Blockchain Providing Bridge for Unbanked, Lifting Global Economy

 

Chuck Reynolds

Marketing Dept
Contributor
Please click either Link to Learn more about -Bitcoin.
Interested or have Questions. Call me 559-474-4614

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

 

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Essential Inbound Marketing Strategies for Every Startup

 

Inbound marketing has become increasingly popular

in the marketing and advertising world for the last several years, and it's no surprise why. While traditional outbound ad campaigns attempt to persuade unfamiliar audiences with sales-y messages, "inbound" campaigns focus on the value they can provide users. And that prompts those users to naturally gravitate to those business when the need arises. Generally, inbound marketing strategies are less expensive, hold a wider range of benefits and, over the long term, will generate a higher rate of return. So, if these benefits resonate with you, consider the following inbound marketing strategies, which are among the most popular. At this point, they're essential for all new startups:

On-site content marketing.

On-site content marketing is useful in a number of ways. Not only does new content drive new readers to your site, it keeps your existing readers and customers engaged with your brand, allowing you to maximize client retention. You'll have to provide highly detailed, original and valuable content, which isn't always easy or straightforward; but, with a steady stream of high-quality content, you'll find that the advantages can be enormous. Content marketing also provides syndication fuel to your social media and email campaigns and boosts your search rankings (more on this momentarily). In a recent survey I conducted, of 357 marketers, 93 percent of respondents said they planned to increase or keep their on-site content marketing budgets the same. That's pretty high praise for the power of on-site content!

Off-site content marketing.

Your off-site content marketing campaign will function in a similar manner, prompting you to provide well-written, targeted, valuable content, but instead of publishing it on your own site, you'll be publishing it on another site (hopefully, a major media publication!). The advantage here is the opportunity to gain visibility with new audiences, who may not have heard of you otherwise. You'll get referral traffic, and your brand reputation will steadily grow as you work your way up to bigger and better publishers. Here's an article I recently wrote to help entrepreneurs get started with off-site content marketing: "5 Ways to Get Media Coverage as a Startup."

Search engine optimization (SEO).

On-site and off-site content marketing will provide you substantial fuel for increasing your search visibility. On-site content attracts inbound links, while off-site content directly builds links to your site. The more high-quality, valuable inbound links your website has, the higher it will rank in search engines. In fact, a recent report from Google noted that two of the top three ranking factors in the algorithm were content and inbound links. But there are other, more technical components to SEO you'll need to implement to boost your inbound traffic from search engines. These include optimizing for mobile devices, improving site speed and targeting strategic niche keyword phrases. It's a time-intensive strategy, but it pays off in spades.

 Social media marketing.

Organic social media marketing has taken its fair share of hits, but it remains one of the most effective strategies for generating new visibility. You have the power to engage with almost anyone in the world through social media, gradually building up a loyal audience (as long as you're consistently providing valuable insights and material).

Throw your on-site and off-site content into syndication here, and your followers will have even more reason to stick around. Alone, social media can generate a steady stream of traffic to your site, and build your brand, but its real power is amplifying the effects of your other inbound marketing strategies. According to the same survey referenced earlier, 65 percent of respondents — the highest percentage across 10 marketing strategies included in the survey — said they believed that social media marketing was poised to become even more effective in the next five years.

Influencer marketing.

Influencer marketing is relatively simple in concept, but it's a little more difficult to carry out practically. The idea is to target "influencers" in your industry –these are thought leaders, movers, and shakers who hold the best reputations and the biggest portions of audiences in your niche. By working with these influencers on joint content projects or even just innocuous exchanges on social media, you'll cross-pollinate your audiences (oftentimes for mutual benefit), and earn a better reputation by proxy.

The hardest part is identifying the influencers most likely to benefit your brand and persuading them to engage with your campaign. Influencer marketing seems to be the most cutting-edge strategy on this list, evidenced by the highest percentage of marketers (38 percent) agreeing to a statement on the survey — in this case saying they were "not currently using this strategy, but plan[ned] to in the future."

Email newsletters.

I hesitated to include email newsletters on this list, since email marketing in general might be considered an outbound strategy. However, email newsletters usually revolve around the provision of content to subscribers, increasing their loyalty and retention while simultaneously setting up a recurring traffic stream back to your site. Because your content is providing value to your readers and subscribers, and you're not just using it as a way to advertise your products and services, it can be considered a form of inbound marketing. Additionally, email marketing may be a relatively low-hanging fruit: In the survey, email marketing was reported as the second-easiest tactic to perform, but one that provided the fifth-highest ROI of the ten strategies included.

