Any business model must include a budget and strategy for marketing. But how much of it should be traditional marketing, and how much online? Cyber marketing currently eclipses more traditional models because of its cost-effectiveness. But there’s more to it than that. Let’s take a look at how cyber marketing can help you build a stronger brand. 

Cost Effectiveness

Traditional marketing includes billboard advertisements, TV spots, and newspaper and magazine ads. Each one of these costs at least a thousand or more dollars per month. In the case of billboards, renting roadside signs can be as much as $100,000 per year. Cyber marketing, which includes blogging, social media, websites, and email marketing, isn’t by any means free, but it can be done fairly inexpensively. Signing up for social media accounts and email marketing is usually free. The biggest costs involved are staff wages for creating content for these online channels.

Immediate Impact

From concept to development and production, traditional marketing projects can take months.

Reaching for that box of Kleenex again? If you suffer from outdoor or seasonal allergies, you’re not alone! According to some estimates, between 10 and 36 million people suffer from seasonal allergies in the U.S. alone. Before you start sneezing again, consider the following preventative techniques that can help you survive even the worst seasonal allergies.

Medicine

Did you know you can find many effective antihistamines, eye drops, and nasal sprays at a drug store? Up until a few years ago, many allergy sufferers required a prescription for anti-allergy drugs, but most of those are now sold over-the-counter. Claritin, Zyrtec, and their generic counterparts are all proven medication against allergy symptoms. If you know that you suffer from allergies each spring, take a daily antihistamine to prevent the effects of allergens from reaching your system. 

With 123 years of history, the French Open has a lot of stories and memories behind it. Here’s a look at some of the most memorable moments that have come about with the French Open.

1891

This was the very first French Open and it was only open to men. They had to be members of the French club. However, the first winner, H. Briggs, was a tennis player from Britain that happened to be living in Paris at the time. 

1897

Only a few years later, women were allowed to compete in the French Open. Adine Masson was the first winner.

Federal regulators have had enough with payday loans, the short-term, high-interest credit that can crush borrowers. Regulators are targeting big banks like Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank that offer payday loans, according to The New York Times.

Against Predatory Lending

Democrats in the Senate recently sent a letter to federal bank regulators expressing concern over payday lending practices. “These bank payday loans are widely recognized as predatory products designed to trap low-income consumers in a cycle of debt,” wrote U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal. “Bank payday loans increase the ranks of the unbanked by making checking accounts unsafe for vulnerable consumers, a result clearly inconsistent with a safe and sound banking system. And payday lending poses serious reputational risks to any financial institution.”

Due to the risk of the borrower or lack of credit history, payday loans carry exorbitant interest rates; in some cases above 300 percent. Typically, borrowers using payday loans are low income and take out anywhere between 16-30 payday loans per year. An estimated 12 million borrowers who use payday loans are lured in by the prospect that they can take out a loan for a low amount – a couple hundred dollars, for instance – that they must repay in a short time period.

A recent study was conducted by the Government Accountability Office on ATM surcharges and fees and how they affect consumers. The results may not surprise you.

Rising Fees

Fees for financial institutions in the U.S. have been on the rise since 2007, while fees in other countries have remained consistent. The average fee was $1.75 in 2007; today it is $2.10. However, extremes ranged from $0.45 all the way to $5.00.

The majority of the fee increases were seen in 2009, with prices leveling off since then. The bigger institutions charged higher fees. Banks charged more than credit unions. Likewise, financial institutions charged higher fees in cities and suburban neighborhoods than in small towns and rural communities.

When looking at the country as a whole, the study concluded that the south had the highest average fee at $2.20. The west was at $2.15, and the east and Midwest were at $2.10.