What Should Be Your Highest Priority When Selecting a Photography Business Card Template?

When you plan on creating new business cards for your photography business, the first thoughts tend to be of the images you’ll put on the business cards itself.

The price tag is probably a close second. But what factors should you be using to select the right photography business cards template?

Constraints

There are several variations of this issue. One would be a business card template that limits what you can do with the file.

It may not let you save the file anywhere but their drive, and then you have to pay to save it for more than a few weeks.

Or you can save it with them for years, but the caveat is that you have to order the business cards from them. A few sites let you make business cards for free, but they’ll put their watermark on your images.

That hurts you when you’re a photographer trying to create business cards to support your own creative venture.

The constraints can take other forms, too. You may not be able to upload the file types you want.

It may limit you to a narrow range of fonts. You want a business card template to warn you when the image quality is so low it guarantees a poor-quality print, but you don’t want it to forbid a high-quality image upload.

Business owners want to know when the text or image is dangerously close to the edge, but you may want the option to make the image cover the entire card.

Ease of Use

Templates exist because the dramatically simplify the task of creating something, whether it is a new business card or resume.

The problem is how many templates get in the way of this process. If they give you too many options, it is as if you’re learning another software program.

On the flipside, minimalist templates don’t give you the freedom to do much more than print a basic business card with an uploaded logo. At that point, you might as well create the file on your own computer and send it to the printer.

The best business card templates will offer a spell-check, but this doesn’t eliminate the need to proof-read what you enter into the template.

Conversely, the best templates will help you line up elements and test spacing.

Covering the Basics

Creative types often focus so hard on the creative aspects that they forget the business fundamentals.

One mistake is focusing on the beauty of the shot and taking many photos for your portfolio but forgetting to drum up business and bill customers.

When it comes to business cards, creative types often focus on selecting the right image and getting the logo just right.

And at the same time, they forget to put their phone number or email address on the business card, though they have a lovely tagline at the bottom.

Your business card must include, at a minimum, your name or business name, a contact phone number and email address. Your website domain is a close second.

You should prioritize a call to action message at the bottom like “Book your wedding photos with us!” over additional social media profile links.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/branding/what-should-be-your-highest-priority-when-selecting-a-photography-business-card-template/

The Right CBD Oil Dosage: How Much Should You Take?

The Science Behind a Smile: How To Harness The Power Behind A Smile To Become An Effective Entrepreneur

The Science Behind a Smile: How To Harness The Power Behind A Smile To Become An Effective Entrepreneur

Think of a person that you were drawn to during the first time you met. Think of how that person carries him or herself, how that person was able to establish a mutual connection between you, despite you being total strangers prior to meeting each other.

Chances are that you’re going to see a person smiling, looking anyone they talk to right in the eye, and exuding a form of quiet confidence without necessarily calling attention to themselves.

These are also the hallmarks of every capable entrepreneur. If you think about it, there’s an unspoken magic that lies beneath a smile.

It seems to be embedded into our genetics that we’re drawn to people who have a genuinely nice smile. So, what exactly is the science behind this? Why should aspiring entrepreneurs make a habit of smiling? Read on, dear readers.

Magic? Definitely Not

But it’s surprisingly effective that it might as well be mistaken for a spell. There are many studies that prove that smiling does have a significant effect on a person’s mood.

The act of smiling triggers your body to release neuropeptides which help regulate your mood. A few of these feel-good neuropeptides are dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins.

Dopamine is the chemical responsible for mediating pleasure. This, then, acts as the motivating factor that influences reward-focused behavior.

In essence, dopamine helps reinforce certain behavior because that behavior triggers a sense of pleasure.

Serotonin is responsible for regulating mood and social behavior. It also regulates appetite as well as libido.

Serotonin levels have been found to increase or decrease the risk of depression, with higher levels reducing the likelihood of becoming clinically depressed.

Endorphins are responsible for that euphoric feeling after exercising. They also help dampen a person’s perception of pain, which allows you to literally smile away the pain to an extent.

When all these neuropeptides work together, they are actually able to help boost a person’s mood, even when they’re having a bad day or when they’re under a lot of stress.

That little boost in mood is all you might need to help you get through a tough day. Sometimes, happiness can even pave the way to your success.

 When You Feel Good, You Also Look Good

No, that’s not an attempt to flatter you. It’s a statement of fact. People who feel secure about themselves tend to exude that same self-confidence in their stance, their movements, and their facial expressions.

And while looking good is an advantage of its own, the true value of looking good lies in how you are perceived by the people you interact with.

The Halo Effect

The halo effect is a phenomenon where an attractive person is likely to also possess other good traits and qualities.

This is known as a cognitive bias that has a significant effect on a person’s first impressions on you.

A good looking person is assumed to also be reliable, smart, and sincere. In a business context, this is also the premise behind power dressing and proper grooming.

Whether you’re trying to sell a product or a business proposal, you’re trying to earn a client’s trust.

And while you won’t be sealing deals just by looking good, a person’s first impression of you can greatly affect how the rest of the meeting is going to go, and how much of what you’re going to say is going to be heard.

So, What’s The Science Behind The Halo Effect?

According to a study published in the journal Neuropsychologia, when we perceive a smiling face, the medial orbitofrontal cortex is activated.

This part of the brain plays a big role in representing a stimulus-reward value. So, the brain literally treats being smiled at as a reward in itself. And who doesn’t like rewards?

It’s Also For This Reason That Smiling Is Infectious

Just notice how politicians and businessmen try to smile at everyone they interact with during meets.

By smiling, you don’t just make yourself feel good and look good, you also make others feel good too because the smile you show them is perceived by them as a reward. So, in a way, you’re rewarding the people around you for giving their attention to you.

This reward also reinforces the behavior of giving you the attention and it helps build rapport with the people you interact with.

While this might seem unimportant, this is extremely useful during meetings and during those moments when you need to say something very important. It’s an effective way of capturing and maintaining the attention of an audience.

Is It Possible To Harness This Power?

Not with ugly teeth.

It’s important to take good care of your teeth if you want to be able to harness the power of a smile. Like most advantages, you have to earn your smile. There’s real wisdom behind a parent’s gentle reminder to take care of your teeth.

Crooked and missing teeth don’t just pose a physical hindrance to the functionality of your jaw and speech, they also do harm to your self-esteem.

The less secure you are about yourself, the less likely you’re going to be able to smile genuinely. This is bad because you miss out on so many advantages you would otherwise have with a decent set of teeth.

But, despite this, don’t despair. Crooked teeth can be straightened with braces. Missing teeth can be replaced with dental implants.

Take note, though, that it’s extremely important to only work with professionals who are competently knowledgeable about dental implants and other procedures.

Substandard work might worsen your condition and may even create new problems for you.

It’s important to strike a balance between friendliness and submissiveness. Remember that you win people over with the character you build and the deeds you perform.

While simply smiling at a person isn’t going to convince them to buy your product or fund your idea, it can help set up a good start from which you can present your ideas better.

Smile freely, but don’t be afraid to act in a serious manner when the situation calls for it. After all, business is business.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/entrepreneurship/the-science-behind-a-smile-how-to-harness-the-power-behind-a-smile-to-become-an-effective-entrepreneur/

What Does Age Discrimination Look Like? It’s More Common Than You Think

Workers are retiring at older ages than in the past, which also means more people are making career moves or accepting new roles later in life. Despite a generally aging workforce, however, many offices are guilty of discriminating against older workers. This is an example not just of the ageism that’s pervasive in our society, but of age discrimination, an illegal practice that can leave businesses vulnerable under the law.

Ageism Versus Age Discrimination

If you’ve ever heard someone refer to older adults as out of touch or unable to master new skills, you’ve witnessed ageism. Ageism, however, is a more general manifestation of age discrimination, which in the workplace typically includes such actions as firing or laying off workers because they’re older, denying promotions to older workers despite being qualified, or implementing workplace policies that have a negative impact on workers and applicants over the age of 40. Age 40 is the threshold established by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), which has been federal law since 1967, though some states also protect younger workers under similar terms.

While age 40 may be the cutoff under federal law, many workers would question whether that’s really when discrimination begins. Isn’t 40 awfully young? At first glance, it might seem like it, but in fact, 20% of workers age 40 or over have experienced age discrimination, according to a Hiscox study. However, while legal coverage begins at age 40 and some workers do experience discrimination beginning around that age, particularly in youth-oriented fields, most workers believe they’re most likely to begin experiencing discrimination around age 51.

