BlogmyQuery – BMQ

What Is a GPT Model

Generative Pre-Trained Transformer models are game-changing technology in artificial intelligence, more so in natural language processing. OpenAI develops models aimed at understanding and generating human-like text, taking meaning from the previous context words to predict the next word in the sequence. 

The underlying architecture of GPT models is a transformer that scales to deep models and huge datasets for achieving extreme levels of language understanding and generation. It all began with GPT-1, followed by more advanced versions like GPT-2 and GPT-3. 

They were drastically improving the model size, training data, and performance capabilities with each new iteration. They have been trained on diverse, large datasets—books, articles, websites, and so on—so a lot of things become possible, such as the completion of texts, translations, summarization, conversational AI, and so on. 

Advantages of Building GPT Models 

Versatility 

Among the primary advantages of Generative AI  models is their flexibility. Their ability to fine-tune their performance in various tasks across huge fields is second to none. Be it chatbots, content data generation and analysis, or customer services, the GPT models find applications in each such domain with ease. This flexibility makes it an asset for businesses and a developer looking to milk AI in several areas. 

Scalability 

GPT models are designed for large datasets and complex queries. Scalability in them provides for the handling of large volumes of data, with sustained performance under heavy loads, making them very suitable for large-scale applications that require robust and reliable language processing capabilities. 

Efficiency 

GPT models automate the generation of high-quality text and would hence drastically bring down the time and effort involved in content creation. This efficiency spells improved productivity and savings of money for any business. Be it drafting emails, generating reports, or even marketing-related content, GPT models are there at your rescue by automating these tasks and saving time for higher-order tasks. 

Personalization 

Models can become attuned to expert domains or user preferences. Further training the models on domain-specific data will enable businesses to increase the relevance and quality of generated content. Such personalization will ensure that AI output remains very close to what has been specified in style, tone, and matter of the desired output. Coupling this with the coherent generation ability of GPT models ensures a much more engaging and effective user experience. 

How to Choose the Right GPT Model for Your Use Case? 

Attention to some factors will ensure the proper selection of a GPT model that suits a given requirement and objectives of use. 

Purpose 

First, mention what the GPT model shall be used for. Identify the case of use and specify the tasks that one desires the model to be applied to. In the case of developing chatbots for customer support, for instance, it has to understand and respond with accurate answers to common customer queries. By keeping the purpose in mind, one will be able to better choose a model that fits the intended application.  

Scale 

Consider the size of your dataset and decide upon a model that it can support. Large models with increasing parameters could more easily process large amounts of data to produce excellent-quality results. On the other hand, they require more computational resources; hence, there needs to be a balance between the capabilities of the model and what your infrastructure can support. 

Budget 

Estimate the cost of the various models, then choose one that is not going to be too costly; that is, choose one within your budget constraint. The costs for training and deployment of GPT models vary tremendously with factors such as model size, computational requirements, and licensing fees. There is a need to be very clear about the costs involved and see that the chosen model has good value for money. 

Customization 

Understand how much customization your app might need. Whereas some models are in critical need of fine-tuning to meet special needs, others can perform well with minimal adjustment. If your application requires a high degree of specialization, then use models that give you ease of customization and fine-tuning. 

How Much Does It Cost to Use GPT Models? 

The use of GPT models can range from very cheap to very expensive based on things like model size, computational resources, data storage, and licensing fees. 

Model Size 

The larger the models, the more expensive it is to train and deploy. GPT-3 has about 175 billion parameters, so it requires a lot of computational power and storage resources. The small models could be more cost-effective in less complex applications or for high performance.  

Computational Resources 

Training and running GPT models are very intensive, most of the time requiring either a high-performance GPU or TPU. These resources can be computationally costly, especially when projects involve large numbers of parameters. One should, therefore, consider the cost involved in acquiring and maintaining hardware infrastructure. 

Data Storage 

One has to pay extra for storing large datasets used for training. Since the size of training data directly impacts the storage requirements, it impacts associated costs as well. This brings along the requirement to engage cloud-based storage solutions for their scalability and convenience. However, one needs to be aware of the long-term costs of storing and fetching data. 

Licensing Fees 

In the case of some providers, there will be licensing fees for the use of the pre-trained models or to access the cloud-based services. The licensing fees vary based on the volume usage and other conditions per the license agreement. It is, therefore, important to go through the terms of licensing with a fine comb and understand the financial implications before deploying a certain model or service. 

How to Create a GPT Model? A Step-by-Step Guide 

It includes steps from the formulation of the goal to data collection, training, and deployment. The following is a step-by-step approach to creating a GPT model:

Step 1: Define the Objective 

First and foremost, there must be a clear definition of the purpose and objectives of your GPT model. This means knowing what tasks should be done and what the result should look like. Having this spelt out will help drive the next steps and ensure that the characteristics of your model are better aligned with the desired goals. 

Step 2: Data Collection and Pre-processing 

Data Collection 

Get a large, diverse dataset that is relevant for your application. This can be based on text from books, articles, websites, etc. Be sure the dataset is wide and representative of the language and context in which it is used. 

