The Power of Advertising Products

Businesses around the world spend millions and billions to promote their company on a national and global scale.

In fact, despite the prevalence of technology in this highly digital world, a 2015 study shows that advertisers spent about $600 billion in 2015 alone simply to market their products and services.

In the field of marketing, promotional products are considered some of the oldest forms of advertising. With cheap printing services available in Brisbane, there is no denying the power of these products to persuade, influence and change the perspectives of customers, investors, and the public.

Print Is Still Relevant

According to branding expert Jerry McLaughlin in an interview with The New York Times, individuals are more likely to respond when they are given tangible items that will allow them to remember who gave them the specific objects.

Today, this type of strategy is still widespread in the industry. Besides giving out traditional flyers, brochures, business cards, most suppliers and manufacturers in the business also explore printing signs for events, banners, and other print ads.

Numerous studies show that constant exposure to these marketing materials ramps up consumer purchases. Why? Not only do these printed ads pique the curiosity of potential customers, but they also help establish continued patronage of existing consumers through retention in their mind. Besides boosting the sales of a business, these items draw the attention of the people to the quality of products being produced by the company.

With businesses looking to boost their visibility, engagement, and relevance in the industry, it comes as no surprise that there are many who are looking to amp up their game. In fact, more than being remembered by a specific target audience, companies are now looking for ways to connect with their target audience. To achieve this goal, here are some tips to consider:

· Do Your Research

Before jumping to big ideas and investing in various items, it is best to have a thorough research. This includes the unique vision and mission as well as the specific target market of your company. More than the image companies wish to project, these corporations should aim to gain the trust of the consumers.

Likewise, you should research your competitors to find out their strategy and milestones in the industry. In turn, this familiarises your company with the trends in the industry and the methods that are proven to work well.

· Differentiate Your Company

To truly capture the attention of the people, make sure that your company’s ideas go well outside the box. This assures your customers that you are not afraid to take risks nor disrupt the common and mundane cultural and societal norms.

A case in point: Apple. The tech giant’s marketing principle is so simple yet so effective. How come? It’s because of Steve Jobs’ legacy to the tech industry – better user experience.

Aside from their minimalist design in their promotional items such as posters, banners, and other signs in their stores, Apple provides a unique first-hand experience to their customers. The company enables their patrons to use their top-of-the-line gadgets in their chain of retail stores. This strategy effectively bridges the gap between reality and fantasy. Since interested individuals can try and explore their newly released products, they are more inclined to walk out of the outlet with a new purchase.

By opting for products that connect the manufacturer and consumer, you are not only appealing to your consumers’ emotions, you are also engaging them on a more personal level.

· Choose Personalised Products

The traditional way of advertising your business usually includes a big logo and your company name. However, since your goal is to woo potential customers, customizing your approach be the best. One way to do this is by putting your clients’ names on your promotional items. This way, they can associate a sense of loyalty and trust in your brand.

· Skip the logo

People who received items with ubiquitous signs and logos tend to be turned off by what they see. Not only are these images eyesores, printing them on your packaging or promotional materials also creates the impression that you are hard-selling the product. To make these more helpful and useful to your clients, see to it that the items you give provide additional value to their daily living without the sign that they ‘were sold’.

With the right tools and a carefully curated selection of promotional products, your company can also reach the heights of success.

Advertising and marketing can be tricky to navigate. Some companies who fail to adapt to these very competitive fields. But because of creativity and determination, some brands like Apple and McDonalds were able to reinvent themselves in their respective industries using the tips above. These businesses can be your inspiration to succeed in print and other forms of advertising.

Author: Carrie Sze

Retailers and E-Commerce Companies Overwhelmingly Say Trump’s Tariffs Bad for Business

Last week, President Trump deepened his trade war with China by further imposing 10{69d371dc3a7215af1cf70e657e96c7414241106804c5daaddb02eee3606ab22c} tariffs on $200 billion worth of consumer goods.  This $200 billion comes on top of $50 billion worth of tariff beginning last June.  These tariffs are meant to pressure Beijing to change its trade practices that Trump sees as unfair, including the theft of intellectual property that has been hurting businesses in the United States.  Beijing has denied these claims by the Trump administration and is fighting back imposing its own taxes on $60 worth of products of the United States.

