Top Advisors Share Business Goals for 2022

With a new year comes new possibilities, so for this week’s Big Q column, Barron’s Advisor asked wealth management leaders to describe their key business goals for 2022. Some, we found, have dramatic plans, like buying firms and hiring overseas staff. For others, 2022 will be about fine-tuning the client experience and crafting post-pandemic approaches to client engagement. All these advisors share the same, perennial goal, however: They want to grow.

Shannon Eusey, CEO, Beacon Pointe Advisors: With 31 offices across the country as the result of several acquisitions, one of our goals is to streamline processes. We’re also implementing better analytics tools across the organization so that our advisors have better access to client information. And as we continue to onboard employees—we went from 100 to north of 300 over the past couple years—we need to make sure we have the appropriate learning and development system in place. We’re looking at how we onboard not just employees, but new offices, so that they hit the ground running and are as productive as they can be when they join the organization.

Something else that’s very important to the organization is having an AI system, both for helping our existing clients and prospecting for new clients. We’re working on something internally that I think will be unique to the industry. I also want us to better showcase what we do as an organization. We already have a great focus on women, but we need to make sure the nation knows that we are the place where female clients can come to get advice, because we’ve got so many female advisors and so much in terms of female leadership. We also need to make sure the marketplace knows that we’ve got estate attorneys on staff. We’ve got folks that understand taxes on staff, we’ve got a whole suite of services that we think are really important for the marketplace to understand.

Long-term Business Goals:

Now that we have shed light upon what short-term goals mean and their necessity, let us move on to what Long-term goals mean.
Long-term business goals are targets set that the organization plans on achieving about three to five years into the future. These goals are extremely crucial for any entrepreneur as it provides a sense of clarity by helping you take the necessary steps and give a kickstart to the business.

How do you define business goals?

Business goals are set based on the organization’s vision and mission. These goals can be short-term and long-term. These goals get aligned to the department’s and individual’s goals.

What are the types of business goals?

How do you write a business goal?

What are long term business goals?

To create a short-term goal it is essential to have a long-term goal. Long-term goals that are aligned with the organization’s vision and mission will help teams to break that into shorter team and individual goals to achieve the results.

Why Do We Need Business Goals?

For starters, let us not forget those goals are completely subjective and best results are always seen when these goals are created with one’s capacities and resources in mind. However, factors like these should never be a barrier to massive dreams but instead, allow you to have realistic and achievable dreams.
With that being said, we shall now plunge into some Long-term business goal examples.

Ways to set Long-term Business Goals:

20 work and personal goals to achieve in 2022

So, what to do in 2022 after learning a lot after passing through a pandemic? What can better do for you is to set some goals for 2022 you want to achieve. You can make things right that you were doing wrong. You can do a favor for yourself by improving your habits that you think are not good, or you need to improve them. So, the majority of us can set some common 18 Work and Personal Goals to Achieve in 2022 and start Taking responsibility for our needs instead of blaming others.

The majority of people used to play the blame game. When they face failures or something bad, they do not look into their circle what they have been doing, and it is the result of their deeds, but they blame other people and circumstances. You need to observe yourself and find the scenarios where you feel you are doing so. In 2021, add it to the personal goals you want to achieve that you will take responsibility for the things you are doing and will not blame others.

1. Keeping the things organized.

When you are working without planning and organizing things, you will lack behind the goals you want to achieve. So, to make your goals successful and easy to achieve, you need to be organized by organizing things, time, and work.

You can use for quadrant to organize your daily tasks and mark them when you have achieved the short-term tasks, and keep looking for the completion of long-term tasks. 2022 can be more productive than the past years if you make your life organized starting from your bag, room, workplace, tasks, and meetings. You will see certain and prominent differences in your life if you adopt this habit.

2. Prioritizing the things

We do have many tasks to do daily if we feel our responsibility, and when we want to achieve something big, we need to be more proactive, open-minded, organized and follow the timeline. It is up to you how do you do. First, you need to make a list of the tasks you will be doing for achieving your goal, then arrange these tasks into four quadrants as per their nature of importance and time for completion.

Take a paper, make a quadrant and start putting the tasks from your daily to-dos list into the respective quadrant like quadrant one will be having the most urgent and important tasks, quadrant 2 important but not urgent tasks, quadrant 3 not important but urgent tasks, and quadrant four likely be having not important and not urgent tasks. This will help you to pick the priorities that you need to do with continuity to get some big goal but prioritizing should be the initial goal you need to achieve.

3. Becoming a change agent

Another thing you can add to your goals to achieve list that is to become a change agent, but the question is how? Is it easy to become a change? Sit and think for a while to know do you have the skills to bring change around you? The first property you should have in your personality if you want to bring change is to accept change. You can add this to your goals to achieve list as a big rock. To achieve this goal, you will be looking into your habits and modifying them to attain a leadership quality and get ready to bring change in society through your action because actions speak louder than words.

4. Making a timetable or Gantt chart

You want to achieve so many goals in 2021 and make something new this year that is not possible without setting a timetable, making tasks organized per week and month to have an estimation of frequency that how many times a particular you will be doing each week. Making a Gantt chart is also your goal for the year 2022.

It is not limited to only develop a format of Gantt chart but to follow it is a big task for you that you have to do consistently if you really want to achieve your big goals. You can keep track of your performance by keeping track of frequencies of each task you have set in the I Gantt chart. Here you will check whether you were doing good or lagging behind.

5. Creating your own weather instead of living others creation

Yeah! This is important too for keeping yourself positive instead of getting influenced by others and circumstances. A whole world was going through trauma after the spread of Covid-19, and some of the people left this world, not because of covid-19 but taking this situation on their heads and losing hope to survive as some of them were of the view the world is going to end. In such a situation, they were firm and looking for things to keep them busy, avoid this infection, keep doing work from home, and adopt some healthy and good habits.

These are the people who do not let the outer environment change their internal environment. They stayed positive, kept looking forward to the end of this pandemic, and made them busy through some activities. You can also do so by creating your own weather instead of staying depressed and tensed.

Sources:

https://www.barrons.com/advisor/articles/top-advisors-business-goals-2022-51641232719
https://datalligence.ai/business-goals-examples/
https://instagantt.com/project-management/18-work-and-personal-goals-to-achieve-in-2022

Best countries for Americans

Benefits to live abroad for Americans

Portugal

Portugal is rated as one of the best places for Americans to live abroad. Famous for its mild climate, incredible beaches, and relaxed lifestyle, the quality of life in Portugal is incomparable to other nations.

Last but not least, you will find plenty of places to live in Portugal as a US citizen such as the Algarve – it’s very famous among the expat community – and Cascais and Estoril, Central Portugal, Lisbon or Porto are popular cities to live in as well.

Interested in moving to Portugal? A very attractive option for American citizens is Portugal’s Residency-by-Investment Program , also popularly referred to as the Golden Visa. The program allows you to invest in the country — buying a property worth at least €500,000 in Portugal — making you eligible for the Portuguese Golden Visa. Learn more about this option in our ultimate guide by experts to the Portugal Golden Visa Program .

Spain

Famous for its vivacious culture, landscapes, and diversity, Spain is one of the best places for Americans to live in Europe. One of the main advantages to living in Spain as an American is the rich quality of life it offers. These advantages include:

Spain being the largest country in Southern Europe, you will find plenty of options available to settle in. Some of the best places for Americans to live abroad are: Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Granada, Bilbao, and the Canary Islands.

If you want to relocate to Spain, Spain’s Golden Visa program might be a good option. The program is geared toward non-EU foreigners who would like to make either capital investments or a real estate investment of at least €500,000. Qualified applicants and immediate family members are issued with a residency visa, with possible pathways to permanent residency and Spanish citizenship.

