Binary options trading as a type of investment has not yet entered the mainstream because so many people have been burned by them. The entire industry�s reputation suffers from the sites that look and sound like online gambling platforms. Here is sound advice on what to do and what not to do when entering binary options trading.

What to Do When Getting Into Binary Options Trading

Do understand the trends in the product you are investing in whether gold, Bitcoins, cattle or stocks. Research the standard price range of the item and then set options based on expected deviations.

Do use reputable trading platforms. Using trading platforms not licensed with the SEC or other agencies in the United States means you have no recourse if they rip you off. Don�t trade with no name platforms that may be scams in disguise. And do your due diligence researching the broker for scandals and allegations of fraud before you sign a contract.

Do use binary options trading as a lower cost way of investing in commodities you may otherwise not want to own. Binary options trading on the value of Bitcoins lets you trade on their trends without worrying about how the IRS would treat the sale of Bitcoin if you profited from an expected price increase. And when you buy binary options on gold, there�s no concern that your home could be broken into by someone who wanted to steal it.

Do buy foreign currency exchange options instead of trading on the forex market directly if you are certain political events will alter the currency�s value but don�t want to take on the risk of leveraged margins. For example, even modest price fluctuations can result in margin calls on the forex trading platform that require you to pay an additional margin.

The side benefit of binary options trading is that you set it and can forget about it, instead of worrying about 24×7 trading that can affect the forex market. And binary options trading is free of the risk that a counterparty in spot currency trading cannot pay the contract.

Do create strategies to minimize losses and maximize gains, just as companies engage in risk management through the purchases of insurance and business planning. Don�t just buy and sell at random and hope you�ll make money.

Do start small. This is a form of risk management for new binary options traders as you try out different formulas. When starting out, only invest what you could afford to lose if wrong because there are times you will be wrong. Keep it small even when starting with someone else�s proven system.

Do accept that you�ll lose once in a while. Even the investor who wins 80% of the time loses 20%.

What Not to Do When Binary Options Trading

Do not make the assumption that trends that have been going up will continue to go up. Real estate bubbles of the 2000s, land speculation bubbles in the 1800s and even the Tulip bubble that happened before the United States was founded occurred because people assumed the upward trend would only continue.

Don�t invest money in binary options you cannot afford to lose. There is a fair chance you will select the wrong price point or misjudge a trend and lose money. While binary options trading is not gambling, you should not invest in something with this much risk unless you can afford to lose the money you spend on the options.

Do not allow your account manager to make trades for you. Their intent in doing this is to maximize their income from fees regardless of your rate of return. Some dishonest brokers will manage the account just well enough to earn you a profit and request more funds be deposited before maximizing their fees on risky trades that guarantee them a profit. If the broker tries to pressure you into handing over control of the account, withdraw your money and flee.

Don�t accept a bonus unless you already know what you are doing. When you accept a bonus, you�re giving up your rights to withdraw your money until you�ve done enough trading. In short, you lock yourself in until you�ve paid them enough in commissions on the deal. And this is costly if you are making mistakes.

Do not let your emotions get the best of you when engaging in binary options trading. The majority of day traders lose money because they constantly monitor the stocks, feeling emotional highs when prices rise and lows when they fall, and they act just as often in response to fear as a desire to do something in the face of these trends. Instead, select the right type of binary options and a well-researched price point and then leave it along.

Those who get involved in daily or even minute by minute binary options trading end up becoming gamblers, riding a wave of successes until they lose and taking greater and greater risks in response to losses until they cannot afford to continue. If you�re desperate to make your money back or eager to win big, step away from the computer and don�t trade today. If you�re a gambler at heart, binary options are probably not what you should be investing in.

Don�t invest money with a broker that you will need in the short term. Getting money out of the contracts or out of the brokerage may take time. This is similar to Dave Ramsey�s advice not to invest the money for your emergency fund, because you need to be able to access it when you have an emergency.

Don�t buy a binary options contract without understanding what it is and how it pays out.

