business marketing salary

An In-Depth Guide For Every Business Owner Today

Marketers have used videos since the 1940s, but the term “video marketing” has gained momentum in the last decade.

Google’s purchase of YouTube in 2006 can be considered a critical turning point in the growth of video marketing.

Video marketing is a hot discussion topic and a focus area for every marketing team, regardless of the industry or size of the organization.

So, for readers still confused about the term video marketing, here is a standard definition that explains it: Video marketing is leveraging videos to educate, entertain, and engage the audience to achieve your business or personal goals.

These can be short how-to videos, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, YouTube videos, and more.

Why Video Marketing?

Video marketing has gained so much traction over the last decade that almost every business is exploring it now.

There are several reasons behind the increased adoption of video as a content format for marketing. Here are some of them:

  • Humans love visuals more than words: Our brain processes visuals much faster than words, and an MIT study found that we can identify images we’ve seen for as little as 13 milliseconds. With the dwindling attention span of your audience, videos are the best bet to grab their attention.
  • Videos evoke emotions: Through impactful storytelling, videos can evoke the right emotions in viewers. Creators can plan their storytelling based on the goals they are trying to achieve with their content.
  • Videos engage multiple senses of viewers: A video can engage a viewer’s senses, like sight and hearing. This helps evoke emotions and persuade.

Key Business Goals Videos Can Help You Achieve

Video content can help businesses achieve several of their goals and objectives. Some of these goals include:

  • Boosting website traffic & engagement: Video is an effective medium for driving quality traffic to your website and increasing engagement with your brand.
  • Building a social media community: Video can act as both an entertaining and an educational resource for audiences. By providing this type of value to people, video content can help you engage with social media users and grow your social community.
  • Customer acquisition and retention: Video can be used to educate potential prospects on your brand, your product, and your value proposition. In this sense, it is often helpful in converting people into customers and, ultimately, boosting your bottom line.
  • Raising content consumption: There’s no doubt that video is one of the most popular and highly-consumed content formats today – so leveraging it on the right platforms to tell the right stories can help you reach more people.
  • Gaining thought leadership: Provided you follow best practices and focus on unique storytelling, videos can help you stand out in a crowded marketplace and tell your story.
  • Improving customer experience: Video content can augment your efforts to deliver the best experience for your customers, whether that’s through product explainers, how-tos, and tutorials, or customer case studies.

Statistics Proving The Rise Of Video Marketing

To understand the power and dominance of video in the world of marketing, we need to look at some of the latest statistics from Wyzowl’s 2022 State of Video Marketing report:

  • 86% of businesses used video as part of their marketing strategy in 2022.
  • 81% of marketers said videos have helped them increase sales in 2022.
  • 94% of viewers have watched explainer videos to learn more about products or services in 2022.
  • 87% of marketers say videos have helped them increase traffic in 2022.

It’s clear from these statistics alone that video has become an integral part of the average company’s marketing strategy, irrespective of size and industry.

And while, in the past, marketers faced challenging barriers to entry with video content, such as high costs, inadequate tools, and lack of access to talent, the advent of affordable plug-and-play tools has made video content doable for any business today.

Video Formats Dominating Marketing Now

If you are exploring videos as part of your content strategy, this is the best time to research and think about how you’ll approach video content.

There is a wide range of platforms and formats available for marketers and business owners to experiment with when it comes to telling your brand story.

Questions To Ask Before Building Your Video Marketing Strategy

With the various formats available for your video marketing, you’ll need to ask yourself a few critical questions before kicking off your video marketing efforts.

Please answer the following questions honestly, so they can help you build an authentic and powerful video content strategy for your business.

  • Do you know your audience well? Knowing your audience well is the cornerstone of your video marketing success.
  • Does your audience consume video content? If you answer “no” here, there is no point wasting your energy or resources on video marketing.
  • Do you have a compelling story (or stories) to tell your audience? Every business must have an interesting story to tell its audience. If you don’t know yours, it’s time to go find it!
  • Do you have the time and resources to run a video marketing strategy? This critical question will help you decide what gaps you might need to fill to make your program successful.
  • How committed are you to successfully running a video marketing program? Video marketing, like any other marketing tactic, will demand your long-term commitment to bring results to your business.

All these questions will deliver the right answers to build a successful video marketing program.

Building A Powerful Video Marketing Strategy

A well-designed video marketing strategy can do wonders for your business or personal brand.

Video content can be leveraged for various goals for your business, like improving brand awareness, increasing website traffic, generating leads, booking demos, and much more.

Since videos can often pique an audience’s attention quickly, they can help you achieve your goals if executed correctly.

Here are the basic steps you can follow to build an effective video marketing strategy for your business:

Audience Research (Including A Buyer Persona Exercise)

The first step in building an effective video strategy is researching your audience.

Your goal during this step is to understand your audience’s demographics, challenges, and content preferences.

This exercise will help you determine whether video content will be useful in solving your target audience’s challenges.

Determining The Themes For Video Storytelling

Once you are clear on your audience’s preferences, you can move on to identify some key themes you can use in your content strategy.

These themes will help you decide on content types and stories you can tell using videos.

These themes can be educational, holidays, events, regular updates, and more.

Identifying The Right Tools For The Program

Once the theme is clear, you can move on to identify the right tools needed for your video marketing strategy.

