#cta woes | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

cooltrainerashton · 4 years ago

Text

CTA Love: MandJTV

Happy February, readers!

For the Month of Love, I’m starting a series titled “CTA Love” that will cover a monthly topic of something that’s positively impacted my life. But before I get into today’s esteemed spotlight, let me provide some context. To jump ahead to the subject spotlight, look for #MandJTV’s face down below.

I dealt with depression and anxiety as a teenager but didn’t think they were any more serious than they were, attributing them to dealing with normal teenage woes (i.e., braces, acne, wearing glasses, being considered a nerd, being a suffocated, closeted gay in the church, etc). Then, as a younger adult at 25, I had a semicolon tattooed on the back of my neck to show support for those I knew that suffered from mental illness (which also paid homage to being a writer). And that was where I thought my connection to mental health ended.

As is customary with life, one can never predict its twists and turns. Due to poor decisions on my part and trusting the wrong people, the fire under my ass rose. I had to make fast decisions to support myself. I ended up working as a caregiver for a senior living community as a means of keeping a roof over my head and supporting myself financially. Once my finances began to settle, I had to make another hard decision to leave a toxic living environment. My subsequent move was necessary but made my commute to work much longer.

This next phase of my life was a trying time of life, as I was driving 45 minutes to work each way while also working a graveyard shift for a job that didn’t care enough for its employees and paid shit wages, which made making ends meet nearly impossible. I barely slept when my body allowed it (graveyard is, no joke, hell on your body and is considered an IARC 2A carcinogen by the World Health Organization, linking overnight shifts to a probable health risk). And during this time, aside from dating woes, my mental health worsened. My anxiety and depression were stirred up from negative energy at home that made my new living arrangement toxic as well.

I endured my caregiving job for almost two years. Despite being able to pay bills and have nothing to save, I did my best to support my patients while my mental health suffered. My dream job thankfully knocked and brought me out of a horribly-managed employer and into one that puts its employees first. Financially, I was empowered, but my mental health continued to worsen.

This spearheaded when my father grew ill and died during his recovery and rehabilitation. My world began to crumble. Extracurricular activities I loved no longer served me, and I had to learn to say no to them. I had to accept that my mental health was god-awful and needed to be addressed. I made hard decisions, which led me to move out onto my own so I could heal.

I can’t tell you how wonderful it is that fate intervenes when you least expect it and brings you out of harm’s way. Due to those actions, I’ve healed and worked on myself. The #CooltrainerAshton writing to you today is a much stronger person than when my #Instagram account went live on December 24, 2019. What chaos intended with the ongoing pandemic was instrumental in my healing and supported my journey.

Pant, pant, pant...

Now, for the purpose for this post…

During my days as a caregiver, making rounds and then waiting for pages or wanting to sleep was grueling. There were few people to chat with at 2 AM. What I fell back on was YouTube videos or playing games on the Choices app. One of the YouTubers I watched religiously was MandJTV, that hilarious and adorable PokeTuber who was part of a small group of creators making Top 10 videos.

I can’t tell you how beneficial those videos were to me at that time. Life was hard. I had to make the most of my circumstances. I wasn’t being creative, and my belief now is I’m more likely to be depressed if I’m not writing. Michael’s videos helped rekindle my inspiration as well as my love of Pokemon that’s remained with me since discovering Pokemon Silver 20 years ago.

This also highlighted the story I’ve written that I was sitting on. As I’ve shared before on Insta, Extinction of Team Rocket started in 2010 as an idea/response to a YouTuber’s theories surrounding the identity of Ash’s father, and when several attempts at a story were crumpled and tossed into the wastebasket, I put it down. In 2013, I expanded what was a short story in an Introduction to Creative Writing class and expanded it into a novella. In 2016, I edited it and attempted to have it published online, but I didn’t have an artist. I thought I needed cover art to sell my story, so I left it alone.

By watching MandJTV videos, it planted a seed that I needed to do something with my idea. The more videos I watched from him, as well as others, the more that seed was watered, which allowed it to sprout and bear fruit. I decided to write a sequel, and as more ideas came, what was a standalone novella began a series. And, though it wasn’t part of my original goal, it’s become a motif for mental health awareness, a fact that I’m now proud of and happy to amplify to highlight struggles of those who suffer and normalize the conversation and the use of therapy.

Because of Michael, my inspiration and creativity kept me alive. Because of him, the ETR series was born and expanded. Because of him, ETR was published in February 2020 and its sequel The Storm Feather in August 2020. Because of him, The Seaglass Heart will be published in two days (February 14), and this entire project is my lovechild that I couldn’t imagine not existing.

Michael, I’m sure you hear this a lot, but THANK YOU for what you do. You gave me hope and inspiration when I needed it, and my success I have today is due in part and deservedly to you.

And, even if you didn’t ask for it, you most definitely deserve a HAIL YEAH!

#mandjtv #cooltrainerashton #pokemon #extinctionofteamrocket #fanfiction

10 notes · View notes

coachtransformation · 4 years ago

Text

What Motivated you to be a Life Coach in India?

India is at the cusp of a digital transformation, with an economy charging ahead in its road to develop economically and technologically. The country’s developmental phase gives into its competitive environment that resonates from classrooms to corporate boardrooms, ultimately showing its effect on personal life. There are various societal, political, and other problems on top that takes a toll on the mind and the body, making them lose hope and purpose in life.

I have seen these signs among my colleagues, my acquaintances, and the younger generation. There is somewhere a lack of motivation and positive energy that is pulling them away from their goal.

I was comfortable in my 9 to 5 job, when seeing and interacting with people around me suddenly initiated this urge within that I need to do something more, something meaningful. What if there was a way that I could make people understand what they are lacking and support them to find a direction in life? That thought motivated me to take up life coach training to become a certified life coach in India.

Why I Became a Life Coach?

Anyone can be a life coach, but it is unlike any educational course that you will ever undertake in life. Being a life coach is a calling from within, you need to have a knack for it. If you have it in you, you can become a great coach and change the lives of people and yourself. What made me become a life coach? Well, I had my reasons:

From a very young age and even in school, I had my friends and juniors come to me to share their problems and ask for suggestions. Although I was never the one to give an opinion, as the person should determine and rectify their problem on their own, isn’t it? Nevertheless, I always extended my support.

I was always a good listener. I made time for people listening to them hearing their woes and even helped them detect their shortcomings.

Being a naturally born helper, helped me embark on this journey to become a life coach

I also had this inherent quality to influence the emotions of others

Apart from these inherent qualities, I was seeking something meaningful from my life. I wanted a profession that will help me earn well and allow me to have a better purpose in life, like being of assistance to people who wanted to bring meaningful changes.

From Where and How did I Get a Life Coach Certification?

Finding a good institute was a challenge at first, but finally, after much research and recommendation, I found Coach Transformation Academy. Though it's headquartered in Dubai, they do provide classroom training in India and online as well.

