How I Learned to Sleep Better

1 October 2020 by Taylor Reaume

When I first started having sleep problems, I did some research and found a few surprising statistics:

Amount of Sleep Needed: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the following amounts of sleep per night:
- 0–3 months: 14–17 hours
- 4–12 months: 12–16 hours per 24 hours (including naps)
- 1–2 years: 11–14 hours per 24 hours (including naps)
- 3–5 years: 10–13 hours per 24 hours (including naps)
- 6–12 years: 9–12 hours per 24 hours
- 13–18 years: 8–10 hours per 24 hours
- 18–60 years: 7 or more hours per night
- 61–64 years: 7–9 hours
- 65 years and older: 7–8 hours
Sleep Problems: The American Sleep Association (ASA) reports that 50-70 million adults in the United States have some type of sleep disorder.
Lack of Sleep Interrupts Our Lifestyles: 37.9% of the ASA survey respondents said they unintentionally fell asleep during the day at least once in the preceding month.
Lack of Sleep is Unsafe: 4.7% reported nodding off or falling asleep while driving at least once in the preceding month. Drowsy driving was found to be responsible for 1,550 fatalities and 40,000 nonfatal injuries annually in the United States.
Lack of Sleep Can Be Deadly: 100,000 deaths occur each year in American hospitals due to medical errors; sleep deprivation has been shown to make a significant contribution to these figures.

The sleep-challenged may not be alone, but that doesn’t make us feel any better. As children, we could fall asleep so easily – sometimes right at the dinner table! And, now, it is just such a nightly drama. Whether it’s due to stress, medical conditions, or poor sleep habits, more and more adults are sick and tired of being tired!

What are the benefits of a good night’s sleep?

Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your health. It gives your body time to repair itself. Good sleep helps the body rebuild muscles, keeps your senses sharp, and maintains healthy skin. Sleep also allows your body to rest and recover for the next day. Its many benefits include:

Improved memory and learning: When you are asleep, the brain does its mental housekeeping. When you get enough sleep, you can more easily recall vital facts and experiences.
Improved problem-solving: A problem might be gnawing at us, but the ability to just “sleep on it” can make all the difference. When we get enough sleep, we are able to look at things from a new angle and solve complex problems.
Improved focus and attention: The part of the brain that deals with problem-solving, decision-making, and reasoning is the same part that allows for the ability to pay attention and focus. That’s why attention wanes in the afternoon after working all morning – your brain is getting tired!
Improved mood: Have you ever experienced crankiness when jolted awake by your alarm clock after a lousy night’s sleep? Sleep-deprivation leads to more stress, anger, sadness, and mental exhaustion.

You will find that a good night’s sleep can make all the difference in your daily life. You will be able to handle the stresses of work with ease, be more alert, and will feel better physically as well.

How I Improved the Quality of My Sleep

I researched a number of ways to improve my sleep, and here are some of the strategies I found:

Melatonin: Many people worry that it will make them feel sleepy the next day. However, a Consumer Reports survey found that only 5-10% of people said they feel sleepy the day after taking melatonin. When I first tried Melatonin, I saw only moderate improvements in my sleep quality. But it wasn’t until I started taking Melatonin with 5HTP and Rhodiola, that I began to see a big difference. This unique mixture of ingredients in one pill, significantly improved my sleep quality. The company is called Irwin Naturals, and they have an weirdly effective mixture of Melatonin, 5HTP and Rhodiola that seems to paralyze me when sleeping. This is a good thing, because it lets my body goto work and do some deep healing. There is something about this formula that really made a huge difference in my quality of sleep. It knocks me out cold. Read the reviews on amazon, and you will see what I mean.

Establish Healthy Sleep Patterns: The American Sleep Apnea Association recommends setting a specific pattern for going to bed. Some of our current nighttime habits actually work against sleep.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: CBT is a multi-component approach that aims to combat the maddening symptoms of insomnia. This therapy works to restructure or break down the cycle of frustrating thoughts by identifying and altering unconscious beliefs that contribute to insomnia. The Sleep Foundation reports that 70-80% of patients with primary insomnia improve after applying the CBT technique.
Mattress and Bedding: The 2012 Bedroom Poll reported that 93% of people said a comfortable mattress is important to being able to get quality sleep; 78% said they are more excited to go to bed if they have fresh-smelling sheets. I bought an Original Lull Mattress, sheets, and duvet. The Lull Mattress, which is made of non-toxic materials, stays cool, bounces back, and provides solid back support.
Wearable Devices and Sleep Apps: According to Gartner, the market for wearable devices, which includes activity and sleep trackers, is expected to reach over $62B this year. A National Library of Medicine paper which examined the use of mobile phones for sleep tracking found that 28.2% of U.S. adults used a smartphone app to help keep track of their sleep. My personal preference is Sleep Cycle. This app analyzes and tracks your sleep, and wakes you up at the perfect time feeling rested.

when falling asleep feels easiest l1 — SO TRUE!

Case Studies About How to Improve Sleep Quality

Some interesting case studies about various methods to improve sleep include:

Exercise to Improve Sleep Quality: The findings suggest that exercise can improve sleep quality without notable adverse effects.
Wearable Solution from Philips: The SmartSleep tracker from Philips is a closed-loop, EEG-based system with two small sensors that detect periods of slow wave sleep and intervene with clinically proven customized audio tones to boost it in real time. 70% of users report feeling less tired during the day.
Sleep Positions: OnHealth found that sleeping on your side may be good for those who snore. It is also possible that sleeping on your side could help your brain clear out waste more quickly. Patients with GERD usually find it is best to sleep on their left side.

Mayo Clinic also has five suggestions to get better sleep. You have nothing to lose — only a bad night’s sleep, bags under your eyes, and one yawn after another during an important meeting. I don’t miss them, and neither will you!

Share your comments below. I’d love to hear what’s worked for you? Here’s to a deep and restful sleep tonight!

PPC Marketing | Web Marketing

Google Ads: Automatic Bidding vs. Manual Bidding

25 September 2020 by Taylor Reaume

For many companies, Google Ads is an easy and effective way to promote their products and brand.

Google Ads levels the playing field for smaller companies by enabling them to advertise without laying out large sums of capital.

Recently, Google has gone even further by offering the option of allowing artificial intelligence (AI) to run pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns.

This is a risky gambit for many companies. If you have limited resources and a shrinking advertising budget, you may be hesitant to turn over control of your PPC campaign to an automated process.

