a bid to cater to the needs of various customers, hosting providers are often asked about the peculiarities of every hosting service, cloud and shared hosting in particular. This query, asked by bloggers, web professionals and businesses alike, has often been a subject of discussion so as to come down to a better decision while choosing a hosting package. However, both shared as well as cloud hosting have their own characteristics which allow its users to make the most out of them.

What Is Dedicated Hosting or a Virtual Private Server?

The web hosting industry has undergone a rapid shift in the last 10 years and its outcome have been the diversified hosting options available to the users today. Whether it’s a small business, eCommerce project, an online business or a growing enterprise, the website is essential today. VPS (Virtual Private Server) is one of the website hosting options, offered by many web hosting providers.

What is a virtual private server? A virtual private server is basically a dedicated server but its resources and instances are segregated to host multiple websites. Virtualization technology isolates all the websites on the server and keeps them separate from each other. In simple words, one dedicated server is divided into several small virtual servers to meet the needs of multiple users.

When you are looking out for a hosting service and finding it difficult to decide whether you should get dedicated hosting, shared hosting, or VPS hosting just look carefully at the bullet point lists which tell you what you will get in each web hosting package. All the hosting services have their own unique sets of advantages and disadvantages. These are the most common hosting services that are popular these days but you need to understand when you should prefer dedicated hosting over shared and VPS hosting services.

If you’re determined to spend as little as possible – just choose shared hosting and hope for the best. But if you have a large site and lots of visitors you will want stability and security above all else. when that happens, it’s time to take a serious look at moving your websites to dedicated servers.

Dedicated servers come with additional options, including software packages that are required to run the server. Some examples may include Windows Licensing, Cpanel, and other paid software options you need. Sometimes you can find free alternatives to paid software packages. But, they aren’t recommended because stability software issues can arise. One exception you can find is the use of Linux instead of Microsoft as well as other paid os’ run on dedicated servers.

Shared vs. Dedicated server price differences are a subject we touched upon. Let us conclude now by saying that when it comes to price, shared hosting costs less. This is due to the server’s resources being shared among many users.

The post Advantages of Shared Hosting – The Cheapest Easiest and Most Popular Way to Get A Website Online appeared first on GQ Central.

In a moment we’ll get started on how to use Tumblr to generate income online, but before we start I’d like to give you a short pep talk! You are clearly intelligent enough to understand that it is very possible to generate income from Tumblr through microblogging and have arrived here. But, if just starting out in the competitive world of blogging, you may find yourself questioning whether it’s worth starting your own Tumblr blog. After all, there are over 153 million blogs overall across the web and that number grows by the day. 10 years ago blogging was the main method of expressing yourself and having your own little creative corner of the web, but that’s changed. Nowadays, sites such as Instagram, Facebook and Tumblr seem to be the ‘it’ places to express yourself. So, why spend time on Tumblr where the sheer numbers of competitors on that website alone might put you off of blogging.

The reason is the Tumblr community which is generally a lot more open to art and art forms, and less stuck on the funny cats and baby videos than most other places. Tumblr is a creative social platform where people share many types of content, including short articles, images, music and videos. The watchword is to be yourself and just “create”, and you will eventually get noticed. Posts are short that’s why it’s rather similar to Twitter. So, this combination of blogging tool and social community is developed for those who prefer brevity while writing. But, don’t just create, follow others, add notes, and comment, and use hashtags to your advantage.

How to Use Tumblr

If you’re not already on Tumblr you’ll need to create an account and start a blog. Think about whether you want your Tumblr to represent you as a person or whether you want Tumblr to be for your business. Of course, you can have more than one account, but it’s a good idea to focus your money-making energies on one or the other.

To create a new Tumblr blog, simply go to tumblr.com and make an account. If you already have a personal blog you can easily create a new Tumblr blog for say, your jewellery business or your consultancy. For each new Tumblr blog, pick a title and URL and then choose the privacy settings and make them public. You can change the URL at any time.

Success on Tumblr is a matter of having many followers for your blog and many “notes” on your posts. Posts get notes when someone likes or reblogs them. Having highly shareable images, quotes and GIFs can improve your chance of attracting followers on Tumblr. That means you will have plenty of opportunities to be genuinely creative in what you blog about and post. If you are artistic and can create your own stunning images, you will do well on the microblogging site.

