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Tech Solutions for Sports Betting – 2023 Guide

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Since the 2018 PASPA repeal of a federal ban on sports betting, sports fans have seen a consistent rise in options for mobile oddsmakers. However, though the industry is saturated with options for online and in-person sports betting, not every opportunity is created equal.

Few sportsbooks are able to deliver reliable predictions from top pundits and analysts, an intuitive interface, and solid mobile and live options. One of the US’s most popular and long-standing brands in sports betting, DraftKings, has some of the industry’s highest ratings when it comes to their sportsbook, bonuses, and banking options.

However, the OddsChecker review of DraftKings reveals that they could still make some improvements to their mobile app. The conclusion: modern sportsbooks need to deliver on every facet of the sports betting experience if they want to compete with others.

These considerations include an enjoyable mobile interface, predictions from computer learning programs, various options when it comes to depositing and withdrawing money, and a secure platform that empowers users to try new options.

As more states in the US open up to sportsbooks, each must decide whether to allow online betting or in-person betting options, if not both. Depending on the state, these regulations vary greatly and are also subject to change in the future according to local lawmakers.

For instance, North Carolina’s recent legislation defining sports betting will only allow wagering on college and professional sports at one of two in-person tribal locations in the state. On the other hand, Tennessee only allows for online wagering.

Mobile Interface & Live Betting Options

Source: sportsbettingoperator.com

Luckily for online sportsbooks, most states looking to regulate sports betting aren’t afraid to develop their online sector. Since May of 2019, less than a year after the PASPA repeal, sportsbooks have slowly begun making the leap to mobile apps.

But to do this, top brands like DraftKings and others mentioned on OddsChecker, from BETMGM to FanDuel to bet365, have had to deliver on more than an exceptional web browser experience.

In recent years, live betting options have become exceedingly popular for sports fans and punters. Live betting makes it possible for spectators to wager on the next incoming pitch from Jacob deGrom or slapshot from Connor McDavid.

To deliver on live betting features for iOS and Android devices, leading sportsbooks have developed competitive mobile platforms. From the most basic standpoint, sportsbook apps should deliver an aesthetic and design that makes it easy to shift from moneylines to point spreads, while also providing a handy navigation tool for those new to the app or even betting as a whole.

Conveying complex information about wagers in a simple format isn’t easy. Not only that, but data should transfer seamlessly between web browser platforms and mobile options. Then, developers should add on an unbreakable metrics solution that prevents thousands of concurrent live wagers from interfering with the app’s functionality.

At the moment, certain sportsbooks are looking to partner with stadiums and service providers in order to empower punters to bet live at games. With live betting set to take the industry by storm and 5G options available, streamlined live betting options will be available in the bleachers—or even while live-streaming a game as you tailgate outside.

The nuts and bolts of creating a reliable mobile app are difficult enough, but sportsbook apps should also cater to each user. Predictive algorithms help refine betting options offered to mobile users, which lessens the clutter of a busy interface.

By keeping punters connected to the sports and events they’re interested in, using the mobile app becomes a tailored experience that can be enjoyed while at home or courtside. 

Computer Predictions 

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As mentioned above, computer learning can help connect punters to relevant games and schedules that they typically wager on. On the other hand, computer predictions can also help sports analysts and oddsmakers assess leagues, games, and even individual players.

Around the world, bots run by algorithms tailored to sports betting are picking up steam amongst diehard pundits and professional sports analysts alike. Top sportsbooks showcase trusted analysts, detail-oriented handicappers, and computer prediction systems in order to offer a full suite of wagering options.

Many passionate punters rely on a combination of their own experience and insight, the conclusions and observations made by top analysts, and advanced computer prediction platforms.

However, given the emergence of algorithmic trading in financial fields, and even the automation of infrastructural systems from traffic lights to electric grids, more punters are looking for hard conclusions drawn from data alone.

Though the intuition of human experience regarding how home-field advantage or player injuries can affect a team’s performance will continue to prove useful, top sportsbooks will shift to offer computer predictions alongside these analyses. 

Security of the Platform & Diversity of Banking Options

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While a strong mobile interface and diversity of wagering options are technological solutions for modern sportsbooks, neither consideration matters if a platform isn’t secure. But, to put it simply, top sportsbooks aren’t handling their own cyber-security.

Instead, most hire firms that maintain a site’s UTM (unified threat management) system. Cyber-security groups handle mundane issues like spam filters and two-factor authentication, as well as the most complex issues like anti-malware and anti-virus protection, which prevents DDoS attacks.

By handing off cyber-security concerns to a qualified third party, online sportsbooks can offer other fail-safes, like device encryption, data backups, and recovery plans. This means that any breaches are followed up with immediate action.

Cybersecurity firms ensure that a sportsbooks stays up and running—but it also protects the sensitive information included in a punter’s account. This is particularly important because the leading sportsbooks offer multiple banking options for convenience.

When signing up for an account, users need to choose methods of depositing and withdrawing money. Top platforms deliver on every option possible in order to meet each punter’s individual needs, which means cyber-security groups protect a user’s bank account information, credit card information, and personal information that typically includes a social security number.

For users, the protection of this private data is of the utmost concern. However, it’s also a top priority for the sportsbooks themselves, which need to provide meticulous reports to statewide gaming authorities. Every penny must be accounted for, and then reported on—which means an attack from malware would also put a casino’s banking information at risk.

