911 Essay

911 Essay

Business

What Small Businesses Can Learn From Fast Food Joints

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When you are thinking about opening up a small business, or you’ve already got an existing small business that maybe isn’t progressing and growing as you had hoped, it’s normal to look outside your own goals and operations and see what other businesses are doing. How are they succeeding? How are they making a mark in their industry and managing to meet all the goals they set out to achieve?


While you may be tempted to look at the competition for inspiration and answers, there could be an industry that offers even more answers, and that industry may come as a surprise to you. No matter what kind of small business you own, did you know that you can actually learn a whole lot from fast food joints and how they operate? Sure it may not answer all your questions, but it can certainly shed light on areas that can then help you to succeed.

So what can small businesses learn from fast food joints? Let’s take a closer look.

They Know How to Find Staff and Fast

The employees you have are what help to make or break your company, so with that in mind you don’t have time to sit around and wait for that right candidate to fall into the job. This is where you can look to fast food joints. When they need staff they are proactive and take every measure to make sure they find the right person, and quickly. They understand that means posting their fast food jobs online, in the store, and even in the local newspaper if need be.

Then there is the job ad itself. They are usually specifically laying out what work experience is required, and the skillsand traits that can make a person a good candidate. Again, that can provide you with tips on how to craft your own job postings.

Be Transparent About Your Suppliers

Another thing that fast food joints are known for is using high-quality suppliers and then broadcasting it to the world. They want to be transparent when it comes to the food customers can expect, and show them that it’s better quality, which is therefore healthier. This is another lesson that small businesses can use, as they move to be more transparent about their suppliers and the quality of the products.

Branding is Everything

Fast food joints are pros when it comes to recognising that branding is everything. They know that they need to be aggressive in their marketing, getting the word out, and carving that niche for themselves in a highly competitive industry. Carving a niche and branding is essential for any company, regardless of the size of it or the industry it is in. Building a name for your company takes time, but it’s something that needs to be done.

Be Consistent At All Times

Fast food joints, especially those that are franchises, also need to be consistent. This means consistent in their menu options, the quality of their food, and the quality of their service. Consistency is something that customers appreciate and quite frankly demand, no matter what industry you are looking at.

While it may not seem like your small business has anything in common with fast food joints, as you take a closer look it’s clear that there is a lot you can learn from them.

Check Out This Guide On How to Track, Manage And Protect Business Leads

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Leads are the lifeblood of businesses. It is already an established fact that generating new leads will provide an opportunity to help your business grow. But you have to nurture these leads if they are going to turn into actual customers. However, they can leave faster than they came if you don’t have a working lead management strategy in place.

There are best practices that can be employed to ensure your sales force is effectively retaining and converting leads. From attracting prospects through strategic marketing campaigns to maintaining a working relationship that will keep them doing business with you; tracking, protecting, and managing your leads are activities that cut through your daily business activities that you should take seriously.

Competent Response service

The initial enquiry is an important aspect of sales. If the prospect isn’t impressed with the first response you provide, that relationship will likely end before it even begins. It is important that all incoming calls concerning enquiries are responded to professionally and courteously.

Availability is also an issue when it comes to converting and maintaining leads through calls. You may lose a big potential client by staying away from the phone even for a minute. Existing clients might be facing issues they also need to resolve quickly, and if you’re not available, they may turn to competitors for solutions. As a result, ensure there is always someone beside the telephone to take incoming calls. Your business can also benefit from employing a professional telephone answering service.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software

The days of going through tedious processes such as using excel sheets to keep record of and manually track leads are long gone. The process of tracking and managing leads have been made a lot easier through CRM software. The adoption of CRM is already widespread and your competitors are already likely integrating this systematic approach into their lead campaign strategies. Studies have revealed that overall adoption of CRM software has tremendously increased over the years, with Gartner forecasting that the industry will be worth $40b by 2018. The migration of CRM applications to the cloud has also become a game changer in lead management.

Your CRM software is an automated business tool that tracks everything concerning your existing customers and potential ones. The tool provides data that include the last time the customer contacted, the outcome of your customers’ interactions, and the best move to take based on their feedback.