In this blog, I’ll review several important considerations related to manual bidding versus automated bidding.

Why Companies Use Pay-Per-Click

More and more people are using the Internet to shop, communicate, and socialize. This shift in where the public spends the majority of its time has made Google—the world’s premiere search engine—an advertising giant.

What You Should Know About Manual Bidding

Manual bidding, as the phrase suggests, is the direct and on-hands management of keyword bids on Google Ads. You make all decisions about your PPC account without AI assistance.

Experience, unique market insight and expertise, and analysis of past keyword performance data can all be used to guide such decision-making. However, it should be noted that this process requires a great deal of time and effort. To get a good return on manual bidding, the people involved in it must be highly competent and have the right level of experience.

This form of bidding may be best if you have a limited budget and a small amount of consumer data. The benefits of manual bidding include:

Control: You can be as aggressive as you want to win bids on specific key words and phrases
Responsiveness: You can change your keyword bids quickly in response to new competitors and your lowest performers
No delays: Manual bidding changes take effect immediately

You should also be aware of the downsides of manual bidding. As your PPC account grows bigger, it will become harder to manage. You may be compelled to hire more people to monitor and manage it, which can eat away at your advertising budget. Manual bidding is also vulnerable to human errors, some of which can be quite costly.

What You Should Know About Automatic Bidding

Automatic bidding is also known as smart bidding. This form of bidding is the best option if you have large PPC accounts, a great deal of historical data, and no experts in manual bidding and no desire to hire any.

If you are a growing company or a well-established one with significant capital reserves, you may be better off letting Google AI take charge of your account.

Here are some of the specific benefits of going down this route:

Versatile segmentation: This involves the creation of customized subsections within your broader target audience based on their shared interests and behaviors
Efficiency: The AI technology will allow you to manage thousands of keywords and hundreds of ad groups at once
Accurate prediction models: The advanced algorithms can give you a sound foundation for decision-making by making accurate predictions about your campaigns
Cost-effectiveness: Your team will spend less time on monitoring your Google Ads accounts, which will free them up for more pressing business matters

While automated bidding is a highly effective way to manage your PPC campaign, in almost all cases, you should not start off with it. The smarter move is to go with manual bidding initially, test the waters, and wait until your account has a steady flow of traffic and you have reached a statistically significant number of conversions from which you can make educated decisions.

You should also be aware that any changes you make to Google Ads will take some time to implement if you are using AI. You will need to manually sync if you want the changes to take effect immediately.

If you intend to pursue automated bidding, then there are a few common strategies—which appear as settings on the account—that are worth learning about. They include:

1. Maximize conversions

This sets keyword bids to get the most conversions possible with a given budget. If you set your account to maximize conversions, the AI system will check your daily budget and determine how best to use it. You should be warned that your entire budget can be consumed if you are not careful, which is why you should carve out a stand-alone budget for this type of campaign.

2. Maximize clicks

If you configure your Google Ads campaign with this option, the top priority will be getting ad clicks. The AI system will automatically determine bids based on the likelihood of earning a click or conversion. The system will do so based on the following criteria: device, operating system, demographics, location, and time of day.

It is still possible to set bid limits with this option. However, you should be aware that excessively tight limits will restrict the number of clicks you may get.

There are real differences between manual and automatic bidding on Google Ads. If you have just established a start-up, then you should begin with manual bidding. Over time, you may decide to opt for automatic bidding. But this decision should only be made in light of your PPC budget, your business goals, and the experience and expertise of your workforce.

How Do I Automate My Social Media Marketing?

19 August 2020 by Taylor Reaume

Nearly 3.5 billion people worldwide use social media. That is almost half of the people on the planet.

No business can afford to do without a strong presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other popular social media sites.

If you are an entrepreneur or an executive at a large and established company, you should leverage the power of social media to promote your brand and your product.

What is Social Media Marketing Automation?

Engaging people on social media is time-consuming. According to a recent survey, marketing teams spend 16 hours a week on tasks involving social media.

You can save your team and company time and money by installing special tools that will do the work of monitoring and managing social media.

Social media marketing automation consists of a set of tools that are designed to decrease your workload and enhance your social media marketing campaign.

The three most popular automation devices are:

Scheduling tools

Content curation tools

Social listening tools

Social Media Scheduling Tools

Members of your executive team have more important things to do than update your company’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

A scheduling tool relieves them of this burden by posting valuable content on your social media accounts automatically.

The posts will be sent out at optimal times so that you get maximum engagement with your audience.

Here are some of the more popular scheduling devices available on the market:

1. Buffer

Buffer allows you to schedule posts and tailor the content to each social media account. Buffer also has a calendar feature that allows you to review what you have already posted. This gives you the ability to organize, manage, and rearrange your posts as you like.

2. Hootsuite

Hootsuite is known for its elegant and accessible design, which makes it easy to automate your posts. It offers a bulk scheduling option. It also gives you the ability to schedule content you see while surfing the web.

3. Sendible

There are 3 main features that stand out in this tool. First, there is a content recommendation device. If you want to send a post with a news article link, you can conduct a search by topic and it will give you a long list of trending articles to share.

Second, Sendible has a built-in CRM. The latter presents background information on anyone you interact with. This will enable you to send customized content to whomever you are in conversation with.

Third and finally, Sendible can monitor Twitter for certain keywords and phrases and send an automatic reply.

Content Curation Tools

Content curation tools allow you to easily find content that you can share with your social media followers through your posts.

According to one recent study, companies that share curated content receive 33% more clicks than those without it.

Here are a few of the top tools available on the market:

1. Feedly

This tool analyses the topics that interest you and your target audience and shows you related content. The tool comes with an AI research assistant named Leo who helps declutter the information so that you are able to share the best pieces with your followers.

2. Socialinsider

Socialinsider.io is one of the most comprehensive social media analytics and reporting tools. It is perfect for digital agencies and companies that employ digital technology extensively. You can track your company’s level of engagement on different social media pages and compare them. You can also compare these numbers with your competitors and industry benchmarks.

The site makes it easy to build a large report and to download it as a PDF and PPT file.

3. Curata

This tool will automatically search thousands of web sources to find content related to your keywords. You will then be able to approve or reject the suggestions that are to be shared on your social media sites.

Curata also allows you to edit the text and alter the images in the content that you share. You can also add notes and comments to each piece.

Social Listening Tools

These devices help you monitor all online chatter about your company and brand. They help you identify influencers who may be praising and promoting your products.

