Your online goals, It’s time to chat about goals in 2019

Your online goals, It’s time to talk about goals.

Every business has different objectives. It’s good to understand exactly what you would like to realize online, because it can assist you set the proper priorities and put your plan into place. Because you don’t want to feel too overwhelmed. 

There are many clear ways digital can help your business. Such as, building relationships on social networks, selling online, finding new customers. or maybe keeping existing ones.

It’s good to start out by asking yourself an easy question: why, exactly, do i would like to be online?

Imagine you own a hair salon. Your ultimate goals could be: to chop more people’s hair, sell more premium services than the quality haircut, and sell more of the products you offer. 

But before anyone can rehearse your door, they need to understand you exist.

This is an excellent goal that digital can help with. So let’s start thereupon one: getting the word call at the digital world. One easy win is listing your business in local online directories. 

So, when people search for hairdressers on search engines, or online maps, your business will show up. Then you would possibly plan to build an internet site to share information about your business.

 this might be things like, your opening hours, your location, your prices and therefore the services you offer. 

Maybe even photos and videos that would entice new customers to steer through your door. you'll found out a social media page- like on Facebook, Google+ or Twitter where you'll post photos of your creations, offer special deals and really connect together with your customers. 

As you begin achieving these goals, and more people become conscious of you. Your goals may naturally evolve and you would possibly want to shift your focus toward turning visitors into paying customers.

You could add new features to your site. Things like online appointment scheduling, a “reviews” section where people can say nice things about you, or maybe an eCommerce store to sell your hair and wonder products online. 

Now that you’re using digital to draw in visitors, and switch them into customers, you'll start expanding your business by investing in online advertising. 

Whatever your ultimate digital goals are, or where you currently stand, your priorities will naturally change and grow together with your business. 

Now to form sure you’re meeting your objectives, it’s really important to live your progress along the way. this is often called “analytics”. Analytics allows you to know what’s working well, and what might be tweaked.

We’ll dive into this more later, but with digital you’ve got many options for measuring your success.

So let’s recap. Before you dive into the digital world, believe exactly what you’d wish to achieve. 

Then, prioritize different online opportunities to assist you accomplish your goals.

In the next few videos, we’ll assist you plan. First, by watching alternative ways you'll establish a digital presence. 

Next, the various ways to plug yourself online, lastly, how you'll measure and improve your digital endeavors.

Key Learnings

Taking your business online offers tons of opportunities, but with numerous options, it’s easy to spin your wheels and lose focus. Setting specific goals can help as you start to navigate the digital world.

Marketing your online presence in 2019

Marketing your online presence

You’ve established your online home, and now you’re looking for ways to bring more customers to your virtual front door. Let’s discuss some great strategies to do just that using search engines, other websites, social media and email.

So let’s talk about you, how are you going to get customers to find you online?

There are a few ways to do it using digital. Let’s start with search engines. When people type something in a search engine, they’re letting it know exactly what they are looking for. If you offer relevant services and products, search engines will show your business in the search results.
Now, there are two main ways you can use search engines, and we’ve got lots of info to share on both. The first is search engine optimization, or SEO , which helps you promote your business in the unpaid search results.

The second is search engine marketing, or SEM , which lets you buy ad space in the search results.
SEO is all about getting your site in front of the right people who are searching for your products and services. Now, there are lots of ways to do this, we’ll explain them in detail later on, but the key is knowing what words people actually type in - the keywords. They are the most relevant words to your business. Understanding these will help you improve how you show up when these words are searched. SEM , on the other hand, is when businesses pay to advertise to people searching for specific keywords online. Most major search engines use an auction system, where lots of different businesses compete to show their ads by bidding on the keywords they’d like to target.

Search is a great way to reach people, but we do lots more on the Internet. We read news, check sports scores, browse recipes, watch videos and generally browse lots and lots of interesting content across the web. Alongside all of this content you might see ads. This is called display advertising. Display ads appear everywhere online, and come in many formats like text, images, video, and ads you can click on and interact with. They can be a great way to get your message out there and you’re able to choose the people you want to see your ads, and the websites and pages you’d like them to appear on.

Social media sites - like Facebook, Twitter or Google+ - give another option for boosting awareness of your business, and they’re especially useful for building relationships with customers. On most networks you’ll create pages or profiles for your business. You can then connect with lots of people by starting meaningful conversations and sharing content you’ve created whilst growing your business’ online social life.  Before we wrap this up, let’s not forget one more pretty important way businesses can use digital: email marketing. We’re not talking about junk email, or “spam” that clutters up your inbox, but sending relevant information and offers to people who have already said they’d like to hear from you.

You can get people to sign up, or “opt in” to receive emails from you. Then the rest is up to you. You can send coupons to people who have made an appointment on your site, advertise special events, or promote sale items.  Knowing all the ways you can find people online—and knowing how they can find you—can help launch your business big-time. The more types of digital marketing you try, the more opportunities you’ll have to reach your most valuable customers, wherever they happen to be in the digital world.

Key Leanings
You’re online, so now it’s time to bring in the customers you want. We’ll review how to best help them find you, using some tried-­and-­tested online marketing avenues:

1. search engines
2. other websites
3. social media
4. email.

Keys to Golfing Better 2018 & 2019

Keys to Golfing Better

The golf professionals do have something that they agree on.  If you do not keep your balance during the entire swing, it is not possible to have a good stroke.  It sounds simple to keep your balance, doesn’t it?  Unfortunately, it is impossible to have good balance when you are so tense that you are “white knuckling” the club, your entire body is stiff, and you are trying to hit the ball too hard. 

When you are just starting to play golf, you are frequently warned to not hit the ball too hard.  Energy that is focused will make the ball go much further than a hard swing that does not make contact with the ball at the club’s center.  When you are well balanced, you are more free to hit the ball correctly. 

Keep your head still, with your eyes focused on the ball.  The more still your head is, the better you will be able to see the ball.  This helps to create the foundation for you to keep your balance.  Any movement or distraction that hinders your balance will make it impossible to focus on the ball.  It is imperative that you keep your head perfectly still and do not move it during your swing. 

If you want to keep your balance, you need to relax your body and muscles.  If you don’t relax, then your head is going to move.

If you will watch yourself in front of your mirror, you will soon realize that you need to relax your muscles for your head to stay still while you swing.  No two golfers have the same build, so you will have to figure out some things for yourself.  It is a necessity to begin by keeping your head in the same position from the beginning to end of your swing.  If you keep your head still, you will be able to focus on the ball, and you will turn your hands at the right time. 

You will be able to cure many of your problems just by keeping your head completely still.  It will be impossible to incorrectly grip your club without losing your balance and moving your head. 

If you don’t follow through correctly, you will not be able to keep your balance.   

If you concentrate on your balance and keeping your head still, then you will not swing too hard or pull your club away.  It will be impossible to put too much strength into your swing.  You will be relaxed and will have a smooth swing and a successful finish.

Keeping your balance is necessary for you to enjoy a great game of golf.  It will take time for you to see definite improvement, so be patient.  Concentrate on keeping your balance and your head in one place and in no time you will be enjoying an excellent golf game that your friends will be envious of! 

Breastfeeding Your Baby in 2018 & 2019

Breastfeeding Your Baby


Breastfeeding problems, such as milk production difficulties, are not as common when using the PDF feeding method, but they do occur.  Even if you are well rested, eating healthy, have a pretty routine life, and your baby is growing and getting enough food, you still may experience a milk production issue.  Many things can cause production problems.  Here are just a few. 

Some things that can affect your milk supply are: 
> What mom eats
> How much mom rests and sleeps
> Her state of mind
> The age of the mom
> How many children you have
> Your desire to breastfeed
> Your nursing capabilities
> Your nursing techniques
> Baby’s latch on abilities

If you choose to breastfeed, it is very important that you take your baby for their check-ups as needed.  If you don’t, how will you know if he is getting enough milk and growing at the correct rate?  There is no way for you to tell that your child is getting enough nutrition for sure without your child being weighed. 

During the first week of your baby’s life, your breasts will produce colostrum for them to drink.  Colostrum is rich in antibodies and aids the baby’s immune system.  It also helps him pass his first bowel movement, which is called meconium.  Meconium is black and tarry looking and is in the first few diapers after birth.  Then he begins to transition to a brown substance and after your milk comes in, it becomes a yellow, mustardy stool that is loose and watery.  Bottle-fed baby’s pass firmer, tannish stools than breastfed baby’s. 

After 24-48 hours after birth, your baby will start having wet diapers that will increase to two or three a day. 

