Your products and services won’t sell, no matter how exceptional they are, if no one knows of their existence. That’s how advertising comes into play. Yet for a small business with a limited budget, an advertisement can cost big. But that's no longer the case, thanks to the cost-effective online advertising platform hosted by Facebook. Why advertise on Facebook? Above all else, the cost-effectiveness of Facebook advertising sets it apart from other marketing channels. The starting cost is as low as 1$ per day, which is ideal for SMBs that want to test small campaigns before investing more. Beyond its affordability, Facebook advertising is also extremely effective. With 2 billion monthly active users and the ability to nail down your audience to the most specific details -- including their interests and online behavior -- it’s no surprise that Facebook advertising had the best return on investment compared with other social media platforms according to a survey of social media marketers worldwide. Before you get started As with other traditional marketing campaigns, before beginning a campaign, you need to determine your marketing objectives, audience, budget, and how you want your ads to look. Once you have the answers to all those questions, you’re ready to go. A step-by-step guide to creating a Facebook ad: 1. Choose your marketing objective From your your business's profile page, click on “Create Ads” from the dropdown menu in the top right corner. Enter your campaign name and choose your “marketing objective,” which is what you want people to do when they see your ads. It could be increased brand awareness, lead generation, or store visits. You can pick only one from three categories. Set up your advert account by selecting your account country, currency, and time zone. 2. Nail down your audience You can tailor your audience based on locations, ages, genders, languages, their interests and behavior, and the kind of relationship they already have with your page, app, or website. It’s best to be as specific as possible when selecting your audience. Set up your budget and posting schedule Facebook allows you to set up a daily or a lifetime budget. The latter is the maximum amount you plan to spend for an entire ad campaign. Then choose the frequency or the start and end dates in which your ads will appear. Design how your ads will look You can choose how your ad posts will look like to your audience, such as whether they will appear as an image carousel, a single image, a video, a slideshow, or a “collection” (a new ad format designed especially for Facebook mobile). Note that your ad will consist of five parts: an image, a headline, a block of text, a link description, and a call to action button. Tips on designing facebook ads that grab people’s attention Your ads will appear in people's newsfeeds, so make sure your content is interesting and succinct enough to grab their attention as they scroll past it. Each component of your ad -- the image, headline, link description and call to action -- must stand out when surrounded by vacation photos that rarely receive more than a few seconds of attention. Creating a Facebook ad is simple, yet the beauty of it is that Facebook also allows for more advanced targeted advertising if you know how to take advantage of what the platform has to offer. Talk to Multi IT's specialists on 011 435 0450 today; they'll be happy to share a few pointers on how to help you achieve optimal results from your campaigns.

Considering that computers won’t be able to run without one, it’s a shame that power supply units (PSU) rarely get as much attention as RAM or graphics cards. When it’s time to install a new workstation, business owners do not fully understand all the variables that go into choosing the correct PSU, and often select a product that is inefficient and more expensive than what was expected. To avoid this, we’ve listed some power supply considerations. Higher isn’t always better Many users assume the higher the total wattage, the better the performance of the PSU. While enormous 1800W PSUs are useful for running multiple drives and graphics-intensive applications, they’re unnecessary and often cost you an arm and a leg. Most computers don’t run at full capacity all the time. In fact, if your computer has mid-level graphics cards, processors, and RAM, 600W is more than enough. To find out exactly how much you need, online PSU calculators will give you a rough estimate of your daily power consumption. Once you’ve calculated how much wattage you need, you’ll ideally want a PSU that has a slightly higher total wattage limit to provide some headroom in case you want to install additional components later. Pay attention to efficiency ratings Highly efficient PSUs tend to have more effective components, consume less energy, and produce less heat, which saves you from huge monthly energy and cooling bills. The best way to determine whether your PSU is efficient is to look for ones with “80 Plus” certifications. This certification means that a unit is at least 80% efficient, and loses approximately 20% as heat. Note that higher efficiency ratings equal higher