These can be tools for the creation, topic research, SEO, content distribution, and performance tracking of videos.

Choosing The Right People For The Program

The most critical element for the program’s success is the people running it.

If you are a small business owner, this could be you! Or, if you are strapped for time, you may have to hire or identify the right people for the job.

Putting The Right Measurement Mechanism In Place

The success of your video content strategy depends on how to monitor and measure performance.

Identify the crucial metrics for your goals, and put mechanisms in place for measuring them consistently.

Improving The Video Strategy Consistently

Constant monitoring will help you determine the changes needed to increase the effectiveness of your video marketing.

Keep improving the program by incorporating timely modifications to enhance the performance of your content.

Storytelling Tips For Effective Video Marketing

As a business owner, you might be faced with some questions, such as:

  • What stories can I tell using videos?
  • Will my stories even appeal to my audience?
  • How will I consistently tell stories using video content?
  • Can I sustain this journey of video marketing?

Let’s get real for a moment.

Video storytelling is not a simple task. It requires dedication, commitment, and continuous focus from the creator.

Here are some storytelling tips for every business owner who is building their video strategy:

  • Be authentic: Authentic stories are more likely to strike a chord with your audience – so try to keep your content original and depict a true-to-life representation of your brand.
  • Be consistent: Video marketing, like any other marketing tactic, will demand consistency more than anything else. Be consistent with your video content and stay on course.
  • Experiments: Always be experimenting with your video content. As new formats appear regularly, you should be agile to test them and find what resonates with your target audience.
  • Be customer-centric: Customer-centricity will be a critical element for the success of your video marketing strategy. Align your content to your customers, their challenges, and how you will solve them for the best results.
  • Be thick-skinned: With highly visual content like videos, you will always run into feedback and criticism. Make sure to take constructive notes on the board, but also develop the resilience to ignore the rest and keep at it.

Tools To Support Your Video Marketing

Many tools are available to help you execute an effective video marketing program.

Here are some cost-effective and user-friendly options for every business owner:

  • Animoto: A video creation software that provides readymade templates to help you create various videos for social media and other marketing purposes.
  • Canva: A graphic design and video platform with the largest collection of templates to support your video marketing.
  • TubeBuddy: Your go-to tool for managing and growing your YouTube video marketing.
  • StreamYard: A tool that helps you schedule and run live streams and webinars for your business.
  • Lumens5: Enables faster video creation for business owners from blogs and written content.
  • looms: Powerful screen recording software for creating educational and promotional videos on the go.
  • inVideo: A video creation platform with handy templates to suit your video content needs.
  • YouTube: The perfect platform to upload your video content for your target audience.
  • Speechelo: An easy-to-use tool for creating professional voice-overs for your videos.
  • Vyond: A video platform for creating impactful animated and whiteboard explainer videos.

Some Content Ideas For Kickstarting Your Video Marketing

To help you kickstart your video marketing, here are some content ideas for you to test, depending on your appetite and resources:

  • An intro video for your business: Create a video explaining your business, the unique value it provides, and who it serves.
  • An animated video for your product/service: Develop an animated video explaining your product and highlighting its top features.
  • A live streaming show with stakeholders: If you’re feeling brave, try launching a live streaming show for social media with guests like influencers and your customers.
  • Behind-the-scenes live content: Similarly, you could use tools like Instagram Stories to broadcast ad-hoc live sessions that showcase the behind-the-scenes of your business and team.
  • Demo videos for your product: Prepare screen recording videos of your product and its features for your customers.

In conclusion

To conclude, video marketing can be a game-changer for your business in 2023.

All you need to do is understand your customers and their challenges and plan video content that focuses on solutions to those challenges.

Dedicate time and resources to create video content per your strategy – and keep it consistent.

And as James Wedmore says,

“Stop thinking of video marketing as this separate entity that is optional for your business.

Videos are an effective form of communication that needs to be integrated into each and every aspect of your existing marketing efforts.”

Happy video marketing!

More resources:

Featured Image: vichie81/Shutterstock

Simon Data Launches Activate, Transforming Cloud Data Platforms from a Business Intelligence Tool to a Marketing Powerhouse

Simon Data announced it has “changed the game” with its solution Simon Activates. Powered by Snowflake, this marketing technology will interact directly with a company’s Cloud Data Warehouse versus having to interface with tools like Salesforce or Adobe.

While traditional CDPs require a high degree of data and integration resourcing to see value, Simon Activate’s unique approach enables companies to create an actionable 360-degree customer view in days or weeks. The result is a solution that marketing teams can rely on for data-driven optimization of ROAS, LTV, and more to help drive faster revenue growth.

Read the full press release below:

Simon Data Launches Activate, Transforming Cloud Data Platforms from a Business Intelligence Tool to a Marketing Powerhouse

Simon Activate, Powered by Snowflake, Gives Marketing Teams Direct, Easy, & Real-time Access to Company Data to Help Supercharge Personalization and Capitalize on IT Investments

NEW YORK – Jan. 24, 2023 – Simon Data, the market-leading Customer Data Platform (CDP), announced today the launch of Simon Activate, a solution that gives marketing teams the ability to quickly and easily build advanced custom audiences by unifying customer data from their Cloud Data Warehouse (CDW) along with additional sources. While traditional CDPs require a high degree of data and integration resourcing to see value, Simon Activate’s unique approach enables companies to create an actionable 360-degree customer view in days or weeks. The result is a solution that marketing teams can rely on for data-driven optimization of customer acquisition costs, lifetime value, and more to help drive faster revenue growth.

