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الأربعاء، 6 يناير 2016
Shawnee Mountain featured on CBS Morning Show Thursday
A crew began shooting on Tuesday
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Need Help Sticking to Your New Year’s Resolution? This Company Will Pay You to Lose Weight
So you want to lose weight this year?
Not just make some shoddy, forgettable resolution — but truly dedicate yourself to your health?
If you want to get serious about shedding pounds, you’re going to need some serious motivation.
I’m betting cold, hard cash would do the trick. It paid off as an excellent motivator for Angie Richards — she lost 52 pounds in six months.
What kept her going? The fact she’d win $1,200 if she met her weight-loss goals.
And no, she doesn’t have some special deal with a shake company or something — she’s just like you and me.
That’s right: I’m saying any of you could also earn money for just losing weight.
Keep reading to learn how…
How One Woman Earned $1,200 for Losing 52 Pounds
Like many people, Richards always struggled with her weight.
She’d tried nearly everything, and had some major successes… but somehow the number on the scale always seemed to creep back up.
“You know, you just see a pair of jeans that you used to wear and think, man — what happened?” she explains. (Yup, we’ve all been there.)
So in May of last year, she decided it was time to make a change.
She read about a company called HealthyWage here on The Penny Hoarder, and decided to give it a shot.
She created an individual weight-loss challenge, betting herself she’d lose 40 pounds in six months. If she accomplished her goal, and “won the bet,” HealthyWage promised it’d pay her $1,200.
This Has to Be a Scam, Right?
It’s hard to believe, but HealthyWage actually is a legit company and will pay you to accomplish your weight loss goals.
In addition to earning money from people who don’t reach their goals, it’s sponsored by “corporate and government clients who are interested in creative solutions to weight loss.”
Want to Try It Out?
Just enter how much weight you’d like to lose (10-150 pounds) in its calculator, how long you’ll take (6-18 months) and how much you want to bet ($20-$150 per month).
Then, using a secret formula, HealthyWage calculates how much you’ll win if you succeed.
Each month, you pay your promised amount into the program. In return, HealthyWage provides support through expert advice, weight-tracking tools and other resources.
If you meet your goal in your allotted timeframe, HealthyWage pays you!
What — Other Than Weight — Do You Have to Lose?
Image provided by Angie Richards
For Richards, the financial incentive was exactly the motivation she needed… especially when, three months into her weight-loss regimen, she was injured and forced to use crutches.
At that point, most of us probably would’ve just given up — but Richards had the money hanging over her head.
Not only would she lose her bet with HealthyWage, she’d also lose the cash she’d paid in each month.
So she persevered. She focused on what she could accomplish each day — quick, attainable goals — rather than what she couldn’t.
In the end, she crushed her goal — instead of losing 40 pounds in six months, she lost 52 pounds.
“If you’re willing to put in the time, it works,” Richards says.
And there’s no better time than the start of a new year to bet on your health.
Would you like to earn money just for getting in better shape? Click here to see how much HealthyWage will pay you to lose weight.
Your Turn: Do you want to lose weight this year?
Sponsorship Disclosure: A huge thanks to HealthyWage for working with us to bring you this content. It’s rare that we have the opportunity to share something so awesome and get paid for it!
Susan Shain, senior writer for The Penny Hoarder, is always seeking adventure on a budget. Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.
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We May Have Found the Worst Coupon Ever. Like, Ever.
This is a friendly reminder: Always read the fine print.
Even a killer coupon may not be worth your time once you know what you can — and, more importantly, can’t — actually buy with it.
We saw this with a pre-Black Friday Kmart coupon — it offered $10 off a $20 purchase, even on sale-priced merchandise.
Great deal, right?
Sure. Unless you wanted to buy Levis, Two Hearts Maternity, Scrubology, Sears Fan Shop, Insane Deals, Shaw rug gallery, recliners… or pretty much anything at Kmart.
Every coupon includes exclusions.
Most retailers are smart enough to exclude discounts on gift cards. Prescriptions, tobacco and alcohol also are common exclusions.
But the items excluded from this coupon span 401 words, plus a link to additional terms.
The chunk of text is actually longer than this blog post, crammed with tiny font into the space of a coupon.
We Just Have a Few Questions, Kmart
Why specifically exclude “2.5 oz mini jar candles?”
Neither humidifiers nor dehumidifiers, you monsters?
What is “non-merchandise,” and why would I want to use a coupon on that?
And finally, what is so important about “Nicki Minaj or Adam Levine merchandise” for it to be mentioned twice in an already too-long list of exclusions?
See the full text of the coupon’s “details” below.
