In: Dropshipping|Last Updated:

It’s hard to spend a day online without seeing or hearing the word “influencer.” Influencing has become so massive that many view it as a viable and desirable career path. According to research, 57% of surveyed Gen Zers said they’d like to become a social media influencer, compared to 41% of adults overall.

There are virtually unlimited opportunities to succeed across multiple social media platforms—but it requires the right balance of personality and charisma, along with marketing savvy and a thoughtful social media marketing strategy. Let’s take a look at what an influencer is, some traits and considerations, and how you get started on your own path.

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What is an influencer?

An influencer is someone who consistently creates content and shares it with their following on social media channels like Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter. Influencers have established authority, credibility, and loyalty among their audiences.

Influencers typically have a specific industry, niche, or category they tend to post about. For example, a fashion influencer posts about fashion trends, products, and conversations happening online. A comedy influencer creates fun, entertaining content with a consistent style of humor that keeps their …

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In: Retailing Tips|Last Updated:

It’s one thing to know that you need insurance to keep your business safe, and it’s another to know what the coverages are and how they serve you. Manufacturer insurance is like a production line: there are multiple pieces and moving parts, but everything comes together to form a final product. There are lots of different coverages you can mix and match to build the perfect plan for your business. It can be tough to know which ones are right for you. 

Here’s how you can use a customized manufacturing insurance policy to strengthen your business’s risk management strategy.

Protecting Your Products

Product Liability Insurance

Product Liability Insurance provides coverage for bodily injury or property damage caused by products, parts, and ingredients you manufacture and supply.

The products you make have the potential to cause injuries or damages to those who use them. From a curling iron catching fire to a candy necklace causing choking, there are thousands of ways an accident may occur.

Having to pay for legal fees, medical bills, repair costs, and more can be costly. That’s where product liability insurance helps you out. It’s designed to cover the cost of a product-related claim so you don’t …

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In: Retailing Tips|Last Updated:
How Fire Department Coffee Turned Customers Into Investors With Equity Crowdfunding

During yesterday’s webcast, Fire Department Coffee CEO, Luke Schneider, discussed how he raised $ 1.8M for his business through crowdfunding with the help of StartEngine. The webcast also included Harrison Bert, Director of Sales for StartEngine and was moderated by Wayne Bennett, SVP of Retail for ECRM and RangeMe.

For those of you not familiar with it, equity crowdfunding allows startups to raise capital by selling shares of their company to a large number of investors, typically through an online platform. It’s rapidly becoming a vehicle of choice for emerging brands looking to raise capital quickly while maintaining control of their company, and enables everyday people to get in on the game with minimal investment. 

Why FDC chose equity crowdfunding

FDC’s Schneider

Fire Department Coffee Is one such brand. Based in Rockford, Ill. FDC is a veteran-owned business certified by the National Veteran-Owned Business Association and National Veteran Business Development Council, that was created and run by active and retired firefighters. Each batch of its coffee is freshly roasted in the U.S.A. Schneider and his team are committed to giving back via the Fire Department Coffee Charitable Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting first responders facing physical, mental, or other …

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In: Dropshipping|Last Updated:

Recording a screen used to be a real challenge. 

You had to either use complicated tools or pay a software expert to get it done, which wasn’t always feasible. 

Fortunately, the user-friendliness of screen recording software has significantly improved over the years. Nowadays, you can create professional-looking tutorials with minimal effort.

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What is screen recording software?

Screen recording software can record the entirety (or portions) of your computer or mobile screen.

The recording can include everything from your taps and cursor movements to typing a URL into your browser to help people learn what to do and how to do it. 

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Audio narration is available, and sometimes annotation is also offered as part of a tool’s package.

However, no two screen recording tools are alike. Some screen recording tools can’t save the recorded footage in various formats or export it to popular video platforms like YouTube directly.

Others may have the capability to do all of that, but might be missing a feature or two. For example, not every screen recording application comes with an HD screen recorder.

As such, …

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In: Retailing Tips|Last Updated:

Expo West begins today, and for the next few days many brands will experience a whirlwind of networking, handing out samples, schmoozing at after-hours events, and starting potential business deals. Once it all wraps up, though, now what? Well, then it’s time to turn that momentum into tangible success. You’ve invested time, money, and energy into the event, and now the post-trade show phase is crucial. 

Let’s break down the essential steps to ensure you make the most of your trade show experience (keep in mind that this is also relevant for brands wrapping up an ECRM session as well!).

Create Your Event Post-Mortem Document

The first step in your post-trade show checklist is to take a moment to breathe and reflect on the whirlwind of the past few days – and getting those notes down on paper. It’s incredible how quickly the event fades from our memory, so now is the time to document the experience so you have it for future reference. 

Did you achieve your goals? Whether it’s expanding your network of potential distributors, finding a new co-packer, securing new orders, or simply gaining exposure, this reflection is crucial for your future success. 

Create a post-show document …

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In: Dropshipping|Last Updated:

Creating an SEO strategy for your website is one thing. But measuring the impact of your efforts? That’s where the real work begins. You need a reliable way to track progress and understand if your strategies are yielding the desired results.

Enter SEO reports. These reports provide detailed insights into your website’s performance metrics. With a snapshot of key indicators such as search engine position and organic traffic, you can gauge the effectiveness of your SEO efforts and make data-driven decisions.

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What is an SEO report?

A search engine optimization (SEO) report is a document or analysis reflecting a website’s performance in search engines. It typically includes critical metrics such as:

Organic traffic Keyword rankings Conversions Backlinks

Together, these SEO metrics enable you to present a clear and evidence-based assessment of how SEO strategies contribute to achieving business goals.

What are the benefits of using an SEO report?

An SEO report is crucial for companies of every scale. Acting as an SEO audit tool, it reveals the amount of organic traffic your pages attract and identifies SEO challenges potentially limiting your website’s effectiveness.

Here are seven key benefits of creating …

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