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aargoev · 3 years

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Benefits of EV Charging Business

EVs can also reduce the emissions that add to environmental change and smog, improving public health, and reducing ecological damage. Charging your EV on sustainable power, for example, solar or wind minimizes these emissions even more. See the difference in emissions between a conventional vehicle and an EV utilizing the calculator on the right.

Tax Advantages and subsidies-

According to a statement by the Finance Ministry, the GST rate on EVs will be reduced to 5% from 12%. The government will provide an additional income-tax deduction of ₹1.5 lakh on the interest paid on loans taken for the purchase of EVs. This amounts to a benefit of around 2.5 lakh over the loan period to the taxpayers who take loans to purchase electric vehicles. In order to make infrastructure for EV affordable, the Council also decided to lower the GST rate on the charger or charging stations for EV to 5% from 18%. Also, to make EV popular for public transportation, the hiring of electric buses (of carrying capacity of more than 12 passengers) by local authorities will be exempted from GST.

Attract and Retain High-quality employees-

Adding EV charging stations to company buildings is a huge advantage for employees— it encourages and facilitates their experience using EV vehicles. Think about the number of hours an employee parks in your lot. All of those hours could be utilized for charging their car, which is a significant advantage, particularly for employees who might not have a home charger.

This advantage can help decrease commute times in territories where EVs meet all requirements for carpool paths. All of this implies that the expansion of an EV charger can be a ground-breaking negotiating tool in retaining and holding talented workers. proprietors express strong interest in work environment charging, and numerous businesses already see the importance of introducing charging stations.) As an added bonus, if your organization’s premises service clients face to face, charging stations offer a special incentive for them to pay you a visit.

Promote Sustainability-

If your business is pushing a sustainability strategy, adding EV charging stations is probably the simplest step you can take. By adding charging stations, you demonstrate to both your employers and customers that you are taking action to promote sustainability and do your part in reducing emissions. In the event that you want to include EV charging as a feature of corporate sustainability strategy, it is easy to go with a smart EV charging infrastructure. Smart EV charging frequently incorporates a dashboard.

Entice Customers

Adding charging stations can help you entice customers in two key ways- Build Goodwill-Consumers, especially millennials, increasingly care about associating with corporations that promote sustainability. They are more motivated to work for a company that produces a product or service they believe in and also create it in a responsible way. Attract customers with EVs- Charging stations can also attract new and loyal customers eager to patronize businesses that are supporting the transition to electric mobility. If you run a restaurant or a hotel, you might entice customers with your charging stations who might otherwise go somewhere else.

Increase your Footfall-

Using Apps, EV drivers can discover areas to charge their vehicles. If you introduce an EV charger on your business premises, it will feature on these applications and could increase the probability of visitors to your business. A significant number of these visitors could be local, yet some may be basically passing by and need to stop and charge. EV chargers could expand your brand awareness and these visitors could quit charging their vehicle and become one of your customers.

2. Generate revenue through selling electricity-

By installing an EV charging point outside your business, you could generate additional revenue by selling the electricity to the EV driver. Businesses can retain a profit on the price the driver pays to charge their vehicle, so the more EV charging points you have the more revenue you could generate.

Benefits of EV charging stations at various business centers-

Restaurants

Visitors will stay longer-Electric cars typically need to be charged for at least an hour, which means that any visitors who are using your charging station will stay in your facility for at least that time. That means they’ll be more likely to opt for dessert, drinks, or coffee. Will attract repeat customers-A restaurant that offers EV charging stations is very likely to attract repeat customers. Electric car users will know that your facilities are able to accommodate their needs, and they’ll be more likely to choose you over competitors.

It will be recognized as environment friendly-Many consumers are very concerned with the environmental impact of their choices, and if your restaurant has an EV charging station, it will enhance your company’s image. When consumers are looking for an environmentally friendly choice, they’ll choose your restaurant.

Hotels

Profit from Fee-based charging or offer as a complimentary service.

Attract new Ecotourism and electric car driving premium guests.

Increase revenue per available room.

Get higher ratings and positive reviews on popular travel sites.

Get your Hotel featured in map services and navigation systems.

Hospitals

The presence of EV charging stations gives the hospital or medical office a modern and sustainable appearance that fits the overall image that healthcare facilities typically portray: healthy living, scientific achievement, and cutting-edge patient care.

Why Should Healthcare facilities install EV charging stations-?

Providing valuable amenities for doctors, nurses, patients, and visitors who drive EVs.

Improving air quality and reducing emissions near sensitive communities.

Enhancing the visual appeal of the facility with high-tech charging stations.

Adding a “Green” dimension to the overall perception of the hospital.

Benefits of EV charging Station in Shopping Malls and Multiplex:

Shopping Malls and Multiplex

Attract EV Drivers-

Many individuals drive and park for their retail shopping trips—so many that the quantity of vehicles in lots is being utilized to anticipate the market performance for retail organizations. EV drivers clearly need to stop, as well, and they want to do it where they can charge. As the EV industry continues developing, EV charging will turn into a key investment for retailers that need to draw in EV drivers.

Increase Customer Spend-

Charging not only attracts customers and keeps them around longer, but can also increase the amount of time and money they spend in a store. One major retailer found that shoppers spent about a dollar for every minute they were in the store. By adding EV charging, the retailer tripled time in-store and, as a result, tripled customer spends. Now that’s a good deal.

Put your Store on Map-

EV charging also puts stores on the map—in a real sense. EV drivers depend on EV charging applications like Charge Point’s mobile application to rapidly discover places where they can charge. At the point when drivers search for spots to charge in our application, they can easily discover retail locations that offer to charge for their vehicles. Since EV drivers tend to charge their vehicles while they shop, having charging accessible can persuade drivers to pick a store over a competitor’s area.

Create Customer connections-

With smart EV charging that lets drivers interact with stations online or in a mobile app, retailers can create virtual “Connections” to drivers who use their stations. This just requires drivers to submit a simple connection request in the app and allows retail organizations to learn more about who��s using their stations and when giving them new insight into their customers.

Offer Special Deals to EV Drivers-

Retailers can build on these customer connections by developing loyalty programs that cater to EV drivers. Giving EV drivers special deals can bring them back to charge (and shop) even more often. Some sample offers that companies have created include free charging, free stays at hotels and even free wine tastings.

Corporate Parks

Customers stay for long-

Retail businesses benefit from EV charging stations. They motivate customers to remain and browse for more with straightforward parking facilities that can at the same time give charging benefits. Longer browsing increases the shopping basket.

2. Keeping employees happy-

Employees who feel valued by the business and whose needs are more engaged and productive. Providing essential electric charging for employees demonstrates a responsive and committed employer. Demonstrating environmental commitment and supporting brand value- Social responsibility is key for businesses today and enabling greener vehicles is a significant part of that. EV charging at the work environment sends a reasonable and clear message about where the business stands regarding reducing the ecological impact of its operations and personnel.

3. Improving efficiency and cutting costs-

Electric charging points at work may make life easier for employees; reducing time spent seeking out where to charge, for example. For companies where vehicle fleets are part of the business, there are opportunities to save on fuel and maintenance costs.

4. Providing convenience for clients-

Clients make decisions about which companies to partner with on the basis of a wide range of factors – and convenience is one of the most important. EV charging stations on the premises will be attractive as clients can simply fill up with charge while attending a meeting or site visit.

#EV charging stations #ev charging #EV charger installer #EV charging points #Electric vehicle charging station #DC fast charger #charging points #Charging station

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3veta · 3 years

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Online services through the generations

New Post has been published on https://3veta.com/blog/articles/online-services-through-the-generations

Online services through the generations

People from every generation are working from home a lot more. They are also beginning to demand more of their everyday tasks to be quickly done from the comfort of their own sofa. Like a doctor’s consultation, your son’s tutoring or even your Zumba class. This is where online services provided by video chat are proving extremely convenient. It’s therefore no surprise that their popularity is growing vigorously.

As with most other technological advances, this phenomenon of online services from home fits differently into every person’s life. We adopt innovations in many different ways. But there is one factor that allows us to know pretty accurately how a certain person would react to a new technology. It’s the generational factor.

From Gen Z to Baby Boomers, everyone has their reasons to use video conferencing for online services. And when it comes to offering them, the motivators are even more diverse for each generation. We will examine the following generations:

Gen Z

Millennials

Gen X

Baby boomers

Generation Z

Born after 1996, some Gen Zers aren’t even old enough to vote yet. The oldest of them only entered the jobs market a few years ago and are still far from the corporate tops. With their limited buying potential, aren’t they the least interesting in terms of consumer economy? Well, we are talking about online services here. A video chat that ticks off an item from your to-do list. And this is where you hit a sweet spot with Gen Z.

Gen Z youngsters have grown up surrounded by technology. Тherefore they look for conveniences in every area of their lives. Online shopping is like second nature to them. Out of all generations they have benefitted the most from digital educational tools. This means that they will consider any queueing or travelling to offices an unnecessary waste of time.

Do you see how they will be the perfect customer of a home-based online service? As they gradually increase their disposable income, they will start needing various consultations more regularly. And they are certain to opt for the digital option.

What will they fancy?

One thing to consider though is that while Gen Z are digital natives, they are exclusively bound to their smartphones. Laptops are a device of last resort to them. According to a Snapchat survey 78% of Gen Z admit their mobile phone is their most important device to go online. At the same time 57% of them feel insecure without their smartphone. So providers who are after the Gen Z users should ensure their mobile app has all the bells and whistles of the desktop one.

And bells and whistles are a very Gen Z thing. You can attract them by offering a fully integrated experience in your platform. This means scheduling, in-app messaging function, file exchange, visual tools. Being extremely impatient too, they will definitely not tolerate online service apps that make them go through numerous unnecessary steps.

You might wonder what channels to use to promote your service to Gen Z.

Social media? Think again.

This young generation are the kings and queens of Snapchat and Instagram, but according to McKinsey, they’re more pragmatic and analytical about their decisions than the other generations. When deciding on products and services their most trusted source are family and friends. This is good news for providers of online consultations because they gain their customers through word of mouth anyway.

Gen Z is an exciting market and will be soon showing its full potential. But if there is one generation that you must never neglect when you talk about technology, it’s the Millennials.

Millennials

Everybody is interested in millennials and there are good reasons for this. People born roughly between 1980 and 1995 are currently the world’s largest living generation. They have finally recovered from the economic recessions and have a total spending power of $1.4 trillion in the US . They will be a significant consumer of online services but also have various reasons for entering this segment as providers.

Millennials are the most mobile generation with more than half planning to live in their homes 5 years or less. They are also known to dislike commuting which all contributes to their propensity to choose home-based professions. Millennials are currently accumulating valuable professional experience in the corporate world. Come a few years, and they will be looking to practice their knowledge exclusively to their own advantage.

As users of online services from home millennials are already ahead of other generations. There is strong evidence that they require telemedicine services more than the generations before them. Currently only 15% of GPs in the US use telemedicine tools. Since millennials don’t have great healthcare needs yet, you can imagine the kind of revolution that will happen very soon.

How can you win a millennial customer for your online service?

Well, unlike Gen Z, millennials will not choose an online service just because it is online. Millennials are savvy customers who like to visit both physical and online shops for their purchases. To trust an online service they need to be certain about the quality of the service and the technological benefits. Providers have to make sure that their credentials are visible and that they have an informative website. Any extra options that your platform offers will be welcomed by the millennial user.

Enough said about millennials. The future of online services from home becomes even more exciting when you factor in the mature generation – Gen X.

Generation X

Gen X is sometimes forgotten by media and analysts and that is totally unfair. Known as “the slackers” and “the forgotten middle child”, they are in fact quite remarkable. People born between 1961 and 1979 are not as numerous as the Baby Boomers and Millennials. However, they are currently at the top of their careers and concentrate the largest spending power in the world.

However, Gen X seems to have a widely appreciated problem in the corporate workplace. According to data from the Harvard Business Review, Gen X is the most overlooked for promotions generation. They are however highly skilled, and actually have more direct reports than millennials on similar positions. They are also great communicators and know how to show empathy. This makes Gen Xers the perfect candidate for an online consultant – where your success really depends on your qualities.

In addition to that, many Gen X people are currently looking after their growing children. Аt the same time they are taking care of aging parents. That makes it quite difficult to fit a 40-hour office week and the leap to freelancing is more likely.

Gen Xers are also not afraid of adopting new technology. While Millennials top all charts in terms of technology use, Gen X is now adopting new technology much faster than 10 years ago. As providers of online services, they will appreciate the benefits of a robust video platform with well integrated features.

Gen X as users of online video services

As users, Gen Xers use both laptops and smartphones and will prefer consultants that allow them to have that choice. Their large disposable income makes all sorts of consultations very useful for them – financial investments, tax advice, even career coaching. Managing their heavy workloads takes up a significant amount of time. Therefore choosing an online video solution becomes a necessity for them.

Last but not least, let’s take a look at Baby Boomers. Online video consultations actually fit them really well. Read on to see why.

Baby boomers

Baby boomers are now going into their retirement age. You would expect them to have a decent disposable income, having finished raising their kids and paying their mortgages. It doesn’t seem to be quite so simple though. The financial crises of the 2000s have had an effect on savings and many baby boomers are delaying retirement. The problem is they are getting older and are generally less tech savvy than millennials and Gen X. This means they will not be the most competitive on the jobs market.

However they are highly skilled due to their long experience. Therefore they will be valuable providers of online consultations in the traditional professions – doctors, lawyers, business consultants.

On the other hand, many baby boomers who are more comfortable in their finances will choose to retire early. This could be either to look after grandkids or to pursue their long neglected hobbies. We often see them leaving their workplace only to start struggling with all their free time. Online consultations present a fantastic opportunity for them to maintain social contacts and attachment to their profession.

Of course, that means baby boomers will require the support of online consultation platforms. For their needs they are likely to choose simple, but reliable solutions that streamline the consultation process. That allows them to focus on what they love.

We shouldn’t underestimate the baby boomers as users of online consultations either. They already need regular access to healthcare and are the second largest living generation. So it’s only a matter of time until they become the largest users of telemedicine. For those of them who are with restricted mobility all other online video services will be particularly helpful.

Which generation to focus on?

There are many reasons to expect that online video services will impact greatly every generation’s life. The truth is there is still time until they reach their peak. However this only means that now is the right moment to start preparing for that. If you are an online service provider, think about how your customers want to connect with you and what you can do to meet their needs.

Here’s the full infographic “Meet Today’s Generations”.

#3veta #3vetaservices #onlineservices #videoservices #videoconferencing #meetclientsonline

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clarencenicholsonata · 4 years

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16 Mind-Blowing B2B Video Marketing Tips to Increase Sales

Video marketing has become one of your most essential marketing tools to date, regardless of your B2B niche or industry. Cisco reported that by 2022, online videos would make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic — 15 times higher than it was in 2017.

Using video allows you to share more information about your products and services when compared to images or even gifs.

Instead of reading about it, people would rather watch instead. Maybe that's why 72% of customers would rather learn about a product or service by way of video.

If your mission is to sell successfully to other businesses, you can host a wide range of videos on YouTube, your website, and share it across your social media platforms.. To get started, here are sixteen mind-blowing B2B video marketing tips you can use to increase sales.

1. Create an Onboarding Video for New Employees & Customers

What does creating an onboarding video have to do with increasing sales. Great employee onboarding can improve employee retention by 82%, and keeping your staff informed and happy will allow them to contribute better to your company.

When new employees have a better understanding of your company mission and goals, they're more equipped to do tasks that will allow you to meet and maintain them.

Adobe New Employee Onboarding Video

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A negative onboarding experience results in new hires being 2x more likely to look for other opportunities. But onboarding videos aren't just for new employees, and it's also great for new customers.

After new leads have successfully completed your sales funnel and have turned into paying customers to send them an onboarding video. Walk them through your product or service features, tools, updates, and help them with their first task/order.

A customer onboarding video helps to retain new customers and is a more effective method when compared to sending customers to a lengthy FAQ page to get started.

Wishpond Introduction Video

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Remember your onboarding video should give an overview of what you have to offer. It should be more focused on what you can do to help them rather than why they should choose you. The fact that customers are watching this video means they've already considered you as their #1 choice.

2. Create a Product Demo Video for Sign Ups

A product demo video and an onboarding video are two of a kind. Your welcome video is sent to leads who have been successfully converted to a customer. However, a demo video is a sneak peek you send to potential leads to convert them into customers.

As a B2B company, especially when you're selling software or products, not all customers are willing to “buy to try” products or can be apprehensive about trying a free trial because it means taking time to overcome a learning curve.

Instead, send them a demo video with all the features that can help their business. Approximately 97% of marketers say video has helped users gain a better understanding of their products and services. Seeing your product in action gives customers proof that your features deliver what it promotes. Demo videos can also save your sales team time and effort when pitching to customers.

Asana Demo and Product Tour

youtube

3. Create Easy to Follow Tutorial Videos

It's well known that videos have the power to establish any brand or person as a thought leader. Youtube is a prime example of this statement. Tutorial videos allow you to educate your viewers (and potential customers) so that they see you as a credible source for all their industry needs.

There are two ways your B2B business can go about creating tutorial videos. You can either teach people how to use your product for their business or help them with various problems specific to their industries.

New Relic

youtube

New Relic is a software company that regularly posts videos on YouTube about how customers can effectively use their software, whether they're a beginner or an advanced user. They publish tutorials on every feature, including how to use detailed reports and manage integrations with other platforms.

Hubspot Academy

Hubspot decided to take it up a knot and created Hubspot Academy, teaching people how to be active social media marketers and sales reps in the digital marketing industry. They also offer certification and free resources with each video.

This video tutorial is one of the most powerful lead generation tools. You can use it to reach new customers and maintain your position as an expert in your industry.

4. Push and Promote Unboxing Videos

Long before influencers became a trend, YouTubers we're already working with and promoting brands with unboxing videos. An unboxing or a haul video is a video of a person discussing products they've purchased, typically on a bulk shopping spree, known as a "haul".

It's an online review done by an influencer that people trust, before customers. Around 89% say ROI from influencer marketing is comparable to or better than other marketing channels.