The Worst Coupon We’ve Ever Seen
The details…
“Purchase requirement is before taxes and after discounts. Not valid on Nicki Minaj or Adam Levine merchandise; BOGO; gift cards; non-merchandise; concessions; federal or state regulated items; alcohol; tobacco; fuel; items behind the pharmacy counter; prescriptions; prior purchases; clearance items; partial-paid special order items; Lands End merchandise; Scrubology; at Sears HomeTown, Outlet, Appliance Showroom, Hardware and Parts & Repair stores; or during Family & Friends or Member events. Redeemable at kmart.com, sears.com and shopyourway.com. Limit one coupon per member. Valid on regular and sale priced merchandise. Not valid on Levis, Two Hearts Maternity, Scrubology, Sears Fan Shop, Insane Deals, Shaw rug gallery, recliners, Colormate 2.5 oz mini jar candles, generators, Weber, Mattresses, Jenn-Air, Dacor, appliance and floorcare accessories, appliance closeouts, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, water heaters, water softeners, air conditioners, air cleaners, fans, everyday great price items, propane tanks, automotive, video game hardware, Bose, Onkyo, prepaid calling cards, iTunes, computers, tablets, eReaders, Canon DSLR, Sony camcorders, Sony DSLR and lenses, Nikon DSLR and lenses, Samsung, Sharp and Sony UPP merchandise, Panasonic VT series TVs, installed Home Improvements, Home Services, PartsDirect, catalog orders, Gift Cards, money orders, wire transfers, protection agreements, Sears licensed business, Nicki Minaj and Adam Levine merchandise, BOGO, non-merchandise, concessions, federal or state regulated items, alcohol, tobacco, fuel, items behind the pharmacy counter, prescriptions, prior purchases, clearance, partial-paid special order items, and Lands End merchandise. Additional Sears online exclusions: Custom, family, and Moissanite jewelry, items powered by ShoeBuy, compact refrigerators, range hoods, compactors, Fisher & Paykel, fragrances and Hot Buys, Additional Kmart online exclusions: gaming hardware, computers, laptops, snow throwers, clearance, Hot Buys, Fruit of the Loom and Hanes. Void if copied, transferred or obtained via unapproved means and where prohibited. Any other use constitutes fraud. Cash value 1/20. On return, coupon savings may be deducted from refund. Online code limited to one-time use only and applies to merchandise marked sold by Sears or sold by Kmart. Sears Holdings reserves the right to terminate or modify this offer at any time for failure to comply with its terms and/or due to any operational malfunction of the software, hardware or equipment required to process this offer. Use of this coupon constitutes your acceptance of the Shop Your Way terms and conditions, available at http://ift.tt/1etKSkE. Not valid at Sears Home Town, Outlet, Appliance Showroom, Hardware and Parts & Repair stores; or during Family & Friends or Member events.”
Your Turn: Have you ever seen an impossible-to-use coupon? Share it with us in the comments!
Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writer’s Digest and more.
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Today Only: Get 5% Cash Back at Walmart When You Shop Through This Site
It’s already January 6th — we’re almost a week into 2016.
Now that the holidays are over and the new year is in full swing, it’s time to take a look at that neglected shopping list. You know, the one for paper towels, light bulbs, those Swiffer refill things… all that stuff that fell by the wayside during winter’s party-time whirl.
Get More Cash Back on Walmart Purchases Through Ebates Today
If your wallet’s a little tired after all the festivities, you’re in luck: You’ll get 5% cash back when you shop at Walmart through Ebates today.
That’s up from their previous rate of 1%.
Want to get a Penny Hoarder price? Stack the deal. Save even more by using your favorite rewards credit card to actually make your purchase. For example, the Barclaycard CashForward World Mastercard offers 1.5% cash rewards.
But if you want to take advantage of this Ebates offer, hurry up: It expires tomorrow. Besides, procrastination is so 2015.
Your Turn: Will you take advantage of Ebates’ cash back bonus at Walmart today?
Disclosure: Here’s a toast to the affiliate links in this post. May we all be just a little richer today.
Jamie Cattanach (@jamiecattanach) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. She also writes other stuff, like wine reviews and poems.
The post Today Only: Get 5% Cash Back at Walmart When You Shop Through This Site appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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Commons to debate state pension age for women tomorrow
Following an online petition that attracted more than 106,000 signatures, the House of Commons will tomorrow debate the rise in women’s state pension age (SPA). The debate is to be led by the SNP MP Mhairi Black.
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5 Strategies for Building a Bigger Network on LinkedIn
When it comes to social media marketing, you have a lot of different options.
Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn…
And the list goes on.
Despite being not quite as big as Facebook, LinkedIn is often a better choice for businesses.
It provides you with an opportunity to connect with professionals and engage with them on a personal level.
Here’s something I bet you didn’t know:
Over 80% of B2B leads generated from social media come from LinkedIn.
That’s pretty incredible.
Although there may be less traffic on LinkedIn, its users are much more open to learning about products than Facebook users are, who just want to see pictures of cats.
In one particular set of results, LinkedIn produced more leads than even the company’s blog.
No, that doesn’t definitively mean that marketing on LinkedIn is more effective than blogging, but it shows you the power it can have.
While LinkedIn is smaller than some other social networks, it’s still pretty huge. It has more than 300 million users and is still growing.
And more importantly, those users are buyers. Businesses are 50% more likely to buy a product if they’ve already engaged on LinkedIn.
In case you haven’t noticed yet, I’ve been referring to businesses as customers.
LinkedIn is mostly a platform for B2B (business to business) companies. In other words, it’s for companies that sell directly to other businesses.
It makes sense when you think about it. People go on LinkedIn for reasons related to their professions. They’re looking for ways to further their careers, not for products for their personal lives, like a new computer or toaster.
So, if you sell your products directly to consumers, LinkedIn probably isn’t right for you.
But if you sell products to businesses, LinkedIn provides a massive opportunity to generate more leads.
The basics of using LinkedIn for business: The goal with LinkedIn should almost always be to generate leads (and subsequently sales).
To do this, you start with your network on the site.
The larger your network, the more potential you have to engage with someone in your network, who might become your customer.
That’s why I’ve dedicated this post specifically to strategies that will help you build the most effective network possible, both in size and quality.
1. Determine with whom you should be trying to connect
If you do some reading about LinkedIn marketing on other sites, you’ll find that there are two general opinions.
First, you can reject anyone you don’t know or who doesn’t work in your industry in some form. The idea behind this is to keep your network as “high quality” as possible.
But unlike on other social networks, you don’t get penalized by having a large number of people in your network. So, even if you have a large network of “low quality” connections, it shouldn’t harm your results.
The second approach is to grow your network to include as many people as possible. This means that you accept invitations to connect from everyone and actively look to add more people to your network.
Here’s why I like the second—the bigger the better—approach:
- Even if someone isn’t in your industry, that doesn’t mean they won’t be in the future.
- Even if someone isn’t in your industry, that doesn’t mean that their connections aren’t. Being connected to that original person will make you show up higher in their connections’ searches and possibly in their “suggested connections” as well.
