In 2018, over 91% of Americans had health insurance coverage for at least part of the year.

A lot of people will health insurance will never have to make a claim. For a significant minority, however, the claims process will become very familiar.

Making a health insurance claim can be a long-winded affair, especially if you’ve suffered an especially complex or expensive injury.

Read on as we share our top tips to get you through the process.

Top Tips for Making a Health Insurance Claim

There are a few different things to keep in mind when you’re filing for a health insurance claim. We’ve gone over the most important points here.

Maintain Transparency

There can sometimes be a temptation to conceal or exaggerate certain details when filling out claim forms or when talking to your doctor. You must not do this, as it could jeopardize your entire claim.

If an insurance company can find evidence that you haven’t been honest with them, you might see your health insurance claim denied.

Know Your Exclusions & Your Deductible

When you make a claim, the resulting money should be enough to cover most of your expenses. However, it won’t be enough to pay for everything.

Most insurance policies have a deductible, which is an amount that the claimant must cover themselves before insurance money will be available. Exclusions may also be applicable; these are scenarios in which coverage will be unavailable.

Keep Track of Your Documentation

If your claim is a complex one, you can expect to fill out quite a lot of paperwork. Make sure to keep copies and records of everything you fill out, as you may need to account for it all later.

Don’t Do It Alone

Insurance claims can be complex, especially if you don’t have much experience with them. If you omit details, get things wrong, or miss deadlines, you will have to wait much longer for your payout.

With this in mind, it can be a good idea to enlist help when you’re going through the claims process. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your insurance company if you have questions or concerns. For bigger or more complex claims, hiring a lawyer might be a good idea.

Where to Go for Health Insurance

If you’re currently deciding where you should buy your policy, you should know that you have plenty of choices. Even if you have Medicare, a supplement to it from a private insurer might be wise, depending on your circumstances.

Make sure to pick a policy that covers all your needs. It’s better to spend a little extra on your policy than risk not being covered in the event of a serious illness or injury.

Making Claims the Right Way in 2020

Making a health insurance claim can be a daunting process. There can be a huge amount of documentation to see to, and the penalty for getting details wrong is an even longer wait for your payment.

The tips above should help you to expedite the process and access your money as soon as possible.

If you found this article valuable, you should have a look at some of our other content. Follow us on social media or subscribe to our newsletter for posts on business, technology, finance, and more.

Over 60 percent of marketers use SEO in their marketing strategies. SEO is a crucial part of inbound marketing because it can help bring customers to you.

By getting people to come to you, you can simplify your marketing efforts. You won’t have to spend as much time or energy on finding customers.

Keep reading to learn about some essential inbound marketing tips.

1. Determine Your Ideal Audience

One of the pillars of inbound marketing is that it attracts your clients and customers to you. If you don’t know what your customers like, it will be much more difficult to get them to come to you.

Inbound marketing services work best when marketers know who they need to target. So consider your business, what you offer and who you serve.

For example, an online cosmetics company may target young adult women. On the other hand, a children’s toy company may focus more on parents and older adults.

No matter what industry you work in, you should know as much as possible about your audience. Consider what they like and dislike and where they spend their time online.

2. Be Where Your Audience Is

Once you know who you’re targeting, you should figure out where they spend their time. Using the cosmetics company example, young women tend to be active on Instagram, so that’s a good place to start.

Facebook tends to attract women and men in their late 20s, so it would be a good option for a parenting-based business.

Consider the most popular social media sites and who uses them the most. Then, you can develop a presence where your audience is, and you can grow your following more organically.

You don’t have to use every social platform, so focus on a couple. As you grow your business, you can expand your social media presence to other networks.

3. Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

On your website and social media, you should take advantage of search engine optimization (SEO). SEO involves creating content in such a way that it will rank well in search results.

You will use a particular word or phrase (your keyword) as the main part of the content. By creating an article or page around the keyword, you can make Google and other search engines recognize your content.

Whenever someone searches for that term, SEO will help your content show up on the first page. If you don’t use SEO, you won’t have much control over where or when your pages show up in search results.

Implementing an SEO strategy can help you attract customers from even more places. You’ll be able to engage with people who don’t use social media, for example.

4. Create Good Content

When learning, what is inbound marketing, you have to consider content. Inbound content marketing focuses on using blog posts, social media posts and more.

But you can’t just write a blog post each day and expect results. You need to focus on creating good quality content for the internet.

Make your content engaging by adding images or videos when you can. You should also break up long blocks of text with headers or bullet points.

The more engaging your content is, the more time people will spend reading it. Then, you will have a better chance of turning readers into fans and then into paying customers.