How To Hire JavaScript Developers For Your Site – 2023 Guide

Source: towardsdatascience.com

Welcome to the IT world! Nowadays all sites are created for a specific purpose: some will contain news or other useful information, the second will serve as trading platforms (not necessarily for one seller, recently the trend of launching market placements has been gaining popularity), others are thought of as a place to discuss pressing problems (forums). Depending on the goals and potential audience, one or another functionality of the site is thought out and implemented, and the JavaScript developer is responsible for the mechanism of its implementation. One button of the site can hide a huge amount of work, especially, for example, if it is the “Buy” button, then it includes the calculation of individual discounts, cash back, connecting third-party services for making payments, inventory control, delivery and much more. The efficiency of the future site depends on how much a JavaScript developer knows how to technically execute such products, feels the needs of the target audience, is able to identify bottlenecks in the customer’s business processes and select the most suitable solutions. This means that the success of the customer’s business largely depends on the choice of a developer and the cost of an error may be very high. That’s why we wrote an article which is called ‘How To Hire JavaScript Developers For Your Site’. We can go ahead through the main steps of how to check the experience of specialists, don’t make mistakes in your choice, and also choose an alternative place to hire freelance java dev for your project. Read on and discover something new and interesting!

Customers often choose to order a website from experienced developers, rather than create it themselves or buy a ready-made website. In fact, when hiring developers for your site, you pay for the services of specialized programmers (in our case, JavaScript), who in any case get their benefit (paid work), and you get exactly what you wanted. The main problem is the selection of the right performers who will suit you with their rates and quality of work. On the one hand, you can insure yourself and conclude an official contract, which will spell out the specific parameters of the terms of reference, clear terms, cost of work and the responsibility of the contractor. But, in fact, according to this scheme, work is carried out only for large orders (for example, when you need to develop and launch a specialized online store with wide functionality or a specific commercial service). Whole agencies or even several narrow-profile contractors can be involved as performers. You can always hire freelancers to work on small and simple projects. So that the contractor does not run away with your money or break the deadlines, you can interact with him through special platforms (the latter allow you to select free specialists according to the criteria you need). 

Source: parzlogic.com

As numerous polls show, when choosing a website developer, many customers prefer to rely on the recommendations of friends. However, this method is not universal, since the recommended agencies / freelancers do not always have specialization and competencies corresponding to the future project. And in this case, platforms come to the fore, allowing you to compare the proposals of contractors and choose the best among them in terms of price, competence and quality. How to work with such freelance exchanges? You just need to register on the site, create a work task and select an ideal candidate who will execute your idea. But first you need to decide which contractor you need. It depends on the business objectives and the specifics of the required site.

  • Web studio or agency with JavaScript developers. This option is usually suitable for projects with a huge budget. Web studios and agencies have experience of working on projects: they have several specialists on their staff who will work together on your website. It is important that the JavaScript development company assigns you a project manager who will fully immerse himself in the work, coordinate the specialists working on your project, report on the work done and be always in touch. One of the ways when choosing a JavaScript development company is by holding a tender. When holding such a competition, you save time on communicating with contractors, studying their portfolio and competencies. Also, you initially set a high bar for contractors. A tender is a competition, and in order to win it, everybody needs to try and prepare the offer perfectly. To conduct an open tender, you need to register on the IT platform and fill out a special form.
  • JavaScript freelancer. If you need a very simple website or you have already found a main contractor and are now looking for a performer for one-off tasks, you can contact a freelancer, especially if you are on a budget. Even regional agencies are unlikely to perform tasks with a low budget, but for a freelancer, this can be a good salary.
  • In-house JavaScript developer. This option is worth choosing if you have serious plans for the future and you understand that in addition to technical support, the specifics of your business implies small but regular website improvements. Look for a full-time specialist if you can provide him with work for at least a year in advance, and ideally for an unlimited period and, of course, if you are ready to pay him at least the average salary in the market. In other cases, you can contact web studios or freelancers.

Be that as it may, employers looking to hire a JavaScript specialist must understand their preferences. The competition for developers is very high right now, but there are several ways to attract ideal candidates.

Source: webleodesign.com
  • First, it is important to know what resources JS developers spend their time on. Developers don’t spend a lot of time on sites like Facebook or LinkedIn, so the recruiter will have to take the time to find out where they can be found online. Since JavaScript has been actively used in the development of the web since the early 90’s, it is not surprising that there are many developer forums on this topic. These sites gather active communities of JS specialists, whose members discuss the latest trends in web development. In addition, the JavaScript tag on StackOverflow is one of the most popular – it is used in the description of 1.2 million discussions. These forums are great sources of knowledge for anyone looking to learn more about programming, but developers don’t visit them looking for job offers. Better to do a little research on what kind of Open Source projects they were doing and ask a couple of questions about this topic or ask them to explain something. Building connections with JavaScript developers on specialized resources can take longer than in the case of unpopular job search sites. However, the effort spent will allow in the future move on to discussing career opportunities with a higher probability of success.
  • Secondly, you need to understand the challenges and concerns of developers. It would seem that you can learn more about working in the field of JavaScript by studying job descriptions on specialized sites. Thus, you can really get a list of tasks that employers ask programmers to solve, but in order to hire strong specialists, you need to better understand the challenges they face in their work. For example one of the challenges is ensuring cross-browser compatibility. Internet users are usually very attached to their favorite browser, and this is the problem for JavaScript developers. There are many browsers, and it is the programmers who are responsible for ensuring that anyone’s users can interact with the product seamlessly. Many companies hire JS developers to analyze existing code and fix security issues in it, protecting user data. It is also very easy for a programmer to get confused in the customer’s requests, so that often experts determine in advance the metrics that allow them to correctly determine the performance.
Source: wallpapertip.com

How to write an order description correctly and quickly get the first responses from JavaScript developers on any freelance site? There are two ways to find a freelance JavaScript performer. The first one is to open the list of freelancers, filter it by the necessary criteria (specialization, portfolio and reviews), select the most suitable candidate and contact him. Contacts are usually indicated in the profile. There are risks and disadvantages here, for example, a freelancer you like may not provide your contact information or be busy with other work. The second way is to create and place an order on the site and then select a contractor among the responding freelancers. The order creation page on all sites is approximately the same – only additional parameters may differ. As a rule, it consists of the following items: title, order description, additional materials that may be required for work, cost, order category, tags.

