Dropbox And Onedrive Pros & Cons

I've been using Onedrive for some time but have known about Dropbox a long time, as well. I've had to download some files at Dropbox that I purchased. Both cloud storage systems offer free accounts with Onedrive being more economical for the value. Both services are also affiliated with Microsoft and Onedrive is free with a Microsoft account. I've been a longtime user of Outlook, so my Onedrive is through my email service.

I'm going to continue with Onedrive for now. Since Dropbox offers a free account, I'm going to sign up. It's such a popular cloud storage platform and I may need it in the future.

Casey Schmidt at Canto breaks down the pros and cons here:

Dropbox vs OneDrive – Which should you choose?

What Are Landing Pages Used For?

Have you ever considered creating a landing page for your product or service? A good landing page definition is an online page where potential customers are presented with detailed product info that will motivate them to buy.

To get my feet wet, I've decided to learn to create an effective landing page for my first ebook. I recently published it at my shop: Simple Keyword Search That Even You Will Feel Like Doing.

What Are Landing Pages In Marketing?

Landing pages and sales pages are similar. Sometimes, they are called funnel landing pages or sales landing pages in marketing. While landing pages are usually shorter and more brief than sales pages, both are used to steer potential customers to buy.

CopyBlogger Media says:

A sales page and a landing page are both crafted specifically to encourage people to convert. While landing pages are virtually the same as short-form sales pages, long-form sales pages tend to be more detailed than a typical landing page.

What Is A Book Funnel Definition?

A book funnel or sales funnel is also a marketing tool but it encompasses both types of pages. It can include links to any number of landing and/or sales pages. These are all used as strategic conversion tools. They are ways to convert visitors, browsers and lurkers into buyers.

EmailDrips shares about funnels:

It’s a strategy used to take readers on a journey to convert them into paying customers. Typically, the funnel is like a book with the same function as a normal sales funnel. So inside the funnel, there are links to strategic pages to the website, newsletter opt-in, or sales page. A book funnel is a great way to build relationships with your readers, even after they read your book. 

Since a landing page can be the beginning of designing a book funnel, I will be studying Abs Farah's article on Book Funnel Optimization: Essential Tips to Convert Leads into Paying Readers. Abs is one of the founders of Payhip, a selling platform where you can offer digitals, physicals, memberships, subscriptions and courses.

Implementing savvy marketing tools like landing pages, sales pages and sales funnels doesn't have to be overwhelming. There are many free and easy to follow resources online.

Creative People: Donald Roberts On Being A Successful Creative

I met writer Donald Roberts in an eCommerce group that is hosted by Payhip, the London-based, selling platform. Because of his experience hacking out a self-publishing career, he has some straight talk for aspiring creatives. His message sums up as do what it takes and keep doing it! 

To enter in to the arts as a future the first thing you must do is teach yourself the discipline of dedication. You must focus on your writing and any art that goes with it no matter what form you wish to call it. You must understand that creation is only the first step. The business of the arts, in order to make an income is as demanding as the art itself.

You can not set schedules, I'll work from ? time to ? time. Nor can you work entirely on inspiration. You must always understand your story at least in the department of the imagination.

To be an artist/writer you will discover it is a lonely life. You can't play with your friends like you would with any other job.

Personally, I work 18 hours a day, not consecutively but several at a sitting, coming up for air, food, coffee and visits and adventures with my partner. She is and artist as well and we do make some sort of effort to go off together to refuel our relationship.

Outside friends have to wait until we are between projects and not burdened down with the business of artistship.

So, if you can't dedicate 80% of your life to the disciplines of art...go find a job that allows you more free time.

Finally, while you are starting out you need money, which means you need a job to make money to pay the bills. Make it a no-brainer job with as few hours involved as possible....just enough to survive. If you work hard, someday it is possible to make a living...and independent publishing is the best. I suggest you find someone who will promote your work for a small percentage. Promotion is a time glutton.

Barrie Island Graphic Storyteller

Donald is a self-employed mystery and sci-fi writer who lives in Ontario.