Whether you choose to focus on your website or social media, you need to make sure the content is good and relevant to your audience.

5. Encourage Email Signups

Hopefully, your blog and social media content will be interesting enough to keep people coming back. But email marketing is another essential part of inbound marketing.

The goal of your blog and social media content should be to get customers to sign up for your email list. Once you have their email, you can contact people regularly with updates, new releases and sales.

You can use a thing called a lead magnet to get people to give you their email. Consider a few ideas for lead magnets.

• eBooks
• Checklists
• Coupon codes
• Videos
• Templates

Depending on your business, you can come up with tons of email lead magnets. Make sure you create content that your customers will want.

For example, a cosmetics company can offer a coupon or a makeup tutorial video. However, eBook may not be as effective because it’s not as relevant.

6. Maintain Relationships

As you get people to follow you on social media and sign up for your emails, you need to keep up with those feeds. Inbound marketing is all about building and maintaining relationships.

Make sure you post or send emails regularly to stay in your customers’ minds. But don’t overdo it.

Keep your emails to once a week or so, but you can post to social media each day. Whenever you get a question or comment, reply and do what you can to provide good service.

Even if people haven’t purchased from you, you can show that you care about your customers. Then, when they need what you sell, they will think of you.

7. Focus on the Customer

Inbound marketing services need to focus on the customer or client. Since your job is to attract people to a business, you need to keep the people happy and interested.

While it’s important to share what you sell, you can’t ignore your audience. If anyone has problems, do what you can to fix those issues.

Whenever you get a complaint or a bad review, see how you can make things better.

Focusing on the customer can be hard, especially if you love your product or service. But paying attention to your current and potential customers can help make your business even better, and you can attract more people.

It doesn’t matter if you sell a product or service. You can see here how customer focus is essential.

Inbound Marketing Tips

Inbound marketing is a great way to get new customers and keep current ones. You can use content and SEO to engage with people and make them want to buy from you.

But you shouldn’t just start inbound marketing without a plan. Consider these tips so that you can improve your business and get more customers.

Did you enjoy this article? Visit our business section for similar content.

While most people say they support recycling, 91 percent of plastic waste still makes its way into landfills every day. This has huge consequences for life on this planet.

At the very least, we’ll find ourselves buried in waste before too long unless we start to back up our words with actions soon.

Here’s a reminder about why the recycling process should be a priority for everyone.

1. Environmental Benefits

Waste products like plastic and paper can travel miles on the breeze, polluting and poisoning watercourses, forests, and fields with their noxious chemicals.

Inevitably these stray items end up the oceans. There are already massive swirling patches of garbage in all the world’s great oceans.

Millions of creatures who live in these environments die every year due to man’s wastefulness. The loss of even one tiny species reverberates through the ecosystem, disrupting the delicate balance of life on Earth.

Mining activities, forestry, and agriculture destroy the habitats of wild creatures, causing starvation, death, and ultimately extinction for fragile species. Every living creature has its place in the grand scheme of things and even the smallest loss can have a devastating knock-on effect.

2. Reduced Energy Consumption

It takes a lot less energy to recycle goods than it does to create them from scratch. Metal recycling takes up to 30% less energy than mining new ores.

Less energy means fewer carbon emissions, which in turn helps prevent climate change from getting any worse. Creating 1 ton of recycled paper produces over 4 tons fewer carbon emissions than making the same amount of paper from scratch.

The energy saved by recycling one glass bottle could power a 100-watt lightbulb for up to four hours.

When manufacturers have the raw ingredients for their products on hand they don’t need to buy more, so they use less raw materials.

3. Recycling Conserves Natural Resources

Believe it or not, Earth’s resources are finite. Although the planet’s perfectly engineered to constantly renew some of its resources, like plants, there are limitations to this design.

The bottom line is if we keep using up things faster than they can regenerate we’ll run out.

Recycling greatly reduces the need to harvest resources, helping nature to renew its natural supplies. This is how it works:

• Paper and wood recycling reduce the need for wood harvested from virgin rainforests and ancient woodlands.
• Plastic recycling means we have to make less plastic from irreplaceable fossil fuel hydrocarbons.
• Metal recycling cuts the need to extract new ores from finite natural reserves.
• Glass recycling means less sand’s used to make new glass.

These are only a few examples of the things that both homeowners and businesses can recycle. According to the waste management company, Cleanlites Recycling, almost every industry can join in to help conserve the Earth resources by recycling their waste products.

It’s easy to imagine what a difference it would make if we all got on board.

4. Helps Slow Climate Change

Reduced energy consumption means less carbon released into the atmosphere. In turn, this helps to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases responsible for climate change.

