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Why Birdhouses Can Make A Great Gift for The Garden Lover

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While this worldwide pandemic created menace all around the world, the only good thing it’s done is to compel people to seek creative gateways to survive it all. Thousands of people reconnected with nature at different levels and discovered joy in simple pleasures of gardening, bird feeding and doing little things that they couldn’t manage time for in their regular schedule.

Birds and insects like honeybees and butterflies are natural pollinators and a happy garden needs them too. If you are brainstorming for some innovative gifting ideas this season, you can check out a painted birdhouse as a gift for your friends or family members. Shopping from a reliable store can ensure high-quality products, ensuring that your loved ones cherish every moment they spend in their yards hosting chirpy birdies.

Serving a Dual Purpose

Your birdhouses can act as a bird feeder as well. With a plethora of options to buy from, you can always pick and choose one that befits your needs and preference. If your friend or colleague is an admirer of nature, you can also look for models that are curated from waste materials. From the ones that are designed as birdbaths and feeders to the hanging houses, you can opt for a design, size and colour that you think would make the best gift. 

You can try the handmade models that are designed with recycled materials as these are eco-friendly and don’t easily chip or fade. From contemporary styles to vintage designs, you can pick any design that complements the garden décor. 

Explore Options 

It would be a good idea to check out a few models before deciding on the model you would like to gift your near and dear ones. Birdhouses make a smart gifting idea not just for house warming parties, but can also be gifted on birthdays, anniversaries and many other occasions. 

There are birdie home models that come with free nesting materials. Not all birds are natural cavity dwellers. For your friends who have yards covered with tall trees, a bird home can house all the species that prefer building their nests on trees and shrubs. Those like the house finches, blue jays, cardinals, robins would love this gesture. 

Do-it-Yourself

There’s nothing like a personalized gift, and something crafted with your hands add that magic to your gift. If you have a creative bent of mind and want to customize your gift, you also have the option of creating a DIY piece. 

There are several tutorial videos on social media that you can check out to tailor-make. Just make sure that you use natural and appropriate materials that appear welcoming to the birdies. A birdhouse with a comfortable environment for the birdies is likely to not only invite them but also house them for a longer time. 

Just refrain from using materials with dyes as it can be harmful to hatchlings. Also, for older nestlings, these may not be safe to use unnatural materials. You can pick raffia, strings or Spanish moss. It is recommended that you stick to using only two or three inches of the moss. Anything over this can get entangled in the birdie’s feet endangering it. Check out simple ways to grow moss indoors at https://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Moss-Indoors. 

DIY offers the liberty of crafting the birdhouse just the way you want it. So, you can add protective layers such as coco liners or extra moss for the nest. This will make more cushion and also ensure that blue jays steer away from the hanging nests. Avoid using dryer lint. Although these may be soft and fluffy the fibres may contain dye. 

In warmer areas, birds start looking for nesting spots as soon as the temperature rises and so is that for colder regions as well. A perfect home designed to meet the basic resting and nesting of the birds can allow them to settle conveniently. 

If your gift recipient is one who likes the hummingbirds fluttering in his/her garden, you can suggest them to simply start by offering all the materials that attract the winged creatures. A great idea to allow the birds to take over is to simply provide nesting materials around the birdhouse. This will enable them to decorate their nest just the way they like it. 

Did you know that birds like the goldfinches, blue jays, robins or even the cardinals adore natural nesting materials and quickly build their nests with the materials you provide them with? 

Be it the window grill, lawn, balcony or your backyard, a bird nest is always a welcome addition for most garden enthusiasts. From sparrows, tits to any other bird that can easily nest in smaller cavities, such bird homes not only provide shelter to the nestles birds but also protect them from other predators. Good quality of nesting boxes is easy to install and thus make it a good gift. 

You can pick models that are handcrafted and hand-painted. Durable woods always have an advantage. If it’s a box, you can ask your recipient friend to leave the side door open so that birds can find their way in. Also, this will make it easy for you to clean every season. Some birds may take a while to locate the nest and find their way through. 

A birdhouse box can be mounted higher than the fence posts as it can prevent any predator from quick spotting or even climbing up to the nest. Removing any perches on the birdhouse is also a good idea. 

Birdhouses aren’t difficult to maintain as they need seasonal cleaning. Yards naturally make a good habitat for such nest boxes. Yes, it will be good to ensure that they are installed away from areas with herbicides or pesticides as these can be harmful to the birds and also impact the natural food source for other cavity-nesting species. 

Log cabin birdhouses, hanging birdhouses to tower-houses, you can be sure that your friend or family that you gift the birdhouse will enjoy watching different bird species at leisure. 

There are designs equipped with modern features that can increase both the show and functionality of the birdhouse in many ways. So, why wait, just find the best piece and place an order right away!

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How the ‘Green’ Mediterranean Diet May Be Even Healthier for You

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The original Mediterranean diet first became popular in the United States during the 1960s. At this time, health experts realized that certain Mediterranean countries dealt with fewer deaths caused by coronary heart disease compared to the US. The diet was quickly adopted by many households in the US and some other parts of the world. To this day, it remains one of the popular diet plans.