They can also inform you of any negative reviews of your products or company online.

Social listening tools provide great insight into how consumers are interacting with your company and its products in real-time.

Social listening sites will help you discern trends that drive your highest performing posts. They also help companies build better relationships with followers and identify profitable gaps in the market.

You need not track down every single comment and critique that is made about your company. You can have this done for you with social listening software.

Here are some of the sites that offer social listening solutions:

1. Mention

This tool sifts through billions of sources each day and informs you when and on what site your company’s name has appeared in conversation. You can also set up alerts that inform you when the names of your competitors are mentioned, which can help you analyze social discussions they are involved in.

Mention can be especially helpful to large companies with well-known brands.

2. Sprout Social

This social media management tool was designed with businesses in mind. The team at Social Sprout has identified 5 key pieces of information that are gained from social listening: brand health, industry insight, competitive analysis, campaign analysis, event monitoring. The software allows you to tailor your social listening experience to fit one or more of these categories.

Sprout Social also has tools that allow you to go beyond the mere mention of your company to figure out the sentiment behind it. Your company can be talked about in a positive or negative context. Sprout Social helps you determine which.

In summary, there are plenty of ways to automate your social media marketing operations. Using one or more of the sites discussed above can help your company punch above its weight.

Using social media marketing automation tools can give you deep insights into your target market and help you build better relationships with customers.

SEO Marketing | Web Marketing

How To Fix Spelling Mistakes Automatically

25 May 2020 by Taylor Reaume

How To Fix Spelling & Grammar Mistakes Automatically

Perhaps you just started blogging or worked in journalism for years, but you still forget where some commas go. You need a spellchecker and grammar checker that works while you write. The search for the perfect checker may seem endless, but a few choices present themselves and a couple you may not have known about, too. You can find many free options, but few that provide accurate results for text on their own.

Microsoft Word Editor

The most obvious place to look for a grammar checker resides in your word processor. Microsoft Word’s free grammar checker misses a few things, but if you pay the $6.99 per month for Microsoft 365, you get Microsoft Editor. Its editor program conducts a more careful spelling and grammatical check. It also checks as you write and will auto-correct mistakes. You can add your corrections, too. If Microsoft Word continually marks your name as misspelled, you can add it to the spelling dictionary. You can also set it to automatically correct your most common typos.

Grammarly Options

Perhaps you want to avoid spending $7 per month for the 365 services. You can download the Grammarly plug-in, which spellchecks everything you type across cloud programs and browsers. It identifies mistakes as you type. You click on them to reveal your options. Once you correct it, you move on. It comes as a browser plug-in for chrome. On mobile devices, you can download the Grammarly keyboard that spellchecks as you type. Some users have complained that the keyboard misses many grammar mistakes, but it picks up most misspelled words. The plug-in does as well as the free website. You can use the Grammarly website as a word processor since once you create an account, it saves all of your documents. You can type directly into the cloud app, and it will identify your mistakes as you type. It does not auto-correct as Microsoft’s option does.

Grammarly’s Entourage

JSpell, GrammarCheck, Scibens, and a few other sites are using Grammarly’s writing engine. They do not use their own program. Rather, they include a link to Grammarly, which you will find if you click the button for the “Deep Check” on GrammarCheck, for example. Most of the options you will find when you conduct an Internet search for a spellchecker or grammar checker include sites that are thinly veiled feeder sites for Grammarly. Each re-directs you to the site, so you can obtain “a full check.”

Paper Rater

Paper Rater stands alone as a separate program. It uses its own algorithms and programming to check each document. Like the free version of Grammarly, it does not pick up on all comma issues. Otherwise, it performs well. It also includes an option you can choose to have it “grade” the paper for you depending on the input you provide. You can set Paper Rater to check for readability at a specific grade level. It provides an estimated grade a teacher would give you.

Ginger

You can add the Ginger Software app to Microsoft Edge or download it to use in conjunction with Microsoft Office. Few people have had luck with this app. It talks a good game, but it cannot correct grammar as it says it does. It advertises that it corrects “5x more mistakes than Word can detect. 5x faster.” This assertion does not bear out though. It does not pick up comma splices and can’t tell where commas should go in between phrases.

Reverso

Ginger has its clones, too. Reverso is the best known. It offers a simple textbox interface. You paste your text into the box and can check its spelling and grammar in English or French. It does not turn up many mistakes and will offer you a more complete check in the Ginger app.

Screaming Frog

Unless you live in the United Kingdom or work in marketing, you probably have not heard of Screaming Frog. Digital marketers use this program to check their web copy, but you can use it to spellcheck your writing. This SEO tool lets you check a website by URL. You can check in 39 languages. It does require you to purchase a license, £149 ($207), so you can access all features. Once you correct the mistakes, you can spellcheck the site again without re-crawling it.

Problems with the Grammar Checkers

While some checkers let you adjust whether you’re writing for school, business, or casual, they do not let you set the checker for a specific style. That means you can not check a document against The AP Style Manual or The Chicago Style Manual, or Modern Language Association (MLA) style. Each checker typically uses the grammar of Strunk and White, which means that it misses many items that other writing styles consider incorrect. For example, AP style uses no Oxford commas. Chicago style does use commas. Many marketers must switch between writing styles, and academics must do so as well. Going from Turabian to Chicago style in a day creates confusion. No grammar checker on the market today addresses this issue.

Most spelling and grammar checkers do not let you train them. The Microsoft Word Editor does, and Grammarly will let you teach it new words for your personal dictionary, but you cannot customize the grammar. The other programs don’t let you add to the dictionary.

The Grammarly keyboard fails abysmally. It cannot detect a missing period from a sentence. None of the available options handle comma use effectively. They cannot address clauses nor when the Oxford comma is unneeded.

No one program can effectively check for all grammatical issues. Each grammar issue consists of what could be addressed by a simple “if, then” statement or machine learning. If the clause is of one type, the comma goes in a specific place. To obtain a grammatically correct document, you need to use multiple checkers.

Few people have the money to hire a proofreader for each paper or website and the time to wait for a human with a large workload. Having a single grammar checker that can provide one percent accuracy and let the user choose from a selection of style manuals makes sense but has yet to hit the market.

For now, you will need to combine the checkers to obtain the most accurate results.

Since you often need to combine programs, first determine which program you can most effectively combine to check spelling and grammatical checkers and obtain a genuinely well proofread and edited document.

