When it comes to your business growth, the marketing mix is a very important tool to build the most effective marketing strategy plan. It will help you to show your potential customers why your product or service is unique and better than your competitors. Today in this article I will talk about what is the marketing mix? Why does the marketing mix important for your business? And the 10 most effective steps to develop the ideal marketing mix for your business. So, Stay tuned with me till the end!

An Introduction to Marketing Mix

The marketing mix refers to the various elements of your business that helps you to put your product or service in the right place, at the right time with the right price. The marketing mix is primarily connected with the 4P’s elements of marketing, the 7P’s elements of service marketing, and the 4 Cs theories formed in the 1990s based on the 4p’s elements of marketing.

 

A Quick Look at Marketing Mix 4P’s

The Marketing 4Ps was developed by the marketing expert named E. Jerome McCarthy in the 1960s which has been used throughout the world as the basic concept of marketing. It also the ground foundation for marketing mix.

 

marketing-mix-4P’s

1.Product

A product is an element that is manufactured to fulfil the needs of a certain group of people. It can be quantifiable or unquantifiable as it can be in the form of goods or services. You should ensure to have the right product that your target market demands. So, in the product development stage, you must do a broad study on the life cycle of your product involving product branding and product packaging in order to make the right product mix.

 

2. Price

The price of a particular product is basically the amount of money that a consumer willing to pay to get the benefit from the particular product. Price is a very essential factor in your marketing plan as it defines your firm’s profit and survival level. Modifying your product price has a great influence on your entire marketing strategy, sales and the demand for the product. While fixing the product price be sure to examine competitors pricing methods and price your product accordingly.

3.Place

Planning the distribution or positioning of your product or service is a very crucial part of the marketing mix. You have to position or distribute your product or service in a place that is easily accessible to your potential buyers. For this, you need to have a deep understanding of your target market. By having a clear understanding of your target market inside out, you will find out the most efficient placing and distribution channels for your product that directly connect with your target market and target audience.

4.Promotion

Promotion is very important to boost your brand’s recognition and products sales. Promotion is about informing your target market about your product or service. This action will involve direct communication among sellers and potential buyers. Promotion is comprised of various elements such as sales organization, public relations, advertising and sales promotion. Your promotional strategies will depend on your budget and your target market.

A Rapid Check of Marketing Mix 7P’s

The 7Ps of the marketing mix is a modification from the 4Ps model which is generally used in the service industries. Here is a quick look at the extensions from the 4Ps to the 7Ps version.

 

5.People

Target market and people are directly linked to your business, therefore it’s essential to find out whether there is sufficient amount of people in your target market that is in demand for specific products or services that you are offering. Your firm’s employees also play a crucial part in marketing because they are the ones who deliver the product or service that your target market demands. Thus, it’s really essential to appoint and train the right people to deliver superior product or service to the clients, whether they run customer service, or they are copywriters, designers, or etc. The people in your target market and the people who work in the company will help you to scale and grow your business.

 

6.Process

The systems and the processes in your organization affect your execution of the service and product. That’s why it’s essential to have a well-tailored process in place whether it’s your sales funnel, distribution system, a payment system or other procedures. An effective process of working helps you to run your business efficiently.

7.Physical Evidence

Physical evidence is very important for a business, especially in service industries. There should be physical evidence of how a business and its products or services are perceived in the marketplace. Physical evidence is the establishment of a business’ presence in the market. For example, when you think about sports Adidas or Nike comes to your mind and when I say Pizza “Pizza Hut” instantly pop up in your mind because these brands establish strong physical evidence in their niche market, thus their brands appear first in line when we asked someone to “name a brand” in their industry or niche.

4Ps to 4Cs Marketing Mix

The 4Cs model is a modification of the 4Ps marketing mix model and it’s not a basic part of the marketing mix. But an extensive version of the marketing mix. Let’s check out the 4Cs components one by one.

1) Cost

Price is not the sole cost being incurred when purchasing a product or service. It may be the cost you incur to satisfy a consumer, so, cost of time, cost of conscience or opportunity cost are also the elements of the cost

2) Consumer

You should only sell a product or service that addresses your consumer demand. Therefore, you carefully research your consumers’ needs and wants. So that you can give valuable products and services to your consumers with a Unique Selling Proposition.

3) Communication

Based on the needs and wants of your customers, you need to create open communication with your customers because your customers want to be engaged with meaningful interactions to understand your products and services.

4) Convenience

Usually, consumers looking for products and services readily available to them. Thus, while marketing, you should strategically place your products or services in several visible distribution points that are convenient to your consumers. In simple words make it convenient for your consumers to buy.

Importance of Marketing Mix 

In your everyday business activities, it’s become hard to focus on the big picture, especially when you’re handling multiple things. In this condition, your marketing mix strategy gives you a clear roadmap for your business objectives.

It will help you to be on track while keeping your target market in the forefront of your mind that helps you to market the right product or service to the right people at the right time with the right price.

10 Steps to Build an Effective Marketing Mix 

Above I explained to you about Marketing mix, it’s elements and why it’s important for your business. Now I am going to tell about the 10 effective steps that will give you assistance in building your ideal marketing mix for your successful business. Have a look at them below.

1. Get to Know Your Goals & Objectives

To create the right marketing mix for your business, first, you need to define what you want to achieve as an end result, for example, define whether you want more customers, increase brand awareness or want to get higher sales.

Every marketing plan has its own goals and objectives. So you need to find out your own goals and objectives and have to set a specific time frame to achieve them.

 

2.Create Your Budget Plan

After getting to know about your goals and objectives for your marketing mix plan, then you need to define how much money are you willing to spend? Like how much money you are ready to spend on product innovation, product promotion and consumer research. It’s really important to create your budget in order to build an effective marketing mix for your business.

 

3. Decide Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) Method

In a world of competitors, it’s really important to advertise and market your product in an effective and unique way and we call it a “unique selling proposition” (USP). Describe your users about the benefits they will get from using your product or service. And tell them what unique problem you’re solving with your product and service better than anyone else in the market.

4.Define Your Own Target Market

In order to have effective communication with your target audience, you need to know who they are, their expectations from your product or service, their preference and how they want to be communicated with. Build an in-depth profile of your ideal buyer. Make sure you have collected all the essential customer information to create a complete picture of your ideal customer with enough details.

 

5. Get Advice from Your Customers

Ask your customers what they are thinking about your products or services and what the expectations they have are. You can gather this information by asking your customers questions like What do they think of your product?, How satisfied are they with the quality? Are the benefits apparent? and How is your product effectively or not effectively meeting their needs?. Use their answers and feedback to improve your service or product. This tactic also helps you to appear more relatable and approachable to your customers.

 

6.Describe Your Product or Service in Detail

To plan a perfect marketing mix, first, you need to have a good understanding of your product or service. Therefore, take your time to describe the specific qualities and value of your product or service. Get to know the unique features that show the worth of your product or service. Knowing your product worth help you to build an effective marketing mix that enhances your products or services.

 

7. Be Aware of Your Distribution Channels

Identify which distribution channels you are going to use for marketing your product or service. Because your choice of distribution channels will influence your promotion methods and the pricing of your products or services. Depending on your product and target audience your distribution channels will be: Selling to wholesalers who will sell to retailers, who will then sell to the consumers or selling directly to the retailers or selling directly to your consumers.

