Ahmad Kareh

Remote working arrangements are becoming increasingly common across various fields and industries as businesses look for ways to become more flexible and efficient. According to recent research by employee engagement platform TINYpulse, remote work has a very positive impact on employee productivity, happiness, satisfaction, as well as on their communication with management. Additionally, telecommute jobs can help a business maintain flexibility and cut costs by limiting the need for expensive office spaces or supplies.

Creating engagement requires more than a flashy video or a solid homepage, especially when it comes to content marketing. It requires both time and effort to establish interest or an emotional connection between the potential customer and the brand.

Personalization is a growing trend in online marketing: Details about what city a computer is located in or whether a visitor has come to a site before can help guide what message should be displayed on a page or sent to an email address. After all, a person in Wisconsin isn't likely to be interested in barbecue deals from a shop in Tennessee, nor does everyone want a bookbinding kit, even if it is a deal of the day.

After the splash made by the arrival of virtual reality headsets a couple of years ago, VR has drawn a lot of attention. The features of the systems seem limitless and there's strong interest from people across industries.

Earlier this spring, during the 2017 Academy Awards, the wrong name was read for Best Picture recipient. This mistake generated a lot of headlines, and while it wasn't the first error made during the show's live broadcast, it was the first one in quite some time. After the event, PwC stepped forward and took responsibility for the error. How should companies deal with a potentially brand-damaging public relations event, such as this one and others that can tarnish long-built reputations? Below, eight Forbes Agency Council members talk about how they handle crisis control.

Rebranding a company or organization is a big endeavor: You have to weigh what image you're trying to convey and who's likely to respond well to it. This means a lot of meetings to discuss things like graphic elements, typography and messaging; the wrong use of any element can hamper, or even end, customer engagement.

Sending out emails about products or services and actually get recipients to open them can be difficult. Basic filters hide unsolicited emails and even those that get through tend to be ignored by users, who are less likely to jump on random messages offering products or services they're not deeply invested in.

Making sure everyone is on the same page and aware of the same issues or developments requires more than haphazardly sent memos. It requires organization and commitment from both your team and the client you are supporting. You need to know what services the client needs and what their expectations are, as well as what they think of current progress. They need to understand what your team is developing for them, what the timeline looks like, and why some options were chosen while others were avoided.

Even if we are not always aware of it, artificial intelligence is already a big part of our lives, having a major impact on how we live and how we work. From customer service applications to voice-powered assistants such as Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa, there are several examples of AI and automation tools in use today.

In today’s world, social media is one of the best ways for your business to stand out in its field and to reach a wider audience. Having an active presence on all major social networks, from Facebook to LinkedIn and beyond, is a necessity for any brand that wants to become an industry leader while engaging with its potential and current customers in new ways.