Using keywords, tags and hashtags will help users find your Tumblr and help Tumblr recommend your blog to the right users. That’s because the first 20tags you add to any blog post (but not to re-blogs of others’ posts) will all be searchable on Tumblr. So, if a user decided to explore a tag you used (e.g. NYC) via a Tumblr tag page, he or she would be able to see your post. That’s why tags are so useful for gaining new followers. You can use hashtags or regular tags, and your tags can have spaces or periods in them.

You’ve now set up your Tumblr blog and decided on a look and tone. Now it’s time to keep up a consistent stream of posts. Experts suggest at least a few times a week. To start, you may want to follow some brands and people you admire and see how they use Tumblr. You could try emulating their posting schedule, but of course, you don’t want to copy their look and voice. You need to establish your own. Plus, to stay on users’ dashboards and on their minds you’ll need to post frequently. If you don’t, you won’t build the kind of engaged following that you need to make money on Tumblr. There are various services that let you queue up posts in advance.

Tumblr Tips for Beginners

1. Infographics usually perform well on Tumblr. Use them to promote a course or e-book you are selling by posting the infographic along with a link to your course or e-book to learn more.

2. Use any Tumblr affiliate program or post photos and videos as a guide to various sites and landscapes or create tutorials. You can publish quotes to promote some places of interest, ways of travelling, or offer win-win solutions for travellers.

3. You can add AdSense to a blog that’s hosted by Tumblr so long as it meets their guidelines, but one thing you can’t do is apply for Google Adsense using a blog with a Tumblr URL (like ). To obtain an Adsense Account you need to show them a TOS compliant website you own. You can do that by buying a domain and adding it to your Tumblr account as a custom URL. For those with an existing Adsense account, just add your Tumblr URL to your already approved account and add the Adsense ads script to each page.

4. Reblogging is an important Tumblr feature to keep in mind when trying to make money on their network. Reblogging is essentially the option other Tumblr users have to repost posts from your Tumblr blog to theirs. Another important feature to keep in mind is tagging: tag your posts with a few good keywords so that your posts show up when someone is searching on a tag. Now, without further ado, here are ways to make money on Tumblr.

5. If you want to raise an existing Tumblr income, use any Tumblr affiliate program, or post photos and videos as a guide to various sites and landscapes or tutorials. You can publish quotes to promote some places of interests, ways of travelling or tips to offer win-win solutions for travellers. Formats and content of posts depend on your niche in “travel”. For instance, the “insatiable traveller” blog shares tips on how to improve your photography skills and a helpful list of dos and don’ts for every country.

Tumblr: Further Reading

From social networking services to instant messaging apps, to video sharing websites, there are numerous means by which information can be shared online with others. However, when it comes to communicating thoughts and ideas effectively over the web, there’s hardly a medium that works better, than blogging. Probably this is the reason that these days, anyone and everyone, from individuals to big corporations, has a blog.

Out of the many blogging platforms available out there, the Verizon owned Tumblr is probably the most unique. Built around a “short-form” blogging approach, it lets users post text, pictures, as well as multimedia from an easy to use dashboard.

From the 1980s, porn has always been available for instant viewing via the internet, and Tumblr allowed it. It seems that with every new technological advance, the availability of sex and porn websites has followed. Recently x-rated content has been shutdown on Tumblr. With the rise of SOPA, many other sites have also removed their Adult content. Many parents are also using internet filter programs as a way to protect their computers and families from unwanted content.

Tumblr ads are a way to raise your profile on the platform. They are created as sponsored posts, sponsored video posts, or sponsored days. They are selectively shown to relevant audiences based on factors such as surrounding content users are viewing, the information provided, apps used, search history, and friends’ recommendations. Ads on Tumblr serve across desktop, mobile, and tablet. For the successful microbloggers reading this, Tumblr ads might be right for you.

Concluding: Using Tumblr to Generate Income Online

In the competitive world of blogging, you may find yourself questioning whether it’s worth starting your own blog. After all, there are over 153 million blogs and that number grows daily.