The Coach Transformation Academy (CTA), is a well-known institute offering both classroom and online coach training and has a global network of certified coaches hailing from different parts of the world. When you are looking for coach training programs, you need to ensure that those are all recognized by credible organizations like the International Coach Federation (ICF), Continuing Coach Education (CCE), or European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). CTA has accreditations from all of the above and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

I initially got enrolled in the foundational coaching skills course. Although I later on upgraded to the advanced coach training program to become a professional certified Life Coach.

After getting my certificate, the best part was getting access to their own network of globally certified coaches hailing from different countries and backgrounds. Interacting with them helped me a lot. Gradually, I started my practice, and now I am guiding self and others through various twists and turns in life.

If you want to become a certified professional coach, then CTA will be an excellent choice. The classes are very flexible, experiential, practical, and easy to follow, and the support from mentors and staff will make your coaching certification journey a memorable one.

#life coach training #Coach Transformation Academy (CTA)#life coach in India.

1 note · View note

stinied · 7 years ago

Text

How to Walk a Mile in an Idiot's Shoes

How to Walk a Mile in an Idiot’s Shoes

In 2013, I moved to Chicago with bright eyes, an open mind and absolutely no idea how to navigate it. Nearly every single person that lives in the city will tell you,”All you have to know is which way the lake is, then you’re set.” When you first move here, I’m going to argue that’s not helpful information unless, you live/work in a high rise you live/work near the lake you’re a human compass I…

View On WordPress

#featured #blogging #chicago #chicago blogger #CTA #CTA woes #google maps #public transit #smart phone #snapchat story #windy city blogger

0 notes

markalina748 · 3 years ago

Text

Tips for Preventing Ad Blindness Online

There’s a good chance you have ignored some of the ads you find online. This will always happen, especially when you want to read the content faster. When you do that, the advertiser doesn't earn revenue or generate interest in the company. No wonder most business owners are ready to do all it takes to avoid banner blindness.

You want to establish an active community of followers, and this will forever remain a dream if they don’t engage with your content. So, how do you avoid ad blindness without the hassle? Keep reading to find out more.

It would help to avoid making your content look like an ad as much as possible. Whereas there is nothing wrong when you add a CTA button to your ads, ensure you stray from the ad look. To have a smooth ride, you need to think of the website you’re hosting and the colors used on web pages.

To ensure your ad isn’t disruptive, it is in your best interest to incorporate the same color and design, and copy. Even though bright and colorful ads stand out, they might not work to your advantage whenever you want to deal with banner blindness. This is because it could alert customers to visit the site first.

One of the most effective ways to combat ad blindness is by making it the norm to test your ad effectiveness. You don’t have to go overboard since you can run an A/B test with a set of your target audience. Alternatively, consider eye-tracking and heatmaps regularly. You can quickly tell if your ad is effective among users through this action. If not, feel free to make the necessary changes.

Dealing with banner blindness doesn't necessarily have to be the underlying reason behind your woes. All it takes is to perform usability assessments, test your ad effectiveness, and stray from the ad look. That way, it will only be a matter of time before you start noticing changes in your ad results.

Remember, there are numerous strategies you can employ when looking forward to combating banner blindness. The good news is that it is possible to learn more about preventing ad blindness online and avoid repeating the same mistakes.

0 notes

srasamua · 6 years ago

Text

How to optimize your Google My Business listing

We all know the immense importance of local search. It’s about dominating the SERPs for search queries which are closely tied to the user’s location, therefore driving customers to your business with a user intent that is very tangible and very immediate.

In terms of local searches, Google will rank your business based on relevance, distance and prominence. Your Google My Business listing plays a vital part in boosting your rankings for local search, as well as cementing your online presence outside of your website.

From our experience, Google My Business listings are definitely not leveraged enough. There is a tendency to set up a listing, verify it and then forget about it. Yet there are so many reasons to ensure you have a fully optimized listing and one that you update regularly. First and foremost, Google My Business profiles are still the most influential factor in local search results.

As if that wasn’t enough, it has never been more important to bolster your presence in the SERPs. SEOs are increasingly facing the woes of the ‘walled garden’, where users are no longer needing to click-through to websites. More often than not, all the information they could possibly need is available in the various features of the SERPs. Although this may be having a detrimental effect on website traffic, it doesn’t mean you can’t leverage the situation. It’s only increased the importance of having a fully optimized GMB profile that will rank highly and generate business.

With a top-notch GMB listing, you can rank highly in local packs, significantly boosting visibility and therefore engagement. It will also help bolster your appearance in Google Maps results, plus you can take advantage of Google reviews. And just in case you need another reason, the service is free. There are not many marketing tools quite as powerful as your Google My Business listing that are also completely free of charge. You’d be mad not to take advantage of this.

Set up and basics

Before we get onto the really juicy stuff, it’s worth covering the basics. Some of these may seem obvious but you would not believe how many times we see the same simple mistakes over and over.

Claim and verify

The first step is to figure out whether or not you already have a GMB listing. This is important because duplicated listings can occur and are just confusing for everyone involved. Even if you don’t recall having created one, a loving customer may have done it for you, or a rogue colleague being far too efficient. Simply do a quick Google search of your business (also try this in Google Maps) and see whether a profile pops up for your business. If so, you’ll need to claim it as your business. If not, you’ll need to create a new one. Once done, you’ll need to verify your ownership – Google will send a friendly postcard to your business address with a code. You’ll then need to enter the code to verify it. It’s all very MI5.

Fill out information

Once verified, don’t just stop there. Fill out all relevant information and ensure it is accurate and kept up to date. There is nothing more frustrating than a GMB listing with the wrong opening times: cue angry customers who could have had an extra hour in bed. Also, remember to add any special hours or holiday times.

Be sure to keep the business name as the business name – don’t go shoehorning any sneaky keywords in or you’ll be at risk of violating Google’s guidelines. Write an accurate and enticing description in line with Google’s guidelines and choose a relevant category. This can be a sticking point for many businesses who feel that none of the categories accurately describe the business. It can be very frustrating. Luckily, there’s a relatively new feature called ‘Services’ where you can add products and services to your business, which will help with the categorization process both from a search engine and user perspective.

Make sure you pay attention to NAP consistency – in other words, that your name, address and phone number, as well as any other information, are all consistent throughout the web. Check other directories and also your own website. It’s a simple concept but mistakes are surprisingly common and it can make a big difference to your local rankings.

Photos

Again, an often overlooked aspect of your GMB listing and one that can make a very noticeable difference to click-through rates. People are visual beings and some snazzy photos will help build an overall positive image of your business. Include a logo, a shot of your premises if applicable and any other photos which you think will help to effectively promote your business. Ensure they are professional, appealing and kept up to date. Think about what might help push a customer to a buying decision.

Be sure to follow Google’s best practices in terms of formatting; the recommended specifications are as follows:

Format: JPG or PNG

Size: Between 10 KB and 5 MB

Minimum resolution: 720 px tall, 720 px wide

Quality: The photo should be in focus and well lit, and have no significant alterations or excessive use of filters. In other words, the image should represent reality.

