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Keeping track of paperwork can be a challenge. It’s easy to misplace a file or even spill coffee on a document on your desk. If you don’t have that document backed up in an electronic format, you may have just lost important company or employee data. If your desk is still cluttered with paper files or documents, it’s probably time to consider switching to electronic records management (ERM).
Using electronic record-keeping software to organize and store records in an electronic format can help you better organize your documents and stay compliant with recordkeeping best practices. Here’s what you need to know about making the switch and finding the right electronic record-keeping software tool.
Electronic record-keeping helps businesses cut down on clutter and more easily navigate their employee files and tax paperwork. It also ensures that any information necessary is easily retrievable. You may need to pull employment records to defend yourself against a wrongful termination lawsuit, verify compliance during a government audit, or simply review an employee’s history when considering them for a promotion.
The key benefits of electronic record-keeping include:
Easier file sharing. If someone within the organization needs access to a file you can easily share it within the software system rather than having to take the physical file to them or needing to scan and email it. Software systems also tend to be more secure for sharing sensitive information including employee forms with SSNs and other private data.
Preventing lost data. It’s pretty easy to misplace a piece of paper. In addition, floods, fires, or other unexpected disasters can result in a huge loss of data if your business is only retaining paper records.
Access from remote work locations. Using an electronic records management system allows remote employees to access any documents or files that they need from home. This also helps if you have multiple work locations such as different office branches.
Better file retention compliance. Having proper document retention practices is a key part of compliance. There are certain documents that need to be retained for a set number of years. However, it is best to avoid keeping unnecessary documents on file if they have private information. With a paper filing system, it can be hard to keep track of when it’s time to dispose of old files. With digital documents, it is easier to track when the required retention period has ended. Some electronic record-keeping software also allows users to set up alerts for when the retention period has ended.
Saving time. Storing files electronically makes it easier and more efficient to find the exact document that you need. No more sorting through file cabinets and having to search through paper files for the right document.
Process automation. Some electronic record-keeping tools can even help you automate your common document processes, including HR and onboarding documentation.
These benefits can save your business a lot of time and keep your documents more secure. Many small businesses put off adopting electronic document management practices. However, making the switch to electronic record-keeping often isn’t as expensive or cumbersome as small business owners think.
Employers have a few different options when it comes to electronic record-keeping software. Here are the software categories that are most popular for creating and managing electronic personnel files and managing HR document storage:
Small businesses often opt for more general file storage options like Google Drive, Dropbox, or Microsoft Sharepoint to store their business and HR files. These software services can be a budget-friendly option for easy file storage and document sharing, but they do also come with some limitations:
Pros:
Most of the top cloud-based file storage and sharing tools are fairly user-friendly and offer a minimal learning curve.
These solutions are typically affordable. Very small businesses may even be able to make do with free versions such as the standard Google Drive account without extra storage or a business subscription.
Cons:
They lack to specialized features that dedicated HR or document management solutions offer such as process and workflow automation, records retention tracking, or audit trail features.
An Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) is a category of software designed to manage electronic records. EDMS tools allow organizations to create, store, and share electronic records. They also often have workflow management tools to automate business processes. Many EDMS tools have HR-specific features for electronic employee record keeping.
You may also hear the term enterprise content management system (ECM). These systems are also document management systems though they also handle unstructured data. They have the same features as EDMS when it comes to storing, sharing, and editing documents but also extend those features to unstructured documents such as HTML files.
Pros:
Secure method of securing documents like I-9s with sensitive personal information.
Easy to navigate and find documents quickly.
Allow employees to access documents from remote worksites.
Cons:
Many EDMS lack HR functionality or features.
More expensive than basic file storage options.
Another option is to go with a full HR software platform such as an HCM system. These tools typically include onboarding, payroll, benefits, timekeeping, and performance management functionality. They’re technically not designated as document management software, but many of them act as electronic employee records and facilitate the collection and storage of all necessary new hire paperwork and documentation. Here is what to consider when evaluating HCMs as an electronic recordkeeping option:
Pros:
Simplifies all HR processes including documentation.
Automates workflows including onboarding document collection.
Helpful for small businesses that don’t have a dedicated HR team but want to have good HR practices and processes.
Often feature compliance tools.
Cons:
Can be cost-prohibitive for smaller businesses.
Often offered as unified systems so you can’t always choose to only pay for the document management program.
There are a number of different electronic record-keeping software options across a number of software categories. Here are some of the most popular electronic record-keeping software options for small businesses:
If your business already subscribes to Microsoft 365 or has the Microsoft Office suite on your work computer, then you probably already have access to Microsoft Sharepoint for no additional cost. This makes it an appealing choice for small businesses on a budget. Microsoft Sharepoint is a content management and team collaboration tool. You can set up worksites for individual teams, such as HR, and share files, notes, and data in this cloud-based software. It’s not inherently an HR document management tool, but it does get the job done if you just want a basic, secure option for storing employee files and tax documents electronically for remote access and sharing.

eFileCabinet is a document management software that is popular with HR, finance, IT, and legal teams due to its security features. Its security features are compliant with most government and corporate regulations including HIPAA. The service offers audit tracking and role-based user permissions, so that businesses can restrict who may view documents and view detailed document history reports.