Yes, it is because Tumblr is a great platform, with a relatively attentive community to appreciate your efforts when finding your voice as a blogger.

Once you have a following you will know how to build more and larger followings and by showing even a small amount of business acuity, money-making opportunities will develop from there.

Tumblr Themes to Improve SEO and Send Traffic to a Main Website (or Sites)

A Tumblr theme will help you to improve the experience of your Tumblr blog by being more unique or visually interesting than competing blogs. There are a ton of free Tumblr themes bring in a lot of features, design styles, responsive interface, and much more. You can also go about and edit the themes by adjusting the raw HTML codes that go into building them.

However, once you have built yourself a nice following and want to branch out with a self-hosted blog on your own webspace you will benefit from an SEO theme like TumblriX, which will allow something called direct “follow” links (backlinks) on special static pages which it creates in a sidebar for you. These are most simply described as the opposite to “no-follow” links where a no-follow link is a link which the page creator/ owner is telling Google not to use the link to index the linked page either favourably or unfavourably.

Our Theme is a simple low “one time” cost Tumblr theme which comes with a clean look. We made it really, really simple for people to make a blog and put whatever they want on it. But, the real power is the static pages which it builds automatically. Add suitable text and anchor text links to those and you will find that those are powerful “follow” inks which convey a lot of Google “love” to any page or post you link them to. Once you have a popular Tumblr this theme is the one which will help you rank your related money making website. When the theme is used correctly, like that, it’s a wonderful traffic booster. It does this by raising the page-rank of your linked website. Once the content on your money-making website is seen by many people in the search engines you will have the opportunity to sell whatever you like, to them.

The post How to Use Tumblr – Microblogging to Generate Income Online appeared first on GQ Central.

As much as it might be difficult to define what “ethics” is in relation to marketing, it’s easy to define what it isn’t.

Take, for instance, a product pricing landing page that gives incorrect information (or, hides the price entirely … ).

Alternatively, consider a social media advertisement that claims a product will do X, Y, and Z — but then, when you order it, you find it can only do X.

These types of disreputable, dishonest, and corrupt marketing strategies are what we mean when we say a company behaved unethically.

Ultimately, while unethical marketing can potentially succeed in the short-term, it’s not a good long-term strategy. Over time, customers will distrust your brand as a whole, and you’ll find it difficult to find brand advocates who are willing to spread awareness about your product or service through word-of-mouth marketing.

In short, unethical marketing will make your job as a marketer much harder in the long run, not easier.

Here, let’s explore the critical role ethics plays in modern marketing (and leadership as a whole), and how you can ensure you’re following best practices to create ethical solutions to all your marketing challenges.

The Role of Ethics in Leadership

To start, let’s define what ethics means.

While it’s easy to define ethics as “the difference between right and wrong”, the truth is a bit more complex than that.

For instance, the concept of “right” and “wrong” is typically a relatively subjective one. What’s “right” culturally in the U.S. might be frowned upon in Asia, and vice versa.

The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics defines ethics as two things: “First, ethics refers to well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues … Ethical standards also include those that enjoin virtues of honesty, compassion, and loyalty.”

The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics adds, “Ethics [also] refers to the study and development of one’s ethical standards. As mentioned above, feelings, laws, and social norms can deviate from what is ethical. So it is necessary to constantly examine one’s standards to ensure that they are reasonable and well-founded.”

In the context of marketing, then, ethics refers to the practice of promoting fairness, honesty, and empathy in all marketing activities.

One of the easiest ways to promote ethics in a business sense, of course, is to ensure it’s instilled in your company’s culture and values.

However, it’s important to note, it’s not enough just to have a set of values and mission statement. Truly ethical companies need to live out these values every day (as noted in this article about core values by HBR).

To further investigate what this means in practice, I spoke with Joan Harrington, the Director of Social Sector Ethics at The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

Harrington told me, “The key to integrating ethics in organizations is leadership. The leadership must set the example by living the organizational values and incorporating them into all aspects of the business. So having a code of ethics or a set of values in a handbook is not enough to shape an ethical culture.”

Harrington adds, “Employees need to be trained on, or at least exposed to, how to make ethical decisions. Ethics is not about what you think is right versus what I think is right. It is how we — in all of our different relationships — ought to behave.”