In 2020, a study was published that showed how a new version of this diet, known as the green Mediterranean diet, could further benefit the metabolism and cardiovascular system. Although it’s mostly based on the original diet popularized in the 1960s, it does add some more restrictions and promotes an increased intake of certain foods.

What Is the Standard Mediterranean Diet?

The standard Mediterranean diet doesn’t tell you how many calories you should consume on a daily basis. This is up to the individual to determine based on their own personal goals. If your goal is to lose weight, you should burn more calories than you consume.

In essence, this is not a structured diet in any way. Instead, it revolves around a way of eating popular in some countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, like Italy and Greece. The local cuisine in these countries is quite different, but they share many similar principles.

The standard Mediterranean diet encourages people to increase their intake of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats on a daily basis. It also promotes eating fish, eggs, beans, and poultry at least once a week. If you follow the standard Mediterranean diet, you should consume dairy products in moderate amounts and strictly limit your intake of red meat to an occasional treat.

Foods not mentioned above should be avoided. That means that you shouldn’t consume sugar, unless on special occasions. For instance, it’s okay to have a piece of cake once a month if you’re attending a celebration. To reap the full benefits of this diet, it’s important to take care of your physical health. It’s recommended that you engage in physical activity on a regular basis. Try to squeeze in a 30-minute workout into your schedule at least 5 times per week.

Aside from improving your eating habits and exercising, another great way to maintain your health is to get a good Medicare Advantage plan. With the right plan, it’ll be easier for you to do routine checkups at the doctor and receive medical treatments whenever you need them.

What Is the Green Mediterranean Diet?

The purpose of the green Mediterranean diet is to promote additional intake of plant-based foods while lowering the consumption of meat and poultry. In research that was published in November 2020, it was concluded that this type of diet provides great cardiometabolic protection. In fact, it offers more health benefits than the traditional green Mediterranean diet.

The study was conducted among 294 participants who lead sedentary lifestyles and had an average age of 51. Most of the participants in this study were men with moderate obesity. They were divided into three different groups. Researchers ultimately found that the green Mediterranean diet is able to provide a 20 percent reduction in low-grade systemic inflammation. It was also shown to lower bad cholesterol by four percent.

The first group of participants was given some basic information on how to eat healthier and exercise. The second group was provided with guidance on how to increase physical activity. However, they were introduced to the traditional Mediterranean diet as well. This diet included some calorie restrictions and didn’t allow participants to eat red meat at all. They replaced red meat with poultry and fish – and had the participants eat 28 grams of walnuts each day.

Finally, the third group received the same information regarding regular exercise as the other two groups. Meanwhile, they had to follow the green Mediterranean diet. Just like the second group, they also had to avoid red meat. The participants in this group were also told to stop consuming processed meat of any type. They also had to increase their intake of plant-based foods.

What was significant about the third group is that they’d drink three or four cups of green tea per day. They’d also consume 100 grams of frozen duckweed in plant-based shakes to maintain high protein levels without eating meat. The reason why duckweed was chosen is that it contains all nine amino acids, which is incredibly rare among plant-based foods.

Each group followed rules that were given to them for six months, which is when researchers began examining results.

The Health Benefits of the Green Mediterranean Diet

Researchers found that participants in the third group were able to lose more weight than others. The average person that followed the green Mediterranean diet lost almost 14 pounds over the course of six months. Meanwhile, the participants in the second group lost nearly 12 pounds over this time period. Participants in the first group, which received only basic advice on how to improve their eating habits, lost just three pounds on average.

It was concluded that the green Mediterranean diet can be part of an effective weight-loss strategy. The waist circumference among participants in each group decreased. For the third group, it was an average reduction of 3.4 inches. Meanwhile, the decrease was measured at 2.7 inches for the second group and 1.7 inches for the first.

Those who followed the green Mediterranean diet experienced a 4% reduction in bad cholesterol. For people in the second group, it was a 1% decrease. There was hardly a noticeable reduction in the first group. The green Mediterranean diet offered notable other health benefits, such as a decrease in diastolic blood pressure, an increase in good cholesterol, and improved insulin resistance.

What the researchers concluded was that a whole foods plant-based diet rich in protein can strengthen your cardiovascular health and help you lose weight. Based on their findings, it’s clear that it’s much healthier than the traditional Mediterranean diet.

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[Product Review]- Sudio ETT

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I recently gotten the Sudio ETT and it is one of the best tech gadgets that I have received till date. The Sudio ETT is not my first wireless earbuds and there are in fact two other wireless earbuds brands (Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphone 2 and Jaybird Run XT True Wireless Buds) that I personally own.

Although the Sudio ETT is Sudio’s most expensive audio product at SGD$239, it is relatively affordable if you are looking for wireless earbuds that has both Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Wireless Charging (WC) features. These two features alone make the Sudio ETT an audio product that is truly value-for-money.

