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  • Unlocking the Power of Authentic User-Generated Content in 2023

    Unlocking the Power of Authentic User-Generated Content in 2023

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    Image Source: Unsplash

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    With the rising popularity of user-generated content (UGC), it is becoming increasingly important for brands to understand how to leverage its power to drive engagement and increase ROI. By understanding the benefits, challenges, and best practices for using UGC, brands can create a successful content marketing strategy for 2023 and beyond.

    What is user-generated content?

    User generated content refers to exactly what the words say. Content generated by users. It could be anything such as reviews, blog posts, videos, photos, and more. It is usually shared on social media, allowing brands to reach a wider audience and engage with their customers. UGC is also known as consumer-generated content (CGC) or brand-generated content (BGC).

    So, the content that you may have seen on social media that isn’t created by the brand itself but rather by the audience translates to UGC.

    A product review?
    UGC.

    Ways to use a product?
    Also UGC.

    The rise of the phenomenon is due in part to the increasing availability of digital media platforms, such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. These platforms allow users to share photos, stories, and videos with their followers, enabling brands to leverage the power of authentic content to reach more people and drive engagement.

    How does it benefit your business?

    The benefits of consumer-generated content are clear regardless of the industry.

    • Increased Visibility: UGC can help brands reach a wider audience and increase brand visibility. By leveraging UGC, brands can showcase their products and services in a more engaging and authentic way.

    Because the message is coming from the audience for the audience, the content carries a lot of power in influencing the decision of other consumers.

    • Enhanced Customer Engagement: UGC helps to create a more personal connection between brands and their customers. By encouraging customers to share their experiences and stories, brands can create a sense of community and engagement with their customers.
    • Improved SEO: UGC can help brands improve their search engine rankings by increasing the amount of content related to their products and services.
    • Increased Trust and Loyalty: UGC can help build trust and loyalty with customers. By showcasing authentic customer stories, brands can create a sense of connection and trust between themselves and their customers.

    Source: Instagram

    How can you optimise user-generated content?

    Using UGC effectively requires a well-thought-out content marketing strategy. Here are some tips for creation.

    Different platforms have different audiences. It is important to choose the right platforms for your content. Think about where your target audience is spending their time and create content specifically for that platform.

    For example, video content does brilliantly well on Instagram. Whether it’s stories or reels, the platform is perfect for catering to audiences who prefer video formats over others.

    Think about what content your audience would find valuable and create stories, videos or posts that resonate with them. Make sure that it’s engaging and interesting!

    Influencers can help you reach a wider audience and drive more engagement with your content. Consider leveraging influencers to help promote your content.

    That said, try to look for niche influencers. Their numbers may be small but the engagement and ROI levels are far better.

    It is important to track and analyze your content to understand what is working and what isn’t. Make sure to use analytics tools to measure the success of your content.

    If you don’t know where to begin, learn the basics of creating a marketing plan first.

    Tips for creating effective and valuable user-generated content.

    Creating effective UGC requires a strategic approach. Here are some tips for nailing it:

    Leverage User Stories: User stories can be a powerful way to engage with your customers. Consider sharing stories from your customers to create a more personal connection.

    This can be written reviews, video testimonials, or even picture-based product reviews.

    Make It Relevant: The content you produce should be relevant to your audience. Think about what content your audience would find useful and create content that resonates with them.

    Focus On Quality: Quality is key when it comes to UGC. And no, I don’t mean high-product and all that jazz. The content should be authentic, unbiased and truthful to actually influence other users.

    Offer Incentives: Offering incentives to your customers for creating content can help to increase engagement. Consider offering discounts or rewards for customers who create content for your brand.

    Source: Instagram

    Methods for making the most out of your consumer-generated content.

    Once you have created your UGC, it is important to leverage it effectively. Here are some strategies to help you out:

    • Spread the word: Consider sharing the content on your social media channels to increase engagement and reach a wider audience.
    • Host Contests or Giveaways: Hosting contests or giveaways can be a great way to engage with your customers and encourage them to create UGC. Consider offering prizes or discounts to customers who create for your brand.
    • Use Influencers: Influencers can be a powerful way to leverage UGC. Consider reaching out to influencers and asking them to promote your content.
    • Measure Your Results: It is important to track and measure your results to understand what is working and what isn’t. Make sure to use analytics tools to measure the success of your content.

    Tools for managing user-generated content.

    There are a number of tools available to help manage UGC. Here are some of the key tools for managing UGC:

    Hootsuite: Hootsuite is a popular tool for managing content. It allows you to monitor, schedule, and publish across multiple platforms.

    Sprout Social: Sprout Social is a management tool as well. It allows you to track and measure engagement, monitor conversations, and respond to comments.

    BuzzSumo: BuzzSumo is a popular tool for finding and analyzing UGC. It allows you to search for content by keywords and analyze the engagement of existing content.

    CoSchedule: CoSchedule is a great tool for creating and managing content. It allows you to create and manage content calendars, track performance, and schedule content.

    Tailwind: Tailwind is a great tool for content management. It allows you to post to multiple platforms, track performance, and analyze engagement.

    Conclusion

    User-generated content (UGC) has become an increasingly popular way for brands to engage with their customers and increase ROI. By understanding the benefits, challenges, and best practices, brands can create a successful content marketing strategy for 2023 and beyond.

    By leveraging the power of UGC, brands can reach a wider audience, build trust and loyalty, and increase sales and ROI.

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  • Utilizing React for UI in Adobe XD

    Utilizing React for UI in Adobe XD

    Product teams are essential for bridging the gap between the project’s design and development. There may be a lot of guidelines for help, but until the execution is done right, guidelines don’t guarantee a perfect result. To close this gap between design and development, React was introduced.   