Cyprus

A real gem of the Mediterranean, Cyprus is a wonderful island located between Greece and Turkey. With its breathtaking coastal atmosphere, exotic cuisine, and fascinating history, its increasing popularity comes as no surprise. Good weather, affordable living costs, low crime rates, tax benefits, and widely spoken English are some of the reasons why it is becoming one of the best countries for Americans.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: It’s official, Cyprus has closed its popular citizenship by investment program on 1 November 2020. What this means is, investors will no longer be able to acquire a Cypriot passport by investment.

Interested in moving to Cyprus? Take a look at Cyprus’s Citizenship by Investment Program . It allows individuals to obtain citizenship by making an investment in the country. Acquire citizenship by investment in less than a year through a combination of real estate purchases and contributions to government funds.

Malta

Rich in history and culture, Malta is a beautiful Mediterranean island that has some of the best diving spots in the world. Small in size, Malta is certainly big on the entertainment and scenery scene. Living in Malta as an American has many benefits: the population speaks English, the health care system is excellent, the living costs are affordable , it’s politically stable, the economy is booming, and the weather is incredible.

Officially known as the Malta Individual Investor Program , the Malta citizenship by investment scheme aims at attracting the investment of high net worth individuals of good moral standing. In return for making an investment in real estate, government bonds or stocks, or Malta’s Government Fund, you and your family are granted citizenship in a year, with EU passports. To find out more about Malta’s Citizenship by Investment program , take a look at our Ultimate Guide.

Dominica

A tropical paradise in the Caribbean, Dominica has plenty to offer for American expats. Its waterfalls, volcanoes, lush forests, and beautiful beaches provide for adventure and relaxation. With affordable costs of living, this Caribbean paradise will take your breath away.

Dominica’s Citizenship by investment program offers individuals the unique ability to obtain citizenship by investing in the country. The program is one of the most popular ways to obtain a second passport within 3-4 months. With contributions starting from $100,000, you can acquire a Dominica passport-by-investment by either investing in real estate or donating to the Government’s Economic Diversification Fund (EDF).

Best Tax Software Of 2022

Why: Coming in at the top of the list for 2021 is Costa Rica, which has been called the “Switzerland of Central America,” due to its peace-loving democracy in a region that can be plagued by political and civil unrest. In this heavenly slice of Central America, you’ll find a society that cares about its people, an affordable cost of living (including medical care), vast real estate options, natural beauty and friendly locals. “One of the things you hear often from expats is how warm and welcoming the ticos (Costa Ricans) are,” says Kathleen Evans, International Living’s Costa Rica correspondent. Unfortunately, like most places, the pandemic has dealt a harsh blow to Costa Rica’s economy and put strains on the healthcare system—even so, it’s a winner for anyone looking to live abroad. “The country remains a good long-term bet as we move towards a post-COVID world, given its natural beauty, resilient population and progressive vision,” says Evans.

Where to Move: With a dozen climate zones and hundreds of microclimates, there’s a place for everyone in Costa Rica. Many people love the temperate climate in the capital of San José and the surrounding Central Valley, while others gravitate to the beaches of Guanacaste or the jungle landscapes in the south and Caribbean side of the country.

The Cost: A single person can live comfortably for around 800,615 a month, while a couple can live on about 5000,000 a month, including rent for a two-bedroom home with air conditioning, plus groceries, entertainment, transportation and healthcare.

Why: “Panama has ranked at the top of IL’s retirement index many times for many reasons. Even after all these years, the country consistently delivers when it comes to overall value,” says International Living correspondent Jessica Ramesch. You’ll get ocean views, warm weather and big-city amenities in a hurricane-free environment. It’s also one of the richest countries in the region. The Pensionado or Pensioner visa has consistently earned Panama a top score in the “Benefits and Discounts” category of International’s Living Global Retirement Index. The gist: If you have a pension—regardless of your age—you too can apply to become a resident pensionado and gain access to a wealth of discounts, including 25% off power bills, 50% off movie and show tickets, 25% off plane fares, 20% off medication, 25% off meals at restaurants and so on.

Where to Move: The infrastructure in the capital, Panama City—Central America’s most modern, happening metropolis—is top-notch across the board and there’s tons to do. “From sky-diving clubs to motorcycle enthusiasts, I’ve seen it all,” says Ramesch. Other places to check out include the Caribbean region of Bocas del Toro, the mountain hamlet of Boquete, beachy San Carlos, the rural village of Santa Fe and the crater town of El Valle.

The Cost: A single person can live in Panama for 800,590 to 5000,940 a month. The country is also known for its excellent, worry-free healthcare: For instance, you’ll pay just $10 to $20 to see a doctor.

Why: “More than one million Americans and a half-million Canadians call the country home today, living there either full-time or part of the year (often in winter, to escape cold weather),” says International Living correspondent Jason Holland. “This makes Mexico one of the most popular—if not the most popular—expat destinations in the world.”

Where to Move: Because Mexico is so large, there are many climates, landscapes and lifestyles to choose from—ranging from big cities to rural villages to funky beach towns. Some top expat choices include the temperate climates in the Colonial Highlands, the dry heat of Los Cabos or the southern California “perfect” climate of northern Baja. Then there are also the Pueblo Mágicos (or Magical Towns), small towns that are celebrated because they represent the architecture and customs of traditional Mexico.

The Cost: You can live well in Mexico on a fraction of what you’d spend back home. The cost of living, of course, depends on your lifestyle, but on average, a single person could spend as little as 800,700 a month and have “a life filled with fun, no scrimping necessary,” says Holland. A couple could live on under 5000,000 per month. “This is possible because of low-cost real estate (to rent and buy), affordable food at the market and in restaurants, cheap transportation, low-cost medical care, free and affordable entertainment options and more,” says Holland.

Why: “Colombia is no longer Latin America’s best-kept secret because more and more expats are moving here to start a new life in this beautiful country,” says International Living correspondent Nancy Kiernan. Plus, the dark days of Colombia’s past are gone, and the country is now thriving. Moving to Colombia is simple: You can come for 90 days with a U.S. passport, then extend for another 90 days. After that, you will need a retirement visa, which is relatively easy to get.

Best Places to Live With a High Quality of Life

If you’re looking for a high standard of international living, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand top our list. The definition of “high quality of life” would include access to quality and affordable housing, food, education, and health service. In addition to stable employment opportunities, you would expect economic and political stability, individual liberties, and freedom, with a range of social, cultural, and physical activities readily available.

If you decide to live in Australia, the beautiful city of Sydney is the country’s largest city and one of the best places to live in Australia. With beautiful beaches, the Gold Coast is ideal for surfers and people that love the water. And if you’re looking for an affordable city with good jobs and warm weather year-round, you’ll love Brisbane.

Other Great Places to Live Abroad

In Canada, you’ll find lots of jobs, excellent healthcare, and a variety of options for places to live. In this large country, you can choose small-town life, enjoy a remote lifestyle, or settle down amidst the excitement of a big city. Want to learn more? Check out our guide to moving to Canada.

Italy is home to dozens of big cities and small towns. Rome is known for its culture and museums, but it also has excellent international schools, making it a great choice for families. Florence is a beautiful locale that balances city living with small-town life. And as one of Italy’s leading cultural centers, Bologna is another one of the best cities in Italy.

If you are planning a move to France, your options are endless. You can live in the beautiful city of Paris. Or if you love wine, consider the famous rural region of Bordeaux. If you prefer a slower pace of life in a small city, you’ll probably love living in Montpellier or Nice. Like Italy and Canada, France has something to offer everyone.

Panama is also an affordable option and one of the best places to retire abroad. With a 25% lower cost of living than the US, retirees can really make their U.S. dollar stretch in this Central American country.

Source:

https://www.globalcitizensolutions.com/best-places-for-americans-to-live-abroad/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2021/01/01/quit-your-job-and-live-abroad-in-2021-9-places-so-cheap-you-might-not-need-to-work/?sh=614b95ef37e9
https://www.internationalcitizens.com/living-abroad/best-places/

7 writing exercises you can do in 10 minutes or less

Writing is a skill set anyone can improve with a bit of dedication, direction, and practice. The trick is figuring out what actions will truly help you become a better writer and which are simply a waste of time.