Their HR document management solution offers process automation tools to automate common HR processes and documentation such as onboarding, FMLA requests, and benefits enrollment.
Zoho Docs is a document management tool from Zoho, a workplace software provider of email, CRM, and other software services. Zoho Docs is an online document management system that allows users to upload, store, create, edit, share, and view any type of file in a centralized location that can be accessed from anywhere. It also offers collaboration tools such as task setting, groups, shared files, and collaborative document editing.
One major benefit of Zoho Docs is that it’s a secure and affordable option. There is a limited free plan that may work for very small businesses with one or two person HR departments. The paid plans start at $4 per user per month.
ServiceNow Employee Document Management is a paperless HR file management system that is part of ServiceNow’s HR platform.
It has built-in compliance and document retention features including:
Custom retention policies: Administrators can specify how long each document type should be retained based on compliance requirements or company policy.
Legal hold: Apply a legal hold to automatically suspend a retention policy and prevent document updates or purging if you believe documents will be needed for upcoming legal processes or audits.
Access restriction: Restrict who has access to specific files or folders.
Audit trail: View a complete history for each employee document including changes and who has accessed it.
It also offers an employee self-service option, so that employees can view and download their own documents.
PeopleDoc offers employee file management and document services tools designed to allow users to create, sign, store, access, share, and delete employee files in one secure place. The software features a document generation tool to help automate the creation of common employee documents such as employment verification letters. PeopleDoc also integrates with Docusign for e-signature collection on documents such as offer letters or company policy acknowledgments.
The service also includes helpful security and compliance features. Their proactive compliance tool allows HR team members to view what documents are missing so that you can collect them promptly. It also shows documents that are about to expire and allows users to request updates from employees within the system. PeopleDoc also has legal hold, and retention scheduling so that documents are retained properly and compliantly.
Document Locator is a Windows-based document management system. It has features designed for a variety of organizational functions including HR, business process management, and accounting. Document Locator’s employee file management software can automate HR processes and compliance. The tool offers records retention alerts, certification and license tracking for employees in regulated fields, HR form templates, and reporting. They also have tools designed to manage policy and employee handbook updates and to distribute new releases or updates to your employees.
You can also scan your paper records into the system and Document Locator will convert them into fully searchable records within the system. This is a great feature for small businesses looking to digitalize their records management system for the first time.
Eddy is an all-inclusive HR software platform that allows users to create, sign, and store documents in a secure digital format. Businesses can create electronic records for each employee with all documentation stored in a centralized location. It also includes time tracking, benefits administration, onboarding, and other HR features.
Using a unified platform can simplify the process for employees and HR staff as everything is in one place rather than spread out across a document management system, time and attendance system, performance management system, and benefits system. Though of course, it is more costly. This type of system is ideal for growing businesses that need to take more of their processes digital.
Employers have a ton of options when it comes to adopting electronic records management practices. There are different electronic record-keeping software options suited with different features and functionalities for a variety of budgets and business needs. If you’re still not sure what the right option is for you, here are a few things to consider.
The first thing to ask yourself is what data you want to manage electronically. If it is primarily HR or employee data, you’ll probably want to look for a solution designed specifically for HR. That could be an HR EDMS or an HR software solution. If you will be storing documents with highly sensitive information or advanced compliance requirements, you may want to spend a bit more to invest in a software tool with better security and compliance tools.
It can also help to look at what software services your business is currently using. Many of the listed systems including Microsoft Sharepoint and Zoho Docs are offered by companies that also provide other business software tools. When possible, choosing software that your employees are already familiar with is helpful. You may also want to consider what other software tools you might need. If you need an overall HR platform, CRM tools, or other new software programs shopping for them together may net you a better deal and a more integrated experience.
Lastly, look into the key features and balance the utility of any advanced features against your budget. Growing businesses will often find that automated workflows and onboarding documentation features can save time and provide a better employee experience. However, there are plenty of free or low-cost options available if you simply want a service to store your documents electronically without all of the extra bells and whistles.
 
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Gannett announced a strategic reorganization Wednesday, dialing back on top executive effort devoted to publishing while elevating its smaller but growing digital marketing services business to one of two operating units.
Maribel Perez Wadsworth, already in charge of USA Today and the regional USA Today network of 250 newspapers and sites, becomes president of Gannett Media, the publishing division.
As USA Today reported, two other publishing executives — Kevin Gentzel, the top advertising and revenue officer for the last seven years, and Bernie Szachara, who had been president of U.S. publishing operations — are leaving the company.
The move puts fresh focus on digital marketing, which currently generates only about a seventh of the total revenue of the company, but is growing and profitable, with further good prospects looking forward.
I spoke with Kris Barton, promoted in the new structure from chief product officer to president of the new unit. “It is smaller,” Barton said, ”but it already is a large business ($450 million-plus in annual revenue).”
“Also it fits with our ties to local communities by helping local businesses” with various digital marketing solutions. Those include lead generation, tech support and a flow of information on performance — and also placing advertising on Google and Facebook, a potent force now in local marketing.
The unit’s business model also fits Gannett’s current emphasis on digital subscriptions on the publishing side, he said, since customers pay for a package of services delivered monthly rather than buying them piecemeal.