Factors to Consider

Do understand the terms and conditions set by the broker. This will tell you the rules on withdrawals, bonuses, deposits and fees. A failure on your part to read the rules does not give you an out if you don�t like them later.

Don�t accuse the broker of being shady or immoral. Even if this is true, doing this will make it harder to get your money out and, if they�ve been given permission to control your account, it gives them an incentive to make bad trades to punish you. You can prevent this problem in the first place with thorough research in advance regarding the trading platform or using trading platforms like Stern Options that have been in business for years.

Conclusion

If you�re going to invest in binary options, don�t get emotional in your trades, guess, try to ride or time the market or assume you�ll always win. However, do your research on trading platforms, the types of binary options, the rules and terms of service of the trading platform and the underlying type of investment. Start small so you can afford the losses, and learn as much as you can before you invest anything in binary options to reduce the risk of losses in the first place.

Starting a business is, for many entrepreneurs, the easy part. Once you have gotten your business registered and ready to start trading, the hard work begins with promoting it via a range of marketing methods, gaining brand exposure and encouraging customers to spend their money on trying the products and/or services that you have to offer them.

For many small business owners who are operating on a tight start-up budget, making significant investments in marketing their new brand could seem impossible. Thankfully, there�s no need to spend thousands of dollars on marketing your new company � there are many routes to take to keep spending to a minimum whilst still enjoying maximum results. We�ve listed some of the best ways to save money on marketing and promoting your new business.

Tip #1. DIY Offline Marketing Materials:

One of the best things about marketing your new business today is that most of it is expected to be done online. This means that, for a small fee, you can use your business website for marketing purposes, along with a huge range of other online marketing methods that we will discuss in more detail further on. However, many business owners don�t want to forgo the idea of using offline marketing methods, such as billboards and flyers, since these can still be hugely effective methods of creating brand exposure and encouraging more traffic to your website or footfall through the doors. But, the cost of hiring a professional graphics designer and printing offline marketing materials could be out of reach for many small business budgets. But, there�s no need to worry � online tools such as this flyer maker allow you to create professional, appealing flyers at a fraction of the price.

Tip #2. Use Social Media Marketing:

Although there are many premium paid features available for businesses on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, for the most part, setting up a business profile and using it to engage with your customers is free of charge. Because of this, it�s hugely important that new business owners get their brand set up on social networks as soon as possible. For the best results, it�s a good idea to have a presence across all the popular networks, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and LinkedIn to name a few. However, bear in mind that simply being on social media won�t be enough to effectively market your brand and drive increasing traffic to your site. Social media engagement is absolutely vital; this means being active on social media and responding to followers, posting great content, and encouraging your followers to get involved and share their views through social media polls and more.

Tip #3. Utilize Word of Mouth Marketing:

Never underestimate the power of conversations when it comes to marketing your business! No matter how professional your flyers look or how active you are on social media, there�s always going to be a problem if your reputation isn�t the best. If your customers leave with only bad things to say about your brand, then you can expect this to influence the amount of business that you receive. On the other hand, making sure that you provide each customer with an awesome experience that they�ll want to share the details of with friends and family will help you to gain more customers.

Today, one of the most popular methods of word of mouth marketing is leaving online reviews; this is very convenient for customers and puts the information out there where it can be easily reached by just about anyone who�s interested in finding out more about your brand. Encourage your customers to leave glowing reviews by providing them with a fantastic experience. In addition, you should always be up to date on what people are saying about your brand, so that you can respond accordingly. Even if a customer leaves a bad review, if others see that you have responded by apologizing and offering to rectify the situation, this could help save your reputation.

Tip #4. Use Loyalty Schemes:

When you start a new business, it�s not only important to market to your new customers, but also to encourage loyalty once you begin to build a customer base. One of the best ways of doing this is via loyalty schemes; for example, you can give customers a special card that is marked each time they make a purchase. Once they have made a specified number of purchases from your business, they will be able to claim a free gift or money-off voucher as a thank you for their loyalty to your brand. This is one of the best ways to keep your customers coming back for more when coupled with great customer service and a friendly, hassle-free experience � after all, who doesn�t love a good deal! You could even take it further by rewarding your customers for inviting their friends. For example, you could offer a special deal or voucher to anyone who refers a new customer who then makes a purchase.

