#I need to make a FAQ about hiring us for voice acting >_> | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

krreader · 6 years

Text

swim | chapter 1

pairing: min yoongi x reader fandom: bts warnings: non idol!au ; sex shop!au ; college!au ; language ; mentions of masturbation genre: smut ; angst ; crack ; fluff

summary: what he wanted was someone he could have casual sex with. what he got, was a co-worker that he wanted much more from.

a/n: listen, this idea deserves its’ own fic. this is fucking AMAZING and I knew as soon as I read the request that I would never be able to wrap it up in a one-shot. idk how many parts it’s going to have, but it’s going to be filled with smut and angst and probably a lot of crack too. but I do hope you all like it ♥ (also, I’ve been meaning to use that gif for ages, I’m so happy omfg) (also, title/this fic is inspired by yet another chase atlantic song with the same name that you should def listen to because it’S AMAZING)

ask box | masterlist | fandoms | faq | multifandom reader blog

You know what's fucking tragic?

Being surrounded by porn, sex toys and other things that would make most people go horny, while not having had sex in more than three months.

Yoongi was beginning to lose his mind if he wasn't going to get laid soon. But it seemed like every girl he met that he thought was hot and good for a one-night-stand, wanted more. And he just wanted to have sex. How hard could it be to find one person in this goddamn city who was on the same level as him? To just want to bang and then never see each other again?

The answer was: very.

His friends had tried to set him up with various girls, but then they either wanted to text for ages, or go on dates or told him right from the start that they wanted more than just a simple fuck.

He hadn't always been this way, of course.

But after his break-up with his girlfriend for over two years, he just felt like he wanted to enjoy himself some more.

But apparently the universe wouldn't grant him his wish, no matter how hard he wanted it.

Yoongi didn’t do the job at the sex shop because he wanted to, but because it paid a lot of money. And you know, being a uni student didn’t exactly pay well, so this was his best option. It actually wasn’t a bad job, most people that came in here were either elderly men who wanted to buy porn, or women that wanted to buy lingerie. Also some couples who were looking at sex toys and the likes..

He didn’t mind any of that. He was open to all of this and he wasn’t paid to judge people. So he didn’t.

He was currently going through the cash register before the shop would open, when his boss showed up with a huge grin.

A grin that made him awfully suspicious.

“Guess what!”

“What?” he didn't look up from the notes in his hand.

“I think I found you a new co-worker.”

“Huh?” at that, he did look up. He didn’t like working with new people. He’d rather work alone, “Why would you hire someone new? I'm fine on my own and with Hoseok working the weekends..”

“I know that you're fine on your own,” he leaned his hip against the cash desk, “But I feel like you could still use some help. You have never asked for a day off and if you did, I wouldn't have anyone else to work here, since I don't have the time to be in the front of the shop. I'm doing this for future purposes, because I need to think ahead, you know?”

“Why would I take a day off?” it's not like he had any reason to. You know.. it’s not like he had a girl he could see. To sleep with. Because he couldn’t find one for fuck’s sake.

God, he was so frustrated.

“What if you get sick, then? I'd have to find a replacement and Hoseok's schedule wouldn’t let him work week days. Anyways, you're going to like her.. she's..-”

“Her?!” he finally dropped the notes, his eyes widening, “You hired a chick?!”

“I'm a business person, Yoongi. And you know what this shop is missing? You know, a store where mostly men go into? A woman.”

“Oh, so you're using her because you think it's going to attract more customers? That's fucked up.”

“Maybe,” he shrugged and walked over to the porn DVD's and mindlessly starting ordering them, “But she's pretty and she's willing to do the job. And all the other people I met with were either old women or men in general. She was the only one in the age group I wanted, so she's getting the job. And I want you to teach her how it all works, since she's doing the shifts you're doing.”

This was bad. Really bad.

Usually, he really respected his boss and he had a good relationship with him, but using a young and pretty girl to attract creepy old man was a huge red flag and he knew he'd have to watch the girl like a hawk and had to make sure not to leave her alone with any customers that looked shady.

In addition to that, he had to make sure to control himself. He was horny most of the time at this point and his own hand didn't really do the trick anymore. If his boss was right and his new co-worker was as pretty as he made her out to be, he'd have a big fucking problem.

“When does she start, then?” he asked with a sigh.

“Tomorrow night,” he grinned from ear to ear, “She's really excited to meet you.”

The bad thing? He was excited too, as much as he pretended not to be.

“A girl?” Hoseok was literally bouncing up and down on the couch as soon as he heard the news, “What's her name? How old is she? Is she pretty? When is she going to work?”

“Hyung, calm down,” Namjoon laughed and tried stopping his flat mate from bursting from excitement.

“I don't know anything,” Yoongi took a sip from his drink, “He just said she'd start working tomorrow and that she's pretty.. and she's doing my shifts.”

“What?! So I won't get to work with her?” he pouted, “That’s not fair, how come you get to work with a pretty girl and I don’t?”

The fact that Hoseok was jealous made him grin, even though he hadn't even met you yet. Maybe you weren’t that pretty.. maybe you were a moron.. or maybe you were a creep? Who knew?

“Why would a pretty girl work in a sex shop, though?” Taehyung asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

“True,” Jimin laid back down on the floor, his head now in Jeongguk's lap, “Does she even know what kind of people go in there? Most of these guys go in there because they're horny.. what if something happens to her?”

“Nothing is going to happen to her, I just told you, she's working my shifts, so I'll be around her at all times.”

“Maybe you'll finally get laid then, hyung,” Taehyung clapped once, “Imagine.. you could have a friends with benefits relationship with your co-worker. That’s the dream for most guys, isn’t it?”

“OR,” Jin chimed in, “You two could become friends.”

“I don't know if hyung could do a friendship with a girl in the state he's in,” Jimin laughed, but stopped the second that Yoongi threw him a death glance, “Sorry.”

“Did you text the girl I gave you the number of, hyung?” JK cocked his head to the side, “She was so interested in you..”

“She has also just turned 18. I'm desperate, but I'm not that desperate..”

“Whatever,” Namjoon was the first to get up, picking up the two beer bottles he had drank, “I'm off to bed, I've got an exam tomorrow morning. Text us and let us know how it went, hyung.”

And then one after the other left to go to bed, Yoongi being the last to do so.

So many thoughts were rushing through his brain and all of them revolved around his new co-worker. He never really wanted or needed someone to work with him, especially because he liked the solitude the sex-shop offered. But the more he thought about having a female around, the more he liked the idea. And not just for sexual reasons, but because Jin might have had a point.

He hadn't had a female friend in ages, maybe this could be his first one.

Nevertheless, his body acted quicker than his brain could and the thought alone to have someone pretty around him at all times made him go dizzy and soon after he realized why, because all of his blood seemed to have rushed to his penis.

God, he needed to get laid, seriously.

Otherwise he'd have to see a doctor because he'd dislocate his wrist if he kept jerking off every night.

The shop was already open and the first customers were already browsing through, some at the porn sections, others at the toy section, while he was going through boxes with some of the new lingerie that his boss had ordered.

He hadn't even heard him come in.

It was only when he heard someone giggle, that he turned his head.

The feet were the first thing he saw, then, slowly but surely, he began letting his eyes trail up, until they landed on a pair of (Y/E/C) ones.

“Yoongi, this is your new co-worker,” his boss said in a cheerful voice.

“Hi,” you smiled kindly, “I'm (Y/N).”

Yeah, no, scratch that idea of him and you becoming friends, because you were way too attractive for him to keep his cool around you. And it was then that he realized that the next couple of weeks, maybe even months of you working with him would be absolute torture for him.

#bts imagine #bts x reader #min yoongi x reader #suga x reader #min yoongi imagine #yoongi x reader #yoongi imagine #suga imagine #bangtan boys #bts #bangtan sonyeondan #min yoongi #suga #yoongi #reader #mine