Recycling also contributes to less methane-releasing waste in our landfills and using less wood means there are more trees to help filter harmful gases out of the atmosphere. Landfills currently produce twice as many carbon emissions as the entire aviation industry.

Every ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees and trees are our greatest defense against escalating global warming.

5. Protects the Vulnerable

The constant harvesting of raw materials doesn’t only displace animals, insects, and birds. At times, the poorest of the poor living on the edges of natural resources find themselves homeless too.

Ongoing encroachment onto traditional lands leaves these vulnerable people without homes, forcing them to seek housing and employment in nearby cities and towns.

This increases the problem of homelessness and poverty in these already densely populated areas and leads to crime driven by desperation. For example, there are hundreds of indigenous tribes living in the Amazon jungle who stand to lose their homes as the loggers make their way through this important ecosystem.

6. Saves Money

When you pop all your recyclable items into a recycle bin, you save money on waste removal services. You can also save on supplies by re-using plastic detergent containers and buying more cost-effective refills.

Creating a compost heap for green waste and food waste helps you grow vegetables and fruit without fertilizers. Growing your own food also means fewer carbon emissions due to farming and transporting food to you.

Some bottles and cans now offer an incentive for people who recycle by charging a refundable deposit when you buy these items. When you hand these bottles back to the supplier, you get cashback.

Many recycling companies will pay you for plastic and glass waste too.

7. Creates Jobs

When you support your local recycling center, you’re helping to secure jobs for people in your area. Thousands of people work in the recycling industry performing important tasks like:

• Collecting, sorting and preparing recyclable materials
• Manufacturing new products from recyclables
• Refurbishing items harvest from electronic recycling initiatives

The recycling chain also indirectly provides work for the drivers, retailers, and designers involved along the way.

Do More Good

There’s no argument against recycling and no excuse not to get involved right away. There are so many ways you can ensure a better future for all.

Before you throw that next item in the trash, think carefully about where it will end up. Support companies that have recycling initiatives in place and don’t buy single-use plastics.

For more ideas on how to work, play, and live smarter, keep reading our blog.

There’s no doubt that owning a home can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life (especially if you’ve been renting for a while!). The feeling of having your own property that you’re gonna be able to call home for years and years is certainly a good one.

However, home improvement can also be the most frustrating experience ever when emergency home repairs need to be taken care of. It seems like there are infinite different parts of your property that could fail and would need to be taken care of ASAP.

In this article, we’ll explain a few of the different expensive home repair costs so that you know how to better build a home repair budget.

Foundation Repair

There’s no doubt that your foundation is one of the most important parts of your property. After all, this is what the rest of your home is sitting on. With a failing foundation, you compromise the structural integrity of your household.

There are lots of different things that could result in your foundation needing repair.

If it was laid in an incorrect fashion by poor quality builders, then you may have to get poorly structured parts replaced.

If the area experiences heavy flooding, then the water damage to your foundation could be significant and require that you have things shored up.

Animals and insects like termites can cause significant damage to your foundation repair.

The way that a need for a foundation repair will manifest itself will typically be in the form of a sagging floor. If the floor begins to dip or seems uneven anywhere, then chances are that the foundation under that is problematic.

Roof Repair

On the other end of things, your roof is also one of the most important aspects of your home. A broken roof means that you’re letting water into your home every time it rains — what’s the point of having shelter if you’re not protected from the elements?

Not to mention, but the incoming rain could also cause significant water damage. Your HVAC bill will also increase as your insulation suffers, and you could let all manner of rodents and insects into your home with a hole in your roof.

Roof repair will usually consist of testing to find the right place to patch up. Then, you’ll have to apply some kind of patching solution that will harden and dry up on the surface. Finally, you’ll need to re-shingle the area.

If you call in a contractor to do all of that, you’re going to be looking at a very expensive repair bill.

Burst Pipe

Another common emergency home repair that you need to watch out for is a burst pipe.

Pipes can burst or start leaking for multiple reasons. One of the most common reasons is frozen water. If water freezes during the pipe, it could compromise the structural integrity because water expands when it freezes. The force of the expansion could push the pipe apart and create a hole in the metal.

The consequence of that is water finding its way between your walls. That, in turn, can result in a whole host of other issues.

Mold Removal

One of the leading causes of mold is water damage from leaky pipes that we discussed above.

However, mold can also come to your home if it was transported there by a piece of used furniture that you bought or the like. Whatever the origin of the mold may be, getting rid of it will certainly be an expensive proposition.