Identifying Age Discrimination

Because ageism is so pervasive, it can sometimes be hard for employees and employers alike to identify what age discrimination looks like. Like most other federal antidiscrimination laws, though, age discrimination often looks very similar to disability, pregnancy, and gender discrimination. As the federal employment lawyers at Snider & Associates explain, age discrimination might include such actions as giving inaccurate performance reviews to hold workers back, creating an unnecessarily harsh work environment, or verbally harassing older workers. In other words, it’s not always a simple case of unfair hiring or firing.

Age discrimination can also overlap with other kinds of discrimination. For example, most employers recognize that they shouldn’t fire a worker who is on medical leave, but older workers are also disproportionately likely to require medical leave. And while a younger worker may not be fired for taking medical leave because employers assume they will come back and resume working as usual, the same employers are more likely to fire an older worker in the same position because they may argue that an older worker is no longer able to do their job. In cases like this, age discrimination may also overlap with disability discrimination.

Slights And Exclusions

As for the subtler ways in which older workers are discriminated against in the workplace, the most important thing that employers can do is to focus on broad inclusion and equal treatment. Are you offering learning opportunities to some of your workers? If so, they should be offered to all workers. This includes providing funding for continuing education, professional conference participation, and other professional development reimbursements. You can’t exclude older workers from educational advancement.

Another common way that workplaces discriminate against older workers is by unevenly distributing time off based on factors like childcare. Yes, employers can’t discriminate against parents simply for having children, but they can expect parents to set up alternative arrangements for childcare and that parents will take on equitable work during holidays and other busy periods. Older workers are sometimes denied time off in favor of younger workers simply because they’re understood to not have small children at home; their outside lives are deprioritized compared to younger workers.

Gender And Age Discrimination

Finally, we can’t talk about age discrimination without also talking about gender. Women are more likely to experience age discrimination at younger ages than men because of the high value placed on women’s looks. In fact, 72% of women between 45 and 74 feel they have experienced age discrimination, compared with only 57% of men of the same age. What makes this even worse is that many women are held back early in their careers by family responsibilities because of a continued lack of parity in parenting and household management, so early age discrimination can leave women several steps behind their male peers in a given industry.

Age discrimination is only going to become a greater concern in the coming years as the workforce continues to age, and workers should be prepared to address and combat it. Know how to recognize age discrimination in interviews, adapt your resume to minimize cues about your age, and make it clear to your employer that you will speak up if you feel you’re being treated unfairly because of your age. This includes everything from taking the issue to HR to seeking legal advice.

No one wants to talk about age discrimination, but it’s a serious issue and one that workplaces can’t afford to ignore. Brush up on the law and take a look at your policies – if they don’t reflect a commitment to inclusion, it’s time to make some changes.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/at-work/what-does-age-discrimination-look-like-its-more-common-than-you-think/

Mediation Instead of Divorce – How It Works

Most marriages are started with visions of happily ever after. Yet research shows that nearly one-half of all weddings will eventually be overshadowed by a divorce. And as tough as it can be to go through the process of divorce, it can be made slightly easier when mediation is used as an alternative to typical divorce proceedings.

Mediation vs. Divorce

In a typical divorce scenario, a feuding couple can’t agree on the terms of the split and uses court proceedings to determine who gets what. But for couples that are amicable, mediation is a solid alternative. It works by hiring a mediator who meets with you and your spouse in a safe and comfortable environment and facilitates legal and agreeable separation of assets.

“As a mediator, your lawyer can help you and your spouse reach a reasonable agreement before you ever file the first papers for a divorce,” Rowdy G. Williams Law Firm P.C. explains. “In these cases, you and your spouse will meet with an attorney, and you’ll discuss what you each want, need, and expect from your arrangement and for your children. When it comes to your children, family law mediation can help you avoid some complications.”

There are, however, situations in which divorce mediation is a big waste of time. If there’s extreme bitterness between you and your spouse, and you aren’t okay with the other person being present, then mediation is a no-go. If one individual is extremely delusional and/or if there’s extreme violence or abuse in the relationship, you’re better off pursuing a traditional divorce proceeding.

5 Things to Know About Mediation

Divorce mediation doesn’t get as much attention as normal divorce proceedings. Having said this, most people don’t know as much as they should about this process of conflict resolution. Let’s highlight some things you should know:

1. Mediation is Less Expensive

In almost 100 percent of all cases, mediation is less expensive than a full court trial or series of hearings. They require far less time, fewer resources, and fewer people. This makes them efficient and practical in situations where couples don’t want to spend an insane amount of money just to separate the assets they already own.

2. Mediation is More Private

Perhaps the biggest benefit of mediation is that it’s more private than a divorce proceeding. There’s no public hearing or public record of what goes on in the sessions. This allows you to discuss sensitive topics related to personal finances, parenting, and any issues of infidelity without giving nosy people access to your own private affairs. (It’s also ideal if you have children who are old enough to understand what’s going on. It gives you the opportunity to shelter them from painful details until you find the right timing to discuss the matter.)

3. Mediation is Ideal for Co-Parenting

As Nolo points out, “Divorce mediation is an excellent way to work with your co-parent to decide who should care for the children on a day-to-day basis, who should be responsible for paying child support, and the type and frequency of visitation with the non-custodial parent.”

Whereas court proceedings can quickly turn into aggressive shouting matches between parents on opposite sides of the room, mediation allows both parents to come together and calmly discuss the details of child custody without a bunch of gawking onlookers casting judgement on your every statement. It just makes more sense.

4. The Right Mediator is Paramount

The overall success of your divorce mediation really depends on the mediator you choose. A good mediator will make the process go smoothly, whereas the wrong one can leave you and your spouse with an even greater divide.

5. You Must Give to Get

In order for mediation to work, both you and your spouse have to be willing to compromise. You have to give to get. There will be things you’ll need to concede in order to get something else you care about in return. Try to avoid getting too caught up in the details.

What’s Best for Your Family?

At the end of the day, it all comes down to making decisions that benefit the entire family. This includes you, your soon-to-be ex-spouse, and your children. In many cases, mediation is the optimal solution. Other times, it’s impractical. Take your time and figure out which approach is ideal for your needs.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/lifestyle/mediation-instead-of-divorce-how-it-works/

Why Web Design and SEO Development Are a Must for Your Website

Most online businesses now make use of websites to promote their products and services. With much of your business relying heavily on your website, it’s crucial that it’s aesthetically appealing and can be easily found by search engines. 

Get to know more about the principles of good web design and what it takes to implement sound SEO strategies that improve your visibility on search engines!

What Good Web Design Does For Your Business

Having an online profile for your business is a requirement in this day and age if you want to succeed in the marketplace.

Web design is a key aspect of your online presence, although it isn’t merely about the overall appearance of your website that matters. 

There are different areas of your website aside from design that needs to be taken care of, such as its SEO. SEO is your way to make your site easier to search in search engines. 

But it’s quite a challenge to ensure that your website’s visual appeal and web ranking is up to par at the same time. In most cases than not, you need

 Web Design and SEO experts to help you start.

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing a website to make it more discoverable in search engines like Google through the use of keywords. 

SEO will ensure that search engines can effectively explore and understand your site’s content for it to rank higher in the search engine. The result? Higher visibility for your website and a positive impact on your traffic.

Developing a Beautiful and SEO-Friendly Website

Creating a beautiful and SEO-friendly website requires a number of things such as the following:

Domain and Website Structure

It’s important to ensure that you have your own domain for your planned site. If ever you have subdomains, make sure that it also points to your main one so it redirects to just a single version of the site.

The structure of your website refers to the navigational plan of how your consumers can explore your site. Users must be able to easily get around your website and look for the information they need. 

The general rule is that each section on your website must not exceed four clicks from the homepage.

Also, if you have categories with subcategories then each subcategory pages must have specific keywords or title tags to allow it to rank higher on search engines.

Content and Web Images

The content of your website should present information that your users will find valuable. Organize it within categories and subcategories and display it in a way that’s not too overwhelming for your visitors.

Make sure to add images on your website wherever relevant as it’s a crucial aspect of a well-designed website.

Typically, small images are not recommended as they are low in quality but don’t make your images too large as well so as to avoid slow website loading time. 

Wrapping Up

Make sure to keep the above things in mind if you want to ensure that your site is at least designed well and is also user-friendly. If all those aspects are daunting, you can always find an expert to help create a well-designed and optimized website!

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/seo/why-web-design-and-seo-development-are-a-must-for-your-website/

4 Things You Must Consider if You Want to Dominate Digital Marketing in 2019

Basic Skills good web designers should have

Web design is one of the top skills you can learn presently. However, it would do you much good to understand what should be on your priority list as a web designer before plunging out to design your first website.