While your baby drinks colostrum and then milk, you should listen for a pattern of “suck, suck, suck, swallow.”  This pattern will be rhythmic and there should be no “clicking” noises.  The “clicking” sound can indicate that your baby is not properly latched on and may not be getting enough milk from you.  If you start to hear this, you need to unlatch him and then reattach him.  If you continue to hear this sound after reattaching him several times, then you may want to consult a lactation consultant or your pediatrician. 

After the first week of life, you should see 6-8 wet diapers each day and at least 3 bowel movements a day.  His urine should be clear and he should become more alert with each passing day.  Your baby should also be gaining weight and growing, as this is the surest way to tell that they are getting enough nutrition.  If you have two days in a row that deviates from the above indicators, then you should call your pediatrician immediately. 

focused on one part of the ball, Watch The Ball!

Watch The Ball! 

This phrase is often repeated in nearly every sport – keep your eye on the ball.  It applies to golf too!  If you do not watch the ball, then the chance that you will hit it is very slim! 

Keep your eyes focused on one part of the ball.  Don’t watch your club as you swing. 

Keep your focus on the ball and let everything else fade into the background. 

Try to look down on the ball, rather than watching it at the end of the golf club.  Raising your shoulders is not going to help you see the ball more clearly.  If you will look down on the ball, you will get results that are more successful and you will not have a tendency to look up before the end of your swing. 

Unfortunately, it is completely natural to look away when you begin to pull the club back.  Ignore the natural feeling and keep your eyes on the ball. 

When you are looking down at the ball, you should notice that the only way you can keep the club head in the correct line of flight is to keep your hands moving parallel to the flight line.  Keep your hands in line with the club head when making contact with the ball. 

It is very important to learn to watch the ball no matter what kind of shot you need to make.  It does not matter if the ball is in the long grass, the sand trap, on a slope, or anywhere else, the main thing is to see the ball completely so that you can hit it solidly and successfully. 

There are not many golfers who stand still and keep their attention on the ball.  Many times, people will look at where they want the ball to go and then look at the ball.  Most golfers would be surprised to learn that they do not stand still and watch the ball.  The instant that you take your eye off the ball, you begin having problems. 

Most golf mistakes are a result of a loss of concentration.  It you keep your focus on the ball, you will be able to hit the ball well.   

To help your golf game, remind yourself to keep your eye on the ball for the entire swing.  You will find your golf game improving so much that your friends may be asking you for advice! 

Tips To Apply For A Credit Card in 2018

Filling out a credit card application is just like filling out a job application-everyone needs some tips to use so that they get approved.

If your credit is bad, then it may be a little more difficult to get a credit card than if you have good credit.  Do not give up, because there are hundreds of companies out there that offer credit cards for people with bad credit and if you shop around, you will find the credit card that is just right for you. 

If you are researching credit cards, the first place that you can get information is the Internet.  The Internet has a lot of information about many different credit cards, including their rates, fees, and incentives, so that you can find the best credit card for you. 

There are some credit card companies that say that they will give you a credit card with no credit check.  However, keep in mind that having a credit card almost always means that you are going to go into debt.  Be cautious when choosing the credit card for you.  Read the fine print of their terms and agreements to make sure that there are not going to be any surprises. 

Analyze your financial situation to make sure that you can handle a credit card and its payments.  Even the most cautious of us go on a little shopping excursion every now and then and you do not want to be thrown into a financial tailspin when your bill comes in. 

Cautiousness is very important in using your credit card.  If you are not sure that you can handle a credit card, then rethink applying.  You need to be sure that when the bill comes in that you can make the payments.  If you are not completely sure, then don’t get a credit card until you are ready. 

More Tips For Parenting 2018 VS 2019

More Tips For Parenting


* Diapers:  Most babies that are fed using the PDF method usually need a diaper change at each feeding time.  This means that your baby will need about 6-8 diapers a day or more.  Many new parents time the diaper changes with the after dinner bowel movement, but if you miss it, you will just have a few more diapers to change during the day.

* Diaper rash:  Sensitive skin is a common problem for some babies and they may get a diaper rash due to a food allergy, yeast infection, sitting too long in a wet or messy diaper, or teething.  If you notice your baby beginning to get a diaper rash, talk to your pediatrician about which diaper rash medicine will work for your baby.

* Growth spurts:  Growth spurts can start as early as 10 days after your baby’s birth.  Growth spurts usually are preceded by a sleepy, lethargic day and a big jump in appetite.  Growth spurts may happen again at 3, 6, and 12 weeks and again at 4 and 6 months.  If you begin to notice that your child is not as satisfied with the amount that you have been feeding her previously, then she may be beginning a growth spurt period.  If you are breastfeeding, you may want to add a feeding or two to satiate your baby’s appetite and to help increase milk production.

* Immunizations:  With all of the conflicting reports on immunizations, you may be unsure about whether or not you want your child to receive immunizations.  I think that there are simply too many fatal diseases that can be prevented by immunizing your baby to take the chance.  If you are unsure, then you need to talk with your pediatrician, but understand that the reason that the infant mortality rate is so low in this country is because immunizations are routinely done.

* Pacifiers & thumb sucking:  If you breastfeed, do not allow your child to use you as their pacifier.  If your baby seems to have a need to suck beyond eating, then you need to give them a pacifier.  There is no “nipple confusion” between a breast nipple and a pacifier as they are very different in feel and taste.  Babies will know the difference between the two.  Some children do not want a pacifier but will suck on their thumb.  If you don’t have a problem with it, then let them.


* Spitting up:  It is very common for babies to spit up, but some babies do it more than others.  If your baby is growing normally, then there is no need to worry about it.  Projectile throwing up is not the same as spitting up.  Projectile throwing up is a violent reaction to reject the contents of the stomach and not just “burping” up a little milk.  If your baby does this frequently, consult your pediatrician.

Getting Out and Staying Out of Credit Card Debt in 2018

Credit card debt is a major cause of over one million bankruptcies each year.  The reason is that many people get a credit card without researching and reading the fine print.  By the time annual fees are added on, along with spending indiscriminately, payments are missed, which causes their balance to skyrocket. 

Although we all like to place the blame on the credit cards and the credit card companies, you need to keep in mind that the real cause of your financial mess is you.

One shopping spree does not usually cause high debt.  It is usually a pattern that consists of gradually increasing purchases that add up to a large debt.  The great thing is that it can be very easy to get out of debt.  The key is to start spending less than you make.  This is a long-term solution that can help you to whittle your debt down.

Although it may sound simple, it can be very difficult if you have a problem with willpower.  It is important to stick with spending less than you make or you will find yourself in exactly the same place as you were before.  Overcoming your debt will take willpower and a great deal of time.

It may be difficult to stick with your debt repayment program, but keep yourself strong and you will find yourself out of debt before you know it.

It is important to learn how to get out of debt and then stay out of debt.  If you can summon enough willpower and strength towards your finances and spending, then you will find yourself the winner in the game of debt.  It may be easy to get into debt, but getting out of debt is much more difficult, but worth it. 

One simple phrase can sum up the solution to your financial problems.  If you don’t have the money to spend, then don’t spend it!

Swing Smoothly

Swing Smoothly

When I get a golf club in my hand, I get that feeling of wanting to knock the cover off the ball.  It feels good to put all of my strength into hitting the ball.  Just hitting the ball as hard as I can does not mean that I play good golf though. 

If you just need to relieve a little stress, then swinging with all your strength may accomplish your goals.  However, if you want to play golf well, then you are going to have to hold back on the power a little. 

One of the most frequent mistakes is to swing the golf club too hard.  A hard swing shows that you have power, but accuracy is the name of the game in golf. 

You need to relax when you are swinging.  This will help you swing easily and will help to reduce your power.  If you put your feet closer together, then you can further reduce the strength of your swing.  Tensing up will also cause you to use too much effort. 

Your center of gravity is also very important.  Keep your center of gravity the same and your head will stay still.  If you keep both of your feet in the same position throughout your swing, then your center of gravity will be stable.   

If you jerk your body then your head will move and you will not be able to focus on the ball.  This can also change your center of gravity.  It is imperative that you keep your feet planted so that all your weight will be concentrated in your feet when you make contact with the ball. 

Expending very little effort should be your goal.  If you hit the ball correctly, then it will feel smooth and easy.   

Don’t tense up when you are about to make contact with the ball.  If you tense up, your balance will be thrown off.  You want the club head to travel in a straight line to make contact with the ball. 

To help correct slicing, see how centered you can hit the ball with your club and how low you can send the ball.  If you send the ball too high, it gets into the wind and can go left or right on rough ground. 

You want to only use the amount of power that you are able to control.  The goal of the game is not power, but accuracy.  You want to be able to control every facet of your swing so that you hit the ball cleanly and it goes where you want it to go. 