You’ll see throughout your Dashboard that Google makes a point of reminding you about photos: “Businesses with recent photos typically receive more clicks to their websites.” They couldn’t make it much clearer than that – if Google says it, then do it.

As of January 2018, you can now add videos to a listing. It’s not something we’ve seen many businesses take advantage of, yet we all know how popular video content is. Any videos you add will appear within the photos section. Just be sure to follow Google’s video guidelines.

Reviews

Google reviews have been around for a long time and it’s no secret how influential they are. In fact, positive reviews make 68% of consumers trust a local business more. Don’t just sit back and wait for the reviews to pour in. Even if you’ve got the most earth-shatteringly awesome business, people still need a gentle nudge towards the review section. Actively encourage reviews because if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Raking in those positive reviews isn’t enough. It’s also good practice to respond to reviews, especially negative ones. Even if a review seems unfounded or overly rude, be sure to keep your cool and respond in a calm and collected manner.

Google Posts

A heavily underused feature of Google My Business profiles is the Google Posts section and it works in a similar way to posting on social media. Posts are displayed as mini updates in a carousel as part of your knowledge panel, although they expire after seven days. As with a standard social media post, you can add media, some copy and a link to a website. It’s always a good idea to include an image but be careful of them being cropped within Google Maps. It’s therefore worth checking how the image formats on both desktop and mobile.

You can use Google Posts for a range of different functions, but it may be helpful to use the four official post types as a guide: What’s New, Events, Offers, Products. The ‘What’s New’ post type could be populated with exciting announcements, general updates and your latest articles. Don’t forget to add a CTA to your posts to encourage engagement and conversions.

Google posts are very prominent in Google Search so if you’ve got something important to say, then say it!

Monitor

Did you know that anyone can suggest an edit to your profile? That includes your worst enemy trying to sabotage your business. It’s therefore essential that you keep an eye on your profile and monitor any suggested changes, even if you don’t have any enemies. It could be a well-meaning customer who just doesn’t have a clue. Or it could be an internet troll. Either way, business owners are not always notified.

Users can also answer questions about your business, which may be a scary prospect for some. Google likes user-generated content as it’s all part of building a user-centric community. Just make sure that you’re keeping a wary eye out.

Insights

This is one of the most important sections of your GMB listing. It’s all very well having an all singing and all dancing listing, but the fun starts when you see how many conversions it’s generating. It’s pretty standard practice to track all key events and conversions on a website itself, but the conversions generated by the GMB listing are so frequently overlooked. Yet your GMB listing is often the first port of call for customers looking for a phone number to get in touch.

And you know the best bit about Insights? You can even find out whether customers found you via a direct brand search or via a ‘discovery’ search. This information is vital in terms of reporting, as it allows you to see how successful your SEO work has been in terms of propelling your GMB profile to the top of that local pack for key search terms.

Find out handy information like whether your GMB profile was viewed on Search or Maps, as well as customer actions, such as website visits, direction requests and phone calls. You can also see how successful your photos have been in comparison to other businesses like yours. These comparison graphs are great for pitting yourself against competitors to see where you may be falling behind on the optimization front. It also enables you to do a bit of testing with which photos work best for views and click-throughs. The Insights section is a treasure trove of information, so pay lots of attention to it.

Optimizing your Google My Business listing is not rocket science. It’s very straightforward and simple changes can have a profoundly positive effect on your SEO. Given it’s an area so often overlooked by other businesses, there really is a whole wealth of ranking opportunity up for grabs.

from Digtal Marketing News https://searchenginewatch.com/2018/08/13/how-to-optimize-your-google-my-business-listing/

1 note · View note

rysunlabs · 3 years ago

Text

Why enterprises require managed IT solutions in their business

For the last couple of years, the popularity of managed IT solutions is skyrocketed. You have probably headed the concept touted often as the answer to your business’ IT woes. Still, a lot of entrepreneurs and enterprises have doubts regarding the topic. What is managed IT solution exactly? How can organizations integrate the latest IT infrastructure solutions into their existing business and workflow? Moreover, who renders these services? In this blog, we will have an in-depth discussion of these questions.

What are managed IT services?

In layman’s language, managed IT services are a term that describes any situation in which an organization partners with a vendor known as managed service providers to manage partial or complete IT responsibilities for the company. The services that MSPs render may range widely. Companies too may vary widely regarding their IT infrastructure requirements and in addition to which IT responsibilities they adopt to outsource to an MSP. Some large or medium scale organizations contract with an MSP to manage their entire IT infrastructure. Generally, enterprises outsource only some portion of their IT workload.

How enterprises leverage managed IT service?

Organizations these adopt managed IT solutions in a whole host of ways. Here are some of the examples:

Some enterprises are looking for managed service providers who can handle all or nearly all its IT requirements. Let’s consider small-scale organizations, they may not have much in-house IT presence. They require capabilities that they lack, and they find it simpler and more affordable to contract with an MSP rather than building their own in-house IT team.

On the contrary completion of the range, a medium or colossal business with a set up in-house IT gathering may look to a managed master center to decrease some weight in that gathering. A greater firm may redistribute helpdesk-level assistance, for example. In doing in that capacity, the association would empower its in-house gathering. Freed from the interferences of researching workstations and managing programming presents, the in-house IT professionals can focus on the more raised level endeavors they were enlisted to do.

Enterprises of all the sizes also look to an MSP to fulfill a specific need. A couple of domains of IT have flighty costs, and others are cost-prohibitive for some small-scale business organizations to grow in solitude. Somes locales can be difficult to enroll for, also. Occasions of explicit needs that can be met through managed IT services contains cyber security, information security and consistency, and cloud services.

Why should businesses choose Managed IT solutions?

Organizations who have incorporated the managed IT services model do as such for a wide variety of reasons. Some are novel to specific niche, but many are comprehensive. Here are several reasons it likely looks good for your business to pick a managed service provider for your managed IT services needs.

Scaling for Growth

Scaling your IT infrastructure has certifiable costs when you do it in house. You need additional equipment, additional floor space to house the rigging, and additional work power to install, and monitor the equipment. Managed service providers, on the contrary, already have the equipment. They're running servers for some enterprises, so they have modified breaking point when you need more. They can utilize the economy of scale in a way you can't.

Advancement isn't just assessed in headcount, either. Device count continues growing, too. Agents would like to have the choice to associate with systems using their work PC, laptop, tablet, and phone—both on the spot and off. Your in-house bunch doesn't have the chance to help all these device issues. A managed service provider does.

The Talent Gap Is Real

If you have an in-house team, are you encountering trouble keeping it set up with all-around qualified people? You're not alone. One clarification is that the US has shown up at full work, making domestic hiring more inconvenient than whenever in ongoing memory.