- The more connections you make, the more likely you are to show up in “most viewed profiles,” which will lead to even more invitations to connect.
Other than simply being more open to connecting with people you don’t know well yet, you can implement this strategy with just a few simple steps.
Step #1- Learn to recognize spam profiles: Once you start to get a decent number of connections, you’ll begin to get a lot more invitations to connect.
Some of these will be from spammers.
They create accounts, try to connect with a few hundred people, and then start spamming with products or promote scams in various places on LinkedIn.
This is where having “low quality” people in your network can hurt you. You don’t want to be associated with spammers in any way.
If someone sees the spam and then sees that you’re connected with the spammer, you could lose your connections or even potential sales.
Sometimes, you might get fooled, but it’s pretty easy to spot 95% of fake profiles. Take a quick look at your new connection’s profile before you accept them.
In particular, fake profiles usually:
- don’t have profile pictures or use stock photos (usually of an attractive man or woman)
- have very limited or no information
- use a company name instead of a personal name (to market your business through LinkedIn, you need to make connections as a person)
- use a logo instead of a profile picture
Spammers typically create hundreds or thousands of these profiles at a time, so they all look very similar.
Now that you know what to look for, you’ll be able to spot a fake profile in just a few seconds.
Just report these invitations as spam and move on; there’s not much else you can do.
Step #2 – Start by connecting with everyone you know: When most people create a LinkedIn account, they begin by connecting with people they’ve worked with.
For some, this can be hundreds of people, which is great. But if you’ve mainly worked in small businesses or don’t have a ton of experience, this could be under 50 people.
If this is the case, you’re not “popular” on LinkedIn yet, which means that people won’t be as eager to connect with you.
In practical terms, it’s a lot easier to go from 300 to 350 connections than it is from 50 to 100. That’s why the more people you can start with, the better.
Beyond your work acquaintances, connect with:
- friends
- family
- peers (other students or people in your profession)
As long as they know who you are, don’t worry if you know each other very well.
The only thing you want to avoid is sending tons of invitations to people you don’t know at all because that’s how you get reported as a spammer.
Step #3 – Encourage people to connect in all possible places: Like I showed you earlier, LinkedIn is often one of the most effective, if not the most effective, lead generation channels.
It makes sense to focus on LinkedIn in your marketing strategy.
You can build your network both on and off LinkedIn.
First, add your LinkedIn profile to your email signature. If you send a lot of emails, you’ll get a regular stream of new connections just from this.
Next, make it clear in your LinkedIn profile summary that you’re happy to connect with just about everyone. If you check out my LinkedIn profile (go connect with me now!), you’ll see this in my summary:
Finally, add your LinkedIn profile to every page of your blog.
2. Sharing content does more than drive traffic
Building a bigger network should be one of your main goals, but there are a few others as well.
For one, you want to use LinkedIn to build relationships with your followers and turn them into leads/customers when the time is right.
One thing you need to be doing is sharing content on LinkedIn.
When you make a post on LinkedIn, it will be shown to anyone following you or connected with you.
Unlike other social networks that have way too much content as it is, LinkedIn will actually send notifications to your followers when you make a new post so that they don’t miss it.
What and when you should post: Don’t worry much about the specific time when you post. Although there is an optimal time, it doesn’t make as big of a difference as it does on other networks.
The most important thing in regards to when you should post is that you post consistently. I’ve adopted a once a week schedule, but you could try posting more if you have the time.
Another important question is: what to post?
While you can post personal status updates about your job, you want to post about things that your target audience is interested in. This is one aspect where LinkedIn marketing is the same as marketing on any other social network.
By doing this, you are right away positioning yourself as an expert in your niche/industry.
You can post content created by others, or you can post links to your own content—it doesn’t really matter when it comes to this specific function.
However, it does matter if you’re interested in all the benefits you can get from regular posting.
Benefit #1 – You stay at the front of their minds: We just talked about how posting content about your niche positions you as an expert.
When you consistently post content about your industry, your connections keep seeing it. Every post is a new reminder that you take your work seriously and pride yourself on being on the cutting edge of the industry.
Say you’re a nutritional consultant. And let’s say an HR manager (your connection) is looking to hire a nutritional consultant to help their business’ employees eat better.
Guess who they’ll immediately think of? That’s right, you.
You’ve been posting content about how good eating translates into better lives for workers and more productivity for a long time. In most cases, they won’t even look for an alternative.
Even if you are not connected to this HR manager, you might be connected to one of their coworkers or friends.
When the manager mentions the idea to your connection, they’ll light up and say, “I know the perfect person for you.”
Staying at the front of someone’s mind, once you’ve positioned yourself properly, is a long term strategy that pays off.
Benefit #2 – You drive traffic: When you post your own content, you immediately drive traffic to that content.
It’s not as good as email marketing in this regard, but it can still drive a few hundred to a few thousand visits, which isn’t too shabby.
Obviously, you don’t get this benefit if you post other people’s content.
Your first concern should be posting things that are genuinely useful to your connections who are interested in the topic.
Ideally, you’ll post your own content, but if you come across something great that your connections would appreciate, share it with them.
Traffic should be a side benefit of posting, not the only benefit.
Benefit #3 – You have the opportunity to engage: Remember that one of the main things you’re looking to do on LinkedIn is build relationships.
If you ever needed something that a close friend sells, wouldn’t you go to them first?
By building deep relationships (as deep as possible) with the right people, you can achieve an insane conversion rate, when your connections convert into customers.
And the right people present themselves to you when you post something.
They’re the ones who are most interested in your content and who ask questions or add stories in the comments.
Then, you can start a dialogue with them, which can lead to further conversations through private messages on LinkedIn or even email.
Direct communication is always how you build strong relationships, so look to not only respond to comments on your posts but take discussions further.