Principle of design

Anyone would agree that it takes understanding the basic underlying principles of any skill to become great at it. As a web designer, you need to understand how to interpret how brands want to be perceived in the clearest and most beautiful form. You also need to understand how a website as a product or service will be used and what you expect from the user interaction. All these things should inform how a good web designer should create.

Typography

Typography is one of the most important things a website designer needs to pay attention to. It’s one of the first things people notice on any website. Websites are usually made up of pictures, videos, and text for the most part. This means having a dull font on a website will turn off the website visitors. As a web designer, it is of great importance that you choose a font that properly represents a brand. Asides using the right font, the presentation of the font should be such that it aligns with the emotion the brand seeks to derive from website visitors when it comes to how the brand is experienced. Check DC is a company that’s done exceptional work in coming up with great typography for each website they’ve worked on. Expert web designers from Africa reference the company as the best in web design in Nigeria.

Software for design

Every web designer needs to be conversant with using software that enables the creation of assets for website creation. The visual representation of a website is usually done with tools like photoshop and illustrator before handing over to a web developer to create build the website. Even when you have a good concept as a designer, you need to support it with a suitable design to create a website that is of a high standard.

Copywriting

Having a good grasp of copywriting is an added advantage as a web designer. If you work in a big team where you have copywriters to assist you with content for a website, you may not be too pressed to sharpen your copywriting skill. However, as a freelancer or designer in a small agency, being good at copywriting will come in very handy. In cases where clients can’t quite find words to express what their brands entail, you can write great copy to accompany the website design.

Attention to detail

Websites are built to be visited by existing and potential customers of a brand. This means, your brand needs to be properly represented on your website. Inconsistencies within a website can negatively affect how a brand is perceived and this all falls back on the web designer. Your responsibility as a website designer should be to ensure that every element of your website aligns with the intended outcome at the end of the design phase.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/website/basic-skills-good-web-designers-should-have/

5 Reasons You Should Use a Google AdWords Agency Rather Than Doing It Yourself

If you are interested in expanding your website’s or blog’s outreach thanks to Google AdWords, you might be tempted to go it alone and manage your paid search efforts in-house. 

While there are certain circumstances in which that is the right ides, it is far more likely that seeking out an agency to get behind the wheels of your AdWords account so that they can help you maximize your efforts and results. 

While agencies on their own cannot replace the information and knowledge that the client possesses, they certainly have insight that clients do not when it comes to making sure the ads you pay for are as impactful as possible. Ideally, this relationship leads to a symbiotic relationship where both parties are successful. 

Here are some ways that you can get a clear advantage over the competition when you sign on to work with a Google AdWords agency. 

• AdWords Industry Norms & Benchmarks

Assuming that the agency has ample experience within the agency (this is seriously recommended), they will offer you a great opportunity to see the landscape of what space you are operating in. 

On top of that, they can also save you a lot of time testing different strategies and will give you an ability to know whether or not your site and ads are performing as they should be considering how much money you are putting into your ad strategy. For example, sites like https://growmeo.com utilize Human AI to make sure that their client’s goals are met by using the best of both AI capability and human ingenuity! 

• Beta Testing Opportunities Can Be Available to You

While you obviously know more about your site and services or product, ad agencies know a whole lot more about new opportunities that may be available to them – and by relation – you. 

Agencies that have a dedicated Google rep often are offered the change to take advantage of new services and options that are still in beta testing. 

That means that you could get the chance to try new and improved methods that your competition may not have access to. That could give you a huge jumpstart on the next wave of ad strategies online. 

• More Minds Equals More Ideas

This is almost always true – if more people are working on a specific task, chances are good that you will be able to come up with many more ideas and strategies than you would be able to do alone. 

Agencies will typically have a team that is focused on your account specifically, which not only allows you to see new strategies and look at your business with fresh perspective, you will also get the benefit of your team’s different way of thinking and problem solving. 

This allows you and your ad team to re-ignite a stale strategy and utilize new opportunities to grow and succeed.

• Ad Agencies Have Multiple Expertise

If you have someone working on ads in-house, chances are good that they are great at some aspects of ads and advertising, but chances are also quite good that there as some aspects to Google AdWorks that they are simply not good at or not even aware of. 

If you have an agency that you are working with, they will not only have a wider expertise when it comes to internet ads, but they also likely have many more people with variable expertise that they can bring on if they need to. 

That allows agencies to do things more efficiently. They likely have departments that are tasked with specific responsibilities and relationships with contractors or other agencies that specialize in your needs if they do not. 

This gives your company the ability to expand much more quickly while also being confident that your pre-existing ad-related tasks are being taken care of responsibly and comprehensibly. 

• You Won’t Have to Worry About Stalls in Expansion Due to Layovers

It’s great if you’ve got some in-house who is fantastic at managing your Google AdWords. Though a problem can certainly arise if that in-house employee decides to seek employment elsewhere. 

Because ads are such a specific part of the business, it is not unlikely for there to be just one person on the team who manages that responsibility. That means that everything could screech to a grinding halt when they leave.

Luckily, that won’t ever be the case if you work with an ad agency. If someone from the agency leaves, your contract will just be moved over to another equally qualified expert. 

That means no risk of downtime, and no risk of losing valuable media if the point of contact on the client side leaves.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/advertising-services-and-strategy/5-reasons-you-should-use-a-google-adwords-agency-rather-than-doing-it-yourself/

Does your website have a lot of traffic but few sales?

It doesn’t help to have a lot of traffic to your website unless the traffic converts. If you have a lot of traffic, this means that you are doing something right outward, but not enough inward. This includes content, product, availability, and technical issues. If you hit all of these correctly, you’ll also notice that your conversion rate increases.

Not sure how? Read on to learn more about what you can do to increase sales on your website.

User Experience is Key

How does the user experience affect your website? A good user experience is important and can determine whether the user wants to stay on your site or not. 

Here, you should think about things like:

• Is the website responsive?
• Is it easy to navigate the website?
• Is there a user-friendly search feature?
• Is the content easily “digestible”?
• Is there too much content or elements interfering?
• Do you use the words effectively?
• Does the user get the answers to what he / she is wondering?
• Is the site self-explanatory?

A good tip would be to link your site to a Google Analytics account, which is where you can find valuable information about your visitors.

Is Your Website Slow?

A website that downloads too slow can have a severe negative effect, both on user experience, but also on search engine optimization (SEO). 

Google can choose to “penalize” web pages that don’t load fast enough because the search engine is constantly looking for the most optimized and user-friendly web pages for users. This way you can lose potential customers to your competitors.

Test your speed with the Google PageSpeed Insight tool, where you easily enter the URL you want to test.

A Simplified Check Out

If your business provides online services or products, you should simplify the check-out process as much as you can. This means 1 or 2 steps before the product or service is purchased. If the customer has to register an account in order to complete a purchase, this can cause the customer to change his mind. 

There may be an account option, but this must be optional. If there is a returning customer, a customer account would simplify the check-out at their next visit.

Another good option to simplify check-outs may be to offer an invoice option, which means that the customer does not have to fill in credit card information when checking out.

Language and Content

How is the content and language of your website? Does your website sound like your brand’s voice or is it misleading? 

Here, you may want to take a thorough grammar check as well as language check. By language, we mean how you choose to express yourself on your site. Feel free to garner inspiration from online journalism and write some catchy headlines and catchy texts.

A good tip might be to have a fun category text in addition to the product listing. These texts can also be search engine optimized in order to get more hits in Google.

How to write better: 

Analyze your customers and find an average definition of who your biggest audience is. Make sure your content hits the target audience. 

Contact Form

A contact form is a form of CTA (call to action), and makes it easier for the customers to contact you, and for you to get in touch with the customers. 

If your business sells consumer loans or other services that may leave a few questions with the customer, this may be a perfect way for them to contact you. 

Test and Adjust

And lastly: Don’t be afraid to get it wrong a couple of times. Try out different changes and feel free to adjust the content on the front page from week to week, or even every other day. Leave what works, and replace what doesn’t work you with something new. 

Keep track of your results through your preferred tools, such as bounce rate, overall visitor numbers, and conversion rate.

Now that you have gotten some great tips, you have a good starting point for increasing sales on your website. 

Good luck!

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/sales-and-marketing/does-your-website-have-a-lot-of-traffic-but-few-sales/

How to Design a Safe Business for Visitors and Staff Alike

‘Safety first’ is a phrase that gets bandied about quite often. Companies are quick to say that the safety of visitors and staff is their number one priority, yet you would not know it by observing what they do. The truth is that safety is a mindset. It is not a set of marketing principles or a few one-time fixes that correct obvious hazards.