So far, the best combination I’ve found is writing in Microsoft Word with Editor, then checking it in Grammarly. If you need to test web copy, write it in Microsoft Word with Editor, then check it in Screaming Frog.

Google Marketing | PPC Marketing | Web Marketing

Google Ads For Local Business: 7 Tips & 3 Mistakes

8 May 2020 by Taylor Reaume

Did you know that 76% of people who conduct a local search on their smartphone visit a business within 24 hours, and 28% of those searches result in a purchase? As a local business, it’s a top priority for your ads to be seen and used. But to do that, they have to reach their target audience. They also have to be so appealing that they lead that audience straight to a purchase. So how can your business use Google Ads to benefit your customer and sales growth? Here are 7 of the best practices and 3 mistakes to avoid for local businesses using Google Ads.

Local Google Ads Tip - Increase Your Local Reach Radius

1) Increase Your Local Reach Radius

When you’re trying to get a bigger reach for your Google ads, but still want to reach your local customers, make sure your Google location target setting is on “People in, or who show interest in, your targeted locations.” This setting is recommended by Google and will help your business reach an audience that might not be permanently residing in your location. It also can help your ads reach nearby cities.

While Google Ads can help increase online sales, increasing your local reach radius also can increase off-line sales. Start “Geo-fencing” or learning how far your customers are traveling to visit your physical business. This way, you know how far to set your Google Ads map radius. Consider setting up surveys in your newsletters or receipt emails that ask the area code of your customers. You can also create a system of asking for area codes with physical purchases.

Google Ads For Local Businesses Article Graphics

2) Take Advantage of All Google’s Location Campaigns Types

While making a campaign is simple, there are several ways you can use campaigns to reach different audiences. For example, if you have a candy shop, you might make a campaign that looks like “candy shop near me.” This campaign will attract anyone within a your set radius.

Consider using both of the campaigns below:

[business type] near me

[business type] in [state, city]

Keyword phrases such as “near me” and “on sale” have increased 250% from 2016-2019. On the other hand, specifically mentioning a city or state is key for getting your business’ ads to pop up for non-locals. This group of people may be tourists, travelers, other businesses, and general visitors. Using both of these types of campaigns can greatly impact the response you get from your ad.

Tip: When preparing a Google Ad campaign, be sure to take advantage of Google’s geo-targeted ads, which allows you to pinpoint a target audience that’s as large or small as you want.

3) Include Location Extensions

If you’re targeting a local audience, be sure that your ad can take viewers to a map of your business. After all, your ad may reach thousands of people, but if people don’t go to your store or website, the ad is pointless. By including a Location Extension, you allow the ad to connect viewers straight to Google Maps. This practice is especially useful for the many people who are using their cell phones to search for local businesses, as it will help them navigate easily to you.

To add a Location Extension to your Google Ads, simply go to your Google Ads Dashboard and click on the Extensions tab. You’ll then see the option to add Location Extension.

You can also add an Affiliate Location Extension (located directly below Location Extension in the same place). Affiliate Location Extensions showcase affiliates that carry your products. If your products are located in businesses such as Amazon and Target, be sure to add that information here.

Utilizing the Affiliate Location Extension greatly benefits businesses that don’t have their own storefront. By channeling purchases through affiliates, you can increase your audience and sales.

4) Optimize Bids For Target Location

You’ll want to ensure the bulk of your bid is focused on the areas closest to your business. There are already several aspects of your ad that is set-up to reach a larger radius. Spending your money on the local area ensures that the people who have the most potential to get to your business see your ad. It also ensures that the closest people have the most consistent exposure to your business.

To customize your bid, go to the Location Extension to your Google Ads, on your Google Ads Dashboard. From there you can click your target audience and increase the percent your keywords are optimized for viewers. Select multiple ranges of targets (5 miles, 10 miles, 15 miles), and steadily decrease your bid for each level.

5) Create Deep Links for Your Ad’s Site Link

While it’s important to make an eye-catching phrase for your ad’s site link, it’s also important to link deep into your site. For those who haven’t deep linked before, it makes sure your audience isn’t led to the homepage, but another page on your site. By deep linking, you drive customers straight into what they’re looking for. Try deep linking to contact pages, sales or events pages, or service pages. If your business sells products, also add an Amazon-style buy button to your deep linked page that will increase your conversation rates by 14%. This way, customers will be led straight to an easy way to buy your product. You could even use this for your business’ services by styling the page’s button after the Amazon button.

If driving in local customers is your goal, be sure to include keywords that would indicate your business is local. Create a landing page that includes positive and local testimonials. Viewers will automatically be able to see the impact you’ve made on the community and become potential customers.

Tip: Google’s artificial intelligence can automatically generate phrases for your ad’s link, but consider writing your own to match your deep link landing page. Just make sure they are interesting and engaging.

6) Utilize Local Search Ads

Including browsing, researching, and buying, 98% of global consumers shop online. But you also want your potential customers to find your physical business quickly. Instead of taking viewers to your website, Local Search ads lead your audience straight to Google Maps. This feature is especially useful if you need a large influx of local customers quickly. Be sure to enable Location Extensions first (see #3) and optimize bids (see #4). After these two steps are complete, you’ll want to make sure your Google My Business page is updated and correct. If you’re looking for a simpler way, there is also the option to automate your bidding by setting up specific rules.

Another way to increase your business’ presence in the community is by partnering with local organizations and events. When people search for these events and places, they will also be exposed to your business. By making sure your Location Extension and Business Locations are correct, you ensure that potential customers are able to see your location on Google Maps or visit your website.

7) Keep Track of How Ads Perform and Adjust Accordingly

If you see that one of your ads is doing poorly, don’t be afraid to remove it. While it’s been said that any exposure is good exposure, your money should be reserved for the best performing ads. Use Google Ads to keep track of the number of clicks your ad gets, the revenue generated, how many qualified leads your ad attracts, and more. You can also utilize Google Ads’ Keyword Tracker to see which keywords are attracting the most traffic. Then you can delete the keywords that aren’t generating clicks. At the end of the day, you want to keep what works best for your business and get rid of the rest.

If you are not getting the results you want for the money you’re investing, it may be time to re-evaluate the type of paid ad you’re using.

Learn the 3 biggest mistakes to avoid when setting up Google Local Ads:

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Which of these tips will you put into practice?

Comment and share below!