Tip #5. Get in the News:

Doing something newsworthy is sure to get your new business out there, especially in your local area. There are plenty of things that you can do to get your business in the news; this doesn�t even have to involve the company as a whole � often, entrepreneurs do things individually, but still have their business name printed when it makes the press. For example, you could do a charity skydive, and get your local newspaper to cover it. A few examples of things that your business could consider doing include charity work, improving the local community, or sponsoring a sports team or similar. Or, your business could provide great opportunities; for example, some companies have schemes that allow ex-offenders to land a job upon their release from jail, helping them to lead a fulfilling life and re-integrate into the community whilst lowering their risk of returning to crime.

Did these tips help you with marketing your new business? We�d love to hear from you in the comments.

You might have the need for the skills of a talented graphic designer at some point in the future. Graphic designers are artistic people who can create advertising, signs and various other artwork that can be used for many different purposes. It is important for you to realize that not all graphic designers are not alike. Their level of talent will vary greatly. This is why you should avoid hiring the first one that you discover online. Take the time needed to compare many of the graphic designers that are out there. Your patience will pay off in a big way. Here are some of the key qualities the graphic designer you hire should possess.

1. A graphic designer should be able to produce artwork in a wide variety of styles.

The amount of styles that a graphic designer can produce is one of the things that separates the best people in this profession from all of the rest. You may want to hire a graphic designer to do several different pieces of artwork for you. You do not want them all to look the same. Therefore, it is critical that the person you hire to do your artwork is skilled enough to create pieces that have a completely different look and feel to them. This is why you need to take a close look at the previous artwork of a graphic designer before you decide to hire that person. Looking at his or her previous work will let you know if the person is capable of providing you with the quality of artwork you are looking for.

2. A graphic design company should offer a variety of services.

You might need other services besides graphic design work. If this is the case, you will need to find a graphic design company that is also able to provide you with the specific services that you require. For example, you might need the graphic design work you are ordering to be reproduced on a massive scale. This means you will need to have these piece professionally printed. This would obviously be much easier for you if the graphic design company is also capable of performing the printing that you require. However, not all graphic design companies offer printing services. You should never assume this is the case. You might also need to have a Memorial card designed for a funeral. There is also the chance that you need some old photos to be restored. Whatever the case may be, you should check with the graphic design company to find out exactly what services they offer.

3. What is the usual turnaround time for the graphic designer?

You might have a very strict deadline that you need all of your graphic design work to be completed by. It is therefore critical that you find a graphic design company that is capable of meeting your deadline. Companies in the graphic design industry work at different speeds. This is why you need to ask the company what their usual turnaround time is for the amount of work you need to have done. You should consult with many companies to find out which one will be able to finish their work the fastest. Never assume a graphic designer will meet your deadline.

Many people often ask themselves and others: How can I make money online? I often asked that question myself. It is a known fact that the internet offers possibilities that can generate rags to riches stories over night. Just think of all the online-made billionaires.

However, to achieve something like that, you must really be able to come up with a brilliant idea. Well, my lucky star is not so high in the sky – yet… Nonetheless, there are other ways for you to generate an income online, and affiliate marketing is one of the best things you can do to achieve that.

So, what is affiliate marketing? Let’s say you have a website, a blog for instance. Regardless of the niche you are addressing in your posts, someone else will have a product that your niche requires. If you choose to promote that person’s or business’ product or service, so that your targeted audience buys it, you will be financially rewarded. In other words, whenever someone follows a link on your website to another one and buys something you will earn a commission – a percentage from the selling price of the product that your referral bought. Such products can be either physical (a perfume or a weight loss supplement, for instance) or digital (some kind of software, an eBook, etc.)