In many parts of the world, not maintaining a safe environment can result in litigation. Lawsuits abound in the US while regulators here in the UK come down hard on business owners who fail to maintain a safe environment. The last thing a business owner needs is to be found guilty of violating safety standards after an accident that led to an injury or death.

So, how do you design a safe business for visitors and staff? By assessing your current situation and doing what needs to be done to improve safety. Below is a description of the basic steps. If you are still a little confused about it all, you can always seek out professional safety experts for help.

1. Familiarise Yourself with the Law

The first step is to familiarise yourself with the law in your particular location. In England and Wales, workplace safety falls under the purview of the Health and Safety Executive. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the federal authority tasked with workplace safety in the US.

Also, note that you may have certain safety requirements dictated by regional and local governments. You will have to contact every regulating body to learn what is required of your business based on where it is located, the industry you are involved in, and the hazards known to your specific industry.

This is perhaps the most complicated step of the process. Regulations can seem vague and complicated at times. They can also seem a bit daunting. So again, a professional safety expert might be someone to think about turning to for help.

2. Conduct a Risk Assessment

Next is to conduct a safety risk assessment within your workplace. In England and Wales, risk assessments are required by law for all businesses of a certain size. Risk assessments take a look at everything from hazardous materials to potentially dangerous working conditions. The person or entity responsible for the risk assessment depends on the size of the business and the type of work it does.

Risk assessments should absolutely be comprehensive. They should look at workplace safety from every angle, both inside the building and out. Inside, you are looking at everything from adequate lighting to keeping walkways clear. Risk assessment involves fire hazards, hazardous materials, training procedures, and so forth.

Outdoors, risk assessments focus on moving people on off your property safely. As such, you’re looking at things like speed bumps and traffic control. The idea is to separate people from any potential hazard as often and as effectively as possible. In cases where some of your company’s work is done outside, the same principles apply.

3. Come Up with a Plan

With the legal framework and a risk assessment in hand, you and your management team can come up with a comprehensive plan to address any safety issues raised by the risk assessment. Note that planning is the key to success. It is not enough to just throw ideas against the wall and see if they stick. You have to plan to be safe.

If you used an outside contractor to conduct your safety assessment, you might also ask that person to provide recommendations for moving forward. Otherwise, you are going to have to come up with ideas on your own. At any rate, the goal is to be forward thinking. Try to identify the biggest risks and address them first. Then work on less pressing items after.

4. Repeat the Process

As was stated at the beginning of this post, workplace safety is not a one-and-done thing. Safety is a mindset. As such, completing the steps to creating a safe business is only the start. What’s next? You start the process over again. Maintaining workplace safety at all times involves continually checking for legal compliance, conducting risk assessments, and coming up with a plan to address any deficiencies.

A lot of companies utilise a ‘responsible person’ to keep things moving. This person may or may not have other responsibilities within the company. At any rate, it is his or her job to continually monitor the workplace environment. He or she is ultimately the go-to person when things need getting done.

Now you know how to design a business that is safe for both visitors and staff alike. All that remains is for you to get busy. Remember, safety first is not just a marketing phrase. It is a way of thinking that leads to a way of doing business.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/business/how-to-design-a-safe-business-for-visitors-and-staff-alike/

6 Ways a Customer Identifies Your Brand

Your brand is the representation of everything that makes your company unique. It’s a concise and comprehensive representation of all the good stuff that your company has to offer to your target market. It seems like branding is so often done wrong. This can be traced to a few key problems. The first is that people often misunderstand branding. They think that it’s limited to a good logo and a color scheme, or that it’s all about making your website look good. While having great design pieces is a crucial part of branding, it’s far from everything. Creating a stellar brand that truly speaks to your target market is about crafting a cohesive message that can’t be misunderstood. In other words, the message that your logo is communicating should be the same message that your print advertisements communicate. It should also be the same message that your customer service or retail employees communicate. From your website to your packaging to ad copy, everything that your customer base interacts with should look and feel familiar. With that in mind, below are seven common ways that customers identify your brand.

1. Logo

Perhaps the most obvious example, and still one of the most important. Creating a good logo is more than just making it look pretty; it’s about carefully selecting elements that precisely communicate the things that it needs to. Making a professional logo with a logo creator is only the first step. You need to make sure that all of the other branding pieces in your arsenal line up with each other.

2. Website

If your logo is the elevator pitch, your website is like a nice, long conversation. It should be one of the most robust representations of your brand and what it has to offer to your customers. Web design is extremely important; there’s nothing that makes a company seem unprofessional like a poorly-designed website.

3. Copywriting

Did you know that your brand has a voice? Your brand voice describes the way that your brand communicates through any text medium. That can include the things that you write on your website like blog posts and headings, copy found in advertisements, and many other mediums. This also includes social media posts. A good way to discover your brand voice is to ask “If my brand was a person, how would it talk?” How does your brand speak with and interact with its customer base? Don’t be afraid to inject some personality into this aspect of your brand.

4. Color Palette

The color choices that you make will determine much of the emotional response that your brand creates. It’s important to be intentional in the way that you choose colors for your brand. They will be the undercurrent of everything that you produce and will speak volumes for the type of company that you are and the type of customers that you attract.

5. Storefront

If you have a physical storefront, this will be an obvious way that your customers will experience your brand. Physical storefronts are powerful representations of your brand that your customers can physically experience. Because of this, it’s important to make sure that your storefront design and experience isn’t an afterthought. How do your employees interact with your customers? What is the first thing that a customer’s eyes are drawn to? What makes your store worth going into besides your product or service? All of these questions should be at the forefront of your mind when it comes to making decisions regarding your store.

6. Packaging

Packaging allows customers to experience your brand with their tactile senses. There is no reason to follow the crowd when it comes to packaging. If you want your brand to stand out, your packaging must follow suit. It’s worth it to spend a little extra money designing and purchasing materials for truly unique packaging. After-purchase materials like thank-you cards can also help your packaging to stand out to your customers.

Can you think of more ways that a customer might identify your brand? All of these are important and should ideally work together to create a unique experience for the customer. If it’s done right, your brand will truly stand out.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/branding/6-ways-a-customer-identifies-your-brand/

How Is Technology Set to Boost Psychic Abilities in 2020?

Technology has become incredibly intelligent, and as we can tell from all the technological advancements we’ve seen so far, this is just the beginning.

New tech has made it possible for machines to be able to detect our slightest facial micro-expressions; to use these to determine whether our facial expressions and smiles are fake or genuine. Just imagine what else they can do.

Technology already knows a lot about our internal states, and no matter if we like it or not, we’re already a part of this system. We are already sharing information about our lives without having any control over it.

Although many see this as a bad thing, the simple fact is that with any type of technological advancement, you always have the opportunity to use it for both good and evil.

The same can be said when it comes to using technology to enhance psychic abilities.

Will psychics lose their merit as technology becomes more advanced? Or will they embrace and use this new technology to enhance their psychic abilities and reach a whole new level?

While this might seem scary to some, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. Let’s see why that is.

Is Using Technology to Tell What You’re Feeling or Thinking a Good Thing?

As technology becomes smarter, we begin to notice a lot of improvements in almost all fields of life.

Although there are many skeptics when it comes letting technology intervene in our lives in such a way, there are those who believe that the benefits of living in such a technologically advanced society outweigh the pitfalls.

If we look at the bright side, these types of technological advancements could potentially not only be used to boost psychic abilities, but they can also make us feel and connect more with each other, which is something we desperately need in this day and age.

In order to achieve that, however, we have to be okay with relinquishing some of our control and make way for technology to do its thing.

The reason why some oppose the advancement of technology is because we as humans like to think that we have some sort of control over what we share with the world. As we know, this can sometimes feel like an impossible task in this modern world.

Are Psychics No Longer Psychic in This Day and Age?

These technological advancements can also be used in the field of psychics and can be a particularly useful tool in psychic readings. They could potentially be used to advance and boost the reader’s psychic powers and improve their readings.

Although many are against such technological advancements which could possibly be able to read human’s thoughts and emotions, stating that they can be abused and taken advantage of, there are those who believe that they’ll only improve the whole process.

They could be used as tools to help psychics make their clients’ experiences even better ones.

There are those who believe that once we develop technology that fully allows us to possess abilities similar to those of psychics, we will no longer have the need to go to a psychic reading, and that whole profession will slowly disappear.

Thankfully, that doesn’t seem to be the case. The truth is that these advancements in technology will actually be most helpful to psychics and psychic sites.

Many sites like PsychicGuild.com who offer absolutely free psychic readings online will be able to use these technological advancements to improve their clients’ experiences.

