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السبت، 20 فبراير 2016

St. Luke's Monroe Campus shapes up for fall opening

Despite wintry conditions pushing most of its work indoors, the St. Luke’s Health Network Monroe Campus hospital in Bartonsville has already begun to take shape as about 150 contractors work towards an August completion date.The $80 million project is being managed by 11 regional contract firms and suppliers — four from Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg, according to a 2015 press release — found from a St. Luke’s-hosted job fair at the site last year. [...]

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Michael Baxter's new residential real estate division already busy

In his 32-year real estate career, Michael Baxter, owner and broker for Michael Baxter & Associates Commercial Real Estate and Property Management has never sold a home.But his company is venturing into a new frontier as it has just created a new division called Michael Baxter & Associates Property Management LLC. It signals expansion of the firm’s property management services and for the first time embarks on the residential real estate market.Historically, [...]

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Pocono commercial real estate market blooms as tourism, health care expand

A local, leading commercial real estate expert says the arrival of the Kalahari Resort and Camelback’s Aquatopia complementing the existing Great Wolf indoor waterpark resort, along with expanding hospital facilities from two health care providers in Monroe County, has spurred new business interest from hotel operators, entertainment entities and ancillary medical providers.“The market (commercial real estate) is very active right now and has been for a couple of years, [...]

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Strictly Business: Local designer's online calendar growing nationally

What started off as a resolution to a locally confusing problem could evolve into a national phenomenon.Dennis Jeter, founder and CEO of Stroudsburg website management and development company A Sound Strategy, has revamped online a Pocono Community Calendar, an outdoors activities guide. He says it’s not a website, although it has a url, but calls it a web-based content management platform.Businesses and organizations can post their events for free, link a video of the [...]

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Baxter commercial real estate's new residential division already busy

Local designer's online calendar growing nationally

Expanding leisure, medical hubs draw new commercial prospects

Deeds, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016

East Stroudsburg BoroughRonald T. and Mary Nauman to Michael and Diane Tepedino, Kiwanis Street, Tax ID 5-4-1-15-3, Pin 05/7311/09/16/4791, $280,000Hamilton TownshipDorothy I. Shadle Revocable Trust to Deer Run MHC LLC, Legislative Route 473, leading to Bartonsville, Tax Parcel 7/7/1/50, $313,000Stroud TownshipMartin M. and Michelle C. McHale to Daniel E.R. and Carolyn S. Hall, Lot 1, "Map of Minor [...]

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Protests planned across US to back Apple in battle with FBI

SAN FRANCISCO — Protesters are preparing to assemble in more than 30 cities to lash out at the FBI for obtaining a court order that requires Apple to make it easier to unlock an encrypted iPhone used by a gunman in December's mass murders in California.The protests organized by the Internet rights group Fight for the Future are scheduled to occur Tuesday outside Apple stores the U.S., the U.K., Hong Kong and Germany.The U.S. protests will be in cities [...]

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The Ins and Outs of Self-Employment and Working from Home

In Monday’s reader mailbag, I answered a question from Tammy on the drawbacks of self employment. In my answer, I said that this could honestly be a lengthy article on its own.

Whenever I try to tackle big broad questions like that in a fairly short mailbag answer, I usually end up getting questions from readers, and this was no different. People wanted to know many things about the ins and outs of self employment and working from home. How does one stay motivated? How does one stay focused? How does one maintain professional contacts? How does one build a “line” between personal and professional life?

Here’s the reality: I’ve been working from home, either in a self-employment situation or in a full-time contract situation, for the past eight years. Along with that, one of my closest friends also works from home and we’ve discussed our relative experiences quite often. I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to make working from home work.

Here are some of the most powerful things I’ve learned over those years, either by trial and error or by reading or hearing advice from others.

Self-Motivation Is an Absolute Requirement

If there’s one single piece of advice that I would give to anyone who is considering self employment or a work-from-home situation, it’s that self-motivation is an absolute requirement. Period.

When you work from home, you simply don’t have a manager watching over your shoulder to make sure you’re working. You don’t have coworkers checking on you all the time and noticing whether you’re working or doing nothing. You no longer have to hide it when you’re wasting time because there’s no one there to watch you. There are no web site blockers. There are no supervisors. There essentially isn’t any structure.

For most people, that sounds like a really good thing. Not having bosses around to hover over your shoulder sounds wonderful, right?

The truth is that for some people, such a lack of supervision is a disastrous thing.

Why? Just because the boss hovering over your shoulder goes away doesn’t mean that the deadlines or the responsibilities go away. You’re still expected to take care of every bit of work that comes your way, whether assigned by your boss or agreed upon with a client. You just no longer have anyone motivating you to do this besides you.

In the absence of that constant motivation of a supervisor, many people can find themselves falling into disastrous habits and routines. When you start allowing yourself to spend an hour playing a game, or when you start moving your household chores to the middle of the day but then also taking the evenings off to hang out with friends, you start to fall behind on your work. When you have a big deadline that’s looming but still a bit far off on the horizon and you choose to spend part of your workday on World of Warcraft or binge-watching Sense8 on Netflix, you’re going to fall behind on that project.

And as those comforting, fun routines become normal, you begin to establish a pattern in which it becomes very difficult to get your work done. And when you’re not producing the work you’re supposed to and you’re not in the office to defend yourself… you begin to look pretty ripe for downsizing.

You have to be self-motivated. If you’re of the personality type that plays while the boss is away, you should strongly avoid self-employment or work from home situations.

You Need a Strong System for Keeping Track of Things You Need to Do

If I did not have a strong task management system in place – one that I constantly used throughout the day and refined over time – I would simply not be able to keep up with working from home.

Here’s why: my to-do list is essentially my supervisor.

When you work from home without a direct supervisor in place, you effectively have to act as your own supervisor. You have to be able not only to produce good work, but also to make judgment calls about what work needs to be done next.

Those are two completely different skill sets. Your working skills are really not all that different than working in an office. You’re producing things in a regular fashion as is expected by whatever the terms of your employment agreement are.

However, in an office environment, if you’re stuck on what to do next, you can just turn to your supervisor. Your supervisor is essentially a smart to-do list, in a way. He or she can inform you what tasks need to be done next.

When you work from home, you have far less guidance from an external supervisor, if you have any at all. So what do you do if you’re not sure what to do next? The truth is that you have to be able to step back, look at the big picture, and figure out what’s next. In essence, you have to be your own supervisor.

I find that, for me, switching between the two modes all the time isn’t really very productive. I find it much easier to spend a portion of my day in “supervisor” mode and another, larger portion in “worker” mode.

What I typically do in “supervisor” mode – which either starts the day or takes place at the end of the previous day – is evaluate what the next steps are on everything that I’m currently working on, then prepare a very clear to-do list so that I can complete those tasks in a logical fashion. I have been using Todoist for this for a while, though I recently began to migrate (back) to Remember the Milk.

When I’m actively working on tasks – in “worker” mode, in other words – I’m not thinking at all like a supervisor. I’m just trying to burn through my to-do list as efficiently and sensibly as possible. If something comes up that indicates something that I need to take care of, like an email from a client or something, I jot it down for quick reference later when I switch back into “supervisor” mode.

In other words, I separate the “deciding what needs to be done” aspects of working from home from the “actually doing stuff” aspects.