MuseFind shows 92% of consumers trust an influencer more than an advertisement or traditional celebrity endorsement. B2C companies aren't the only ones that can profit from this kind of video marketing.

Alibaba Express Shipment Unboxing

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5. Share Your Brand Story

Sharing your brand story can help your B2B company connect with your ideal customer audience and push sales as you showcase the hard work that has built your company to what it is now.

Seth Godin once said, "Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories that you tell." If you don't share your brand’s story, someone else might do it for you, and who knows your brand better than you do?

Harness the power of storytelling to boost your online presence and encourage customers to invest in what you have to offer them. Once you've completed your brand story, you can incorporate it in your sales pitch, marketing funnel, bio, mediums like your website and blog.

The We Company Story | WeWork

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6. Post Customer Review Videos

Customer reviews play a vital role in your B2B business. Around 15% of online users don't trust businesses without reviews and who can blame them. Reviews are held in high regard, Bright Local found that 91% of millennials trust online reviews as much as friends and family.

If 72% of customers won't take action before they read some reviews, then you should make it a priority to have customer reviews and testimonials available on all your online platforms.

Amazon Web Services Customer Success Story

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When you share your customer success stories and reviews, it shows viewers that your service and team are a reliable and worth investment for their own company. You show real first-hand people, real problems, and experience that your services can help.

7. Use VR or Augmented Reality to Promote Products

A Statista report shows that the global AR market is expected to rise significantly to about $90 billion by 2022.

Apruve defines VR (virtual reality) as a computer-generated environment or realities that are designed to simulate a person's physical presence in a specific environment that is designed to feel real. In contrast, AR (augmented reality) represents the integration of digital information with the user's environment in real-time.

Virtual and Augmented reality can help B2B companies to display their products, physical space (such as showrooms, shop floors, real estate, and more), giving business owners a real-life experience without having to travel or being limited by their geological location. This type of video marketing can also be an alternative to your demo or product video.

If you're a tech company, then VR and AR are something you should consider using to attract more customers.

AR App Idea: Interactive Realtor Resources for Open Houses

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8. Share Highlights of Your Summit or Webinar

Approximately 73% of B2B marketers say a webinar is the best way to generate high-quality leads. But did you know that reposting or sharing your summit/webinar on your website or social media can create evergreen content that can keep attracting and generating leads for your B2B company?

Sharing snippets or the entire replay of your webinar allows people who might have missed or loved your webinar to review and share their favorite speaker's section.

Adweek Webinar- The Importance of Marketing Data Quality: Put a Stop to Wasted Media Spend

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9. Share a Video Recap of Sponsored Events

In the B2B business community, it's popular for brands to sponsor events to fund a cause, gain notary, and brand awareness in their industry. Share your sponsored event with a video to promote it and show off how your brand impacts your industry.

This video marketing technique is better for networking than sales. It shows that your open to connecting with brands for future projects, collaborations, or events.

Intel is known to sponsor sporting and technological events to connect with their target audience and network with corresponding brands. Each year they cover the Olympic, supporting athletes and the hosting country.

Experience the Moment at the Olympic Winter Games | Intel

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10. Create a “New Feature” Video or GIF

If your B2B company is launching a new feature or product, create a video to promote it! Graphics and words can only go so far instead, spice things up with an upbeat video showing customers how and where they can find and use your new feature.

Once you've created your video, you can share it across all your social media platforms and create an ad campaign to boost awareness and sales. Buffer regularly uploads new videos for every new feature, it's a cross between a demo and promotion video.

Buffer Analyze: Buffer’s Social Media Analytics and Reporting Tool

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11. Promote Seasonal/Holiday Campaigns with Videos

During the holidays most B2C companies normally ramp up their marketing strategy to grab customers during the holiday rush, which doesn't leave much room for B2B brands like yourself. I say, don't let the holiday rush past you!

Create and promote a seasonal/holiday video campaign promoting how your services can help companies manage and maintain their business workflows before or during the holiday.

MultiVu is a media house that does media and creative strategies for B2B and B2C companies, during the holidays they post and promote holiday campaigns they've produced for clients to attract new prospects.

Bring Back the Holidays Campaign

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12. Show Off Your Brand Collaborations with Videos

If you've partnered with a brand for a co-promotion or brand collaboration, give customers an idea of what they can expect from you too with a video.

For instance, when Tidio had announced their Shopify integration, they launched a video campaign not only to inform people but to show them how to integrate Tidio with their Shopify store successfully.

Tidio - Chat Bot Announcement! (Shopify)

youtube

13. Start a YouTube Channel for Your B2B Company

Google found that 65% of people use YouTube to help them solve a problem.

Want to build a house or remove weird parasites from your eye? YouTube might have the answer. Youtube is one of the best places to host and store all your video content for viewers and potential customers.

YouTube is the second most popular website after Google. Users view more than 1 billion hours of video each day on YouTube.

Youtube acts as an evergreen content base. Even if you don't see views significantly during the first few hours of uploading, it builds over time.

But if you're focused on making your reach, here are 18 powerful ways to grow your YouTube channel so you can see your subscriber count go up.

Kickstarter

14. Create Case Study Videos

According to the Content Marketing Institute, the top three most important marketing tactics for B2B businesses are in-person events, webinars, and case studies.

Case Studies allow you to go more in-depth, add statistics, and reports about how your products or services assisted a brand with a specific problem. Executing successfully on case studies requires not only telling a great story but also supporting it with great user experience.

This is done by organizing your content so users can search for what they need, developing headlines that capture the reader's attention and presenting the content in a way that's interesting and informative.

15. Add Video Content to Your Social Media Strategy Media Ads

Adding video to your social media strategy can help to boost your engagement and following. Social media posts with video have 48% more views when compared to static images. Not to mention social video gets shared 50% more than text and images combined.

Need another good reason to add video content to your social media marketing strategy?

Biteable found that 85% of consumers want to see more video content from brands.

Simply reposting your video content on your social media platforms can add more value to your customers. With platforms like IGTV and Facebook (live) videos, you can now add longer content and more views.

16. Follow these 3 B2B Video Marketing Gems for Success

Creating a video is the easy part. It's making sure that it's received well, has massive viewers, and helps to boost your online presence.

That's the real challenge. To help, here are three B2B video marketing gems that are easily overlooked but a critical factor in the success of your video.

Keep it short: and concise, Ad Age found that 33% of viewers will stop watching a video after 30 seconds, 45% by one minute, and 60% by two minutes. A lengthy video doesn't always mean good. Videos under two minutes long get the most engagement. Viewers now have shorter attention spans and would like to get to the point of your video sooner rather than later. If your video has to be very long, then it leads me to my next point!

Create eye-catching and engaging content: that will make your viewer stop dead in their tracks to watch your video. You're not the only B2B company using video marketing, and you won't be the last, so your video must stand out against competitors and the sea of online content competing for your customer's attention. Here are 6 types of video ideas to supercharge your social media.

Track your video ROI: to make sure your video is successful. Track what type of content gets the most engagement, your ad budget to promote, create, or boost your videos, and lastly, how each video brings revenue or leads to your website or sales team.

Summary

Video content is expected to make up 82% of internet traffic by 2021, and after that, it will only grow as more brands are incorporating video into their day to day marketing activities.

Around 73% of B2B marketers say video positively impacts their ROI. Proving it's worth the investment!

The next time you have a marketing campaign or ad campaign, think about adding video as your primary source of media and see what happens. Here's a quick recap at some of the B2B video marketing tips and ideas you can use to increase sales for your company:

Create an Onboarding Video for New Employees & Customers

Create a Product Demo Video for Sign Ups

Create Easy to Follow Tutorial Videos

Push and Promote Unboxing Videos

Share Your Brand Story

Post Customer Review Videos

Use VR or Augmented Reality to Promote Products

Share Highlights of Your Summit or Webinar

Share a Video Recap of Sponsored Events

Create a “New Feature” Video or GIF

Promote Seasonal/Holiday Campaigns with Videos

Show Off Your Brand Collaborations with Videos

Start a YouTube Channel for Your B2B Company

Create Case Study Videos

Add Video Content to Your Social Media Strategy Media Ads

Follow these 3 B2B Video Marketing Gems for Success

8 Best Business YouTube Channels to Sharpen Your Entrepreneur Skills

5 Ways to Attract More Customers with Ecommerce Video Marketing

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darcyfarber · 4 years

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The Best of the Best Proven Side Hustles You Should Know About

Need to make a little (or a lot) of extra money this month?

Side hustles are an incredible way to boost your monthly income. Whether you want to stay home and make money from home, get out of the house to make money, or try something unique and fun – I have you covered.

This list is updated weekly and if there is anything you think I need to take out or add to the list, please let me know in the comments below the post.

Also, if you do find something and you’re having a lot of success with it, you’d be helping everyone out by sharing your win in the comments below. Thanks so much and enjoy the guide to making more money each month.

Table of Contents

My First Picks...

1. Share Your Opinion

2. Door Dash

3. VIPKID

4. Airbnb

5. Share Your Blog with the World

6. Become a Virtual Assistant

Online Hustles

7. Start a Social Media Marketing Business

8. Ebates (Now Rakuten)

9. Honey Browser Extension

10. Inbox Dollars

11. Fiverr

12. Make Money with PayPal

13. Amazon

14. Amazon Affiliate Links

15. eBook Publishing

16. Etsy

17. Craigslist

18. User Testing

19. Become a Freelance Writer

20. Zazzle

21. eBay

22. Do Transcription Work or Data Entry Work

23. Sell Your Photos Online

24. Start a Web Design Business

Driving Hustles

25. Uber/Lyft Driver-Partner

26. Uber Eats

27. Be a Paid Designated Driver

28. Drive People to the Airport

Extremely Passive Hustles

29. Rent Out Your Garage or Driveway

30. Become a Voiceover Artist

31. Rent out your Car

32. Rent out a Room full-time

Some Skill Required Hustles

33. Become an Online Coach

34. Create an Online Course

35. Spray Tanning

36. Become a Cover Letter/Resume’ Writer

37. Develop an App

38. Catering

39. Computer Repair

40. Computer Training

41. Guitar Gigs

42. Guitar Lessons

43. Handyman Work

44. Lifeguard

45. Mobile Oil Change

46. Network Marketing

47. Personal Training

48. Tutoring

49. Teach Music Lessons

50. Start a Baking Business

51. Become a Sports Umpire

Physical Labor Hustles

52. Clean Pools

53. House Cleaning

54. Mowing Lawns

55. Painting Gates

56. Painting Services

57. Shoveling Snow

58. Wash Cars

59. Wash Windows

Unique Hustles

60. Rent out Your Baby Gear

61. Sell Your Hair Online

62. Paint Street Numbers

63. Sell Drinks

64. TaskRabbit

65. Start a Home Staging Business

66. Be a Work-From-Home Customer Service Rep

67. Start an Estate Sale Service Business

68. Start a Vending Machine Business

69. Pick Up Trash in Parking Lots

You’ve Got to be Kidding Me Hustles

70. Be a Sperm Donor

71. Be a Plasma Donor

72. Become a Cuddler

73. Pick up Dog Poop

74. Rent-a-Friend

Easy Peasy Hustles

75. Babysitting

76. Dog Walking

77. Gig Walking

78. Golf Course

79. House-sitting

80. Mystery Shopper

81. Pet Grooming

82. Pet Sitting

83. RedBox

84. Sell ScrapMetal

85. Tax Prep

86. Sign Spinner

87. Sign Holder

Final Takeaway

My First Picks…

These first five are favorites because they are quick ways to get started making extra money and they have long-term potential as well! All five of them do require an internet connection, but sine you’re reading this from the internet, I think you’re covered there ?

1. Share Your Opinion

and get money sent to your PayPal

Yup, you can actually generate side income by simply giving your opinion via online surveys. It’s not going to make you rich tomorrow, but it’s still a great way to generate extra income during your down time.

If you think surveys may be the way to go, check out our full list of the top survey companies for both online and offline opinions here.

Survey Junkie

2. Door Dash

Door Dash is our favorite pick for food delivery because it’s been reported back to us that DoorDashers make slightly more than UberEats drivers. While we don’t have any factual statistics to prove this right or wrong, we still pick DoorDash over UberEats as our top side hustle for food delivery. If you have a car, bike, or scooter, get started with Door Dash today and start making money for your next vacation, your upcoming wedding, or whatever expense you’re saving for!

Maybe you just don’t feel like driving people around in your car or maybe you don’t even have a car. Depending on the city you live in, Uber Eats allows you to deliver food to people via your car, bike, or scooter. Turn on the app in the morning before work, when you get home, or whenever you have some extra time to make money on your terms.

Door Dash

3. VIPKID

VIPKID will pay you up to $22/hour to teach English from the comfort of your home to children in China. Currently VIPKID has over 70,000 teachers teaching English as a second language to over 600,000 children in China.

They do require you to have a Bachelor’s degree from either the USA or Canada and they ask for “some teaching experience”. However, from the teachers we have spoke with from VIPKID, they said “teaching” doesn’t have to mean teaching in a traditional educational setting.

The lessons are 30 minutes long and you will be paid up to $11 for each 30-minute lesson. One thing to note is since you are teaching across the globe in a live setting, you will be teaching at odd hours (late at night or first thing in the morning). However, the teachers we spoke to said it was fun, rewarding, and it paid well for being able to stay at home and teach from their laptops.

VIPKID

4. Airbnb

Did you know you can rent your room or house out at Airbnb? They have been around since 2008 and millions of people have been renting out their rooms or entire homes to travelers from all over the world. If you do this right, you may be able to cover your entire mortgage! If you’re going to be gone for a month or two, you may as well allow your space to make money while you’re gone.

Airbnb

5. Share Your Blog with the World

I started this blog in 2015 from my laptop at my kitchen table and today it generates over $10,000 per month 🙂 However, in the beginning it was just a side hustle project that turned into full-time income much quicker than I would have ever dreamed.

If you love writing, then starting a blog is exactly the right side hustle for you. There are many ways to generate income from blogging, with one of the most popular being through affiliate income.

How does it work?

You know how you can share a referral link from companies you love and they will send you $5 for referring them a customer? Affiliate partners work the exact same way.

Is blogging complicated?

Absolutely not! But just in case, I did create a step-by-step guide to help you get started in about 15 minutes.

Start a Blog

6. Become a Virtual Assistant

If you enjoy working from your laptop, then becoming a virtual assistant may be exactly what you need. We use a few virtual assistants for Money Peach and one of them earns over $10,000 per month as a VA. Other places where you can become a virtual assistant for an agency where they find work for your is Upwork. They take a 10% fee, but 90% is still a great side hustle.

You can also listen to Episode 80 on the Money Peach Podcast (below) where my own Virtual Assistant shares how she got started as a VA and within a few years was able to quit her full-time job and start earning over $10k per month doing what she loved.

Virtual Assistant Course (Use Promo Code Peach 10 for $50 Off)

Online Hustles

I love online hustles because they give you the freedom to do these anywhere. If you’re constantly traveling for work or out of town a lot you’re going to absolutely love these online side hustles.

7. Start a Social Media Marketing Business

Our very own social media manager was actually someone who was enrolled inside Awesome Money Course. We noticed how great she was inside our private students-only Facebook group and we offered her a job with us. Now she manages all of our social media for Money Peach and she has also been offered social media jobs from other bloggers!

A great place to get started is visiting the Facebook Side Hustle Course by Bobby of Millennial Money Man. You can read how many of the students from the course are landing social media jobs for $1,000 – $2,000 month! Not a bad little side hustle, right?

Facebook Side Hustle

8. Ebates (Now Rakuten)

Ebates is a company that has partnered with over 2,000 online companies to form an affiliate relationship with each of them. An affiliate relationship simply means Ebates and each online company have created a partnership where Ebates will refer you or I to buy something from them, and that company then sends Ebates a thank-you referral.

The good news: Ebates then splits the thank-you referral with you, and you earn Cash Back.

The Better News: You can Make Money by referring friends, family, or anyone else to join Ebates!

Ebates extends their referral program to any Ebates member who would like to share how to earn Cash Back while shopping online. Once you create an account with Ebates, you can invite your friends and family to join in on the Cash Back savings, and YOU will also receive a thank-you referral, aka make money.

BONUS $10 with Ebates Right Now

9. Honey Browser Extension

Honey is a free tool that will search for online coupons and apply them to your online shopping cart to make sure you are saving the most money. Instead of searching for coupons one at-a-time and applying them individually, Honey does all of this for you in the matter of seconds. Not only will you save money, but you will also MAKE MONEY with their refer-a-friend program. For anyone you refer to the app, Honey will send you $5 as soon as they purchase something via the app up to $1,000.

Honey Browser Extension

10. Inbox Dollars

Inbox Dollars is a rewards club that pays you in cash for completing a variety of online activities. This can include searching the internet, filling out surveys, printing off coupons, and shopping online. If you are already doing these things, you may as well get paid for it, right?

Inbox Dollars

11. Fiverr

Fiverr is a platform where you can sell your products and services starting at $5 per gig. After you have a few $5 gigs under your belt, you can start increasing how much you charge. Here at Money Peach, we hire people from Fiverr all the time. Just recently, we found someone for a quick logo design and another to transcribe some videos we created.

Also, the Fiverr platform does take 20% from each gig. Therefore, if you do a $5 gig, you will take home $4 per gig. However, if you can complete 3-4 gigs in an hour, your hourly rate could start at $16 – $20 per hour!

Fiverr

12. Make Money with PayPal

Already have a PayPal account?

We have put together a list of the side hustles that will pay you in PayPal gift cards which can then be deposited into your PayPal account – just like cash!

Where to make money with PayPal

13. Amazon

Selling on Amazon is almost identical as selling on eBay in terms of fees and ease of use. However, sometimes items that don’t sell as well on eBay do better on Amazon and vice versa. Either way, it is a side hustle worth looking at if you can buy for cheap and resell for a higher price.

14. Amazon Affiliate Links

I know of a guy who started out as a handyman. He then took that idea as a handyman and started his own blog to teach people how to fix things themselves through blogging and video tutorial. At the end of every post or video, he would tell you what tool he used to get the job done and would provide a link directly to Amazon for you to purchase that product.