Best Life Hacks | Blog Marketing | Reputation Marketing | Web Marketing

Amazon Air Purifier Cured My Allergies

3 May 2020 by Taylor Reaume

I spend way too much time indoors…

But I’m gonna look like I’m 30 when I’m 60, so it’s worth it. 😉

As a web strategist, much of my time is spent indoors building websites and tending to an avalanche of emails. Hence, the quality of the air matters big time for me.

Did you know that indoor air is five times more polluted than the air outside?

I have always wanted to get an air purifer, but when I looked on Amazon, they all looked so friggin expensive, and I just couldn’t justify spending that much money on it.

After a conversation with a comedian friend of mine, who swore by the effectiveness of his Alen air purifier, I started researching about HEPA filters last month, more seriously in a buying mindset.

My friend said he researched air purifiers and the best one was the Alen BreatheSmart 75i True HEPA Air Purifier. He said to check out the reviews on Amazon, and not to take his word for it.

So I did just that. I researched various air purifiers, and my friend Andrey was totally right about the reviews. The one that I kept coming across with the best reviews was the Alen BreatheSmart 75i True HEPA Air Purifier.

The price? Not so great. >> $349

However, if you are truly interested in obtaining optimal health, and maximizing your energy levels, crushing it with your productivity, then that one-time cost might just be worth it. I went for it, and I am so glad I did!

I took my friend’s recommendation, and bought the Alen BreatheSmart 75i True HEPA Air Purifier which had the most positive, genuine sounding reviews.

…and I am so glad I did!

This air purifier has made a significant improvement in my overall energy levels and health.

Within a couple days of using the air purifier, I found myself breathing better, feeling better and generally very happy about the purchase.

The Magic of HEPA

HEPA is a word that stands for high-efficiency particulate air. It is a mechanical filter that forces air to trap those things that make your allergies go bonkers. It catches all those pollen particles, pet dander, dust, and even cigarette smoke.

My research showed that 99.7 percent of those particles can be trapped by a HEPA filter. Further research from the EPA shows that indoor air is five times more polluted than the air outside. That wasn’t hard for me to believe. That’s where most of my problems are from an allergens perspective.

That magic with HEPA is enough to produce long-term health benefits, or for me, relief from all kinds of indoor allergies.

The Alen Breathe Smart 75i True HEPA Air Purifier

The Alen BreatheSmart is described as the granddaddy of air purifiers in many reviews.

Its performance is exceptional, and its size is just perfect. It purifies large rooms but is very small. It also comes with a lifetime warranty which made me feel better about the cost. That feature alone is considered a big one for this air purifier. A lifetime warranty is not something you are going to find anywhere.

As far as how it is in your room, it’s so quiet that you hardly even know that it is there. This is a purifier that is easy to use and can handle a room up to 1,300 square feet. Yes, a room that size. It is said to remove 99.9 percent of allergens and has additional options for removing smoke and other odors. If it matters to you, it comes in a wide range of colors to accommodate any decor.

Features of the Alen BreatheSmart

The product itself is approximately two feet high and weighs 27 pounds. You will find the air intake vents on the sides of the unit so that you can put it against any wall when it is in use, and even when it isn’t. It comes with wheels so that you can roll it where you need to, as it is fairly heavy.

On the front, you have a panel that is customizable to meet your needs so that you can tell the purifier how much you want it to clean today. The noise level is rated at an amazing 25 decibels which is comparable to a whisper. Even at its highest speed, you may hear your refrigerator more than this purifier. This noise level is referred to as pink noise, which will also help you to sleep better.

Energy-wise you are looking at a purifier that only consumes 45 watts. Yes, that means you have light bulbs that are more energy-costly. Even so, there are features that allow you to adjust the power modes to auto to save even more power. A timer is also added into this model, which allows you to set it and forget it, or have it turn on when you are cooking.

Another feature I loved included the intuitive interface. This had seven buttons that could easily be programmed. Turn it on or off with a single button, or put it on auto. On auto, it cycles through all five settings without you having to think about it.

Other buttons included are a child lock button, which helps if you have little ones around. They won’t be able to play with its pretty interface. The power switch is right in the center, with a circular indicator letting you know how clean the air is as it is in use. Blue means the air is clean or of excellent quality, purple is not a great color. You may even turn it on and realize that the air is already clean enough, or that it really needs a good clean based on this color.

As far as filters are concerned you have the true HEPA filter, the Fresh filter for extra absorption, and the pet and heavy filters for allergens, odors, and pathogens. You’re never going to be confused about whether this purifier is working.

To add to it, you have a lifetime warranty and excellent customer service. As intuitive as this purifier is, I still called the customer service line for help setting it up and understanding the filters and the call was quick and easy.

Start Purifying With BreatheSmart

I love that this is a smart product in that this makes it all very easy to figure out. I can easily see why this is the purifier that everybody is raving about online.

Every purifier wants to be this one. This is why it is so expensive, not because it is popular, but because it is an excellent product. Not many will tell you in advance whether the room even needs to be purified or not.

It blends in any room, and it works very quietly. And it works amazing! I’ve already started to notice a difference in my energy levels. The air in my room smells like fresh outdoor air you would smell when you are camping in the wilderness.

If you work inside like me, it’s time to start purifying! It makes a big difference with your energy levels and will make you more productive. It did for me! : )

Hope you enjoyed geeking out on air purifiers with me in this post. Tell me in the comments which air purifier you’ve found to be the best one? I’d love to hear your comments.

SEO Marketing | Web Marketing

The Impact of GDPR on Digital Marketing

10 January 2020 by Taylor Reaume

The Impact of the GDPR on Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is a multidimensional industry that utilizes a vast amount of consumer data.

As a result, a well-implemented regulatory framework is required to ensure that consumer protection remains a high priority. Measures such as the California Consumer Privacy Act have been established in the local and global legal community to necessitate the urgent need for data privacy and protection in the digital marketing process.

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was enacted and made applicable on 25 May 2018. This regulatory framework’s main aim is to protect an individual’s right to protection of their data, and it clarifies the process that companies need to follow to safeguard the rights of an individual who is a data subject.

There are many surprising benefits that compliance with the GDPR can bring to businesses.

For instance, it can provide enhanced cybersecurity measures because, since its implementation, GDPR has propelled digital businesses to enhance their data privacy and influenced the development of their security systems and practices.

Moreover, when companies adapt their data protection regulations, they can naturally build customer trust and loyalty.

But has the GDPR achieved its purpose? And if so, what new developments have been made since its inception into the digital business market in 2018?