Data Cleaning 

Remove any irrelevant or redundant information from a dataset. This step is of the essence to ensure the data is tidy and in good order. Cleaning a dataset may entail duplicate removal, error correction, and format standardization. 

Tokenization 

This means converting the text into tokens—that is, smaller units like words or sub-worlds—which the model can understand. It will break down the text into manageable pieces so that the model processes and analyses them effectively. For this, tools such as the BERT tokenizer or GPT-2 tokenizer are available. 

Step 3: Model Selection 

Choose a Pre-Trained Model 

First, use a pre-trained GPT model from providers such as OpenAI. Using a pre-trained model saves computational time and resources since it was already trained on a large corpus of text data, which is always a good foundation to be fine-tuned and tailored to the intended application. 

Fine-Tuning 

It fine-tunes the model pre-trained on your dataset. This provides parameter tuning in the model towards an application at hand. Fine-tuning the model helps in improving machine learning tasks and outcomes by adapting it to specific data and use cases.

Step 4: Training the Model 

Environment Setup 

Set up any computational environment that may be required, including GPUs and TPUs, and install relevant libraries like Tensor Flow and Py Torch. Be sure that an environment is engineered to train a large-scale language model. 

Training Process 

Now, train the model by passing the tokenized dataset to it. As it trains, track its progress. Make changes in the hyperparameters for better performance. The training of a GPT model is computationally intensive and may take time depending on the size of the dataset and model. 

Step 5: Evaluation 

Validation 

Evaluate the performance of your model with a validation set. This step can check, for instance, the accuracy, coherence, and relevance of the generated text. The validation finds the pitfalls or what is to be improved before the model is rolled out.  

Adjustments 

Tune the model based on the evaluation results. It could be further fine-tuning, hyperparameter tweaking, or dataset refinement. The step is to ensure that the model meets the desired performance standards so that high-quality output will be issued. 

Step 6: Deployment 

Integration 

Implement the fitted model in an application or system. This can be an API for real-time interaction or integration into larger software. Be sure to integrate it, to the best of your abilities, as seamlessly and functionally as possible. 

Scalability 

Make sure that the model scales well under different loads while ensuring performance. Scalability is most important where there might be surges or drops in application usage or even fast turnaround of vast data. Apply resource usage optimization techniques that guarantee uniform performance. 

Things to Consider While Building a GPT Model 

Ethical Considerations 

Avoid AI text that is generated to sound malevolent. Avoid content creation that is offensive and vulgar. Safeguards must be included to allow monitoring and mitigation if bias generation occurs because of training data or output. 

Data Privacy 

Be sure to protect the privacy of any sensitive data used in training the model. It is realized by providing relevant security measures for the protection of the data and in compliance with relevant privacy regulations. Data privacy can help avoid the loss of user trust and future legal problems. 

Performance Monitoring 

Check Continually: Monitor the performance of the deployed model to meet the desired standards. The output of the model is checked regularly and tuned for accuracy and relevance. Monitoring performance ensures that any issues are noted early and ensures that the model continues to yield high-quality deliverables.  

Cost Management 

Keep all training and deployment costs in a record for your model while optimizing the use of resources within the budget. Cost control brings about balancing computational time resources, data storage, and licensing fees against the effective performance of the model. 

Conclusion 

GPT model creation includes a long chain of strict procedures: from the definition of objectives and data collection to training and model deployment. Understanding the advantages that come with GPT models and what affects their cost and performance is critical to making informed decisions. Moving on a structured line and considering ethical and practical considerations will let you create an effective GPT model that will suit all your needs for AI-based text generation in business or any project. 

FAQs 

Is creating custom GPT free? 

Customization of GPT models is not free. Where there exists basic access to GPT, mostly requiring customization of the models calls for paid subscriptions to certain platforms that have usage costs associated with them. 

How to create a custom GPT prompt? 

To create a custom GPT prompt, the context or task needs to be described clearly, provide specific instructions, and include examples that would lead the model to generate the desired response. 

Can I train GPT on my data? 

Yes, you can fine-tune GPT models on your data using OpenAI and similar platforms, but usually, this is a task that requires technical expertise and access to certain tools or APIs. 

Does ChatGPT require coding? 

No, not at all if you’re just using ChatGPT. However, to personalize and integrate it with applications, it might require some coding, especially when fine-tuning or using the APIs. 

Is ChatGPT replacing coders? 

While ChatGPT alone might not be replacing coders, in general, it is increasing their work. Sure, it can automate tasks and provide aid in coding, but skilled developers are still needed on complex projects. 

Featured image by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash

The post How to Create a GPT Model? appeared first on noupe.

Visual elements in email campaigns are more than just eye-candy. They grab attention and deliver messages effectively. 

The right email designs can make your email newsletters stand out in a crowded inbox, quickly conveying your message and driving engagement. High-quality visuals also influence actions, making them critical to any effective email campaign.

