Short Video Clips – Future of Video Consumption

The video craze is here to stay. Users love to create video and watch video. Short clips can be produced by a novice with software built by Vine and Instagram. These users make videos to share with their family and friends. This is new capability in the last couple of years.

Businesses have begun to find ways to generate short clips for their audience by generating animated GIFs to attract interest. Bing has created a preview option for video in its search results that offers real video clips knit together, offering insight into the full version of the video.

The reason why businesses need to add video preview to their website is because there is now so much video content that its become tedious for users to find videos they want to watch. Most websites don’t offer a video search so many of your videos go unwatched.

What is the attention span of a typical Internet user? Less than 10 seconds and this means that if you want to be successful having your users engage your higher ad-paying inventory, you’ll need to give them a sneak peek of several titles. Users want everything faster. Instant video preview of your video titles is what they need, to want to drill down into your video content.

Video online has been looking for new ways to drive more video views. Preview is that mechanism. And users have already told us they want 10-second clips by using Vine and Instagram video, by the millions. Facebook and Twitter leverage these tools with their users, proving again, that this is what users want.

Now, it is time for business to jump on the bandwagon and start plugging in those 10-second clips across their websites – in a sidebar, full-width module, and even a gallery of instant preview thumbnails. However, they must be of high quality to engage users.

YouTube is left to adopt. They deployed their own version of “preview” by having a frame pop-up when rolling over the player timeline. But, that is more of a search for what is in the title. There is no motivation to engage the video from the get-go – just not enough information.

So, when you begin to discover how to add video preview to your website, look for a real video product that is scalable, easy to use, and placed in your site where it is easy to be found.

Why You Should Have A Reliable Ladies’ Lingerie Supplier

Sometimes it is easy to choose the easy way out of things, the cheap way or the faster way. But for somethings it is so important to keep use the best quality route. And when it comes to your ladies’ lingerie supplier that’s exactly what is needed.

Ladies’ lingerie is an item that will always sell. At every time of the year people need new lingerie. And that is means you’ll always need a steady stream of good quality underwear. That is the primary reason you need a reliable lingerie supplier.

Another good reason for getting a reliable lingerie supplier is because of the quality of the clothes. People can spend lots of money on lingerie. Whether they’re buying it for themselves, or as a gift for someone else.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that getting a cheap and rather sketchy supplier will do you well. In fact, it’s quite the opposite – it won’t do anything for you in the long run, as the steady supply of items you need will not stay consistent. And furthermore, the quality of those products will hardly be of the standards that your customer will expect and value.

Don’t give yourself a bad shop reputation by selling bad quality items!

Your Ladies’ lingerie suppliers also play a key part in keeping your stock up to date and in fashion. don’t underestimate the power that fashion holds on your buyers! Stock up on latest celebrity trends and power up your inner fashion guru. Read blogs, showbiz and get your underwear collection in vogue.

A good ladies’ lingerie supplier also means you can get the best for your business. Get to know your supplier and form a good trading bond with them, if you do so you could find yourself privileged to get good deals and discounts. You could also find yourself getting exclusive access to some of the best products around. Having a strong relationship can really help your business grow. So of you get the chance stick to a good supplier and enjoy the benefits of it long run.

There are a many ladies’ lingerie supplies, and if you feel that the company you’re with isn’t the best for you then make sure you switch it up to find the ‘best fit’.

Another key factor to bear in mind is that lingerie is hugely about comfort, if your customers can’t find comfort in the products they buy from you they won’t buy again. There are fair few shops that have this awful reputation and this can have a significant impact on their sales, avoid the same mistakes and get the best ladies’ lingerie supplier out there.

15 Reasons Why You Should Start a Blog Today

Every day many things occur around us. Some things are good, and some things are wrong. Blogging offers us an opportunity of sharing our thoughts regarding those things. In addition, it is a good way showing your creativity to the world. You can write whatever you think, and blogs have a much better impact than social networking posts. You can encourage people for good things, show them a right way of doing something and raise your voice against something bad taking place in the world. Here are some impressive reasons why you should start a blog today.