 

8. Make Your Pricing Strategy

You need to find out the smart ways to differentiate your product on price. Do proper research on your competitors and make sure you are not overcharging your customers for the product. Also, get to know what your target audience might be willing to pay for your product and what it costs to produce your product. Based on these facts you can create a better pricing strategy.

 

9.Select Your Promotional Methods

You should make your target audience to be aware of your product or service offering. Successful promotional methods include numerous tactics like:

• Direct Marketing –Directly connecting with the targeted individuals through catalogues, telephone marketing or mobile marketing.
• Public Relations –Connect with the massive amount of public through Press releases, exhibitions, conferences and sponsorship deals.
• Advertising –Introduce your new product or service through advertisements on Television, radio and print advertisements in the newspaper.
• Personal Selling –Do personal presentation and demonstrating how your product works through your sales team.
• Word of Mouth –Creating positive word about your product or service through social media and buyers’ recommendations.

Based on your product, target audience and your industry niche select your promotional methods and plan your promotional strategy.

 

10. Make Use of Inbound Marketing

Inbound Marketing also plays an important role in developing a marketing mix for your business. So, in your Marketing mix plan, you should include effective inbound marketing as well. In your inbound marketing plan include the below elements:

• Website –Nowadays customers want to interact with the brands where they are making their purchases. So, having a business website for your brand will provide a platform for your customers to interact with your brands and products.
• SEO –Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will help you to rank your website on search engines like Google so the online users can get directed to your website where you can convert your website, visitors, into customers.
• Email Marketing –You must collect your customer contact database and follow up them regularly. Email is an effective way to communicate with your customers and keep then information about your new products or offers.
• Social Media– Having a website is not enough, you should use popular social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram to deliver messages to your target audience and build brand awareness in your target market.
• Blogging –By putting out regular content through blogging you can make your business stay in the top in the mind of your target audience and there are high chances to get leads through your blogs. So, make sure to write good content.

Conclusion

Creating a perfect marketing mix will help you to develop the best products and services that better fulfil the needs and wants of your target customers. It also helps you to make your target customers know why your product or service is better than the product or service of your competitors. Even though 4P’s remain the core to create a marketing mix, you should include inbound marketing in your overall marketing strategy for your business. I am pretty sure that the above 10 steps will help you to build a perfect marketing mix for your business.

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading my post. Please leave a comment regarding the blog post or let me know if you’re interested in learning more about the marketing mix.

 

Because of the global spread of COVID-19 Coronavirus, most of the companies around the world have rolled out mandatory remote work for their employees. According to the proclamation of the World Health Organization, the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak has officially attained the “Pandemic” state. So, transferring to the “working from home” routine will turn out to be the new normal for most of us and some of us will be working from home for the first time, that means it’s a mission itself to figure out the ways to complete our tasks on time in a new working environment that may not a suitable place for productivity. But there are techniques to provide good results in your work from home scenario.

If you’re a newbie to the working-from-home lifestyle, here are some tips and tricks for you to work effectively from home.

 

1. Develop a Morning Routine

Just sit down at your working space and start work at a certain time is one thing, creating a routine that guides you into the scheduled time to start work is another. What’s in your morning routine indicates when you’re going to start your work. It might be returning from your morning workout, making a cup hot coffee or getting dressed before you begin your work. Trust me, a morning routine can be more potent than an alarm clock at assisting you to get started your work each day on time.

I mentioned about the morning routine but not everybody who works from home follows eight to five schedules. Thus, the “getting started” routine might differ from person to person. So, the main thing is you should have a proper routine before you start your work as it helps you to maintain an effective work routine.

 

2. Have Regular Working Hours

Set yourself a working schedule and stick to it. Having clear-cut regulations for when to begin your work and when to call it an end supports you to keep work-life balance as you work remotely from home. That being said, one of the advantages you get out of work from home is flexibility, and sometimes you need to lengthen your working time or start your work early to accommodate your colleagues or clients’ schedule. When you do so, makesure to wrap up your work earlier than your usual time or sleep a bit longer in the next morning to make up for that extra time of work.

There are many automatic apps to track your time for example, Rescue Time that helps you to check in on whether you’re sticking with your time schedule or not. And it helps you to find out your most productive times of the day. So, you can use that insight to your benefit by reserving your high priority tasks to do at your most productive times of the day.

 

3. Create a Dedicated Workspace

If you are new to work from home lifestyle, it’s obvious that you don’t have a separate office space in your home. Therefore, it’s a good idea to dedicate a desk for your work use only rather than cooping yourself up in your room or on the couch because these spaces are associated with leisure time that can easily distract your focus from work.

If you have a desk that has all the essentials related to your work. then, when you sit on that desk, you realize, it’s work time and when you’re away from it that’s your personal time. it’s the best way to balance your work and personal time when you are working from home.

 

4. Schedule Regular Breaks

When you’re deciding to work from home, get to know your company’s policy on break times and based on that schedule your breaks in concern with your own comfort and flexibility. It’s really important to give yourself enough time during the day to walk away from your computer screen.

Two 15 minutes breaks and an hour lunch break seem to be the standard for full-time employees.

 

5. Set Ground Rules with the People in Your Home

When you’re working from home, it’s necessary to set some ground rules with the other people in your home. For example, if you have kids, you need to make clear rules with them about what they can do and cannot do during your work time. And also, you need to set rules for your domestic labor works at home.

As you’re in the home, your home mates may simply put all of them on you which may give you a feeling of taken advantage of and may your productivity also suffer. So, it’s always safe to set some rules.

 

6. Be Socialize with Your Colleagues

When you’re working alone at home, you tend to get feelings like loneliness, disconnect and isolation, especially if you’re an extrovert. So, it’s really important to stay connected and socialize with your colleagues. For example, you may connect with your colleagues through professional chat channels like a flock, plan meetups for people in the same region or in-person retreats.

It’s important to figure out a suitable way for you to interact with your colleagues. It will help you to nurture your relationships with your colleagues.

 

7. Keep a Positive Mindset

When you are working from home full-time, you must keep a positive mindset. Because when you have less face time with people there are high chances for people to misinterpret your tone in writing. So, it’s important to be positive to the point where it may feel like you’re being overly positive and polite.

Otherwise, you risk yourself to sounding like a jerk. Unfortunately, that will be the true situation. So, embrace the positivity and find your favourite smile emoji. You’re going to need them the most.

 

Conclusion

Here we go! Based on my present experience, I’ve shared 7 simple and effective tips to adapt yourself for the “work from home” lifestyle. Above all, every one of us has different personality and lifestyle based on that our working method also differs. But, I hope these common tips will help you to kick-start your work from home mode and help you to keep a proper balance between your work and personal life!

Don’t forget to share your feedback on this post!

Looking for the best ways to improve your website user experience? Read on to find out the 6 effective tips to boost your website UX.

Sri Lanka is the fascinating tiny island bottled up with many sites and scenes like endless sun-kissed golden beaches, rising surfs, oodles of mighty elephants, smiling faces, misty mountains, fun train travels, majestic ancient cities and many more. There are many enchanting travel destinations in Sri Lanka for travelers. Every year more and more travelers visiting this gorgeous island in the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka is a blend of history and nature and an ideal place for fun and leisure.