Companies are storing increasingly large amounts of data in their data warehouses and data lakes, but today’s marketing tools were built on legacy architecture that cannot integrate with or leverage data in a CDW. Simon Activate is purpose-built for the Cloud Data Warehouse and uses zero-ETL technology to offer an accessible and transparent data architecture. Unlike other solutions, Simon Activate is not limited to a data warehouse for audience-building, and the identity resolution capabilities of Simon’s CDP allows users to combine data from their other sources into single, complete customer profiles. Its intuitive, marketer-friendly UI makes it simple to create hyper-targeted customer segments from a large volume of data to power and improve the performance of campaigns across their top channels.

“It was a deliberate decision to build Simon Activate on Snowflake and the greatest benefit we’ve seen is that it has allowed us to better integrate with CDWs in a way other CDPs/Martech tools that were built on legacy architecture cannot,” said Jason Davis, CEO, and founder of Simon Data. “Additionally, it has allowed us to build new products, such as Simon Activate, at the speed as new customer needs and pain points arise.”

“Simon Data’s mission aligns with where we see the modern marketing data stack heading,” said Denise Persson, Chief Marketing Officer at Snowflake. “In 2023, marketers will face even more pressure to achieve higher ROI and deliver better customer experiences. It is critical to build a solid data foundation for your marketing engine. Simon Activate, Powered by Snowflake, provides simple, powerful capabilities that demonstrate what building your marketing stack on the Snowflake Data Cloud can unlock for joint customers.”

Industry-leading applications are Powered by Snowflake. By building on Snowflake, product and engineering teams can develop, scale, and operate their applications without operational burden, delivering differentiated products to their customers. With the Powered by Snowflake program, builders get access to resources to help them design, market, and operate their applications in the Data Cloud. To learn more about the Powered by Snowflake program and how organizations are building on Snowflake, click here.

Simon Activate allows leading online fashion destination, ASOS, to create and send advanced segments to its marketing cloud that it otherwise could not have. Simon integrates with multiple third-party vendors to combine previously siloed data, provide a single view of each customer and incrementally increase revenue.

“Simon Activate’s entire toolchain is seamless, purpose-built, and equips our marketing team with a complete and accurate customer 360,” said Ashley Fisher, Head of Technology, ASOS. “Simon Data’s Snowflake architecture has transformed our ability to deploy targeted marketing campaigns by allowing our marketers to launch campaigns in a matter of minutes. Now our overall program is more segmented, more personalized, and ultimately, much higher performing than that of our existing legacy architecture.”

About Simon Data

Simon Data empowers marketing teams with the only purpose-built Customer Data Platform (CDP) to increase campaign performance through faster, more precise segmentation and personalization. Simon Data enables brands to break free from outdated architecture that makes data hard to access and deploy. That’s why Tripadvisor, Equinox, jetBlue, ASOS, Venmo and many others count on Simon Data to connect with consumers. Low code, the Simon Data Platform is designed for use by marketers – turning them into data scientists. Simon Data is a 2022 Built-In Best Places to Work, Great Places to Work Certified, and is an 8-time G2 Leader in the CDP space. To learn more, visit www.simondata.com.

For More Information:

Jennifer Yoder

[email protected]

408.656.0979






Who won in District 2 and District 4?

Who won in District 2 and District 4?

Boynton Beach residents decided the fate of one city commission seat during Tuesday’s municipal election, while the other was slated for a runoff.

As of 8 pm, 1,765 votes were cast — both by mail and in person — between the two races. Here are the results for the Boynton Beach city commission’s District 2 and District 4 seats:

District 2: Woodrow Hay, Mack McCray in runoff

Incumbent Woodrow Hay and former city commissioner Mack McCray — the top two vote-getters — will move to a runoff election. Neither is a stranger to Boynton Beach or the District 2 seat.

With all precincts reporting, Hay captured 36% of the votes (293 ballots) while McCray secured 42% (345 ballots).

Woodrow Hay

Hay, a resident of Boynton Beach for more than five decades, was first elected to the commission in 2007 before serving two consecutive terms and then running again in 2020. He also served as the interim major for more than a year starting in early 2012, after police arrested the former major, Jose Rodriguez, on corruption charges.

15 Missteps To Avoid When Using TikTok For Business Marketing

TikTok’s footprint in the social media space exploded in 2022, as the short-from video site became the favorite of Gen-Zers and younger users. Its flexibility and popularity encourage creators and consumers to turn to the site for engaging, entertaining content spanning everything from humor to social trends to education—and beyond.

Unsurprisingly, businesses are looking to tap into the platform’s popularity to reach its wide and youthful audience, including the younger generation of business leaders. But just because TikTok captures a big share of social media users doesn’t mean business marketing content posted to the site will automatically succeed; it’s still essential to tailor your message and methods to the TikTok platform and audience. Below, 15 members of Forbes Agency Council discuss some of the common missteps business marketers should avoid when posting on TikTok.