Trump’s new tariffs

The administration’s new tariffs are believed to increase the costs for U.S. consumers.  Businesses will also be affected, including both e-commerce and retail companies that have increasingly taken advantage of cheaper assembly and manufacturing costs in China.  Retailers caution the new tariffs on goods from Chinese will boomerang back and harm U.S. families and workers.   Over 300 retailers, including:

  • Walmart;
  • Gap;
  • Target;
  • Kohl’s;
  • Macy’s.

Signed a letter opposing these tariffs.  In a press release, National Retail Federation CEO stated these latest tariffs will cause many working Americans and their households to soon wonder why their shopping bills are higher and why their budgets are stretched.

Survey

To find out how employees in both e-commerce and retail feel, users were surveyed who works in the industry.  From 19th of September through the 25th, these workers were asked to answer “yes” or “no” to the following question:

Are tariffs on goods from China good for business?’

Out of over 1500 employees asked, 81.2{69d371dc3a7215af1cf70e657e96c7414241106804c5daaddb02eee3606ab22c} of them replied “No”.

35 retail and e-commerce

The employees of 35 businesses to a part in this survey including those from:

  • Macy’s;
  • Target;
  • Kohl’s;
  • Amazon;
  • eBay;
  • Apple;
  • Wayfair;
  • Nike;
  • Overstock;
  • Gap;
  • Costco;
  • Nordstrom

Broken down responses

The most survey taken from the top four U.S. companies – Amazon, Apple, eBay, and Walmart said that tariffs will not be good for business.  Walmart/Jet employees heavily leaned towards this sentiment with more than 83{69d371dc3a7215af1cf70e657e96c7414241106804c5daaddb02eee3606ab22c}

Building Credibility with Toll Free Numbers

As a business owner, you can expect to deal with the general public on a daily basis. As you’re connecting with customers, business associates, and advertising partners, there is one thing that must remain consistent – your credibility. Being credible and trustworthy is the foundation of any successful business. When you have trust, you’re more likely to secure funding and increase sales because more people will believe in your services and recommendations.

Still, building credibility doesn’t happen overnight, especially if you’re starting a new business. You must make investments in your business and brand reputation, and one of the best investments is a toll-free number that allows potential customers and business affiliates to reach you conveniently.

Show Your Professionalism

To show consideration for incoming callers and attract more calls, you should never use a phone number that isn’t free or easy for everyone to dial. Furthermore, consider the importance of online branding when marketing and selling in today’s digital world. Using a toll-free number (with a prefix of 800, 877, 855,etc.) number shows that you are a professional business and it inspires possible callers to picture your company as a brand that is already established and well-known in the market.

While you may not have a large number of employees on board or a traditional office space for daily company operations, your brand’s professional appeal is usually the key to grabbing the attention your business needs. When people reach out to your company, you and your team can prove that the business is just as professional as they assumed.

What Makes Toll Free Numbers So Convenient?

Customers that live in your local area may not be affected by your choice to use a local phone number, but if you want your business to grow and expand, toll free numbers are ideal.

Toll-free numbers are often preferred because these numbers take away the possibility of your callers being charged long distance fees.

Toll-free numbers are virtual phone numbers that offer much flexibility at an affordable price for business owners. There’s no need to purchase additional equipment or spend extra time assembling tools for your virtual phone numbers to work, allowing you to invest in other areas of your business. All you need to do is choose a service provider who offers virtual phone numbers to begin and finalize the process of setting up a toll-free phone line. Because virtual phone numbers are easy to use and customize, you’ll find that the many various features will assist you in staying more organized and productive.

When speaking with your service provider, you will be able to find out what features may be necessary to further drive business, promote customer loyalty, and add ease to back-end operations. Some of the main features to inquire about include outgoing calls, text messaging, and vanity phone lines.