In the process of work, you will need to answer additional questions about your future site, then test the completed order and, of course, pay for the order and leave feedback about the contractor. How to understand how much a project costs? The calculation of the cost of each project is individual. Leave the field blank, then instead of the price the freelancer will see the mark “negotiable price”. Check out similar projects on your chosen freelance site. Ask the freelancer to determine the amount of remuneration himself, calculate the arithmetic average in the responses between different offers and make a final decision. When creating an order on a freelance site, you can specify the skills that the freelancer will need to complete the task – the technologies and programs that are required when completing the order. For example, in your case, it is important that the site is developed by a JavaScript developer and this must be indicated in the skills.

Conclusion

Source: bairesdev.com

When hiring a talented JavaScript developer, you can end up with exactly the site you wanted. It will be developed by a professional, which means the result will be of high quality, expected and as fast as possible. It is very important to choose the right platform and developer. Placing an order on a freelance site is a simple, but time-consuming process. Determine what result you want to get at the output, follow the instructions at all stages of filling in the fields. Thanks for reading an article ‘How To Hire JavaScript Developers For Your Site’. Wish you successful and non-stressful hiring with Ava.codes

How to Properly Backtest a Trading Strategy – 2023 Guide

Source: imcgrupo.com

Becoming a professional trader in today’s world is not easy. The competition is tough, and you will have to invest a lot of effort to become better than your competitors. However, the good news for you is that you are living in the 21st century. The online world is full of information that can help you improve your trading performances. One of the ways to do that is by backtesting your trading strategy. 

We are sure that many people haven’t even heard about backtesting trading. That is the reason why we would like to make an in-depth analysis of the subject. There are many pieces of information you should know about backtesting trading. Despite that, you should also learn how to properly backtest a trading strategy. The process is not challenging, but it deserves a bit more attention. You can also check websites like admiralmarket.com to gather more information on the same topic. Doing that will allow you to improve your knowledge even more. Let’s get started!

Before Everything – What Is Backtesting Trading?

Source: admiralmarkets.com

The trading strategy of every trader needs to have a set of specific rules. That is the only way to complete the backtesting successfully. There are many ways of how you can determine those set of rules. The traders have the option to complete the process manually. However, they can also use the automated trading strategy where computer algorithms play the key role. Both approaches have different requirements, and you should know them before deciding on one of them. 

By choosing a manual trading strategy, the trader analyzes the history of all the trades he made. He looks for those trades that are matchable with his trading strategy rules. Logically, the next step he needs to take is to record all the data he managed to find. 

After recording data, the trader has a clear picture of the failures and successes he made in history. Despite that, he can also calculation the win to loss ratio, determine the largest mistakes he made, etc. All these pieces of information will confirm if the system he developed is effective or not. 

On the other hand, many traders will consider automated trading strategies less challenging. They often use platforms like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 to complete their part of the job. Whichever platform you use, the entire process is the same or almost identical. You primarily need to program the trading system on the platform. Thanks to algorithms that the program uses, you will manage to find all the trades that meet your set of rules. For a short period, you will get a full report and insights into all the trades you previously made. 

So, How to Backtest a Trading Strategy Properly?

The short answer to that question does not exist. People need to go through a couple of steps before they reach the final goal. We recommend you read our list carefully and apply every step. 

First Step: Build a Trading Strategy and Determine the Rules

Source: youtube.com

We will start from the very beginning. Developing a trading strategy is a challenging task. You will need to answer a couple of questions before doing that.

Before everything, it is essential to determine the instruments you will trade on. In other words, you will have to identify the market that meets your expectations. Keep in mind that the same strategy can’t bring the same results on the same market. 

After that, you need to determine the time frames you will trade on. Beginners and less experienced traders make a common mistake. For example, they backtest the strategy on a daily chart and expect to trade it on an hourly chart. By doing that, you will get confusing and complex results that won’t raise your profit in any way. That is the reason why you need to identify your time frame. It can be a ten-hour or five-hour chart, it doesn’t matter. 

The third step is identifying the tools you will use for selling and buying processes. Reaching the right tools is possible in several different ways. For instance, you can get a clear answer from fundamental analysis as well as technical analysis. If you decide on, for example, technical analysis, you will have to use trading indicators and chart patterns. Thanks to these two tools, you will manage to make further trading decisions. By identifying the tools, you will know at every moment what you are looking for. 

Finally, determining the risk management is the final standard you need to determine. Each trade requires a certain level of risk, and you need to know that level at every moment. Despite that, you have to determine the right moment to stop loss and take profit. All these pieces of information are essential for the backtesting results. 

Now, Start the Process

Source: towardsdatascience.com

The previous four-step will allow you to properly backtest a trading strategy. More precisely, it will allow you to precisely define all the trading strategy rules. That will help you check the historical trades properly. The best possible way to record the data is by using Excel spreadsheets. In that way, you will manage to filter the most effective performing days and highlight all the losing and winning trades. 

You are not going to see the successful days or months in the Excell spreadsheets. The traders can also see how successful their entire trading strategy is. Despite that, you will also see which trading decisions you made were distracting you from reaching the goal. These insights are going to be the best possible lessons you can get. Analyze your mistakes, and determine reasons why your trading was not on the highest level during days. Despite that, check out if the trading strategy you established can bring long-term success. 

Final Thought

Source: moneymanagementletter.com

Measuring and analyzing previous trades are the key factors that influence your success. You need to understand that not measuring different parameters will distract you from your main goal. Despite that, it will make you less competitive on the market. Your biggest competitors are backtesting their trading strategies continuously. Because of that, they will always be a step ahead of you.

6 Ways To Boost Your Bulk SMS Campaigns – 2023 Guide

Source: pdslkenya.com

Another year has begun which means it is time to review the year’s goals. For marketers this means getting out the old marketing plan and making those necessary adjustments for a lot of marketers it’s probably best to just toss out that old plan and start with a blank white piece of paper. Since my last article more and more and more people have been asking me about Bulk SMS and what is the best way to use it. In this article I’m going to give you my best tips on how to squeeze the most juice from your Bulk SMS campaigns.