They will be able to offer them an accurate and in-depth reading, just the same as they do now, but with a little more insight and knowledge into the client’s mind.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/technology/how-is-technology-set-to-boost-psychic-abilities-in-2020/

How to Validate a Product Idea

If you have an idea for a product, you may be ready to jump right in headfirst. You might be at the point where you think you’re ready to work with a company that provides rapid prototyping services and hopefully move as quickly as possible toward production.

Before you do, however, have you taken the necessary steps to validate your product idea?

If you take the time early on to validate an idea, you can save yourself a lot of money and potential heartache in the future.

The following are tips to help you validate your product idea quickly and even if you have a small budget.

Why Is Validation Important?

When you have a new idea or a new version of something that already exists, validation is a must. The benefits of validation include:

• You reduce your risk
• You’re minimizing costs
• You can speed-up the delivery of your product or service to the marketplace

Put Your Product Concept on Paper

Many times when people have a product idea, they underestimate the importance of taking pen to paper and sketching it out or writing down what the core functionalities will be.

You don’t have to create a full business plan, but give yourself the opportunity to write things down and ensure you have a clear idea of what you’re going to be validating and testing.

Some things to ask yourself during this time that you’ll eventually use as part of the process of testing and validating include:

• Who is your customer? Do not say your customer is everyone. The more definitively and specifically you can drill down into who your customer is, the better from the validation standpoint. Get a clear idea of who your anticipated customer is pretty much before doing anything else in the product validation process.
• What problem do you hope to solve for that targeted audience or customer? What is it about the features you have in mind that are going to solve that problem specifically? The best way to approach this step is to work first on the problem to ensure it exists and then, building the solution around that rather than creating a solution before identifying a problem.
• What are your most important features? Don’t go overboard—you don’t need extra features just because. Your focus ultimately needs to be on solving the problem you outlined in the step above.

Don’t Hold Back with Your Ideas

When you have a great idea, you may want to keep it to yourself because of an anxiety that someone will steal it or other concerns. It’s important when you’re in the validation phase to share your idea as much as possible, however.

You can save significant amounts of time and money on your development process if you just have conversations with people and get their input before you go any further.

Research Similar Products

The idea of competition is one that we can inherently associate with being negative, but it’s not.

Researching and understanding your competition is one of the most valuable components of validating your own product idea.

First, if the product already exists, you have the peace of mind that comes with knowing it’s been validated already.

It then gives you the opportunity to use what exists and improve upon it based on the flaws or gaps left behind by the existing product.

Knowing that something exists and that people pay for it is your proof of concept. When you’re trying to get investors or any type of funding for your product in the future, it’s much easier to explain something to people when some form of it already exists.

Another option when it comes to using your competition is to look for existing products, but perhaps in a different market than what your own will be in. You might take something that exists in the general sense but apply it differently.

Other Aspects of Validation

Finally, along with what’s above, there are some other critical components of thorough validation.

First, is your product likely to be better than the competition in some way? We discussed the value of using your competition as part of your validation process and then looking to see whether or not you’re truly going to be able to outperform them.

Is your product too complex? Novel ideas can be good, but not if they’re overly complicated compared to what’s currently available.

How visible will your product benefits and features be right away to people who are looking at it or considering it?

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/business/how-to-validate-a-product-idea/

How to Best Spend Your Kids’ Day at an Indoor Playground

Kids love playing—whether it’s indoors or outdoors because they have the opportunity to explore their own surroundings.

However, their safety when it comes to playing outside isn’t always guaranteed. That’s why having an alternative, such as an indoor playground is a wise choice. 

If you’re unfamiliar on how to best spend your kids’ day at an indoor playground, below are some suggestions on how to make their playdates extra special. 

Whether it’s sunny or rainy, nothing can stop your children from playing at an indoor playground. Plus, it is guaranteed to be safe, affordable, and exciting!

Choosing a Nearby Indoor Playground

Check out the nearest indoor playground from you by searching online. In Calgary, Inja Nation is a fantastic choice when it comes to the number of indoor obstacles.

They have a climbing gym, indoor playground, trampoline park, and more, all under one roof!

It also helps to research different indoor playgrounds in your area to know which are safe and who offers a wide range of playing options. You’ll know a quality indoor playground by its commitment to security and safety for your kids. 

The last thing you want for your kids is to be injured unexpectedly or to get bored with nothing to do on an indoor playground. 

Pick a Section Your Kids Will Excel In

This should be determined by what kind of activities your children enjoy. Most kids love variety though, and if your children are the same, let them explore the different activities within the indoor playground.

It’s good to allow your kids to try out different things so they can discover for themselves what sections are appropriate for their age and abilities. 

If they’re having a hard time choosing, take note of their likes and dislikes and encourage them to try a play area you think they’ll enjoy!

Be Safe

Now that you’ve chosen a play area for your kids to make sure that safety is a top priority, more than just the fun factor. Before playing, let them wear the right gear down from the shoes to knee pads or helmets if needed.

Double the Fun

Do you know what would make playing in an indoor playground fun? Making sure your kids have someone to play with.

For this, you can arrange a playdate with other moms so they can enhance their social skills while having fun at the same time!

Benefits of an Indoor Playground

Indoor play areas are excellent choices to take your kids to, especially when it’s rainy outside or if you just want to take them to a different environment.

An indoor playground provides a fun setting where they can be active while playing in a safe and clean environment.

Typically, indoor playgrounds are well-designed and will have a variety of playing areas to explore — trampolines, adventure zones, and climbing gyms that can keep kids engaged for hours on end.

That’s important because research shows that engaged kids who perform regular physical activity are healthier—not just physically, but also emotionally.

Moreover, physically active kids tend to be more motivated and attentive academically.  

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/lifestyle/how-to-best-spend-your-kids-day-at-an-indoor-playground/

Why Is SEO Important For Attorneys

Attorneys live hectic lives. After all, they have to work hard to defend their clients in court.

Whether they’re dealing with people accused of crimes or they’re working with corporations, they’re going to be working hard day in and day out. This can make it difficult for them to find time to seek out new customers.

Well, there might be a solution to this problem. Attorneys can take advantage of SEO to drive visitors to their website. Then, they’ll be able to convert these individuals into clients.

Within this guide, you’re going to learn more about SEO and its importance for attorneys.

What Is It?

First, you should take the time to learn about the basics of SEO. Search engine optimization is a combination of tactics used to push a site higher in the search engines.

SEO relates to all major search engines including Bing and Google. There is no universal method to be successful with search engine optimization. It takes patience, practice, and dedication.

Since attorneys are so busy, it is often best to rely on professional SEO services for lawyers. Either way, the ROI for SEO can be substantial. Therefore, it is wise for all attorneys to take advantage of it.

Local Clients

SEO is very important for attorneys. In this type of business, you need to reach local clients. After all, it can be harder to defend clients outside of your hometown.

By utilizing SEO, you’ll be able to reach out to locals. You can use specific words like Dallas, Atlanta, Knoxville, or Perry to ensure that your site will be found when people search for these things.

After all, someone in Dallas would be searching for a Dallas lawyer. SEO makes sure that you’re the one they find. You can use similar techniques to help attract relevant individuals.

If they’re looking for an Atlanta lawyer, you know they’re interested in your services. This is why SEO is more effective than many of the alternatives.

Reputation

There is no denying the fact that people trust Google. It happens to be one of the biggest tech companies in the world. Well, people also trust websites found within the Google search engines.

And, people give more credence to the websites found near the top of the first page. This is why SEO can help lawyers. If you’re able to push your site up to the top, people will find it.

They’ll also see that Google respects and trusts your website. In return, this will make the client trust you as well.

Big Results Little Effort

As long as you let the professionals do it for you, SEO can provide you with big results with little effort. Once your lawyer website has climbed to the top of Google and Bing, it is going to remain there for a long period.

It isn’t going to go anywhere as long your service provider continues working hard on your behalf. You’ll spend little and do little. In return, you’ll get a lot in return.

The return on investment of SEO is massive and this is one of the main reasons it is a must for modern attorneys.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/law-and-order/why-is-seo-important-for-attorneys/

How to Plug a Motorcycle Tire

When you’re motoring across uncharted territory in your dirt riding gear and accessories and enjoying everything the road has to offer, there’s few things worse than a flat tire. A flat motorcycle tire can be bad news anywhere, but is particularly frustrating if you’re away from home. Unlike your car, you probably don’t have a spare tire kicking around. Here’s a helpful guide to plug your tire by using one of the best motorcycle tire repair kits.

Tube or Non-Tube?

You need to determine whether you’re cruising on a tubed or non-tube tire. Non-tube tires are a popular street option for modern motorcycles, but tubed are a classic tire. It’s important to distinguish the two, as repair kits are completely different for each type of tire.