Harrington suggests in an ideal scenario, an entire organization will go through an ethical decision-making training — but, she adds, there are some areas of an organization that are higher-risk for ethical issues than others (like, for instance, engineers working on projects involving AI that might affect millions of people). For those higher-risk groups, these ethical decision-making trainings should be mandatory, not optional.

As Harrington told me, “This is not to say that there may be more than one ethical response, but it is not purely subjective. In training, people need to be exposed to real life situations, relevant to their jobs, so they can really work through how to identify, approach, and decide ethical issues.”

To create a truly ethical culture, it’s critical leaders model ethical behaviors and values, create a strong community, and design ethical systems in which all employees can thrive.

To do this, Ann Skeet, Senior Director of Leadership Ethics at the Markkula Center, advises leaders to “use goals, mission, and values to make decisions about compensation and other rewards, like promotions.”

Ultimately, ethical leadership needs to be baked into the processes, not an “afterthought”. This way, it isn’t just one person’s sole responsibility to raise her hand and say, “That doesn’t seem fair to me.” Instead, the very foundation of the organization should be built upon ethical pillars, including honesty and fairness, so that each business decision is made with these values top-of-mind.

Next, let’s dive into how ethics plays into your role as a marketer.

The Role of Ethics in Marketing

Ethical marketing refers to a marketer’s responsibility to ensure all marketing activities adhere to core ethics principles, including integrity, humility, and honesty — both internally, and externally.

To further recognize the difference between internal and external marketing ethics, let’s consider an example.

Let’s say your marketing team hires a design agency for a new marketing campaign. Halfway through the campaign, your team discovers the agency doesn’t treat its workers fairly, and doesn’t align well with your values in terms of environmental and social responsibility.

Even if your customers don’t know about this alliance, it’s still in your best interest to discontinue a working relationship with the agency as soon as possible, and re-align yourself with agencies that uphold the same standards you’ve set for your own team internally.

Equally importantly, of course, is the public-facing component of ethical marketing. This includes ensuring you don’t stretch the truth or lie about your product or service (including pricing, functionality, release date, current customers, etc.) to try to attract new customers — lying about Beyonce’s use of your product might seem like a good idea in theory, but it won’t take long before you’re caught out.

Additionally, ethical marketing also means treating workers fairly, using sustainable materials, and doing your part to support environmental or social causes that feel important to your brand.

For instance, consider the brand Toms, which gives away $1 for every $3 it makes, and has given nearly 100 million pairs of shoes to people in need since 2006.

As Harrington notes, “Marketing has its own, built-in, ethical issues. For non-profits, do they do ‘storytelling’ about their clients in an ethical way when they are engaged in fundraising, i.e., how are they representing their clients? Have they included clients in deciding how to present them? Are they operating from stereotypes?”

Harrington adds, “For all organizations, to figure out whether marketing is ethical, you’ll want to ask whether marketers are operating transparently? Is the product accurately described? Is the marketing ahead of the actual product? And is there undue pressure on potential consumers?”

In 2020, ethical marketing is more important than ever.

Consider, for instance, that it costs five to 25 times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one. Brand loyalty is critical for the long-term success of your company.

Additionally, did you know people don’t trust businesses nowadays as much as they used to? In fact, 81% trust their friends and family’s advice over advice from a business, 69% do not trust advertisements, and 71% do not trust sponsored ads on social networks.

Ultimately, there’s only one long-term solution to the ever-growing problem of a distrustful customer base: ethical marketing.

Of course, it’s important to remember, ethical marketing needs to influence every aspect of your marketing strategy, not just one or two areas. You need to show honesty, transparency, and integrity across the board — from the Instagram Stories you post, to the new product demos you promote.

To learn more about ethical marketing and how you might apply it to your own team, take a look at The Markkula Center’s framework for ethical decision making.

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For a human being, there are times when being short is patently not helpful: for example, reaching the infuriatingly high top cabinet in the kitchen where your partner keeps all the best snacks. (Popcorn! Just! Out! Of! Reach!)

But if you’re a URL, shorter is better, pretty much every time.