Lonely Planet ranked Sri Lanka at first position as a top country to travel in 2019. Sri Lanka as a travel destination offers a collection of different experiences from beautiful beaches to funfilled adventurous sports, magnificent wildlife watching to exploring some of the ancient cities in world history. Planning a sightseeing trip to Sri Lanka seems like a bit hard to endure. But with some expert advice and guidance, you can have wonderful travel experience in Sri Lanka.

Today I am going to list out the best travel destinations in Sri Lanka. Let’s have a look at them to plan your next travel to Sri Lanka.

 

Colombo – The Heart of Sri Lanka

Colombo is the prime city of Sri Lanka, Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is in the urban area of Colombo, so Colombo is the official capital of Sri Lanka. The city has many popular and scenic attractions and also owns a rich colonial heritage. Unquestionably Colombo is one of the most prevalent travel destinations in Sri Lanka. The coastal city is a pleasant place to spend a couple of days just relaxing, chilling around the city and enjoy leisure activities.

Colombo has a good collection of attractions like the Galle Face Green, the Viharamahadevi Park and the Beira Lake which are the ideal places for you to spend quality time with your dear ones. The city has many attractive structures like Lotus Tower, Colombo City Centre, and One Galle Face Mall where you can shop, dine and entertain yourself. Colombo city still has many buildings from colonial Sri Lanka. For example, the Dutch Museum, this was the residence of the Dutch Governor of Ceylon back at that time. There are also many famous Buddhist temples in Colombo like Gangaramaya temple and the Kelaniya Raj Maha Vihara. Not just that, Colombo has sightseeing places like the National Museum of Colombo and Independence Memorial Hall as well. Altogether Colombo is a beautiful escape to a picturesque coastal city.

 

Kandy – The City of Bruised Sky

Kandy is a prominent city in the middle of Sri Lanka. The city has both historical and religious importance, it’s well known for being the site of the Temple of The Sacred Tooth Relic- Sri Dalada Maligawa, the most popular Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka. Kandy is home to many scenic attractions and remarkable museums. In 1988, it was announced as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sri Dalada Maligawa is the place of preservation of Lord Buddha’s holy tooth. The World Buddhist Museum, Sri Dalada Museum and the National Museum of Kandy set in the temple complex have art facts related to the history of Buddhism, Kandy and the colonial period. Neighbouring to the temple is the fragments of the Royal Palace of Kandy; the Audience Hall with its beautifully engraved pillars and the Rajah Tusker Hall are the prominent features in the Royal Palace of Kandy. Apart from the temple, you can pay a visit to the gorgeous Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens, stunning Kandy Lake, the Udawattekele Sanctuary and the informative Ceylon Tea Museum. A trip to Kandy will offer lots of invaluable insights into Sri Lanka’s rich history and culture.

 

Nuwara Eliya – The Little England of Sri Lanka

Nuwara Eliya is the hill station of Sri Lanka, famous for its tea production. It has numerous gorgeous attractions like waterfalls, tea plantations, gardens and lake. The city is the essence of charming beauty. Nuwara Eliya is the coldest part of the island, the cold climate makes you feel like you have entered a new world, unlike Sri Lanka’s iconic environment. That’s why it’s named as Little England of Sri Lanka. And it’s one of the never-missed travel destinations in Sri Lanka.

Pidurutalagala- the tallest mountain in Sri Lanka sited in Nuwara Eliya. Lake Gregory is one of the must-see sights in Nuwara Eliya. Boat rides, pony rides and jet skis are most common in this beautiful lakeside. Lover’s Leap Falls, Bomburu Ella Falls, Devon Falls and St. Clair’s fall are the popular waterfalls in Nuwara Eliya. Victoria Park is a beautiful spot for bird watching. And the plentiful of beautiful and greenly tea plantations in Nuwara Eliya ought to have a special mention. Nuwara Eliya is near to Horton Plains National Park and Hakgala Botanical Gardens. The famous Seetha Amman Temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess Seetha situated in Nuwara Eliya. A trip to Nuwara Eliya will give you a feeling of being nestled amongst nature.

 

Badulla – The City on the island Plain

The Badulla city of Sri Lanka is a widespread name among the Sri Lankan locals and foreign travelers due to its eye-catching beautiful tourist attractions. Badulla has a lot of exciting and breathtaking attractions to sightsee, therefore you have infinite things to do here. The city’s glorious attractions consist of mountain peaks, waterfalls, valleys, highlands and many others.

There are a number of things to do in Badulla, whether it’s watching the sunrise at Ella Rock or going on a sightseeing train travel at Demodara Nine Arch Bridge. Badulla also has religious sites like St Mark’s Church, Kataragama Devale, Muthiyagana Vihara, and Dhowa Rock Temple. The city is home to two beautiful waterfalls; Dunhinda Falls and Wewessa Ella Waterfall. Little Adam’s Peak and the Ella Spice Garden also the worth visit places in Badulla. With all these amazing places, a trip to Badulla will make you experience the beauty of this tiny island.

 

Galle – The Fortified Beach City

Galle is positioned along the southwestern coastline of Sri Lanka. Galle is well known for the famous Galle fort and it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The port city has a significant role in Sri Lanka’s colonial history which make it as one of the must-visit travel destinations in Sri Lanka. Housing numerous attractions within its precincts, the Galle Fort is the highlight of the city. Galle fort includes Galle Clock Tower, Galle Lighthouse, Dutch Reformed Church, Old Dutch Hospital and the National Maritime Museum.

If you want to leisurely explore the Galle Fort, there are lots of wonderful hotels where you could stay at, especially the 17th-century building-turned-luxury resort Amangalla. The Kanneliya Rainforest Reserve is a major attraction for wildlife enthusiasts. Historical Mansion Museum and the Galle Literary Festival are the other famous things in Galle. Your trip to Sri Lanka won’t be complete without a visit to Galle. The majestic city has a fascinating colonial-era history.

 

Batticaloa- The City of Singing Fish

Batticaloa located in the Eastern coast of Sri Lanka and it is picturesquely framed around a complex of beautiful lagoons, islands and bridges. The Lady Manning Bridge sited at Kallady is the biggest bridge of all; this bridge is the main access path to the city. The bridge is also famous for singing fish, the music made by fish in the underwater of the bridge, this music performance more prominent on a full moon poya day.

Batticaloa is one of the go-to travel destinations in Sri Lanka for travelers; there are more tourist attractions in Batticaloa. Batticaloa Lagoon, Dutch Fort, Batticaloa Lighthouse, and Mamangam Pillaiyar Koyil are some of the famous attractions in Batticaloa. Kalkudah & Passekudah Beaches are very popular among both locals and foreigners as they offer the best beach getaways. You can also enjoy the wildlife at Gal Oya National Park and Lahugala National Park. A trip to Batticaloa will give you one of the best beach holidays experience.

 

Trincomalee – The City of Tranquility

Trincomalee prettily sited on the North-East coastline of Sri Lanka, famous for its beautiful natural harbours and sand beaches. The coastal town is one of the must-visit travel destinations in Sri Lanka. The local people here predominantly speak Tamil, the city is popular for its tradition, culture, and its historical sites. It’s a charming city with oodles of beautiful attractions and history. Start from the ancient temples, forts, stunning beaches, bays and a maritime museum, Trincomalee has numerous things to attract travelers.