Repairing a Non-Tube Tire

This is the easiest type of repair to make on the road. Assuming you have a tubeless tire, you’re able to use a plug and get back on the road just long enough to hit the nearest mechanic or tire shop. Before plugging your tire, it’s important to remember that any road fix is temporary. A plugged tire should be completely replaced or patched as soon as possible.

Your repair kit will come with a few handy plugs, a reamer tool and a plug tool. Once you’ve found that annoying nail, metal shard or other offending object, you need to make the hole nice and smooth to ensure the plug will do its job. Obviously, when you pull the piece of metal out of your tire you’ll be greeted with an air leak, so the rest of these steps will be in quick succession.

Grab your reamer to make a smooth, circular hole. If the hole is larger than a quarter of an inch, you may have to give up and call a tow truck. Otherwise, thread a plug through your plug tool. Plunge the tool into the hole and pull it straight back out.

If done correctly, the plug will have folded in half and successfully filled the gap. Trim the two tails down with a knife and hop back on your bike. Once you’re home or in a garage, shop for aftermarket or OEM bike parts and tires to get you back on the road.

Repairing a Tubed Tire

If you’re unfortunate enough to be driving on tubed tires, plugging won’t work. A tubed tire needs to be removed, the tube needs to be patched and then put back on the bike. Oftentimes this process causes your tire to go flat and you need an air compressor before you can hobble back to the shop.

Riding Responsibly
A plug kit is an amazing accessory to have on any ride. However, plugs are temporary fixes only. If you try to keep driving long distances on your plugged tire you’ll soon have another flat and probably an even bigger hole. Use it in emergency situations and slowly make your way to the nearest garage. Whether you’re just getting started with a basic bike or have a tricked-out ride with all the best Suzuki SV650 aftermarket parts and accessories, be sure to include a plug kit on your next shopping list. 

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/auto/how-to-plug-a-motorcycle-tire/

What Sleep Sensors Can and Can’t Tell You About Your Sleep

The amount and quality of your sleep have a huge impact on your waking life. For many years, data on how well (or not) you sleep was only obtainable via in-depth testing in a sleep clinic. More recently, technology has produced a range of sleep tracking devices that can provide you with personal sleep data outside of a sleep lab. Sleep trackers or sleep sensors fall under the following four basic categories.

Wearables

Wearable trackers are most often worn around your wrist. Another type of wearable is sleep-tracking headgear. A sleep sensor on the forehead provides more accurate data on blood oxygen saturation and heart rate because of the proximity of the supraorbital artery.

Under the Sheet

These sleep trackers consist of thin pieces of fabric with embedded sensors that go underneath a bedsheet.

Standalone/Contactless

This type of sleep sensor has no contact with your body. The device is positioned a few feet from your bed and also takes in data about your bedroom environment.

Smartphone Apps

Mobile apps may require your phone to be very close to your body in order to collect accurate information.

What do Sleep Sensors Measure?

• Sleep Metrics – As well as total time asleep, sleep quality, and body positioning, some trackers will estimate the time spent in each sleep stage. It’s even possible to compare your results with the typical time in each stage for people of your sex and age. Also, some sleep sensors come with a smart alarm designed to wake you at the optimal time in your sleep cycle.
• Movement – Sensors can keep tabs on how often you get in and out of bed and your progression through each sleep stage. They can also assess the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe.
• Heart Rate – Wrist devices can take your pulse with a high degree of accuracy. Smartphone sleep tracking apps employ a technique called optical heart rate monitoring. An undersheet tracker utilizes a method called ballistocardiography (BCG).
• Noise – Noise sensors can detect and record night sounds to determine if your sleep is being disrupted by noise. Data can also tell you whether you snore or have breathing issues.
• Temperature – Temperature sensors can tell you how hot or cold your bedroom is. Some trackers have thermometers that measure your sleeping body temperature.

How Accurate Are Sleep Sensors?

Sleep trackers can provide some interesting data on how well (or otherwise) you sleep. However, many of these products are relatively new, and long-term data on accuracy is lacking. Here are a couple of limitations to be aware of:

• Trackers can’t tell the difference between being awake and motionless and being asleep. However, many devices allow you to state when you’re trying to go to sleep rather than just relaxing.
• Sharing a bed may compromise data from any tracker that is not worn directly on the body.

The Bottom Line

A sleep tracker is an affordable and accessible means of getting initial data on your sleep health and quality. However, you may need a medical professional to get to the bottom of your sleep issues and possibly a referral to a sleep clinic.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/health-and-wellness/what-sleep-sensors-can-and-cant-tell-you-about-your-sleep/

Top Expert Tips on How to Keep Your Tires in Good Shape

Your tires are an integral part of your car―without well-maintained tires, you risk your car’s health as well as your safety.

Since tires are made to especially hold up a good amount of weight of your vehicle as well as its passengers, it only makes sense to keep it in tip-top shape. 

If you drive a lot or have bought your car a long time ago, your tires can be susceptible to damage so maintaining its good condition should always be a priority. 

Before we give out tips on how to take good care of your tires, let us first delve into the common problems people experience with their tires.

Common Tire Damages

Usual types of tire damages many drivers frequently experience are as follows:

Punctured Tires

Punctured tires are a result of sharp objects penetrating the tread of the tires of the vehicle such as nails, screws or broken glass.

When this happens, air pressure begins to decrease or escape from the inside of the tire and the remaining tire volume will depend on the depth of the hole or cut. 

It’s recommended that you go to a trusted auto shop and have your car checked to avoid accidents and further damaging your tires.

Impact Break

Impact break is caused when a car drives over a particularly big object or hard obstacle on the road. The external or casing of the car is the one typically damaged when this happens. 

A common sign of this is a bulge could that’s apparent on the sidewall of the tire after your tire collides with the hard object. If your tire has this type of damage, it’s important to have it checked first before you use it for any other trip. 

How to Keep Your Tires in Good Condition

Indeed, experiencing tire damage is unavoidable sometimes, especially since there are things outside of your control. It’s a natural occurrence whether you use your car on a daily basis or not.

With that said, here are some tips you can keep in mind to avoid wearing down your tires quickly;

1. Always ensure that your tires are well-inflated.
2. Have your tires checked from time to time even if they don’t seem to have any damage.
3. Make sure your tires are always aligned.
4. As much as possible, avoid overloading your car.
5. Practice the right way when rotating tires.

Wrapping it Up

In addition to the given tips above, another essential tip is to look for a company that would perform quality tire and wheel service to keep your car in the best shape possible so you can extend its use. 

Business such as Good Tire based in Calgary, AB do offer a number of services that help you maintain your tires. Prevent tire damages and prolong your tire’s good condition with someone who knows how to get the job done!

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/auto/top-expert-tips-on-how-to-keep-your-tires-in-good-shape/

10 Steps to Turn Your Side Hustle into a Brand

Whether you’re a freelance writer, an artist selling handmade crafts, or a language tutor, you might not have created a brand for the work you do. Many people have a side hustle without ever actually branding themselves and their work, but a great brand helps you establish yourself in your industry, draw customers, and expand your business.

In this post, I’ll explain the ten steps you can implement to transform your side job into a brand of its own.

What is a brand?

When we picture a brand, we’re quick to think of company logos and slogans—but a brand is so much more.

A brand is the way your audience perceives your business. As brand expert Marty Neumeier explains in his book The Brand Gap, “A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or organization.” Logos and taglines are certainly part of that, but equally as important are your brand’s personality, look, and tone.

Every aspect of the work you do for your company shapes your brand, from the way you answer the phone to your website design and social media pages.

Why do I need a brand?

It’s a common misconception that brands are only important for big, successful companies, or that they require a lot of money to create.

The truth, though, is that branding is an inescapable part of any business—however big or small.

On top of that, creating a brand is feasible for all types of businesses, and doesn’t require large expenditures of resources. 

There are a few reasons your side hustle needs a brand, including:

• Spreading recognition of your business and your work
• Distinguishing your business from the rest
• Marketing and advertising your product or service
• Establishing yourself as a credible industry player
• Building emotional bonds with loyal customers
• Drawing new customers to you

You want your customers to have a positive impression of your business, right? Well, you can shape that impression by creating a great brand.

How to create a brand for your side hustle

1. Research your competitors

Get to know the other players in your industry. Begin by Googling your industry and analyzing the direct competitors that come up. You can also check the social media accounts of your competitors.

Take note not only of the products or services these businesses provide, but also of the way they speak to their customers, the look of their website and logo, and their values and mission statements.

Instead of imitating these other business, make yourself stand out. Try to figure out what these companies are doing well and what they aren’t. Get inspiration from the things they do well, and find ways to improve upon their weaknesses. Offering something other companies don’t is an important part of giving your brand a distinct identity.