576 notes · View notes

two-faces-story · 6 years

Photo

Two Faces - Chapter 10

The Newspaper

Wattpad link in FAQ

October 27th My worst fears have come to fruition. I Hyde has committed an act of violence that was beyond my control. I won’t deny there was part of me that did so deeply desire that violence, but that doesn’t excuse my actions. I am completely discontinuing the experiments, and I plan to destroy the rest of the strange salt mineral that I have used thus far. I will keep it in case my body starts to go into some sort of withdrawal, but I pray that does not come to pass. Fear will not leave me be now, and I can’t keep myself from sinking into a deeper melancholy than ever before. But I must continue, there is valuable science in this experiment despite the danger it presents. I know not what value it contains but I must at least tell Lanyon or the Board what I have discovered. And to do that I must survive the inquisition, hide Edward’s involvement in the murder until it has come to pass that they do not know the murderer. This implies I may have to wait years before I can share my findings, but I will. I must. ~ Jekyll was shaving when Poole knocked on the door. He hissed through his teeth as the blade nicked the skin under his chin, and as he began to wipe his face he said: “Come in.” He heard the bedroom door open and Violet’s voice called: “Sir? Have you read this morning’s paper?” “I’ve barely had a chance to dress myself Violet,” he called back, voice more sour than he intended. Poole, standing in the bedroom, winced at the tone of his voice and waited silently for him to exit the bathroom. When he did she said: “Sir Danver’s Carew has been murdered sir! They found his body in and alley and, well…” She offered him the paper, but he didn’t move. He looked terrified, Violet thought, as if he’d been dreading this news. But how could he have known? He’d been home the past three days straight, not leaving even his room for more than food or greeting Lanyon when he’d visited. This melancholy had been worse than the others, he hadn’t wanted to speak to anyone for any reason, but Mr. Lanyon had a way of coaxing him out. Jekyll took the newspaper from her and stared at it, taking a deep breath to steady himself before saying: “Is there, anyone else that was killed?” “Not from what I’ve heard, sir,” Poole answered obediently. Her heart was racing in her chest, she was afraid of him. Why was she afraid of the man she’d been employed to for six years? Someone she’d spoken to on friendly terms so often, despite his moods, why now did she want to run? She cared so deeply for him, why now was she so worried? He nodded slowly, “I, has there been any post? Besides this, I mean.” “Nothing sir.” He nodded again, “Yes, I, I will be down soon. But, I believe I need a moment.” Poole nodded hurriedly, “Of course, sir,” and hurried out of the room, attempting to remain calm and collected until the door had shut behind her. She paused for a moment there, listening for any sort of sound as she had done before, something that might indicate what state he was in. When she heard the shattering of glass, Violet hurried downstairs. ~ Lanyon was pacing in his study, his mind a whirlwind. He was certain, absolutely certain, how could such a coincidence be anything but the truth! That strange man, Edward Hyde, Jekyll’s assistant, was Sir Danver’s murderer. The killing, that happened not two blocks away, the same night as the madman showed up at the door, muddied, bloodied and bruised, it was not just a coincidence! How else could it be such serendipity? No evidence left at the scene indeed! All the evidence had been washed down Jacob Lanyon’s bathtub before he’d known what it was! If anyone found out that he’d let Hyde wash away the evidence, would he be convicted of aiding and abetting? Unlikely, he barely knew Hyde! And, if what the man had said was true, he barely knew Jekyll either. He needed answers, that much was certain. With an air of determination, Jacob gathered his scarf, his coat, and a notepad before hurrying out the door. He was going to march up to Jekyll, demand to see Hyde, and confront him then and there. If it came down to it, he’d convince Henry to spill his secrets so Lanyon could be at least an ally to him. If Hyde were to go to the press and start spreading rumors, Lanyon would at least have a hand int stopping them or quieting them. As he hurried on in the morning light, thinking all this and more, one thought kept returning to his mind. What if Henry knew? It was no secret between the two of them that Jekyll harbored a deep disdain for Sir Danvers Carew due to their, conflicted past and Henry’s incarceration. On multiple times during their time together at university he’d spoken adamantly about revenge. Had he hired Hyde with the intention of finally going through with it? Did he have the nerve to? ~ Violet steadied her breathing as she went about making breakfast. She allowed herself to fall into old patterns, rhythms as she worked, the shaking begin to eb away. Something was wrong, something was very very wrong. The fear on Dr. Jekyll’s face had been more than just surprise, could he know? Could he, could he have been the murderer? And what of the fresh bruise on his cheek? No, he’d been home every night recently, hadn’t he? Come to think of it, Violet hadn’t actually seen him out at night beyond saying goodnight and reappearing in the morning without ever coming out of his room. Well it made sense if he actually went to sleep, but some of the sounds and voices she’d heard beyond that door at night. Someone else visiting, but they didn’t even come through the front door! And she paid such close attention to detail, hoping to impress him. Perhaps it was this mysterious cousin of his, Edward Hyde, that she had yet to meet. But what prevented him from coming in the front door? And she’d never seen him or heard of this fellow, even though she knew almost everything about Jekyll that he was willing to share. He’d even told her, he had no cousins and no next of kin, should he die she would most likely be left with many of his things as she was his closest friend. Did he remember any of that? Footsteps, hurrying downstairs. Poole steadied herself, lifted the teapot, put on a smile and walked out of the kitchen. This was no time to tell him. She had been hoping to, so dearly hoping, but now was not the time. ~ Lanyon pounded on the front door of Jekyll’s house, breathing heavily and leaning on the door frame as he tried to catch his breath. A gentleman like him was better off riding in a cab as opposed to running around town, but this was no time for formalities and fancies, he needed to speak with Henry now. He knocked again, “Come on, I know you’re home.” He heard something unlocking and the familiar face of Violet Poole, carrying a tea tray in one hand, looked out. “Oh, Doctor Lanyon, what’re you doing here?” “I need to speak with Henry, right away,” he said, making sure it was clear in his voice that this matter could not wait. He saw Violet hesitate, looking back into the house worriedly, but she opened the door for him. Was Hyde here? Was that what she was so frightened of? Did she know? Lanyon thanked her and hurried inside, following slight sounds into the dining room where Jekyll was sitting at the table, his hands folded in front of him and eyes unfocused in thought. Jacob dropped the newspaper on the table and slammed his hands down, “Henry, what is going on?” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he answered numbly, sitting up slowly. He looked at Lanyon, “Old friend, he’s dead. In all my dreaming and scheming I never, I never thought he would die before I…” He sighed, “I don’t know. You haven’t just come here to gossip about Carew’s death have you?” “I’ve come to warn you about your lovely assistant,” Jacob said, standing straighter and folding his arms. “Gabriel and I met the wonderful Mr. Hyde not two nights ago, in the middle of the night, covered with mud, blood, and bruises.” “What are you suggesting?” asked Henry. “I’m suggesting, he murdered Carew!” Lanyon threw his arms up, “Henry! My home is not two streets from the murder, someone running for their life, someone who knows me, could easily presume I’d harbor them in a time of need. He ran into me on the street not an hour before! He knew me, my face, and as your assistant I can only assume he knew my address was safe and-” “Jacob, I fired him,” Jekyll said firmly, a dread sort of seriousness coming to his face. Lanyon’s face went pale, “You fired him? When he has such secrets that could-” “The secrets he had are nothing that could damage my reputation.” Henry waved his gloved hand, “Gossip most of it. I humored him because he was family, and after he failed me again, I fired him and sent him back to whatever grimy place he climbed out of.” He rubbed his eyes under his glasses, “It’s over.” “But it’s not!” Lanyon insisted, sitting at the table beside his friend. “Despite the evil Carew put you through, he deserves to have his killer brought to justice! He need to go to the police and tell them they have a sus-” “There will be none of that,” snapped Jekyll, glaring. “They will already have need to suspect me, to suggest I had employed the murderer will have them arrest me, Jacob.” “But it was he who murdered Carew, not you! Why not Henry? He is Carew’s killer I know it!” “Have you any evidence? Have you anything besides your and Gabriel’s word?” Henry scowled, “We’ve no evidence, and Hyde has already departed London. Who knows where in England he could be by now! But going to the police saying a man who doesn’t exist in this city killed Carew for seemingly no reason while under my employ would suggest I wanted him killed! If we tell them of Hyde, I will be the one arrested for murder Lanyon! My past record is nothing but evidence that it’s my fault!” “But I know you, we know you,” Lanyon countered, gesturing to Poole who was watching nervously from the doorway. “We would vouch, Poole could tell them you were home all night and-” “No, we won’t go to the police with this,” Jekyll said firmly, standing. “I will stay out of the matter, that’s it. Violet, you don’t have to make breakfast. I think I’ll be spending the day alone again, thank you.” He turned and stormed from the room, Poole darted out of the way and looked like she was shaking. Jacob stood too, watching his friend go. “I, damn it Henry, we might not get another chance.” “I couldn’t, you know.” Lanyon looked to Violet, who’s dark face was white with fear. “I couldn’t say he was home that night, I didn’t see him after sundown and all his doors were locked.” “I highly doubt our Henry Jekyll could’ve murdered Carew though,” Lanyon said, folding his arms again. “Not when he’s, like this.” “He’s been like this for nearly a month now, with no sign of it ending,” Poole explained. “I’ve never seen him so ill, he insists he’s fine but I’m certain he’s lying to me. But, whenever I see him, he seems perfectly well, aside from the melancholy.” When Lanyon didn’t reply she added: “Sir? What do you think?” Instead, Lanyon answered with a question. “Where did he get that bruising? Around his eye?” “He told me he fell out of bed,” Poole answered. “Why?” Lanyon’s eyes narrowed into a glare, “Would you mind keeping a close eye on Henry for me? Something’s wrong.” “Of course. I can, I can write to you-” “I’ll probably be back tomorrow.” He sighed, “We need to keep an eye on him. I don’t think this is over, not like he says it is.” ~ October 28th Lanyon knows. He knows of m r. Hyde’s crime, and I fear he recognized the bruising on my face. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep up this charade before he discovers my true nature and my connection to Hyde. When he stated his suspicions, I felt a fear like nothing else, a mix of my own and something foreign. This alone confirms my fears, but in conjunction with my actions against Carew, far more violent and impulsive than I would’ve ever even considered, shows something far more threatening in development. I know well where many of Hyde’s impulses come from, but his love of life and lust is completely foreign to me. And how he, part of myself, could be so smitten with that woman, Lilly, while I feel nothing for her astounds me. What began as simply a change of mindset brought on the serum has developed into a completely alternate personality buried within myself, and as I continue treatment it continues to gain strength. I have discontinued treatment, but already I feel the need to return to the serum. I want to feel alive again, but I know I risk losing control or worse, losing myself if I continue treatment. I cannot, I will not, I must not. Time will tell if I have the strength to continue, and I pray to God I will. But I have never felt exhaustion and Melancholy as deep as this, as if I am weighed by anchors meant to ground a ship. It is hard for me to get out of bed, even harder for me to speak with others, and now this sorrow is mixed with fear. Lanyon, he must not go to the police. I pray he won’t. I fear my time is running short. How long before the unhappy story of Henry Jekyll comes to an end? By who’s hand? Will I fall to my sorrow? Will I be consumed by this new, entity that Hyde has become? Will Lanyon turn me over to the police? To the asylum? Will I be able to survive this?

#jekyll and hyde #jekyll & hyde #the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde #the strange case of dr. jekyll and mr. hyde #dr. jekyll and mr. hyde #dr jekyll and mr hyde #two faces story #mod art #mod writing #henry jekyll #violet poole #hastie jacob lanyon

16 notes · View notes

drnitahrexpert247 · 4 years

Text

Mission-driven organizations and its leaders continue to allow harassment in the workplace: Employees are running for the door (pt. 1)

Introduction

Are you experiencing anxiety, fear, or stress in the workplace? Are you gaining weight and making more trips to your primary care physician? Are you missing work more than usual? If so, there is a strong possibility that your work environment is toxic. You may already be aware of the toxicity and have even named the type of harassment you are experiencing. Meanwhile, you have no idea how to address your concerns or who to report this uncivil behavior to. Therefore, you simply continue to go to the toxic workplace that is negatively impacting the quality of your work and personal life. How long will you last?

