Sell stuff. Most people around this time of year need more space and more cash, and a great way to create both of these for your festive next is by selling things you’ve already got. You may have shelves of books or a cupboard stuffed with clothes you never wear. In my case, I realised last month that I had a few drawers of old DVDs that I either never watched, or watched once but never again, or even ungraded to blu-ray over the last decade.
Over the past few years, I’ve curated myself a little routine of selling online, on various platforms, so here are some insights into that process. I had a particularly successful week last week as it’s coming up to Christmas and I’ve really gone to town searching my home for mine and my partner’s unwanted items, and created this ‘Week in the Life of a Side Hustler’ for MoneyMagpie.
A Week in the Life of a Side Hustler
I have a full-time job, so this had to be something that fits around my paid work, and not something I relied on to pay the rent and bills: more like, well, a side hustle! So here are my profits for this particularly good selling week.
The Platforms I used to sell stuff
Vinted
My partner and I have a Vinted account that we add items of clothing to nearly every week as we clear out the cupboard for the new season. This week I’ve added two tops from Warehouse for £11 each, a Skagen watch for £70 and an All Saints shawl for £85. They may take a while to sell, but they’re up there for people to see. This month I sold some Office shoes for £20, a Monsoon dress for £10 and (this past week) a French Connection coat for £50: This was an average selling month for me, and on average I make between £80 – £100 a month this way from Vinted alone.
Total this week: £50
sell stuff on eBay
I had some old Star Wars roleplaying games books that I wanted to shift, which were over thirty years old, rather yellowing and unused since the 90s. So I had a good search on eBay for similar items and realised there were collectors out there who really wanted these items, whatever condition they were in. For books I bought as a teen for about a fiver each, their value had doubled, trebled and sometimes even quadrupled (and more!) in the ensuing years.
Seeing the top prices for some of these books were between £30 and £60, I priced mine in the middle and asked for a set price of £35 each. Thankfully, this was a good call and I had interest in the books as a job lot of 5, totalling £150 (I discounted them from £175 when purchased together), and bingo: another £150 to add to the pot.
Total this week: £150
Music Magpie
I’d used Music Magpie before, about ten years ago to sell a bunch of CDs when I needed a few hundred quid to move house (and to create more space), and I’d managed to tot up the tidy sum of £300 for about 100 CDs. Now, most of these were somewhat unusual film soundtracks, which bagged me about £3 each, but the non-soundtrack ones – pop, rock, etc – netted between 30p and £1.50 each at the lowest end of things. Still, I ended up with a nice bit of extra cash.
This time, I had a few drawers of DVDs that I’d since replaced with blu-rays over the past decade, so I downloaded the Music Magpie app and used the barcode to scan the three or four piles of discs in boxes I’d accumulated. Some they didn’t want, so I created a reject pile of around 15 discs, but the others totalled about 35 discs and a selling price of about £30 the lot. This doesn’t seem like much, considering I made a few hundred on those CDs, but times have changed and so has the price of physical media, driven down by streaming availability and depreciation. But £30 was better than nothing, so I can add that to the weekly total. They also collect your box of discs for free, which really helps.
Total this week: £35
Facebook Marketplace
Finally, this has been a reliable and occasional source of income for me as I’ve sold everything from concert tickets for gigs I couldn’t attend, to trinkets, furniture and used mattresses. It’s a really great way of putting things up for sale, discussing the sale on your terms with interested parties, and then agreeing on a price.
This week, I wanted to get rid of a small chest of drawers that, since I moved house, just never really fit anywhere. It was low and wide and pine, and I thought £35 was a fair price. Thankfully, so did two buyers who contacted me about it. One of them couldn’t make it over to collect (and I wasn’t prepared to deliver) so I went with the second buyer, who agreed that £35 and a self-pickup was a good deal. They came that evening to take it away and had paid before they drove over, although you can also ask for cash.
Total this week: £35
TOTAL SALES THIS WEEK: £270.
My conclusion
Two hundred and seventy quid. Now that’s not bad for a week’s selling, and I put everything online on the Monday (although I had some of the clothing up there on Vinted already: a further note about Vinted is that they don’t charge and fees, so that’s pure profit on each sale. £270 is a solid monthly average but I could also shift a few more items that are already on my sites, or find more stuff to sell around the house.
How much I sell does depend on the time I have available to do all this, and as I say, this month I decided to go for it and really sell everything I could in one week, and I’m more than happy with the results. Even for a month’s selling, I’d be happy with an extra £270. One day I’m sure I’ll run out of stuff to sell but I’ll keep looking, and I urge you to do the same! Someone probably wants something you don’t!
To read more ideas about how to make money from your old stuff – read our free eBook here.