Benefit #4 – Some content will help you convert connections into customers: Yes, some connections will just wake up one day and say, “I need what you’re selling.”
This is awesome.
However, some leads won’t be sure if they really need what you’re selling, or they won’t know how it could help them.
This is where the content itself comes in.
The majority of content (from a marketing perspective) should be educational. It teaches the viewer many things, one of which might be how your product could fit into their lives.
Content such as webinars (see NeilPatel.com for an example) and case studies are both specific types of content that help convert people who are unsure into customers.
3. The one element of networking that LinkedIn users often forget…
It’s not fair to say that only LinkedIn users do this when it comes to networking.
In fact, it’s one of the most common mistakes people make in real life as well.
Have you ever gone to a networking event, handed out a ton of business cards (like everyone else), and then wondered why it never led to anything?
Don’t feel bad if you have; just about everyone has gone through it at one point or another.
It happens because people don’t truly understand what networking is all about.
They think that it consists of one step:
- Meet new people in your industry
They don’t realize that networking actually has two steps:
- Meet new people in your industry
- Build relationships with those you meet
The people who find networking events useful aren’t the ones who pass out business cards and call it a day.
They’re the ones who go to dinners with their new acquaintances or give them a call/email after the conference is over.
They find ways to give value to these new people they’ve met to deepen the budding relationships, which paves the way for future favors and business.
That’s how you truly add someone to your network, and that person becomes someone you can call upon when needed.
How to do real networking on LinkedIn: A lot of attention is focused on getting more “connections” on LinkedIn.
That’s equivalent to the first step of networking.
But don’t stop there!
Now, you need to start developing relationships with as many of those new connections as possible.
Being able to show them your posts (content) is a big help. We already went over the benefits of doing that.
But if you only do that, you won’t engage a large part of your potential network.
Instead, a better approach is to do something for them first (also known as “adding value”).
Once you do, the reciprocity principle will kick in, and they’ll want to help you out as well. This can go back and forth as long as you’re willing to participate in this exchange. At the very minimum, you’ll develop a professional relationship with someone.
Here are some ways in which you can give value to someone you’ve connected with:
- leave thoughtful comments on posts they share
- share things they post
- send them direct messages asking them if there’s a way you can help them out
It’s hard to give specific advice here because everyone appreciates different things.
For example, some users will post questions on LinkedIn when they’re having problems with their work. If you know the answer, don’t just type a response, but create a short video tutorial for them.
Go the extra mile to help someone when it looks like they could use it because that’s what really gets attention.
If you have a large network on LinkedIn (over 500 connections), you could spend all day doing this.
I strongly recommend that you take a bit of time to go through my guide to being efficient on social media so that you are able to do all this without spending too much time.
4. An underused area of LinkedIn for growing your network
I touched on the concept of a high quality connection earlier.
It’s someone who is very likely to become a lead in the future.
While there’s nothing wrong with having other people in your network, ideally, you want as many of these high quality connections as possible.
If only there was a way to find these types of connections in one place!
You know I wouldn’t ask a question like that without giving you the answer. There is a part of LinkedIn that is amazing for finding high quality prospects:
Groups.
Users form groups around things they care about.
Marketers join marketing groups on LinkedIn; personal trainers join fitness, nutrition, and personal training groups; and so on…
They go to these groups specifically to learn about new developments, people, and even new products in their fields.
Groups are the fastest way to make hundreds of connections and then engage with them.
It was found that 86.3% of conversations that eventually led to a sale from LinkedIn came from a conversation in a group.
It is by far your most effective avenue to begin building real relationships if you follow everything else I’ve covered so far.
How to use groups to expand your network and generate leads: One option is to create a group from scratch. That automatically positions you as an expert to all the people in the group.
Also, just about all members will be happy to connect with you.
But that takes a lot of work and time to build up.
The better option for the majority of people is to simply join existing groups that have already done the hard work of building a large active group.
To find these groups, search for the topic you’re interested in at the top. You can either search only for groups by picking the group option from the drop down menu to the left of the search bar, or you can click the “Groups” filter on the results’ page.
You’ll find that most of the biggest groups are typically full of spam unless the creators moderate them strictly.
You’ll see several posts per day where members just share their own content, but no one engages with it in any way.
When there are tens of thousands of members in a group, but not a single person is engaging with any of the posts, you’re unlikely to have any meaningful conversations in the group.
Ideally, you’re looking for groups that have at least a comment or two on every other article. The more the better.
Again, you’ll notice that the biggest groups aren’t usually the best ones to join.
Instead, look for groups that are more specific.
This group, “content marketing for financial institutions” has a razor sharp focus. Even though it has fewer members than the general “content marketing” groups, it has more engagement.
Unfortunately, you’ll have to go through every group manually to see if it’s good or not.
The best groups usually require permission to join and browse. Click the button on the group to ask to join, and you’ll usually be approved within a day as long as your profile is filled out.
You can always leave a group later if it turns out to be a dud.
How to behave in groups to grow your network: Any fairly large group will have a large portion of inactive members.
Your goal should be to engage with and connect with the active portion.
The members who actively post content, share it, and comment on it are the highest quality leads you will ever find on the network.
Then, you can use all the other strategies we’ve covered to start building your relationship with them.
So, what’s the best way to do this?
When you first join a group, you don’t want to start posting content right away even if you think it would benefit the members. It’s easy to come off as a spammer if you do.
Instead, spend the first week or two commenting on the content other people post. You can also “like” and “share” it as a bonus, but that doesn’t do much on its own.
Don’t just write “nice post,” but actually put a bit of time into making a thoughtful comment. You want the poster to appreciate the comment and reply to it.
After you’ve had a short discussion through comments with someone in the group, try to connect with them.
From there, look for opportunities to add value by using methods we looked at before.