Letting the mold stay or DIYing mold removal isn’t really an option. The truth of the matter is that mold can significantly impact air quality which in turn can cause respiratory problems for you. You need to get a professional mold removal service to come in and fix things up or you could be looking at some serious respiratory issues.

Water Heater

A failing water heater makes it hard to live in your house. If you’re only able to access cold water for showers, dishwashing, and cooking, then you’re going to be feeling pretty miserable pretty quickly.

Replacing a water heater can be a very expensive proposition — not only do you have to purchase another heating unit, but you’ll also need to purchase the necessary piping to connect it. And what’s more, if the heater is currently hidden behind a wall, then you’ll have to absorb the cost of breaking down and reconstructing that wall.

HVAC Repair

Your HVAC system is probably one of the most problem-prone systems in your house. This is because there are so many different moving parts in your HVAC unit. Your condenser, your blower, your vents, your furnace — all of these components exist in your HVAC system and all of them could go wrong at a moment’s notice.

One of the big decisions that you’ll have to make when something goes wrong with your in-house climate control is whether to replace or repair. For those homeowners who know the system hasn’t been replaced in a while, it may make a lot more sense to go with an HVAC replacement and get a new system.

Otherwise, you could be throwing money away every few years trying to repair a failing system that isn’t going to be reliable in the long term.

Broken Windows

Last but certainly not least, broken windows are one of the most common emergency home repairs. Whether it’s a stray baseball from the kids playing down the street or an accident that happened in your home, a broken window can happen at a moment’s notice.

Thankfully, of all the repairs we’ve discussed today, a broken window is one of the most cost-effective ones.

Emergency Home Repairs You Should Save Up For

There you have it. With this list of emergency home repairs under your belt, you should be far better equipped to build a home repair budget.

For more home improvement advice, check out the rest of the articles on the website before you leave!

How did General Motors ruin Christmas?

It was Christmas Eve when a drunk driver hit the Anderson Family’s 1979 Chevy Malibu, causing a big explosion. The 6 members of the Anderson family suffered severe burns, and we’re permanently disfigured.

The family later found out that General Motors’ cheap fuel tank design caused the explosion. After entering into a personal injury lawsuit against GM, the Anderson family won a $4.9 billion structured settlement.

If you’re wondering what structured settlements are, we can help! Read on to learn the in’s and out’s of structured settlements.

Personal Injury Claim

First, there has to be a personal injury claim before a settlement can happen. During the claims process, the defendant can freely offer a settlement or the plaintiff can request one.

For the settlement to proceed, both parties have to agree on the terms. Usually, a settlement is preferable to both parties since going to trials are so expensive. A settlement becomes even more appealing when the plaintiff needs the funds to support themselves.

For instance, with wrongful death cases, the settlement money will help the surviving families. A structured settlement calculator can help determine everything the deceased paid for.

Negotiate Pre Settlement Funding

Have you ever heard of a lawsuit advance? Pre-settlement funding is a type of lawsuit advance. Plaintiffs can access award funds, well before the personal injury case settles.

However, the funds have to pay for the legal costs of their claim. The court usually requests medical records before granting a lawsuit advance.

Structured Settlement Options

A scheduled settlement is typically paid through an annuity. The defendant has to purchase the annuity from an insurance company. Why do defendants use annuities to pay off settlements?

Instead of the defendant having to monitor each settlement payment, with an annuity the insurance company is in charge. Since insurance companies are experts at managing scheduled payments, it makes sense to let them handle things.

Here’s a shortlist of the different type of annuities commonly used:

• Income for life
• Periodic certain
• Deferred defined benefit
• Joint and survivor

Another benefit of getting an annuity is the stability they provide. Instead of relying on the defendant’s corporations doing well, you can rely on the financial health of the insurance company.

You can also sell structured settlement plans to turn a profit. However, not everyone wants to receive periodic payments. That’s why another option is to receive a lump sum payment.

Lump-Sum Options

To decide if a lump sum payout is the best choice, you have to determine what your financial goals are. Ask yourself, what are the main differences for each payout option?

How will these differences help you in reaching your financial goals? One of the biggest advantages of getting a lump-sum payout is that you’ll have the freedom to choose how you want to invest a large amount of money.

As far as pre-settlement funding goes, you’ll be happy to know your payout is completely tax-free. However, any type of profit you make off of your earnings is 100% taxable.

Build up Your Financial Know-How

Now you know the in’s and out’s of how a structured settlement works. What other financial knowledge would you like to build on today? For more articles like this one, check out the rest of this site!

Do you want your business to reach consumers from other generations? Do you want to expand your brand by using nostalgia marketing?