However, he also signed up for a free Amazon Affiliate Account. Every time someone clicks on his link and buys ANYTHING on Amazon, he gets a commission! Think about this: Amazon pays him for the tool he recommended and also for anything else they Add To Cart. This is why I love blogging and why I have a free tutorial to help you get started.

15. eBook Publishing

Make money by writing your own book and self publishing it on Amazon for free. There are different options available for how your can price your book and earn income from the sale of your book in the Amazon store. Questions about self publishing your own book? Check this out.

16. Etsy

Instead of having to open up your brick and mortar store, sell your creations on Etsy. Whether you make clothing, crafts, baby toys, or jewelry, you can open up your own store at Etsy. I have a friend selling her awesome clothing line on Etsy and it brings in a very nice income for the family. This is another great side hustle, but don’t expect instant results. You may need to be patient for this one.

17. Craigslist

We all know you can buy and sell stuff on Craigslist, but have you ever thought about offering a service you can provide. If providing a service isn’t your thing, you can scan Craigslist for great deals and then later resell items for a profit. This takes persistence and patience, but I have a friend who went from a $4k truck to a $24k in truck in 18 months by flipping cars from Craigslist.

There are also many other sites competing with Craigslist and you may have better exposure by posting on these sites like Craigslist.

18. User Testing

Don’t want to do an online survey, but still like to surf the web and earn some cash? Companies will pay you to try out their apps or visit their websites and give them feedback. Usertesting and UserFeel uses your feedback on apps and websites that aren’t as user-friendly and then pays your for it.

19. Become a Freelance Writer

If you are a good writer, consider searching online sites such as freelancer.com for writing jobs. Individuals or companies might need freelance writers for a number of reasons.

Individuals or companies might need a writer for their blog or website, or a company might need a writer for its instruction manuals, for instance.

Pro Tip: The best way to learn how to get freelance writing jobs is from someone who has been doing it for years. Holly Johnson generates over $100k per year freelance writing and she has a program to show you how to do it.

**Money Peach Readers: Use Coupon Code PEACH10 to Receive 10% Off at Checkout**

Become Freelance Writer

An even better option is to learn from those who are already making 6-figures as freelance writers. Check out Episode 13 on the Money Peach Podcast where Holly and Greg Johnson share how they got started as freelance writers and soon turned their side hustle into a 6-figure income.

20. Zazzle

Make money on Zazzle as a designer by selling your artwork on different products or you can actually make and manufacture the products for sale. I have a friend who takes old dry wood and paints slogans on them. She needs to sell them on Zazzle; she could create a very quick and profitable side hustle.

21. eBay

You can have your own store up in only a few minutes at eBay. To start, you must have a seller account, must be verified through PayPal. You are even able to give a detailed description of your store with a catchy design to attract customers. I have a friend who will buy all of the unused bras at a last chance type of store and resell them for a profit at her eBay store. Last I heard, she was doing $1,000/month in her first couple of months.

22. Do Transcription Work or Data Entry Work

Companies hire transcriptionists for a number of reasons. A doctor’s office might need a medical transcriptionist to record information about a patient’s appointment, or law enforcement agencies might need transcription services for court cases or suspect interviews.

Data entry work, which is a bit easier than transcription work, is also available from companies who hire people to work from home. Simply google “transcription work” or “data entry jobs” for a list of companies currently hiring work-from-home reps.

23. Sell Your Photos Online

Do you take amazing photos? You can actually sell your photos online at places like iStockPhoto, Shutterstock, Fotolia, and Bigstockphoto. Photos can be sold over and over again, allowing you to earn a residual income!

24. Start a Web Design Business

If you’re knowledgeable about web design, you could make money creating or improving on websites for individuals or businesses.

Advertise on Craigslist or approach businesses directly if they have a website that needs improvement.

There really is no shortage of ways to make extra money if you’re willing to get creative and do some research. Which financial goals will you use the extra cash you earn to accomplish?

TWEET THIS 'When you're broke, the best place to go to get more money is work'Click To Tweet

Driving Hustles

If you have a car, you may as well use it to help you side hustle, right? Here’s our favorite driving side hustles.

25. Uber/Lyft Driver-Partner

If you are unfamiliar with Uber or Lyft, then make sure you still have a pulse and you are breathing air.

To get started, some minimum requirements you need are a car, a smartphone, and the Uber or Lyft app. You become available to drive as soon as you complete the activation process and then you are ready to start earning money. Fares are paid out weekly or up to 5X a day when you register for Instant Pay with your debit card!

Today, there are more riders on the road than ever! This is one of my absolute favorite ways to start generating money quickly.

Drive with Uber

Drive with Lyft

26. Uber Eats

Uber Eats

27. Be a Paid Designated Driver

Pretty self-explanatory.

28. Drive People to the Airport

Some airports don’t allow Uber or Lyft to drop people off or pick them up, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still offer up airport rides on your own. Post an ad to all of your friends on social media that you are now their preferred method of getting to the airport. I used to do this when I first got my license and it paid very well 🙂

OR JUST DRIVE WITH UBER OR LYFT (See Number 24 Above)

Extremely Passive Hustles

If you like passive income, then you may want to review the top 40 passive income ideas . But to get you started, here are our favorite side hustles that are also extremely passive.

29. Rent Out Your Garage or Driveway

You’ve likely heard of AirBnB, where you can rent out rooms in your house – or your whole house – to travelers wanting to avoid the impersonal feel and high cost of hotel rooms.

Maybe you can’t or don’t want to rent out rooms in your house, but you might have space in your garage to rent out. Sites such as Air Garage help people rent out their garage spaces and driveway spaces.

People might want to rent out your garage or driveway space because they work close to where you live and want cheaper and safer parking options.

Or they might want to rent out your parking space because there’s an event near you, such as a state fair or sporting event.

Depending on where you live you could easily earn $50 or more a month for parking spots in your garage or driveway.

Check out this Money Peach podcast with AirGarage CEO Jonathan Barkl for more info.

30. Become a Voiceover Artist

You know those people who talk on radio and TV commercials but you never see their faces? They’re called voiceover artists, and they get paid good money to do what they do.

Sites like Backstage list available voiceover jobs, and Carrie Olsen, professional voiceover artist, has a great web site that can help you learn how to become a voiceover artist.

Check out this Money Peach Podcast with Voice Over Star Carrie Olsen for more info.

31. Rent out your Car

Did you know your car sits idle 93% of the time? If you’re not going to need your car for the next couple of days/weeks/months, you may as well let it earn you some cash. You can list your car through RelayRides and have your personal car rented out tomorrow.

32. Rent out a Room full-time

Own a home and need extra cash each month? Rent out a room in your house to help cover the mortgage and free up some of your cash. I have a single friend who has a $1,200 mortgage and he consistently earns $2,000+ every month by renting out room(s) in his house via Airbnb. Fun fact – he applies the extra cash towards his mortgage each month!

Airbnb

Some Skill Required Hustles

So, not all side hustles are for everyone. In fact, these ones below do require some skill to make money. But, the more skill you have, the more money you will make!

33. Become an Online Coach

If you have an idea and can help people, pay attention. Whether it is motivating someone, helping them pass a class, or teaching them how to build a website, this can all be done online. Setup you’re pricing, terms, and accept payment through something as simple as PayPal and you are on your way. I recommend using Skype or Google Hangouts since it is 100% free. Help someone and get paid – genius.

34. Create an Online Course

Is there something you are good at and can teach to others? I have a friend who will teach you how to clean pools over his site, Swim University. Check out Udemy for ideas on your next online course and see how much people are paying for someone like you to teach them.

One of the greatest accomplishments I have had in my business is helping others reach financial freedom. We have had over 500 students graduate Awesome Money Course and completely turn their money situation around!

If you are tired of living the paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle and would like to save more, pay off debt, and reach true financial freedom, then Awesome Money Course was made for you.

I am so confident you will absolutely love the program that I have 100% money-back guarantee…meaning you could download the entire course, keep it, and ask for a refund.

I hope no one would do that, but I will also take that risk if it results in you learning how to manage money, pay off debt, save, and build a wealthy future.

However, if you would like to try a little bit of our program out, we do have a 100% free mini-course called the Cash Flow Formula which will show you the step-by-step to building a monthly cash-flow plan with many of our favorite money-hacks to save more and pay off debt quicker!

Start Cash Flow Formula (FREE)

35. Spray Tanning

A good friend of mine (Jessica) has become the queen of spray tanning in our area. In fact, she is making $900 per week cash spray tanning both the ladies and the men and it’s all through word-of-mouth! You can check her out at JC Glows on Facebook to see how she set up her side hustle.

I asked her how she got started and she said this:

She started with this exact tanning kit

She uses this tanning tent

She taught herself how watching YouTube

36. Become a Cover Letter/Resume’ Writer

Professionals of all kinds pay ridiculous amounts of money for professionally written resumes. I know one guy who paid a professional resume’ writer $5,000.

If you have a knack for writing compelling and attention-grabbing resumes, consider offering your services on sites such as freelancer.com or Craigslist.

37. Develop an App

If you’ve got a great idea for an app that will make people’s lives easier or more exciting, this could be a great side hustle for you.

Check out this post on learnappmaking.com for more information on how to develop and market an app for some extra income.

38. Catering

If you love cooking, serving food, and entertaining at your own home, then get paid to do it for someone else. This can be fun and can often go from side hustle to full-time if you’re really good at it!

39. Computer Repair

If you love “playing” computers, then help someone repair theirs and get paid for it. Note: You must know a little bit about computers 🙂

40. Computer Training

How many Baby Boomers (or anyone for that matter) do you know who are still having trouble checking their email. If you were able to navigate to this web page, then you probably have the skills to teach extremely basic computer skills to an extreme beginner.

41. Guitar Gigs

A friend of mine finds guitar gigs online, on Facebook, and in the paper all the time. He shows up, plays for a few hours, and leaves with cash in hand. Note: you must be good at playing the guitar.

42. Guitar Lessons

If you are handy on the 6 string and can show someone else, teach them. Better yet, teach the world online how to play guitar.

43. Handyman Work

Some people are handy and others are not. Let your neighbors know that you are available to hang a ceiling fan, patch a hole in the drywall, fix an irrigation leak, or paint a fence. All can be done for them ASAP for a small fee 🙂

I love TaskRabbit. Whether I need a doggy door installed, someone to clean my house this weekend, or even mount a TV, I can go on TaskRabbit to find someone in an instant. YOU could be that person I find next on TaskRabbit for hire!

44. Lifeguard

Become a lifeguard and earn $16/hr – $20/hr part-time. Not only do you make some extra cash, but you are guaranteed to get a little tan as well.

45. Mobile Oil Change

If you don’t mind getting underneath the car and pulling the drain plug for people, then this could be your next side hustle. People are busy, and may want to pay you to change their oil while they are at work. Note: Wal-Mart always has the cheapest oil.

46. Network Marketing

Network marketing (sometimes referred to as multi-level-marketing) can sometimes have a bad connotation if you have ever been scammed in the past. However, there are very reputable companies out there that you can start working for today with very little buy-in or overhead. A member of our family started off her network marketing business as a side hustle and has turned it into a part-time gig with full-time income. Warning: if you are told it doesn’t require any actual work – run away!

47. Personal Training

Someone out there wants to get into better shape, and they are willing to pay you to help them. If you love fitness, this would be a perfect side hustle for you.

48. Tutoring

Take your education and use it to make money on the side. Tutor students and get paid handsomely.

Live in the U.S. or U.K. and hold a bachelor’s degree? You can earn up to $20/hr plus bonuses to teach kids English online from the comfort of home. Learn more here.

49. Teach Music Lessons

From singing to playing piano or any other number of instruments, parents everywhere are seeking music lessons for their kids.

If you have a gift for a musical skills, consider teaching that skill to local kids. You might be able to find jobs by looking on Craigslist or by seeking out local public school or homeschooling groups to connect with parents who have school-aged children.

50. Start a Baking Business

Do you have a gift for baking goodies such as cake, muffins or cookies? Why not use that gift to make yourself some extra cash?

Events such as birthday parties, weddings, office parties and meetings, retirement parties and more often have baked treats as a part of their celebration.

Advertise your culinary skills on Craigslist and with local event booking venues for your bakery services.

Be sure to check with state officials on what the rules are for serving and selling food in your area first.

51. Become a Sports Umpire

Are you knowledgeable about the rules and regulations of certain sports? Do you like working with kids? Recreation associations often pay good money for organized sports umpires for football, baseball, and more.

In our area, umpires earn about $30 an hour. Check with local sporting organizations for job opening details.

Physical Labor Hustles

If you don’t putting in a little sweat equity, you can do very well side hustling with some physical labor attached to it. I did #50 when I was getting out of debt and generated over $1,000 each month.

52. Clean Pools

This requires very little overhead and is simple to do. Go to Google Earth and look up which homes in your neighborhood have a pool, and offer to start today. I actually did this to get out of debt and it worked out great!

53. House Cleaning

People are busy and don’t have time to clean their homes. This is where you come in 🙂 Search your area in Craigslist to get an idea for pricing your own services.

54. Mowing Lawns

If you don’t have the funds to purchase all the equipment, then offer to your mow lawns with their equipment. I actually did this in grade school because I wasn’t old enough to drive. I just showed up, grabbed their lawnmower, and was paid.

55. Painting Gates

Gates fade and someone needs to repaint them. A kid in the neighborhood took pics of faded gates and pretty gates and posted them on the mailbox with his number and price. (I think one of the faded gate pics he took was my gate also).

56. Painting Services

Remember that movie American Pie 2 where they spend the summer in a lake house and do some side painting. No one likes painting their houses or walls, so why not help them out for a little side cash? Start out small by offering to paint a bedroom or two, and work your way up from there. Pricing rule: $1 per square ft of painting.

57. Shoveling Snow

No one likes shoveling snow and this is why you will be paid for it.

58. Wash Cars

If you can wash a car, then you can make money. People are busy and don’t have time to even take their cars to the wash anymore…this is where you come in.

59. Wash Windows

I recently paid a guy to wash my windows because he advertised $4/window. He spent about 1 hour washing a total of 20 windows and walked away with $80 cash. His entire setup was a bucket and a squeegee. Maybe I should wash my own windows and my neighbor’s windows for an affordable price of only $4 a window.

Unique Hustles

If you are unique, then you deserve some unique side hustles. Some of these are extremely cool, but a few of them…well I am still waiting for you to try.

60. Rent out Your Baby Gear

Think of it as the Airbnb of Baby Gear.

Have you ever traveled with kids and realized what a pain-in-the-butt it is to take the stroller, hi-chair, pack-n-play, and everything else that babies need? Think about dragging all of that through the airport, onto the train, or inside the Uber?

BabyQuip offers a simple solution. They provide families with a wide assortment of clean, quality baby equipment—everything they need to keep their little ones sleeping well at night and happily engaged during the day.

And guess who makes 80% commission (plus tips) renting their baby gear out?

You, the side hustler!

BabyQuip

61. Sell Your Hair Online

Thinking about a new hair style? You may want to. People are paying up to $1,000 for quality hair if you can remember to wash it more than once a month J Check out what your hair is worth at Hairsellon.

Hairsellon

62. Paint Street Numbers

A father and son rang my doorbell and pointed out to me my street numbers were faded. “For only $10, they would repaint my street numbers so my house would look better”. I paid it and it took them 37 seconds. They did 6 houses on my street alone. This is a great little side hustle.

63. Sell Drinks

where it’s hot (and where it’s cold)

I live in Phoenix where it will hover at 116°F during the summer. During the hottest weeks, there is a guy who sells snow cones and water for a premium.

I asked him how business was recently – he smiled and said “Business is gooooooood”. Buy a case of water at Costco for $0.12 a bottle and resell them for $2 wherever it is HOT. Who wouldn’t pay $2 for ice-cold water during the dog days of summer?

64. TaskRabbit

Become a task rabbit and get paid. People in your neighborhood are looking to pay you to put together furniture from Ikea, do their grocery shopping, install a ceiling fan, be a bartender at their party, or mount their TV to the wall.

65. Start a Home Staging Business

Somebody is always selling a home, and homes sell faster and for more money when they are “staged”.

As a home stager you can tailor your business to meet a variety of client needs. Creating relationships with local realtors is one way to help you find home staging clients.

66. Be a Work-From-Home Customer Service Rep

There are many legit companies that offer to hire customer service representatives who can from home. One of the more popular work-from-home companies is U-Haul, the well-known moving company.

67. Start an Estate Sale Service Business

An estate sale business buys a large majority of a client’s belongings, including furniture, vehicles and more, at a group rate and sells the stuff individually for profit.

This is a business that will take some work as you get to know the ropes but can be very lucrative in the long run.

68. Start a Vending Machine Business

Many companies want vending machines installed at their businesses for the convenience of employees and clients alike.

Although this type of side hustle would involve some costly initial cash, you may be able to make it up quickly if you install the machines in thriving businesses that service large numbers of people.

69. Pick Up Trash in Parking Lots

Brian Winch came on the podcast to share how he picks up trash around parking lots and now earns a 6-figure income by doing so. Although it may not be glorious work, it does pay well and it’s extremely affordable to get started. Before you get started, check out the Clean Lots tutorial here.

You’ve Got to be Kidding Me Hustles

Before you read on, just remember the name of these side hustles are you’ve-go-to-be-kidding-me side hustles. Some of them will actually shock you ?.

70. Be a Sperm Donor

This is straight out of the movie Road Trip when they need gas money. However, you can make substantial money donating sperm, with some places offering up $1,000/month to healthy men. Be aware, if you’re not a true thoroughbred, you won’t be paid as much!

71. Be a Plasma Donor

Since there is no way to synthetically make plasma, you will be compensated for your donation. Rates vary from state to state, but you can make on average $200/month for only a few hours of your time….and blood.

We have a full list of where you can earn $400 per month donating plasma here.

72. Become a Cuddler

Ah yes, cuddling. This is an actual real job and I recently saw it featured in a news segment. People are paying for up to 3 hours of platonic hugging (and they pay a lot). Job requirements: enjoy hugging strangers.

73. Pick up Dog Poop

Who likes picking up dog poop? Nobody. This is why you can get paid for it.

youtube

74. Rent-a-Friend

You can sign up for free at Rentafriend to be someone else friend both part-time and full-time with pay between $20/hr – $50/hr. Yes, this sounds very strange from the outside looking in, but a lot of times you are helping someone get acquainted in a new town, meet a new group of friends, or simply have a cup of coffee with. Most importantly – friendship is always platonic (no touching).