Now, as more Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools infiltrate email marketing, the big question for email marketers is: how can Generative AI help create the visual content that drives these email campaigns?

Sure, optimizing email design and coding with AI is still a relatively new frontier. But the possibilities are exciting. 

In this post, we’ll explore how to leverage AI for image generation in email marketing. We will dive into the tools and best practices to automate the more tedious aspects of image creation while still focusing on creative control where you want it.

Understanding The Role Of Gen AI In Email Image Generation

Generative AI is gradually making its mark in email marketing, particularly image generation.

From 2023 to 2024, its usage increased from 2% to 9%. Although this may seem minor compared to the 34% adoption rate of AI-generated written content, it’s a clear sign of a growing trend.

Written content is the easier choice for AI due to its accessibility. You don’t need specialized skills to type a prompt into a large multimodal model (LMM) and get decent results. 

Image generation, however, is more complex. It requires a solid understanding of graphic design to craft prompts that produce visuals that are both on-brand and up to standard.

As Chad S. White, Head of Research at Oracle Digital Experience Agency, notes, “Generative AI is mostly about saving time, not necessarily improving performance—at least for now.”

Despite the learning curve, Generative AI offers substantial benefits for email marketers. Bartosz Foltyn, Art Director at GetResponse, explains that AI-generated designs often serve as a starting point. While these images usually need tweaking to meet specific needs, AI still significantly reduces the time spent on image production.

The takeaway? Generative AI is a powerful tool but is not a one-stop solution. You may need to refine AI-generated email designs, regenerate outputs, or experiment with different prompts to get the desired results.

How AI Image Generation Works

AI image generation tools use advanced algorithms to create visuals based on the text you provide. These tools are trained on millions of images and their descriptions from across the internet. This training helps the AI learn what different things look like and how they are described.

When you enter a prompt, the AI draws on this vast library of knowledge to generate an image that matches your description. The AI doesn’t just copy existing images—it uses pieces of what it has learned to create something new and unique that fits your needs.

AI For Visual Images: Advantages and Drawbacks

Integrating Gen AI tools into email marketing for image generation brings both advantages and drawbacks. Understanding these can help you play to AI’s strengths while being aware of its limitations.

Advantages of AI-generated Images in Email Marketing

1. Time Efficiency

AI tools for image generation tools streamline the email content creation workflow. It allows marketers to generate high-quality images efficiently and at scale. This means less time and money spent on traditional graphic design processes.

2. Resource Saving

Forget about sifting through stock photo websites. Gen AI produces high-quality visuals in a wide range of styles in minutes. Plus, it lowers the costs associated with traditional design methods.

3. Image Upscaling

Have a low-resolution image that needs to be higher quality? AI upscalers can enhance these images, boosting their resolution up to 4K. This technology allows you to take existing visuals and elevate their quality, making them crisp and professional, even if they started out with lower resolution. 

4. Creating Textures

Generative AI can drastically reduce the time it takes to create detailed textures for 3D models. Instead of spending days on this task, you can quickly generate a specific texture, like a “close-up of a cracked stone surface.” This approach is faster and cheaper and allows designers to maintain creative control while bypassing the tedious work of sourcing or creating textures manually.

5. Brand Consistency

GenAI can be set up to stick to your brand’s visual identity and style guide, ensuring that your colors, design elements, and overall look are always on point. This means your visuals will stay consistent and recognizable across all email marketing campaigns. 

Drawbacks of AI-generated Images in Email Marketing

1. Imperfect Quality 

While AI can produce impressive images, there can still be times when the generated images don’t quite match your vision, making it necessary to tweak and refine them. Getting the best results requires understanding how to craft the right prompts and adjust settings.

2. Copyright Risks

Generative AI tools come with significant copyright concerns. Since these AI models are trained on vast numbers of images, including many copyright-protected ones, lawsuits over potential infringement have already been filed. 

It’s likely that users of these tools could face legal challenges from artists, photographers, and other copyright holders. To minimize this risk, avoid using AI to create images that resemble real people, especially celebrities, or that imitate specific logos, designs, and visual elements owned by companies or organizations.

3. Risk of Errors

Despite its capabilities, GenAI isn’t immune to mistakes. It can sometimes produce images with incorrect proportions or add or omit elements. These errors can affect the quality and accuracy of your visuals, requiring additional manipulation by the designer.

The Best AI Image Generation Tools For Email Marketing

1. DALL-E 3

DALL-E 3 from OpenAI is a powerful AI tool for generating unique images. Unlike typical image generators, DALL-E 3 excels at creatively mixing and matching visual elements, helping your email visuals stand out.

Image Source: Dall-E 3

Key Features

Using DALL-E 3 is straightforward. You type in a detailed prompt, and the tool generates one or two images that match your description. If the initial image isn’t quite right, you can give feedback, and DALL-E 3 will adjust and refine the image. It also handles text well, allowing you to add product names or slogans directly to your images.