Analyze Your Vanity Numbers

Vanity phone numbers from Global Call Forwarding (https://www.globalcallforwarding.com/) will make your business more marketable because these numbers are catchy and stand apart from typical toll-free phone numbers. Modern consumers are bombarded with advertisements throughout their day so being unique is essential. Before deciding on the vanity number that’s best for your business, do research and analyze your competitors and keywords. This ensures that you aren’t marketing with terms that are already in use by another business and that your keywords align with the ideal customers in your market.

In Conclusion

While your virtual phone numbers are about satisfying the customer, remember that you must also be flexible as a business owner and have options that can accommodate you. Toll-free numbers and vanity numbers are cost-free for your customers and they are highly marketable. However, you should also have the option to return phone calls and track customer preferences so that you can further customize your advertisements and products to fit their needs.

With a reliable internet connection and toll-free phone numbers, you can get your business off the ground and in front of a global audience. If you implement the right strategy, you’ll see a return on your investment financially and this will solidify your brand in your chosen market.

The mystery of the questionable latest data breach scandal of Facebook

With every passing day, the scandals of the data breach through the different social media sites and social media boosting come forward in the news. Today the scandal of a data breach is not a new one and it is not something that can be ignored.

If you are still unaware of the latest data breach scandal of the well-known social media site, we will like to shed a light on the matter. This time it is for the Facebook site which is obviously not something new for us. Facebook was hacked by the hackers and what they accessed this is something important for us to know. Also, it is important to know where this mysterious breach of data will lead this highly used social media site.

This time the data was breached by a hacker that belongs to Taiwan and his name was Chang Chi-yuan. On Friday, around 2 am the eastern time, the problem was noticed by many users particularly from India and they shared the posts on Twitter that there is some problem happened with their Facebook accounts. They reported that their accounts have been logged out in the morning as the local time was near 10 am when this incident happened on its own and they did not know why this has happened.

After some time the hacker himself announced that he has found a vulnerability in the Facebook code, which he has accessed, and he had hacked those accounts. He also shared that he would hack the account of the Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg on this Sunday and he will log in to his account to delete it. He said he will share the process in a live video broadcast with the public too.

This announcement not just left the Facebook employees in stress but also the Facebook users that either their accounts are in safe hands or not. They are worried about their data on their accounts due to this data breach and find it risky that it may get leaked if the hacker can hack this many numbers of accounts.

After the hacker’s announcement, Facebook shared the official explanation to this problem over the official blog of Facebook that, they have found a problem with the security of the Facebook accounts of up to 50 million this Tuesday afternoon. They were already working to fix the security issue and the investigation to this problem was in its early stages. They were sorting out the problem and were trying to fix it but the hacker found this security problem in the Facebook code and shared the information publically. It was reported that the problem was with the VIEW AS feature where a person can see his account the way other people and friends can see. Moreover, they are trying to fix the problem and users do not need to panic about their data.

In this data breach scandal, the particular reason or the purpose of the hacker could not be found. However, it is still not know that what actually he could get accessed to and what he wanted to do with that data.

4 Easy Ways to Make Your Social Media Experience a Safe One

Although it’s only been an integral part of daily life for about 10 years, many of us have trouble conceiving of a time before social media. In the span of a decade, popular social media outlets have permanently altered the way people interact online and have had a profound effect on human interaction as a whole. For most of us, going a day without checking and/or updating our favorite social media account is unthinkable. Unsurprisingly, cybercriminals were quick to pick up on social media’s popularity and have consistently used it as a vehicle to further their many schemes. If a secure social media experience is what you seek, the following tips are sure to come in handy.

1. Be Cautious About What You Share

Once something has been posted, there will always be a record of it – regardless of whether or not the post is deleted. That being the case, every safety-conscious social media user should be very cautious about the information he or she chooses to share. This is particularly important for people whose accounts can be viewed publically. Cybercriminals are always on the hunt for sensitive personal information, and since so many people will share such info on social media, crooks have no shortage of targets from which to choose. Sharing your address, date of birth or place of employment on a public account can have far-reaching consequences, which include account hacking and identity theft. If you insist on sharing personal information, set your account to private, as this will prohibit people who aren’t friends or followers from viewing your posts.

