Thursday, May 19, 2016

EULA Example


Free EULA Example for Apple

"It would be appropriate to also require users to agree to the terms (EULA) and these terms must make it clear that there is no tolerance for objectionable content. We've attached a screenshot for your reference."
If you have seen this notice, you are developing an app and most likely, it is currently rejected. Well never fear - you can use this sample EULA example for Apple App Store.
<App Name> App End User License Agreement
This End User License Agreement (“Agreement”) is between you and <App Name> and governs use of this app made available through the Apple App Store. By installing the <App Name> App, you agree to be bound by this Agreement and understand that there is no tolerance for objectionable content. If you do not agree with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, you are not entitled to use the <App Name> App.
In order to ensure <App Name> provides the best experience possible for everyone, we strongly enforce a no tolerance policy for objectionable content. If you see inappropriate content, please use the “Report as offensive” feature found under each post.
1. Parties
This Agreement is between you and <App Name> only, and not Apple, Inc. (“Apple”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, you acknowledge that Apple and its subsidiaries are third party beneficiaries of this Agreement and Apple has the right to enforce this Agreement against you. <App Name>, not Apple, is solely responsible for the <App Name> App and its content.
2. Privacy
<App Name> may collect and use information about your usage of the <App Name> App, including certain types of information from and about your device. <App Name> may use this information, as long as it is in a form that does not personally identify you, to measure the use and performance of the <App Name> App.
3. Limited License
<App Name> grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the<App Name> App for your personal, non-commercial purposes. You may only use the<App Name> App on Apple devices that you own or control and as permitted by the App Store Terms of Service.
4. Age Restrictions
By using the <App Name> App, you represent and warrant that (a) you are 17 years of age or older and you agree to be bound by this Agreement; (b) if you are under 17 years of age, you have obtained verifiable consent from a parent or legal guardian; and (c) your use of the <App Name> App does not violate any applicable law or regulation. Your access to the <App Name> App may be terminated without warning if <App Name> believes, in its sole discretion, that you are under the age of 17 years and have not obtained verifiable consent from a parent or legal guardian. If you are a parent or legal guardian and you provide your consent to your child’s use of the <App Name> App, you agree to be bound by this Agreement in respect to your child’s use of the <App Name> App.
5. Objectionable Content Policy
Content may not be submitted to <App Name>, who will moderate all content and ultimately decide whether or not to post a submission to the extent such content includes, is in conjunction with, or alongside any, Objectionable Content. Objectionable Content includes, but is not limited to: (i) sexually explicit materials; (ii) obscene, defamatory, libelous, slanderous, violent and/or unlawful content or profanity; (iii) content that infringes upon the rights of any third party, including copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity or other personal or proprietary right, or that is deceptive or fraudulent; (iv) content that promotes the use or sale of illegal or regulated substances, tobacco products, ammunition and/or firearms; and (v) gambling, including without limitation, any online casino, sports books, bingo or poker.
6. Warranty
<App Name> disclaims all warranties about the <App Name> App to the fullest extent permitted by law. To the extent any warranty exists under law that cannot be disclaimed, <App Name>, not Apple, shall be solely responsible for such warranty.
7. Maintenance and Support
<App Name> does provide minimal maintenance or support for it but not to the extent that any maintenance or support is required by applicable law, <App Name>, not Apple, shall be obligated to furnish any such maintenance or support.
8. Product Claims
<App Name>, not Apple, is responsible for addressing any claims by you relating to the <App Name> App or use of it, including, but not limited to: (i) any product liability claim; (ii) any claim that the <App Name> App fails to conform to any applicable legal or regulatory requirement; and (iii) any claim arising under consumer protection or similar legislation. Nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed an admission that you may have such claims.
9. Third Party Intellectual Property Claims
<App Name> shall not be obligated to indemnify or defend you with respect to any third party claim arising out or relating to the <App Name> App. To the extent <App Name> is required to provide indemnification by applicable law, <App Name>, not Apple, shall be solely responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement and discharge of any claim that the <App Name> App or your use of it infringes any third party intellectual property right.
Free EULA Example for Apple
Good luck - let us know if our Free EULA Example for Apple worked for your application!

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Optimal Character Count Guide for Social Media Posts

Each social media site has different character limits that restrict how much you can include in each post. When you’re crafting your posts, you need to be aware of these limits and also take into account that the optimal character count can differ from the max amount of characters possible for a particular site. Below we will go through guidelines for posting length on some of the most popular social media sites.