Pros

• Understands and processes detailed prompts, making creating the exact image you want easy.
• Great at producing unique and engaging images that grab attention.
• Allows for easy tweaks and adjustments to get the perfect image.

Cons

• Sometimes, the realistic images might not look quite right.
• Generating images can take a bit of time, especially for detailed prompts.
• Access to DALL-E 3 comes with a $20 monthly subscription to ChatGPT Plus.

2. Canva

Canva’s AI image generator is a versatile and user-friendly tool perfect for those who prefer working with design templates or need assistance during the design process. For marketing teams pressed for time, Canva AI offers a quick and efficient way to generate high-quality images and text, making it an invaluable asset.

Key Features

Canva’s Magic Studio, a suite of AI-powered tools, automates and simplifies many design tasks. The Magic Design tool can generate complete presentations—outlines, slides, and content—from just a single text prompt. 

Other features, such as Magic Eraser, Magic Switch, and Magic Morph, allow for easy manipulation and transformation of design elements, speeding up the creation of high-quality visual assets.

Magic Studio also includes an AI editor, text generator, and various imagery options, enabling the creation of diverse content types, including images, text, and even basic video clips. These tools are conveniently grouped together in the software’s “Magic Studio” section, making them easy to access and use.

Pros

• Canva AI is beginner-friendly and accessible to anyone.
• Offers tools for text-to-image, video editing, and more.
• Competitive pricing for individuals and teams.
• Access to millions of ready-to-use templates and design elements.

Cons

• Lacks advanced features for professional designers.
• Complex projects may take time to master.

3. Midjourney

Midjourney is an innovative AI image generation tool that is highly praised for its ability to create images that are so clear and detailed that you might mistake them for real photographs. 

Accessed primarily through Discord, Midjourney is a favorite among creatives, including marketing professionals. It can produce visually stunning content that can elevate any email campaign.

Key Features

Midjourney produces images with such crystal-clear detail that they often resemble real photographs. The tool provides detailed control over image output, allowing users to fine-tune their prompts for the best results.

Users interact with Midjourney through Discord, where they can generate images, share prompts, draw inspiration, and collaborate with others in the community.

Pros

• Produces near-photorealistic images with exceptional detail.
• Engaging the Discord community for inspiration and support.
• Offers detailed control over image generation.

Cons

• Available only through Discord, which may be inconvenient.
• Generated images are public by default, raising privacy concerns.
• Requires a subscription to use, as free trials are currently unavailable.

4. Adobe Firefly

Adobe Firefly is an AI image generation tool developed by Adobe, a leader in creative software for professionals. Given Adobe’s long history of innovation, it’s no surprise that Firefly stands out as an impressive tool in the world of AI-generated visuals. Whether you’re a marketer or a designer, Firefly offers a simple yet powerful way to create stunning images for your email campaigns.

Image Source: Adobe Firefly

Key Features

The feature Structure Reference allows you to input an existing image as a template, which the AI uses to generate a new image with the same layout and composition. It’s perfect for maintaining consistency in your visuals.

With Style Reference, you can guide the AI to create new images in the same style as a reference image, ensuring your designs stay on-brand.

Another standout feature is that Adobe Firefly was trained on Adobe Stock images, openly licensed content, and public domain content, making all generated images safe for use in commercial projects.

Pros

• Excels in producing diverse and detailed artistic images.
• Offers good control over image adjustments, allowing you to edit specific details.
• Generates images quickly, saving time on projects.

Cons

• May struggle to produce realistic images, particularly with complex queries.
• It sometimes has difficulty accurately depicting interactions between elements in an image.
• The tool can falter when handling more complex image requests.

How To Choose The Right AI Image Tool For Email Marketing

Selecting the right AI image tool can elevate your email marketing efforts. Here’s what to consider:

• Ease of Use

Pick a tool that matches your team’s skill level, ensuring a smooth workflow and quick adoption.

• Customization 

Look for tools that offer strong customization options to tailor images to your brand’s style.

• Scalability

Ensure the tool can handle the volume of images required for your campaigns as they grow.

• Integration

Ensure the tool integrates seamlessly with your existing design and email marketing platforms.

• Cost-Efficiency

Evaluate the cost per image and consider the potential return on investment through improved engagement and conversion rates.

Best Practices for Crafting Perfect AI Prompts For Image Generation

• Be Specific with Details

Include important elements like mood, setting, color palette, and style. This guides the AI to produce images that align with your vision.

• Keep It Balanced

Provide enough context for clarity without overwhelming the AI with excessive details. Aim for a prompt that is one to six sentences long, depending on how much control you want over the result.

• Use AI for Initial Drafts

Start with AI to generate the first draft of your images, then refine and polish them in post-production to fix any imperfections.

• Leverage ChatGPT for Help

Use ChatGPT to help write your prompts. By uploading a reference image, ChatGPT can help craft more accurate and effective prompts.

• Avoid Vague Instructions

Clear and precise communication is essential. Ambiguous prompts can lead to irrelevant or unwanted results.