Everyone needs a supervisor when they’re working. The trick is figuring out how to be your own supervisor when you’re working from home. For me, keeping the roles fairly separate and using a to-do list makes this all work out quite well.

You Have to Look Out for Number One and Assume Other People Won’t Always Be Ethical

Over the last thirty years, the working world has changed significantly. A person can no longer truly believe that their employer will be there for them for the rest of their working life and that a safe retirement will be waiting. That ship has sailed.

Workers today need to look out for themselves. They should be planning for their own retirement with individual retirement accounts. They should be keeping their resume prepared and ready to go. They should be ready to walk away from situations that treat them unfairly.

This is doubly true when you’re self-employed and working from home. Your reputation and professional standing are entirely up to you and no one else. It’s up to you to make sure you’re keeping money out for taxes. It’s up to you to read the contracts. It’s up to you to save for retirement. It’s up to you to be preparing yourself always for the next step in your career path, whatever it may be.

Here are a few specific pieces of advice.

One, never accept work where the full payment comes after the delivery of the work. It becomes very easy for the person or group for whom you worked to simply disappear. You should expect up-front compensation, at least in part, for the work that you do. You can be a little looser with this if you have a long-standing relationship with this person or group, but if it’s an unknown entity, you should expect at least some compensation up front.

Two, everything you’re doing should be a resume-booster. You should look at all of your work not only as a tool for fulfilling your contracts and work requirements, but also as a way to build out a resume. You should be building a social media following if at all possible. You should be building skills that are resume-worthy when you take on projects. You should be completing things you would be proud to have on a resume. Ideally, you want to be in a situation where you’ve achieved so much that it doesn’t really fit on a single page. You want to be in a situation where plenty of people have heard of you and your skills and talents are in demand, where opportunities start coming to you instead of you needing to chase them down.

Three, whenever you’re paid with pre-tax money as a contractor, take half of it and put it aside for taxes right off the bat. Don’t even blink an eye about this. If you get a $5,000 check, take $2,500 and put it aside for taxes immediately. You don’t have anyone putting this aside for you if you’re a contracted employee. It’s up to you to take care of this, and if you don’t do it now, you are going to be in a real bad position come next April.

Four, have the biggest emergency fund you possibly can. Sometimes, contracts will just dry up whether you expect them to or not. Sometimes, you’ll be flooded in work and sometimes you won’t be. The best way to survive this is to just keep as much cash as you can in your savings account. I advise three months of living expenses for your family plus one more month for each dependent you have. If you don’t have that, you may find yourself in a real pickle if the opportunities dry up for a little while.

All of this comes down to one thing: watch out for yourself. No one else is going to.

If You Take Advantage of Schedule Flexibility, That Time Needs to Be Recovered

I’m the first person to admit that I take a lot of advantage of my schedule flexibility. As I write this, I have a load of laundry running in the laundry room. Earlier today, I went out for a long lunch with an old friend. A couple of weeks ago, I went to a daytime meetup and essentially got nothing done during that day. I’ve also spent days with my children when they’ve been home sick recently.

That schedule flexibility is great, as is the ability to seamlessly intertwine professional and household tasks. However, the reality is that non-work tasks eat up time, and that time is time taken away from what you need to get done.

I have enough on my plate most of the time that it eats up about 45 hours a week. Most of the time, I handle this by working about nine hours a day on weekdays. Sometimes, there’s more work to be done than that; on occasion, I have less to do. The average is about forty five hours.

Now, let’s say that I spend an hour each day doing household chores. Great, household chores are done, but then there’s five hours of work that’s undone. That time needs to be made up.

It’s easy to make up a few hours. I can make those up by getting up early on the weekends and doing what I need to do before anyone gets out of bed.

The problems come in when I borrow too much from my week. If that happens, I might need to sacrifice a Saturday afternoon or a Sunday afternoon to work, which means time away from my family, something that I loathe.

The other option, of course, is to push that extra work into the following week. Usually, that’s an even worse option as it risks missing deadlines and putting too many hours into the following week when, inevitably, a disaster will occur. I’ve learned the hard way over the years that “putting it off until next week” usually means that next week will bring a sick child or an emergency home repair or a great opportunity that I’ll regret missing out on.

The key thing to remember here is flexibility does not mean time off. It just means that you have some control in terms of moving your exact work hours around. It does not mean that you now work less hours, because if you take that route, you will fall behind.

It Can Get Lonely

There are times when I relish the quiet and solitude of the house. I can just shut off distractions, bear down on my work, and get things done. It’s one of the real perks of working from home.

Still, that perk has a drawback. There’s very little social interaction. There’s no one to go grab lunch with. There’s no one to bounce ideas off of on the spur of the moment. There’s no one to meet up with at the water cooler.

There’s a big social aspect of a normal work environment that disappears if you work from home. The ease of interacting with coworkers disappears almost completely. For some, that may not be a big deal, and it can even seem welcome at first, but there are times where the social interaction is really useful and valuable, both professionally and for personal well-being.

Over the years, I’ve found a few great substitutes for this that really work for me.

One, I sometimes co-work with other people who work from home in the area. We’ll either go to one another’s house or meet in a neutral place, bringing our laptops along. Usually, we just treat this as something of a brainstorming session, where we bounce current work projects and ideas off of each other and look for new perspectives. The conversation usually weaves through our various projects and into other areas as well. This actually ends up being a powerful technique not only for socializing, but for renewal of my perspectives and energy and for my ideas, too.

Two, I participate in a Slack channel with several other stay-at-home workers in my area. Mostly, we just use it to joke with each other, talk about current events, get feedback on something we’re working on, or set up face-to-face meetups.

Three, I engage in a lot of face-to-face social things in my spare time. I participate in several community groups and I have a fairly large social network of people that I see face-to-face reasonably often. This helps make up for the “social shortfall” from my work day.

If You’re Married, You Need to Communicate Clearly with Your Spouse

This section is perhaps as much for the spouses of people who work from home as it is for the workers themselves.

The reality is that having one spouse work from home while the other does not can create a lot of friction if there’s not clear communication. The reason for that is simple: both spouses tend to see the grass being greener on the other side.

Take my wife and I, for example. She often perceives my job as being one where I can basically just stop working whenever I want and do whatever I want. However, in focusing on that flexibility, she loses track of the challenges – that I have to define my own work tasks, that I have to make up for the hours that I “flex” elsewhere, that there are social challenges, and so on.

On the other hand, I often see the positive aspects of her job. She has a lot of camaraderie with her coworkers. She has a pretty pleasant commute, all things considered, giving her time to unwind while listening to audiobooks and calling friends and family other things that I simply don’t have (working from home often means virtually no “unwinding from work” time). She also rarely has to deal with family crises – if a child is sick or needs something for school or there’s a problem with the water heater, I just handle it, period. Yet, at the same time, she doesn’t have the flexibility to do some of the things she’d like to do.

These issues can cause friction if you allow them to fester without communication. They even sometimes cause friction between Sarah and myself, leaving each of us, at various times, feeling unappreciated.

Don’t be afraid to talk about these things. Lay them out there in the open. Listen to your spouse when they’re talking about the challenges they’re having with work and look for ways to address both of your needs.