Easy Peasy Hustles

These are some of the classic side hustles that we call the easy peasy ones. If you are looking for simple, but yet effective, these are the side hustles for you.

75. Babysitting

If you like kids and don’t go out on the weekends, become a babysitter. Advertise to all of your friends (and Facebook Friends) that you will watch their kids so they can have a date night. New to the area? Then get connected with Care.com to become a certified/recommended babysitter in your area.

76. Dog Walking

Create this ad: “Love your dog but simply don’t have time to walk them? Let me help you!” There will always be someone willing to pay to keep their doggy happy, and this person is you.

77. Gig Walking

Download the free App and then find “gigs” in your neighborhood that companies are willing to pay you for. Can you check out the price of milk in a certain store for $6 or snap a pic of a storefront for $5 on the way to work? Note: You will start off with the crappier jobs in the beginning, but prove yourself and you will start getting offered the higher-paying jobs soon enough.

78. Golf Course

If you love being around the golf course (or don’t mind a few drunk old men) you can make pretty good money part-time by collecting balls off the range, cleaning golf carts, or serving cold beers at the tee box.

79. House-sitting

Who doesn’t want to get paid for simply living in someone else’s house for a few day days? This is simple and people will pay you for it. You can think of it as a mini staycation too!

80. Mystery Shopper

Get paid $10 – $30 on average to be a mystery shopper. However, beware because there are a lot of scams out there. I recommend checking out Marketforce, Best Mark, and Intelli-101 before you head anywhere else.

81. Pet Grooming

There are people out there that simply will not shave their dog and will pay you for it. Create a Facebook Page called “iShaveDogs” and let all your friends know! Someone will hire you.

82. Pet Sitting

If you truly love animals, then why not get paid to hang out with someone else’s dog or cat for the weekend? You can become a pet sitter at Care.com or specialize in only watching over someone’s pooch at Rover.

83. RedBox

You love renting movies for only $1.75, but did you know you can get paid to stock DVDs into the kiosks and make sure they are working properly? Check out Redbox Jobs and also see these 12 free Redbox Codes for free moves and games.

84. Sell ScrapMetal

Post in your social media or offer in the newspaper that you will come and take any scrap metal away for people. Not only could you make a few extra bucks for hauling away metal, but then you could sell it at a scrap yard. Double whammy!

85. Tax Prep

When I was in college, TurboTax hit the Internet. I created an ad on a bulletin board and offered Tax Prep for those who make less than $100k/year so I could use the free 1040EZ software. My overhead was $0 and I charged $20 to punch the numbers from the W-2 into TurboTax. Another great option is to try H&R Block and see which one you like the best. We also have a full review of H&R Block here.

TurboTax

86. Sign Spinner

Do you ever see those people standing on the corner, wearing headphones, oblivious to the entire world around them, and flipping signs in the air? They are making money and you can too. What about sign holder? Well, maybe you’re not the spinning type…

87. Sign Holder

Maybe you’re just not the spinning type 🙂

TWEET This: When you're broke, the BEST place to find more money is at work.Click To Tweet

Final Takeaway

As you can see, we live in a time when anyone who wants to make a little (or a lot) of money can. Your local area is no longer the only area to make money. The entire world is at your fingertips through the use of many of the options mentioned in this post.

What is one skill you have that others could learn from? Think about what’s the one thing you actually love doing that people would want to pay you for? How can you take your side hustle idea and turn it into monthly income?

3…2…1… it’s go time my friends!

Related Posts You May Like

Best Places Locally and Online to Sell Your Old Phones

40 Ways to Get Free Amazon Gift Cards

20+ Best Places to Sell Stuff Online and Paid Quickly

The Best of the Best Proven Side Hustles You Should Know About published first on https://justinbetreviews.tumblr.com/

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ericfruits · 7 years

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More business travellers are booking their own trips

A friend of Gulliver’s recently received some devastating news, in the form of a change to company policy. No longer would he and his co-workers be able to book their own flights and file for reimbursements. Instead, the firm would buy all employees’ plane tickets from the start.

On the face of it, this is a convenient change. It saves staff time by ensuring that they do not have to fill in tedious expense forms. But many business travellers may not see it that way. A study from Phocuswright, a travel-research firm, finds that more and more employees are booking their own travel and filing for reimbursements. Sometimes doing so allows for a better itinerary: travellers can avoid annoying layovers and airlines for which they reserve particular ire. Sometimes, if they are feeling generous towards their employer, it can save money too.

But the most-compelling reason is often the credit-card reward points. Say you are booking a flight from London to New York. On United Airlines, the round-trip will earn you close to 2,000 miles (3,218 km). Not bad. But if you book the flight at a popular time it may cost $1,000. With the most-generous credit cards, that could be worth an additional 3,000 points, which can be turned into air miles, cash or other rewards. Then add in the cost of a hotel for a few nights, transport to and from the airport and around town and a few dinners. In total, you could be on the way to the 12,500 points needed for an average American domestic flight. This windfall is all from a short business trip—but only if you book it with your own credit card.

Workers who book their own trips—dramatically dubbed “rogue travellers” by the New York Times—are still in the minority. Most use a corporate travel agent or a company booking tool. But an increasing number are going rogue.

This is possible because companies’ policies around booking business trips tend to be quite flexible. According to the Phocuswright study, 8-10% of companies have “tightly managed” policies, meaning employees must use certain suppliers and will not be reimbursed if they use others. That suggests around 90% of firms allow workers to choose which airline to fly, which hotel to stay in, and whether to travel by taxi or Uber. And even in tightly managed companies, more than half of employees say they can use any airline, and nearly half can use any hotel or car-rental firm. That makes sense from the employer’s perspective. Why limit options when cheaper and more convenient alternatives may be out there?

The trend towards rogue bookings is aided by technology in two ways. First, travellers are increasingly using mobile devices to book their business trips. In companies with travel policies, over a third of employees book their travel on mobile devices; for hotels, that share is more than half. That allows travellers to book lodging and other logistics on the go, rather than dealing with travel managers or agents hundreds of miles away. Millennials are, unsurprisingly, leading the charge toward mobile bookings. (Notably, the West is far behind China in this respect, where 53% of all online travel bookings last year were made on mobile devices, compared with 25% in Britain and 21% in America.)

But technology is also allowing employers to track their staff. Some companies do this with software like TripLink, a booking-centralisation tool from Concur, a travel-expense firm. It lets employers monitor all employees’ bookings to ensure they are in line with company policy. Other firms use apps to track workers’ travel. This is particularly useful when trips take workers to unstable parts of the world.

In other words, rogue travellers are not really going rogue when their independent bookings are under ever-greater scrutiny and control. But then again, maybe independence is not really the goal here. Sometimes, it’s all about the air miles.

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xdrvparts · 4 years

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How to Get into Full Time RV Living

The RV industry is booming right now. According to the RV Industry Association, 430,000 recreational vehicles were sold last year. This is 15% higher than the previous year. Surprisingly, millennials are the top purchasers of these RVs; RV living is not just for retired folks anymore.

Almost a year ago we took the leap into full-time RV living. We received some life-altering news that made us reevaluate how we were living our lives. We wanted a way to travel more while having the comforts of home and bring our dogs along. We wanted to be able to explore more of the country but be able to come home to Colorado and be with family whenever we wanted and for however long we wanted. More than anything, we wanted to start checking off more items on our bucket list and living the life we had always dreamt of. Full-time RV living and starting FollowYourDetour.com was the perfect solution.

If you find yourself dreaming of the RV lifestyle too, but aren’t sure how to achieve it, we are here to help. The process, while overwhelming at times, was so worth it. We love the freedom, flexibility, and spontaneity the lifestyle offers. We love it so much that we’ve gained a whole new passion for helping to inspire others to try out the lifestyle. We hope this article helps you understand and prepare for the steps necessary in becoming a full-time RVer.

STEP 1: PITCH IT TO YOUR FAMILY

We’ve met a lot of couples on the road who say that their significant other had to sell the idea of full-time RV living to them. It’s not uncommon for one person to be more on board than the other. So, don’t be surprised if your partner takes some time to warm up to the idea.

You may also have to convince the rest of your family that you aren’t crazy. Everybody will have an opinion about your choice to live an alternative lifestyle. You’ll also have to understand that some of your loved ones may not support you until you are successfully living the lifestyle and showing them it’s possible.

PRO TIPS:

1. Connect with other RVers.

It always helps to see how real people who are similar to you are living your dream. Social media makes it easy to find and connect with people. Search the hashtags #RVlife, #fulltimeRV #homeiswhereyouparkit…you will find hundreds of thousands of people. Reach out to them and ask them how they did it. We get lots of questions from strangers, and we are always happy to help other people achieve full-time RV living.

2. Remind yourself why you’re making this lifestyle change.

How will RVing improve your current lifestyle? Are you bogged down with yard work and other household chores and rarely getting to enjoy your weekends? Do you love to travel but can’t afford it or make time for it? Think about the benefits of full-time RVing, and present those as solutions to the pain points in your life. RVing won’t solve all your issues, but it can add some great benefits that you may be currently missing out on. We love the travel that RVing offers, but it has also strengthened our marriage, our productivity, and creativity in work, and has eliminated some sources of stress in our life.

STEP 2: DETERMINE HOW MUCH IT WILL COST

RVing can really cost as much or as little as you want. You can buy an older, used RV to save money upfront. Then, you can find free places to park, save on gas by limiting your travel, and stick to free, outdoor activities in the areas you visit.

On the flip side, you can live a pretty luxurious life on the road too. More and more, RVs are being designed for full-time living and offer many of the same features that houses do (washer and dryers, kitchen islands, dishwashers, etc.). You can also find RV resorts all over the country with all the amenities of a permanent home.

Here are the RV specific expenses you will need to consider:

Buying an RV. If you choose to finance an RV, you’ll need to factor in the monthly payment.

RV and car insurance

RV parks and campgrounds. You can find places to park for as little as $20/night. You can also occasionally find free places to park on BLM land. Keep in mind that free parking will require dry camping, or “boondocking”, which means you will not have access to hookups.

RV maintenance/repairs. This will depend on the age and type of your RV. However, ALL RVs require maintenance and repairs…even brand new ones.

Propane. Many RV systems, such as heating, refrigerators, and ovens/stoves, run off propane.

Gas

Internet

MORE PRO TIPS:

1. Find free spots as often as possible

There are many apps and websites that help you find free RV spots across the country. We use Campendium, All Stays, and Hip Camp most often for this.

2. Utilize RV Memberships

The RV industry is full of various memberships that help you save money on various RV costs. Their greatest benefit is discounted RV park and campground fees. Passport America, Good Sam, and Thousand Trails, are just a few that we would suggest looking into.

3. Stay in one location

If you prefer staying at RV parks and campgrounds, a good way to save money is through extended stays. Most parks and campgrounds offer weekly or monthly rates, which reduces the nightly cost.

STEP 3: EARNING INCOME ON THE ROAD

We have found that having a source of income is the number one barrier or hurdle that keeps people from getting into full-time RVing.

Here are some ideas for making money while RVing:

Find a remote job. Telecommuting jobs are becoming more and more popular. Flexjobs.com is a great place to start.

Start your own online business. Use your skills to make your own money.

Sell products on Etsy. Whether you create arts and crafts from your RV or outsource, Etsy is a great marketplace for selling your handcrafted products.

Start a blog. Creating a website is easier than ever. There are also tons of resources for how to monetize a blog.

Work as a camp host. Many RV parks and campgrounds offer a free spot to park and free amenities if you are willing to work for them. Duties can include working at the front desk and taking reservations to clean and doing maintenance around the park. Some parks will even pay an hourly wage on top of your free lodging.

Find seasonal work in the places you visit. Restaurants, shops, and tour companies in major tourist towns are always hiring during their busy seasons.

STEP 4: FIND AN RV

The first step to choosing the right RV is understanding your options.

1. Make a list of “must-haves”

Just like when shopping for a house, write down what you want in an RV. This can include wish list items, as well as features you will need to best fit your lifestyle and family size. One mistake we made was not taking into consideration the ways that we planned to use the RV. We really wanted to find free spots to park as often as possible. This ended up being challenging for us because the RV we purchased had small holding tanks. This meant that we could only hold enough fresh water to last us 3 days, whereas some RVs can hold enough water for a week. So, be sure to think carefully about all the different features and how they fit your needs.

2. Set a budget

Creating a hard price that you are willing to pay will help you narrow down your options. If you are financing an RV, be sure to understand what you can afford monthly. It can be easy to get carried away with all the fancy features that RV’s have these days. But just remember that for a smaller cost, you can do small projects to update the interior. With a little effort and some special touches, you can really transform the RV into a cozy little home inside.

3. Consider purchasing used

There are definite benefits to buying a brand new RV, such as getting to pick out specific design features and color schemes and the assurance of a warranty. However, RVs depreciate quickly, and even brand new RVs are notorious for having issues. Buying a pre-owned RV can save you a lot of money in the long run.

STEP 5: PREPARE TO DOWNSIZE

This is a personal process and will look different for everyone. Your first step in downsizing may or may not require you to sell your current home or find renters to cover the mortgage payment. After that, you’ll need to decide which of your belongings you want to sell and which belongings you can keep in storage. This will all depend on how many belongings you have, the size of RV you plan to live in, and what you anticipate your future looking like.

We had already sold our house and downsized to an apartment, so the process was a bit easier for us. We had to find tenants, however, to take over our lease. As for our belongings, we decided to sell the majority of our large furniture items because we figured the cost of storing them long term would end up equaling the cost of repurchasing them.

While downsizing can be an area of stress and anxiety for many, you will quickly realize how little you need. It may be helpful to downsize in stages, a little at a time. It takes us going through our things and “purging” three separate times to complete the process. In fact, we still have things we could get rid of. Once you hit the road, you’ll forget what is inside of those boxes and tubs you’re storing, and it will be much easier to get rid of more items the next time you go through your belongings.

STEP 6: WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO PACK

You won’t need as much as you think you will. Start with the items that are absolutely necessary for operating the RV. This includes wheel chocks, leveling blocks, a sewer hose, a freshwater hose, propane, and a tire inflator. Tools? You really only need your basics (screwdrivers, drill, pliers, hammer). If you plan to boondock often, you’ll need more general camping supplies. Otherwise, you can use that space for “bonus” items like a propane fire pit, a hammock, or your golf clubs.

For clothes, try to limit yourself to one or two of each of the following items: coat/jacket, swimsuit, sweatshirt and sweatpants, tennis shoes, etc. Then, find solid clothes that can pair well with many things. People often refer to this as the “capsule” wardrobe.

The same goes for other everyday items, such as towels, plates, cups, etc. You won’t need your full set so only bring one to two of those items for each person living in the RV. Remember, there is not much sink space for dirty dishes and not much hamper space for dirty clothes and linens. Dishes are washed immediately after use and towels are washed weekly, so there’s really no need for spare items.

STEP 7: OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER

1. How to get mail

We use Escapees.com. They can help you set up a domicile, provide you with an address, sort and send you your mail, and other important services for life on the road.

2. How to get Internet on the road

Many people find that using their hotspot on their cell phones and paying for unlimited data is just fine. You will also find that many RV parks offer free wifi when you stay with them. However, we’ve found that the wifi can be pretty spotty at most parks, especially near National Parks.

The number of steps involved in becoming a full-time RVer can seem overwhelming. Try to set a date that you hope to achieve the lifestyle by. Then you can take one step at a time and set dates for each of those as well. The important thing to remember is that it is possible and there are many resources to help you along the way.

If the full-time RV life sounds interesting to you, chances are good that once you’ve hit the road, you won’t look back. Those obstacles you had to overcome will be a distant memory in your rearview mirror. Happy travels and we hope to see you on the road.

Dan and Lindsay McKenzie are full-time traveling RVers from Colorado. They have been seeking adventure together for 10 years now and have done a lot of international traveling, including living in Costa Rica. They took the leap into full time RVing after experiencing life-altering news. They viewed the news as a life “detour” and started a travel and inspirational blog called Follow Your Detour. Through their detour, Dan and Lindsay have grown more passionate about pursuing their dreams and leading a fulfilling life, while sharing their story in hopes of inspiring others to do the same. They love that RVing allows them to bring along their two dogs and be in nature as much as possible. You can usually find them on the river fly fishing, hiking to sunset spots, or at the local brewery.

This comes from https://xdrvparts.com/blogs/news/how-to-get-into-full-time-rv-living

#rv parts #full time #rv living #rv life

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advertisinggiveawaysitems · 4 years

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The Rising Popularity of Blending Work and Leisure Travel

You can finally stop worrying about whether you have achieved the perfect work-life balance.

According to National Car Rental’s third annual State of Business Travel survey, 67% of respondents try to keep their work and personal lives separate, but 65% don’t think that goal is attainable. In fact, more than half of the participants admit to blending work and personal life.

You’re probably familiar with the typical ways we blend our work and personal lives, such as answering emails and taking work calls after working hours. That’s pretty much every day for me!

I’ve partnered with National Car Rental to share some interesting findings from the survey and new trends of work and leisure travel.

Bleisure Travel

As someone who travels often for speaking engagements, I was interested to learn from the survey that the blending of business and leisure travel (a.k.a. “bleisure”) continues to increase in popularity across all generations. Here are some stats:

Most business travelers (81%) blend business and leisure travel in one way or another, such as incorporating leisure activities into business travel (61%), extending business travel into leisure trips (41%) and booking a vacation around a business trip (33%).

Millennials (86%) are more likely to have done bleisure travel than Gen Xers (76%) and baby boomers (73%).

The majority of bleisure travelers believe business travel contributes to their career success (86% vs. 69% of non-bleisure travelers) and helps them build key relationships they otherwise couldn’t without business travel (81% vs. 73%).

As a member of Generation X, I can tell you from experience that I have done my share of bleisure travel. When I went to Aruba for a speaking engagement, I definitely stayed for a few days of R&R. Wouldn’t you?

Ground Transportation and Technology Use in Bleisure

The survey also determined that business travelers use a mix of ground transportation options.