The distance will come from your clean and correct swing, not how much power that you put into it. 

You want to try to gradually increase your speed during your swing until you connect with the ball solidly.  If you do not have a smooth swing, then you are pulling your hands somewhere during the swing.  Keep your head as still as you would if you had a glass of water balanced on top of it.  This will help to improve your swing and help you to swing more smoothly and fluidly. 

Swing at a decent enough speed to keep yourself from becoming tense and stiff.  Don’t swing too slowly or so hard that you feel the effort of the swing.  Stay relaxed. 

Try to keep the idea of power out of your head.  Keeping your power under control so that you can be more accurate is what counts! 

Changing the Awkward Shots Into Opportunities 2018 VS 2019

Changing the Awkward Shots Into Opportunities

For some of us golfers, this is something that happens to us more often that we would like.  You know what I am talking about.  Shots that throw you off balance or aren’t as simple as instruction videos or professionals make them look.  Here are some great ways to overcome the awkward shots. 

When you have an awkward shot to make, think about how you can swing, keep your balance, and keep from moving your head.  Then imagine the line your club travels along.   

Prior to setting up your shot, consider where the club head needs to travel for the greatest distance in a straight line.  Keep in mind that the ball makes contact with the club head for several inches.  After you make a few practice swings, you will be able to see what relationship your feet will have with the line and then you can determine your stance. 

It is important to keep from swaying when you are about the hit the ball.  Just before you swing, see if there is any problem keeping your balance.  If there is, you need to keep shifting until you find a comfortable position where there is no tension in your swing.  Freedom in your muscles and mind is what you are looking for so that you will be able to swing smoothly.  If you are fidgety when you address the ball, you are not going to be able to focus on the ball.  Be sure you keep your feet still. 

Ensure that you can see the ball from the beginning to end of your swing.  Even if it is a difficult shot, do not lose focus on the ball.  This will help you hit the ball cleanly and solidly. 

If you keep your eye on the ball, then your swing will be free from faults and the ball will be hit correctly.  If you can keep your head still for the entire swing until the club head meets the ball, your swing will definitely improve.  Then if you have an awkward shot, you will be able to hit it with confidence and assurance. 

Bad or difficult weather can make any shot more difficult.  When the wind is blowing, it is important to keep your feet closer together.  It is natural to think that you just need to hit the ball harder, but the wind makes it even more important to hit the ball correctly. 

The more awkward the shot, the more you need your muscles to be relaxed enough to make the shot.  Here is a tip.  The shorter the shot that you need to make, the closer your feet should be brought together.  Hit the ball true, instead of with all of your strength to keep it from bouncing away and reducing the distance that it travels. 

Awkward and difficult shots are something that every golfer needs to learn to deal with.  Once you learn how to handle them, then you will be much more confident and be enjoying a lower golf score! 

Choosing a Credit Card In the UK 2018 or 2019

Credit card companies are all over the world and so are credit cards.  Some of the credit card companies only offer cards to a specific country or region that they are in.  If you live in the UK, then you might need some information about credit cards that are available for you. 

Credit cards that you get in the UK are not any different from any other credit cards.  The credit card companies offer special incentives to get customers like 0% APR for a specific time period, no annual fees, and you may even be able to apply for the credit cards online.  Many credit card companies based in the UK do not give their cards to consumers in other countries due to security reasons.  However, if you live in the UK, then there are many companies that are sure to let you fill out an application to receive their specific credit card. 

There are many companies that encourage you to apply online.  They overwhelm you with ads, promising a 60 second approval. 

Credit card use in the UK can cause financial problems just as it does all over the world.  People in the UK owe tens of billions of pounds in credit card debt at an interest rate of over 16% and this figure keeps getting higher and higher.  Debts over 2500 pounds are common to ten percent of the people in UK and combined with high interest rates, this figure is near impossible to get to come down. 

There are some benefits to having a credit card that a great many UK consumers find appealing.  Some of the credit card companies offer cash back with purchases, air miles, travel insurance, and insurance for your purchases.  A credit card looks good to many UK consumers, especially when you add in the discount vouchers. 

When you decide to apply for a credit card, you should research all of your choices to find the one that is best for you.  Once you receive it, you need to be careful in using it or you could find yourself in a financial mess.  If you use your credit card wisely, then you will find that it will make your life easier, no matter what country you live in. 

Credit Card Company That You Can Trust Chase in 2018 or 2019

If you are looking for a credit card company to give your business to, but are unsure of which one to choose, then you may want to consider Chase.  They are known for being one of the best credit cards around.  They make applying for one of their cards very simple and there are no hidden charges. 

When you sign up, they will give you all of the information about any charges that they may charge you.  They do not have annual fees and offer a 0% interest introductory rate.  Also, Chase offers fraud protection, which is a very important thing to have these days. 

It is so easy to apply for a Chase credit card.  Applying on their website is simple, too.  Their website is also a great place to learn more about their credit cards including the interest rates and pictures of each kind of card. 

You can also pay your credit card bill online.  This is a fast and secure way for you to pay your credit card bill.  If you do not have a Chase credit card, but have heard great things about the company, you can sign-up on their website.  If you fill out the form correctly, then you could be a Chase member in just a few days. 

Chase offers individual accounts and small business accounts.  This is great for those of you who are looking for a credit card to start your small business. 

Chase credit cards are accepted all over the world, so you do not have to worry about being able to use it on a trip abroad.  Chase also gives their customers air miles for every dollar, so you may be able to take a vacation much cheaper than you think. 

Recently, Chase has went through some bad press – mainly aimed at their customer service practices, but they have made strides to make their customer service better and to lower their interest rates.  If you are looking for a credit card with a proven track record, then you will want to consider Chase. 

Find a Place to Study 2018 VS 2019

Find a Place to Study

       Figuring out a time and place to do your homework and study is of the utmost importance.  Once you have figured out when to do your homework, the next question is where to do it. 

       A good study area should have a desk or table big enough to spread out books, notes, worksheets, etc. without them all being on top of each other.  You do not want to make a mess, but you also do want to have ample room to work.

       Make sure you have plenty of light.  Ideally, you will near a window with an overhead light and perhaps even a small reading lamp. 

       Most important in choosing a study location is finding a place that is relatively free from distractions.  That means no TV on in the room, no brothers or sisters running by, no phone conversations to listen in on, and no instant messenger or emails to keep you busy. 
     
       Whether or not you listen to music while you study depends on your personal preference.  You may choose to ignore any phone calls, or turn off your cell phone, and forget about the urge to go and get a snack every ten or fifteen minutes.

       Depending on your home, you may be able to find this area at the kitchen or dining room table, or in your bedroom.  You may be able to set aside a study space in your basement or an office in you home.  Some people find their homes too filled with distractions, and prefer to take their studies to the local library.

       Wherever you choose, it is best if you can study in that same place all the time.  If you can study in this same location consistently, your mind will get used to this being a focused and important place.  When you enter this area, you will know it is time to get down to business. Your pens and pencils, paper, erasers, stapler, calculator, and anything else you use often can be kept nearby.  Also, you can keep them in a bin or bag which can be pulled out whenever you need them.  This will avoid having to stop studying to collect supplies.
     
       Having this dedicated study spot will help you get down to business and focus more easily on getting your work complete.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Keep Supplies in a Homework Kit

       It’s four o’clock…you know what that means…time to do homework.  You scour the house looking for a pencil.  Then you need a pencil sharpener.  Ten minutes later you find one.  Finally you sit down to start your homework.  Where’s the calculator?  Dad’s desk?  Brother’s bedroom?  Once found, you discover that it is low on batteries…there have to be some in the house…but where?  If you find your typical study session unfolding like this, then here are a few suggestions to make you finish your homework with ease…

       You can waste a lot of time looking for homework supplies and making sure they are ready to be used.  OR, you can use a homework box or supply kit of some kind to keep it all together.  Then, when it comes time to do homework, everything is in place for you.  No running around, no scouring the house. 

       Any kind of box will do.  You can use a storage tote, an old shoebox, or even a drawer.  The key is to keep everything you need in there, ready to go.  Make sure the tote or box is placed conveniently in your study area.  It should not move from the spot. 
     
       Make sure siblings and family members know that these supplies are for homework, and not for other activities.  Those supplies should stay there, and only be used for homework.  You may want to label it so there is no confusion as to its purpose. 
     
       Pencils and crayons should be sharp, calculators fully equipped with fresh batteries, markers with lids tightly attached.  Here’s a tip, since your parents are always offering to help with your homework but it is up to you to do the work, suggest that they take responsibility for keeping the supply kit full and in working order. 
       When it comes to studying, there are few people that want any more struggle or stress than is necessary.  Keeping all materials and supplies handy and ready to go will make your studying not only go smoother, but possibly quicker.  And who wouldn’t want to shorten the time they need for studying?
     
