#im no expert but drawing off of my experiences it adds up

[antigonescholar]

sometimes i'm like hmmm it's shitty luck that I have both EDS & OCD but then other times i really don't think it's coincidental at all

[mochiiniko]

follow up to this ask! this time im just gonna be talking about my coloring process (i also want to let you all know that im not an expert in color theory since im still learning, im quite literally just going random bullshit go on the blending modes 💀 lots of explanation under the cut)

the three blending modes i mainly use are exclusion, hard light, and overlay. from the guide above you could see how the blending modes work on their own, and how they look like combined altogether. the cool thing about blending mode layers is that it really is all about experimentation and finding the best combination for a piece (also to any fellow inabakumori enjoyers GRAHH lagtrain pose jumpscare)

i went through a bunch of blending mode phases before i ended up with those main three, though it's funny how ive been using the same overlay color for about 4 years now (multiply used to be one of them, and i still use it from time to time, just not as much). im gonna be honest the whole reason why i know about blending modes being helpful was because one time i accidentally had the fill bucket on and had a certified eureka moment 😭

the best way i could explain these three modes is:

exclusion - honestly i still dont understand how it works either 💀 when i use a really saturated blue color and lower the opacity, it gives a cooler feeling to the palette. feels like a mix of multiply and overlay with how it adjusts the colors without making it darker

hard light - gives more saturation and color

overlay - gives off a glowy effect, especially if the lineart isnt completely solid (this is why it isnt clipped on the folder as shown in the example below, keeping it above the layers gets that glowy effect)

i still use the same colors for exclusion and overlay (while i do alter them with hue saturation brightness from time to time, i just use the same blue and brown for most of my works) though hard light is what i use to make drawings lean towards a temperature

i tend to use warm colors a lot because i think theyre neat and also im biased sorry <3. as a warm palette example, i drew yinu and used this orange color on hard light and lowered the opacity

cold colors have a similar process, it's just the matter of adjusting the hard light layer. i wouldnt really say it's completely cold since i still add warm colors because im still biased </3. as a cold palette example, i drew sayu and used this purple-pink (??) color with the same settings

when it comes to drawings that have characters with contrasting palettes, it does take a bit of trial and error but i most of the time i mix both warm and cold methods like the example above. this also helps for art with several characters in general, since the blending modes help make the colors go well together despite the variety

theres also instances where i dont always use the warm + cold combo, since sometimes drawings lean towards a specific temperature instead (like environments with set lighting/shading, so usually i follow that even with characters with different palettes)

tldr; there are lots of palette combos you could make, not necessarily with just the three blending modes i mention. random bullshit go genuinely helps with experimenting with colors!!

[theb00mbitches]

Where I started trying - 2020

Started improving - 2021-22

Where we are now - 2023

2020-2022

I always stuck to traditional, only digitalizing some art pieces. Never been a fan of using color because it confused me and put me off my drawings. I hated [and still do] front facing viewe. Poses? No we can have a floating head and weird collars to have some signs of clothing. I completely gave up on eyes at one phase and just did circles/ovals, I was changing styles everyday because they were never me. Noses were lines/triangles or slanted ovals. I would pressure myself into drawing the other eye because it wouldn't have been 'perfect' and I didnt want to add something to cover it.

Now we still see alot of this. Its not perfect, it hasnt changed much but its changed. Im not as scared of my art anymore and im opening up to actually adding life to my drawings with a bit of color, sure im no color theory expert but I just see colors and think "Fuck it, cmere". Fudge the left eye when we can just have a shadow? So what if it isnt perfect?

There is no such thing as the perfect piece of art and there's gonna be bumps, changes and adjustments through the whole journey. You'll never stick to one artstyle your whole life. You may have a preferred style but it'll change here and there and thats fine. Its fun to experiment, to get creative! The whole point of art is to be creative and put your soul into it, it doesn't matter if it doesn't look how you wanted to because no one is going to be an expert the moment they pick up a pencil. It takes trial and error and you just gotta work through it. Take what goes not as expected in some pieces and focus on improving it, take what goes good and sample it. If you really want to, take analysis's on some of your favourite and least favourite works.

Its okay to have unfinished art works

Its okay to step out of your comfort zone

Its okay to just go with the flow

There is no 'perfect' rendition of art because its up to you what art is. Art can be literally anything, you just gotta put a third eye into it

[bubblellop]

*has a gun* Tell me about the songs you associate with your characters or else. I need to know. Give me all the music. Also you're legal obligated to mention a Lemon Demon song sorry I don't make the rules.

As i said, ill give u a deal and have them ALL be lemon demon music, because i hate myself. Also because i cannot choose 1 song that fits my oc out of my whole playlists (yes. I have playlists for each of my ocs.) Oh and as a fun fact, that post a while ago where i talked about "a terrible art idea" was me doing 6 different drawings using lyrics from different spirit phone songs to each of my ocs, it had palettes and everything but id figure no one would wanna see that so i will probably never do it lol. So yes this has been planned from a long time ago and i am deeply ashamed of myself.

Anyway onto the songs lol

Also these r all from spirit phone cuz that album is a banger from start to finish.

Adalia

Im just starting to realize how fucking hard is going to be to explain these choices with this type of fuckin music. God damnit. Okay so the themes of themes of blind admiration and reviving the dead for selfish needs...actually goes well with her....i know this sounds crazy but just...trust me. Adalia has experience with reviving the dead akdoskxodvkxwhythefuckisthisathingohmygodbubbleareyouokay

Its the first song and im already going insane...great

Lilyana

This song is like, REALLY calm yet the lyrics are like...kinda sinister. Its just describes a cycle of DEATH. So yeah that fits lily well lol (you really need to trust me with all of these okay, this wasnt easy OKAY) also its the last song...adalia has the first song...hah aint that funny.