Blog Posts

Headline Length: 8-12 words, fewer than 70 characters
By keeping your headline length under 70 characters, it optimizes your blog post for search engines. Also keep your keywords towards the beginning of the headline. If you need a longer headline but want to be able to post it to Twitter, make sure to keep it under 116 characters, since the link will take up 24 of the 140-character limit.
Blog Length: 1,600 words
The length guide for blog posts is trickier, because it depends heavily on what kind of blog you are writing. Different topics require different amounts of explanation and description, and you should make sure that you get your point across clearly even if that results in a much shorter or longer post than is considered “ideal.” 1,600-word articles result in about a 7-minute reading time, which tends to keep people interested and sharing the most.
Title Tag Length: Fewer than 70 characters
The title tag is what is shown in a search engine result and at the top of Internet browser, and it is used to describe the topic. You don’t want your title tag to get cut off prematurely, so keep it below 70 characters in length. Interestingly, Google seems to cut off according to pixel length rather than character length, which means that the letters you use and whether or not keywords are bolded will affect the outcome.
Meta Description Length: Fewer than 155 characters
The meta description is a short description of the link that shows up on the search engine result page. Again, Google determines meta description length by pixels rather than characters, but if you keep yours under 155 characters, you should be good to go.

Facebook

Status Update Length: 40 characters
The maximum limit for Facebook status updates is 63,206, but the ideal character length is 40. That being said, you need to use as many characters as necessary to clearly provide context for the post.
Video Length: 30-45 seconds
If you keep your video posts relatively short, viewers are more likely to watch them completely and enjoy them rather than move on to the next post. However, this again depends on the content you are providing. Videos that are 5 minutes long or longer can work and be very popular. Videos that you post on Facebook should be compelling and engaging, and it helps for them to make sense even when muted.

Twitter

Tweet length: 140-character maximum
Tweets are limited to 140 characters, but this is lessened even more if you are Retweeting, including an image, video, or other link, which take up part of the character limit. The ideal Tweet length is 100 characters without a link or 120 characters including a link. This leaves viewers enough room to add their own comment if they decide to Retweet your content word-for-word. You can also check out Twitter's guide on the subject, since it's definitely one of the more confusing sites for character limits!
Retweet Comment Length: 116 characters
Tweet with Link: 116 characters
Links greatly increase your chance of having people view and share your content on Twitter, so be sure to include them in most of your posts.
Tweet with Image/GIF/Video: 115 characters
Tweet with Link and Image/GIF/Video: 93 characters
If you find that you have more to say and can’t fit it into the strict Tweet character limit, try adding words onto the images that you include in your post.
Hashtag Length: Fewer than 11 characters
Hashtags should be small so that they can fit into other posts easily. In any given post, 1-2 hashtags are ideal, and make sure you don’t go over 3.
Video Length: 30 seconds or shorter
The maximum length for Twitter videos is 30 seconds, whether you import a video to the site or use Twitter’s own video recording function.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a more professional social site, and most of the ideal character lengths are simply “under the maximum,” depending on what you do and what you need to portray.
Professional Headline Max Length: 140 characters
The professional headline is a brief description of what you do and shows up under your name.
Summary Max Length: 2,000 characters
Position Title Max Length: 100 characters
Position Description Length: Between 200 and 2,000 characters
Status Update Max Length: 600 characters
If you plan to update your Twitter profile using LinkedIn, make sure to stay under the 140-character limit for status updates.

Instagram

Profile Bio Max Length: 150 characters
Caption Max Length: 2,200 characters
Keep in mind that if your Instagram caption is longer than 3 lines, the viewer has to hit “more” to see the entire post. However, it’s not necessary to keep your post under that limit, just make sure that you frontload your post so the most important information is given without having to hit “more”.
Keep the maximum limit and optimal character count in mind next time you post to your chosen social media site!

