#mid november i wanted to buy stuff from an instagram person and when i looked at my bank account i saw there was 3 euros left before ceiling

[vacationsoup]

New Post has been published on https://vacationsoup.com/autumn-days-out-in-norfolk/

Autumn Days Out in Norfolk

Norfolk is a beautiful place to visit in the autumn. Whether you want a dose of nature and experience the changes of the seasons. Or if you are here for your family’s half term holiday there is plenty do to whatever the weather. Here is my local guide to the best places to head to this autumn in Norfolk.  This blog post focuses mainly  in East Norfolk where the Norfolk Coast meets the Norfolk Broads. I am based in Winterton-on-sea.

Experience Nature

Norfolk is a great place to be if you want to watch the seasons change and experience wildlife.

Visit the seals and coast.

A must visit if you are in the local area. The seal colony at Horsey has been growing steadily for some years now. The colony has harbour seals or common seals as well as grey seals. In Autumn we see both types of seals on the beach at Horsey in large numbers (and increasingly at Winterton-on-sea). Grey seals have their babies on the beach from mid-November onwards. Last year over 2000 grey seal babies were recorded. If you visit Horsey this autumn you should get to see both types of seals on the beach. The beach at Horsey will be closed to the public from the end of October, to protect the baby grey seals who can’t go into the sea until they are over 6 weeks old. You can view the seals from a number of viewing platforms on the dunes. I have written a detailed blog on how to get the best out of a visit to see the baby seals here.

Seals at Horsey

Top tip: Tracking the seals down can be trickier. I tend to ask people when I arrive where they are and then head to the right part of the beach. Please note there is no public toilet at Horsey. Poppylands the 1940s tea room, at Horsey gap, is a great stop-off point - they do great cake.

Visit the Broads National Park

The beautiful Broads make for excellent wildlife spotting and days out in nature. I’d recommend hiring an electric boat from Martham Ferry Boat company and experience Martham Broad, Horsey and Hickling. At dusk you can hear the pink footed geese and watch the cranes fly over. Ross' wildlife tours, operating out of Horsey to rave reviews, are back for half term (kids and dogs welcome). Text Ross on 07791526440 for availability. Or visit Hickling National Nature Reserve.  At Strumpshaw Fen nature reserves you can book  your own personal wildlife safari with the RSPB warden.

Tip: If you hire a boat, always go electric. Quiet and no fumes - why wouldn’t you?

Top picnic spot and place to see brilliant autumn colours

How Hill.

My favourite place in the Broads. It has everything (apart from a tea room) that you could want for a picnic spot including mini museum, boat trips, and nature reserve. I made a little film of my friends and family enjoying How Hill.

On October 23 there is a delightful Craft Fayre on at the house. 11am-4pm with refreshments, craft, and activities for kids.

Tip: there is lots to How Hill but it’s easy to miss. Check to see if the main house and gardens are open. It will say on a notice board outside the house and seek out the ‘Secret water gardens’ which will be beautiful in autumn. You enter them via the woods heading north from the house.

Great options for kids over the half terms weeks.

October 18-26 - Norwich Science Festival at the Forum

I love the Norwich science festival. This year it has nine days of inspirational exhibitions, sensational shows and hands-on science activities for all ages and all levels of knowledge. It is an absolute must to visit with your young scientists. There are, mostly, free shows for kids but book in advance.  Find out more about the Norwich Science Festival

Tip: The Forum in central Norwich has drop in events, these tend to be busy but good to dip into either side of a show or workshop.

October 19-31 - The Glorious Glowing Lantern Parade at BeWILDerwood

Always one of my top recommendations for kids from 3 – 11 years old especially for the half term week. Apparently, as dusk falls, BeWILDerwood will glow in a magical light extravaganza. See the woods in a fantastical new light as all the inhabitants come out to celebrate a Glorious Glowing Lantern Parade!  Check out this short film on the parade

Tip: I’d recommend arriving around 1 or 2pm if you want to take part both in the lantern parade and in the usual activity. There is a good 5 hours of fun on a normal day. Outside of half term it's open at the weekends.