What is harassment? It is discriminatory and/or negative physical and verbal behaviors that are unwelcomed or unwanted. Most employees come to work hoping to do a great job without the need to face any form of harassment. There is an expectation for respectful collegial conversations with colleagues to include all levels of leadership. As an HR leader for 19 years, I recognize the importance of respect, collegiality, and collaboration in the workplace. Of particular importance is the creation of safe spaces that promote work-life balance for all employees.

Bullying has been described as a form of harassment and a threat to the quality of life in a variety of spaces, including the workplace. Atkinson (2014, p. 2) defined bullying as “unwanted, repeated negative behaviors such as intimidation, threats, force, or harm that others are subjected to taking place over time.” Studies of bullying in organizations within the United States have become numerous, and increasingly, bullying is viewed as a challenge people will face throughout their life until death. Research has also shown that all Americans will experience bullying at some point in their careers, and explained the importance of building awareness about bullying and ways to deal with it. Unfortunately, organizations and its leaders are still using fear-based tactics to lead their organizations which result in high turnover, disgruntled employees, low employee morale, increased absenteeism, and the movement of effective leaders to other organizations.

Harassment in the form of bullying may also show up in the workplace as:

Threat of job loss

Workplace gossip

Managers texting employees after work hours and making unreasonable demands

Aggressive tone of voice

Hostile body language and overtures

Rude or derogatory comments

Racism, sexism, ageism

False accusations

Legal Recourse and Consequences

Why have valuable employees been making this choice instead of taking their grievances into a court of law? It is true that there are employment laws that can be enforced and sanctions that can be made against employers for workplace harassment. Especially, in higher education contexts. Employers and their boards can be named in a lawsuit if they continue to be complicit in these uncivil behaviors. It is also true that employers are aware that most employees will exit the organization instead of taking the legal route simply because it is expensive to hire an attorney, and enforcement agencies are two to three years behind in their investigations. However, there is still the reputation of the organization at stake. Employers should be aware that former employees will take their experiences and testimonials with them and will share them with others in their community. Consequently, organizations have regularly been losing high performers and effective leaders, that have stepped away from a toxic work culture into the arena of entrepreneurship, or to seek employment elsewhere.

Employee Self-Care Options

If you are expericing harassment or bullying in the workplace, I have outlined self-care options below that you may find helpful.

1. Employee assistance programs (EAPs) may be a valuable resource in a toxic work environment. Many employers provide this program through a group medical plan. The purpose of an EAP is to provide employees a free program that offers confidential short-term resources such as: counseling for emotional and mental health needs, grief or family loss, substance abuse, family or marital problems, trauma, etc. (Office of Personnel Management, [OPM], 2019). (Note, this is not an exhaustive list.) *This is not a federal or state mandated benefit. It is employer sponsored.

2. Medical leave through the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 provides up to 12 workweeks of approved time off in a 12-month period for the employee and any covered family members (Department of Labor [DOL], 2019). (Note, however, that an employee may be asked to use accrued paid time off to cover this leave.) This is a mandatory benefit, if eligibility is met. Eligibility information can be found here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla

3. Short-term disability (STD), if provided, can be coupled with FMLA. Some employers offers paid STD to ensure that wages are received while on leave of absence. Most companies also offer long-term disability (LTD), which takes effect after the STD ends or on or near 61 days of disability. Your employee handbook should have the specific details on these programs. Neither are a federal or state mandated benefit. Both are employer sponsored benefit plans.

If none of these suggestions is helpful, there are always the options to; 4. Seek employment elsewhere or enter into the entrepreneurial arena.

#selfcare #saynotoworkplacebullies #antibullying #antiharassment

For more information on anti-bullying/anti-harassment resources, please contact Dr. Arnita Walls-Pickett at (952) 373-1721 or here at:

http://linkedin.com/in/arnitawalls

References:

Atkinson, C. (2014). Bullying and harassment. Occupational Health, 66(11), 22–24. Retrieved from ‪https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=126838111&site=eds-live&scope=site‬

Department of Labor. (2019). Family medical leave act. Retrieved from Family and Medical Leave Act | U.S. Department of Labor

United States Office of Personnel Management. (2019). Work Life. Retrieved from ‪https://www.opm.gov/faqs/QA.aspx?fid=4313c618-a96e-4c8e-b078-1f76912a10d9&pid=2c2b1e5b-6ff1-4940-b478-34039a1e1174‬

0 notes

flyingvgroupca · 4 years

Text

What NEVER to Publish on a Real Estate Company Site or Blog

You're thinking about starting a blog, podcast or vlog. Weeks and months pass by, and you’re still no closer to your goals. You want to be heard. You have a message, and you’re anxious to impact the world with your real estate listings, findings, insights and experience, but… I know... You don't want to look or sound unprofessional You don’t have enough time to dedicate to a regular content marketing schedule You don’t have a budget to outsource this process or have not even considered doing it You don’t know where to start, or what to talk about first Let’s face it. Every real estate business needs a website, and every website should have a blog. (1) But most don’t. (2) Or they’re not regularly updated. (3) Or their content is uninspiring and dull. That’s where YOU come in! Here’s what I mean. We both know that nobody likes to read average articles, stuffed with keywords, and posted on a poorly designed website. If you’re reading this, then you already know your real estate business requires: (1) A pro website design You’re losing money and trust if you go with an average, ‘me too’ website look because... A professional website design reflects your real estate brand and vice-versa. So, it has to reflect a color combination and layout elements that are in sync with your real estate company’s mission, core team values, and principles. (2) An SEO blog setup with Wordpress (preferable) Wordpress is ideal for real estate websites because you get a fast, secure, and easily manageable platform to future-proof build and grow your real estate business. (3) A series of high-quality and highly relevant articles AND blog posts, meant for both humans and Google. If your website is the KING, then your content marketing is the QUEEN. What is high-quality content, and how can you ensure that you create more impactful content even when you lack time?

The Secret to Creating Content of Value as a Busy Real Estate Agent or CEO.

Transform your real estate agency into a micro multi-media agency. Here’s how to accomplish this: Start by producing micro-video content. This less-practiced method saves you plenty of time because you don’t have to manually type in new content. The simple solution is to jot down some ideas, create 3 slides, and expand on the pillar concepts, while you record your screen and speak. Imagine this. 10 minutes worth of recorded video can provide you with enough content for multiple blog posts and short email follow-ups. You can load these into your autoresponder service or CRM to convert prospects into leads, and transform leads into customers, via email and SMS, for many months to come. Here’s what you need to do: You can simply answer the most common and frequently asked questions from your target audience while recording yourself with Screencastify, or other screencast recording platforms. They’re so easy to use and make you look and sound professional, without costing an arm and a leg. The free version has some limitations, but you’re ready to go within seconds to start broadcasting your way to the top. This video content may include questions on what to consider when processing approvals for loans, searching for a house, or even buying a new apartment in your city or county. You get the idea, but you know your audience better than I do, so you’ll know what their requirements are or what key topics to focus on. Prepare a list of the most common questions that prospects might have about your service and listed properties, within the realm of your specific Real Estate location. Here is one simple and proven tool (website) that can help you come up with quick ideas for your top FAQ list: visit Quora. With Quora, you can search for questions and the results will show the responses of others. You can identify the related questions, and get an idea of what people are asking.

Next, record yourself for an hour at the beginning of each month, and answer all the relevant questions. You’ll have enough content for 30+ days to post to your website or blog. You can take this idea a step further, and hire a VA or have someone from your team distribute this content to your YouTube channel, as well as engage with prospects via Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. The best invention ever is social media. If used correctly, it can capture attention your target market attention and start significant conversations. All you have to do is hit the record button, and start sharing your screen and slides (you can find lots of slide templates online for free). Ultimately, these amazing video messages will be your best lead generator and traffic machines. Here are some amazing additional content ideas to help you create premium video content and blog posts to attract your ideal audience. Using these, you can convert prospects into leads, and turn leads into customers - for many years. 100+ Topics and Ideas for Your Real Estate Blog 72 Rock Solid Real Estate Blogging Ideas With Examples 25 Best Real Estate Blog Ideas & Examples (Expert Insights) 7 creative ideas for successful real estate blog posts Real Estate Blog Topics You Can Write About in Less than 30 Minutes Your video content should encourage and entice your prospects to join your lead magnet, and subscribe to your mailing list. This is where most real estate marketers fail miserably. They have their website, location and phone number listed in the video description, or at the end of the video presentation. However, they lack a lead capture offer, or button in the video itself. So, they get stuck, unable to comprehend why their video marketing generate only minimal or no results. However, setting up this lead gen machine doesn’t mean your done. Most automated email campaigns fail, due to multiple reasons. I’ll cover one of the most important ones next.

Here’s why the standard follow-up ‘drip email’ strategy is exceedingly ineffective, and how to create high-converting emails for your real estate campaigns instead

Plenty of these emails are written in an extremely professional way but lack a personal touch. Drip emails are automated and really reduces you to feeling like a number in a mailing queue. If you are sending these emails, the person on the receiving end will not feel any warmth or love, and will definitely know that no-one took the time to craft the message with care. With the rapid development of automation and artificial intelligence, you need to separate yourself from all the other real estate professionals, while using the same technology.