Oliver

This was one of the easier ones. Love song about a human and an alien??? Sign him the FUCK up. I dont even need to EXPLAIN this shit. Falling in love with a weird mysterious being from beyond the stars, the fear, the curiosity, the willingness to go with them anywhere even if you both might not fully understand eachother but still wanna be by eachothers side......yes.

Rhett

Asddfkg the machinery talk in here really vibes with Rhett okay. Theres more to it but, im tired and im just stalling my time for the BIG one thats coming. Also Rhett would totally listen to Lemon demon and that kinda scares me on its own.

Stephanie

We are really going off the fucking rails arent we. This is another that just...vibes with Stef i guess. The beat itself is like, really her style oKAY, ALSO THIS SONG IS GOOD LOL, SHE DESERVES IT. I am really running out of bullshit excuses huh.

Sophie

Ah fuCK FINALLY WE GOT HERE- THIS WAS THE ONLY ONE I CARED ABOUT ANYWAY. This one actually goes REALLY FUCKING WELL with Sophie, if i HAD to choose a single song for Soph, IT WOULD BE THIS ONE. 1. Sophie obviously has an interest in Adalia's species, to a creepy extent may i add. So yes it goes well with the theme of aliens!!! 2. The obsession of being heard, of being right, of being the one is exactly like her, she wants to be the one to find out and to be right about her theories, not to mention she's lowkey a narcisist so of course she wants to be recognized and special, to prove everyone who wronged her 3. This one is actually kind of spoilery, but the second verse of the song....specially the "youre the only person in the world who'd understand the meaning of this", i can reallly picture who she would be talking about and im just aksidofks. Yes. Oh and "im an expert, just like you" also goes well with the idea mentioned. And yeah alot of lines like "better to be laughed at than wrong" they all go really well...im sobbing.... This is one of those songs that i have like, an entire animatic in my head planned out till the very last part. Its been haunting me for so long okay.

Oh god this is finally over, it only took me...40 minutes to write. Fuck. I hate this.

Also hah u wish mobile had the extend cut option in these cases huh....fuck you im shoving this whole post into your eyeballs.

[skqq-net]

8 Best Wix Alternatives

wix, with its easy-to-build templates, a wealth of apps, and sprawling specific individual nefarious is in the intervening time the principle internet living-constructing platform. Nonetheless, it’s now not incessantly supreme for all folks’s needs, and each different folks could perhaps perchance perhaps crave an internet dwelling builder that allows you to purchase extra into the weeds with the coding or that allows more straightforward transference of information within the match that one chooses to depart to but each different platform.

Others could perhaps perchance perhaps merely be drawn to seeing what contemporary improvements various internet dwelling developing platforms deliver to the desk. Listed right here, we see the Eight Totally wix Picks and spotlight the areas the obtain aside they supply wix a rush for its cash.

Proper listed here are our Eight handiest wix conceivable alternate options: 

GoDaddy Web site Builder (very simple to exhaust wix completely different)

wordpress (handiest wix completely different for extremely environment friendly internet sites)

Weebly (Cell editor included, large for eCommerce)

Pixpa (templates for creatives and simple eCommerce internet sites)

Squarespace (Attractive templates)

IM Creator (free wix completely different)

Volusion (extremely environment friendly eCommerce included)

EzyWebs (a great deal of social media integrations)

1. GoDaddy Web site Builder

GoCentral is an up to date product coming from a effectively-known internet dwelling internet hosting large – GoDaddy.

Whereas we did not in precise truth like GoDaddy’s internet dwelling internet hosting options, GoCentral was as soon as love a contemporary poke of efficient coming from this model.

First points first, GoCentral is very simple to exhaust. The customary breeze and fall efficiency is supplemented with a inconceivable cellular editor, which lets you accomplish changes to your internet dwelling utilizing your smartphone. Pointless to pronounce, I’d now not level out making your internet dwelling from scratch this selection, nonetheless it utterly’s an sexy (and responsive) selection everytime you salvage your self away out of your pc with a sudden rush of enhancing your internet masterpiece.

Effectivity is but each different categorical the obtain aside GoCentral shines. As a result of it’s a hosted platform, you might perhaps perchance likely likely be utilizing GoDaddy’s possess servers in your internet dwelling. And that’s unquestionably now not a faulty factor:

Do not seize my notice for it. GoCentral is free for probably the most most respected month, that means that you simply simply could perhaps perchance perhaps be prepared to supply it a check drive before any commitments.

2. wordpress

wordpress is a instruct administration platform with an initiate-offer code that allows clients the flexibility to vary their dwelling with as mighty as they love. Not like wix, which retains its code beneath wraps as if it had been the blueprints for a contemporary authorities venture, wordpress is type of evangelical with the type it shares its draw, animated each one to contribute.

Which skill that, these with the technical prowess to assemble a in precise truth outlandish web page can seize chubby assist of wordpress’s flexibility.

And with wordpress.com, you purchase a really versatile internet dwelling builder concept, that mixes each the customizability of an initiate-offer platform and ease-of-exhaust of an internet dwelling builder.

Additionally, with the implementation of the free wooCommerce poke-in, your wordpress dwelling can hasty grew to become a fully-functional on-line retailer. In distinction with wix’s restricted array of charge processors, the wooCommerce poke-in permits you to present a purchase to your potentialities’ buying experience by offering over 100 charge gateways. Complete, it’s an enormous resolution for fairly mighty all internet dwelling homeowners.

How mighty does it tag to begin?

wordpress.com provides a free concept for bloggers, which is large, nonetheless additionally very restricted. Each time you might perhaps perchance likely likely love your wordpress internet dwelling to match wix’s capabilities, you might perhaps perchance perhaps want a prime class concept – they tag from $Three to $45 a month.