October 23 - Family Survival School 10:30am - 3:30pm at Sheringham Park

Our friend, Rob, at Sheringham Park puts on marvellous family days at the National Trusts beautiful Sheringham Park and this event sounds great.  "Hone your survival skills with a bitesize bushcraft adventure! Build a shelter, light a fire, forage for food and learn how to navigate with a map and compass. Cooking on a campfire is one of the '50 things to do before you are 11¾'"

Tip: You need to book. Sheringham is a great place to take bikes for kids or just wonder around the beautiful park land and then head into the town for fish and chips  on the beach at dusk

October 18-27 - Halloween Hoot at Hirsty's Family Fun Park

If you are looking to entertain your family and want the pumpkin carving to not happen at home, try the Halloween Hoot at Hirsty’s Famiy Fun Park. Pick and carve your pumpkin on site, wheel it back to the carving tent and start creating your own masterpiece - then try out other craft activities before playing in the Fun Park.

Tip: Alternatively you pick your own pumpkins at the Tacons farm shop in Rollesby and even take part in their pumpkin fun run on the 26th October.

October 19-November 3 - Fang-tastic Family Fun at Trick or Tweet at Pensthorpe Natural Park

We love Pensthorpe’s  beautiful gardens and brilliant indoor and outdoor play areas.  This half term you can join Pensthorpe Natural Park's Trick or Tweet which will allow families to discover the grim and gruesome side of nature and celebrate the magic of autumn outdoor.

October 19-27 - Fairhaven Fairy Folk Halloween Trail

These guys always put on great events. Throughout half term you and your kids can hunt for little fairy doors in the trees and discover which fairies and spirits live there. Fairhaven helps reveal how in recent centuries, Halloween has replaced the ancient celebration of Samhain, when our Celtic ancestors celebrated the end of summer and the beginning of winter. The Fairy Folk Halloween Trail is free with garden entry plus 10p for the trail sheet and runs every day from Saturday, October 19 to Sunday, October 27.

Tip: Their café is great and reasonable. Dogs allowed on leads.

October 19-27 - Spooky Fun at Pumpkin Festival, Wroxham Barns

Perfect for younger children, combine a visit to Wroxham Barn’s junior farm with their pumpkin festival. You'll be able to make potions and wands with your kids. There are prizes for the scariest costumes.

October 19-November 3 - Halloween Spooktacular 2019 at The Hippodrome Circus

If you are anywhere near Great Yarmouth we’d recommend a trip to the Hippodrome and see Great Yarmouth’s permanent circus spectacle. Ideal for families with kids 6 plus.

Arts and Crafts Fairs

Norfolk has an increasingly good arts and craft movement. These are a few local ones I’d really recommend.

October 19 20 Thrigby Arts Festival 10am – 4pm (free)

Beautiful crafts from pottery, weavers, upholsters – great gifts. See their Facebook page here. I go every year, there is hand on stuff for the kids to do and I even manage to buy some  early Christmas presents.

October 23 How Hill Trust Craft Fayre 11am – 4pm adults £3

A large range of local craft stalls and demonstrations. Gardens open. Orienteering activity and dyke dipping for children. Homemade cakes, refreshments, and light lunches available throughout the day.

November 3 Blue Bird Handmade Market, Royal Assembly Rooms, Great Yarmouth. 11am- 3pm free or Nov 17th Yarmouth Race Course 11am- 3pm

Range of quality local crafts at these delightful Christmas markets. Find out more on their Instagram pages

24 November and 1 December Norwich Makers Market, Norwich Assembly House 11am- 4pm

Wonderful gifts are available from the stalls of these talented people. Follow them and see who is participating at the market via their Instagram page

[snakecolumn95]

An Exact Breakdown Of The $1,100 I’ve Spent Trying To Cure My Stomach Issues Over The Past 2 Years

For the past two years, I have struggled with unknown digestive issues. I had never before experienced such constant constipation and bloating. For a year and a half, doctors dismissed my complaints of, “This is not normal. Something is wrong,” by telling me to eat more fiber, exercise more, and drink more water. These were all things I was doing (and tracking in a food/exercise/water/poop journal), but no one wanted to listen.

In August, I met with a naturopath who looked at my 13 months of notes about what went in and out of my body. She heard my concerns and worked with me to recommend different possibilities as to what was causing my body to turn against me so.

Here’s a complete breakdown* of what I’ve spent (so far) on my journey for gut answers:

*Note that all amounts listed here are in CAD unless otherwise noted

March 2017

I am constipated for a week and think it is due to a hemorrhoid flare-up.

