#'hidden gem' is the category i aspire to be in | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dumpsterhipster · 2 years

Text

The Trash Dweller's Dumpster Dives: 1

Welcome to my fic recs series, where I try to convince myself all the hours I spend trawling through the Skyrim tag is worthwhile.

[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Comfort, Companionship, Confidence - by uttzer

fandom || Skyrim rating || T categories || m/m, gen genre || coming of age, romance characters of note || Talvas, m!OC, f!LDB, Neloth status || complete, 55k

Solstheim may be freezing, but your heart will be warmed.

“Sometimes being Master Neloth’s apprentice can be… painful.” Talvas said after a while. “But if I want to be a great wizard one day, that requires hard work. And that includes volunteering for Master Neloth’s experiments sometimes.” “But you could still say no?” “You don’t get it.” Talavs’s voice cut through the calmness of the room like a knife. “Being the apprentice to a Telvanni wizard – something like that won’t happen again. This is an opportunity I can’t pass up.” “But is it still such a great opportunity if you have to suffer for it? Will you lose it for standing up for yourself once in a while?” “If I want to inherit all of Master Neloth’s power one day, I have to do this. And then it will be worth it.”

Comfort, Companionship, Confidence is a coming-of-age story told from the perspective of Neloth's assistant Talvas, a young Dunmer mage aspiring to become a powerful wizard under Neloth's stern tuition and mercurial temper. His life and ambitions are thrown into disarray by the arrival of Neloth's new steward, a stranger to Solstheim called Vilco, who forces Talvas to confront what it really is that he really wants out of life and love--and just how much worth he really has.

Whenever I think of the fandom's hidden gems, this is one of the first that comes to mind. It's difficult to believe it's the author's first longfic: for me it ticks every box, from the technical aspects to the much more important bones of character writing and storytelling. Talvas is a perfect coming-of-age protagonist, possessing a very sympathetic and believable mix of gentleness, competence and insecurity, and uttzer does a brilliant job of showing us his strengths and failings and inner world in a way that makes it impossible not to root for him. I particularly appreciated how we weren't just told he's smart and creative, but rather had the opportunity to witness several times over the story his using his mind to solve problems and advance the plot. His was an excellent perspective to view the story through, and his character arc was incredibly heartwarming and satisfying both.

Uttzer's two OCs, Vilco and his sister Ylva, were wonderful additions to the narrative. Both served as perfect foils for Talvas in different ways, and all three had really fun and interesting interpersonal dynamics, both as a group and individually with each other. Uttzer's Neloth was deliciously nasty, working really well as the closest thing the narrative had to a true antagonist. The dialogue was always very natural and authentic, with all the characters having strong voices and very clear, believably personalities.

One thing which particularly impressed me about this fic was its plot and pacing, two of the most elusive elements for fics to really nail. The plot was overall an original one, focusing on this pivotal period of time in Talvas' life, where his future hangs in the balance, but used the Dragonborn DLC storyline in a very clever and deft way to support this core narrative. Uttzer did a tremendous job of using enough of the canon plot to hit that fandom dopamine button while not getting bogged down in gameplay, and only choosing those parts of the game story to use which enhanced their own. Their pacing was also brilliant on both a macro and micro level, choosing excellent times to 'zoom' in and out to make for a very tight, satisfying story (and very exciting action scenes) which never draggged but also never felt like it was moving too quickly. Uttzer also has a very deft hand for worldbuilding, weaving in lovely little worldbuilding touches and headcanons in a way which brought the setting and characters to life without ever feeling like exposition dumping or dragging down the pacing.

All up, I loved this fic from start to finish. It's a beautifully written, beautifully rich and powerful coming-of-age story with a fantastic cast and moving plot which brings Solstheim to life. Oh, and by far one of the best dragon fights I've ever read in a Skyrim fic. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

#tes #skyrim #skyrim fanfiction #fic recs #fic review #solstheim #talvas fathryon #neloth #trash dweller's dumpster dives #mlm #dunmer #dragonborn dlc #the elder scrolls

44 notes · View notes

realanimeguru · 4 years

Note

Heyyy could you recommend any good high school setting anime∩^ω^∩

.....BRUH... high school anime is half of all anime!! XD nevertheless i will do it. i’m gonna categorize again since high school settings are so broad. i’m also gonna try to avoid the most obvious ones and go for lowkey titles instead, so, i’m only reccing titles with under 200k members (listed on MAL.)

Comedy:Silver Spoon (from the author of Fullmetal Alchemist. a kid who moves to the countryside to do and learn farm stuff, really does not know how to do or learn farm stuff)Asobi Asobase (might seem like a moe “cute girls doing cute things” show, but the girls are genuinely funny and expressive. the true mark of comedy is ugly faces)SKET Dance (a gag comedy. some would call it high school Gintama, which it actually had a crossover with once) Handa-Kun (a prequel to Barakamon, but isn’t necessary to watch both. a look into the main character of Barakamon’s high school days)O Maidens in Your Savage Season (a non-explicit sex comedy. an embarrassing but relatable coming of age story) Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (a very quirky group of girls aspire to be animators. you’ve probably seen the opening meme’d a time or two) High Score Girl (a gamer romcom set in the 90s with real 90s video games. recommended especially if you’re interested in that)Please Take My Brother Away (a personal fav...! a real depiction of sibling relationships. the brother looks like a cool guy but he’s a grade A dumbass) You and Me. (also fond of this one. a calm, soothing comedy. not laugh out loud hysterical, just comfy and cute)School Babysitters (also comfy and cute. about babysitter boys)Cromartie High School (an absurdist gag comedy. very bizarre)Hidamari Sketch (also comfy and cute. girls go to an art school)Wasteful Days of a High School Girl (similar to Daily Lives of High School Boys but with an all female cast. i like the short-haired girl who is definitely a lesbian) Princess Princess (a guy transfers to an all guys school, who turn the prettiest first years into “princesses.” a kind of slow comedy but i’m also fond of this one) Drama: The Anthem of the Heart (a movie. from the staff who did Anohana. a girl cursed so she can’t speak finds out she can still sing.)Bloom Into You (shoujo-ai. has a melancholic tone. a girl who believes she can’t fall in love with anyone and a girl who is deeply in love with her)Smile Down the Runway (a poor designer boy and a model girl too short to be a model try to follow their passions in an industry that doesn’t want them) Sounds of Life (dramrom in a Koto club. i get the feeling that it’s similar to Chihayafuru, but with more music) His and Her Circumstances (dramromcom. honestly wasn’t sure whether to put this in comedy or not, but it has enough drama to be put here. enemies to friends to lovers)Electromagnetic Girlfriend (2 episode OVA, eps are 40 minutes long. a mystery thriller about a guy who suspects the girl who has a crush on him of murder)Classmates (shounen ai. movie. a sweet, quiet, slice of life.)Hana yori Dango (a 90s dramrom. lots of love triangle drama, if you’re into that)

