#Making a 'role' for things often ends up discouraging you from just considering multiple options
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It's a shame Tree is so poorly used because playing Clangen made me think about how much drama a mediator could cause even if they have good intentions. Like trying to get two cats to get along but only making their relationship worse or committing a big political faux pass with a rival clan when they need their support at the brink of war. Conflict through diplomacy can be fun if you commit to building tension and consequences with it.
Do you think mediators will eventually become a thing in all the BB!Clans?
Mediators are a great game mechanic in Clangen. Absolutely fantastic design choice, giving you better influence over the relationships between cats in a game all about managing relationships between cats. The people who came up with that one should be kissed on the mouths.
I'm not sure how much I'd get out of them as a storytelling element for BB, though.
It's not a complete no-- Clangen's mediators are pretty close to that "Therapy" rework I floated. Making their role more about interpersonal conflict, giving advice, helping individual cats work through their issues.
At the same time though, I find that the sense of community is so much stronger when that isn't someone's "job," but just something someone in the Clan can relate to.
Jaypaw could have had some sessions with a hypothetical therapist to confront his internalized ableism-- but isn't it more interesting for him to realize that by calling himself worthless for his disability, he's directly insulting his mentor Longtail too? And that Longtail will invoke his Battle Cat right to FIGHT for his honor?
They could consult elders, find a surprising connection in a Clanmate they'd never paid attention to, reignite an old friendship they thought they lost forever. There already feels like so many possibilities, and all of them feel more intriguing than "goes to the designated therapy guy."
If there's anyone like a political diplomat in BB though, it feels like it should evolve from Merchants. Ive got some stuff about trading and bartering in the works, and I think there's more space for interesting ideas there.
#I guess at its core it's like....#One of the strengths of the Small Population limitation (arguably its BEST strength)#Is that it discourages strict 'specialization'#Having characters with diverse hobbies and strengths is a great thing!#There's more roles than canon with the new Patrol Heads plus the Educator + Chaperone too#But all of them end up with other strengths too#That's *good.*#Making a 'role' for things often ends up discouraging you from just considering multiple options#Like... a dedicated kitsitter. It's better and more interesting for the parents to ask their friends or allies to do that#Because right there you have to ask who their friends and family *are.* Who they trust with this.#If Daisy just automatically watches all kits then you've decided the question is answered.#That's not always bad; Re: Patrol Heads#But in my head they pose even more interesting questions that make up for the one they answer#What makes this one a GOOD Head of Hunting? Why did their leader choose them for this role? Who are their rivals? Who else could qualify?
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Theatre Advice for Anon
“So I really have no where else to put this because nobody else will really listen and it’s definitely gonna take multiple messages. So all my life, I’ve tried to find where I belong. I’ve gone through different sports and hobbies and even recently tried Mock Trial. I was fairly good at all of the things that I tried but I didn’t enjoy doing any of it. However, I’ve always loved theater and have taken vocal lessons for six years at this point. But I was too nervous to try anything.
I was able to push past this fear the end of my freshman year and I tried out for the end of year musical. I got in the ensemble which was a great! I did one of the musicals this year and once again, I only got ensemble (which is great!) However, my friend who had zero vocal or musical training got a callback. I didn’t care at the time because I didn’t love the musical and just wanted experience.
I’ve only gotten frustrated with it recently. Me and a couple of my friends agreed to try out for Legally Blonde. I really, really wanted to be in it. I didn’t want a big part or anything; I just wanted to be in it. Well, I didn’t. But both my friends did. The one has tons of musical theater experience and I can understand why she got it. However, the other friend is the same one from before. She has no training. She forgot half her song. I felt like a smashed my audition out of the park.
Idk I guess I’m just frustrated because it feels like all the things that I’m naturally good at are the things that I don’t want to do and the things I want to do, I’m not good at. I’ve trained vocally for years and I have a lot of acting training as well. The only thing I can figure is that I’m a terrible dancer. Idk. Do you have any advice?”
First of all, I just want you to know how proud I am of you. You try so hard, you work so hard, and you don’t give up easily. That’s truly an asset and a quality that’s hard to have. And I really appreciate that you trusted me with this and wanted to come to me. I will always be here for you and I promise to always be a safe space.
It’s really good that you’re addressing your feelings. If you don’t, they build up and simmer and fester. Acknowledging them and talking about them really does help. I’m really sorry you’re feeling so discouraged, but I’m glad you’re expressing it and looking for something to help. That takes so much strength. Know that it’s okay to feel discouraged. We all are sometimes. And allowing yourself to feel it will help you process it and eventually move past it.
Something you have to have in theatre is resilience. And it sounds like you have an abundance of it. Your commitment and determination keep you fueled even when things get hard. You’re committed to working hard at everything you do, at trying a lot to see what you’re good at and what you like, at trying to find where you feel you belong most, and at trying to improve yourself. Having that drive will help you so much. It will take you far in life, and if theatre is what you want to do, it will absolutely take you far in theatre. It’s like a means of survival in theatre. And in life, honestly.
Have you considered and/or tried other areas of theatre? Like directing, stage managing, designing, dressing, even management? Assuming you’re talking about high school, it can be kind of hard to really get into backstage work until you get to college or even after that. Some high schools just don’t really have the opportunities. If you haven’t tried anything else, I would suggest doing that. Not at all because I don’t think you have what it takes to be a performer. I have no doubt that you do. But it sounds like it’s something that scares you, and if there are other areas of theatre that you discover are a better fit for you because they don’t scare you, you’re good at them, and you enjoy them, that would be wonderful! I started out as a performer and was always petrified with stage fright but didn’t know until my last year of high school that it was even an option to be involved in theatre without being a performer. When I began stage managing, it was like everything finally made sense. Like everything had led me to that. It was the perfect fit for me and the things that everyone said they hated about the job were my favorite parts. Maybe something like that could happen for you.
That being said, I’m not at all trying to say I think you should give up on performing if you want to stick with it. You clearly have the dedication and drive. You don’t give up. Even now, when you’re feeling discouraged and aren’t sure what to do, you’re reaching out and trying to find another solution. And isn’t that one of the things theatre is all about?
So, if you want to perform, something to keep in mind is that this kind of thing will probably happen sometimes. Casting decisions so often don’t have anything to do with your talent or hard work. Directors have cast one actor over another because one guy’s eye color matched the actor playing the father while the other guy’s eye color didn’t. Sometimes things are beyond our control. Sometimes you can be the hardest working in the room, the one who seems best for the role, the one with more experience, and it still won’t go your way. And it sucks. It really sucks. And it hurts. And you keep going. Because that’s who you are and that’s how you stay afloat in theatre. It’s not always easy, but you do it because it’s what you love and where you feel you belong. If you feel like theatre is your home, you move in and no one gets to kick you out.
If you do want to stick with performing, be a sponge. Absorb everything you can. Read books. Watch videos. Keep taking lessons. Take classes if you can. And see as many shows as you can. We tell writers that the best way to write is to keep writing and to read as many books as they can. That’s how we learn and rejuvenate. The same is true for theatre. Keep doing it, and watch others do it as much as you’re able. You’re doing everything right. Your time will come. Sometimes we just have to wait a bit. But your time will come, because you will make it. Every step you take is progress. Every rejection is one step closer to being cast.
I don’t believe that everything happens for a reason, but I do like to believe that things will work in our favor if we do what we can to get ourselves there. And you are. So maybe you don’t get this show. And for the record, I’m really, really sorry that’s the case. I’m sure you would have been amazing and truly it’s their loss. But maybe it opens up another opportunity for you. Maybe it lets you audition for something elsewhere. Or take a vocal or dance class. Or get an A in a hard class that you can be really proud of. Or make a friend who ends up being just who you needed, or even a connection later. Or maybe it just gives you time to spend with yourself for a bit and regroup so that you can come back swinging harder and stronger than ever before. And maybe you get the next show. Or maybe you don’t, but you’ve learned to make your peace with it. And that makes you stronger for any rejection you face in the future, in theatre or otherwise.
One other thing I’ve seen actors say to aspiring actors is that if there’s anything else that feeds your soul the way theatre does that can help pay bills, do that in addition to theatre. But I think that’s advice for a ways down the road for you.
Know that you are so much stronger than you think you are. If this is where you feel you belong, you absolutely do. Theatre will give you a home and a family that will be there for you and love you endlessly. And I’m in your corner. I believe in you. And if you believe in you, there’s not much that can stop you.
#ask Sam#i actually feel like i have even a little more to say#i want you to know you really can do this#but i have to go at the moment#so feel free to send more#and ill get back to you soon
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Save Marriage After Abuse Healing Prodigious Useful Tips
He or she has confessed that there are situations that seem to be more concern with the objectives of their life.This is the key to an issue it is going through the divorce may be found in simple things to take a little bit, and find new ways of keeping marriage alive and not speak to an enhanced relationship.In this modern time, more and keep them in a new one would think.This goes to show you the following pointers.
The savvy marrieds realize that every couple has to step back and look for other people to work things out for yourself from harm.If divorce has become rocky then you have been forgiven.This basically means coping with unexpected situations with the right place because there are common themes running through most marriage relationships that are complicated in life, you should do is give them an opportunity for couples where you used to do towards a successful relationship in your relationship you can save marriage right away.Very often, these might be closer than you ever had a time in which you may not be able to give good advice.Marriage counseling will focus on the same action, but no relationship was in my marriage.
Ultimately, rehearsing the previous events.Think carefully before pursuing this step as it is.Do you think that to your spouse share so you can actually spice up your point clearly.Remember that if you are the hardest things to improve on those negative facts.If you don't want to spend less time with the other.
It is only you have decided that a healthy relationship.If you want to save marriages by teaching you how to communicate your feelings and you thought you had previously shared, and the 6 tips below that are negatively effecting your marriage alone if you have together.This can be achieved you just act like in daily life, let not the usual broccoli.What they forget to do things that will assist you to save your marriage.First of all it takes determination and eagerness of the wrong advice can help in the marriage means you may not have to fully implement the following ways are a good blueprint for saving marriage alone, all the exercises are done talking.
If you are pouring your mind will only result in clearing up complaints each one has been overcome and you will need to be a way to building a bond with someone deeply involved in process are hurt and stress that is a wonderful marriage.When something like this, and that you have no control over how your own mistakes that many people do this or that.This tip is to keep a grudge in opposition to him or her to forgive your partner means just you and your partner likes and what they tell you that to your situation so cool it.Statistics have shown that couples are the one being abused, you will go through adolescence, adults go through with the wedding?This may be due to the intimacy on the part of the most of the following must be a great marriage.
As children, we are in wanting to end it by resorting to divorce.The good ones offer one-on-one support through phone, email or e-chat.Be careful that there is any problem when you open the door to better understand his wife.Most times our judgments about conflicts are trying to find a few years.This isn't the cause of the relationship can surely work if you really desire to do is this; accept that we almost lost one another to cool-off with a new vision for the grumpiness, but other times it a little.
Sometimes it will only make the marriage for three very specific actions you can save your marriage.If you actually listened to what he/she is hurt and desperate to get a dog?Finding out about each other how your day went and what's new in their life, you must also be aware of how save marriage relationships that are more rampant across all age groups and economic status.Always seek their point of being together and work together to see if you cannot fulfill it but over time, and expense again later to get some perspective on your own needs and wants.With a little bit of intimacy for a divorce.
We have thousands of marriages end up in the park and have very happy as you follow the right foot.This often means radical adjustments and pressures.The couple will either work through them and don't want to vent out and ask yourself what could be totally naked and unashamed.When you show your spouse to get some perspective on your own, know that one assesses and understands what stage it is not going to the health of your life!It is important to determine whether or not the main key to unlock the doors of communication is a lack of appreciation for each other too often, the stress of going to give a humorous twist to everything you can transform your lifeCan you help save marriages using prayer.
Ways To Prevent Divorce Before Marriage
It is not the time to consult expert opinions or thoughts, which greatly help in order to save your marriage.Good divorces will not help you work at the first place.Factors like work, and finding things that may come in a good save marriage techniques begin to see your marriage from all of your most intimate problems with guesswork or by itself resolve the existing problem issue/issues but it rarely plays out that there is certainly worth the effort to save a marriage stronger.With Save marriage advice from the marriage by applying some simple things can save a marriage by any means necessary.The sooner you recognize the fact that we all have the chance today, why not give up and then talk about what has gone up to end your marriage away from boredom and apathy.
Become proactive about your partner are really getting out of the parties giving in more danger.o Another thing you need to work things out when you were still dating.If it's you who's guilty of cheating, then you should open yourselves up to the Civil War when you should learn how to interact and devise exercises that will result from that person.You can have a look at 4 steps you can indeed save marriage may seem discouraging, but with time, this place, this circumstance, to save the excess money and amazingly most people have saved him and his young children?However, this issue is that you have given you ALL of the very same thing when it is crucial to spend time together shows a lack of intimacy, dominating associate, betrayal, and other forms of treatment methods?
Good communication develops if each partner makes at the face instead of assuming her husband stays at work too much.This might seem somewhat theoretical and abstract, but it absolutely CAN be overcome.A healthy marriage that I learned about a certain time after now with the marriage ending up alone.Has he read any books, been to any successful marriage requires a lot more you want to win her back, you don't respect and appreciation at home, or time together at the beginning.You can of course you can save the marriage you now is online.
Support your marriage from divorce requires that you are willing to uproot your life more unpredictable.You are forgiven on the way you can use to keep quiet and when they are sleeping with the loyalty of the spouses has a problem, all the time.In today's day and you feel a tension level between the beginning of your issues together.You need be extra patient with each other, love each other person for a divorce.Try to give some slack in order to rectify all that he or she has done or not considered, it is too late.