1. To help others:

It is true that many people search for the solutions of their problems. Some people want to know health tips, some search for better career options and some love to read about new technologies. You can address those readers through your blogs. There are many attractive topics to choose from. Pick your favorite one and start writing. If your ideas are good and helpful, you will get many readers for your blog and thus you can help others. It is a way of helping others because your offered solutions and ideas can provide readers with better ideas and helpful solutions.

2. To improve your writing ability:

Practice makes man perfect; it is a renowned quote, and it is true. Probably you may think that you are not a good writer, but you should write. In starting you may get failed in tempting a large number of readers, but you will get some readers for sure. You can improve your writing skills with regular blogging and become a great writer. You will get better ways of presenting your thoughts in the blogs and articles if you continue blogging. That’s what many bloggers did and today they are succeeded in this field.

3. To face new challenges:

Some people think that blogging is easy and just a hobby, it is not true. Blogging is quite challenging, especially if you have never done it before. You need to think very deeply before you write for any topic. You also need to think about its impact on readers. Today’s world needs bloggers, who can help in making this world a better place to live. It is all about choosing words carefully and set them in the form of a blog to send a right message. You can take it as a challenge and challenges are good for life.

4. To make some money:

Blogging is not only done to help the readers for their needs but also done to earn good money. Probably, you may know that there are many writers and bloggers, who make hundreds of dollars weekly by their blogs. You can be one of them if you get a large number of readers. It is quite easy to start a blog on any blogging platform and make it live. You can write on hot topics and let people read your blogs. It will fill your account with bucks, which will encourage you to write more on new things.

5. To increase you knowledge about the world:

Whenever you write on a new topic, you need to learn new things before writing. You may plan to write on new technology or the cure of any disease or any other thing. You will have to read about that thing to understand what it is and then turn those details into your words. That’s how you increase your knowledge about a new thing. A blogger is not only a good writer but also a good reader who learns something new about the world every day.

6. To be a better thinker:

Blogging makes you a better thinker. Whenever you write about a social issue or health problem, you try to put your words in a more meaningful way. It means you try to represent your thoughts in a way that it can address the targeted readers. It seeks good thinking, and that’s what people do as a blogger. You try to get more details on the topics you write so that you can decide what you should add to your blog and what should you avoid to write in the blog.

7. To promote yourself as an expert:

Whenever we read something online, we read it like we are taking some good ideas or suggestions from an expert. Other people also think in the same way. So when you become a blogger, you become an expert of things which you write for the readers. People consider you as an expert and follow you on the social platform. Blogging is an easy way of becoming a famous personality and gets some followers with earning good money. Thus, you can sit at home and share your thoughts as an expert.

8. To work at home:

Don’t you think it is an excellent idea to work at home? For sure, you will say yes. Every person wants to spend some good time with family, and that’s what you can do as a regular blogger. You get some clients online, who will ask you to write on particular topics. You will get the freedom to write anytime you want and work at home. It is a good way of earning impressive amount at home. Whether you are at the home or on vacation, you can write anywhere and make good money through blogging.

9. To live a healthy life:

You may think that there is no connection between blogging and healthy life, but it is. As mentioned at an earlier point, blogging offers you an opportunity of working at home. Thus, you get more time to do exercise, eat on time and meet your friends. These things help us in living a good life. You will not sleep late on the nights plus you will get enough time to enjoy vacations on your favorite holiday spots. These things bring satisfaction from the life, and that’s what lead to a healthy life.

10. To get connected with new people:

Every blogging platform offers comment section below the blog. It is up to you that you want to get comments from your readers or not. If you want to see people’s response about your blogs, allow them to comment. You may find some good and some bad comments on the blogs. Thus, you can reply to their comments and get connected with your readers in a much better way. People may or may not appreciate your responses, but they will start knowing you. That’s what blogging does for the bloggers. Make them famous among readers and promote them on social platforms.

11. To inspire people:

Certain situations come in life when people lose hope and get depressed. These conditions may occur because of a significant loss in business, bad breakup or because of losing someone special. Blogging offers you an opportunity to become an inspiration for such people. You can write about how to handle big business losses and get back to the market with full power. You can also write on dealing with social life issues like how to recover from a bad breakup. There are a lot of issues, which you can pick to write and help others by inspiring them for a better life.

