With the changing of our lives during the time of COVID-19 the marketing strategies are changing as well. With this pandemic so many people are buying online, panic buying and stocking up on essentials. It is important for marketers to know and anticipate future needs during this time. This will ensure that consumers are still purchasing many things that will be of use to them when staying at home.

The digital world is being used more now than ever, with everyone working from home or just staying home they are on their phones, televisions, computers, etc. Many are shopping, scrolling through social media, playing games, watching movies and marketers must find a way to make money off the things consumers are doing from home.

Technology will be extremely important during this time and even after it is over. Keeping consumers engaged and connected with the business and companies is important for making money and now and later.

https://www.martechadvisor.com/articles/customer-experience-2/covid-19-marketing-strategy/

After doing research on privacy concerns regarding smart devices I came across a website that had predictions for 2020 that I found to be interesting. With recent events that have taken place and the amount of uncertainty we all have, it is nice to be able to plan and prevent some things. According to security today there are a couple things that we can do to help increase our privacy. These include

1. You can employ Endpoint Detection and Response to always be on the lookout for potential threats
2. Ensure the health of your network by scanning devices
3. Create a separate network for all your smart devices like thermostats, TV, refrigerator, and devices like Alexa so they are not connected to your personal information on things like your computer

These are a few things we can do in this upcoming year to help protect our privacy and personal information to the best of our ability. If you would like some more in depth descriptions read Security Today at the link below.

https://securitytoday.com/Articles/2020/01/13/The-IoT-Rundown-for-2020.aspx?Page=4

With the spread of Coronavirus and a Presidential Election in the near future we are thinking about the numerous things that are going to effect the election. The one things we may not think about is how our smart devices could be a threat to the election. According to an article by Fast Company the privacy concerns of out smart devices could be a national threat because they may not be as secure as we would like them to be. Fast Company said that the hackers whether from the USA or foreign nations do not need to necessarily hack into the voting polls, but they can hack into candidates website and flood it with false information. They also can hack into our smart devices and distract us from either voting, or getting the information we need to cast an informed vote. The coronavirus may be one of the biggest effects on the election, but we cannot turn a blind eye to our smart devices either.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90473679/your-smart-home-device-could-be-a-threat-to-our-elections

Social Media Marketing increases business exposure because of the use of social media platforms as a way to market products, businesses and companies. The constant use of technology by everyone, everyday has formed this important wave of new marketing.

Technology is in the lives of every single person and it is how we communicate with one another, share our lives and entertain ourselves. Social media marketing is all around us and it is a simple way for business and products to be seen by consumers. Without a social media presence consumers are not able to learn and see the product or business.

Social media marketing helps companies to learn about their target audience and ensure they are reaching them with their platforms. Engagement helps for your business to be seen as a business who cares about the customers and wants their happiness with the product or service they provide. The competition is so intense between companies that having the good social media presence and good customer service will lead to success with consumers.

https://www.contentfac.com/9-reasons-social-media-marketing-should-top-your-to-do-list/

With the time we are living in right now, social distancing is a part of everyones lives. And technology has only become more important to keeping in contact with friends and family, entertaining us, keeping us updated and for work. This means more people are using social media platforms to share and browse when bored. Now is a better time than ever to expand your social media presence so ensure people are able to view your page and engage.

Digital presence is the only way to share and ensure that consumers know your company is taking this pandemic seriously and are protecting against it. Engaging with users is important and there are many ways to do it, updating customers on what is going on with your business during this time is an extremely important thing to do. It is also important to continue to share posts and content even if the business is closed. Consumers need to be reminded of your business and how it can benefit them after the pandemic is over.

https://www.business2community.com/digital-marketing/how-to-expand-your-digital-presence-during-social-distancing-02300517

Everyone uses social media and views ads, products, and pages daily. To ensure that consumers are captivated by your social media marketing campaign it is helpful to use social media marketing tools. These tools will help to improve the campaign overall, in many different ways.

Many of these tools will help with the analytical side of marketing with features such as audience, analysis, content intelligence, analytics and schedule posts. Features like this are available on the program Socialbakers. There are tools available for specific platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more. Followerwonk is a tool used specifically for Twitter to analyze the audience and connect with other infleuncers.

Other important tools that are extremely helpful when starting out, Audiense helps to find the target audience, programs that will help with finding content to post about and create, and schedule posts. The possibilities are endless with these amazing tools, it is a helpful step in creating the perfect social media marketing campaign that will catch the eyes of consumers.

https://influencermarketinghub.com/social-media-marketing-tools/

By now we are all aware that privacy is one of the main issues regarding smart devices. Whether it be from hacking our information, or listening to our private conversations. Well if you are into big jewelry we may have a solution.

According to an article by The New York Times a couple in Chicago invented a bracelet that may solve some of your privacy concerns. It is being called “The Bracelet of Silence.” According to the inventor Ben Zhao when you put the bracelet on it emits ultrasonic signals that jams the smart devices microphones. This mean it cannot pick up and listen to your conversations. You put it on and turn it on and the high frequency of the signals will protect your conversation! What do you think about that?

We tend to get smart home devices such as baby monitors to keep an eye out on our loved ones. We use them with the idea that we will be the only one able to see our children. Due to recent news, that might not always be the case. Many people who have smart baby monitors have posted on numerous social media platforms telling people to unplug immediately and throw away.

One study done by NPR of a family in South Carolina said that hackers were hacking into their baby monitor camera and watching their child. The hackers were also use the baby monitor to hack into their home networks, since the monitor was connected to their WIFI. It is scary to think that we are doing the best we can to protect our children, but the software we are using could be the most dangerous thing. This family in South Carolina is not the only family that has had these issues, and it is not only one brand of baby monitor.

Families are now starting to get old school and just leave the doors cracked to hear their children, and they suggest you do the same. So are you going to go unplug your monitor?

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/06/05/617196788/s-c-mom-says-baby-monitor-was-hacked-experts-say-many-devices-are-vulnerable

If you are someone who has or is in the process of creating a website, one of the most important things to focus on before you launch it to the web is its security. The lack of website security can lead to cyberattacks which will destroy your hard work and cause people to not want to visit your website again.

So, why should you secure your website? There are four main reasons as to why you need website security. The first reason is that hosting providers only protect the server your website runs on, not the website itself. Secondly, focusing on website security is cheaper than taking the risk of a cyber attack happening. A cyber attack can cause businesses hundreds of dollars of downtime per minute. Another reason as to why you need website security is that it helps you protect your reputation online. If a visitor has their information compromised while on your site, they are unlikely to visit your site again. The fourth and last reason is that certain malware and attacks can be hard to spot. Your website could be infected with some sneaky malware without you even realizing it.

For more information on how to secure your website, click on the link here.

We use our mobile devices for almost everything these days. Because of this, these devices contain plenty of our personal information that we probably don’t want others to have access to. You can protect your mobile devices, whether that be your phone, laptop, or tablet, by taking certain security precautions.

The main precautions that you can take are: keeping your machine clean, protecting your personal information, and connecting with care. To keep your machine clean, it is important that you keep your security software up to date on your device and make sure to delete anything downloading on your device once you are done with it. Protecting your personal information can be done by using strong passwords and security settings on your devices. Lastly, connect with care while on your device. This can easily be done by only using networks that are secure.

For more information on each of these main precautions, click the link here.