Always keep in mind that you are a team. You should be working together to make sure that the negatives that you both perceive from your life are minimized and the positives are accentuated. If one of you feels the need to be more social while the other one is worn out from a day in the office, let that person go out and socialize. If one of you is frustrated because of an inflexible work situation, the other one should step in and help give that person access to the things they’re missing if at all possible.

Communication is at the root of all of this. If you’re finding that there are things bothering you about your spouse’s perception of your work and work schedule, say something about it. If you can’t talk about it seriously, then there are signs of deeper marital problems that should be addressed with the help of a professional.

Final Thoughts

Work-from-home situations, whether self-employment or telecommuting, can be fraught with professional, personal, social, and financial challenges. Although the flexibility is a wonderful thing, the other aspects of working from home can be quite difficult to work through.

If I can boil all of this advice down to two words, those words would be organization and candor. Be organized with your time and your money and understand that you’re both a supervisor and a worker. Be candid with yourself in terms of the challenges and with your spouse as you work on the challenges of this professional route.

Is it worth it? I would say yes, only because of the benefits that my professional choice has brought into our lives. It’s enabled our children to have a parent hug them as they go out the door to school each morning and be waiting with a snack when they get home. For us, that adds up to enough to deal with the other challenges that working from home can bring.

The post The Ins and Outs of Self-Employment and Working from Home appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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A Field Guide to Facebook Yard Sale Groups

Selling stuff you don’t need is a simple way to make some extra cash, and the Internet has made it possible to skip the headache of holding a yard sale. But if you think your online options are limited to sites such as Craigslist and eBay, you might be overlooking an even easier option that you probably use every day: Facebook.

Facebook yard sale groups have grown from one small, little-known facet of the massive social-networking site to one of its major functions. Facebook has recognized this explosive growth, adding features that make it easier than ever to sell your stuff, including the ability to pay for an item immediately by sending money via Messenger.

I’ve personally turned to Facebook almost exclusively in the past few years to sell unwanted items. Buyers tend to be much more reliable than they are on Craigslist — perhaps because I know their name and anything else that’s publicly on their profile. In fact, I’ve realized that I’m selling to friends of friends on more than one occasion! And of course, selling locally means I don’t have to deal with the hassle of shipping items to an eBay buyer.

Finding a Facebook Yard Sale Group

It’s simple to find a sale group on Facebook. Go to the search box at the top of your screen and type in your city or area, plus a term such as “sale group,” “yard sale” or “buy sell trade.” A long list of options will probably appear. If not, broaden your geographical search. For instance, instead of using the name of your small town, search your county name or the nearest larger city.

You may also have a “sale groups” tab in your left-hand column that will give you a list of suggested groups and a map of where they’re based.

To join a group, click on the name. You’ll see a green “join group” button toward the top of the page. Once you click it, the button will show that your membership is pending. That’s because the group’s administrator will have to approve you. For a community-based sale group, this is typically a formality, but be patient: It may take a little time for the admin to OK your request.

Photo: Michael Pereckas

Using a Facebook Resale Group: Eight Tips and Tricks

There is a bit of an art to Facebook sale groups, but if you’re willing to study up, you’ll vastly increase the chances that your items will quickly yield cash.

1. Read the rules.

Once you join a sale group, the very first thing you should do is read the rules. You’ll typically find these either in a pinned post at the top of the page or in the group description along the right. Rules will vary widely from page to page, but they’ll typically specify the following:

Buying/selling area: While you may be able to join a group for a city where you don’t live, it’s common for the rules to require you to deliver your item there.

Acceptable items: Some groups are general and allow just about everything; some are more specific (furniture, toys, clothing). Certain items, though they may seem to fit the group, may be excluded. I’ve seen page admins ban firearms (Facebook has recently banned them altogether), mattresses, baby formula, handmade items, and much more. They may also specify that an item must be in good or excellent used condition (“GUC” or “EUC”) with working batteries, no stains, and so forth.

Instructions for selling: Most groups will require you to post a current photo of the item you’re selling. That means you can’t simply find a stock photo online and use it; members need to see the item in its current condition. They may also specify that you describe it as fully as possible and name a price — for instance, no free items or asking for members to make an offer. Finally, many groups will prohibit you from listing a large “lot” of items, allowing only a certain number per post.

Instructions for buying: Again, rules will vary by group, but most groups will allow a potential buyer to post either “interested” or “sold” under an item. “Interested” is essentially a placeholder, giving you a certain amount of time to ask the seller questions, see whether your spouse likes the item, or do some research on the purchase. If you haven’t decided to buy the item within that time period, the seller can move on to the next person who posted.

Ban on self-promotion: Sale groups offer quick access to a potentially large audience, so admins often ban members from posting about their own businesses or services.

Once you’ve read the rules, make sure you follow them. While most admins understand honest mistakes, repeat offenders are usually removed from the group.

2. Take good photos.

This should be a given for anyone trying to sell anything, but I still see posts all the time with dark, grainy, blurry photos. Good, clear photos from multiple angles are often the difference between making a sale and seeing your item languish.

If possible, get a picture in natural light, which is less harsh. Try not to use flash. If needed, dust or wipe down your item, and move it away from other clutter. If you can, find a solid background that will help it “pop,” and be sure to get a close-up of any flaws so that potential buyers are clear about its condition.

3. Describe, describe, describe.

Good photos are most important, but a good description is a close second. Tell the buyer exactly what they’re looking at. If you’ve barely used the item, say so — maybe you’re only selling something that was the wrong size, or a gift that wasn’t your taste.

For furniture or other large objects, post dimensions. If there are any flaws, be specific. If you have a smoke-free, pet-free home, it’s worth noting — both are selling points, especially when it comes to furniture or clothing.

4. Set a fair price.

Before you list anything, scan your group for similar items. What are they being listed for? Is there any interest? While you don’t necessarily need to resort to rock-bottom, yard-sale prices, you still need to take into account two main factors: demand and condition.

I recently sold a desk and matching bench for $50 just minutes after I listed them. In fact, there were multiple people interested. Why the quick response? The piece was relatively modern, with clean lines, which typically fetches a premium. But my young children had scratched and damaged the finish, so I knew whoever bought it would likely have to sand and paint it. Had it been in better shape, I’m probably could have listed it for double the price.

5. Look for more-specific groups.

You’ll probably have much better luck selling an item if you can find a group that’s as narrowly tailored as possible — it helps to make sure you’re reaching members that are more interested in buying.

For instance, I sold my sons’ old crib on a resale group specifically for children’s furniture and gear. Though the group has fewer members than some of the other, more general groups I’m in, the people there are specifically interested in baby-related items.

Also note that there are some groups with more of a focus on pricing and quality: “yard sale groups,” “upscale groups” and everything in between. Don’t try to sell your Louis Vuitton purse on a yard-sale group, and don’t list your kid’s ratty onesies on an upscale group. You won’t get the buyer you’re looking for, and worse, you could be removed from the group.

6. Be clear — and safe — about meetups and payment.

Pick a convenient public place to meet buyers. I typically meet with people at a big-box store near my house — since it’s close by, I don’t have to spend a lot of time and gas money driving to meet a buyer. I also tell potential buyers where I meet in my listings so it’s not up for negotiation.