12. To reduce stress:

People become good thinkers when they are in stress. You may or may not agree with it, but it is a fact. You think quite deeply and see life in a different way. People take medications and try many ways to reduce their stress, but blogging is a very simple way of reducing stress. Write on things, which are depressing you. Write about how bad things can be and how to overcome from bad situations. People need ideas to move on and get back to life, and you can help other stressed people by writing on such issues.

13. To endorse useful things:

Ever since the online shopping has become a trend, people search for what they should buy and what they should not buy. You can become an online shopping expert by suggesting people about good things. You can write new blogs on newly launched products like smart phones, laptops, medicines and all other things people buy online. People regularly read bloggers, which endorse useful things. You can be one of those people, who fairly support useful products and prevent people from buying faulty things. Thus, the manufacturers will contact you to promote their products, and they will pay you a good price for it.

14. For better success of your business:

Whether you are running a small company or a large organization, your business must have a blog to exhort the prospects. Many buyers want to know more about the retailers and manufacturers. You can take the support of online ads and promotions, but these advertisements contain quite small content about the product. A blog can be a great way of explaining every new product you launch or sell. Thus, you will not need the support of other writers and promoters to promote your business, and you can get better leads consequently.

15. To get a large number of followers on social network:

Social networking has become one of the most fundamental needs of people in this age. Billions of users are using social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can gain a large number of followers on these social networking platforms if start blogging. Even you can promote your blogs on social networking sites for free and get more readers. A large number of followers mean a large number of readers, which in turn increase your revenue from the blog.

How to start blogging?

Probably, above mentioned reasons are enough to explain that why you should start a blog today. If you are ready for it, now it is the time to know how to start blogging. First of all, you have to choose an excellent blogging platform. There are many blogging platforms, which offer free and premium blogging opportunities. You can choose any of them to start a blog and then sign up to create a blog. You can create a blog yourself by selecting available themes and tools, or you can take web design tips and ideas from the experts.

Hiring an expert for developing a blog:

There are multiple web design agencies, serving people to meet their demands of blogs and websites. If you want to make your blog an appealing platform for readers, take the support of a good web designing service. It will offer you a fully featured blog with easy content management tools and features. Thus, you can write and post blogs quickly and hope to get better ranking in organic search. Your blog can gain better only if it has a good ranking in organic search. For this, you need the support of a web designing service.

Promoting the blog:

Nowadays hundreds of bloggers are sharing their thoughts online. Many of them write on same things in different ways. A well-promoted blog gets the larger number of readers in comparison to simple blogs. You should check some SEO tips and online promotion ideas if you want to make your blog the main source of your earnings. There are websites, which provide latest techniques to promote a website or blog online. Get in touch with those websites and try your best to promote your blog.

Blogging brings many new things to the life with a good chance of making good money. Writing can become your hobby and a way of sharing your thoughts with others. Starting a blog is quite easy, but it takes an expert’s mind to promote it and draw the attention of readers. Online promotion can help you, but you should be active on social networking platform to gain more readers. Thus, you will get readers for your blog, and then you can sort out many issues of their life through your blogs. People love reading and blogs are free to visit and read. You can make it a source of expressing what you think and that will be valuable for your readers.

Great News: These Apps Now Free to Download

Many of the greatest and best apps that you could have bought last year, are now for free. Some people don’t mind paying for their apps, as long as it’s worth spending the money. However, now these apps, you will be able to get for free. These are well-known apps that you will enjoy working with. Here are a list of some of the best apps that people paid for, that are now free to download for everyone.

Hyperlapse

Hyperlapse is a popular app among Instagram users. This is an app to create really amazing time lapse videos that you can add to Instagram. With this app, you can use Instagram’s in-house stabilisation, and Hyperlapse shoots.

The one feature that makes this a great program is the fact that you can shoot handheld time lapse videos in motion. You can do this while you are walking, running, jumping or even falling. Some of the other great features include:

  • You will be able to smooth out your video for cinematic quality with a great automatic stabilisation;
  • It will also be able to speed up your Hyperlapse to be a speed of up to 12 times the normal speed;
  • And, you can download and start using immediately. You don’t need to sign up to anything.

My Rec

My Rec is great for those who like to do recordings. This app is to manage all your audio recordings. The app is easy and fast to use. And, the best part is that this app is now free to download.