Online strategies and Social Media

You can track and manage leads through internet strategies such as email and social media marketing. If you have a social media presence, you can track the needs of potential leads, identify what they are interested in, understand their pain points, and maintain a close relationship with them. Through emails, you can also reach out to your prospects and notify them on new products and offers.

Boost your business today through proper lead management procedures

Your leads should be treated specially as customers. Even if there is a chance they will not turn into clients, you shouldn’t take any prospect for granted.

Plastic Surgery to Fix Hardened Implants in Los Angeles and Other Issues Following Breast Augmentation

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Breast surgery is one of the most common cosmetic procedures in the world. Women want to look feminine and have a beautiful bus line. Sometimes, this means that women have to undergo breast augmentation surgery, creating a curvier, fuller look. Other women look at having a breast reduction. And other still simply look to have their existing breasts lifted.

There are many types of cosmetic surgery and many reasons to have it. No matter what however, doctors should ensure their patients have realistic expectations of how they will look after the procedure. Additionally, physicians must tell their patients that’s some things can go wrong as well. With breast implants, for instance, the implant could harden at some point. Dealing with this is simply part of overall maintenance. Hence, plastic surgery to fix hardened implants in Los Angeles may at some point be required.

The Need or Plastic Surgery to Fix Hardened Implants in Los Angeles

Breast implants are used in breast augmentation surgery period the implant is usually filled with either saline or silicone. While these implants last for a very long time, they do not last forever period sooner or later, they will have to be replaced. In most cases, women find they have to replace their implants once they Harden. Unfortunately, hardening of the implants is not reversible and the only solution is to remove them and replace them. Silicone implants generally do not harden as much or as quickly.

Another problem is that ageing and gravity cannot be stopped. Even with implants, breasts will start to hang downwards period eventually, this may look as if a woman never had surgery. If a woman notices this, they do need to speak to the doctor. Once gravity takes hold, women can choose to have their implants replaced for larger or even slightly harder ones.

Modern medical science has come a long way. In the past, breast implants were made from silicone. Unfortunately, some of these started to leak and cause significant health problems. So much so in fact, that they were removed from the market and had to be redesigned. In November 2006 however, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the new implants.

Today, we are on what is known as the third generation of implants. Most of those are silicone again. However, they are far better engineered and they feel a lot more natural. Unsurprisingly, women love them much more as well.

Should you have breast implants that are over 15 years old, you may want to make an appointment to have them reviewed. Well it is likely that there is nothing wrong with them, they may require a little bit of maintenance. You should also have a feel to see whether they have started to harden. If so, it might be time to consider a replacement. While you may not be looking forward to having more surgery, you are likely to be incredibly happy with the end result.

5 Things You Can Do To Protect The Environment

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Currently, climate change is becoming a disturbing issue. This is largely due to waste products which release harmful toxins when they break down, not to mention emissions from factories and automobiles. You might be wondering what you can do to reduce your own impact on the environment. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to help remedy this situation. Here are a handful of things you can do to protect the environment.

Walk or Ride a Bike: It’s no secret that our automobiles are a major contributor to climate change. Due to our modern lifestyle, it’s probably not reasonable to get rid of them completely. However, you want to be aware of when you need them and when you don’t. If your destination is within walking distance, you might consider walking or riding a bike. Not only is this better for the environment, but it’s also exercise.

Unplug Unused Electronics: Many people don’t realize that our electronics are still using energy even when we’re not using them. Energy is being consumed even if they’re just plugged in. Therefore, keeping your electronics unplugged when you’re not using them can go a long way toward reducing your energy consumption. Doing this will make your electric bill cheaper as well. It is also recommended to look up how to dispose properly of any electronics and cameras instead of just throwing them to the curb.

Use Rechargeable Batteries: It may surprise you to learn how damaging a single battery use can be to the environment. Its corrosive materials, and the fact that they’re rarely disposed of properly can cause all sorts of problems. One thing you can do to combat this is to use rechargeable batteries. Duracell rechargeable batteries, in particular, can be recharged hundreds of times. You can find them at a reasonable price at Spares2You.

Install a Low-Flow Shower head: Another thing you may not have noticed is that our showers use more water than required. Although it may not seem like it, most of the world’s water is not usable or drinkable. Because of this, it’s important to conserve what we can. A low-flow shower head can help you do this. This way, you’ll use less water when you shower. Once again, this will also help you spend less money on bills along with reducing your impact on the environment.