Shop

https://payhip.com/barrieislandstorytellergraphicnovelspresents

Contact

https://payhip.com/barrieislandstorytellergraphicnovelspresents/contact

 

Innovation, Adaptability, Persistance: David's Bridal

Consistently, we see innovation, adaptability and persistence as the kingpins of enduring business success. Those traits have made David's Bridal the lone, national, wedding dress chain today.

While David Reisberg decided to begin selling his privately-designed wedding gowns in 1945, innovation began 20 years later after he sold his south-Florida salon. In 1972, Phillip Youtie bought the boutique and around 1988, brought in the retail expertise of childhood friend Steven Erlbaum.

Stores at this time stocked only sample gowns in a standard size. Youtie and Erlbaum changed the store model in the late 1980s with this warehouse off Interstate 95 where they stocked designer gowns, discontinued dress and manufacturer overruns at below retail prices. This chain of bridal stores was like none of its kind. David’s Bridal was all about making a no-frills shopping environment for those who need an expensive wedding dress for a fraction of the price. Stores were not comfortable, but more plain and warehouse-like. Although there was little to no comfort in the stores, brides-to-be could expect a bargain.

Adaptability resulted in finding ways to acquire new stores:

Years later, as the business grew even larger and larger, small stores were starting to go out of business while more David’s Bridal stores were being put into the business. Between 1994 and 1995, 12 stores were added to the bridal corporation...In 2000, the May Department Stores Company bought David’s Bridal from Youtie and Erlbaum for $436 million. By this time, David’s Bridal was the largest retailer of bridal gowns and wedding-related merchandise.

Persistence

David’s Bridal is the largest American bridal-store chain...and the only nationwide competitor of bridal stores...One in four American brides are dressed by David’s Bridal.

Successive acquisitions and emergence out of a two-month bankruptcy did not kill the dream. While Mr. Reisberg worked faithfully for over two decades and did not financially enjoy the astronomical success of his brand, the point is this; David's Bridal endured through the innovation, adaptability and persistence of all who believed.

On October 11, 2012, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice announced the completion of its acquisition of David’s Bridal, Inc. in a deal that valued the company at $1.05 billion.

David's Bridal is currently in 49 states, 5 Canadian territories and the United Kingdom. As of 2018, it was worth $2.5 billion.

Opportunities to innovate surround us everyday and many of the commerce giants that we recognize are still owned by the innovators. Those who do not own their flagship brands have taken the fortunes made through them and built new ventures. You may not be seeking colossal growth for your brand but the methods that lead to this kind of proliferating success can help you to reach your goals. 

How can you innovate your brand so that it will stand out and attract a robust market?

Is your growth lagging for lack of adaptability to an ever-changing society?

Do you cling to pet projects and ideas that do not inspire persistence?

 

Sources:

David's Bridal Locations

David's Bridal - UK

PRNewswire - David's Bridal

The List - The Truth Behind David Of David's Bridal

The New York Times - David’s Bridal Files for Bankruptcy, but Brides Will Get Their Dresses

Wikipedia - David's Bridal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zipper Pouch Brand Labels Best Positioning For More Sales

I was on Instagram when I ran across these lovely, colorful zipper pouches with the combo fabrics. See the black and white fabric brand labels attached to the outside? They are a cute touch, right? Well, I wouldn't put my labels on the outside. It would be too easy for people to snip them off because they don't like them there and there would go my chance and investment for brand identity. Who would snip them off? Who cares?, you ask. Obviously, you'd be surprised.

For people like me, those who like things somewhat perfect, neat and so-so, it would be eternally annoying to see the tag on the outside whenever the pouch was reached for. My first reaction would be to want to turn it inside out so that the tag would be inside, where it belongs. After a few times of remembering that the pouch is already right side out, I'd have to snip off the tag. My nerves couldn't tolerate it.

Now being a maker myself and knowing how important brand identity is, I'd probably tack the snipped label to the inside with a needle and thread. Rather than being in the majority this time, I know I'd be in the minority of those who would do that. Most would chuck that snipped ID into the round file. Later, they would not be able to recall who made the pouch when asked where one could be bought.