You can use this app for voice memos, it is able to record calls and to save reminders. You can even use this app to record lectures or meetings where you need to make notes from. This recording app has many features that you will not find with any other recorder, like;

  • It delivers high quality recordings for up to 44Khz / 320 kbps;
  • This app is an app that you can instantly use. All that you need to do, is to open the app and start using it.
  • You can register anonymously for more privacy and it can also record in the background.
  • With this app you will not have a limit to the recording length, like some of the other recording apps.

Sketch Hack

If you are looking for a great app that you can get now for free, then the Sketch Hack is the one app that you should download now.

We know that there are many different types of apps for sketching on your phone, but not all of them are as great as this one. This isn’t just another drawing app, this is one of the best drawing app that you can now get for free. And, these features will prove that this is the app for the creative person:

  • You will have access to more than 90 different types of brushes;
  • There are unlimited of undo’s and redo’s if you have made a mistake with your drawing;
  • You can add as many layers as what your smartphone or tablet could handle;
  • It will even auto save your work, automatically. This will happen frequently, so you don’t have to worry about losing your drawing, when your app shut down, accidentally.

How to Nail Social Media for ECommerce

Your Guide to eCommerce Social Media Marketing

Having a presence on social media is essential to building and growing brand awareness, driving traffic to your website and increasing leads and sales.

But your accounts aren’t just platforms for sharing content and engaging with visitors to accomplish those goals. From Facebook to Instagram, social media can be a powerful way to market your products and services to your followers.

Canadians are big social media users. A 2019 report found that 75% of women and 62% of men use it daily. And according to PayPal’s Social Commerce Trend Study, 47% of Canadian users are shopping on social networks, spending an average of $77 per month.

But despite these statistics, many small business owners still don’t understand the value of using these popular platforms to sell. That’s why I created this guide: to not only help you understand how important eCommerce social media marketing is, but to give you actionable tips to drive traffic, leads and sales.

Organic Social Selling

First, it’s important to understand that there’s a difference between social selling, using paid ads and actually using a platform as a marketplace.

Social selling means you’re organically connecting with sales prospects and nurture relationships to hopefully convert them into customers. It’s about building relationships and credibility naturally by getting to know your potential customers.

You can do this by asking them engaging questions, answering their questions quickly and always responding to comments or complaints. The more trust and loyalty you build, the better your odds of converting a follower into a paying customer.

For example, one of our clients, Rose Marie Swanson, asks engaging questions to connect with her audience.

Selling on a Social Media Marketplace

Actually selling within a platform or marketplace, however, is a little different. It means utilizing the platform’s selling capabilities to actively market your products. Here are two examples.

Facebook Shops

If you have a Facebook business Page, you can use Facebook Shops. This new feature lets you add products, organize them into different categories, communicate with customers and see data around things like views and clicks.

And because Facebook owns Instagram, customers can also access your store on IG. People can find your Facebook Shops on your business Facebook Page or Instagram profile, or via Facebook ads or Stories.

READ: Selling on Social Media Without Driving People Away

Social media is one of the best marketing tools out there: you can grow and reach a large audience with content and ads, and people who like and/or follow you are your fans, so they’re already your target group.

However, people can be resistant to selling on these platforms. You really have to approach this the right way or you could alienate your audience, causing them to unfollow or unlike you because they expect a two-way conversation and engaging content, not to be marketed to.

Read more on our website.

Shoppable Instagram Posts

Canada got this cool functionality in 2018, which enables businesses to tag brands and products in their organic Instagram posts. Your audience can tap it to see more details, and then click to buy the product.

To take advantage of this feature, you’ll need to set up an Instagram Business account. And, your business profile must be connected to a Facebook catalog.

Using Paid Ads

In addition to social selling and selling on a marketplace, you can also utilize ads to drive traffic to your account page or website.

Depending on the type of small business you have, you may choose to run paid ads on:

• Facebook


• Twitter


• LinkedIn


• Instagram


• Google Ads/display ads on the Google Display Network


• YouTube (and in-video ad placements)


Keep in mind that you don’t have to stick to static images when it comes to using these paid advertising options. When using social media marketing for eCommerce, you can integrate videos into your ads to make them more engaging.