Personal branding.

Finally, personal branding may be used in conjunction with almost any of the strategies above. For example, you might have some of your upper-level team members post more on-site content and reach out to major publications for guest-posting opportunities, or even to become contributors in order to fuel an off-site content strategy.

Chuck Reynolds

Marketing Dept
Contributor
Please click either Link to Learn more about -Inbound Marketing.
Interested or have Questions. Call me 559-474-4614

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Blockchain Technology’s
Next Big Superstar

ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings) are on the rise, as more startups

turn towards blockchain-based platforms to raise funds. Just during the first half of 2017, startups raised a record of $1.27 billion through ICOs.The rise of ICOs has also resulted in the growing popularity of Bitshares and Ethereum, two of the most well known cryptocurrency platforms. ICOs use these cryptocurrency protocols to create digital currencies on top of these platforms.However, several issues are starting to arise with ICOs related to fraud and “illegal fundraising”. China, for example, just banned ICOs as forms of new digital currencies in order to prevent fundraising scams.

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Blockchain Firms Ripple, R3 File Dueling Lawsuits Over Crypto Contract Dispute

Distributed ledger startups Ripple and R3

have become embroiled in a new legal battle, with both startups filing lawsuits related to a contract dispute between the two firms. Ripple alleged in a complaint filed today in the Supreme Court of California that R3 failed to honor an agreement that included an option to purchase 5 billion XRP, the cryptocurrency of Ripple's distributed ledger network. According to Reuters, R3 asked the Delaware Chancery Court to uphold the deal, which would have allowed it to buy the XRP at a price of $0.0085 per token before September 2019. Currently, XRP is currently trading at roughly $0.21 apiece, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

A copy of R3's complaint was not available at press time. According to Ripple's complaint, R3 and Ripple allegedly struck a deal to create a joint commercial venture, which would have followed an earlier test, centered around XRP, that involved a number of banks involved with R3's consortium effort. In the complaint, Ripple accused R3 of failing to uphold its end of the bargain as its fundraising efforts picked up steam, ultimately concluding with a $107 million funding round announced this spring. Ripple also accused R3 of hiding the fact that several of its consortium members, including Goldman Sachs and Banco Santander, among others, were looking to exit the group despite promises of advancing XRP to the banks involved.

A spokesperson for Ripple told CoinDesk in a statement:

"Our filing is straightforward – R3 misrepresented their ability and intent to deliver on their commitments. Given XRP’s ~4000% increase over the course of the year, R3 suddenly wants to tap into the value of XRP, though the facts are clear that they did not earn any option based on our agreement. We wish them well as they continue to try and build their consulting practice. In the meantime, Ripple is focused on serving our ecosystem of nearly 100 customers and signing up more."

When reached, a representative for R3 declined to offer specifics on the case but struck an optimistic note about the firm's prospects in court. "R3 does not discuss the details of pending litigation," the spokesman said. "We are confident in our position and hope for a speedy resolution of this matter." The suit is a notable one, given that R3 and Ripple are two of the industry's best-funded startups and both focus their products primarily toward financial institutions. R3 and Ripple have raised $107 million and $96 million, respectively, in venture capital to date.

Chuck Reynolds

Marketing Dept
Contributor
Please click either Link to Learn more about -Bitcoin.
Interested or have Questions. Call me 559-474-4614

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

 

Three Equifax investors sold $17.8 mln in shares

days before the company announced it had suffered one of the biggest hacks in history. As Reuters reports Friday, the shares sold three days after Equifax knew of the hack, and it was as yet “not clear whether these transactions were part of a pre-arranged sales plan.”

The credit giant has said that hackers gained entry to sensitive information from an unprecedented 143 mln accounts between May and July. Data such as names, social security and driver’s license numbers fell into the hands of malicious parties, along with 209,000 credit card numbers. Larger than any comparable attack in the US, Equifax is due to publish a report into the events in the coming weeks, while commentators highlight the vulnerability of centralized information storage.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, this is a 10,” an analyst told Reuters.  

“It affects the whole credit reporting system in the United States because nobody can recover it, everyone uses the same data.”