Audio Quality

The audio quality is above average and it is pretty decent given the price tag. Ballads and acoustic music (Ed Sheeran, Tyler Ward) sound really crisp and warm. Therefore, if you listen to classical, acoustic, and pop music more than anything else, the Sudio ETT is going to give you a natural and immersive audio experience.

On the other hand, heavy metal and punk rock music lovers (Blink 182, P.O.D) will likely be disappointed with the audio quality on the Sudio ETT because the bass lacks some serious punch and it will not give you the pump that you were hoping for.

Battery Life

The playtime is listed as up to 30 hours and 20 hours with ANC but this is based on the battery capacity of the charging case to recharge the Sudio ETT for about 4 times. On a single charge, I was able to clock about 6 hours of usage (probably just enough for a mid-haul flight from Singapore to Japan/Korea). Do note that turning on the ANC feature does drain your battery really fast.

IPX5 Rating

In addition to the ANC and WC features, the Sudio ETT has an IPX5 rating. What that essentially means is that the Sudio ETT is perfect for your outdoor runs or indoor gym sessions but you definitely cannot bring them to swim or shower.

The Cons

There are just two things that annoy me when it comes to the Sudio ETT. The only way you can turn on the Sudio ETT is by taking them out of the charging case. This can be quite annoying especially if you want to leave them aside after using it and not put them back into the charging case to charge.

The other thing that really annoys me is the fact that although the Sudio ETT can remember up to 8 paired devices, it will automatically connect to the device that it last connected to. Hence, if I wanted to reconnect to any of my previously paired devices, I got to disconnect it from the device that I am currently using before reconnecting it to my other device.

Having said that, the cons aren’t exactly deal-breakers especially when they have two features (active noise cancellation and wireless charging) that I am specifically looking for in wireless earbuds.

Overall

One thing that really sets the Sudio ETT apart is not just the attractive pricing but also the fact that it is available in 5 different colours (green, white, black, pink, and anthracite). This bonus feature is something that not many other wireless earbuds brands can beat because most of them usually come in just 2 standard colours (black and white).

With awesome features, attractive pricing, and many colours to choose from; this makes Sudio ETT the perfect companion for music lovers.

Highlight

Sudio is currently running a promotion and the Sudio ETT is going for SGD$174.47. If you use the promo code => awinsomelife, you can get an additional 10% off for the Sudio ETT and it will cost just SGD$157.02. This is quite a steal so don’t miss it!

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A Beginner’s Guide to PPC Management

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PPC means pay per click. This is a method of advertisement where companies fund certain keywords that generate traffic to their websites from potential customers. These companies pay the search engines for each user that clicks on the link. 

These search engines display the products and services at the top of the search page. There is a lot that goes into designing a pay per click campaign. You need to have the right keywords, invest enough money, and target the right customer. 

Even though there are a lot of different types of PPC ads, paid search is one of the most common. Pay per click might look easy in theory but it is a complicated process when you have to apply it for your firm. The terminology and management can be extremely time consuming and if you do not have a marketing team, the entire process becomes daunting. 

To manage this problem, pay per click management comes into the picture. Pay per click management is when a team of marketers or specialists oversee the ad strategy, budget and overall process for a company. 

The management is either done by a management team in the company or outsourced to other agencies. A lot of small companies opt to outsource the services for a fixed amount. The experts have specialized knowledge and can identify your goals and the techniques that are needed to achieve them. Having specialists working on your PPC marketing can save you time as well and make it easier for the company to have a large online audience.

The Advantages of PPC Advertising

Pay Per Click advertisements is a marketing strategy employed by many companies because of the following reasons:

  • Targets Audience Interested In Your Services

One of the advantages of pay per click advertising is that it only attracts the audience that is already looking for services that your company has to offer. 

Since the advertisement technique is based on keyword, the customers who are interested in these keywords will be willing to click on the links and browse your products and services. Unlike other marketing techniques (such as mass media, radio broadcast) where the audience is extremely large, you only target the audience that has a chance of becoming a potential customer by PPC.

  • The ROI Can Be Measured

PPC marketing is measurable. You can easily check the stats and return of investment through the number of clicks that your keywords are bringing to your website. A lot of marketing experts such as https://seolondonagency.co.uk/ppc/ can help you gain a better insight into the stats and help you build a better ad campaign. The best part is that the advertisements are not based on search engine algorithms or SEO and hence your ads are shown at the top of the page which means better exposure.

  • Gives The Brand Exposure Around The World

With pay per click ads, you get to attract audiences from all over the world. In addition, it is also one of the few ways of advertisement where your audience has a higher potential of becoming a customer. The brand recognition shoots up fast with the help of this technique and your company can even start doing business in new markets. Additionally, as the results are fast, the advertisement can bring hundreds of people to your website and increase your sales and revenues.

  • Is Budget Friendly

Finally, the biggest advantage is that pay per click marketing is cheaper. You only pay when the consumers click on your ad. Moreover, it is extremely accessible. The campaign can be launched in no time with the right kind of expertise and the budget for this process can be easily controlled to give the best ROI. 