Gannett bought a digital marketing business, ReachLocal, in 2016. Barton, whose previous experience included product work at Microsoft, came along with the deal. ReachLocal was based in the Los Angeles area, and Barton will continue to work primarily from there, even though the company’s headquarters is in Northern Virginia.
The reorganization, he said, will help “legitimize” the big role the unit plays at Gannett and streamline reporting relationships.
Digital marketing began popping up in the newspaper business a decade ago, typically as an offering to advertising clients, who lacked the resources to ramp up such programs on their own.
That’s still part of the customer base, Barton said, but only a part. The service is not confined to Gannett’s markets, he said. And it is being sold internationally, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, where Gannett owns the large regional Newsquest group.
Barton said that he was proud that the digital marketing group has shown double-digit percentage revenue growth over the last year, “and our level of investment is high, growing the business at the expense of some profit.”
Gannett now describes itself (as in its most recent earnings report) as “a subscription-led and digitally-focused media and marketing solutions company that is committed to empowering communities to thrive.”
That and the reorganization do not mean that publishing is being pushed aside. One of the company’s biggest announced goals is to quickly build paid digital subscriptions to USA Today and its regional publications, with a target of growing from 1.75 million now to six million by 2025.
For print, the ambition is more modest — stabilizing the legacy business where subscription numbers and advertising revenues have been declining precipitously.
As I have noted before, Gannett — along with other newspaper and magazine groups — seems to really mean it now when CEO Mike Reed talks about digital transformation. That’s a juggling act of sorts, though, when print circulation and advertising revenues still loom large even as they contract.
Count this week’s reorganization as one more indicator that Gannett is betting on what’s growing and digital as opposed to what is simply big.
Twitter long resisted the idea of an edit button, but now appears to be giving in to the wishes of its users.
Fox News didn’t contend it had no legal obligation to be truthful, nor did a court uphold that.
As an incarcerated writer, I too often encounter publications demanding sensational content with shock value about events inside the prison walls.
Instead of the tedious undertaking of fact-checking every single false claim, proponents of prebunking advocate for mass inoculation.
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Scanning from above is just the start
I focus on printer and scanner technology and reviews. I have been writing about computer technology since well before the advent of the internet. I have authored or co-authored 20 books—including titles in the popular Bible, Secrets, and For Dummies series—on digital design and desktop publishing software applications. My published expertise in those areas includes Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Photoshop, and QuarkXPress, as well as prepress imaging technology. (Over my long career, though, I have covered many aspects of IT.)
The IRIScan 6 Pro, more than just an overhead book scanner, packs several handy features that facilitate teaching, presenting, and online meetings.
We just hung an Editors’ Choice award ribbon on the IRIScan Desk 6 Business as our new favorite overhead or book scanner. The company’s Desk 6 Pro is a step down from that device, and its $349 price is $100 less. But it’s still a lot more scanner than the Desk 5 Pro we praised in 2019. Its lower-resolution lens and less robust feature list keep the Desk 6 Pro from challenging its sibling for top honors, but it’s a more-than-capable aide for teachers, presenters, and videoconference chairs.
As we noted in our Desk 6 Business review, IRIScan’s sixth-generation overhead-scanner family includes three models, up from the previous lineup’s two—the Desk 6, Desk 6 Pro, and Desk 6 Business, in ascending order. Each step up brings a $100 price increase and enhanced hardware. The Desk 6 Pro, for instance, employs a 21-megapixel camera illuminated by four LEDs, compared to the Business model’s 32 megapixels and six LEDs. (The base Desk 6 model has a 12-megapixel sensor.)
Both the Pro and Business scanners support pages up to A3 (tabloid) size or 11 by 17 inches. Both come with a desktop button that lets you execute scans from the scanner itself as an alternative to using a PC with IRIScan software. The Pro lacks the Business model’s foot pedal that frees both hands for arranging content on the scanning base or turning book or magazine pages.
The Desk 6 Pro measures 5.5 by 4.7 by 11.1 inches (HWD) and weighs 2.5 pounds. That’s slightly smaller and lighter than the Desk 6 Business and significantly smaller and almost a pound lighter than its immediate competitor the CZUR ET16 Plus (a February 2018 PCMag favorite).
Overhead scanners work more like cameras, snapping a picture of content on the scanning base instead of passing a page over the scanner’s sensors as a sheet-fed document scanner does (or passing the sensors over the content as a handheld scanner does).
Not only is the Desk 6 Pro’s 21-megapixel CMOS sensor capable of snapping stills of your content, but it can also capture video at up to 30 frames per second with audio via a built-in microphone. This lets you use the scanner as an overhead projector for presentations, online learning, and Zoom meetings and other videoconferences.
Feature- and capacity-wise, the Desk 6 Pro and Desk 6 Business are fairly similar. Both offer auto focus, bar code scanning, and business card scanning via the company’s Cardiris software. (More on the software bundle in a moment.) 
Like the Business model, the Pro unit offers a self-timer that automatically shoots at predefined intervals, giving you a chance to, say, turn the page or swap out the medium. The scanner provides automatic document detection and automatic de-skewing and cropping, along with what IRIS calls artificial intelligence features such as page-turn detection, flattening the curve of a book image, erasing fingers that intrude into the image, front and back cover detection, and automatic edge filling of damaged documents.
Connectivity and power come via a USB 2.0 cable. (The Business model adds an AC adapter.) The scanner’s two USB ports (the second for scanning to flash drives) are located at the base of the upright beam as shown below.