1. Ignoring TikTok Culture And Style

One big “don’t” when it comes to using TikTok for business marketing is ignoring the unique culture and style of the platform. Success on TikTok requires creating authentic content that resonates with the TikTok community, using catchy music and visual effects and incorporating humor and trends. Simply treating TikTok like any other social media platform will likely result in a lack of engagement. – Kenny Tripura, Edkent Media

2. Reusing Creative Assets

Don’t try to reuse creative assets that aren’t TikTok-first. TikTok videos should be created with a platform-first approach in mind. Recalibrating creative assets that were originally produced as Instagram Reels, for example, does not work on TikTok. But an interesting fact is that the reverse can drive performance (lower-funnel sales). – Steven Lambertink, The Circle

Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?

3. Burying The Lead

Brands should not bury the lead in a message and take forever to get to whatever point they’re trying to get to on TikTok. The platform is for people with short attention spans who want to be entertained, don’t sit and wait forever to learn something at the end of a post that’s a minute long. – Nicole Rodrigues, NRPR Group, Inc.

4. Posting Overly Produced and Polished Content

The biggest mistake brands make using TikTok is treating it like Instagram: using overly produced, polished, “perfect-feeling” content or pulling content that was previously used on Instagram. The content that works best on TikTok is real, unedited, raw, radically authentic and original. Leaning into that will breathe a crucial sense of fun, creativity and humanity into a brand. -Brad Zeifman, SHADOW

5. Post Promotional Or Self-Serving Content

Spamming users with unnecessary, irrelevant content is a big “no.” On TikTok, users want to be entertained and engaged with creative content, so if a business constantly posts promotional material or self-serving content, it will turn users off and damage its reputation. Businesses should focus on creating content that aligns with the values ​​and interests of their target audience. – Frank Rojas, Qode Media Inc.

6. Representing Your Brand In A ‘Corporate’ Light

Do not repurpose other content for TikTok. Each channel has its own vibe, but creativity is paramount for TikTok. Content needs to be authentic; the TikTok audience craves uniqueness and entertainment. Don’t represent your brand in a stiff or “corporate” light. Show a different side of your brand’s personality and let your hair down. – Mario Mirabella, MSM Digital

7. Not Showing The Real You

Everyone knows that the demographic of TikTok is young. The one thing that young people cannot stand is when something isn’t authentic. You don’t have to hire a production crew and lighting specialists and have a script to go viral. Be real. Take your phone out and show the real you and how your company can help them. Speak to them like they are real people, not a demographic. Kids can spot a phony. -Jason Hall, FiveChannels Marketing

8. Jumping On A Trend Just To Fit In

Businesses using TikTok for marketing should stay away from jumping on a trend or challenge in order to fit in. If you know your product is not “cool” or a lifestyle product, any amount of trying to be that will only come across as trying too hard. Stick to your brand personality and bring value. If that can be done in a short and entertaining way, go for it. Above all, stick to your brand voice. – A. Lee Judge, Content Monsta

9. Not Boosting Paid Content

Not earmarking budget dollars for boosting the paid content you execute via a campaign is a huge miss. With the right partner, the right type of video and boosted content, your campaign can produce a high impact through sales and engagement. Gen-Zers love authenticity, so a copy-paste ad style isn’t going to perform. Tailor your content, and you’ll see a higher return. – Christine Faulhaber, Faulhaber Communications

10. Trying To Be Someone Else

In my opinion, brands must tread carefully when it comes to TikTok. Hopping on a bandwagon can help your brand go viral, but authenticity and realness are hugely important. So, don’t try to be someone else. It is important to remember your brand’s voice. Present content that is relevant to your clients and audience—that will ultimately resonate with your target audience the most. – Nataliya Andreychuk, Viseven

11. Trying To Force A Marketing Message

One big “don’t” when it comes to using TikTok for business marketing is being inauthentic or trying to force your marketing messages onto users. TikTok users tend to respond poorly to content that feels overly promotional or inauthentic, so it’s important to be genuine and authentic in your approach to marketing on the platform. – Zohaib Patoli, Lead Origin

12. Post Content That Doesn’t Relate To Your Brand

Don’t post irrelevant content that doesn’t relate to your brand or target audience. TikTok is all about creating unique and engaging content, so it’s important to stay on-brand and ensure that you create content that will resonate with your target audience. – Drew Urquhart, Banch Marketing

13. Not Carefully Vetting Micro-And Macro-Influencers

Brands and businesses should be very wary of how they spend their marketing dollars on micro- and macro-influencers. It’s critical they perform their due diligence by inspecting engagement metrics and overall audience fit. – Jordan Edelson, Appetizer Mobile LLC

14. Using a Hard Sales Push

One big “don’t” when it comes to using TikTok for business marketing is to try and push sales too hard. TikTok is all about entertaining and engaging content, not pushing sales messages. Trying to sell too much on TikTok can turn away potential followers and customers. – Justin Kline, Markerly Inc.

15. Not Considering Other Platforms

Test your audience and make sure TikTok is the right platform to use for the program in question. There are a variety of avenues available—LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and more—so make sure TikTok is the best place to showcase your campaign; otherwise, it will fail. – Leeza Hoyt, The Hoyt Organization, Inc.

Sugar And Its Natural Substitutes


Added sugar has been linked to many serious diseases, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Fortunately, there are many ways to sweeten foods without adding sugar. There are many natural sweeteners that people often use instead of sugar. These include coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup and molasses. While these natural sweeteners may contain more nutrients than regular sugar, your body still metabolizes them in the same way.