Alternatively, you might perhaps perchance perhaps be able to exhaust all of its initiate-offer greatness and actual exhaust a internet hosting supplier. This selection, you might perhaps perchance perhaps best pay for what the suppliers expect. We finish a great deal of internet dwelling internet hosting opinions and a pair of of those firms are in precise truth reasonably value it as successfully.

3. Weebly

It is in precise truth subtle to beat Weebly’s templates in each aesthetic and accessibility. With their specific person-pleasant internet dwelling developing engine, even the least expert internet designers can salvage themselves ending a expert-caliber webpage in now not as much as a pair of hours.

One specifically useful attribute they supply for dwelling builders is the flexibility to seamlessly swap knowledge from one template to but each different. Thus, everytime you salvage a template that higher fits your imaginative and prescient, you obtained’t salvage your self manually pulling knowledge out of your archaic template utilizing duplicate and paste.

As successfully as to taking the guesswork and experience out of living-constructing, Weebly has made a title for itself with its cellular dwelling editor, which allows instruct builders to perform internet sites on the trek. The grid-based largely draw now not best helps to edit the positioning with out peril, nonetheless it utterly makes each web page you accomplish equally aesthetic and accessible on each desktop and cellular.

One different factor for which Weebly is famous is their full buyer supplier, which units the bar for the alternate and provides potentialities a great deal of easy methods to possess their issues addressed.

Web site homeowners can settle from each phone, chat, or enhance-label-based largely help, and the resounding consensus is that their responses are each gracious and environment friendly. Presumably it’s this extreme normal of buyer care that makes them assured AMPle to perform their pages downloadable to a zipper drive, affording clients the flexibility to vary their internet hosting dwelling on a second’s request.

Weebly additionally provides a free concept – nonetheless prime class plans for internet sites tag as much as $25 a month. And on-line retailer packages fluctuate from $8-38 each month.

4. Pixpa

Pixpa is the most convenient wix completely different for all creatives. It is miles a simple to exhaust internet dwelling developing platform designed for artists, photographers, and various creators. Pixpa makes a speciality of simplicity, aesthetic designs, and your on-line success.

The platform accommodates now not best a simple to exhaust internet dwelling editor, tons of responsive templates, nonetheless additionally eCommerce and working a weblog capabilities. 

So everytime you’re looking for an internet dwelling builder that can help you assemble your portfolio, publish an occasional weblog put up, and promote your works on-line – Pixpa is the actual completely different.

Totally of all, it permits you to finish all of it with a pair of clicks and at a really cheap tag.

Pixpa has Four plans initiating at $6/month and you might perhaps perchance perhaps even be prepared to amass an further 10% off everytime you inform “hostingreview10” coupon code.

Even the most cost effective concept permits you to promote on-line and publish tons of of photographs. It additionally incorporates a area title and SSL certificates so there obtained’t be any further prices. Each time you might perhaps perchance likely likely love extra flexibility, limitless photographs, and electronic mail advertising capabilities, the Professional for $9/mo, the Biz for $15/mo, and the Remaining for $25/mo may also be large options to scale.

5. Squarespace

Squarespace is The Rolling Stones to wix’s Beatles. They’re their largest competitor and their important attribute is the sexy templates, official search engine optimisation options, and internet sites that may toggle between cellular and desktop platforms with ease. As successfully as to their effectively-organized properties as an internet dwelling platform, as nicely they current clients with absolutely purposeful e-commerce options.

Add that to a reasonably simple modifying experience, and also you moreover mght can purchase fairly mighty a complete tools. Squarespace is a big wix completely different – possess a see at a pair of of the most convenient Squarespace templates, and every time you might perhaps perchance perhaps love now not now not as much as indubitably one among them, it is a viable selection so that you can select.

How mighty for all of that? Properly – Squarespace is an equal to wix in that. Sadly, it could not present a free concept, nonetheless its prime class plans will tag $12, $18, $26, and $40 a month respectively.

6. IM Creator

IM Creator is a free for all internet dwelling builder, offering tons extra capabilities than wix in its free yarn. No adverts, chubby purchase entry to to eCommerce, limitless internet hosting, and a capability to attach your possess area are all readily available on the thought, making this a really fascinating selection for all folks on a funds.

It additionally accommodates an $Eight month-to-month concept offering chubby prime class improve, and a $350 annual concept permitting to promote the platform as a white-label.

What finish you purchase with IM Creator? Properly – you salvage a number of prime class internet dwelling templates and a very easy-to-exhaust editor, serving to to finish normal points and never utilizing a fuss.

And pondering you purchase all of this with out as soon as opening your pockets, IM Creator is successfully honorable to be indubitably some of the useful handiest wix conceivable alternate options.

7. Volusion

Volusion is what’s is called a ‘Instrument as a Resolution” supplier, and provides potentialities with an avenue to develop their internet retailer in line with the size of their alternate. It is miles an enormous selection for of us searching for to promote on-line – as a result of it’s first and most most respected an eCommerce platform. Everytime you are actually not searching for to perform store – request some obtain aside else. Each time you might be, alternatively, Volusion is unquestionably an option to possess in options.

As successfully as to offering an internet primarily based buying cart and themes which might be mobile-responsive for optimized viewing throughout a wealth of platforms, Volusion’s 30 charge gateways accomplish it an obliging selection for entry-level entrepreneurs.

Month-to-month subscriptions to Volusion fluctuate from $15 to $135 – making this indubitably some of the useful most cost-effective eCommerce options on this record.

8. EzyWebs

In most neatly-liked years, internet sites are actually not repeatedly probably the most most respected provide of information about our firms or ourselves. Attributable to this fact, many internet sites possess to abet as portfolios, combining social media integrations, and talk to varieties. That is what EzyWebs was as soon as exactly made to finish.