Whether you want to seek peace and calmness at the divine Buddhist viharas and Hindu Kovils or enjoy the marine mysteries at the fascinating Pigeon Island, Trincomalee has everything to bewitch you. While there are numerous interesting places to see in  Trincomalee, Koneswaram Temple, Fort Frederick, Velgam Vehera, Maritime and Naval History Museum, Pigeon Island National Park, St Mary’s Cathedral, and Trincomalee War Cemetery are most famous attractions in Trincomalee. Uppuveli Beach and Nilaveli Beach also the popular beach destinations in Trincomalee. All these attractions don’t let you miss Trincomalee on your trip to Sri Lanka!

 

Anuradhapura – The City of Rejuvenating Getaway

Anuradhapura is a historical paradise of Sri Lanka as it’s home to many heritage monasteries, monuments and palaces. Anuradhapura is one of the never-missed travel destinations in Sri Lanka. The city is well known for its vast dagobas ancient ponds, pools and temples. This is the first capital of Sri Lanka established in 377 BC. Anuradhapura city was built around a cut piece from the Bodhi Tree, which is considered sacred by Buddhists. Now, this city is a popular religious and tourist site.

The most popular tourist attractions in Anuradhapura are the sacred Maha Bodhi tree, Lovamahapaya Palace, Isurumuniya Vihara, Ratna Prasada-the jewel palace, Archeological museum, Royal Pleasure Gardens, Royal Palace, Kuttam Pokuna, Buddha’s samadhi, and many more. The popular dagobas are Mirisaveti, Abhayagiri, Ruwanveli and many more. Anuradhapura is the culturally and religiously significant city which has authentic Buddhist traditions, lavish palaces, traditional monasteries, archaeological ruins and informative museums. Most of the people visit this city to seek peace and to satisfy their keenness.

 

Dambulla – The City of Ancient Memories

Dambulla is tucked in the central province of Sri Lanka. This humble city is a treasure of historical monuments and one of the go-to travel destinations in Sri Lanka. It’s a city with a lifetime of ancient memories. Of all the places in Dambulla, UNESCO World Heritage Site-the fabulous Dambulla cave temple complex must be first on your to-visit list. It is the most beautiful cave temple on the island with spectacular sculpture and paintings. South Asia’s largest rose quartz mountain situated in Dambulla.

Other than Dambulla Golden Cave Temple, the most excellent places to visit in Dambulla are Minneriya National Park, Sigiriya Fortress, Pidurangala Rock, Buddhist Museum and Museum of Wall Paintings, Kalu, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium and diya Pokuna . Dambulla is a symbol of Sri Lanka’s precious and graceful history and culture.  Every monument in Dambulla evokes the tale of the timeless historical story. A trip to Dambulla is a fulfilling experience for nature and adventure lovers. It’s a beautiful place to get soak in natural beauty!

 

Jaffna – The City of Quaint

Jaffna is one of historical and heritage cities situated at the northern tip of Sri Lanka. The city had been ruled by various kingdoms, governments and the armies. Jaffna has a strong influence of Tamil people and Hindu culture. Today the city flourishes as one of the industrial cities of the island. Jaffna, due to being ruled by different kingdoms and governments has numerous monuments to attract tourists, each monument reciting a different yet alluring tale to its visitors.

Jaffna Nallur Kandaswamy, the Kovil embodied by a golden arc and sophisticated gopuram that enchants thousands of pilgrims and worshippers. Some of the other attractive monuments include the Jaffna public library, Jaffna Fort, Dutch Fort, Fort Hammenhiel, Delft Island, Sangilean Thoopu, Nainatheevu Naga Pooshani Ambal Kovil, Nagadipa Purana Vihara, and  Kadurugoda Temple. Jaffna city has two famous beach getaway destinations as well, Casuarina beach and Charty Beach. Jaffna local people are indeed wonderful and friendly and making a trip to this beautiful heritage city of Sri Lanka should be a priority on anyone’s travel plan.

 

Concluding With

Sri Lanka unquestionably has so many to keep you engaged when it comes to sightseeing and exploration. As an island nation, it also has a boundless source of spectacular beaches, the plethora of water sports, breathtaking sunsets, abundance of wildlife, sprawling tea gardens, impressive skyscrapers and of course, the fancy restaurants and their mouthwatering delicious local & international cuisines. Above I chose my top most favourite travel destinations in Sri Lanka to share with you guys! Now it’s time to hear from you 🙂

Have you ever visited any of the above travel destinations in Sri Lanka? Let me know about your most favourite travel destinations in the comments below!

 

Are you wondering how do you create contents on Instagram? And how can you make your Instagram marketing successful? You’re not the only person here! For many busy brands and businesses, the idea of an Instagram content plan seems a hard-hitting task that they have no idea how to tackle. As finding time to make, organize, strategize, and optimize your Instagram content can be a very tricky task.

Luckily, there are numerous methods to organize your Instagram content process and spare time to plan your Instagram posts and stories! Ready to win your game on Instagram? Check out these top 10 tips to prepare your Instagram content strategy ahead of time.

 

Instagram Content Plan: 10 Tips on how to plan Instagram content for your feed!

 

1) Optimize Your Brand’s Instagram Account Bio

Wondering why am I talking about this as my first tip? Okay now hear me out, why? There is no value in getting to a good position with your Instagram content plan if your Instagram Bio isn’t augmented well for your successful branding on Instagram. Because once you started sharing high-quality, relevant content in your Instagram feed, lots and lots of people will make an effort to get to know about your business and brand. As the first thing, they check out your Instagram Bio before they will begin to “follow” your brand.

If there isn’t a clear description about brand, pertinent profile image, and engaging call-to-action (CTA), there are high chances of missing out on your new followers because they won’t understand who you are or what your brand is about. I would say Instagram bio is the one and only opportunity to grab your audience’s attention, so don’t do the mistake of neglecting your Instagram bio.

Tips to optimize your Instagram Bio:

• Keep your Bio description 20 words or less
• Include identifiable keywords in your bio that people will use to search you on Instagram
• Lastly, don’t forget to add a strong call to action that encourages people to join your business.

Instagram bio is the very first thing people notice when they click into your Instagram profile, so make sure to nail that bio perfectly before investing your time into  Instagram content strategy.

 

2) Pick Up Your Instagram Content Themes

Picking up the right Instagram themes or “content buckets” is one of the best methods to get rid of the tension of Instagram content planning for your feed. In my opinion, it’s a good choice to select 3 to 4 themes and rotating them throughout the month.

For example, you can choose the content bucket like:

• People (Your team, clients, or customers)
• Location (Your workplace, travel shots)
• Quotes (Motivating quotes or Inspiring testimonials)
• Your Products shots

Or else, you can choose Instagram themes like:

• Work-life of your staffs
• Office Interiors
• Family

Whatever the themes you choose it should go well with your business & brand, and most importantly it should resonate best with your target audience.

“Your brand is what your audience says it is”

The above saying applies to your Instagram as well. When you create your Instagram content plan, it should reflect your ideal followers and their values. Once you have chosen your content themes or buckets, trial them for a month or two then based on that results, swap and change your themes or buckets to what your audience best resonates with. An Instagram content plan is all about testing, learning, and optimizing. And that’s what this post going to tell you (so stay tuned with me!).

 

3) Don’t Miss Out the Significant National Days

Not each and every national day or holiday is relevant for your business or your audience, but it’s necessary to be aware of what’s coming up next in case it is. You may ask why it is important to know about national days. Let me tell you why? Because if a national day is important to your target audience, then it’s a great opportunity for you to create content that your audience will relate to themselves on that particular national day.