Another inexorably certified clarification is the digital talent gap. In 2017, 54% of enterprises were encountering issues finding workers with the benefit of digital aptitudes. It's not beaten that.

Fill your business' capacity opening by helping an MSP. The benefit MSP will have the specialties you're missing and will have the alternative to work in concordance with your in-house gathering.

Who renders managed IT solutions?

If your business is exploring working with a managed service provider, you may be asking who gives managed IT services. The inspiring news is you have a lot of decisions. There are numerous local providers offering managed IT benefits in every metropolitan region, and there are several overall players moreover. We'll get to that capability, most importantly, a word on organizations offered and specialization.

Rendered services and expertise

The fundamental request companies should present is whether an MSP offers the services they need. Just one out of each odd MSP has the same commitments or experience, so don't be reluctant to present pointed requests. Don't just ask whether they offer given assistance; solicit what number from clients they've given it.

Various industries, like healthcare or finance, have made specific IT needs. Suitably, some MSPs speak to extensive expert in unequivocal organizations or progressions. To lay it out simply, look for niche players on the off chance that you're in a niche industry.

Local vs Global MSPs

Picking a local MSP means getting local, boots-on-the-ground support. The best lcoal firms offer a wide scope of services, including widened hours, and have the system and staff significance you need. You'll get individualized thought and you'll reinforce your local economy.

Picking a global MSPs like Amazon's AWS gives you access to progressively unrefined power and, much of the time, innovative technology others can't match. Customer support, on the other hand, can be nonexclusive, and fixing close by issues can require huge speculation.

Conclusion

At last, incorporating cutting edge technological tools and devices will not only automate various operations but also will help you in executing several tedious tasks. Also, IT Infrastructure Solutions can offer you in competitive advantages. For the last 20 years, KCS is helping enterprises across the globe in embracing latest technologies into their business. Their excellent team of professionals guide you with every detail so that you can take informed decision regarding your IT infrastructure needs.

CTA: Are you firm with your decision to leverage Managed IT Solutions? Our experts are just one click away.

#Managed IT Services #IT infrastructure services #infrastructure solutions

0 notes

sandralmuller · 5 years ago

Text

Is your website committing these web crimes?

A recent project for a higher education client led me to research their competitors to see what they were doing well and not doing so well. My research led to writing a framework for best-practice content design and copywriting in the higher education space.

As I compiled the report, it struck me that many of the things higher education providers were not doing well apply beyond the higher ed space. They might equally apply to your site or your client’s.

Here’s my list of 10 things to check to make sure a website is not committing a web crime and driving users away.

1. Targeting no one and everyone

This is usually a symptom of a bigger branding issue. It’s not a quick 5-minute fix-it job.

But if you have a client with a website that is taking the spray and hope it sticks approach, it would be worth having a chat about their bigger branding woes and doing the work to nail their target audience.

Some higher ed providers were using the same space to sell an MBA in leadership as a childcare qualification.

Being able to communicate to a specific audience makes copy so much more engaging and relevant. It also helps from an SEO perspective—being the squeaky wheel that gets the Google grease.

Some businesses are afraid that defining an audience will then exclude everyone else and that this means lost sales. But in reality, ‘everyone else’ represents the non-buyers, anyway. Instead, a business is possibly failing to convert those in their target market by not directly speaking to them.

Or perhaps your client started with one vision but after launching, they’ve modified their offering and figured out who their audience actually is. But they’ve not yet reflected this change in their copy.

I’m putting my hand up as guilty of this web crime. This website needs a copy overhaul, key message tailoring and a restructure to better communicate my services to my target audience. I’ll get onto that during my next project lull. Pinky swear!

Pin it to read later

2. Being generic

When competitors all offer the same benefits, how do you get a site to stand out?

Being generic is also usually another symptom of failing to define a clear target audience.

With the higher ed sites, some of them offered the same benefits—like being able to study online and not have to sit exams. And these are important benefits. But if that’s all you’ve got, how do you separate yourself from 100s of other providers?

To engage an audience, you need to show them what’s different and what value you bring that others don’t.

For copywriters, we all write words. But what makes us different? Is it who we write for? Is it our style? The types of copywriting we niche in?

For a higher ed provider, it could be unique student support, graduate placement opportunities, or the chance to work on projects with their highly coveted industry partners.

Whatever that point of difference is, shout it loud or the website will sound like everyone else’s.

3. Failing to provide key information upfront

This one is easy to fix… if you know your target audience well.

When working on the research part of a project, I love trawling through call centre data or talking to call centre staff. They know what key information people want or are not finding — that’s why people contact the call centre).

For my higher ed client, it was a matter of taking the buried information about tuition fees, course duration and study modes and putting that information at the top of the page. It seems like a no-brainer, but so many of their competitors weren’t doing this and those that did, structured their information well.

Is there key information you need to put front and centre on a certain page? Looking through your audience lens, you’ll have a different perspective of what information needs to be most prominent. And it’s almost never what the client thinks needs to be most prominent.

4. Show vs tell

If you’ve ever taken a creative writing class, you’ll no doubt be familiar with this concept. We need to convey information and emotion by showing our reader what our characters are thinking and feeling, not telling the user what they’re thinking, feeling and experiencing.

For example:

Sandra felt nervous before she forcefully opened the door to a room full of howling zombies.

Sandra’s hand hovered over the door handle. She took a deep breath and grabbed the handle, pulling it towards her with such force the windows rattled and zombies howled.

I got my zombie reference in! 🧟‍♀️ Yay!

The same concept applies to sales copy.

Don’t tell users how wonderful your product or service is, show them. You can do this by:

framing the benefits for the user rather than focusing on the features

including testimonials from real customers who used and enjoy the product or service

switching adjectives for action-oriented verbs that describe the outcome

5. Adding a strong call to action

This is easy to fix. If your client’s page doesn’t offer a strong call to action (CTA), they’re missing a chance to guide a customer to do what you want them to do.

CTAs come in many forms and could be to subscribe to a newsletter, download a thing, read a related page, buy something or even share something.

I was surprised by how many higher ed providers didn’t offer a clear CTA on their course pages. You’d think they’d want people to either apply or contact the university about the course.

Look at your client’s key pages and make sure they have a strong and obvious CTA.

6. Hiding core information in a PDF download

I’m not talking about freebie opt-ins here—the PDFs you package and swap for an email address. Some of you might have ended up on my mailing list by downloading my epic ‘Better blogging template’.

I’m talking about hiding the core information a user needs to decide whether to buy a product or service.

So many of the higher education providers hid course details behind a sign-up form, like what subjects you’d study and what your learning outcomes would be.

I get why they do it—they want to talk directly to people, as that typically has a higher conversion rate. But how many people returning to Google to find the course they want with all those details provided?

7. Using unfamiliar Jargon

Do you know what CRICOS means? Or OLS? Probably not.

But higher ed providers don’t seem to realise that. They insert that jargon without saying something like:

This is a CRICOS course, so we can enrol eligible international students.