It’s not easy to create a successful nostalgia marketing campaign. You need the right amount of cultural memories and a positive connection to them. That way, it’ll be easy for your audience to get interested and invested in your product.

Below are 10 great nostalgia marketing examples you can learn from.

1. Apple’s iPhone 6 Ad

Let’s address the question of what is nostalgia marketing. It’s a marketing strategy that focuses on the consumer’s emotional association with a product or brand. You’re tapping into their happy memories, first times, and sentimental affection.

A lot of middle-aged adults today remember the Sesame Street TV series from childhood. Apple knows its ideal target customers now have the means to buy its products. This is why the 2016 iPhone 6 S commercial featured Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster.

2. The Party Circa 1957 – Bacardi 

In 2012, Bacardi released a series of TV ads for its 150th anniversary. One of the commercials featured a late 50s party. They researched 50s fashion and hairstyles to make the ad look authentic.

You can do the same for your nostalgia marketing by shooting a similar ad. For example, for an 80s vibe, you can design your own patches for the outfits. Don’t forget to add a filter to get that true nostalgic feel.

3. Geico Caveman Commercial Revival

Here is another one of the best brands that use nostalgia marketing. If you grew up in the 90s or early 2000s, you may remember the Geico cavemen. These commercials came long before the gecko became Geico’s mascot.

In 2018, Geico pulled out its old ads from its archives. They asked people to vote for their favorite Geico commercials. The cavemen ads were the popular picks from their audiences.

4. Doritos’ The Backstreet Boys Super Bowl Ad

You’ll find that a lot of pop culture references go back to The Backstreet Boys. As one of the biggest boy bands in the world, it’s not surprising. Doritos’ 60-second spot for the 2019 Super Bowl featured the same iconic group plus Chance the Rapper.

Why do so many people feel drawn to ads that use nostalgia marketing? One reason for this is because nostalgia puts rose-tinted glasses to their memories. It makes the “good old days” seem so much better than the present and worth focusing on.

5. Coca-Cola’s Holiday Ads

The Coca-Cola Company has been around since 1892. Its long history puts it at a great advantage in using nostalgia marketing for its products. Its long history makes it a reliable and trustworthy product.

This is why nostalgia marketing works well with Coca-Cola’s brand identity. It knows that 81% of consumers say that trust impacts their buying decisions. That’s why it optimizes its holiday ads to the nostalgia of the viewers.

6. “Joy of Sketching Series” by Adobe

Not all companies have a long-standing reputation like Coca-Cola. Yet, you can still use nostalgia marketing campaigns to promote your products. Take a look at Adobe’s Joy of Sketching series.

It made use of the memories of the generation that grew up to Bob Ross’ soothing voice. At the same time, they displayed what their Sketch program can do. The company even hired a Bob Ross lookalike to throw you back into the memory of Bob Ross’ actual tutorials.

7. Pokemon Sun and Moon Trailer

If you haven’t seen this 1-minute and 11-second ad yet, hop onto YouTube right now and watch it. It’s one of the best nostalgia marketing examples. It’s an excellent way to market using nostalgia, and all brands and marketers need to take notes.

It visualized how a young Pokemon enthusiast’s life evolved when he became an adult. Yet, it also shows the viewer parallels between his childhood and his present life. It is what brings forth that sudden hit of realization and nostalgia in him and the viewer.

8. Feel Something Again Ad by KIA

Steven Tyler made a Superman-like comeback in KIA’s 2018 Super Bowl commercial. The ad consists of Tyler hopping into a KIA Stinger and driving backward. He drove back so fast that the world and time went back 40 years.

Add Aerosmith’s ballad Dream On in the background, and you drown a lot of 70s-era fans in nostalgia. Let’s not forget that they showed Steven Tyler stepping out of the KIA looking young again.

This works well because of the combination of the visuals and the audio. The time-turning reference to the 1978 Superman movie is also a big factor.

9. Disney Lion King Remake and Other Remakes of Classic Movies

Disney understands that it’s selling a feeling to the audiences that are now older. It’s why it puts a lot of effort into recreating that sense of wonder in its trailers for The Lion King remake. Disney does its nostalgia marketing research well.

It’s why Disney’s remakes of classic films did well the first few times. The problem with the actual film remakes is that they lost the essence of the originals. Still, Disney does a phenomenal job at selling you the feeling of reliving your childhood, doesn’t it?

10. Microsoft’s “Child of the 90s” Ad

Another one of the most memorable nostalgia marketing examples is the Child of the 90s ad by Microsoft. It features a lot of the things that Generation Y grew up with. It mentioned items like yo-yos, diskettes, and Tamagotchis.