Having an Instagram content calendar will help you to stay up to date of these national holidays and traditional holidays like Independence Day and Tamil & Sinhala New Year. Make use of the Social Media Calendar to keep yourself informed about any important national days and social events that are coming up next, then you can put your creativity to make that day special for your audience. Now this question will raise in your mind how could this help to improve your Instagram content strategy?

Here is how it will help to improve your Instagram content strategy:

• If protecting the environment from pollution is your brand’s mission, International Environment Day (June 5) could be a great opportunity for you to elevate your brand and make your audience engage with your brand.
• By planning ahead you can conduct a cleanup program at your local and post those images on the feed.
• Also, you can encourage your audience to do the same and post them via stories

These kinds of activities on a specific national day help you to grab more attention towards your brand. Therefore make use of these national days and holidays to get the spotlight for your brand!

 

4) Create a Strong Voice for Your Brand

You have to be more certain about your brand voice then only you can able to create an effective content plan for your Instagram. Because you are going to create lots of images and captions. So it’s important to be sure about your brand tone then only you can make an efficient process of your Instagram posts. Decide, whether your brand voice going, to be frank, and funny or warm and reassuring.

If you don’t know how to find out your brand voice, begin with your brand values, then think about other brands that have brand voices you love. Jot down the descriptive specific keywords for each voice.

They can be adjective voices like:

• Professional
• Inspiring
• Witty

Or, they can be non-descriptive voices like:

• Momentum
• Mentor
• Love

With those examples, voice keywords figure out your own brand voice. It’s okay if your brand voice changes over time, as you get to know your brand and audience better. But this keyword tactic is a great idea, to begin with.

 

5) Evaluate Your Capabilities for Your Success

Don’t let your lack of understanding, energy, and time come in between you and your success of the Instagram campaign. I mean lots of entrepreneurs and business brands get stuck on Instagram posts because they feel creating an Instagram content plan is an overwhelming task. You shouldn’t overspend your precious time and energy on your Instagram feed content which is why it’s important to evaluate your capabilities.

 

Try to answer these questions to find out your capabilities:

• Do you have time and resources to make a batch of images at the beginning of every month?
• Would it easier for you to outsource images and leave the ideas up to you?
• Are you able to create designs on Canva to make quotes graphics?
• Could you outsource this design?

Hope these questions help you to find your capabilities. For financial reasons, most of us shy away from outsourcing, but also with the guilt that we should do everything ourselves. But you should understand that “Your time is extremely valuable.” If you could able to work with somebody that can give you more time to focus on the things that are more important (creating high-quality stories +interacting with your audience), you are making yourself committed to success on Instagram.

 

6) Set Time for Content Creation in Your Work Schedule

Now you are clear about your content themes and you have decided whether designed graphics/take photos by yourself or outsource someone. So right now you can focus on allocating time to create content. You need to create and schedule your content up to one month in advance. If you need to create and schedule your May month content, you would be doing that during the first week of April.

If you do that so, then all you have to do during the next few weeks of the month is to hit “post” button on your Instagram account or you can set your content to go live automatically via third-party automation tools like Iconosquare. In the beginning, it might seem impossible to plan your Instagram content in advance, therefore at the starting take it to step by step process, for instance, first plan your Instagram content for one week then two, then three… and before know, it will get in place and naturally you begin to plan content far in advance for your Instagram.

 

7) Get to Know the Best Timing for Your Post

If you want to use Instagram really serious for your business, you need to figure out the best timing for your posts on Instagram, but if you have just started using Instagram for your business, you may not have enough data to understand the best timing for your post on Instagram. If that’s your case, then start with sticking to a regular posting schedule (3x posts a week is preferable).

You don’t need to post on exactly the same days for each week, but just make sure to stick with the equal frequency of posting for every week. With time you will collect adequate insights to recognize your best time schedule to post on Instagram.

Eventually, you will find out your optimal times for post, whether

• Is it morning or evening?
• Do weekend posts perform better than weekdays?

When you figure out the best timing for your Instagram posts, you can easily understand what best resonates with your target audience, and based on that you can tweak your Instagram post schedule.

 

8) Make Use of a Scheduling Tool for Your Instagram Posts

The good thing about social media automation tool like Iconosquare is that it’s not just an official Instagram partner, but also an inclusive podium that allows you to create your Instagram content plan for your feed, schedule your Instagram posts and stories, monitor your Instagram analytics in-depth, and manage all your Instagram comments and conversations in one platform. It takes out the pressure of posting on your Instagram week by week and offering you the necessary space and time to focus on engaging with your brand followers.

If you are not ready to invest in paid automation tools then you can use Excel sheets to schedule your Instagram content plan. Of course, it doesn’t automatically post on Instagram on your behalf, but it does allow you to keep and manage all your content and captions in one place. And it could be a good idea to get into a habit to streamline your Instagram content plan before you invest in an automation tool. Financially it would be a wise idea!

 

9) Weekly Schedule Your Instagram Stories

Instagram stories turn out to be more crucial than ever before. If you have any doubt about it, just have a look at the facts: After seeing it on Instagram stories, 50% of folks search for a product or service online and 62% of folks become interested in a specific product or brand. Not only that 1/3 of most-viewed Instagram stories are created by business brands.

Would you miss out this golden chance to reach your audience through your Instagram stories? Definitely No, right? You can create super-engaging and high-quality Instagram Stories week-by-week. That means on weekend (Sunday) you can create and plan 3 to 4 Instagram stories to share over the next week.

Here are some ideas on Instagram Stories:

• Introduce your team member
• Demo your product or service
• Share a sneak peek of your new product or service
• Conduct a Q&A session on your story
• Show a behind-the-scenes of your workday
• Repurpose a blog post through a short video

Don’t hold yourself back, just go for it! In the beginning, it might feel uncomfortable, but trust me with time and practice you become familiar with your Instastories and it will also help you to overcome your shyness.

 

10) Analyze, Modify and Optimize Your Instagram Content Plan

The important part of creating the powerful Instagram content plan comes after the implementation content plan and that is the analysis. Choosing suitable content themes and writing attractive captions mean nothing if you are not analyzing what works best with your target audience and then tweaking your content strategy accordingly. If something worked well as you expected, it doesn’t mean you are getting wrong on Instagram. As you know social media changes every now and then. So as a business brand and Instagram marketer you need to constantly evaluate what you are doing on Instagram and find out whether it’s still working.

That’s the joy of content planning: trying out new things, making mistakes, changing content tactics, optimizing content, and through them continuously improving your Instagram content strategy. Thus at least once in a month make sure to review your Instagram content. For your Instagram stories focus on retention rate (e.g: The % of people that watched your Instastory from start to end). If you want to Improve your Instagram campaign, focus on your Instagram post engagement rate, conversions rate, and number of DMs rather than followers’ numbers and post likes. Because If your content actually engaging your audience, it will automatically increase the amount of DMs, comments, and conversions.

There are lots of Instagram metrics but you don’t need to monitor them all. Metrics depend on your business goals and your overall Instagram marketing strategy. So choose your metrics measurements according to your Instagram content strategy and goals and track your Instagram success according to them.

 

Conclusion

Here you go! 10 effective tips on how to plan Instagram content for your feed. When it comes to content planning for your Instagram feed, it can make you feel a little intimidated or overwhelmed. But with effective planning and the right time-saving hacks in your hand, you will soon make yourself get ahead of the game on Instagram!