2. Be Selective About Who You Follow/Friend

In addition to enabling users to stay in touch with old friends, social media provides them with a convenient platform for connecting with new people. While it’s true that lasting friendships and romantic relationships have been formed by people who met on social media, this doesn’t mean that you should implicitly trust every new person who follows your account or sends you a friend request. Before accepting a friend request or the following someone back, have a look at their account page. If this person doesn’t strike you as trustworthy or someone you’d enjoy following, there’s no shame in denying their request. You don’t owe anyone your friendship, especially someone you’ve never met.

3. Never Trust a Link

Cybercriminals love sharing malicious links in their social media posts. Upon clicking these links, users are directed to sites that are loaded with malware. Additionally, if you have a site of your own to protect, SiteLock reviews can bring you up to speed on the latest security solutions. Since these posts are designed to look genuine, it can sometimes be difficult to discern a malicious link from a harmless one. As a general rule of thumb, you should avoid clicking links that have been shortened. Many of these links purport to lead to legitimate sites, but the full address names often tell a different story. Whenever you’re unsure about a certain link, hovering over it will show you its entire address name.

4. Be Honest When You’re Uncomfortable

If you take issue with being mentioned or pictured in another user’s post, don’t be afraid to tell this person how you feel. For example, someone with a private account may not be comfortable with a friend sharing a picture of him or her on a public account. Furthermore, if a friend’s public post reveals information about yourself that you’d prefer to be kept private, you have every right to voice your opposition. If another user proves unreceptive to the idea of deleting a post in which you are pictured or mentioned, reaching out to the site’s support team is your best course of action.

Before social media made a splash, a mostly online interaction was limited to forums and chat rooms. While these outlets still serve a number of purposes, social media platforms have made it possible to effortlessly remain in touch with countless friends, family members, and professional colleagues. Of course, social media isn’t without its less-than-ideal qualities. Since popular platforms offer cybercriminals abundant opportunities to carry out their misdeeds, an assortment of unsavory characters has made permanent homes on certain social media outlets. To prevent yourself from becoming their next victim, remember to put the measures discussed above to good use.

How To Choose The Best Indoor Antenna?

You are clear with the first aspect that you need an antenna but are seemingly confused about where to start from? The options available are many but there are also certain aspects to be kept in mind. Here’s your guide to all you need to know about choosing the right cable antenna for your indoors.

Things to keep in mind:

1) The appropriate antenna that catches nearby signal length

You must keep in mind the strength of the available signal and your setup system to know the signal strength that you’d receive. Tvfool.com and other such devices can easily help you understand the same. If the signal ain’t strong enough then you’d require an amplifier or whether if it is too strong then the digital tuner is bound to be overwhelmed.

2) Receives all cable channels

Choosing an antenna that will receive all cable channels is the one worth investing your money in. You can talk about it to your network providers or ask your neighbors or existing users about the same. This helps you to compare different providers.

 

3) HD Antenna

You require an HD antenna to pick up the HD channel but however for your digital channels you needn’t invest in one. The best of the indoor HD antennas use the same design that’s used for analog signals. Primecables indoor TV antenna provides you with the one stop solution for all your cable connection needs.

4) If an antenna is what you need: check

This depends on the geography of the location you live in. At some places, the signal is so weak that one actually cannot enjoy the entire selection of channels though they are paying for it. This is only because the antenna is unable to pick up the signals. Here, you must know well before if an antenna is suitable for you.

5) Working with an amplifier

As discussed above, if you find that your area has a weak signal then you might want to rectify the situation. This can be done to a certain extent with the use of an amplifier at its best. What amplifiers simply do is increase an antennas range. On the other hand, you can also buy yourself an antenna with a larger radius. You must go for whatever suits your cause.

In this way, you are good to go with the basics and can find yourself the right type of indoor antenna.

Why Are Security Cameras Important?