Once you’ve been in the group for a bit, you can start to post your own content occasionally. When people engage with it, ask them to connect.
Other than that, just keep spending a bit of time commenting like you did from the start.
Keep in mind that you can join multiple groups. Look for 5-10 that you can be active in on a daily basis. If you have more time and are having success, you can join even more.
5. Influencers can put you in touch with almost anyone
There are influencers on all social media sites who have tons of followers or connections.
Because they have so many connections and typically know a lot of people, they have an in-depth understanding of LinkedIn that no typical user can match.
There are two ways in which this can help you grow your network.
The first thing you should do is try to connect with them or, at the very least, start following them.
Find at least 10-20 influencers in your niche, and then connect or follow them.
That will add all their posts to your home feed.
Unlike what happens in some of those other groups we looked at, followers of these influencers do read what the influencers post.
Not only that, they engage with this content.
This gives you a great opportunity to get your name in front of a lot of users. When you comment on one of the influencers’ posts, a decent percentage of their followers (perhaps in the thousands) will also read the comments.
But again, don’t just say “nice post.” That doesn’t do anything for you.
Instead, leave a thoughtful comment, and try to find a way to mention that you’re trying to expand your network.
For that article pictured above, a good comment might look like this:
I completely agree with that list of traits, especially networking. I’ve been connecting with as many smart entrepreneurs as possible lately, and I’ve noticed that the more I grow my network, the more opportunities come my way.
People reading that comment will know that you’re open to connecting with them, and you can pick up a handful of new connections with every such comment.
Will an influencer help you out? The second strategy that revolves around influencers is a lot more difficult to use but can produce some great results.
The basic idea is to get the influencer to do you a favor and introduce you to a few people in your niche.
For example, if you told me you were interested in expanding your network of small business owners, I could easily give you a list of 10-20 that I’m already connected with.
You could then send them a message saying that I recommended you connect with them. You get the chance to not only grow a relationship with them but also impress them with getting a referral from an influencer.
The hard part, of course, is getting an influencer to do you a favor like that.
And I’ll be honest, it’s not easy, and you need to prepare for a lot of rejection.
You absolutely have to find a way to provide them with some sort of value beforehand, whether it’s based on something they’ve posted about on LinkedIn, on their website, or wherever.
This isn’t something that I can break down for you. You need to first investigate their business, find a problem, and go above and beyond to solve it.
This tactic isn’t necessary to succeed on LinkedIn; you’ll do just fine with all the other ones we’ve looked at. However, it is an option and can be a powerful way to grow your network with high quality contacts.
Conclusion
LinkedIn is probably the biggest social media opportunity for businesses.
It has a relatively huge user base, and users are focused on improving their professional lives. This makes LinkedIn a great platform for B2B sales.
I’ve given you five detailed strategies you can use to not only grow your network but also build relationships that will eventually lead to sales.
If you have any questions about these strategies or have an interesting story about LinkedIn you wouldn’t mind sharing, leave them in a comment below.
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How Much Does That Clutter Cost You? 8 Ways Getting Organized Will Help You Save Money
“This year, I’m going to get organized.”
That’s a frequent refrain heard around the New Year. But what exactly does “getting organized” mean? And can it really save you time and money?
I think so. I consider myself a fairly organized person, but because I move around so much, I often misplace paperwork and forget when bills are due.
(And, without fail, I lose my keys in my purse every single day. If I somehow managed to get on top of that, I don’t even want to think about all the free time I’d have.)
To inspire myself to get more organized this year, I decided to see if it could save me money; after all, there’s nothing like cold, hard cash as motivation.
So can getting organized save you money? Yes — in lots of ways, it turns out.
1. You Won’t Pay Late Fees
Whether they’re for paying a bill late or overdrafting your checking account, it hurts to pay them because they’re totally unnecessary. Not to mention, paying your credit card bill late can also lower your credit score.
When you’re organized, you know which bills are due when, and you don’t have to worry about fees.
To help you get on track, you can put your bills on auto-pay, set reminders in your calendar — or like me, use Mint, which monitors your bank accounts and credit cards, and even reminds you when your bills are coming up.
2. You Plan Your Meals
Though I’ve never been organized enough to do it, I’ve heard rumors that meal planning saves a bunch of money.
First off, you don’t have to run to an expensive restaurant or fast-food joint at the last minute, because you already have the groceries you need to cook a healthy meal at home.
Meal planning also helps you cut back on grocery costs because you can clip coupons and buy in bulk, and it reduces food waste since you have a plan for using everything you buy.
Lastly, cooking at home is healthier than eating out — which, in the long run, could mean fewer medical bills and prescriptions.
3. You Get Rid of Old Stuff
Since clutter drives me insane, I love the freeing feeling that comes from getting rid of old and unnecessary items. This strategy could actually help you earn money if you decide to sell your stuff on eBay or at a garage sale.
Plus, the peace of mind you’ll get from being clutter-free will probably lower your stress, which could reduce unhealthy and expensive habits like impulse shopping and binge eating.
4. You Shop Ahead of Time
The “last-minute tax” is one of the costliest consequences of disorganization. Whether it’s paying for two-day shipping on your nephew’s birthday present, or rush processing for your new passport, procrastinating costs money.
Spending some time each month looking at your calendar and noting the important dates and purchases coming up will help you save money. You’ll be able to make smarter purchase decisions because you’ll have time to compare prices and stack deals.
5. You Can Find Receipts
Tell me if this sounds familiar: You decide you want to return something, but then, for the life of you, can’t find the receipt. I’m not the only one, right?
If you keep your receipts organized — in an accordion folder, envelopes or with an app like Shoeboxed — it’s easy to find a receipt when you need it.
That not only helps with returns, but is also good for keeping tax records, making warranty claims, checking credit card statements and even getting cash back with Ibotta.
6. You Don’t Purchase Duplicates
There was a time in my life when I had three containers of paprika. THREE.