It’s time to hear from you! Do you have an Instagram content strategy plan created ahead?

 

Top Ten Websites for Jobs in Sri Lanka

Finding beneficial work is the priority of every young individual. Today there are lots of job portals in Sri Lanka where job seekers discover work openings, but a few decades ago, people’s only choice was to either “know somebody” who would refer them to a job opening or look through the classified division of the newspapers. Indeed, that was a time when government jobs were the only good professional choice open to many talented Sri Lankans.

Thanks to economic liberalization in Sri Lanka, multinational enterprises have expanded significantly in Sri Lanka over the past years. In almost every sector, there’s a multitude of enterprises running with a huge workforce and there will always be a need for talented professionals to work for these firms.

Along with that, there’s been a development in the number of job portals as well.

There are thousands of job portals on the web and they provide plenty of job listings. You can be certainly overwhelmed by so many choices. Here I have listed down 10 of what is generally considered the best job search portals in Sri Lanka.

Of course, there are many others, but this list of best job portals in Sri Lanka should give you a good starting point for your future job hunting:

1. XpressJobs

The concept for XpressJobs was born in the mind of Chathum Henegama when he was working as the Head of Technology at Davton, At that time he wanted to recruit a few software developers. So, he printed a few advertisements for the job role and soon he received too many applications and had difficulty sorting through them. Therefore, he shared this problem with his friend Sampath because Sampath had knowledge of recruitment. They both spoke of this issue and realized the need for job portals in Sri Lanka, so, they decided to create a website to help people find the right jobs for them. Thus, the two friends joined hands with another friend Oshadie Korale and soon after, the three co-founders work on building the first version of XpressJobs. And on 2nd November 2015, XpressJobs was born.

XpressJobs constantly focuses on accumulating a new offering for both recruiters and job seekers every 3 months. Their newest creation is an Android app that helps job seekers not just find but also apply for jobs. XpressJobs targets to transform the whole recruitment process in Sri Lanka. Since the company was born, they support more than 3500 businesses including MAS, VirtusaPolaris, Hayleys, Coca Cola, Union Bank, Keels Super, and HNB Assurance in resolving their recruitment Challenges, and more than 170,000 registered applicants have found their dream jobs through this platform.

Pros

• Offering career guidance for job seekers.
• Providing unique and convenient price packages for the recruiters.
• Easy and convenient search options.

Cons

• Job seekers can’t directly send the CV to the because of the privacy and filtering purpose of the companies.

2. Ikman jobs

ikman.lk is the well-known eCommerce marketplace brand name and you can find loads of job vacancies online through their job portal, ikman jobs. You will get tremendous job opportunities through ikman jobs as they provide large collection of local and overseas job listings. If you are a job seeker ikman jobs provides you can create your up to date resume to apply for jobs and easily get your profile to discover by great employers all over the globe. And it’s absolutely free. On the other hand, if you are a hiring manager you get the chance to choose the right candidate for your organization from more than 273,000+ profiles. Also, they offer advanced tools to streamline your recruiting process.

ikman jobs are helping many leading companies like Softlogic, Nations Trust Bank, vision care, pick me, and many other leading firms in their hiring process. They offer a comprehensive list of job categories where you can easily find your dream job whether the job is in IT, Banking, hotels, wholesale field, or an opportunity to work from home. ikman jobs make it easy for their customers to find their job and recruitment needs. Altogether ikman jobs make the recruitment process smooth and effective.

Pros

• Offer app facilities to make the job search and recruitment process convenient and user-friendly
• They support multilingual languages ( English, Tamil, Sinhala )
• Job seekers can reach employers directly without signing up

Cons

• There no defined framework for the job vacancies as some jobs have proper job descriptions and some lacking in them.

3. Jobpal.lk

Jobpal.lk is an online Job directory and it’s one of the best job portals in Sri Lanka that lets job seekers discover and apply for suitable jobs across Sri Lanka. Job seekers can submit their professional portfolio with their resume and will match them with Jobs posted on Jobpal.lk. When similar Jobs are published, Job seekers will receive immediate Job alerts to their Mobile Phone or Email ID.

Recruiters also can post their job listings for free and effectively manage them through my account panel. Those job vacancies will receive added exposure via Jobpal’s Social media channels. Employers can easily post jobs, manage them, and receive applications directly from job seekers. Job Seekers easily search for local and foreign jobs by simply submit their profile with CV at Jobpal.lk. It’s also providing an employer guide for the recruiters.

Pros

• Providing  valuable resources of Human Resource Management
• Job seekers can reach employers directly
• Instant job alerts via SMS or Email

Cons

• Needs multilingual language implementation.

4. Topjobs.lk

Topjobs is an online job recruitment portal for employers to list their job vacancies online and also maintain online applications from job seekers. Topjobs completely automates the entire job recruitment progression and offers an electronic ‘back-office to make the recruitment process easy and efficient. If you are a job seeker then topjobs is perfect for you! You can easily browse through the vacancies and apply for your desired job online immediately. Your application will be directly sent to the HR team of top jobs registered employers. if you’re shortlisted, they will contact you. topjobs allow you to view the status of your job application once you have submitted it. There will be an indication to see at what stage your job application is currently in like it’s applied, shortlisted, Offered with the Job, or Not Successful.

If you are a manager, then topjobs will provide you with a complete and inclusive electronic recruitment podium, for your online job vacancy advertising, and for automating the entire recruitment process in a totally electronic environment. If you are a registered employer at topjobs you will get your own topjobs Home Page where you can list jobs and also provide information on the benefits of working in your firm. Altogether topjobs providing a convenient platform for the online recruitment process.

Pros

• Job seekers can check their job application status (applied, shortlisted, and Offered with the Job / Not Successful).
• Register employers get the special privilege to have their own topjobs Home Page to update about the job listings and organizational benefits.
• Job seekers can directly submit their job applications to employers.

Cons

• Search option needs to be improved

5. Observerjobs.lk

Observer JOBS is a recruitment platform that brings print, web, and social media together to build a comprehensive and easy to access employment network in Sri Lanka that has become the best choice for both employers and job seekers. With the huge database collection of job vacancies and the broadest coverage of entire regions in Sri Lanka, Observer JOBS gives high-class exclusive employment features that brand it as one of the essential online HR tools in Sri Lanka.

The huge number of vacancies including the key job categories and a wide range of industries is customized to suit every job seeker’s preference. Observer JOBS career guidance is an outstanding source for updating yourself in a fast-changing corporate environment. For Employers, it’s the finest way to connect with the best collection of applicants for their job vacancies. Through 3 premium packages now employers get the special privileges to structure the whole recruitment process right up to the interview phase.

Pros

• A wide range of industries is customized to suit every job seeker’s preference.
• Providing essential online HR tools
• Different types of premium packages for employers to structure their whole recruitment process

Cons

• Needs multilingual language implementation.

6. CV.lk

CV.lk one of the leading online job portals in Sri Lanka that connects job seekers and employers online and changing the requirement landscape of the country. CV.lk reduces the stress and work from the job searching and recruitment process and allows you to easily find the right opportunity or the right talent. Having a wide variety of job categories local and overseas, cv.lk make the job finding in Sri Lanka effective and less time-consuming. With the large pool of talents, cv.lk have the capacity to offer candidates for a wide range of firms and job vacancies.

