Our Blog
Cybersecurity Month – Security Best Practices
In efforts to keep online users safer, October has been deemed Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Every year there are countless victims of cybercrimes, such as ransomware attacks and phishing scams. Training your coworkers and employees on cybersecurity is crucial to staying protected from threats. Updating coworkers on the newest threats and refreshing their memories on some common security tips could help prevent significant data loss. Share these best practices with your team and have a safe Cybersecurity Month! Beware of suspicious email addresses Did you know that one in every 99 emails is a phishing attack? Phishing scams can appear at any moment and are a constant threat for many businesses. Be sure to educate your coworkers on how to identify a phishing email and what to do if they receive one. Only click on trusted links A single click on a malicious link could be all it takes for a cybersecurity breach. There is harmful software out there that begins downloading the moment you click that could have access to your data in moments. Never click on links or attachments that you did not expect to receive or appear suspicious in any way. Watch for common identifiers in an email, […]
Protect Your Business Against A Ransomware Attack
Ransomware attackers can go after businesses of any size. They use ransomware to take your business data or operating system hostage and refuse to release it until you meet their demands. Being the victim of a ransomware attack is a bad situation to be in and it’s imperative to be prepared for such attacks. Hackers are always looking for small gaps in business security. You can greatly reduce the likelihood of ransomware attacks with these proactive tips. Never Open Suspicious Attachments Whether you know the email sender or are unfamiliar with their email address, do not open attachments if you have any hesitation or something feels “off” about the email. Some ransomware attackers will take the identity of coworkers or others you frequently email to gain trust in hopes that you will open their malicious attachment. Always think twice before clicking on an attachment and encourage your employees to use the same caution. Don’t Give Out Personal Information Ransomware attackers will need your personal information to gain access to your data. There are many ways to keep your data safe, such as keeping your personal information, files, passwords, and similar items secure. Test Your Firewall and Security Regularly Regularly test […]
6 Ways to Keep Your Data Private
Having a data breach is a nightmare for any business to experience. The repercussions of not keeping your company’s information secure can be costly, result in lost information, and damage the reputation of your business. Data risks can come from a multitude of areas. Phishing emails, unsecure networks, and other threats to your information can show up at almost any time. Use these six tips to keep your data private and secure. 1. Securely store your physical documents Cyber-attacks and threats are more common, but leaving out important and private information easily accessible in physical form could still be a risk. All documents with private information should be stored in a locked cabinet. You should only allow employees who are trusted and routinely need to use the documents access to these secure places. If you step away from your desk, you should secure any sensitive information. When it comes to disposing of your old documents, avoid throwing them in the garbage and always use a shredder. 2. Keep passwords safe and secret Using a complex password may be difficult to remember at first but could save your data from being compromised. Don’t share your passwords with coworkers and be sure […]
Ideas for Sending Mother’s Day Promo Emails
Mother’s Day is quickly approaching! Sending your email subscribers promotions and ideas for choosing the best Mother’s Day gift is a great way to increase sales and traffic to your store. Mother’s Day is on May 9th and the time to start piecing together your email campaign and sending your promotions is now! What should you include in your Mother’s Day promo emails? Here are a few ideas on what to include to create the perfect Mother’s Day promotional email campaign! Use a Solid Subject Line Your subject line will be the first thing your email subscribers will read. Create a short, catchy subject line that informs your recipients that your email is themed for Mother’s Day and could help them find the right gift for mom! Having an interesting subject line that your subscribers want to engage with will increase your email’s open rate. Here are a few examples of subject lines for your Mother’s Day email: Mother’s Day Sale Starts NOW! Save big this Mother’s Day! Still searching for a Mother’s Day gift? Mother’s Day Special: 10% off your purchase! Make it the ultimate Mother’s Day Finish your Mother’s Day shopping now! Gift Ideas Your email subscribers are […]
What SmartBase Can Do For You
Since 2005, SmartBase Solutions has been delivering data solutions and results to a wide variety of clients. From small local businesses to Fortune 500 companies, everyone we help discovers data insights to nurture customer relationships and reach their business goals. We are a woman-owned, WBENC-certified business that has been serving companies of all sizes and backgrounds across the country and beyond! We work with clients in various industries and tailor our solutions to their unique business needs. What can we do for your business? We have a variety of data solutions to fit your business needs. Make smarter data-driven business decisions, create more intelligent marketing campaigns, build a loyal customer base, protect your data and more when you team up with SmartBase. SmartBase Managed Hosting: Our HITRUST certified and HIPPA compliant managed hosting protects your sensitive data. SmartBase’s managed private cloud hosting solutions give you flexibility and performance with the security and compliance standards you need for your business. We can customize an environment that is secure and supports your business needs. SmartBaseMarketing Automation: Trying to make sense of all the information scattered among multiple databases that don’t communicate with each other is difficult. Our Marketing Automation solution integrates data from all […]
Do Loyalty Programs Work for Manufacturers?
