Business News

Thu Jul 23

Benefits of Hiring a Private Investigator

Written by Amy Fischer

Knowledge is power, and when you do not know enough about a certain person, company, or situation, you need more information to make informed decisions. Private investigators are experts in gaining intel for legal matters. Whether it is research for business or personal matters, hiring a private investigator may be your best bet.

Top 5 benefits of hiring a private investigator

Hiring a private investigator to get intelligence comes with many advantages over using other means to do so. Here’re the pros of using the service of a trusted and reliable private investigator:

Growing your intel: Hiring an investigator to get valuable information is one of the best ways to get the upper hand over a situation. The intel could let you explore new options or narrow down your choices by providing critical information to make an informed decision.

Professional help: Private investigators have years of experience in the field. They can get access to more information than you ever could, and in a much shorter time. These people are formally trained and have handy contacts to help them investigate better. These guys have the resources and the data to aid their research, and they leave no trace of their work for the opposite party to sense suspicion.

Background check: You can hire a PI to do investigative work around companies, clients, or even associates you don't know enough about. The intel will either give you the peace of mind to proceed to interactions or confirm your suspicions and save you from severe damages.

Locating lost ones: A private investigator could help you find a lost relative, a distanced friend, or a sibling separated from birth. If anyone can confidentially locate someone you know, it’s these guys. Gathering evidence: Private investigators can provide you with crucial evidence in cases of a cheating partner, fraud, child custody, and legal battles. It is for these reasons that many lawyers hire private investigators to aid their cases.

How to find the right investigator for your purpose

The investigator you need depends on the type of work they are familiar with. PI agencies usually employ detectives that specialize in different areas. If you want to hire a private investigator, you’ll need someone who has experience working on cases similar to yours and succeeding in them.

You’ll also want to decide what tier of PI you’ll need. It’s best to only work with certified private investigators with specialized education and training in the field. The bigger your problem is, the more qualified your investigator will need to be. But remember that most highly qualified and experienced investigators charge an hourly rate that not everyone can afford.

How much do private investigators cost?

The money that private investigators charge depends on their level of experience and success. The investigator costs also depend on the type of work. Some may need to do night long stakeouts and will thus cost more. Others may just need to pull some strings to get the job done in a day.

The cost of hiring may even depend on their payment structure. Assignment based PI’s may cost less for long projects, whereas PI’s with hourly rates won’t be expensive for short assignments. Some investigators may even require a retainer to earn enough from the assignments.

The answer to how much do private investigators cost typically depends on the type of investigation agency, completed assignments, and the assigned investigator’s qualification.

Depending on these factors, you may be charged as low as $55 per hour or as high as $90 per hour.

Conclusion

Private investigators can be useful in criminal cases where law enforcement isn’t doing a good enough job. They can also help you determine if your partner is cheating on you. Moreover, PI’s can help find lost parents or siblings. Use this article as a guide to choose a reliable and trusted PI.

Thu Jul 23

How Promo Products Help Build Brand Awareness

Written by John Peterson

A marketing strategy is one of the most important elements of a successful business. After all, people won’t be able to avail your products and services if they don’t know that your business exists in the first place. With a carefully planned and executed marketing strategy, your business will be well-poised for growth.

Today’s business landscape offers plenty of marketing methods, including digital advertising through social media. However, if you’re truly intent on building brand awareness, one of the most effective ways is through something more traditional: promo products. Over the years, promotional products have made their mark as simple yet effective materials that can help drive not just awareness but also recall. How, you may ask? Below are just a few ways.

They Increase Recognition

Promotional items can help consumers remember your business by making your name and logo more recognisable. This is because promo products are often things that are used or seen daily, such as coffee mugs, USB flash drives, and even T-shirts. Whenever a person uses or sees the item, they will get exposed to your brand for any number of minutes. Before long, your customers will be more than familiar not just with your business name and logo but also your products and/or services.

They Help Create a Personal Relationship

There are no two ways about it: people simply love getting free stuff, especially those that they can actually use. What’s more, people also love feeling appreciated. Giving away promotional products is one way of showing this appreciation. It’s also a good way to establish a more direct and closer relationship with your customers and partners. When a client feels more connected with you, the higher the likelihood that they will remain your patrons. They may even become your ambassadors, helping push your brand towards more positive exposure and growth.

They Can Potentially Last Forever

Another way that promotional products increase brand awareness is their long lifespan. Indeed, well-made branded promotional items can easily last for 10 years or longer. In comparison, TV ads or online videos last only minutes. Customers are more likely to forget about these, especially due to the various distractions presented by social media and the internet at large. Obviously, there are some videos that really make an impact but these are few and far between. By giving away promo products, you’ll have a higher chance of creating brand awareness that truly sticks simply by virtue of the product’s longevity.

They Are Useable and Can Be Passed On

In relation to the previous point, another way that promo products can build brand awareness is through its “pass-on” quality. After using the item repeatedly, a consumer can either lend or give away the product to another person. This simple act greatly increases the reach and number of impressions that the item generates for your brand.

The useability of promotional products further increases its lifespan and the potential of heightened exposure. If you’re thinking of giving away promotional products, consider getting umbrellas, bags, or even tumblers. These items are not only useful but also long-lasting and can therefore survive several changes of hands.

They Are Direct

Unlike other forms of marketing and advertising, promo products are tangible. This can help leave a more lasting impression, simply because the consumer is using multiple senses to interact with the product.

With promotional products, you’re also sure that your brand actually gets exposure. When you hand a bag of goodies to a trade fair attendee, for example, you know that that person has truly seen your brand’s name and logo. If you give away 1,000 products, you can be relatively sure that you have made an impression on 1,000 people. TV commercials, online videos, and radio ads have the potential to reach millions, but the numbers aren’t as clear cut as compared to giving away promo products.

They Are Affordable

A single TV commercial can easily cost thousands of dollars for production alone. Include the rates for media placements and you’re looking at a steep price tag. With promotional products, you’ll be spending so much less for more exposure. Indeed, even if you purchase millions of promotional items, you’ll still be shelling out less money than if you opt for other forms of advertising.

If you still aren’t convinced, then keep in mind that even the biggest multinational companies give away promotional items. Google, Intel, General Motors, and Coca Cola are just a few of the most recognisable brands that continue to make use of promo products as part of their marketing strategies.

The key is to find promotional products that suit your brand. Think of your customers and what is useful and meaningful to them. Makeup enthusiasts will likely love a cosmetic and toiletry bag, while nature advocates will probably appreciate eco-friendly notebooks or cutlery sets. By giving something that appeals to what customers love, you further increase the potential for brand awareness and recall.