This vital-price ezy to exhaust internet dwelling builder provides tons of of templates in your alternate so as to add its normal knowledge and encompass Twitter, Fb widgets, youTube motion pictures, picture galeries, google Maps areas, or contact varieties.

And the most convenient section of it – it’s all free. There could perhaps be additionally a prime class concept, costing $5.95 to $9.95 a month, relying in your charge interval, and it provides you limitless storage, as successfully as permits you to join a dwelling to your custom-made area.

Their low pricing bracket makes them each indubitably some of the useful most cost-effective and handiest wix conceivable alternate options.

The Eight Totally wix Picks: Which One Is The Totally For You?

Relying in your preferences, your handiest wix completely different may even fluctuate.

So that is what our prime wix conceivable alternate options are handiest at:

GoDaddy Web site Builder is by a good distance the best to exhaust wix conceivable alternate options.

wordpress is a really extremely environment friendly and customizable internet dwelling creation platform.

Weebly has strong eCommerce capabilities and obliging designs.

Pixpa is the certified wix completely different for creatives selling on-line.

Squarespace has the most sexy templates you might perhaps perchance perhaps be able to exhaust.

IM Creator is a free completely different for wix.

Volusion makes a speciality of simple on-line selling.

EzyWebs will will help you purchase noticed on all social media platforms.

In any case, even when, all of those platforms are large of their possess formulation – and all present tag-free trials, so give these you are drawn to a shot.

The put up Eight Totally wix Picks appeared first on Internet Hosting Opinions by True Clients and Internet Hosting Consultants.

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[josephkitchen0]

Your Guide to Growing Radishes

Growing radishes is one of the easiest of all gardening tasks. I always suggest novice gardeners grow them because of how easy they are. The success of the crop boosts morale and confidence in young or new gardeners. If you don’t care for radishes, you can always feed them to your animals or share them with friends and family.

Radish seeds are prolific and have a high germination rate. Within 21 days of being sown you can have small radishes ready for eating. They don’t take up a large area so you can plant them in between larger crops which need more time to be ready. I like to plant radishes in with my broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.

Few garden vegetables will produce as long and as much as growing radishes will. They are basically divided into spring and winter varieties. Depending on where you live, you can grow them year round. As long as you have cooler weather, like we do here in zone 6/5.

Spring radishes, such as Crimson Giant and Cherry Bomb, mature faster than winter varieties such as China Rose. Most people feel winter varieties make a better crop when growing radishes. They do keep longer in the garden, have a stronger flavor, and store better than their spring counterparts. To have a prolonged season, try growing a couple different varieties from both the spring and winter radishes.

Sowing

Whether you grow spring or winter varieties, or both, plant them when the soil is not drenched. Radishes are shade tolerant and need only about 6 hours of sun a day. They prefer a slightly alkaline soil, but in my experience, they will grow just about anywhere. They should be planted in loose soil about ½” deep and loosely covered. The directions will say to plant them three inches apart. This is hard to do with those little seeds so I just do the best I can and thin them as they grow.

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If you and your family members like radishes, you may want to try succession planting. This is simply making small plantings a week or two a part. If you plant in the spring, don’t plant after the temperature gets above 65-70 degrees. This will avoid not having cool weather to allow enough time until harvest and to prevent bolting. The varieties for spring planting with longer growing times often tolerate warmer temperatures better than the shorter growing season varieties. Be sure to check the time and temperature requirements of the variety you choose.

Harvesting

The secret to the perfect radish is knowing when to harvest it. If you let them over mature in the garden, they will be hot and pithy. I like large radishes so I thin them (my most hated garden chore) as they grow. Thinning them to 3″ apart allows plenty of growth room. Also, it gives us a little extra green in our diet and gives the chickens a delicious treat.

We harvest all through the growing season. Once we thin them and the bulbs begin to develop, we pull them when we want them. Tasting them is the best way to determine if they’re ready for harvest. I don’t preserve radishes, although I have read some pickling food preservation recipes for radishes. While radishes do contain vitamin C and some iron, they aren’t included on the antioxidants foods list. You’d have to eat a lot of them to get any significant dose of either. This is why I don’t take the time, energy or storage space to preserve them.

Even though they aren’t a powerhouse of nutrition, radishes can be helpful in relieving constipation. Because of their fibrous nature, they can be part of a natural constipation remedy. Combine the radish and even it’s greens with other salad ingredients to help ensure everything is flowing naturally.

Spring Vs. Winter

Growing radishes in the spring means you will need to pay a little more attention to them. They mature quickly and so have to be checked for harvest so they won’t bolt and taste hot. Once you pull them, cut off the greens. We juice the greens or add them to a salad. Wash both the greens and the roots well in water and pat dry or let air dry. I keep them in separate vegetable bags in the refrigerator. I’ve kept them up to a month, just be sure to check them before eating.

Growing radishes in the winter requires less of a watchful eye. They can be stored in the root cellar or covered with mulch in the garden and left there. If your soil freezes, you won’t be able to over winter them in the garden. I spent most of my life gardening in growing zone 8 and we were able to overwinter in the garden. Now that I’m learning to garden in a new growing zone, I’ve learned I can’t do this here in zone 6/5.

Tips for Growing Radishes

You can easily save seeds from radishes by allowing some of them to bolt. They will form seedpods which look a lot like a small pea pod. The seeds are tiny so you won’t have to let but a few go to seed.

Don’t plant them in an overly fertilized bed. Too much fertilization will make beautiful greens, but small, less tasty radishes.

Thin the radishes once they are up 2-3” high. This is how I achieve the 3” space needed for growing radishes.

Our garden is deep mulched so once the radishes are up good, I pull a light layer of the mulch back over them to help keep moisture in, bugs off, and weeds out. If you don’t do deep mulch gardening, cover them with a light layer of mulch.