Nowadays, security has been compromised in multiple ways. In order to protect privileged or private information of many companies, the implementation of security cameras has become very important. No doubt, there are other means to safety but a security camera provides the maximum security.

Overlooked at all times

At the placement of a security camera, one major advantage is that your establishment is watched at all times. Yes, since all the happenings get monitored, you can later go in the security room and check the particular videotape of a particular hour or minute. This proves to be a permanent record in the office as well.

If you want to check any incident that occurred a few months down the line, your stash of security cameras can always act as a back-up and will help you in times of need. Not just that, your establishment is overlooked at all times because today the reliability of even security guards has reduced as you may not be sure when the guard snoozes a little during duty.

Footage or email received

If any misleading or mysterious happens in and around the place of security, a notification is immediately sent to the owner regarding this. Hence, a crime can thus be prevented by notifying the actual set of authorities. Not just that, footage of the happenings can be sent to the close ones regarding the various situations.

But even security cameras are serviced on a regular basis. With the increase in the type of malware or malicious content, security cameras are more and more exposed to vulnerabilities. Hence, a servicing of minimum once in a year is a requisite.

Intimidation

It is always stated that the mere presence of the security cameras, intimidates the individual to such an extent that normally they don’t try on anything. Even if the security camera isn’t working, the placement of security cameras itself will reduce the number of crimes. People will tend not to try anything inappropriate with the security camera present. Hence, it proves to be a good tool for intimidation.

In this way, the security camera is utilized for a variety of purposes. Its usage varies from offering 24 hours protection, providing proofs, and intimidation by seeing the camera. In today’s time, the use of security cameras has increased to an enormous level and they can be found in every nook and corner.

Led Signs Can Create a Better Response from Consumers

When you are out of your home – trying to visit some restaurants, movie halls or health clubs, you are sure to get the electronic sign. These will be welcoming you, promoting the movie, giving you information regarding some health products or instruments. These signs are easy to notice, and they, therefore, have become a powerful way to bring little things to your notice. You can now find these signs when you are traveling or shopping or even when you are going to any school or office. The retailers find it effective to use these LED displays so that you get to know things that will help them. You will be helped with your shopping experience, or you may also come to know about some exciting promotions.

Pixels and resolution

These led signs are seen all over the place now, and it works well. The signs are made up of individual modules or panels these modules are squares of about 10 – 12,” and one can use these modules to create any dimension of displays. The displays that have a lot of colors and are set out of doors are made with 3 LEDs to prepare the pixel. These pixels create a palate of different colors and shades of the same color. These displays can bring up about 281 trillions of different colors and shades.

The distance from the pixels will give the resolution to the sign, and you will find that when the pixels are closer, they offer higher resolution and better clarity of an image on the display board. These displays with higher resolutions can bring in a lot of response from consumers when they are set at the right point and with the useful content. The retailers are trying to help the customers with their shopping experiences or by providing information regarding any new promotions.

Some uses of digital signs

These displays are also being used in the transportation industry. The airports and the stations the signs announce the time of the arrival and departure. There is also information regarding relevant products and various new services. These displays also communicate with students in the educational environment. These are used to provide information and bulletin instead of bulletin boards, calendars, and various emergency alerts are announced through these display boards. These bring immediate response as people tend to notice them easily. The hotel industry also uses these. The order processing and allowing customers to communicate through their smartphones are the new endeavors. The guests check essential services and activities and information regarding the way around hotels through these display boards.

Better ways to reach consumers

The digital world of the modern-day welcomes everything that is new and effective. The advertising is the most important part that is done through the led signs. Traditional advertisements are expensive and often fail to reach the target market. These new boards offer to bring the products and services directly to the consumers. These are embedded into any place, for example – an elevator, vending machine or even on a fuel pump station. They allow people to react to the signs by adding touch screens and connecting the signs with the mobiles of consumers. The proper inflow of information regarding products or store designs or the direction for ways – you name it, and the signs made with LED pixels will get it for you and the consumers.