If your business is in the manufacturing industry, you may have noticed the difficulties that come with customer retention. Price and product offerings are typically the deciding factors many retailers look at when considering buying from manufacturers. While having competitive prices and providing quality products is important, there are other methods you can use to maintain and grow your loyal customer base. Rewarding the retailers who purchase your products could be the key to keeping your current business and earning new retailers. Let’s discuss some of the ways loyalty programs work for manufacturers. Why loyalty programs work for manufacturers Whenever there is an opportunity for a customer to make a repeat purchase, there is an opportunity to incorporate a loyalty program. You want your retailers to continue purchasing your products over other manufacturers. Get the competitive edge over similar manufacturers by giving your retailers a reason to keep choosing your business. Reward businesses who purchase your products and show them that there is potential to earn something or to save on their purchases from your business. You have complete control over what rewards you choose to offer. You could offer additional products, new product samples, discounts on their most frequently […]
Measure the Success of Your Brand Loyalty Program
Loyalty programs are excellent tools to grow your business. Setting up a brand loyalty program is the first step to increasing customer retention and revenue. After taking the time and effort to set up your program, you’ll want to check in and measure your program’s success. How do you know if your program is delivering the results you’re looking for? Evaluate the success of your loyalty rewards program by taking a closer look at these areas. Customer Retention Rate The main objective when implementing a brand loyalty program is to maintain and grow your reliable customer list. Have you been tracking your customer retention rate since your program began? Checking to see if you’re bringing in repeat business more frequently or if infrequent customers are purchasing your products more often is a good way to measure your program’s success. Compare the sales volume and frequency of your loyalty program participants against customers who aren’t enrolled in your program. You’ll be able to easily notice if your customer retention rate is being positively impacted by your program. Program Participation Rate Your loyalty program’s participation rate is one of the most important metrics to measure how effective your program is. You can […]
Using a digital loyalty program for your salon
Should you upgrade your rewards or loyalty program in 2021?
Your customers are the center of your business, and their happiness is essential to increasing customer retention. Many businesses have built up their customer base over the years through rewards or loyalty programs. After all, everyone likes to be rewarded! While there are dozens of loyalty program options available to offer your customers, many programs are outdated, inconvenient, or ineffective. You may already have a rewards and loyalty program established, but 2021 is the year to make your program even better! Now is an excellent time to get a step ahead of your competition by offering your customers something valuable. Here are a few factors to take into consideration when deciding if your loyalty or rewards program could use a little updating. Do you currently offer a rewards system? Not already having a rewards program in place is a great reason to start a new program this year. Customer rewards can fit into many types of organizations and will be appreciated by your loyal customers. Plus, offering a loyalty program strengthens your customer relationships by incentivizing them to return to your business or purchase your products more frequently. Are you still using a punch card system? Relying solely on a […]
3 Tips To Keep Your Promotional Emails Out Of The Spam Folder
Making sure your promotional emails are seen by your customers is essential for your business’s marketing efforts. You may have noticed that some of your promotional emails in the past have somehow ended up in your customer’s spam or junk folder. Customers do not go through their spam boxes looking for promotional emails, so if an email goes into a spam box, then the email will have no success. When an email lands in too many spam folders, more inboxes think that this is not an important email and the email will end up in even more spam boxes. This can be frustrating, but the good news is that it can be avoided! You can greatly reduce the likelihood of your emails ending up in spam by taking certain precautions while drafting and sending promotional emails. Before you put the time and effort into sending out an email, make sure you are following these three tips to keep your email out of the spam folder! Use a clear subject line with no spam trigger words While it seems like a great way to grab your customer’s attention, all caps and using a copious amount of exclamation points won’t lead to higher […]