Our Online Learning System (OLS) …

Check that your client isn’t using jargon or acronyms their target audience doesn’t know.

8. Fluffing text with marketing waffle

This one ties in closely with show vs tell. Sites that fluff out their copy with waffle turn off users. People scan web pages. Slabs of text that don’t actually say very much but are full of colourful platitudes.

Is there a better way to communicate what you want to say?

Would a short bullet list work better over slabs of text?

Will icons and other visual elements support the design and communicate what you want to say?

Will a CTA button work better than just a link?

These are all things we can test and refine.

9. Burying key content in video only

It’s great that sites are incorporating more and more video into their site as this is a popular way for users to consume content. But I was surprised to watch several videos on different higher ed provider websites where the key benefits and other bits of critical information were in the video but not covered elsewhere on the site—particularly home pages.

I would never assume that users watch the video and certainly not all the way through.

So, I advised my higher ed client to ensure their videos do not hoard the key messages that should be strong and clear throughout their content.

People don’t consume content in a linear way. And they don’t consume every piece and type of content on a page.

Check your client’s videos to make sure they’ve not buried the gold that would sell the course in the video only.

10. Lacking social proof

One of the best ways to sell a product or service is via word of mouth. Get others to sell it for you.

When it comes to selling via a website, testimonials go a long way to convincing others that this will be the right purchase for them. Good testimonials can counter common objections and provide social proof that this is a good product or service.

I was surprised to see many of the higher ed providers I visited didn’t include testimonials. Or they included generic testimonials that you could have written about any course. Specificity is important. Website visitors don’t care to read a testimonial about a student studying childcare when they’re on an MBA course page.

If your client isn’t already gathering testimonials, encourage them to build this into their process so they can build social proof.

Over to you—can you think of other common web crimes people regularly make? Let me know in the comments below.

Is your website committing these web crimes? was originally published on Sandra Muller

0 notes

duckbeater · 7 years ago

Text

Blatant Misogyny

Is it indicative of my privilege as a white male author admin Sunday painter blogger champion complainer that I’ve never mastered the correct spelling of misogyny? I hope that writing it twice now, in quick succession, enforces a lasting correction. (I named this blog post before writing anything that followed, something that almost never happens. Naming blog posts is my least favorite recurrent experience of maintaining Duck Beater, this, despite my knowing readers really puzzle after my high-quality titles. Who among you has not wrested from such gems as “Making Kissing Sounds” or “Dog Paddling” all the guiding pathos of a juicy astrological column? I’ve had three mugs of office coffee this morning, and before closing this parenthesis, I need to sit with my head between my knees.)

What I really want to do is continue my conversation with my brother A.J. His life concerns have drifted so exasperatingly far from mine, that we talk on the phone once every two months, maybe, and even then it’s a confusing burst of money woes and life-step-recaps. It’s like re-connecting after a study abroad in a truly foreign country, or after release from a voluntary commitment to a sanitarium. My own small advances are incinerated, pretty much on contact, when backlit by the nuclear importance, the life-or-death stakes, of A.J.’s own in fact worthwhile accomplishments. He’s building a home now on a back ten acres connected to my parents’ farm, and teaching his waifish son, Thor, to ride the dirt bike. (Thor currently has a black eye from face-slamming into the handlebars on a hard stop, but this is to be expected.) Because of the continuing heroin crisis in our home county, A.J.’s job is more or less to run the prosecutor’s office as intake for Friday’s drug court, where sleepy, soft-spoken addicts are diverted from jail sentences under Title 12. The community’s shown a great deal of pride around these efforts, hosting a “Run Over Heroin” 5k walk/race to fund a replenishment of Naxolone. (I’m teasing: proceeds benefited the county’s “Opiate Treatment Center to assist with drug screen testing, nurse practitioner costs and other related expenses.”)

I danced on the lawn of the MCA like a total fucking idiot for maybe twenty minutes Saturday, otherwise I’ve been tooling around Chicago attracting perverts. A month back, another young man rubbed his erection my way on the CTA—a feat Daniel blamed me for. “Never, ever make eye contact with strangers on the train!” he said. “What if they’re my friends!” he added, as if the most shaming aspect of these encounters would be my absently nodding at one of his friends, and not one of his friends taking my innocent “Hail fellow” as an invitation to paw at a boner for seven stops on the Brown Line. A.J. enjoys these stories, up to a point, but he can tell that behind them is a sort of gulf of luckless stupidity, and the atrophying of my imagination and dignity. (Probably because I choose to let these experiences make me feel important, rather than debased—also why it happened again yesterday evening. I didn’t bother mentioning it to Daniel, my kindly-faced train admirer, not when I’m starting to feel like a part of the ensemble in a Miranda July film. Could I make a podcast out of this? I wondered. Could I befriend my admirer and squeeze from his lust content? Is it lust? I’ve no map for the territory.)

I joined a writing class—for Halloween. By the end of October, I’ll have three very short “spooky” stories. (The writing class explores scary things like mummies, vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts, the like.) I’m workshopping one this Wednesday but it’s difficult to read out loud. So in the shower last night, I attempted different ways of inflecting the opening sentence: “Samantha’s Instagram story had been a little strange since her birthday, a week back.” Mmm-ing, incredulous, out of the gate, and wavering over “had” as though that’s the moment the narrator confirms, for himself, the strangeness of Samantha’s Instagram story. The monster I’m supposedly tackling is a zombie, based on connotations I clustered around it on a worksheet completed during our first meeting. These five words were: clumsy, rotting, idiotic, capitalism, and anesthetized. The story I fashioned is about a young woman’s slow descent into madness, broadcast to her 762 Instagram followers. She works in advertising downtown in the Loop. At the end of the story, in lieu of eating another human, she devours fresh dog shit, recording this activity live for her viewers on her new iPhone 8. All of this is veiled biography, of course, owing to my obsession with Instagram stories, my deficient background in marketing, and the spikes of rage I succumb to whenever I see the tiny, jewel-green bags of dog shit that owners somehow fail to dispose of correctly, and which are everywhere in this city (I’ve even found one in an Uber).

6 notes · View notes

vulcanmakes · 5 years ago

Text

Avoid the minefield of bad design: Web design mistakes to be scared of

The significance of a good design is endless as it adds value to the website and paves the way for converstions and subsequently sales, for happen. But sometimes even the best web design company can fall into trap of bad design. That is quite a dangerous minefield of sorts and must be avoided at all costs.

Case of missing search box

To keep your clients in, you have to furnish them with a reasonable, simple to-utilize search box. At the point when a guest search, he ought to get something significant to his pursuit, or direct him to something where he can discover his answer. As an Entrepreneur, making a site is simple, yet the convenience part where the client can view and look through things is the hardest. Try to make it advantageous for the clients.