     
     
     

Concentration is Key

       Learning to concentrate while studying and doing work is a skill that will be used for the rest of your life.  The art of concentration is to eliminate any possible distractions and completely focus on the task at hand.  Many students will read through material and discover that they have no idea what they have just read.  Or, they will attend lectures and have difficulty paying attention to what is being said.  Here are a few suggestions to help you stay focused and boost your grades…

       When scheduling study times, try to stick to a consistent and efficient routine.  Try to avoid studying one day late at night, and the next in the afternoon.  Write in your planner or calendar when you will study so as not to have conflicts. 

       Always study in a quiet environment.  If you haven’t already, find a designated study spot free of distractions.  If you live in a noisy house or dormitory, this may mean heading to a study room or even the library.

       When you need a study break, do something different from you have been doing, and in a different area.  Get up and walk around in another room.  Listen to music for a few minutes.  Grab a snack.  Try to take a break every hour for about 10 minutes. 

       Every student struggles with day dreaming while studying…thinking about plans for the night or tomorrow’s basketball game.  To avoid daydreaming, ask yourself questions about the material as you study it, which will keep your mind focused.

       If you have trouble focusing during classroom lectures, look over the notes of the previous lecture and read the course material pertaining to the lecture beforehand so you can anticipate the main ideas that the instructor will cover.  Additionally, show outward interest during lectures.  Have an attentive expression and posture.  This will self-motivate internal interest.  Also, resist distractions by sitting in front of the room away from disruptive occurrences and classmates and by focusing on the instructor through listening and note taking. 

       Just a few minor adjustments in your studying habits will go a long way in improving grades and concentration.










Skimming with Skill

       Think about how you find a name in a telephone book.  You don’t read any more than necessary to find the name.  Maybe you use your finger to guide your eyes.  This type of reading is known as scanning.  Skimming uses the same type of skill mechanically but a different skill mentally.  In scanning, you know what you are looking for; in skimming, you don’t.

       Since you don’t know exactly what you are looking for while skimming, prepare yourself by reading the title, source, author, and any pictures;  then question yourself,--who, what, when, where is this likely to focus on?  With a questioning mind direct your eyes down the column of print, or in a zigzag, if the lines are quite long.  Look for exact names of people, places, things, ideas, numbers and words like therefore, whenever, until, because, and instead, to clue you to how and why.

       When you first start to learn to skim you may see only the words in bold type, italics, digits, or capitalized words.  Soon you will note new or unusual vocabulary.  As you become an efficient skimmer your span of perception will develop and your ability to make closure will increase.

       Skimming is a step you should always take before you read any article of factual or practical narrative.  You will soon be able to detect most important facts, strange vocabulary, and words that are clues to important relationships.

It's a good practice to skim everything in mass media after reading the title and first paragraph. You may get all the information you want. This keeps your skimming skills from deteriorating, or will give you the practice you need to develop necessary skills.

Skim everything you intend to read before you make a final decision to read, discard, or study the material.

Skim all highlighting and develop a read-skim pattern to use for rapid review. And don't overlook this! Reviewing frequently and rapidly is the best way to memorize (or simply remember information) from notes and long text assignments.  Skimming is a very useful tool for studying, so learn it and use it!








From Start to Finish

       Confused about what to write down in your notebook during class?  Get stressed when preparing for tests and looking over your notes?  Here are some suggestions to take you from the beginning of the studying process in the classroom, to the end, or the test itself.

Read assignments before heading to class.  This will build your background for the information that will be presented in class.  It helps you be familiar with the vocabulary and concepts.  This is especially helpful if you are unfamiliar with the subject matter.  As you read, underline and highlight important information.  If you don’t have time to read the entire assignment, at least look over introduction paragraphs, bolded words, and summaries.  This will give you a good overview of the information.

Although it seems obvious, you need to go to class and take notes.  Most professors or teachers lecture during class periods, emphasizing points of importance.  Head to class ready to be attentive and write during the entire class.  Don’t stop taking notes until the lecturer is finishing.  Pay particular attention to the end of the lecture, as professors will cram information into this part to finish up for the day.  Use abbreviations; get details and main ideas to get complete notes.

While the notes are still ‘fresh’ in your mind, look over them and make any additions or corrections as soon as possible after class.  Be sure to make note of any parts you didn’t understand or missed.  Ask either the professor or a friend via email or before the next class period to get the missing information. 

Try to pass your first test in each class to boost self-confidence.  Make up a list of study questions and definitions and practice reciting this information aloud, either to yourself or someone else.  Don’t wait until the last minute study.  Rather, study for short periods over several days.  Of course, you will want to review the night before a test.

Finally, test day arrives.  Use these strategies during your exam to make all your hard work worthwhile.  Read directions carefully before you begin.  Take a few minutes to look over the test, then answer all the questions you know first.  This will help you get sure points and builds confidence. Don’t leave any blanks; it is better to guess if you don’t know.  Watch your time, and manage it accordingly.  Don’t rush, but don’t go too slow.  Take a few minutes at the end of class to look over your test to be sure you have answered all questions and that your answers make sense. 

Create and Maintain a Budget in 2018 and 2019

Create and Maintain a Budget
  The first step to avoiding the troubles of financial debt is to create and maintain a budget.  It’s not as intimidating as it sounds, don’t worry.

       First off,  create a list of all your monthly income and also a list of your monthly expenses.  When determining income, list all sources including alimony, child support, side jobs, etc.  In calculating expenses, be sure to include housing, food, transportation, utilities, entertainment, etc.  To gain an accurate reflection of actual expenses, sit down each night and write down expenses, just make sure to save receipts.  Determine if your income covers all of your expenses.  If the answer is no, then some expenses need to be reduced. 

       Adjust expenses.  If it is a small discrepancy, it may mean reducing some minor expenses like entertainment or cell phone plan.  If the deficit is larger, you may need to downsize your vehicle or living arrangements.  If your income covers all of your expenses, you still may want to trim some of the excess fat off your spending habits.  This can free up extra money for things such as vacations or college funds for your children. 
     
       Additionally, consider if you need to add new categories.  Some areas that are often overlooked are debt reduction, emergency savings funds, and retirement savings.  An emergency fund ensures there is an adequate amount available to cover unforeseen events (car emergency, etc), should it arise.  This will eliminate the need for using credit which can quickly damage your budget. 
     
       There are several advantages to sticking to your budget.  Firstly, most people have set financial goals that they would like to reach in the future.  Sometimes it may be a trip, a brand new car, or a college education.  A budget can help people save money to make these goals a reality.  Additionally, many people are crushed under heavy consumer debt.  Without a disciplined pattern of spending, it is virtually impossible to make much headway in reducing debt.  A personal budget will provide the necessary framework to begin eliminating these inflated account balances. 
     
       If executed properly, a budget will allow a person to simultaneously meet their expenses, place money into savings, and pay back outstanding debts.  Therefore, it is anyone’s best interest to create and implement a budget. 
     










Cut Back on Spending

  At first it may seem difficult to limit spending and stick to a budget, however there are a few practical changes that you can make everyday that will cut your spending more than you expect. 

       Firstly, alter credit car behavior.  Start to pay cash whenever possible.  This will help you avoid making a purchase unless you actually have the money available.  If you decide to make a credit card purchase, be prepared to pay the balance off monthly.  This will save a lot of money through avoiding interest charges.  If you already have a credit card balance, then transfer to a card with a low interest rate.  Also, find a card that does not charge an annual fee. 
     
       Another tip is to pack your lunch everyday.  All of those lunch hours spent at restaurants will add up.  Bringing your own lunch can save you several dollars every day, which will add up over time. 
     
       Use your cell phone during off peak hours.  Some people will spend a couple hundred dollars a month on phone charges.  Avoid this by making most calls during off peak times.  Check with your service and plan to find out when you have cheaper or unlimited calls. 
     
       Stop throwing away the Sunday newspaper before skimming through the advertisements.  Clip some of those coupons and check out the sales.  This may seem tedious, but the savings are often worth it.  Many stores will double or triple the amount of the coupon.  This technique can save you up to 20 or 30 dollars each time you head to the food store. 
     
       Additionally, refinance.  Mortgage rates have been extremely low over the past year.  This has been a great opportunity to reduce the monthly house payment significantly.  If you are planning to have your house paid off prior to retirement, then you may want to factor this in before refinancing. 
     