Sports:Welcome to the Ballroom (a dramromcom dancing anime. by Production IG, who did Haikyuu!!)Aoharu x Machinegun (airsoft gun competitions. like Ouran High School Host Club but with weapons. this one’ll be a hit or miss with some but i liked it. the main girl has rabies)Ace of the Diamond (honestly really surprised this was under 200k! Sawamura is a baseball boy who likes shoujo manga and he is made of love.)Stars Align (a tennis anime. i’m plugging this again because i really want more people to watch it) Big Windup! (not surprised this was under 200k at all. REALLY deserves more attention. also about baseball. has really good character writing)Tsurune (archery anime. one of the gayer ones (episode 10 fuckin wrecked my ass.) made by KyoAni, who did Free!)The Prince of Tennis (tennis! also one of the gayer ones. a lot more popular in Japan. got No. 32 on the official NHK top 100 most popular anime in 2017)Baby Steps (also tennis! but far straighter! has a good, genuine romantic subplot)Cross Game (baseball. a pitching girl and a batting boy rivalry romance)Yowamushi Pedal (bicycle racing. an otaku joins a biking club on the condition that if helps them win then they’ll join his own dying anime club)

Fantasy/Supernatural/ECT:Beastars (i’m gonna count this as fantasy since the characters aren’t human. basically zootopia but SERIOUS and darker.)Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun (i am HIGHLY recommending this one. especially the manga but the anime works too. about a girl who becomes a ghost’s assistant. it’s a very good supernatural romance)Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun (about a human who goes to a demon school and is terrified but ends up becoming friends with all the scary demons. it’s spoopy!) Kimagure Orange☆Road (an 80s anime. a guy with an esper family and love triangle drama)Iroduku: The World in Colors (a depressed girl sees the world in black and white, gets yeeted back in time, and can suddenly see every color at it’s brightest. it does bank on that, the color design is really pretty) Revolutionary Girl Utena (ALSO very surprised this was under 200k. Utena is a classic? oh well. magical lesbians. got No. 30 on NHK’s top 100 list)Ghost Stories (you literally have to watch the dub for maximum enjoyment. has some very very raunchy humor though. about kids fighting ghosts)Boarding School Juliet (i decided to throw this in this category since it has a fictional setting in a fictional country. it’s high school romcom romeo and juilet)

if i did this right then there should be a TON of anime you’ve never heard of before. i went for a hidden gem set of recommendations. XD ...by the way, i genuinely hope you’re doing okay with this virus going around. may you have plenty of toilet paper

#so-long-sadgirl #response #anime recommendation #my recommendation #anime #my rec #ask #responses

6 notes · View notes

personalfn-blog · 6 years

Text

How Financial Health Should Determine Your Asset Allocation

In life, we encounter many situations, such as college-life, a turn while driving, work-life balance, etc., which change our preconceived notions. Not everything works out the way we assume it will or as per our plans.

At various instances, we mislead ourselves and suffer many pitfalls to gain experiences that make us wiser. But then, what is wise is to seek professional help; so that you avoid repeating the same mistakes again and move forward in life.

I have come across individuals who ignore symptoms of bad financial health. In fact, many of them aren’t aware of it and assume they are in the pink of health financially.

They do not have any whereabouts of their money

Use credit cards for basic needs

Have little savings

Payoff debt with another

Have a poor credit score

Do not have rainy day fund in place

[Read in detail: 6 Symptoms Of Bad Financial Health]

Yet, these individuals believe they are on-track in the journey of wealth creation, accomplishing financial goals, and ultimately living a blissful retired life in the future. But they are wrong!

[Read: Step-by-step Approach To Retirement]

In the interest of your financial well-being, it is important that you have better control over your personal finance.

You must start living on a budget, curtail debt and imprudent spending, build a good credit history, set financial goals (short-term, long-term), and make prudent investment choices.

[Read: The 9 Thumb Rules To Achieving the Epitome of Financial Wellbeing]

When you invest, following a sensible strategy is important, whereby you can secure your financial future. Once you start living a financially healthy life it would add to your financial freedom.

[Read: 8 Key Lessons On Financial Freedom From ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’]

A wise person is mindful of his financial health and will consider these six points before investing:

His/her current financial situation—income, personal and household expenses, assets, liabilities, etc.

Future career plans and aspirations

Risk profile

Investment objectives (growth, regular income or protection of principal)

Financial goals (buying a dream home, children’s future (their education and wedding expenses, retirement, and so on)

Number of years left before financial goal/s transpire

If you know the aspects, you can chart out your asset allocation—an investment strategy to build wealth

Asset allocation can help you optimize your portfolio’s returns with minimum risk involved. It ensures a balance between risk and return of any asset class.

Asset allocation means you are investing a certain percentage of your investible surplus in respective asset classes, such as equity, debt, gold and real estate to clock decent returns for you.

Ideally, as a thumb rule, the proportion of debt investment should be equal to your age. So, if you are a 30-year-old, 30% of the investible surplus can be parked in debt and the remaining 70% in equity as an asset class. "This rule of thumb helps investors keep in mind that their portfolios need to change as they age, becoming more focused on avoiding risk in their investing than on higher growth," says John C. Bogle, Founder, Vanguard Group.