The natural sweeteners listed below are slightly ‘less bad’ than regular sugar. Nevertheless, they are still forms of sugar.

Why sugar is bad for you

Sugar interferes with your body’s hormones that regulate hunger and satiety. This can lead to increased calorie intake and weight gain. It also impairs your metabolism, which can lead to increased insulin and fat storage. In fact, many studies have found a strong link between sugar and obesity. Simply put, people who consume the most sugar are much more likely to become overweight or obese than those who consume the least. High sugar intake is also associated with some of the world’s deadliest diseases, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Stevia

Stevia is a natural sweetener extracted from the leaves of a South American shrub scientifically known as Stevia rebaudiana. It contains zero calories and is not associated with weight gain. Several studies show that stevioside, which is one of the sweetening compounds of stevia, can reduce high blood pressure by 6-14%. It has also been shown to lower insulin and blood sugar levels, which can help fight diabetes.

It is worth noting that the two different sweetener compounds extracted from the stevia plant – stevioside and rebaudioside A – have slightly different tastes. Products labeled “stevia” may contain one or both of the above compounds in varying amounts. This is why some varieties taste better than others.

Xylitol

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol, with a sweetness similar to sugar. It is extracted from corn or Finnish birch wood and is found in many fruits and vegetables. Xylitol contains 2.4 calories per gram, which has 40% fewer calories than sugar. It also does not increase sugar or insulin levels. Xylitol is generally tolerated, but its consumption can cause side effects in the digestive system such as bloating and diarrhea.

Erythritol

Like xylitol, erythritol is sugar alcohol, which contains even fewer calories. Erythritol contains 0.24 calories per gram and 6% of the calories of regular sugar. Your body does not have the enzymes to break down erythritol, so most of it is absorbed directly into your bloodstream and excreted unchanged in your urine. Therefore, it does not appear to have the harmful effects of regular sugar. In addition, erythritol does not increase blood sugar, insulin, cholesterol or triglyceride levels. Studies conducted show that its consumption is safe for the human body and has no side effects.

Coconut sugar

Coconut sugar comes from the sugary liquid that circulates in the coconut plant. It contains some nutrients, such as iron, zinc, calcium, potassium, as well as antioxidants. However, coconut sugar is still very high in calories and contains the same number of calories as regular sugar.

Honey

Honey contains trace elements of vitamins and minerals, as well as an abundance of beneficial antioxidants. Eating honey can help increase the levels of antioxidants in your blood. High levels of antioxidants in the blood are associated with a lower risk of disease. In fact, honey has been shown to improve several disease risk factors. One study found that consuming honey for eight weeks significantly reduced “bad” LDL cholesterol and blood triglycerides in people with diabetes. It also increased the ‘good’ HDL cholesterol.

However, in the same study, an indicator of blood sugar levels called HbA1c increased, which is not good. Another study found that consuming honey reduced levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a measure of inflammation. It also lowers homocysteine ​​, another blood marker associated with the disease. In addition, both studies showed that honey has slightly less harmful effects on blood sugar levels and metabolism than regular sugar.

Maple syrup

Maple syrup is a thick, sugary liquid produced by cooking the sap of maple trees. It contains a good amount of minerals such as calcium, potassium, iron, zinc and manganese. It also contains at least 24 different types of antioxidants. Two test-tube studies have shown that maple syrup may also have anti-cancer benefits , but more research is needed to confirm. While maple syrup contains some beneficial nutrients and antioxidants, it is very high in sugars. It has a lower glycemic index than regular sugar, but still raises blood sugar levels. Like coconut sugar and honey, maple syrup is a slightly better option than regular sugar, but should be consumed in moderation.

Molasses

Molasses is a sweet, brown liquid, which has a thick syrup-like consistency. It is made from boiled sugar cane or sugar beet juice. It contains an increased amount of vitamins and minerals, as well as various antioxidants. In fact, molasses contains more antioxidants than honey and maple syrup. Additionally, its high potassium and calcium content may benefit bone and heart health.

Sugar substitutes to avoid

Agave Nectar

Agave nectar is produced by the agave plant. It’s often promoted as a healthy alternative, but it’s probably one of the unhealthiest sweeteners on the market. It consists of 85% fructose, which is higher than regular sugar. As previously mentioned, high amounts of fructose are closely linked to obesity and other serious diseases.

High fructose corn syrup

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a sweetener made from corn syrup. It is commonly used to sweeten processed foods and soft drinks. As its name suggests, it contains a lot of fructose. It can increase the risk of weight gain, obesity, diabetes and other serious diseases such as cancer. It is just as harmful as sugar and should be avoided at all costs.

How To Lose The Extra Kilos In A Week


The biggest mistake we make when we make the decision to finally start this diet that can make our lives a little harder, is that we lean on things that end up bringing us the opposite results. What are we trying to say? A smart tip if you want to lose excess weight in a few days is not to frantically avoid sweets and carbohydrates, but to drop small “bad” habits. The idea is not to overdo it, which can also be a strong psychological burden for us, but to follow advice that will actually bring radical changes over time. In particular, if they are combined with regular exercise of 20-30 minutes, which increases your muscle mass, you will lose the extra kilos and the result will justify you.