Brand ambassadors represent a brand and its ideals. They should be sincere and care about people. By doing so, they ensure a positive experience for customers. They should also maintain a high professional standard and ask engaging questions. This way, their genuine intentions are apparent to others. These are qualities that you can benefit from, especially if you are planning to hire a brand ambassador.
Benefits of hiring a brand ambassador
Hiring a brand ambassador is a great way to reach your target audience and build a community around your brand. They can also help you promote your new products and services and influence the direction your brand takes.
Since they’re on the front lines of retail, brand ambassadors are valuable resources because they have first-hand knowledge of what your customers like and dislike. Click the link: https://trocglobal.com/blog/brand-ambassadors/ for more information. They’re your company’s “sounding board,” so they can give you feedback about the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
Employees can also serve as brand ambassadors, which has several advantages for your company. First of all, employee followers are more likely to convert than other leads. Second, they have insider knowledge about your brand, its products, and its goals. Third, they can help your company gain exposure and recruit qualified applicants.
Company spokespersons can also help you get access to a new market. They can help you promote your business by attending events that relate to your products and services.
You can also offer these ambassadors monetary incentives, and send them free samples of your products or services. This can create a good relationship between you and the company spokesperson, and it will also attract other ambassadors.
While company spokespersons have historically been used by consumer-facing businesses, B2B organizations have also begun to use them. With the growing use of social media, buyers increasingly use social networking websites to discover new products and services. Using a company spokesperson can help your business reach a wider audience and make it more accessible to younger consumers.
A company spokesperson acts as the face of your brand, creating instant recognition and engagement with your target audience. They can influence customer purchase decisions and boost your social media presence. Click here for more information. A company spokesperson can be a person within your company or someone external to it.
Qualifications required
Photo by Charlotte May from Pexels
If you’re interested in a career as a company spokesperson, you’ll need to be highly creative and able to learn quickly about the products and services that a corporation represents. You should also enjoy creatively promoting the products in person and online. Generally, the minimum qualifications for this position are a high school diploma or an associate degree, but a bachelor’s degree is preferred. Experience in retail is also preferred.
Company spokespersons are expected to know the mission and goals of the company they represent. They should be knowledgeable about the products and services, and they should be able to answer questions from the public.
They should also be able to build trust with their audience and communicate their genuine love for the brand they represent. As a company spokesperson, you’ll be asked to give speeches and presentations about the company’s products and services.
To be a company spokesperson, you must have excellent communication skills and a personable personality. You may need a car and a valid driver’s license, since you’ll need to travel to various locations to represent the brand. In addition, most employers prefer applicants with previous experience in sales, customer service, or public relations.
One of the most important qualifications for company spokespersons is confidence. People tend to gravitate to confident individuals. Therefore, it’s important to never appear nervous or uneasy in public. Make sure you write recommendations in a clear and convincing manner and follow all rules and policies that apply to promoting product lines. You should also be willing to accept constructive criticism graciously, as this will show that you’re eager to learn and grow.
Moreover, company spokespersons should have a passion for the product line they represent. In addition, they should be personable, as they’ll be interacting with potential customers and providing feedback on their products. They should also be knowledgeable about marketing trends and how they can make a positive impact on sales.
Cost
Company spokespersons can be a powerful addition to your creative team, elevating word-of-mouth marketing efforts and creating focused momentum for your product line. To make the most of this powerful resource, you need to understand exactly how to maximize the cost of your ambassador program.
Consider using creative company spokespersons who produce content that is engaging and useful to consumers. Such content has a long shelf life and can be shared multiple times. Consider creating a content calendar and scheduling uploads to maximize the potential of each ambassador. Social media superstars can expose your product line to tens of thousands and even millions of followers.
If you’re like most business owners, you’re always looking for ways to increase your conversions. After all, more conversions mean more sales, and more sales mean a healthier business.
What is a conversion, and why do you need to boost them?
A conversion is simply when a website visitor takes the desired action. This could be making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or filling out a contact form. The key word here is “desired” — in order for a conversion to take place, your visitors need to want to do what you’re asking them to do. If they don’t see the value in what you’re offering, they’re not going to convert. That’s why it’s so important to have a well-designed product that is easy to use and provides value to the customer. If your product is hard to use or doesn’t offer what the customer is looking for, you’re not going to see many conversions.
How can you boost conversions by redesigning your SaaS product?
1. Make it easy to use
The first step to increase conversions is to make sure your product is easy to use. If it’s complicated or difficult to navigate, customers are going to get frustrated and give up. We gathered key steps to prevent that from happening:
Make sure your product is designed with the user in mind.
Use clear and concise language.
Don’t make assumptions about what the user knows.