1. Segmentation is key

Source: skypowertelecom.com

One of the problems with SMS is that it is probably too simple, this means people don’t typically think about using more high level marketing concepts says Ryan Wilcock from SMSPapa.com.au. Sure, if you want to get virtually 100% of people opening your SMS message it really is as simple as typing up a message and hitting ‘send’. But the next step is to get maximum ROI and using segmentation is a good way to achieve this. Typically business owners will plonk everyone into the same group, they will have 5000 mobile numbers all inside one address book. There is no way that all of these people share the same problems, fears, goals and desires which means when you send out a promotion it’s going to be hit and miss in terms of sales conversions.

Segmentation allows you to split everyone up into relevant groups so that when you send out an Bulk SMS campaign you’re able to maximum conversions with fewer unsubscribes. The second benefit to having segmented groups is that you can increase your send frequency. One of the problems with text message marketing is that because it’s such a personal medium people are a lot less tolerant of hearing from you too often, typically once per week is the maximum for most businesses and even that is on the high side. So if you send out an Bulk SMS campaign to a large group of 5000 you can’t touch that group again for at least a week.

On the other hand if you had 5 groups of 1000 then you could send out 5 campaigns inside that week further driving up your revenue. The final benefit to having segmented lists is that it makes it easier to come up with promotions.   Since each group is clearly defined you know exactly which offers is going to resonate. For example, if you own a health club and you have a list of subscribers made up of:

  1. Bodybuilders
  2. Yoga
  3. Weight loss
  4. Sport
  5. Rehabilitation

You see how easy it is to make offers that convert, also what language to use. If you had everyone on that list and you sent out a bodybuilding offer you’ve just alienated the other 4 groups.

2. Use it to boost other marketing channels

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One of the major benefits of Bulk SMS is that is has incredible open rates, if you send out a text message there’s a 97% chance that person is going to see that text message, open it and then read it. As far as I’m aware there is no other marketing channel out there that can deliver this kind of result consistently. Why not use this super power for good? Why not use this to your other marketing campaigns? For example, if you have just sent out an important email marketing campaign chances are only 20% of people are going to open it but if you send out a follow up text message right after that campaign reminding your subscribers about your email then your email opens are going to go through the roof! The same can be used to help webinar attendance, the most common issue with webinars is people forgetting to show up or not receiving the email reminders, with SMS you can guarantee that they get your reminders this will of course increase your attendance rate.

3. Treat your SMS subscribers like VIPs

This is just a quick tip. One of the best ways to reduce unsubscribes is to offer your SMS subscribers better information, offers, etc. Have a real SMS strategy in play can really help your business grow and so it’s important to retain as many subscribers as possible and making SMS only offers and information is a good way to keep them on your list.

4. Use more than 160 characters

Source: revenue-hub.com

People always tell me that SMS is great but the 160 character limit can be a barrier. The good news is that most SMS services actually allow you to use more than 160 characters, it does cost more but depending on the goal of your campaign it can be totally worth it. A simple buy one get one offer doesn’t need more than 160 characters so it would be silly to go beyond that remember one of the beautiful things about Bulk SMS is that it forces you to cut the fluff from your communications. If you’re running a customer reactivation campaign on the other hand then you’re probably going to need much more characters to influence the recipient to become an active customer again.

5. Use Personalization where it makes sense

Just like email, SMS gives you the ability to automatically add the subscriber’s first name making it a little more personal. This isn’t a hard rule, if you’re more of a formal business then you would use this on every communication but if you’re a surf shop for example you will be able to get away with using a more one to one tone like how friends actually speak to one another.

6. Always have an opt-out

Source: catalunyapress.cat

In a lot of countries and states this is mandatory by law but even if this isn’t required by law where you are it’s still important to give your subscribers an option to opt-out. This will actually reduce your unsubscribes and of course complaints because it lets the recipient know that you are professional enough to give them a way out.

Why SPIFFs are So Effective as Salesperson Rewards – 2023 Guide

Source: latinbusinesstoday.com

When it comes to maximizing rewards to make the most out of a sale, there isn’t a better system than a SPIFF system. SPIFF refers to a salesperson getting a bonus or a reward for every sale they make. The reward is paid out by the product manufacturer or by the company that employs the salesperson. But the main thing to note is that SPIFFs are an effective way to motivate the salesperson to do their job better. In this article, we are going to dive deeper into the subject and even tell you how to create one. So with all that said, let’s start.

Why Are SPIFFs So Effective?

First, let’s start with why the system works so well.

Excellent For Making Sales

Source: inc.com

Door-to-door and telephone marketing are still very much alive. A lot of companies still rely on these methods to sell their products. And the people that are responsible for making the sale are called salespeople.

Naturally, this system needed a bigger incentive. And that’s where SPIFFs came to be. By offering the salesperson a small reward for each sale they make, they get more motivated to do a better job. This system works both ways as the company makes a profit for every sale the salesperson makes, while the salesperson makes a small bonus.

It’s safe to say that SPIFF is an excellent system that drives sales.

Long-Term Benefits

The more a company sells its products, the more they get their brand out there. This is a simple formula that works every time. A company needs to have a long-term strategy to compete with the industry. And there isn’t a better way to achieve that than by creating an incentive for their workers. The more hard work the salespeople put in, the more your product goes into households. The more people see your product, the bigger the chances to add long-term visibility and brand recognition in the eyes of the consumers.

And if there is anything we know about 21st-century marketing is that every customer is a potential brand ambassador.