The ad is for Internet Explorer, which was infamous for its bugs and slow speed. Microsoft paints it in a new light by focusing on what we had in the past. It’s the tech company’s way of saying that Internet Explorer is better and more reliable.

Take Cues From These Nostalgia Marketing Examples!

Those are our ten nostalgia marketing examples that you can learn from.

You don’t need to own a 50-year-old business to use nostalgia marketing. You only need to be creative and attentive to your target audiences.

That ends our top examples of nostalgia marketing. We hope this guide helps you with your nostalgia marketing campaigns. If you want to see more content on digital marketing, feel free to read our other posts.

We began using plastics a mere 60 years ago. It’s hard to comprehend that in such a short time plastic waste has grown to an incomprehensible 8.3 billion metric tons!

What’s more, despite lofty goals, an astonishing 91% of plastic isn’t recycled.

It’s time to take a step back and start looking at alternatives to plastic packaging and the like to avoid using so much plastic.

The great news is that there are many viable alternatives to single-use plastic packaging. Let’s look at a few here.

1. Bamboo

Bamboo is an extremely fast-growing plant that is a sustainable source of biodegradable material. It requires little to no fertilizer and pesticides and thus is a better option for the planet in other ways as well.

It is easy to make into many products that we now use. For example, straws, disposable cutlery, toothbrushes, and even clothes. Edofiber is a Japanese company offering elegant paper products and chopsticks fashioned from bamboo.

2. Sugarcane

Sugarcane is another fast-growing plant that holds tremendous promise as an alternative packaging to plastic bags and other plastic products. It can be made into ethanol, which can, in turn, be made into vegetable plastic.

The best part is, this 100% vegetable plastic can be used to make bottles, bags, and other forms of plastic packaging.

3. Bagasse

A byproduct of sugarcane processing, bagasse can be harvested and used to replace even more types of plastic packaging. It is moldable and malleable and can be turned into disposable take out food packaging.

It is similar to polystyrene, yet is biodegradable and compostable.

4. Palm Leaves

Fallen palm leaves from the areca palm can be gathered and molded into whatever shape you like. Some companies are using this as packaging for their handmade soaps rather than wrapping them in plastic.

5. Corn Starch and Sorghum

Packing peanuts are great for protecting fragile items, but they’re not so great for the environment. However, alternatives have been made from both corn starch and sorghum. As a biodegradable product, this loose fill can be tossed into boxes without the worry of overrunning the environment with packing peanuts.

Even better? They don’t have that annoying static cling of regular packing peanuts!

6. Barley and Wheat

Six-pack rings are the bane of sea life everywhere. However, now these rings are being made of barley and wheat remnants. If these fall into the ocean, the sea life doesn’t have to be worried about being strangled, they can have a snack instead!

Many More Alternatives to Plastic Packaging

We’ve barely scratched the surface on the alternatives to plastic packaging that are available and being developed. Thankfully, having realized the error of producing so much plastic, innovative people are coming up with viable alternative packaging solutions to plastic and helping to make the world a cleaner place.

Want to learn more interesting facts or tips and tricks about pretty much anything? Be sure to check out more articles on our blog!

Are you looking to set up an e-commerce online business? There’s no better time than during a pandemic. Although many people have lost their jobs and may be short of money, there are many people who still have disposable income who are at home bored.

You may be wondering what the best products to sell online are in 2020 but it is actually quite straight forward.

Here’s what you need to know about how to sell products online and what niche products are sure to make you a lot of money.

Books

Lockdown year is truly the year of the book. There are many negatives to the pandemic but one of the good sides is the extra time we all have to read books. From novels to self-help books, lockdown is a time of great reflection.

Even before the pandemic, the book industry was worth a staggering $26 billion a year in the U.S alone. Now sales are rocketing.

Online shops and supermarkets like Walmart are helping to fuel this golden age of literature. Purchasing books to sell on at these stores can be an amazing business venture.

Of course, authors and publishers publish direct to Amazon but as a third-party seller, you could purchase some paperback copies to sell to your local community or city and ship them out faster than they could.

If you are feeling like a challenge you could also consider setting up your own publishing house. Many new independent publishers are setting up all the time. The so-called print on demand and ebook only model lowers the barrier to entry allowing you to get a foot in the door.

Crime and Thriller Books

Crime books are one of the most popular genres of books. The Amazon top ten is usually full of crime authors such as Ian Rankin, Patricia Cornwall, Val McDermid, or thriller writers such as James Patterson.

Although many people are not enticed by the dark side of life, the rise in the sale of crime fiction shows there is an appetite for investigating the underworld. A crime novel also guarantees a puzzle that readers can solve, guessing who the murderer or criminal is.