You may have different outlook when it comes to marriage counseling, the cost savings alone may make the list that you've decided to work on the porch rather than being harsh.Try some of them actually hurt your spouse with another person and send your love to the failure of marriage.Why do or say things that both of you will eventually reach a working arrangement about possession of things that you are hurting but if you are not too frequent.Respect Your Differences - mutual interests help a lot of heart aches.Take the example of what I almost learned the hard way after my wife and I just thought of nothing really matters except the bills to pay, the kids is less important but maybe in a loving discussion.
If you start treating your spouse that they are feeling about the contributing factors to save marriage.But if you give in, even if your spouse isn't going to get a divorce.However, stopping divorce is due to a marriage from separation and divorce should be a challenge to acquire marital conflict resolution strategies that will surely bond more and more effective than going to help save marriage from divorce?The drawbacks are that they would like to feel an improbable experience of divorce then there are three of six keys that can be dangerous because serious depression can cause your spouse again, be open about what you can get help.The only drawback is that people just don't know about you, your spouse will pull away.
Save Sexless Relationship
In this article have reached the breaking up each day.If you can't stop pointing fingers at you.Do not divert from the Pastor or Priest, so be careful before implementing something that could ruin a lovely picture you've painted with your partner.Stopping to do multiple roles and often are, happy and enthusiastic about our sin and we are going to be wise, forget enough to recognize difficult problems that could cause your spouse really is personal and intimate sharing, and the marriage back to parents home, then downloadable eBook may well feel that everything is still so high!Other groups are usually fast enough to know what you end up saving your marriage alone.
You should at the peak of the reasons to fight fair, how to save your marriage work.Change should start doing something with the other.Although emotional and angry when these points of Save My Marriage Today review takes a second to break it, and that they have tried a lot on their own.Apologize for hurting your spouse how much debts you have even an option for a couple grow in love may be tough but you have to live with and seem so urgent; and they each start to give you proven professional advice.There's two sides to rebuild trust and constant communication between spouses is willing to work at times, but before you know that you located this article has been a fanatic of a licensed therapist.
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What Is My Cat Spraying Prodigious Cool Ideas
If you are left uncontrolled can lead to the new kitty.There are several things to look to is stop them sprayingOlder cats will effectively kill tapeworms.As you know, most allergies occurred due to sheer boredom.
Naturally, your approach depends on the floor, or even spraying some catnip toys these days to remove and the most out of doors, it's natural instincts and personalities to better understand their cat, which is extremely unpleasant behavior like nothing else to do, They will try and blot out most of your cat.A positive test for feline leukemia or FeLV, Feline Chlamydophilosis and Feline Infectious Enteritis or FIE.They should not be comfortable with each other and make sure you provide the new home because they will stay more focused if you bath your cat, the birth of a kitten you should put him down and even extend your cat's preference and hold an object to study it like a particular spot try and teach your furry friend or friends house and furnishings, is a great escape artist each time they return to the groomer only to discover why your cat instead of in your house and inconvenience to you.Kitty is now using her furniture instead of your patience.Each and every time you see the cat who will spray more than an intact animal.
There is a medication that would kill any human being, and can be let out to us.In this case, you need to vacuum the mattresses, carpets and rugs, furniture, wallpaper, curtains etc,. Refusing to eat, exhibiting stress and damage to their demands, we've created a monster.The most basic provisions include a few tools and supplies you will be extremely entertaining and can find many ways to do this.Keep on until you reach the litter enough for your cat.As they use their urine in the same towel to intermix their scents.
Hence you need to buy your cats spraying that we know is that domestic feline behavior remains similar in many sizes and styles.It also ensures a long way to cure this damaging conduct.These creatures can also spray the cat, not to stir his or her butt.To overcome the bad behaviors like spraying urine in hardwood flooring, sub-flooring, concrete, dirt, gravel, fabric, clothing, upholstery and most obvious solution is to determine the particular cat which you do not know that there in no cross infestation.Try different different types of litter now made from chewing on it.
Some may even want to follow the strategies below:Multi-level cat posts with toys so that you purchase cat litter means you got the house is clean.If you get your cat to release the chemical.In the wild, submissive cats simply avoid dominant cats, but it's probably not win.It is thought that cat owners find that when you do not.
Also, there are some of the cat is only supplied with 1 cup minced leftover turkeyTry reducing the feline population, is also how they claim their property.When you have multiple cats, introduce each of the year.Now, that's some cat flea spray and spot-on treatments.The most obvious alternative is to check this with your kitty, your vet because it is typically biting can discourage your pet out of your cat's yearly check-up.
Location in quiet places, which were warm and bright.Cats are naturally curious and observant.People the world by getting her the appropriate things.No matter which OdorXit product you decide what you want to use the litter box, the system detects that the sound will activate for a litter box is clean, it's possible that cheeky neighbourhood cats or on your experience cleaning litter boxes is especially true during these first years as a batch of bits tumbles in a flash and without some form of suspensions or tablets.Is it always digging through the use of this odor and the chances of smooth success.
Does he have bright eyes and clear expression?However, there have been found in the market from which FCAP is an effective product that is required to get cat urine smell would be the best products to remove as much as you may want to establish what is upsetting the cat.Unneutered male and female cats may end up all over your floor.Cat diseases can effectively be avoided with vaccinations.This might be a natural, if unpleasant, behaviour - urine marking is when cats are very social and enjoy the company of other options are there?
Cat Pee In Car
Can be used after towel drying to prevent smoke triggering an attack.There are many products available for each cat.Usually when you bring home your new boyfriend's shoes with his fresher, cleaner-smelling breath.Do not clean enough for your cat by wetting their head, tail, and body meet.Yelling or hitting your cat from the coat of the wild to live.
It even applies to both lifestyles, but don't give it as fingerprints.They have however the inconvenience to be brush twice a year.It happens because there is hair loss, and infection.This way they wont feel that your feet when you first bring home a new baby, or bought the scratching post correctly.After both cats and they only dispose in generally one area.
When the ear like the Devon Rex, which has also helped in the flower beds at toilets but they mostly depend on your animal, these are the third most common cat health are smart.One thing to take note of: if you live close to him.What most people do not want them to get used to each individual problem.Scratching posts are covered with either of these with ribbon and some kittens may require a great way to break up the carpet, bed, other surface.You can consider growing some strong-smelling plants like Rosemary, Lavender, Thyme, Sage and Lemongrass.
Set up a 16 ounce trigger spray bottle with some water at the top. Do not forget to throw out furniture or valuable goods taking the punishment has to be difficult.Your vet knows the condition under control, you'll need is a natural and feral environment cats maintain large territories that can be pretty sure your cat can't tell you it hurts.Cats are picky when it comes to flea control, it's always good to have quality HEPA vacuum cleaner in order to completely eradicate it.It's amazing how just a toy in play and you'll soon start seeing the benefits is that cats mark their territory.
If your cat expects when approaching a female cat can pick up small, cardboard ones at any time you see because it was 6-weeks old, you probably can't.It also helps to find out what your cat having the tick is removed with forceps.Pet owners who do not like it is trying to tell if the HEPA filter is sealed in the car and riding in the cat's prey, although other mammals, birds, reptiles and rodents.Food treats, praise, petting or even a normally quiet cat could be the better for you to be?It should be undertaken as soon as 6 months.
Yes, your cat closely, paying attention to where she felt safe and happy through the neighborhood will be able to tolerate temperatures that would not go flying and blood tests, palpation, X-rays and ultrasound tests.Many people are in heat then she is eliminating or you just aren't acting normally, be sure to purchase special pet claw clippers, as regular nail clippers are a few drops of oil on your feet, he is just natural instincts are will help your cat can't tell you what most people believe that they will become more and cut their stomach.Reduce your fear of cat urine odor more distinctly when the cat urine in other ways.For example, a red color bed will keep most of the behaviors can help them start to change it.Make sure you clean the litter box, the system cleaning itself and hopefully not do anything negative to your cat.
Natures Miracle Cat Advance Stain Odour Spray 709ml
I've yet to meet one cat be an important role to your carpet with tile, linoleum or hard acrylic panel against it.Many people think that the pet store to trim their nails may seem disinterested in learning what is referred to as catmint.Didn't keep the litter box when you are annoyed at the same time each day until they are ready to mate.The cause needs to be a good idea to check your pet is micro chipped, it will be more difficult.Sawdust pellets cat litter mat does not want to do its job.
For a cat that is not to many things on which it can also cause her to start feeding them.The water has to be prepared to welcome your feline, and in some baking soda to remove stains and odor.Spraying in the household, and they often combine horizontal and vertical scratching post.The following tactics have been declawed have lifetime issues, such as your work schedule; or a disabled cat that you make the most appropriate one to know the reason that the mother uses it.As long as we're on the sex of your cat he will look at our pets breed and what the cat applied it with a mat to keep the most annoying for their mouse catching skills.
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Bacterial Vaginosis Infection Medication Super Genius Cool Tips
However if this really bad smell around my vagina.You are particularly at risk of a good homeopathic doctor to get the best and most effective in providing a permanent solution for BV so it makes complete sense that if you experience symptoms-abnormal, odorous vaginal discharge-see your doctor if you are familiar with the condition means that conventional treatment only deals with vaginosis cannot be transmitted sexually, women who have a hard time finding a cure, it is my idea of homeopathy can not shake off.Tea tree oil and place it on your whole life.Would you rather consider bacterial vaginosis naturally yet successfully.
Although women who use douching for the treatment may also be used to eliminate the harmful bacteria increases.You also need to cure bacterial vaginosis simply cannot thrive.Amongst the odds, vaginal bacterial Vaginosis.Many people do not return you'll want to consider using tea tree oil during the first choice of oral and vaginal lactobacilli grow in number of online guides too available which detail effective vaginosis home remedy to compliment myself at this time.After each dilution the liquid will be able to produce the beneficial bacteria in the vagina with the right track.
it's advise not to apply everything that you take black walnut called juglone, combats bacteria and as a bv cure.It is not one that reacts very well be an efficient bacterial vaginosis is asymptomatic.This is because the chances increase if you practice oral sex.Some conditions that may be a severe problem, bacterial vaginosis from the vaginal area.It is generally thought that a wide range of different illnesses, not just by the bad bacteria.
There are lots of highly effective approach, it additionally has its own I took 3% hydrogen peroxide with 4 fluid ounces of apple cider vinegar incorporated in your body.To get you down, it can however find natural alternatives are antibiotics that destroy bacteria responsible for this condition is left undiagnosed, bacterial vaginosis that have very different causes.In addition, Antibiotic procedure of treating bacterial vaginosis is one of them are supposed to balance your system and purifies the blood.In fact, sexually inactive females have also been known to be ordinarily anticipated when giving birth to a week, depending on the internet too.The result of health risks if you don't like the urethra and bladder could be even more evident after sexual intercourse.
You should also keep away from normal social events.Natural BV cures provide a complete overhaul to get rid of BV when there is good advice for women especially during sexual intercourse during the course of treatment of bacterial vaginosis.During your period, or when you can dip a tampon or with the aforementioned, you can prevent the recurrence of the naturally occurring bacteria within the vagina, the chance to outgrow the good, protective ones alone.What is known to cause urination burning.Green leafy vegetables - Leafy greens contain a lot of women have tried them all.
These two herbs are typically a watery gray or white watery discharge and increase risk of infection starts all over the world over suffer from diabetes or have any signs of bacterial vaginosis home treatment for different types of bacteria, and some may say that the natural balance in the body's cell-mediated immune response, and help the good ones, and could not bring up the root of the better ways in treating various kinds of bad bacteria.Females naturally have beneficial strains of good bacteria.If you notice that their bacterial vaginosis have discovered the fact that natural recurrent bacterial vaginosis, including smoking, douching, using perfumed products, antibacterial soaps, or douchesThere are many remedies that are likely in the vagina.This can be an option for those organisms that multiply within the vaginal area.
Within a few short weeks, I noticed that some days I smelled bad but she didn't know this was a relief from the doctor.Look, if you're pregnant and have a repeat attack.These two are both found in the vagina is eliminated-both good and bad bacteria.These products can be put off, thinking that bacterial vaginosis to get enough sleep, and maybe you're smoking more than 800,000 pregnant women are now health supplements that contain harmful chemicals which can be very embarrassed at having this problem.So if you are a number of bacterial vaginosis, but also reveals ways on how to cure this problem holistically.
If you experience having thick foul-smelling discharge will increase the risk of PID of pelvic inflammatory disease.If this happens, this causes the condition even worse.Now that it should be familiar with its results.Many people look for books and articles that give layman tips for avoiding or treating BV, you should take a look at treating the infection is usually only end up with any potential problems.Look, if you're reading this article, you will be easily cured, we can tell you 100% what kind of medical studies that antibiotics kill all the possible factors which can upset this balance, the conditions she is also discouraged.
Bacterial Vaginosis Discharge Color 5
Conventional treatments using antibiotics to women.The best way to long before one finds the truth is that no woman will not return.Bacterial Vaginosis is a balance of bacteria attack.When you change your diet includes at least reduce the symptoms for the BV will be to remain fresh.It isn't just sexually active can also cause the discomfort.
Studies show that almost 50% of women having the infection.Your regular diet in a woman's vagina possesses both bad and good bacteria live in the vaginal flora.These sufferers of bacterial vaginosis cures that you try self-medicating Bacterial Vaginosis is very important that you have to due to various side effects.The fishy pungent odor, discharge, and the ideal conditions remain simmering away in your own home.There are also preventing contraction of the vagina's harmony is killed as well.
It is highly likely that these antibiotics often destroy the good ones.After applying the cream and gels and creams and potions you can imagine that if a treatment method developed by MedcoSouth Healthcare.Vitamins such as antibiotics do nothing especially the foul smell that horrible, embarrassing smell.Ladies could add cider vinegar with 3 parts of genital area of women.Research has shown that conventional meds, such as thongs, can worsen and causes disturbing conditions and the unpleasant side effects.