You say, Well, I wouldn't mind the tag being on the outside. I would forget it's there. With reference to marketing efforts and dollars invested, what matters is how many generally would mind? The average person feels that tags belong either in the back, underneath or on the inside. It would be a simple matter for an annoyed customer to correct this by unintentionally cutting away a maker's chance at a piggyback sale.

I'd sew my zipper pouch labels into the inside, where the average person feels they should be. Though temporary, I'd use my hang tags for the outside brand identification. To give my cloth labels more visibility on the inside, I'd sew them to the zipper seam, rather than into the side bottom area. I'd make sure the label was laying flat to the top inside under the zipper. It would then be seen as soon as the pouch was opened. 

Better for my disposable hang tags to be temporary than my snipped cloth labels. Stubbornness equals loss. Wisdom and adaptability equals more sales.

Roberto Blake On Successful Brand Deals

When asked if he finds it more difficult, as a person-of-color graphic designer and Youtube creator, to obtain brand deals in comparison to others, he replied,

Not really but I’ve also built a system for brand deals...I also do better on brand deals than most Creators my size or larger regardless of their background, due to my ability to negotiate and package my deals.

While discrimination is often endured daily by many of us, his successful focus is on evaluating how to deliver more value to the clients/customers whom he does acquire.

While I'm not aspiring to produce and upload YT videos (the unpopular slideshows format works better for my schedule), I love Roberto's content. He's clear, engaging and relevant. This is not the first time that I've written about him. 

I like making a pit stop at his channel to see what he's currently sharing. I am also a graphic designer but I don't freelance. I prefer to design pre-made products and services. Roberto produces many videos with inspiring content that can apply to any creative pursuit.

Check out his YT channel and website for great info on boosting the success of your brands.  

About Roberto Blake

Roberto Blake is dedicated to building the creator economy through helping creators and influencers build brands and businesses online. Learn how to monetize your creativity and skills, grow an audience, sell products, monetize YouTube videos, make money online, and build a personal brand. He has grown his Youtube channel to over 500,000 subscribers.

Find Roberto Online

Youtube Community

Youtube Channel 

Awesome Creator Academy 

Roberto's Youtube Starter Kit

Interested In Sponsoring Roberto Blake And Sharing Your Brand With His Viewers?

info@robertoblake.com

725 Ponce De Leon Ave
ATTN WeWork Roberto Blake 2nd Floor
Atlanta GA, 30306 

 

 

 

One Tip For Blog Growth

Online a lot and wondering why your blog following is not growing? Reduce your time posting at forums, groups and social sites and devote more of it to posting at your blog. In an attempt to drive readers to your website, you are squandering precious content at other places. Even simple, short comments can be published as asides at your blog. At the very least, you should be copying over the comments into blog posts. Ideally, you could originate the comments at your website.

Consider This: Maybe you need to spend more time drawing readers rather than driving readers. To do this, you need to be at your blog. 

Google Domains Alias Emails Feature Adds Professionalism

If you are using Google Domains for your blog or website address, you can set up alias emails to forward to an email that you use. 

 

The value of this feature is that you can create alias emails with your domain name as the @domain.name in your subject-dedicated email addresses.

For instance, I've used Outlook.com email addresses for years, which have served my communication purposes very well. For my website, Printaphoria & Creative Living, my domain is printaphoria.com. Through my Google domain, I can create alias emails such as info@printaphoria.com, questions@printaphoria.com, feedback@printaphoria.com, etc.

Emails sent from these addresses are forwarded to me through whatever email address I choose. I chose the Outlook email that I generally use. With @printaphoria.com as my email, my shop and website addresses look professional. 

Up to 100 aliases can be created through a Google Domains account. Don't continue to overlook this wonderful feature that can take your brand to a new level of professionalism.

Google Domains is easy to use and affordable! I am not an affiliate, just a happy customer.

Allowed Use Or Stolen?

It's the influx of PLR websites and videos promoting private label rights hustling that are part of the proliferation of copyright offenders at selling sites. Most listing venues only allow works/content authored by the members. The question is are PLR ebooks, which are purchased or otherwise acquired by sellers who may consider them to be drafts or outlines and who add to or rewrite them, considered to be their own work?