    React was brought in as a sophisticated and vital framework library of JavaScript. In the front-end development space, it is different from its competitors in a way that it does not attempt to provide a complete app framework that other mainstream frameworks offer. But rather, it provides mastering the art of user interfaces. And this is mainly the reason why React is majorly symbolized with UI/UX.

    React Native – a UI framework for building native apps uses native components like View, Text and Image for building the UI blocks. Diagram 1 summarizes this in a visual format.  

    Image to show react native app components
    Diagram 1: React UI Framework

    This component approach yields the following benefits:  

    • Components let you build a domain specific language  
    • They are shared across the boundaries meaning for a component on the design canvas, source code is given for it too.  
    • Platform specific versions get established so a single codebase can share code across platforms. React components wrap existing native code and interact with native API’s via React’s UI paradigm and JS.    
    Blog image to show structure of React Native app
    Diagram 2: Cross Platform Design in React

    Adobe XD is a fast and powerful UI/UX Design and collaboration tool. It offers a vector-based user experience design for web and mobile apps. It is actively used to create the overall prototype or wireframe for the app. Once the designing process is completed, the project may be exported to any other app framework. It is important to note that while exporting is done, it may disturb some of the design elements interfaces. To avoid this, there is a need for a plug-in to integrate the Adobe XD with React. Plug-in, in this scenario, would utilize react Framework using JSX, in conjunction with webpack to transform and bundle the source into JavaScript consumable by XD.   

    It is important to note that the XD plugin environment is not a browser. Instead, there is a technology called Unified Extensibility Platform (UXP) developed by Adobe that powers the plug-in’s code. It aims to map closely to web standards for HTML, CSS and JS. It should be noted that not all node packages are expected to work. XD’s plug-in sandbox supports NPM modules using only the core JavaScript API’s i.e., no file system access or external process launching.  

    Following is the mechanism to create the plug-in.  

    STEP 1: Choosing the kind of plug-in – Modal or Panel  

    XD supports two kinds of plug-in flows, namely Modal (also known as diagonal) and Panel. The difference between these two is that dialogue plug-ins drop down from the top of the application and block further user interaction until dismissed. They have their place, but not all tasks benefit from the need to interrupt workflow. Panel plug-ins integrate into a dedicated area off to the side. The plug-in effectively becomes another tool to use, embedded right into the XD’s native application. UXP engine renders true application UI elements from the plug-ins code. Here, we’ll proceed with panel type plug-in, but it’s completely optional which one needs to be used.      

    STEP 2: Project Set Up  

    Have the following up and running before starting with XD. 

    • JS IDE like VSCode, WebStorm, Atom or Notepad++.  
    • Repository management via Git. There will be a need to pull & push codes to the project report.  
    • Installation of JS sources from a remote registry and then build node packages: node with npm and yarn.   

    Once XD has been started, next step is to locate the plug-in development folder. This can be found in the path: XD > Main menu > Plug-Ins > Development > Show Develop Folder.  

    STEP 3: Project Installation 

    From git, clone the project files. Once the project has been pulled down, execute yarn install within the projects root directory to pull in the necessary dependencies. A good way is to keep a file watcher going on to recompile the project automatically by typing npm run watch (or yarn watch) in the terminal also from the project’s root folder. Project debugging can be done in the developer output console in XD, where runtime errors and console.log () statements are recorded. Diagram 3 shows a sample screenshot.  

    Image of project Installation
    Diagram 3: Project Installation

    STEP 4: XD Resources Configuration  

    In the project files, manifest.json would be present which contains metadata pertaining to the plug-in. Externals entry in the webpack.config.js is important because this is where native XD modules are listed. The webpack code will use externals from the XD binary instead of bundling them with build. Projects src folder will have main.jsx file. This is a standard looking entry point that requires a helper file react-shim.js as shown in code below.   

    


if (window.setTimeout == null) {
window.setTimeout = function(fn) {
fn() }; 
} 
if (window.clearTimeout == null) {
window.clearTimeout = function() {}; 
} 
if (window.cancelAnimationFrame == null) {
window.cancelAnimationFrame = function() {}; 
} 
if (window.requestAnimationFrame == null) {
window.requestAnimationFrame = function( {      
console.log("requestAnimationFrame is not supported yet");  
} 
} 
if (window.HTMLIFrameElement == null) {
window.HTMLIFrameElement = class HTMLIFrameElement {}; 
} 
The shim provides XD’s JS engine with functions that are not there. 
It assigns the windows iframe element to HTMLFrameElement built into XD. 
PanelController mounts the app and holds three functions implemented by 
the panel plug in specification: 
show(), hide (), and update ().  See the code below.  
const React = require('react'); 
const ReactDOM = require('react-dom'); 
class PanelController {   
constructor(App) {    
this.App = App;     
this.instance = null;    
this.rootNode = document.createElement('div');     
this.attachment = null;    
['show', 'hide', 'update'].forEach((fn) => this[fn] = this[fn].bind(this));   
}   
show(event) {
const { selection, root } = require('scenegraph');     
const App = this.App;   this.attachment = event.node;     
this.attachment.appendChild(this.rootNode);     
if (!this.instance) {       
this.instance = ReactDOM.render(, this.rootNode);     
}     
this.update(selection, root);   
}   
hide(event) 
{     
this.attachment.removeChild(this.rootNode); 
} 
update(selection, root) {
if (this.instance.documentStateChanged) {
this.instance.documentStateChanged(selection, root);   
}  
}   
}

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    After the plug-in loads successfully, show () is called where the app instance attached to a generated root div element, then rendered in typical React fashion. Then whenever the ScenegGraph changes, the update () function is called which in turn calls documentStateChanged() on app passing along the current selection with the SceneGraph root node. When the plug-in unloads, hide () is invoked and the app is then unmounted.  