By partnering with both government and private sector companies cv.lk helps both job seekers and recruiters to fulfill their employment needs.CV.lk is your companion in discovering a job in Sri Lanka or finding an employee in Sri Lanka, it makes the whole procedure of recruitment, opening from applying for jobs vacancies, filtering job applications, calling for work interviews, conducting work interviews and many more as a paper-less procedure, and supports to save time for both job hunters and recruiters in Sri Lanka.

Pros

• Having a wide variety of job categories in local and overseas.
• Offers candidates for a wide range of firms and job vacancies.
• Make the whole recruitment process effective and less time-consuming.

Cons

• Search option needs to be improved and needs multilingual Languages implementation

7. MyJobs.lk

Myjobs.lk is one of the fastest-growing job portals in Sri Lanka which is a fully owned subsidiary of Emerging Media (Pvt) Ltd.MyJobs.lk is the best online employment tool that delivers lots of job opportunities obtainable in Sri Lanka, including part-time jobs, internship training, and job vacancies in Sri Lanka for school leavers. Myjobs.lk provide information on vacancies in Colombo, Anuradhapura, Kandy, Galle, and along with details of job vacancies available throughout the nation. For employers, it is the ideal portal through which they can reach their potential candidates to fill available vacancies in their firms.

Job seekers can get up to date vacancies information here. Myjobs.lk provides entree to any business functioning in Sri Lanka to list any of their available job vacancies in Sri Lanka also promote them on social media and other media outlets. Myjobs.lk providing job vacancies in marketing, Finance, IT, HR department, and many other industries. It is one of the most diversified job listing online sites in Sri Lanka.

Pros

• Provide you with all the information you require regarding jobs.
• Offering diversified job listings.
• Have job listings from all over the nation.

Cons

• Delay responses to the customers.

8. Jobfactory.lk

Jobfactory is one of the biggest job portals in Sri Lanka. If you are a job hunter in the progression of discovering your dream job, being a leading recruitment company in Sri Lanka Jobfactory will help you in connecting with those who value your skills, talents, and abilities. Jobfactory has focused on both Sri Lanka and abroad, thus they offer services that will accommodate your need for finding job opportunities in both Sri Lanka and all over the globe.

If you are a hiring manager, Jobfactory as an efficient HR service provider and one of the primary Job portals in Sri Lanka will link you with a variety of suitable applicants who would perfectly match your job requirements from personality traits to ability. Additionally, to the talent source in terms of recruitment, selection, and placement, Jobfactory also delivers the following services like Recruitment Process Outsourcing, HR Outsourcing, Non-HR Outsourcing, HR Consultancy, Learning & Development, and Outbound/Adventure Training.

Pros

• Efficient HR service provider.
• Provide talent sources in terms of recruitment, selection, and placement.
• Offering services like Recruitment Process Outsourcing, HR Outsourcing, Non-HR Outsourcing, HR Consultancy, and more.

Cons

• Job seekers need to sign up to apply for jobs.

9. DreamJobs.lk

DreamJobs.lk is an online platform created to make the hiring and skill acquisition process easier and effective for Sri Lankan companies. The website has lists of jobs from all business industries, with job vacancies from Government and Private Corporations. Job Seekers can register here for free, and get job alerts from their interested fields; this will help to reduce the time they spend on searching for a job. Employers can list their jobs and effectively manage the applications online.

DreamJobs.lk is the destination to find the top jobs and new job vacancies from the leading companies in Sri Lanka. They have partnered with many companies and their HR departments to connect the best talent to the right role. They categorize the job vacancies into many categories. Therefore job seekers can evaluate the companies and job vacancies to ensure that it’s the best match for their talents.

Pros

• Job listings from all business industries.
• Job seekers can receive job alerts from their interesting job vacancies.
• Partner with the companies and their HR departments to connect the best talent to the right role.

Cons

• Job seekers need to sign up to apply for jobs.

10. Jobenvoy.com

Jobenvoy.com is an associate company of Envoy Holdings, offering a refined service of Professional Recruitment Solutions and Support in Sri Lanka. Many multinational companies favoured Jobenvoy.com as the best recruitment service providing job boards. Jobenvoy delivers a variety of recruitment services to help the whole employment progression, also offering consultancies service to increase the performance of businesses.

The complete support services of recruitment solutions include online recruitment solutions, high-class global expert blue-collar recruitment, helpful executive search services, training program, evaluation service, and career support services. These parts are managed through the three separate profit center procedures such as E-Recruitment, Executive Search, and Global Recruitment.Jobenvoy.com is a comprehensive and fully integrated job site that provide dependable value-driven, and cost-effective talent search solutions and recruitment services across the globe.

Pros

• Providing consultancies to maximize business performance.
• Professional Recruitment Solutions and Support Services across the world
• Offering qualified HR resources

Cons

• Job Seekers and recruiters need to sign up to post their CV and job listings

Conclusion

If you search vacancies on online browsers, you will find out the collective job listings from job portals and business websites. But if you search job on the job portals you will find the job positions that are typically posted by employers and these job portals have advanced search options that allow you to go even further to find jobs that are the best match for your skills, talents, qualifications, and interests. I hope these above ten job portals will assist you with your next job hunting.

Do you guys have any experience with these job portals? If yes, let me know them in the comments.

Over the past years, LinkedIn has turned into a crucial personal branding tool. This virtual professional network has transformed from an online resume to a professional networking platform for complete personal branding.

 Get to know about LinkedIn

If you are a university student or a working professional, you must know about LinkedIn. But what is LinkedIn is exactly about that everybody is crazed over? LinkedIn is “the world’s biggest professional networking platform with millions of users and its growing wild.” The individuals at the LinkedIn platform have made it their mission to “join the world’s professionals together to transform them more productive and successful.” Lots of users on the internet have one or other types of social media accounts. LinkedIn also works in the same way as other social media platforms works, but instead of connecting you with your friends and relatives, it connects you with the professional people who work in your field or related to your profession. LinkedIn also lets users search for job opportunities and connect with their potential employers.

Video Source: YouTube/LinkedIn India

 

Why should you have a LinkedIn profile?

Many individuals in the corporate world have their own LinkedIn profile because they know why LinkedIn is important. You automatically make yourself searchable when you are online. Numerous recruiters search for their prospective employees online, often watching to fill particular job positions via professional networking sites like LinkedIn before they posting the job details on a job database. When this way is used, your LinkedIn profile will act as your resume. LinkedIn is also an influential networking tool. Your LinkedIn profile could be the first and foremost professional impression your potential employer has of you. If you have this question “Why use LinkedIn?” Then Continue your reading to get to know the importance of LinkedIn.

 

1) It is popular & has millions of users

LinkedIn has more than 500 million users; LinkedIn is the world’s biggest professional networking platform. There is a saying that popularity is not ever a good enough cause to get into something, but in this situation – it actually is. Not having a LinkedIn profile is considered a foible, with how widespread LinkedIn has become. Actually, recruiters every so often assumes candidates without LinkedIn profiles are basically not in the loop of how things are happening in the world. For the worse, they might totally disregard your application because they don’t consider you as a serious career-minded executive.

 

Information From – Social Media Today

 

2) Topmost position at Google searches

When somebody searches your name on Google, your LinkedIn profile will probably display in the first or second position – that’s really powerful, isn’t it? This is based on the Gravitate Online research of nearly 8 million clicks, in which more than 94% of users were clicked on the first page SERP results while lesser than 6% were clicked to the second page SERP results and 50% of all clicks got the first and second positions.