That’s why URL shorteners are such handy tools. Any long and unwieldy website address can be reduced to just a few characters in the click of a button.

And unlike a certain kitchen cupboard, URL shorteners are in reach of anyone with an internet browser—social media managers, regular everyday Facebook moms, small business owners, and TikTok tweens of all heights.

Here’s everything you need to know about how to use URL shorteners, and why they should be an essential part of your social media tool kit.

What is a URL shortener?

URL shorteners are tools that create a super short, unique URL that will redirect to the specific website of your choosing.

Basically: they make a URL shorter and simpler.

Your new, shorter URL will typically include the shortener site’s address, plus a combination of random letters.

For example, if I punched in a URL like animalplanet.com/tv-shows/puppy-bowl/full-episodes/puppy-bowl-xvi into the Hootsuite Ow.ly shortener, it would generate ow.ly/uK2f50AJDI6. This cuts the link down by 48 letters, but still gives you access to cute dogs doing a bad job of playing football.

In some cases, you can even customize this mini URL with a custom phrase. Oh, the power!

Why use a URL shortener?

There are a lot of good reasons to use a URL shortener if you’re going to be sharing a link.

Long, unruly links look suspicious

If you’re linking to a specific page buried deep on your website, or are using UTM parameters to track your visitors, you might find yourself wrestling with a lengthy URL.

Source: Twitter

An oversized URL will look clunky pretty much anywhere you use it—in social posts, shared via text, pasted into an email.

But worse than that, long URLs also look super suspicious. With so many letters and backslashes and numbers and question marks, anything could happen when we click that link! Anything!

Keep things looking neat, tidy and, well, friendly with a URL that’s as short as possible.

A custom URL shortener lets you brand your links

If brand awareness is part of your social media strategy, a custom URL shortener is one more tool to help spread the word.

URL shorteners that allow you to customize your shortlink offer a chance to name drop your brand. Hootsuite’s link shortener, for example, lets you create a vanity shortlink in just a few clicks.

Especially if you’re using a free web hosting service, or have an ISP that’s less than exciting, a custom URL shortener is a way to keep your brand front and center whenever you’re sharing links.

Link shorteners allow you to track performance

Most link shortening sites will offer tracking metrics. This is information about who clicked your link, where, and when—information that will help you calculate the campaign’s ROI.

To easily track source traffic, create a variety of shortlinks using different UTM parameters. Combine this with other analytics tools—like Google Analytics—and you’re setting yourself up for marketing success.

Source: Bitl.ly

Short URLs allow you to get the most out of character limits on social media

Twitter has a strict character limit of 280, so keeping posts concise is key. Shortened URLs give you that much more room for that poignant observation about politics, or the perfect punctuating emoji for your killer joke about hot dogs.

Source: Twitter screenshot

Even for posts on Facebook or Instagram, where the character limits are in the thousands, it’s still best for readability and engagement to keep things short and sweet. Short URLs help avoid TL;DR syndrome.

Another benefit of shorter links: they’re also useful for IM or email, where longer links may be hard to read, or disrupted all together by line breaks.

Shorter links are more memorable

Beyond the functional benefits of a shortened URL, they’re just snappier and easier to remember.

If a wedding publication is trying to collect submissions on a Google Form, for example, directing followers to docs.google.com/forms/d/1ezpZnYSA08L3nlsLzgjKToA76qKYgFpKzW5FMaKLoxI is a bit of a mouthful. A custom shotlink like bit.ly/submitRW, on the other hand, is easy to understand and recall.

Try out a shortlink on business cards, print ads, or physical signage. If people can actually type into their browser with just a few keystrokes, you’re more likely to earn some traffic.

Source: Unsplash plus some creative work on Canva

How do URL shorteners work?

URL shorteners work by creating a redirect to your long URL.

Entering a URL into your internet browser sends an HTTP request to the web server to pull up a specific website. The long and the short URLs are both simply different starting points for an internet browser to get the same destination.

There are a few different types of redirect HTTP response codes, but look for ones that use a 301 permanent redirect: the other varieties may hurt your SEO ranking.

10 URL shorteners to try besides the Google link shortener

Google shut down its popular URL shortener back in spring 2019, but on the bright side, there are dozens of alternative options out there.