Excellent For Resellers

Source: jeffshore.com

Reselling is the act of selling someone else’s product. And we’re seeing more and more companies getting into this type of work. The great thing about reselling is that obtaining the products can be done in multiple ways. One of those ways is by agreeing on a SPIFF with the manufacturer. By agreeing the manufacturer pays the SPIFF to the salesperson, you will only be paying to “keep the product” as opposed to paying for shelf space.

The manufacturer will still get their money but pay a small fee to the salesperson. These reward programs can be a great way to drive sales. Building a reward program, on the other hand, might be more difficult than originally anticipated. Luckily for you, you can request a demo with Level 6 Incentives and help them create a reward program that will ultimately drive sales and rack up revenue.

How To Successfully Create SPIFF

With both short-term and long-term benefits, it would be a no-brainer to use a SPIFF system to grow your business. Here is how to do create one.

1. Define Your Objective

Source: daysoftheyear.com

The whole point of reward programs is to ultimately benefit the company. But creating a SPIFF without a goal in mind will lead to disaster. That’s why you need to define what your objective(s) are. Is your objective long-term visibility or short-term profits? Whatever they are, they need to be defined.

2. Align the Objective With the Reward Program

This is where you combine the objective with the reward program. By offering your salespeople a reward for every sale they make, you are motivating and energizing them to meet your company goals.

3. Placing A Time Period

Source: small-bizsense.com

SPIFF programs aren’t meant to last for a short amount of time. Although there are some pretty successful examples of that, you will need to give your salespeople a long-term plan to keep them motivated. If they’re only going to be potentially reaping the bonus rewards for a month, then there isn’t much to get motivated for. But if you place a time period of a year, then your salespeople got a lot of time to make a lot of bucks, which ultimately motivates them even more.

4. Define A Target Audience

The number one rule in marketing is to define your audience prior to the launch of your campaign. And the case is exactly the same with SPIFF. If you miss your target audience and send your salespeople to “sell” the product to the wrong demographic, then both you and your salespeople will miss out on the short-term and long-term benefits.

The campaign, simply said, will be a failure if you miss your target audience. So make sure to get this one right.

5. Do Plenty Of Research

Source: entrepreneur.com

Research is always needed when creating a SPIFF reward system. You’ll need to do research on what bonus to give your salespeople, what is your target demographic, etc. On the subject of rewards, do know that cash doesn’t always have to be the answer. Sometimes, you can offer various options that align more with each individual. But if nothing else works, cash is ultimately the go-to option.

6. Training Your Sales Reps

If you want to sell someone something, you will need to do a good job of convincing them that the product will benefit them. To do that, you will need to become a master salesperson. Even if you are quite new in the game, training a few employees to be better sales reps will benefit both them and your company.

7. Have A System In Place That Will Run Everything

Source: hubspot.com

We’re living in 2023 where we can literary come up with any software to help us achieve our business goals. And one way to achieve business goals is to be organized. Namely, you will need to either buy or come up with an automated system that will keep track of everything. This system is meant to streamline the operation and help keep track of every individual sale.

Creating a SPIFF is no easy task because you will need to take into account a lot of factors. If you’re having a hard time doing that, you can always get help from someone else.

Is Reading Computer Code the Same as Reading a Language – 2023 Guide

Source: cnn.com

People in our industry tend to say, that when you learn to code, you are basically putting through yourself a process of learning a new language.

You are required to memorize, understand, and eventually use new terms and symbols which must follow a strict logical path in order to make sense – to instruct the computer what to do. On the other hand, the code must be clear and readable enough, so your colleagues can understand it, and if necessary, use it, or improve upon it – click here to find out how it’s done.

Even though code and human languages are rather similar, according to the latest research data from MIT neuroscientists, when reading a computer code, different regions of the brain are activated and not those that are responsible for processing language. When you read a code, your brain activates its multiple demand network, which would be also recruited when you need to solve other complex cognitive tasks like solving a crossword puzzle or a math problem.

And even though this happens in your head while reading computer code, it seems that different parts of the multiple demand network are activated than when in the event of solving math problems and puzzles, suggesting that coding (and reading code) shouldn’t be “written down” like exclusively math-related brain activity.

What experts suggest, as of now, is that reading computer code is something that’s in its league as it’s not the same as a language but it’s also different from logic and math.

Language, Cognition, and The Brain

Source: techcrunch.com

As it might have been clear from above, the MIT researchers (lead by Evelina Fedorenko, the Frederick A. and Carole J. Middleton Career Development Associate Professor of Neuroscience and a member of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research) focused on the links between language and other cognitive functions. Previously, she has been trying to observe whether other functions rely on the language network of the brain (apart from languages, obviously) like the Broca’s are and other important regions of the brain’s left hemisphere. Previously, she and her group have observed that math and music do not activate this language network described above.

In this particular study, she and her group were interested in exploring the relationship between computer coding and languages. First and foremost, they wanted to explore the neuroscientific nature of computer programming as it is a relatively new invention that probably does not have any “hardwired” mechanisms forged in the human brain yet.

When it comes to determining how the brain learns the delicate art of coding, there are generally two different schools of thought. The first one says that you need to excel at mathematics to be a good programmer while the other suggests that there are certain parallels and similarities between language and computer coding, having language skills could be even more important.

To end this ongoing dispute between the two schools and to shed light on the truth, Fedorenko’s team wanted to study brain patterns during code reading to see whether they overlap with bran activity that’s related to language reading/learning.

The subjects in the study were young adults and the researchers used very readable languages to conduct the study (Python and ScratchJr). Already being proficient in these languages, the programmers would be shown different code snippets and ask what action those snippets would produce while lying in an fMRI scanner.

During the research, the scientists saw an almost insignificant response in the language regions of the brain, instead, the region of the frontal and the parietal lobes of the brain where active, that usually activate when the brain needs to process multiple pieces of info all once and helps us with performing any task that’s cognitively more challenging. This is the multiple demand network that we’ve also mentioned earlier.