Personally, I prefer promoting digital products or services, because, in comparison to physical products, commissions tend to be higher. However, you must adapt your affiliate marketing efforts to the niche you are addressing. Why? Well, think about it – let’s say that you own a travel blog. It wouldn’t make any sense to promote some kind of cosmetic product or photo editor. The people who visit your site do that, because they are interested in tourism and places where they can spend their vacations. As a following, none of them will ever buy a face cream or a new software release. On the other hand, if you are promoting a hotel in Barcelona, a guest house in Vienna and an airline that offers cheap flights to the Bahamas, you have every chance to earn quite a decent amount of money. I’ve done this for quite some time now and it works just fine, because there are literally thousands of hotels around the globe that offer affiliate programs. In addition to that, you can refer people to take surveys or sign up for something. This is another type of affiliate marketing that works just fine. You won’t earn as much as you would if you were to apply the above-mentioned example, but it is money that you receive, so it counts.

Why does affiliate marketing work so well? You just have to think about advertising. Businesses prefer this type of marketing as an efficient way to promote their products and/or services, because they will have to pay for advertising only when there is a sale. Furthermore, publishers (website owners) like affiliate marketing, because they can choose to promote products that are relevant for their targeted audiences. Earnings from affiliate sales can generate higher revenues than any pay-per-click/impression advertising program out there. To sum up, affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to make money online. I can’t promise you that it will make you rich, but I can assure you that it can help you make more money than you could earn as a 9 to 5 employee – well, as long as you’re not the CEO of a billion Dollar corporation, that is.

Much has been written about the transformation the manufacturing sector is currently undergoing. A wave of new technologies like IoT, automation, and machine learning are coming onboard at the same time that every conceivable product is becoming more complex and high-tech. The priorities of manufacturers remain the same, but the process of manufacturing is in the midst of a sea change.

With all that is going on, it can be easy to lose sight of what is really driving these changes. Even though the factories and supply chains of the new future will be much more high-tech than the ones of the recent past, advanced machines are not what characterizes trends that are variously known as the 4^th Industrial Revolution and Manufacturing 4.0.

The key component in any manufacturing initiative from now moving forward is data. All of the technologies that are being rushed into implementation are designed to either harvest more data or to leverage the value of that data in new ways. For instance, automation and machine learning are less about getting robots to build the products of the future and more about standardizing best practices and spotting opportunities for process improvements. These process are not bigger, faster, or stronger because they are driven by machines. They are smarter because they are driven by data.

The role of data in the present and future of manufacturing is important to understand, because reaping the rewards of future manufacturing will take targeted investments and careful strategies. And the manufacturers who commit too heavily to the wrong initiatives could waste a lot of money, cause a lot of disruption, and introduce a distinct competitive disadvantage.

In the rush to update and upgrade factories, the benefits and hazards of data must be a primary concern. Data can lead to many substantial rewards, but the challenge of capturing, storing, analyzing, and utilizing it is a hurdle even for the largest enterprises. Without a robust data management strategy in place along with data management tools like a manufacturing ERP system, the potential of next-generation industry is largely lost.

That should be troubling for all manufacturers, because data promises to enhance every aspect of the supply chain and lead directly to capabilities that have never been possible before:

• Increase the accuracy, quality, and overall yield of complex manufacturing processes in industries like biotech production.
• Create integrated factories that monitor every aspect of production for more consistent results throughout facilities and supply chains.
• Use metrics to better forecast demand, analyze performance, and improve service and support.
• Form better, more predictable relationships with suppliers.
• Stay compliant with expanding regulations for workplace safety and product quality.
• Track the performance of individual machines and granulated processes.
• Introduce more customization and specialization into production processes.
• Integrate manufacturing with the efforts of other departments like sales and accounting.
• Accurately tie manufacturing performance metrics to financial indicators.

The good news for manufacturers is that a focus on data is one of the more modest and measured improvements that can be made to a production facility/process. It requires a relatively small investment in new technologies in order to begin turning data into assets. In many cases, manufacturers are already producing valuable data, they simply lack a way to give it form and function.

It is time that we stop picturing the factories of the future as high-tech Rube Goldberg machines and start picturing them realistically � as smarter versions of what we already have. The way to seize the potential of the future is to simply embrace the value of the data that is already there.