On the downside… there are dozens of alternative options out there. How do you know which to choose?

Our advice: look for shortener services that allow you to customize your link, or that have built-in analytics. A URL shortening site that’s been around a while might also be more reliable and reputable, likely to avoid service closure or disruption.

1. Ow.ly

Owly is integrated right into the Hootsuite platform, and is included with every plan type (including the free version).

The benefits here are that you can see your shortlink metrics right alongside your other social analytics, so you can view the performance of your brand holistically.

Source: Ow.ly

2. T.co

Twitter features a built-in URL shortener that automatically reduces any long URL down to 23 characters, leaving you plenty of room to express yourself.

Any link you share—even an already shortened one!—will be transformed into a t.co URL so that Twitter can record metrics, and sift out any spammy or dangerous sites.

3. Bitly

There’s a ton of data to chew on if you use Bitly. Here, you can see each link’s performance with metrics like demographic data, referral sources, and click-throughs via the robust Bitly dashboard.

A free account offers analytics and customization for one individual, but Basic and Enterprise subscriptions are available too, which offer branded links, QR codes, richer data and multiple users.

Source: Bit.ly

4. Tiny URL

The site itself isn’t going to win any design awards, but who cares? It does everything you need: create a tiny new URL. Customization is possible without logging in, making it an efficient option when you’re in a rush to share the latest episode of your MasterChef Junior podcast.

One cool feature here: you can add TinyURL to your browser toolbar, so you can create shortlinks for whatever site you’re currently on.

Source: Tiny.url

5. Rebrandly

With Rebrandly, you can create a branded shortlink of your own with a custom domain—even with a free account.

SujindersCookiePalace.com might be a great main URL to have, but when it comes to share on social, that character count adds up. A short, branded URL just for link sharing, like su.jinders, still gets your business name in there, without taking up precious space.

Plus, Rebrandly features both tracking, optimization, and scaling tools in their variety of packages (paid options starting from $29 monthly).

Source: Rebrandly

6. Hyperlink

Get real-time notifications when links are clicked with the help of Hyperlink, or change the settings to hourly, daily, or weekly summaries.

Hyperlink also provides per-click details: find out the device, location, and referral info for every visitor, and a live tracking dashboard.

The app (for iOS and Android) is a nice complement to the Chrome extension, for those who need to share links on the go. (You’re busy! We get it!)

Custom domains are available with paid plans, which start at $39 per month.

Source: Hyperlink

7. Tiny.CC

Shorten, track, and manage your URLs quickly with Tiny.CC’s simple interface.

Custom URL slugs are available, and if you register an account, you can track the stats for the shortlink.

Source: Tiny.cc

8. Bit.Do

Bit.Do is another simple and sweet option that has all you need: the ability to customize, traffic stats, and even an automatic QR code generator.

Short branded domains are available here too, but the pricing is a bit more than the others on this list at $85 a month, so you might be better off choosing another service if branded URLs are the way you want to go.

Source: Bit.do

9. ClickMeter

ClickMeter’s nice visual dashboard makes it handy to get the most from your links.

At a glance, you can monitor broken links and latency, find the visitors yielding the best conversion rates, track views and clicks, and more.

With packages starting from $29 a month, it’s a favorite of agencies and publishers for its robust offerings—and handy link shortening functionality, of course.

Source: ClickMeter

10. Shorte.ST

Data is valuable for your insights, right? Well, third-party companies are often interested in that information, too, which is why a cottage industry has popped up of businesses that actually pay you to shorten your links with them.

Shorte.ST is one of the higher paying URL shorteners of the many on the web, with payout rates varying depending on your audience’s geography. (For example, Shorte.ST pays $14.04 CPM for U.S. traffic.)

In addition to cold hard cash, Shorte.ST offers a dashboard of thorough stats for review.

Source: Shorte.St

11. Cut.Ly

You don’t need an account to use Cut.Ly, or even to customize the URL, but an account will get you access to real-time analytics, including click-throughs and social media referrals.

Cut.Ly also has a free custom URL shortener button you can add to your browser toolbar, so shortening your link just takes one click.