Keep reading this article to find out more about the importance of this piece of legislation, the impact of the GDPR particularly in the digital marketing industry, and new developments in cross-border data transfers that could change the face of digital marketing.

Why Is the GDPR Important for the Digital Marketing Industry?

GDPR has provided digital marketing with core benefits that have ensured to improve its overall performance by making it more efficient to personalize its product offering by providing customers the consent to allow businesses to utilize their data for marketing purposes.

The rules that are outlined in this regulatory provision require companies to comply with data audit processes that are essential to creating compelling and more personalized offers.

This has ensured that companies align with data-driven marketing strategies. As a result, more companies are raising their marketing profile by taking the lead towards developing the culture of data privacy that is required by the GDPR.

By providing consumers with the option to opt into and out of their data being used for advertising, companies have more opportunities to enhance the data collected to communicate with their most valuable customers as well as prospective customers.

Having customers that are already engaged, ensures that sales get more qualified leads which benefits these companies by eliminating time spent on chasing leads, which inevitably increases productivity and sales.

The Impact So Far

Individual user data has been utilized as a part of contemporary marketing strategies that rely on the use of personal data as a primary revenue source for digital marketing companies.

This increase in the use of personal data to generate leads and sales contributed to the implementation of the GDPR.

There are key principles that include lawfulness, fairness, and transparency that are set out at the beginning of the GDPR that require compliance as a fundamental component for the use of data. The main responsibility that digital marketing faces lie in the initial process of collecting data.

Before its enactment, companies could collect data without consent and use it for their marketing purposes. However, since the GDPR was enacted companies are not allowed to collect data as they please due to key issues that impact this process such as legal bases for the processing of data, obtaining consent, and the opting-in and out option.

Consequently, when companies use data to target sales, this data has to be collected and processed by the provisions of the GDPR particularly the seven key principles that are outlined in this piece of legislation. This has impacted the digital marketing industry by necessitating a legal basis for data collection by requiring companies to provide established privacy policies.

An evaluation report conducted and published by the European Commission in 2020 highlighted that the GDPR has met the majority of its objectives and that it has provided essential security solutions in unforeseeable circumstances that have forced the world to rely on data to propel businesses towards the digital economy.

More businesses have developed a compliance mechanism and utilize robust data protection as part of their competitive advantage strategy. Additionally, more consumers are aware of their data protection rights and use the opt-in and out option to preserve their data privacy rights.

What New Developments Can the Digital Industry Expect?

The untimely pandemic in 2020 brought about many changes to the world of data protection regulation for the digital marketing industry.

The most notable of these developments was the California Consumer Privacy Act that was enacted in January 2020 which resulted in the ruling that the EU-US privacy shield was invalid rendering it unenforceable to maintain a free flow of data between these countries.

This ruling has highlighted that the transfer of sensitive consumer data is a high priority that needs to be adhered to by all parties.

Many countries are embarking on adopting and reviewing their cross-border privacy policies to ensure that they are compliant with the standardization and regulatory requirements as prescribed by the GDPR.

The European Data Protection Board has published draft recommendations containing rules that companies should abide by to lawfully transfer sensitive data information.

These developments are set to impact the manner that international companies collect and process data from EU citizens and uphold strict regulations for compliance with cross-border transfers.

The developments envisioned for data privacy protection will ensure that many countries enforce privacy laws and that they are in line with the new cross-border standards that are set out by the GDPR.

What Are the Similarities with the CCPA?

These two pieces of legislation have similar principles and expectations when it comes to the protection of data subjects by providing them with the right to obtain and view personal data that companies have collected from them.

They both require businesses to disclose how they utilize personal data from subjects and cybersecurity security measures that provide data subjects with the option to have their collected data deleted from the archives.

Even though some businesses are not obliged to comply with both laws, failure to comply with one of these regulations can institute civil penalties.

The Bottom Line

GDPR and other regulatory frameworks such as the CCPA have provided data subjects protection of their fundamental right to privacy by ensuring that companies comply with key principles such as transparency when collecting data.

Similarly, digital marketing has acquired a myriad of advantages aimed at defining its competitive edge. Compliance with GDPR requirements and taking appropriate measures that are designed to protect consumer data promote meaningful customer engagements and drive traffic of valuable prospects to your business.

So, if you are having trouble with maneuvering the drawbacks of these regulations, it would be in your company’s best interest to understand the core principles and advantages of incorporating the rules as set out in both the GDPR and CCPA to enhance your business strategy into the future success of your brand.

What are your thoughts? Tell me in the comments below.

Best Life Hacks | Web Marketing

My New Laptop Arrived Today – DELL ALIENWARE AREA-51M R2

9 January 2020 by Taylor Reaume

“Taylor, which Laptop do you recommend?”

I get this question all the time. So I decided to write a blog and answer some of the reasons why I bought this laptop.

After researching for 2 solid nights and watching laptop comparison Youtubes, I finally made a decision to buy a Dell Alienware laptop.

In this blog, I am going to be talking about the magic of the Alienware Area-51M R2 Gaming laptop, and the reasons why I bought it.

To be clear, I am not a gamer. As an online marketer, I am on the computer all day long though and knew that if I wanted something with high-performance capabilities, a gaming laptop was the way to go.

I frequently have 100 tabs open on my PC, and I needed something that would support that, all the time.

Does Your Laptop PC Multi-Task?

Mine can. Like a beast!

When I started researching laptops and comparing the best ones, I quickly zero’d in on a few things in particular as deal breakers:

How much RAM? Expandable?
How much hard drive space? SSD?
Backlit keyboard?
SD Card Reader?

I needed something that could function quickly, and manage a significant amount of work open at the same time.

Is this a reputable laptop brand?

Dell is a solid brand, there are few brands that are more competitive than Dell, or that have been around for as long as Dell.

The Alienware brand has been around since 1996, a company founded by Michael Dell himself, along with Frank Azor, Arthur Lewis, and Joe Balerdi. I knew getting this model would be a good investment backed by brand longevity.

Is the Alienware Area-51M R2 expensive?

Yes, it can be expensive. It’s a higher end laptop, starting at around $2 thousand dollars. However, when I compared it to a few other brands it came in well under their sticker price. After turning it on and using it for a few days, I knew it was worth every penny.

Does the Alienware Area-51M look good?

This is a machine that I love to show off. The Area 51M has a stunning design, stylish at every corner. Its weight justifies its performance. At almost 10 pounds, you can feel that it has power. The first thing I noted was the heavier back end with an exhaust at the rear. It feels sturdy too. I’m not seeing any wobble here as you do with many laptops. When the laptop first boots, its touchpad feels light and I loved the feel of the tap.