If a buyer needs to come to your house for a larger item, try to make sure you aren’t home alone. Also, don’t put your address, phone number, or any other personal details in the item’s listing where everyone can see it — wait until you are arranging final details with the buyer.

As for payment, cash is king. I re-confirm the sale price with the buyer before a meetup so there isn’t any confusion. I also try to have a little change on me. (Most buyers don’t expect this, but every once in awhile, someone will show up with a two $20 bills for a $30 item.)

7. Don’t start (or feed) drama.

I’ve seen more than my fair share of drama on Facebook sale groups. Typically, this stems from 1) a seller not following the group’s rules when there are multiple potential buyers or 2) a buyer not showing up after agreeing to meet a seller.

The best way to handle these scenarios is to contact a group admin about the situation. He or she can then contact the member or remove them from the group.

Do not write a long, angry post for all group members to see. These posts tend to take on a life of their own as other members pile on and rubberneck to see whether the accused will chime in and defend themselves. But they certainly don’t solve anything, and some admins will ban members who start them — regardless of who’s at fault.

8. Be the seller you would want to buy from.

Don’t make your buyer jump through too many hoops to get your item. Respond swiftly to comments and messages, and try to be flexible (within reason) when you’re setting a time to meet. Above all else, be honest about the condition of your item with a thorough description and clear photos.

When you’re a good seller, you may even find you get repeat customers. I’ve sold to the same people more than a few times because they know I have quality, well-priced items and they appreciate a smooth transaction.

Starting Your Own Facebook Sale Group

You may live in an area without a lot of Facebook sale groups, or maybe you want one for a particular niche. It’s fairly easy to start your own:

Go to “groups” on the left-hand side of your screen. There will be a “Create New Group” button toward the top of the page.
In the window that pops up, name your group and add members. You have to add at least one friend to start out.
You’ll also need to choose a privacy setting: Public, closed, or secret. You probably won’t want to create a secret group, because that means people won’t be able to see your group or join unless they’re specifically invited by a member. With a closed group, anyone can join but you’ll have to approve them; with a public group, they won’t need approval. Also note that only members will be able to see posts in closed groups, whereas non-members can see posts in public groups.
Once your group is created, you’ll need to tinker with the settings by clicking on the three dots at the top right. That will give you the option to “Edit Group Settings.” You can pick the group type (“Buy, Sell, Trade”), which will add buying/selling functions to posts, like a spot to specify the price of an item.
Remember to set clear rules about the kinds of items allowed, the geographical area for buying and selling, and instructions on how buyers and sellers should proceed. Look at some of the larger groups in your area for inspiration.
Promote your Facebook sale group by inviting friends. You may also be able to post a link in other sale groups, as long as it’s OK with the admin.

Remember, Safety is Key When You Sell Online

Facebook sale groups are a low-hassle way to sell your stuff, but don’t let knowing a little more about your buyer lull you into a false sense of security.

You should still meet in public whenever possible; if that’s not an option, never set up a meeting with a buyer when you’re home alone.

Never post personal details — wait until you’re making final arrangements with a buyer, and only tell them the bare minimum needed to complete the transaction.

And always trust your gut — if something seems “off,” or the buyer just seems kind of flaky, move on.

For more tips on selling items online, check out some of The Simple Dollar’s previous articles:

The post A Field Guide to Facebook Yard Sale Groups appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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21 Surprisingly Simple Ways to Save Money on Pet Care

We consider our cats our children.

We once spent $1,000 to cat-proof a back yard so Jack and Opie could roam outside — without escaping to the dangerous world beyond the fence (the life expectancy of a cat is several times longer if it doesn’t run free).

Our guys have a variety of cat furniture, and they eat food that costs more than $7 per pound.

Maybe you spoil your pets, too. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find ways to save money on pet care.

For example, you can buy expensive food, but on sale. You can build elaborate (or simple) pet furniture, instead of paying a fortune for it.

Here are some more ways to save money on your pets.

1. Buy Smaller Pets

If you haven’t yet chosen a pet, consider smaller ones.

A small dog will cost you $295 less per year than a large one ($580 versus $875), suggests ASPCA data on pet care costs. That’s even less than a cat ($670 per year), partly because of the cost of cat litter.

Of course, you could consider even smaller animals. You’ll spend an average of $200 per year on a small bird, and just $35 on a fish.

Note: First-year costs for all pets are substantially higher than the figures given above because of one-time costs like spaying or neutering, and buying pet carriers and other equipment.

2. Adopt Instead of Buying

The breeder price for a dog is typically three times higher than the cost of adopting one from a shelter.

You might save hundreds getting your dog or cat from a shelter, and you could also save a life.

Over 2 million shelter animals are euthanized in the U.S. each year. We adopted Opie from a shelter, and Jack adopted us when he was finally ready to upgrade his alley-cat lifestyle.

3. Join Pet Store Loyalty Clubs

I just received a $5 gift certificate from Petco, because I used my Petco Pals Rewards card for the last $100 in purchases there.

I bought food that was on sale (rewards card required, of course). Most of the major pet supply retailers have similar programs.

4. Use Discounted Gift Cards

You can buy discounted gift cards on a number of good websites. Most carry cards for more than one pet supply chain.

For example, you’ll find:

Pet Food Express on Raise

Petco on ABC Gift Cards

PetSmart on Gift Card Rescue

Pet Supermarket on Gift Card Bin

5. Watch for Pet Food Sales

We buy expensive cat food, because there’s a difference in quality.

And recent evidence linking canine diseases to grains in dog food suggests you could make your pet sick and have future vet bills if you go too cheap.

But even the best pet foods go on sale, so why not stock up when it costs less?

You can find weekly ads for pet supply retailers online. You can also link your email address to your customer loyalty card to get sales alerts.

6. Feed Your Pets Some Human Food

What do baked carrots, steamed broccoli and boiled eggs have in common?

They all cost less than cat food (at least the stuff we buy) and they’re all safe and healthy for cats to eat, according to Animal Planet.

WebMD has a list of people foods your dog can eat, but you’ll have to do the math to see which ones will save you money versus buying your regular dog food.

7. Stack Savings Tactics for Cheaper Food

To really reduce the cost of pet food, try deal-stacking.

For example, I recently bought our usual brand of cat food at Petco using a coupon, while it was on sale. And, I paid with an American Express card with an “Amex Offer” for a $5 statement rebate.

Or, buy discounted gift cards and use them when there’s a sale — a simple strategy that could make a good sale even better.

8. Store Pet Food Properly

We discovered early on our cats refuse their food if it’s too old — and then we have to throw it away.

Even if we just overfill their dishes and the remainder sits there overnight, they won’t eat it. It’s probably less healthy by that point anyhow.

Check the expiration date for your pet food, dole it out a little at a time and store it properly to keep it fresh.

We prefer to use up our cat food months before the expiration date. We store it tightly wrapped in the refrigerator. The cats like the food better this way (yes, we tested), and we save money not having to throw away any of it.

9. Have Your Pets Spayed or Neutered

You spend money upfront to spay or neuter your pets, but there are long-term savings.

For example, some of the negative behaviors associated with not spaying or neutering dogs and cats can be expensive.

Unspayed cats can damage furniture and carpet spraying urine on them to attract males. Unneutered dogs can be more violent, leading to possible lawsuits if they attack people.