Within each platform there may be multiple ad options. For example, on Facebook you can choose from carousel ads, slideshow ads, collection ads, Messenger ads…

One example is Canadian grocer SPUD.ca who combines social selling (offering valuable info) with product marketing in their Facebook ads.

It can be challenging to not only understand all the ad formats, but also to set up and manage accounts and budgets. That’s why it often makes sense to hire a professional marketing company for your small business.

No matter why you’re considering social media for eCommerce, it’s essential to put in the time and effort to ensure your communications are not only engaging, but empathetic. Learn more about using empathetic marketing on our website.

I hope my eCommerce social media marketing guide has given you some inspiration to effectively sell your products and services!

To your business success,

Susan

The Significance of Social Media for Business Marketing

Let us talk about a simple fact, which is, social media presence is really significant for your business these days. This significance is growing at a great speed with each passing day. No matter you are the owner of a local shop in your area or running a company or business at a national level, you need to understand its significance for a while. It is crucial because it is an essential piece of the marketing strategy of your business.

What are the potential benefits of using social media platforms for your business? It helps the business owners to connect with potential customers all over the globe. It let them boost up their brand awareness without much efforts & time investment. All of this will consequently increase sales & ROI for your business.

For all those people, who still don’t have social media business profiles, this guide is worth-reading. Here are the top reasons for which you must invest in this wise business move.

# Build brand awareness

The people will only come to you if they know your business otherwise not. This is the reason it is vital to make the people know about you. Social media increases your visibility within short time amongst your targeted customers & you can reach a wider audience this way. The most amazing thing about all social media platforms is that it let you create profiles free of any cost. You have to invest time in making an effective strategy for social media.

#Communicate authority

In this digital era, the people before making a final decision about the brand they support, browse your company’s website profile. The choice is yours whether you proffer them the rich information source via these two things or they end up finding an empty storefront. If you are looking for the best ways to build up authority as a company, you must be careful in this scenario. All you need is a robust social media profile with updated content about you. In this way, you will be able to make your very first impression in a positive manner. As a company, people recognize you reliable, knowledgeable & most importantly approachable. Your potential customers will also have confidence in you this way.

#Offer support

Gone are the days when there were communication barriers amongst customers & the companies. In fact, social media platforms have broken down all of them. Now the customers don’t need to call the company to ask any sort of query or seek help. Instead, they turn to social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook etc to get their problems resolved or find any sort of information.

For offering great customer support as a company, make sure to develop your repute as a caring & responsive brand for your customers.

#Grow affordably

Small companies or start-ups can’t usually bear the huge costs of business marketing campaigns. Social media marketing tactics are a suitable alternative to this. No matter what your business is about & what is its size, you always have the opportunity to grow your business & achieve its goals reasonably. Instagram & Facebook ads are of key importance in this regard. When it comes to ad campaigns, the major thing you need to know is your targeted audience & aims to achieve.

There are so many other things that make social media platforms an important part of business marketing. Don’t ever get stressful managing it as it is not something complicated. Let us start with the first step i.e. creating your business profile without wasting any time.

Where Social Media Is Headed in 2020

Social Media Trends to Watch

A social media marketing strategy is on the minds of many small business owners. And if it’s not on yours, it should be!

The major platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram battle for market shares by adjusting their business models to balance providing better returns for shareholders with improving the user experience.

As these platforms develop, how you use them for your small business must change too.

Let’s look forward to some ways to promote your business on social media in 2020.

Facebook

More than 18 months later, the Federal Trade Commission has officially ruled that Cambridge Analytica deceived Facebook users. The company had harvested the personal data of millions of Facebook profiles without people’s consent and then used it for political advertising purposes.

While Cambridge Analytica went bankrupt soon after the scandal, Facebook is still working hard to tighten up its data access processes and convince people to trust in its new dedicated news platform.

Facebook rolled out Facebook News to a subset of people in the US. That means that while you’ll still see posts from family and friends in your main feed, Facebook News will post content from a team of journalists (employed by Facebook).

This year, the company is also focusing on cryptocurrency and establishing its Facebook Pay feature. This could mean that your small business could soon incorporate on-platform selling into your account.

