Proactive- the Key Word for Today. Take Heed.
Do not say we did not warn you! Last night we had another client’s website get hacked. The reason? Out of date software!
In the sage words of our Web Manager, Will Chatham, “it is not ‘if’ my site gets hacked, it is ‘when”.” Right now, more than ever before, the Black-Hat hackers are working to disrupt how we all do business on the internet. There are some reasons that a site gets hacked, and in the last few weeks we have seen all of them in use.
- Tags for Internet Security
The reasons and the fixes are from Ask Securi:
- Website with known vulnerabilities
- Out of Date Software
- Bad Usernames and Passsword
So, what can you do? My advice would be to hire corecubed to monitor, update and backup your site if that site in is WordPress, but there are the words from another source if you are more of a do it yourselfer:
- Stay away from Soup Kitchen servers – dedicate a server for your testing, staging and production environment. Familiarize yourself with the concept around website cross-contamination.
- Please, please, please update your software – this includes all thing from the web server OS, CMS platform, associate plugins and themes. In the last month or so we have seen updates to both WordPress and Joomla.
- Back up your site, data and anything else associated with the site – don’t back it up onto the same server, that kind of defeats the purpose of a backup.
- Engage a professional – Would you allow your cousin to operate on you if you needed surgery?
- Use unique credentials, stay away from admin and use random generators for your passwords. This applies to everything from your cpanel to database access, every one of those access points are possible attack vectors. Here is an article you might find interesting talking to how someone would crack your credentials, “How I’d Hack Your Weak Passwords“. Here is another one of a small test we did internally to identify the most commonly used credentials through the use of brute-force attacks.
- Don’t forget about your local environment, ensure you are running an AV on your machine – more often than not we see infections initiate from compromised machines housing trojans.
- Educate yourself – learn the do’s and don’ts about operating your own website, even if you have a professional. Don’t let yourself be a victim to a professional.
- Learn how to use .htaccess to lock down your site.
- Proactively scan your site manually to make sure things aren’t missed. There are a number of tools available to you, here are a few free tools (no emails and or registrations required): SiteCheck and UnmaskParasites
We all benefit greatly from the freedom and access we have with the Internet. Now it is time to put some extra locks on that open door, and to protect your self and your business, and those who do business with you. Call us or email us and we will be glad to help!
Visit the family of corecubed websites for homecare marketing products and services
Three Tips for Marketing a Mature Business
Here
in Louisville it will soon be time for a beloved annual tradition. The 138th Kentucky Derby is just two weeks away. It’s thrilling to see all the elaborate spring hats, taste mint juleps, spot celebrities, attend Derby parties, and to hear the sound of one lone trumpet play the tune of “My Old Kentucky Home.”
But above all this, Derby-goers get most excited about a bang, the sight of the gates opening and an announcer screaming, “And they’re off!” Many horses will gallop, but there will only be one winner.
The business world is a lot like the Kentucky Derby. Competition is fierce and the stakes are high–and only companies with well thought-out strategies succeed and mature. Mature businesses, home care or not, are companies that have a strong base of clients and are well known within their industry or region. Plus, they’ve done a good job of branding—their name, logo and products or services are easily recognizable.
So how can you draft a marketing strategy that fits your unique stage of business life? The following marketing tips can help start the process:
TIP #1: Don’t get complacent.
Complacency is dangerous. A well-established customer base can deliver a decent influx of cash for a business, but it can also bring a false sense of security. Far too many agency owners fall into the trap of thinking that name recognition means they can fudge on their marketing plan, or not pay attention to their customers.
TIP #2: Use a strategy that fits the times.
Well-established companies often make the mistake of getting stuck in a rut when it comes to their marketing strategies. It’s not surprising–after all, if a marketing strategy got you this far, why abandon it? The answer to that question is that customers change and marketing strategies and tactics change with technology and competition.
TIP #3: Don’t stray from your core message.
It’s important that your company continues to develop new ways to market your products or services—but be certain that changing strategies doesn’t result in wasted time focusing on issues other than marketing. If you’ve got a good product that works, don’t change it unless a changing customer base demands revision. Change the marketing strategy – not the product.
My expert team at corecubed provides integrated marketing communications services using a strategic approach to help clients create high-impact campaigns to launch or rebrand products or companies. Contact us today!
Content is king! (But visuals add the crowning touch.)
Hopefully, if you are in business, you have interesting, unique things to say about your business. According to the findings of a recent survey conducted by HiveFire, Inc., it turns out that your personal reflections, advice and comments on industry trends are what your target audience really wants to read about. I’ve known since I starting blogging, using social media and writing newsletters that the more original the content is, and the more engaging and contemporanious it is, the more success you will find in reaching new listeners. So, if you enjoy writing, and can make it interesting, then write, write, write, and marry the content with a visual as much as possible.