Senate Select Committee on Intelligence vice-president Mike Warner went even further, describing the breach as “representing a real threat to the economic security of Americans.” Legacy infrastructure is becoming an increasingly difficult topic to avoid as hackers launch ever more sophisticated attacks affecting hundreds of businesses and other organizations at once. WannaCry, the Bitcoin ransomware attack which appeared in May, partly achieved its international success due to the inadequate and outdated software still used by prominent entities.

Bitcoin Congressman Polis Legislation Abolishes Tax For US Crypto Payments Below $600

 

Bitcoin-friendly congressman Jared Polis has introduced legislation

that could allow US citizens to pay in cryptocurrency without reporting it for tax. The Cryptocurrency Tax Fairness Act, a bipartisan effort with Republican David Schweikert, aims to give everyone a $600 leeway to use crypto without needing to submit a tax return to the IRS later.

Bitcoin and virtual currencies are still classed as property in the US, obligating users to report any form of gains or losses on holdings each tax year, regardless of amount. The issue is especially poignant in 2017, as the US’s largest exchange Coinbase battles the IRS in what consumers and politicians alike have criticized as an “overly broad” tax investigation. “To keep up with modern technology, we need to remove outdated restrictions on cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, and other methods of digital payment,” Polis said in a

press release Thursday.  

“By cutting red tape and eliminating onerous reporting requirements, it will allow cryptocurrencies to further benefit consumers and help create good jobs.”

Washington is currently home to the Blockchain Caucus, a joint initiative begun in February by Polis aiming to increase education and awareness of virtual currency among the echelons of US politics. Commenting on the new act, Coin Center CEO Jerry Brito, who worked with Polis on the Caucus, said it would create a “level playing field.”

“We applaud Representatives Polis and Schweikert for their leadership in introducing the Cryptocurrency Tax Fairness Act, which would treat cryptocurrencies similarly to how foreign currency is now treated and relieve users from having to keep track of small personal transactions,” he said. “Not only will this create a level playing field for digital currencies, it will also help unleash innovation on applications like micropayments, which can consist of dozens of transactions per minute and thus are difficult to square with the current law.”

Chuck Reynolds

Marketing Dept
Contributor
Please click either Link to Learn more about -Bitcoin.
Interested or have Questions. Call me 559-474-4614

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

How Blockchain Technology is Taking Gambling Industry to New Level

 

Blockchain technology has been slowly creeping into our lives,

and today its presence can be felt like never before, with Google search trends showing new records and the collective cryptocurrency market cap being at its highest. However, there are certain industries with which Blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies have been able to connect with on a deeper level, and gambling is one such industry. The symbiosis between crypto and gambling doesn't seem to be getting weaker either. Malta, a country that is known as a pioneer in the gambling industry, is planning to legalize the use of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies at online casinos, and is currently exploring the best options to do so. Yes, the future looks bright for these two, so let's take a look at how Blockchain technology is changing the gambling industry today.

Private, cheap, legal and accessible

Using cryptocurrencies for gambling has become a widely popular solution for casinos, either as a main payment system or as an alternative to fiat-based ones. The advantages are many and well documented. Using cryptocurrencies allows the user to gamble anonymously, without the need to hand over copies of documents or even create an account, depending on the platform. Smaller fees and almost-instant deposit times, have also made cryptocurrencies ideal for gambling, especially when it comes to small to medium movements. Lastly, cryptocurrencies have also been able to make online gambling accessible again, providing a low entry barrier for new players and allowing them to circumvent gambling regulations that apply to fiat only.

Probably fair

We all know that the house always wins. That’s why people build casinos in the first place, right? It’s all about making a profit in the long run, while the customer gets to enjoy himself and win big sometimes. Over time, however, the casino is always sure to make a profit and gamblers have grown to accept this.

Problems arise, however, with the lack of transparency that is prone to online casinos. If the gambler cannot be sure that the casino is indeed playing by the rules, he may not want to enter the game at all. However, cryptography has made it possible for gambling platforms to prove that they are indeed honest. Although this concept was not made possible by Blockchain technology itself, but rather by cryptography, Blockchain technology and smart contracts have taken it to the next level, allowing for more complex systems.

Decentralize everything!

Although Bitcoin is not the first cryptocurrency in history, it was the first one to provide a decentralized structure. This model allows not only for immutability and security, but also for a democratization of value creation. In Bitcoin, anyone can become a miner, profiting from newly issued coins, something that only bankers knew prior to Satoshi's masterpiece.