What Is The Job Of A PPC Agency?

To make your online marketing easier, it is a good option to hire a management company who can handle all your pay per click ad campaigns. Here is what a PPC Agency does.

  • Finding The Right Keywords

The only way for an ad campaign to become a success is by finding the right keyword. The job of the agency is to find the keywords that your target audience is searching for and then using them in your marketing strategy.

  • Analyzing The Competition

A regular look at what the competition is doing makes it easier to update the campaign and fill the gaps that have been left uncovered. Hence the job of the agency is to do a thorough analysis of the keywords that the competition is using to target the audience. You can click here to know more about PPC advertising.

  • Selecting The Best Channels

There are numerous media channels where the paid ads can be placed. From Google to Facebook and Bing, the agency will find out which channel is visited the most by your targeted audience. 

  • Monitoring The Campaign

Monitoring and optimization of the campaign are also done by the agency. They check the most clicked keywords and then optimize the budget to boost the return on investment.

  • Regular A/B Testing

Finally, a lot of split testing is done to find the best results that can bring in the biggest audience for the company. Split testing makes it easier to optimize the digital marketing campaign.

Are Pay-Per-Click Management Services For You?

Companies that are creating a name for themselves in the online community should go for PPC specialization agencies. Companies that do not have a dedicated in-house advertisement team to handle online marketing are the ones that should opt for these services. 

Even though many companies think that having a specialist to manage their PPC advertisements is a waste of money, this notion is wrong. Hiring specialists can put you far ahead of other companies and give you the visibility that you desire. 

Final Words

PPC Marketing can be very useful in driving online traffic to your business. With the right kind of management team handling your ad campaign, the strategy can become lucrative in bringing the right kind of consumer to your brand from all around the world. You can hire experts and list down all your needs from the PPC ad campaign so that they can use the right resources to reach your goals. 

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Getting Married in Singapore Can Be Quite Expensive. Here Are 5 Tips to Lower Your Costs

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There is a general notion that having a wedding in Singapore is quite costly. This situation is promoted by the Singaporean wedding culture, a mixture of western and traditional elements. Moreover, the high costs are brought about by hosting a hotel banquet and the need to invite friends from the business circles, rather than the usual paper signing process.

However, there are various ways of how you can avoid spending too much on your wedding. Although some sites, such as https://www.a1credit.sg, have written helpful articles that contain tips for planning a wedding, it can still be a challenge for some others.

If you intend to cut wedding costs, here are 5 essential wedding planning tips that we have for you to consider.

1. Go for Alternative Venues

In Singapore, a significant portion of your wedding cost could be taken up by the banquet. To reduce the amount of money to be spent at your wedding, consider shunning these wedding banquets. Rather, it might be worth hosting your wedding at alternative venues such as parks, restaurants, or event halls. Though it is not a guarantee that these places are cheaper, the prices quoted would provide you with options to make flexible adjustments. From the range of options, you can get a place that provides a suitable wedding reception with romantic themes and in the process, save the extra cash while receiving value-guaranteed services.

Believe it or not, we actually booked and secured our wedding banquet package 3 years before our actual wedding and we saved a lot. I know it sounds kiasu but back then, a table at One Degree 15 Marina Club costs us $888++. Today, I don’t think you can find such a price anymore.

2. Acquire A Bridal Package

This is the most cost-effective method of obtaining all the required wedding services such as photography, suit rentals, gowns, and make-ups. Hence, bridal packages are quite popular in Singapore as the wedding costs could be hiked if couples use separate vendors. There are certain tricks that you can use to benefit optimally from bridal packages. For instance, let your chosen bridal studio comprehensively list down all the items that are included in the bridal package. Then, decide on what is necessary and replace the unwanted items by checking them off the list.

Getting a wedding planner can also be another solution to cutting down extra costs. Though many people believed that hiring a wedding planner can be costly since they do charge additional fees to source the items required and to plan the actual event; wedding planners do have connections with vendors and they can often negotiate for discounts especially for the items that you want. Therefore, when planning to have a large wedding with specific requirements, consider getting a wedding planner to cut down the costs.

For us, we got our bridal package from Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

3. Do It Your Way

This is mostly applicable when you have some creative skills. It helps cut down extra expenses in acquiring some items. For instance, there is no need to splash out hundreds of dollars on things such as wedding favours, decorations, and invitation cards. In fact, you can have all these and other items printed from home.

We actually got our wedding invitation cards printed in China (yes thank God for Taobao) and we had them shipped all the way to Singapore.

When not sufficiently skilled in either of these areas, you can get help from friends who can take care of your actual day wedding photography. Even make-up and hairstyling can also be taken care of by your friends. However, we are not disqualifying the necessity to pay for services from professionals. In fact, for a once in a lifetime event, we recommend that you hire professionals to do the job but if the budget is really a constraint, then these alternatives would help reduce your wedding expenses and go a long way in cutting down unnecessary costs for your wedding. It might even be a creative way of getting your family members and close friends involved in your wedding preparation.