However, this just one way of doing it. Ideally, you should be allocating your money into equity, debt, gold, and real estate based on your risk profile—which again, is mainly determined taking cognisance of your financial health.

So, for example, if your personal income is good, live in a double-income family, do not have many liabilities to shoulder, you are young, have financial goals that are far away; you may partly skew your portfolio towards risky asset classes.

On the other hand, if you are a moderate risk taker, you can allocate 55% in equities, 35% in debt fund, and 10% in gold.

This chart is indicative and for illustrative purpose only.

How does asset allocation help?

Reduces Risk and Optimise Returns:

The main purpose of asset allocation is to reduce the risk element to a minimum. Understand that each asset has its own risk trait and it is unlikely that all assets move in the same direction at the same time. If equities are in a bear market phase, it is improbable that other asset classes such as gold, debt instruments, will also be moving in that direction at the same time or vice-versa.

Hence it is best to invest in more than one type of instrument to improve your chances of clocking optimal returns and achieving your long-term goals with minimal turbulence.

Helps in being attuned to your financial goals:

Depending on your risk profile and the time horizon to achieve your financial goals, allocate your hard-earned money in different asset classes.

For short-term goals you could invest in liquid funds, and/or other debt funds holding shorter-maturity paper, and for long-term goals into equity-oriented mutual funds.

As a simple rule, remember, that the longer time horizon you have for your financial goal, the more you can allocate in equity to clock decent inflation-adjusted returns in the long-run. Equity can prove very risky for during the short-term.

Reduces tax burden:

If you are in a 30% tax bracket and investing all your money in fixed deposits, it could prove tax-inefficient. You are making a big mistake.

On the contrary, you should be allocating a dominant portion in equities even from a tax planning standpoint. Even after the new tax rule of 10% Long-Term Capital Gain Tax (LTCG) on gains over Rs 1 lakh, equity can prove rewarding if you select your investment avenues carefully.

[Read: How LTCG Tax On Equity Investments Can Derail Your Financial Plan]

Plus, certain tax-saving avenues such as Equity Linked Saving Schemes (ELSS) can entitle you to tax benefit, a deduction up to Rs 1.5 lakh p.a. under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

Tax implications differ for every individual and for every situation; so, you should always consider that as well while allocating your investible surplus amongst equity, debt, gold, and real estate to clock optimal post-tax returns, rather than pre-tax returns.

Proper asset allocation will not only help you to determine the right asset class, but also the right investment product which will help you to reduce taxes.

Address Liquidity needs:

Liquidity is also one of the vital factors while making an investment decision as some investments have a lock-in period and can’t be redeemed within that period.

Suppose if you need money within a year, but if you have invested in instruments that have a lock-in period like ELSS, or PPF account, you wouldn’t be able to redeem or withdraw money.

It would not be the correct investment avenue for you. Optimal asset allocation ensures that you can meet your liquidity needs as and when required.

Do note that investing and charting out asset allocation are highly personalised activities. So, please do not mirror your friends and relative’s asset allocation. One man’s meat has proven to be another’s man’s poison.

[Read: Why You Should Not Ignore Personalized Asset Allocation While Investing]

To Conclude:

Eliminate all symptoms of bad financial health and inculcate good habits like saving and investing. By making prudent investment decisions coupled with optimum asset allocation will prove beneficial for your overall financial wellbeing.

PersonalFN can guide you with Personalized Asset Allocation, if you don’t have one, and help you select the best mutual funds for your portfolio.

Editor’s note:

There are many funds that are well-known and have become popular over time making it to the portfolios of mutual fund investors.

However, there are also some hidden gems that you have probably never heard of that carry commendable management qualities and portfolio features as well as offer superior growth potential that become category outperformers in the long run.

Believe it or not, unusual and lesser-known funds can generate big gains for you, the investor. Want to know which are these ‘Undiscovered’ funds? Click here to read more…

Subscribe now to PersonalFN’s brand new research report: 5 Undiscovered Equity Funds – With High Growth Potential, and be amongst the 500 subscribers to get a whopping 81% discount.

Happy Investing!

Author: Aditi Murkute This post on " How Financial Health Should Determine Your Asset Allocation " appeared first on "PersonalFN"

#Assetallocation #Personalfinance #Investmentstrategy #investmentforretirementFixeddeposits #Debtfunds #Equityinvestments

0 notes

apkoffice-blog · 6 years

Text

Improve English: Word Games APK

New Post has been published on https://www.apkoffice.com/app/improve-english-word-games-apk/

Improve English: Word Games APK

Knudge.me helps you learn and improve English in an easy, interesting and effective way. The platform works on scientific algorithms which help you to learn and improve English in an effective way. The courses are designed to help improve vocabulary, the understanding of English idioms and commonly confused English words, the knowledge of phrasal verbs, homonyms/homophones etc. which would eventually elevate your skills to new heights. Learn English smartly!

Courses:

1. Vocabulary Builder – Easy: Selected by experts, this wordlist includes definitions and usages for every word. Handy English flashcards given in this wordlist make it easier to memrise and improve vocabulary, and learn English in an enjoyable way.

2. Vocabulary Builder – Intermediate: A must-learn wordlist to improve vocabulary, it comprises 200+ words, and includes definitions, synonyms/antonyms, and infographics which help improve English smoothly. A good command on these words will also help you achieve a good score in exams like CAT, GRE, GMAT, IELTS, TOEFL, etc.

3. Vocabulary Builder – Advanced: Entrance exams require the possession of an extensive vocabulary and a high command over the language to achieve a good score. Definitions, usages, synonyms/antonyms will help you improve your vocabulary. This wordlist can be helpful for exams like CAT, MAT, XAT, NMAT, SNAP, GMAT, GRE, SAT, SSC, CGL, Bank PO, CET, GATE, IAS, IBPS, IELTS, IES, TOEFL, UPSC, JKSSB, PTE, DU JAT, TOEIC, NIFT, JBPS, CFE, etc.