Avoid excessive consumption of bread

Sure, the simple solution for those days when we don’t have the stamina to cook or maybe are not even in the mood to order something is to end up eating, mostly toast or various sandwiches, with what we have in the fridge. It would be good to try their abstinence, because too much bread has always not been our best friend, and to try to replace it with a tortilla, for example. Of course, we should pay a little more attention to our ingredients, including vegetables, but without high-fat foods or sauces, such as mayonnaise. It would be even more ideal if you could reduce carbohydrates, by allowing them in at least 2 out of 3 meals and try new simple protein-based recipes.

Satisfying breakfast

Mornings seem like torture to get up and go to the kitchen even more. That’s why we usually neglect meals that don’t fill us up, just to avoid this inconvenience. You must know that in order to achieve your goals, you must give special “care” to each of your meals, not to mention breakfast, which is the most important. A suggestion, that will provide you with few calories, but at the same time will make you feel full for the rest of the day, so you will not digress, and also is an excellent source of protein, is undoubtedly eggs. Put an egg together with 1-2 egg whites in the non-stick pan and you will see that it is not as difficult as you think.

Go sugar free

A large percentage of people drink at least 2 to 3 coffees per day, so consider also adding white sugar, which is equivalent to 20 calories. For example, if you start drinking your beverage moderately and less sweetly, you will automatically save 60-180 calories per day by cutting out the sugar. If you do not like this abstinence at all, you can also use the brown variety, but again, watch the amount. And if you add milk, ask for low-fat milk and not whole milk, as this is also responsible for the extra calories.

Eat your veggies

Losing excess weight, is associated with eating greens, which are anything cut from trees and plants. Fill the fridge with different products, even those you don’t know, and lots of salads and experiment with recipes that you can execute. In this way you will be able to acquire a healthy routine and give a real foundation to these foods. In this way you will be able to cheat here and there and have a balance between. Also, drink plenty of water; this will help you feel full.

Can Essential Oils Give You The Energy You Need?


Peppermint for the morning, lavender for the evening, myrrh for all hours, but sparingly. If you have low energy levels and feel lethargic, try adding essential oils to your daily routine. They have a beneficial effect on the mood, act as anxiolytics and stimulate you, even for a short period of time.

Do you feel the fatigue that overwhelms you during the day and prevents you from meeting your daily obligations? Are your energy levels down? Do you drink coffee and other tonic drinks, but they only give you energy for a short time? After you have had a checkup, which is necessary regularly anyway, to make sure there are no medical issues, try making some changes in your daily life.

Pay a little more attention to how you sleep. If your sleep is poor in duration or poor in quality, try to improve it. In general, make sure that you rest more and use your free time with activities that fill you with joy and satisfaction.

Some find relief from fatigue and lack of concentration in essential oils. So, we will explain how you can raise your energy levels in a natural way, that is, with the power of essential oils, which have a beneficial psychosomatic effect. If, of course, the fatigue persists, you may need to have a more detailed medical examination.

What are essential oils?

These are concentrated substances extracted from flowers and plants by the method of distillation or cold pressing. Their contact with the body is through smelling or absorbing them from the skin (after dissolving in some vegetable oil). Essential oils are the main ingredient of aromatherapy, an alternative method that has been used for thousands of years by many ancient peoples to heal the mind, soul and body.

How essential oils work

Remember when you found yourself in a blooming garden on a spring day. What was your first reaction? Sure enough, the wonderful scents immediately overwhelmed you with a feeling of euphoria and joy that stayed with you for several hours afterward. Science explains that essential oils are transported to five different parts of the brain through the olfactory system, which is activated every time we smell something.

One of these parts is the amygdala, which is connected to our emotions, memories, fears. This is where the neurochemicals of the essential oils are released, which have healing properties. Depending on their chemical composition, which differs from oil to oil, they act as sedatives, antidepressants, anxiolytics, stimulants, or create euphoria. According to research, in fact, some fragrances have the same effect on the human brain as meditation.

8 essential oils for an elevated mood

– Lavender, eucalyptus and geranium

Lavender, eucalyptus and geranium relieve anxiety and depression, while they are therapeutic for headaches and insomnia.

Lavender increases the enjoyment of a warm bubble bath. With a few drops of lavender essential oil in the bath, an aroma is released that relaxes the nervous system and sends you straight to sleep. Lavender oil is also believed to have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, which can help heal minor burns and bug bites.

Today, oil from the eucalyptus tree appears in many over-the-counter cough and cold products to relieve congestion. Eucalyptus oil is also used in creams and ointments to relieve muscle and joint pain, and in some mouthwashes.

Geranium essential oil has been used to treat health conditions for centuries. It’s thought to have antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties.

– Lemons and limes

The two related citrus species share common characteristics. In addition to bringing freshness to the space, they are tonic and act against fatigue and negative thoughts.

– Basil

Basil can clear the mind and thinking, improve concentration and increase your productivity. Especially in the afternoon, when you feel exhausted from a hard day at work, it will give you a beneficial boost of energy. In aromatherapy, sweet basil essential oil is reputed to stimulate, clarify, calm, fortify, energize and uplift the mind.