There’s also the obvious huge cost of not fixing those pets: puppies and kittens.

10. Call the Vet Before You Need One

The worst time to find an affordable vet is when you have a medical emergency. If you love your pets, you’ll pay whatever it costs in the moment.

To lower the cost of routine and emergency pet care, choose an affordable vet before you need one.

Use websites like VetRatingz.com to avoid bad vets (we can tell you from experience, they’re out there). Call the acceptable ones and ask what they charge for a basic checkup, vaccinations, teeth cleaning or other procedures.

If you have an idea of what services your pet might need, ask about those.

In any case, ask about a few different services so you get an idea of the general price level of each veterinary office.

11. Don’t Shop at the Vet Office

In our experience, everything from cat toothbrushes to flea collars costs more at the vet’s office.

You’re better off buying anything you can at a pet supply store, including any non-prescription medications or treatments.

12. Buy Pet Medications Online

Many pet medications are cheaper online.

Here are a few places you can fill pet prescriptions:

Discount Pet Medicines

PetCareRx

VetDepot

1-800-PetMeds

13. Skip the Pet Insurance

Pet health insurance can save you from unexpected and large vet bills, but most pet medical procedures aren’t nearly as expensive as their human equivalents. Try saving money for your pet’s eventual medical needs.

Consumer reports analysis of pet insurance found it overpriced. It concluded most pet owners are better off simply saving money for emergencies.

14. Make Sure Your Pets Get Exercise

Pets benefits from exercise just like humans. It helps keep them healthy and avoid obesity, which means fewer vet bills for you.

15. Make Pet Furniture

Why buy pet furniture when you can make it for a lot less?

Here are some examples of what you could build:

Cat Condos

Pet Beds

Dog Houses

Pet Stairs

16. Make Pet Toys

We buy toys for our cats at least a couple times each year.

Sadly, the result is almost always the same: What seemed so cute and fun is completely ignored by Jack and Opie.

The good news is they love almost everything we make for them, especially paper balls and anything involving string.

Moral of the story: Why spend a fortune on unwanted pet toys when you can make better ones?

Here are a couple resources to get you started:

DIY Dog Toys

DIY Cat Toys

17. Make Your Own Pet Enclosures

Want to provide a fenced area for your dog or an outdoor “catio” for your cats?

Why not do it yourself?

You can see one of my own creations in my post about building cat enclosures.

More recently, I fenced in a patio area and cat-proofed it for $450 ($140 just for a building permit). The lowest quote I got before going it alone was $950.

There are plenty of online tutorials online on how to build your own dog fence, and you can check out photos of cat enclosures for ideas.

18. Groom Your Own Pets

Professional pet grooming prices run between $20 and $100, depending on the size of the animal (cats are in the middle of that range).

But there’s no reason you can’t comb, wash and clip nails yourself. Not only will you save most of the cost (you’ll still spend a little for tools and shampoo), but grooming is another opportunity to bond with your beloved pet.

19. Find Cheaper Pet Sitting

Pet sitting prices run from as little as $15 for a stop-in visit to as much as $100 for overnight stays.

We’ve paid $50-$60 per night for cat-sitters many times over the years.

Fortunately, there are alternatives.

Find a broke friend you trust who’ll work for cheap. My friend would stay with our guys for $20 per night if I left a few beers in the fridge.

Trade pet-sitting duties with friends and family to get your cost down to zero.

20. Train Your Own Pet

Basic puppy training at PetSmart costs $119, and it’s just one of many classes they offer.

Instead, read one of many books that help you train your pets yourself.

Free online resources can show you how to train your pets and teach them tricks — even how to train your cat to use a toilet.

21. Pet-Proof Your House

Looking at all of the tooth marks on our lamp cords, I’m not sure how Opie survived his first years with us.

Luckily, we learned a few tricks to break this bad habit, like hiding the cords as much as possible and putting two-sided tape on them to scare him away.

The American Humane Association even has a list of ways to pet-proof your home.

Preventing damage to your things and avoiding vet trips with simple pet-proofing will save you money and possibly your pet’s life.

Your Turn: Can you add to this list of ways to save money on your pets?

Steve Gillman is the author of “101 Weird Ways to Make Money” and creator of EveryWayToMakeMoney.com. He’s been a repo-man, walking stick carver, search engine evaluator, house flipper, tram driver, process server, mock juror, and roulette croupier, but of more than 100 ways he has made money, writing is his favorite (so far).

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الجمعة، 19 فبراير 2016

Top 25 Monroe County employers

The Monroe County Economic Development Corporation has a list on its website of the major employers in the county. Of them, 11 are all or partly funded by taxpayers.The top two on the list — Tobyhanna Army Depot and Sanofi Pasteur— run on multimillion dollar federal government contracts. Pocono Medical Center is funded in part by Medicare and Medicaid. The local and state government and of course all schools are taxpayer funded.The [...]

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Couple acquires Stroudsburg home care franchise

Just two years ago BrightStar Care, a national home care franchise with more than 260 independently owned and operated locations across the country including in Stroudsburg, was named by Forbes Magazine the No. 1 franchise system in the category of brands with entry costs of up to $150,000.It is probably safe to assume that the new owners of the Stroudsburg-located BrightStar Care facility are hoping for some of that success. John and Diana Hohmann announced Friday that [...]

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Bernie Sanders Appeal: Why Socialism Gets Young People Going

Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders is the first openly socialist candidate to gain widespread popular support.

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This High School Just Redefined the Term “Home School”

This morning I rolled out of bed, slipped into my yoga pants (the really stretchy ones), and sat down at my computer… to start my day’s work.

I’m enjoying a remote work day, one of the many perks of working for The Penny Hoarder.

I’ll be honest: It’s pretty awesome. The flexibility allows me to travel, spend more time with my family, and just get out of the office when I need to.

Maybe your dream gig involves working from home.

But would you want your kids to do it, too?

Goodbye, Snow Days — Hello, Virtual Days

Some schools are making student work-from-home days a reality.

On select “virtual days,” school halls remain empty — and hundreds of students log in to classrooms from the comfort of home.

School officials claim this new policy has several benefits.

It cuts down on transportation and operation costs for the school, creates a productive option during emergencies and snowstorms and exposes kids to what the working world is like in the 21st century.

“Almost every college has some type of online or virtual course, and a lot of companies now tell employees they can work remotely, so we are exposing students to that,” Troy Lederman told Education Week. He’s the principal of a Park Ridge, New Jersey, high school that just held its first virtual day.

While this would have been a dream come true for my nerdy, chubby, high school self, Lederman’s logic makes me go, hmm.

It’s true online college courses are a thing, although there’s some controversy about whether or not they provide the same level of education as traditional classroom work.

And although the marketplace is becoming increasingly mobile, many of us only wish we could work at home.

How much will things change in the two to eight years that separate today’s high schoolers from the full-time workforce?

How Would Student Work-From-Home Days Affect Your Family?

Although it might be nice to have something to divert your kids’ attention during snow days, the issue is complicated because the workers are, well, students.

They’re still living in their parents’ houses and use their parents’ computers and WiFi.

What if your family only has one computer?

Or shoddy (or non-existent) Internet?

What if you don’t want to leave your 13-year-old child unsupervised at home, and can’t take off work or afford a babysitter?