How to Spot Fake Online Reviews


Online reviews are a great way for consumers to determine whether or not they want to buy a product or use a business. They are also a great resource for building confidence in your own business and bringing in new clientele. The problem is, people know how helpful positive reviews and harmful negative reviews can be, so many have resorted to flooding the Internet with fake online reviews.
With regular advertising like billboards and commercials, the viewer understands that they are being pitched an idea from a company. However, online reviews are supposed to reveal genuine customer reactions and opinions of a product, so fake posts are deceptive and can be harmful to the company. In fact, companies like Amazon have started retaliating by suing people who write and sell fake reviews.
When you are trying to make purchasing decisions, use these 5 red flags to help you spot fake online reviews:
  1. Generic or random names. Most sites require the reviewer to sign in to an account before they can post a comment. You can sometimes spot fake reviews if the name attached to the account seems overly generic (like John Smith) or randomized to the point where a human would have a hard time creating or remembering it (like J325o729h384n).
  2. Review history. If a reviewer’s account has no prior history of comments, it is more likely to have been created specifically to help or hinder that website. If the reviewer has a long, rich history of reviews, they are probably giving their genuine opinions. Also, if the reviewer’s location is shown and is nowhere near the business, it’s likely fake. For example, a fake reviewer could show as living in India or China while reviewing a restaurant in California.
  3. Fake speech. Fake reviews will often contain excessive product-speech that doesn’t sound like a real person. This helps the review get noticed by search engines that look for specific key phrases and entire product names. Also, fake reviews often lack any details at all, claiming that a product has “miracle results” or that it “doesn’t work at all” but don’t give any specifics.
  4. Overly emotional reviews. If a reviewer is extremely hostile, it might be a fake opinion given by someone who is angry for some reason that may or may not have to do with the company. This can sometimes be a red flag for a bad product, but more often than not, it just means someone is angry at a specific person. Hostile reviews are also a major way that rival companies try to hurt their competition. Keep an eye out for superlatives like “best” and “worst” with a lot of exclamation points and reviews with excessive capitalization.
  5. Spammy reviews. If a reviewer has posted many reviews in a short period of time over several websites, it’s probably the result of computer spam. This is especially true if the reviews all have similar or even copy-pasted phrasing. Also beware of many reviews posted all at exactly the same time on a single website, even if it’s by different reviewers.
Whether you are looking at reviews for your own company’s website or for a product you may or may not want to buy, you should keep an eye out for fake reviews. They can be written by rival companies or by random Internet trolls who just want to start a fight. Fake reviews are more prevalent than you may think, so always look at reviews with a critical eye.

10 Ways to Use Your New Website to Boost Online Sales


So you have a fancy new website for your business, but you don’t know what to do next to use the site to boost your product sales. Incorporating a website into your business plan is a great step in modern times, but it can be an overwhelming one too. Here we’ll go over 10 tips to help you use your new website to boost online sales:

Design Your Store to Look the Part

Just having a website isn’t enough in competitive markets. First impressions are crucial, so you need a great-looking site that fits your business’s style visually through its web design. Customers should be able to see what your brand is about quickly and easily, without too much navigation. Your uses of color, images, videos, layout, and other web design factors combine to give your site emotion as well as information. Make the most of your web design!

Make Sure Your Website is Responsive

Your website needs to look great on all devices, from the smallest smart phone screen to the largest monitor. Navigating through your catalog needs to be easy, enjoyable, and great looking on every device. People are using mobile devices more and more often for online sales, so make sure your product is available to everyone all the time!

Get Search Engine Optimized

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of making your website appear higher on the results lists for search engines in order to maximize how many visitors are directed to your site. There are many SEO methods, and the rules are changing all the time as companies like Google tweak their search engines. If you need help getting started, check out some of Virtual Market Advantage’s other blogs or feel free to ask us questions directly!

Start Blogging

Starting your own blog is a cheap and effective SEO technique for bringing in new customers and spreading interest in your product. By providing new and valuable content, you can spread information while increasing trust in your brand. It also gives you content to spread through other means, such as social media and advertising. You can answer common questions about your product, offer tips or tutorials related to your business, and describe the lifestyle around your product.

Get on Google Places

Google Places is Google’s version of old-fashioned yellow pages. No matter what your business’s size, you need to make sure it is listed, so people can find you and your website more easily when they search for relevant topics.

Highlight Good Product Reviews

Buyers tend to respond to other people’s opinions. As knowledge of your product spreads, people will post comments and reviews. Make sure you keep track of the buzz surrounding your business, start up conversations with your customers, and incorporate their good reviews into your site so others can see what’s being said.

Build an Email List

Email marketing is a great tool for keeping in touch with your customers. Let people sign up on your website to receive coupons, sales, and other news and specials. This keeps your old customers coming back by reminding them that they already enjoyed your product and could benefit from buying more.

Give Out Coupon Codes

You can easily distribute coupons through your website, either directly on the page or through email marketing. Coupons are a tried and true method for both bringing in new customers and bringing previous customers back for more.

Utilize Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a method of advertising by making connections with other related businesses or interested people. You reward your affiliates for each visitor or customer they bring in through their marketing efforts. Similarly, you could be rewarded for directing people to them. Affiliate marketing is an amazing channel for increasing sales among online retailers, and can help you make new connections constantly.

Target Different Countries and Languages

Depending on your business, spreading your target audience to include people who live in different geographical regions and/or speak a different language can help take your business to the next level. You can start simply by offering translations of your website to one or two other languages. If you can’t translate it yourself, hire someone else to do it. This quick and simple addition to your website can open the door to so many more possible customers!
We hope some of these tips are helpful to you while you figure out how to best use your website to bring in more sales. And if you need help with the SEO, mobile responsiveness, web design, or even creating a whole new site, Virtual Market Advantage is here for you. We love helping our customers design and optimize their sites, so contact us today!