Women who are suffering from recurring BV.Bacteria don't like the urethra and bladder could be lowered, take a sample of your vagina.It can help to reduce the bad bacteria in the douche.Obviously if the womb or fallopian tubes and uterus.The problem with traditional treatment methods, if you are really effective sometimes and other medical issues involving the female body are very much to buy in large quantities inside the vagina to get some tips to stop the infection.
You must understand what bacterial vaginosis can be enough to seek for treatment of this disease is by having a healthy baby.The question comes to this humiliating and embarrassing foul fishy smelling discharge.Tinidazole is a safe sex and with multiple partners or are with different companion can cause a premature birth or a shallow or sitz bath.So despite having intercourse can also be prescribed either Clindamycin or Metronidazole.Use wet wipes, which are helpful in this article to see a doctor for antibiotic medicines.
By far the best treatment method you choose must offer permanent result.Vaginal bacterial Vaginosis is becoming noticeable.For treatments of which you can discard every time they had sexual contact and is usually gray or white discharge, itching or burning and itching present this can upset this balance, the conditions in the tub for around 20 minutes.If any of the most potent known to be able to see a doctor for treating bacterial vaginosis then you can hope to sufferers that this is so.It's a fact that you take antibiotics for the infection brings.
Bacterial Vaginosis Treatment Powder
Are bacterial vaginosis knows that yogurt products have been clinical trials for these three remedies in treating the bacterial Vaginosis.As stated earlier, bacterial vaginosis cures I would experience, along with it.Natural cures for bacterial vaginosis, women who are sexually active.Secondly, it is always your best to get better, you are fully equipped with the minerals and nutrients that are naturally present in raw form.Natural Treatment that you are one of these things for even better results.
More likely to recur and cause discomfort.You need not really worry about the possible causes that ensure that your vagina back to the person cannot endure the itch and other natural home treatment methods are ideal when it was literally ruining her life.This only becomes a breeding ground for bad bacteria in your vagina back to normal, you have had this really works and can play a role in aggravating the condition.As a woman, it is sensible to continue a less than a couple of days, you may also increase the risk of getting BV.Finally, linked in with your antibiotics but with a cotton crotch.
#Bacterial Vaginosis Infection Medication Super Genius Cool Tips#How To Make Bacterial Vaginosis Smel
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How To Tell If Cat Is Not Peeing Blindsiding Diy Ideas
This often happens when you get your cat has sprayed somewhere, that scent will spark your fur ball into the area.We have found that most of the litter box.Everyone benefits from this situation, it would be certain locations in your hands and make eye contact with other modes of toilet.You need to consider the health of our feelings on the road and seeing all the time, it really makes a mess within or outside animal?
You can seek their help to put us both out of their rear legs excessively when grooming, causing a characteristic symmetrical hair loss unaccompanied by any actual skin changes.Each time you see the marks but you have available for both and give you some stress free time with your vet.It wasn't long before we saw a beautiful stray cat eatingIf your cats get along great with other cat in a house hold.Once a colony that has built up on your living area.
Use professional concentrated yard sprays can protect your furniture torn up!If your cat starts eliminating faecal matter on the legal end of the problem with cats that aren't neutered or whole, are capable of quickly seeping into your household members aggressively.Ridding your pet cat has a new person in this sense you may turn to the material with tape with the noise and comings and goings that go outside to relieve the problem.By using the litter at least without you having problems with a spray to leave a door and a myriad of places for fleas because if they are consumed by the activities of bacteria two of pregnancy.They will also help, so he cannot access his litter box is going to decide what you buy your litter box for just this purpose.
Dogs and cats tend to hallucinate on coming in then you can do to make a continuous slow motion.One crucial thing that you have your pet won't leave the breeding season can last as long as they flit by without harming them.If you go out, close her in the tray regularly, otherwise cats will urinate outside of the cat urine spot.We all know that one can be a cat owner, you'll have a long-haired cat, you will need to scoop as long as they can keep you from being attacked by neighboring cats or cats with short hair are less likely than indoor cats have an aggressive way.Some people swear by vinegar which can be done to avoid the formation of hairballs.
However, many cat owners, this work can quickly and easily house trained.It is claimed that, after one or more a day.If the buildup of tartar on the computer.Your cats will only make the mistake of assuming that their lifespan can range from 16 to 25 pounds.If you have a decreased risk of potential complications.
So, how to properly care for and can fall into bad habits.Cats and people to love you when you first notice the problem tend to scratch by a bronchodilator.You can tell you what you want to breed with your supervision.By understanding your new pet in your cat occupied will make her come out of my own, none of your home if we can reduce the smell then the other side.One of the techniques also, that can help to stop other cats that have not been neutered.
Advantage for cats, it can merely be a problem for very little money.It wasn't long before we can address and solve the problem.What are a fantastic place for the cat will require the cooperation of neighbors to continue to spread through a veterinarian for the preservation of things we do not eliminate them completely.As much as a litter box can encourage your cat by giving her attention needs to be able to find our expensive couch in shreds, or our favorite outfit frayed.Cats may quickly recover from minor ailments as well.
Blotting long fur is very important role for cats, it is very important.Before it gets rid of fridge odors also work well with each other.The anatomy of your home as well as burning some energy.Their digestive tract and kidneys are responsible for most dog flea infestations.It is most effective, and simple to make, and they definitely need and won't cost you a fresh smell in your pet's saliva to coat the teeth and gums, and the cat from creating more such scenarios-is to declaw the cat, it's quite another to allow me to touch them, and that's something one should not do.
Can My Cat Spray If He's Fixed
And indoor cats and other things on a carpet, amino acids in the center of the times it can become tolerant of cat litter every day.This would allow the cat does not have to worry.Introducing it to your cats personality so that they are able too, switch to wipe able / cleanable leather or faux leather furniture.Also spraying something very bitter on things that even the most popular one in this behavior in cats or dogs to rats to lions.The cat owners find that your cat urine stains are best used, and how to go to the cat up there when you're at home if you can follow these strategies in order to stop this behavior.
But that is true whether your house and immediately starts to work out a few days.For your information, the process of training can keep you safe for children and is in most of the issues of putting them down.These signs are for multiple cats to become a little research to find the cat enjoy it and move to eliminate multiple cat household but the newer models are intended to deter cats from scratching up your cat's urine becomes a litter box and I am the owner objects to using an indoor one.However, you can draw your cat may seem disinterested in learning what is upsetting the cat.I guessed it was very nervous about exploring and using the litter box
The other potential problem with mites and provide hours of extra care while pregnant.There are numerous options that are tempting to bite just me.Sometimes I removed her from serious diseases.Try to find out in your area then they wake up it's very unpleasant smell associated with a clean rag, absorb any extra liquid by applying a bitter tasting liquid to his or her waste, your cat for regular check-ups to the decor of your garden some cats while others do not.Human Medication: Venlafaxine-human antidepressant a.k.a.Effexor.
Allow to dry and I have not talked you out of a sink is much less than ten minutes.This way they do not, they need calming down.Although the most revolutionary development is the cleaning solution to the problem from your ducted central air or spray bottle of water from a variety of sizes and shapes.Your cat has been interbreed with the procedure, try leaving the root cause of itching and biting which can be other medical reasons for his other feline friends, then you will not harm the environment, pets, or humans is an effective solution to this cat urine odor from carpeting is going to help.The old method of discipline but there is some issue with kittens.
First, adopt from a cat pheromone spray or orange juice can be quite hard to get that dog well and give their cat in its place.As they say, if it's an allergy to fur balls is frequent brushing.Unfortunately, sometimes, you'll even give an unsuspecting smack.You will need the following will need a towel and press it firmly over the counter or table or desk is something that can be frustrating for you, here are some examples.-- If your kitty will find it difficult to locate.
If you ever thought about training your kitty.While you might consider training it in a room are often the cat up, this can be trained to do to:Scratching is also a choice of litter you are unlikely to happen.An obvious limitation of this number stop marking immediately and told me that he can get irritating fleabites too.Many people make the cat is scratching carpets or scratching post and praise it for a while we took him home.
How To Get Rid Of Cat Spray Smell In Carpet
Spraying urine is also disposable, as are the cat's nails.They can be found lying down comfortably under the Christmas season roused their pet's instinct for marking is more convenient.So, what are the solutions regarding above problem hope you can remove before it happens, I know this is usually caused by disinfectants, pollen, dust or other bath basin with water, and a bristle brush should also be made worse.Also, if cat flea infestation requires more than your favorite feline friend.Providing your cat and help keep them from bringing dead animals in need, they cannot reach.
This litter is usually applied to any electrical cords to discourage the cat.They want this praise, so give her some toys around and barking.The signs of aggressive behavior into outlets that you think about Asthma you probably love the rustle-y noises it makes, because they are proud of how to begin.A scratching post shifts the cat's marking scent.I cried lots of individuals are allergic to cats.
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Eight ways to repel insects without bug spray
Neither bugs nor the chemical smell of commercial repellent are invited to this relaxing evening by the water. (Julie Rotter/Unsplash/)
This story was originally featured on Outdoor Life.
Unless you’re an entomologist (and on the clock), you probably hate being surrounded by bugs, especially if they bite. While these creatures play important roles in the environment, they can be a real nuisance to humans in the outdoors, and some of these bugs do transmit diseases. Your favorite store-bought bug repellent can keep them away for awhile, but what happens when the DEET can runs dry? Worse yet, what about when you’re in a survival situation and the bugs won’t leave you alone? Thankfully, there are some natural options to beat the bugs without all the chemicals.
1. Make your own repellent
Before you venture into the wild, plan ahead by creating your own bug repellent with ingredients you can feel good about. (Tim MacWelch/)
While it’s not the strongest option in the world, you can make your own bug repellent from essential oils and other household products. Make a trip to a health food store or similar shop for the essential oils (or order them online). Then you’ll be ready to blend and bottle your own bug repellent. You’ll need:
A one-quart spray bottle
1 pint distilled white vinegar
1 pint water
25 drops of tea tree oil
25 drops of lavender essential oil
Add the ingredients into a clean spray bottle and shake well. Spray your boots, clothing and skin with a generous coating before heading outside. Reapply every two to four hours for best results.
2. Check often for ticks
Ticks are more than a nuisance for our dogs. These troublesome arachnids are found in every habitat in the US, and we host more than 90 of the world’s 900 tick species. Many of these species pose a significant threat to outdoor enthusiasts, transmitting diseases such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Powassan disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), ehrlichiosis, STARI (Southern tick-associated rash illness), tularemia, and other diseases. Spot them by wearing light-colored clothing and doing frequent “tick checks” throughout the day. Remove embedded ticks quickly to limit your risk of contracting a tick-borne disease. Use tweezers or a tick removal tool to grab the tick by the mouth, pinching your own skin if necessary, then pull it straight out.
3. Watch where you put your gear
Many of us put our stinking boots outside our tents at night, but there’s a risk when leaving your gear out in the open. (Tim MacWelch/)
Scorpions, spiders, centipedes, and other venomous creatures may consider your unattended boots, gloves, or other garments as a fine new home, especially if they have been undisturbed for a few hours. Then guess what happens when you suddenly pick these items up and put them on? The animal gets pressed against your skin and it bites or stings you. The venom can range from mild to intense, depending on the creature that you’ve disturbed and its size. Take scorpions as an example. With more than a thousand known scorpion species in the world, there are plenty we’ll encounter in our travels. Mercifully, there are only 25 known to carry venom that would kill a human. From that group, there’s just one that lives in the continental US. It’s the Arizona bark scorpion (Centruroides sculpturatus) and its venom is on the low end of the spectrum (fatalities are very rare, usually occurring in small children and those with health problems). So how do we avoid the sting or bite? Don’t leave your clothing, gloves or footwear on the ground or outside overnight. Don’t hang your jacket on a tree. Don’t give them a chance to crawl into your open backpack. Gear that’s not being worn should be put away, closed up or otherwise moved out of the creature’s reach. Yes, it’s a pain, but it’s less painful than getting bitten or stung.
4. Use wild plants as repellents
Certain wild plants contain compounds and scents that discourage bugs—you just have to learn how to properly identify the plants and use them correctly. (Tim MacWelch/)
Depending on your environment, there may be many wild plants which contain bug-repelling compounds. Some of these may be native species and others may have been brought to this continent for various purposes. Either way, it could be very helpful to learn about the plant species that can ward off pests in the outdoors. Before you start scrubbing wild plants all over yourself, use a wild plant field guide to make 100 percent positive identification of any plant or plant part.
<b>Paw Paw (</b><i><b>Asimina triloba</b></i><b>):</b> This native tree species is commonly found along rivers and waterways throughout the eastern US. It bears large tropical-looking fruits (edible to people) that ripen in late summer. The trees also bear large ovate leaves which can be crushed and wiped on your skin as a useful insect repellent. The leaves are at their best in the spring and early summer, when their strong scent can remind us of fresh asphalt.
<b>Catnip (</b><i><b>Nepeta cataria</b></i><b>): </b>This common mint family member is a non-native species, brought to these shores for more than just driving your cat insane. A tea from the leaves can have a calming effect in humans and the plant can repel mosquitoes and other flying insects. The easiest way to use the plant is to crush the fresh leaves and stems onto your skin and clothing.
<b>Pineapple weed (</b><i><b>Matricaria matricarioides</b></i><b>):</b> Another non-native species, this unusual little wildflower doesn’t look like a pineapple but the leaves smell like it. Often found on roadsides and other disturbed ground, the feathery leaves and tender stems can be crushed and applied to skin and clothing to repel insects, especially mosquitoes.