       Finally, bundle your insurance.  Many insurance companies will offer their customers lower rates if they purchase multiple policies.  For instance, some people use the same agent for multiple cars, and others combine their cars and house.  Always keep in mind that a dollar here and there really begins to add up.  Avoid the temptation of thinking that changing your spending habits wouldn’t save that much money. 
     
     

     
Start Saving!
       So you are loaded down with bills to pay each month and are wondering how you can begin a savings account for emergencies and other high-expense endeavors.  In other words, where can you find that extra cash to put away for later? 
       Firstly, when configuring your budge, plan for your savings first.  You will grow richer each month if you begin to pay yourself first.  Before paying any bills, decide on a set amount that you will pay yourself first—maybe five or ten percent—or whatever you decide—of your paycheck.  Then, deposit the amount into a savings account before paying any bills. 
       When you do this at the beginning of the month, your entire paycheck will not suddenly slip through your fingers.  If you wait until the end of the month, there may be nothing left to save.  Paying yourself first will give you a systematic way to make your money grow.  Regardless of your profession or your income, this system will work if you stick to it. 
       Another technique you may try for saving money is to empty your extra change into a coffee can or a jar each day.  At the end of the month, roll the coins and put them into your savings account.  You may be able to save 30 or 40 dollars each month just with your spare change. 
       Remember that good money management is more than just a mathematical formula.  It’s too closely tied with the ups and downs of living to be just that.  Your money management plan is always subject to change if your life situation changes.  The object of a good budget is to make your money go the farthest in helping you reach your goals, it is not there to force to you to abide by rules. 
       Don’t get discouraged if the budget plan doesn’t work perfectly right away.  It may involve some revising and editing until it fits your needs.  Then, make sure to review it often, and be sure it is making the best use of every penny!  Because we know how helpful those spare pennies can be!





Avoid Spending Pitfalls!
       With all the advantages that are evident from personal budgeting, it is no wonder that more and more people are relying on them to reduce debts and increase their savings.  However, all ‘budgeters’ need to be careful to avoid some common pitfalls that appear often. 
       Credit cards may seem like small pieces of plastic, however they can cause a great deal of trouble for the owners.  It is common for people to make unwise purchases, which they would have avoided otherwise, because they had the credit card in their wallet.  The best solution for many people is simply to get rid of credit cards and begin paying only by cash, check, or debit cards.  You may want to keep one card handy for emergencies, but it is probably best to keep it out of reach, and far away from your wallet.
       Another problem with budgeting is impatience.  There are financial goals set, but people do not have the patience to complete a savings program.  For instance, an individual begins setting aside money for a new car; however, after a few months they discover the car of their dreams.  Rather than waiting, they make the purchase.  This could pose some serious financial strains.  Discipline is a must to prevent impatience from breaking your budget. 
       Once a person makes a budget, they often fail to adjust it when necessary.  A budget is created using a set of expenses and income figures that are liable to change.  As these figures do change, it is important that the budget changes to reflect the adjustments.  There could be some major deficits if this is not done appropriately and promptly.
       Of course nobody forgets about Christmas or Hanukkah, however many people do not consider budgeting for holidays when creating a budget.  Therefore, adequate funds have not been set aside for presents, food, parties, etc.  These items should be factored in and saved for throughout the year.
       Finally, many people factor in transportation and accommodations for vacations in their budget, however they underestimate money needed for food, entertainment, and spending money.  Keep in mind that all the resorts and tourists areas are double or triple what you would normally pay. 
       With a little planning, you’ll be on your way to saving more money than you ever thought possible!
     
     
     

Easy Money-Saving Changes
       One of the most obvious and easy ways to save some extra cash is to change some of the way you use products and items in your everyday life.  The key is to make minor changes. 
       For instance, always buy the cheapest hand soap you can find.  The quality doesn’t necessarily go up with the price and you can use it in place of ‘bath soap.’ 
       Always use the whole product.  Turn bottles upside down and drain to get the last bit from them.  Tear open sugar and flour sacks to get everything; squeeze or cut open tubes to use it all before running out to buy more.  You’ll be surprised at how much there really is left! 
Also, never use more than you need.  Just because it says on the box that you need a full cup, doesn’t mean that you really do it need it.  Half a measure of laundry detergent and a half teaspoon of dish soap are examples of what are usually enough, rather than what the manufacturer says. 
       To save some cash, you can use some of the things in your house in some unique ways.  Instead of spending lots of money on the fancy floor cleaners, try using ammonia.  It does a great job, and you can use plain water in between times.  If your furniture needs some polishing, mix equal parts of white vinegar and vegetable oil and rub on the furniture.  Buff with a cloth until it shines. 
       For a freezer bag, use empty chip bags and close with masking taps.  Also try a bowl with a lid, such as a margarine tub. 
       If your skin is feeling a little dry, there are several substitutes for expensive lotion.  Petroleum jelly rubbed into your hands at night after a warm water soak, mayonnaise (rinse w/ cold water after), or any other oil based food.  Just be sure to put it on immediately after your hands have been in water.
        To save some money on laundry, dissolve a bar of handsoap in water to replace laundry detergent.  Add three gallons of hot water, mix thoroughly and add a cup of washing soda. 
       Sure, these are small changes, but added up, they can put some extra change into your pocket throughout the year!
     

Learning About Cash Back Credit Cards: Good or Bad Idea 2018 or 2019?

Getting a credit card that offers cash back always sounds like a good idea.  What could be better than getting cash back on all the purchases that you make with your credit card?  It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? 

Well, there are cards that give you free cash, but it is usually only around 1% cash back.  However, free money is free money, right?  Well, sometimes. 

If you like to buy a lot of things in one month, this kind of credit card probably sounds great to you.  However, you need to keep in mind that they are not going to give you cash back on every purchase that you make.  Even if they claim to give you cash back on every purchase, they will only give you up to a certain amount per transaction.  The company also has a strict limit on the amount that they will give back to their customers.  If you read the little, bitty print on the form that you signed, you will see a paragraph with their limits in the terms and agreements. 

This is another way to try to draw in new customers for these companies.  It is a good credit card to have and sounds great in theory, but they will have to check your credit rating before they will give you their card. 

Research different credit card companies to see what they are offering.  You may be surprised to find a cash back credit card that offers you just what you need and want with a high cash back percentage, few limits on the amount they will give you back, and instant cash deposits when you make each purchase with their card. 

Although these credit cards seem like a great thing to have, some companies will need your credit rating to be great too.  However, there are credit card companies that offer these cards to people with a low credit rating to help them rebuild their credit.  Research all of your options. 

What should your decision be?  If you have a good credit rating, then this card is a great option for you.  Research different card companies – there are cards out there that offer you up to 3% cash back and impose very few limits.  If, however, you have a bad credit rating, you may want to find a credit card that will help you rebuild your credit. 

Can You Really Use Articles To Build Your List? 2018

Getting customers in your site should always be ranked as high as the importance of the quality and the excellence of the product and the services you provide. They should go hand in hand in providing your customers the satisfaction they get in exchange for the money they have paid for them. Customer service should as well be as fantastic so that the customers are provided with the same satisfaction.

One of the ways you can combine marketing and customer service is through opt-in marketing. With an opt-in list you get the opportunity to introduce your site and products on a good time basis. Opt-in marketing strategy is a marketing strategy that is virtually low cost and not time consuming. Here, you get the consent of your website visitors to subscribe to your newsletters and other promotional materials such as catalogs and free promotions.

Opt-in marketing uses your list of subscribers to send e-mail to. These e-mails will contain the materials you will send to your subscribers. It is essential that you present your promotional items in a manner that will catch the interest and the eye of your subscribers to keep them wanting for more. The best way to do this is to provide fun, entertaining and informational articles.

Well written articles full of content and useful information will help in building your list as more subscribers will be enticed your list. When they have read the samples of your contents in your sites, they will be intrigued as to what will come next. Subscribing to your newsletter will offer them a glimpse of what you have to offer next.

Many sites and companies have captured the importance of articles and this also aids in search engine optimization. As more people are heading towards the internet for their information needs, serving the right information to them via articles in your site will increase the flow of your website traffic.  With more traffic, the percentage of your sales will grow. More sales turn into more profit.

There have been the rise for the importance of well written, information enriched and keyword packed articles for the content of their site as well as for newsletters. These articles provide the information many are seeking in the internet. If your site has them, more people will be going to your site for information and research.

Well written articles would also boost your sites reputation. If they are filled with many information you will be regarded as well informed and an expert on the subjects that you tackle.  Your articles must be well researched so that the people will trust you. When you have gained their trust, they will always come for you for their needs on that subject.