 

3) People are researching you online.

People use all kinds of methods to get to know about you and LinkedIn gives you a chance to regulate what they learn about you, for example, you can let them know about your strengths and about your company or brand. Now you have this question, who are these people? They can be the people who you know, the people who really want to know about you or the People who really matter to you, like your prospects, manager, employees, customers or competitors. All of these people use your LinkedIn profile to learn about you. People often search for you before they actually meeting you for the first time or after reading an article where you were featured in, or when they decide whether to reply to your email or not.

 

 

4) LinkedIn has invaluable resources.

LinkedIn supports you to grow your accomplishments by providing you key knowledge and connections. Do you need to source your workers? Want to resolve problems that can’t be solved by the workers in your corporation? Need to connect with your customers? Need a service provider referral for your business? Want to research your competitor? Need to know who’s in a potential customers’ network? Then this professional networking site is the best choice for you as LinkedIn places all of these properties at your fingertips.

 

 5) You don’t have any idea what you’re missing out on.  

When you are reading this post, somebody is searching for you and your services on LinkedIn. You should make sure that you are highly noticeable to that person.  This means having a complete LinkedIn profile that’s contained with the right information which is related to your thoughts, services and leadership so that opportunities can effortlessly reach to you. There will not be any job entries in the near future. Rather employing managers will use their social networks like LinkedIn to find their ultimate candidate.

 

6) You will stay connected to the current trend.

Following other well-established companies and thought-leaders help you to get regular update about what’s going around in your industry. You can easily get firsthand information that is not filtered by the media. Moreover, via brand connotation, you can make a clear statement about yourself every time you follow a leader or company because those names undeniably going to influence the individuals who are seeing your LinkedIn profile.

 

7) You will automatically get connected with people.

In a corporate world where we all are overwhelmed with more tasks than time, it’s become a big challenge to staying connected on the ever-growing crowd of contacts. On the other hand, LinkedIn lets you to regularly update your status and instantly letting everybody in your connection know what are the new things happening in your world and where can they find you. You can grow these connections simply by joining other groups, which give you additional opportunities.

 

8) It’s the most effective method to maintain your network.

By using tags you can organize your LinkedIn contacts into groups that make more sense to you. LinkedIn develops as your permanent contacts database whereas letting you share your information with numerous subgroups of your contacts. By using the “find alumni” feature you can easily add contacts from your schools, colleges and former employers. LinkedIn becomes your own CRM system for handling and interacting with your contacts. Now you no need to use your email as your contacts manager, therefore, you can use your LinkedIn profile to maintain your connection with people.

 

9) Best personal branding podium.

LinkedIn offers you lots of best opportunities to upsurge your credibility and visibility with the allies of your brand community. It allows you to be associated with huge networks of contacts. Now LinkedIn also allows you to add images and videos in your summary and experience fields, therefore you can develop a 3D view of your brand by using all the features of LinkedIn. It will help you to paint a convincing portrait of your real self.

 

LinkedIn Free and Premium Account Subscriptions

Are you still unsure which LinkedIn membership is right for you? You are probably trying to figure out whether you can get going with a free LinkedIn membership or if there are any benefits to upgrading your profile to Premium. To help you out I have put the information about the different features and tools contained within the free and premium LinkedIn membership and how they can benefit you.

 

1) Free LinkedIn Account Membership

Let’s begin with the free LinkedIn account, with the elimination of numerous features that were once existing in LinkedIn’s free account, many people are left questioning if LinkedIn is still beneficial with a free account or if they need to shift to a premium account to remain valuable to the time and resources they have spent in. LinkedIn is still the best place for most professionals, salespeople and B2B businesses to discover and connect with their ideal customers.

You can still find and connect with people with your regular posts and status updates, also engage in many ways with your connections. These are the benefits you can get from LinkedIn as a free member:

• You can create your professional identity online.
• You can easily build and maintain a huge professional network for yourself.
• Find and reconnect with your schoolmates and colleagues.
• You can request and offer references.
• You can search and view profiles of other LinkedIn users.
• You can receive limitless In Mail messages.
• You can save up to three search results and get weekly alerts of those searches.

LinkedIn is an active professional networking site for professionals with more than a half-billion memberships. The influence of the LinkedIn platform is that you can rapidly and simply discover and connect with professionals and industry people from all over the global.

 

2) Premium LinkedIn Account Membership

LinkedIn provides numerous varieties of premium memberships; below are the present premium options that are available on a monthly paid plan in USD. This professional networking site offers paid account choices for job hunters, sales and talent experts, as well as for the common professional people who wish to get more out of their LinkedIn profile. If you have a LinkedIn free account and wish to upgrade it to a premium account, you can compare and find out which account type is more suitable for you:

• Premium Career Account –You wish to get hired then go ahead with a Premium Career option.
• Premium Business – You want to get detailed business insights and expand your business then go ahead with the Premium Business option.
• Sales Navigator Professional – You want to generate leads and build your clientele then go ahead with the Sales Navigator option.
• Recruiter Lite – You want to find and hire talents then go ahead with the Recruiter Lite option.

 

LinkedIn API Version 2.0 – 2019

LinkedIn API version 2.0 has the latest advanced technology associated with APIs and for authentication, they introduced OAuth, 2.0. From 1st March 2019, Developers who have been using LinkedIn APIs are requested to shift to LinkedIn API Version 2.0. This newest update will enhance numerous options through the developer’s program. LinkedIn Developers program will allow apps and website owners to let their users have a personalized experience on their site and also allow them to use their professional identities for third-party services and share outside content from other apps and websites.

By Signing In with LinkedIn account users can also log in to other apps using their LinkedIn profiles data. API only acknowledged the “Lite Profile” data with limited profile arenas. LinkedIn users will be able to share links of other sites through their LinkedIn network. However, this API has been already available in Version 1.

For handling company pages, APIs version 1 was used. But version 2.0 will be combined with LinkedIn marketing developer Program which means only the developers who will take part in the marketing developer program will get permission to access API version 2.0.

 

LinkedIn is now disapproving of many other old features that are not popular among its users. Let’s have a look at them.

1) Verification:  OAuth 1.0 will no longer be available and developers will have to use OAuth 2.0. This version meets all the business standards and by now used by numerous developers.

2) Software Development Tools: JavaScript and Mobile SDKs were removed from March 1. Now developers required to move to OAuth 2.0 from apps directly

3) Plugins: LinkedIn is disparaging the Member Profile, Company Profile, Company Insider and Alumni Tool plugins, or any other plugin used to enrich the functionality of the website by producing drop-in code.

 

After these changes have been implemented in the front-end design, there are expectations that the developers portal will also be reshaped, which will allow managers to access apps so that they can easily discover product information and read documents.

 

Conclusion

I think this post has stressed enough just how huge a role LinkedIn profile play in your professional life. Having it on the top of your resume can be the variance between having your job application avoided and obtaining an interview. Through the LinkedIn profile, you can build a virtual professional relationship with people in your field, get mutual connections and even connect with your ultimate role models. Don’t forget that your LinkedIn profile should continuously be a work in progress. Update your LinkedIn profile regularly.

I hope that you have found this blog post to be beneficial in helping you to understand and build a LinkedIn profile that will work best for you.

Have any more questions about LinkedIn Profile? Let me know them in the comments.