4. Be Selective

In Singapore, everything can really be expensive, especially for events such as weddings. When planning to hold your wedding at relatively lower costs, it is worth being selective with everything you buy as the small things can eventually add up to a huge sum. You can also be selective by screening the list of people whom you intend to invite for your actual wedding event. You do not want to spend a lot buying stuff, only to end with a long list of absentees.

Another vital area that you can be selective about is the wedding menus. Go for food and beverage selections that are wallet-friendly. For instance, instead of hard liquor, serve your guests with wines and beers as that can help you save a considerable amount of money.

5. Use Good Credit Cards

It is not uncommon for newly-weds-to-be to resort to using credit cards in the event their finances take a bitter turn before, during, or after their wedding. This is especially true when buying lavish items and it can sometimes be quite unavoidable in an expensive country like Singapore. To get the most out of your credit card, ensure that the credit card you are using offer discounts at the wedding venues of your choice. A reasonable discount is between 5 and 10% of the reception cost.

Furthermore, you can switch to using cashback cards which allow you to get cash rebates instead. This is quite helpful as you can split the installment payments to cater to the required rebate expenditures. For instance, you can use the UOB One Card which offers a 5% rebate when you spend $2000 monthly for 3 consecutive months. What you get back is a whopping $1,200 in a year. This option is suitable when you shop for wedding items and want to save some cash in return.

If you are planning to accumulate miles for your honeymoon, the American Express® Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card is a card to go for. In fact, we have managed to accumulate business class flights for our trip to New Zealand last year.

Closing Thoughts

The wedding culture in Singapore requires one to have proper planning and you can still have a magnificent wedding in a romantic venue while saving money by following the tips discussed in this article. If you are planning for an upcoming wedding, incorporate some money-saving tricks to avoid spending everything from your own savings.

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Is Clickfunnels A Scam? – Effectively Grow Your Business Through Clickfunnels

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Are you dissatisfied with the online sale of your products and services? Many entrepreneurs fail to reach e-commerce success due to improper design and execution of their sales funnel. Building a solid marketing funnel is crucial for providing a remarkable buying journey and customer experience, which will eventually result in more leads converting into consumers. 

This process involves analyzing the target audience, attracting its attention, and generating enough traffic. In recent times, you can find numerous online platforms like Clickfunnels that are designed to facilitate the process of attracting customers.

There is a multitude of online reviews, such as https://www.courseminds.com/clickfunnels-reviews/, created to assist entrepreneurs in choosing a sales funnel builder.

Take a look at the truth about sales funnels and their importance in e-commerce success.

The Four Funnel Stages

The best way of understanding sales funnels is by analyzing the stages through which a visitor eventually becomes a buyer. In order for a visitor to become a prospect, he/she is supposed to land on your site and browse through your assortment of products or services. Once the visitor becomes part of your email list, he/she transforms into a lead. Unlike visitors, leads can be contacted via email or phone to inform them about special offers and discounts. 

If the lead is appealed by some of your offers, this person will keep visiting your site and perhaps use the offered coupon code to make a purchase. Your role is to make your products and services attractive enough for leads to evolve into buyers. Therefore, you’re expected to use a different approach in each stage- Awareness, Interest, Decision, and Action. 

The initial stage of the sales funnel is awareness, in which businessmen try to attract the attention of potential consumers. Their attention can be attracted by a Facebook or an Instagram post through which they become aware of your business. In the course of this stage, visitors rarely purchase anything but simply get familiar with your products. As long as you encourage visitors to come back to your site, the awareness stage can be considered successful.

The following stage of the sales funnel is known as the interest stage, during which potential consumers conduct research, compare various products, and attentively consider the offers in the market. Here, entrepreneurs are supposed to assist prospective customers in their choices by providing helpful content. 

Moreover, it’s paramount not to force visitors into purchasing your goods, as you’ll just discourage them from having another look at your product assortment. Your job is to assist them in making informed decisions after comparing various products in detail. Click here to check out some innovative ways of attracting more consumers online. 

When consumers are prepared to make a purchase, they enter the penultimate decision stage of the sales funnel. They usually hesitate between a few offers, which is why you need to make yours the most favorable. You can persuade leads to become your customers by offering free shipping if most of the competitors don’t, as well as provide a special discount in the form of a discount code. 

The ultimate stage of the sales funnel is the action stage, where leads become customers. Anyhow, reaching the bottom of your sales funnel doesn’t necessarily mean the consumer will make another purchase. It’s your job to switch the focus from customer attraction to retention by using a special method. 

For instance, your consumers are supposed to receive a thank you email in which you express your gratitude for becoming your customers. Also, make sure you encourage them to leave feedback that is helpful for your business and potential consumers. 

Building a Sales Funnel

Many entrepreneurs are skeptical when it comes to building a sales funnel and they worried it wouldn’t be built fast or well enough to attract sales leads and turn them into consumers. Nevertheless, the building process isn’t overly challenging like most businessmen believe, as long as you follow the right steps. 