Jumbled Landing Page

Treat each page as a presentation page. Additionally, make a point to de-mess your each and every page. Nothing baffles the client in excess of a jumbled page. On each page simply put down the fundamental stuff and forget about the ones that are not significant to your client. The ability to focus of an individual isn't over 5 seconds, the best way to utilize those five seconds is to give client what is most essential to you and the client.

Missing CTAs

A large portion of the sites still play find the stowaway with their clients with a CTA button. I mean truly? Keep your Call to action button in front and make it unmistakable to individuals. As an Entrepreneur you will likely create leads, and the most ideal approach to make lead is to utilize a strong, obvious CTA.

Complex contents and less accessability

Try not to compel your clients to think. I rehash don't give your clients a chance to think what to do next in your site. Plan your site in a frictionless, consistent way. Be exceptionally clear on what do you need your clients to do. In addition, put the substance in the least complex way. Either include a segment of 'how to submit request' or make the request position as simple as would be prudent. Some web development companies make this mistake very often.

Inconsistent and fluctuating design

Try not to change the arrangement of components of your site all the more regularly. Your clients will manufacture a propensity for finding certain things in specific places on your site. Try not to make your clients reconsider where the shopping basket was? Make a point to keep the interface steady and connecting with to your clients. Have confidence your clients will adore your consistency of plan and will anticipate your site directly after they arrive on your site.

If you are looking to revamp your old site and correct those mistakes then vulcanmakes.com is the right choice for you. With our exceptionally prolific designers and expert developers our quality of service is unparalled. Contact us today to create a truly expert but cost-effective solutuion for your online woes.

#Top web development company #web development service #web development company

0 notes

realtrafficsource · 5 years ago

Text

Increase Website Visibility

Tips and tricks how to increase website visibility

Website visibility allows your website to establish its presence in the search engines, which in turn brings in more traffic. Website placement and visibility is always an issue for most businesses that want to stay a step ahead of any competition. Related searches will always pinpoint your website, which will make it stand out among your business rivals. However, to facilitate and increase website visibility for your website, you need to incorporate strategies and professional help to achieve this goal.

Below are some tips and tricks to help you increase website visibility:

High quality content

Quick loading time

Call to action

Search engine marketing

Email marketing

Social media marketing

Blogging

Errors and mistakes

Link building

Use relevant and high-quality content

There is a common saying “content is king” a phrase that is true and practical. Incorporating quality content in the composition and structure of your website will improve and help establish the kind of presence your business deserves. Using relevant, useful, and high-quality content will attract any visitor conducting related searches. Quality content will lead potential clients to exceed their stay browsing and checking your website, which in turn increases traffic.

The benefits also extend to your website, acquiring relevance and improving on the site’s authority. The word count should aim to equal that of the webpages that appear on the first pages of the search engines that are mostly above 2000 words of pure quality content.

Having more useful content should be seen as an opportunity to provide more value to potential clients. A simple strategy to accomplish this strategy is working with relevant keywords and using more outbound links. Remember, you should not compromise great writing since it will affect your general ranking compared to what SEO can do for you. When you want to enjoy the benefits that come along with website visibility, then create content that is well researched and has value.

Remember, it is a competition in the business world, and you have to impress to attract the favor and attention from clients. The only way you can accomplish this goal is by concentrating on the depth and value of your content. Avoid plagiarism and paraphrasing original content from already established websites and create unique content that should be updated regularly.

Use the guideline below to help you come up with original and unique content:

Consider your target group. It simply requires you to think about your potential clients in terms of their problems, needs, and issues surrounding them. Avoid vagueness when doing this research and consider the interests of your clients. This process of identifying the target group should begin with building a customer persona, which will help you clearly define and identify your target customers.

Visit other sites like Quora, Yahoo Answers, and similar sites to learn of some of the questions people ask about a particular line of product. Relate some of the issues you identify and compare them to your issues and come up with solutions in your content.

Think about keyword research. To help you with this step, jot down some of your business goals and objectives. Then use keyword research tools to help you come up with some profitable keywords. Get the keywords and categorize them in groups to help you incorporate them in your content.

Quick loading time

Another brilliant way to accomplish website visibility is improving on the loading speed and time. Due to the recent advancement in technology, most individuals who regularly browse expect to achieve a search within a few seconds. When a delay is experienced, most of the potential clients result in canceling the search, which also demoralizes them from revisiting such a website once again. A website that is affected by the slow loading time creates a lasting bad impression for most clients.

Search engines normally take note of the web page loading time in their ranking algorithm. It would be best if you worked with servers that are fast enough to allow for quick searches. Other ways of dealing with slow loading time are reducing redirects, enabling compressions, maximizing on caching plugins, image size optimization, etc. Ensure that you conduct regular webpage speed tests with the help of PageSpeed Insight. Website visibility improves when you manage to convince clients to stay longer and revisit your site.

Use eye-catching call-to-action (CTA)

The call to action buttons are the main features of your website that help determine whether a client will extend their stay or not. This powerful feature allows the client to navigate and manoeuver easily on your website. It also guides the visitor to the next action. You need to make your website more user-friendly and simple to understand by including simple CTAs. They should be easy to use and follow through to facilitate or trigger a product purchase.

Also, they should help the users reach their desirable points, which has a positive effect on the conversion rates. Some of the calls to action are: add to cart, shop now, read more articles, add to wishlist among many others. Remember, the CTAs should be included in every page to guide the user on the next step to make, which improves the customer experience as they continue browsing.

Search Engine Marketing

This strategy involves pay per click advertising and search engine optimization. To have a successful website visibility campaign, you must include a formidable search engine marketing plan. It normally involves coming up with ideal keywords to incorporate in your website. Using ideal and powerful words helps in the ranking process. Choosing wrong words over quality words can the difference between you and the already established websites. Achieving search engine marketing goals ensures that you enjoy the privileges of staying at the top whenever potential clients conduct searches related to your niche. To show dominance among your competitors, you need to establish a great affinity for attracting and retaining clients.

Email Marketing

Email marketing should not be all about sending emails to a group of people who don’t read or show interest in them. It should be an effective way to try and establish a good communication channel between you and your clients in the bid of maintaining contact, eliminating objections, and creating rapport. The email marketing strategy should be done with the aim of retaining clients and giving them a reason to read your email messages. Know the relevant information and updates to feed your clients without giving out the wrong impression.

Ensure that you exhibit high levels of relevance when sending the emails to avoid being a nuisance to uninterested parties. Come up with a regulated frequency on updating your selected group to avoid being pesky. Working in such a systematic manner gives the individuals a reason to wait for any updates in a timely manner. Small businesses should utilize email marketing since it could boost sales, and it is quite easy to follow up and manage.

Social Media Marketing

This marketing strategy aims at keeping ou with the digital trends ad demands. A huge percentage of individuals who own smartphones spend a considerable amount of time on social media looking for updates and recent stories and news. Social media platforms give individuals the freedom to express their rights without violating other people’s right. This freedom allows individuals to also advertise and showcase their brands in the bid of attracting interested parties to initiate a sale.