The 17.3” display features Tobii Eye tracking technology that lets the screen recognize you as you are looking at it. It’s easy to see why this is touted as the “world’s most powerful and overclockable laptop.” The Alienware logo on display also is super cool.

Are there enough ports?

There are more ports than you will probably need, and two adapters to give it juice. You want to know if you can use your multimedia devices on this, especially if you are considering it for gaming. The answer is yes, it has a lot. It also includes a media card reader, 2 SODIMM memory slots, separate ports for headset and audio, 2 Gen 1 ports, and 1 Thunderbolt 3 port that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2 and DisplayPort 1.2. The Alienware Graphics Amplifier Port is a nice touch too.

To compare with others, USB 3.0 is a standard port, and I want a laptop with at least two of these. There are a lot of ports here to work with. Whatever peripheral you have, there’s a slot for that, even for your favorite gaming controller.

How does this laptop perform?

It’s an Intel Core i9 processor, which is the best in the world. You can’t just call a laptop the world’s most powerful, unless it actually is, or comes pretty close. With this price, I felt like I was getting the best of the best in performance. In both speed and durability, you can’t get better than a tenth Gen. 3.6-GHz Intel Core i9 processor and 64GB of Ram. Laptops with an i9 core processor are the largest and most powerful known to man. That’s where the sticker price is coming from.

The performance claims are real. I ran 60 open tabs on Google Chrome, used Twitter, streamed YouTube, and scrolled through some Netflix when test-driving the Area51M for the first time. When a machine is described as “overclockable,” the manufacturer is saying the CPU can run faster than the manufacturer intends. This claim stands up to the test.

Does the Alienware Area51-M R2 have good audio quality?

I’m not even a gamer, but this computer could turn me into one. For audio, you have the joy of front-firing speakers, and an AMD Radeon RTX 2080 graphics card ensures I am not missing a single thing when streaming, gaming, or working on this machine. The display is 360HZ FHD, and on the 17″ screen, makes looking at my work a beautiful thing.

The integrated 720p at 30fps HD camera and dual-array microphones give me everything I need for Zoom meetings and will keep multi-player gamers very happy.

Battery life with its 90 Wh lithium-ion battery is not my favorite feature. I’m only getting 2 and a half hours unplugged. Gamers are going to be okay with that, I walk around with my machine when I am working. Even so, that battery lifespan is longer than the Eon.

Alienware Area-51M Extras

The extras I’m looking for in a laptop, high performance or otherwise, are software packages and warranties. All of these are optional, but Windows 10, which was fine by me. I have the option for McAffee LiveSafe Consumer subscription, for 12 or 36 months, but I also had the option to decline McAffee. Accidental Damage Service is available for one to four years, or that could be declined as well.

The hardware warranty is a one-year warranty where I get the house call from the tech for in-home service, and that is a follow-up from a remote diagnosis.

Get this Laptop

Who am I to say this laptop has something wrong with it? It’s going to eventually. It’s a man-made product with a lifespan. That being said, it’s a powerful tool whose appearance alone suggests it plans on crushing it with the highest performance possible for as long as it can. And, with its warranty, tech support, and optional security features, it has everything I needed and stuff I didn’t even know I could get in a system.

If you’re in the market for a laptop, you can’t go wrong with Alienware Area-51M – it’s touted as the “world’s most powerful and overclockable” laptop because it can go faster than it says it can. It’s ideal for gamers and considered a gaming laptop, but I am not a gamer and love it.

I can run 60 different Windows at once, and stream from both YouTube and Netflix at the same time, and it doesn’t even offer the flicker of downtime. The specs it offers for a high-performance laptop are ideal for me and the workload I put on a machine.

I’ve reviewed it here as thoroughly as I can. This is a laptop that is fully loaded, with the best-in-class 3.6 GHz 10th Gen Intel core i9 processor.

Buying a laptop is never a easy. The research process can be time consuming. I hope these tips are helpful to you and best of luck with your next laptop purchase!

Social Media Marketing | Web Marketing

SOCIAL MEDIA TOOL REVIEW: Why We Use Socialinsider

19 October 2019 by Taylor Reaume

As a social media marketer did you ever ask yourself, “I wonder what my competitors are doing on social media, and whether their strategy works better than ours?” Well, maybe not those exact words, but surely you notice if your Google rankings take a header, or your competitor suddenly starts raking in the dough.

Here at Search Engine Pros, it is crucial for us to keep up-to-date on what our competitors are doing in the social media space. We also keep tabs on what the competitors for our clients are doing so we can provide spot-on recommendations and implement effective counter-punch online marketing strategies.

That’s why we use Socialinsider, a social media analytics tool which serves up a full view of any competitor’s digital strategy for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Why Do You Need a Competitive Awareness Strategy?

There are lots of reasons to find out what your competitors are doing. Here are just a few:

Find out how you rank: If you’re not at the top of search results, you’re losing out. In the fast-moving online world, you need to know exactly what content your competitors are using that works, when they post, their engagement metrics, audience growth, and their overall digital strategy so you can take appropriate counter measures.
See if you should boost any content: Sometimes a competitor will get a bump in results because they spent money to boost a blog post or video. You need to know when this happens so you can determine whether to boost any posts of your own.
Track, analyze, and tweak: Some online marketing tactics work better than others, but you need to keep track of everything from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter so you can compare your results against those of your competition and make necessary changes.
Get new ideas: When you know what your competitors are doing, you can either offer a different take or show why you can do it better.

How Does Socialinsider Give You the Competitive Edge?

At Search Engine Pros, we love the way Socialinsider gives us and our clients the competitive edge:

Facebook Analytics and Reports: Not only do you get insights for your own Facebook pages’ performance, you can also sneak a look at the boosted content strategy of your competitors’ Facebook pages. Get key insights on historical post data and page evolution, as well as audience growth, engagement performance and content performance. It also allows users to perform a multi-page performance comparison and analyze comment activity.
Instagram Analytics and Reports: Find out how a competitor’s Instagram profile has grown over time, so you can promote your own brand more aggressively. You can review historical posts data to see what campaigns they roll out and when, so you can time yours to run concurrently. You can also get engagement reports and compare profiles to gain insights about content strategy.
Twitter Analytics and Reports: Keep an eye on how your competitors use Twitter to engage with their target audience. See what content they publish on Twitter, when they post and what engages the most on their profiles. You can review engagement reports now, and will soon be able to compare Twitter profiles as well.