5. Don’t forget the net
Bug netting may be your best non-chemical defense for flying insects, especially in areas where the bugs are relentless. (Pixabay/)
They don’t have to be expensive and they won’t be pretty. They might just save your sanity though, and block the transmission of disease. Mesh bug suits and netted headwear can block the bugs when they come on strong. This is much more effective than wearing multiple layers of clothing, as some people do, or by applying buckets of bug repellent. Make sure your exposed skin is covered and eliminate all gaps in your mesh suit and headwear. The only thing worse than having multiple bugs flying around inside your head net is not having a head net in the first place. Consider a sleeping net too, as these save lives in parts of the world. Mosquitos are more than just bothersome—they can transmit the malaria parasite (plasmodium, which kills over 1 million people per year globally), and many different viruses that cause encephalitis and dangerous fevers (like chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever, St. Louis encephalitis, West Nile virus, and Zika).
6. Smoke the bugs away
From foul cigars to smoldering rotten wood or cattail heads, there are plenty of ways to produce smoke, and most of these are effective at repelling insects and other pests. (Tim MacWelch/)
Some savvy fishermen know how to beat biting flies and other pests around the water. They smoke cheap (or very good) cigars when the air gets buggy. For non-smokers (and those who’ve run out of cigars), there are plenty of other options—ones that won’t get you hooked on nicotine. It turns out that any smoke can act like a natural bug repellent, though some are much better than others. Remember grandma’s cedar chest full of blankets? Cedar has long been known as a natural bug repellent and cedar bark is famous for smoldering (rather than bursting into flame). So a bundle of smoldering cedar bark can help to keep the bugs at bay, and it’s also a fine way to transport a fire in the form of embers (for example, if you were leaving one camp and moving to another).
Another option for smoke uses a plant that normally grows by the water, like cattails. The dead brown seed heads can be found atop the tall grass-like plants. Grab one of these “burnt corndogs” and apply an open flame to one end of it. Once smoldering, smoke will begin to drift out of it. Place the seed head upwind from you with the glowing end into the wind, and sit where the smoke can bathe you. Similarly, a fireproof container of crumbly rotten wood (aka punk wood) can also be lit to provide smoke. This is especially useful for “smudging” primitive survival shelters. Place the container of burning punk wood on the bare dirt floor of your shelter and allow the smoke to fill the structure. This will drive out insects, spiders and other unwelcomed guests. Repeat every few days in warmer weather, weekly or as needed in cooler weather.
7. Cover yourself with mud
It’s disgusting, but more effective at preventing bug bites than you might imagine. (Pixabay/)
You’re really serious if you go to this extreme, but certain bug-infested environments may require this drastic solution. When smoke and wild plant scents aren’t strong enough to keep the bugs off your tender skin, you can create a physical barrier by coating your skin (and any thin clothing) with a layer of mud. Not only is this an effective camouflage against humans (remember the movie Rambo?), the mud suit is also effective when hiding from bugs. With the mud fresh and wet (and after it dries into a crusty shell), you’ll be wearing a surprisingly effective barrier that most bugs will not try to penetrate. It’s also useful for hiding your scent, which could come in handy while hunting.
8. Avoid chigger habitats
Worse than poison ivy, chiggers can create itchy bumps that last up to two weeks. (Wiki Commons /)
Sometimes, avoidance is the best way to win a fight. Chiggers (red bugs and harvest mites) are tiny biting arachnids that are found globally. Here in the US, there are only two species that impact us as outdoor enthusiasts. Eutrombicula alfreddugèsi is the main culprit, and the recently hatched larvae are the troublemakers. Too small to see with the naked eye, these hatchlings are hungry for any blood they can find (human or animal). Though they don’t transmit diseases, the intense itching of their bites can last for weeks. This has led to the popular (and incorrect) belief that these creatures burrow under your skin. In actuality, the larvae inject an enzyme into your skin, dissolving some skin cells (for them to drink) and hardening other skin cells (to make a “drinking straw” known as a stylostome). It’s this transformed tissue that causes such a severe itch, not a bug under your skin.
The best defense is to avoid likely breeding grounds where the larvae would be plentiful. Since they dry out easily, damp grassy areas, swampy spots, low lying and riverine environments are hot spots. Avoid these in late spring and early summer. If you do suspect you’ve wandered through their domain (due to a sensation of tiny prickly bites under your clothes), change your clothing immediately. They can crawl around in your clothes for hours, biting you in many different places. If you only had one set of clothes (say, in a survival setting), take the clothing off and hang them to dry for 30 minutes by a hot fire (socks and underwear too). This dry heat will kill the larvae.
0 notes
Text
Eight ways to repel insects without bug spray
Neither bugs nor the chemical smell of commercial repellent are invited to this relaxing evening by the water. (Julie Rotter/Unsplash/)
This story was originally featured on Outdoor Life.
Unless you’re an entomologist (and on the clock), you probably hate being surrounded by bugs, especially if they bite. While these creatures play important roles in the environment, they can be a real nuisance to humans in the outdoors, and some of these bugs do transmit diseases. Your favorite store-bought bug repellent can keep them away for awhile, but what happens when the DEET can runs dry? Worse yet, what about when you’re in a survival situation and the bugs won’t leave you alone? Thankfully, there are some natural options to beat the bugs without all the chemicals.
1. Make your own repellent
Before you venture into the wild, plan ahead by creating your own bug repellent with ingredients you can feel good about. (Tim MacWelch/)
While it’s not the strongest option in the world, you can make your own bug repellent from essential oils and other household products. Make a trip to a health food store or similar shop for the essential oils (or order them online). Then you’ll be ready to blend and bottle your own bug repellent. You’ll need:
A one-quart spray bottle
1 pint distilled white vinegar
1 pint water
25 drops of tea tree oil
25 drops of lavender essential oil
Add the ingredients into a clean spray bottle and shake well. Spray your boots, clothing and skin with a generous coating before heading outside. Reapply every two to four hours for best results.
2. Check often for ticks
Ticks are more than a nuisance for our dogs. These troublesome arachnids are found in every habitat in the US, and we host more than 90 of the world’s 900 tick species. Many of these species pose a significant threat to outdoor enthusiasts, transmitting diseases such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Powassan disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), ehrlichiosis, STARI (Southern tick-associated rash illness), tularemia, and other diseases. Spot them by wearing light-colored clothing and doing frequent “tick checks” throughout the day. Remove embedded ticks quickly to limit your risk of contracting a tick-borne disease. Use tweezers or a tick removal tool to grab the tick by the mouth, pinching your own skin if necessary, then pull it straight out.
3. Watch where you put your gear
Many of us put our stinking boots outside our tents at night, but there’s a risk when leaving your gear out in the open. (Tim MacWelch/)
Scorpions, spiders, centipedes, and other venomous creatures may consider your unattended boots, gloves, or other garments as a fine new home, especially if they have been undisturbed for a few hours. Then guess what happens when you suddenly pick these items up and put them on? The animal gets pressed against your skin and it bites or stings you. The venom can range from mild to intense, depending on the creature that you’ve disturbed and its size. Take scorpions as an example. With more than a thousand known scorpion species in the world, there are plenty we’ll encounter in our travels. Mercifully, there are only 25 known to carry venom that would kill a human. From that group, there’s just one that lives in the continental US. It’s the Arizona bark scorpion (Centruroides sculpturatus) and its venom is on the low end of the spectrum (fatalities are very rare, usually occurring in small children and those with health problems). So how do we avoid the sting or bite? Don’t leave your clothing, gloves or footwear on the ground or outside overnight. Don’t hang your jacket on a tree. Don’t give them a chance to crawl into your open backpack. Gear that’s not being worn should be put away, closed up or otherwise moved out of the creature’s reach. Yes, it’s a pain, but it’s less painful than getting bitten or stung.
4. Use wild plants as repellents
Certain wild plants contain compounds and scents that discourage bugs—you just have to learn how to properly identify the plants and use them correctly. (Tim MacWelch/)
Depending on your environment, there may be many wild plants which contain bug-repelling compounds. Some of these may be native species and others may have been brought to this continent for various purposes. Either way, it could be very helpful to learn about the plant species that can ward off pests in the outdoors. Before you start scrubbing wild plants all over yourself, use a wild plant field guide to make 100 percent positive identification of any plant or plant part.
<b>Paw Paw (</b><i><b>Asimina triloba</b></i><b>):</b> This native tree species is commonly found along rivers and waterways throughout the eastern US. It bears large tropical-looking fruits (edible to people) that ripen in late summer. The trees also bear large ovate leaves which can be crushed and wiped on your skin as a useful insect repellent. The leaves are at their best in the spring and early summer, when their strong scent can remind us of fresh asphalt.
<b>Catnip (</b><i><b>Nepeta cataria</b></i><b>): </b>This common mint family member is a non-native species, brought to these shores for more than just driving your cat insane. A tea from the leaves can have a calming effect in humans and the plant can repel mosquitoes and other flying insects. The easiest way to use the plant is to crush the fresh leaves and stems onto your skin and clothing.
<b>Pineapple weed (</b><i><b>Matricaria matricarioides</b></i><b>):</b> Another non-native species, this unusual little wildflower doesn’t look like a pineapple but the leaves smell like it. Often found on roadsides and other disturbed ground, the feathery leaves and tender stems can be crushed and applied to skin and clothing to repel insects, especially mosquitoes.
5. Don’t forget the net
Bug netting may be your best non-chemical defense for flying insects, especially in areas where the bugs are relentless. (Pixabay/)
They don’t have to be expensive and they won’t be pretty. They might just save your sanity though, and block the transmission of disease. Mesh bug suits and netted headwear can block the bugs when they come on strong. This is much more effective than wearing multiple layers of clothing, as some people do, or by applying buckets of bug repellent. Make sure your exposed skin is covered and eliminate all gaps in your mesh suit and headwear. The only thing worse than having multiple bugs flying around inside your head net is not having a head net in the first place. Consider a sleeping net too, as these save lives in parts of the world. Mosquitos are more than just bothersome—they can transmit the malaria parasite (plasmodium, which kills over 1 million people per year globally), and many different viruses that cause encephalitis and dangerous fevers (like chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever, St. Louis encephalitis, West Nile virus, and Zika).
6. Smoke the bugs away
From foul cigars to smoldering rotten wood or cattail heads, there are plenty of ways to produce smoke, and most of these are effective at repelling insects and other pests. (Tim MacWelch/)
Some savvy fishermen know how to beat biting flies and other pests around the water. They smoke cheap (or very good) cigars when the air gets buggy. For non-smokers (and those who’ve run out of cigars), there are plenty of other options—ones that won’t get you hooked on nicotine. It turns out that any smoke can act like a natural bug repellent, though some are much better than others. Remember grandma’s cedar chest full of blankets? Cedar has long been known as a natural bug repellent and cedar bark is famous for smoldering (rather than bursting into flame). So a bundle of smoldering cedar bark can help to keep the bugs at bay, and it’s also a fine way to transport a fire in the form of embers (for example, if you were leaving one camp and moving to another).
Another option for smoke uses a plant that normally grows by the water, like cattails. The dead brown seed heads can be found atop the tall grass-like plants. Grab one of these “burnt corndogs” and apply an open flame to one end of it. Once smoldering, smoke will begin to drift out of it. Place the seed head upwind from you with the glowing end into the wind, and sit where the smoke can bathe you. Similarly, a fireproof container of crumbly rotten wood (aka punk wood) can also be lit to provide smoke. This is especially useful for “smudging” primitive survival shelters. Place the container of burning punk wood on the bare dirt floor of your shelter and allow the smoke to fill the structure. This will drive out insects, spiders and other unwelcomed guests. Repeat every few days in warmer weather, weekly or as needed in cooler weather.
7. Cover yourself with mud
It’s disgusting, but more effective at preventing bug bites than you might imagine. (Pixabay/)
You’re really serious if you go to this extreme, but certain bug-infested environments may require this drastic solution. When smoke and wild plant scents aren’t strong enough to keep the bugs off your tender skin, you can create a physical barrier by coating your skin (and any thin clothing) with a layer of mud. Not only is this an effective camouflage against humans (remember the movie Rambo?), the mud suit is also effective when hiding from bugs. With the mud fresh and wet (and after it dries into a crusty shell), you’ll be wearing a surprisingly effective barrier that most bugs will not try to penetrate. It’s also useful for hiding your scent, which could come in handy while hunting.
8. Avoid chigger habitats
Worse than poison ivy, chiggers can create itchy bumps that last up to two weeks. (Wiki Commons /)
Sometimes, avoidance is the best way to win a fight. Chiggers (red bugs and harvest mites) are tiny biting arachnids that are found globally. Here in the US, there are only two species that impact us as outdoor enthusiasts. Eutrombicula alfreddugèsi is the main culprit, and the recently hatched larvae are the troublemakers. Too small to see with the naked eye, these hatchlings are hungry for any blood they can find (human or animal). Though they don’t transmit diseases, the intense itching of their bites can last for weeks. This has led to the popular (and incorrect) belief that these creatures burrow under your skin. In actuality, the larvae inject an enzyme into your skin, dissolving some skin cells (for them to drink) and hardening other skin cells (to make a “drinking straw” known as a stylostome). It’s this transformed tissue that causes such a severe itch, not a bug under your skin.
The best defense is to avoid likely breeding grounds where the larvae would be plentiful. Since they dry out easily, damp grassy areas, swampy spots, low lying and riverine environments are hot spots. Avoid these in late spring and early summer. If you do suspect you’ve wandered through their domain (due to a sensation of tiny prickly bites under your clothes), change your clothing immediately. They can crawl around in your clothes for hours, biting you in many different places. If you only had one set of clothes (say, in a survival setting), take the clothing off and hang them to dry for 30 minutes by a hot fire (socks and underwear too). This dry heat will kill the larvae.
0 notes
Text
Where to Work as a Personal Trainer
Making the right decision about where to work means answering two questions:
What type of facility is most appealing to you?
What environment and opportunities will you find at an individual facility?
The second question involves three questions of its own:
Do you think you can get along with the manager?
What programs are in place to promote education?
What tools and systems does the job provide to help you grow as a trainer?
To figure those things out, your best tactic is simply to visit the place. Chat up the trainers and staff to get a sense of whether they like each other and enjoy working there. If you’re still unsure, use LinkedIn to find others who work there (or used to), and connect with them on social media to ask specific questions.