Stay engaged to what your peers are saying and I guarantee you will easily have much more to contribute. The survey results also find that capturing reader attention can be as easy as adding a photo or image to your post. With this advice, sharing via blog, Twitter or Facebook once or twice a week can be a piece of cake.
Recently, I wrote about visual marketing and how relevant graphic campaigns—with the launch of Pinterest and Facebook Timeline—are with today’s audience. Read the post and my earlier posts about home care marketing tips, and you’ll soon realize even more how all the dots of marketing strategy connect, and how a healthy online presence is so important.
My fabulous team at corecubed can set up social media accounts, create a strategy for success, and implement!
Visual Marketing and Messaging: It’s a New Age
I think its a homer....
Aren’t we at corecubed lucky that one of our strong points is the design talent we possess? With the meteoric rise of Pinterest to Facebook’s $1 billion purchase of Instagram, it is clear that visual marketing and messaging are gaining popularity based on results – success.
From an article about Facebook purchasing Instagram:
“Anyone in marketing, PR and social media should clearly see that the momentum is moving to visual marketing and messaging. Pinterest, Instagram Path and Facebook’s shift to the Timeline format all point to the value of messaging through images. ”
So, what can corecubed do for you?
We can create graphic campaigns.
We can tell your company story in images and share it all over the Internet.
We can create strategic, targeted visual messaging for you through Facebook, Pinterest, etc.
Request a free complimentary 15 minute telephone conference with me, Merrily Orsini, by requesting here. It’s certain to be a homer! Thanks to Marissa Snook, corecubed’s MOST Program Administrator for the great shot taken at Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory.
Merrily Speaks on Marketing Home Care
Presenting on home care marketing strategy never gets old. Right around the corner, I’ll be keynoting at conferences around the country on customer service and web-based internet marketing, as well as teaming up for an an informative webinar with Will Chatham, Web Manager and a critical component of our corecubed team. Here’s a preview of the marketing goodness that’s to come.
Merrily Orsini Brings Humor and Experience and Relevance to an Audience
May 8, 2012
Texas Association for Home Care & Hospice Private Pay Conference: Think Big!
Keynoting with my presentation, “Bigger & Better Customer Service: Winning and keeping clients in today’s market,” you’ll learn my definition of ‘lagniappe’ and how we add that extra dollop to home care. Today’s home care market has competitive and economic challenges that require new tactics and tools to succeed. Providing excellence in both the quality of the care provided and the way it is delivered necessitates a concierge mentality from initial contact through service provision. How do you build it into the agency as core values?
Plus, I’ll be leading a Breakout Session—Inbound Marketing: The Skinny on Social Media. Technology is changing how people find and choose home care providers. From blogging to Facebook, to LinkedIn and Google+, attendees will learn how to integrate traditional agency marketing into today’s strategy.
Register here: http://www.tahch.org/TAHCH/Education_Central/Prof_Continuing_Education.aspx
October 16 – 18, 2012
New York State Association of Health Care Providers’ 2012 Annual Management Conference & Exhibition
Keynoting with my collective thoughts on “The Effective Website: Ever Shifting, Ever Changing,” conference attendees will look through a kaleidoscope, and change their perspective on website functionality and marketing. Technology in today’s world changes rapidly, and how the website is used changes as the viewer changes his scope, and as technology changes the view. How does an agency best use the Internet as a marketing tool? This informative session will address how to integrate all marketing efforts into the agency website, implementing a strategy for success.
Also leading the Breakout Session, “Convergence and Interactivity: Spend an Hour a Week for Results,” I’ll touch on how to maximize the time-limited work week, and how to keep online content fresh, keep the search engines happy, and how to engage potential and current referral sources and customers.
October 21 – 24, 2012
National Association for Home Care & Hospice Annual Meeting & Exposition
With my breakout seminar on, “Inbound Marketing: A Natural for Home Care with Mobile Apps, Website Resources, and Social Media,” I’ll be talking about all things mobile. More and more, the mobile phone and tablets are fast becoming the hub for much of home care sales and marketing. Growing a business is more about having the right information available in a variety of online ways, and interacting and responding appropriately. Attendees will leave ready to get social!
Register here: http://www.nahc.org/Meetings/AM/12/
April 25, 2012
National Private Duty Association (NPDA) Webinar: The Agency Website as the Core of Marketing Strategy
As more people search for resources online, the agency website has become the core for marketing services. Making the most of the agency website, not only in design, but in content, and having the search engines rank the site on the first page, are key goals for marketing. Learn the basics from Will Chatham and me, in this interactive webinar where live sites will be used as examples.
To register contact marla@privatedutyhomecare.org and while you are at it, mention to NPDA that they need to hire corecubed to redesign their website so they can market their webinars online!
For more information about booking me for your next event, check out my “Book Merrily” page and contact my team today!