In connection, you must write articles or commission them to tackle subjects that are closely connected with your type of business. If you have a site for a medicine tackling a certain disease, your articles must be about the diseases. Or if you sell materials for home improvements provide articles with those themes. Most articles searched for are tips, guidelines, methods, manuals and such. If you provide these articles to your customers and you have their trust, they will always go to your site for help and advice as well as for your products.

With the loyalty of these customers, they may subscribe to your opt-in list to receive all the information you have. If you provide them with the answers for that need, they will be happy to be receiving your newsletters as well as other promotional materials to keep them well informed. Others may even forward your newsletters to other people when they find a certain article interesting.

You should provide links in your newsletter so that when other people are reading it and wants to read more, they may click on the link and go to your site. With the articles you have in your site that are good, they may decide to sign up as well for your opt-in list. This will build your list and make it bigger.

Make sure to keep your subscribers happy and interested in your newsletters and promotional materials. Keep on posting and writing good articles for your site and newsletter. If you are not interested in writing them or if you just don’t have the time, there are many available well experienced and knowledgeable writers available to help you out. This is an investment that will pay for itself in time.

How To Build A List Of Eager Subscribers in 2018

Every online business provides great service to generate satisfaction among their customers. As each and every customer receives satisfaction over their products or the services they get, there is a great chance that they will become a return customer and buy again. Better yet, they will recommend you to other people that could generate more business for you and your site.

As more traffic is driven to your site, you can entice many of them to subscribe to your mailing list or opt-in list. This is a list where in website visitors agree to be sent promotional materials such as newsletters, catalogs and such that could keep them updated about your site or the niche of your site. These promotional materials are sent via e-mail to the members of the list in different time intervals.

When using e-mail as the media of your marketing and advertisements, you eliminate the need for high costs. Email is free and if you can manage to make your own promotional advertisements you can also save a bundle there. With an opt-in subscribers list, you are pretty sure that what you are sending out is received, viewed and read by the subscribers and not simply being deleted. They have signed up for service and have consented in receiving it.

This means that there are constant reminders to your subscribers about all your products, new products and services as well as any promotions and special deals you are having. There is also the chance that they can be forwarded to other potential customers as they tell their friends and families about you and your site.

Of course you should be also aware that a subscriber may unsubscribe when they feel that they are not getting what they want or expected. Make sure that they are satisfied with your opt-in marketing strategies and keep them excited in receiving your newsletters and catalogs. Here are some tips that can help you build a list of eager subscribers.

Make your promotional materials interesting and fun. Try to use a little creativity but not too over artsy. Build around what your product or service is about. For example; if you are selling car parts, put some pictures of what is new in the auto parts world, a new wing door possibly that can fit any car and make it look like a Lamborghini.

Try to research what people are looking for, these way, you stay one step ahead of them all the time and you will be their bearer of new tidings. They will be eager to receive what you are sending them because they new you always have fresh and new things to share with them.

Write good articles that can be very informational but light at the same time. If your subscribers enjoy your articles, they will go to your site by clicking the links that you will be putting on your newsletter to read some more. You can provide articles that can connect to many people. Be diverse in your articles. Put something humorous, then put something informational, then put something that has both.

Are you wary about this because you don’t like writing? No problem, there are many professional and experienced article writers that   can do the job for you for minimal fees. They know what they are doing and can provide the need that you have for your newsletters, the money that you pay for your articles are going to be met by the many sign-ups and the potential profit from the sales that you will get.

Create and send an E-book to your customers about anything that is related to your business or site. Use your knowledge and expertise in the field you have chosen to help other people who are similarly interested. Offer this e-book for free. You can write about anything informational and helpful to your subscribers. For example; you can do manuals and guides in so many things. This e-book could be used as a reference for many people.

Share this e-book with everyone, even other sites; just make sure that they don’t change the links in the e-book that will lead people to your site. If you want, you can always get some people to write it for you just like your articles. Your investment once again will be covered by the great marketing this will generate.

Add e-coupons in your newsletters that will help them avail to special discounts. Put a control number in your e-coupon so that they can only be used once. When people get discounts that can be found in your newsletters, they will be eager to receive your newsletter in anticipation of what you are promoting next.

If your subscribers can get benefits from your newsletters, they will be very eager to receive them. Just don’t flood your mailing list with mails so that you don’t annoy your subscribers.

How To Get Your Subscribers Begging For More in 2018

Just as an experiment, a friend of mine subscribe to ten different opt-in e-mail marketing lists to see which ones are effective. Many websites and online businesses have resorted to sending promotional materials to people who have subscribed to them in an effort to boost their sales or traffic. Opt-in email marketing sends newsletters, catalogs updates and many more promotional materials to website visitors who have agreed to be updated whether monthly, weekly or semiannually.

Through e-mail, an internet user that is on the list will receive their updates through email. If a promotional material piques their interest they will go to the site to learn more or to purchase outright. For the website operators or owners, this is a chance to remind their list of their existence and parlor their wares.  With the numerous sites in the internet that offers the same products or services in one way or the other, the competition can get pretty tight and it is easy to be forgotten.

Back to my experimenting friend, he tried to find out which opt-in marketing strategies grabbed a person into begging for more. Some would send in very simple fashion, some would very outlandish while there are some that would just lie in between. The differences could easily be noticed and some have gotten the idea of an effective opt-in marketing strategy. He dubbed them effective because he felt like he just couldn’t wait to go their site and learn more, the more persuasive ones even got him halfway to reaching for his wallet and to his credit card before he realized this was only for an experiment.

Many companies and site present their promotional materials in a wide variety of concepts. Each has their own distinctive style and designs, but more than the outline and the presentation, the content and the articles are what keeps the attention of your potential customer locked on to your opt-in marketing medium. Creativity is the key here.

From talking to many satisfied opt-in list subscribers and forums, I have learned of what is essential in opt-in marketing and what makes the subscribers begging for more instead of lining up to unsubscribe.

Keep your promotional materials light, creative and original. Many people are stressed out as it is. Getting a stuffy business proposal rather than a light hearted e-mail may just agitate them more. A warm friendly smile or banter is always more welcome than a serious business meeting or proposal. While you do want your customers to take you and your products and services seriously, you also want to show them that you know how to have fun.

Splash some color in your emails as well as provide some photos and articles that can be related to you but show good news or good light hearted images as well. Provide a newsletter or promotional materials that will keep them in a light mood. Make your materials eye catching and grabbing that they wont be able to take their eyes of them. Pique their interests.

Have good content and article, even if it means investing in an experienced and professional copy writer to write them for you. An effective copy writer should be able to build trust between you and your customers. They should be able to establish your credibility in what they write. It must be informative but not too stuffy. Let go of the professional jargons and “talk“to your recipients.

A good article and content should be able to outline the benefits of your product and services and why they need what you are offering. But do not look to be overeager and too persuasive. It should be able to entertain as well as lead them to buying from you.

Your promotional materials should be clear. Don’t leave people guessing. You should lead them to you and not vice versa. Explain to them what they need to do in a manner that won’t be confusing. Try to anticipate also what your target client needs. Do your research and information gathering, many sites will be able to help you with that.

Provide clear and crisp images of what you are offering. If the people know what you have for them, they are more likely to beg for more. For example, if you are selling a car, provide them photos but only enough to encourage them to go to your site for more.

How To Grab Your Readers Attention With Your Subject in 2018

How To Grab Your Readers Attention With Your Subject


The race for supremacy in the internet based businesses has been really heating up and many sites have been put up to help others to get ahead for a small fee. But there are also ways in which you don’t have to pay so much to make yourself a good list of loyal followers. Having a satisfied web traffic and visitors allows you to put up a foundation wherein you can build an opt-in list and make it grow from there.

An opt-in list allows you to provide newsletters to your subscribers with their consent. When people sign up, they know that they will be receiving updates and news from your site and the industry your represent via an e-mail. But that doesn’t mean that all of those who subscribe read them at all.  Many lists have been built due to an attachment with free software or for a promotional discount and such. Some are not really interested in receiving e-mails from companies and just treat them as waste of cyberspace and delete or trash them without so mush as opening the e-mail and scanning them.

You can change all that. While forwarding an email message is relatively after producing your newsletter. Getting people to open them is not as easy. You don’t want to waste all the time and effort used in making the newsletters, you want people to read them and have their interests piqued. Interested enough to go to your website and look around and most especially purchased and acquire your products or services.

One of the numerous ways you can tempt or persuade your subscriber is by providing a well thought out and well written subject. The subject of an email is what is often referred to when a person or a recipient of an email decides whether he or she wants to open or read an e-mail. The subject could easily be regarded as one of the most important aspect of your  promotional e-mail.