Blockchain technology brings this same characteristic to gambling, allowing anyone to be a member of the casino itself. Although some Bitcoin casinos allow users to fund the casinos and profit from a share of the house edge, these concept has been taken to the next level by crypto platforms like Ethereum, where projects like vSlice and many others have created a system where token holders receive automatic dividends from the profits generated by the platform. Wager, on the other hand, employs its own Blockchain network to provide a decentralized sportsbetting platform in which event outcomes are reported by a network of oracle masternodes.

The wisdom of the crowds

The wisdom of the crowds is a concept that is currently under the spotlight in the cryptosphere. Several projects leverage Blockchain technology to create decentralized prediction markets where users can bet on the outcome of an event, and having data from the event outcome introduced in a trustless manner. Although prediction markets were around before the Blockchain, their centralized structure grew far too problematic. Not only do these markets allow users to bet on pretty much anything, from the weather to sports events and elections, the data generated by the collective bets can also create a fairly accurate forecast on the outcome of that event. Magos, a complex forecasting model, leverages neural network technology to mine this data and filter it, creating highly accurate forecasts and positive returns for token holders.   

Saving the day

As we can see, cryptocurrencies and their underlying technology, the Blockchain, are changing the very fabric of online gambling. This affinity can be partially explained by human nature. Blockchain tech has come as a highly disruptive solution to problems that are inherent to many systems in our society and economy. In the gambling industry, these problems were heavily felt and crypto came just in time to save the day.

Chuck Reynolds

Marketing Dept
Contributor
Please click either Link to Learn more about -Bitcoin.

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Banks are finally preparing to use cryptocurrency to move money between them

The world’s biggest banks aren’t immune from cryptocurrency euphoria,

with a range of projects underway to explore how traditional financial firms can benefit from the innovation. Swiss banking giant UBS and 10 other companies say that they plan to use the technical idea behind bitcoin—a distributed ledger called a blockchain—for their own digital currency (paywall). This could show the way for the world’s biggest central banks to do the same. Banks like Barclays and HSBC are the latest to join the “utility settlement coin” project, started by UBS and Clearmatics Technologies in 2015. The idea is to develop a new, streamlined payment mechanism for institutional purposes. According to CoinDesk, it could potentially replace clearinghouses and other back-office plumbing that sits between buyers and sellers of assets.

Alex Batlin, who heads BNY Mellon’s blockchain projects, led work on utility settlement coin at UBS at its inception. For him, it’s an example of blockchain technology’s promise to remake finance. “Blockchain is a really good, resilient system,” he said in an interview earlier this summer. “The interesting thing about bitcoin is since its inception, no one’s cracked it. Yet it’s completely in the open.” BNY Mellon is also involved in the utility settlement coin project. The hope is that the UBS group will come up with something faster, cheaper, and more reliable than existing systems. Each settlement coin would represent fiat currency like euros and dollars on a one-to-one basis, and would thus be 100% backed by collateral at the domestic central bank, according to UBS. The idea is that exchanging the digital currency as payment for assets will be a more efficient means of exchange.

Because the digital coins will be backed by cash at a central bank, which cannot default (they can always print money if they have to), the crypto tokens are free from credit risk. UBS says transfers and ownership could be settled instantly—the promise of blockchain technology. There are still questions, like whether the technology could handle the volume necessary for the scale of institutional markets run by big banks. Central banks from Beijing to Washington have a similar idea, and are investigating whether they can issue their own digital currencies. While bitcoin was developed to disintermediate such centralized monetary authorities, the Bank of England believes it could use the technical ideas behind it to impose more control over its currency and provide new ways to stimulate the economy. Far from making mainstream finance obsolete, right now blockchain and cryptoassets appear to be one of the industry’s preferred new inventions.

The Bank of England published research last year (pdf) suggesting that a digital currency issued by a central bank could bolster financial stability, boost economic growth, and generally make monetary policy more efficient. A model for this is emerging in the private sector: The project involving UBS and other financial firms is far from complete—a limited launch could take place at the end of next year—but the momentum behind it suggests that cryptocurrencies are entering the mainstream.

Chuck Reynolds

Marketing Dept
Contributor
Please click either Link to Learn more about -Bitcoin.

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden