How To Efficiently Sell Your Items On Instagram

Instagram plays an integral part in our lives. For many Singaporeans, they treat Instagram (IG) as an catalog showcasing the latest in lifestyle and beauty. It allows retailers to use the word-of-mouth marketing strategy to build their clientele.

With about 75% of online businesses taking part, to miss out on IG can be a bad idea. You need to swim with the waves of time! That being said, you must optimize you must start with optimizing your Instagram profile.

BEAUTIFY YOUR INSTAGRAM BUSINESS PROFILE

Let’s face it! It is human nature to judge based on appearance. Thus, you must optimize your Instagram Business Profile. Spend as much time and effort needed to curate an aesthetically pleasing Instagram feed. Do not forget to include the following elements:

A. Profile Picture allows your consumers to identify your brand easily. So, choose a logo with the highest resolution.

B. Bio lets your consumers know exactly what you can offer. Keep your description clear and concise with a touch of wits or humor.

C. URL section in the bio encourages the consumers to click your website in a snap! Attach a link to shop to increase the drive of traffic to your website.

USE TESTIMONIALS AND FEEDBACK

Parade the people who believe in your brand by checking out the tagged photos. Post your consumers’ photos with their feedback to entice your audience. This phenomenon is called the Social Proof, whereby people respond positively to what others enjoy and avoid what others dislike.

A testimonial photo seems more authentic and reliable as you are giving the shoppers a real sense what the product looks like. Moreover, you may set up an Instagram Story Highlight that includes all the tagged or feedback photos.

REACH YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

It comes as no surprise that using Instagram ads can help sell your products or services. With continued changes to the Instagram algorithm and heightened competition to have your content be seen, Instagram ads are crucial to your marketing strategy. Select a specific target audience to optimize it.

A business profile allows you to set up an ad, to control how much you spend, and to select the length of an ad. It allows businesses to choose target options that best suit their needs. For example, I can choose to target the people in Changi Airport to sell my “Bali Unforgettable Travels” book.

It is easiest to run ads by promoting posts you have shared on Instagram. Select the post you want to boost by hitting the “Promote” button upon posting. Set up your audience and your budget. Double-check the details before hitting the “Confirm” button.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

I suggest that you start with a small budget and run the ad for a few days to test things out. Once you are happy with the results, you can expand its running duration. Track how your ad is performing by clicking “View Results” in the bottom left corner of your ad. It helps to boost the photos that best represents your brand or photos that include some Instagram influencers!

Sources: 1 &
2

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How To Beat The Holiday Spending Traps

As Labour Day approaches, the holiday promotions are in full swing! Shoppers everywhere are bound to be pummeled by the retail and other service promotions. Not every deal is a good one. Some are simply put there to confuse you. This is why, you have to beware of these 5 holiday spending traps.

ATTRACTED BY THE FREEBIES

Do you really want a free canister after purchasing three boxes of cereal? That is too much for a single consumer! You see, freebies usually come with a price. A free voucher to be used later on sounds like a sweet deal! However, it requires shoppers to drop some money first.

Be careful with retailers who encourage you to spend more to get a product or a service that you would not actually have bought.

TANGLED BY THE HIDDEN COSTS

Decorations and food are typical categories that affect your holiday budget. Aside from this, there are other hidden costs that can sail your budget elsewhere.

More often than not, the holiday season is sprinkled with hidden costs. For instance, Christmas Day comes with postage for holiday-themed cards or packages. You are bound to send some gifts to your loved ones, clients, or supervisors. Not to mention, some offer host or hostess gifts.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Thus, you must determine how much money you are willing to spend on a certain holiday. Create a budget and stick to it. Allow a small portion of your budget to cushion unexpected or hidden holiday costs.

DISTRACTED BY THE SELF

I, for one, am eager to purchase personal gifts when I spot some tempting holiday sales. Great Singapore Sale can lure me to spend more money on self-gifting. However, self-gifting can quickly turn to overspending.

If you have room in your budget to accommodate these impulse buys, go for it. Otherwise, you must take note of what you want and assign to others as a wish-list. Many will be grateful for the heads up!