Hermoval (oral pill): $23.72

Total spent so far: $23.72 CAD ($17.79 USD)

April 2017

The Hermoval doesn’t work, and thinking it’s still hemorrhoids causing my constipation, I buy Preparation H. I see a doctor at a walk-in clinic and he writes me a prescription for a hemorrhoid cream he says is “stronger than the over-the-counter stuff” and tells me to buy Metamucil. I cry over Easter weekend because my stomach is so distended. I see another doctor a few days later and he tells me to get more fiber.

Preparation H: $15.24

Prescription Cream: $10.10 (this was on my old insurance, so I’m not sure how much I saved, probably ~$20)

Metamucil: $22.59

Total spent so far: $71.65 CAD ($53.74 USD)

May 2017

I go away with my friends for the May long weekend and change my diet of smoothie bowls and salads for burgers and alcohol. My stomach and bowel movements momentarily return to normal?

Preparation H: $12.98

Total spent so far: $84.63 CAD ($63.47 USD)

June 2017

I’ve noticed that I have proper bowel movements the mornings after I drink alcoholic ciders.

Alcoholic Ciders: $13.40

Total spent so far: $98.03 CAD ($73.52 USD)

July 2017

I see a different walk-in clinic doctor who prescribes me Constella, a pill that fights constipation by increasing fluid in the digestive tract.

Constella: $45.60 (this was on my old insurance so I’m not sure how much I saved, but likely ~$300)

Preparation H and Laxatives: $26.23

Alcoholic Ciders: $5.90

Total spent so far: $175.76 CAD ($131.82 USD)

August 2017

I get my own doctor by having a coworker and her sister tell their doctor that I am their cousin who has just moved to the city. My new doctor tells me to buy laxatives.

Alcoholic Ciders: $10.60

Laxative: $13.55

Total spent so far: $199.91 CAD ($149.93 USD)

September 2017

I travel to the west coast to my friend Nathalie, and my stomach looks like I am carrying a child. We spend the weekend talking about our poops. Fun fact about Nathalie: in our youth, we went to Paris and thought it would be fun to poop in the washroom at every big attraction. Eiffel Tower? Pooped there. Arc de Triumph? Pooped there. Ohhh what I wouldn’t give to return to 2011!

Alcoholic Ciders: $22.80

Total spent so far: $222.71 ($167.03 USD)

October 2017

I change up hemorrhoid cream brands! I buy a pre & probiotic powder called “Regular Girl” that claims it’ll keep ya regular! I start on probiotics! My grandma tells me to try mineral oil! My aunt tells me to try molasses! I buy a detox tea for my bloat! I attend a “Banish Bloating: A Naturopathic Guide to Overcoming IBS” talk!

Anusol: $12.74

Probiotics and Regular Girl powder: $50.09

Detox Tea: $10

Mineral Oil: $10.16

Molasses: $4.19

Total spent so far: $309.89 CAD ($232.42 USD)

November 2017

Most of my spending this month was included in my grocery bill, so hard to say what exactly it was I spent it on. But we can all imagine it was prunes (recommended by a co-worker), rapini (recommended by my boss), and the ingredients for a great laxative fruit spread as given to me by my friend’s mom.

December 2017

Probiotics: $22.02

Anusol: $11.85

Total spent so far: $343.76 CAD ($257.82 USD)

January 2018

My apartment gets bed bugs this month, and for 4 days I’m so stressed and nervous all I do is drink coffee, eat no food, and stress poop a LOT. My stomach is finally not bloated for these 4 blissful, bug-filled days. My dad’s girlfriend saw a picture I posted of my abs and said if bed bugs will give her “a body like that” then she’d gladly take them.

Probiotics: $28.24

Regular Girl powder: $36.15

Total spent so far: $408.15 CAD ($306.11 USD)

February 2018

I have my first appointment with a Gastroenterologist. When I tell her I’ve been reading online and I think it may have something to do with bacteria in my gut she tells me, “Probably not. You’re probably just stressed.” She doesn’t want to see my months of notes. I get an ultrasound, give a stool sample, and have some blood taken.

March 2018

My doctor tells me to switch to an IBS specific probiotic. (Months later, my naturopath will say, “What?? Why did she tell you do go on that?? That’s for people who have diarrhea-prone IBS.”)

Align Probiotic: $45.19

Total spent so far: $453.34 CAD ($340.00 USD)

April 2018

I read that moringa powder has lots of fiber and iron.