• Don’t Rely Solely on AI

While AI is a powerful tool, don’t depend on it exclusively. Combine AI capabilities with human creativity to avoid generic outputs.

• Provide Context

Explain not just what you want but why it matters. This helps the AI understand the purpose behind the image, ensuring it resonates with your audience.

Wrapping Up 

AI-generated images are revolutionizing email marketing. By quickly and affordably producing high-quality visuals, generative AI tools offer marketers a wealth of creative possibilities. They help maintain brand consistency, deliver personalized content, and resonate with your audience.

While these tools are powerful, remember that they’re not infallible. Always ensure your AI-generated images adhere to ethical standards and avoid relying solely on AI.

Craft clear, concise prompts and combine AI capabilities with human creativity for optimal results. Embrace Gen AI as a valuable asset in your marketing toolkit, but remember it’s a complement to, not a replacement for, human insight and creativity.

Featured Image by Mariia Shalabaieva on Unsplash

The post How To Bring Email Campaigns To Life With AI-Generated Images? appeared first on noupe.

If you want your business to be safe and secure, 2FA Live is one of the most useful tools available. With malicious cyber attacks increasing at an alarming rate, what better way to secure your business than to use 2FA Live. The following is a guide to achieve just that.

What is 2FA Live?

Before stepping into the implementation part, be aware of what 2FA Live is. 2FA Live is the next upgrade level of 2-factor authentication. Along with the traditional methods of identity confirmation through usernames or passwords, the platform also utilizes real-time verification methods like one-time password or biometric data to ensure that the business information is safe in the hands of the right users.

Assessing Your Business Needs

The first step in getting the 2FA Live system operational is to determine which systems, applications and information require a second layer of protection. If you scan your business, you will probably conclude that the systems to add this second layer of security include employee email accounts, client database, financial information, proprietary software and other information specific to your business.

Choosing the Right 2FA Live Solution

After identifying your needs, carefully select the right 2FA Live solution for you. There is an array of providers out there offering a myriad of functionalities. Choose one that complements your existing IT infrastructure and that supports multiple methods of authentication. Also, ensure your provider offers excellent customer care and posts updates as new threats emerge.

Setting Up 2FA-Live

Now that you’ve elected to go with a 2FA Live configuration, you can install the system. Nearly all vendors provide detailed instructions or installation by a professional for them. Generally, you’ll need to:

• Register your business and create an admin account.
• Integrate the 2FA Live API with your existing systems and applications.
• Configure authentication methods, such as SMS OTP, email OTP, or biometric verification.
• Test the setup to ensure it works correctly across all platforms.

Training Your Team

Your team will also need to know how to work with 2fa live. Run some training sessions to explain the need for 2FA and how it works, including which employees to request it from and how to do so properly. Create guides and documentation to make it easier for employees to find this information on an ongoing basis. Also, ensure everyone knows what to do when stuff happens – a device getting lost, authentication failure, etc.

Monitoring and Management

After 2FA-Live is deployed, it needs to be monitored continuously. Check authentication logs periodically for unusual events. Update 2FA methods and policies as needed to counter new threats and ensure that a team or individual is dedicated to the management of 2FA.

Implementing Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for Your Business: A Comprehensive Guide

Indeed — in the modern digital era, there is nothing more vital than ensuring cybersecurity for your business. One of the best ways to improve security is two-factor authentication (2FA). This is a security measure that would require users to prove they are the original owner of an account by two forms before logging in. We will also understand it in the preceding paragraphs, and finally, we are going to discuss how you can implement a two-factor authentication system for your enterprise.

The Significance of Two-Factor Authentication

With cyberattacks growing more sophisticated every day, you simply cannot depend on passwords to safeguard your business. Passwords that are easily compromised due to phishing attacks, brute force, and data breaches. Essentially, 2FA is a way to further secure yourself by adding that second step of authentication making it much more difficult for unauthorized users to access something.

If implemented, then 2FA secures against Not allowing malicious identity theft or disclosing any sensitive information and believes adherence to the rules of changing nature. In addition, businesses that deal with sensitive data — such as customer info or financial records — absolutely must employ 2FA to ensure they can prevent what could be very expensive breaches and remain trustworthy in the eyes of their customers.

Common 2FA Methods

There are several 2FA methods, and each of these has its unique limitations and advantages. We have an in-depth understanding as to which is the best fit to meet your business requirements.

1. SMS-Based Authentication

One-Time Passcode (OTP) is sent to the user on his mobile via SMS as a message. The user will then need to enter this code in their password field.

Pro: Simplicity to implement and well popularized.

What is bad: The weakness of SIM-swapping and communication interception. Not the most secure method.

2. Authenticator Apps

Time-based OTPs are generated by external authentication apps like Google Authenticator, Authy, or Microsoft Authenticator after the password is entered. No-cybernetic query, credential codes that regenerate every 30 seconds, and don’t rely on the pathological disenchantment of internet accessibility.

Pros: More secure than SMS, does not rely on mobile networks.