One of the best strategies great writers use for improvement are writing exercises — guided written activities that develop specific writing-related skills. The key is to choose daily writing exercises that align with your goals.

Writing skills

The best writing exercises focus on helping you improve one or two specific elements at a time. It’s similar to how athletes go to the gym to train certain muscle groups. Impressive performance is the result of targeted practice.

Below, you’ll find a list of 8 activities you can try, along with clear directions on how to start them, and short explanations of how each one will help you grow as a writer.

Fanfiction

Fanfiction is a bit of a taboo in the world of literature. Some people hate it, some people love it. Everyone makes fun of it. But as I’ve discussed at length in this article about Harry Potter, fanfiction is a prevalent part of today’s Internet culture, and that’s not a bad thing. Fanfiction isn’t the harbinger of death, copyright infringement, and teenage angst it’s painted to be. Okay, maybe a little. But in spite of its high volume of low-quality works (due to the non-existent barrier of entry), it has plenty of gems of great fiction.

Because you’re writing fiction based on a copyrighted work that you’re passionate about, there’s very likely a large group of individuals who are hungry to read, and critique, your contributions to the fandom. Having this built-in audience means that you don’t have to struggle to gain readers. But there’s another, hidden, benefit to fanfiction: feedback is used as a sort of currency.

Due to the fact that you can’t be paid for your work, users often provide commentary on your writing as a form of re-payment. Not monetarily valuable, but critical for anybody that’s looking to improve their writing. This comes with a small qualification, however: some comments will have nothing to do with your writing, and everything to do with the reader’s feelings about the plot you’ve created or how you handle character interactions. It’s up to your discretion to interpret these comments as being either constructive or useless.

Focus on telling a good story, stay true to the characters and theme of the canon, and you’ll find great success. Now that I think about it, actually, the writers of Game of Thrones might have benefited from writing fanfiction.

Practical ways to improve your essay writing

Wondering how to improve your essay writing skills? Well, you and I both know the only way to do this is to practice more. But practice what? And practice how? Easy: practice reading, writing, and getting feedback.

In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell asserts that you need 10,000 hours of practice at anything to become an expert at it. Okay, so we know you’re most probably not reading this to become an expert essay writer; you’re more likely here to get some advice on how to improve your writing skills and make essay writing more bearable, right? So instead of worrying about practicing 10,000 hours of essay writing, I’ll walk you through some practical ways you can improve your essays by reading, writing, and learning to get feedback.

The one thing that I will emphasise is that you need to get whatever you practice right. What do I mean? This: “practice makes permanent”. As opposed to perfect. Makes sense, right? Practice is nothing more than a repetitive behaviour and if you are practicing something wrong it’ll become a habit making it difficult to change. So getting started right with how you practice reading, writing, and getting feedback will serve you better throughout your essay writing career in school and university.

Read good examples of different types of essays . Ask anyone (who writes well!) how to improve your writing and I’m sure they’ll say: “read more.” There’s just no getting around this one. Fiction, non-fiction, science-fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, classical literature – whatever genre floats your boat, just read. But this is just reading for fun and learning to love reading. Where reading will really improve your essay writing is when you start reading actively. This just means that when you tackle a book or a text that is relevant to your essay topic with a specific aim in mind.

For example, if you’re writing an essay on the use of onomatopoeia in a poem, you’ll automatically read the poem looking out for words that phonetically recreate the sound they are trying to describe, words like “meow” for example. Similarly, you can actively read any book, paper, journal, or article to observe the style, language, grammar, vocabulary, structure, and anything else you want to learn to use better in your own writing. This is really useful because humans learn through mimicry. So, if you’re supposed to be writing an essay to apply for a scholarship (if you’re looking for a scholarship in Canada check out this list ) it might help to read through examples of successful scholarship essays and look at what worked for the applicants. Was it their style, clarity, focus, structure, etc.? So learn to read actively, and whenever you have a specific type or topic of the essay to write, try to find one or two good examples of previously written essays to understand what the end reader is looking for.

short essays, long essays, essays for competitions, timed essays. Yes, pretty obvious right? So what are you waiting for? Write! Okay wait, don’t just write anything, anyhow. Practice writing with a purpose. Just as I mentioned that practice makes permanent, if you get into the habit of writing essays haphazardly with no clear process or structure it’s going to make your essay writing life permanently stressful. If you’re already struggling to sift through your ideas and experiencing “writer’s block” often then, ironically enough, you probably just need more practice writing. There are two reasons why you might get stuck writing and improving your essays. The first is that you might not have a process before you actually start writing. Trust me, no one just gets a writing prompt, sits in front of a blank screen, and 30 minutes later has produced a flawless piece of writing. Just. Does. Not. Happen. Writing an essay is a process that begins with some brainstorming and outlining (at the very least), followed by the first draft. So create a pre-writing process that works for you.

The second reason is that you’re probably not fully aware that all writing has a simple and basic structure that is adapted depending on the type of essay you are required to write and the subject area involved. This is where EssayJack can help you break down the structure of the most common types of essays and guide you through the drafting process section-by-section. Practicing writing essays on EssayJack will teach you the conventions of essay writing, making sure you’re getting the all-important structure of essay writing right! So make sure you create a process for yourself and then practice essay writing as much as possible with the right guidance. If you need that extra bit of motivation to practice writing more try looking for engaging essay competitions (like this one by the GOI Peace Foundation) to enter your essays for. Alternatively, you could write short-timed essays to practice zipping through an essay and not wasting endless hours trying to figure out where to start!

Source:

https://ghost.org/resources/writing-exercises/
https://writingcooperative.com/how-to-practice-writing-a-novel-without-writing-a-novel-e84f95f28bc
https://www.essayjack.com/blog/practical-ways-to-improve-your-essay-writing

Inspirational Quotes To Keep You Motivated For Life Success

Inspirational quotes can help motivate us and create a positive outlook on life and work when we need it most. They do so by harnessing the power of positive thinking. Reframing our brains to think positively is a key step in leading a happy and successful life.

You make a choice when you decide how you will react to any given situation. If you’re choosing (sometimes subconsciously) to complain and think negatively, your natural reaction will be to dwell on the negatives of every situation.

When you actively choose to think positively, however, you turn the situation into a development plan for growth, helping you become a better problem-solver and leader. Over time and after reframing your mind to think positively about problems, you’ll feel motivated, inspired, and empowered to take on any challenge that comes your way!

While reading through this list, I recommend writing down some of the best inspirational and motivational quotes that resonate with you and your current situation. After writing them down, read them out loud, and really try to understand their meaning.

You may find these inspirational quotes may come in handy when you’re having a hard day and need a little extra encouragement and motivation! So read these, write some down, and refer to them often.

Motivational Quotes to Start Your Day

Positive Monday Quotes for a Happy Life

“There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed.”
– Ray Goforth

“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.”
– M. Scott Peck

“For most of life, nothing wonderful happens. If you don’t enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the chances are you’re not going to be very happy. If someone bases his/her happiness on major events like a great job, huge amounts of money, a flawlessly happy marriage or a trip to Paris, that person isn’t going to be happy much of the time.
If, on the other hand, happiness depends on a good breakfast, flowers in the yard, a drink or a nap, then we are more likely to live with quite a bit of happiness.”
– Andy Rooney

“When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life. Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism.”
– David M. Burns

“Dreams can come true, but there is a secret. They’re realized through the magic of persistence, determination, commitment, passion, practice, focus and hard work. They happen a step at a time, manifested over years, not weeks.”
– Elbert Hubbard

“Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost legendary. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Perseverance and determination alone are omnipotent.”
– Calvin Coolidge

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
– Mark Twain

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children… to leave the world a better place… to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

How to Find that Monday Motivation: My Own 5 Favorite Tips

One of the simplest but also most powerful habits I use to find and increase the motivation for my Monday and week is to plan in the fun things first into my daily and weekly schedule.