    STEP 5: UI Components Addition  

    The app has three inner components within the plug-in panel area handling a couple of actions and functions. EditDocument function’s first parameter is the undo label. The second is the function passing the current selection + SceneGraph root node. This is the only place where document changes can be made from the code. SceneGraph can only be invoked by a user interaction like a button click or input change originating from the plug-ins UI. If the action is asynchronous, the operation must use a Promise or the sync / await keywords in order to pause the plug-in until the action completes.  

    UI capabilities can be seen in MainContent.jsx. Let’s have a look.  

    


const React = require('react'); 
const styles = require('./MainContent.css'); 
const btoa = require('btoa'); 
const application = require('application'); 
const { selection, Artboard, ImageFill, Line, Text } = require('scenegraph'); 
const fs = require('uxp').storage.localFileSystem; 
const UNSPLASH_API = 'https://api.unsplash.com/photos/random?client_id=b21ca0eaeafd7b2d3ad04aea61bc1ca8516fe43dfdb22ebd93e39aa25049a014'; 
class MainContent extends React.Component {   
constructor(props) {    
super(props);    
this.state= {};    
['handleCreateRendition', 'handleFetchImage'].forEach((fn) => {      
this[fn] = this[fn].bind(this);  }); }   handleCreateRendition = () => {
application.editDocument({ editLabel : 'Export Rendition' }, (selection, documentRoot)  => {
selection.items.forEachasync(node) => {      
const folder = await fs.getFolder();              
const filename = `${node.name}_${node.guid}${(node.fill instanceof ImageFill) ? '@2x.png' : '.svg'}`;         
const file = await folder.createFile(filename, { overwrite : true });         
const renditionSettings = [(node.fill instanceof ImageFill) ? {           
node : node,           
outputFile  : file,           
type : application.RenditionType.PNG,           
scale : 2 } : { node  : node,  
outputFile  : file,           
type        : application.RenditionType.SVG,          
minify      : true,           
embedImages : false,   
scale       : 1      }]; 
… 
…

    … The UI in the above code shows some plug-in capability regarding buttons. The disabled attributes are set based on the current selection and a uxp-variant attribute provides basic built-in styling loosely adhering to XD’s native UI.  

    In a nutshell, the first button passes its click handler up the app to pan and zoom the viewport. The second button fills a shape type object with a random image provided by the API. Within the handlers editDocument(), a first async call is made which returns a JSON object describing the image. The description entry is used to rename the layer, one of the source URL’s is also grabbed for use on the following fetch call. Taking the entry’s full size image URL through the second and last async fetch call, the response is converted from a data buffer to a binary string.  

    Finally, the selected node gets filled with the base 64-encoded representation of that binary image data. The third button simply exports the image. A file handler is created at that path with a name generated from the layer’s name plus it’s a guid (a UIUD) properties. A set of export options are defined, createRendition() is called, ultimately writing the file contents and closing the handle.  

    The final steps are to package the plug-in. First execute the yarn build within the project’s root folder. The bundled JS is written by webpack to main.js located off the projects root folder. Files are imported in the source by using the require statement. A standard zip file would contain main.js, manifest.json and the images folder, plus any other assets placed on the root folder by webpack. Then change the file extension from .zip to .xdx so Adobe XD recognizes it as a plug-in package.  

  • What is the future of AI in the recruitment industry in 2022?

    Talent hunting can be a costly and time-consuming process that is quite vulnerable to human lapses of judgment. This is why AI-enabled recruitment is highly demanded in the world of human resource management. AI talent acquisition is here to stay.  

    Recruitment agencies are already using machine learning algorithms for some stages of the hiring process, if not all. This could be for finding the right candidates, optimizing job ads or filtering resumes. In recent years, AI is even being used during job interviews. Candidates are often asked to record their answers to questions over video, which is then algorithmically analyzed to determine aptitude. Unilever uses the AI-empowered process of Hire Vue to do this for its initial stages of recruitment. A candidate’s behavior and aptitude are gauged from their facial expressions and these insights are then used to speed up the hiring process.   

    Proponents of AI insist that the process is grounded in data and research while critics have labeled it a pseudoscience, with a tendency to aggravate existing gender and racial biases.  

    So how effective is AI-enabled talent hunting? What are some advantages and disadvantages of AI recruitment? Let’s discuss!  

    Should we be excited about AI recruitment?

    AI-integrated hiring has the potential to offer unprecedented benefits to HR managers – from the screening process to managing employee experience. Recruitment today looks drastically different from recruitment of a decade ago. What does this mean for the future of hiring in 2022? Let’s take a look at some factors that brighten the future of recruitment.   

    It saves time  

    Menial tasks can often take up a disproportionate amount of an HR manager’s time. This is why automation of simple tasks helps HR save time so that they may be able to focus on more pressing matters. Many businesses today use applicant tracking systems to identify keywords in resumes and subsequently rank them based on candidate aptitude for a given job. Time is a precious commodity these days and AI can help you save it!  

    It helps with better alignment   

    Ensuring that the right candidates see your job posting can be difficult for HR managers. This is where AI can help. Software with predictive analytics can evaluate your past job postings as well as the job postings of your competitors in order to improve the language and structure of your future talent hunting content. This will allow HR to come up with stronger job descriptions, and a sharper overall hiring process.  

    AI can also help you avoid language that might appear discriminatory and unwelcoming.  

    Should we be wary of AI?

    Though there is a lot to be excited about when it comes to AI-integrated recruitment, we should still proceed with caution. 

    Flimsy evidence  

    Critics of AI enablement in recruitment point out that there is no evidence to suggest that facial expressions make someone a better candidate. Facial cues can be highly contextual and dependent on a multitude of factors. Gender, racial and cultural factors can also come into play here which makes AI usage less desirable. When AI replicates human biases, it can be a huge problem because people can still unlearn biases whereas AI won’t be able to unless reprogrammed.  