Be sure your soil drains well. Too much water will cause the radishes to split and rot. Radishes like moist, but not wet soil. Too little water will cause them to be fiery hot and bolt.

Remember, growing radishes with plants requiring a longer growing season not only saves space, but is ideal for aphids control because it will draw aphids and other pests away from your young squash and cucumber plants as well as other veggies you may be growing.

Pests

As with most garden pests, the root maggot which affects the radish, can be managed with good crop rotation. Wood ash incorporated into the soil not only gives a nice dose of potassium and other nutrients to the soil, it manages the larva of the root maggot and other garden pests. You will have success growing radishes virtually pest free otherwise.

Growing Radishes in Containers

If you are interested in growing vegetables in pots, try radishes. Since radishes have a shallow root system, they are perfect for container growing. They can be grown in any container that is at least a gallon in size and is wide enough to accommodate the 3″ space requirements. Use the soil of your choice, just be sure it will drains well. It’s a good idea to not use glazed pots for growing veggies which don’t like overly moist soil. Pots which are not glazed allow for evaporation of excess moisture in the soil. Everything else is the same as growing radishes in a prepared garden bed.

Do you have a variety of radish you prefer? Do you have special tips for growing radishes you can share with us? We’d love to have you share your experience in the comments below.

Safe and Happy Journey,

Rhonda and The Pack

  Your Guide to Growing Radishes was originally posted by All About Chickens

[topicprinter]

[TL; DR: Amazon is very strict about ToS. Create a content rich site. Drive traffic. Specifics: search WHAT WORKED further down this post]So ... it's been over a year since I applied for an Amazon affiliate account. Back then,it was easy to get access to the Product Advertising API, which is a must-have if you are using any of the Amazon plug-ins to grab the latest deals and current prices off Amazon. All you had to do was ask, and they'd let you create your PAAPI keys right away.My first affiliate account was deactivated because I didn't bother getting the word out and so had zero sales after 6 months.Right. Lesson learned ... these things expire.Then I threw up a website that used the PAAPI with a plugin, so the store was FULL of products. I focused on a single sub-category (Painting, Drawing, and Art Supplies), because, being an artist myself, I decided that would be a good niche to focus on. Also put up another site in the photography supplies niche.Did some social media posts (FB, Twitter, Pinterest, IG). Got a bit of traction, but not huge. Started talking with someone who has a bunch of Im businesses, and he strongly recommended outsourcing the daily posting, multiple times a day, etc.So off I went to TaskBullet, set up an account and bought their biggest bucket as it was most bang for the buck. Requested they assign a social media manager with experience driving traffic. Watched as the lady assigned to my account fumbled through the posting over 3 months. Results: page likes, post likes, followers, but no sales.Lesson learned: don't outsource what you don't understand. Be very clear what your expectations are, from the get-go. Pull the plug early if the outsourcing isn't getting you the results you expected.I decided my best bet was to handle the Amazon account and all marketing for it myself, so that I could learn and also control my results.Then I got ridiculously stupid back in July. My affiliate account was under my corporate ID (same postal address, different credit card , corporation name on the account, but my own name as the person in charge). I decided it would be okay to purchase for my personal account using the corporation's affiliate ID. Also had a couple of friends purchase items using the same affiliate ID.Result: Amazon, in their wisdom, reviewed the account, noticed the personal purchase and totally disabled the account. No explanations offered, but the cause was pretty obvious.Lesson learned: don't ever try to double-dip. Amazon is not dumb, they'll shut you down as soon as they notice.By this time, Amazon had changed the rules of the game: PAAPI access is now granted only to those who have got those magical 3 initial sales and had their account officially approved by Amazon.That means, if you have a WP plugin throwing new exciting finds from Amazon on your website, that website now has blank pages where the products used to appear. So I now had two websites (the art supplies one and the photography one) sitting around looking really dumb.What to do? I threw up a random blog site, put some "posts" on it: basically, glorified copies of the items on Amazon. Put in a disclosure at the bottom of the page stating that I'm an affiliate. Asked my friends to buy, they did.Result: Amazon shut down the account. No explanations offered.Lesson learned: I had NO idea why they shut it down, although their comment of "not really original content" was a clue. Googled "get approved for Amazon affiliate 2018". Learned that they actually want to see a successful blog site, with actual content, not just copy-paste from the items for sale at Amazon.Also learned three other key details: 1) it's against Amazon's ToS to use their product images on your site (I'd just assumed that was fine, because those were obviously the best images ... bad mistake). 2) they want that affiliate disclaimer to be very prominent, not just in the page footer! 3) they want to see a site with steady traffic!DUH, That last one should have been obvious even to a noob! Created yet another affiliate id using the same credentials as before (Amazon lets you do this, no issues).[What worked] Okay, back to the drawing board. Revamped my blog starting on Oct 7.I added a new page titled Affiliate Disclosure to my blog, and made sure every blog post had a big, bold affiliate disclosure at the bottom and a link to that affiliate disclosure page for additional details.I went through all of my posts and changed out the Amazon images for photos I'd either taken myself of my art and photography supplies, or relevant photos from royalty-free image sites like Pixabay.comWrote new articles in an actual blog post style, telling people what I do, how I use these tools, comparing one against the other, etc. By this time, I had about 10 posts active on the blog, all with links to multiple items, not just one item per post as I'd previously done for my original spammy "blog site".Realized I still had no traffic other than my friends (one friend had clicked through on a blog post and purchased some crayons for me) ... so, on October 9th, I started doing boosted posts on FB and IG with very low ad budgets, no more than $2 to $5 per day.Continued creating new blog posts as I found new discounts on Amazon or rediscovered art supplies I use and love. The blog became a way to journal my love for art! Another friend purchased an eraser off my blog. Again, a very low-priced purchase. My friends aren't dumb, either!1 week in, I realized that my ads were working. My FB page has over a 100 followers now, and I've run enough boosted posts and ads that FB converted my pages to a business account (something I'd intended to do and never got around to doing).Just about the 10-day mark, I noticed a new sale on my Amazon Affiliate report ... and it was NOT anything on my blog! So that means someone actually bought something from Amazon within 24 hours of clicking through from my blog to Amazon (Amazon affiliate links are cookied for 24 hours if no purchase is made after a link click, or for 90 days if your buyer actually buys your advertised item after clicking your link).That was a week ago today. And that was my 3rd sale. I continued with the boosted posts so Amazon's reviewer would continue to see traffic hitting my page.This morning, Amazon sent me an email telling me my account was approved.All told, it took me almost 3 weeks on this latest attempt, including cleaning up my blog and driving traffic to the blog.Lessons learned: 1. Really follow Amazon's ToS. They'll shut you down with no warning and no explanations for any infringement. 2. Create real content, not just spammy copy-paste reviews. 3. Drive consistent traffic. This can be free traffic if you are good at the social media game, or just plain paid traffic. I've spent a total of $94.39 over the three weeks: I was doing a bunch of split tests, so, although each individual ad was only $2 to $5 per day, it adds up!Could you get this done faster? Heck, yes, if you have high quality blog posts, and you can drive more traffic quickly, it may only take a week to ten days. I'm happy enough with my slower pace, as it allowed me to understand better why some things work and some don't. I'm still no paid traffic expert, but I now have a solid understanding of how to tweak things to make my ads work.If you try following these steps, do come back and let me know what your results were!