Plus, planning the fun and light parts in first makes it a lot more likely that you’ll actually do them and not just push them away to “someday” because you think your schedule is too full and busy.

It can be hard to find that motivation you need – and to keep it up – if you let yourself get distracted into procrastinating. Or dragged down into pessimism by websites or social media channels that you visit too often.

I put it at the other end of our home when I work. Another good way to do this – in for example an office – is to put the phone in silent mode and then in the bottom drawer of the desk in your work space (at least for 30-60 minutes as you focus on one of your most important task).

If they distract you or drag you down into negativity too often then simply unsubscribe. At least try it out for a week and see how being unsubscribed affects your motivation, mindset and results.

Because, in my experience, that’s what tends to work the best to actually get started and to get things done when you’re in that headspace (rather than beating yourself up or putting more pressure on yourself).

So break your important task down into smaller steps. Then find the first small step you can take to move forward and get started. For me it is usually a step that only takes 5-10 minutes to complete.

If you beat yourself up when you make a mistake or when things don’t go as planned then that can quickly deflate your motivation for the day or whole week and make you feel like giving up.

Source:

https://www.briantracy.com/blog/personal-success/inspirational-quotes/
https://www.yourselfquotes.com/best-motivational-quotes/
https://www.positivityblog.com/monday-motivation-quotes/

85 Powerful Words of Encouragement for Students

1. Believe it or not, tough times often quickly dissolve into easier times. You’ve got what it takes to get past a tough time.
2. You know why people make mistakes? Because they are willing to see just how far they can push themselves. You don’t know what you’re capable of achieving until you try to achieve it.
3. If you fall 10 times, know that you are perfectly capable of standing up 11 times.
4. Getting a C or D on a test does not describe you as a person. A test score is simply a happening, not a person.
5. You are the only one who can decide how to end your story. Endings aren’t written by circumstances. They are written by people like you.
6. Feeling motivated doesn’t always make you feel like you’ve got Superman’s powers. Sometimes, motivation and determination is that quiet but clear voice that tells you tomorrow is another day to try, try and keep trying.
7. What’s the hardest assignment you’ve got to finish? Always do that one first because you’ve already completed the easy ones.
8. The easiest way to cope with not achieving a goal is to simply accept it. But, tell yourself that you cannot accept it unless you’ve tried to do the best you can do.
9. Succeeding at school does not mean never making mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes. That’s how we learn and grow. It’s avoiding making the same mistake that gets you closer to your goals. once said that you don’t have to see all the steps of a big staircase. You just have to take that first step to start climbing them.
10. If you wait for just the right time to do something, well, that time may never come. In fact, the right time may be right now.

1. Have you ever struggled to follow a path in the woods covered with fallen branches and muddy holes and, after working hard to keep following it for a long time, you eventually come to the most beautiful lake you’ve ever seen?
2. You know you can do this, right? I know you can. YOU know you can. Well, that means you’re already halfway there. And the last part of anything–a movie, a level in a video game, the last inning of a baseball game–is always the best.
3. There are always doors of opportunity opening for you but you’ve got to be the one to decide to go through those doors to see what’s on the other side
4. It may seem like some problems don’t have solutions but remember, every solution found was once somebody’s problem
5. Opportunities and chances are two entirely different things. Never let chance decide how you are going to achieve your goals.
6. What you are capable of doing right now is much more important than thinking of what you are capable of doing
7. So you made a mistake–so what? That means you tried to do something nobody else ever tried to do. That makes you
8. Have you ever played baseball with your friends and felt a little scared when it came time for you to bat because you were afraid you might strike out? But, you stepped up to the plate, anyway, didn’t you?
9. How do you know something is impossible to achieve until you try achieving it?

1. Nobody is perfect. Nobody! If everybody was perfect, we wouldn’t be motivated to do anything except sit and think about how perfect we are. Wouldn’t that be boring? You wouldn’t want to show your friends that new bicycle trick you taught yourself if you thought you were perfect.
2. Writing the first sentence of that essay is the best way to show yourself you are fully capable of writing the second sentence, and the third sentence, and the fourth sentence.
3. Nobody can do everything they want to do but right now, in this moment, you can do anything you want to do.
4. Do you know what Kermit the Frog meant when he said “time is fun when you are eating flies”? He was saying that no matter what a frog is doing, they always find fun in doing it.
5. You know why they put “delete” keys on a keyboard? Because nobody is perfect. If you don’t like something you’ve done, delete it and move on.
6. If you can dream about getting a good grade on a project, you have the ability to make it happen.
7. Right now something may seem impossible but once you’ve accomplished that impossible task, it’s now a reality.
8. How can you learn to get back on your own two feet if you don’t fall over and over again? Falling teaches you how to get up as fast and capably as possible
9. What are the 10 things in your life right now that make you happy? Think about those 10 things. Then start tackling your school work. I guarantee you’ll be smiling.
10. You have an endless supply of creativity. The more you use it, the more you’ll have.
11. What do you want to be doing 10 years from now? Whatever it is depends on your ability to get things done.

Best Quotes About Selfishness

1. ¨ Who wants everything every time will lose everything anytime. ¨- Vikrant Parsai
2. ¨ Selfishness is the most unattractive virtue a mortal can possess. ¨ – Suyasha Subedi
3. ¨ Selfishness is the greatest challenge for a coach. Most players are more concerned with making themselves better than the team. ¨ – John Wooden
4. ¨ Selfish people also tend to have victim mindsets, their actions plant seeds of loneliness; then they cry upon the blooming. ¨- Steve Maraboli
5. ¨ The happiest is the man who is not at all selfish. ¨ – Viveka Vani
6. ¨ Selfish persons are incapable of loving others, but they are not capable of loving themselves either. ¨ – Erich Fromm
7. ¨ Selfishness and greed, individual or national, cause most of our troubles. ¨- Harry S. Truman
8. ¨ The only difference between a hero and a villain is that the villain chooses to use that power in a way that is selfish and hurts other people. ¨ – Chadwick Boseman
9. ¨ While selfishness joins hands with no one of the virtues, benevolence is allied to them all. ¨ – Oliver Goldsmith
10. ¨ Selfishness is not living as one wishing to live. It is asking others to live s one wishes to live. ¨ – Oscar Wilde
11. ¨ It´s enough to indulge and to be selfish but true happiness is really when you start giving back. ¨- Adrian Grenier
12. ¨ Selfish people try to keep or get things but they lose people. ¨ – Hannah Garrison
13. ¨ Remember that life is too precious to be wasted on selfish people who have no desire to help anyone but themselves. ¨ – Unknown
14. ¨ It is impossible to be both selfish and happy. ¨ – Dark Angel
15. ¨ No man is more cheated than the selfish man. ¨ – Henry Ward Beecher
16. ¨ The age of selfishness and greed is over. The age of kindness and generosity is underway. ¨ – Laurence Overmire
17. ¨ Earth provides enough to satisfy every man´s needs, but not every man´s greed. ¨ – Mahatma Gandhi
18. ¨ Having trouble spotting a selfish person? It´s about their schedule, their needs, their hurt feelings, their ideas, their goals, their…¨ – Shannon Thomas
19. ¨ The selfish man suffers more from his selfishness than he from whom that selfishness withholds some important benefit. ¨- Ralph Waldo Emerson
20. ¨ There is only one force stronger than selfishness, and that is stupidity. ¨ – Ellen Glasgow

Related: 100 Pain Quotes That Will Heal and Strengthen Your Soul

Motivational Quotes for High School Students

“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drowned your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

“Education means emancipation. It means light and liberty. It means the uplifting of the soul of man into the glorious light of truth, the light by which men can only be made free.” – Frederick Douglass

“If there is something you care about, make a commitment to do something now- starting with today. And choose to live a meaningful and purpose-driven life where you care about people and issues that are much greater than yourself.” – Evangeline Mitchell

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day. Never lose a holy curiosity. … Don’t stop to marvel.” – Albert Einstein

If childhood is life’s most fun period, the teenage years are probably the most exciting. You get to explore things that you were not allowed to discover when you were younger, and you are exposed to new experiences.