Source: Cuttly

12. Clkim

The smart redirects of Clkim’s system are, well, smart. Based on contextual triggers, the URL can redirect users based on mobile operating system or geography, so they’re accessing your site in a way that works best for them.

There’s also the option to do destination A/B testing to learn which landing page converts better. Plus, Clkim offers retargeting based on custom lists of people who have clicked on your shortlist.

Source: Clkim

The bottom line: Whatever combination of speed and detail you need, there’s a shortening service out there for your lengthy link. Try a few, try them all—just make sure to keep it short and sweet.

Drive more traffic to your website and save time with Hootsuite. From a single dashboard you can manage all your social media profiles, shorten links in one click, measure success, and more. Try it for free.

Get Started

The post 12 of the Best Link Shorteners That Aren’t the Google URL Shortener appeared first on Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard.

For now, augmented reality (AR) is still largely a novelty — AR’s newness alone contributes to its ability to surpass print, online, and television advertisements in terms of shock-factor. As The Drum reports, AR can capture people’s attention for over 85 seconds, increase interaction rates by 20 percent, and improve click-through rates to purchase by 33 percent.

Right now, people will stop and look at AR-inspired experiences, regardless of the campaign’s overall quality. But as more companies incorporate AR into their marketing strategies, and as AR technology becomes more ubiquitous, you’ll need to produce more thoughtful campaigns to impress your audience. Eventually, AR will become mainstream, and its prevalence in the industry will make it harder to compete.Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, has said that AR will one day be as important in our everyday lives as “eating three meals a day.” So, the question is — how can your marketing strategy effectively capture an audience’s attention, once AR has become commonplace?

Here, we’ll look at eight companies that use AR in innovative and inspiring ways. These examples should be all the inspiration you need to brainstorm and execute a brilliant long-term AR marketing strategy.

Augmented Reality Examples

Augmented Reality for Product Marketing

1. Home Depot

Decorating a home isn’t easy — how do you know if you’ll actually like the yellow paint that looks beautiful online, but might be too bright in your bathroom? What if that coffee table doesn’t fit in your living room like you’d hoped?

In 2015, Home Depot released their Project Color app, which uses patent technology to show users what a paint color will look like in their home. The AR technology takes into account lighting, objects, and shadows in the room, so you can see how that yellow shade will look in real life. If you don’t trust your own judgment, you can also share images from the app on social media, to get a friend’s opinion.

In 2017, Home Depot took it a step further — now, you can also use their app to check out how objects like patio furniture, faucets, and other products look in your home.

Home Depot isn’t the only home furniture store to use AR to create value for their users — Lowe’s and Ikea have similar AR technology built into their apps.

Image Source

2. Timberland

If you’re anything like me, the idea of trying on items in the dressing room can sometimes deter you from shopping at all. More than once, I’ve said, “I’ll buy it, try it on at home, and return it if I don’t like it,” just to avoid the hassle of carrying a pile of clothes into a dressing room line.

In the interest of convenience and comfortability, Timberland created a virtual fitting room in Moktow Gallery in 2014. Using Kinect motion sensing technology, Timberland’s virtual fitting room allowed shoppers to see an image of their face, and a similarly-sized model body, in different outfits.

If you’re going to use AR, you’ll want to brainstorm unique ways to help your customers avoid an otherwise burdensome process. While fitting rooms might not be the end of the world (first-world problems?), Timberland stands out as a helpful brand by offering customers a fun and useful alternative.

3. Sephora

There’s a reason many women don’t buy makeup products online — it’s impossible to know if you’ll like the lip color or foundation coverage if you don’t try it on, in-store.

Sephora understands this struggle, and created an augmented reality experience, Virtual Artist App, with ModiFace to ensure Sephora app users can see how makeup products will look on their face via their phone’s camera. Users can also find out which tools or products they’ll need to apply certain products.

Additionally, Modiface’s augmented reality technology can show users the effects of months of skincare on their skin — a visual they won’t find in-store.

Bridget Dolan, Sephora’s head of innovation, appreciates the necessity of a long-term AR strategy. “When it comes to augmented and virtual reality, it can only be successful if it’s truly useful,” Bridget told Glossy. “We weren’t interested in just buzzy. A lot of things like technical accuracy and timing had to come together, and there was a time last year when, during testing, we hit a tipping point.”