Also — and this is a dirty little secret, so promise you won’t tell anyone I told you — sometimes, focusing on work when you’re at home is difficult… even for adults.

We’ll have to wait and see how it turns out.

So far, only a handful of secondary schools have implemented virtual days.

But it might not be long until your own child comes downstairs in her pajamas, laptop in hand, and says, “I’m ready for school!”

Your Turn: What do you think of student work-from-home days? Would you want your children to be able to work from home?

Jamie Cattanach (@jamiecattanach) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. She also writes other stuff, like wine reviews and poems.

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Here’s Proof the “MSRP” Prices at Kohl’s and Macy’s are Total BS

How many times have you been tempted to buy something because it seemed like such a great deal?

You see a sign emblazoned with “70% off!” or a sale for half the “original” price.

Just like that, you’re convinced.

It happens to everyone, especially those of us with the penny-hoarding bone; we want to believe we’re getting a bargain.

But what if those prices aren’t what they seem? What if retailers create them just to elicit those elated emotions — and seal the sale?

Would you be shocked? Angry? Confused?

Feeling all of the above, some fellow shoppers have actually brought lawsuits against popular retailers like T.J. Maxx, JC Penney, Nordstrom Rack, Kohl’s, Macy’s and Burlington Coat Factory.

These consumers say “they were duped into buying goods they wouldn’t have otherwise purchased based on phony discounts,” writes Buzzfeed’s Sapna Maheshwari.

Curious about the allegations, Maheshwari decided to delve further into the complicated world of retail pricing strategies.

Her findings were interesting — as well as a bit surprising — and I wanted to pass on the knowledge to you…

How Retailers Come Up With Their Ridiculous Prices

Thanks to the retailers’ legal defenses, we now have some idea where they get the prices listed as “original” or “regular.”

The only problem?

We’re even more confused.

As Maheshwari writes, the results merely “illustrate how convoluted the notion of a ‘regular price’ has become.”

Here are some examples from popular retailers:

Nordstrom Rack: The “compare at” price means the item was “previously offered for sale at that price either by another retailer (in-store or online), in a Nordstrom store or on a Nordstrom website,” or it has “the same manufacturer and has the same quality as the item that was offered for sale at its ‘compare at’ price.”

Kohl’s: The “regular” or “original” prices refers to “the former or ‘future’ price on any given item,” on that item or a “comparable” one, at Kohl’s… or another retailer.

Ummm, what?!

Macy’s: “‘Regular’ and ‘Original’ prices are offering prices that may not have resulted in actual sales, and some ‘Original’ prices may not have been in effect during the past 90 days.”

Nuts, right?

So what’s a smart Penny Hoarder to do?

Not a whole lot.

Read up on common tricks retailers use, create a budget before heading to the mall, and if you want to learn about a specific retailer’s pricing policies, head to its website.

But in all honesty, I don’t think it has to be that complicated…

As Maheshwari sagely advises: “Pay $40 if you believe a sweater is actually worth $40.”

Your Turn: Do you make purchases based on the “original” price? Do retailers’ practices upset you?

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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How Much Do You Make — in Galleons? This Muggle Figured It Out

If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you’ve undoubtedly wished you could ride the real Hogwarts Express, swig a cold bottle of butterbeer or, of course, find the perfect wand to cast spells.

But did you ever think about how much those items might really cost?

In actual dollars?

One devoted Harry Potter fan didn’t just think about it — they calculated a wizard-to-Muggle-money conversion rate.

And the results are fascinating.

How Much is That Wizard in the Window?

“Most products in the Wizarding World can’t translate, but a few products in the books are also Muggle products,” explains Reddit user aubieismyhomie, “so I tried to use these to approximate the value of them compared to US currency.”

They used candy, a ride on the Knight Bus, hot chocolate, a water bottle and toothbrush, S.P.E.W Membership and three butterbeers to get the conversion rate.

They determined the following: One galleon equals approximately $25; one sickle, $1.50; and one knut, five cents.

This means a butterbeer from the Hog’s Head (yes, please…) would cost about $3.

Aubieismyhomie didn’t stop there, though; the HP superfan also listed several takeaways.

Here are my favorites:

Harry only paid $175 for his wand — a bargain!

The Weasleys were dirt poor: They only had $50-$75 in their bank account when they emptied it.

Harry was loaded, and generous: He spent $750 on Christmas presents for himself, Ron and Hermione, and gave Fred and George $25,000 of his Triwizard Tournament winnings to start their joke shop.

Unicorn hair is worth $250 a strand.

To put that in perspective, Bill Gates is worth about 3.168 billion galleons, Donald Trump’s worth about 160 million galleons… and Kanye West is still 2.12 million galleons in debt.

Merlin’s beard!

Now if only someone could make it all come to life…

Your Turn: Do you love HP? Do any of these prices surprise you?

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 Do You Make — in Galleons? This Muggle Figured It Out appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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How to Improve Your Revenue Using Video Ads

As a marketer, you always want to be ahead of the curve.

The most effective tactics are always the ones that the majority of marketers either haven’t adopted yet or haven’t been successful with yet.

One of the current tactics that fall into that category is the use of video in advertising.

Very few marketers have tried to create video ads, but that will change in the coming years.

The consumption of video in general is growing at a rapid pace. Over half (55 percent) of people watch at least one video a day. Some watch several dozen.

In order to make revenue from the videos they host, video sites (e.g., YouTube, Dailymotion, etc.) have a few options.

They can overlay some text ads. It doesn’t generate much revenue for them, so they don’t do this if they have a better option.

That better option is to play a paid video advertisement before playing the video a user clicked to watch.

Guess how much better these are.

One analysis found that users are 27 times more likely to click on a video ad than a regular ad.

Do I need to say more?

Although video sites are starting to get a wider inventory of video ads to play, they’re not even close to being saturated.

There are still plenty of text ads being shown because the sites have no other option.

On top of that, the video ads that they do have are often shown for unrelated videos (a bad thing) because they’re the best they have right now.

This is your opportunity to learn how to create effective video ads and reap the rewards while you still can.

I’ve created a full guide to creating YouTube video ads in the past.

But today, I want to take it further. If you understand the basics of video ads, it’s time to create video ads that perform even better than you thought they could.

We’re going to look at 6 different ways that you can make video ads that convert better than you ever thought possible.

A quick look at where video ads are most effective: Before we dive in, you need to understand where video ads are used best.

The biggest key component of an effective video ad network is the size of its audience. Some of the tips in this post require a large potential audience so that you can narrow your targeting down and still have an audience left.

There are two main video advertising networks that fulfill this condition: YouTube and Facebook.

I’ll be writing the rest of this post mostly with Facebook and YouTube video advertising in mind although most of the information will apply to other networks as well.

Don’t be afraid to try out video advertising on other networks, but I recommend starting on one of these two.

They are big enough to have just about every audience you can imagine, including yours.

Let’s look at the 6 tips now.

1. Take full advantage of custom audience options

Like I mentioned before, many video ads are being shown to users who are not actively interested in the advertised product.

While some of those advertisements are purely for brand recognition, the mismatch between the ad and the viewer interest highlights a bigger issue.

Say you were running an advertisement for a new car. In which situation do you think the ad would perform better?

Shown before a video about home decorating.