Regular Girl powder: $28.92

Moringa powder: $7.55

Align Probiotic: $50.84

Total spent so far: $540.65 CAD ($405.49 USD)

May 2018

My ultrasound showed a small cyst on one of my ovaries, but apparently, they come and go with your menstrual cycle. I have a follow-up ultrasound, and the cyst is gone. I have a recital for my stand up comedy class and do a hot five minutes about how I always look like I’m pregnant. It’s a hard sell, though, because I was so nervous I pooped seven times that day. I debate making this my new career.

Align Probiotic: $41.82

Total spent so far: $582.47 CAD ($436.85 USD)

June 2018

Anusol: $14.11

Total spent so far: $596.58 CAD ($447.44 USD)

July 2018

Align Probiotic: $33.89

Total spent so far: $630.47 CAD ($472.85 USD)

August 2018

A new IBS product comes on the market! They are little capsules full of peppermint balls that you take 30 minutes before eating and are supposed to help with bloating. They work okay, but mainly just make any gas I pass have a minty tingle. I’ve included a hole-in-the-wall dumpling restaurant in this month because I immediately get diarrhea after and I’ve never been so excited.

IBS Gard: $40.67

Dumpling House: $15

Total spent so far: $686.14 CAD ($514.61 USD)

September 2018

I see a naturopath for the first time, and she thinks I might have SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) and wow BIG SURPRISE, I do!! She also recommends a product called IBS Relief which is a guar gum based (fiber) powder to add to beverages. I literally go to another dumpling restaurant and hope I get diarrhea (I don’t).

Initial Naturopath Appt: $205 (fully covered by insurance, so $0)

SIBO Test: $150

Align Probiotics: $63.27

IBS Relief: $15.81

Meet Dumplings: $15.58

Total spent so far: $930.80 CAD ($698.10 USD) 

October 2018

My doctor refuses to prescribe me the antibiotic my naturopath says can help kill the SIBO. Because of this denial, I have to take the naturopath cure. Sadly, naturopathic pills aren’t covered by insurance. I finish my food journal and have to buy some new ones.

Naturopath Appt: $80 (fully covered by insurance, so $0)

Bio Film (pill): $64.35

LIVCO (pill): $53.10

New food journals: $15.75

IBS Relief: $15.81

Total spent so far: $1,079.81 CAD ($809.86 USD)

November 2018

My naturopath gives me a bunch of pills. After December, I will do two weeks of liver pills, then 2 weeks of 3 pills, then 2 weeks of another 3 pills, then 2 weeks of another 3 pills to hopefully eradicate the SIBO.

Naturopath Appt: $80 (fully covered by insurance, so $0)

Naturopathic Pills: $131.59

IBS Relief: $15.81

Total spent so far: $1,227.21 CAD ($920.41 USD)

December 2018

I see another GI who tells me to get celiac testing done. She also writes me a prescription for the SIBO antibiotic (which I haven’t filled yet, as it’s about $500 and not covered by insurance) and for Constella. I get acupuncture for digestion.

Celiac Test: $60

Preparation H: $11.76

Naturopath Appt: $80 (fully covered by insurance, so $0)

Initial Acupuncture Appt: $110 (fully covered by insurance, so $0)

Total spent so far: $1,298.97 CAD ($974.23 USD)

January 2019

Come mid-Jan I have finished 8 weeks of naturopathic pills and start on a 30-day SIBO elimination diet.

IBS Relief: $15.81

Vita Aid (pills): $63.22

Naturopath Appt: $25 ($55 was covered by insurance)

Total spent so far: $1,403 CAD (1,052.25 USD)

February 2019

The re-introductory period has my stomach freaking out with bloat again.

Naturopath Appt: $80 (fully covered by insurance, so $0)

Acupuncture: $65 (fully covered by insurance, so $0)

Vita Aid (pills) $63.22

Constella: $11.99 ($354.73 was covered by insurance)

Total spent so far: $1,478.21 CAD ($1,108.66 USD)

March 2019

I am 18 days into reintroduction. My naturopath said if I relapse in the first 6 days, it’s a sign the SIBO is still there, but if it happens from day 7 onwards, it may be a FODMAP intolerance. I meet with her again in a few days and we’ll figure out phase 2. I am attending the inaugural event for a Toronto-based gut health instagram (@thegutgazette) where we will do some mediation and movement for digestion.