[bt2018bt2018]

About Liquor Store http://ift.tt/2EoYSlR

Alcohol

Alcohol

Always Save on Something 'll Love

Its Safest Not to Drink While Pregnant

Eliminate wall separating Supermarket and Bottle Shop

Lowest Liquor Prices Guaranteed

Models Advertising Alcohol

Where to find a Bottleshop?

Blonde Moment Lager

Keep Gate Open for Easy Entry into Liquor Store = $

Dan Murphy - Our Feedback Implemented:

Mix & Match Liquor

Unique wine selling points integrate into product category tab at a glance

Storage space needed at this liquor store with trolley that obstructs display of wine bottles

Attract customer with larger conspicuous Beer Packaging

Larger packaging that maximises surface area.

Small packaging attracts less attention from customer from a reasonable distance away

IM NEW label for liquor store

Crystal head vodka mini

Remind customers of products with unbeatable prices to up profits

How to create positive customer experience when u ask for their I.D.

Conspicuous Bottle Advertisement for Liquor shop

Free glass bundled with alcohol purchase

Beautiful Design Appears when u fill this glass with Beer

Peroni Nastro Azzurro

Pork Crackle Drowned in Beer

Dan Murphy's: Buy Wine, Champagne, Beer & Spirits Online

This wine bottle had been pre-packaged for u

Melbourne Bitter Stubbies | Dan Murphy's | Buy Wine ...

Design supermarket layout so that customers have to enter and exit through liquor store to reach their groceries

Woolworths Supermarket - The Fresh Food People

Chalkboard price tags allow u to change the pricing easily

Here is how a bottle of Liquor help sell ice cream

Price Tag design on Promotional Items

Discount supermarket offering smarter shopping - ALDI Australia

Store's aisle enumerated by conspicuous signs for customer's convenience

ROYCE Hotel spirits drawer

-Free Water available at this bar- poster at this alcoholic venue

PURE BLONDE Beer Tap Communicate -Nothing Artificial- max profits

Liquorland welcome people from different ethnicity

Turn empty space between price tag into marketing real estate that generates profits for ur store

Veuve Clicquot shouting it out

Wine review by experts label installed on wine racks

Welcome to low prices at these bottle shops

Go to this pub if u r Hungry, Thirsty and Lonely

Wine Gift Ideas for Father's Day at a single glance

How do you max sales by enabling customers to easily visualise the enjoyment of the drink

Giving free alcohol in Shopping Mall lowers inhibition and max sales and profits

Invention prevents your liquor from getting diluted

Draw customers to and Fro the Food Section and the Liquor Section of the Supermarket with these marketing promotions

Add -AWARD WINNING- Phrase as selling point on Product List by the Street to Max Profits

.THE-MELBOURNE-WINE-STORE

Hand written reviews tagged on shelf next to Liquor Products max Sales

What better way to communicate your ICE BOX for sale to customers from a reasonable distance away

Alcohol Analyser at Car Parking Level needs the ability to pay by credit or debit card

Walk-in Fridge ensures display product is always on a First In First out basis

Alcohol vending machine.

Liquor store categorise products with conspicuous signages

Melbourne Bitter Stubbies | Dan Murphy's | Buy Wine, Champagne ...

I like the categorising label: "Chilled Selection". I love it if the labels could be drilled down to chilled wine, chilled beer, chilled champagne etc. 

That would bring convenience to shoppers and would be fantastic.

Liquorland

Love the spacious layout and size of the signages that categorise the products.

Discover wine reviews, ratings, n recipes with liquor store app

Melbourne Bitter Stubbies | Dan Murphy's | Buy Wine, Champagne ...

Love the app. Got great information from it.

Wine design with curves of a female allows secure grip on bottle

Bottle House | South Yarra

Love these bottle design. 

Great store with wide selection of liquor at reasonable prices. 

Beautiful interior store decoration with friendly and knowledgeable staff. 

Discount signs inconvenience customers by blocking product category signage

Liquorland

Behind the 20% off sign, there is a product category sign for the wines: Shiraz / Cabernet / etc

Fantastic liquor at affordable prices. 

Check this place out.