4. English Idioms: Improve English with this course where you learn about 250 common English idioms. This list will help you keep up with everyday English conversations.

5. Phrasal Verbs: This course will help you easily understand the use of more than 200 of the most frequently used English phrasal verbs. Good understanding of these phrasal verbs will help in improving English, and also help you excel in various exams like CAT, XAT, NMAT, GRE, etc.

6. Commonly Confused Words: This course will help you learn more than 200 homonyms, homophones, and other confusing words. Learning these homonyms and homophones will help you avoid the most common blunders made in English.

Games

1. Words Checker: Improve reading skills by playing this fun vocabulary game. 2. Space Pursuit: Improve writing skills by learning to tackle commonly confused English words. 3. Fly High: Build your vocabulary by learning synonyms. 4. Reader's Digest: Improve reading skills by focussing on speed, accuracy, and comprehension. 5. Echo: Improve speaking and writing skills by correctly spelling words in this English dictation game. 6. Jelly Fizz: Improve speaking skills by learning phrasal verbs in an interesting way. 7. Panda's Trail: Refine your English grammar skills through this carefully crafted game. 8. Sea Voyage: Challenge your reading speed and retention by playing this engaging game. 9. Word Maze: Challenge your vocabulary knowledge and quick-thinking ability by playing this vocabulary game. 10. Spell Safe: Learn to spell words that have confusing spellings with this game.

FEATURES • Spaced learning and adaptive learning boost your brain to learn & retain lessons better • Best English vocabulary builder app to learn new words on the go • Improve listening and speaking skills from pronunciation audios • Progress tracker • Vocabulary revision tests that are personalised and adaptive • Handy English flashcards to revise lessons • 'A Word a Day' concept for aspirants of vocabulary based competitive tests • Interesting word games and other language games (English dictation, phrasal verb identification, English grammar revision, etc.) to learn and improve English in a fun way

Google Play’s Best of 2017 in the Best Hidden Gem category Download the app for free and rediscover a fun way to improve English. Learning English on your mobile just got easier!

0 notes

fashiontrendin-blog · 6 years

Text

Theory: Instagram Is the Best Place to Find Cool Accessories

http://fashion-trendin.com/theory-instagram-is-the-best-place-to-find-cool-accessories/

Theory: Instagram Is the Best Place to Find Cool Accessories

This is perhaps a function of the limitations that arise when you are in the process of deliberately growing rotund at the epicenter of your body, or maybe it’s simply a matter of the time of year — the festival(s) of lights are upon us and as such, I am festively wearing light! For one of these two reasons, I can’t stop thinking about the various and manifold ways to decorate my person. Not merely decorate my person, though, but how to do it in a way that highlights personal style possibilities that accentuate my limbs and completely ignore the rest of my body (except for, you know, my neck and head).

It is great fun for a number of reasons. Imagine this scenario: Here I sit, wearing a striped turtleneck and black leggings with at least six rings on my fingers (I say “at least” because I’m typing really fast and can’t quite tell if I have any stackables on), a faux fur scrunchie in my hair, a grosgrain headband, also in my hair, two colorful beaded necklaces around my neck and little dangling pearls in my ears. Pearls! My ears! I came in wearing a basket this morning that is lined in shearling.

There is another bag in my periphery with rhinestone studs all over it. It is so cool and so weird and also distracting. You might even forget, as a matter of fact, about the growth at my center because you’re too busy judging how wild I look! (To be clear, I wouldn’t blame you.) But it just reads to me as personal style. You want to know how to execute the cojones of personal style? Wear boring clothes and let your accessories talk for you. The other thing is that the jewelry and these head pieces and my eyeballs (at some point, there were sunglasses, too) aren’t sized — the items are all inclusive like a Club Med vacation and by simple virtue of that, we all get to participate, which makes me emotional in a good way.

Frankly, it seems like a mere matter of time before my real calling must be actualized and I am forced by the trenches of my own guts to launch an accessories brand, (are you in or are you out?), but until then, let us act like the millennials we are, aspire to be, or judge fervently, and take to Instagram, where the most interesting independent brands are making themselves known, further perpetuating my thesis that the best shopping right now occurs almost exclusively on Instagram. Here are 6 brands (really more like 10) that you should know if you’re into treating your appendages like they’re Christmas trees.

This brand is for you if you love pearls, faces, bodies and various animals made out of gold wire and not spending more than $100 on said wire. (And if you like this brand, you might also like this one. It’s a bit more expensive, but worth its salt.) And while we’re on the topic of pearls…

These from Safsafu can be a gateway drug, but this collection is really for you if you are willing to take a chance on half moon-shaped rhinestones, enjoy hearts and the sporadic pearl, and like a ring that is so large it could probably knock a passerby out.

If, however, you fancy yourself more of a marbles kind of person, I found Jessica Winzelberg through Harling. Her price point is between $125 and $320 as far as my eye can tell.

This brand is for you if you like feeling as though you’re wearing a silvered or gilded version of the ocean around your neck, your wrists or on your pinky finger. Fun fact about this brand: I actually found the designer, based in Istanbul, Turkey, through Kate Foley and then hunted her ass down on Instagram and executed my transaction through private messages. Here’s hoping they’re secure!

Kourtney Kardashian found him too, so I’m not sure if this can be considered one of Instagram’s hidden gems any longer, but over the summer, with the influx of tiny cat eyes (kitten eyes?) permeating the faces of anyone who would allow them to, George Keburia stood out as a uniquely qualified clothing designer with an affinity for the so-ugly-they’re-good sunglasses that have come to define this cultural moment in time. This brand is for you if you’re into pop culture (so is this, btw). If you’re not, maybe I can lure you into my armpit with these heart-shaped glasses, of which I am a huge fan.

I call this “proof,” but you can just answer the question if you want.