The 5 Key Things Blockchain Recruiters Wish Their Applicants Knew

Salary tracking website Paysa – link below – shows just how much those in the BlockChain industry are getting paid. For recruiters, hiring BlockChain developers involves more than just getting someone with the skillset. Business hiring employees for their foray into the new technology are looking for people whose skills transcend coding – those capable of offering a bit more on an individual level than just lines of script.

Below: Wages in The BlockChain Industry – Source; Paysa

Source: https://www.paysa.com/salaries/blockchain

So that you don’t come out of that next interview with a disappointed look on your face,I sat down with a real-life BlockChaindisciple, Ben Green of the specialized recruitment company BlockChain people – an agency designed to position the right candidate with the right position in exactly this industry. Ben has seen people who get it right and people who get it wrong. He says there’s something to learn from both camps.

Based on our discussion, here are some things to keep in mind, if you’re in the market (or considering a move to the market) for a BlockChain job:

1. Versatility& At Least Some Experience With a BlockChainProject

Ben says there are two main avenues through which applicants can find a position for themselves. First, there are internal projects, during which large companies take some initial small steps to experiment with a BlockChain, in order to see if there is an opportunity for them. Second, there are smaller startups who have a specific, often funded idea in mind and are raring to go. Both of them expect some essential skills on your resume before they even consider you for an interview.

It would be a misconception to believe that there is only one suitable language for developingBlockChain and related apps. In fact, there are roughly five(depending on where you draw your line) recommended language in all:C++, Java, Python, Simplicity, and Solidity. Each of these languages is great on their own and having skills with common vanilla coding capabilities like this are table stakes. As you probably know from your own experience, seeing things from the perspective of more than one language allows you flexibility of thought when you need to solve a complex problem. You can decide on how to go about the building of frameworks, know what language would suit the needs of a company and other such technical details.

2. Complete Skillset and a Passion for the Industry

A seasoned BlockChaindevelopershould also be a well-rounded person, according to Ben. Many BlockChain developers are only versed in the development and creation of BlockChain apps, and nothing more. To be considered a full-fledgedBlockChaindeveloper, it would be necessary to know a little about every other thing that goes into making the BlockChain platform work. That includes, but is not limed to Design thinking, DevOps and ContinuousDelivery operations.

Perhaps even more important, according to Ben, is a clear, stated and demonstrated a passion for the industry and the technology it’s developing. There are a growing number of University courses and other formal education opportunities which are available to people who want to skill up. They can be expensive – but if you really care, numbers in the small thousands of dollars to attend one of these courses probably won’t bother you. Perhaps just delay your acquisition of this year’s $2000 iPhone!

A cheaper, but no less effective way to be an exemplar of motivated inquiry is to get out and meet like-minded people in the community. MeetUp events are free to attend and, often, in a geographically limited area like a town, the community is small enough that you can get to know, and pick the brains of experts in the field who share your interest.

Every little bit helps and if you and the interviewer know some of the same people – or better yet have met at one of these events, it can really set you apart.

3. Platform Knowledge and the Ability to Articulate the Commercial Opportunity of What You’re Developing

One of the biggest problems firms’ face, when they’re ready to deploy BlockChainservicesis what platform to do it on. Given that there are a couple of them out there, a recruiter would want to know that the person they are hiring is not just familiar to one.

Examples of BlockChain frameworks include Hyperledger Fabric from Linux, Ripple, R3 Corda and of course, Ethereum. But a few hours of research will give you a starting point to explore which of these most interest you. The information is freely available online and volumes.

The key, according to Ben, is to make sure you can justify the use of a platform in line with the firm’s needs – and importantly, can explain in clear terms ‘where the money is’ for the startup or existing company which is investing in your skills. Every business is there to make money. Make sure you can join the dots from your contribution to their dollar signs.

4. The Ability to Evangelise&Explain Yourself

A large proportion of the personnel at the company you could potentially be working for, may not know the first thing about BlockChain and the BlockChain technology. Senior management may have received some good (and expensive) consultancy advice on how BlockChain drives innovation.