• Get to know your target audience

Next, research your target market. Since branding is rooted in audience perception, you’ll want to find out how to appeal to your audience to give them a positive impression of your side hustle.

There are several ways you can become more familiar with your target audience. First, talk to people you know who are part of your target market. Ask them about their positive and negative experiences with the products or services they use and the businesses they buy from. Use these experiences to inform your own business model.

You can also do online research. Check out the social media accounts your target audience follows to find out what interests them and why. Read online threads about relevant product recommendations and reviews to find out what customers are saying about your industry. Play the role of an interested customer yourself, and imitate their browsing and shopping experiences, to figure out where the process goes smoothly and where it gets frustrating.

Obtaining a deeper understanding of your target audience will help you shape a brand based on their desires, interests, and needs.

• Pick a focus

Researching your competitors and your audience will help you determine your brand’s focus. If you try to appeal to everyone and offer everything, your brand will be so broad that it will lose definition and appeal to no one.

Maybe you want your brand to emphasize a specific theme, like traveling or environmentalism. Or, maybe you want it to appeal to a specific age group, like college students or middle-aged women.

By choosing where to focus your brand, you’ll be able to occupy a particular niche in your industry and better cater to your audience. Use this focus as a guideline as you develop your brand’s personality and design.

• Find the distinguishing characteristics

Taking what you’ve learned about your audience and intended focus, make a list of the characteristics that make your side hustle stand out. Are you solving a problem that your competitors haven’t? Are you engaging with your audience in a new and more effective way? Does your company have a social purpose, or values that your audience cares about?

Think about what your company offers that others don’t. Answering this question—and reflecting your answers in your business’s personality and look—is the basis of your brand.

• Create a brand personality

A brand, like a person, needs a personality. The personality of your brand is reflected in just about everything—from the colors and images on your website to the voice you use in your blog.

You can begin thinking about your brand’s personality based on the five brand personality types developed by Stanford business professor Jennifer Aaker:

• Sincerity – Is your brand honest, genuine, and cheerful?
• Excitement – Is your brand modern, spirited, imaginative, and daring?
• Competence – Is your brand dependable, responsible, and efficient?
• Sophistication – Is your brand glamorous, romantic, or high-end?
• Ruggedness – Is your brand tough, strong, or outdoorsy?

Your brand’s personality should be some combination of these five characteristics, depending on what’s most relevant to your industry niche and what best speaks to your audience.

• Define your values

Your brand’s values define what your side hustle stands for and are the guidelines for the way you’ll interact with your audience. Think about your own and your customers’ values, and which values you want to be reflected in the work you do. For example, maybe you want to emphasize social responsibility, family togetherness, or female strength. 

Your brand’s values can also go hand-in-hand with your brand’s personality and voice, whether you’re cutting edge and daring, cheerful and helpful, or reliable and secure.

Try using these exercises to help you identify and define your brand’s values:

• Write down all the values that are important to you. If you’re not sure, write your own eulogy–what you’d want people to say about you at your funeral—to find out which values you care about most.

• Circle the values you feel are most important. You can’t incorporate all your values into your brand (that would only diminish the impact of each value), so choose your top five.

• Write down the brands you love and a one-word description of why. If your favorite brands are creative, inspiring, dependable, or friendly, that can help point you to the values you’d like to reflect in your own brand.
  
  
• Check with third parties—members of your target audience, or trusted colleagues and business partners—to get their opinion on your brand’s values.

Giving a brand a set of values is important not only in shaping your brand’s personality, but also in attracting a base of loyal customers whose values align with those of your business.

• Choose a name

A brand name can make your side hustle appear more serious, established, and legitimate in the eyes of your customers. And, a brand name can speak to your target audience by saying something about your brand’s personality or values as discussed above.

To choose your brand name, begin by thinking about which tone you want to adopt. Some names are modern and intriguing (think of made-up words like Xerox), while others, like Warner Bros., are classic and traditional. Names like Life is Good and Lululemon are playful and lighthearted, while others, like Century Theatres and PayPal, are pragmatic or informative. Still, other brand names are emotional, using words like “peace,” “love,” “green,” or “family” to produce emotional responses in their audience.

As you choose your name, think about the values you want to reflect, the personality of your brand, and the tone that most appeals to your target audience.

• Choose a tagline

Once you choose the name of your brand, you should think about accompanying that name with a tagline. Your tagline should reflect your business’s mission and promise, all while appealing to your target audience.

A tagline focuses less on explaining what a product or service is, and more on emphasizing the benefits that product or service brings. McDonald’s slogan doesn’t mention a word about hamburgers, because “I’m lovin’ it” is an even more effective way to emphasize their product’s results and speak to their audience. Nike’s tagline “Just do it” makes no mention of its being a sportswear company, but, rather, effectively motivates its audience to push themselves physically (and buy sportswear as a result).

Think of the formula for a great tagline as mission + benefits + spice. Write a phrase that emphasizes your company’s mission and the benefits of your products or services, and then spice it up with catchy and original adjectives and verbs that reflect your brand’s tone and personality.

• Define Your Brand Identity

Designing your brand’s look (identity) encompasses a huge range of different factors, from your website design and logo to your color palette and typography. You can shape the look of your brand by creating a brand style guide.

A brand style guide includes eight core elements: Your brand’s mission, story, and purpose (so that you’re sure to make your style accurately reflect your brand), your logo, your color palette, font and typography guidelines, image guidelines, and voice and tone.

When considering your logo, be sure to think about what you want the image to connote—whether it’s reliability, playfulness, romance, or strength. You can also think about your brand’s story, and if there are any images you can associate with that story that can be included in your logo.

When developing your color palette, use color psychology. Bright red is loud and youthful, while light blue is tranquil and soothing. The field of color psychology is vast, and has a huge impact on the way your audience perceives your brand.

Designing all the elements of your brand identity takes time, but there are tools that can help, but, remember, that whatever look you go for it should reflect your brand’s mission and should be presented in a way that is consistent with your voice and tone.

1. Apply consistency across your business

Without consistency, you won’t have a brand. Instead, all you’ll have is a side hustle with a jumble of different personalities, values, messages, and colors.

That’s why, once you develop your brand’s tone, personality, focus, values, and more, it’s important to stick with it. Unless you’re doing a complete rebranding, avoid making changes here and there.

A single, unified, cohesive personality and look is what will push your audience to identify you not just as a side hustle but—even more importantly—as a brand.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/branding/10-steps-to-turn-your-side-hustle-into-a-brand/

Protecting Your Personal Information Is A Must. Here’s How To Do It.

How often do you use your credit or debit card – at the point of sale or during an online transaction? Is your accounting information stored with any businesses where you have automatic payments set-up or make regular purchases? If you stop to think about it, you have sensitive information bouncing all over a series of digital channels. Of course, you take precautions when you’re at home or on your phone, whether by utilizing virus protection software or being careful not to use public Wi-Fi with apps that could compromise your personal data. You’re aware of the dangers of phishing and vishing, along with the myriad of other scams that seem to appear daily in an attempt to separate you from your money and information. 

We often take for granted that the companies with which we transact business are doing everything in their power to keep our data safe. But then, hackers and cybercriminals are relentless, continually looking for cracks in every system. No organization wants to be subjected to any kind of data breach. The brand damage can often lead to irreparable harm to the company, from which it may never recover, leading to a loss of profits and jobs.

The reputational risk associated with mishandling customer data is devastating for any company. Even still, governments across the globe have stepped up in the technology age to enhance legislation, ensuring that businesses comply with all the regulations that are in place to keep our information protected.

Personally Identifiable Information or PII is the crux of the issue. PII is any piece of data that can be used to identify an individual like name, social security number, passport number, bank account number, and so forth. Seemingly benign details like age or city of residence can become PII when enough pieces of information are collected with the potential to narrow down a specific person.

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission or FTC is responsible for protecting consumers. They offer guidelines to help businesses keep customer and employee information secure. Organizations should be aware of what kind of data they have, ensure they only keep information that they have a legitimate reason to collect, enact a series of controls to keep the data safe, understand how to safely dispose of any sensitive information, and finally have a plan in case the unthinkable does happen. Also, legislation like the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act has been passed to hold companies accountable for safeguarding sensitive data.

The European Union also addresses privacy concerns through the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR. Any company that does business with an EU resident has to abide by the rules dictated by the regulations, and any breaches or violations will incur serious fines. The GDPR expands on the nature of PII, which is necessitated by the growth of technology, including an individual’s login IDs and social media posts. Sectors like the payment industry work to stay compliant to keep both their clients and consumers safe. For example, online merchants using an e-payment service like https://powercash21.com/ can conduct business with customers knowing that they are partnering with like-minded companies to safeguard personal data.