Use Reusable Shopping Bags: Our use of plastic bags is having a devastating impact on the environment. This is because plastic bags aren’t biodegradable, meaning nature can’t break them down. This has a major effect on the habitats of animals in particular. The solution to this is to use reusable shopping bags. Bringing a cloth bag with you when you go shopping can work wonders in reducing your carbon footprint.

These are a few of the things you can do to reduce your environmental impact. Although the destruction of our environment may seem like an overwhelming issue, small steps such as these can lead to big changes. And by providing a good example to your fellow man, you can encourage others to follow in your footsteps.

Why 2018 Is The Year More Businesses Will Start Accepting Bitcoin

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There are still many sections of society where Bitcoin is just a buzzword encountered in the news. Despite the fact it’s a relatively young currency, the last 12 months have seen Bitcoin start to gain even more widespread acceptance and traction. Bitcoin has many advantages and businesses are starting to make the most of the benefits of accepting a cryptocurrency as a valid form of payment.

People in general, let alone businesses, can be a little wary of new technology until it has proven its worth. Bitcoin’s continued growth and broadening acceptance are creating a situation where businesses can’t afford to ignore it, as it will only be a matter of time before one of their competitors is accepting Bitcoin.

Business is cheaper with Bitcoin

Any company that accepts online card or PayPal payments has to pay transaction fees for the pleasure of selling goods. They can also be made to wait for the funds to reach their bank account. Bitcoin eliminates both of these problems by cutting out the middleman. Because it’s a peer-to-peer system, there are no middlemen to charge you fees, and the payments are instant and irreversible.

When the savings can be anywhere in the region of 2% to 6%, it’s easy to see why businesses would want to encourage their customers to use a payment method with a 0% transaction fee. Many businesses have been running promotions and special offers for people who pay using Bitcoin, from added benefits when purchasing goods through a .com, to added bonuses when depositing money at a Bitcoin-exclusive casino such as Vegas Casino. Online casinos often wait days, sometimes weeks, before they receive the money you’re depositing from a card company, despite having to give you access to your funds straight away. This can be bad news for a business’s cash flow and is now eliminated by the use of Bitcoin.

‘Fees Key’ – GotCredit via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

The Bitcoin community is growing

Bitcoin is still used by a very small percentage of the population, but it’s a group of people who have wealth tied up in Bitcoin, and many are ready to spend. Although many businesses are getting onboard the Bitcoin express, there are still a relatively small number of places for people to spend using Bitcoin. This means getting in early can open up a whole new customer base for you.

The Bitcoin community is enthusiastic about their preferred cryptocurrency and will go out of their way to help make it a success. This creates a desire to show solidarity to businesses accepting Bitcoin by supporting the business with their custom.

Some cities and regions even have local Bitcoin meet-up groups who get together to due to their common support of the cryptocurrency.

Are you a lion or a sheep?

If Bitcoin continues on its current trajectory, even when all the ups and downs are factored in, it won’t be long before it is a completely normal and mainstream currency. Jumping into the market 12 months after your main competitors have already started accepting Bitcoin isn’t going to generate much love from the community. Accepting Bitcoin can be very easy, carries little to no risk, and has many potential benefits.

The only question is, are you a leader or a follower? Do you want to send the message to your customers that you’re at the cutting edge and trying to provide them with more options, or are you happy to wait and instead send the message that says of ‘Of course we accept Bitcoin, everybody does. That’s presuming they even notice you’ve started accepting it, as any potential novelty factor will have worn off, used up by competitors who were the first in your market or area.

The commercial risks are non-existent

There are two camps on Bitcoin: those that use it, and those that don’t care. By starting to accept Bitcoin, you open up a new demographic for your business, but it’s highly unlikely to create a negative response from the other group. Bitcoin users still represent a relatively small percentage of the purchasing public, so it’s unlikely to suddenly boost your sales by a huge amount. Although, the number of users and investors is growing constantly, so expect to see a larger uptake over a longer timeframe.