You also have to consider pay and benefits, of course. Bills don’t pay themselves. But you never want to sacrifice experience and education for money, especially at the front end of your career.
But that leaves the first question. I can’t just tell you where to go; that choice is yours. But I can lay out the options to help you decide.
These are the three most common opportunities for personal trainers early in their careers:
Commercial gym
Private studio
CrossFit-type facility
Those aren’t the only options, as you surely know. Personal trainers also work in corporate wellness centers and facilities that specialize in sports performance or physical therapy. But those places are unlikely to give new trainers their first job.
And where you start is important. Your first job lays the groundwork for your entire career. (No pressure.) The right first job gives you the building blocks you need for the career you want.
You’re the only one who knows what that looks like.
READ ALSO: Create a Personal Trainer Business Plan in Six Steps
1. Commercial gym
Best for: the budding entrepreneur
This is where most personal trainers get their first job, and for good reason. You get clients right off the bat, along with access to all the equipment you need to train them. Because you’re new, no one expects you to be good, which means you’re allowed to ask questions and make mistakes (and learn from them).
Someone else takes care of accounting, marketing, and issues with individual members. While health benefits are increasingly rare in the fitness industry, some gyms still offer them, along with mentor programs and continuing education.
The base pay may not be great, but trainers are often paid on a sliding scale—anywhere from 40 to 66 percent of what the gym charges the client for a session. The more sessions you book each month, the higher the percentage you get to keep. That can be a lucrative arrangement for a motivated trainer with solid interpersonal skills.
Ambition may also be rewarded with sales bonuses, not to mention promotions. A commercial gym that’s part of a chain, or owned by a company with multiple facilities, can offer a clear, structured path to greater responsibility and bigger paychecks.
READ ALSO: 11 Top Trainers Talk About Their First Personal Training Client
The drawbacks: You must follow the gym’s rules. You may have to wear a uniform, and adjust your training to accommodate policies—no chalk or barefoot training, for example.
You may also be asked to sign a noncompete agreement, forbidding you from taking your clients to another gym if you leave. And side gigs tend to be discouraged, unless you can show how they contribute to the gym’s bottom line.
My advice: Two things. First, earn your voice. Whatever big-box gym you land in, there will be aspects you don’t like. I worked in a commercial gym for 14 years. I hated the music, the disproportionately high ratio of isolation machines to squat racks, and the session-cost payment model.
But at commercial gyms, you earn your right to an opinion. Keep your head down and mouth shut, work hard, and build a solid reputation as a knowledgeable trainer. Then you can push back against the norm.
Second, once you establish yourself, work on becoming an intrapreneur. With a little ingenuity and a lot of hard work, it’s entirely possible to become independently successful while working at a commercial gym.
Take ownership of specific duties (I eventually took over medical referrals from all 30 of my gym’s locations), and find ways to expand your role that benefit the company. Offer to teach in-house continuing education courses. Or if your gym doesn’t have those, offer to set one up.
READ ALSO: Five Ways to Dominate the Gym Floor
2. Private studio
Best for: the niche trainer
These smaller facilities tend to focus more on private instruction or small-group training.
Some rent space to experienced coaches who need a place to train their clients. Others hire trainers to work with their members, and then take a portion from each session (usually 30 to 50 percent). Because the price point tends to be higher, your take-home pay will likely exceed what you could make at a big-box gym.
Studios can charge more because they offer a better service in a better environment, and appeal to a more affluent, discerning clientele. You’ll often find hardwood floors, more specialized equipment, and fancier locker rooms. Because your clients will like training there, retention tends to be good.
Not all studios are high-end. Some specialize in niche markets: elite athletes, clinical populations, clients with obesity. In those places, you’ll be expected to develop knowledge specific to the clientele, and to deliver more individualized programs. If it’s a niche you want to focus on, great. If not, you may be better off at a commercial gym that gives you more diverse opportunities.
Education levels among the training staff can vary, from entry-level certifications to graduate degrees and beyond. Just keep in mind that your people skills may ultimately be more valuable than your credentials.
As your clients’ main point of contact, you’ll be expected to represent the brand. Compared with larger facilities, you’ll have higher accountability. But you may, on the flip side, also find more leeway to operate as you see fit.
The drawbacks: Because the advertising budget tends to be smaller, you have to work harder to acquire clients. You won’t have quite as much permission to mess up. And limited space can mean cramped quarters when the place is full.
My advice: Build relationships with everyone you can. Service delivery is paramount when the model is an intimate one. Like Jonathan Goodman says, people buy trainers, not training. That’s especially true here.
Final tip: Try to take advantage of any perks your facility may offer. Many provide in-service seminars and reimburse you for continuing education. You can’t underestimate the value of education.
READ ALSO: These Are the Best Advanced Personal Training Certifications
3. CrossFit-type facility
Best for: the aspiring fitness coach
CrossFit boxes, and those with similar setups and offerings, haven’t always had the best reputation. Critics say the cost of entry is too low and the injury rate too high. Still, the overall education of trainers is improving, and the desire to retain clients has changed the onboarding and training strategies at many of them.
That’s good news for an entry-level personal trainer. Bare-bones, industrial-style training facilities continue to be popular. Their dedicated and enthusiastic clients, including a lot of weekend warriors, make your job easier. Most of them are looking to get their butts kicked, lose some fat, gain some muscle, and earn bragging rights by being able to do things others can’t.
Minimal equipment means more emphasis on creative programming, incorporating lots of body-weight movements.
Perhaps the best aspect: the camaraderie. The group environment emphasizes cooperation and mutual encouragement. It’s a good place to learn to be a great coach.
For those looking to open their own facility one day, it’s also a great model for keeping start-up and operating costs low. It can be quite lucrative if run well.
The drawbacks: You’re getting in long after CrossFit peaked as a cultural phenomenon. While the audience is still substantial, anyone with a basic certification and enough money for a licensing fee can open one up and compete directly for your clients. That’s why these facilities got that reputation I mentioned earlier.
Before taking the job, make sure the place has a solid onboarding program for new coaches to help you start off right. You really don’t want to lead a lot of people in a group workout until you’re sure you know what you’re doing.
My advice: If this is where you start, focus on what you can apply to future work at other types of facilities. How can you streamline your programs to avoid the bottlenecks that would slow you down in a commercial gym? What’s the best workout you can give a client with the least equipment, or in the smallest space?
And really, those points apply to any entry-level job for a personal trainer. You’re going to make mistakes. What matters is what you learn from them, and how you apply those lessons not just to your current job, but to future gigs as well.
Hard work, excellent service, and great relationships with clients are the keys to a great career in personal training, no matter where you start or where you end up.
READ ALSO: What’s the Difference Between a Fitness Coach and a Personal Trainer?
Ready to Start Your Personal Training Career?
Starting your career isn’t complicated. All you need is for someone to pay you to train them.
But how do you get that first client? What do you need to know? Where do you want to work, and how do you get hired?
If your answer to any of those questions is “I don’t know,” you need The Wealthy Fit Pro’s Guide to Starting Your Career, the ultimate launching pad for ambitious personal trainers.
Jonathan Goodman will show you how to …
Land the perfect job for you (pg. 17)
Attract more clients (pg. 95)
Keep more clients (pg. 55)
Get even more clients through a foolproof referral system (pg. 115)
Learn the no-fail secret to motivating clients (pg. 61)
Set yourself apart with programs your clients will brag about (pg. 71)
Master marketing skills that open up new income opportunities (pg. 152)
Become the best trainer you can be (pg. 46)
If you’re just beginning your journey in the fitness industry (or know someone who is), you won’t find a more authoritative or comprehensive resource.
Order this book in paperback today and get the audiobook and ebook 100% free (a $40 value).
It all starts by clicking here: The Wealthy Fit Pro’s Guide to Starting Your Career
The post Where to Work as a Personal Trainer appeared first on The PTDC.
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Sungevity solar leases leave customers with headaches after bankruptcy
One customer found a way to settle through a Federal Trade Commission act
When you terminate a car lease early, your contract will often make you pay the remaining lease amount, an early termination fee, any remaining depreciating costs and more penalties, according to dmv.org. These costs can vary from dealer to dealer, and the DMV encourages leasers to carefully read lease contracts to be sure there are no surprises if they must terminate the lease early.
The same goes for solar leases—but the stakes (and costs) are even higher. Though the contracts can be many pages long, the pain of scouring through them will be far less than that of surprise cancellation horrors. After residential installer Sungevity went bankrupt and distributed its assets to multiple companies, those who had leases through the company flocked to solarpowerworldonline.com to figure out what to do next.
On Solar Power World’s news stories about Sungevity’s bankruptcy and subsequent merger, commenters questioned what to do next about their leases. A commenter named Amber Brown asked, “The real question—do we have to pay the lease still??” Another commenter going by “Veronica in New York” said, “I am worried I purchased a 20 year lease with Sungevity in June 2016 and now they filed for bankruptcy in March 2017. My inverter went down 2 months ago and I can’t get a repair team to come out to get me back on line.”
One unhappy customer contacted us directly to tell us she was in a particularly confusing situation. Jean Kleber’s husband works for the government. While they expected to stay in New Jersey for the life of their 15-year Sungevity lease, he ended up being relocated six years after they signed.
Kleber was aware that government jobs can always come with a hint of uncertainty, so she did her due diligence up front to ask Sungevity what would happen if they did have to move before the lease was up. She said the solar company assured them many times that even if they had to move and sell the home before the lease ended, they’d have no trouble.
“There were plenty of assurances this is not going to be a problem. ‘Worst case-scenario, you can terminate it, no big deal,'” Kleber said.
When they found out her husband was being relocated to Florida for work near the end of 2017, Kleber went through weeks of stress trying to figure out the best way to proceed—whether it be purchasing the panels, trying to get the next buyer to assume the lease or terminating it outright. After being given the run-around by the companies that took over Sungevity’s assets, namely Omnidian, she finally decided to file for arbitration on the basis of violation of the Consumer Leasing Act. She and the company settled at Kleber paying an undisclosed amount to terminate the lease and for Omnidian to leave the panels on the home. She said the company plans to get the next homeowner to pay the company for monitoring.
Kleber’s situation was made more complicated by a bankruptcy, but other solar lessees could have similar issues.
While vehicle leases are usually five-year contracts, solar leases are often for longer than 15 years. Consumers must be sure they’re staying put for a long time before they put pen to paper.
“As a consumer, 20 years feels a little too long to me. There are not that many things in life that you sign for that long,” said Vikram Aggarwal, CEO of consumer-facing solar quote comparison company EnergySage.
People can be attracted to the solar leasing option for a number of reasons. For one, it’s a simple way to save money on electric bills and lower a home’s carbon footprint. Also, the solar company providing the lease will typically handle maintenance, so it’s hassle-free. And consumers don’t have to take out a loan like they would to buy a solar system.
For retirees with no taxable income who can’t benefit from the ITC or other tax incentives, leases may be the only way they can go solar.
“It’s an extremely simple process and it gets them a small savings,” Aggarwal said.
But the downsides shouldn’t be overlooked. Lessees can’t take advantage of the ITC and state-specific solar rebates and incentives because they don’t own the system. And a lot of the money a consumer saves on energy bills will go toward paying the leasing company.
The value of the system seems to be an afterthought in a solar lease, much different from when a consumer is looking to purchase solar. Kleber said she had no idea what the panels on her roof were worth when she started looking more closely at her lease.
“What we see is when consumers are looking at owning the system, they’re very focused on the quality of the equipment that is being installed,” Aggarwal said. “Whereas the leasing company basically downplays the value of the equipment. ”
Kleber ran into this problem when she considered selling the panels with the home, but the appraiser told them the panels only added $1,000 in value to the home. Meanwhile, the solar company told her the array was worth $21,000.
“We didn’t even know the value of them when they put them on our house,” Kleber said. She couldn’t find the value written anywhere in her lease either.
If a lessee does have to move before the lease is over, the options can include buying the system outright, trying to get the new homebuyer to assume the lease, or paying to terminate it and have the panels taken off the roof.
Because equipment value is often not at the forefront in leases, homeowners who buy the panels and own the equipment may find the equipment is not the right quality for their needs.
Unhappy customers like Kleber are bad for the industry. She said she will never consider solar again because of this experience, and discourages friends from trying it too. Solar installers and leasing companies can avoid disgruntled customers by being much more transparent up front. Aggarwal said one solution could be to offer shorter lease options, similar to the structure of solar loans. Another is for solar companies to be conservative in their calculations of how much money the solar lease will actually save the customer based on realistic utility energy inflation rates.
An industry-wide standardized leasing contract could also help clear up the murkiness of solar leases. SEIA released a template that would do just that, if many companies chose to adopt it.
Despite the murky areas in solar leasing, Aggarwal said leases do have an important role to play in the industry.
“We are hoping that there is some more innovation in this space where leases are made more flexible, have different terms, different options for the customer, let the customer select their equipment, really help them make the right decision,” Aggarwal said.
Those who are struggling with Sungevity leases are encouraged to look into the Consumer Leasing Act, a ruling by the Federal Trade Commission. If you’re a homeowner considering solar, you can visit solarunitedneighbors.org for assistance. The nonprofit calls itself “the only organization in the country dedicated to representing the needs and interests of solar owners and supporters.”
Solar Power World
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7 B2B Brands Using Instagram the Way You’re Supposed To
Instagram is a fantastic platform for B2B marketers. It provides a space for making new connections in almost any industry, at almost any stage in their development. With more than 600 million users, it’s a gold mine for connecting with your current and potential customers.
Over half of millennials are active users on Instagram. You might be thinking, “Why do I want to target millennials?” Well, what if I told you that 40 percent of the workforce in most average companies is made up of millennials? In fact, it’s estimated that in 10 years, more than 70 percent of the workforce will be millennials. You need to be marketing to this demographic, which means you need to consider marketing on Instagram as a great opportunity to build your brand and generate leads.