Not because I really love paprika (which I do), but because I couldn’t ever find it when I needed it. So I’d buy a new jar, and then a few weeks later, the other one(s) would surface.
When you’re organized, you know what you have and what you don’t. Which means fewer clothes that look identical… and fewer superfluous jars of paprika.
7. You Reduce Your Risk of Identity Theft
Identity theft is a huge headache. Plus, from time spent submitting paperwork and talking on the phone to dinged credit reports and bounced checks, its costs can quickly add up.
If you regularly check your bills and credit report, it’s easier to spot fraudulent charges, and hopefully stop identity theft before it’s too late.
8. You Have More Time to Make Money on the Side
Once you’re organized and get some extra time on your hands, you might be interested in starting a side gig! It will help you earn money, usually from your own home and on your own schedule. I, for example, started writing as a side job, and now I write full time.
Wondering what you could do? We’ve got lots of ideas, from selling home-baked goods to opening an Etsy store. Click here if you’re looking for more side gig inspiration.
So, what do you think? Are you going to get organized?
The thought of some extra change in my pocket has certainly motivated me to focus on organization this upcoming year… Hope it did the same for you!
Your Turn: Is getting organized on your list of new year’s goals?
Disclosure: This one time, Kyle came into the office with $6 worth of Taco Bell that he planned to eat over the course of three meals. By clicking the affiliate links in this post, you help us help Kyle seriously ease up on the Taco Bell.
Susan Shain, senior writer for The Penny Hoarder, is always seeking adventure on a budget. Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.
The post How Much Does That Clutter Cost You? 8 Ways Getting Organized Will Help You Save Money appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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A Series of Unfortunate Events… or Fortunate Ones
This is kind of a “personal finance 101″ article in response to some things I’ve read on social media in the last few days. If you’ve ever had anyone ask you “why save?”… well, here’s my answer to that.
Our lives are a mix of fortunate and unfortunate events. Sometimes things go well. Really well. And sometimes things go poorly. Really poorly.
This creates an interesting dynamic in people based on how many good things and how many bad things have happened to them, as well as what their personality is wired like.
Some people live for the moment and don’t worry about long term planning. They simply assume everything will turn out. Often, these people have had an abundance of fortunate events in their lives or else they simply have a strong optimistic personality.
Others are on the opposite end, as they scrimp and save and plan for every contingency due to their fear of and experience with unfortunate events.
The rest of us? We’re somewhere in the middle. That’s where I’d put myself – somewhere in the middle, perhaps slightly in the direction of the careful planner. I have a huge emergency fund and lots of insurance, but in 2008 I walked away from a great job to live my dream as a freelance writer. (In truth, I try to have both opportunity and risk prevention in my life… but we’ll get back to that in a bit.)
The intuitive understanding that most of have come to over the years is that there is great value in protecting yourself from risks, but there is also great value in being able to take advantage of opportunities. It’s finding a balance between the two that’s the real trick.
The One Solution That Provides the Best of Both Worlds
The one way to simultaneously have access to lots of opportunities as well as having protection against many of life’s problems is to simply have a lot of money saved and invested. I firmly believe that there’s nothing in this world that can give you opportunities while also keeping you safe like having money in the bank.
Choosing not to save and invest for the future naturally pushes you toward the riskier end of the equation. You’re much more susceptible to having bad things happen in your life that you simply cannot deal with. Of course, without money in the bank, you’re also going to find yourself unable to take advantage of a lot of opportunities, too.
For example, a person who decides not to save at all for the future might have more money in their pocket to spend right now on things they enjoy, but they’re also in a situation where they need a steady and likely a fairly high income stream and with no money in the bank, that has to come from a job. They’re not avoiding risk at all, but they also don’t have the resources to take on opportunities that might come their way.
On the flipside, let’s look at a person who saves a significant chunk of their income. Not only can that person handle unfortunate events like a car breakdown or an illness in the family with relative ease, that person can also switch jobs or even careers without going into panic mode, too. That person has opportunity and protection from risk.
That’s where I strive to be, too.
The problem is that whole “saves a significant chunk of their income” part of the equation. Most people simply don’t do that. In fact, 76% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, putting them firmly in the camp of people who have risk but lack much opportunity.
How do you escape that? It’s simple: live like the other 24%.
Live Like the Other 24%
The 24% of Americans who aren’t living paycheck to paycheck live by a simple creed. They spend less than they earn.
Usually, they achieve this by saving before they do anything else with their paycheck. They then live on whatever they have left.
I’ll use a rounded-off example of a friend of mine. He earns about $50,000 per year, which is a healthy income. He ends up paying about $10,000 in taxes, so he’s left with about $40,000 a year to take home.
He’s paid twice a month, so twice a month, a day or two after payday, he has $500 withdrawn directly from his checking account. He never has to lift a finger to do anything – it just happens. That money is transferred to an investment firm (I think he uses Edward Jones, but I’m not 100% sure), of which a portion of it ($200) goes into retirement savings and the rest ($300) goes into various investments, including the stock market. Again, all that happens automatically – he never lifts a finger.
However, that means that he has to live on $28,000 a year instead of $40,000 a year. For him, that means simple choices like not driving a brand new car all of the time and not living in a huge house. He drives a fairly old car – still in good shape, but nowhere near new – and he lives in a fairly small house.
In addition, he avoids debt like the plague. He had some student loan debt after college but made it a priority to pay it off. He took out a small mortgage for his home loan, which he paid off in a handful of years. And that’s it – no credit cards, no nothing else. He doesn’t pay a ton of interest to have something now when he could have it without paying that interest in a month or a year or two.