Nowadays, there are even special cloud-based platforms like Clickfunnels that assist entrepreneurs in building a sales funnel without requiring any programming skills on their part. Take a look at the steps you are expected to follow when building a marketing funnel. 

Analyze your Target Audience

In order to build a sales funnel, one is supposed to analyze its target audience in terms of site activity and engagement. You aren’t supposed to market your products and services to everyone but only to individuals who find them useful. 

Therefore, make sure you conduct research that reveals helpful information about the social media channels they use, their dwell time, and interests. It’s also vital to learn the aspects potential customers find frustrating about online shopping in order to divert their customer experience into another direction. 

Attract the Audience’s Attention

There’s no other way for a marketing funnel to be functional unless it attracts the attention of the target audience. Consequently, you’ll need to overwhelm your platforms with high-quality content in the form of blog entries, infographics, engaging videos, photographs, etc. 

Moreover, promoting your content on social media platforms is another helpful strategy, given the myriad of people using social networks. You could also collaborate with some prominent influencers whose job would be to promote your products through writing reviews. 

Additionally, email marketing campaigns can assist you in promoting your blog posts and offers by sending a newsletter to every lead on your email list. The following link, https://www.business2community.com/email-marketing/top-10-benefits-of-email-marketing-02160067 provides an insight into the numerous benefits of email marketing. 

Generate Traffic

In order to sell your products and services to a satisfying number of consumers, you are supposed to generate enough traffic. There are multiple measures entrepreneurs are advised to adopt to achieve this goal, such as using PPC campaigns, guest posting, SEO, landing pages, and social media marketing. Investing in some of these measures is considered crucial for entrepreneurs hoping for e-commerce success. 

For instance, landing pages are supposed to be optimized properly in order to capture more leads. The purpose of these pages should not be pushing visitors to make a purchase but direct them to the following step of the buying journey. Make sure you post an engaging, instructional video or a free e-book for them to download to retain their interest. 

Use an Email Campaign

As previously mentioned, email campaigns are considered vital when it comes to audience engagement. These campaigns are one of the most effective ways of distributing your content to leads by sending them no more than two emails a week. Keep in mind that no person wants to be overwhelmed with tons of emails on a daily basis, as it’ll discourage him/her from buying any of your products. 

In order to interest the leads into opening the emails you send to them regularly, you have to learn the things they find appealing. After managing to grasp their attention, you need to make an offer they can’t refuse. Favorable offers are indispensable for persuading leads to reach the bottom of the sales funnel.

Final Thoughts

Marketing is of tremendous importance for turning leads into consumers. 

Invest in the right marketing tools to reach your goal faster than you’ve imagined!

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Is Your Company Using G Suite?

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I’m not sure how many companies in Singapore are using G Suite but what I can say is, G Suite does make collaboration really seamless and easy (especially if your team works remotely). Whether it is word processing, preparing a presentation deck, or automating some of your business processes, G Suite has everything you need to run your business and I absolutely love it!

For just $79 SGD per year (about $6.60 SGD per month), you can get access to Google Sheets (the equivalent of Excel), Google Docs (the equivalent of Word), Google Slides (the equivalent of Powerpoint), Hangouts Meet (now known as Google Meet), and Google Drive!

With so many features and tools available to help your business become productive and profitable, paying just $79 SGD a year is definitely worth it.

One question that we usually get from clients is, “Is there an alternative to using G Suite?”

Yes, there is, and it’s Microsoft’s 365 Business Basic which costs $5 USD per month (about $6.90 SGD per month). 

The next common question that we often get is, “Is G Suite or Microsoft 365 better?”

Well, both suites have their own set of pros and cons and it ultimately depends on what you hope to achieve at the end of the day. If seamless and tight live collaboration is what you are looking for, G Suite is the way to go because Microsoft 365 is still somewhat clunky and laggy (especially if you want to have multiple people working on a single document).

If you’re a one man operation and don’t perform much collaboration, we would recommend Microsoft 365 as its suite of products are packed with rich features and functions that probably only advanced users will use.

Then again, it ultimately boils down to your needs and preferences. For me, I like the fact that I can work on this article that I am writing on Google Doc and share it with other collaborators who may have suggestions and inputs. I also like the fact that I can reference and embed tables from Google Sheet without jumping back and forth too much.

All these really help to streamline my work processes. If you have just started your business and you are looking for an economical way to operate your business, you should really consider G Suite. The only real downside to using cloud services is that you have to maintain Internet connectivity to create, save, upload, update, track, and monitor your files. While it is possible to work offline, there are limitations as well.

Hence, apart from having a cloud suite to work with, you will also need to have a reliable and stable Internet connection from an Internet Service Provider. There are numerous data plans that are available in the market but go for one that gives you the greatest value for your money

Need some help with figuring the best G Suite solution for your business?

Speak to a G Suite reseller and make a more informed decision! 

If you’re based in Malaysia and you have already decided on a G Suite plan, make a booking with an authorised G Suite reseller in Malaysia.