Previous studies in this domain show that spatial navigation activates the right hemisphere of the multiple demand network while logic and math problems mostly activate the left hemisphere. While reading computer code, scientists have found that both left and right sides of this complex network are activated, with ScratchJr activating the right side a bit more than the left hemisphere. This data is contradicting to the hypothesis that coding and math are tied closely together in terms of sharing the same brain mechanisms.

What We Know Now

Source: deakin.edu.au

The researchers didn’t manage to pinpoint the brain regions that are exclusively responsible and devoted to programming, but they did point out that such specialized activity in the brain might develop in people who have been working in the web development business for years.

According to them, professional programmers with years of experience in a particular language might have already developed a type of crystallization and specialization of the multiple demand system. With people who have limited experience, and don’t count as “experts” pinpointing specialized areas is near impossible.

Teaching Coding in the Future

Source: dataiku.com

According to these findings, so far, there’s no definitive answer to whether coding should be taught more as a math-based task/skill or more as something that draws heavily from languages.

Why?

Source: entrepreneur.com

Well, as of now, it seems that coding will or may draw on both the multiple demand system and language system, even if later when the coding language is mastered, the dedicated language regions of the brain are no longer activated.

So, the current advances and scientific data suggests that neither math nor language exclusively should be used to help future programmers perfect their craft. Instead, computer science educators should work on developing a unique approach that might incorporate both aspects to help effecting coding.

Tips for Investing in Multilingual Marketing Strategy – 2023 Guide

Source: summalinguae.com

One thing that we have all learned due to the events of last year is how dependent we are on the internet. Ever since lockdown regulations in March, we have all been confined to our homes, with a lot of us working remotely to ensure that our responsibilities are completed.

In times like these, businesses need to cater to people of all countries. This involves investing in a multilingual marketing strategy.

Don’t underestimate the power of local news media like mainlandtimes.com. Guest posting on the source language will slightly increase your brand awareness and improve your SEO

What Is A Multilingual Marketing Strategy?

Source: okami.media

A multilingual marketing strategy involves translating your branding and message into multiple other languages while preserving the essence of the original message. This helps your business to cater to people of non-English speaking countries, who make up a very large part of the world’s population.

These days, most of our obligations are completed with ease on the internet. These responsibilities included doing our jobs, getting shopping done, making sure our children are getting the right education, and making ourselves more aware of what is going on in our surroundings.

However, all of these things are possible because of our command of the English language. While only 20% of the world’s population speaks or understands English, most of the data on the internet (almost 54% of the total) is written in English. This poses a problem for the people incapable of speaking or understanding English as they become completely dependent upon translation apps that can only translate to a limited degree and often give extremely inaccurate translations. These are the people that a brand should target when they launch their newest marketing campaign.

Companies like AfroLingo provide digital marketing solutions for companies looking to increase their brand awareness by translating their campaigns into different languages. This also involves transcreation, a process in which professional translators and linguists make changes in your original translation and message to make sure your target audience gets the most out of the marketing.

Tips For Investing In A Multilingual Marketing Strategy

Source: translations.ph

Wish to make your brand known to audiences who may not speak English but do not know where to start? The following tips may be helpful.

1. Research

The most important part of any marketing strategy is doing the pertinent research. Research involves looking up which languages, other than English, are used the most in the world, what parts of the world speak them, how many dialects they have, and how the dialects affect the meanings of different words.

This helps the company invest in a multilingual marketing strategy to better tweak their wording and message according to the mindset of the target audience.

2. Translation

The initial step is translating the material present on your website. This can be done with the help of companies that offer digital marketing solutions for translations, such as Contentech.

By translating the content on your website, you are making sure that all of the information available online is understandable by the speakers of a certain language.

However, the company should not rely on translation services such as Google Translate as machines fail to include the nuances that are present in several languages, making the message fall flat. A poor translation fails to impress its readers, sometimes even offending them when the phrases translate to something unsuitable.

It is thus important for brands wishing to get their content translated to employ a company that can provide native speakers for their translation and transcreation needs.

3. Transcreation

Transcreation is now an essential aspect of a multilingual digital marketing strategy. It involves making some changes when translating the brand’s message. While it may seem like a tricky endeavor, it is a necessary one for brands to be able to retain the spirit of their marketing campaigns. It is essential because more often than not, what means one thing in one language does not mean the same thing in another language.

This leads to misunderstandings that make it hard for the target audience to understand the message.

4. Search Engine Optimisation

When getting your website translated, make sure that your content has keywords in the translated material that rank well on search engines. This can be achieved by hiring individuals who have experience with SEO who make sure that only those keywords are used that are popularly searched in a specific country or language. This serves to increase the website’s visibility, leading to increased traffic and increased brand awareness.

Why You Should Invest In A Multilingual Marketing Strategy

Source: summalinguae.com

From a business point of view, there are several benefits to investing in a multilingual marketing strategy that will boost the company’s reputation and sales in the long term.

Some of them are:

1. Greater Visibility

A brand is known to most people only because of its ad campaigns and search engine visibility. When both those things appear in not only English but in other languages as well, it leads to greater popularity, which in turn, leads to greater sales. Brand awareness (the extent of consumer recognition of a brand by its name) is also increased by translating your ads and website into other languages because it leads native speakers of that language to recognize your brand as well as the English speakers.

2. Builds Trust

By providing information in native tongues to their customers, companies build a relationship of trust with them. A brand whose ad and the message is translated in their native tongue will be preferred over a brand whose mode of operations runs only in English. This leads to increased sales for that business.

3. Gives You An Edge Over Your Competitors

Most companies do not think of investing in a multilingual marketing strategy which leads to increased dissatisfaction among non-English speaking customers due to poor user experiences on websites or while ordering. Your business can thus gain an edge over its competitors by hiring a reputable company that offers translation, transcreation, and localization services.

In a rapidly changing world, entrepreneurs must understand the importance of an inclusive brand that caters to the needs of all of its consumers, not just the English-speaking ones.