PARDONED BY REWARDS

Just because you can get rebates from shopping does not mean that you have to spend regularly! Credit cards can help consumers to get more bang for their buck. But, this desire to acquire rewards should not justify the act of mindless spending.

Paying the interest on a balance you cannot afford to pay off cancels out the value of your accumulated rewards. Thus, you must use your rewards in conjunction with a savvy holiday spending plan.

CONSUMED BY PRESSURE

Holiday spending is influenced by the expectations of other people or the expectations of oneself. Retailers know that you are shopping under pressure and some may take advantage of it. This is a big one!

Retailers know that you do not want to fight the crowds who line up in Orchard Road. You would rather get out as fast as possible than to get bombarded by a huge number of people, right? Well, this is why they conveniently display the sale items in the middle of the aisles and near the checkout line. Do not give in!

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Even expert shoppers can get tangled with these holiday shopping traps! So, keep these in mind for Labour Day shopping.

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Staycation Ideas That Won’t Break The Bank

By definition, staycation is a holiday taken at home or near your own home. Taking a much needed rest after countless hours of work is truly rewarding. However, the thought of spending on your short vacation may pull you back. Fret not! Budget or time constraint will not stop you from traveling within the wonders of our country.

STAYCATION FOR THE FAMILY

There are two local hotels that offer family packages perfect for a staycation. These hotels are Park Hotel and Village Hotel. The former entices you with two rooms for the price of one! What’s more? Park Hotel Clarke Quay has an exclusive family package that enables children under the age of 12 to stay there for FREE! This package includes breakfast, complimentary kid’s meals, in-house amenities, internet access, and weekend room upgrades. Book a room at parkhotelgroup.com to spend more time with the ones you love.

Now, the latter emphasizes on the nostalgic aura exuded by the Village Hotel Katong. For a little over S$250, you may enjoy a memory-inducing accommodation for two adults and two children. Take your children to the olden days by playing a free Singaporean family game set or by immersing yourselves in authentic Peranakan high teas. This ultimate staycation embodies the #throwback that Millennials overuse today. Booking period for this package is until December 30, 2019!

STAYCATION WITH FRIENDS

There are two ways to go about it – you can either camp out or slumber in. For camping out, you may consider forming a tent at East Coast Park. Skate or cycle your heart away, before indulging in a barbecue feast or picnic by the view. Having no bicycle is not a problem as you can rent from there.

For squads who prefer staying in, you may consider staying at Hotel G or Hotel Mi. Hotel G’s wide selection of 308 rooms are categorized from Good to Greater. Oh! I forgot to mention the affordable rates that start from S$128. The place is a surefire steal considering that it is nestled between Bugis and Dhoby!

I am sure that you are wondering about Hotel G‘s aesthetics. The rooms are decked out in an artistic or rather vintage-style manner. Its gym sways to the industrial design with its grey brick walls and monochromatic portraits. Burning calories through the punching bags, treadmills, and cycling machines is tiring. So, relax at the bar called Ginett. It serves up French wines that cost about S$6 at least.

Lastly, you may score a room for about a hundred-dollar a night at Hotel Mi. It stretches your buck as you can enjoy the in-house amenities such as the pool and the gym. The rooms are airy with a delightful modern look. However, the real steal is its superb location. It is merely a minute away from the Downtown Line. Spoil your options at it is surrounded by a slew of cafes, marts, and stores!

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Sources: 1 & 2

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Organic Beer, Is It A Thing?

The 90s gave birth to iconic trends such as tattoo chokers and cropped tops. Along with these trends was the invention of the organic beer. In America, two breweries reign supreme when it comes to organic beer. These two where Lakefront Brewing Co. in Milwaukee and Eel River Brewing Co. in Northern California. Now there are a handful of brands to choose from.

It is easy to call something “organic”, but what does it mean exactly? A beer can put the organic seal if it meets the following guidelines:

a. it is at least 95% organically produced (i.e., without GMOs, pesticides, and synthetic fertilizers)

b. the brewery must prove that the remaining ingredients are not available in sufficient organic quantities or organic form

A beer can still be labelled “made with organic…”, if the brewery used at least 70% of organic ingredients excluding salt and water. Beyond this, a beer can be given a 100% organic certification if the entire process including cleaning and making materials was organic. Such beers are understandably rare!