Shown before a video clip from Top Gear (a show about cars).

It’s pretty clear that the second option is better.

You’ll have a targeted audience of car buyers, who are expecting to watch a video about cars. That’s doubly good!

When someone is planning to watch a video about home decorating and on comes a video about a new car, they’re not happy—understandably—and skip it as soon as possible.

The first major thing that you can do to lower your ad prices and improve your click-through rate is to improve your targeting.

Not only should you use targeting to make sure your ads are being shown to your actual target audience, but you should segment your audience further so that different parts of your audience see different ads.

Let’s look at some common effective examples of segmenting audiences.

Possible group #1 – Potential customers who are aware of brand or product: Your highest conversion rates when selling a product will always be from people who have heard of your brand or product.

Many in this audience just need a little nudge to get them to make a purchase.

You can target these people if you’re active on the platforms you’re advertising on.

For example, you can target people who have already “liked” your Facebook page:

If someone’s done that, they probably have a good idea of what your products are and why someone might want them.

To advertise effectively to this segment, you need to create video ads that show your product doing something great for them.

If you were selling a personal finance tool, you would show in your ad how someone saved hundreds of dollars using the tool.

That will give your viewers the nudge they need to make a purchase.

Possible group #2 – No brand recognition, but interest in your type of product: This group refers to people who don’t know you, your brand, or your products.

However, they have an interest in your industry.

If I was selling a link building tool, I could target people with an interest in SEO.

Facebook and YouTube both have this type of targeting, and most other video advertising platforms do as well.

But remember that targeting is just one part of the equation. You also have to choose what to show your audience.

Since they don’t know you or your products, your first goal with these types of ads shouldn’t be to get the viewers to buy your products right away.

Instead, create a short, interesting video that teaches them something about your niche.

Going back to my SEO example…I wouldn’t even mention a link building tool, but I could create a video that showed that someone was able to rank #1 using a technique I created in the past.

Then, I would link to a detailed case study from the video.

Guess what would be in that case study?

That’s right, a mention of my product—the link building tool. The case study would also give the readers an opportunity to sign up for an email list.

Alternatively, you could link to a landing page from the video, asking viewers to opt in to an email list to receive the full report. Either option could work well.

The point is to establish contact, expose your potential customers to your product and brand, and get them on an email list. Then, you would continue sending them free content, and eventually you can target them like I showed you above in group #1.

Possible group #3 – Target by location: You should only target your video ad to countries and locations that you actually sell to. It sounds like common sense, but many businesses neglect to do it.

On top of that, you can also improve your results by creating videos for specific audiences.

For example, let’s say you sell a lawn care tool.

You wouldn’t want to show the same video ad to Australians, who have warm weather year round, and to Canadians, who have drastically different seasons.

To the Australians, you’d want to emphasize such features as durability and year-round suitability.

To the Canadians, you’d want to emphasize such features as easy storage during the colder months.

Take a second to think about your product and the different locations of your customers (cities, states, provinces, countries, etc.).

Do people in those different locations vary in how much they care about the features you offer?

If so, create specific video ads for each location. You might be able to reuse ads for different locations with a bit of clever editing.

Possible group #4 – Sell to multiple countries? Cover your languages: This type of grouping relates to the last point.

Did you know that you can target users based on language?

If you sell to people in countries that use two or more languages, you should be creating video ads in multiple languages and targeting by language.

If you’re only targeting the main language, you might be missing out on a solid chunk of your potential market.

Recognize the unique properties of your products: The last two groups I showed you won’t apply to every product out there.

But they illustrate an important concept.

Targeting depends on analyzing your potential audience and determining how different parts of that audience think.

Then, you’ll need to find a way to target specific portions of your target audience and create ads specifically for them.

I’ve shown you four possible groups, but there are dozens for all major ad networks. Don’t be afraid to go beyond these four.

2. All good video ads take on an interesting angle: Start with the concept

Some businesses are finally starting to “get it.”

For video ads to be successful, they need to be interesting.

When they’re done right, video ads can actually be shared and go viral. There are many cases that prove this.

While you may not have the budget of any of those companies, that doesn’t mean you can’t reach a large audience with an interesting advertisement.

How do you make an interesting video ad? The first thing you need to do is forget the word “advertisement.”

Yes, you’re paying to display it, but beyond that, your advertisement is just a video.

For some reason, many marketers think an ad needs to shove a product in someone’s face, which just isn’t true.

The vast majority of people on YouTube and Facebook are watching videos for entertainment, so if your video isn’t entertaining, they are going to ignore it or skip it as soon as possible.

And getting pitched a product is not entertaining, so don’t do it.

Instead, create or find an interesting story to tell.

Let me walk you through an example.

Fanpage.it is an Italian news site of sorts, so they focus mainly on current issues.

They were able to create a video, advertise it, and then have it go viral with over 2.3 million views:

They started with a concept. In this case, they thought about a way to make a video about attitudes towards violence against women interesting.

It might seem a little sad that it’s not enough for the subject matter to be important, that it has to be interesting, but the reason I’ve repeated it a few times is because it’s crucial to your success.

There are many ways to make something interesting:

tell a story
make it funny
make it surprising
make it unusual

In this case, they combined most of these elements.

They introduced a girl to several boys and asked them about her. At the end, they asked them to slap the girl. The boys, of course, innocently said that they would never do that.

I was glued to my screen for the entire 3 minutes, and it took me from smiling to thinking about the issue at hand.

The biggest concern marketers have is whether this approach is effective or not. How does an engaging story translate into page views and revenue?

If you’re able to tell a story, with your product being at the center of it, people will want it and seek it out.

Although Fanpage.it wasn’t constantly saying, “We have the best content on social issues out there; visit us now!”—viewers still made that connection.

They understand that if they want clever, entertaining, and thought-provoking content, they should click through to the site.

Telling an interesting story is not easy. That’s why the people who are great at it are paid well.

However, it’s a skill like any other that can be developed. I’ve written extensively about it in the past:

3. Know when you need professional help

The thing that scares most marketers away from video advertising is that they can’t do it themselves.

Although you could try to make one with your iPhone (or whatever you use), chances are the video would suck.

And that’s just a basic video. When you consider animation, editing, and voiceovers, it’s just too much for a marketer to learn how to do.

That’s what scares marketers.

We love to do everything, including marketing, sales, product development, and just about anything else that needs to be done.

But creating a high quality video isn’t something that you can learn in a few days or even months.

And if you want to be successful with video advertising, quality has to come first.

People expect almost television-like quality for any video they watch:

This means that your video must have:

no blurriness
good lighting
no background noises or echoes
no stuttering or unclear speech

You need to recognize when you are out of your depth and bring in professionals to supplement your marketing expertise.

Putting together a high quality video: A video ad might only be 15 seconds long, but it can often take hours to make.

It will depend on the kind of video you are creating, of course, but a ton of work goes into creating even short videos.

The first step is to decide what type of video you’d like to create.

There are two main types of video ads.

The most common is a standard video with actors in it.

However, animated videos are really popular, particularly if you’re creating a tutorial or an educational video:

Your next step is to hire a professional to help you. This will include:

freelance animators
video creators (videographers)
video editors

As a marketer, you can probably handle the script writing yourself, but that’s another area you could potentially get some help with.