– Peppermint

The fresh and refreshing smell of mint awakens the senses and helps you start your day with more energy and a good mood. Its smell is so strong that it can keep you awake even when you want to go to sleep. Therefore, use it only in the morning hours. Peppermint oil is promoted for topical use (applied to the skin) for problems such as headache, muscle aches, joint pain and itching.

– Myrrh

Myrrh has a unique, stimulating and rejuvenating effect on the psyche. It can activate you if you feel sluggish and tired. Myrrh is a very strong essential oil, so it’s best to use it sparingly. In addition to its pleasant, warm and earthy scent, myrrh oil may also have several health benefits. Studies suggest that it may help kill harmful bacteria, parasites and other microbes. It may also support oral health, help heal skin sores, and ease pain and swelling.

4 ways to use essential oils

– Inhalations

Before bed or as often as you feel the need during the day, take a few deep breaths from a bottle containing essential oils for several minutes.

– Topical use

Apply the essential oil topically to the temples, forehead or wrists after first diluting it in a carrier oil such as almond oil and jojoba oil. The dosage is 1-3 drops in a teaspoon of vegetable oil.

– Air fresheners

Fill the essential oil dispenser with water and then a few drops of one or more essential oils. Turn on the stove and place it on the base of the device. In a few minutes the essential oils will begin to diffuse into the space.

– Aromatic spray for the home

Put rose water and a few drops of your favorite essential oil in a spray bottle. With this you can spray every hour all the rooms to renew, cool and freshen the atmosphere of the house. Spray the pillowcases and bed sheets with lavender essential oil for a more peaceful and restful sleep.

7 Suggestions for Small Enterprise Advertising

If you wish to get your small enterprise off the bottom, you know the way necessary it’s to draw new prospects. With none new prospects, what you are promoting would don’t have any manner of increasing and rising. And one of many quickest methods you possibly can broaden your buyer base is by harnessing the facility of promoting.

However small enterprise advertising and marketing is not one thing that simply occurs in a single day. A profitable technique wants a number of planning, analysis, and energy — none of which may be performed with out the correct info. That can assist you get began in your small enterprise advertising and marketing plan, we have put collectively this helpful starter information of seven suggestions for advertising and marketing a small enterprise.

1. E-mail Advertising

E-mail is an effective way to market your small enterprise. It is fast, straightforward, and cheap to arrange a publication or e mail marketing campaign. Plus, you need to use it to showcase your services and produce individuals again to your web site. E-mail advertising and marketing additionally means that you can goal particular teams of consumers primarily based in your analytics knowledge, which might help to enhance your ROI.

Furthermore, e mail advertising and marketing is an effective way to get prospects’ consideration and maintain them engaged along with your model. Listed here are some issues to contemplate when utilizing e mail advertising and marketing as a part of your small enterprise technique:

  1. Use a publication to construct relationships with prospects.
  2. Ship coupons and reductions utilizing e mail advertising and marketing.
  3. Use e mail advertising and marketing to advertise particular occasions.
  4. Make individuals really feel like part of your model by sending them unique content material.
  5. Supply freebies or reductions in alternate for an e mail tackle.
  6. Give individuals a couple of method to opt-out of receiving your emails.
  7. At all times observe up with consumers.

It doesn’t matter what, be sure that your e mail advertising and marketing efforts align intently with what you are promoting targets. If you do not have a method to measure how efficient your marketing campaign is, then there is no level in sending out emails.

2. Enhance Model Consciousness

Rising model consciousness is without doubt one of the most important steps in constructing a profitable small enterprise. You are able to do this by creating an efficient social media technique and establishing your self as a thought chief in your business. Constructing relationships with influencers will assist to unfold the phrase about your model on-line and offline via word-of-mouth advertising and marketing campaigns.

Having a powerful model can be interesting to potential prospects. Prospects usually tend to purchase from a model they belief, so creating a powerful fame is essential for constructing what you are promoting.

Customer support is one other necessary side of constructing a terrific model. You could present prospects with the very best buyer expertise attainable to win them over. This could imply providing fast responses on social media, answering questions and inquiries rapidly through e mail help, and even offering telephone help for patrons preferring it.

3. Develop a Detailed Advertising Plan

If you wish to achieve success at advertising and marketing what you are promoting, it’s best to have an in depth plan in place that will help you observe and attain your targets. This plan ought to embrace the steps you might want to take to attain what you are promoting targets in addition to a timeline for when every step will likely be accomplished.

A superb advertising and marketing technique would come with issues like:

  • Figuring out your target market.
  • Making a persona for every persona in your target market.
  • Figuring out what sorts of content material will resonate along with your viewers.
  • Creating a web based presence on social media platforms and different web sites.
  • Making a advertising and marketing calendar to maintain observe of when you’ll publish content material, ship out emails, and run paid commercials utilizing instruments like Fb advertisements.

These are all necessary elements of a advertising and marketing technique, and it’s essential to take the time to create one in order for you what you are promoting to succeed.

4. Deal with Content material Advertising

Content material advertising and marketing doesn’t should be costly or time-consuming. You’ll be able to write articles to your web site or weblog, create movies and share them on social media, or shoot images of your merchandise which you could publish on Instagram or Pinterest. The extra content material you create, the higher your probabilities of attracting new prospects via serps like Google and Bing.