Support Australia by buying locally made Liquor

Crown Lager | Crown Beverages | Southbank, Australia ...

If Coles Supermarkets

place advertisements at their storefront to encourage shoppers to buy Australian made products, why doesn't Liquorland

beside Coles supermarket install similar advertisements to encourage shoppers to purchase Australian made liquor?

Cool Price Tag on Ergonomic incline Shelf for quick and easy viewing

Melbourne Bitter Stubbies | Dan Murphy's | Buy Wine, Champagne ...

I like how the price tag rests on the inclined shelf holder who presents itself beautifully to me. This tag on the lower shelf does not require me to bend my knee or back to lower myself to read the price of the product. 

Great Design and tasty booze at affordable prices.

I recommend you to check it out with your mates.

Food, Food - Liquor Store February 06, 2018 at 08:54PM

[anseladams03]

26 Marketing Tools for Non-Tech-Savvy Marketers

Marketing tools are essential for streamlining and automating the more arduous aspects of the process.

The only issue is that you’ve got to actually learn how to use them.

You have to learn their capabilities, their limitations as well as their nuances.

It’s no biggie if you’re tech-inclined.

But what if you’re not so tech-savvy?

Using marketing tools can nearly negate the purpose if it’s a struggle just to figure them out.

That’s why I compiled a list of 26 marketing tools for non-tech-savvy marketers.

Each one is practical and user-friendly and requires a minimal learning curve. Many are even free.

Content creation

1. WordPress

Let’s start with the absolute basics: WordPress.

You could consider it to be the “OG” of content management systems.

As of late 2015, it powered 25% of the world’s websites.

And it’s very likely that number is even bigger today.

A large part of WordPress’ appeal is its utter simplicity and non-technical nature.

You can create and maintain a beautiful website with literally zero knowledge of coding.

And if you happen to understand HTML, you can completely crush it.

If you want to create a site for your business or blog, I highly recommend WordPress.

You can learn how to do it from scratch with this video from Quick Sprout.

2. Google Drive

When it comes to cloud storage, I think of Google Drive as being the universal platform.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve worked with clients or business partners who’ve made Google Drive their platform of choice.

Like most Google products, it’s super intuitive and easy to use.

I use it for writing and backing up content as well as for sharing content with others.

It’s perfect if you have multiple people working on a project because sharing and editing is a cinch.

Besides docs, you can create slideshows, drawings, spreadsheets, and more.

3. Grammarly

I don’t care if you’re Mark Twain, everyone is bound to make mistakes when writing.

Whether it’s a silly spelling error or poor grammar, it’s impossible to catch everything.

But Grammarly will do just that (or pretty darn close to it).

Add it to Chrome, and Grammarly will monitor everything you write, point out any issues, and offer advice on how to resolve them.

It goes above and beyond Word and will make you look like an expert even if your writing skills are lackluster:

The cool thing is that it will also scan your emails before sending them out so you don’t look like an idiot when corresponding to customers or clients.

I highly recommend it!

4. Word Counter

Word count is kind of a big deal, especially if you’re writing long-form content and need to reach a specific number of words.

But not all online writing platforms display word count.

I love this tool because I can quickly copy and paste a body of text, and Word Counter will let me know how many words I’ve written.

It’s super quick, and I’ve never experienced any sort of glitch.

Content ideas

5. Google Trends

Coming up with new ideas for content can be a major struggle.

Even if you’re an expert, it’s not always easy to come up with stellar ideas.

I’ve found Google Trends to be a great place for getting a sense of what’s popular at the moment.

Often, it will point me in the right direction, and I can then use it to gauge the exact interest in a particular topic.

For instance, here’s how the interest in content marketing has grown over the past five years:

6. Alltop

Using Alltop is a breeze.

Simply type in a search phrase, and hundreds of popular blog posts on that topic will pop up:

I use this for brainstorming all the time, and Alltop has helped me come up with some epic ideas for blog posts.

7. BuzzSumo

Words cannot express how much I love BuzzSumo.

Pretty much anyone can figure it out within minutes, and it’s the perfect tool for generating an arsenal of content ideas.

But what separates it from other tools is the fact that it provides you with key info such as:

how much engagement content receives

who is sharing it

links pointing back to the content

The only caveat is that you must purchase the Pro version to unlock all the features.

But you can still do a basic search with the free version.

8. Ubersuggest

This one is a bit like the Google Keyword Tool, only simpler.

Enter a search term, and Ubersuggest will spit out dozens or even hundreds of ideas:

It’s really easy to use, and it’ll keep supplying you with topics whenever you need them.

Communication and collaboration

9. Basecamp

If WordPress is the OG CMS, Basecamp is the OG of project management and team collaboration.

Countless other products have been developed, many of which are cooler and sexier.

But Basecamp still retains its status and continues to be one of the big dogs.

I love its clean interface and how intuitive it is.

It’s very non-intimidating even for the most non-tech-savvy of marketers.

10. Trello

At this point, you probably know I’m big on visuals.

Images make it easier for me to absorb information and stay on top of my game.

That’s why I love Trello.

It involves a system of boards where you can communicate with colleagues and keep tabs on project progress.

It can easily be scaled up or down as necessary and can really boost productivity.

I know many people who swear by it.

11. Asana

This is another visual-oriented platform that I’ve used on several occasions.

I prefer Basecamp over Asana, but it’s the number one team-collaboration platform for many marketers.

In fact, some companies that use it include TED, The New Yorker, and Uber.

My favorite aspect of Asana is the ease with which I can track a project from start to finish.

I’m a stickler for deadlines, so this helps me ensure they’re always met without a lot of stress.

12. Slack

When I think of Slack, I think of hipsters. But in a very good way.

It’s perhaps the coolest, sleekest, sexiest collaboration app in existence.