But with that freedom also comes more responsibility. Life becomes bigger, but also more work. Fortunately, every little thing that comes your way is all part of the process. Keep believing in yourself. That way, when you are through your teenage years, you will be equipped to face young adulthood with fervor and valor.

Our last set of quotes include wonderful words of encouragement for college students—those who are ready to take on life’s bigger challenges. It is not easy to step into the first stages of adulthood, but there is no need to worry—you are bound for greatness.

Inspirational Quotes for Students in College

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” – Jackson Brown Jr.

“There are those who work all day, those who dream all day, and those who spend an hour dreaming before setting to work to fulfill those dreams. Go into the third category because there’s virtually no competition.” – Steven J. Ross

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Source:

https://www.happierhuman.com/words-encouragement-students/
https://blendtw.com/motivational-quotes-for-college-students/
https://www.happierhuman.com/quotes-students/

1. DISCOVERY TUBES

This project is very popular on the internet and I can see why. The combination of milk, dish soap, and food coloring makes for some color swirling magic! You can even dip paper in the milk to make a milk “print” to keep! See how we did it here.

The basic recipe for this is originally from The Usborne Big Book of Science Things to Make and Do, a book I highly recommend you have in your library, there are many more fun ideas like this one! We modified it to give it a rainbow twist!

Fill the jar halfway with vinegar, then add a few drops of one color of liquid watercolor/food coloring and some glitter. Squeeze in some dish soap, stir, and place the jar on a tray. Now have your child add in a heaping teaspoon of baking soda, stir again, and watch the foaming begin! The soap makes it foam rather than fizz. To keep the reaction going continue adding baking soda and vinegar when the foam starts to slow. To make it change colors, add a tablespoon of vinegar mixed with one color of liquid watercolor/food coloring every so often. Make sure to dump the colored vinegar into the center of the brew.

Tip: Stir It! My kids discovered that the more they stirred the mixture the faster and crazier the reaction! Did you hear the screams of delight in the video?

Preschool Science Experiments

This Skittles rainbow science experiment is a fun and easy science activity. It even comes with free recording sheets that can be used with students as young as preschool and all the way up to early elementary.

This simple dancing raisins science experiment is super simple and so much fun! It comes with free printable science recording sheets too! #scienceforkids #scienceexperiments #stem

Source:

https://www.weareteachers.com/preschool-science/
https://babbledabbledo.com/20-science-projects-for-preschoolers/
https://www.pinterest.com/funlearningforkids/preschool-science-experiments/

What Is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.

The key word here is “valuable.” It’s what changes this definition from one that could describe almost any form of advertising or marketing. You can tell if a piece of content is the sort that could be part of a content marketing campaign if people seek it out, if people want to consume it, rather than avoiding it. So was VW’s 2014 “Game Day” commercial, which has been viewed on YouTube almost 18 million times as of the writing of this post, an ad, or content marketing? The answer is it’s both, depending on how it’s received by each individual who is exposed to it. The same will apply to any piece of content marketing you create, depending on whether the recipient received value from it or not. Of course the goal is to provide as much value from your content marketing to as much of your target audience as possible. At this point, despite this definition and explanation, you’re probably still wondering what exactly content marketing is. We can get more clarity by considering a few examples.

There are as many types of content marketing as there are types of content–far too many to cover here. My intent is to give you an introduction to content marketing and get you thinking like a content marketer so you’ll see the opportunities all around you. Soon you’ll be coming up with 50 content marketing ideas every day. You won’t be able to stop seeing opportunities to create content. Here are five examples to help your mind start percolating.

Infographics. These are generally long, vertical graphics that include statistics, charts, graphs, and other information. If you need some examples, here are 197 infographics on the topic of content marketing curated by Michael Schmitz, head of Content Lab at Publicis, Munich. Infographics can be effective in that if one is good it can be passed around social media and posted on websites for years. You can get a professionally designed infographic by hiring a contractor on a site like oDesk or if you want to remove some of the risk you can go with a company like Visua.ly. A decent infographic will usually cost you at least 800,000 to have designed, but can cost several thousand dollars if you are hiring a contractor or agency to include strategy and planning, research, copywriting, and design. There is also the matter of promoting that infographic to bloggers and the media. Or you could set up a board on Pinterest and curate infographics on a topic related to your business. That is also a form of content marketing, and it costs nothing but your time. Hey, it worked for Michael.

Those are just a few examples of content marketing. I could also have mentioned white papers, ebooks, apps, public speaking, presentations, and blogs. Entire books have been written on using each of these in content marketing efforts.

Traditional advertising and marketing is great when it comes to the second two steps. Content marketing taps into the first two stages of the buying process by raising awareness of solutions and educating consumers about a product they may have never considered before.

At my own company we’ve used content marketing to grow more than 1,000% over the past year. Potential clients find our content, find value in it, and by the time they contact us they’re already convinced they want to work with us. We don’t have to engage in any high pressure sales tactics, it’s merely a matter of working out details, signing an agreement, and getting started. The trust that usually needs to be built up during an extensive sales cycle has already been created before we know the potential client exists.

The return on investment for content marketing can be phenomenal if executed correctly. We haven’t spent a dime on our own content marketing, or even that much time. 95% of the success we’ve experienced with content marketing can be traced to a handful of articles I’ve written, adding up to perhaps 20 hours of work.

Content marketing also provides additional benefits in that it supports other digital marketing channels. It provides additional content for social media marketing and contributes to SEO efforts by generating natural inbound links and building up good content on your website that gets found in search engines. In fact, for many companies the bulk of their SEO efforts should be focused on content marketing.

There are many firms that offer content marketing services, often paired with SEO or PR. If you’re simply too busy to do it yourself and aren’t ready to manage it in-house, then hiring a firm may be your best option. But if you want to jump in and do your own content marketing the easiest way is to start blogging. It will likely be hard at first, but the more you do it, the better you’ll get at it. Following tips from websites like Copyblogger you’ll quickly learn how to craft content for your website or blog that will engage readers and turn them into customers or clients. But while technically good writing and the right headlines can help, it’s not the key to creating great content that is the best form of content marketing.

Which are the benefits of Content Marketing?

We have already mentioned some Content Marketing benefits and affirm that this method may bring growth to your business. Now we will enlarge the explanation about each point mentioned to show you how they work.

Attracts visitors and grows your site traffic

Creates value for your audience

The content you create and offer to your customers is not just useful, it gives a necessary message to the right people, at the correct time they need. It will exceed the expectations and will turn you into an authority on that subject, generating value for you and your audience.

Engages your audience

When you give your audience relevant and useful content, they will consider it so incredible that they will share it with their friends and followers. And that’s not all: people will interact with your content in another way too, like leaving comments and reactions.

Generates a positive brand perception

Educates the market about your products and services

Most people don’t even know they have a problem and that it may be solved by your product or service. Content Marketing is capable of teaching the audience that your solution exists and how it works.

Drives sales to the next level

Sales are the principal goal, for sure, even when there is another secondary. Content Marketing may be present in all stages of the buying process driving your audience until the final decision.

Generates more leads

Reduces Customer Acquisition Cost

So, beyond reducing CAC, content brings more value to your business and contributes to helping your clients without the need for your sales team’s efforts, making it free to focus on a more personalized and assertive approach.

Increases the client’s lifetime value

How to create a Content Marketing strategy?

1. Create a buyer persona

The first step to creating good content is understanding who you are talking to. But it is not about simple segmentation: it demands the creation of a character with all attributes of your target audience.