Here’s how to make this strategy work for you instead, and increase your chance to bond create trust, and forge new relationships with leads, from day one, week after week, month after month: Stop trying to be perfect. Consider the tone of the email, and create it to sound like it’s meant for a human, instead of creating a mechanical ‘do this, or else…’ demand that will just end up in the ‘deleted’ folder or recycle bin. Therefore, your prospects should feel respected, and not like their intelligence is being underestimated. Use very short, personal email messages. These friendly ‘letters’ will create a personal connection with your prospects or previous clients. This will exude an aura of ‘they care about me’ and would encourage the person to respond, attend your event or refer a friend, colleague or family member. Here are some examples of brief and friendly email messages you can model that actually have a chance of receiving that “tell me more!” reply:

You can also send out these messages via text / SMS to further build trust and remain in the mind of your prospects, for longer than those from your competitors. Long gone are the days when real estate CEOs and agents wanted to sound like a big corporations whose only intention was to impress and ‘close the sale’ as fast as possible. What happens if people still don’t respond? Or, how do you reactivate previous clients or lost leads? What is the secret, really? The answer may surprise you. It is so simple, yet you rarely hear that real estate agents use it with any significant results. Here’s what I’m referring to...

How to Bring Real Estate Leads Back from the ‘Dead’

The tips I’m sharing with you to help revive leads that have point blank refused to move forward with you before, are often overlooked by most real estate professionals since they are more interested in generating new leads, instead of taking care of lost opportunities. That goldmine sitting right under your nose can be your most precious asset. Call them. As simple as that, it works wonders. In the conversation, you should always share how you acquired the lead, whether from Trulia, Realtor or maybe Facebook. This will remind the lead that they once inquired about buying a home, finding a location, etc. Be ultra-specific, relaxed, and don’t hide the context. This may lead you to responses like, ‘Already bought a home,’ ‘Still saving my money for a down payment,’ or ‘Fixing my credit.’ With these clients, there is a possibility that they will buy, dive or unsubscribe. It should be noted that there is a small fortune to be had if the follow-up is done right, with a proven strategy on paper, and kept consistent. That’s the KEY. What to do if bad things happen. Like for e.g., … It often occurs that the lead does not pick up your call, in which case you should leave a voicemail. Despite their busy schedule, the lead might find time to listen to your message and act on it. Voice mail messages can make or break your lead gen campaign. That’s why it is so crucial for you to spend a few minutes, maybe half an hour to perfect the irresistible voicemail message, as well as additional follow-ups. Over time you’ll get better and learn to structure these messages more naturally, while improving your response rate as you advance through life and business.

Private message (PM) leads on their most active social media platform.

Some individuals are faster to reach on Twitter, or Linkedin, while others may prefer Facebook. Take advantage of all platforms, go ‘fishing’ where they can easily be found. Testing your message across all these different channels will help you make an informed decision, while eventually perfecting your approach. This method will help you address the fast-paced life of leads and everyone else. If somebody is active and ready to go, they will reach out to you. If not, there are enough leads for you to consider, and you’ll never look back.

What to say in order to catch the fishes and profit from leads:

Offer time-sensitive or exclusive information that is not available on the top sites or in the local markets. This will pique their interest since everyone would like to be the first to acquire the information before it is distributed to the rest. Be a natural ‘actor,’ improve your role playing, and show passion when delivering your messages, one person at a time. If you know someone who does not know what to do with their list of ‘dead’ leads, you may consider buying the list from them, and apply the above tips to win and/or revive some of these back into your funnel. Or, you can partner up with them, and create a joint venture where you split the profits from all revenue generated. Sounds like a win-win situation, right? There is money and opportunities in ‘dead’ leads. Get out there with a simple, and consistent plan. Use the best CRM available for real estate and follow-up extensively. Here are some more drip email & follow-up ideas: 17 Best Real Estate Email Templates & Scripts (I simply love the 2nd idea!) 14 Real Estate Email Templates to Use (Hubspot knows their game) 10 Real Estate Email Templates for Building Leads & Selling Listings (you may want to pay close attention to the very first template because it usually gets the highest response rate) 10 Real Estate Lead Conversion Emails (don’t overlook the first two examples) From learning about…

What NEVER to Publish on a Real Estate Company Site or Blog

You’ve discovered how to rapidly create high-quality content, using the 10-minute micro-video formula. More importantly, you learned how to properly follow-up with prospects and leads - even during busy days. This is one of the best ways to stand out in a crowded, busy, and mechanical real estate market. Remember: make it your #1 goal and vision to transform your real estate company into a micro-content multi-media agency. Thank you so much for reading What NEVER to Publish on a Real Estate Company Site or Blog. We really appreciate it! If you have any questions about our article, or can suggest any other topics you think we should explore, feel free to let us know. Be sure to sign-up for our newsletter to receive monthly emails on all of the latest trends and happenings in the digital marketing space. You will also receive our FREE E-Book with the Amazing Marketing Tools for Powerful Business Growth. Sign-up below! Also, if you received some value out of this article, please share with your friends or colleagues, or leave a comment/question below. We really appreciate you reading our blog and every share/comment means the world to us and allows us to continue producing valuable tools to help you grow your business! Share this PostAbout the Author

Robb Fahrion Facebook Twitter Google+Robb Fahrion is the Co-Founder and a Partner of Flying V Group. He is passionate about helping businesses grow using the power of the internet. Robb graduated from Chapman University in Orange, CA and currently resides in Costa Mesa, CA. Robb enjoys writing about digital marketing, helping his clients turn their dreams into reality, and is a HUGE Mike Trout fan. The Best Strategy to Increase Traffic and Leads to Your Real Estate Website without Any Referrals, Facebook or Paid AdsNovember 25, 2019What NEVER to Publish on a Real Estate Company Site or BlogNovember 19, 2019Real Estate SEO Tools Exposed: SEMrush vs Ahrefs vs MozPro Review (2019)November 11, 2019

Discover the Best Digital Business Growth Strategies! Join 10,000+ Other Digital Marketers, Consultants, and SEO Experts Now: Notice: JavaScript is required for this content. var formDisplay=1;var nfForms=nfForms||;var form=;form.id='35_1';form.settings={"objectType":"Form Setting","editActive":true,"title":"IN USE - 16 Tools - non-sidebar - copy GLOBAL BLOCK EMAIL GLOBAL","created_at":"2018-10-02 23:58:52","form_title":"Top Ten List Blog - non-sidebar - copy - copy","default_label_pos":"above","show_title":"0","clear_complete":"1","hide_complete":"1","logged_in":"0","wrapper_class":"","element_class":"","add_submit":"0","changeEmailErrorMsg":"Please enter a valid email address!","changeDateErrorMsg":"Please enter a valid date!","confirmFieldErrorMsg":"These fields must match!","fieldNumberNumMinError":"Number Min Error","fieldNumberNumMaxError":"Number Max Error","fieldNumberIncrementBy":"Please increment by ","formErrorsCorrectErrors":"Please correct errors before submitting this form.","validateRequiredField":"This is a required field.","honeypotHoneypotError":"Honeypot Error","fieldsMarkedRequired":"Fields marked with an * are required","currency":"","unique_field_error":"A form with this value has already been submitted.","not_logged_in_msg":"","sub_limit_msg":"The form has reached its submission limit.","calculations":,"formContentData":,"order":0,"type":"part","clean":true,"title":"Part Title","key":"sysrdshp"}],"drawerDisabled":false,"key":"","mp_breadcrumb":1,"mp_progress_bar":1,"mp_display_titles":0,"allow_public_link":0,"embed_form":"","ninjaForms":"Ninja Forms","fieldTextareaRTEInsertLink":"Insert Link","fieldTextareaRTEInsertMedia":"Insert Media","fieldTextareaRTESelectAFile":"Select a file","formHoneypot":"If you are a human seeing this field, please leave it empty.","fileUploadOldCodeFileUploadInProgress":"File Upload in Progress.","fileUploadOldCodeFileUpload":"FILE UPLOAD","currencySymbol":"$","thousands_sep":",","decimal_point":".","siteLocale":"en_US","dateFormat":"m\/d\/Y","startOfWeek":"1","of":"of","previousMonth":"Previous Month","nextMonth":"Next Month","months":,"monthsShort":,"weekdays":,"weekdaysShort":,"weekdaysMin":,"currency_symbol":"","beforeForm":"","beforeFields":"","afterFields":"","afterForm":""};form.fields=,"old_classname":"","wrap_template":"wrap"},{"objectType":"Field","objectDomain":"fields","editActive":false,"order":3,"type":"submit","label":"Sign Up","processing_label":"Processing","container_class":"","element_class":"","key":"sign_up_1556741674462","drawerDisabled":false,"id":"188_1","beforeField":"","afterField":"","value":"","label_pos":"above","parentType":"textbox","element_templates":,"old_classname":"","wrap_template":"wrap-no-label"}];nfForms.push(form); {{{ data.renderProgressBar() }}} {{{ data.renderBreadcrumbs() }}} {{{ data.renderPartTitle() }}} {{{ data.title }}} {{{ data.renderNextPrevious() }}} Read the full article

#contentforrealestatewebsite #typesofcontentforrealestateblog #whattopublishonrealestateblog

0 notes

askagamedev · 6 years

Note

The most common money saving strategies I have heard of for game development are: better time management (although this is true for every type of task), use a licensed engine like Unreal, reuse assets if you have them and limit the amount of voice acting and non game-play animation you need. Any slightly more obscure money saving strategies you have seen that most people don't talk about but are still used to shave cost off?

Simplified/stylized art is probably the most enormous money-saver possible. If you don’t have to create super detailed art assets for the game, you don’t need an army of artists creating those assets… and so you don’t need to pay an army of artists to create those assets. Clever and judicious reuse of existing assets (like how Super Mario Bros. used the same sprite for clouds and bushes) can save a good amount of money. Telltale reuses their various environments and animations a LOT in their games - their engine is designed around reusing parts of existing assets. Voice acting isn’t actually very expensive unless you hire from the union. You can usually bypass the union for voice acting unless you’re working for a publisher that has a contract with SAG-AFTRA in place already.