Video editors and animators are very easy to find online. Just browse for them (or post a job ad) on any of the following freelance job boards:

However, if you’re looking to include actors in the video, you’ll have to find local videographers.

Unfortunately, you can’t effectively narrow down the location of videographers on those freelance sites.

Instead, I recommend going to LinkedIn.

Search for “videographer” or “freelance videographer” in the search bar, and narrow down the results using the “people” filter in the sidebar.

Finally, choose “Add” under the location filter, and type in your city:

Not only will you find local professionals, but you will also find people who have worked with some of your existing connections. That’ll allow you to ask your connections about their experiences with the professionals you are considering to hire.

After you’ve found someone to work with, you need to develop a video outline and script. Again, you can probably handle this if you have some experience with storytelling.

Once you’ve gone over these details with your freelancer(s), they will create the video for you. Make it clear that you’re happy to get involved when necessary and answer any questions.

The last thing you want is to be unhappy with the final video because it’s a pain (and expensive) to reshoot.

For the most part, trust your freelancers. If you’ve hired experienced professionals, they will know how to bring your vision to life.

Ideally, you want to establish a relationship with freelancers so that they can continue to create videos for you in the future. It will save you the time of having to find someone new every time you need a video created.

4. Shorter is usually better

You need to be careful, especially if you embrace the tips I’ve shown you so far.

It’s common to get excited about producing a video, aiming for the best, and end up with a video that’s 3, 5, or even 10 minutes long.

Keep in mind that when users see your ads, they see them before the content they actually want to see.

Even if your video is fairly entertaining, most will pick the “skip” option that comes up shortly after your video starts—especially if they see that there’s another 3 minutes to go.

As a general rule, keep your video ads under 1 minute long. Under 30 seconds is better.

This forces you to focus on the most important parts of your message.

According to one analysis, only 36 percent of video ads are longer than 30 seconds.

Further, 13 percent are shorter than 15 seconds, which means that 51 percent of ads are between 15 and 30 seconds long. Aim for that range whenever possible.

The good news is that if you are able to keep your ad within that range, people will usually watch your full video.

The same research found that 79 percent of video ads are watched to their middle points, and 72 percent are watched to the very end. This means that if you can intrigue your viewers in the first half of your ad, almost all of them will stick with you to the end.

5. Videos may be different, but you can (and should) split test them

To edit a landing page, you need to click only a few buttons.

To edit an image, you need to do a bit more.

Video is far more complicated to edit than images or landing pages.

That’s why most marketers produce a video ad, put it out there, and hope for the best.

But you know me—I like to measure and improve everything. And I hope that you have a similar attitude.

When it comes to ads of any kind, including video ads, you must split test.

What’s split testing? A quick answer: If you’ve never done split testing, it’s a simple but powerful concept.

Most things are not optimized when you first create them.

What you can do is create two versions of something and then send visitors to both versions.

By measuring the results, you can see which version performs better.

Typically, you’ll use A/B split testing, which helps you learn about which elements work and don’t work.

With A/B testing, both versions are exactly the same, except for one change.

That way, you know that any difference in the results is caused by that one change. Then, you keep the better performing version and do a new test with a different element.

I’ve written a complete guide to split testing if you’d like a detailed guide; otherwise, let’s move on to how you would do split testing for your video ads.

Step #1 – Identify major elements: The reason why most marketers don’t split test video ads is because they know that editing a video is a pain.

But most split testing doesn’t even need to involve editing the video.

Start by looking at how your video ad will show up:

Then, make a list of the most important elements.

From the above, the most visible elements are:

the description
the video
the brand name

You can’t change the brand name, and you probably don’t want to edit the video (although that’s an option), but you can change the description.

Let half of the audience view one version of the description, and let the other half view the other version.

Alternatively, you can also split test different targeting options.

For example, you could show the exact same ad to two different groups of people. You could divide them based on interests, behaviors, or demographic options.

This will tell you which audiences are best to target, and that information will help you create more effective video ads in the future.

Step #2 – Create different versions of the ad based on those elements: Once you know which element you will be changing (e.g., description or targeting options), all you need to do is create the two different ads and buy a similar number of views for each.

Here’s a guide to split testing on Facebook, and another for split testing in Google Adwords (for YouTube).

Step #3 – Decide which metrics are most important, and compare: Finally, the most important thing you need to do is decide what your goals for the video ad are.

Usually, it’s going to be cost per click-through. Sometimes, you’ll have to use your click-through rate percentage instead.

Once you have a valid sample size, you can compare the results and determine the winner.

A neat little tool to help you figure out the significance of your test is Isvalid.org.

Enter the number of samples for both the original and experiment videos as well as the conversions (clicks or whatever metric you’re using):

The tool will calculate the conversion rate of each test. More importantly, it will give you a significance rate (how often your conclusion will be correct) and a measure of how much better the winning test is:

Aim for a significance of at least 95%.

Remember that split testing typically gives you small improvements. However, those small improvements add up over time, so keep iterating and making changes until you’ve optimized your video ad.

6. Studies have shown that music impacts emotion—use it wisely

The final tip I have for you is to use music in your videos, but use it intelligently.

To begin with, always remember that videos are mainly focused on visual content. That should remain the main focus of your video ads.

However, music in the background can make your message more powerful.

The effect of music on mood: One study recruited subjects to determine what effect music has on our moods.

They found that both happy and sad music affects our perception. When subjects heard the happy music and then were shown a person with a neutral expression, they were more likely to say that the person was happy.

Conversely, the other subjects who heard sad music thought that the exact same person was sad.

Basically, we match our perception with the tone of music we hear.

The takeaway is simple:

If you want your viewers to feel a certain way during parts of your video, use music that corresponds to that feeling (e.g., sad music for a sad feeling).

You can use this to nudge viewers to feel happy, then sad, to make your video more impactful.

Music improves focus: You want your viewers to be glued to the screen while your ad is playing.

But if the ad has no sound, no matter how good your video is, most viewers will get bored and zone out.

A study looked at how listening to different sounds affects focus.

The researchers found that listening to either classical music, white noise, or silence improved visual attention. The greatest effect, however, was produced by classical music, followed by white noise. Silence produced the least effect.

The takeaway:

Play some sort of music in the background throughout most of your ads to help your viewers pay attention to your video. If classical music suits the tone of your video, it’s probably the optimal choice.

Music should accent, not distract: Finally, there’s one more study about music and focus that you need to know about.

The researchers tested how music affected the rate of driving mistakes in teenagers.

The bottom line was that when the drivers got to pick their own music, they drove more aggressively and made more mistakes. It makes sense as they were more focused on the music than their environment.

On the other hand, when they listened to “safe” music that was picked by the researchers, they drove better.

The takeaway:

Use music in your ads, but make sure it’s not so loud or catchy that your viewers focus more on the music than your video’s images.

Conclusion

Video advertising is one of the most exciting advertising opportunities that is still maturing.

If you take action right now, you will learn how to profit from video ads before the rest of marketers catch on.

I’ve shown you 6 key principles and tips of effective video ads that you can use to reach profitability quickly.

Once you have a profitable campaign, scale it up and enjoy the results.

I understand that creating video ads isn’t easy. So, if you have any questions, leave me a comment below, and I’ll try to clear things up.

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