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Which Guitar Chords Should I Learn First?

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Understanding the basics of guitar, such as its chords, can be essential to your learning process. Those who jump right into learning their favourite songs can certainly practice and improve, but their journey will generally be far quicker and more efficient after getting to grips with the basics.

How many chords are there in total?

There are many different chords and even different groups of them; like power chords, and barre chords. Having a general understanding of these can be important as you learn. Still, as a beginner, you should focus on a specific set before progressing to ensure the best possible chances of success.

How many should I learn?

Since these are the building blocks of songs and harmonies, chords can often be one of the most important things to learn for someone new to guitar. Usually, you don’t need to know all of them to start creating your own riffs – in fact, if you know 8 of the basic ones, you could be well on your way to making music. 

These chords are C – A – G – E – D – Am – Dm – Em. Once you know these, you’ll be able to play a wide variety of songs. In fact, many tunes just use the G – D – Em – C chord progression, so it shouldn’t be too much of a challenge at all for you to start exploring your musical side once you have an understanding of even just these.

Once you feel familiar with the first few, knowing the open chords will allow you to expand and learn more advanced ones too – although you don’t need to stress yourself about those just yet.

Things you should keep in mind when learning:

  • It might be worth beginning with just G – C – D when trying to play songs and then working up from there.
  • Practice your chords daily – it’ll help you to remember them to the point where you can play them instinctively.
  • Press the stings with the tips of your fingers, and make sure that you apply enough pressure
  • Before playing, check each string and try to determine whether or not they sound right – your instrument may need tuning otherwise.
  • Keep your thumb behind the guitar neck, and your fingers as close to the fret as possible. 

Why not use Fender Play?

If you’re looking for an excellent way to get started on your musical journey, Fender Play could be ideal for you. Countless other aspiring artists have used this learning program to further their education and give them a solid foundation to work from. This offers them a chance to become the best guitarist they could be with time and dedication. 

If you’re interested in finding out more about this program, we’d suggest that you take a look at our professional Fender Play review. As experts, we know what to look for in a good guitar learning resource, so you can rest assured that our opinion will be a trustworthy one.

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How to Find Your Spirit Animal

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It’s 2020, so you’ve probably heard of the expression “spirit animal” up until now. What you may not know is that this is no mere Internet meme — we’re talking about an ancient tradition that goes back to the time of the Native Americans.

For these indigenous cultures, spirit animals represented a unique embodiment of people’s spirits — something of an astral guide. These guides are prone to show themselves in many ways in order to catch our attention. However, they were said to appear most often in the form of an animal that’s familiar to us or carries some other unique trait that makes them close to us.

Most people have a single spirit animal, though there are those that feel like they are communicating with more than one spirit guide. These give you more confidence, faith in yourself and your choice, and more ease during your life in general.

If you’re wondering what your spirit animal is, don’t worry — we’ve got plenty of tips here that will aid you in finding out!

Listen To Your Dreams

There is an immensely crucial connection between your waking life and the spirit world discovered when we dream. That’s why your spirit animal will come to you most often when you’re asleep. With that in mind, try to remember or write down each time you spot a particular animal in your dreams — especially if this animal tells you something and keeps appearing regularly.

Consider Your Past

In many cases, our spirit animals are creatures that have something to do with our past lives. Perhaps you had a favorite animal when you were a kid – or a pet that you simply adored? Heck, it could be an animal from the wilderness or from a favorite cartoon. Still, it’s usually something that’s connected to your past — a creature that represents a specific period in your life.

Meditate

Finding your spirit animal takes more than merely thinking about animals from the past. You need to look deep into yourself — explore depths that you have not been privy to before. Take some time to meditate, and let your intuition take you where it wills.

At some point, you will simply feel a connection to a particularly significant animal. At that point, strip away all other layers of your consciousness, and ask yourself a single question — is this truly the animal that is my guardian spirit? And if so, think about what kind of message and lesson this animal wants to present to you. Spend some time ruminating on the meaning behind these things.

Quizzes

Of course, many people do all of the stuff that we’ve mentioned above, to no avail. If your dreams, meditations, and thoughts haven’t provided you with a clear-cut answer, there’s something else that you can do — take an online quiz. And no, we’re not joking; there are plenty of quizzes that are designed to give you a more structured perspective on the traits behind your spirit animal. For many, this is just the introspective push they need to figure out what their spirit animal is.

Heed Your Spirit Guide

Once you do find your spirit animal, it’s quite essential to heed its advice. Spirit animals are the flip side of our spiritual being; they are there to teach us things about our mind and soul that we couldn’t figure out on our own.

In many cases, spirit animals emanate those strengths and positive traits that we should try to promote throughout our lives. They can help you stay on the right path and aid you in charting the correct course. That’s one of the reasons why many people actually experience their spirit animal transforming and changing after some time.

Different Spirit Animals

Now that we’ve given you some advice on searching for your inner spirit animal, we’ll provide a cursory glance at the meaning behind most common spirit animals.