You can save a good amount of money on software licenses if you go off-brand or use a free tool. Google documents or Open Office instead of Microsoft Office, and Google projects instead of Perforce, etc. Not everybody needs a console dev kit, so maybe key team members get an xbone and a ps4, but others get only one or the other, or you could provide one of each kit per strike team. Making up your own names for things like real-world weapons or vehicles instead of official ones avoid paying licensing fees. The studio’s location is also a big one. The cost of rent and utilities in a glitzy downtown office space is much higher than a small office park on the edge of town.

That said, this list of money-saving techniques should make it reasonably clear why most indie and lower budget games tend to look the way they do. Necessity is the mother of invention, after all. When you don’t have a lot of money to spend, you are forced to do the best you can with what you have.

The FANTa Project is currently on hiatus while I am crunching at work.

[What is the FANTa project?] [Git the FANTa Project]

Got a burning question you want answered?

Short questions: Ask a Game Dev on Twitter

Long questions: Ask a Game Dev on Tumblr

Frequent questions: The FAQ

#small budget vs big budget games #game budgets #where the money goes #indie game development

63 notes · View notes

pixelproductions · 5 years

Link

7 Ways a Chatbot Can Grow Business and Improve Customer Experience

Are you using AI to improve customer experience yet? If not, take a look at how effective a simple Chatbot can be in this in order to grow your business.

We’re nearing 2020 and many businesses, big or small, are beginning to see how artificial intelligence impacts their operations. While only 16% of businesses have invested in these AI solutions, experts actually see this number tripling once 2019 ends!

As marketers start understanding the fundamentals of artificial intelligence, they can begin to use it even better, implementing it in a more creative manner. A great example of this is how chatbots can improve all kinds of customer experiences, taking marketing to an entirely new level.

How exactly do chatbots, whether AI or live, help improve the customer experience for your business? Read on as I show you seven ways chatbots can help businesses, marketers, and customers out!

Ways Chatbots Can Grow Businesses and Improve Customer Experience

There are actually a variety of ways chatbots can improve one’s user experience, may it be for a prospect or loyal customers. As a result, your business brings in more potential sales! Here are seven amazing ways chatbots can help you and your business grow:

1. Improve Customer Onboarding

Chatbots can improve one’s customer onboarding experience, which benefits companies offering products and sufferings with a learning curve. For example;

Many service oriented businesses have a problem clearly communicating how their services work and what they actually do. Clearly this is a roadblock in the customer experience. Many businesses use chatbots to bridge this gap by walking users through the experience ultimately reducing customer complaints of your business with the added benefit of increased conversions.

Chatbots can fix problems for your users and teach them even more features they would not have known about! It lessens the confusion and has them use your products efficiently for the more positive feedback.

Also, once your customers know how to use your product and/or services properly, the more engaged they’ll feel with your business. That’s even more chances of them coming back to check out more of what your business offers!

2. Automate Transactions and Recommend Products or Services

You want to ensure convenience for all consumers when purchasing something from you. Some users might visit your site with an idea, but not an actual product in mind for the solution they need. Chatbots can help give that nudge to customers, suggesting what they may want and to encourage them to get it.

Customers won’t have trouble browsing through your site and not find what they need, or have to fill out long order forms to purchase. Chatbots interact with customers casually to find out what they want and even recommend featured products, even ordering it through the bot!

3. Personalize User Experience

Customers now expect businesses to provide them with targeted messages that cater to THEM. Each step of a buyer’s journey should resonate with them, whether it’s the content sent down to customer support.

In fact, over 50% of consumers are willing to share personal data to receive more relevant offers.

Chatbots listen to what customers needs and the problem they have, providing relevant tips and answers quickly. Through unique and personalized answers, it increases customer satisfaction and they are more inclined to come back.

4. Act As Separate Search Engines

Platforms that have search functionalities can be a separate search engine, which chatbots can do, too. For example, you have a t-shirt business. Before customers make a purchase, they search your website, look at the different designs, read any reviews, and then make a purchase.

This will have them go through at LEAST three different pages, which is irritating and slows down the buyer journey. Chatbots can have visitors get all the information they need in one place without loading new webpages. Furthermore, advanced chatbots can understand both text and voice-based messages for versatility.

5. Value Through Lead Generation

Lead generation is a marketer’s top priority, but it can be quite a challenge achieving it. Chatbots can actually help with that, providing quick customer support regardless of how many people use it. When it engages with the audience and builds a relationship with them, the chatbot then inquires if they want more content or offers to their emails.

If the user says yes, the chatbot will ask specific questions to learn about what kind of specialized content and offers they would like to see more. It then has you create content and deals catered to specific people, which increases the chances of conversion.

6. Handle More Customers At Expanded Operating Hours

There are a ton of live chat provider options available, but even your human workers need some rest! Plus, you can’t afford to hire people around-the-clock to constantly answer users of all timezones and hours. Chatbots are open 24/7 and will accommodate with personal messages and prompt replies no matter the time!

Now, you can save money on manpower and all customers get accurate answers without risk of human error at the wee hours of the morning. Regardless of the timezone or location, chatbots can care for as many customers without confusion. This also helps improving one’s customer satisfaction.

7. Integrate Chatbot Data With Other Marketing Strategies

There are many reasons why people use your business’ chatbot:

To find the correct product or service and order it directly from there

Stay informed with all your content, news, and offers

Receive personalized product and service recommendations

Receive answers to problems regarding your products and services

Because of this, you get to collect data, from problems, preferences, needs, demographics, the way they interact, even their purchasing choices and habits! You can utilize all this data for future marketing campaigns to ramp up its success.

For example, you can create personalized content that addresses real issues, create an FAQ for less hassle, or improve what you have to offer, from your products to offers.

Wrapping It Up

Chatbots in the business world continues to grow, and with its amazing benefits, you might want to get in on it, too! From better conversions to improved customer satisfaction, you can

Hopefully, this article on how chatbots are able to grow encouraged you to implement it to your business. If you want to start to implement AI and chatbots into your business now, start with live chat options and see where it takes you!

For those who have any questions or want to share their experiences with AI or live chatbots, comment below. Your thoughts are much appreciated!

#7 ways a chatbot can grow business and improve customer experience #ai #chatbots

0 notes

garfunklestein · 7 years

Text

On Bethesda’s Creators Club

Alright, so this is a half rant and half explanation (with the knowledge I currently have on Creator’s Club, which I’ll be short handing out to “CC”). Anything I list is subject to change as the program rolls out this summer. For a few points, hopefully they are changed. Currently, people are spreading a shit ton of misinformation about it. If you wanna be angry and direct your rage at Bethesda, that’s absolutely fine - we need to call out companies when we think they’re doing something unethical, shady, or anti-consumer, as well as expect change from it - but at least let it be an informed rage, not blind and led by internet hearsay.

(Skip until the next notice if you already know about the paid mods fiasco years back)

A little bit of backstory and context here - a few years back, Bethesda and Valve tried out paid mods. On the Skyrim Steam Workshop, modders who were checked out and given the green light by Bethesda could put up their mods (both new and pre-existing, taking them down from other free modding platforms if they wished), and put them on a new section of the workshop for sale. They could range anywhere from $0.99 (US) to $3.99, as I remember. A few I can recall were a fishing mod from Chesko, some weapon packs (pretty lame and comically overpriced), and I think Frostfall, a hardcore survival mod, and more. The modders would get paid (a rather paltry percentage) of every sale, and Bethesda and Valve would pocket the rest. Pushback against this was almost universal, though the reasons varied.

Some inherently disagreed with the concept of charging money for mods, as it goes against the spirit of modding (something I agree with, to a point), as well as taking down previously free mods from sites like the Nexus only to turn around and slap a price label on them. Then there were those who thought the mods were DRASTICALLY overpriced – to the point of being insulting (also me). Lastly, there were those who didn’t inherently push against the concept of paid mods, but disliked how little the mod authors were being paid for their work, with most of the profit going directly back to Bethesda and Valve (I’m all over the place, but I also saw the argument there, too). Within a couple of days of non-stop death threats and the most inflammatory response they could have imagined, Bethesda backed out and shut it down, apologizing and probably trying to push Fallout 4 out the door A.S.A.P. to help people forget about it. Valve, surprisingly, was adamant. They admitted it was a mistake, but doubled down that they’d like to try it again sometime. It was a mess all around. I think the pushback was good, and the genuine discussion (not the mindless and disgusting vitriol spewed, like death threats to Bethesda and Valve employees over a game) was good, and more or less needed to happen. But it’s looking like we’ll be having more of that discussion now and in the near future.

(If you skipped, read on from here)

Well, now Bethesda’s coming back with it. Kind of. It’s a very different situation, and one that I’m skeptical of, but at least seems much better than their first attempt at it.

At their press conference Sunday night, Bethesda revealed what they called “Creator’s Club”, a new program for their website/modding service Beth.net, for both Fallout 4 and Skyrim Special Edition. As you might know, mods are now available on both PS4 and Xbox One through Beth.net. The way they framed the program was confusing and left more questions than answers. They seriously shot themselves in the foot with a damn Gauss Rifle by not elaborating more on it. You have to go to their website and read their FAQ to get the details you want, and the internet’s already started the misinformation wagon. It’ll take a miracle for it not to be dead in the water by the time it comes out just due to sheer internet outrage culture.

Lemme go over a few points of the program and how it’s different than the paid mods fiasco. Or at least, what I’m getting from their FAQ. Do have a healthy level of skepticism, and be ready to call them out if they don’t hold up to their promises.

· The way it works, is you’ll be able to pull up the store front in game, and browse their selection of mods, and be able to purchase them with a digital currency known as “Credits” (I will ignore this name and continuously call them Bethesda Bucks). Packs of this currency can be bought through the Xbox Live Store, PSN, and Steam. Once you buy a “mod” (?), and activate it in-game, it will instantly be applied. No having to exit the game to apply it. Does this mean a large set of updates will be needed to keep the content available? Is it similar to on-disc DLC?