    Dehumanizes recruitment  

    Contemporary hiring practices place great emphasis on developing empathy and building relationships with candidates during the recruitment process. This increases the chances of hearing back from candidates and decreases the likelihood of recruiters getting ghosted. It is important to humanize a process that can otherwise feel disorienting and anxiety-inducing.  

    Conclusion  

    AI has already made its presence known in the recruitment industry. Some businesses are actively automating their processes while others are trying to catch up.  

    Though HR has already reaped the benefits of technology-empowered hiring, only time will unfold the true potential of AI. Critics of AI also make some good points about unnecessary reliance on automation which dehumanizes the already stressful process of hiring.  

    AI seems to be a harbinger of positive innovation but one should be cognizant of the fact that it can’t replace processes that require a human touch.  

  • Why does Magento stand out among all eCommerce Platforms?

    Magento is slowly but surely taking over the eCommerce landscape. With more than 250 thousand merchants around the world, Magento is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms and a go-to e-store choice for most businesses.  

    Some of the top reasons why Magento stands out from its competitors is because of its user-friendly interface, countless customization options and robust CRM integration. The backbone of Magento is the strong community that drives the platform forward, allowing it to evolve and remain relevant year after year.   

    Let’s discuss some broad reasons that give Magento a competitive edge and make it a preferred platform for e-store development.  

    Magento Themes Customization  

    An eCommerce website has different requirements compared to a normal website. A lot needs to be taken into account and Magento presents itself as a comprehensive solution to all possible e-store challenges. This is largely due to the unrivaled customization options that Magento comes with.  

    The platform allows the development of unmatched front-end themes in which layout can be modified, templates can be edited and newer styles can be added. In addition to front-end design, back-end adjustments can also be made depending on what your e-store requires.   

    The reason why Magento customization options are so well regarded is because they have the ability to mirror the changing needs of your eCommerce business. This ensures that your business can remain flexible and scalable.  

    In today’s competitive commerce environment, customer needs are always evolving and the demand for dynamic digital experiences is unprecedented. Magento’s customization options help merchants create a user-friendly and responsive e-store with consistent branding. 

    CRM Integration  

    Customer Relationship Management is the cornerstone of all eCommerce businesses. Personalization has become the key to success; customers expect companies to understand their needs and tweak products and services according to their preferences. This is where Magento’s CRM integration comes in.  

    Integrating Magento with CRM allows businesses access to comprehensive insights about their customers which can be effectively leveraged to offer highly personalized digital experiences. CRM can also be used to identify buying patterns and pain points which can in turn help re-target customers for repeat purchases.   

    A CRM integration comes with many benefits for your e-store, including eCommerce metrics and other data for meaningful analysis. Better customer data can help businesses personalize the user experience of their Magento store as well as offer improved customer support, good market insights and optimized lead generation.  

    Magento for ECommerce Business  

    Perhaps the biggest reason why Magento stands out as an e-store building platform is because it is specifically designed for eCommerce websites, with relevant features and capabilities in-built in the system. Over the years, it has also grown to integrate a lot of other relevant features.  

    Thus, e-stores that are powered by Magento tend to offer memorable digital experiences to both merchants and their customers. The needs of the business as well as the end-users are both met by Magento’s comprehensive and agile capabilities. 

    Conclusion  

    Magento continues to gain popularity as one of the most well-regarded and advanced eCommerce platforms for building e-stores. Developers love it because of its agile and flexible features while businesses love it because it allows them to scale. Overall, the functionalities offered by Magento commerce are unmatched in the arena of e-store development.  

    This, of course, gives Magento a competitive edge in the market. From inventory control and coupon management to CRM integration and SEO tools, this platform seems to have all business needs covered.  

    If you are considering developing your own e-store using Magento or if you are considering migrating to Magento, it’s better to discuss this with experts who have hands-on experience. 

    At Integriti, we have the most capable team of web developers who will develop tailored eCommerce solutions for your business. Explore our Magento development services here.   

  • Target audience: harnessing the power of knowing your market

    One of the very first things when venturing to start an online business – or even a physical one – is to have a clear idea of the people you’re going to be targeting. A target market strategy will effectively get the message to the right people.

    But first, let’s define what a target audience is.

    A target audience is a group of consumers who you want to reach with your targeted marketing efforts. Your ideal customer group can be characterised by multiple factors that can be as vague or as specific as you wish. 

    The characterisation can be done based on specific demographics and psychographics such as:

    •  Age
    • Gender
    • Area
    • Income
    • Interests 
    • Behaviours

    And more.

    Tip: To see optimum results we do advise narrowing your target audience down to the dot.

    These groups are the key influencers in the decision-making processes for marketing strategies. A target audience of a business decides how to appeal to them, where to spend the budget and what commodity to build next.

    Once your target audience is defined, you could also go a step further in defining your buyer personas. A buyer persona is the ideal target audience profile that a business wishes to target based on the data collected from the target audience. 

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    Image Explaining why business needs to track the audiences.
    Image Source: Meta Blueprint

    The information helps businesses understand their audience and it’s purchasing behaviours. Targeting a specific audience will help in conveying your message to the right audience who will relate most to your message.

    To help you understand here’s an example.

    Let’s take a stationery item for students as an example. Given that the item is mainly for students, we have our first distinction. If the product is priced higher, the students would be divided into households with specific incomes. Not to mention, if it is targeted specifically to girls, the demographic would be further narrowed down even more.

    So now we have school-going girls belonging to a household with x-amount of monthly income. 

    This is a target audience for a product aimed at upper-class school-going girls. While the business may target boys, or adults even, it may not be the best choice because they would be least likely to purchase it.

    The people in your target audience could be anyone but what would tie them together is an interest in the product you offer. 