While the Facebook Watch launch didn’t go as expected (only 140 million people daily are watching the videos and shows, which sounds huge, but isn’t compared to the platform’s 1.6 billion daily actives overall). Still, it looks like Facebook is going to make another attempt in 2020, so let’s see what that means for video marketing.

What do these changes mean for your social media marketing strategy?

We’ll have to wait and see. The more proprietary content the company creates, the more marketers may be competing to stay visible.

Twitter

The company recently announced it would stop running political ads, and is updating its global privacy policy to give users more information about what data advertisers might receive.

We’re also wondering what the company’s vice president of design and research, Dantley Davis, meant by his recent announcement around a series of changes that might come to the platform as early as next year.

How will this affect how you promote your business on social media?

You could have the ability to limit who retweets your tweet (which I can’t see being a feature entrepreneurs would use much, we love our retweets!), and the ability to tweet something to a specific group based on their interests.

Learn more about how to use Twitter hashtags.

LinkedIn

Since launching in 2003, LinkedIn has become the world’s largest professional networking platform.

Microsoft acquired the platform for $26.2 billion in 2016, and with access to Microsoft’s resources, we’ve seen updated professional insights and more targeted ads.

We’ve also seen LinkedIn groups make a comeback.

A LinkedIn group lets your business create a discussion board related to your industry. This provides you with the opportunity to start a special interest group of like-minded people that’s specific to your product, service and/or expertise.

Groups also provide excellent visibility for your business, since each member who’s a part of your group will have your logo showing in their profile. Group owners also now have the ability to post different types of media like images and videos, and immediate notifications enable real-time conversations.

Executive Suite has over 300,000 members, and brings together executives with a web series, practical advice and discussion boards.

What do LinkedIn Groups mean for your small business?

Hopefully, a better way to foster a sense of community, find candidates for open positions and gain brand visibility to name a few.

Instagram

You may remember Instagram testing the removal of likes in several countries, including Australia, Japan, Italy and Ireland. Likes aren’t gone-in the US and Canada you can still view the like count on your own photos and videos-just not posts from others.

So where did this come from? Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, has long dealt with people using hacks and workarounds. These come mostly from bots and unscrupulous businesses that manipulate the app to make themselves or other users appear more popular than they actually are. So, this is an attempt to make Instagram more authentic.

Instagram says “We hope this test will remove the pressure of how many likes a post will receive, so you can focus on sharing the things you love.”

While many entrepreneurs and small businesses are good with this, influencers and video marketing agencies aren’t.

How can they show businesses how popular they are? How will they demonstrate engagement?

But for the average small business owner who isn’t buying likes or gaming the system with bots, this could be a good thing.

If your social media marketing strategy includes engaging content and you’re happy to focus on comments and increased followers, you’ll be fine.

While IGTV got off to a slow start, it’s now considered one of the biggest social media trends out there. After Instagram announced earlier this year that Instagram would allow one minute previews of IGTV videos on the main Instagram feed, users (and companies) started taking notice.

Unlike your other Instagram videos, IGTV videos can be 10-60 minutes long. This offers a great video marketing opportunity to do interviews, behind-the-scenes features and much more.

Since we can now add landscape-orientated videos as well, I’ve been adding my Business Edge Show videos that have been getting a lot of traction.

These are just a few of the changes you can expect to see across the major platforms this year. I’m sure there will be many more as the year goes by, as things are always changing!

To effectively promote your business on social media in 2020, it’s essential to not only understand social media trends, but to embrace them.

If you’re finding it a challenge to stay on top of social media, consider hiring an agency who can create strategies that will be specific to your social media needs and goals so you can focus on building your business.

Wacky and Wild Uses for Zip Ties

These days zip ties and cable ties are giving duct tape a run for its money. Generally known for their primary function of bundling cables and cords, zip ties are a versatile product, increasingly being utilized for a variety of creative purposes. Here’s a top ten list of wild and wacky cable tie applications.

Heart Surgery

Students at Johns Hopkins University came up with the idea of using cable ties to close up a chest after heart surgery. The zip ties are threaded through the rib cage and fastened around the sternum.