Cons: Requires to install and manage additional app

3. Hardware Tokens

Hardware Tokens: These are physical devices that generate OTPs. The memory cards would be housed in devices connected to a computer via USB plugins.

Pro: this is very secure and can be attacked online.

Cons: Expensive to develop and support; danger of physical device being lost or damaged.

4. Biometric Authentication

Biometric 2FA — in this mode, real-time measurements of facial recognition and voice into the system extract more personal characteristics used to verify who they are.

Pros: Highly secure — user-convenient.

Cons: Needs special hardware, privacy, and data storage issues

5. Email-Based Authentication

This method sends an OTP or verification link to a user-registered Email Address. The user has to authenticate by clicking the link or submitting an OTP.

PROS: Simple to use and implement.

Email: Checks and balances; Use of a compromised email service could lead to insecurity; Emails lost in transmission run the risk of delays.

6. Push Notifications

The delayed push notification is sent to the user’s smartphone asking for approval/denial of login. One common approach is to go with an authenticator app.

Advantages: Easy to use and safe; instant notifications.

Negatives: You have to own a smartphone and you also need an active internet connection.

How To Add 2FA For Your Organization

Next up, let’s get you set up using 2FA inside your workplace since by now we’ve covered the essentials of what a 2nd-factor is. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you out.

1. Evaluate Your Business Needs

Step 1: Analyze your Business Security Needs – GO FOR 2FA Account for your data sensitivity, the type of regulatory compliance environment you work in, and very real risks that may haunt your business. This will encourage you to choose which 2FA method is best for your company.

2. Use The Appropriate 2FA(s)

From your assessment, decide on the 2FA method(s) that will provide value to your business. You could use text messages for 2FA with regular accounts, and bump up the security to hardware tokens or biometrics for super important things.

3. Select a 2FA Provider

Many 2-factor authentication providers exist with various features and prices in the market. Duo Security, Google Authenticator (2FA), Microsoft Authenticator, and Yubikey are some of the popular Biometric & Perfecto alternatives Some things to take a look at are how easy it is to integrate, scalability, and customer support.

4. Employ Two-factor Authentication in Your Systems

After you choose a 2FA provider, the next step is to start using 2FA for your business. Setting up these systems may involve cooperation with your IT team or a third-party consultant to assist in easing the implementation. Nearly all 2FA providers offer APIs and plugins, making them quite 

Conclusion

2FA-Live is an essential component to help secure your business. Taking the time to understand your needs, choosing the right solution, deploying properly and training your team will help ensure that your business data is secure. 

For companies who are looking for a trust-worthy 2FA-Live product, LogMeOnce has a whole suite of security tools that can protect against the latest cyber threats such as phishing, credential stuffing, malware and ransomware. 

Featured image by Ed Hardie on Unsplash

The post How to Implement 2FA Live for Your Business appeared first on noupe.

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, brands are constantly seeking innovative ways to engage their audience. Across channels of email marketing, social media and within the marketing funnel, creative content is a key way that brands can build a relationship with their audiences. 

This creates a challenge for brands: your social media content needs to renew itself daily, based on the latest memes and trends. Your website blog needs impactful bottom-of-funnel content to remind your customers that your products exist to change their lives. You need unique, powerful imagery to capture your customers’ imaginations. You may even need several iterations of all of this to A/B test!

Generative AI (GenAI) could be the solution, and everyone from ecommerce giants to small businesses is looking to streamline their marketing efforts with this powerful tool. But recent research has revealed a contradiction: 49% of consumers think that GenAI use harms brand authenticity.

As much as customers love engaging content, they also love authenticity. Any brand integrating generative AI in their marketing must be proactive to earn and keep the trust of their audience. Here’s how.

The Importance of Authenticity in Marketing

Consumers have more choice than ever about the brands they choose, meaning brands have to work harder than ever to create a connection with their audience that runs deeper than the price tag. Authenticity is a vital component of engaging your audience, generating trust and creating an emotional connection that integrates your products or services with your customers’ lifestyles.

Strengthening perceptions of authenticity leads to:

• Trust: When consumers believe a brand is genuine, they’re more likely to trust and engage with it.
• Loyalty: Authentic brands often enjoy higher customer loyalty, as people prefer to support businesses they perceive as honest and transparent.
• Engagement: Authentic content resonates more deeply with audiences, leading to higher engagement rates.

90% of millennials say authenticity is key when choosing a brand and authenticity is so important for brands that it’s become a topic of academic discussion. Authenticity should be at the heart of any brand strategy, and particularly when integrating AI into your marketing efforts. 

The Power of Generative AI in Marketing

Generative AI allows brands to create high-quality content quickly and in a scaleable way. Producing creative content is hard — with generative AI, there’s no such thing as a blank page. First drafts are ready-made, allowing you to get the ball rolling before adding a human touch. Here’s how brands are integrating GenAI into their marketing efforts:

Naming and Brand Strategy: AI can generate catchy brand names and build a coherent brand strategy in seconds, eliminating the painstaking initial brainstorming stages in brand building.