Gut Gazette: $43.45

IBS Relief: $31.62

Total spent to date: $1,553.28 CAD ($1,166.06 USD)

I have become the kind of person who talks about my digestion and my bowel movements loudly and proudly. Almost every time I mention my problems, someone (whether I know them or not) turns to me to confide that they have been having some stomach/poop issues lately. Why are we all keeping this a secret! Why are we suffering behind closed doors!! Ladies! Be loud and proud of your gut issues. Hopefully, you don’t find yourself in a similar ordeal as me, but if you are struggling, reach out to someone. Mental health and gut health are so closely linked that if you’re feeling stressed then it’ll only serve to lengthen your recovery rate. After all, how are we going to be able to “trust our gut” if we don’t care for it?

Hailey is a homebody. Follow her social medias @hailmast.

Image via Unsplash

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Source: https://thefinancialdiet.com/an-exact-breakdown-of-the-1100-ive-spent-trying-to-cure-my-stomach-issues-over-the-past-2-years/

[tinytoesandfurrypaws]

Welcome to November, and before you say it…I know, I know, a gift list for Christmas BEFORE Thanksgiving has even happened???  I get it, I say the same thing when Christmas decor is up in stores before we carve the turkey, but hold up a second, I have some logic!  Some of these items are custom ordered, which means you HAVE to order them mid November in order to get them in time for the gift giving season.  SO, take a look, or save this for later, whatever, but this is my reviewed list of my favorite items for the 2017 holiday season.  Some of these products are shown in holiday swag, but never fear, they have awesome patterns and decor for your home, loved one, and pets for the full year around if holiday garb isn’t your thing!  Take a look!

#1- Custom dog bowl stations- Raised dog bowls with a storage space built-in, I mean seriously?  Of course I needed one of these!  I picked the 3 bowl option because I like all of the food and water bowls in one area.  This way the center bowl is water, and I feed on each side.  I do love slow down options, so we have some new goodie gobblers, to put inside our bowls to keep Vino, the vacuum cleaner, from sucking it down too fast!  This is from Two Moose Design’s shop on etsy, and there are a TON of options to choose from, this is the Medium in Ebony.  Keep in mind this is a custom item, and large to ship, so you will want to order by November 20th, and don’t forget to use our 10% off coupon code TINYTOES at checkout from Nov 1-30th!

#2- Custom dog collars Everyone needs a new dog collar every now and then, and if you are anything like me, I order a new one…every month.  Karma visits the hospital, and I like her to sport holiday swag for the kiddos!  I found these super cute custom engraved collars at Mimi Green.   They are based out of New Mexico, so make sure you reference the site for delivery dates if you want to get some new collars by the holiday!  I LOVE that these collars give you everything you need to keep your dog well tagged, without the jingle of actual tags!  Make sure to take advantage of the discount TINYTOES10 at check out, and stop by their Instagram @shopmimigreenandwally and Facebook @shopmimigreen

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#3- Qalo rings So these are my favorite personal item this year, because they are so versatile!  I have been sporting one for a bit now, and I wear it most days in and out, and I tend to switch to my wedding ring when I’m heading off for a date night, or function with the hubs!  I have a large black diamond in my ring, and it gets in the way ALL the time!  I never wear it to the gym, for obvious reasons, but also when I was working with the dogs, hiking, running, cleaning, you know…living the mom life in general because it was so hard to wear gloves or keep it clean!  Keep an eye out for their Black Friday Sale, so you can snag a few of their rings for any outgoing and busy guy, or gal out there.  Definitely a Dog trainer MUST!

#4- Red Dingo Dog Tags- These are by far my favorite dog tags!  I love that they are thick, covered in a clear enamel, AND they guarantee the integrity of the engraving as long as the tags are intact.  In the many years of sporting these on my dogs, I have never had to return one for being unable to read the information on the back, and we have tags that have been used for close to 8 years now!  They come in small, medium, and large, and have a huge selection of adorable designs!  I’ve been known to use these on my car key, diaper bags, lunch boxes, back packs, and gym bags!  The possibilities are endless!

#5- T-shirt– Okay, so who doesn’t love a new tee? Well I personally love one just a tad bit more if it has a dog on it!  Inkopious makes these adorable T-shirts, and you can find different breeds through their site so you can sport your best pal!  Personally I’ve already ordered a pit bull one, but you know…I’m pretty partial!