Finally, like the Desk 6 Business, the Desk 6 Pro has a recommended daily duty cycle of up to 5,000 pages (10 times as many as its predecessor). Its resolution of 300 dots per inch (dpi) tops the CZUR scanner’s 220dpi (though we expect an upgrade to the latter any day now).
Most scanners require some type of interface and document management software to convert scanned pages to searchable or editable text. The Desk 6 Pro uses IRIScan Desk to scan, convert, and save scanned text in the format you desire. Supported output formats include image, text, and searchable PDF; Microsoft Word and Excel; EPUB for ebooks; plain text; JPG; MP3; and WAV.
The software’s automatic edge detection straightens the content after scanning, so you don’t have to be precise when placing a book or magazine on the scanning base. You can use the Desk 6 Pro with your webcam to create multi-camera videos: Video and sound from both the scanner and the webcam record simultaneously and are combined in one video file played back on a single screen.
Although the Desk 6 Pro ships with the company’s Cardiris in addition to IRIScan Desk, if business card scanning and contact archiving is your primary application, you’d probably be better off with a less costly handheld or wand scanner like the IRIScan Book 5 Wi-Fi.
For more sophisticated applications, such as capturing MRZ codes and exporting metadata to XLS or structured XML files, you can add IRISPowerscan. Another software package, Readiris Corporate, saves your videos in high-definition AVI, MP4, FLV, and WMV video formats. However, the two apps together cost over $1,000, and there’s considerable feature overlap between them and IRIScan Desk.
IRIS rates the Desk 6 Pro’s scanning speed at 1 page per second or 60 pages per minute (ppm). While it does indeed snap a picture in less than a second, that doesn’t include the time you spend moving content on and off the scanning base and turning book or magazine pages, nor the software’s converting the text to desired formats and saving files. 
As with the Business model, I never got close to 60ppm of throughput in my tests. Using the IRIScan Desk software on our Intel Core i5-based Windows 10 Pro testbed with a USB connection, I was able to digitize pages in about 3 seconds apiece, or 20ppm. When scanning to searchable PDF rather than image PDF format, the scanner itself doesn’t really work any harder, but the software does. IRIScan Desk managed to produce and save searchable PDF files at a rate of about 18ppm, not much slower than its image PDF performance.
As for accuracy, the Desk 6 Pro tied its Business sibling at font sizes down to 6 points error-free with both Arial and Times New Roman. Nowadays, that score is about average. The CZUR EZ16 Plus managed 6 points with Arial and a ho-hum 10 points with Times New Roman, but even 10 points without mistakes is more than adequate for most office applications.
I also scanned a bunch of business cards into Cardiris. As usual, the software worked fine, as long as I stuck to plain white or lightly colored cards with common serif and sans-serif typefaces. For fancily designed or dark business cards, you’ll probably want to type in the data yourself.
The biggest attraction of the IRIScan Desk 6 Pro scanner is that it costs $100 less than the Desk 6 Business model. To be sure, the Business flagship’s higher-resolution camera and few extra convenience features, especially its foot pedal, are attractive, but the Pro model is more than enough machine for all but the most taxing applications. If your small office or workgroup doesn’t need the ultimate overhead scanner, the Desk 6 Pro is a first-class alternative.
The IRIScan 6 Pro, more than just an overhead book scanner, packs several handy features that facilitate teaching, presenting, and online meetings.
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I focus on printer and scanner technology and reviews. I have been writing about computer technology since well before the advent of the internet. I have authored or co-authored 20 books—including titles in the popular Bible, Secrets, and For Dummies series—on digital design and desktop publishing software applications. My published expertise in those areas includes Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Photoshop, and QuarkXPress, as well as prepress imaging technology. (Over my long career, though, I have covered many aspects of IT.)
In addition to writing hundreds of articles for PCMag, over the years I have also written for many other computer and business publications, among them Computer Shopper, Digital Trends, MacUser, PC World, The Wirecutter, and Windows Magazine. I also served as the Printers and Scanners Expert at About.com (now Lifewire).
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Technology
By Jared Correia
Legal practice is powered by documents. But law firms continue to struggle with document management, especially as the use of cloud software and paperless workflows become the norm.
In this stirring episode of the NonEventcast, I talk over the use case for document management software in legal, with three experts in the field: Cain Elliott of Filevine, Jenni Davenport of WealthCounsel, and Chris Cangero of DocStyle. 
We start by answering perhaps the most important and divisive question of all: What’s your favorite font (3:27)? Next, we cover document management best practices (12:24), and future trends in the space. We also spend some time discussing template management tactics (21:20).
If your document management processes are still a work in progress, this podcast is an essential listen. And if you’d like to research the best in legal document management software, visit the Non-Event or download our free buyers guide with the form at the bottom of this post.
Highlights
Episode Resources
ATL Non-Event, Document Management, Jared Correia, Legal Technology, Non-Event, Non-Eventcast, Practice management, Small Law Firms, Technology
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You don’t need a special scanner app to scan documents with your iPhone anymore. Let’s learn how to use the Camera app and scan anything with a click.