· They’re not taking in hundreds upon hundreds of amateur modders to reupload old content of theirs onto the program. This is much more like a job application. They specified they’re basically looking to make a smaller dev team, and want professional artists, programmers, designers, and more. They’ll also be looking for the best modders in the community with a history of quality mods to join the team, and you’ll have to send in a resume alongside previous work in a portfolio for them to judge.

· Currently existing mods on other sites such as the Nexus, Steam Workshop, and Beth.net itself will not be taken down or ported to CC. They’re looking to make entirely new exclusive content, and no pre-existing mods may be put into the program.

· There’s already “a number” of Bethesda employees and developers on the team to help create the content. While they will no doubt be there for supervising purposes, the FAQ also claims they’ll be working with the newly hired Creators to make new projects. They claim all content will be compatible with the base game and other mods, go through localization, and quality assurance (granted, Bethesda’s QA).

· This is less a point of explanation, but a question I feel needs posing, and its own point. Are these even mods? I mean, we did see a “pack” that added Dwarven Armor to Mudcrabs (ugh), but depending on what else is made, is it less modding, than it is DLC? Or “mini-DLC”? It is being curated by Bethesda’s devs, and these “modders” are less modders and more part-time to maybe even full time employees. If a quest mod for Skyrim is made, will it be checked and have consultation from the ES lore team? Will it have voice acting from Bethesda’s pool of voice actors? There’s way too many questions right now, and Bethesda needs to clarify if it’s coming out so soon.

That’s all that I could gather from their FAQ. Do keep an ear out for any changes, and hold Bethesda to their word. So, go forth with this info, and have this discussion – on paid mods, on what a mod is, or what DLC is, if this is against the spirit of modding, or not. It’s one we as an industry, and as a large collective community, need to have. Personally, I’m going to wait and see CC for myself, then make my judgement. I’m not inherently against the idea of a side development team continuously making content for Fallout 4 and Skyrim, provided it is good content, and is fairly priced. I just really, really hope the selection of content (dear god I’ve had to say content so much in this almost borderline essay) isn’t indicative of the quality and selection we’ll be getting when the program goes live. I really, really hope it isn’t, because there’s honest potential to this to get larger and better projects out the door with proper funding.

Thanks for sticking through this jumbled mess of writing, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

(If you’re a modder especially, thank you for your work and making these communities such fantastic places. Keep it up, and keep improving!)

#Bethesda #Creator's Club #Mods #Modding #Fallout #Skyrim #Rants

0 notes

instantdeerlover · 4 years

Text

The Un-Heroic Reality of Being an ‘Essential’ Restaurant Worker added to Google Docs

The Un-Heroic Reality of Being an ‘Essential’ Restaurant Worker

As a restaurant employee, I’ve been deemed an essential worker. But you’d never know that from the way I’m treated.

This is Eater Voices, where chefs, restaurateurs, writers, and industry insiders share their perspectives about the food world, tackling a range of topics through the lens of personal experience. First-time writer? Don’t worry, we’ll pair you with an editor to make sure your piece hits the mark. If you want to write an Eater Voices essay, please send us a couple paragraphs explaining what you want to write about and why you are the person to write it to [email protected].

We started to grasp the severity of the COVID-19 situation about halfway through a Thursday night shift. It was March 12, and I was on the takeout register at the Los Angeles Vietnamese restaurant where I’ve worked for the past two years. Our busser had been coughing heavily for about a month, and now he was visibly sweating. “I think I have to go home,” he said. At the time, he worked two full-time jobs; diligent and meticulous, he never called out. “Maybe you should go to the hospital,” I told him. At that point, I was naive enough to think he could get tested and treated. He nodded and left.

News came to us in fragments. One table mentioned the NBA had just ended its season; another was frantic about the European travel ban. I began making a list of food and nonperishables to get from the grocery store. “You should go tonight,” my coworker told me. I jotted down phrases like “alkaline water” and “bags of pasta.” We laughed at my scattered list and our utter confusion, still unsure where this all was going.

Two months later, we are certain of a few things: The restaurant industry is in trouble, and government relief programs have been woefully insufficient. Mom-and-pop establishments, the likes of which Jonathan Gold championed across our city, will most likely be hit the hardest as their owners struggle to stay afloat.

And in the midst of this national conversation, restaurant employees have been deemed “essential workers,” a heroic title that feels to me, as one such restaurant worker, wildly generous. The reality of work under quarantine has been both more stressful and more farcical than I anticipated, and has made me question what it actually means to be essential.

Since Los Angeles’s Safer-at-Home initiative was instated, the nightly staff at our restaurant has shrunk by more than half, with only one front-of-house person and two cooks per shift. My hours have been reduced from five to two nights a week. We all wear masks: The owners provided each of us with a disposable one when the pandemic started, but by now most everyone has switched to their own reusable ones.

“I’m really disappointed,” she said. “I expected the food to be here in time for my virtual happy hour.”

The atmosphere vacillates between tense, normal, and bizarre. For the most part, anxiety over the risk of infection slips to the back of my mind as I deal with the annoyance of needy customers and the stresses of the tasks at hand. But I also try to stay diligent. I spray down the counters incessantly, and “sanitize” the pens (dunk them in bleach) after each use. I rush around matching boxes of food to their tickets while delivery drivers fill the restaurant. I shuffle between the three separate iPads we are now using for online delivery orders. Perspiration pools on my lip beneath my mask as I sweat through slammed shifts.

Some customers tip generously. But the longer quarantine goes on, the more customers seem to be reverting to their old habits. One night, a woman questioned the 10 percent service fee on her $180 order.

“What’s this?” she asked.

I explained that we put a fee on orders over $100 in lieu of a tip.

“Why?” she asked.

“Because it’s a lot of work…” I offered.

She left unconvinced.

Regulars who never tipped before the crisis have continued their practice of not tipping. “Thanks for staying open!” one of them chirped as he pocketed his change. Another customer put a $5 in the tip jar, then took two $1 bills for change. “I’m leaving you $3,” he told me curtly. During a rainstorm, a customer called and asked that we bring her order out to the car. When I handed her the receipt, she wrote “0.00” and signed her name with a flourish. She was wearing a T-shirt that said “Wild Feminist.”

The unacknowledged absurdity of the situation is almost comical. I am handing you noodles wearing gloves and a mask because we are in the midst of a global pandemic! I want to yell. I am risking my health for your greasy meal!

In the midst of a busy Sunday night, a woman called to complain about her order.

“I’m really disappointed,” she said. “I expected the food to be here in time for my virtual happy hour.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” I responded. “I’m doing my best.”

In moments like these, it’s a relief to let my customer service facade slip away and speak bluntly. I try to keep it moving and turn such encounters into funny anecdotes, but still they stew in my stomach in a simmering rage. When will the efforts and labor of other people be recognized? If not now, when?

Before COVID, about half the restaurant’s takeout business typically came from the third-party delivery apps Caviar and Postmates. During quarantine, it’s grown to 80 percent. Since the customer tips the driver, not the restaurant, cashiers don’t make any money on those orders. As such, they are my lowest priority, and drivers end up with long wait times. They crowd the space around the counter, limiting the possibility of social distancing and creating additional stress. They hover and pester, and I snap back at them. Two newly deemed essential workers face off over whose time is more valuable.

Right after the pandemic began, my workplace became a Postmates Partner. Beforehand, we charged a 10 percent service fee on Postmates orders that went directly into our tips. But since becoming a partner, we’re no longer allowed to do so. The Postmates Partnership FAQ page boasts “increased visibility” for Partners on their app and website, as well as an average 300 percent increase in orders — meaning I am now handling significantly more orders on which I make significantly less money.

Whenever my coworkers and I have complained about the lack of tipping available on apps, the restaurant’s owners argue that we make $14.25 an hour (aka Los Angeles County’s minimum wage). Online orders, they say, help them recoup money they need to pay us. But in truth, these third-party platforms are just as exploitative to restaurant owners, with the standard commission fee hovering around 30 percent — and their shady practices have continued under the guise of COVID-19 relief. A recent GrubHub promotion offering a $10 discount for customers who ordered $30 of food noted in fine print that the $10 was actually comped by the restaurant, not GrubHub.

Against my better judgment, I get into a Facebook argument with a former high school classmate who now works for Uber Eats. Before the mayor of San Francisco instructed delivery apps to cap their restaurant fees at 15 percent, Uber Eats had implemented a button on its app allowing the customer to donate to the restaurant, rather than lowering its own fees. My former classmate argues that restaurants would get used to reduced fees and have trouble restructuring once the crisis ends and that relief disappears. I point out that this logic assumes that restaurants can’t balance their own budgets. This same argument is currently being touted by the U.S. government to minimize emergency aid: They don’t want people to get used to it.

What I am getting used to instead is the arrival of a future that tech companies have been priming us for: public spaces populated mostly by delivery drivers purchasing doomsday groceries and meals for those wealthy enough to stay home.

The reality ignored by every #StayAtHome PSA is that people’s ability to social distance relies on the labor of others. It’s not so much that the work we’re doing is itself essential. It’s our working, rather, that is essential to maintaining the status quo.

When my mom asks if I’m getting hazard pay, I can’t help but laugh.

The owners of my workplace withheld our paychecks from the March 1 to March 15 pay period until April 10, almost three weeks past payday. They issued our checks only after my coworkers and I launched a collective campaign of prodding and griping.

“I won’t be able to work going forward if we can’t be paid on time,” I texted one of the owners.

His only response: “We’re doing our best.”

During this time, the restaurant participated in a program to send 100 lunches to health care workers. They announced this act of benevolence in an Instagram post. Several commenters lauded them as “local heroes.” I considered posting a comment asking when these local heroes intended to pay their own employees, but decided against it.