Social media marketing is highly convenient since it requires fewer resources. You could comfortably advertise your products, brand, or services to the comfort of your seat and wait for an interested party to initiate contact. To be successful in social media marketing ensure that you are active and interactive to help you gather the likes and huge following. The proactiveness and active engagements give the users the chance to share out their thoughts and also act as referrals through the sharing of posts. This move is critical for your business operations that help it to grow and achieve popularity among the users.

Another benefit you achieve from active social media engagements is improved ranking in the search engines since they take such factors into consideration. Using a social media strategy that works out perfectly could have a positive effect on your SEO goals. The ripple effects would be seen in improved rankings and better website visibility.

Blogging

Coming up with creative short articles about your brand, products, and services would be a wonderful way to improve on your website’s visibility and as well as establishing an online presence for your business. Most business owners see this simple strategy as a difficult one that requires skill which is mostly not the case. A simple strategy to help you start blogging is identifying areas of interest and coming up with a list of topics you could write about. Choose interesting topics and come up with creative content and information. Individuals who perceive blogging as a waste of time could result in acquiring transcription services.

There are individuals who are good at talking the issue out rather than writing. Transcribing could offer a solution to your woes by converting the audio to a written word. Proofreading quickly eliminates any error made and your message is refined with good grammar, which helps to draft final copy for the blog.

Creating quality content is the key to blogging

Try and capture the attention of individuals while using interesting topics and information. Individuals who embrace the reading culture will then find the information worth to read and share with other individuals on social media sites. So that your business can benefit from such blogs link them with your respective website.

It will help identify your website with the information individuals want to read whenever they trigger a related search. This strategy could improve your website visibility within a short period. Slowly your website is recognized as the authority linking the blog to the site. Most of the search engines use website authority to rank websites in the search algorithm. Regularly updating unique and creative content could earn you a spot among the best websites that are placed on the first page of the search engines.

Remove Mistakes and Errors from Your Website

Ther are tons of mistakes done by a lot of business owners oblivious of their effect on the website ranking and visibility. The act of rectifying some errors in your website need intervention from technical SEO. Excellent ranking demands perfection to achieve great SEO. Some mistakes that are noted could include using broken links which take a toll on your website performance. You should try and eliminate any errors on your website even if it demands a hand from the professionals.

You could also use tools from the internet that are capable of aiding you in getting rid of some of the obvious errors that affect your rating. Another sector you should aim to improve on is the speed of your webpage. You can’t achieve success in terms of high ranking with a webpage that loads slowly and still compete with websites that load super fast. Another important piece of advice to consider is keeping up with the SEO and google guidelines. Remember, you rely on such search engines for ranking and attaining traffic for your website.

Link Building

You need to learn what link building is and how it affects your placement on search engines. It is a total opposite of spamming, and it aims at connecting your website to another in the form of a link. There is greatness in numbers, but you don’t need a number of backlinks as people imply. You could turn out to be successful with just a few quality backlinks. One of the most important consideration when working with a backlink is achieving relevance.

Try and achieve a connection with relevant websites since they are your main competitors. Remember link building demands patience, and you don’t have to choose websites with high domain authority to be successful. Link building will work for the long term to ensure you stay visible and relevant. Therefore, proceed systematically and steadily and try to build your links bit by bit, and you will acquire the right online presence and increase website visibility.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2MpIl5p via IFTTT

#IFTTT #WordPress #realtrafficsource

0 notes

uterusclub · 6 years ago

Text

As any Native Chicagoean can attest, the winter never fails to destroy our souls – at least temporarily so. But as that weary tail-end concludes, one gradually regains hope, energy, and enthusiasm. These are the trappings of no more woe.

Our first expedition involved a visit to the Otherworld Theatre Company to see a choose-your-own adventure style production of ‘Quest for Thrones.’ We were beckoned to make several decisions for the Game of Thrones characters which mostly involved death or killing and to no surprise of mine, our crowd was an outwardly, murdery bunch. So we got along just great. The only downside to the show was the mold-induced smell of the lobby area where I quite literally gawked around the room to see if anyone else was just as disturbed as I. They did not appear as such which daunts me even more. Following the very short but delightful show, we made our way home but the night just didn’t feel complete. So we made a stop-off. Well, 2, actually. Sharon had demanded a hot dog the entire day so we stopped at my beloved Susie’s and then headed a few blocks down to my treasured karaoke joint, Sidekicks! It had been quite some time since my last sing so it was well-overdue. Upon arrival, we noted several people already singing which took me by surprise. While Sharon hit the bano, I was met by my long-time waitress friend who’s name I can’t completely remember – Christine – Christina? Christy? Something like that. I’m horrible. In any case, she offered me a mis-remembered test-tube shot (Sex on the Beach) to which I declined (my favorite is the Buttery Nipple) and ordered us a few drinks. I immediately trolled through the song book to figure out my agenda which, let’s be honest, is usually the same couple songs. Due to low attendance, I was announced very quickly. The night continued much the same aside from several interruptions from ‘the mutants at table 9’ who attempted to Facebook us (we DID give them Uterus Club as our contact but perhaps they considered this a joke as nothing ever came of it). We had met our end all be all of interactions with these folks when one of them dedicated a song to me. It was at this point, we slipped out, past the bouncer and I quite literally ran to my car even though Sharon had my keys and fumbled around for horror-movie record time. Surely, we would have been killed. Regardless, wonderful, hilarious night.

Onward. Sharon has been madly obsessed with a man by the name of Max Frost whom she played a few songs of a little while back. She missed a previous concert of his as my schedule wouldn’t allow it but recently discovered he was once again, back in Chicago! Naturally, she grabbed tickets and demanded (or rather, asked super nicely) we go. The last time we had been to Subterranean in Wicker Park was for Allison Weiss which was a blast! I recalled our hanging out on the upstairs area and peering down at the entire performance. Max Frost was equally rewarding in this sense. Unfortunately, getting awesome seats around the threshold of the upstairs area meant getting there early and listening to the opener – a girl we had already pre-researched and were not impressed with. Ironically, she ended up sounding way better live. Further irony kicked in when we discovered there was an ADDITIONAL opener who no one knew! THIS guy? Oh man. This was your stereotypical, dirty hipster trying-to-be-real with the ‘people’ who attempted to be deep and introspective while sitting on stage without shoes on. Absolutely horrendous! It should come as no surprise that we were a tad bit ecstatic when Max Frost FINALLY showed up on stage. Yes, we were ecstatic for approximately five songs and then all fizzled out into exhaustion. Capping the night and our very classy ride home via the most wonderful CTA, we listened to a homeless man reflect on his rejection of a plus-sized lady whom he compared to several, large animals. Always an adventure.