What does that sacrifice give him? If he doesn’t change a thing, he can stop working at about age 52 and never work another day in his life while living just like he lives right now. If his car gives up the ghost or the transmission fails, he doesn’t skip a beat. He usually has enough cash to pay for it right now and, if not, he can just go tap his long term savings. If he were to lose his job, he would have plenty of time to find a new one as he could live off of his long term savings for a long time. Similarly, if he got fed up with his job, he could switch jobs at his own leisure.
He has a ton of opportunities on the table in front of him and he’s protected from most of the risks that modern life could throw his way. All he does in exchange for that is save some of his income before he ever sees it.
Getting There
So, how do you get from the typical financial state of an American to that kind of situation? You basically use the same principle of spending less than you earn to put yourself in a situation where your monthly expenses are really low, then you put a healthy amount of savings on complete autopilot.
The best way to do that is to put a healthy chunk of your next paycheck into savings, don’t touch it again, and try to make it through the pay period without going into any debt. Learn what you can cut back on by actually doing it. You’ll find that it’s not as hard as you think and that most of the stuff you’re giving up is pretty forgettable and unimportant. Then, do it a few more times. Boom – you have yourself an emergency fund, ready to handle any life emergencies that pop up.
Next, start making a large interest payment on your highest interest debt first and then make it through the rest of the month without getting into any more debt. Keep making minimum payments on all of your debts, of course, but knock that highest interest debt down hard. The key, though, is to get used to going through the month living on less than you’re actually earning. That should define your new normal.
Here’s the real truth: people have a tendency to let their spending expand and expand until it eats up all of their paycheck. When that happens, a mis-step or a major expense of any kind forces you into debt.
However, that expanded spending mostly is used on things that are pretty unimportant – entertainment and expensive food options and snacks and “going out” (meaning being social with a bunch of additional expenses tacked on). When your spending expands to eat up your whole paycheck and these things become regular expenses, they begin to seem like the norm, but in truth they become forgettable and wasteful. You remember the occasional treat, but you don’t think twice about the thing you do every day or every weekend. That’s kind of sad in its own way, as something that was once special becomes boring and normal and unappreciated but you’re saddled with that regular expense.
It’s Simple…
The route to having a life that’s full of option but isn’t derailed by a nasty unexpected event is to spend less than you earn and do it with automatic consistency. Do that for a while and your debts melt away, you have money in the bank, and suddenly you’re not cuffed to that terrible job and you aren’t in disaster mode if there’s a bit of water in your basement. All that you have to give up is the most frivolous and unimportant and forgotten bits of your spending, not the stuff you immediately think about and value.
Good luck!
The post A Series of Unfortunate Events… or Fortunate Ones appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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Want to Work From Home? Here’s What You Need to Consider First
Follow your dreams. Do work that matters. Be creative. Take control of your career. Throw off the corporate shackles. Free yourself from the cubicle.
Does this sound like your wish list for the New Year?
Working from home may be among your goals for 2016. What better way to find freedom, flexibility and autonomy in your work than working for yourself?
But working from home might come with a few less-exciting surprises as well, as Claudia McNeilly points out at HelloGiggles.
What I Wish I Knew When I Decided to Work From Home
Before starting my full-time job at The Penny Hoarder, I worked from home for four years. I can attest to many of McNeilly’s warnings.
If I had known these things before I quit my job and decided to work for myself… I would probably have still done it. But I might have done a few things differently, or at least been able to plan ahead.
If you’re considering taking the leap yourself this year, here’s what you should know going into it:
1. People Will Send You Job Applications
When you don’t leave the house or punch a clock, some people in your life simply won’t consider what you do “work.”
Though well-meaning, job suggestions from friends and family will start to wear on you.
Try to let these inadvertent insults roll off your back. It’s not on you to convince anyone your work is legitimate — and your attempts would probably prove futile, anyway.
2. Guilt Is Part of the Process
“Guilt, in all its various forms, will find you,” says McNeilly. Working from home can feel too good to be true sometimes.
You’ll feel guilty for all the comforts you enjoy: making your own schedule, taking time off when you want and working in yoga pants.
Because you take full responsibility when you work for yourself, you’ll also feel guilty when things aren’t going well. When your pitches go unanswered or your invoices sit unpaid, when you struggle to pay rent or you can’t afford the gift you wanted to give your mom for Christmas; you’ll start to question your choices.
3. You’re Going to Need Some Boundaries With the People You Live With
When you work where you live and live where you work, you literally don’t get out enough.
This omnipresence is going to affect your relationship with your roommates, family or significant other. You all need time apart.
While working from home might be your ticket to bliss, living in a home that doubles as someone’s office may be the opposite for others. Regularly discuss boundaries with your housemates, and respect their needs in your shared spaces.
4. No One Can Force You to Shower, But You Probably Still Should
You might not think you’ll forget to shower, comb your hair or wear real pants. I certainly didn’t think I would.
But sometimes you dive into a project as soon as you roll out of bed, get caught up in emails and “wind down” with a silly Twitter conversation. Suddenly it’s 8 p.m., you’re still sporting pajamas and bedhead, and it doesn’t seem worth it to get fancy at this point.
For your own sanity, believe me, you’re going to want to get fancy.
5. It Doesn’t Work for Everyone, and That’s OK, Too
Some days you’re just not going to make the progress you planned on. That’s OK. Start again tomorrow.
If after a few months or even years you decide working from home is not a fit for you, that’s OK, too. It can be an awesome opportunity for some people, but it’s not for everyone.
Deciding to go back to a traditional job doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
Learn more things you should know before deciding to work from home by reading the full story at HelloGiggles.
Your Turn: Do you plan to work from home this year, or have you already done it? What do you wish you’d known before you started?
Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writer’s Digest and more, and she is happy to admit working from home wasn’t the right fit for her.
The post Want to Work From Home? Here’s What You Need to Consider First appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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Wegmans recalling about 1,000 pounds of chicken
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — A New York-based grocery store chain is recalling more than 1,000 pounds of chicken.A federal inspector found during a review that Wegmans altered its production schedule and produced chicken products outside the approved hours of operation. Chicken products produced on Sunday were never inspected.The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday night that it [...]