One of my coworkers thinks we should try to be understanding, that the enemy is capitalism, and the owner is a victim for being dumb enough to buy into it. Another heard that the owners might lose their house. But it’s difficult for me to feel sorry for the people who control my income and whose interest in the plight of their employees depends on the day of the week. Though they offered groceries from the kitchen to all of us employees when the pandemic first hit, my bosses also neglected to disclose when I was hired that I am, in fact, eligible for sick time. I only learned about my accrual after the start of the pandemic, in passing, from a coworker.

We are now forced to be “in this together,” a phrase insisted upon in every glib managerial email.

But the truth is, I do feel a tug of sympathy. It’s harder to say “fuck the boss” when he’s a stressed-out guy I see every day, not a faceless corporation or billionaire villain.

Before COVID, my coworkers and I had begun to document our grievances, hoping to advocate for necessary changes. Some of the issues — not being allowed to order food on our breaks, micromanaging by the owners — are mostly irrelevant now that daily operations have shifted so drastically. Other issues, like passive-aggressive communication and the battle over service fees, have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Either way, we are now forced to be “in this together,” a phrase insisted upon in every glib managerial email. I want to keep my job, and I want the restaurant to stay open. As angry as I am, I remain bound to it.

A recent NPR story reported that many workers stand to make more money collecting unemployment than they would continuing to work. Many of my coworkers have decided to stay home, a choice that the owners have, to their credit, been amenable to.

My choice to keep coming in is mostly out of concern for my manager, a woman in her 50s with greater health risks than me, who I care for deeply and who would otherwise end up working nearly every shift herself. I also want to show solidarity with the kitchen staff and allow for them to maintain an income.

None of us know how long shelter-in-place orders will last and how far government resources will extend; a (mostly) steady paycheck feels more secure than limited unemployment benefits. The fact that assistance is tied to our employment status rather than our needs leads to tricky decisions, betting on which option will position us best long term.

C., one of the cooks I work with, was planning to move to Detroit with his family in May. He lost his other job at a restaurant in downtown LA when that restaurant closed. He’s paying rent in Los Angeles and making mortgage payments in Detroit. As an undocumented worker, he’s not eligible for federal stimulus money, even though he pays taxes. He tells me his savings account is dwindling.

“I’m trying not to think about it,” he says. “What can I do?”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a plan last month to distribute $500 cash payments to undocumented Californians, but the one-time payment doesn’t alleviate long-term worries. Before COVID, C. and I chatted often about the future, our respective plans. He wanted to learn to be a mechanic. Above all, he wanted to be his own boss.

The last time I went grocery shopping, I asked the cashier if he felt customers have been kinder or more conscientious since the pandemic began.

He laughed. “All I can say is that people are still people.”

People in the service industry tip each other well because we understand what this work requires, on normal days and even more so during the pandemic. My hope is for this understanding to extend and grow between workers across industries, as we follow each other’s leads, listen to each other’s demands, and take action where we can.

But the pandemic has not served as an empathy switch. Though outpourings of support for frontline workers across social media and various news outlets might indicate a cultural rethinking of the value of labor in the U.S., my experiences with both customers and management suggest otherwise. The imperative to thank frontline workers has not extended into material protection and solidarity, from either the government or the general public.

Customers want their shelves stocked and their takeout delivered. The labor that makes their leisure possible remains, essentially, an afterthought.

Sara Selevitch is a writer and a waitress living in Los Angeles. Nhung Lê is a Vietnamese freelance illustrator based in Sydney.

via Eater - All https://www.eater.com/2020/5/12/21251204/being-an-essential-restaurant-worker-during-coronavirus-pandemic

Created May 12, 2020 at 11:48PM /huong sen View Google Doc Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xa6sRugRZk4MDSyctcqusGYBv1lXYkrF

0 notes

likefusion · 7 years

Text

Is It Time to Invest in PPC for Your Content?: At first glance, pay-per-click and content marketing can seem like contrasting ideologies. PPC offers an immediate ROI. Alternatively, content marketing is an excellent tool for improving your brand's visibility, but it often takes time to gain momentum. But the two can work together. PPC can act as a secret weapon for your content marketing, supercharging your content campaigns and giving you an edge over your competition. Get attention and trust Marketers often run Facebook ads to highly targeted demographics. They send those who click the ad to an optimized landing page, featuring sales copy, product photographs, FAQs, reviews, security badges, and other trust elements. Their objective is to get the lead to click the “add to cart” button conveniently placed for maximum visibility and then to complete the purchase. However, marketers often get tunnel vision in terms of optimizing their PPC landing pages for purchasing conversions. Even if their PPC campaigns are successful in driving people to the site, those viewers can feel it was a waste of a click because the marketers haven't focused their effort on making visitors feel at home but only on encouraging them to convert. Don't waste PPC ads. Make clickers feel at home with relevant content, says @IAmAaronAgius.Click To Tweet A 2016 survey revealed that 67% of Americans say they pay more money to support brands they trust. Before somebody buys from a company they're unfamiliar with, they often explore other pages on the site, looking for indicators of legitimacy. Having a frequently updated blog, with lots of high value content, and indicators of social proof (many comments and social shares) demonstrates credibility and builds the trust needed to ultimately drive conversions. Takeaway: PPC can be used to bring attention to your site, while content marketing can be used to build trust once these new visitors have arrived. PPC brings attention to your site. #Contentmarketing builds trust once they arrive, says @IAmAaronAgiusClick To Tweet Laser target to attract content fans Content marketing sometimes is used as a shotgun approach to brand exposure – you regularly upload content to the internet, hoping your core buyer reads it and ultimately becomes a paying customer. While content marketing provides long-term SEO benefits, which ultimately help buyers who are searching for your product to find you, in the short term, content marketing too often entails broad targeting. For instance, guest blogging is a frequent tactic in content marketing. But if an infographic design agency publishes a guest post on a digital marketing blog, only a fraction of the readers are likely to be interested in hiring an agency to create visual content for their brand. But with a documented buyer persona, you can laser-target your content through a PPC campaign because you have analyzed demographic data – age, gender, geography, income level, interests – from previous customers. You can exclude unlikely buyers and include likely buyers in your content promotion. Laser-target your content promotion through a PPC campaign, says @IAmAaronAgius.Click To Tweet Say, for example, you're selling mixed martial arts apparel. You want to target fans of lightweight UFC champion Conor McGregor. Although this type of targeting is better than nothing, it's still not going to get you in front of the right people. Because his name transcends the sport, plenty of people who like Conor McGregor on Facebook may only watch mixed martial arts when he's competing or they might just enjoy updates of his extravagant lifestyle and may not care about the sport whatsoever. In other words, Facebook fans of Conor McGregor wouldn't be ideal customers for your apparel. Say, instead, that you decide to target fans of fighters who have less mainstream recognition but are highly regarded within the mixed martial arts niche, such as No. 5-ranked welterweight Jorge Masvidal. It's highly unlikely that someone would be a fan of Jorge without having a deep affinity for the sport – so this targeting makes more sense. By advertising your content to these fans, your resonance will be much higher. Takeaway: Laser-targeted PPC campaigns can be used to ensure that your content gets in front of the more highly sought prospective customers. Test your content elements Split testing is integral to running a successful PPC ad campaign, yet the tactic also can work for content marketing. Split testing is integral to running a successful PPC ad campaign, says @IAmAaronAgius.Click To Tweet In PPC campaigns, landing page elements such as the imagery, sales copy, placement of the “add to cart” button or email opt-in form, social proof elements, and value proposition are all elements that can be tested. When using split testing for content, you can test elements such as your blog layout, tone of voice, and headline. It's best to run tests for at least a week and include multiple blog posts to ensure that your results demonstrate real user preferences. Metrics such as clicks, time on page, conversions, and shares can be used to determine the winners of your split tests. If you're using a heat-mapping tool such as Inspectlet, you may want to record how far down the average user scrolls on each page variant. You also can test the length of blog posts. While longer blog posts typically perform better than shorter ones, no audience is the same. Split testing will help you understand the situation with your audience. Upload two versions of your post: one lengthy (at least 1,500 words) and a shorter, more succinct version. Use Facebook ads to target your core demographic and send paid traffic to both pages and track the results. Do this with multiple blog posts to ensure that any trends you discover are universally applicable. Takeaway: Use PPC split testing to evaluate your audience's preferences for blog layout, tone of voice, article length, and headlines. HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: • How to Create High-Converting Content • How to Test Short-Form Content Before Making Long-Form Investment Promote special content As any marketer knows, your “best” content doesn't always generate the most engagement. If you ever run a content audit, it can be perplexing trying to determine why some articles went viral, while others tanked. If you've allocated significant resources to producing a special piece of content, such as an infographic, e-book, video, etc., it's unacceptable to roll the dice in terms of whether it receives attention. By running a Facebook page post engagement ad to promote your special content, you will receive “likes,” posts and shares at a low cost – particularly if you're smart with your targeting, as described above. If your content is genuinely awesome, you'll receive organic reach amplified by the engaged paid traffic. Including a call to action in the ad's box text, such as “tag a friend who would love this,” prompts people to show the content to their friends (so long as they see it as high value), putting more eyeballs on your content without any additional ad cost. TIP: Alternatively, page post engagement ads can be used to promote content that already performed well. PPC ads can bring the content (and your brand) to an even wider audience. Takeaway: If you use page post engagement ads on Facebook to promote special content that paid traffic finds highly valuable, organic reach also will grow. Use @Facebook page post engagement ad to promote special #content & watch organic reach grow @IAmAaronAgiusClick To Tweet HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: • 9 Brilliant Tactics to Promote Your Blog Content on Facebook • All Your Snapchat Advertising Questions Answered Go with your audience Even if you ignore all the other tips in this article, this one is by far the most powerful. Too many businesses never interact after a visitor sees and leaves the site without engaging. Yet, these people could all be potential customers who for whatever reason didn't engage on their first visit. Use retargeting. In e-commerce PPC campaigns, for example, retargeting is often used to promote discount offers to people who have added a product to the cart but who didn't finish the purchase. They use the ad to send them back to the purchase page. But in terms of content, you could use retargeting through a Facebook ad to promote a contextually relevant blog post to someone who has added one of your products to their shopping cart, but hasn't completed the purchase. Retarget an interrupted buyer with a PPC ad promoting relevant content, says @IAmAaronAgius.Click To Tweet For example, if you sold hair-care products, the retargeted ad could promote a how-to post about steps to achieve glowing, healthy hair. The article could include a subtle mention of your product, but the goal should be to deliver high quality, actionable advice. By sending people to a helpful blog post, you'll not only boost conversions, but you'll also help to build long-term relationships with customers that can be leveraged for repeat business. Alternatively, you can retarget people who engaged with a particular blog post with a PPC ad promoting a contextually relevant product. TIP: Install Facebook Pixel, a small line of code on every page on your site, to track and retarget people based on the way they've interacted with your brand. Takeaway: Use retargeting PPC ads to promote relevant content to someone who abandoned the purchase process. I hope you can use these PPC tips to take your content marketing efforts to the next level. Can you think of any other ways to improve content marketing using PPC? Please let me know in the comments. HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: Understand How Content is Influencing Buyers: A Primer on Attribution Models Want a free way to learn the latest trends and tips around content marketing? Subscribe today to CMI's daily or weekly digest newsletter. Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute Please note: All tools included in our blog posts are suggested by authors, not the CMI editorial team. No one post can provide all relevant tools in the space. Feel free to include additional tools in the comments (from your company or ones that you have used). The post Is It Time to Invest in PPC for Your Content? appeared first on Content Marketing Institute. http://bit.ly/2syO77y