The ability to scan documents with your iPhone is an everyday need. It is an invaluable feature if you want to go paperless to save receipts, index business cards, or just take quick screenshots of book covers for the record. Unlike before, you don’t need to install a third-party document scanner app. The iPhone can do it all on its own.
Let’s learn how to use your iPhone as a document scanner.
The ability to scan documents with your iPhone alone is a productivity boost as you can synchronize all your notes and captures across the Apple devices. Here’s how to start a scan.
There are a few ways to fine-tune the scan:
Apple introduced the Files app with iPhone 11. It also has a handy document scanning feature that works like the scanner on Notes. Take a snap of a document and save it anywhere in iCloud Drive, or in any third-party cloud services connected with the Files app.
Microsoft Lens (formerly Office Lens) is one of the best cross-platform productivity tools you can use. It is a powerful document scanner app with extra features that are handy if you work with the Microsoft Office suite.
Microsoft Lens has other features that help to take perfect scans. You can enable the Flash in low-light (tap the Flash icon in the upper right corner of the capture window). You can also take a photo with the Camera app and then import it into Lens to finetune it as a scan.
Tap the Picture icon near the lower-left corner of the capture window. Go to Photos and select the picture you want to use. Select and import it into Microsoft Lens.
A QR code is another type of scan you might have to perform. It’s a time-saving shortcut when you don’t want to type in a long URL to shop for something. Point the iPhone at the QR code and the information is scanned in a second.
You might need a dedicated document scanning device if you need to scan many pages in one go. Otherwise, you can do away with third-party scanner apps as the iPhone can handle everyday scanning chores easily.
Think of tricks to boost your document organization skills with the scanner. For instance, don’t keep the scans on the phone. Export them to an archiving space on the cloud or on your computer or use the Continuity Camera feature to make richer documents with macOS.
Saikat Basu is the Deputy Editor for Internet, Windows, and Productivity. After removing the grime of an MBA and a ten year long marketing career, he is now passionate about helping others improve their storytelling skills. He looks out for the missing Oxford comma and hates bad screenshots. But Photography, Photoshop, and Productivity ideas soothe his soul.
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The Financial Express

By Arvind Balan
Experiential marketing creates brand awareness through direct interactions with consumers in real-time, and that’s what makes experiential marketing stand out from more traditional and digital forms of advertising. All of the senses are stimulated, and that’s been demonstrated to increase brand loyalty by making an impression on people emotionally. Using experiential marketing may raise consumers’ awareness of your brand and strengthen their attachment to it through a more personal and genuine channel. To your benefit, you will gain extensive knowledge about your target market.
The following case study highlights how luxury auto brands have used experiential marketing for the promotion of their new products:
Case 1-The Audi Experience
Audi, a brand known for its luxury cars, has recently embraced experiential marketing. Audi Driving Experience is a race-track-based  advanced driving training program that gives customers an up-close view of the car’s creativity, skill, and precision. Before bringing its driving experience to India in 2012, the German brand offered it in various countries. Another such event is the Audi Sportscar Experience, which attracts more than 2,000 drivers annually, improving its engagement with customers. Buyers may see the car’s capabilities on the circuit.
Case 2-Cadillac-Culinary Kitchen
Cadillac California hosted the LYRIQ Electriq Kitchen to introduce the new LYRIQ, skipping the New York auto show. The five-course menu was inspired by the EV. Chefs developed the tasting menu over six weeks after a Cadillac designer gave them a walkaround. The new Cadillac was both the inspiration for the menu and the showpiece for the event. Innovative dishes were prepared and were inspired by the translucent glow of the car’s front grill and the lighting created a tingling sensation. 
The Takeaway
A common refrain among successful business owners and CEOs is to “Take care of your consumers or else your competitors will.” The automotive sector is no exception.
People often underestimate the challenges faced by the auto sector. On the surface, performance appears to be excellent, but there are significant challenges due to new technology, a shifting regulatory landscape, and a very picky clientele.
Adding experiential marketing to your auto company’s overall marketing plan can make a huge difference. Numerous studies have shown that this method of advertising can be just as effective as traditional methods. Measuring the performance of an experiential marketing campaign is trickier than other marketing tactics. 
With these advantages in mind, the article explains how automotive businesses are implementing experiential marketing to give consumers a favorable experience with their brand.
The use of experiential marketing is logical. More and more businesses are allocating resources away from traditional marketing and toward more innovative forms of promotion, such as events. Increasingly, motor companies are spending money on in-person promotions. During the next three to five years, CMOs are expected to devote as much as 50 percent of their marketing budgets to experiential initiatives. The goal of any successful experiential marketing strategy is to leave a lasting impression on consumers through the creation of memorable experiences. Experiential marketing is effective because it encourages positive word-of-mouth about the brand from real customers rather than the company itself.
For younger generations like millennials and Gen Z, the value of traditional marketing strategies like email, direct mail, sponsored advertisements, etc., has diminished. Therefore, automotive companies have a unique opportunity to engage with their target audience in a memorable and engaging way. The automotive sector leverages experiential marketing to establish connections with customers that go above and beyond those of social or digital marketing.