#6- Ruffwear– Okay, so this one is more of a brand favorite than anything!  I order from these guys all year long, and I am never disappointed by the quality of what they send me!  We have had the same singletrack backpacks for years, and they are still in awesome shape!  Karma has been sporting the same webmaster harness for 6 years when she’s working, and it’s still in really great (all be it hairy) condition. Really I buy new things because they let them out in new colors (Shhh…don’t tell Jeff…). So check out these coats for the season, if you have a winter sport, dog loving friend, this is the place to go! You can order online here, or if you’re local to Salt Lace City, you can find them at The Dogs Meow!

#7- Chew Toys– With big dogs of my own, and boarding dogs of all sizes and chewing abilities, I am always looking for chew items that can withhold them for a reasonable amount of time. Benebones have been a fave here for the past few months!  I am a big fan of how long they withstand strong chewers, and they would DEFINITELY make a great stocking stuffer!!!  Okay, so again you can find these here (yep, click this link), or if you’re a local, you can find them at The Dogs Meow!

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#8- Mug– If you have ever been by my house, you’d know I have a serious thing for mugs…especially dog related mugs! These would be amazing stuffed with treats or hot chocolate, and so easy to do as mass gift items for friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues!  I am loving the 4 options they have right now, AND the fact that they are available with Prime 2-day shipping is just an awesome bonus!

#9- Door Mats– DOGNATTi makes my favorite door mat!  I am hoping my hubby takes a hint and orders one for the side door too, (I’m talking to you Jeff…) because this sums my house up VERY well!  I should add here, that DOGNATTi has a LOT of really adorable items in their shop!  From cups and coasters to leash holders and signs, so go check it out!  Use the coupon code FURRYPAWS10 for 10% off $50.00 or more until December 1st, which is going to be the last day for guaranteed Christmas Day delivery.

#10- Tea infuser– This puppy tea infuser is ADORABLE!  I am a crazy tea drinker, and if you know anyone else that is, that also fancies dogs, this is the ideal stocking stuffer, or small token!  I love that they are metal, because they seem to have a longer expectancy than my silicone ones.  So grab a couple this season and make the dog loving tea drinker in your life happy!

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#11- Bandanas–  The California Chi outdid themselves this year getting bandanas ready for the holiday season!  These are so cute, and versatile…by that I mean, yes they are cute, but they also grab Vino’s drool!  So that’s a win-win in my book!  Check out April’s clothing and swag magic, and stuff the doggie stockings in your life!  She takes custom orders, so you KNOW you can get something for everyone!

#12- Jewlery– Who doesn’t love some new bling?  I am in love with all of the detail in the work from Gracefully made Jewelry on Etsy.  I love the look of personalized tags with my kids names, with an adorable added heart and paw charm, and I can see these being a great memory item!  Since they are personalized items, make sure you check with the shop when you order to see what the cut off dates are!

#13- Dog Treats– I’m always looking for new treats, and these Lucky Turkey Nuggets are among our faves here in the Oliver house!  They are created specifically for Pet Wants, who also has a nice selection of other treats as well.  These dried treats are going to make AWESOME stocking stuffers!  So grab a few bags, and spoil your furry friend this holiday season!  Oh, and did I mention…they deliver???!!!

#14 Dog Treat Container– I personally hate the look of resealed open bags of treats on my kitchen counter, so I have a super cute treat container to keep it all in line.  This is my favorite jar on my counter right now, and I love to fill it with Old Mother Hubbard biscuits and keep them around for quick bribery.

#15- Blanket– I know I can’t pass up a new fluffy throw, especially if it’s cold outside!  I am stocking up on these paw print blankets this year, and I can’t wait to sit by my tree, under the classic white lights, sipping out of my new mug with my super cute puppy steeper and dig into whatever new psych book I have on my list!  So bundle up with your fuzzy pal, and enjoy your holiday season!

  This post was sponsored with product review by some of the companies featured.  I only offer items that I personally love in this list, and I feel great about doing so!

2017 Top 15 Gift Guide for the Pet Lover in your live! Welcome to November, and before you say it...I know, I know, a gift list for Christmas BEFORE Thanksgiving has even happened???