2. Define objectives and KPIs

3. Consider the buyer’s journey

TOFU (Top of the Funnel)

MOFU (Middle of the Funnel)

BOFU (Bottom of Funnel)

As you can see, in each stage of the buyer’s journey, the consumer has a level of knowledge and needs different kinds of information. That’s why you have to consider the stage of the marketing funnel they are in, before producing content.

4. Set a budget

As far as how much to budget, every company’s needs are unique. However, the average company today sinks approximately 25-30 percent of its marketing budget into content marketing, so plan your content production strategy accordingly.

5. Research

6. Implement SEO (Search Engine Optimization) practices

Blog posts are the best resource to improve an SEO strategy, and that’s why they are the foundation of a Content Marketing strategy. They are responsible for attracting organic traffic from search engines.

To write a blog post you need, first, to think about the keyword of that content. Keyword research is essential to see what your audience is looking for. After that, you’ll need a copywriter to produce the text.

#2. Infographics

The infographics’ production process, initially, is the same as blog posts, but after a review, it will be designed by a graphic designer before it is published. This kind of content may be offered on landing pages to generate leads.

#3. Videos

One characteristic of this kind of content is that it can highlight the applications and benefits that your product or service offers. You can put the case studies and testimonials on the institutional website and on the corporate blog too.

To produce a case study and testimonial you need to interview the client. Ask them to talk about the kind of problem they were trying to solve and show how your product/service helped them to overcome their issues.

#6. Social media posts

#7. Email marketing

We already mentioned that email marketing has one of the best ROI in a Digital Marketing strategy. That’s why it allows a very precise segmentation and with highly predictable results. Right?

Nurturing flows

The flow needs to have an objective and each email should drive the reader to the next until the persona receives the final message and makes the expected action, like contacting the company or buying a product.

Newsletter

#8. Webinar

To produce a webinar you have to plan an agenda and a presentation about the subject that will be presented. It is important to invite your audience with some antecedence and remind them of the day before.

Visual Content: Shutterstock

Social Media Content: GE

But household appliances aren’t particularly exciting as a topic for irresistible content marketing material. That hasn’t stopped GE from taking what they do best and breathing life into it in exciting new ways, though.

Content Mapping Based on the Customer Journey

I’m definitely not saying that content marketing is helpless when it comes to meaningful business events. I’m simply saying that measuring the effectiveness of your content marketing strategy is particularly difficult.

In fact, 55% of consumers would pay more for a better customer experience, and 86% of B2B buyers would pay more. To further show the importance of this, 89% of peoplehave stopped doing business with a company because of a poor experience.

The point is that your customers want a remarkable experience, and your content marketing efforts can give that to them. But you have to understand the way that people buy and then create content for each stage.

Now that you know what problems content marketing can solve, learn about the problems to avoid when launching your content marketing plan in our guide 8 Biggest Mistakes Content Marketers Make and How to Avoid Them.

Components of content marketing

Blog posts. Distill your content marketing strategy into your blog schedule or strategy. The company blog can and should be used to cross-promote other content, which will help keep posts on a consistent schedule. If you don’t have a marketing team member who is familiar with search engine optimization (SEO), this is one area where you might want to consult a professional.

Ebooks. Ebook content should follow some sort of narrative structure, and include a lot of good, visual design. The goal of an ebook is to educate, but it’s important to keep language consistent with your brand voice.

Video. The trick to effectively using video as part of a content strategy is keeping it as timeless as possible so that you aren’t forced to continuously spend time and money creating more. High-quality video content can also be used to expose your brand to YouTube’s large and active audience.

Infographics. Use as little text as possible and let the imagery tell the story. If you don’t have a killer in-house graphics artist, find a talented freelancer who can make something beautiful and informative.

Cheat sheets. These are short—two or three pages at most. That means there won’t be a lot of room for big images, so you’ll want to use text formatting to make them easy for a reader to quickly scan through. Link or point to other resources for more in-depth learning.

Workbooks and templates. These resources are great ways to keep your brand in front of buyers while continuing to inform. They should be designed for print and made as interactive and practical as possible.

White papers and reports. These materials are similar to an ebook in that they are primarily educational, but white papers and reports are generally less graphically designed and use language that is a little more professional. They can also create opportunities to partner with other organizations.

Slide decks. Slide decks are a great format for breaking down complex ideas into simple steps or bite-sized pieces. Keep the slides simple: Use minimal text in one font and big graphics throughout.

Demos. This is where a free assessment, evaluation, or trial works nicely to start the dialogue and to begin to fully qualify your most interested leads. If you have an e-commerce-based product, you can leverage a discount code to use at the time of the transaction to establish some urgency around making the purchase.

Owned: Sharing your content on the brand’s own social media channels—like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Pinterest—is a quick, customizable, and free opportunity to connect with your target audience.

Organic: Weaving some SEO best practices into your content will help make a good impression with Google and move your website up the rankings list. The strength of a good content marketing strategy is in providing the information and answers that your target audience is looking for, so make sure they can find it.

Paid: Most social networks allow for some kind of paid advertising, such as sponsored content, pay-per-click (PPC), search engine marketing (SEM), display, and retargeting. Matching a network’s demographics with your brand’s personas will help you determine where to invest.

Learn more about how content marketing contributes to your bottom line in the ebook Solved Mysteries: Tracking Your Content Marketing ROI.

Planning, implementing, and optimizing your content marketing program

Step 1: Create your key persona profiles. What kind of content do you need? Your buyer personas will help you define your audience—their challenges, questions, needs, and the kind of content they like to consume—while their buying stages tell you what each piece of content should accomplish.

Step 2: Understand their buyer’s journey. A buying journey maps a buyer’s decision-making process during a purchase and will help you determine what content you need. Different kinds of content appeal to different buyers in different stages of their journey. By mapping your buying stages, you’ll better understand the process buyers go through when considering your product or service. As a result, you’ll be able to develop a content strategy that speaks directly to buyers, no matter what stage they’re in.

Step 3: Brainstorm, then create your content marketing plan. Planning and creating new content isn’t just about mapping and metrics. Brainstorming and asset planning can be one of the most challenging and important parts of content creation. To catch inspiration when it strikes, you need a receptive environment, and team-wide willingness to try new things. An editorial calendar is not only where you keep track of, coordinate, and share your upcoming content, it is a strategic tool that helps your team execute integrated programs that include your content. Keeping an editorial calendar ensures that you’re releasing your content at the best possible moment, and that your whole team is aligned around the release dates.

Step 4: Produce and optimize your content . If you’re starting with original, high-quality content that you’ve invested real time and money to create, you’ll want to get the most out of every asset. You’ll also want to be sure your content stays fresh—out-of-date, no longer relevant content hurts your brand’s credibility. To make sure you’re getting the most out of your content marketing, remember the three Rs:

Reorganize: This isn’t just an efficient way to pump out new content—it’s also a smart way to reach members of your audience who like to consume content in different ways. Some people you’re marketing to may like ebooks, while others prefer infographics, and still others learn best from slide decks. Slicing and dicing allows you to reach more people with less effort.

Retire: Even the very best content doesn’t last forever. If a content asset needs help beyond a design refresh or simple update, it may be time to retire it. Content that is past its expiration date damages your company’s authority and credibility—effectively undoing all of the good work your content has done.

Step 5: Launch and optimize. Content at each stage of the funnel should be measured differently—after all, each stage has different goals. Here are the basic metrics for early-, mid-, and late-stage content:

Early-stage metrics don’t tie directly to revenue. The purpose of your early-stage content is to build brand awareness; create preference for your brand; and educate, entertain, and engage your audience. Shares, downloads, and views tell you whether your content is attracting attention, and whether people like what they see.

Mid- and late-stage metrics like pipeline, opportunity, and revenue allocation give you insight into how your content affects deals. For mid-stage assets, you’ll want to measure how your content is generating new interest and affecting your profit.