It has been observed that experiential marketing is the most powerful form of advertising. It’s the most efficient strategy for converting consumers into buyers and advocates. It’s no surprise that after an experiential marketing event, the vast majority of attendees end up becoming regulars. Unlike other channels, experiential calls for participants’ active participation, which includes the use of their senses. Cars are such an important part of people’s lives and such a significant investment that it’s crucial that they have a pleasant, multisensory experience with them. Pop-up bars with digital displays, auto shows with interactive wheel stands, and expos with product demos are all examples of experiences that allow businesses to connect with customers on an experiential level. Products are available to consumers through all of their senses. These senses are amplified by cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). Customers in any industry, but especially the automotive sector, would rather have a physical product in hand as opposed to a digital one. Instead of reading about the car, they want to take a test drive and see it for themselves.
Earned media, organic, or user-generated content, both contribute to the buzz surrounding any given marketing event. This anticipation, however, is amplified through experience marketing. Experiential advertising is the only method that can create a real stir. A recent survey found that nearly all consumers who participated in an event or experience shared the content on social media. Experiential marketing helps firms expand their reach and introduce their products to new consumers.
Those times when experiential marketing could be thought of as the marketing equivalent of the Wild West are swiftly passing. The most iconic and innovative automotive brands are now adopting this method to learn more about their customers. The benefits of merging digital and physical client data into a unified profile are already being felt by marketers. This increases participation and provides material for subsequent advertising efforts.
A print ad in a magazine or newspaper will not spread like wildfire. No amount of attention from a publicity stunt will last. Flyer distribution does not necessitate any sort of personal interaction with the target audience. Although digital and social media have their advantages, they cannot compare to the power of experiential marketing. Reaching out to these demographics can be accomplished through experiential marketing. It’s much more probable that an event will attract enough attention on social media to go viral if it’s original, intriguing, and significant.
Impressions made during immersive events and shows will remain in the minds of attendees for as long as they continue to reflect on the nature of their experience. Having an experience gives customers a sense of belonging, both personally and with a particular brand. The effects of all this are likely to linger in people’s minds long after they’ve finished their morning coffee and turned off the news.
The marketing industry is evolving. Nowadays, consumers can pick from a wider variety of options, so businesses must establish genuine connections with their clients if they hope to retain them. It is no longer adequate to merely bombard an audience with messages in the hopes that some will stick. Brands that prioritise the customer experience tend to have greater success. More and more automotive companies are experimenting with experiential marketing due to its proven success. It’s a tried and effective method for getting things done, and it works better than ever because of advancements in technology and shifts in mindset.
The author is a co-founder at Maxperience. Views expressed are personal.
Also Read: Chai Pe Charcha with BrandWagon
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To avoid ending up with an ultimately disappointing software, here’s the list of SEO tools you can try out before spending money.
SEO tools are not cheap.
Unless you are an SEO agency or a really big company, which I’m guessing most of us are not, you really can’t afford to subscribe to the wrong one.
Good thing most of the SEO software developers are sensible people and have allowed us to try some of their tools before we make a commitment.
That is not to say that there are bad SEO tools out there and subscribing to them would be a terrible mistake.
No, it’s just that the market of SEO tools has reached that level of maturity where each of the big, seemingly similar players has developed subtle specialties and those specialties might be the best fit for certain SEO cases.
So the goal of a free trial is to find the tool that matches your current SEO goals.
Or, if there is no SEO budget whatsoever, the goal could be to exploit the free trial for as much free SEO as you possibly can and then bail.
That works, too.
Whatever the case, here are my top SEO tools you can try before you buy:
All-in-one SEO software with the largest backlink index on the market.

Ahrefs is one of the best SEO tools on the market.
It is packed choke-full of SEO features, enough to cover the entire cycle of website optimization.
It is also one of the few SEO tools relying on its own data to do website analysis.
Ahrefs uses its own SEO crawlers to scan the web.
It claims to have the biggest commercially available backlink database and one of the biggest keyword databases on the market.
While no SEO tool has a complete view of the web, Ahrefs is probably as close as one can get.
Over the years, Ahrefs kept adding more and more SEO features, to the point where it can be a little overwhelming for those just starting out with search optimization.
The tool is a much better fit for intermediate and advanced users, like SEO freelancers and SEO agencies.
Ahrefs does not offer a free SEO plan, but it offers a trial plan so cheap that it’s almost free.
For $7 you can try either the Lite or the Standard subscription plan for a week.
Credit card information is required, so beware of recurring payments.
Ahrefs offers four paid subscription plans: Lite, Standard, Advanced, and Agency, priced at $99, $179, $399, and $999 per month respectively.
A well-rounded SEO tool with an emphasis on smooth user experience.
SEMrush is a direct competitor of Ahrefs and the two tools are often used interchangeably or even in combination with each other.
But, if I had to pick a personal favorite, I’d give my vote to SEMrush as it strikes a better balance between comprehensiveness and user experience.
SEMrush is easier to navigate than Ahrefs and, in fact, than most SEO tools out there.
It’s got a lively color-coded interface, logical workflow and tab position, and professional-looking SEO reports with plenty of templates to choose from.
In that regard, if you have to share your results with a client or a teammate, then SEMrush will set you up with a nice presentation.
There also seems to be a consensus in the SEO community that SEMrush does a better job at keyword research.
So, if keyword research is your primary concern, then SEMrush might be a better way to go.
SEMrush offers 7-day free SEO plans on its Pro and Guru subscription plans, but no trial on its higher-end Business plan.