You don’t need to understand cryptocurrency to start accepting Bitcoin

Many people still don’t fully comprehend what a cryptocurrency is, or how they work. Don’t let a lack of knowledge scare you away. There are many online resources you can use to educate yourself about Bitcoin, or you can simply just start accepting it and enjoy the learning curve as you go.

There are websites dedicated to Bitcoin that can help get your business set up to accept payments and will virtually hold your hand through the entire process.

Beyond finance

While the benefits of peer-to-peer transactions that are more secure is obvious, blockchain technology can potentially impact any online activity that involves data being shared by two or more people. This could apply to contracts, communications, or any project that involves data sharing. Instead of being stored in a single place and accessed from external sources through a user login, blockchain encrypts the data in a way that’s virtually impossible to decipher without the appropriate digital signature or key.

A combination of successes

For most products or services to succeed they need more than a single factor driving their adoption. The wide range of benefits is Bitcoin’s main strength. For businesses it:

  • Reduces their costs
  • Provides a quicker transaction that’s non-reversible
  • Provides access to the Bitcoin community

Bitcoin also provides many benefits for individual users. For the average shopper it:

  • Is more secure
  • Is easy to use
  • Can provide additional benefits as companies encourage its use

In fact, the only people it might not be so beneficial for are the credit card companies. We can’t see traditional currencies becoming any less popular anytime soon, so we’re sure they’ll be fine.

With so many benefits spread amongst both businesses and users, its widespread adoption is only a matter of time.

Curtis Cripe – A Deeper Look Into The Branches of Engineering

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Engineering has become the most popular major amongst students in the United States, for the first time in history. Engineering is a great career choice for anyone with the necessary abilities, offering a secure position, the opportunity to grow and climb the career ladder, a solid salary as well as a job which provides a great deal of personal satisfaction.

Engineers like Curtis Cripe, are the world’s designers, they create all that we see and do and they design solutions for the world in which we live. Within engineering there are many different branches which you can elect, depending on what you enjoy doing, and where your skills lie. Let’s have a deeper look into the various engineering branches, to see which one fits best.

Civil Engineering

The most populous branch of engineering is civil engineering, the discipline which deals with infrastructure such as roads, buildings, bridges and city design. Within civil engineering there are also additional sub-branches such as architecture, which you could choose to specialise in. Many who choose a career in civil engineering, will cross between these sub-branches during their career, as there are skills within each that are easily transferable.

Neuroengineering

A relatively new branch of engineering which operates within the highly niche world of neural systems. Neural systems can be found both in and outside of the living world and a neural engineering will focus on the systems and the solutions for a wide range of living and non-living constructs. This area of engineering requires high intelligence and much technical knowledge.

Chemical Engineering

The definition given to chemical engineering is the combination of chemicals in order to make something of use. Within this definition, you could be working with labs trying to find new ways of using chemicals in farm work, with drug companies finding new medicines or even within a petroleum company finding new and safer ways of utilising chemicals to extract oil. The majority of this industry is working with drug companies and government agencies, to find new cures and treatments for a wide range of illnesses.

Aerospace Engineering

Aerospace engineering is considered to be one of the most exciting, interesting and highly specialised branches of engineering. Within this sector you will be working with cutting edge technology as you seek to provide new and exciting solutions to some of the challenges within the field of aerospace. Working with planes, space shuttles and helicopters, this discipline of engineering requires a great deal of intelligence and hard work from you.

Computer Engineering

Another relatively new form of engineering is computer engineering, largely focussing on creating software and hardware to meet the requirements of businesses, individuals and governments. IF you are skilled in computing and in particular coding and computer language, you can find yourself a great career in this field, a field which will continue to grow for many years.

How to be a Leader in Business

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If you’re interested in discovering how you become an effective leader like Marc Leder, in order to help your business grow from strength to strength, keep reading to discover how to be a leader in business.

1. Be decisive

If you take on a leadership position it’s important to be able to make calculated decisions at short notice. As an example, as a leader, you may be tasked with the decision of choosing which supplier, your company will partner with. Being able to be decisive is important as if you come across as being indecisive, your employees and partners trust in your leadership will start to dwindle.

Instead, make sure that you’re able to make confident, wise decisions at the drop of a hat and your staff members will look up to you as a source of strength for your business.