They also give the reader a social commentary without directly referring to politics. They allow readers to reflect on the world around them. Sense-of-place is also important in a lot of crime fiction. In a lockdown, readers want to be transported away to a country they can’t visit at the moment.

Often these books are turned into long-running television shows both in America and in Britain so they have a life after their first release.

Self-Help Books

Self-help books are another genre of books that are worth investing in to sell them on. People with problems from mental illness to over-working themselves seek out expert guidance to help them.

It’s comforting to read about the problems you have faced from other people who have faced them too. You can feel as if you can do anything and you can pull through them too.

The ‘4 Hour Work Week’ is a particular example of a book that can motivate remote workers into being more productive and to think about how they want to spend their time.

Ebooks

As well as buying traditional paper books to sell on you might want to invest solely in ebooks.

People in countries where cases of COVID-19 are high often feel more comfortable purchasing ebooks than handling paper copies or waiting for them to be delivered. They are also cheap to produce with no overhead costs for the book. This is the answer to what to sell online

Masks

As we struggle to come to terms with the pandemic we will all need to wear a mask at some point.

People are looking to buy well-made masks that are guaranteed to protect them from COVID-19.

There is an opening for more expensive, higher-quality masks rather than low-cost mass-produced products that consumers might soon become distrustful of.

Build up a reputable brand that is fashionable and wearable. Invest a lot of money in marketing and the product itself. Be sure to get some good reviews and to get people to talk about it via word of mouth. What was once one of a number of niche products is now a mainstream essential.

Try these eCommerce solutions if you are struggling for places to sell your products online.

Food Delivery

Another essential item that people need during lockdown is food. Although most supermarkets offer home delivery it can be difficult to get a slot. They often get full up fast. Nice products are also harder to find.

Setting up a home delivery service for food is bound to be popular and you will probably find that you have more demand than you do supply.

Be sure to do your homework in terms of your supply chain and logistics. Keep people happy by picking fresh and good products for them instead of loading their basket full of anything you can find and you will be sure to do well. This is what to sell online.

Best Products to Sell Online? Lockdown Essentials

If you’re wondering about the best products to sell online and which ones are likely to make you the most amount of money then be sure to consider lockdown essentials like books, food, and masks.

With lockdowns set to continue around the world and the second wave of COVID-19 expected these are the products that people crave and are likely to make you a lot of money. Don’t forget to research them thoroughly and make sure you can deliver what you promise.

If you are interested in reading more about the best products to sell online or how to sell products online be sure to check out the rest of our site.

The IT sector is becoming wider day by day. More companies, personalities, and experts are now venturing into the sector as it is now becoming critical in almost every other sector. Other companies also run into technological experts to solve the industry’s technological problems. At times, skills can also be limited, and you will see one or two women trying to venture into the sector to try their best.

It shouldn’t be surprising to see a woman in that sector. But being a woman in a group of other male technological experts can be demanding. You don’t have to get discouraged because women started venturing into the IT sector a long time ago. If you are a woman anticipating to venture into the sector, don’t worry because you are not alone in the sector. Also, it’s okay if you don’t have the opportunity to master such a serious profession. You can always earn extra money from home with part time writing jobs. Let’s cover some of the tips essential for that woman aspiring to venture into a tech career.

• Share with people

People have different skills and have acquired vast knowledge from various sectors of technological learning. Talking to friends and experts in various sectors will always motivate you to venture into a field you are always aspiring for. As a woman, you will learn that the technological world isn’t just reserved for a single-gender, but all of us can always explore the sector by sharing with experienced fellows within the sector.

• Teach yourself.

It sometimes sounds usual, but teaching yourself can also move you to steps you never expected. You can always utilize your time in teaching yourself skillsets required in technology jobs. However, you may not gain all the skills, fellows members within the sector can also guide you to tread the right path that will help you achieve. Plan yourself to learn new technological ideas every day. With time, you will realize that you are making some progress even if it is smaller. As time goes by, you will find that you are experts ready to compete and showcase your skills before another tech savvies.

• Follow good people.

It is always important to consider going to good people who will help you learn more about the IT sector. This is more important than just seeking high-paying jobs. Always go for people you have affection for, and those you believe can make you move to another level in the tech industry. Also, go for companies that have proper, skilled, and intelligent management.

• Have a good mentor

Tech-savvy women should always have reliable and good mentors. These people will always help them with their success journey. While relying on a good mentor can be productive and effective, it’s also essential to note that continuous commitments are key to consistent, productive progress.

• Advocate for yourself.

It’s important to understand your current level of tech. This helps you move on smoothly as you advance to a level another level. By sacrificing financially and time-wise, you will always reap the fruits of technology.