According to National’s survey, rental cars are the top choice for getting around the city (78%) and going to business meetings (72%), while ridesharing is most often used to get to restaurants and bars (68%). Rideshares and taxis are used equally to get to and from the airport (70%).

Bleisure is made possible, in large part, by technology. In fact, 90% of survey participants chose brands that offer them technology tools that improve the business travel experience. And 90% of bleisure travelers perceive connected cars as useful for business travel. National Car Rental, who commissioned the survey, offers an award-winning mobile app that provides business travelers with a single point of contact to manage all aspects of their trip. In addition, National’s website was recently ranked No. 1 in customer satisfaction for ease of navigation, overall appearance, range of services/activities, clarity of information provided and page-load speed.

Visit National’s website to learn more about bleisure and to check out the in-depth results from the 2020 State of Business Travel Survey.

Don’t forget to sign up for the Emerald Club, National’s loyalty program that offers the choice, convenience and time savings of counter bypass, as well as choice of rewards.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by National Car Rental. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post The Rising Popularity of Blending Work and Leisure Travel appeared first on SmartHustle.com.

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naazaniqua-blog · 5 years

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Why mobile app development is important?

With the mobile application developed for Apple's mobile operating system, Android, and others, you can create brand awareness and loyalty amongst a large number of existing and potential customers. In fact, many customers now expect a business or brand has its own dedicated mobile app. This means that it is not only a need to gain a competitive advantage over other businesses, but it is also becoming a necessity to avoid falling behind your competitors. Having a dedicated mobile application adds to the credibility of the brand.

In today's competitive world, people are making use of mobile applications to keep in touch with their favorite brands. Whether it's a smartphone or their tablet, mobile applications offer all information to potential customers in an easy way. Regardless of what business you are doing, the mobile application is useful in getting new customers while retaining existing customers. Being online is available round the clock will be a big boost to your business. It would be an added advantage if the information is available in the form of mobile applications. With different mobile applications developed for the platform as - Android and iOS, you can create brand awareness among a large number of new customers and exist. Here are some reasons why you should invest in mobile applications.

It is a known fact that the world has gone mobile and does not need to look back if you have a mobile app. Consumers use smartphones for local search and online marketing efforts you look through different mobile channels. Just having a website is not enough to sustain in the competitive business world today. Developing mobile applications as an alternative to browsing and you can gain a lot by investing in mobile applications.

If you have a mobile app, you are allowed to display their products and services in a better way. Your customers can use the mobile app as a one-stop destination, whenever they want to make a purchase. Smartphones have become a new tool for chatting with family and friends, buy a product, check the services and do much more. You need a mobile application to perform all the tasks above with ease.

Mobile applications are very convenient for the customers, as they are usually designed with usability in mind. The benefits of mobile applications are even greater when a business decides to develop custom mobile applications with the flexibility and features. You have to invest in mobile applications if you want to increase the level of professionalism.

Today, almost all business processes have become virtual. Therefore, there are increasing demands for mobile applications. If you want to provide better service to your customers, you should consider investing in the best mobile application development. With the increasing popularity of mobile applications, it is very valuable for any business to invest in the development of mobile applications.

Given the importance that mobile applications continue in today's society, it is only wise to make one for your business. Here are the main reasons why you should invest in the development of mobile applications.

1. The World has Gone Mobile

There is no denying that the world has gone mobile and there is no turning back. Consumers use their smartphones to find local businesses. Your online branding efforts are being seen through the mobile channel. Thus, just having a website is not enough anymore. Users turn away from desktop browsers and relying on mobile applications. Unlike traditional websites that flood your phone screen 6 inches, developing applications as intuitive and alternative browsing buying.

2. Mobile Apps Special On-The-Go Marketing

With the mobile application, existing customers can access your business anywhere and anytime in a user-friendly environment. regular use of your app will strengthen your brand or business. This means that when they need to buy something, chances are they will come to you. You have to make connections with their use and application is tantamount to putting your business in the pockets of your customers.

3. It Can Be a Social Platform

It almost goes without mentioning that people are obsessed with social media. So, you will want to be part of their obsession with the good. Integrating social features such as comments, likes, in-application messaging and others in your app can help your business improve its social status. People spend a lot of time on social media, especially Facebook and Twitter. So to have a mobile application that gives them all the features, they gain in social media means that they will spend more time in your application. In this way, the user can review, share or discuss the product. Remember we are by nature social beings and the future of mobile application development of social interaction. A great example of this is Amazon.com which essentially have built their own community in the review area.

4. Better Service and Sales

Luckily mobile application development has made it easier than previous sales. It is changing the way people buy and sell products and services. It is also changing the way customers view and analyze a product before buying. This means that consumers have more choices than ever to make buying decisions. With that said, it is important that you provide your clients with specialized applications, focusing on providing customers with the information they seek. Do not forget that a better service is one of the best practices to increase sales.

5. Real-Time Rich Data Capture

A mobile application saves of the slow process of collecting data and analyzing it. Focus groups can be expensive and time consuming. Mobile application makes it easy to capture information about customer preferences and act on your application. This information can be used to deliver personalized content that is relevant to individual consumers as well as to make decisions about how to improve your application based on how customers actually use. Make sure you give your users the option to opt-in to the program data and explain to them that it would be used to improve their customer experience. Once they have given their trust, do not disappoint them.

6. Apps Boost Interest

When you develop an application, it provides an easy way to display your products or services to existing customers and your prospective. Every time they want to buy something, they can only use it as a one-stop point for all the information they need. And every time you update your content, you can tell them and they can get the first glimpse of a new product or service you have on offer. It's inviting and tempting customers to regularly check your application.

7. Increase Customer Engagement

Engagement is what you can make with your application. This ensures that your business right in the palm of your customers. Consumers can interact with your business while in the car, in the dentist's waiting room and in line at the bank. Furthermore, you can use the location information and their profiles to personalize your offers to make them more relevant and interesting.

8. Access even in the middle of the Night

A mobile application can be accessed from anywhere at any time. Consumers can interact with your business while traveling. For example, they can not only place additional orders but can access all account information, track sales and recent account activity. Businesses also can promptly respond to customer requests. The level of service to take your business to the next level in your customer's mind.

9. A large, Young Audiences

Most young people go the old phone. Nearly 75% of millennials will have a smartphone by the end of the year. Difficult to involve the younger generation using outdated techniques. Young people prefer to rely on their mobile devices, even though they may have access to a traditional PC. Smartphones have become a new tool to chat with friends, browse and buy products and services online. To reach this audience, you have to have a mobile application.

10. Mobile Apps Are Very Convenient For Customers

Mobile applications are easier to use than the website. Applications are usually designed with a primary focus on usability. In fact, for most of the applications which are designed to offer the next level of usability. Greater benefits when a business decides to develop custom mobile applications that allow for more flexibility and can meet specific customer needs. Once installed, the application will help you achieve your team's customer support, service, and payment section. Your professionalism shows will enhance trust and recognition by the targeted audience through your application.

Conclusion

With the mobile industry is growing like that at this point, it is worthwhile for any business to invest in the development of mobile applications. If your business does not move and do not think about investing in the development of mobile applications, then you are already behind your competition. Even if your competitors are not mobile, they will soon.

In order to create amazing and effective mobile apps, you are highly recommended to hire experts. Talking about experts, Fusion Informatics offers the best mobile app development services in the industry. We talk to our clients and come up with the best yet affordable option.

Fusion Informatics is the best leading mobile app development company in Indianapolis, and USA, provides applications services for Android, iOS (iPhone & iPad), & IoT app development, working from past 18 years and having good experience in developing 1000+ Mobile applications development covering over 31+ different industries, Where you get your dream app and smoothly operating applications in a very affordable that support your business goals across the world.

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aargoev · 3 years

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Benefits of EV Charging Stations for your Business.

Plug-in electric vehicles (otherwise called electric vehicles or EVs) are associated, fun, and useful. They can reduce emissions and even save your money. Filling with electricity offers a few benefits not available in conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. Since electric engines respond rapidly, EVs are responsive and have generally excellent force. EVs are often more digitally connected than regular vehicles, with numerous EV charging stations giving the option to control charging from a smartphone application. Just like your phone, you can plug in your EV when you return home and have it prepared for you to use the next morning.

Since the electric framework is accessible anyplace, there are a variety of alternatives for charging: at home, work, or on the road. By charging frequently, you may never need to go to a service station again! EVs can also reduce the emissions that add to environmental change and smog, improving public health, and reducing ecological damage. Charging your EV on sustainable power, for example, solar or wind minimizes these emissions even more. See the difference in emissions between a conventional vehicle and an EV utilizing the calculator on the right. An electric vehicle charging station, likewise called EV charging station, electric recharging point, charging point, charge point, electronic charging station (ECS), and electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), is a machine that provides electric energy for the charging of plug-in electric vehicles — including electric vehicles, neighborhood electric vehicles, and plug-in hybrids.

Some electric vehicles have converters onboard that plug into a standard electrical source or a high-capacity appliance outlet. Others utilize a charging station that gives electrical transformation, monitoring, or safety functions. These stations can support quicker charging at higher voltages and currents than residential EVSEs. Charging stations give a range of heavy-duty or unique connectors that conform to the set guidelines. Public charging stations are commonly on-street facilities given by electric service organizations or situated at retail malls, restaurants, and corporate parks. They can be operated by different privately owned businesses.

Benefits of Electric Vehicles Charging Business

Tax Advantages and subsidies-

Attract and Retain High-quality employees-

Adding EV charging stations to company buildings is a huge advantage for employees — it encourages and facilitates their experience using EV vehicles. Think about the number of hours an employee parks in your lot. All of those hours could be utilized for charging their car, which is a significant advantage, particularly for employees who might not have a home charger.

Promote Sustainability-

Entice Customers-

1. Increase your Footfall-

2. Generate revenue through selling electricity-

EV charging stations at various business centers

Restaurants

Hotels

Profit from Fee-based charging or offer as a complimentary service.

Attract new Ecotourism and electric car driving premium guests.

Increase revenue per available room.

Get higher ratings and positive reviews on popular travel sites.

Get your Hotel featured in map services and navigation systems.

Hospitals

Why Should Healthcare facilities install EV charging stations-?

Providing valuable amenities for doctors, nurses, patients, and visitors who drive EVs.

Improving air quality and reducing emissions near sensitive communities.

Enhancing the visual appeal of the facility with high-tech charging stations.

Adding a “Green” dimension to the overall perception of the hospital.

Benefits of EV charging Station in Shopping Malls and Multiplex:

Attract EV Drivers-

Many individuals drive and park for their retail shopping trips — so many that the quantity of vehicles in lots is being utilized to anticipate the market performance for retail organizations. EV drivers clearly need to stop, as well, and they want to do it where they can charge. As the EV industry continues developing, EV charging will turn into a key investment for retailers that need to draw in EV drivers.

Increase Customer Spend-

Put your Store on Map-

EV charging also puts stores on the map — in a real sense. EV drivers depend on EV charging applications like Charge Point’s mobile application to rapidly discover places where they can charge. At the point when drivers search for spots to charge in our application, they can easily discover retail locations that offer to charge for their vehicles. Since EV drivers tend to charge their vehicles while they shop, having charging accessible can persuade drivers to pick a store over a competitor’s area.

Create Customer connections-

With smart EV charging that lets drivers interact with stations online or in a mobile app, retailers can create virtual “Connections” to drivers who use their stations. This just requires drivers to submit a simple connection request in the app and allows retail organizations to learn more about who’s using their stations and when giving them new insight into their customers.

Offer Special Deals to EV Drivers-

If you want to install Electric Vehicle Charging Station then click here<<<

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vanphongchiasehcm · 5 years

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8 Ways Remote Work Is Impacting Office Design

Remote workers enjoy a major boost to their productivity, and today’s offices are evolving to meet the needs of an increasingly scattered workforce.

More people are working remotely, which gives companies the opportunity to increase the size of their teams while simultaneously shrinking their office space.

From soundproofing walls to collaboration apps, here are 8 ways the modern workplace is adapting to the needs of remote workers.

Holly Welles is a real estate writer with a focus on millennial experiences at home and at work. You can find more of her research on workforce trends on her own blog, The Estate Update, where she researches the best places to live and work.

Research indicates that remote workers enjoy a major boost to their productivity. Whether this stems from the absence of a morning commute or fewer distractions, it doesn’t matter. If something works, businesspeople in leadership positions will embrace the phenomenon.

That said, the increase in telecommuting has affected the design of the typical office space.

After all, a team still needs a location where they can meet and collaborate. And in a competitive marketplace, businesses also need to learn how to attract workers to their team even if they don’t offer remote work opportunities.

Today’s offices are evolving to meet the needs of an increasingly scattered workforce. Here are the major trends to watch for when it comes to design and technology in business.

1. Office Spaces Are Shrinking

Telecommuting has grown at a rapid rate. Between 2005 and 2013, the number of major employers that allowed “regular” remote work doubled to 33%. But even as a company increases the size of their team, they no longer need to increase the size of their office.

Instead of expanding, many business owners have found it better to downsize their office space. It saves them a substantial sum of money on overhead such as rent, utilities and supplies. Companies can now redirect these funds to improving their in-office environment.

Of course, some office space remains necessary for team members who work in-house on a daily basis, and companies manage this issue by sharing office space on a flexible basis. They work alongside members of other organizations in coworking spaces, making use of conference rooms and other amenities as needed.

2. Acoustic Panels Create Privacy

When employees come into the office, they often feel like their home is quieter. In a noisy, open office, distractions are everywhere. Even employees who stay clear of the water cooler can feel frustrated with the constant din of conversation.

To address the issue, many companies are investing in acoustic panels. These additions absorb sound, where a hard surface would create echoes. Carpeting goes a long way toward muting the clatter of hard shoes on linoleum or tile, and drop ceilings muffle sound effectively.

3. Technology Connects Employees

Today, nearly half of the world’s population is using the Internet. People are connecting through computers, tablets and smartphones. This trend has put pressure on software and app developers to create programs for multiple platforms, giving many employees the freedom to work from anywhere.

Even traveling workers can log into their mobile devices to complete assignments while they’re waiting at airports and train stations. Companies are investing in conferencing software that allows team members to meet anywhere, while apps such as Slack allow staff members to collaborate even when they’re working in different time zones.

4. Focus on Ergonomics

One of the major benefits of telecommuting is the convenience it provides. An employee doesn’t have to wear a uniform when they clock in for the day, and they can even work from their bed if it suits them. Naturally, they don’t want to give up this high degree of comfort when they report to the office.

Companies are addressing this issue by making the workplace as ergonomic as possible. Obviously, a company that receives clients wants to create a positive first impression, and comfort goes hand in hand. Variable-height desks that allow for sitting or standing, oversized chairs, lighting and homely comforts all create a positive environment.

5. Creative Shared Spaces

Business owners have also started to invest more in separate spaces for socialization. While it seems a primarily remote team wouldn’t need the traditional break room, that kind of space allows them to find flexibility while in the office. Remote workers who spend time in a physical location look for community space that offers the kind of low-key working environment they’re used to at home.

Beyond that, creative office design allows businesses without a remote workforce to compete with the perks this kind of work arrangement offers its employees. With at-home working arrangements becoming more popular, an office that prioritizes high-tech tools and a comfortable environment is better equipped to compete for top talent.

6. Attention on Employee Health

Remote workers are free to get up from their desk, stretch and even exercise without the scrutiny of their superior. This is ultimately good for their productivity since regular exercise improves concentration, sharpens memory and enhances creativity.

Even when downsizing, a company should include an at-work fitness facility for their employees. It doesn’t have to be an extensive gym, and business owners can even partner with nearby fitness centers to provide guest passes for their remote workers. They can also offer break time for workers with long shifts to help them relieve stress and build up their energy.

7. Amenities for Relaxation

Employees who work for an international company are often exhausted after they fly in for a meeting. Offering a few select amenities — like showers — can help them relax and recuperate from their trip. Nap pods also go a long way in refreshing workers when they’re weary from a long drive or flight.

Food is also in high demand among telecommuters. Office buildings without an on-site restaurant should organize catering for meetings that remote staff members have to attend.

8. Greater Interest in the Outdoors

Studies reveal that spending time in nature helps to improve short-term memory and boost inspiration. When selecting an office location, business owners should seek out properties with lots of natural light. Locations close to a park or an area with landscaped grounds offer employees a place to walk or relax.

Remote Work is Changing Office Design

Telecommuting has proven valuable for employee productivity and a business owner’s bottom line. With that in mind, professionals in leadership positions should design their office for optimal creativity and relaxation, no matter how often their staff is physically present.

And if your business doesn’t employ remote workers, these tips can help offices compete in a fierce marketplace. When workers are primed to expect more comfortable work arrangements, a focus on technology, relaxation and other popular amenities can draw employees to your office.

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edwardpotts · 5 years

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2019 Top Apps: Personal Finance, Banking, Hotels, and Lodging

Mobile and in-app engagement is increasingly important for brands. But which brands are actually doing this really well, personalizing their user’s experiences, and seeing tangible results in the process?

Others have attempted to draw your attention to the best apps out there, including PCMag (helpfully broken down by category) and Digital Trends (helpfully broken down by device, i.e. Android vs. iOS, and by month).

We’ve ranked the top 40 apps using our “Stages of Personalization” model, which takes into account:

Audience

Message

Timing

We’ve previously outlined how you can move from Stage 1, which requires you to move away from broadcast messaging, to Stage 2.

When we analyze these apps, it’s through a prism of how effectively they personalize their in-app and overall mobile experience for users. We will often link to their app review page when linking the name of the brand, in case you want to read a slate of reviews before adding it to your phone.

We know looking at all 40 apps and the background/reasoning at once might have been a lot, so we broke this into two posts of 20 apps each. The first 20 apps come from personal finance/banking and hotels/lodging. The next 20 apps (later this week) will be from retail, quick-service food (think Chipotle), entertainment, and wireless/telecommunications.

Finance, Banking, Personal Finance Apps

Coinbase: This is basically the app for people who have heard of crypto currency, are not exactly sure what that is, but know they might need to understand it as they get further into adulthood. You can view prices and charts for different cryptocurrencies and broadly understand the market. The push notifications are targeted to news and information about what’s happening and what you should consider doing with your own money.