Budget vs. Boutique: Does Pricey Really Mean Better in Natural Skincare?

Source: everydayhealth.com

In the ever-expanding world of natural skincare, the spectrum of products available can range from wallet-friendly to high-end luxury. Consumers are often left wondering if the hefty price tag of boutique brands equates to significantly better results or if budget options are just as effective.

This blog post delves into the nuanced debate of budget versus boutique natural skincare products, examining whether pricey really does mean better.

The Ingredients List: Quality vs. Quantity

Source: healthline.com

When comparing skincare products within the natural skincare range, the ingredients list is a good starting point. High-quality, effective ingredients can be found in both budget and boutique skincare lines.

However, the concentration and sourcing of these ingredients often differ. Boutique brands might emphasize rare or organic ingredients that are supposedly superior, while budget brands focus on more readily available, yet still natural, components.

The efficacy of an ingredient does not solely depend on its rarity or cost. For instance, ingredients like hyaluronic acid and vitamin C are found in both high-end and affordable products but can be equally effective if formulated correctly.

The difference often lies in the formulation’s stability, where boutique products may use advanced technologies to enhance the delivery and absorption of these ingredients into the skin.

Production and Branding: The Cost Behind the Label

Production scale significantly impacts cost. Boutique brands often produce smaller batches, which can lead to higher per-unit costs. This is frequently justified by claims of better quality control and customization. On the other hand, budget brands benefit from larger scale production, which reduces costs and makes natural skincare more accessible to a wider audience.

The branding and marketing strategies employed by boutique brands can also inflate costs. Luxury packaging, advertising in high-end magazines, and celebrity endorsements all add to the cost of the final product.

Budget brands typically spend less on marketing and packaging, focusing more on the product and less on the presentation, which can be a boon for savvy consumers who prioritize substance over style.

Consumer Experience and Results: What Do Users Say?

Source: newhope.com

Anecdotal evidence from user reviews and testimonies can provide insights into the effectiveness of both budget and boutique skincare products. While some users swear by the luxurious experience and visible benefits of boutique brands, others find that budget-friendly options provide similar results without the financial strain.

Despite personal preferences, it is crucial to consider clinical studies and dermatological research when evaluating skincare products. Some studies suggest that certain expensive ingredients are more effective, but there are numerous budget products with proven results supported by scientific research.

This indicates that while some boutique products may offer unique benefits, many skin needs can be met effectively by budget-friendly options.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the decision between budget and boutique natural skincare does not have a one-size-fits-all answer. It largely depends on individual skin needs, budget constraints, and personal values regarding production ethics and ingredient sourcing.

Consumers are encouraged to read labels carefully, consider personal experiences and clinical evidence, and choose products that best meet their skincare goals without necessarily equating higher prices with superior quality.

Jobs in The Translation Industry and its Growth in 2023

Source: translatingservice.wordpress.com

Increased trade between multilingual societies such as China, which is now one the world’s largest economy trading across the language divides, has led to exceptional demand for translation services in recent years. Driven by the demand for businesses to translate their websites, marketing brochures, and product labels to deploy their footprint across the globe. A requirement that we anticipate will remain to rise in the future.

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted economies that none has ever predicted. Overnight all the analysis and forecast went in vain, it altered the way businesses were performed starting from home office lockdowns to destructing some trades causing them to reach the brink of extinction.

Amid all the crises the one industry that managed to find opportunities in the translation industry. The main reasons for this. Firstly, the translation agencies had equipped themselves with the home office setup before the pandemic. Secondly, their client base covers almost the whole industry so the business shift could not deter the abrupt translation industry, and lastly, the pandemic caused the emergence of COVID-related content to be translated as legal compliance particularly among international businesses.  

Resulting in the emergence of numerous writers, proofreaders, translators than the period before the pandemic. This industry has proved to be a haven for thousands who were laid off the grid from their regular jobs due to the aggravating economic crisis. This migration is causing much greater competition among them.  

Translation and Globalization

Source: theconversation.com

Globalization has led to interlinking many other fields. Besides new trends such as video content that comes with subtitles have to be transcribed and translated into various languages to communicate with the end-user. Previous trends denote rising demand for document translation in highly regulated industries, such as finance, audit, medicine, legal and international law. Translators have to focus on serving this sector which is more likely to evident an upsurge in the future. Specifically, the translation industry is not anticipated to get out of grind any time soon.  

Despite English being the global language of business, when the question arose regarding communication with the native users, nearly 100%  agreed that they would like the information delivered in their mother tongue. The rise in multinational trade is causing businesses to explore every possible option to advertise and market their products and services. 

Both business trend analysis and translation industry specialists help us forecast the future course of the language service industry. Numerous factors are considered in mapping out what is likely to trend in the years ahead. The influential factors under consideration include machine translation, artificial intelligence, industry focus, technology, communications, and human resource.

Although there are abundant false predictions found in history. A decade ago, nobody would have ever predicted the growth and demand for translation services.

Machine Vs. Human

Source: pinterest.com

Whilst we are analyzing the factors affecting the translation industry, machine translation is of the foremost importance as a hike in non-English languages coupled with rapid change in the global environment where every organization is keen to establish their footprints in the international market. This exhibits the surge in language conversion services.

Concurrently, the medium of the translator market is transforming, among other apparatus machines are primarily acquiring a greater share of the business than ever before. 

It is conceived that machines being the fundamental source of language convertor assisted by the human expertise in lingual translation definitely will continue to create demand for the translation service industry in times to come. Where human translators will pave their way along with machines in a swiftly changing global environment. 

The dedicated software developed to assist in translation services is now equally capable of providing raw data to work on. They are verily cost-effective and a decently swift way to attain a basic pool of workable target text. Rather than starting from scratch now they already have ground to endeavor by enhancing the quality of machine-translated content. 