We love it, but you don’t have to take our word for it. Socialinsider is trusted by such big-names as HubSpot, BlitzMetrics, Geometry Global and Georgia Tech. And their pricing is pretty cost-effective for all the insights you get – $59 per month for the Social Media Manager plan, $99 for Small Agency, and $199 for Agency, with a two month discount for yearly plans. Best of all, you can get started with a seven day free trial. Now you can act like the pros and get the competitive social media marketing information you need with Socialinsider.

About Search Engine Pros: Search Engine Pros is a full service web marketing agency located in Santa Barbara, CA. The company provides web marketing services, including social media consulting, web programming, and marketing SEO. Visit the website at https://TheSearchEnginePros.com for a complimentary Google rank analysis. “Like” the Facebook page for regular insights on WordPress SEO. Call 800-605-4988 to learn more about online marketing.

Best Life Hacks | Web Marketing

How I Got Good At Small Talk

9 May 2019 by Taylor Reaume

If you’ve ever struggled with small talk, you’re certainly not alone. No one enjoys awkward silences or glossed-over eyes. However, small talk is a skill that you can improve like any other. This was something I had to learn myself. The 10 books below all helped, especially because they’re audiobooks, and I’ve always found auditory learning to be the most effective.

Better Small Talk by Patrick King

Better Small Talk is a great book because it doesn’t just tell you how to speak to people and turn small talk to your advantage so that you never intimidate or bore the people you’re talking to. It helps you get into the right mindset with warmups for small talk, which many people overlook. In fact, if you think of small talk as a muscle that requires exercise, the maneuvers in this book will help you strengthen that muscle and perfect your technique.

How to Talk to Anyone by Leil Lowndes

Everyone suffers from imposter system on occasion, but you don’t want to let it ruin your chances at expanding your network or landing a sale. Enter How to Talk To Anyone, a book that not only promises that you’ll feel more comfortable talking to people regardless of status but that you’ll be able to blend into any crowd–including one made up of VIPs! Listeners can also learn how to leverage their phone as an effective communication tool rather than a distraction.

Influence by Robert B. Cialdini

Now in its 5th edition, Influence focuses on a specific aspect of communication: social compliance. By delving into the psychology behind interactions, Cialdini shows you how you can get people to say “Yes” to practically any request you might make! If you’re tired of being shot down, it’s time to say “Yes” to this book.

Conversation Casanova by Dave Perrotta

Many people struggle to flirt because they cannot find the balance between playful, casual, and suggestive. However, Perrotta walks you through opening the conversation, keeping someone interested through interesting storytelling, and even asking someone out. You don’t have to trust us, however. His 50,000 Youtube followers should convince you that Perrotta’s books are worth checking out.

The Art of Witty Banter by Patrick King

The second Patrick King book on this list similarly focuses on small talk in social settings rather than professional ones–of course, we all know that socializing can boost your career! After reading this book, you’ll be the smooth talker that everyone crowds around at the party and remembers long after they’ve returned home. However, it’s not all humor and charm. King helps listeners learn to defend their points, disarm those who might be closed off, and prevent tense situations from escalating.

The Fine Art of Small Talk by Debra Fine

Years of experience as a keynote speaker and coach put Fine in a strong position to help others communicate better. In her book about small talk, the communication expert helps listeners become more memorable and improve their ability to remember names and listen actively. Both of those skills are a must for anyone who wants to master small talk. In fact, if you find yourself struggling even after listening to other books on this list, you may very well have forgotten that conversations are two-way streets.

The Like Switch by Jack Schafer and Martin Karlins

Getting others to like you can be as easy as flipping a switch, thanks to the work of two PhDs who decided to team up and spread their knowledge to the world in this book. Schafer’s credentials are even more impressive when you learn that he’s a former member of the FBI’s National Security Division’s Behavioral Analysis Program. His expertise helps listeners detect when others are bending or outright breaking the truth. I like how this book includes tips for detecting deception when communicating online.

The Charisma Myth by Olivia Fox Cabane

If you think charisma is something you’re born with, think again! Olivia Cabane tells listeners that charisma is a skill you can gain and grow if you put your mind to it. Cabane dives straight into the applications of science in communication, drawing from research to help you become the more charismatic version of yourself. However, it’s far from a dull read as the author included fun anecdotes. An accompanying workbook ensures you get the most of the tools you’ll discover in The Charisma Myth.

Conversation Tactics: Wittiness, Banter, Likability by Patrick King

This shorter book is excellent if you want to get straight to the point. If you follow the advice, you’ll find yourself able to command any social situation with ease. That sounds like a surefire way to boost confidence!

Improve Your Conversations: Think on Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What to Say with Improv Comedy Techniques by Patrick King

I was surprised how much I could glean from improv comedy techniques that could be applied to small talk. However, it makes sense when you think about it. After all, improv is all about responding to what the other person says or does. Thanks to this book, you’ll be able to keep the conversation flowing.

Connect Instantly: 60 Seconds to Likability, Meaningful Connections, and Hitting It Off With Anyone by Patrick King

Everyone knows about love at first sight, but that first minute can make or break your relationship with anyone. Once again, Patrick King lends his expertise to those listeners who want to make a first impression so great that it becomes a lasting impression. If you excel once you’re in a conversation, Connect Instantly might help you through the gate.

Conversationally Speaking by Patrick King

Finally, I’d like to suggest checking out Conversationally Speaking, which covers everything from breaking the ice to mastering humor to eliminating awkward silences. It’s a great primer if you need to polish your small talk skills but aren’t sure where to start.

Are you struggling to grow your business, convince VCs to invest in your startup, or progress in your career? All of these issues might be tied to your inability to make small talk–or indifference to it to begin with!

What most successful business people understand is how crucial small talk is to forging connections and making impressions.

Of course, small talk can be awkward and uncomfortable, which is why so many people avoid it. But once you learn how to small talk, it actually becomes fun!

These authors I listed above are a great place to start your journey into the world of mastering small talk.

From internationally renowned speakers to business consulting to degree-holding professors of business management, each of these authors brings something unique to the table. Even if you listen to just one of the titles on this list, you’ll improve your ability to communicate, especially when it comes to making in-roads via small talk.

With the knowledge in these books, you’ll be able to win people over from the very beginning and use those connections to further your personal and professional network.

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