This collection is for you if you are familiar with Heimet Atlantica, but feel more connected to straw bags that contain bamboo handle bars, and also hail from the Bahamas! You can buy them through Instagram, sure, or just hit up Fivestory. They’re $250 a pop and in my opinion, may as well be an Hermès Kelly. Eh?

It would be super weird if I didn’t include Roxanne Assoulin on this list, right? Although I did not find her on Instagram and have in fact known her for the greater part of a full decade, without her equal parts bright and sparkly ass contribution to the social media app, I have no idea how I would have been able to execute any of the following photos:

Ingesting

A post shared by Leandra (Medine) Cohen (@leandramcohen) on Oct 14, 2017 at 4:12pm PDT

🏄🏻

A post shared by Leandra (Medine) Cohen (@leandramcohen) on Sep 25, 2017 at 9:09am PDT

I could keep going, but there’s no point. The conclusion is single-fold; for as many handicaps as Instagram has produced for the the fate of our abilities to socialize, focus, get stuff done and so forth, it is also a dazzling discovery tool that facilitates the publicity and subsequent success of small brands with small inventories and small, piecemeal shops. Couple this with both the holiday hankering to ~accessorize~ and a natural want to speak without words — through your wrists, not your clothes, and often at a price point that can feel more digestible — and what we have is a trifecta that results in emotional excellence.

Now, seriously, should we launch an accessories brand or what? Would you buy into it? What would you want to buy? Tell me everything!

Feature photo via Nina Kastens.