If you’ve got a spirit guide in the form of a bear, this is definitely a powerful spirit animal. Most often, it represents someone with an extremely emotional character — as well as a secure connection with the outdoors – and nature in general.

Many people also find that their spirit animal is a cat. This happens most often to people with a strong independent streak, someone looking for adventure and a person who’s forever curious. Additionally, these are usually patient individuals.

A dove is another commonly sighted spirit guide — it signals pacifism, turning a new leaf, and a general love for peace. It’s a spirit animal that’s optimistic and hopeful for the future — which is what it tries to inspire in you as well. And that wraps it up! Make sure you are staying safe and have a good one, folks!

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Stimulate Your Brain: Improving Your Intelligence Through Basic Practices

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We live in a society where everybody is trying to get ahead. It appears the early bird catches the worm and the smartest people will always get the better things in life. And it seems that when we are placed in a world where there is this pressure to keep afloat or be gone forever, this can either force us to change our ways or decide to plead ignorance. But we might feel that we try our best but it’s not good enough, that we are limited by our own intelligence or abilities. But while many people think that we are just born with intelligence, that we just have it or we don’t, this is not the case. The key is about treating your brain like a muscle through certain lifestyle habits that help your brain. Intelligence comes in two forms. Crystallized intelligence which comprises your skills knowledge and vocabulary. But there is also fluid intelligence, which is your ability to think abstractly or reason. And there are many ways to increase both.

Reading

It may seem obvious but reading stimulates every part of your brain. Because it requires you to pay attention to exercise comprehension visual processing, as well as your working memory reading, is one of the best ways to boost the neural connections between every part of your brain. Reading is something that we need to get into the habit of doing. It’s not just about picking books that are beyond your comprehension. After all, our intelligence increases with age. The very act of reading is something that we need to get into because it will improve our concentration and comprehension while increasing our neural pathways. This means that getting into the habit of reading is a must. If you do not read regularly, think about the best time for you to do it. Many people read before bedtime. But also, think about the right tools that can help you to focus such as glasses which you can purchase here. It’s important to remember that if you aren’t a regular reader and you feel that you’ve got lots to catch up on, you shouldn’t try to read a book in a week. Take it one page at a time and engage with the material. Many people boast that they have read so many books in their life, but reading books passively is completely different from engaging with the subject matter. Reading is not the sign of intelligence, but it is the sign of someone wanting to improve.

Meditating

It isn’t just about sitting there listening to nothing. Meditating is something that requires a significant amount of concentration. If you’ve ever sat in silence and tried to think of nothing, this is a lot more difficult than it sounds. Meditation is a fantastic way to improve your working memory. While there has been much research on meditation and the results have shown better brain function, speculation on the results may very well be down to the emotional benefits of meditation. But it stands to reason, the more relaxed you are, the more receptive you will be. If you are someone who struggles to learn anything, this may not be down to your own abilities but it could be more to do with your inhibitions or blockages. We may become a barrier to our own success. And if we struggle to get out of our way so we can reap the benefits of learning, meditation may prove to be the key. Meditating is a hard task to accomplish but there are tools that can help such as meditation machines, as well as guided meditation videos and apps.

Playing an Instrument

It’s never too late to learn. It’s something that can be a very creative way to boost our intelligence. If you don’t like the idea of doing crosswords or sudoku, playing instruments involves numerous skills such as recognizing patterns, auditory perception, as well as physical dexterity and coordination. With all of these working together your sensory and cognitive skills are challenged. And when you start to delve deeper into music and think about transposing keys or improvising music in certain keys, this is the mental exercise your brain needs to develop. The great thing about music is that it’s one of the most fun pastimes. The initial lessons may prove frustrating. But learning an instrument to play along to your favorite songs helps you to develop those mental skills and working memory while also having a good time. Whether it’s playing the guitar or the drums, each instrument comes with its own individual benefits. Playing the drums is something that is very good because it engages both sides of our brains, but it’s also very good as a stress reliever.

Other Considerations

Lifestyle is just as important. There are many other components that you should consider if you want to improve your brain function. One of the simplest is exercise. Light exercise promotes activity in the hippocampus which can help to improve your memory. You should also think about sleeping properly, as this helps you to consolidate memories that you’ve created during the day. But you should also think about diet. A small dose of caffeine can improve your attention which can help you to retain information. But also think about foods that are rich in nutrients. We’re talking about the usual culprits here; omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin K, as well as flavonoids. In short: eat your greens! It’s also important to remember that training your brain in ways beyond the norm can help. There are things that you do every single day that enhance your mental abilities. Being sociable can help. If you have found yourself dwindling recently because of the pandemic, find ways to be more sociable online with friends. Now might be the perfect opportunity to focus on improving your intelligence. But many people believe that they have a certain amount of intelligence that they cannot improve on. In fact, it’s about the tips above while also remembering to stay curious. Intelligence isn’t just measured by knowledge of facts and figures; it’s about stimulating your brain in the right ways. 

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