Bank of America: Mobile banking is increasingly a huge area for long-standing financial institutions, and following a few app redesigns, BofA has seen huge jumps in mobile users. (Their AI application, Erica, already has 6M+ users.) During the fourth quarter of 2018, mobile users logged in 1.5 billion times. The 2017 redesign was largely focused on personalization, allowing users to choose the up-front functionalities and notifications most important to their stage in life.

Mint: Long a favorite of the millennial world, Mint is also inherently personalized: You’re looking at your budget, your spending categories, your areas of potential improvement, your credit score, and your bills. Every message you’re receiving from them is about ways to spend money better. In most of America, real wages haven’t budged since 1978, but the cost of goods and services continues to increase. You need to stay on top of your money in order to make those bigger life purchases and decisions, and Mint is a beautifully-personalized way to do that.

Scotiabank: They actually partnered with Sensibill a few years ago to personalize the financial experience, including having access to customer purchase history at the item level. That allowed them to offer targeted banking products based on what their customers were already spending money on. Easiest example: lots of money on things you need before a baby? They will personalize triggers to College Savings Plans. They know their audience, the right message, and the right timing. That’s how the formula works best.

Qapital: This app is about bringing gamification to budgeting. Members can invest with personalized portfolios, and set rules and triggers for their spending. We all sometimes need that Thursday happy hour because it’s Baby Friday, but can we actually afford it? This is a way to know -- and you’re quickly able to learn in-app via your existing information and rules.

Capital One: They have cool ads with mascots, for sure. And they sponsor a lot of college football games. But how’s the app itself? It’s actually great. It’s been No. 1 in customer satisfaction among mobile banking apps for the last two years via JD Power and Associates, and here’s a cool little feature: You can customize credit cards with family pictures and the like right in-app. Capital One also sends personalized notifications for way more than fraud; for example, they’ll tell you when your Netflix bill goes up.

Venmo: Not much we need to say here. Popular app and it brings the “friend graph” (people you actually know in your day-to-day life) into your finances, complete with emojis and the like. Sharing money feels easy and it feels like a big game, which is an awesome user experience and highly-personalized psychologically because the “What’s it for?” (the expense) is often based on jokes between you and your friends, strengthening those bonds and making you feel good about the app.

Wells Fargo: Wells Fargo also added AI recently (early 2018), which provides increasingly-personalized banking insights. They’ll push message you on recurring bills that have changed, and also (somewhat shamefully) encourage the transfer of money from savings to checking to avoid any potential overdraft. The app also offers personalized financial guidance in-app.

HSBC: HSBC has also tested smartwatches as a way to cut customer wait times in-branch, and their Connected Money app, which is currently available mostly in the UK, has gained 300,000 new users since the start of 2019. Connected Money is a money management app that simplifies expense tracking and personalizes reports and suggestions for users.

Chase Mobile: In 2018, Chase’s CMO actually said “you can kiss traditional marketing goodbye,” noting that digital and mobile channels brought about a hyper-targeting, hyper-personalized rise. Chase has been near the forefront of mobile financial personalization for 3-4 years, including push notifications for any number of situations ranging from overdraft to bill changes to bill pay prompts to easier sharing of money with friends.

Hotels and Lodging

AirBNB: This is the grand-daddy of mobile disruption market threat apps. In fact, we just wrote about this recently: “By March 2019, consumers spent more on AirBNB lodging than on Hilton, meaning AirBNB -- founded in August 2008 -- owns about 20% of the world's lodging market in 11 years.”

Caesars Rewards: This is a great app for exclusive mobile offers at their resorts in Vegas, Atlantic City, New Orleans, and worldwide. The essence of modern marketing is “turn data into loyalty,” and that’s what Caesars aims to do with this app. If they see a specific customer always playing certain tables, or visiting certain in-casino bars, or requesting similar rooms, they can customize their next experience and even trigger the purchase of the experience with mobile offers. In-app, you can keep track of your points, rewards, and offers. Caesars themselves have noted that “tens of millions of people” constitute the middle of the gaming and lodging market -- so not the high-rollers -- and those people need to be taken care of well and keep coming back. The app and its personalization is a core tenet of that strategy.

Kayak: We put this under lodging because while many consider it a flight-purchase app primarily, it has great hotel selection as well. They even partnered with Amazon Echo for voice-powered hotel booking! Talk about making what can be a painful process into one that’s fun for the family.

Hyatt Hotels: This one has all the normal features you’d expect from a hotel chain around booking, viewing bills, upgrading, etc. But you can also request items to your room, book Uber to/from hotel, and communicate with on-site staff via Facebook Messenger and Twitter in-app. As they get increasing data on your travel preferences, Hyatt subsequently will personalize offers around your next lodging needs.

Marriott: Little bit freaky, maybe, but Siri can unlock your door in this app. Marriott’s got an ambitious growth plan of 1,700 new hotels in the next three years, and to consistently fill those hotels, they need uber-personalized experiences for their guests. They realize that power comes from mobile. And in fact, in mid-2018, one publication noted they were “changing the hotel game with personalization,” noting:

“When someone checks into one of our hotels, we want to be able to wow them,” said Linnartz. “We want to be able to say, ‘Hello, Henry — welcome! We know you just flew in from Dubai, where you stayed at our property last night. We’ve put a lovely amenity in your room to help you get over your jet lag. We also know you love running, so we’ve mapped out a great route that you might want to explore.’ Our digital platform is the tool that allows us to have all that information in the hands of our front-desk staff, so we can pull off that kind of experience.”

Hilton Worldwide: The Hilton Honors app is at the center of Hilton’s new focus on “connected rooms,” which can bring in personalized streaming (think Netflix), room opening in-app, and even preferred temperature setting. As we’ve said before, intelligent digital and mobile engagement begins with four pillars, and strategy and data are the first two legs. Hilton is leveraging both to create personalized, “I-want-to-come-back” experiences for their guests.

Choice Hotels: We worked on a mobile marketing playbook with them a bit ago, so check that out.

MGM Resorts: Like competitors, they’ve launched mobile check-in at 13 Las Vegas locations, and The Drum recently described them as going “Vegas-style big on personalization,” including boosting the M-Life Rewards program to include more customer data. That data becomes the backbone of offers, entertainment, room options, transportation, and more that guests can be pinged about in-app or via push.

LateRooms: This is a way to find hotel deals. They offer exclusive mobile app rates, for one. Many of their users are inherently thinking this will be “one and done,” i.e. “Oh, I need a quick hotel room in Boston,” but LateRooms engages and personalizes based on a limited amount of data from the initial hotel selection and a user experience to keep the user returning with additional hotel needs.

Expedia: Expedia is an apex predator in the bundled-travel world, and for much of 2019, they’ve been discussing the importance of personalization for hotels. Voice bookings, cancellations, and rewards are now tied to Google Assistant and in-app, and their Scratchpad concept allows users to build a perfect trip (across all Expedia’s offerings) without having to jump between 40+ travel sites, as can be common. Everything you’ve saved and researched will be there when you return. All your personal info is there, and Expedia can make recommendations based on what you’re thinking so far.

Stay tuned for the next round up of great apps! We’ll cover quick service restaurants, retail, wireless companies, and entertainment.

2019 Top Apps: Personal Finance, Banking, Hotels, and Lodging published first on https://spyadvice.tumblr.com/

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unifiedsocialblog · 5 years

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Social Media Advertising 101: How to Get the Most Out of Your Ad Budget

Social media advertising is a must if you’re looking to reach a new, targeted audience—fast.

Of course it can be scary to move from an organic social strategy to putting real money on the table. So, it’s important to understand all the options.

In this guide, we explain how to use the various types of social media ads to achieve real business results while maximizing your spend.

Table of contents

Types of social media ads

Facebook ads

Instagram ads

Twitter ads

Snapchat ads

Linkedin ads

Pinterest ads

Youtube ads

Social media advertising costs

Social media advertising tips

Bonus: Download a free guide that teaches you how to turn Facebook traffic into sales in four simple steps using Hootsuite.

Types of social media ads

All the major social networks offer advertising options. That doesn’t mean you should use all of them.

When thinking about which social networks to use for advertising, look at which ones perform well organically. Networks where your content naturally strikes a chord with fans are an obvious choice for your first social ad campaigns.

When choosing where to place your ads, it’s also helpful to know which networks are most popular with your target audience.

Pinterest, for example, has far more female than male users. If you’re targeting a younger crowd, you’ll likely find them on Snapchat and Instagram.

Here’s a quick summary from the Pew Research Center showing who’s using which social networks in 2019.

Now that you have a sense of which social networks are a demographic fit for your business, let’s look at the types of ads each network has to offer.

Facebook ads

Facebook ads are designed to help you achieve one of three broad types of campaign objectives:

Awareness: Build brand awareness or increase reach.

Consideration: Send traffic to your website, increase engagement, encourage app installs or video views, generate leads, or encourage people to communicate with you on Facebook Messenger.

Conversion: Create online conversions, make catalog sales, or drive foot traffic to offline stores.

Audience considerations: Facebook is popular across demographics and offers detailed targeting options. This makes it a great platform to get started with social media advertising.

Photo ads

In addition to a photo, Facebook photo ads include 125 characters of text plus a headline and link description. They can also include a call-to-action button like Shop Now or Send Message.

You can create your photo ad in Facebook Business Manager, or simply promote a post with an image from your Facebook Page.

Quick tip: Facebook photo ads work really well for showcasing new products or services. Show people using your product, rather than a simple photo of the product itself.

When you see how this hoodie is made, you'll understand why it's so awesome:

Posted by Design Crowdfunding Projects on Monday, March 18, 2019

Video ads

Facebook video ad options range from short mobile video ads up to 240-minute promoted videos designed to be watched on desktop. With so many options, it’s critical to have solid goals and understand who your target market is and where your video will reach them.

Facebook video ads can work well in conjunction with a TV ad campaign. Even if T.V. is not part of your marketing mix, video ads can be a great way to draw people in. Use compelling visuals that highlight the best parts of your brand.

Quick tip: Short videos tend to have higher completion rates. However, if you’ve got a compelling message you can go a little longer.

Rareform uses mobile Facebook video ads to highlight its unique value proposition. The company makes bags out of recycled billboards. Their video ads get a 19% higher return than ads without video.

Recycled Fashion by Rareform

We're saving the planet one bag at a time! ♻️✌️???? Over 1 million lbs of billboard repurposed so far!Use code 'FB20' for 20% off sitewide today! → https://bit.ly/2NYcbiF

Posted by RAREFORM on Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Stories ads

In this full-screen format, photos display for six seconds, and videos can last up to 15 seconds.

You can’t specifically select Facebook Stories ads on their own. They’re included as a possible placement when you select Automatic Placements when creating your ad.

Quick tip: Stories only last for 24 hours, so this is a great format for in-the-moment marketing like limited time offers. The majority of people Facebook surveyed said they wanted Stories ads to be “quick and easy to understand.” Keep things simple.

For example, the clothing brand tentree used a Facebook Stories slideshow ad with six photos to show off six different men’s hats. The campaign had a 70% lower cost per product page view than other digital ads.

Carousel ads

A carousel ad lets you include up to 10 images or videos, each with their own link, all in one ad.

Carousel ads work well to showcase different features of a product, or to explain a step-by-step process. They’re also a great way to present multiple products.

Quick tip: Use the different elements in your carousel ad together to present a compelling, effective story or message.

Pack and Go! – your lightweight and packable companion for every adventure.

Posted by Jack Wolfskin on Monday, April 8, 2019

Slideshow ads

A slideshow is an ad that creates a video from several static images—your own or stock images that Facebook provides.

Slideshows offer the compelling motion of video, but require no video-specific resources to create. If you’re not ready to try video ads but want to move beyond static photos, slideshow ads are a great option.

Happy Socks uses slideshow ads to show off their colorful product in an eye-catching way.

Easter gifts to dye for ????✨Shop now at HappySocks.com

Posted by Happy Socks on Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Collection ads

A collection ad highlights your products right in the Facebook feed. The ad includes a cover photo or video plus product images with pricing and other details. This allows people to learn more about your product without leaving Facebook. When someone clicks on the ad, they go to an Instant Experience (see below).

Quick tip: Collection ads work especially well for retail and travel brands.

Instant Experience ads

Formerly called Carousel ads, these are full-screen interactive ads for the mobile feed. An Instant Experience ad can include up to 20 images or up to two minutes of video. You can include a call-to-action button with up to 30 characters of text.

Instant Experiences also include interactive features like tilt to pan.

Quick tip: Instant Experience ads can also be used to collect customer or lead information using an instant form.

Messenger ads

Messenger ads are simply Facebook ads placed on the home screen of the Messenger app. You can use them to encourage people to connect with your business on Messenger, but they can also link to your site.

Here’s how a Messenger ad looks in the mobile interface:

Quick tip: You can use Messenger ads to restart conversations that have trailed off. Use a custom audience of people who have previously messaged your business.

Lead generation ads

Facebook lead generation ads are mobile-only ads that include pre-populated forms. This makes it easy for people to:

request a free trial

ask for a quote

They’re a great tool if you’re looking for leads to pass along to your sales team, or to build your online sales funnel.

Quick tip: Ask for the minimum amount of information you need to process leads effectively, to maximize completion. Get all the step-by-step instructions you need to set up your Facebook ads in our Facebook advertising guide.

Instagram ads

Facebook owns Instagram. So it’s not surprising that Instagram ads support the same three broad categories of campaign objectives as Facebook ads:

Awareness

Consideration

Conversion

Audience considerations: Instagram is most popular with millennials. Plenty of Generation Xers also use the platform.

The specific Instagram ad types also mirror four of the Facebook ads types:

Photo

Video

Carousel

Collection

You can create each type of ad for either the main Instagram feed, or for Instagram Stories.

Photo and video ads

Your Instagram photo or video will look like a regular Instagram post—except that it will say Sponsored in the top right. Depending on your campaign objective, you may also be able to add a call-to-action button.

Quick tip: Make sure your photo and video ads are consistent in style with the organic posts you share on Instagram. This helps viewers recognize that the ad is from your brand.

Try testing video ads against photo ads using the same content. America’s Test Kitchen found that adding motion to its ads resulted in a 45% increase in leads over the same ad using just a photo.

Carousel ads

In an Instagram carousel ad, viewers swipe to scroll through different images.

Quick tip: Make sure the images you use in your carousel ad are visually similar and tied together by a common theme. It shouldn’t be jarring to swipe between the different photos in the ad.

Look at this Carousel ad for Snag Tights. The similar images and consistent bar of text across each photo clearly connect the components of the ad and help to tell a consistent story.

Collection ads

Just like Facebook Collection ads, these feature a cover image or video plus several product shots. Clicking on the ad directs the user to an Instant Experience.

Quick tip: Instagram Collection ads don’t include a headline, but they do allow up to 90 characters of text.

Instagram Stories ads

Instagram Stories ads can use photos or videos up to 120 seconds long. These ads display in full-screen format between people’s stories.

Quick tip: Add interactive elements to Story ads for the best performance.

Dunkin’ found in an A/B test that a Story ad with a poll sticker had a 20% lower cost per video view. Plus, 20% of people who watched the video voted in the poll. (On the very important topic of which is better: donuts or fries.)

Get all the step-by-step instructions you need to set up your Instagram ads in our Instagram advertising guide.

Twitter ads

Twitter ads work towards five different business objectives:

Website clicks: Promote Tweets with Website Cards to encourage people to visit and take action on your website. You’re charged per click.

Tweet engagements: Promote Tweets with the goal of starting conversations about your brand. You pay for the initial engagement.

Followers: Promote your Twitter account and pay per follower gained.

Awareness: Promote your Tweets to a broad audience and pay for impressions (CPM).

App installs: Promote your Tweets with App Cards and pay per click to open or install your app.

Audience considerations: Nearly two-thirds of Twitter’s advertising addressable audience is male.

Twitter offers two ways for brands to create Twitter ads:

Twitter Promote automatically promotes Tweets for you.

Twitter Ads campaigns allow you to set up campaigns yourself based on your marketing objective.

Twitter Promote

With Twitter Promote, the Twitter algorithm automatically promotes Tweets to your specified audience. It promotes your first 10 daily organic Tweets that pass the Twitter quality filter. It also promotes your account to attract new followers. You can focus on up to five interests or metro locations, and let Twitter do the rest.

Quick tip: Twitter Promote mode costs $99 USD per month. Twitter says accounts will on average reach 30,000 additional people per month and gain an average of 30 new followers.

Twitter ad campaigns

With Twitter ad campaigns, you first choose a business objective that aligns with your business goals.

For example, this Chanel Twitter ad uses a video to showcase its product, combined with a website card for easy mobile shopping.

The ‘side-pack’ is a new #CHANELSpringSummer 2019 bag. Worn by two, it introduces a new way of carrying. See all the bags of the collection in boutiques and on https://t.co/rNMAuWotsI

— CHANEL (@CHANEL) March 26, 2019

You can select existing organic Tweets to promote, or create Tweets specifically as ads.

Quick tip: Run separate campaigns for mobile and desktop users to get the best conversion rates. Twitter recommends you avoid using hashtags and @ mentions in your ads so that your audience does not click away. Get all the step-by-step instructions you need to set up your Twitter ads in our Twitter advertising guide.

Bonus: Download a free guide that teaches you how to turn Facebook traffic into sales in four simple steps using Hootsuite.

Get the free guide right now!

Snapchat ads

Snapchat ads can help you achieve three types of marketing objectives:

Awareness: Reach a large audience to increase awareness of your brand.

Consideration: Drive traffic to your website or app, increase engagement, and encourage app installs, video views, and lead generation.

Conversions: Drive website conversions or catalog sales.

Audience considerations: Snapchat is overwhelmingly popular with younger users. Nearly three-quarters of 18- to 24-years olds use the app. Compare that to only 25% of 30- to 49-year-olds. About 60% of the audience you can reach with Snapchat ads is female.

Snapchat offers four types of ads to help you meet your objectives.

Snap ads

Snap ads start with an image or a video up to 10 seconds long.

The ads are full-screen, vertical format. They can include attachments for app installs, landing pages, lead forms, or long-form video.