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Why Should You Drink Organic Beer?

It comes as no surprise that drinking organic beer helps support agriculture. Beer is made with grains, fruits, vegetables, spices, yeast, and water. You can help keep the groundwater clean, reduce the toxic air pollution, and protect the organic farmers when you buy ingredients that are produced organically. If you already subscribe to organic meat and organic produce, why not switch to organic beer too?

Let us focus on the price of organic beer. In most cases, its price is the same as many craft beers. This enables you to enjoy the healthy taste of beer at budget-friendly prices.

Further research in the organic beer industry led me to the discovery of Bison’s Chocolate Stout. It is a product made with Peruvian cocoa from Bison Brewing Co. Aside from this, you may also try Bison Brewing Co’s Honey Basil beer or Organic Hop Cuvee West Coast Ale. Sweet beers quench my preference for sweet alcoholic beverages.

You may also try Lakefront Brewery’s Chad. It is a product that exudes a special bitter taste with a spicy flair. You may have guessed that the product was brewed by a cellar-man whose name is Chad.

Nonetheless, you may check out the organic alcoholic beverages at your nearby supermarket or by visiting alcohaul.sg.

“I wanted to create a beer that connected my healthy, active lifestyle with my social life, and bring it all together.” —Smart Beer Founder Gabriel Heymann

Can You Make Your Own Organic Beer?

The short answer is “YES”! Simply round up these ingredients: malted grain, hop, water, and yeast. Then, follow the instructions found in organicauthority.com.

Sources:1 & 2

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What’s The Hype About Jewel Changi Airport?

Scheduled to open this month is the latest Jewel of Singapore – the Jewel Changi Airport. This multi-purpose development includes a hotel, aviation facilities, retail stores, dining facilities, and various attractions. A complex that houses all these facilities must be massive! The complex covers a total gross floor area of 134,000 meters, which spans about 10 stories.

I am most excited about the key attractions including the world’s largest indoor waterfall and the five-story indoor garden. Let us start with the HSBC Rain Vortex. Standing at 131 ft high is the world’s largest indoor waterfall. At night, the Rain Vortex glistens with lights and sounds. These were curated by the water design expert WET Design. I expect nothing but the best!

Lastly, Canopy Park aims to astound you with its two gardens including Topiary Walk and Petal Garden. The former features animal-shaped topiaries. The latter features seasonal floral displays. These natural displays excites my flower-loving heart!

Aside from flowers, food holds a special place for us. Singaporeans are enthusiastic about the flavors offered by Shake Shack and the comeback of A&W Restaurant.

Image Credits: danielfooddiary.com

Probably the most anticipated F&B opening at Jewel, is the famous burgain chain called Shake Shack. Its first outlet in Singapore is set to open on April 17. Shake Shack will offer its classic coffee milkshake along with locally brewed Jewela Melaka and Pandan Shake. Jewela Melaka is a frozen vanillacustard ice cream with coconut salted caramel, Lemuel chocolate chunks, shortbread, and gula melaka. Pandan Shake (S$7.80) puts a Singaporean-spin to their classic brew by adding pandan. Putting a spotlight on their burgers entails that its made with freshly ground 100% Angus beef. Rest assured that it has a delicate texture, great taste, and no added hormones. ShackBurger costs S$9.20 to $12.90.

Last but not the least is the ultimate throwback F&B opening of A&W Restaurant in Jewel Changi Airport. It is operating for 24 hours daily and is Halal-certified. Many are thrilled to taste the Root Beer Float, Coney Dogs, Curly Fries, and Waffle Ice Cream once more. This all-American restaurant will welcome long queues for sure!

Image Credits:greatdeals.com.sg

Oh! The Jewel houses a Pokemon center too. Certainly, the nation is shaken by the opening of the Jewel! Wait and see for more.

Sources: 1 & 2

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