    Target market vs target audience? Which one should you work with?

    The terms target market and the audience may sound synonymous and they do refer to mainly the same thing. Still, businesses and marketers must know the difference. 

    Both terms revolve around dividing larger groups into sub-segments. However, target markets pertain to a larger group of consumers that the business targets and the target audience are a further breakdown of said group based on interests, buying history and demographics. 

    Safe to say, you can define your target market by first detecting your target audience. For example, if a target market is “fashion students aged 18-30” the target audience would be “fashion students living in New York City, aged 18-30”.

    Dividing your target audience.

    A business can have more than one type of audience. The two can be classified as:

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    Image for Primary target Audience
    Image Source: Understand audiences

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    • Primary target audience 

    A primary target audience is a group that will get most of a business’s attention as they are most likely to become valuable and loyal customers.

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    Image for Secondary Target Audience
    Image Source: Target Audience

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    • Secondary target audience

    The secondary target audience on the other hand is a group who may be interested in a product and have common characteristics with your primary target audience but there’s an improbability for them to become valuable customers. 

    This group may not directly include the ideal buyer persona but influencers of their decision-making process too. 

    Children are sometimes a part of the secondary target audience for products targeted towards parents. Also, having a defined secondary cluster of customers can help businesses shape their marketing. Mainly if a business sells more than one product, the overlapping interest between the two groups can appeal to the secondary audience rather than the primary.

    Capitalise on your market knowledge.

    Identifying your target audience can streamline a tonne of processes for a business. Which include but are not limited to

    1. Maximising resources and time‍

    Just as a vegan food business has its ideal clients so does a steakhouse. Defining the market that needs your services can help understand it and place the product and service accordingly.

    The research becomes the pillar on which the marketing of said business can stand. Casting the net wide and encompassing a broad array of consumer base may seem like the best approach initially but it can severely hamper growth and marketing efforts.

    It’s important to realise how a brand’s message may not resonate with everyone, thus focusing time and resources on a clearly outlined segment can be more rewarding and productive for an organisation.

    1. Does less engagement mean less ROI?‍

    Engagement being directly proportional to ROI is one of the most widespread social media marketing myths.

    Absolutely no. When a business makes the effort to successfully identify who its target audience is, a focused approach can maximise ROI significantly. For example, when targeting social media users a narrowed approach can bring better results when targeted with tailored content.

    Social media targeting is one of the most popular and rewarding approaches being implemented by businesses all around.

    1. Efficiency in processes – better rewards

    ‍When a business finds the audience that is most likely to convert, creating content that addresses their challenges, concerns and apprehensions can help in tipping the scales.
    Rather than focusing on an audience that may engage with your efforts but isn’t willing to open their wallets, it is better to utilise resources and position your strategy to cater to those who will. 

    Conclusion:

    A single business of course has different types of audiences. We suggest identifying what stage of the buyer journey your customers are on and reaching out with relevant content. Similarly, another approach could be pushing content according to the sales-funnel stage prospective customers are at. 

    Consumer A might be looking for some help in deciding whereas consumer B may need to be educated from scratch.

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  • INTEGRITI GROUP INC. RECEIVES 2022 BEST OF STAFFING TALENT AWARD FOR SERVICE EXCELLENCE

    Mississauga, ON (February 8, 2022)– Integriti Group Inc., leading software development and digital commerce service provider, announced today that they have won the Best of Staffing Talent Award for providing superior service to their candidates. Presented in partnership with presenting sponsor Indeed and gold sponsor Talent.com, ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing® Award winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their candidates. On average, job seekers who work with winning agencies are twice as likely to be completely satisfied with the services provided compared to those placed by non-winning agencies. Integriti Group Inc. received satisfaction scores of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 80% of their placed job candidates, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 40%.  

    “Finding and retaining quality tech talent has been a struggle in a post-pandemic world. Talent satisfaction has always been a priority for us as it allows us to provide our clients with top-notch augmented and dedicated teams for onshore, offshore, and nearshore development. We are proud to have been recognized by ClearlyRated for our commitment to candidate engagement and experience”. said Kamran Azam, Partner, Integriti Group. 

    “Winning this industry-recognized award for a second year is a testament to our team’s dedication to the candidate experience. We work with highly talented software professionals. At each stage of their journey our candidates feel fully valued and appreciated by everyone at Team Integriti.” said Omer Husain, Partner, Integriti Group. 

    “Winners of the 2022 Best of Staffing award have demonstrated their commitment to delivering exceptional service, even as Covid-19 has forced them to reimagine and rebuild their approach to business,” said ClearlyRated’s CEO and Founder, Eric Gregg. “These service leaders have kept the client, talent, and employee experience at the heart of their business strategy, and it’s my honor to celebrate and showcase the 2022 Best of Staffing winners alongside feedback from their actual clients on ClearlyRated.com!” 

    About Integriti Group Inc. 

    Integriti is an award-winning IT services provider based in Mississauga, Canada. It has been selected among the Top Custom Software Development Companies in Canada by Designrush. It blends extensive technological knowledge with real-world experience to provide companies with premium software development and digital commerce services which can bolster their growth. For more information on Integriti, visit https://integriti.io/about-us

    About ClearlyRated 

    Rooted in satisfaction research for professional service firms, ClearlyRated utilizes a Net Promoter® Score survey program to help professional service firms measure their service experience, build an online reputation, and differentiate on service quality. Learn more at https://www.clearlyrated.com/solutions/. 

    About Best of Staffing  
    ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing® Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients, placed talent, and internal employees. Award winners are showcased by city and area of expertise on ClearlyRated.com—an online business directory that helps buyers of professional services find service leaders and vet prospective firms with the help of validated client ratings and testimonials. 
     