0 notes

hotspreadpage · 7 years

Text

Is It Time to Invest in PPC for Your Content?

At first glance, pay-per-click and content marketing can seem like contrasting ideologies. PPC offers an immediate ROI. Alternatively, content marketing is an excellent tool for improving your brand’s visibility, but it often takes time to gain momentum.

But the two can work together. PPC can act as a secret weapon for your content marketing, supercharging your content campaigns and giving you an edge over your competition.

Get attention and trust

Marketers often run Facebook ads to highly targeted demographics. They send those who click the ad to an optimized landing page, featuring sales copy, product photographs, FAQs, reviews, security badges, and other trust elements. Their objective is to get the lead to click the “add to cart” button conveniently placed for maximum visibility and then to complete the purchase.

However, marketers often get tunnel vision in terms of optimizing their PPC landing pages for purchasing conversions. Even if their PPC campaigns are successful in driving people to the site, those viewers can feel it was a waste of a click because the marketers haven’t focused their effort on making visitors feel at home but only on encouraging them to convert.

Don’t waste PPC ads. Make clickers feel at home with relevant content, says @IAmAaronAgius. Click To Tweet

A 2016 survey revealed that 67% of Americans say they pay more money to support brands they trust. Before somebody buys from a company they’re unfamiliar with, they often explore other pages on the site, looking for indicators of legitimacy. Having a frequently updated blog, with lots of high value content, and indicators of social proof (many comments and social shares) demonstrates credibility and builds the trust needed to ultimately drive conversions.

Takeaway: PPC can be used to bring attention to your site, while content marketing can be used to build trust once these new visitors have arrived.

PPC brings attention to your site. #Contentmarketing builds trust once they arrive, says @IAmAaronAgius Click To Tweet

Laser target to attract content fans

Content marketing sometimes is used as a shotgun approach to brand exposure – you regularly upload content to the internet, hoping your core buyer reads it and ultimately becomes a paying customer.

While content marketing provides long-term SEO benefits, which ultimately help buyers who are searching for your product to find you, in the short term, content marketing too often entails broad targeting.

For instance, guest blogging is a frequent tactic in content marketing. But if an infographic design agency publishes a guest post on a digital marketing blog, only a fraction of the readers are likely to be interested in hiring an agency to create visual content for their brand.

But with a documented buyer persona, you can laser-target your content through a PPC campaign because you have analyzed demographic data – age, gender, geography, income level, interests – from previous customers. You can exclude unlikely buyers and include likely buyers in your content promotion.

Laser-target your content promotion through a PPC campaign, says @IAmAaronAgius. Click To Tweet

Say, for example, you’re selling mixed martial arts apparel. You want to target fans of lightweight UFC champion Conor McGregor. Although this type of targeting is better than nothing, it’s still not going to get you in front of the right people.

Because his name transcends the sport, plenty of people who like Conor McGregor on Facebook may only watch mixed martial arts when he’s competing or they might just enjoy updates of his extravagant lifestyle and may not care about the sport whatsoever. In other words, Facebook fans of Conor McGregor wouldn’t be ideal customers for your apparel.

Say, instead, that you decide to target fans of fighters who have less mainstream recognition but are highly regarded within the mixed martial arts niche, such as No. 5-ranked welterweight Jorge Masvidal. It’s highly unlikely that someone would be a fan of Jorge without having a deep affinity for the sport – so this targeting makes more sense. By advertising your content to these fans, your resonance will be much higher.

Takeaway: Laser-targeted PPC campaigns can be used to ensure that your content gets in front of the more highly sought prospective customers.

Test your content elements

Split testing is integral to running a successful PPC ad campaign, yet the tactic also can work for content marketing.

Split testing is integral to running a successful PPC ad campaign, says @IAmAaronAgius. Click To Tweet

In PPC campaigns, landing page elements such as the imagery, sales copy, placement of the “add to cart” button or email opt-in form, social proof elements, and value proposition are all elements that can be tested.

When using split testing for content, you can test elements such as your blog layout, tone of voice, and headline. It’s best to run tests for at least a week and include multiple blog posts to ensure that your results demonstrate real user preferences.

Metrics such as clicks, time on page, conversions, and shares can be used to determine the winners of your split tests. If you’re using a heat-mapping tool such as Inspectlet, you may want to record how far down the average user scrolls on each page variant.

You also can test the length of blog posts. While longer blog posts typically perform better than shorter ones, no audience is the same. Split testing will help you understand the situation with your audience. Upload two versions of your post: one lengthy (at least 1,500 words) and a shorter, more succinct version. Use Facebook ads to target your core demographic and send paid traffic to both pages and track the results. Do this with multiple blog posts to ensure that any trends you discover are universally applicable.

Takeaway: Use PPC split testing to evaluate your audience’s preferences for blog layout, tone of voice, article length, and headlines.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: • How to Create High-Converting Content • How to Test Short-Form Content Before Making Long-Form Investment

Promote special content

As any marketer knows, your “best” content doesn’t always generate the most engagement. If you ever run a content audit, it can be perplexing trying to determine why some articles went viral, while others tanked.

If you’ve allocated significant resources to producing a special piece of content, such as an infographic, e-book, video, etc., it’s unacceptable to roll the dice in terms of whether it receives attention.

By running a Facebook page post engagement ad to promote your special content, you will receive “likes,” posts and shares at a low cost – particularly if you’re smart with your targeting, as described above. If your content is genuinely awesome, you’ll receive organic reach amplified by the engaged paid traffic.

Including a call to action in the ad’s box text, such as “tag a friend who would love this,” prompts people to show the content to their friends (so long as they see it as high value), putting more eyeballs on your content without any additional ad cost.

TIP: Alternatively, page post engagement ads can be used to promote content that already performed well. PPC ads can bring the content (and your brand) to an even wider audience.

Takeaway: If you use page post engagement ads on Facebook to promote special content that paid traffic finds highly valuable, organic reach also will grow.

Use @Facebook page post engagement ad to promote special #content & watch organic reach grow @IAmAaronAgius Click To Tweet

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: • 9 Brilliant Tactics to Promote Your Blog Content on Facebook • All Your Snapchat Advertising Questions Answered

Go with your audience

Even if you ignore all the other tips in this article, this one is by far the most powerful.

Too many businesses never interact after a visitor sees and leaves the site without engaging. Yet, these people could all be potential customers who for whatever reason didn’t engage on their first visit.

Use retargeting. In e-commerce PPC campaigns, for example, retargeting is often used to promote discount offers to people who have added a product to the cart but who didn’t finish the purchase. They use the ad to send them back to the purchase page.

But in terms of content, you could use retargeting through a Facebook ad to promote a contextually relevant blog post to someone who has added one of your products to their shopping cart, but hasn’t completed the purchase.

Retarget an interrupted buyer with a PPC ad promoting relevant content, says @IAmAaronAgius. Click To Tweet

For example, if you sold hair-care products, the retargeted ad could promote a how-to post about steps to achieve glowing, healthy hair. The article could include a subtle mention of your product, but the goal should be to deliver high quality, actionable advice. By sending people to a helpful blog post, you’ll not only boost conversions, but you’ll also help to build long-term relationships with customers that can be leveraged for repeat business.

Alternatively, you can retarget people who engaged with a particular blog post with a PPC ad promoting a contextually relevant product.

TIP: Install Facebook Pixel, a small line of code on every page on your site, to track and retarget people based on the way they’ve interacted with your brand.

Takeaway: Use retargeting PPC ads to promote relevant content to someone who abandoned the purchase process.

I hope you can use these PPC tips to take your content marketing efforts to the next level.

Can you think of any other ways to improve content marketing using PPC? Please let me know in the comments.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: Understand How Content is Influencing Buyers: A Primer on Attribution Models

Want a free way to learn the latest trends and tips around content marketing? Subscribe today to CMI’s daily or weekly digest newsletter.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

Please note: All tools included in our blog posts are suggested by authors, not the CMI editorial team. No one post can provide all relevant tools in the space. Feel free to include additional tools in the comments (from your company or ones that you have used).

The post Is It Time to Invest in PPC for Your Content? appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

Is It Time to Invest in PPC for Your Content? syndicated from http://ift.tt/2maPRjm

0 notes

lucyariablog · 7 years