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5.7m have financial hangover from Christmas spending: take action now
Households struggling with debt following Christmas spending need to take control of their finances now.
5.7m suffering financial hangover from Christmas spending
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Households struggling with debt following Christmas spending need to take control of their finances now. Nearly one in eight Britons (12%) surveyed by YouGov for National Debtline - the free advice service run by charity the Money Advice Trust - said they were likely to fall behind on their finances in January as a result of Christmas spending, equating to an estimated 5.7 million people. National Debtline also found that nearly one in four Britons (23%) felt under pressure to overspend in the run-up to Christmas, while more than a third (35%) borrowed to pay for presents and nearly a quarter (23%) to pay for food. The charity is concerned this spending may result in a “financial hangover” for many. Joanna Elson OBE, chief executive of the Money Advice Trust, says: “Most of us find the New Year a difficult time financially, and we know that this year tens of millions of people are starting 2016 having put Christmas on credit.” However, she adds that: “The earlier you take action to get back in control of your finances, the quicker you can get on with enjoying 2016 without worrying about them. “ Take control of your finances now National Debtline has outlined three New Year’s Resolutions to help you get back on track if you’re struggling with your finances: 1. Set a budget for 2016 Sit down and work out how much money you have coming in every month, and what you need to spend. Don’t forget to account for annual expenditure, such as car insurance or road tax. 2. Open all of your statements Resist the urge to bury your head in the sand as ignoring the problem will only make it worse. Take a deep breath and open all of your statements and get a handle on how much you owe. Write down a list of all of your debts, together with the outstanding balances and repayment dates for each. 3. Seek free advice early Free, independent advice is available from charity-run services such as National Debtline at nationaldebtline.org (visit its online service or call 0808 808 4000). The earlier you seek free advice, the quicker and easier your problem will be to solve. Resist the appeals of commercial debt management companies as their high fees and charges will only add to your debts.
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How Penny Hoarders Use Swagbucks to Make Extra Cash: Our Favorite Reader Tips
We love Swagbucks — where else can you earn money watching cooking shows and get rewarded for shopping your favorite brands at the same time?
Turns out we’re not alone when it comes to Swagbucks love!
When we posted our complete guide to Swagbucks on Facebook, our readers — you guys! — responded with some great tips and tricks.
We heard you loud and clear, and want to share your wisdom with the world! Here’s some of what we learned — and what to consider next time you use Swagbucks.
Use Swagbucks Earnings Toward Your Next Vacation
Reader Lydia McGee and her daughter each earned $300 in Target gift cards from Swagbucks.
They used them to buy Disney gift cards to use as spending money on their upcoming vacation.
“Not too bad for doing stuff you normally do!” Lydia says, perfectly summing up our feelings on Swagbucks-style passive income. “Love Swagbucks!”
Hack Your Holiday Spending Budget
Instead of using Swagbucks earnings during the year, reader Michiele Dillon saves her rewards for Christmas.
She also optimizes her earnings by participating in multiple Swagbucks opportunities. Not only does she do all her online shopping through their portal, she also completes the daily poll and other offers.
Nicole Montgomery also saves her Swagbucks for holiday shopping.
“I have not spent a penny out of pocket for a single holiday or birthday gift in over two years,” she says. “That’s with three kids, a husband and many nieces and nephews.”
Nice work, Nicole!
Take Advantage of Monthly Cash-Out Discounts to Save Even More
The first cash-out every month has extra benefits, according to reader Georgie Whittle.
“It’s usually on $25 gift cards[; you] get them for 2,200 Swagbucks as opposed to 2,500. I’ve done it twice on Walmart gift cards,” he writes.
Use Other Awesome Apps, Too
You industrious penny hoarders know of lots of other awesome money-making apps, too! Here are some of your best suggestions.
Shopkick
Sarita LePine mentioned Shopkick, a free app that lets you earn points just for walking through the doors of your favorite stores, like Target or Walmart.
You get bonus points by scanning specific barcodes — kind of like a scavenger hunt! Sounds like fun to me.
“Save up your points for the prize you want and cash in,” Sarita says. “This year I paid for my Black Friday shopping from my Shopkick rewards. Check it out!”
Kellie Nickerson also uses Shopkick, and says she’s received $150 in Target gift cards since she started.
Since Target sells gift cards for major travel vendors like Disney and Southwest, use those points toward your next vacation — just like Lydia mentioned above.
Cash-Back Receipt Apps
Ruth Augustine mentioned a few of our favorite cash-back apps, like Checkout 51 and Ibotta.
These are so simple! Do your usual shopping, then take a picture of your receipt to earn cash back on items you’ve already purchased.
The best part? You can earn cash back on healthy groceries, like fresh vegetables. You can even look ahead of time to see which items earn the biggest rebates — and then plan meals around those savings.
We love learning more ways how to become better penny hoarders from our readers!
Your Turn: What other genius savings app tips do you have? Tell us in the comments!
Disclosure: We appreciate you letting us include affiliate links in this post. It helps keep the beer fridge stocked in the Penny Hoarder break room.
Jamie Cattanach is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder and a native Floridian. She’s passionate about learning, literature, chocolate and finding ways to live the good life as cost-effectively as possible. You can wave hi to @jamiecattanach on Twitter.
The post How Penny Hoarders Use Swagbucks to Make Extra Cash: Our Favorite Reader Tips appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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How to Make Your Home-Based Business a Partnership
By Deborah Sweeney The vast majority of home-based businesses are sole-proprietorships – according to the SBA a mere 4% of firms based out of a private residence operate as partnerships. And while going it alone may fit the standard idea of a home-based business, running yours with a partner can be a real boon for […]
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