  • Technical Skills Gap A forced Belief

    When it comes to technical recruitment, there are numerous ways to distinguish between a right and wrong candidate, just like there are ways for a candidate to scan the right job for themselves. As much as it seems theoretically simple, it really isn’t when one practically starts looking for a job or potential candidates, especially in the IT field. 

    One can truly understand this dilemma through the example of the U.S. (2014): 4.7 million jobs advertised while 9.7 million candidates were looking for jobs, which made more than 2 for every job advertised, YET employers complained about failing to fill the vacancies.

    This helps us to wade deeper into the cause of the problem.

    Companies that couldn’t find the “right fit” were the ones to use the “skills gap” as the cause of this dilemma – especially those concerned with IT recruitment. What’s even more interesting is the fact that none of these companies provided a real agreement about what skills were unavailable. 

    Now we can further identify the real culprits behind the massacre of the “right candidates” per see

    Gap existing in competitive incentives

    If you are not willing to pay for the skills you require from a resource, there is a very slim possibility of finding the “right candidate” who could ‘hit the ground running’. Knowing competitive salaries for specific technical skillsets i.e. dev ops engineers, Angular – frontend engineers etc, and making offers at those numbers or at least near those numbers is a great place to start.  

    Gap existing in Job Description

    If you are looking for a candidate with an Ivy league educational background, a certain number of years of experience, and most importantly expertise in multiple unrelated technologies, you are on your way to discouraging real candidates to apply for your job.
    Moreover, this practice encourages keyword-stuffing, dishonest behavior, unrealistic expectations, and a sense of irresponsibility on a recruitment agency’s part.

    Look at it this way: If you hypothetically replace this potential candidate’s persona with your own employees, do you think they can qualify for the post? Consider these requirements as a lever. The more you add, the fewer job seekers will apply.

    Gap existing in employee training

    If all you do is ‘ask’ from the potential candidate and not ‘give’ in the form of learning or training, there’s a lesser chance of having people apply to your job, much less sticking to them if/once hired.

    If you cannot train your new hires and existing employees, people may not be interested in working for your company. As it turns out, other than a good paycheck, learning is the next priority for every serious candidate.

    Another added benefit of training is that it immensely encourages employee retention (i.e. less turnover) as the employee gets to invest time and energy into becoming a useful resource for your company.

    Gap existing in supplier communication

    Sometimes suppliers like staffing/recruitment agencies or internal recruiting teams require more direct communication in order to find the right candidates for the open roles. A mere CV and cover letter may not convey the entire package, thus rendering them insufficient to help a recruiter source the best-fit candidates; on top of that, the supplier may have to figure it out by the end i.e. through the process of elimination.

    It is best to schedule some time for either a direct meeting or through an interview so that you answer all of their questions/concerns and, in the meanwhile, get to know them better.

  • Impact of COVID-19 on E-commerce in Canada

    Did you know that the retail e-commerce sales in Canada reached a record of $3.9 billion in May – a 2.3% increase over April & a 99.3% increase over February?

    It would be widely inaccurate to assume only the adverse impacts of the pandemic on the retail industry in Canada when also what it did was inexcusably prompt every retailer to adopt digital expression for sales. While there was a threat lurking on the streets by the onset of COVID-19, the consumer decided to virtually shop while the retailers expanded their virtual presence, from the comfort of their homes. Symbiosis at its best.

    Year over year, e-commerce sales more than doubled—with a 110.8% increase in comparison to May 2019.

    Have a look at the comparative stats on online purchasing, greatly influenced by the pandemic, from Feb 2020 to onwards:  

    A graph Image shows the statistics of growing eCommerce industry in Canada

    Online sales of household appliances such as electronics, building materials, and DIY have rocketed since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in Canada. Sales within this sector increased by 625% between March 11 and May 3, 2020, compared to the same period in 2019.

    How Ecommerce Will Change the Canadian Retail Industry

    Canadian federal agency stated that small businesses increasingly turned to e-commerce platforms by the onset of COVID-19 and are still turning to use these platforms in innovative ways. And this shall continue to do so from now onwards by virtue of this immediate transition. And the degree to which the Canadian consumers continue to choose e-commerce buying options or going back to previous purchasing methods possess the potential to restructure the retail trade industry in Canada. Clearly, the retail landscape is further expected to evolve.

    Online purchasing has become the new normal for the consumers, so it seems. And all for the right reasons – the consumer comfortably buys the objects of their need without having to leave their house and the retailers shift toward making their online stores more useful and functional.

    Challenges for the Retailers

    Having said that, e-commerce certainly made an abrupt shift and capitalized on the opportunity. But the rate at which COVID-19 accelerated digital fulfilment in the Canadian retail industry, it also created an increasing demand for tech talent and IT expertise to run the e-commerce stores.

    Ecommerce software developers and engineers have contributed to keep all the digital platforms we rely on run smoothly. Many businesses also counted on online sales during this period of social distancing. Developers helped businesses ramp up their e-commerce opportunities, debug and troubleshoot existing platforms, and also to build more enterprise tools in order to help employers transition their workforce to work from home.  

    While it became difficult for hiring agencies to combat the scarcity of tech talent in Canada, the opportunities expanded for more tech in the e-commerce industry, resulting in competition and further demand. COVID-19 may have deprived many of jobs in these tragic times, but it also has sprung a plethora of opportunities that only a genius can place and grow from. In short, e-commerce is the need of the hour and it’s best to realize this now.

  • The Secret to Success: Crafting a Winning Marketing Plan

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    Image Source: Unsplash‍

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    When it comes to success in business, having a solid marketing plan is essential. A marketing plan outlines your strategy for how to reach your target audience, build brand awareness, and increase sales.

    It’s a roadmap for how you will market your business, and it can help you stay focused and organized.