Quick tip: Time moves quickly on Snapchat, so aim to keep your Snap ad to five to six seconds. Don’t try to do too much with a short ad: Feature one strong call-to-action and key message.

Story ads

This ad format takes the form of a branded tile in users’ Discover feed. The tile leads to a collection of three to 20 Snaps, so you can provide a detailed look at new products, special offers, and so on. You can also add attachments with a call-to-action, so that users can swipe up to watch a video, install an app, or buy a product.

Quick tip: Write a powerful headline for your Story ad to encourage Snapchatters to tap.

Collection ads

Collection ads allow you to showcase a series of products with four thumbnail images in one ad. Each thumbnail image links to its own URL.

Quick tip: Keep the snap itself simple to focus attention on the thumbnails in your collection ad.

Filters

Snapchat filters are graphic overlays that users can apply to their Snaps. Snapchatters use them hundreds of millions of times per day. You can make your filter “smart,” so it includes real-time location, countdown, or time information.

Quick tip: Snapchatters use filters to provide context to their Snaps. Make sure your filter is relevant to the time, place, and purpose of your campaign. Leave room for Snapchatters’ own images to shine. Only use the top and/or bottom quarters of the screen for your filter creative.

Get all the step-by-step instructions you need to set up your Snapchat ads in our Snapchat advertising guide.

LinkedIn ads

LinkedIn ads help your business with three types of marketing objectives:

Awareness: Create more awareness of your company or brand.

Consideration: Drive website visits, increase engagement, or encourage video views.

Conversions: Collect leads and drive website conversions.

Audience considerations: LinkedIn is much more business-oriented than the other social networks in this post. It offers targeting options based on professional qualifications like job title and seniority.

You can choose from several different types of LinkedIn ads.

Sponsored InMail

Sponsored InMail is similar to email marketing, except that the messages go directly to users’ LinkedIn inboxes. However, Sponsored InMail has an interesting unique feature. Users only receive ad messages while they are active on LinkedIn. That means messages don’t sit around getting stale.

Here’s an example of an ad I received from the college I attended. l’m not connected to the sender on LinkedIn, but I do list the college in my profile. This made for easy and effective targeting.

Quick tip: Short body text (under 500 characters) gets the highest click-through rate. The top five performing calls-to-action for Sponsored InMail are:

Try

Free

Today

Click

Apply

Text Ads

Text ads are small ad units that appear at the top and the right of the LinkedIn news feed. They only appear to desktop users, not on mobile devices. Despite the name, text ads can actually include a thumbnail image of 50 x 50 pixels.

Quick tip: Show a human face. Profile images work better than logos or pictures of objects. Get all the step-by-step instructions you need to set up your LinkedIn ads in our LinkedIn advertising guide.

Pinterest ads

Pinterest ads work with six types of business goals:

Build brand awareness

Drive traffic to your website

Drive app installs

Drive traffic to specific products

Encourage specific actions on your website

Drive video impressions

Audience considerations: Pinterest has significantly more female users than males. According to the Pew Research Center, 42% of U.S. women use Pinterest, compared to just 15% of U.S. men.

People use Pinterest to save ideas. That means the network naturally leads to shopping and purchases, but those purchases may not happen right away.

Pinterest ads are called Promoted Pins. They look and behave just like regular pins. The only difference is that you pay to have them seen by a wider audience.

Besides basic photo Pins, you can create Promoted Pins with video or a carousel of up to five images.

Promoted Pins are identified as ads with a small “Promoted” tag. However, if users save your ads to their Pinterest boards, that promoted label disappears. These saves Pins earn you bonus organic (free) exposure.

There are a couple of options for promoting your Pins.

Pinterest Ads Manager

Using the ads manager, you begin by selecting a goal for your Pinterest ads campaign. You can target your advertising strategy to align with your business goals, including whether you pay per click or per impression.

Quick tip: Since Pinterest is used for planning and generating ideas, it has a longer lead time than some other social networks. Start running Pinterest ads tied to a seasonal or date-specific campaign about 45 days in advance. And try getting creative with the DIY nature of Pinterest as a social network.

For example, Philadelphia Cream Cheese promotes their product with ads featuring recipes.

Notice that the original ad is identified as promoted. However, if a user saves the ad, it lives on as an organic post.

Promote Button

Using the Promote button, you can create an ad from an existing Pin in just a couple of clicks. Promoted Pins created with the Promote button are always pay-per-click, so you only pay when someone clicks through to your website.

Quick tip: This is a really easy way to get started with Pinterest advertising. Try promoting some of your best-performing Pins to get a sense of the kind of reach you can achieve with your desired budget. Make sure to track results over time to see the effects as people save your Promoted Pins to their own boards. Get all the step-by-step instructions you need to set up your Pinterest ads in our Pinterest advertising guide.

YouTube ads

YouTube ads can help you work towards the following business goals:

Collect leads

Drive website traffic

Increase product and brand consideration

Build brand awareness and extend your reach

Audience considerations: YouTube has more male than female users. The audience is well spread out among age groups up to 65.

There are a few different video ad formats available on YouTube. Since Google owns YouTube, you’ll need a Google AdWords account to create YouTube ads.

TrueView Ads

These ads automatically play before, during, or after other videos on YouTube. They can also appear in other places in Google’s display network, such as apps or games.

Users get the option to skip your ad after five seconds. The recommended video length is generally 30 seconds or less.

However, if you have a compelling story with great visuals, you can run longer. Majestic Heli Ski uses longer YouTube ads to show off their incredible experiences.

Half of their customers now find them through YouTube.

Quick Tip: Seventy-six% of viewers skip ads by default. However, a skipped ad still increases the chances someone will visit or subscribe to your channel by 10 times. Make sure to get your most important messaging and branding in those unskippable first five seconds.

Non-Skippable YouTube ads

These are short ads that appear either at the start of a video or at the midpoint of a video at least 10 minutes long. The ads are a maximum 20 seconds long, and they can’t be skipped.

Quick Tip: Just because users can’t skip the ad doesn’t mean they’ll watch. Make sure your audio message is compelling in case they look away to do something else while your ad plays.

Bumper Ads

These ads are also unskippable, but they’re a maximum of six seconds long. They appear at the end of YouTube videos.

Quick Tip: Don’t try to do too much in six seconds. Start with a strong visual, stick to one message, and leave enough time for your call to action. Get all the step-by-step instructions you need to set up your YouTube ads in our YouTube advertising guide.

Social media advertising cost

There’s a social media ad solution for every budget, from just a few dollars a day to million-dollar campaigns.

Ads on most social networks are sold in an auction format. You set a maximum bid for a target result (such as a click), or a maximum budget per day. There’s no set amount to pay. As you create your ad, the ad manager interface will provide a recommended bid based on your stated goals.

You will generally pay using one of these methods, depending on your campaign goal:

Cost per click (CPC)

Cost per 1000 impressions (CPM)

Cost per conversion

Cost per video view

Several factors impact how much you will pay for a social media ad, beyond what your competitors are bidding. These factors include:

The quality of your ad

Your campaign objective

Which type of audience you are targeting

The country you’re targeting

Time of year, and even time of day

Placement within the network.

For example, research by AdEspresso shows that the average Facebook CPC is $0.40 on Sundays, but nearly $0.50 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Social media advertising tips

1. Know what business objective you’re trying to achieve

It’s no accident that we start each section of this guide by reviewing the business objectives each type of social media ads can help you achieve. It’s awfully hard to achieve your goals if you don’t know what your goals are in the first place.

Understanding your business objectives is critical. It ensures you choose the right social network to advertise on. It helps you choose the right advertising solution within that platform. It even guides your creative strategy.

2. Know your target audience

We’ve listed some audience considerations for each of the social networks. Keep in mind that they all offer quite specific ad targeting. Know exactly who you’re trying to reach to take maximum advantage of these targeting options. This ensures you get the best bang for your advertising buck.

After all, there’s no point in advertising to soccer moms in Florida if your audience is young male video gamers in New Jersey. The ability to micro-target your ad campaigns is one of the key benefits of social media advertising. Developing audience personas can help you understand exactly which audience segments to focus on.

3. Let your organic posts inform your ads

You’re likely already posting content on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram every day. Maybe LinkedIn and SnapChat, too.

Some of these posts will resonate with followers; others won’t. Track which ones are being clicked, liked, shared, and commented on. These high-performing messages make the best candidates for social ads.

If you’re branching out into a new network with your social media advertising, start small. Use what you’ve learned from your organic posts as a starting point. However, know that those lessons will not necessarily translate across social networks.

4. Pay for what matters: Impressions or engagement

To keep your budget under control, think about whether you want impressions or engagements.

If you’re paying every time someone sees your ad (impressions), your message can cast a wide net. But if you’re paying for engagement, you only want people who are really interested in doing business with you to engage. You don’t want to pay for engagements that are not relevant to your business goals. The wording of your ad should help people identify whether it’s for them or not.

Both engagement and impressions campaigns can be valuable for your business. You just need to choose the right one to align with your business goals so that you only pay for real business results. Here’s some more information about which metrics to track to make the most of your social ad campaign.

5. Design your ads with mobile in mind

More than 3.25 billion active social media users access social networks through a mobile device.

That means most social media ads are being viewed on mobile devices. Your mobile ads should be specifically designed for the small screen. Incorporate images that are easy to view on a pocket-sized device. (Unless, of course, you specifically choose desktop placement.)

If you have a bricks-and-mortar business, you can use “geofencing” to target mobile users when they are in a specific zip code. This means they only see your ads when they are close enough to walk in your front door.

6. Test your ads to optimize performance

One of the great benefits of social ads is instant feedback. You can gauge the effectiveness of a sponsored post in minutes and follow up with advanced analytics reports. The best practice is to test several ads with small audiences to determine what works best, then use the winning ad in the primary campaign.

Testing one ad against another to determine what works best and refine your strategy is known as A/B testing. It’s a critical part of your social media advertising efforts. We’ve got a full guide on how to do it right here: Social media A/B testing.

7. Measure results—and report on them

Just as it’s important to know your goals before running an ad campaign, it’s important to measure results. This will let you know whether you’ve hit your targets. It shows you what worked and what didn’t so that you can improve going forward.

Measuring your results and having concrete data about the value your ads bring to the company (purchases, leads, and so on) is a key part of proving ROI. And if you can prove that your ads are paying off, that will ensure you get the budget you need to continue your work.

The major social networks offer analytics to help you measure the results of ads. We’ve created in-depth guides on how to use them:

Facebook analytics

Instagram analytics

Twitter analytics

LinkedIn analytics

Snapchat analytics

Pinterest analytics

You can also use tools like Google Analytics and Hootsuite Impact to measure results across networks from a single dashboard. A social media report is a great way to track your results and look for great content to promote with social ads.

Prove (and improve) your social media advertising skills by taking Hootsuite Academy’s industry-recognized Advanced Social Advertising course.

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The post Social Media Advertising 101: How to Get the Most Out of Your Ad Budget appeared first on Hootsuite Social Media Management.

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aaronsniderus · 5 years

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How to Trick Yourself Into Saving for Spring Break

Don’t get us wrong: Winter is lovely. Snowmen and sweaters brighten even the grayest, most frigid days. But we’re still relieved that spring is (finally) on the horizon, and we’re eagerly planning some epic spring break adventures.

Spring break is an exceptionally popular time to take a vacation — particularly for college students and millennials. More than half of millennials surveyed in a study spearheaded by TripAdvisor planned spring break travel in 2018, and 2019 should be no different.

While some destinations are cheaper than others, travel ain’t free. In fact, Skyscanner found that the average spring break flight cost $602 last year… and that’s before you even purchase a single margarita.

Of course, if you’ve got a hefty student loan check in the bank, it can be tempting to use some of it to fund your spring break adventure. But don’t! It’s not worth the added agony down the line — or the cost of accruing interest — and it can add to an already-staggering student debt total. (The average debt figure for 2018 graduates was $29,800.)

Fortunately, there are plenty of pain-free ways to save up for a spring break travel budget. With the right tools and tactics, you won’t even notice the money is gone until you’re sitting back with your toes in the sand.

Here are some smart ways to trick yourself into saving up for the spring break getaway of your dreams.

Savings apps

If you have a smartphone, the key to spring break savings may already be in the palm of your hand. Here are a few apps that make it simple to turn your spring break plans into a reality.

Albert

This app’s name makes it sound like it’s your personal butler — and for good reason. Albert is all about using technology to create a custom financial plan that works for your situation, analyzing your income, spending habits and goals.

After you connect your various accounts, Albert keeps you apprised of rising bills and unexpected fees that can throw your budget off balance. Then, it automatically sets aside savings based on your habits, slowly amassing a cushion without you even noticing.

Finally, Albert users have the added bonus of communicating with Albert Genius, a service backed by live human financial experts, and which is available to you via text at any time. Albert allows its users to pay “what you think is fair” for the service, starting as low as $4 per month.

Qapital

Available for both Android and iOS, Qapital is all about making saving fun. (Yes, fun.) You can set goals and rules to turn your penny-pinching project into a challenge, and the clean, bright interface makes it simple to see whether or not you’re staying on track.

Another cool feature of Qapital that makes it perfect for spring break savers: It allows you to set joint goals, where you and your friends all save for a common objective. In other words, you can get your whole spring break squad in on the game, which can help keep everyone motivated and achieve your goal easier.

Qapital’s fees start at $3 per month for basic service, and go up to $6 and $12 for its “Complete” and “Master” tiers, respectively.

Digit

Digit is also into saving money “without thinking about it.” It allows you to set specific, achievable goals. Rather than using an app interface, Digit is all text message-based, so it feels like sending a quick line to your friend … who just happens to be helping you save a ton of dough.

World traveler and former Student Loan Hero staff writer Susan Shain used Digit to painlessly save — get this — nearly $2,000. Although she’s an old pro at saving up for trips, she had never been able to amass an emergency fund, so she decided to try Digit to see if it would work.

“I noticed the app withdrawing small amounts of money from my account,” she writes, “but it was never enough to cause me any financial worry. When I finally logged in 10 months later, I was stoked to see I had saved almost $2,000. What a nice surprise!”

Investing apps

Yes, investing is all about the long game — and you need this spring break stash now.

But getting your portfolio started will put you in a better position to enjoy adventures later in life by allowing your money to be fruitful and multiply. The best time to start investing is when you’re young.

(Psst: A couple of the apps we’ve discussed above, like Qapital and Albert, also include investment options, so if you’re already signed up for them, have a look before you download another app!)

Acorns

Just imagine how much money you’d have if every time you swiped your credit card, the spare change from your transaction was automatically rolled into an investment account.

Well, that’s exactly what Acorns does with its “Round-Ups” feature, which makes it possible to build a hefty nest egg without thinking about it. The app is also rolling out a debit card, which will make it easier than ever to stick to your budget.

Acorns is built with beginner investors in mind, providing a wealth of information on its Grow blog to help you take control of your finances. Its services start at $1 per month, and go up to $2 or $3 if you opt in for additions like retirement guidance.

Stash

Got $5 to spare? You’ve got enough to start investing — at least if you use Stash, an automatic investment app geared toward beginners. For a fee of $1 a month, you can set up small automatic deposits (think: five bucks a week) and allocate them into themed ETFs to ensure your portfolio matches your values.

Or, if you’re interested in investing in specific companies, you can take advantage of Stash’s fractional shares to buy just a little bit of big name stocks like JPMorgan or Alphabet. Stash also offers fee-free retirement accounts for users under 25, which may be worth taking advantage of if you’re eligible.

Automatic transfers

Not quite ready to download a savings app? Put off by the idea of paying to save?

Well, you can DIY the incremental savings that make these apps so effective by setting up automatic transfers at your existing bank account.

Although the exact steps to set up the transfer will depend on your specific bank, it’s usually not too difficult — in fact, you’ll likely be able to do so from your online account portal. Even setting aside as little as $10 per week can really add up over time, especially if you move the money into a high-interest savings account, where it’ll earn a little extra.

Rewards and loyalty programs

It seems like every store you go to, there’s another customer service agent asking if you’d like to sign up for the rewards program. And while it can get tiresome, you can actually score some substantial savings if you take advantage of those rewards.

For example, Shell’s Fuel Rewards system earns you 5 cents off per gallon every time you spend $25 inside participating stations (which isn’t hard to do if you frequently run inside to grab a snack).

Five cents per gallon may not sound like much, but it can really add up, especially if you’ve got plans to drive somewhere far away, like Orlando. You can also earn points at Shell by purchasing gift cards for companies like Amazon and Apple, so if you’re already planning to spend money at those companies, you might as well buy the card instead.

Another popular loyalty program, particularly for java-fueled college students, is Starbucks Rewards, which allows you to earn points, or “stars,” each time you spend a dollar at Starbucks.

These stars can later be traded for free food and drink items, and you’ll also get exclusive access to member events, offers, free refills, a free birthday reward and more. At two stars per dollar spent and a reward once you collect 125 stars, you’ll get a freebie every $62.50, not counting star bonuses. And let’s be real — it’s easy spend that at Starbucks in a month.

Saving for spring break doesn’t have to be painful

Even if you’re planning an all-out spring break bash, you don’t have to break your back saving the money to get there. Small steps, like downloading a savings app, can reap big rewards without wrecking your lifestyle.

Happy spring!

Need a student loan? Here are our top student loan lenders of 2019!

LenderVariable APREligibility 1 Important Disclosures for Ascent. Ascent Disclosures

Before taking out private student loans, you should explore and compare all financial aid alternatives, including grants, scholarships, and federal student loans and consider your future monthly payments and income. Applying with a cosigner may improve your chance of getting approved and could help you qualify for a lower interest rate. Ascent Student Loans may be funded by Richland State Bank (RSB). Ascent Student Loan products are subject to credit qualification, completion of a loan application, verification of application information and certification of loan amount by a participating school. Loan products may not be available in certain jurisdictions, and certain restrictions, limitations; and terms and conditions may apply. Ascent is a federally registered trademark of Turnstile Capital Management (TCM) and may be used by RSB under limited license. Richland State Bank is a federally registered service mark of Richland State Bank.