If you overthink any situation, it can be frightening. Of course, the threats to our personal information are ongoing, but fortunately, cybersecurity efforts are looking to combat them on every front. Continue to keep an eye on your transactions, and be wary of making purchases from suspect merchants if you’re using a credit card. You can’t go through life too skittish to enjoy yourself, but you do have to exercise some common sense.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/online-business/protecting-your-personal-information-is-a-must-heres-how-to-do-it/

CBD Processing Rules and Regulations

Before starting your business, it is important to make sure that you comply with the rules and regulations that apply to CBD processing. The CBD products that are extracted from hemp are entirely legal, as long as they derive from industrial hemp.

Moreover, the THC levels must be lower than 0.3%, which is considered the legal threshold. If they are lower than this value, then supplements, creams, and oils are both legal and safe to sell.

On the other hand, CBD that is extracted from marijuana cannot be sold, because it has THC levels from 15% to 40%.

Robust Business Plan

Naturally, a business plan is one of the first things that you must take care of. It will showcase how you want to develop your business, manage your finances, and implement new strategies that, in time, will help you achieve some of your goals.

When creating a business plan, you should consider and include the following information:

• Sales Forecasts
• Financing Methods
• Customer and Market Analysis
• Marketing Plan
• Strategy and Implementation
• Products and Services

Finding Reliable Suppliers

It doesn’t matter if you want to create, distribute, or resell CBD products, you will still have to look for a CBD supplier. Obviously, a reputable one is recommended, as it will not only provide you and your customers with quality products, but will also ensure that the CBD-extracting process is safe and legal.

When selecting a supplier, make sure to check the following:

• Sourcing
• Price
• Extraction Method
• Claims
• Certificate of Analysis (COA)

Business Website

Obviously, the reputation and revenue of your brand are directly influenced by the website of your business. Without a fully-functional website, your potential customers will leave before they even take a look at the products that you have in store.

In this respect, it is recommended that you look for someone experienced in CBD web design, who can build you a website that shows exactly what you do and how good you are at it. Naturally, the website must also be rich in content, pleasing from an aesthetic point of view, easy to navigate, and mobile-friendly.

Marketing Your Business

After you deal with all of the above, it’s time to move on to marketing your business! For this, you can use SEO, display ads, and make sure that you provide your customers with amazing customer service.

Even though it can be a bit difficult to qualify for a merchant account as a CBD wholesaler or retailer, there are some services out there that can set you up in as little as five business days.

The Bottom Line

Basically, getting started online as a CBD business is not that hard. You must apply the same steps that you would apply when starting a conventional type of business. However, you must be certain that your products comply with the rules and regulations in your state, and that your online presence is powerful. Keep in mind that an online business is based on content, activity, and interaction with customers!

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/business-start-up/cbd-processing-rules-and-regulations/

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3 Ways You Can Earn Money From Home

Working from home sounds like a dream come true for a lot of us. It’s also not easy to get a business started from scratch. You can start small, and earn money from home without taking on a complicated business plan.

Sell Products on eBay or Amazon

Just about anyone can set up Ebay or Amazon seller accounts. You might want to clear your closet, or rehome some old toys. Selling things you have laying around the house is a good launching pad into an actual store. The best part is your “store” runs out of your own home.

Once you build your ratings, and establish yourself, you can create a successful storefront. You can sell things you’ve bought wholesale. Or maybe you like to scout antiques and sell the refurbished products. As your store grows, you can even consider starting a dropshipping business with AliDropship – no warehouse needed.  

Sell Things You’ve Made – Or Grown

If you’re good at handcrafting anything, you’re already ahead. Unique, homespun products are increasing in popularity. As well made clothes are becoming harder to find, people are more willing to pay a little extra for quality. The same goes for furniture, jewelry, and home decor. And it’s not just textiles – homemade soaps, and bath products are also popular.

You don’t need to rent a store to sell handmade items. Many successful businesses run off a website or list their products on sites like Etsy. Most of these options don’t require a lot of space or special equipment, so even apartment dwellers can do it.

If you have room or live in a rural area, there’s a lot of potential to earn money right in your backyard. Fresh produce, local honey, and dairy products are always in high demand at farmer’s markets. It could pay off to dig out grandma’s old jam recipe, too. 

Offer Pet-sitting and Walking Services

So this one technically includes going outside your house for some of the work. But when you’ve got a cute, fluffy ball of joy at the end of the leash, is that really a downside? 

Generally, the only qualification you need is some experience with animals, and a lot of love for them. If you want to go the extra mile, there are even dog walking courses you can take. It might not be a way to earn money without going outside, but it is a way to avoid an office cubicle.

Some people need more than a walker for their pet, especially when they go out of town. Trusted pet-sitters are often preferable to kennels and vet boarding, since it’s less stressful on the animal. A client might ask you to check in on the pet several times a day, or could even pay you to house-sit with the pet, 24/7. In some cases, the client might ask you to keep the pet at your home. 

Find Your Strengths

Successful work comes from skill and interest in the work you’re doing. This leaves a lot of options for making money from home, or even starting a small enterprise. Find your area of expertise, and work from there. And who knows – your work could turn into something big.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/at-work/3-ways-you-can-earn-money-from-home/

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Local SEO Methods You Should Be Doing Right Now

It’s widely known that SEO is important for any business who wants to improve their online visibility. However, getting it right means choosing the right strategy and having enough knowledge to implement it.

For instance, if most of your target customers are local, then your SEO needs to be local as well. In this article, we discuss why it’s vital to attracting buyers so you can much easily grow your business profits.

What is local SEO?

Local search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the branches of SEO that prioritizes and aims to help a website achieve a higher rank in the local searches.

If you want to gain new buyers or customers that are from your specific city or state, this will greatly give benefits to your business.

This is a must if your business caters to locals such as carpet cleaning, aircon repair or if you have an actual brick shop where local foot traffic is important.

Local SEO is done on your website where you market and advertise to your local audience. The question is, how is it done and what are the tips for an effective local SEO?

Tips on How to Get Your Business Rank Higher in the Local Search

As time passes by, the local competition also keeps on getting intense. Thus, before you waste any of your time, learning about the proper tips on how to rank your business higher in the local search results is essential. 

Google My Business

One of the most important actions you need to prioritize is to optimize for Google My Business. As we all know, Google is currently the most popular search engine. 

Therefore, businesses use this tool so that Google can initially display their business’ profile upon searching. Once your business has achieved a Google My Business page, your authenticity rate would increase, leading to a gain in potential customers.

Update and improve your website

To improve your local SEO, you must know how to optimize and update your website according to certain keywords that are relevant to your business.

In order to do this, you need to consider and be aware of several things on your website if you’re aiming for a higher local search ranking. 

First, you must learn to upgrade your internal linking structure. Doing so makes for better website navigation which could then positively affect the ranking power of the different pages of your site.

Second, know how to optimize title tags, meta description, and header with the right keywords. Title tags have a limit of only 50-60 characters, thus, it is important to consider uniqueness, creativity, and impact of it in creating one.

If you want to reach your local audience, include the location or area of your business in your tags (e.g. plumber in Calabasas). You can also perform keyword research in order to further build content that would increase your ranking power in the local searches. 

Lastly, make sure that your business website is mobile-friendly. This is important because the majority of people now conduct searches through their smartphones and mobile devices as it is more convenient to use.

Failing to achieve this would result in a loss of potential customers or buyers having access to your business site when it best suits them.  

Use Local SEO Tools

Aside from the tips and methods mentioned earlier, you could also try to utilize some SEO tools to boost your ranking in the search results. Some of the popular tools used by different businesses are as follows:

• Ahrefs

This specific tool helps with backlink checking and could also be used for keyword research. Similar to other tools, it has a reasonable price for it offers great and quality services. https://ahrefs.com/

• Moz Local

This tool could be considered as the most popular one used by businesses as it helps with ensuring the correctness or authenticity and visibility of your website in the local searches. However, this tool isn’t free and requires a subscription to be used beyond the trial. https://moz.com/products/local

• Buzzstream

Buzzstream is an effective link building tool that is utilized by many businesses.

It also helps with backlink checking, facilitates relationship building with local influencers, and manages communications between website owners and other parties. https://www.buzzstream.com/

Wrapping Up

Dominate your local search rankings through the above methods and you’ll surely have a thriving business that can be easily discovered by your target market.

A solid local SEO strategy using the above as well as quality content can no doubt drive more qualified traffic to your website!

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/seo/local-seo-methods-you-should-be-doing-right-now/