    But what is a marketing plan, and how do you create one? In this blog post, I’ll discuss what a marketing plan is, why it’s important, and how you can craft a winning marketing plan for your business!

    What is a Marketing Plan?

    A marketing plan is a plan of action that outlines your overall marketing strategy. It should include objectives, strategies, tactics, and if possible, a budget for your marketing efforts. A good marketing plan will include customer segmentation, positioning, and product promotion tactics. It should also include market research and analysis of your target audience, competitors, and industry trends.

    The goal of a marketing plan is to provide guidance and direction for your marketing efforts. It should provide a clear roadmap for how you will reach your target audience, build brand awareness, and increase sales. A well-crafted marketing plan will help you stay on track, measure your progress, and adjust your tactics as needed.

    Why is a Marketing Plan Important?

    Having a well-crafted marketing plan is essential for success in business. It’s a roadmap for how you will market your business and reach your goals. A good marketing plan will help you stay focused and organized, and it can help you measure the success of your marketing efforts.

    Having a marketing plan also helps you stay on track. It allows you to set goals and measure your progress. It also helps you adjust your tactics as needed. With a marketing plan, you can easily evaluate your progress and make changes where needed.

    When social media initially took off, businesses were floundering to see what works, and we’ve been there too! Simply put, a solid marketing plan helps you align your efforts correctly. It also gives you a clear idea of what’s working and what needs to go.

    Consequently, it also helps you stay competitive. It allows you to analyze the competition and adjust your strategy accordingly. It also helps you identify potential opportunities and threats in the marketplace. With the right marketing plan, you can stay ahead of the competition and capitalize on new opportunities.

    Steps to Crafting a Winning Marketing Plan

    Creating a winning marketing plan is a critical step in the success of your business. Here are the steps you should follow to craft a great marketing plan:

    • Conduct market research: The first step in creating a winning marketing plan is to conduct market research. This includes researching your target audience, competitors, and industry trends. This will aide in identifying potential opportunities and threats in the marketplace.
    • Set objectives: Once you’ve conducted your research, it’s time to set objectives. This includes setting goals for your marketing efforts, such as increasing brand awareness, generating leads, and increasing sales.
      Always remember, the objectives for each business are completely subjective!
    • Develop strategies: Once you’ve set your objectives, it’s time to develop strategies to achieve them. It should include tactics such as content marketing, email marketing, and social media marketing.
    • Create a budget: After creating your strategies, it’s time for budgeting. This includes determining how much money you will spend on each strategy and tactic. It’s important to create a realistic budget that you can stick to.
    • Measure and adjust: The final step in creating a winning marketing plan is to measure and adjust. This includes tracking the success of your efforts and making adjustments as needed. It’s important to regularly review and adjust your plan to ensure it’s still relevant and effective.

    Get your hands on our free marketing plan template.

    Benefits of Having a Marketing Plan

    Having a well-crafted marketing plan is essential for success in business. Here are some of the benefits of having a marketing plan:

    1. Stay organized: A marketing plan helps you stay organized and focused. It provides a roadmap for how you will achieve your goals, and it can help you stay on track.
    2. Measure progress: A marketing plan allows you to measure your progress and adjust your tactics as needed. It’s a great way to track your progress and make sure you’re on the right track.
    3. Stay competitive: A marketing plan helps you stay competitive in the marketplace. It allows you to analyze the competition and adjust your strategy accordingly.
    4. Save time and money: A marketing plan helps you save time and money. It allows you to identify potential opportunities and threats in the marketplace and adjust your strategy accordingly.

    Creating a Marketing Plan Template

    Creating a marketing plan template is a great way to stay organized and ensure you’re on the right track. A marketing plan template should include sections for objectives, strategies, tactics, and budget. It should also include sections for customer segmentation, positioning, and product promotion.

    A good marketing plan template should be easy to use and understand. It should be tailored to your specific needs and goals. It should also be flexible and easy to adjust as needed.

    Examples of Successful Marketing Plans

    There are many examples of successful marketing plans. Here are a few examples of successful marketing plans:

    1. Apple: Apple’s marketing plan focuses on creating a brand experience that is both innovative and inspiring. Their tactics include creating engaging content, building relationships with influencers, and leveraging digital platforms.

    1. Airbnb: Airbnb’s marketing plan focuses on creating a unique experience for travelers. Their tactics include creating content about travel destinations, leveraging user-generated content, and partnering with influencers.

    1. Netflix: Netflix’s marketing plan focuses on creating an engaging and interactive experience for their customers. Their tactics include creating content about their shows, leveraging social media platforms, and partnering with influencers.

      Wednesday is the prime example of a marketing plan done right. From social media, to billboards and even bus stands, Netflix truly had a stronghold on the audience.

      Did it work? Heck yeah! Wednesday successfully went on to become the second most watched show within WEEKS of being released.

    Services that Can Help with Marketing Plan Creation

    Creating a successful marketing plan can be a time-consuming and complicated task. Fortunately, there are services that can help.

    Some services offer marketing plan creation services, which can help you create and implement a successful marketing plan. They can help you conduct market research, set objectives, develop strategies, create a budget, and measure and adjust your tactics.

    Other services offer marketing plan consulting. These services can help you develop a successful marketing plan and provide guidance and advice on how to implement it.

    Conclusion

    Having a solid marketing plan is essential for success in business. A good marketing plan will help you stay focused and organized, and it can help you measure the success of your marketing efforts. It’s a roadmap for how you will reach your target audience, build brand awareness, and increase sales.

    Creating a winning marketing plan requires research, planning, and dedication. It’s important to set realistic goals, develop strategies, and create a budget. It’s also important to measure and adjust your tactics as needed.

    Creating a winning marketing plan is a critical step in the success of your business. With the right steps and guidance, you can craft a great marketing plan and set yourself up for success.