It’s time for marketers to walk away from the stereotypes about millennials and acknowledge they’ve innovated across multiple industries and now play a major part in the economy. And Instagram is one of the best ways to reach this group of business executives and entrepreneurs.
In this guide, we’ve rounded up several examples of B2B brands leveraging Instagram to get closer to customers and drive real results. You’ll notice that none of these brands use shady, behind-the-scenes tactics like buying and selling followers. We’re talking about real brands reaching real people with unique and interesting content. Here are seven examples of B2B brands doing Instagram marketing the right way.
1. MailChimp Finds Opportunities for Inspired, Whimsical Design
Whimsical content shows the playful side of your business and represents a laid-back yet intelligent corporate culture. Content that embraces good design and takes a different angle with a popular trend will captivate your audience. A fun, whimsical graphic might be the thing that pushes a new follower to learn more about your business.
This post from MailChimp’s Instagram account leverages a timely hashtag (#NationalHotdogDay) and brand name to show MailChimp’s quirky side:
At the end of the day, people turn to Instagram to be visually surprised and inspired, often scrolling through their feed mindlessly until something catches their eye. Artistic content is appreciated and gives value to your customers without hiding the fact that the content is marketing-focused.
2. Hubspot Provides Value through Rich Content
HubSpot consistently provides value to its followers on Instagram by posting informational content. This video from July 2017 gives an overview of five different ways a company can promote great work-life balance:
This post functions essentially as a mini blog post, giving five key points about a central idea in a way that’s easily digested. The suggestions include remote work options, generous parental leave, and paid time off. Noticeably absent: Blatant marketing for HubSpot!
HubSpot doesn’t try to use this as an opportunity to plug their own product. It’s all about adding value! The post communicates company values and establishes trust between HubSpot and their customers by offering information without asking for anything in return.
3. Hootsuite Shows Off the Folks Making the Sale
Instagram provides a great opportunity to show off your company’s corporate culture and give your audience a chance to connect with your people. At the end of the day, B2B is really just people selling to people on behalf of organizations and brands. In many industries, B2B sales stills happen on a one-to-one basis, and it’s a brand’s sales rep or account manager who actually closes a deal.
Hootsuite often posts images of its employees having fun together at the office, playing ping-pong, volunteering, or bonding over a meal. Just as a hiring manager is likely to check out a potential employee’s social media presence, potential customers are likely to browse the brand’s social media to see what its employees are all about as well. First impressions mean a lot, and an Instagram post that showcases your people and culture could make the difference between a warm first interaction or a call that is as cold as ice.
4. IBM Stays Relevant with Reactive Storytelling
Reactive storytelling means combining a top-of-mind story or idea with a compelling marketing message that your audience finds interesting.
IBM uses reactive storytelling during popular events to share how these events are leveraging the company’s technology. Did you know that the US Open Tennis Championships collects data using IBM technology? Neither did I—until I saw this post a few days ago on IBM’s account.
This picture is effective because it uses an interesting perspective—a spectator in the stands viewing live data on their phone—and because the US Open was top-of-mind for so many at the time. People who were following the #USOpen hashtag were likely to come across this post and form an association between the event and the IBM brand.
5. General Electric Keeps Its Brand Interesting to a Wide Audience
There are no boring industries—just boring marketers who are not passionate about their company or engaged with their customers.
A great example of a brand that embraces their history—sexy or otherwise—is General Electric. GE is over a century old and has a history of involvement in some of the most important developments in defense, aviation, and technology, to name a few.
Many people don’t know exactly what GE does, even though they recognize the name, and that is where storytelling becomes important. People respond to nostalgia. Dr. Seuss is a classic figure from many people’s childhoods, and it is interesting and surprising that he made advertisements for GE before writing children’s stories.
As I wrote in the article “How to Create Great Content For A Boring Industry,” your product doesn’t have to be cool, but your story does. If your product is highly technical or you operate in a niche industry, it might be tempting to solely focus on features, but don’t let that discourage you from identifying and amplifying things that make your brand’s story unique.
There are no boring industries—just boring marketers. Click To Tweet 6. IBM Takes Advantage of Its Company History
IBM and General Electric have a long, storied history in the technology industry. Instagram provides a golden opportunity to share some of this history with potential customers who might not have known about your company’s rich history. In B2B sales, there’s credibility at play when it comes to organizations and companies that have stood the test of time.
There’s a common saying in boardrooms: “No one has ever gotten fired for buying IBM.” That saying holds weight across many different industries if you’re a brand that has history. People want to work with companies that have years of experience delivering solutions. People want to work with solutions that have helped organizations like theirs. People want to ensure that when they sign a contract with you, they’re not going to lose their job.
Take this photo from IBM as an example of IBM flexing its history muscle:
This humblebrag throwback highlights a major achievement while building credibility. The fact that IBM is able to highlight its role in establishing the entire PC industry, which changed how people interact with technology forever and made computers accessible to the general public, is huge. Instagram is the perfect platform for sharing these kinds of stories if you’ve got some old photos in the archives or vintage ads. If you have any old content in your archives, dust it off and use it to show your audience how rich your history is.
7. Shopify Keeps Its Content Design Consistent
B2B brands should monitor the consistency of their posts, including how each post looks alongside others to users who visit branded social profiles.
A great example of content consistency comes from Shopify, which recently posted a series of videos from its #buildabiz campaign, showcasing the stories of some of the company’s most successful entrepreneurs.
Shopify’s Build a Business campaign is now in its seventh session and has become the world’s largest competition for entrepreneurs. Every video from the campaign starts with text overlaid on a black-and-white still photo of one or more people. This design consistency makes for a striking and cohesive story when users visit Shopify’s profile.
Instagram content with faces receives 38 percent more likes. Using faces is an easy strategy that any business can adopt because even if the product you are selling is software, there are people using your product to do great things in their own business. Shopify’s design strategy unifies these stories in a way that makes good design and business sense.
Putting It All Together
The most successful B2B brands on Instagram recognize that the channels being ignored are the channels where opportunities lie. Instagram, while growing quickly, is often still a channel that B2B brands are overlooking as an opportunity to drive results.
Take some of these insights and use them for inspiration to try Instagram for your brand, or maybe try something entirely different. The key here is to recognize that the most innovative brands aren’t those that go with the flow—they’re the ones that take a shovel and create their own stream.
What have you found to be a successful way of finding success on Instagram? Share your thoughts in the comments and help the entire community better understand the value of this channel.
http://ift.tt/2wHSqiS
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7 B2B Brands Using Instagram the Way You’re Supposed To
Instagram is a fantastic platform for B2B marketers. It provides a space for making new connections in almost any industry, at almost any stage in their development. With more than 600 million users, it’s a gold mine for connecting with your current and potential customers.
Over half of millennials are active users on Instagram. You might be thinking, “Why do I want to target millennials?” Well, what if I told you that 40 percent of the workforce in most average companies is made up of millennials? In fact, it’s estimated that in 10 years, more than 70 percent of the workforce will be millennials. You need to be marketing to this demographic, which means you need to consider marketing on Instagram as a great opportunity to build your brand and generate leads.
It’s time for marketers to walk away from the stereotypes about millennials and acknowledge they’ve innovated across multiple industries and now play a major part in the economy. And Instagram is one of the best ways to reach this group of business executives and entrepreneurs.
In this guide, we’ve rounded up several examples of B2B brands leveraging Instagram to get closer to customers and drive real results. You’ll notice that none of these brands use shady, behind-the-scenes tactics like buying and selling followers. We’re talking about real brands reaching real people with unique and interesting content. Here are seven examples of B2B brands doing Instagram marketing the right way.
1. MailChimp Finds Opportunities for Inspired, Whimsical Design
Whimsical content shows the playful side of your business and represents a laid-back yet intelligent corporate culture. Content that embraces good design and takes a different angle with a popular trend will captivate your audience. A fun, whimsical graphic might be the thing that pushes a new follower to learn more about your business.
This post from MailChimp’s Instagram account leverages a timely hashtag (#NationalHotdogDay) and brand name to show MailChimp’s quirky side:
At the end of the day, people turn to Instagram to be visually surprised and inspired, often scrolling through their feed mindlessly until something catches their eye. Artistic content is appreciated and gives value to your customers without hiding the fact that the content is marketing-focused.
2. Hubspot Provides Value through Rich Content
HubSpot consistently provides value to its followers on Instagram by posting informational content. This video from July 2017 gives an overview of five different ways a company can promote great work-life balance:
This post functions essentially as a mini blog post, giving five key points about a central idea in a way that’s easily digested. The suggestions include remote work options, generous parental leave, and paid time off. Noticeably absent: Blatant marketing for HubSpot!
HubSpot doesn’t try to use this as an opportunity to plug their own product. It’s all about adding value! The post communicates company values and establishes trust between HubSpot and their customers by offering information without asking for anything in return.
3. Hootsuite Shows Off the Folks Making the Sale
Instagram provides a great opportunity to show off your company’s corporate culture and give your audience a chance to connect with your people. At the end of the day, B2B is really just people selling to people on behalf of organizations and brands. In many industries, B2B sales stills happen on a one-to-one basis, and it’s a brand’s sales rep or account manager who actually closes a deal.
Hootsuite often posts images of its employees having fun together at the office, playing ping-pong, volunteering, or bonding over a meal. Just as a hiring manager is likely to check out a potential employee’s social media presence, potential customers are likely to browse the brand’s social media to see what its employees are all about as well. First impressions mean a lot, and an Instagram post that showcases your people and culture could make the difference between a warm first interaction or a call that is as cold as ice.
4. IBM Stays Relevant with Reactive Storytelling
Reactive storytelling means combining a top-of-mind story or idea with a compelling marketing message that your audience finds interesting.
IBM uses reactive storytelling during popular events to share how these events are leveraging the company’s technology. Did you know that the US Open Tennis Championships collects data using IBM technology? Neither did I—until I saw this post a few days ago on IBM’s account.
This picture is effective because it uses an interesting perspective—a spectator in the stands viewing live data on their phone—and because the US Open was top-of-mind for so many at the time. People who were following the #USOpen hashtag were likely to come across this post and form an association between the event and the IBM brand.
5. General Electric Keeps Its Brand Interesting to a Wide Audience
There are no boring industries—just boring marketers who are not passionate about their company or engaged with their customers.
A great example of a brand that embraces their history—sexy or otherwise—is General Electric. GE is over a century old and has a history of involvement in some of the most important developments in defense, aviation, and technology, to name a few.
Many people don’t know exactly what GE does, even though they recognize the name, and that is where storytelling becomes important. People respond to nostalgia. Dr. Seuss is a classic figure from many people’s childhoods, and it is interesting and surprising that he made advertisements for GE before writing children’s stories.
As I wrote in the article “How to Create Great Content For A Boring Industry,” your product doesn’t have to be cool, but your story does. If your product is highly technical or you operate in a niche industry, it might be tempting to solely focus on features, but don’t let that discourage you from identifying and amplifying things that make your brand’s story unique.
There are no boring industries—just boring marketers. Click To Tweet 6. IBM Takes Advantage of Its Company History
IBM and General Electric have a long, storied history in the technology industry. Instagram provides a golden opportunity to share some of this history with potential customers who might not have known about your company’s rich history. In B2B sales, there’s credibility at play when it comes to organizations and companies that have stood the test of time.
There’s a common saying in boardrooms: “No one has ever gotten fired for buying IBM.” That saying holds weight across many different industries if you’re a brand that has history. People want to work with companies that have years of experience delivering solutions. People want to work with solutions that have helped organizations like theirs. People want to ensure that when they sign a contract with you, they’re not going to lose their job.
Take this photo from IBM as an example of IBM flexing its history muscle:
This humblebrag throwback highlights a major achievement while building credibility. The fact that IBM is able to highlight its role in establishing the entire PC industry, which changed how people interact with technology forever and made computers accessible to the general public, is huge. Instagram is the perfect platform for sharing these kinds of stories if you’ve got some old photos in the archives or vintage ads. If you have any old content in your archives, dust it off and use it to show your audience how rich your history is.
7. Shopify Keeps Its Content Design Consistent
B2B brands should monitor the consistency of their posts, including how each post looks alongside others to users who visit branded social profiles.
A great example of content consistency comes from Shopify, which recently posted a series of videos from its #buildabiz campaign, showcasing the stories of some of the company’s most successful entrepreneurs.
Shopify’s Build a Business campaign is now in its seventh session and has become the world’s largest competition for entrepreneurs. Every video from the campaign starts with text overlaid on a black-and-white still photo of one or more people. This design consistency makes for a striking and cohesive story when users visit Shopify’s profile.
Instagram content with faces receives 38 percent more likes. Using faces is an easy strategy that any business can adopt because even if the product you are selling is software, there are people using your product to do great things in their own business. Shopify’s design strategy unifies these stories in a way that makes good design and business sense.
Putting It All Together
The most successful B2B brands on Instagram recognize that the channels being ignored are the channels where opportunities lie. Instagram, while growing quickly, is often still a channel that B2B brands are overlooking as an opportunity to drive results.
Take some of these insights and use them for inspiration to try Instagram for your brand, or maybe try something entirely different. The key here is to recognize that the most innovative brands aren’t those that go with the flow—they’re the ones that take a shovel and create their own stream.
What have you found to be a successful way of finding success on Instagram? Share your thoughts in the comments and help the entire community better understand the value of this channel.
http://ift.tt/2wHSqiS
0 notes
Text
7 B2B Brands Using Instagram the Way You’re Supposed To
Instagram is a fantastic platform for B2B marketers. It provides a space for making new connections in almost any industry, at almost any stage in their development. With more than 600 million users, it’s a gold mine for connecting with your current and potential customers.