1930's+fashion+trends+for+women, 1980's fashion trends, 2015 f/w fashion trends, 2015 fashion trends 60s, 2016 fashion trend 90s, 3 fashion trends, 3 fashion trends 2014, 3 fashion trends 2016, 3 fashion trends 2017, 3 fashion trends from the 1960s, 3 fashion trends this season, 3 fashion trends this season 2017, 3 fashion trends this season shoes, 3 fashion trends this year, 3 key fashion trends this season, 3d fashion trend, 4 dangerous fashion trends to avoid, 4 factors that influence fashion trends, 4 fashion trends, 4 main fashion trends this season, 5 fashion trends, 5 fashion trends 2014, 5 fashion trends for 2015, 5 fashion trends for 2016, 5 fashion trends for 2017, 5 fashion trends in 1999, 5 fashion trends millennials are done with, 5 fashion trends that are officially out of style, 5 fashion trends that will be in for 2017, 6 fashion trends, 6 fashion trends that killed, 6 fashion trends thought catalog, 60's fashion trends, 60s fashion trend 2014, 7 polytechnic fashion trends, 7 weird asian fashion trends, 70's fashion trend, 8 fashion trends guys hate, 8 fashion trends that need to end asap, 8 fashion trends that will dominate 2016, 8 year old fashion trends, 80's fashion trends, 9 fashion trends that need to die in 2016, 9 racist fashion trends that need to die, 9 year old fashion trends, 90's fashion trends, 90s fashion trend 2014, a fashion trend meaning, a list of fashion trends, a speech on fashion trends, a/w 15 fashion trends, a/w fashion trends 2015, a/w fashion trends 2015/16, a/w fashion trends 2016, a/w fashion trends 2016/17, Accessories, b & h trend fashion gmbh, bad fashion trends 80s, c trendy fashion, Cool, d_l_fashion_trendblog, d-trend fashion kft, d-trend fashion kft. debrecen, diferencia entre fashion y trendy, differenza tra fashion e trendy, e commerce fashion trends, e fashion trends, e fashion trends 2015, e news fashion trends 2014, f trend fashion, f/w 2013 men's fashion trends, f/w 2014 fashion trends, f/w 2015 fashion trends, f/w 2016 fashion trends, f/w fashion trends, fashion and trend, fashion and trends, fashion color trend fw 2015, fashion e trendy, fashion n trends, fashion or trend, fashion trend 101, fashion trend 1920, fashion trend 1950, fashion trend 1960, fashion trend 1970, fashion trend 1980, fashion trend 1990, fashion trend 1997, fashion trend 1998, fashion trend 1999, fashion trend 2000, fashion trend 2007, fashion trend 2015 quotes, fashion trend 2016, fashion trend 2017, fashion trend 2017 fall, fashion trend 2017 fall winter, fashion trend 2017 mens, fashion trend 2017 winter, fashion trend 2018, fashion trend 2018 spring summer, fashion trend 50s, fashion trend 565, fashion trend 60s, fashion trend 70s, fashion trend 70s 2015, fashion trend 80s, fashion trend 90s, fashion trend alert, fashion trend analysis, fashion trend analysis examples, fashion trend analyst, fashion trend analyst jobs, fashion trend analytics, fashion trend apps, fashion trend april 2017, fashion trend articles, fashion trend august 2017, fashion trend backpack, fashion trend bellflower ca, fashion trend blogs, fashion trend board, fashion trend board examples, fashion trend books, fashion trend boots 2017, fashion trend by johnson carper, fashion trend by johnson carper dresser, fashion trend carson, fashion trend carson ca, fashion trend categories, fashion trend colors 2017, fashion trend colors 2018, fashion trend colors fall 2017, fashion trend companies, fashion trend consultant, fashion trend curve, fashion trend cycle, fashion trend data, fashion trend december 2014, fashion trend definition, fashion trend description, fashion trend digest, fashion trend double jeans, fashion trend downey, fashion trend downey ca, fashion trend dresser, fashion trend dresses, fashion trend earrings, fashion trend elle, fashion trend embroidery, fashion trend essay, fashion trend europe, fashion trend europe 2015, fashion trend evolution, fashion trend examples, fashion trend eyebrows, fashion trend eyeglasses, fashion trend fall 2017, fashion trend for 2017, fashion trend for 2018, fashion trend for spring 2018, fashion trend for winter 2017, fashion trend forecast 2018, fashion trend forecasting, fashion trend forecasting companies, fashion trend forecasting internships, fashion trend forecasting jobs, fashion trend forecasting websites, fashion trend games, fashion trend gh, fashion trend glasses, fashion trend glasses 2015, fashion trend glasses 2017, fashion trend gold, fashion trend graph, fashion trend green, fashion trend grey hair, fashion trend guide, fashion trend hair 2015, fashion trend hairstyles, fashion trend hairstyles 2015, fashion trend hashtags, fashion trend hijab 2017, fashion trend history, fashion trend history timeline, fashion trend hong kong, fashion trend hours, fashion trend hunter, fashion trend in 1990, fashion trend in 2000, fashion trend in 2017, fashion trend in 2018, fashion trend in carson, fashion trend in china, fashion trend in new york, fashion trend in spanish, fashion trend in vietnam, fashion trend inc, fashion trend inc carson, fashion trend instagram, fashion trend interview questions, fashion trend january 2017, fashion trend japan, fashion trend japan 2017, fashion trend jeans, fashion trend jeans 2017, fashion trend jobs, fashion trend johnson carper, fashion trend journal, fashion trend july 2017, fashion trend june 2017, fashion trend kenya, fashion trend keywords, fashion trend kimono, fashion trend knee high socks, fashion trend knit, fashion trend knitwear, fashion trend korea, fashion trend korea 2017, fashion trend korean 2015, fashion trend korean 2016, fashion trend la, fashion trend la coupon code, fashion trend la downey, fashion trend la downey ca, fashion trend la instagram, fashion trend labels, fashion trend lakewood ca, fashion trend life cycle, fashion trend locations, fashion trend love nikki, fashion trend magazines, fashion trend map, fashion trend may 2015, fashion trend may 2017, fashion trend meaning, fashion trend melbourne cup 2017, fashion trend mens, fashion trend mens 2017, fashion trend mood board, fashion trend mustache, fashion trend names, fashion trend names 2017, fashion trend near me, fashion trend no bra, fashion trend normcore, fashion trend nose hair, fashion trend november 2015, fashion trend november 2017, fashion trend now, fashion trend now 2017, fashion trend october 2017, fashion trend of 2016, fashion trend of 2017, fashion trend of fall 2017, fashion trend of long shirts or jackets, fashion trend of the 70s, fashion trend omaha, fashion trend omaha nebraska, fashion trend online shopping, fashion trend origins, fashion trend over 50, fashion trend paris 2017, fashion trend philippines 2017, fashion trend podcast, fashion trend porterville, fashion trend porterville ca, fashion trend predictions, fashion trend predictions 2017, fashion trend predictions 2018, fashion trend presentation, fashion trend pria 2017, fashion trend questionnaire, fashion trend questions, fashion trend quiz, fashion trend quotes, fashion trend red, fashion trend report 2017, fashion trend report 2018, fashion trend report example, fashion trend report template, fashion trend reports, fashion trend research, fashion trend research websites, fashion trend right now, fashion trend seeker, fashion trend services, fashion trend shoes, fashion trend sites, fashion trend spotting, fashion trend spring 2018, fashion trend store, fashion trend summer 2017, fashion trend survey questions, fashion trend terms, fashion trend theories, fashion trend this fall, fashion trend this season, fashion trend this winter, fashion trend timeline, fashion trend today, fashion trend tracker, fashion trend trivia, fashion trend tumblr, fashion trend uk, fashion trend uk 2015, fashion trend uk 2017, fashion trend underdick, fashion trend updates, fashion trend us, fashion trend usa, fashion trend velvet, fashion trend vests, fashion trend videos, fashion trend vintage, fashion trend vocabulary, fashion trend vogue, fashion trend vs fad, fashion trend websites, fashion trend westroads mall, fashion trend wgsn, fashion trend white sneakers, fashion trend wide leg pants, fashion trend wikipedia, fashion trend winter 2017, fashion trend words, fashion trend words 2017, fashion trend year 2000, fashion trend year 2015, fashion trend yellow, fashion trend yoga pants, fashion trend.vegas, fashion trends, fashion trends 00s, fashion trends 1, fashion trends 2, fashion trends 2015 90s, fashion trends 2017, fashion trends 2018, fashion trends 4 you, fashion trends 40 year old woman, fashion trends 40s, fashion trends 50 year old woman, fashion trends 50 years ago, fashion trends 50s 60s, fashion trends 60s-70s, fashion trends 70's clothing, fashion trends 80's and 90's, fashion trends 80's clothes, fashion trends early 70s, fashion trends fall 2017, fashion trends for 2018, fashion trends for 40 year old woman 2015, fashion trends for 45 year old woman, fashion trends for 50 plus, fashion trends for 50 year olds, fashion trends for 55 year old woman, fashion trends for 5th graders, fashion trends for 60 year old woman, fashion trends for 6th grade, fashion trends for 7 year olds, fashion trends for 7th graders, fashion trends for 8 year olds, fashion trends for 8th grade, fashion trends for 9 year olds, fashion trends for xmas, fashion trends fw 2015/16, fashion trends generation x, fashion trends impact on youth, fashion trends late 80s early 90s, fashion trends late 90s, fashion trends of the 80s, fashion trends of the 90s, fashion trends over 40, fashion trends over 60, fashion trends right now, fashion trends summer 2017, fashion trends uk 2014, fashion trends usa 2015, fashion trends winter 2017, fashion trends xmas 2015, fashion trends year 1960, fashion trends year by year, fashion trends you hate, fashion trends young adults, fashion trends youth today, fashion trends youtube, fashion trendsetter, fashion trendsetters, fashion trendz, fashion trendz brampton, fashion trendz facebook, fashion trendz okhla, fashion trendz oz, fashion trendz sarees, fashion trendz woodstock va, fashiontrendz.in, Find, fringe as a fashion trend, g dragon fashion trends, gen z fashion trends, gen-u fashion trend, generation x fashion trends, generation y fashion trends, generation z fashion trends, h trend fashion, h&m fashion trends, h&m fashion trends 2014, h&m fashion trends 2015, i trend fashion, Instagram, j trendy fashion, j'n'c fashion trend, j&c fashion trend magazine, jay z fashion trends, k fashion trends, k-design trendy fashion, kdrama fashion trends, key fashion trends 60s, kpop fashion trend, l.a fashion trends, m trend fashion and shopping, m trends fashion, m&j fashion trend, madonna fashion trends 80s, male fashion trends 70's, male fashion trends 90s, mary j blige fashion trends, mens fashion trends 60s, mens fashion trends 80s, my trendy fashion, o magazine fashion trends, o que é fashion trend, o que significa fashion trends, Place, popular fashion trends 90s, quilting fashion trend, quirky fashion trend, rock n roll fashion trends, s/s fashion trends 2015, s/s fashion trends 2016, sportswear as a fashion trend, spring summer-2015-fashion-trend-3-70s-glamorama, ss15 fashion trends, ss16 fashion trends, stripes as a fashion trend, t shirt design fashion trends, t shirt dress fashion trend, t shirt fashion trends, t shirt fashion trends 2012, t shirt fashion trends 2013, t shirt fashion trends 2014, t shirt fashion trends 2015, t shirt fashion trends 2016, the 7 deadliest fashion trends of all time, Theory, top 5 fashion trends of 2014, trash 2 trends fashion show, trend fashion 80an, trend fashion umur 30 an, trend g fashion, trendy fashion, trendy o fashion, trendy u fashion, trendy4 fashion, trendz n fashion, trendz n fashion bags, trendz n fashion sunglasses, u trend fashion, what is a fashion trend report, women's fashion trends 70s, world war 1 fashion trends, world war 2 fashion trends, worst fashion trends 00's, worst fashion trends 90s, x trend fashion olang