Conclusion

It is important to empower women to venture into tech since it’s not reserved or confined to any gender. Anyone can venture it and become productive to society. Therefore, women should never be afraid of venturing into technology.

 

You’re having a horror-themed movie night? You’re in the right place.

In the United States, more than 700 films released every single year. With so many to choose from, it can be challenging to decide which flicks are worth watching.

But the real question is, how do you plan the best horror themed-movie night?

For those looking for the best, check out these five movie marathon ideas for a delightfully frightening movie night.

Read on to learn more.

1. The Shining

The Shining is perfect for crowds looking for a drama-horror flick. It follows the story of a family in an isolated hotel dealing with the evil influences of an eery presence. This classic film is great for Stephen King lovers!

For the best horror-themed movie night, you have to get the lights right. Strive to create ambient lighting. Be sure to utilize the coves in the ceiling for pockets of lights. Consider mixing different lighting levels.

If you’re going all out, try fiber optic or LED lighting strips along the baseboards or in the floor. Try rope lighting in hard to see areas. Include task laps next to your seating for ambiance. Don’t forget to look into remote-controlled dimming options.

Choose lighting colors like red and black for an eery shadow to make you feel like you’re right on the set of your favorite horror movie.

All laps should have easy-access pull chains or switches with opaque shades. Be sure to consult a professional for major installation projects to ensure safety. For more information about home theater lights, be sure to read more here!

2. Psycho

It’s essential to pick the horror movies to stream for the horror movie marathon. If you’re watching the most popular, classic frightening flicks of all time, you have to include Psycho.

Check out Psycho to watch one of the most infamous Alfred Hitchcock films of all time. This black and white flick tells the story of a young secretary who steals forty-thousand dollars from a client and hides in a remote, unsettling hotel.

On Netflix, be sure to check out horror movies like Devil’s Gate, Splice, Insidious, and The Silence. Hulu has some great picks as well such as Crawl, The Other Lamb, The Lodge A Quiet Place, and Wrinkles the Clown.

3. The Exorcist

The Exorcist is arguably one of the best horror movies in 2020 to watch. Though it was made in 1973, this movie is bone-chilling and will haunt you. It follows the tale of a young girl possessed by a demon that must be saved by an exorcism before it’s too late.

To have the best movie marathon, you have to choose the tasty snacks that will be a hit with your guests. Of course, you’ll need some heavily buttered popcorn. Try sweet corn and be sure to add lots of salt.

Add variety to your snacks by having kettle corn available too! To match some sweet with your salty, make brownies or cupcakes. Add red or black food dye into baked goods to make them match the horror-themed night.

For easy grab-and-go snacks, offer candy such as:

• M&Ms
• Skittles
• Gummy Bears
• Gummy Worms

If you want more sustenance, add nachos, pigs-in-a-blanket, and mini sandwiches!

Don’t forget about the drinks. Offer a variety of sodas like Coke, Fanta, Root Beer, Mountain Dew, and Sprite. Consider having water bottles available too.

4. Halloween

If you’re watching the classics, you must add Halloween to the list. This renown 1970s flick tells the story of Michael Myers, a murderer escapee from a mental institution who returns to wreak havoc on his own home town.

If you’re going all-out, you’ll need to choose scary decorations to create the perfect horror-themed ambiance. If you have a specific horror flick your night is focused around, choose decor inspired from the movie.

Hang up face masks around the movie room and add red and black streamers. If you have movie posters, highlight them and advertise the movies for the night.

You can always add a photo booth for guests to remember the night by. Simply have a cutout cardboard frame and add horror movie decor around the exterior. Offer horror movie-inspired photo booth props for even more memories.

5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is as horrifying as horror movies get. This film is not for the queasy or faint-of-heart. It follows the story of an unfortunate group of friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals.

If you’re having a horror movie marathon, keep the night lively by playing a movie game. Try bingo with each square highlighting a movie detail viewers have to look out for to see.

You can also have coloring pages, word searches, and crosswords available too. Some people like to do activities well they watch the movie. This also provides the perfect opportunity to ease the tension of the scare in the air.

You can also do movie trivia in between films. To add more incentive and fun, have prizes available for those who get the most answers right.

Remember the night should be an enjoyable experience for you and your guests. Don’t be afraid to ask for their opinions to make it the best night possible.

Movie Marathon Ideas

If you’re looking for movie marathon ideas for your next horror-themed movie night, be sure to consult these nine movies that’ll have you on the edge of your seat and ensure the greatest night ever.

What are you waiting for? Your horror-themed movie night awaits!

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