As a part of any good inbound advertising and marketing marketing campaign, it’s best to give attention to creating high-quality content material that’s related to your viewers. It is one of the crucial efficient methods to construct belief with potential prospects and set up your self as an professional in your business.

At all times be looking out for brand new and revolutionary methods to include content material advertising and marketing into what you are promoting advertising and marketing technique. For instance, you might strive:

  • SMS advertising and marketing to achieve individuals on their cell phones.
  • Podcasts and webinars to achieve a wider viewers and increase your model consciousness.
  • Twitter chats, Fb Stay, Instagram Tales or Snapchat to attach with prospects in real-time.

The sky is the restrict in relation to content material advertising and marketing. Do not be afraid to strive new issues.

5. Search Engine Optimization (website positioning)

website positioning is an extremely necessary a part of any advertising and marketing technique, however it may be overwhelming for a small enterprise proprietor who does not have a lot expertise on this space. Take into account working with an website positioning professional who might help you create an efficient plan for enhancing your search engine rating over time.

You should use website positioning to:

  • Enhance your web site visitors.
  • Enhance your natural search rankings.
  • Drive extra results in what you are promoting.

As well as, native website positioning might help entice extra foot visitors into your retailer or workplace by focusing on people who find themselves shut by. You can too leverage your current prospects to generate extra enterprise by offering them with the instruments they should share your content material with their buddies. Use instruments like Google My Enterprise to rapidly and simply create a web based presence in your native space.

6. Video Advertising

Video advertising and marketing may be performed in some ways, from a easy explainer video that describes what your organization does to a full-blown manufacturing with actors and particular results. It is dependent upon how a lot you wish to spend and the place you are hoping to get visitors from.

If you’re creating movies for what you are promoting, they need to be prime quality in order that they give the impression of being skilled and entice viewers. You also needs to have a constant tone all through every video in order that viewers know what to anticipate from every one. You’ll be able to add movies on a number of social media platforms, together with Fb, Instagram, or YouTube, making it straightforward for individuals world wide to view them.

A number of of the very best practices for video advertising and marketing that it’s best to observe embrace:

  • Create a script to your video and ensure it is brief, candy, and to the purpose.
  • Maintain a constant tone all through every video in order that viewers know what to anticipate from every one.
  • Do not cram an excessive amount of info into one video as it will likely be tough for viewers to observe alongside.
  • Ensure that every video has a call-to-action in order that viewers know what you need them to do after watching it.

Video advertising and marketing is an efficient method to attain a big viewers and construct your model. It is also an necessary a part of any digital advertising and marketing technique, particularly if you wish to attain individuals who stay exterior of your space. So long as you observe the very best practices for video advertising and marketing, it ought to be straightforward to create movies that individuals love watching.

7. Web site Design

Web site design is necessary as a result of it determines how what you are promoting is represented on-line. Your web site ought to be straightforward to navigate, and the data on it ought to be straightforward to search out. You also needs to be sure that your web site is mobile-friendly so that individuals can see it on a telephone or pill with out having to zoom in or scroll round.

You’ll be able to enhance your web site by making certain all of the hyperlinks work and including content material like weblog posts and movies. You also needs to add a contact type so that individuals can get in contact with you if they need extra details about your companies or merchandise.

It is going to even be crucial to include website positioning into your web site in order that it seems greater in search engine outcomes. You are able to do this by together with key phrases in your content material and utilizing them within the titles of your weblog posts. It will even be useful so as to add social media buttons to your web site in order that individuals who like what they see can share it with their buddies and followers on-line.

A robust web site is crucial for any enterprise, however it’s particularly necessary for sellers of companies and merchandise. Even when you do not have some huge cash to spend in your web site, there are many methods to make sure it seems skilled and engaging.

Monitoring Web site Guests

Utilizing analytics instruments like Google Analytics might help you perceive who’s visiting your web site and what they wish to see. It might probably additionally allow you to determine areas the place you possibly can enhance, reminiscent of making your web site extra mobile-friendly or enhancing the standard of your content material.

You can too incorporate monitoring into your promoting campaigns. For instance, if you happen to use Google Adverts or Google Adwords to advertise your web site, you need to use Google Analytics to trace how many individuals click on in your advert. That may allow you to decide if the marketing campaign is working and the way a lot cash it is costing you.

Conclusion

Advertising a small enterprise is a full-time job, and it is as much as you to outline your technique. You will not get it proper on the primary strive; it takes time to get to know your prospects and determine the place they spend their time.

However by following these tips and incorporating them into your organization’s mission assertion, you possibly can start defining your individual small enterprise advertising and marketing technique from the beginning and get forward of your competitors. And if you happen to’re having a tough time, take into account reaching out to a small enterprise advertising and marketing company like Scorpion for some assist.

Featured Picture Credit score: Picture by SevenStorm JUHASZIMRUS; Pexels; Thanks!

Joe Martin

VP of Advertising

Joe Martin is at present the VP of promoting at Scorpion, a number one supplier of know-how and advertising and marketing to assist small companies develop. Previously he was CloudApp’s GM and CMO and a Head of Advertising at Adobe. With over 15 years of expertise within the business and tech that makes it run, he gives strategic steering on tips on how to construct and use the correct stack and advertising and marketing for companies to develop. Joe believes entrepreneurs want good coaching and management to scale firm development. Join with Joe on LinkedIn and observe him on Twitter @joeDmarti.