Creative Ad Copy: Writing persuasive ad copy that resonates with diverse audiences can be time-consuming, particularly when we’re A/B testing copy to hone in on the best results. GenAI can generate multiple variations of compelling copy, allowing marketers to test and optimize their campaigns efficiently.

Captivating Image Production: GenAI tools can edit and enhance images, helping brands maintain high visual standards without the constant need for professional designers. This can streamline your campaigns, allowing you to react to news, current affairs and trending memes with highly engaging, speedily produced visual content.

Engaging Social Media Content: A consistent stream of engaging content is essential in an algorithm-powered era. From generating witty tweets to creating engaging Instagram posts, GenAI can assist in maintaining a consistent and captivating social media presence. 

GenAI is a powerful tool for brands looking to stay current and stand out. But according to our survey, nearly half of the respondents feel that generative AI harms perceptions of brand authenticity. This statistic highlights a significant challenge for marketers: How can brands leverage GenAI’s efficiencies without compromising the authentic connection with their audience?

Maintaining Authenticity While Using GenAI

Transparency is Key

Just one-third of consumers are confident they can spot GenAI content, creating an atmosphere of suspicion online. From political deep fakes to airbrushed ads, consumers might not always spot AI-generated content, but they will be questioning whether it’s there.

In this climate, one of the most effective ways to maintain authenticity when using GenAI is to be transparent about its use. 77% of consumers expect brands to be transparent about AI usage, and brands that openly disclose their use of AI are more likely to maintain trust.

Add the Human Touch

While GenAI can generate content, adding a human touch is crucial to ensure it resonates authentically with the audience. Personalize your content by tailoring AI-generated content to reflect the brand’s unique voice, and targeting your customers’ specific needs.

Coca-Cola is one brand going all-in on the power of AI, but not forgetting that all-important human touch. “It’s all about AI and HI, artificial intelligence and human ingenuity”, said Europe CMO Javier Meza. 

Engage with Your Audience

Using GenAI doesn’t mean brands should distance themselves from their audience — in fact, using AI to generate content can create another opportunity to ask your customer’s opinions. By encouraging discussions about AI and its role in content creation, and by staying open to feedback, you can strengthen perceptions of authenticity and reinforce trust.

Regularly ask your audience about their perceptions and comfort levels with AI-generated content, through polls and questioning social media posts. You can foster community discussions around the use of GenAI, and meaningfully address any concerns.

Always Stay True to Brand Values

Brands should ensure that their use of GenAI aligns with their core values. Misalignment can lead to a perception of inauthenticity, so ensure you have a brand style guide in place that outlines your brand tone, and use it when creating prompts for GenAI content.

You might even reject generative AI altogether to emphasize your values, like Dove  — a brand known for its commitment to natural beauty. Dove has publicly stated that they will never use AI-generated models in their advertising, and this stance reinforces their brand values and strengthens their authenticity in the eyes of their consumers.

Wrapping Up

Generative AI offers huge potential for brands to streamline content creation and enhance their marketing efforts, but it can’t come at the cost of authenticity. Through transparency and an alignment with brand values, brands can leverage GenAI whilst maintaining, or even strengthening, perceptions of authenticity.

Brand-building is a two-way street, a call-and-response act with your customers. When you’re integrating AI into your marketing efforts, be ready to listen to what they have to say.

Featured image by Google DeepMind

The post Winter of Discontent? How Brands Can Retain Authenticity While Using GenAI appeared first on noupe.

Shopify apps are like power-ups for your business, transforming your Shopify store from a basic online shop into a high-performing eCommerce powerhouse. In 2024, utilizing the right Shopify apps can give your store the competitive edge it needs.

This blog highlights the top seven Shopify apps that can elevate your store. Each app brings unique features and benefits, turning potential challenges into opportunities for growth. 

Let’s get started!

StoreRobo Import Export Suite

The StoreRobo Import Export Suite helps store owners better handle data by facilitating the import and export of products, collections, customers, orders, and discounts using CSV files.

Bulk import and export using custom CSV files allows you to migrate data between stores. StoreRobo also allows you to schedule import and export actions by setting intervals for them. 

StoreRobo facilitates transitioning from WooCommerce to Shopify by supporting bulk CSV imports and API connections to bring over products, customers, orders, and discounts. Store owners can also export products to the Google Shopping feed to easily integrate with Google Merchant Center. StoreRobo ensures that the export files include all necessary metadata and related information, supporting both simple and variable products.

If you prefer using FTP or SFTP, the app provides great support, letting you add multiple FTP accounts for data migration. You can also import data from public URLs like Google Sheets with ease.

Top feature: This import-export app from WebToffee lets you schedule the data migration process later. 

SF Product Recommendations

StoreFrog Product Recommendations app uses algorithms to offer personalized product recommendations tailored to each visitor’s behavior and preferences. Store owners can decide on strategies like upselling and cross-selling, and then set up rules and filters for recommendations to manage what products are shown to which customers.