Resources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshsteimle/2014/09/19/what-is-content-marketing/?sh=31db94d810b9
https://rockcontent.com/blog/content-marketing/
https://neilpatel.com/what-is-content-marketing/
https://uk.marketo.com/content-marketing/

9 Instagram post ideas to spice up your account

Managing an Instagram brand account isn’t easy. It’s an ongoing juggle of posting at the perfect time, engaging on the fly and coming up with new ideas to beat the algorithm. You don’t need to break what’s working for you, but if you’re needing a little extra inspiration to refresh your approach, it’s always a good idea to try out some new types of Instagram posts and Stories.

Below, we give you some fresh post ideas to try for your Instagram brand account. They cover the different types of content: in-feed, Stories, Live and IGTV. Some of these will be easy to implement while others will take some preplanning. The idea is to introduce new types of content to your account so your audience will keep up their active engagement.

Scan Blog Comments

(That’s the great thing about using comments from your blog: you already KNOW that your audience is going to love the content you put out there. They’re literally asking you to write about that exact topic.)

Competitor’s YouTube Channels

Ask your audience

If you would like open-ended replies, posting a question will be great. If you have a rough sense of what your audience might be interested in, you could create a poll and list a few options. For example, a while back, we created a Twitter poll to ask our followers what sort of content they would like to see more of from us.

Alternatively, you could email your blog subscribers and ask them what they would like to see from you. For example, at the end of 2017, we reached out to our blog subscribers with a survey. In the survey, we asked them what topics they enjoy the most and what topics they would like to see more from us.

Learn from your industry peers

It’ll be great to go beyond just your competitors. Are there other companies that you admire, which you can learn from? Maybe because they are in the same space but aren’t your direct competitor. Or perhaps their way of marketing resonates with you. For example, I often like to check out the social media profiles of HubSpot, MailChimp, and Airbnb.

Facebook

On Facebook, you could use Pages to Watch. This feature allows you to quickly compare the performance of your Page with similar Pages. You can also click on any of the Pages and see their top posts for the week. For instance, here’s a recent top post from Shopify:

Twitter

Here’s a point worth noting: while it’s great to learn from your favorite companies, you might not want to follow them exactly. This is because ultimately your brand is different from theirs and you would likely want to be unique with what you’re sharing on your social media profiles.

Electronic and print media ideas

14. Create a complete digital and physical experience (like Casper)

A little wit, a little comfort, and a LOT of great content.
You might think this is all about sleep, and their ultra-comfy mattresses. But you’d be wrong. This content is way more interesting and interactive than that.

“Created with the help of our friends at McSweeney’s, this 96 page, full-color volume features a love letter to comfort pants, confessions from your yoga instructor, a non-chronological history of snoring, a skeptic’s guide to crystals, introvert workouts, alternatives to counting sheep, and an adulting coloring book. Emotionally supported by Casper.”

15. Hint at a secret they can’t miss out on (like LinkedIn)

I want my baby back baby back baby back…content marketing saauucee.

16. Deepen understanding of a topic with a deep-dive ebook (like Moz)

Be prepared for these 10 biggest challenges in content marketing

1. Thinking outside the blog

The blog is probably one of the first thoughts when you hear the word content, and that’s not a bad thing. Blogs are awesome, but so are videos, podcasts, social media posts and tons of other content options. Don’t forget them.

2. Lack of resources

3. Battling quality over quantity

Take it from someone who’s been there –trying to stick to a regular posting schedule is dumb. There is lots of information about best posting times and days for different content, and there’s no doubt that this is helpful.But these tips are not from the Content Marketing Bible.

They are just best practices that might not always apply to everyone (including you).It’s better to have quality content that actually works even if it goes out irregularly than to force yourself to stick to a 3 times per week posting schedule no matter what. Don’t waste your effort or your time like that.

4. Competition never sleeps

Always be monitoring what your competition is creating. It could be inspirational, or it could be comforting to know that you are working on something that no one else has tried yet. Either way, stay up-to-date on content trends.

5. Harnessing the power of organic content effectively

Organic search is hugely helpful for content marketing, but only when people can actually organically find the content. Keywords will be your savior here, and programs like the Moz Keyword Explorer can be a great help.

6. Unrealistic expectations

This is a biggie. While you’re observing competitor content, you may be compelled to do a bunch of things that they are doing. But what if you don’t actually have the resources to do exactly what they’re doing. Easy.

7. Getting burned out

In a sea of repetitive content, how on EARTH are we expected to come up with new stuff ALL THE TIME? It’s hard, no doubt. But creating new content is not your only option. If your new idea brain is in need of a little R&R, consider repurposing or revamping previous content.

8. Providing legitimate value, not just fluff

It’s true, an article about the 10 funniest marketing memes would definitely be an entertaining read. And like I said before, there’s nothing wrong with some fun, engaging content.It just still needs to be relevant to your content strategy, and to your brand.

Our ActiveCampaign Campy content on social media is fun but still relevant to things our business does, such as opening a new office.Fluff is cute on a puppy, but less so in your content, if it doesn’t make a difference or provide value in some way.

9. Balancing creative instincts and SEO needs

10. Planning and tracking results

Resources:

https://sproutsocial.com/insights/instagram-post-ideas/
https://backlinko.com/find-content-ideas
https://buffer.com/resources/discover-content-ideas/
https://www.activecampaign.com/blog/content-marketing-ideas

The reason why the “How to describe yourself” interview question is often like a Catch-22 is that people often fail to strike the correct balance between pride and believing in their strengths with modesty.

Best Answers to “How Would You Describe Yourself?” Interview Question

“So, how would you describe yourself?” is an incredibly cut-and-dried question asked in almost every interview. However, the answer isn’t as conspicuous as you probably think. An intricately organized yet prompt answer at your end can be the difference between you taking the crown and returning back home with a heavy heart, dispirited.

A great way to answer this question is to genuinely believe in what you are about to give voice to. Remember, your prospective big-shot employer is not looking for a textbook answer to describe yourself. They are looking for “you” and what you bring to their organization. Your answer has to be concise, focused, and if possible, dished with a fresh and unique perspective.

Understand the interviewer

If you’re wondering how to prepare for an interview, you’re probably already searching about the types of questions that might come your way. But, before that, don’t you think you should delve a little deeper to understand what these questions actually mean.

The way you answer shouldn’t just reflect your X factor. Rather, it should convey to the interviewer what you bring to the table. Basically, the trick to answering this question is to clearly understand the intent behind it. And that’s possible only if your vision matches that of the employer.

If the interviewer asks you to describe yourself, an “I am a team player” or an “I am a dedicated individual” would be too vague a reply and the interviewer won’t be able to gauge your capabilities. Yes, it’s anyway not possible to analyze your coding skills or creativity in an hour or so. But, at least give the patron something to extend the conversation further and pique his/her interest in employing you.

Describe Yourself as Flexible and Resourceful

I like to think that I’m a very flexible and resourceful person. Even when things change at the last minute, I’m able to adjust accordingly and meet tight deadlines. At my last job, the schedule was constantly changing, so I needed to be highly adaptable. Despite the chaotic environment, I always finished tasks on time.

Use this verbiage (style of speaking) when interviewing for a position that requires a lot of changes on the job and strict timelines. This line of speaking is reserved for interviews where you’ve already researched the position and know what you’re getting yourself into. It reinforces to the interviewer that you can handle the pressure that comes with constant change.

Give a Short But Meaningful Summary About Yourself

Question Type 1: Describe yourself in 3 words.

This is one type of short answer question that you’ll hear from a trained interviewer (or one who just read a book or blog about interviewing). It’s often heard at the beginning of the interview as a means of leading into more in-depth questions about your answer or at the end as a means of summary.

Have an answer ready to this question before you go into the interview so you can answer back quickly and confidently. Even if it isn’t asked, you can use those self-descriptive words as a framework for other answers to the interviewer’s questions. Even if you’re not asked the question directly, you will always need to describe yourself in an interview, to one degree or another.

Question Type 2: Describe yourself in one sentence.