Ascent rates are effective as of 03/01/2019 and include a 0.25% discount applied when a borrower in repayment elects automatic debit payments via their personal checking account. Competitive rates calculated monthly at the time of loan approval. Ascent Tuition Cosigned Loan: Variable rate loans are based on a margin between 2.00% and 11.00% plus the 1-Month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), rounded to the nearest 1/100th of a percent. The current LIBOR is 2.481%, which may adjust monthly. Your interest rate may increase or decrease, based on LIBOR monthly changes, resulting in an APR range between 4.23% – 13.23%. Fixed rate loans have an APR range between 5.21% – 14.28%. For Ascent Tuition loan current rates and repayment examples visit www.AscentTuition.com/APR. Ascent Independent Non-Cosigned Loan: Variable rate loans are based on a margin between 4.00% and 12.50% plus the 1-Month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), rounded to the nearest 1/100th of a percent. The current LIBOR is 2.481%, which may adjust monthly. Your interest rate may increase or decrease, based on LIBOR monthly changes, resulting in an APR range between 5.87% – 13.15%. Fixed rate loans have an APR range between 6.80% – 13.55%. For Ascent Independent non-cosigned loan current rates and repayment examples visit www.AscentIndependent.com/APR. Payments may be deferred. Subject to lender discretion, forbearance and/or deferment options may be available for borrowers who are encountering financial distress. Making interest only or partial interest payments while in school will not reduce the principal balance of the loan. There are three (3) flexible in-school repayment options that include fully deferred, interest only and $25 minimum repayment. Flexible repayment plans may be offered up to a fifteen (15) year repayment term for a variable rate loan and ten (10) year repayment term for a fixed rate loan. Students must be enrolled at least half-time at an eligible school. Minimum loan amount is $2,000. Interest rate reduction of 0.25% for enrollment in automatic debit applies only when the borrower and/or cosigner signs up for automatic payments and the regularly scheduled, current amount due (including full, flat, or interest only payments, as applicable) is successfully deducted from the designated bank account each month. Interest rate reduction(s) will not apply during periods when no payment is due, including periods of In-School, Deferment, Grace or Forbearance. If you have two (2) returned payments for Nonsufficient Funds, we may cancel your automatic debit enrollment and you will lose the 0.25% interest rate reduction. You will then need to re-qualify and re-enroll in automatic debit payments to receive the 0.25% interest rate reduction. All applicants (individual and cosigner) are required to complete a brief online financial literacy course as part of the application process to be eligible for funding. Eligibility, loan amount and other loan terms are dependent on several factors, which may include: loan product, other financial aid, creditworthiness, school, program, graduation date, major, cost of attendance and other factors. Aggregate loan limits may apply. The cost of attendance is determined and certified by the educational institution. The legal age for entering into contracts is eighteen (18) years of age in every state except Alabama where it is nineteen (19) years old, Nebraska where it is nineteen (19) years old (only for wards of the state), and Mississippi and Puerto Rico where it is twenty-one (21) years old. 1% Cash Back Graduation Reward subject to terms and conditions. Click here for details. In order to be eligible for the 1% Cash Back Graduation Reward, borrower must meet the following criteria after graduation: · The student borrower has graduated from the degree program that the loan was used to fund. · The student borrower may change majors and/or transfer to a different school, but must obtain the same level of degree (e.g. – undergraduate or graduate) · The graduation date is more than 90 days and less than five (5) years after the date of the loan’s first disbursement. · Any loan that the student has borrowed under the Ascent loan is not more than 30-days delinquent or in a default status as of the graduation date and until any Graduation Reward is paid. Students can apply to release their cosigner and continue with the loan in only their name after making the first 24 consecutive regularly scheduled full principal and interest payments on-time and meeting the other eligibility criteria to qualify for the loan without a cosigner.

* Application times vary depending on the applicants ability to supply the necessary information for submission.

2 Important Disclosures for CollegeAve. CollegeAve Disclosures

College Ave Student Loans products are made available through either Firstrust Bank, member FDIC or M.Y. Safra Bank, FSB, member FDIC. All loans are subject to individual approval and adherence to underwriting guidelines. Program restrictions, other terms, and conditions apply.

All rates shown include the auto-pay discount. The 0.25% auto-pay interest rate reduction applies as long as a valid bank account is designated for required monthly payments. Variable rates may increase after consummation. This informational repayment example uses typical loan terms for a freshman borrower who selects the Deferred Repayment Option with an 8-year repayment term, has a $10,000 loan that is disbursed in one disbursement and a 7% variable Annual Percentage Rate (“APR”): 96 monthly payments of $179.28 while in the repayment period, for a total amount of payments of $17,211.20. Loans will never have a full principal and interest monthly payment of less than $50. Your actual rates and repayment terms may vary. As certified by your school and less any other financial aid you might receive. Minimum $1,000.

Information advertised valid as of 2/1/2019. Variable interest rates may increase after consummation.

3 Important Disclosures for Discover. Discover Disclosures At least a 3.0 GPA (or equivalent) qualifies for a one-time cash reward of 1% of the loan amount of each new Discover undergraduate and graduate student loan. Reward redemption period is limited. Please visit DiscoverStudentLoans.com/Reward for any applicable reward terms and conditions. View Terms and Conditions at DiscoverStudentLoans.com/AutoDebitReward. * The Sallie Mae partner referenced is not the creditor for these loans and is compensated by Sallie Mae for the referral of Smart Option Student Loan customers. 4 = Sallie Mae Disclaimer: Click here for important information. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. 5 Important Disclosures for SunTrust. SunTrust Disclosures

Before applying for a private student loan, SunTrust recommends comparing all financial aid alternatives including grants, scholarships, and both federal and private student loans. To view and compare the available features of SunTrust private student loans, visit https://www.suntrust.com/loans/student-loans/private.

Certain restrictions and limitations may apply. SunTrust Bank reserves the right to change or discontinue this loan program without notice. Availability of all loan programs is subject to approval under the SunTrust credit policy and other criteria and may not be available in certain jurisdictions.

Interest rates and APRs (Annual Percentage Rates) depend upon (a) the student’s and cosigner’s (if applicable) credit histories, (b) the repayment option and repayment term selected, (c) the requested loan amount and (d) other information provided on the online loan application. If approved, applicants will be notified of the rate applicable to your loan. Rates and terms effective for applications received on or after 3/1/2019. The current variable APRs for the program range from 4.251% APR to 13.250% APR and the current fixed APRs for the program range from 5.351% APR to 14.051% APR (the low APRs within these ranges assume a 7-year $10,000 loan, with two disbursements and no deferment; the high APRs within these ranges assume a 15-year $10,000 loan with two disbursements). The variable interest rate for each calendar month is calculated by adding the current One-month LIBOR index to your margin. LIBOR stands for London Interbank Offered Rate. The One-month LIBOR is published in the Money Rates section of The Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition). The One-month LIBOR index is captured on the 25th day of the immediately preceding calendar month (or if the 25th is not a business day, the next business day thereafter), and is rounded up to the nearest 1/8th of one percent. The current One-month LIBOR index is 2.500% on 3/1/2019. The variable interest rate will increase or decrease if the One-month LIBOR index changes. The fixed rate assigned to a loan will never change except as required by law or if you request and qualify for the auto pay discount. Any applicant who applies for a loan the month of, the month prior to, or the month after the student’s graduation date, as stated on the application or certified by the school, will only be offered the Immediate Repayment option. The student must be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for the partial interest, fully deferred and interest only repayment options unless the loan is being used for a past due balance and the student is out of school. With the Full Deferment option, payments may be deferred while the student is enrolled at least half-time at an approved school and during the six month grace period after graduation or dropping below half-time status, but the total initial deferment period, including the grace period, may not exceed 66 months from the first disbursement date. The Partial Interest Repayment option (paying $25 per month during in-school deferment) is only available on loans of $5,000 or more. For payment examples, see footnote 7. With the Immediate Repayment option, the first payment of principal and interest will be due approximately 30-60 calendar days after the final disbursement date and the minimum monthly payment is $50.00. There are no prepayment penalties. The 15-year term and Partial Interest Repayment option (paying $25 per month during in-school deferment) are only available for loan amounts of $5,000 or more. Making interest only or partial interest payments while in school deferment (including the grace period) will not reduce the principal balance of the loan. Payment examples within this footnote assume a 45-month deferment period, a six-month grace period before entering repayment and the Partial Interest Repayment option. 7-year term: $10,000 loan disbursed over two transactions with a 7-year repayment term (84 months) and 8.468% APR would result in a monthly principal and interest payment of $199.90. 10-year term: $10,000 loan disbursed over two transactions with a 10-year repayment term (120 months) and 8.938% APR would result in a monthly principal and interest payment of $162.92. 15-year term: $10,000 loan disbursed over two transactions with a 15-year repayment term (180 months) and 9.423% APR would result in a monthly principal and interest payment of $136.90. The 2% principal reduction is based on the total dollar amount of all disbursements made, excluding any amounts that are reduced, cancelled, or returned. To receive this principal reduction, it must be requested from the servicer, the student borrower must have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher and proof of such graduation (e.g. copy of diploma, final transcript or letter on school letterhead) must be provided to the servicer. This reward is available once during the life of the loan, regardless of whether the student receives more than one degree. Earn an interest rate reduction for making automatic payments of principal and interest from a bank account (“auto pay discount”). Earn a 0.25% interest rate reduction when you auto pay from any bank account and an extra 0.25% interest rate reduction when you auto pay from a SunTrust Bank checking, savings, or money market account. The auto pay discount will continue until (1) automatic deduction of payments is stopped (including during any deferment or forbearance) or (2) three automatic deductions are returned for insufficient funds during the life of the loan. The extra 0.25% interest rate reduction when you auto pay from a SunTrust Bank account will be applied after the first automatic payment is successfully deducted and will be removed for the reasons stated above. In the event the auto pay discount is removed, the loan will accrue interest at the rate stated in your Credit Agreement. The auto pay discount is not available when payments are deferred or when the loan is in forbearance, even if payments are being made. A cosigner may be released from the loan upon request to the servicer provided that the student borrower is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien, has met credit criteria and met either one of the following payment conditions: (a) the first 36 consecutive monthly principal and interest payments have been made on-time (received by the servicer within 10 calendar days after their due date) or (b) the loan has not had any late payments and has been prepaid prior to the end of the first 36 months of scheduled principal and interest payments in an amount equal to the first 36 months of scheduled principal and interest payments (based on the monthly payment amount in effect when you make the most recent payment). As an example, if you have made 30 months of consecutive on-time payments, and then, based on the monthly payment amount in effect on the due date of your 31st consecutive monthly payment, you pay a lump sum equal to 6 months of payments, you will have satisfied the payment condition. Cosigner release may not be available if a loan is in forbearance. If the student dies after any part of the loan has been disbursed, and the loan has not been charged off due to non-payment or bankruptcy, then the outstanding balance will be forgiven if the servicer is informed of the student’s death and receives acceptable proof of death. If the student becomes totally and permanently disabled after any part of the loan has been disbursed and the loan has not been charged off due to non-payment or bankruptcy, the loan will be forgiven upon the servicer’s receipt and approval of a completed discharge application. If the student borrower dies or becomes totally and permanently disabled prior to the full disbursement of the loan, and the loan is forgiven, all future disbursements will be cancelled. Loan forgiveness for student death or disability is available at any point throughout the life of the loan. 6 Important Disclosures for LendKey. LendKey Disclosures

Additional terms and conditions apply. For more details see LendKey

7 Important Disclosures for CommonBond. CommonBond Disclosures

A government loan is made according to rules set by the U.S. Department of Education. Government loans have fixed interest rates, meaning that the interest rate on a government loan will never go up or down.

Government loans also permit borrowers in financial trouble to use certain options, such as income-based repayment, which may help some borrowers. Depending on the type of loan that you have, the government may discharge your loan if you die or become permanently disabled.

Depending on what type of government loan that you have, you may be eligible for loan forgiveness in exchange for performing certain types of public service. If you are an active-duty service member and you obtained your government loan before you were called to active duty, you are entitled to interest rate and repayment benefits for your loan. If you are unable to pay your government loan, the government can refer your loan to a collection agency or sue you for the unpaid amount. In addition, the government has special powers to collect the loan, such as taking your tax refund and applying it to your loan balance.

A private student loan is not a government loan and is not regulated by the Department of Education. A private student loan is instead regulated like other consumer loans under both state and federal law and by the terms of the promissory note with your lender. If you refinance your government loan, your new lender will use the proceeds of your new loan to pay off your government loan. Private student loan lenders do not have to honor any of the benefits that apply to government loans. Because your government loan will be gone after refinancing, you will lose any benefits that apply to that loan. If you are an active-duty service member, your new loan will not be eligible for service member benefits. Most importantly, once you refinance your government loan, you will not able to reinstate your government loan if you become dissatisfied with the terms of your private student loan.

If your private student loan has a fixed interest rate, then that rate will never go up or down. If your private student loan has a variable interest rate, then that rate will vary depending on an index rate disclosed in your application. If the interest rate on the new private student loan is less than the interest rate on your government loans, your payments will be less if you refinance. If you are a borrower with a secure job, emergency savings, strong credit and are unlikely to need any of the options available to distressed borrowers of government loans, a refinance of your government loans into a private student loan may be attractive to you. You should consider the costs and benefits of refinancing carefully before you refinance.

If you don’t pay a private student loan as agreed, the lender can refer your loan to a collection agency or sue you for the unpaid amount.

Remember also that like government loans, most private loans cannot be discharged if you file bankruptcy unless you can demonstrate that repayment of the loan would cause you an undue hardship. In most bankruptcy courts, proving undue hardship is very difficult for most borrowers.

8 Important Disclosures for Citizens Bank. Citizens Bank Disclosures Undergraduate Rate Disclosure: Variable rate, based on the one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) published in The Wall Street Journal on the twenty-fifth day, or the next business day, of the preceding calendar month. As of March 1, 2019, the one-month LIBOR rate is 2.48%. Variable interest rates range from 4.45%-12.42% (4.45%-12.32% APR) and will fluctuate over the term of the loan with changes in the LIBOR rate, and will vary based on applicable terms, level of degree earned and presence of a co-signer. Fixed interest rates range from 5.74%-12.19% (5.74% – 12.09% APR) based on applicable terms, level of degree earned and presence of a co-signer. Lowest rates shown requires application with a co-signer, are for eligible applicants, require a 5-year repayment term, borrower making scheduled payments while in school and include our Loyalty and Automatic Payment discounts of 0.25 percentage points each, as outlined in the Loyalty Discount and Automatic Payment Discount disclosures. Subject to additional terms and conditions, and rates are subject to change at any time without notice. Such changes will only apply to applications taken after the effective date of change. Please note: Due to federal regulations, Citizens Bank is required to provide every potential borrower with disclosure information before they apply for a private student loan. The borrower will be presented with an Application Disclosure and an Approval Disclosure within the application process before they accept the terms and conditions of the loan. Graduate Rate Disclosure: Variable rate, based on the one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) published in The Wall Street Journal on the twenty-fifth day, or the next business day, of the preceding calendar month. As of March 1, 2019, the one-month LIBOR rate is 2.48%. Variable interest rates range from 4.45% – 12.18% (4.45% – 11.82% APR) and will fluctuate over the term of your loan with changes in the LIBOR rate, and will vary based on applicable terms, level of degree earned and presence of a co-signer. Fixed interest rates range from 5.74% – 11.95% (5.74% – 11.65% APR) based on applicable terms, level of degree earned and presence of a co-signer. Lowest rates shown requires application with a co-signer, are for eligible applicants, require a 5-year repayment term, borrower making scheduled payments while in school and include our Loyalty and Automatic Payment discounts of 0.25 percentage points each, as outlined in the Loyalty Discount and Automatic Payment Discount disclosures. Subject to additional terms and conditions, and rates are subject to change at any time without notice. Such changes will only apply to applications taken after the effective date of change. Please note: Due to federal regulations, Citizens Bank is required to provide every potential borrower with disclosure information before they apply for a private student loan. You will be presented with an Application Disclosure and an Approval Disclosure within the application process before you accept the terms and conditions of your loan. Citizens One Student Loan Eligibility: Borrowers must be enrolled at least half-time in a degree-granting program at an eligible institution. Borrowers must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or an international borrower/eligible non-citizen with a creditworthy U.S. citizen or permanent resident co-signer. For borrowers who have not attained the age of majority in their state of residence, a co-signer is required. Citizens One reserves the right to modify eligibility criteria at anytime. Interest rate ranges subject to change. Citizens One Student Loans private student loans are subject to credit qualification, completion of a loan application/consumer credit agreement, verification of application information, and if applicable, self-certification form, school certification of the loan amount, and student’s enrollment at a Citizens One Student Loans-participating school. Please Note: International Students are not eligible for the multi-year approval feature. Co-signer Release: Borrowers may apply for co-signer release after making 36 consecutive on-time payments of principal and interest. For the purpose of the application for co-signer release, on-time payments are defined as payments received within 15 days of the due date. Interest only payments do not qualify. The borrower must meet certain credit and eligibility guidelines when applying for the co-signer release. Borrowers must complete an application for release and provide income verification documents as part of the review. Borrowers who use deferment or forbearance will need to make 36 consecutive on-time payments after reentering repayment to qualify for release. The borrower applying for co-signer release must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. If an application for co-signer release is denied, the borrower may not reapply for co-signer release until at least one year from the date the application for co-signer release was received. Terms and conditions apply. Borrowers whose loans were funded prior to reaching the age of majority may not be eligible for co-signer release. Note: co-signer release is not available on the Student Loan for Parents or Education Refinance Loan for Parents. 4.23% – 13.23%1Undergraduate and Graduate

Visit Ascent

4.20% – 11.44%2Undergraduate, Graduate, and Parents

Visit CollegeAve

4.84% – 13.49%3Undergraduate and Graduate

Visit Discover

4.50% – 10.11%*,4Undergraduate and Graduate

Visit SallieMae

4.25% – 13.25%5Undergraduate and Graduate

Visit SunTrust

5.85% – 6.99%6Undergraduate and Graduate

Visit LendKey

3.95% – 9.81%7Undergraduate, Graduate, and Parents

Visit CommonBond

4.45% – 12.42%8Undergraduate, Graduate, and Parents

Visit Citizens

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mikebrackett · 5 years