Your subject must be short and concise. They should provide a summary for the content of the e-mail so that the recipient will have basic knowledge of the content. This is really vital in grabbing the attention of your readers and subscribers. You want your subject to instantly grab the attention of your subscriber and get them to be intrigued to open up your mail. Remember, it is not necessarily true that a subscriber opens up subscribed mails.

A good subject must always be tickling the curiosity of your recipient. It must literally force the recipient to open the mail. A certain emotion must be ignited and get them to open the mail. It is essential to use specific words to get the reaction you need. Keep in mind that the recipient or subscribers spends only a few seconds looking over each subject of the e-mails he receives. You must grab your reader’s attention right away. 

There are many forms you can use for your subject. You can provide a subject that says your e-mail contains content that teaches them tips and methods on certain topics. An example of this is using keywords and keyword phrases such as, “How to” , “tips”, “Guides to”, Methods in and others like that.

You can also put your subject in a question form. These may include questions like, “Are you sick and tired of your job?” Or “Is your boss always on your case?” Try to stay on the topic that pertains to your site so that you’ll know that your subscribers have signed up because they are interested in that topic.  This form of subject is very effective because they reach out to your recipients emotions. When they have read the question on your subject, their mind starts answering the question already.

You can also use a subject that commands your reader. Statements such as “Act now and get this once in a lifetime opportunity”, or “Double, triple and even quadruple what you are earning in one year”. This type of subject deals with the benefits  your company provides with your product and services.

You may also use breaking news as your subject to intrigue your subscriber. For example, if you deal with car engine parts you can write in your subject, “Announcing the new engine that uses no gasoline, It runs on water”. This creates curiosity with the reader and will lead them to open the mail and read on.

3 Things To Avoid When Emailing Your List in 2018

When you decide to have an opt-in list, it is not just a matter of sending your subscribers your promotional newsletters or catalogs. There are many things to consider in avoiding many complications. While there are so many ways you can make people subscribe to your list, there are also some things you must do to avoid subscribers from wanting to get off from your list. 

Aside from that, you also want to avoid any problems with the law and your internet service provider or ISP. There are now many laws and rules that are applied to help protect the privacy of the internet users from spamming and unwanted mails. With the popularity of the electronic mail as a medium for marketing because of the low cost, many company’s have seized the opportunity and have flooded many people’s e-mail accounts with promotional mail.

But, with an opt-in list, you avoid this annoyance because people subscribe to the list; they want to receive the newsletters and promotional materials. They have consented to being on the list by subscribing themselves, just don’t forget to put an unsubscribe feature everytime in your opt-in list so that you avoid any confusion. There may be times when an email account was provided when the real owner didn’t want to subscribe.

It is essential that you keep your list clean and manageable. Arrange it by using the many tools and technologies available for your opt-in list. Do not worry; your investment in this marketing strategy is well worth it with all the coverage you will get which will likely be converted into sales then to profit.

Keep yourself and your business out of trouble and potential run-ins with the law and the internet service providers. Keep your operation legit and clean. Your reputation as a legitimate businessman and a legitimate site depends on your being a straight and true marketing strategist. As a tip, here are three things to avoid when emailing your list.

1) Take notice of your unsuccessful sends. These are the e-mails that bounce. Bounced emails, also known as undeliverable messages, are those messages that, for whatever reason, were not successfully received by the intended recipient.

There are bounces that happen or occur because the server was busy at that time but can still be delivered in another time. There are also bounces because the inbox of the recipient is full at that time. There are those bounce messages that are simply undeliverable ever. The reason for this is that it may be an invalid email address, a misspelled email address, or an email address that was abandoned and erased already.

Manage your list by putting markings on those that bounce. Erase an email account from your list so that you have an accurate statistics and records as to how many are actually receiving your mail. You may also want to check the spellings of your email addresses in your list. One common mistake is when an N instead of an M is placed in the .com area.

2) Always provide an unsubscribe feature in your site and an unsubscribe link in your mails. When someone in your list files a request to be unsubscribed, always take that request seriously. If you don’t take them off your list and keep sending them your e-mails, you are now sending them spam mail.

When you are reported as a spammer, you and your business can get into a lot of trouble. You can be reported to the authorities and maybe blacklisted by many internet service providers. You will lose a lot of subscribers this way and many more in potential subscribers.

3) Do not provide pornographic or shocking and disturbing content in your newsletters. It is hard to decipher the age of the recipient and many complaints may stem from these. Controversial issues also are to be avoided to not be branded by your subscribers. Stick to the nature of your site and business.

Always remember these tips in this article so that you can have a healthy relationship with your subscribers as well as be kept within the boundaries of what is allowed in sending mails to an opt-in list. 

Growth Marketing Tools for 2018

Ultimate List: Growth Marketing Tools for 2018

This list is broken down into sections based on the Pirate Metrics (AAARRR).

Awareness – Awareness is when the customer first discovers your service/product. So everything related to getting that user to land on your website / app. Acquisition – When the user is on your website, it’s time to convert or at least make them sign up for a news letter or come back at a later point. Don’t make them forget you. Activation – Once the user has shown some type of interest it is time to make sure they become a more active user, i.e paying or upgrading. This is usually done after they have signed up for a free trial in SaaS products. Make sure they don’t leave. Usually highly correlated with Product Market fit. Referrals – If the user like you enough you should have a mechanism for inviting their friends. It could also just be sharing options on your website. Organic referrals are however not the strongest, so here are some tools for creating referral campaigns. Retention – After you have activated the user, you want them to stick around. It is hard to manufacture retention if your product is mediocre, you will know if you have a leaky bucket, but there are some ways to re-engage and also to understand your users better. Revenue – Tools to make sure you get your hard earned money. These will just make your life a bit easier.

Extra: Outsourcing – Added this extra section, you don’t want to do everything by yourself so here are some great places to find extra muscles.

Let’s dive in!

Awareness (Traffic, SEO, Content Marketing)

Buzzsumo – it’s the most used tool for marketing your content and SEO campaigns. This tool allows you to keep track of your content and how it’s doing online (shares) as well as that of your competition (or any site for that matter). It allows you to find influencers on any particular keyword or topic and it’s very easy to use. They have a free chrome extension that allows you to see the number of shares on any website you visit.

SimilarWeb - See where your competitors get their traffic and much more.

SemRush - Another great tool for spying on your competitors, see how they rank on different keyword and what they spend on ads etc. Really useful.

Moz – the right place for SEO and digital marketing insight. Moz is the SEO toolset that’s got it all: keyword research, link building, site audits, and page optimization insights, in one.

AnswerThePublic - Find out what questions and queries your consumers have and what they're searching for in Google and YouTube.

SurveyMonkey – The leaders in online form and web-based survey solutions. They have been around for a while and offer a robust tool for any of your data gathering needs.

TheStocks.im – Royalty free stock photos to use in your emails, website and other marketing collateral. This site aggregates some of the best free stock photo sites under one umbrella making your photo searches a breeze.

Narrow – works by interacting with Twitter users that are talking about subjects relevant to the audience you want to attract.

Canva – creative and engaging, Canva lets you build stunning visuals for your business proposal and everything you might need, all with the power of drag and drop. You don’t have to spend big bucks on Adobe software for image editing anymore. If you need to add a quick headline or filter to an image, this can help.

RivalExplorer – Look and search for all emails ever sent to people by your competition.

CoSchedule – Plan, organize, and execute every content marketing project in one place. If you are into inbound marketing then having a healthy content calendar and plan in place is key to your success.

BuzzStream – A great tool for influencer and blogger outreach. It lets you track email opens, save templates and keep organized lists for a productive outreach campaign.

Buffer – makes it super easy to share any page you’re reading and schedule posts to go out from all of your major social media channels.

SocialPilot - similar to Buffer. Has worked better for me than Buffer, which kept disconnecting my accounts all the time.

Quuu – lets you handpick social media posts that interest you and your followers, great tool to keep quality content in your social media feed.

Revfluence – It’s a platform for marketers who value efficiency. From discovery and outreach to tracking and payment. Revfluence streamlines the influencer marketing process.

Audiense – Audiense delivers unique consumer insight and engagement capabilities. Super easy segmentation of followers. Terrific tool.

Snip.ly – Put your cta on any link you 3rd party share, and you can even track them together with your facebook pixel.

CLkim – With Clkim you can extract more value from the links you share online, social, sms or email.

MassPlanner - automates all your social media channels. Runs on windows, and you might want to set it up on amazon web services so it can run 24/7 unless you have a windows server available.

MixMax.com – Track, automate, and enhance your emails with the essential productivity suite for Google Inbox. Awesome tool!

MailShake.com – Perfect for cold emails using a CSV-file with leads. Create follow up sequences based on the actions (or no actions) the receiver do.