“Describe yourself in one sentence” is the other way to ask the short answer question. Take note of the summary above and use the three-word description as part of a summary sentence. This way you’ll have an answer to both questions with the same words.

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Thank you for posting this wonderful tool. I have included many of these words in my resumes and applications, and i think that they put me over the other applicants with the same qualifications.
Well done,
KC

DO NOT say ‘I am creative/energetic/hardworking/dependable’. What have you done that shows you are creative, energetic hardworking/dependable?, use your achievements to highlight your skills and let the employer judge for themselves!

Yes, use these words to ensure you have said what needs to be said however, that alone will not win you an interview. To say ‘don’t use these words’ is also pretty stupid as you’ll end up with the CV that doesn’t say ‘honest’ etc so, at least bring yourself in line with everyone else at that stage!

To win an interview you need to write basic information SUPPORTED with substantial evidence of competence. For example, a sales person stating only their title, dates and role responsibilities is nearly a total waste of time. Instead, support this with achievements: Target of X, won Y. Won X client, grew Y account by £20k, increased GP by 47%, etc

Think about the key skills required to do the job well and focus on providing evidence that you can do them. e.g. Communication, Negotiation, Closing, etc – then add an example/result of having done it. Simple.

If you’re in a job where success is harder to quantify than a sales role think about how your manager measures your performance. If he/she targets you on cost savings, lead times, quality, complaints, etc then that dictates your achievements. Remember that if you’re going for a job in the same sector with similar managers, speak their language to impress them.

Also, think about the changes you have introduced that have had a positive impact on your employer’s business. Each one is an achievement, even if its not work related! (e.g. started social events, charity runs, etc)

Sources:

https://www.interviewkickstart.com/career-advice/how-to-describe-yourself-in-a-job-interview
https://magoosh.com/english-speaking/how-to-describe-yourself-in-an-interview-9-methods-with-examples/
https://www.callcentrehelper.com/the-top-25-words-to-use-on-your-cv-10032.htm

Goldberg captures these deeper elements of writing in their book in order to help writers communicate more fully through their words. For the author, great writing is a product of facing difficult subjects head-on and then inviting others onto the journey with you.

The Best Books on Writing That’ll Help You Master Your Craft

You have several half-read books on writing stacked up on your nightstand, several more squirreled away in a desk drawer and a dozen more on book recommendations your Amazon wish list.

You scrutinize all the books that “customers also bought” looking for those one-of-a-kind books that will transform you into a great writer that clients and readers adore. You jump “inside the book” to read the table of contents and credits and page through the free preview.

Books have an uncanny power to teach us, to transport us, to move us light years beyond our ordinary lives. If we could only find the right books, the tried-and-true books written by trusted masters. So we keep looking.

And once in a while you find a writing book that speaks to your heart and gets to the core of what you’re struggling with right now. It changes you. It changes your writing. It changes your life.

The Best Writing How-To Books

Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content by Ann Handley

Millions of new blog posts and other pieces of content hit the internet every single day. Ann Handley’s book is a must-have guide that shows content producers what it takes to stand out in a space where competition is fierce. With an accessible style, she takes on everything from how to write to grammar and usage to best practices. Perhaps my favorite part is Handley’s formula for creating content with a focus on empathizing with the reader and telling a great story. This isn’t just a how-to-write guide, it’ll also help you uncover what to write.

Write Tight: Say Exactly What You Mean with Precision and Power by William Brohaugh

Writers are encouraged to make their writing lean and precise. Which is great advice, but how do you do it? Brohaugh, a former Writer’s Digest editor, offers all the necessary how-tos in this book. He teaches writers to eliminate redundancy, recognize and squash empty modifiers, and remove other dead weight that slows writing down. Although it’s sometimes criticized for being a bit pedantic, Brohaugh’s guide gave me some striking Aha! moments when I first read it about a decade ago, which is why I heartily recommend it.

The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century by Steven Pinker

Although Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style is a time-honored classic, its prescriptive approach to language isn’t for everyone. Enter Harvard professor Steven Pinker with a more contemporary take. His witty approach recognizes that language is fluid and that, while it’s good to know and follow the rules when it makes sense to, expressive writing often relies on bending them. Writing newbs may find this book challenging, but it’s full of insight for those who already have a grasp on grammar and style and want to improve.

Writing Books Every Writer Should Read

On Writing

A writing book from the world’s leading horror writer that will help you understand what it takes to write consistently, find your muse, and master your writing toolbox.

Yet, when confronted with the idea of listening to his audiobook (narrated by the author himself), I decided to buy it and see what this bestselling author has to say about the craft. I don’t really know why I bought it; it just caught my eye.

To my delight, listening to this book was incredibly pleasurable; Mr. King did a terrific job of sharing his philosophy of writing and his attitude towards it.

I wasn’t expecting to learn as much as I did from his book. If you’ve read some of my articles on this site, you will have surely seen I quote him every two articles. On Writing is that good.

Best Quotes from On Writing

Let’s get one thing clear right now, shall we? There is no Idea Dump, no Story Central, no Island of the Buried Bestsellers; good story ideas seem to come quite literally from nowhere, sailing at you right out of the empty sky: two previously unrelated ideas come together and make something new under the sun. Your job isn’t to find these ideas but to recognize them when they show up.

There is a muse, but he’s not going to come fluttering down into your writing room and scatter creative fairy-dust all over your typewriter or computer station. He lives in the ground. He’s a basement guy. You have to descend to his level, and once you get down there you have to furnish an apartment for him to live in. You have to do all the grunt labor, in other words, while the muse sits and smokes cigars and admires his bowling trophies and pretends to ignore you. Do you think this is fair? I think it’s fair. He may not be much to look at, that muse-guy, and he may not be much of a conversationalist (what I get out of mine is mostly surly grunts, unless he’s on duty), but he’s got the inspiration. It’s right that you should do all the work and burn all the midnight oil, because the guy with the cigar and the little wings has got a bag of magic. There’s stuff in there that can change your life.

The Only Grammar Book You’ll Ever Need

This is simply what it says it is on the front cover (apart from the other books on this list of course). This book’s a great resource for people to sharpen up their grammar skills, regardless of what you’re writing. It covers everything you’d ever need to know about producing top quality writing; whether you need advice on which words to use, how to phrase things, punctuate sentences or simply organize and structure your work.

“This truly may be The Only Grammar Book You’ll Ever Need. I am a tutor and have found this book indispensable; it’s especially useful when coaching students for the SAT-II Writing exam and the English section of the ACT. Any grammar question you can possibly have seems to be in here, and it’s very easy to reference. I can’t imagine being without this book.” – Lulu

Best books on the business of writing

Real Artists Don’t Starve by Jeff Goins

Chapter by chapter, the author gathers examples of successful artists, writers, and creators and breaks down the business models they use to succeed with their work.

Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday

Nothing has sunk more creators and caused more unhappiness than this: our inherently human tendency to pursue a strategy aimed at accomplishing one goal while simultaneously expecting to achieve other goals entirely unrelated. ― Ryan Holiday

How do you make something that lasts beyond your lifetime? This is the question Holiday answers with their book by examining common elements from the classics still read today.

Beneath the discussion of enduring work is the theme of funding that work. Despite the rare cases of broke artists becoming famous after their deaths, most of the classic works we still interact with today were popular when they were current.

How To Make a Living With Your Writing by Joanna Penn

Thanks to the internet, there are now dozens of ways to earn money as a writer. The author made most of their income from self-publishing books and making those books available in multiple formats (digital, audio, paperback).

The book covers a host of alternatives, including ways to monetize a blog or newsletter, how to leverage writing into consulting or speaking opportunities, and the best ways to start freelancing.

References:

https://smartblogger.com/essential-writing-books/
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/books-that-improve-writing-skills/
https://contentfiesta.com/books-on-writing/
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/15-books-for-everyone-better-their-writing-skills.html
https://ghost.org/resources/best-books-on-writing/