The main attractions of using private label rights ebooks seem to be the increased volume that can be produced and the variety of subject matter to expand into. A person can also publish in an area or genre of which he/she has very little, if any, expertise. That is not an issue, however, the way that some are utilizing this concept is.

How would it be perceived that a published work began as a PLR document anyway? The point of utilizing PLR is to put your name as the author on the manuscripts. If the work is extensively rewritten, then he/she may very well be the author. How much needs to be rewritten? Well, the nature of PLR is that generally nothing of the product needs to be rewritten to claim it. It's up to the seller to decide what is fair for their target market. Editing or not seems to be an acceptable option with PLR.

Unfortunately, many aspiring writers and sellers are using the PLR concept, either unintentionally or on purpose, to steal the copyrighted works of others. They remove the authors names from the images that they use. Sometimes they even edit the book cover images, placing an obscuring banner, with their own name on it, to hide the rightful author's name.

I believe that there are those who really don't understand the private label rights meaning. However, if a person has not contributed to copyrighted, published works and has replaced authors names with their own, it is difficult to believe that they don't understand that they are stealing and attempting to profit illegally through the works of others.

What is the difference between PLR concept use and the use of stolen, copyrighted-works? Private label rights use is taking unbranded, open-use products, essentially blanks, and editing them, or not, for commercial use. Copyright stealing is the commercial use of products that are marked with names, authors, copyright symbols, copyright dates, statements and other info that shows that the products belong to someone else or to an entity.

Different Can Equal Dollars

 

I've never seen pink pumpkins! Rachel at Scrapcraftastic was confident enough to create some.

Don't be afraid to try something different. Brainstorm. Think outside of the box. What have you searched for and couldn't find? Can you develop and market it? It just might be your cash cow!

This pink pumpkins printable paper is a freebie at Scraptastic .

From The Website: ***All Scrapcraftastic printables are for personal, non-commercial use ONLY unless otherwise noted. Please do not share or redistribute these files.

Success Comes From Within

Often, sellers ask is anyone making sales at this or that site? Is this site good for sales? Do you get a lot of traffic and sales at this venue?  Long-lasting success is not based on the website or selling venue or any other entity or person. Sustainable success happens according to the person's unfailing commitment, acquired knowledge and savvy efforts.

Unless you got in on the ground floor, even Etsy is no longer a venue where you are likely to list products, do nothing and get sales. Nowadays, new Etsy shops have to promote themselves ceaselessly to obtain regular sales. Etsy used to be the go-to venue to list creations, do nothing much and rake in the sales.

Earlier in Etsy's history, a person could join and by virtue of the traffic alone selling success could be had. Because of the changes in the purpose and direction of the owners, competition is now so varied and stiff that even those with great products have to pull their own weight in marketing. This is something that sellers should have always been cultivating. Why? Because that type of self-generated success is lasting. 

To successfully market and promote our brands, we have to believe in what we do and believe in ourselves. We have to see value in all of it and we have to be determined to show others that value. Sometimes, we have to change products and direction or reevaluate our goals.

If we don't possess that do-or-die attitude, we will depend on others and their websites to give us success. Eventually, we'll quit. If this is the case, them maybe we should not have been pursuing this type of success anyway. Maybe it was always just a fleeting hobby that we mistakenly saw as a driving purpose. 

A creative person who is driven and burning with the love of creating and the determination to show others the value of it will work tirelessly. They will press on until they find the correct techniques and products or services to get that point across.  Like they say, a good seller can sell ice to Native Alaskans.

We should all want sustainable success, rather than success that is attached to any one e-commerce site. If a website begins to fail or if the owners take a direction that is no longer compatible with our beliefs, we can leave and take our success with us. Without fear, we can take self-built, sustainable success where ever we go. 

Success = 

• Unfailing Commitment
• Acquired Knowledge
• Savvy Efforts.

Success comes from within.

Are Like And Follow Chains Worth It?

I've succumbed to the temptation in the distant past. When I realized that true value was not achieved through these staged social interactions, I decided that my creative time is too prized and limited to devote to these types of games.