With automated recommendations, you can ensure that customers see relevant products without any manual configuration. This saves time and helps customers easily find what they’re looking for.

The app integrates into various store pages and showcases related products, best sellers, recently viewed items, and new arrivals. Presenting the right products at the right time encourages customers to explore more. 

StoreFrog’s analytics measures the effectiveness of their recommendation strategies and offers insights into what works best for your audience. You can also customize recommendation widgets with regards to text and color to layout and font to best align with the branding.

Top feature: This Shopify recommendations app has advanced recommendation filters allowing store owners to customize which products must be displayed in the recommendation widget.

Judge.me Product Reviews App

Genuine reviews and testimonials are a great way to drive sales in eCommerce. But, collecting them from customers can prove cumbersome for the average store owner. This is where Judge.me comes in. The app automates and customizes review requests through multiple channels, including web, email, push notifications, and SMS. 

You can engage with reviewers by replying directly to their reviews and rewarding them with coupons. This encourages more feedback from customers while fostering stronger connections.

Judge.me supports unlimited review requests and includes free photos and videos in reviews for all users. Once generated, social proof can be promoted for increasing conversions. 

With Judge.me, reviews can be shared on social media and you can also enhance SEO through rich snippets and Google Shopping. The option to create a carousel of featured reviews, with six different themes to choose from, allows for easy integration of reviews into any store design.

Top feature: You can automate review requests across various channels. It also includes an in-email review feature allowing customers to share their feedback directly within the email. 

Privy–Popups, Emails and SMS

Privy automates marketing efforts and boosts conversions through popups, email and SMS. From email signup popups and abandoned cart emails to welcome messages and purchase thank-yous, the features of this app help in timely communication.

The app simplifies the creation of email newsletters with a drag-and-drop email editor and pre-built templates. You can also integrate products from your Shopify catalog directly into your emails.

Top feature: With Privy, you can utilize the power of SMS to send reminders after sign-up and cart abandonment. This helps you retain and better engage customers. 

PageFly Landing Page Builder

The PageFly Landing Page Builder helps users design their Shopify store with templates for a variety of pages and sections therein, all the while optimizing them for SEO. The drag-and-drop editor allows you to easily create your dream store. 

Templates include those for landing pages, home pages, product pages, collections, blog posts, FAQs, etc. The app also allows the integration of conversion-focused elements like countdowns, sales banners, cross-selling widgets, and color swatches to improve customer engagement. 

Responsive design ensures your store works great regardless of the device, with added customization options for each screen size. The tool is compatible with all Shopify themes. This enables in easy addition of sections without affecting the existing structure. It also integrates with other apps.

Top feature: PageFly simplifies customization with the no-code approach—making it accessible to all.

SearchPie SEO & Speed optimize

SearchPie SEO & Speed Optimize focuses on enhancing search rankings which results in more traffic and sales. When you integrate this comprehensive SEO solution into your Shopify store, your store will be sure to attract the attention it deserves.

Some features include identifying ideal keywords through Keyword Explore, generating optimized meta tags using AI, maintaining high image quality and decreasing the page load times. This optimization also extends to URLs, AMP, and Schema. A dedicated team of SEO experts supports you in resolving any issues promptly and maintaining smooth operations.

Daily reports highlight SEO issues, offering clear instructions for fixes. This saves time with one-click solutions for meta tags, alt tags, and images. 

SearchPie provides an effective approach to improving SEO and page speed, making it an invaluable tool for store owners aiming for higher rankings and visibility.

Top feature: SearchPie addresses page speed with AMP and image compression, enhancing both desktop and mobile experiences. This improved performance helps retain customers, contributing to higher retention rates.

Order Printer Pro: Invoice App

Order Printer Pro is a great solution for handling all your store’s documentation. From branded invoices and packing slips to returns forms and receipts, the app streamlines the process with automated printing and delivery. 

You can add your brand’s logo and colors to professional templates for a quick setup, or fully customize them using code.

For efficient order management, the app supports bulk printing and exporting of draft orders. The automatic inclusion of a PDF link to the invoice in the order email helps improve order fulfillment. It also supports multiple languages and currencies.

The app’s flexible features also accommodate various order types. Moreover, you can send PDF quotes, include “pay now” links, generate necessary documents, and easily handle translations and tax information. 

Top feature: This Shopify app allows to add a “pay now’ link in the PDF documents. This feature speeds up the payment process.

Conclusion

In summary, the right Shopify apps can transform your online store into a high-performing eCommerce platform. Such tools are integral for smoothening the store’s operations and driving sales growth. With solutions that cover everything from marketing and customer service to inventory management and fulfillment, Shopify apps offer the flexibility to scale with your business needs.

Investing in these apps is crucial for creating a competitive Shopify store.

Drop a comment if you found this blog insightful, and keep checking this space for more updates.

Featured image by freepik

The post 7 Best Shopify Apps You Will Need for Your Store in 2024 appeared first on noupe.