Industrial Art

Sculptor Emily Dvorin uses cable ties in her modern art pieces. In some sculptures, the cable ties are the star of the show, fanning out from the center and displaying their glory. In other works, the ties are functional, fastening together various parts of the masterpiece they support.

Fishing

The wire sides of a crab cage can be connected using, you guessed it, zip ties. They also make good lobster cuffs and are great for organizing tackle and tools.

Emergency Fasteners

Cable ties really come through in a bind. When a zipper or button on busts on a pair of pants, a cable tie can be threaded through the belt loops, holding everything together. When a shoe lace breaks, a cable tie is a quick replacement.

Pet Care

Can’t find the dog’s collar? Try a zip tie. Just be careful not to secure it too tightly. And if the precious pooch has chewed through yet another leash, create a chain of cable ties for an insta-leash.

Handcuffs

Too many criminals and not enough handcuffs? Break out some cable ties and secure the conniving thieves until the police car reaches the station.

Costumes

Whether for theater or Halloween, costumes have their awkward moments. But wardrobe malfunctions can be avoided with an ample supply of cable ties. Pull together the back of a corset or help out a stubborn zipper. Feeling inventive? Join the ranks of the creative few who have mastered the art of constructing entire costumes out of zip ties!

Travel

Bright, fluorescent cable ties can help identify a suitcase at baggage claim. This can help avoid all sorts of hassles, from thinking every black bag is yours to accidentally picking up the wrong suitcase.

Event Decorations

Put the construction paper away and get out the cable ties. It’s time to make garland for that holiday or birthday party! Simply link together a bunch of individual zip ties and hang them around the room in a festive manner. Add industrial flair by fashioning a zip tie chandelier or mobile.

Keys

Keys are plentiful enough without adding a fancy shmancy keychain to bulk up a pocket or purse. Loop a cable tie through a set of keys and you’re good to go.

Don’t let the cable guy have all the fun. Stock up on cable ties and let your imagination do the zipping.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Inflatable Air Beds

Airbeds have a lot of advantages when compared to normal mattress. Some of the features that make it more preferred are the flexibility, comfort, adjustability and portability. You can easily deflate an air bed, put it inside a carry bag and take it along with you wherever you go, making it more flexible to use than the normal mattress.

For people who are allergic to dust mites and bed bugs, air beds provides a much more comfortable platform for you as the chances of developing dust mites and bed bugs are far much less. Your chances of developing bed sores are less when using an air bed.

Good air beds have adjustable settings. You should be able to adjust the height and firmness settings to your desired level. Just like the insta-bed never flat pump, a built in pump helps adjust the firmness of the bed. This pump contains sensors that trigger it when dropping pressure. Also; raised bed means more comfort and getting out of bed easily. Modern air bed are usually raised which means that you can adjust the height to your desired comfort level.

A good airbed should have a high weight limit. Although an air bed can be used by guests, most people who own an inflatable bed say that it is OK for romance.

Heavy weight does not mean more quality most times. Because it is usually filled with air, it is much lighter than traditional mattress which is a big advantage to many as it becomes easier to carry.

In a situation where there is need for additional mattress but there is no available space to keep them, the inflatable bed comes in handy because once it is deflated it occupies much less space which makes it easy to use as you can easily inflate and deflate any time even if you do not have enough room for your guests.

Although there are a lot of benefits associated with an air mattress, there are also some problems with it and some of these are discussed below.

The major problem with inflatable air mattress is that it starts leaking air over time and a small leak can tarnish your air bed experience. In order to ensure that your new air bed does not have any leak; inflate it and then wipe a soapy wet rag on the mattress. If there is any leak, you should see soap bubbles immediately.

On very rare cases would you find leaks on an air mattress that has just been bought. If this is the case with you then I recommend you act quickly and call the manufacturer immediately to inform them about the newly found leak on the mattress they sent you. Usually they will respond quickly and send you another one within a few days or weeks.

Pump or controller problem is another disadvantage with airbeds. When pump fails or malfunctions, it becomes difficult to maintain air pressure. This can make the bed usable until the problem is resolved. Air mattresses that have their pump embedded deep inside can be difficult to deal with when the controller or pump develops any problem. An air mattress like the insta-bed air mattress has its pump on the side of the bed. This makes it easier to resolve any problem associated with the pump unlike an air mattress where the pump is looked deep inside the pump.