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  • Importance of modern JS frameworks and SPAs

    When it comes to modern front-end web development, how essential are JavaScript Frameworks?

    In computer programming, a framework is a foundation over which programmers build their software. A JavaScript framework would provide similar assistance. It provides a set of prewritten code enabling developers to use the framework as a structure for the JavaScript program or application without having to start from scratch. These frameworks are easier to apply as most applications and websites have some common features. Hence, they provide businesses with a great opportunity to reduce their development time and make the task less laborious for the development team.

    So, just as the skeleton is important for the support and shape of the human body, JavaScript frameworks are essential for providing a foundation for a given website or application.

    When we talk about modern JS frameworks, there are three in particular that we must discuss given their popularity and importance and building scalable interactive web applications.

    • Angular
    • React
    • Vue.js

    Let’s dig deep into each of these.

    Angular Framework

    Developed by Google, Angular is an open-source web application framework written in TypeScript and used for developing single-page applications (SPA).

    The features offered by this framework are:

    • Free control over adaptability.
    • Capability to meet huge data requirements.
    • Data binding & Dynamic rendering.
    • Simple, declarative, and effective templates (with easier DOM manipulation & two-way binding).
    • Instant help and feedback related to Angular with practically every IDE.
    • Intuitive API and ability to reuse the code to meet a particular development target.

    React Framework

    Most Popular JavaScript Frameworks
    Image Source: Google Trends

    Introduced in 2013, React is a reusable framework created by Facebook. According to Google Trends, React is one of the most popular frameworks. It is ideal for developing interactive user interfaces and offers features like:

    • Virtual DOM Model facilitating easy integration with applications.
    • Reusable components making website or application development simpler.
    • One-way flow of data (more intuitive than bi-directional data binding). 
    • Reload feature which allows users to immediately see the applied changes.

    Vue.js Framework

    A free open-source JavaScript framework, Vue.js is a progressive front-end framework that is approachable and easy to learn. Despite being a relatively new framework, it has already earned popularity due to its various features and is suitable for developing both small and large applications. Vue.js has the following features:

    • Reusable codes & predefined options for custom elements.
    • Employs an MVVM structural pattern to separate the GUI from the model’s business logic.
    • Dual integration mode to build high-end SPA.

    Which JS framework is the best?

    When it comes to web development, JavaScript continues to be the leading programming language even today. There are several frameworks, other than the three we mentioned, with their unique features, advantages, and drawbacks.

    However, out of all of these, there is no “best” JS framework.

    Each website or application comes with its own specific requirements which need to be decided before choosing an ideal framework. Remember, each framework has some exclusive features, and it is crucial to evaluate which one matches your requirements best.

    When working for our software development clients at Integriti, we first sit down to discuss project requirements and then evaluate each framework accordingly. We also consider a framework’s complexity, learning curve, and compatibility documentation before making a choice.

    How to make the right framework choice?

    JavaScript frameworks are key to optimizing the entire web development process and saving time, effort, and money. However, there is not one framework that is the perfect match for all projects.

    How are you going to make the right framework choice for your project and ensure a more efficient development process?

    To find the right framework, you need to consider four factors.

    • Existing Toolstack.
    • Complexity
    • Performance Requirements
    • Technical Competence

    Let’s explore each of these in detail below.

    Existing Toolstack

    It is important to make sure that the framework you are considering is compatible with the front-end programming language of the project. For example, if Java or Python is being used then you must select from their respective frameworks.

    If you’re looking to apply a framework to a pre-existing site, then more factors come into play. For instance, you need to consider the time and resources needed to build a new website with a framework as opposed to implementing that framework in an already existing code.

    Complexity

    Some frameworks can support large applications while some are suitable for building SPAs. Hence, you need to understand and evaluate the scope of the project before selecting a framework best suited to your project requirements.

    Performance requirements

    Another factor that you need to consider is the speed of your website. Some frameworks prioritize quick responses due to their focus on virtual DOM. On the other hand, if your project requires more built-in functions and control then a more robust framework would be a better choice.

    Technical Competence

    Some JavaScript frameworks are easy to learn and implement while others are more complicated but offer extra features. If you must use a framework soon, then an easy-to-use framework would be a better choice depending upon the proficiency of your team. However, if you are not short on time then a more complex framework can be beneficial in the long run.

    When deciding on the right JavaScript framework for your project you might not need to be restricted to one framework. If a project is using microservices architecture, then it might be worthwhile to use multiple frameworks.

    These decisions are critical for optimizing your web development process and should be taken after consulting with a tech professional.

    Single-page applications

    Single-page applications are applications that work inside the browser and do not need page reloading in the course of use. SPAs are part of your everyday use and include examples like Gmail, Google Maps, GitHub, and Facebook. They serve an exceptional UX by trying to replicate a “natural” environment in the browser with no page reloads and extra wait time etc. Basically, it’s one web page that you visit which then loads other content utilizing JavaScript.

    SPAs are heavily dependent on JavaScript.

    They request the markup and data independently and render pages up front in the browser. We can achieve this by using advanced JavaScript frameworks like Angular (How to hire angular developers), Meteor.js, Ember.js, Knockout.js, etc.

    Single-page sites are important in today’s digital age because they help keep the user in a comfortable web space where content is displayed in a simple, easy, and effective manner. They offer a much better user experience as you can easily navigate through content without waiting for the pages to load.

    The major distinction between multi-page and single-page applications is that SPAs download the page a single time. SPAs are also much faster in terms of interactivity because when a user interacts with the app, only the required component is modified not the complete application.

    Modern JS frameworks are essential in helping business optimize their web development process. They can help you save on time and costs when developing web applications. This is especially true for developing single-page applications (SPAs) which are very much in demand due to the fast speed of operations they offer.

    If you are looking for a partner for your front-end development project, get in touch with us here.

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