The plans are priced at $99, $199, and $399 per month respectively, but some features, like competitive analysis and additional users, will cost you extra, to the tune of $200 per month per additional user.
Easy-to-learn software for entry-level SEO professionals.
Another all-rounder, Moz Pro offers some of the most popular website optimization features, from site audit to keyword research, to rank tracking.
Compared to other tools, Moz Pro is a little easier to navigate than either Ahrefs or SEMrush, but also a little lighter on SEO analytics.
One thing that really stands out about Moz Pro is its use of smart metrics.
When you do keyword research, for example, each keyword is analyzed for difficulty, opportunity, potential, and importance.
Using so many metrics is a bit of an overkill, but still, a fun thing to play with.
Another example of a smart feature is crawler alert prioritization.
With Moz Pro, you can run automatic website crawls and receive alerts prioritized based on page importance and issue type.
A 30-day free SEO plan is available for the Medium subscription plan only, but it’s got all the same features that other plans have, so it’s a fair way to assess whether you’d want to pay for any other subscriptions.
Moz Pro offers four subscription plans: Standard, Medium, Large, and Premium, priced at $99, $179, $249, and $599 per month respectively.
Well-designed SEO tool with a knack for data visualization.

SE Ranking is another universal website analysis tool that wants to have it all, and thus offers the usual collection of website optimization features.
The way the features are stitched together feels a little haphazard, but the features themselves make a solid effort to visualize data – a real step-up from the usual spreadsheet-like format of other SEO tools on the market.
One thing I love most about SE Ranking is the layout of competitor research reports.
All you have to do to get a report is open the corresponding tool, state any domain, and get a full competitor profile within seconds.
The report is organized into over a dozen visual snapshots for such metrics as organic and paid traffic, ranking keywords, top pages, top competitors, and top PPC campaigns.
And with a click of a button, each snapshot turns into an in-depth report for any given metric.
SE Ranking offers a 14-day free SEO plan, but some of the features have limited functionality during the trial period.
Most tables containing data, for example, do not go beyond the first 10 rows – you can run some page by page audit, but nothing at scale.
SE Ranking has highly customizable subscription plans. The final price depends on:
The cheapest plan starts at just $18 per month, but, depending on your choice of features, it can go as high as $900 per month.
An SEO tool that leverages the data from multiple sources.

Raven Tools cherry-picks its data sources, powering its SEO insights with the data from Moz, Majestic, as well as some free analytics tools.
One Raven Tools feature unanimously praised by its users is its white label reporting.
Pick a template, add your logo, drag and drop what seems like a hundred different widgets, and choose whether you want to publish, download, or email the report to your clients.
You can also schedule the reports to be updated and delivered automatically every day, week, month, or quarter.
Another convenience of Raven Tools is its multiple integrations with third-party apps.
You can connect Raven Tools to your social media accounts and have it pull key social metrics.
You can also use MailChimp and Campaign Monitor integrations to manage email automation.
A fully-functional version of Raven Tools is available for free for seven days, no credit card information is required.
Raven Tools comes in four paid subscription plans: Start, Grow, Thrive, and Lead, at $109, $199, $299, and $479 per month respectively.
An SEO tool that’s both smart and a joy to look at.

SpyFu is one of my favorite tools in terms of layout, workflow logic, and overall aesthetics.
Every feature is right where you expect it to be and each page is eye candy.
My only strife with SpyFu is that some of their reports are a little form-over-function – beautiful to look at, but hard to read and extract insights.
Historically, SpyFu has been more of a PPC tool rather than an SEO tool, but it has now added enough of SEO features to be both.
From a technical perspective, SpyFu delivers top-notch competitive research, with in-depth metrics and a list of organic keywords that the competitor ranked for in the last 10 years.
SpyFu does not offer a conventional free trial, but it does offer an unconditional 30-day money-back guarantee.
Pick any plan, pay the initial fee, use it for up to 30 days, and then cancel via your account, email, live chat, phone, Facebook, or even Twitter – no questions asked.
Beyond that, you can create a free account and use the tool with limited functionality indefinitely.
SpyFu comes in three paid subscription plans: Basic, Professional, and Team, at $39, $78, and $199 per month respectively.
Specialized SEO tool with a focus on keyword research and position tracking.

Rank Tracker (full disclosure: I’m the founder of the company behind Rank Tracker) is one of the four tools within the SEO PowerSuite toolbox — each focusing on a specific area of website optimization.
The idea behind having a suite of tools instead of a single all-inclusive tool is that you can install all of them as a package or you can pick just one best tool for the area of SEO you are currently working on.
It saves you money, naturally, but also the navigation is less of a mess.
Rank Tracker offers enough keyword research tools to set you up for life. You can:
And if you end up with too many keywords to choose from, and you most likely will, then there are plenty of filtering and sorting options to help you identify the keywords with the promise of the most traffic.
Choose keywords by difficulty, organic traffic, cost per click, or use negative keywords to eliminate irrelevant results.
Rank Tracker offers a 7-day free trial of its paid plans when you launch the tool for the first time.
No credit card is required, and the trial reverts to a free plan once the week is out.
The free plan comes with limitations on storage and reporting, but the keyword research tool and the rank checking tool are on par with the paid plans.