#1930's+fashion+trends+for+women #1980's fashion trends #2015 f/w fashion trends #2015 fashion trends 60s #2016 fashion trend 90s #3 fashion trends #3 fashion trends 2014 #3 fashion trends 2016 #3 fashion trends 2017 #3 fashion trends from the 1960s #3 fashion trends this season #3 fashion trends this season 2017 #3 fashion trends this season shoes #3 fashion trends this year #3 key fashion trends this season #3d fashion trend #4 dangerous fashion trends to avoid #4 factors that influence fashion trends #4 fashion trends #4 main fashion trends this season #5 fashion trends #5 fashion trends 2014 #5 fashion trends for 2015 #5 fashion trends for 2016 #5 fashion trends for 2017 #5 fashion trends in 1999 #5 fashion trends millennials are done with #5 fashion trends that are officially out of style #5 fashion trends that will be in for 2017 #6 fashion trends

0 notes

samiam03x · 7 years

Text

5 Online Marketing Tactics I Learned From My Previous Startup

As a co-founder of an eCommerce startup in a highly competitive industry, I quickly realized that we had to move beyond the basics of marketing optimization and test some advanced techniques to improve our ROI.

After much trial and error, we found few tactics that were really effective. Although our startup did not survive, the learnings I took away from our extensive experimentation and optimization were priceless. In this post, I will cover some of the techniques that worked really well for us.

Before I share these tactics, I would like to point out that it is crucial to achieve a high level of alignment between your marketing, engineering and product teams. Your engineering team should understand marketing and your marketing team should understand the technology. In today’s world, technology plays a significant role in marketing optimization and it is important for your teams to have that common perspective.

Tactic 1: Customize Website Experience Based Upon Visitor Personas

All marketing channels are not equal. Visitors from different channels (or campaigns) are typically in different stages of purchase cycle and have different aspirations.

For example, visitors coming from your affiliate channels that focus on coupons are more likely to be interested in exploring discounted products. On the other hand, visitors coming from Display channels such as Facebook might need some inspiration and education before you barrage them with pricing and transactional information. Many marketers spend a good deal of time optimizing the initial landing page to make sure it is relevant to the campaign that brought the visitor.

But what about optimizing the rest of the website based upon the visitor’s context?

We found that making subtle changes to the entire website content based upon visitor’s persona (associated with the marketing campaign) resulted in over 20% increase in conversion rate. For example:

Automatically changing the product sorting algorithm on category pages based upon the type of the campaign that brought the visitors (e.g. automatically showing highly discounted products on top of category pages if the visitors came from “deals & discount” focused campaigns).

Automatically “injecting” dynamic content through out the website based upon the visitor persona (e.g. Showing “Trendy” and “Lookbook” content to visitors coming from Lifestyle oriented Display FB campaigns).

Dynamically updating the homepage banner sliders based upon the visitor persona (e.g. if the visitor came from “discount” focused campaign, automatically show the “Sale” focused homepage banner as the main banner).

You don’t need to invest in a highly sophisticated personalization technology to implement these dynamic capabilities. In our case, we used Google Tag Manager to setup above rules to update dynamic content throughout the website. Here are some steps to implement dynamic content for your website visitors using Google Tag Manager:

Come up with 4 or 5 distinct personas that represent your target customers. (See example below)

Once you have the personas defined, tag every campaign and Ad Set with the appropriate persona. For example, if you use UTM tracking for your marketing campaigns, you can pass an extra variable in your URL such as “utm_persona” which provides a better context about the visitor.

Then in Google Tag Manager, you can setup rules that dynamically update certain predefined content zones on your website based upon the visitor persona.

You can even use JavaScript in Google Tag Manager rules to automatically set a different sorting order for your products (based upon the User persona).

Within the same rules, you can also fire a special Google Analytics event so that you can track the conversion rate improvement associated with these dynamic rules.

Sample personas for an online fashion retailer.

Think about your website as a smart salesperson who is able to understand the context of your customer, and speak the language that resonates the most with the customer. There is a lot of information that can be inferred about the visitor by using the referring campaign’s targeting criteria. Take advantage of this information and personalize your website and landing page content to better manage the visitor’s journey on your website.

