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The Shift

There are a few reasons that content marketing strategy is needed. It seems that in recent days, traditional advertising marketing has plummeted. Content based marketing is the way to go, consumers utilize this as word of mouth kind of marketing and are able to share ideas and feel less limited to talk about the product or service or any company. The main aspect about content is it provides quality to the consumer and it will attract more customers, which inevitably means more sales. One of the most important things about content is that it must educate, engage and inspire. More consumers now go through the Internet to research about companies and thus companies should be able to provide to them of important information and build value. It is important to make sure your content is shareable and engaging so that word of mouth happens quicker for your company. If the company is able to produce relevant, informational and authentic content it can aspire to position its brand to be a leader in this industry. To have well produced content can help boost a company’s sales as well as more consumers would be interested in what you are producing or offering. Thus, its very important to have useful, informational and educations content that can suffice to a company’s audience.

To read more about this article, click here:http://socialmediatoday.com/ryannorthover/1340711/why-your-brand-needs-content-marketing-strategy

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Listen to your tweets. It's where your audience speaks to you now.

There are many ways in which social media has created a more engaged environment for consumers. One major influence social media has had with engaging consumers is that consumers are able to like or comment on advertisements which lets companies learn of what’s important to the customer and what’s not. This also helps enable customers to be hands on about what’s important to them and what’s not. One of the main foundations of social media is that if brands are always talking or rather advertising then they aren’t listening. Listening is imperative as its important to understand what their customer needs or is looking for. However, as with social media rising its giving a chance to companies to listen and see for themselves what their customers are need off. By consistently monitoring and reading through the comments, companies can effectively understand their customers. This can strengthen the company as a whole as they are able to see their weakness and figure out ways to improve upon them. However, social media does not deliver immediate or over night results. It takes time to build on what you have and start to build trust within customers. Though it takes time to generate sales and for people to view your company seriously, it gives the company control over their brand through constant monitoring of comments and being able to answer questions in real time thus providing to the customer the ease of a reliable company.

To read more click here: http://mashable.com/2011/05/12/social-media-change-marketing/

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10 Refreshing Non-Alcoholic Drinks

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Barbagliata Recipe (Coffee/Hot Chocolate Hybrid)

If there’s time you can’t decide between a cup of coffee and hot chocolate, you might consider this beverage as an option.

What is it exactly? It’s freshly brewed espresso diluted with milk and water, lightly sweetened, and with added cocoa.

Barbagliata can be served hot during winter, or chilled and poured over ice during hot summer days.

But either way, I recommend serving it with cocoa nib-infused whipped cream; it makes a world’s difference.

I would say it serves 4, quite generously

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PB&J 

Eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is like going home. And, much like going home, it can be a little boring. Especially as a grown ass adult. It’s not like the occasional visit is particularly unpleasant— it’s familiar and nostalgic and even comforting— it’s just that you’re older and your tastes have evolved. Thanks to Netflix and your 21st birthday, you’re no longer endlessly entertained by midnight runs to the Super Wal, browsing for $5.00 DVDs and sneaking into the townie bar.

For peanut butter and jelly, your evolution of taste is something just as physiological as it is mental. After years of trying exciting foods, and— let’s be honest— some tastebud dulling liquor and cigarettes—, Wonderbread and Welch’s just won’t cut it. You need stronger, more sophisticated flavors to pique your interests.

But unlike your semi-annual trek back to whatever suburban hole in the ground you call home, PB&J can become something worthy of your daily routine by simply bringing the ingredients up to you new standards.

First? Find a good bread.

We don’t make habit of judging people’s food choices— we don’t know you or your budget— but we will be bold in saying: Wonderbread is not food. It is air suspended in a synthetic wheat mesh. Ditch the squishy white shit and swap it for something with a little chutzpah. White or Wheat sandwich loaf from a real bakery that makes things from ingredients (not additives) can do amazing things, even if it’s the only upgrade you can make this payday. If you feel fancy, try something with extra grains or go full-on porno with a Banana bread or Brioche.

Next: think beyond the Peanut.

Commercially made Peanut Butter has its place in our kitchens, but it’s rarely in our sandwiches. While we need the consistent fat ratio in our baking, it makes a PB&J anemic, sticky, and bland. Roasting and blending your own spreads is often cheaper, always tastier, and only adds a few minutes to your kitchen duty once a month. We’ve added a couple of our most favorite recipes below. Our latest go-to is Pistachio butter, pictured here. It’s a kind of creepy green but makes everything buttery and rich, making a perfect backdrop for the most important part of the sandwich:

the Jam.

The cloying, syrupy jams of your youth are a shitty substitute for the real thing. They don’t taste like strawberries or grapes, they taste like JollyRanchers. A good jam should taste like fruit condensed, because that is literally what it is. It should be intense and complicated and, while definitely sweet, the sugar should serve more as a background, balancing and enhancing the nuances of each fruit.

Our favorite jams comes from our friend Dafna at INNA jam. Rachel was lucky enough to meet her at Eat Retreat 2012, where she introduced us to shrub and facilitated late-night consumption of baguette with too much butter (if there were such a thing) and her incredible preserves. Saying that we’ve been hooked ever since is an understatement. Our favorites include the Albion Strawberry (a perfect, classic strawberry jam), Lorna Apricot (sunny, warm, and amazing on a cheese plate), and, most of all, Tayberry. We didn’t know that tayberries were a thing but they most decidedly are. While technically a hybrid between rasp- and blackberries, they taste like every single berry, ever, smashed together and go perfectly with a thick spread of homemade almond butter.

Homemade Nut Butter

1lb Nuts of your choosing, out of their shell. Pistachios and Almonds are particularly nice, Cashews and Pecans make a close second, Peanuts are still pretty dang good too.

¼ tsp Salt

1-4 tbsp neutral tasting Oil, think Canola, not Olive.

Food Processor

Jar with tight fitting lid, for storage

Slowly roast your Nuts in the oven (or buy them that way). Allow to cool slightly and transfer to your Food Processor with the Salt. Pulse a few times until things start breaking up and start processing. Stream in a few tablespoons of Oil, until things form a rough pasty blob. Oilier nuts like Cashews and Peanuts will need less oil than a drier nut, like Almonds or Pecans.

Process the Nuts until they make a smooth paste paste. Transfer to a jar, seal it tight, and keep it in the fridge for up to a month.

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I absolutely ADORE the sequins pants. So chic with a simple tee

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Recycled Sunlight Pieces by Robert Montgomery

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Image via Fashion Illustrations by Caroline Andrieu

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Elena Bartels in “Altewai Saome” by Ward Ivan Rafik for The Last Magazine, Spring/Summer 2013