And it’s dead simple to use.

Slack revolves around creating “channels” where you communicate with team members either publicly or privately.

Drag and drop your files to share with others, and search your archive any time you need specific information.

Slack makes it easy.

Task management

13. Wunderlist

I stay busy, so it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when I’m bombarded with a barrage of tasks on a daily basis.

One of my favorite weapons to counter that is Wunderlist.

I place it on my desktop so I can see exactly what’s going on and what I need to take care of on any given day.

And, of course, I can also access it from my smartphone or tablet.

I can easily save links, photos, and other media I want to keep.

I also use it to set reminders of specific tasks’ deadlines and make note of any business/project ideas that pop into my head.

In other words, Wunderlist helps me keep my you-know-what together.

14. WordPress Editorial Calendar Plugin

If you use WordPress (like I recommend), you’ll want to take advantage of this plugin.

It’s a little like Google Calendar, but specifically for scheduling your blog posts.

You can:

Manage drafts

See what’s been posted

See what needs to be posted

Manage posts from different authors

Like most things on WordPress, it’s user-friendly, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out its features.

15. Todoist

The tagline of this platform is “Accomplish more, every day.”

And that’s fitting because I’ve found Todoist to be a major catalyst for productivity.

You simply record tasks, prioritize them as needed, collaborate with others, and get stuff done.

I love its no-nonsense interface and minimalist vibe.

SEO

16. Yoast SEO

This is another WordPress plugin and one that I highly recommend if you’re fairly new to the SEO game.

Here’s a screenshot of its features:

In other words, it handles nearly every major aspect of SEO.

The best part is its simplicity.

I love Yoast SEO because it’s very hands off and automates many of the more arduous SEO tasks like creating optimized URLs, keeping track of keyword density, and so on.

Before you publish your content, Yoast SEO will rate its readability and your keyword usage by giving it a color: red for poor, orange for okay, and green for good.

If you loathe the technical nature of SEO, this is a great plugin to use.

17. Google Keyword Planner

If you were to use only one tool for performing keyword research, this is it.

Even the biggest SEO nerd will agree that it’s useful because you’re gathering data right from the horse’s mouth—Google itself.

The cool thing is that you don’t need to be technically adept to figure it out. Most of the features are pretty self-explanatory.

18. MozBar

In my opinion, Moz is perhaps the Internet’s number one resource for all things SEO.

I especially love its Whiteboard Fridays, offering in-depth analysis and insight.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to determine key SEO metrics like links, page authority, and domain authority, I highly recommend MozBar.

Simply add it to your Chrome toolbar, and you’re good to go.

19. SEMrush

This is another great SEO tool that’s amazingly easy to use.

Just enter a URL or keyword, and you instantly get a boatload of useful information such as:

Organic search volume

Backlinks

Top organic keywords

Main organic competitors

Branded search

If you’re looking to perform competitive analysis for keyword or content opportunities, look no further than SEMrush.

Images

20. Canva

If you’re creating content, you’ll need plenty of beautiful visuals.

In my opinion, Canva is hands down one of the best platforms for creating your own images and documents from scratch.

It’s really easy, and Canva offers a wide array of images that are totally free.

You can modify them as needed for your content or for branding purposes.

The best part is that you can do this with virtually no design experience.

21. PicMonkey

PicMonkey is a photo editor that allows you to design, resize, do touch-ups, create collages, and a lot more.

Using it is no sweat even if you have no clue what you’re doing in terms of design.

It’s perfect if you have your own images you want to customize, and PicMonkey helps you make them look like a million bucks.

22. Pixabay

Here’s my take on stock photos.

I prefer to pay for them and get the best of the best.

But if you’re just starting out or are on a budget, Pixabay is one of my top picks.

Everything is royalty-free and available for the public to download, modify, and distribute.

They have a massive archive of pictures that covers most topics, and the quality of their images has really improved over the past couple of years.

Here are just a few samples:

23. Creative Commons

Creative Commons is basically an aggregator of images free to use for commercial purposes. These images can be modified, adapted, or built upon.

You enter a search query, and choose from multiple platforms like Flickr, Wikimedia Commons, Open Clip Art Library, and even Google.

It’s a great tool for streamlining your image search.

Metrics

24. Google Analytics

There are countless metrics platforms out there for measuring your website’s performance, traffic numbers, and so on.

But I think it’s safe to say that Google Analytics is the be-all and end-all tool.

The free version is more than sufficient for diagnosing your website and, in my opinion, quite easy to use.

I’ll admit there is a bit of a learning curve, but most people can figure out the basics in a day or two.

25. Bitly

Bitly is perhaps best known for being a URL shortener.

In fact, I use it all the time for condensing URLs on my Twitter page:

But it’s useful for way more than that.

Here’s the deal.

Bitly allows you to track individual links and gather key information about their performance.

You can tell what your audience is responding to (or not) and tweak your marketing efforts accordingly.

26. Clicky

Finally, there’s Clicky.

Despite its comprehensiveness and level of detail, I consider it to be one of the most user-friendly analytics tools.

You can see what’s happening on your website in real time, monitor the actions of visitors, and even look at heat maps, which I love.

I know some marketers who actually choose Clicky over Google Analytics.

Conclusion

I totally understand the frustration that many non-tech-savvy marketers feel.

There are many tools that are great but require serious knowledge to be utilized properly.

These can really cramp your style and drive you crazy.

But the marketing tools I’ve listed are ones that will get the job done without being overly complex.

With most, the core features can be learned within just a few minutes.

This way, you can spend less time trying to figure out your marketing tools and more time reaching your audience.

Can you suggest any other easy-to-use marketing tools?

from Quick Sprout http://ift.tt/2nZ2PCK from Blogger http://ift.tt/2o0bjJP March 24, 2017 at 10:39PM