But wait. There’s more. ‘March madness’ couldn’t possibly be complete without a little festive shout-out to the Irish. And we went all out people. Having said that, I believe I’m some ridiculously low percentage Irish but I’ve also BEEN to Ireland so I think I get a free pass on that one. In any case, Sharon suggested we hit up the downtown dying of the river in the morning since neither of us had actually seen it live. Sure, the videos are fun but it couldn’t possibly be the same. So bright and early, we headed downtown to park and walk over to one of them many bridges to catch a peek. I had no goddamn idea shit was going to be that cray! Seriously, it was college town USA and like, early. The only good part of the situation is that everyone was very merry but not obnoxiously so (yet). The bad part of the situation is that the color saturation hadn’t exactly made itself evident enough from our viewpoint and therefore, we saw a little bit of green far off in the distance. Major fail. Our follow-up idea was to hit up Public House for their themed

cake shakes, however, we later realized it was already privatized for some wrist-band drinking event all morning and not open to the public! So we hit up the ‘poor man’s’ Public House ie. JoJo’s Milk Bar. The place was small and unimpressive to say the least. Sharon ordered us a ‘shake’ which was sad. We took a few obligatory sips before headed out. Next stop? Milwaukee! That’s right!

There’s absolutely no musical I love more than Phantom of the Opera. I legit have this shit memorized. On our way up to Milwaukee, I googled us a place to stop and eat nearby before the show. The Internet gods brought us to Ale Aslyum Riverhouse. It’s difficult to explain the complete awe of driving from a crazed downtown Chicago to a completely abandoned downtown Milwaukee. Streets were desolute! We had apparently come to the right place. Upon grabbing a quick lunch and Sharon randomly bumping into an ex-client of hers, we made our way to the Marcus Performing Arts Center. As usual, I had completely forgot what sort of seats I had purchased us but apparently I did well since we ended up in the back row on the end of the aisle. The performance was most enjoyable – although some of the singing was a bit inconsistent and I think we both spent a questionable amount of time wondering what the race of the Phantom was. We stayed long enough to hear by favorite trio part before seamlessly ducking out and venturing over to one last stop before home: Mars Cheese Castle. To say this place is anything other than completely overwhelming would be a lie. We came away with a few bags of curds and not much more due to ambivalence. Next time I’ll do some research.

St. Patrick’s Day! The OFFICIAL! Our festivities for the day mainly included eating and drinking. Oh yes, we also threw in a little Boondock Saints as well and some Pandora Irish playlist to accompany our cooking. Menu included Guinesse drumsticks, spinach puff-pastry shamrocks, mashed cauliflower and corned-beef eggrolls. Don’t forget, topping off our day-drinking of Magners Hard Cider which was doused with a few drops of green food coloring! We completed the meal with alcohol cupcakes purchased the night before at the previously mentioned Mars Cheese Castle. And that’s a wrap!

So guess what? We loved Milwaukee SO much that we decided to visit it AGAIN! But THIS time, we really meant business. First stop? Plato’s Closet. It’s tradition after all. Next stop? A little Milwaukee Burger Company. Ginormous, Deep-fried cheese curd cubes, anyone? Stomach – my apologies but worth it. Where to now? Our most beloved Lost Valley Cider Co. where we met an Irish wolf dog who was HUGE and wonderful! We also got our hands on a peanut butter and jelly cider as well as a Hibiscus cider we enjoyed so much we ordered some to go!

Catching a nice buzz now, we made our way to Swing Park where a bunch of hoodlums roamed and I tried to do fancy moves for photographic integrity. Sharon captured what appears to be a child abduction in progress which is absolutely priceless. Our journey now took us to the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum which, not gonna lie, I didn’t know anything about and frankly, still don’t. But it was pretty and had a cheap Groupon and had a fantastic view! Finalizing our self-guided tour here, we finally headed to our haunted (that’s right), Bed and Breakst: Brumder Mansion.

We were met by innkeeper, Tom who was an absolute joy! Unfortunately, he didn’t give us much intel to go on as far as ghosts were concerned – only to say there were 13 and none sounded menacing (how very disappointing). He also mentioned there being some children that tend to fidget with items left out if you ask them to which Sharon left out a ridiculous amount of things. I’ll save you the suspense – nothing was moved. In any case, we hung out for a little while before heading out for our dinner reservation at the Pasta Tree. This has always been a favorite of mine, however, both service and food was mediocre at best for some reason. We followed up dinner with drinks at a nearby Irish bar by the name of Paddy’s Pub which ended up being one of my favorite parts of our trip! Decor was beautiful and sweet and the employees were homey and gracious.

The pinnacle of this trip was our finalized stop-off at the Oriental Theater to see a viewing of the Room with actor/director/writer, Tommy Wiseau present! The line for this event was literally down the street and around the corner! It took me a second to realize that Tommy was signing autographs and taking pictures BEFORE the actual showing so we jumped ship from our spots in line to meet the man himself who was kind and sweet (and apparently dug my tattoos). After re-joining our original line, we eventually made our way back into the theater and headed up to the balcony for anti-social viewing. Oh! And I mustn’t forget the spoons. While we had been in line outside, someone was passing out handfuls of plastic spoons which we didn’t take out of confusion – only to research and later discover it was a ‘thing’ that went along with the movie. Our bad. Next time! Show was scheduled to start at 9:30pm. Show started at, I’m going to say 10:45pm after all the delay and opening shenanigans. We were tired as all hell. And made it just about 15 minutes into the movie before calling it a night. Unfortunately, leaving out of the theater, Sharon predicted Tommy might be hanging out in the lobby and of course, lo and behold, there he blew! Goddamnit! So we attempted to casually saunter out only to be met with a very saddened, ‘Where you going? Home?” It actually broke my heart. Poor Tommy. Heading back to the B&B, we both eventually passed out and roused for our adorable breakfast. Parting fairly quickly after our meal, we had a final, triumphant stop off at the Potawatomi Hotel and Casino and endeavored in a little morning Bingo. Again, I’ll save you the suspense – we didn’t win. And I’m sure I demanded vengeance per usual.

Wrapping up the wonderful month of March was our visit to the United Center to see Mumford and Sons! I had purchased tickets for Sharon for her birthday back in February. She had been talking about wanting to see them for as long as I can remember. It was only after I had purchased said tickets that she vocalized her hatred of their latest album. Fortunately, they didn’t play much of it. As a precursor to the show, we stopped

off at Viaggio for some Italian dinner. Twas splendid! We then took a buzzed walk over to the show and awed over the comfort and view of our seats! No one in front of us and at the end of the aisle! Cat Power was the opener who I am familiar with but don’t know much about. I described her as ‘more depressing than Aimee Mann’ which Sharon could barely wrap her head around. Crowd became super anxious as a result but as soon as

Mumford showed up, the energy was electric! I’ve never been the hugest fan of theirs but I will say they put on a damn, fine show! Again, left after a handful of songs but know, I would have stayed til the end. And as we left, drenched in the cold rain whoring our make-up, I knew that this and everything else had all been worth the wait.

Oh Hi, March As any Native Chicagoean can attest, the winter never fails to destroy our souls - at least temporarily so.

0 notes