Sephora’s use of augmented reality isn’t just helpful for users — it also drives sales by appealing to Sephora’s more tech-savvy consumers, and encouraging those consumers to become brand ambassadors by recording and sharing their augmented reality experiences online.

Image Source

4. AMC Theaters

Delivering a message when and where your audience wants to receive it is a critical component of a successful marketing strategy. This is especially true when it comes to AR.

AMC Theaters, understanding their audience is most interested in upcoming movie trailers when they’re at the movies, incorporated AR technology into their AMC app. When a user sees a movie poster in a theatre, they can open the AMC app on their phone, scan the poster, and receive relevant information, including a cast list and a trailer.

If they’re interested in the movie after scanning, they can also purchase a ticket immediately, within the app.

Ultimately, AMC Theatres is providing optimal convenience with their use of AR — while a user can YouTube a trailer or Google a review, there’s an added incentive to check the movie out and purchase a ticket when the user can do it all in one place.

Image Source

5. Taco Bell

There are two big reasons you’d visit a Taco Bell in 2012 — to try their new Doritos taco shell, or to play with their augmented-reality packaging.

Taco Bell placed an AR feature on each Locos Tacos box and soda cup for their Doritos shell campaign. When a user scanned the box with the Taco Bell app, they could see product-related Twitter and Facebook content on their phones.

By connecting their users with live social media content, Taco Bell successfully used AR to cultivate a stronger sense of community. They also showcased their brand as a major player in innovation, particularly in the fast-food industry.

Image Source

6. StubHub

Augmented reality enables you to both visualize and interact with a space — two critical functions when choosing how much you’re willing to pay for a stadium seat.

For Super Bowl LII, StubHub introduced an AR feature on their mobile app that allowed ticket buyers to see a virtual 3D model of the U.S. Bank Stadium, as well as nearby parking garages and concession stands. This enabled potential buyers to visualize their full experience before purchasing, and minimized the risk of paying for a subpar seat.

StubHub’s reliance on AR solved for a common customer problem — as StubHub CTO Matt Swann points out, “We’re solving for real pain points, not just tech for the sake of tech. For a lot of people, it’s not an event you just show up for, it’s kind of a bucket list item.”

Particularly for out-of-towners, the ability to virtually compare different seat locations adds a level of comfort for hesitant buyers.

Back in 2016, the company also introduced a “virtual view” option on their app, letting ticket buyers preview their view from their seats before purchasing. The results were tremendous — StubHub saw app engagement more than double within one year.

Image Source

AR and Experiential Marketing

7. Netflix

To market season two of the Netflix original series Stranger Things, the streaming company launched a series of AR/VR lenses on Snapchat. With the lens shown in the video below, users could record videos of themselves walking through one of the houses seen in the show, as monsters called Demigorgons pop out of the wall. 

Aside from this lens, which is incredibly immersive for a mobile app, Netflix has also leveraged AR filters to promote its content.  The video below highlights just a few that were featured on apps like Facebook and Snapchat. 

8. Pepsi

In 2014, Pepsi installed AR technology in a London bus shelter, making it appear as if a lion, UFOs, flying saucers, and other objects were headed straight for Londoners.

The production showcased Pepsi’s playful personality and provided the audience with an exceptional experience. Afterwards, a video of the bus shelter’s AR technology attracted over six million views on YouTube — making it one of YouTube’s most viewed advertising campaigns.

Pepsi’s campaign highlights the effectiveness of AR when a company truly knows their audience. Pepsi didn’t need to use AR to advertise their products — instead, they trusted their consumers to appreciate the surreal experience and naturally share the story with friends, creating buzz around their brand as a result.

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The State of AR in Marketing

While a number of brands still can’t access AR quite yet, marketers can still take a note from how these brands creatively implemented a new technology into their content marketing strategies. 

Ultimately, as the media landscape changes and technology gets more advanced, marketers at business of different sizes might have more opportunities to implement technology. And, when they do, they’ll need to think creatively and innovatively about how they invest in it. 

To learn more about AR in marketing, check out this ultimate guide. If you want to dive deeper into virtual reality, you might enjoy this list of examples.