Over half of millennials are active users on Instagram. You might be thinking, “Why do I want to target millennials?” Well, what if I told you that 40 percent of the workforce in most average companies is made up of millennials? In fact, it’s estimated that in 10 years, more than 70 percent of the workforce will be millennials. You need to be marketing to this demographic, which means you need to consider marketing on Instagram as a great opportunity to build your brand and generate leads.
It’s time for marketers to walk away from the stereotypes about millennials and acknowledge they’ve innovated across multiple industries and now play a major part in the economy. And Instagram is one of the best ways to reach this group of business executives and entrepreneurs.
In this guide, we’ve rounded up several examples of B2B brands leveraging Instagram to get closer to customers and drive real results. You’ll notice that none of these brands use shady, behind-the-scenes tactics like buying and selling followers. We’re talking about real brands reaching real people with unique and interesting content. Here are seven examples of B2B brands doing Instagram marketing the right way.
1. MailChimp Finds Opportunities for Inspired, Whimsical Design
Whimsical content shows the playful side of your business and represents a laid-back yet intelligent corporate culture. Content that embraces good design and takes a different angle with a popular trend will captivate your audience. A fun, whimsical graphic might be the thing that pushes a new follower to learn more about your business.
This post from MailChimp’s Instagram account leverages a timely hashtag (#NationalHotdogDay) and brand name to show MailChimp’s quirky side:
At the end of the day, people turn to Instagram to be visually surprised and inspired, often scrolling through their feed mindlessly until something catches their eye. Artistic content is appreciated and gives value to your customers without hiding the fact that the content is marketing-focused.
2. Hubspot Provides Value through Rich Content
HubSpot consistently provides value to its followers on Instagram by posting informational content. This video from July 2017 gives an overview of five different ways a company can promote great work-life balance:
This post functions essentially as a mini blog post, giving five key points about a central idea in a way that’s easily digested. The suggestions include remote work options, generous parental leave, and paid time off. Noticeably absent: Blatant marketing for HubSpot!
HubSpot doesn’t try to use this as an opportunity to plug their own product. It’s all about adding value! The post communicates company values and establishes trust between HubSpot and their customers by offering information without asking for anything in return.
3. Hootsuite Shows Off the Folks Making the Sale
Instagram provides a great opportunity to show off your company’s corporate culture and give your audience a chance to connect with your people. At the end of the day, B2B is really just people selling to people on behalf of organizations and brands. In many industries, B2B sales stills happen on a one-to-one basis, and it’s a brand’s sales rep or account manager who actually closes a deal.
Hootsuite often posts images of its employees having fun together at the office, playing ping-pong, volunteering, or bonding over a meal. Just as a hiring manager is likely to check out a potential employee’s social media presence, potential customers are likely to browse the brand’s social media to see what its employees are all about as well. First impressions mean a lot, and an Instagram post that showcases your people and culture could make the difference between a warm first interaction or a call that is as cold as ice.
4. IBM Stays Relevant with Reactive Storytelling
Reactive storytelling means combining a top-of-mind story or idea with a compelling marketing message that your audience finds interesting.
IBM uses reactive storytelling during popular events to share how these events are leveraging the company’s technology. Did you know that the US Open Tennis Championships collects data using IBM technology? Neither did I—until I saw this post a few days ago on IBM’s account.
This picture is effective because it uses an interesting perspective—a spectator in the stands viewing live data on their phone—and because the US Open was top-of-mind for so many at the time. People who were following the #USOpen hashtag were likely to come across this post and form an association between the event and the IBM brand.
5. General Electric Keeps Its Brand Interesting to a Wide Audience
There are no boring industries—just boring marketers who are not passionate about their company or engaged with their customers.
A great example of a brand that embraces their history—sexy or otherwise—is General Electric. GE is over a century old and has a history of involvement in some of the most important developments in defense, aviation, and technology, to name a few.
Many people don’t know exactly what GE does, even though they recognize the name, and that is where storytelling becomes important. People respond to nostalgia. Dr. Seuss is a classic figure from many people’s childhoods, and it is interesting and surprising that he made advertisements for GE before writing children’s stories.
As I wrote in the article “How to Create Great Content For A Boring Industry,” your product doesn’t have to be cool, but your story does. If your product is highly technical or you operate in a niche industry, it might be tempting to solely focus on features, but don’t let that discourage you from identifying and amplifying things that make your brand’s story unique.
There are no boring industries—just boring marketers. Click To Tweet 6. IBM Takes Advantage of Its Company History
IBM and General Electric have a long, storied history in the technology industry. Instagram provides a golden opportunity to share some of this history with potential customers who might not have known about your company’s rich history. In B2B sales, there’s credibility at play when it comes to organizations and companies that have stood the test of time.
There’s a common saying in boardrooms: “No one has ever gotten fired for buying IBM.” That saying holds weight across many different industries if you’re a brand that has history. People want to work with companies that have years of experience delivering solutions. People want to work with solutions that have helped organizations like theirs. People want to ensure that when they sign a contract with you, they’re not going to lose their job.
Take this photo from IBM as an example of IBM flexing its history muscle:
This humblebrag throwback highlights a major achievement while building credibility. The fact that IBM is able to highlight its role in establishing the entire PC industry, which changed how people interact with technology forever and made computers accessible to the general public, is huge. Instagram is the perfect platform for sharing these kinds of stories if you’ve got some old photos in the archives or vintage ads. If you have any old content in your archives, dust it off and use it to show your audience how rich your history is.
7. Shopify Keeps Its Content Design Consistent
B2B brands should monitor the consistency of their posts, including how each post looks alongside others to users who visit branded social profiles.
A great example of content consistency comes from Shopify, which recently posted a series of videos from its #buildabiz campaign, showcasing the stories of some of the company’s most successful entrepreneurs.
Shopify’s Build a Business campaign is now in its seventh session and has become the world’s largest competition for entrepreneurs. Every video from the campaign starts with text overlaid on a black-and-white still photo of one or more people. This design consistency makes for a striking and cohesive story when users visit Shopify’s profile.
Instagram content with faces receives 38 percent more likes. Using faces is an easy strategy that any business can adopt because even if the product you are selling is software, there are people using your product to do great things in their own business. Shopify’s design strategy unifies these stories in a way that makes good design and business sense.
Putting It All Together
The most successful B2B brands on Instagram recognize that the channels being ignored are the channels where opportunities lie. Instagram, while growing quickly, is often still a channel that B2B brands are overlooking as an opportunity to drive results.
Take some of these insights and use them for inspiration to try Instagram for your brand, or maybe try something entirely different. The key here is to recognize that the most innovative brands aren’t those that go with the flow—they’re the ones that take a shovel and create their own stream.
What have you found to be a successful way of finding success on Instagram? Share your thoughts in the comments and help the entire community better understand the value of this channel.
http://ift.tt/2wHSqiS
0 notes
Text
7 B2B Brands Using Instagram the Way You’re Supposed To
Instagram is a fantastic platform for B2B marketers. It provides a space for making new connections in almost any industry, at almost any stage in their development. With more than 600 million users, it’s a gold mine for connecting with your current and potential customers.
Over half of millennials are active users on Instagram. You might be thinking, “Why do I want to target millennials?” Well, what if I told you that 40 percent of the workforce in most average companies is made up of millennials? In fact, it’s estimated that in 10 years, more than 70 percent of the workforce will be millennials. You need to be marketing to this demographic, which means you need to consider marketing on Instagram as a great opportunity to build your brand and generate leads.
It’s time for marketers to walk away from the stereotypes about millennials and acknowledge they’ve innovated across multiple industries and now play a major part in the economy. And Instagram is one of the best ways to reach this group of business executives and entrepreneurs.
In this guide, we’ve rounded up several examples of B2B brands leveraging Instagram to get closer to customers and drive real results. You’ll notice that none of these brands use shady, behind-the-scenes tactics like buying and selling followers. We’re talking about real brands reaching real people with unique and interesting content. Here are seven examples of B2B brands doing Instagram marketing the right way.
1. MailChimp Finds Opportunities for Inspired, Whimsical Design
Whimsical content shows the playful side of your business and represents a laid-back yet intelligent corporate culture. Content that embraces good design and takes a different angle with a popular trend will captivate your audience. A fun, whimsical graphic might be the thing that pushes a new follower to learn more about your business.
This post from MailChimp’s Instagram account leverages a timely hashtag (#NationalHotdogDay) and brand name to show MailChimp’s quirky side:
At the end of the day, people turn to Instagram to be visually surprised and inspired, often scrolling through their feed mindlessly until something catches their eye. Artistic content is appreciated and gives value to your customers without hiding the fact that the content is marketing-focused.
2. Hubspot Provides Value through Rich Content
HubSpot consistently provides value to its followers on Instagram by posting informational content. This video from July 2017 gives an overview of five different ways a company can promote great work-life balance:
This post functions essentially as a mini blog post, giving five key points about a central idea in a way that’s easily digested. The suggestions include remote work options, generous parental leave, and paid time off. Noticeably absent: Blatant marketing for HubSpot!
HubSpot doesn’t try to use this as an opportunity to plug their own product. It’s all about adding value! The post communicates company values and establishes trust between HubSpot and their customers by offering information without asking for anything in return.
3. Hootsuite Shows Off the Folks Making the Sale
Instagram provides a great opportunity to show off your company’s corporate culture and give your audience a chance to connect with your people. At the end of the day, B2B is really just people selling to people on behalf of organizations and brands. In many industries, B2B sales stills happen on a one-to-one basis, and it’s a brand’s sales rep or account manager who actually closes a deal.
Hootsuite often posts images of its employees having fun together at the office, playing ping-pong, volunteering, or bonding over a meal. Just as a hiring manager is likely to check out a potential employee’s social media presence, potential customers are likely to browse the brand’s social media to see what its employees are all about as well. First impressions mean a lot, and an Instagram post that showcases your people and culture could make the difference between a warm first interaction or a call that is as cold as ice.
4. IBM Stays Relevant with Reactive Storytelling
Reactive storytelling means combining a top-of-mind story or idea with a compelling marketing message that your audience finds interesting.
IBM uses reactive storytelling during popular events to share how these events are leveraging the company’s technology. Did you know that the US Open Tennis Championships collects data using IBM technology? Neither did I—until I saw this post a few days ago on IBM’s account.
This picture is effective because it uses an interesting perspective—a spectator in the stands viewing live data on their phone—and because the US Open was top-of-mind for so many at the time. People who were following the #USOpen hashtag were likely to come across this post and form an association between the event and the IBM brand.
5. General Electric Keeps Its Brand Interesting to a Wide Audience
There are no boring industries—just boring marketers who are not passionate about their company or engaged with their customers.
A great example of a brand that embraces their history—sexy or otherwise—is General Electric. GE is over a century old and has a history of involvement in some of the most important developments in defense, aviation, and technology, to name a few.
Many people don’t know exactly what GE does, even though they recognize the name, and that is where storytelling becomes important. People respond to nostalgia. Dr. Seuss is a classic figure from many people’s childhoods, and it is interesting and surprising that he made advertisements for GE before writing children’s stories.
As I wrote in the article “How to Create Great Content For A Boring Industry,” your product doesn’t have to be cool, but your story does. If your product is highly technical or you operate in a niche industry, it might be tempting to solely focus on features, but don’t let that discourage you from identifying and amplifying things that make your brand’s story unique.
There are no boring industries—just boring marketers. Click To Tweet 6. IBM Takes Advantage of Its Company History
IBM and General Electric have a long, storied history in the technology industry. Instagram provides a golden opportunity to share some of this history with potential customers who might not have known about your company’s rich history. In B2B sales, there’s credibility at play when it comes to organizations and companies that have stood the test of time.
There’s a common saying in boardrooms: “No one has ever gotten fired for buying IBM.” That saying holds weight across many different industries if you’re a brand that has history. People want to work with companies that have years of experience delivering solutions. People want to work with solutions that have helped organizations like theirs. People want to ensure that when they sign a contract with you, they’re not going to lose their job.
Take this photo from IBM as an example of IBM flexing its history muscle:
This humblebrag throwback highlights a major achievement while building credibility. The fact that IBM is able to highlight its role in establishing the entire PC industry, which changed how people interact with technology forever and made computers accessible to the general public, is huge. Instagram is the perfect platform for sharing these kinds of stories if you’ve got some old photos in the archives or vintage ads. If you have any old content in your archives, dust it off and use it to show your audience how rich your history is.
7. Shopify Keeps Its Content Design Consistent
B2B brands should monitor the consistency of their posts, including how each post looks alongside others to users who visit branded social profiles.
A great example of content consistency comes from Shopify, which recently posted a series of videos from its #buildabiz campaign, showcasing the stories of some of the company’s most successful entrepreneurs.
Shopify’s Build a Business campaign is now in its seventh session and has become the world’s largest competition for entrepreneurs. Every video from the campaign starts with text overlaid on a black-and-white still photo of one or more people. This design consistency makes for a striking and cohesive story when users visit Shopify’s profile.
Instagram content with faces receives 38 percent more likes. Using faces is an easy strategy that any business can adopt because even if the product you are selling is software, there are people using your product to do great things in their own business. Shopify’s design strategy unifies these stories in a way that makes good design and business sense.
Putting It All Together
The most successful B2B brands on Instagram recognize that the channels being ignored are the channels where opportunities lie. Instagram, while growing quickly, is often still a channel that B2B brands are overlooking as an opportunity to drive results.
Take some of these insights and use them for inspiration to try Instagram for your brand, or maybe try something entirely different. The key here is to recognize that the most innovative brands aren’t those that go with the flow—they’re the ones that take a shovel and create their own stream.
What have you found to be a successful way of finding success on Instagram? Share your thoughts in the comments and help the entire community better understand the value of this channel.
http://ift.tt/2wHSqiS
0 notes
Text
7 B2B Brands Using Instagram the Way You’re Supposed To
Instagram is a fantastic platform for B2B marketers. It provides a space for making new connections in almost any industry, at almost any stage in their development. With more than 600 million users, it’s a gold mine for connecting with your current and potential customers.