Tactic 2: Make Your Campaign Hierarchy as Granular as Possible

Many websites run large monolithic campaigns that target multiple demographics and interests. If you are running Facebook ads, create as granular ad sets as possible so that you can easily spot the best segments that are resulting in greatest performance. For example, my current startup targets early stage entrepreneurs who might be looking for branding help. In this case, breaking the ad sets in the following way allows us to get much better insights about which segment is delivering the best performance:

Yes, managing your ad sets at a much more granular level can lead to additional overhead but it can definitely pay off in the long run. You will be able to find hidden gems much more easily and avoid wasted spend on the segments that are not delivering a strong ROI.

When you are optimizing the ad sets, change one thing at a time and measure results. For example, do not change the ad copy, targeting criteria and bid price at the same time. You will never know what led to the improvement (or deterioration) of your campaign performance.

Keep a log of the changes you are making for optimization so you can refer to them. Once you have documented your changes for 30-45 days, you will start seeing interesting trends such as: ads which include a specific time limit (“only 5 hours left”) result in much better CTR than those with generic messaging (“Sale Ending Soon”).

Did you know? With Kissmetrics, you can track the effectiveness of your online advertising. Optimize your marketing by knowing which campaigns perform and which don’t. Check out our infographic to learn more.

Tactic 3: Smartly Segment Your Retargeting Audiences

Retargeting is a great strategy to convert some of your recent visitors to buyers. A little bit of segmentation can go a long way in optimizing your retargeting campaigns.

First, it is generally safe to exclude all those visitors from your retargeting campaigns who bounced after seeing your initial landing page. It usually means they were not interested in your product or service. Don’t feel bad. It happens. Maybe they landed on your website accidentally, or they realized that your offering is not a good fit for them. Whatever the reason, I have seen a significant ROI increase by excluding those people who bounced after seeing the initial landing page, or those visitors who spent less than 60 seconds during their visit.

Second, always focus on the lowest end of your funnel as the starting point. This is your bullseye. Customers who left your website from the final payment or conversion step might just need a little bit of push to purchase. Those who left from a page that is higher up in your purchase funnel might need a bit more convincing. Create separate segmented lists that correlate to different steps in your purchase funnel. Your bidding strategy should correlate to audience belonging to these steps. Always bid highest for those visitors who abandoned from the final step of your funnel.

Don’t forget about time-based segmentation. Generally, you will see a much better outcome from your recent visitors compared to those that visited your site, say, 7 days or 30 days ago. When you are setting up time-based lists, pay close attention to setting correct exclusion rules. For example, in your 3-day list, always exclude those who belong to 24 hour list. This way, you can ensure that there is no audience overlap in your 24-hours and 3-day lists.

In Google AdWords, you can setup these exclusion rules by using Custom Combination lists.

One more thing – please set some frequency caps to make sure you are not following your audience till eternity. Showing your ads too often can actually turn off your potential customers. I would recommend setting a frequency cap of no more than 5 impressions in a day. However you can test different caps to see what works best in your situation.

Tactic 4: Consider LifeTime Value (LTV) While Optimizing Campaigns

If your website focuses on multiple product categories, you might find that the lower priced or discounted products deliver the best conversion rate. You might be tempted to spend more on those campaigns that are delivering the best cost per conversion. However, this is not always a good thing.

If you analyze your revenue and profitability from these campaigns, you might find that the most profitable campaigns are those where the customers are purchasing higher value products, and where the customers have a greater probability of making a repeat purchase.

To illustrate this, consider the example in the table below. At first glance, the campaign with conversion rate of 3% and cost per conversion of $20 seems to be the most effective and you might be tempted to allocate more marketing spend towards this campaign.

However, once you bring in the revenue, order value and LTV data, the picture changes completely. With the additional data, you will notice that the campaign that targets men on iOS devices seems to be delivering the best overall margin as well as LTV.

Assuming your goal is to improve your bottom line, your marketing spend allocation should be based upon an overall ROI metric which takes into account the LTV of customers acquired from that campaign. Consider building your own custom dashboard (or use an analytics tool like Kissmetrics) to monitor marketing effectiveness, taking into account your internal profitability metrics such as margin and LTV.

Tactic 5: Make Use of Automation

There is a great deal of automation available in platforms such as AdWords that can help you optimize your campaigns on an ongoing basis. Don’t get me wrong – I am not suggesting you put your campaigns on “cruise control” and expect that the automation will handle your optimization for you. However, there are some fundamental levers that you can set up which would allow you to focus your time and resources on more strategic optimization.

Here are few examples of what you can automate in AdWords:

Raise bids automatically to top of page bid if the keyword is delivering a strong ROI. Let’s say your target Cost Per Conversion goal is $25. In that situation, your goal should be to maximize the impressions for those keywords that are delivering conversions below your acceptable threshold. You can setup rules to automatically increase the bids to top of the page bid in order to maximize the impressions for these keywords.

Automatically lower bids if your keywords are not giving a strong ROI. You need to allow enough time and impressions before you start reducing your bids. However, let’s say you expect your keywords to deliver a Cost Per Conversion of $30. You could set up rules to automatically reduce max bids by 20% If your keywords have already generated few hundred clicks, but are delivering a Cost Per Conversion of $40 or higher.

Setting these rules will allow you to automatically optimize the “extreme” outliers so that you can focus your time and effort on other aspects of your campaign.

Automated Rules in Google Adwords

Conclusion

Marketing optimization is an ongoing journey. There is no finish line. Even though the above tactics worked well in our situation, you might find that they don’t work in your case. That’s ok. The key is to continue to experiment and test. As long as you take a focused and structured approach in experimenting your ideas, you will collect significant insights over time that work well for your business. As architect Buckminster Fuller rightly said:

“There is no such thing as a failed experiment, only experiments with unexpected outcomes.”

About the Author: Darpan Munjal brings over 19 years of ecommerce experience in technology and digital marketing with companies such as Sears, Kaplan as well as venture backed startups that he co-founded. Currently, he is the Founder of Squadhelp, a crowdsourcing platform helping startups engage branding experts for their naming and branding projects. You can connect with him on LinkedIn.

http://ift.tt/2lyBQvK from MarketingRSS http://ift.tt/2kYJR0b via Youtube

#MarketingRSS

0 notes

marie85marketing · 7 years