2. Make sure that you operate your business or organization with integrity

The truth is that no one will be passionate about following a leader who goes back on their word or who is seen as being unethical or unfair. Instead, ensure that your name boasts a glowing reputation by conducting yourself with integrity and respect at all times while being successful in business.

3. Be able to delegate key roles, instead of trying to micromanage every task

As a leader your job is not to micromanage every task in your business or organization, rather your job is to be able to hand select individuals for leadership positions, who show that they are innovative, hardworking and capable of taking initiative when it’s needed.

You should find that if you entrust capable members of your team with important tasks, that they will try hard to live up to your expectations as every individual appreciates being recognized for their talents, work effort, and leadership skills.

As an added advantage, if you’re able to delegate key roles to individuals who you trust, you’ll free up valuable time to work on the big picture and what you’d like to see your organization or business achieve in the next decade.

4. Make sure that you treat every staff member fairly

Leaders who have established a reputation for giving perks to individuals who they favor, don’t earn the respect of their staff members. Instead, aim to treat every staff member fairly and with the utmost respect. As you’ll end up having an entire staff of individuals who respect you and are willing to work hard for you, rather than only having a select few individuals respect your leadership.

5. Invest in training opportunities for your staff members

One way to ensure that the individuals in your workforce live up to their potential is to provide regular training members for staff members who you identify as being strong candidates for future leadership positions. As by giving individuals the skills and experiences which they need to succeed as individuals, you’re also giving them valuable skills to help your business or organization grow from strength to strength.

So if your primary goal is to become an effective leader, it’s well worth following this handy leadership guide, in order to ensure that your business grows from strength to strength.

How To Find A Roofing Company Like West Coast Better Homes

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While the foundation of a home is the most important thing of all, the roof is a very close second. You shouldn’t do any roofing jobs yourself, nor should you trust just anybody to do it for you. Instead, you need to find a trustworthy professional who can do it for you, a professional like West Coast Better Homes, for instance. So what are some of the things they offer that you should look for as well?

West Coast Better Homes and the Example of Best Practice

The company offers specialized services only. This includes roofing, windows, and patio covers. They have an extensive portfolio representing their body of work, including videos that showcase some of the work that they have done on different homes. Their reputation is truly unrivalled. Unfortunately, however, they only cover the West Coast, including Burbank, Los Angeles, Malibu, and Santa Monica. If you do not live there, then you will have to find a different company, but preferably one that offers the same standards.

Some of the things to look for, therefore, include:

  1. Specialization. Only work with a company that knows roofs, understanding the impact of your climate and environment. They should also be able to complete a certified inspection of the roof, whether you are buying or selling.
  2. Bonding and insurance. This is hugely important. The roof ensures that you are safe, comfortable, and sheltered in your property. Even the best service makes mistakes sometimes, however, and you need to make sure that you are protected should it be your roof that has a problem. You should not have to claim on your own home insurance for the mistakes of others.
  3. References. When you investigate West Coast Better Homes, for instance, you will quickly see that their past clients have been incredibly happy with the work that was done for them. This is very important and you need to look for reviews. Find those through third party websites, however, rather than directly through the service provider. This ensures that the reviews are truly unbiased. And make sure they review things that are relevant to you. If you want to have a full roof replaced, for instance, then a review saying that replacing one or two shingles was great is not really relevant.
  4. Additional services. Good roofing companies will also offer additional, but related services. For instance, they should be able to do things such as yearly roof maintenance that includes gutter cleaning, deck cleaning, siding power washing, and so on. It is quite common for roofing companies to offer such issues in order to make sure all their customers’ needs are met.

These are just a few of the things to look into. You should always request multiple quotations and use that to find the company that offers the best value for money. Remember that value for money does not necessary mean cheap, however. Sometimes, it is better to pay a little bit more and have a better service as well.

How to become a successful business person

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If you’re passionate about running your own business and have your sights set on achieving phenomenal success, Gordon Tang has ideas to discover a handy guide to becoming a successful business person.

How to be a successful business person:

1. Set yourself daily goals as well as long-term goals

While it’s important to have long-term goals to work towards, in order to ensure that you’re productive on a daily basis, it’s also well worth setting yourself small, attainable goals, which you can complete on daily basis. As an example, one of your daily goals may be to finish making any necessary amendments to your business plan, before meeting with a business mentor.