The reciprocation is false inflating of stats at worse and giving to get at best. The increased stats are not from potential customers who discover our shops organically or through our savvy marketing skills. Smart marketing has value and attracts potential customers without requiring reciprocation.

These social trains are not an authentic way to realize appreciation for our creativity. I doubt if most of the likers and followers ever darken our shop doors again after the initial rush. Why fool ourselves by basking in fake accomplishments? Why strive to receive a flurry of activity only to be ghosted the day after? Likes for likes and follows for follows are a lot of precious effort for hollow shop interaction and inauthentic stats. When we think about it, it's really being deceitful to our potential customers, isn't it? It's painting a contrived picture.

Our time is better spent improving our target marketing and SEO skills, and learning how to better promote our brands. Social media trains, blog hops and the like cannot successfully compete with intelligent growth. The effort devoted to improving business skills has long-reaching effects that guarantee long-range selling success. 

Here is some info on SEO, an area in which we can all improve.

SearchEngineLand says:

SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” In simple terms, it means the process of improving your site to increase its visibility when people search for products or services related to your business in Google, Bing, and other search engines. The better visibility your pages have in search results, the more likely you are to garner attention and attract prospective and existing customers to your business.

SEO is a fundamental part of digital marketing because people conduct trillions of searches every year, often with commercial intent to find information about products and services. Search is often the primary source of digital traffic for brands and complements other marketing channels. Greater visibility and ranking higher in search results than your competition can have a material impact on your bottom line.

SearchEngineLand is chock-full of info on SEO, what it is, why it's important, how it works and how to learn it. 

Be Flexible And Adjust For Success

 

Press on in the thing that you love to do.

If you love it, you won't stop. 

If you don't love it, change it.

Be flexible and adjust to what your heart is telling you.

Don't lose time, effort and money on something that you don't love.

Success comes to those creatives who are determined and flexible. 

Failures are teaching grounds.

Failures are clues about changes to make.

Failures are tools to use to our advantage.

Failures are vital and critical keys to success.

Stay awake!

Pay attention!

 

HAPPY CREATING!

Long-Tail Keyword Titles

According to WordStream, Long-tail keywords are longer and more specific keyword phrases that visitors are more likely to use when they’re closer to a point-of-purchase or when they're using voice search. I try to use long-tail keyword titles in all of my listings. 

Short keyword titles can draw more views, but long-tail keyword titles can draw more sales.

Free Marketing With Facebook Hashtags

If you are using Facebook and not using #hashtags or #hashtag strategy in your products posts, you are losing out on free marketing. Facebook Help shares info and guidelines about hashtags:

Hashtags turn topics and phrases into clickable links in your posts on your personal timeline, Page or groups. This helps people find posts about topics they’re interested in.

I'm getting better at using them in every post. I and some of my creative friends have made sales because Facebook visitors found us and we weren't even using Facebook Ads. 

How Do I Use Hashtags On Facebook?

Better Twitter Marketing

 

Six years or so ago, Twitter was used daily by me and my crafting friends. Though I was not a faithful participant, I remember fondly the tweeting events, Twitter bombs and striving not to be sent to Twitter jail. I also had fun using Tweet Deck for awhile.

Over the years, Twitter seems to have fallen into disuse by much of my crafting community. I run by my profile occasionally to update my banner and weed out my following and followers lists. I have even tweeted infrequently but I never liked Twitter very much. The tiny posts images and the abbreviated posts lengths always annoyed and constricted me too much.

Recently, I checked on some of my creative associates and found that many had not tweeted in years! I was not surprised but the discovery left me saddened. It was a reminder that so much online activity has declined among creative groups, social sites and selling venues. It seems to have happened swiftly within the last few years and never recovered.

During my visit, I ran across a link to this post on how to better use Twitter. I was surprised that one of the suggestions is to use only one hashtag in tweets. The article author explains why. If you find yourself still using Twitter or wanting to, read this short help article to better promote your products and services when tweeting.

Six Things You Should NOT Do on Twitter  by the social media strategists at the award-winning NYC-based Likable, LLC, a 10Pearls Company