Pro and Enterprise subscription plans are priced at a fraction of what is charged by larger SEO tools and will set you back $124 and $299 per year respectively.
Most tools on this list are comprehensive enough to cover a wide range of SEO use cases, and yet there are subtle differences that make each of them a slightly better fit for a particular SEO case.
Ultimately, there is no wrong choice, and it all comes down to your current SEO needs and, sometimes, your personal preference.
And if you are hopelessly undecided, then there is always that free trial period to help you make up your mind.
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CCube Solutions, an independent UK SME, has been working in the NHS (secondary care) for over 20 years.  We have recently attained BSi certifications for several ISO Standards – 9001, 14001, 2700, 27701, and BS 10008 – demonstrating our commitment to abide with established standards for protecting sensitive patient data held in our solutions in widespread use in the NHS.  We help Trusts and Health Boards alike digitise legacy patient medical records and make this information available to clinicians and other health professionals at the point of care.  It supports the Government’s drive that the NHS should be using technology to improve productivity, reduce costs and ultimately enhance patient care.
CCube Solutions specialises in providing Electronic Document and Content Management (EDRM) and Workflow solutions, based on the CCube software suite which holds and manages some 450 million documents containing over 2 billion pages for 32 million patients across 30+ NHS organisations around the UK. The CCube software suite currently holds and manages some 450 million documents containing over 52 billion pages for 32 million patients across 30 NHS organisations around the UK. Some of our NHS sites have been using the solution for over 19 years. Data on realisable benefits, from just three key sites, shows a collective saving of c.£35M over 10 years.
With a proven track record of project success and expertise working with the NHS for over 20 years, providing cost-effective and scalable solutions tailored to meet individual requirements, our software suite is used in some 30 NHS organisations around the UK. These include Aintree, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, North Bristol Trust, NHS Grampian, NHS Forth Valley, Papworth, St Helens & Knowsley, and NHS England. We aim to deliver measurable benefits, helping to bring paperless healthcare within 20 months.
CCube’s EDRM can also be embedded within other digital patient record systems, such as Cerner’s Millennium. At Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, 3,800 staff can access legacy patient records contained in the CCube system but view them from within Millennium. Clinicians now just press the EDRM tab within the Millennium menu and the EDRM viewer immediately displays CCube’s patient record.
Digital technologies are helping to:

www.ccubesolutions.com
email: info@ccubesolutions.com

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Businesses are trading in their filing cabinets that are filled with files from who knows how long ago and using document scanners to scan and store their important documents. By using a document scanner for your business, you open up more space in your office, you can bolster the security of sensitive information, plus you have an electronic copy of critical documents that will not be irretrievably lost. 
To help you choose the best document scanner for your business, there are some key questions you want to ask yourself that will help you effectively narrow your search. 
The type of scanner you select should be able to easily scan the types of documents you need to digitize and render clear, crisp images. Are you scanning paper documents and receipts? Do you need to scan photo identification? Are you planning on scanning photographs?
The items you plan to scan should be the primary consideration when selecting a scanner. Most document scanners are capable of handling paper records, receipts and photo identification with ease.
To scan photographs, though, you’ll need a scanner designed specifically for images. Photo scanners offer higher resolution and enhanced color, preserving the appearance of photographs when rendered digitally.
If you plan to digitize paper archives, you will need a high-volume document scanner. High-end document scanners usually come with an automatic feeder that can digitize large amounts of paperwork without requiring close supervision, allowing you to create a digital archive of your files. 
If you plan to scan documents occasionally, though, you’ll be better served with a less expensive model. Depending on your needs, there are portable document scanners that do the job, as well as smartphone applications that use your phone’s camera to digitally recreate documents. [Interested in learning more about document management software? Check out our reviews and best picks.] 
Optical character recognition (OCR) allows your computer to easily read the text in your documents. OCR makes it easy to organize, search for and format your scanned documents. OCR is generally an industry-standard feature included in most modern document scanners, and it can be a huge timesaver for businesses. 
It’s critical that the document scanner you’re considering purchasing is compatible with the operating system you use. Most document scanners work well with PC software, while fewer are available for Mac. If your business uses Mac OS, verify with the sales rep or the manufacturer that the document scanner you are considering is compatible. (Even if the scanner isn’t immediately compatible with Mac OS out of the box, you can install third-party drivers, however, these can sometimes reduce functionality and hamper performance.)
A contact image sensor is the less expensive and more compact option. However, it will struggle to adequately scan wrinkled paper or bound pages. Buying a charge-coupled device eliminates this problem, but the scanner will take up a substantial amount of space and cost far more.
If you’re only scanning documents, the standard 600 to 1,200 dpi will do. If you’re scanning photos, you’ll need at least 2,000 dpi. However, be prepared to pay substantially more for a higher-dpi scanner.
Like resolution, low color depth is OK if you’re only scanning documents. For photos, you should aim for at least 48-bit color depth.
Many modern features wirelessly connect to your devices; however, USB connectivity is still good to have as a backup option. Alternatively, if you want a printer that doesn’t connect wirelessly, you can choose USB connectivity over other types of connections.
As with any product, specifications are but one element of the overall solution. Without an abundance of positive customer reviews, good specs don’t mean much.
 
Editor’s note: Are you looking for a document management solution? Fill out the below questionnaire to have our vendor partners contact you about your needs.
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