Noise from air pump is another problem with airbeds. About 8% of inflatable bed users complain about the noise. However, modern beds come with much less noise. A good airbed should silently monitor pressure and kick off when the sensors are dropping in pressure without producing any disturbing noise.

The Best 5 Photo Apps For Small Business Social Media

Taking great photos for your social media accounts is imperative if you want to gain new followers. People love great photos and when you uncover new content to post you can then add your content to a range of great photo apps to get the best message out of them.

The following apps offer a variety of different frames, filters and tools for enhancing your photo. They can be used alone or together. In some instances you may use a filter in one app and then the text tool in another to get your message out with your photo. Your aim is to take a great photo, write your business name or brief product description on the photo and have as many people share that as possible. That’s why you need all of the following apps in your repertoire – it keeps your content fresh and unique.

Instagram – While Instagram doesn’t have the most elaborate camera, it does have a range of filters to enhance your photos. The best thing about Instagram is that you can post your photos directly to your followers. Unlike Facebook, you can reach a wide new audience by using hashtags. For example, if you hashtag #beautiful under your post on Instagram other users can search via #beautiful and see your post. This is a great way to get new followers and likes for your post.

You can also search for other users who are using the same hashtags as you or create your own individual hashtags for your followers to find what you’re posting. It’s more of a networking tool than a camera but that’s what makes it our top pick for best photo app for small business.

Enlight – While Instagram is free, Enlight costs around $6.49 in the iTunes store. Cost aside it is a great app for altering photos and giving them a cool edge. Enlight will do what a combination of other apps will do so it is handy to have without having to open up a range of other apps. You can add text or filters but you can also adjust the image by sharpening and decreasing or increasing shadows or highlights. Simply select one of the tools from the extensive menu and drag your finger from left to right to increase or decrease.

Enlight is a photo adjustment suite at your fingertips. There are so many options for overlaying images and adding colour to backgrounds to make pictures absolutely pop that you can’t go past it as tool that will help enhance your social media presence and provide great photos for your website.

Adding text is one of the best features about this app. This is the tool you need for writing your business name, web address or hashtag on your photos. Alternatively, you can type a cool quote on your photo as these have a high share rate and will increase your profile.

Camera+ – This app is the ‘souped up’ version of iPhone’s own camera app. Another paid product (about $3.79), Camera+ has additional features to the Camera app that purport to take crisper, clearer and generally better photos that its free counterpart. If you’re taking product photos for your website this app offers extra stabilisation and clarity. Other extra features include effects, lightbox and separate exposure and focus.

Camera+ is the upgrade you need to have for a small cost. It will help improve the quality of the pictures you are taking for an extra touch of professionalism.

Afterlight – This app goes for $1.29 in the iTunes store with in-app purchases. The in-app purchases include different filters and frames. You can pay the extra $1.29 for these filters but don’t need them. Afterlight is an easy to use photo adjustment app that allows you to quickly brighten or colour your photos by selecting the tool and then swapping the adjustment bar left or right depending on your preference. So, rather than applying a pre-set filter you have a bit more control over how you want your photo to look.

There are also some great frame and filter additions to give your photo a 70’s vibe like turning your photo into a letter of the alphabet or applying a dust or light filter that makes the picture look like it was taken with an old camera. Tre cool.

Waterlogue/Brushstroke – While these are different apps they offer a similar service and are both worthwhile in their own regard.

Basically, Waterlogged takes your photographic masterpiece and turns it into a watercolour painting. There are a variety of different options for exactly what kind of watercolour you would like and it makes for an interesting twist on the standard photo application.

Brushstroke offers a similar premise to Waterlogue except that it turns your photo into a painting using acrylics and oils. Get set to create a work of art where you can select your painting style and even the kind of canvas you used. The canvas allows texture to the photo like you painted it yourself. Another great feature of this app is that you can select ‘ship’ allowing you to send it straight to a canvas printing store and hang it on your wall. But, for business purposes this is another great app for creating website content and interesting social media posts.

Using either of these apps allows you to upload your photo into a variety of social media platforms or simply save to photos to use where you like.

Freelance Web Designer | Web Design | WordPress | Hong Kong