Most other people, especially in existing, larger, organizations, won’t have a clue. That means they will be unfamiliar with the terms, the opportunities and may even see the situation as a threat. Hiring managers are looking to you, to help do the explaining.

The trick is knowing how to take the complexity of BlockChain ideas and convert them into pure English which can be understood (to a reasonable degree) by anyone you talk to. Analogies and stories which extend the recipient’s existing knowledge are the best way of getting your point across. Drop a couple into your interview. If you understand the ideas clearly enough and can get them across to your counterpart (the person with the job!) you’ll be streets ahead by the end of the interview.

You should be able to call upon such terminologies as hash, consensus, decentralization and distributed ledger technology with as much ease as you would describe last night’s episode of your favorite show.

5. Get in Early

Ben says that the earliest jobs, the positions in the highest demand are the ones on the market now. In time, other, more standardized (less dedicated to BlockChain’s technology side will be around – Marketing Director, Finance Managers, Sales Managers and so on.) By the time they show up, the increases we’re seeing, in BlockChain wages will be over.

Researching the components we’ve described above, networking so you know the community and being able to confidently articulate the ideas you’ve imbibed is what will get you to interview and beyond. If you want to make the most of the situation, start soon, says Ben.

What is design sprint and why should you use them?

A design sprint is a design process that uses only five days to answer a presented issue or challenge. The idea is to fast-forward time and obtain real solutions and feedback in just five days. It goes from generating the idea to its whole live testing in the market. It is not just about doing things fast, and it is about doing things correctly.

For example, if a design sprint is to be completed in a week it would be something like this: on Monday you study the problem and select the area to focus on. Tuesday would be the day to draw some solutions and approaches to the issue. Wednesday is there to make decisions and to get a hypothesis from your solutions. On Thursday it is time to make a prototype of the solution you selected and finally, Friday is the day to give it a try and receive some feedback.

Advantages of running a sprint

Being a fast approach to complex problems, running a sprint has many advantages for today’s businesses. When done right it can create an opportunity for understanding, growth and group development. Once that you have a Design Sprint explained you could see some of the main advantages of using this method:

1) You can find solutions for complex issues

Running a sprint in your business needs the collaboration of many members of the team. Recollecting enough information to understand the issue (which is day one) needs some extra hands involved. People contribute and share ideas to transform issues into solutions. This kind of work where many colleagues participate helps solve difficult and complex problems in a shorter time.

2) Reduces bureaucracy

Setting a 5-day cycle for a project gives paperwork a limited amount of time to work. This translate into more effective communication, forms, and errands. When projects are too long usually the steps to get there are stretched out. Until all the time available is used. If the time is set to five days, the same will happen. Time is going to be used effectively, and much less paperwork will be needed.

3) Saves money

If prototypes are ready in 5 days, you can easily test them and see if they work. This way the company will not invest in long-term projects of ideas that haven’t been through the sprint first. The faster you can validate an idea with investors and customers, the more money you save. This method will also give you some extra time that can be used for improvements or changes. This is possible because you have reduced months of work into one week.

4) Great for team building

When the team has a clear goal in mind, it is easier to collaborate and work together. If every member is focused, it is interesting to see how each of them contributes and gives voice to different angles.

5) A short deadline may enhance creativity

Some people need to feel some pressure to let their minds flow really. Having a self-imposed short deadline is an excellent way to boost productivity and creativity. Ideas are coming fresh and are going to be used at that moment. There is no need or time to postpone ideas until they are more “matured.” The time is now.

Running a sprint may not be the solution to all kind of problems and issues. But, it gives companies the opportunity to test their ideas in one week with a minimal loss or cost. Some projects can take a few “sprints” to be completed. Each of these will have to focus on one area of the issue and have a testable solution in a week. Then, an additional week is going to be necessary to resolve other areas of the issue.

The other side of the coin is that prototyping is not something feasible for many products or situations. If it is necessary to have a more significant investment to create a prototype or if it is necessary to wait for many others to collaborate, it is tougher to have a sprint. It is, however, a very convenient method that can be tested with minimum risks.