[seanmeverett]

How Your Brand Can Execute With Video

Video trends for your 2018 roadmap, including branded content for influencer marketing

I. Setting the Stage

Video is so hot right now. Everyone’s either building a video platform, has some new content strategy to reach Millennials and, gasp, Gen Z. Live is everywhere while Facebook and Apple Music are getting into original content. Even Disney wants to own its own destiny by pulling their content out of Netflix, investing in BAMTech to build out their latest streaming service.

After spending many years building every aspect of video platforms, and helping customers of all types across live and VOD figure out how to make money and an impact, we’ve learned some important things about video.

Making any money is hard.

Video’s benefit is for reach and lead gen.

II. Making Money with Video Is Hard

Making money from your own streaming service is pretty much not going to happen. Even at the biggest levels, it’s hard to squeak out a profit:

YouTube is break-even at internet advertising scale with the smartest engineers on the planet.

Netflix has 100M monthly subscribers and has to borrow money to buy and create more original content.

The small players don’t have a chance unless they carve out a small niche like financial news or overseas soccer. But even then, your revenue numbers are small.

Only a few YouTube celebs are making millions of dollars every year, but they’re still at the whim of the platform they run on.

CDNs, like Akamai, at massive internet scale still aren’t lining their coffers with massive amounts of gold coins.

If you’re looking at your company’s video strategy and even considering building out your own video platform, you are wasting time and money. It ain’t gonna happen if video isn’t your business, and even then, it’s an uphill battle. HBO wasted over a year and millions of dollars trying to do it themselves before BAMTech came in at the 11 o’clock hour and saved them in time for the Apple launch.

III. Video is for Lead Gen

Take a page from Amazon’s playbook. They bundle free shipping, their music service, video service, and book/gaming service into the $10/month Amazon Prime subscription. In Germany, this is the single biggest competitor.

Their strategy is to keep throwing more things under that $10/month to make it more valuable, all the while driving traffic to their eCommerce site. Because Amazon makes all its revenue from people ordering things. Amazon’s lead gen is a video service with entertainment content. People subscribe, watch movies and decide to buy something from Amazon instead of going to the store because, you guessed it, free shipping is also included.

Facebook just launched their Watch platform for brands to create their own video shows and get them in front of billions of people. You already know where this is headed — ad targeting. Which is how Facebook makes money. But Facebook is keeping 45% of all revenue through their video service, which seems like a non-starter to us. No freakin’ way you keep half my money. (Technically, we know why, it’s the CDN cost for delivering the video all over the world).

Now that you know why to use video in your overall business strategy (read: not to make money), the next step is understanding how to execute on it (read: get new customers).

IV. Roadmap for Video Advertising

Television is still taking the lion’s share of ad dollars when it comes to video advertising.

In addition, based on our analysis of Mary Meeker’s 2017 internet trends report, we’re showing that mobile and internet is catching up to TV.

With that knowledge, there are still only three main ways to advertise with video, whether you go the traditional TV route or the more programmatic digital route. There are three methods and the best way is to do them in order. Your roadmap is as follows:

Branded content

Influencer marketing

In-video ads

1. Branded content. This is starting to become a big deal. When an ad no longer looks like an ad, is it still an ad? Anything that drives someone to buy your product or service could likely be considered one, and the lines are even blurring on Instagram with celebrity endorsements.

According to eMarketer, more than 62% of the world’s internet users will view digital video in 2017, up from 60.8% in 2016. That’s 2 out of every 3 people that you can put your stuff in front of.

But make no mistake, video is becoming the only way to communicate in the modern world.

Here’s an example of an interactive Nike commercial that the team at The Mission produced:

https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fplayer.vimeo.com%2Fvideo%2F226220711&url=https%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2F226220711&image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.vimeocdn.com%2Fvideo%2F645769916_1280.jpg&key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=vimeo

Note: this specific example isn’t interactive because Vimeo’s video platform isn’t enabled for it. You can click along with the interactive Nike commercial here. Thus, even interactive stuff can be put in non-interactive places and across different social channels. So, once you produce the video content, expect to use it all over the place to get the most value possible.

Check out The Mission’s Studio to learn more.

2. Influencer Marketing. Once you have your branded video, interactive or otherwise, you need a place to put it. One of the most successful is through influencer marketing. Otherwise known as the new celebrity sponsorship. Instead of TV, we’re talking Kardashians on Instagram or MKBHD on YouTube:

A bunch of hungry teens or techies looking for an entertaining way to find new, cool stuff to get excited about. There are even stats to back that up, showing that 72% of an influencer’s audience loves how honest, funny, and open they are. Transparency and trust go a long way in this new world we live in.