prices, so be sure to weigh the potential energy and cooling savings against the upfront cost of the PSU. Consider larger PSUs Although they can be quite cumbersome, larger PSUs are more reliable than lightweight models. Large PSUs are equipped with more advanced internal components and better cooling management. Fans are larger too, which means they can move more air, make less noise, and keep your workstation cool. Choose your cables wisely When it comes to cabling, you have three options: hard-wired cabling, partially modular cabling, or fully modular cabling. Hard-wired cables are attached directly to the PSU box. While this setup is cheaper than the other two cabling options, the number of plugs are limited and not suited for customization. Fully modular cabling means all PSU cables are removable, making installation and cabling management easy. These PSU models, however, tend to be much more expensive than other types of cabling. Partially modular cabling takes the best of both worlds, providing necessary cables for the PSU while giving room for other components at a moderate price. Research the manufacturer Ideally, your PSU should be provided by a reliable manufacturer that offers reasonable warranties and comprehensive support. Most people tend to opt for Corsair, Seasonic, and Antec PSUs, but you should still take time to research the products. Look for customer reviews about the specific make and model of your PSU. If that’s not possible, get a hardware technician’s expert opinion. Choosing the right hardware can be extremely difficult, especially if you don’t have the technical know how. So if you need more guidance about all things related to hardware, call Multi IT on 011 435 0450 today. We’re more than happy to answer any of your questions.

When you spend more than eight hours a day staring at a computer screen, it can be easy to lose focus on important tasks. While your device gives you access to some of the most useful applications, an ever-growing number of distractions are vying for your attention. Here are a few tricks for boosting your productivity levels. Monitor productivity levels Start by tracking how much work you complete on an average day. Google Chrome Extensions like RescueTime record your most frequently visited sites, and track how much time you spend away from your computer. Running the app will provide you with a productivity rating and a detailed log of how you spend an average day. If you find out you’re wasting a huge portion of your time on social networking, you’re more likely to make conscious adjustments on how you manage your time. Get rid of clutter Another way to increase output is by deleting old files, uninstalling unused programs, and organizing documents into appropriately labeled folders. This makes your work easier to find and improves your computer’s performance. As for the clutter in your email inbox, Gmail and Outlook both have features that filter out unimportant messages. Simply enable Priority Inbox on Gmail or Clutter on Outlook to get a clean, spam-free inbox. Block time-wasting sites Visiting non-work-related websites is a surefire way to hinder productivity. A quick, five-minute break to check your Facebook feed or watch a YouTube clip may not seem like much, but a few of those per day add up to a lot of time. If you and your employees have trouble staying away from sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, it’s a good idea to block access to them using URL filters. Of course, if you want your employees to take occasional breaks during the day, you could use apps like StayFocusd or Strict Workflow. These allow you to set a limit on how long and how many times users can visit non-work-related sites. Stay on track with to-do lists To-do lists help you break down large projects into manageable, bite-sized tasks. And perhaps the most satisfying aspect is crossing things off the list, giving you and your employees a sense of accomplishment and total visibility of your progress. There are wide variety of digital to-do lists available today like Google Tasks or Trello. These platforms allow you to set deadlines for small tasks and write clear instructions for each item on the list. What’s more, they’re incredibly easy to use and are great for keeping track of your workflow. Use keyboard shortcuts Last but not least, mastering keyboard shortcuts will make it easier to perform simple functions than if you're stuck looking for them in the toolbar. There are more than a hundred useful shortcuts, but some that you should always keep in mind are: Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V, Ctrl + X - to copy, paste, and cut selected items Ctrl + Z - to undo changes Ctrl + T - to open a new tab on your web browser Alt + Tab - to switch between open windows Alt + F4 - to close the program For many more like these, take a look at Windows’ list of advanced shortcuts. These are just some of the tips every user should know to stay productive. If you need more ideas on how to get more out of your technology, call Multi IT today on 011 435 0450. We provide enterprise-level tools and advice that will make your life a lot easier.