2. Don’t make decisions based on emotion

While it’s healthy to be passionate about your business ventures, be careful not to make business decisions based on emotion as at the end of the day business is a numbers game. So it’s far wiser to let statistics such as your operating costs and profits to influence your business decisions than to be led by your emotions.

3. Learn to delegate managerial tasks to capable individuals who you trust

While it may be tempting to try to complete as many managerial tasks as possible by yourself, you won’t be able to give each task 100% of your time and energy, so you’re far better off learning how to delegate important managerial tasks to trusted, capable individuals.

After all, to be a great business person, you have to be a great leader and the key to becoming the best leader which you can be is to be able to lead a strong team of talented individuals, in order for your business to grow from strength to strength

4. If your business employs a vast number of individuals, make sure to give your employees the necessary skills which they need to thrive in their role

If your business fails to offer adequate training opportunities for its employees, you’re currently failing to unlock untapped potential within your business. Instead see every employee as an asset which should be cared for and developed, so that you’re able to reap as many rewards from your employees as you can.

Remember that employees who are given plenty of opportunities to upskill and shine will always repay you with loyalty and hard work.

5. Make sure that you’re a confident, articulate communicator

A huge part of being a businessman or woman involves communicating with a vast amount of individuals. Examples of which include investors, business partners, suppliers, marketers, and employees. So if you’re not a confident, articulate communicator it’s well worth joining a Toastmasters club, in order to learn how to become a skilled public speaker.

6. Learn from your mistakes

In order to succeed in business, you have to be willing to make mistakes. Just remember not to make the same mistake multiple times and you’ll be far more likely to achieve great success with your business.

If you have your sights set on achieving all of your long-term business goals it’s well worth using the handy guide above in order to become a successful business person.

Michael Briese: 3 Reasons Every Brand Is Taking To Facebook Advertising

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Several years ago, email was the big tactic in online marketing. While this is still the case to an extent, there’s no doubt that Facebook has well and truly taken over.

Whether you are selling Rolex watches or providing a service to other businesses, the flexible nature of Facebook means that it’s suited to pretty much everyone who wants to get their company name out there. Furthermore, while certain marketing platforms like AdWords might cost you a fortune, you don’t necessarily feel like you have committed a heist when taking advantage of Facebook ads.

This is a topic that Michael Briese knows all about. He was one of the first to tap into the benefits of Facebook ads, and he has shared with us the main reasons why brands are opting for the Facebook-first approach.

Reason #1 – It’s super targeted

The main reason so many companies are using these ads is due to the super targeted approach that the platform uses. We’re not just talking about the ability to target users in New York, or your city of choice, either. Instead, this targeting can become even more granular.

Facebook advertising can target by location, demographic behavior or even a lookalike audience. The last factor can be pretty important for businesses, as it allows them to effectively mirror existing customers. In traditional forms of marketing you would have had to busted a gut to be able to get anywhere close to achieving this.

Reason #2 – It’s analytics are laid bare

On some platforms, it’s nigh-on impossible to find out any statistics regarding the performance of an advertisement. On Facebook, no such issues exist. Their reporting platform is one of the best in the business and the insights that are available can provide you with the knowledge to really optimize your campaign. It’s possible to see everything from your weekly reach, to the amount of time that your posts have been liked. Not only this, but when you delve deeper into the advertising platform, you can quickly see what people interacted with your ad – and if these correlate with what you initially targeted when you set up your campaign.

Reason #3 – The rise of mobile

In truth, whether you are advertising via email or Facebook, mobile should be at the forefront of your mind. When it comes to the latter, there’s no doubt that Facebook is one of the best around though.

Their website has been designed to load in super-fast speeds on mobile devices – and this is something that hinders a lot of rival advertising platforms. Not only this, but the system has umpteen different types of mobile advertisements, which can fit on screen sizes of multiple sizes.

Finally, there’s the fact that Facebook has billions of mobile users. That’s right, not only is their platform geared towards people on mobile, users actively use a mobile device to access the website. At a recent count, it was thought that between 1.5 billion and 2 billion users fell into this category.