This is the perfect time for the maturing language translators to lay the foundation in the service industry to dwell. Aiding to the reason why human interference will continue to grow as an essential element in the course of the translation process continually.

Artificial Intelligence

Source: gabrielamueller.com

Another aspect of adopting automation is artificial intelligence. The primary focus of companies that are in the phase of creating computer-aided translation tools which are mainly utilized by human translators in creating content. Though machine translators tend to convert data such as manuals and specific lists. Where human beings are kept in the loop from the beginning to add the creative and literary aspect. Among freelancers still, the strongest technology trend is towards machine translation but computer-aided translatory techniques are getting a hold.         

In recent years computer-aided tools have become more sophisticated. Artificial intelligence is continually trying to learn from its human counterpart with the help of algorithms embedded in them. By becoming more and more familiar with the preferences of translators as they put in data artificial intelligence tends to habituate the phrases and words in its algorithm to imitate them. 

This evolution will make them capable of performing ahead of their human counterpart. Artificial intelligence offers ideas depending on the context the user finds deem fit. Translators can expect artificial intelligence to become a true support system capable of aiding them in the future. It would not be wrong to say a higher-than-average growth rate can be expected in the translation industry as the field is evolving in recent years with advancements in technology and global trade.          

Leading the race in providing service par excellence in the language service industry, Future Trans is setting new benchmarks for its peers alike. Having been in business for more than a decade now, we bring to the table many unique attributes. We work with nearly 600 professional native translators to ensure that each one of your translations is done with cultural appropriation. By catering to more than 350 languages we guarantee a 100% client satisfaction rate.

The Hidden Dangers of Human Trafficking in Massage Clinics – 2023 Guide

Source: mapleridgephysio.com

A problem that keeps being present in the world is human trafficking. It is known that some of the places often related to human trafficking are massage clinics, in which employees are forced to work for many hours, as well as to have sexual relations with their clients. This is a growing concern that we must not ignore. What happens is that these workers are being tortured by the massage clinic owner, living in very bad conditions in the house he owns. They also work for them and need to fulfill their demands to be able to have a place to sleep and eat, even though they are being abused in many ways.

How can you recognize this kind of massage clinic?

Source: varijanta.rs

They always tend to be located in isolated parts of the city, and practically invisible for anyone who doesn’t have a clue what it can be. Also, there are many things that can warn you about something being weird about a certain massage clinic. For example, if you see the prices are strangely low compared to other similar places, it can be a warning sign. Another thing that can be alarming is if the clinic works during the night or offering its services at any time of the day. It might happen that employees are asking for very big tips and become very upset if they don’t get them. You may also notice that the workers seem to live in the clinic and that there are new people constantly coming to the clinic, while old workers are gone. If there is a huge number of cameras all around and the windows are covered with something, it is likely that this is not a normal massage clinic. In massage clinics that work legally, you will never see or hear any sexual connotations, and the bodies of workers are covered with clothes in the usual way.

People that work there usually get there by fake ads that show in no way that it could be a scam. Those are usually middle-aged women from various third world countries who come to a rich, economically stable country wanting to earn money for their families. After they start working in these so-called massage clinics, they find out it is a scam but they often can’t do much about it. They get paid too little, they are constantly changing the place they work, and they are often forced to sleep on the streets. They are also blackmailed that if they try to leave, they will be arrested, deported, or killed. That is the reason why they choose to stay at those horrible places and human trafficking proceeds.

Source: tripadvisor.rs

Other jeopardized groups are kids and teens. Abusers often get to them online, through social media. What happens is that they connect to them, make them feel like they are close, and then call them to meet in person and offer them something they know those kids won’t say no to. Their main targets are foster kids, as well as the problematic kids, teens with low self-esteem, and the ones that have addiction problems. These children are susceptible to running away from their homes and looking for a way out of their unhappy lives. After they enter massage clinics, they are abused and forced to work all kinds of horrible things. In the past years, it has been done a lot do raise awareness of this problem, and influence the law in this area.

However, another problem occurred right after people started being more aware of human trafficking in massage clinics. And it started to have a negative impact on legal massage clinics in which people are doing their legal jobs. Massage professionals started noticing they are affected by these events, although they did nothing wrong. That is why it is crucial to understand the difference between the legal massage business and places where workers are sexually abused. Human trafficking in the massage business happens when there is some kind of violence, degrading actions, sexual exploitation, threats, blackmailing, emotional manipulation, and many more.

Source: bodylogics.co.uk

Stronger regulations are needed all around the country to prevent these places from opening and working. For example, limiting the working hours of massage clinics can help, since illegal actions mostly happen during the night hours. Requiring the state license for opening this kind of clinic and making it obligatory for all workers to have licenses for practicing the massage work are also some of the crucial steps. Another thing that helps is banning entry to a clinic through hidden entrances, and allowing clients to enter only through the unlocked front door. Doing these small changes leads to a big final result of preventing human trafficking in illegal massage clinics. These places are not uncommon, so a lot of work is needed to eliminate them completely, but we’re getting there.

If you’re looking to become a massage professional, you should be aware that continuous education is necessary. It is crucial to understand what human trafficking is and how it is being present in massage businesses. Following a good massage course, such as ones you can find on massageceu.com, you will learn how to spot human trafficking, who are the groups that are usually affected by it, as well as how can you protect yourself, and what can you do to help. It is vital for professionals in this area to keep educating themselves and improve this area as much as possible.

Conclusion:

Source: connect2local.com

A growing concern in the world is human trafficking present in illegal massage clinics. This has been a problem for many years now, and people are becoming more aware of it. Illegal massage clinics hire people through fake ads and then force them to work all day and all night long, have sexual relations with their clients, and abuse them in many different ways. If you notice that massage clinic is working all night, providing services in hidden areas, have a lot of video cameras, and covered windows, it should be a sign that they are doing illegal business and you should report them right away. Stronger regulation in the massage business is needed to control illegal actions and prevent human trafficking in these places.