In terms of ROI on influencer marketing, engagement is most important (i.e., interactivity) as well as driving traffic to move people or organizations through the customer journey.

But what if the content your selling needs to be for a smarter audience, with a larger household income over $100,000 USD. Where do you go for that? Medium, of course! That’s why we’re here.

Is it possible to reach over 1 million people just by hiring, say, 7 influential writers on Medium? Of course it is. We know because we’ve done it.

Once you’ve got the audience and the writers, the story around the branded content video is just an extension of the campaign itself. So it’s not that hard to write. You’ve already done that through the video script. Know what I’m sayin?

3. In-video ads. This one is the most familiar to most people because when you watch YouTube or even the latest episode of Game of Thrones, there is a video ad that plays before the main content you want to watch. This is called pre-roll advertising.

Mid-roll and post-roll ads also exist and most video platforms worth their salt have a mid-roll ad editor that lets you put VAST URLs at any time along the video using the VMAP spec.

Learn more about video ad specs like VAST, VMAP, and VPAID over at Clearcode.

As you might imagine the world of DMPs and DSPs can get pretty acronymn heavy fairly quickly. It’s one of the reasons we created our own Marketing Cheat Sheet for using Fortune 500 tools to acquire new customers. Even the supply chain is messy:

If you remember one thing, it’s this. Make sure you’re leveraging your first party data, onboarding it and consolidating with other 3rd party data, segmenting target audiences into your favorite DMP (Adobe Audience Manager or Salesforce), then activating it in a DSP like MediaMath.

Don’t spam people, add them to a supressed segment instead, and use that money to put an ad in front of people who’ve never been exposed to it before.

The Winterberry Group report on the State of Consumer Data Onboarding, November 2016

The Chief Brand Officer for P&G, which is the world’s largest spender of advertising dollars, went on stage at the beginning of 2017 and talked about the problems with the industry. In short:

P&G’s Action Plan in 2017

Viewability standards: human eyes actually see the ad

3rd party measurement: self-reporting metrics problem

Transparent agency contracts: no arbitrage of media buying (see also the IAB’s programmatic fee transparency calculator)

Prevent ad fraud: IVT and bots (ANA: 20% to 20% of digital media is subject to bot fraud); must get tag certified.

They’re going to vote with their dollars if suppliers don’t comply.

V. A Note on New International Privacy Laws

Watch out for privacy laws, like GDPR, which goes into effect in May 2018. For example, if a customer in Europe calls and says you need to erase Personally Identifiable Information (PII) within 72 hours, what are you going to do?

Luckily, most providers like Liveramp and Conversant / Epsilon should be handling that on your behalf when it comes to your marketing database, but that doesn’t cover anywhere else that data resides inside your internal IT departments, in excel files, across different cloud or on premise operations. The fine for not complying? It’s a lot.

4% of gross revenue or 20 million Pound Sterling fine.

Imagine the likes of McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, Microsoft. Not even tech companies can abide by it because it has other clauses that says “you need to explain to the customer the algorithm you’re using with my data”. How is a customer service rep going to know where their data is across the entire organization, explain it to people, and get it removed in a few days if the customer wants.

It’s not possible. So expect to see a bunch of big companies being made examples of in the back half of next year. Don’t be one of them.

VI. Wrapping Up

We’ve shown that video is the main method to reach people across all walks of life, cultures, and beliefs. But the first step in that strategy is getting that video created. Whether you rely on user-generated content from your users/customers, your ad agency, or your brother-in-law’s whiz kid with a camera and an audience, the fact remains. Use video to advertise your wares to increase sales.

We’re happy to help advise on the right video platform, distribution channel, DMP + DSP combo, or help you create a compelling video.

Either way, get in touch, we’d be happy to make a new friend and help get you those super fans.

— Sean Everett

Resources

MarTech use cases, onboarding process, and IVT product for reducing bots Excel database (UPDATED)

Use Fortune 500 Tools To Acquire New Customers

What are VAST, VPAID, VMAP, and MRAID?

Learn more about emerging tech in video

If you enjoyed this story, please recommend and share to help others find it! Feel free to leave a comment below.

The Mission publishes stories, videos, and podcasts that make smart people smarter. You can subscribe to get them here.

How Your Brand Can Execute With Video was originally published in The Mission on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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