Over half of millennials are active users on Instagram. You might be thinking, “Why do I want to target millennials?” Well, what if I told you that 40 percent of the workforce in most average companies is made up of millennials? In fact, it’s estimated that in 10 years, more than 70 percent of the workforce will be millennials. You need to be marketing to this demographic, which means you need to consider marketing on Instagram as a great opportunity to build your brand and generate leads.
It’s time for marketers to walk away from the stereotypes about millennials and acknowledge they’ve innovated across multiple industries and now play a major part in the economy. And Instagram is one of the best ways to reach this group of business executives and entrepreneurs.
In this guide, we’ve rounded up several examples of B2B brands leveraging Instagram to get closer to customers and drive real results. You’ll notice that none of these brands use shady, behind-the-scenes tactics like buying and selling followers. We’re talking about real brands reaching real people with unique and interesting content. Here are seven examples of B2B brands doing Instagram marketing the right way.
1. MailChimp Finds Opportunities for Inspired, Whimsical Design
Whimsical content shows the playful side of your business and represents a laid-back yet intelligent corporate culture. Content that embraces good design and takes a different angle with a popular trend will captivate your audience. A fun, whimsical graphic might be the thing that pushes a new follower to learn more about your business.
This post from MailChimp’s Instagram account leverages a timely hashtag (#NationalHotdogDay) and brand name to show MailChimp’s quirky side:
At the end of the day, people turn to Instagram to be visually surprised and inspired, often scrolling through their feed mindlessly until something catches their eye. Artistic content is appreciated and gives value to your customers without hiding the fact that the content is marketing-focused.
2. Hubspot Provides Value through Rich Content
HubSpot consistently provides value to its followers on Instagram by posting informational content. This video from July 2017 gives an overview of five different ways a company can promote great work-life balance:
This post functions essentially as a mini blog post, giving five key points about a central idea in a way that’s easily digested. The suggestions include remote work options, generous parental leave, and paid time off. Noticeably absent: Blatant marketing for HubSpot!
HubSpot doesn’t try to use this as an opportunity to plug their own product. It’s all about adding value! The post communicates company values and establishes trust between HubSpot and their customers by offering information without asking for anything in return.
3. Hootsuite Shows Off the Folks Making the Sale
Instagram provides a great opportunity to show off your company’s corporate culture and give your audience a chance to connect with your people. At the end of the day, B2B is really just people selling to people on behalf of organizations and brands. In many industries, B2B sales stills happen on a one-to-one basis, and it’s a brand’s sales rep or account manager who actually closes a deal.
Hootsuite often posts images of its employees having fun together at the office, playing ping-pong, volunteering, or bonding over a meal. Just as a hiring manager is likely to check out a potential employee’s social media presence, potential customers are likely to browse the brand’s social media to see what its employees are all about as well. First impressions mean a lot, and an Instagram post that showcases your people and culture could make the difference between a warm first interaction or a call that is as cold as ice.
4. IBM Stays Relevant with Reactive Storytelling
Reactive storytelling means combining a top-of-mind story or idea with a compelling marketing message that your audience finds interesting.
IBM uses reactive storytelling during popular events to share how these events are leveraging the company’s technology. Did you know that the US Open Tennis Championships collects data using IBM technology? Neither did I—until I saw this post a few days ago on IBM’s account.
This picture is effective because it uses an interesting perspective—a spectator in the stands viewing live data on their phone—and because the US Open was top-of-mind for so many at the time. People who were following the #USOpen hashtag were likely to come across this post and form an association between the event and the IBM brand.
5. General Electric Keeps Its Brand Interesting to a Wide Audience
There are no boring industries—just boring marketers who are not passionate about their company or engaged with their customers.
A great example of a brand that embraces their history—sexy or otherwise—is General Electric. GE is over a century old and has a history of involvement in some of the most important developments in defense, aviation, and technology, to name a few.
Many people don’t know exactly what GE does, even though they recognize the name, and that is where storytelling becomes important. People respond to nostalgia. Dr. Seuss is a classic figure from many people’s childhoods, and it is interesting and surprising that he made advertisements for GE before writing children’s stories.
As I wrote in the article “How to Create Great Content For A Boring Industry,” your product doesn’t have to be cool, but your story does. If your product is highly technical or you operate in a niche industry, it might be tempting to solely focus on features, but don’t let that discourage you from identifying and amplifying things that make your brand’s story unique.
There are no boring industries—just boring marketers. Click To Tweet 6. IBM Takes Advantage of Its Company History
IBM and General Electric have a long, storied history in the technology industry. Instagram provides a golden opportunity to share some of this history with potential customers who might not have known about your company’s rich history. In B2B sales, there’s credibility at play when it comes to organizations and companies that have stood the test of time.
There’s a common saying in boardrooms: “No one has ever gotten fired for buying IBM.” That saying holds weight across many different industries if you’re a brand that has history. People want to work with companies that have years of experience delivering solutions. People want to work with solutions that have helped organizations like theirs. People want to ensure that when they sign a contract with you, they’re not going to lose their job.
Take this photo from IBM as an example of IBM flexing its history muscle:
This humblebrag throwback highlights a major achievement while building credibility. The fact that IBM is able to highlight its role in establishing the entire PC industry, which changed how people interact with technology forever and made computers accessible to the general public, is huge. Instagram is the perfect platform for sharing these kinds of stories if you’ve got some old photos in the archives or vintage ads. If you have any old content in your archives, dust it off and use it to show your audience how rich your history is.
7. Shopify Keeps Its Content Design Consistent
B2B brands should monitor the consistency of their posts, including how each post looks alongside others to users who visit branded social profiles.
A great example of content consistency comes from Shopify, which recently posted a series of videos from its #buildabiz campaign, showcasing the stories of some of the company’s most successful entrepreneurs.
Shopify’s Build a Business campaign is now in its seventh session and has become the world’s largest competition for entrepreneurs. Every video from the campaign starts with text overlaid on a black-and-white still photo of one or more people. This design consistency makes for a striking and cohesive story when users visit Shopify’s profile.
Instagram content with faces receives 38 percent more likes. Using faces is an easy strategy that any business can adopt because even if the product you are selling is software, there are people using your product to do great things in their own business. Shopify’s design strategy unifies these stories in a way that makes good design and business sense.
Putting It All Together
The most successful B2B brands on Instagram recognize that the channels being ignored are the channels where opportunities lie. Instagram, while growing quickly, is often still a channel that B2B brands are overlooking as an opportunity to drive results.
Take some of these insights and use them for inspiration to try Instagram for your brand, or maybe try something entirely different. The key here is to recognize that the most innovative brands aren’t those that go with the flow—they’re the ones that take a shovel and create their own stream.
What have you found to be a successful way of finding success on Instagram? Share your thoughts in the comments and help the entire community better understand the value of this channel.
http://ift.tt/2wHSqiS
0 notes
Text
7 B2B Brands Using Instagram the Way You’re Supposed To
Instagram is a fantastic platform for B2B marketers. It provides a space for making new connections in almost any industry, at almost any stage in their development. With more than 600 million users, it’s a gold mine for connecting with your current and potential customers.
Over half of millennials are active users on Instagram. You might be thinking, “Why do I want to target millennials?” Well, what if I told you that 40 percent of the workforce in most average companies is made up of millennials? In fact, it’s estimated that in 10 years, more than 70 percent of the workforce will be millennials. You need to be marketing to this demographic, which means you need to consider marketing on Instagram as a great opportunity to build your brand and generate leads.
It’s time for marketers to walk away from the stereotypes about millennials and acknowledge they’ve innovated across multiple industries and now play a major part in the economy. And Instagram is one of the best ways to reach this group of business executives and entrepreneurs.
In this guide, we’ve rounded up several examples of B2B brands leveraging Instagram to get closer to customers and drive real results. You’ll notice that none of these brands use shady, behind-the-scenes tactics like buying and selling followers. We’re talking about real brands reaching real people with unique and interesting content. Here are seven examples of B2B brands doing Instagram marketing the right way.
1. MailChimp Finds Opportunities for Inspired, Whimsical Design
Whimsical content shows the playful side of your business and represents a laid-back yet intelligent corporate culture. Content that embraces good design and takes a different angle with a popular trend will captivate your audience. A fun, whimsical graphic might be the thing that pushes a new follower to learn more about your business.
This post from MailChimp’s Instagram account leverages a timely hashtag (#NationalHotdogDay) and brand name to show MailChimp’s quirky side:
At the end of the day, people turn to Instagram to be visually surprised and inspired, often scrolling through their feed mindlessly until something catches their eye. Artistic content is appreciated and gives value to your customers without hiding the fact that the content is marketing-focused.
2. Hubspot Provides Value through Rich Content
HubSpot consistently provides value to its followers on Instagram by posting informational content. This video from July 2017 gives an overview of five different ways a company can promote great work-life balance:
This post functions essentially as a mini blog post, giving five key points about a central idea in a way that’s easily digested. The suggestions include remote work options, generous parental leave, and paid time off. Noticeably absent: Blatant marketing for HubSpot!
HubSpot doesn’t try to use this as an opportunity to plug their own product. It’s all about adding value! The post communicates company values and establishes trust between HubSpot and their customers by offering information without asking for anything in return.
3. Hootsuite Shows Off the Folks Making the Sale
Instagram provides a great opportunity to show off your company’s corporate culture and give your audience a chance to connect with your people. At the end of the day, B2B is really just people selling to people on behalf of organizations and brands. In many industries, B2B sales stills happen on a one-to-one basis, and it’s a brand’s sales rep or account manager who actually closes a deal.
Hootsuite often posts images of its employees having fun together at the office, playing ping-pong, volunteering, or bonding over a meal. Just as a hiring manager is likely to check out a potential employee’s social media presence, potential customers are likely to browse the brand’s social media to see what its employees are all about as well. First impressions mean a lot, and an Instagram post that showcases your people and culture could make the difference between a warm first interaction or a call that is as cold as ice.
4. IBM Stays Relevant with Reactive Storytelling
Reactive storytelling means combining a top-of-mind story or idea with a compelling marketing message that your audience finds interesting.
IBM uses reactive storytelling during popular events to share how these events are leveraging the company’s technology. Did you know that the US Open Tennis Championships collects data using IBM technology? Neither did I—until I saw this post a few days ago on IBM’s account.
This picture is effective because it uses an interesting perspective—a spectator in the stands viewing live data on their phone—and because the US Open was top-of-mind for so many at the time. People who were following the #USOpen hashtag were likely to come across this post and form an association between the event and the IBM brand.
5. General Electric Keeps Its Brand Interesting to a Wide Audience
There are no boring industries—just boring marketers who are not passionate about their company or engaged with their customers.
A great example of a brand that embraces their history—sexy or otherwise—is General Electric. GE is over a century old and has a history of involvement in some of the most important developments in defense, aviation, and technology, to name a few.
Many people don’t know exactly what GE does, even though they recognize the name, and that is where storytelling becomes important. People respond to nostalgia. Dr. Seuss is a classic figure from many people’s childhoods, and it is interesting and surprising that he made advertisements for GE before writing children’s stories.
As I wrote in the article “How to Create Great Content For A Boring Industry,” your product doesn’t have to be cool, but your story does. If your product is highly technical or you operate in a niche industry, it might be tempting to solely focus on features, but don’t let that discourage you from identifying and amplifying things that make your brand’s story unique.
There are no boring industries—just boring marketers. Click To Tweet 6. IBM Takes Advantage of Its Company History
IBM and General Electric have a long, storied history in the technology industry. Instagram provides a golden opportunity to share some of this history with potential customers who might not have known about your company’s rich history. In B2B sales, there’s credibility at play when it comes to organizations and companies that have stood the test of time.
There’s a common saying in boardrooms: “No one has ever gotten fired for buying IBM.” That saying holds weight across many different industries if you’re a brand that has history. People want to work with companies that have years of experience delivering solutions. People want to work with solutions that have helped organizations like theirs. People want to ensure that when they sign a contract with you, they’re not going to lose their job.
Take this photo from IBM as an example of IBM flexing its history muscle:
This humblebrag throwback highlights a major achievement while building credibility. The fact that IBM is able to highlight its role in establishing the entire PC industry, which changed how people interact with technology forever and made computers accessible to the general public, is huge. Instagram is the perfect platform for sharing these kinds of stories if you’ve got some old photos in the archives or vintage ads. If you have any old content in your archives, dust it off and use it to show your audience how rich your history is.
7. Shopify Keeps Its Content Design Consistent
B2B brands should monitor the consistency of their posts, including how each post looks alongside others to users who visit branded social profiles.
A great example of content consistency comes from Shopify, which recently posted a series of videos from its #buildabiz campaign, showcasing the stories of some of the company’s most successful entrepreneurs.
Shopify’s Build a Business campaign is now in its seventh session and has become the world’s largest competition for entrepreneurs. Every video from the campaign starts with text overlaid on a black-and-white still photo of one or more people. This design consistency makes for a striking and cohesive story when users visit Shopify’s profile.
Instagram content with faces receives 38 percent more likes. Using faces is an easy strategy that any business can adopt because even if the product you are selling is software, there are people using your product to do great things in their own business. Shopify’s design strategy unifies these stories in a way that makes good design and business sense.
Putting It All Together
The most successful B2B brands on Instagram recognize that the channels being ignored are the channels where opportunities lie. Instagram, while growing quickly, is often still a channel that B2B brands are overlooking as an opportunity to drive results.
Take some of these insights and use them for inspiration to try Instagram for your brand, or maybe try something entirely different. The key here is to recognize that the most innovative brands aren’t those that go with the flow—they’re the ones that take a shovel and create their own stream.
What have you found to be a successful way of finding success on Instagram? Share your thoughts in the comments and help the entire community better understand the value of this channel.
http://ift.tt/2wHSqiS
0 notes