RevealBot – Set up automation rules for your Facebook and Instagram ads and let the bot manage and improve your ad performance for you.

Prospect.io – Switching gears a bit from general business automation to sales automation, we have prospect.io which is a cool platform for modern sales teams. It helps you find leads on Linkedin, prospect and send drip email campaigns in a few minutes.

Acquisition (Landing Pages, CRO, Analytics)

Drift.com – Driftbot is able to understand the conversations your customers are having with your company, and help get the right message to the right person at the right time.

Grammarly – checking your text for grammar errors, typos and punctuation so that your content is flawless before posting it on all your social media account.

UseFomo.com – Fomo is a one-click plugin that creates urgency by displaying key customer behaviors in real time.

SimplyCast – it’s the right tool for automating marketing campaigns. They cover anything from email, SMS, forms, live chat, surveys and other ways to do online marketing. They focus on small and medium enterprises providing great value for your money.

PageCloud – PageCloud will make the entire process of creating a website seamless and easy using their drag and drop technology.

Unbounce – Easy to use and good if you want to easy set up a landing page and do A/B testing.

Usertesting – Let’s you get out of those discussions with your marketing team about what you think it’ll work and instead it puts it to the test. Select the target audience that matches that of your business, configure a few test plans (what you want them to achieve) and then wait while the site matches your project with potentially hundreds of people. Once they go through your site, you’ll be able to see how they interacted with it giving your tons of useful information you can use to improve your site.

5secondrule – Similar to Usertesting, this tool allows you to query a pool of unknown people to get their real feedback. A five second test is great for understanding and measuring people’s first impressions on your business/website/brand.

LeadPages – Generating landing pages and lots of them to test out your creative and content are some of the great ways to improve conversion rates for your business. LeadPages is one of the leading tools out there that allow you to do this quite easily.

SumoMe –these guys arm you with a suite of site-growing solutions to help you get more traffic, build a following, and track your success.

Import.io – extracting info from web pages can become a great source of raw data that can be later re-purposed and presented to help you come to important conclusions and decisions.

Dexi.io – web data processing tool for professionals, lets you scrape almost any website.

Crazy Egg – website analytics presented to you in a visually clear and understandable way. Heat maps for most clicked locations in your site? Check!

Showbox – Create amazing videos in your browser. It helps save you hundreds or thousands of dollars in making videos. Granted, these are not going to have actors in them, but through illustrations and other images you can make a 30 second explainer video here for a fraction of the price.

Loom – Great tool to create short but impactful videos from your browser. Stop making “one-pagers” that people won’t read and start creating quick videos that explain what you do. It also has webcam and screen recording capabilities. Free chrome plugin available.

SmartPixel – A video capture and editing software that is both easy and affordable.

AlltheFreeStock – Free stock videos to include in your production. They also feature free stock photos.

VideoScribe – High definition whiteboard like animation video.

Segment – collecting data from your systems and customers and sending it wherever you need it. Connects with everything,

Google Analytics – analyzing website visits and tracking every change for you.

MixPanel - Like Google Analytics but on a user level, good for connecting a website visitor to a user and follow user journeys in funnels.

Amplitude - Easier interface than MixPanel for in-app user behavior tracking. Find “aha-moments”, why do users stay, why do they churn etc.

Optimizely – offers you the possibility of heavily experimenting to keep up with every whim of your users.

Google Optimize - same as Optimizely but free.

HotJar – A very comprehensive tool that gives you analytics on your website as well as an in-depth view of how your app or website is used. This means visitor recordings, heatmaps and even in-website surveys.

FullStory – offers detailed info on your visitor’s behavior while on your site.

Marketfox.io – marketing automation tool to convert more visitors into customers with machine learning and automated marketing campaigns.

Activation (Make a free user a paying user)

LeadChat – live chat agents 24/7 might be best for those of you whose service is time-dependent and your business’ success depends on how swift your response to a query is.

RaffleCopter – Giveaways, if done well, can often bring your business a lot of awareness and even leads. Rafflecopter lets you run online giveaways and embed them on your site without an IT.

Awario – Know thy enemy. This app helps you scour the web and find out what your competitors are posting, as well as mentions of your business of course.

Referrals (Virality)

ReferralCandy – If you would like to leverage your customers to sell more, consider starting a referral program that rewards people for their actions. This particular tool is great if you do e-commerce in your business.

Vyper.io – Referral campaigns as a competition with leader boards and prizes.

Maitreapp.co – Similar to Vyper, works well for initial launch to grow an email list for instance.

Retention (Email/Messaging, Automation)

Datanyze – provides you with insight based on your technology choices. Especially if your business is tech based, this might be just what you need.

ConvertKit – if you’re a professional blogger, this is the right email marketing tool for you.

Drip – is another automated email marketing tool that help you build workflow and infographics for your emails and newsletters.

Rare.io – A smart email marketing platform that works best for online businesses that do ecommerce.

Curated – as its namesake suggests, this app helps you put together an appealing newsletter or weekly digest so you can engage and keep your community interested and informed.

Gnowit – Real-time media monitoring for your business that uses artificial intelligence.

Klipfolio – The ultimate business dashboard. Monitor the health of your business while this dashboard connects to potentially all your online tools, giving you a full and unified picture of your business.

AutopilotHQ – the tool for automating your customer journeys. They cover anything from email, SMS, in-app messages, and postcards.

SatisMeter – helps you collect customer feedback and eliminate churn while accelerating growth.

Intercom – makes communication with your customers easy. Live chat, customer support, they have everything you need.

Packs By Startup Threads – You choose what you put into the boxes, this tool takes care of its delivery until it reaches your clients. Neat right?

MailLift – Sending out handwritten letters is still not that out of style. You can send one anytime using this service. Choose a template, MailLift will write it by hand and deliver it to your customers. Adding a great touch to your customer experience.

Zendesk – creates software for managing your relationship with your customers. UserVoice – decide on a roadmap for your product, while backing every decision with qualitative and quantitative feedback from your previous customers. GoToMeeting – offers you online HD video conferencing, making your communication that much easier. TypeForm – creating online, decidedly human forms. Customer.io – triggers multichannel messages according to customer response to each of them.

Zapier – One of our favorite tools from this list. It allows you to hook up pretty much every other tool together and create awesome automation that saves you time and money.

Process.st – Simple task and workflow automation. Similar to Zapier but different. Here you can create checklists that can then trigger automation tasks. Very cool.

IFTT – is a free web-based service that allows users to create chains of simple conditional statements, called “applets”, which are triggered based on changes to other web services such as Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Revenue

Gumroad – brilliant payment and distribution system for anything that can be sold, a physical product, a drip campaign, or a digital product.

Recurly – enterprise-class subscription billing management for thousands of businesses worldwide.

AlignCommerce – Forget about wire transfers. Use AlignCommerce for making global payments from the comfort of your browser. No accountants needed.

HubDoc – A tool that automatically collects receipts from all your tools and sends them right into your accounting software of choice. No more chasing receipts or getting nagged by your accounting team.

Xero – online accounting software for your small business.

Chart.io – cloud based data exploration and website analytics for everyone, made easy.

TradeGecko -Inventory management software for eCommerce and wholesalers

UpCounsel – easily hiring attorneys for your business’ needs.

Toggl – timetracker and employee sheet software.

Zirtual – virtual assistant service matching busy people with dedicated assistants.

RescueTime – Time management software for staying productive.

WaveApps.com – Create and send professional invoices, receipts and more.

Versature – If your business requires lots of phone interactions, look to Versature for a solid VOIP system.

Flyta – Smarter and cheaper international shipping.

ChangeJar – If you run a business in the food or hospitality industry and have customers that pay you using a POS, ChangeJar allows you to provide rewards and collect money in a way that will save you money.

Extra: Outsourcing

Upwork – was built after the merging of oDesk and Elance, the first and second biggest freelancing platforms on the internet. The result? Getting work done!

Crew.co – Hire top of the line creative freelancers. Based out of Montreal but with freelancers across the globe.

Scripted – almost exclusively for writing, editing and proofreading, you can get some great writing works out of this site.

Fiverr – offers small freelance services for only $5. Might be just what you’re looking for, and at a cheap price at that.

99designs – find and work with the best graphic designers online. Logos, websites, ads, what have you, they do it!

PeoplePerHour – here you can find freelancer for things like translations, writing, designing and programming.

WriterAcess – connects you with all screened, US-based pros, star rated by customer reviews.

Guru – you can either look for jobs, or post things you need done and get offers.

Gun.io – the place where you can look for verified freelance developers.

Gigster – they bring together the best developers, designers, and product managers from Silicon Valley and the world to form elite development teams.