If there are features that are not essential, consider removing them or making them optional. The goal is to make your product as simple and straightforward as possible.
2. Focus on the customer’s needs
The second step is to focus on the customer’s needs. What are they looking for in a product like yours? What pain points are they trying to solve? Your product should be designed to address these needs and solve these problems. If it’s not, customers are not going to see the value in it and will go elsewhere.
3. Create a sense of urgency
The third step is to create a sense of urgency. Why should the customer buy your product now? What’s going to happen if they wait? Answering these questions will help you create a sense of urgency that will motivate customers to convert.
4. Offer a free trial
The fourth step is to offer a free trial. This allows potential customers to try out your product before committing to a purchase. Free trials are a great way to increase conversions because they remove the risk from the equation. If a customer doesn’t like your product, they can simply cancel their trial and never be charged. But if they do like it, there’s a good chance they’ll convert into paying customers.
5. Make it easy to purchase
The fifth and final step is to make it easy to purchase your product. The checkout process should be simple and straightforward, and there should be no hidden fees or surprises.
You should also offer a variety of payment options to make it convenient for customers. The more options you offer, the more likely it is that customers will find a method that works for them.
Identify the areas of your product that need improvement
Now that you know how to boost conversions by redesigning your SaaS product, it’s time to take a look at your own product and identify areas that need improvement.
Start by taking a close look at your conversion rate. If it’s low, there’s a good chance your product could use some work.
Then, take a look at your product itself and see if there are any areas that could be made simpler or more focused on the customer’s needs. Once you’ve identified areas that need improvement, it’s time to start making changes.
Hire UX experts and redesign your product with the steps above in mind, and you’ll be on your way to increasing your conversion rate in no time. If you discuss the product redesign process, it is important to mention the following:
User research
The first step in any redesign process is user research. You need to understand who your users are and what they want from your product.
User research can be conducted in a variety of ways, but some common methods include interviews, surveys, and focus groups.
Defining business goals
The next step is to define your business goals. What do you want to achieve with your redesign?
Are you looking to increase conversions, reduce churn, or improve customer satisfaction? Once you’ve defined your goals, you can start to think about how to achieve them.
Competitor analysis
Competitor analysis is another important step in the redesign process. You need to understand what your competitors are doing and how they’re designing their products.
This will help you identify areas where you can improve and differentiate your own product.
Creating personas
Once you’ve conducted your user research and competitor analysis, it’s time to start creating personas. Personas are fictional characters that represent your target users. They help you understand the needs, goals, and motivations of your users.
Designing user flows
After you’ve created your personas, it’s time to start designing user flows. User flows are the paths that users take as they interact with your product.
Designing user flows helps you understand how users will interact with your product and identify potential areas of improvement. All these steps are important in order to create a successful product redesign.
Make changes to those areas accordingly
When you’ve identified areas of your product that need improvement, it’s time to make changes. This could involve anything from redesigning your user interface to adding new features or functionality.
Whatever changes you make, be sure to keep the steps above in mind. Your goal is to create a product that is easy to use, addresses the customer’s needs, and creates a sense of urgency. If you can do this, you’ll be well on your way to increasing your conversion rate.
Don’t forget to test
Once you’ve made changes to your product, it’s important to test them to see how they impact your conversion rate. This can be done through A/B testing, which is a method of comparing two versions of a product to see which one performs better.
Analyze the results and make further changes as needed
It can be a bit of a trial-and-error process, but it’s the best way to ensure that your changes are actually having the desired effect.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to make huge changes to see results. Sometimes, even small changes can have a big impact on your conversion rate. So don’t be afraid to experiment and see what works best for your product.
That’s it! By following the steps above, you should be able to boost conversions and improve your SaaS product. Just remember to keep your customer’s needs in mind, create a sense of urgency, and offer a free trial. And don’t forget to test your changes before making them permanent.
Do you have any tips on how to boost conversions? Share them in the comments below!
Search marketing continues to be a rapidly evolving space.
There is a great demand for search marketing talent – specifically for people with subject matter expertise.
I always hear it from recruiters and colleagues: “There just aren’t enough people who truly know what they are doing.”
But is this true?
What does it take to be a subject matter expert?
What is a subject matter expert?
A subject matter expert, or SME, is a person who has a deep understanding and specialized knowledge of a particular topic.
SMEs develop and demonstrate competence through years of professional experience and continuing education.
So what does it mean for search marketing? I think there are three components to this:
Years of experience.
Certifications.
Talent.
The combination of these three areas (not just one) can define a subject matter expert. Let’s break down each in more detail.
Years of experience
This is probably the easiest to identify from afar and the hardest to manipulate. Simply put, how long have you been doing this specific skill?
Regardless of the line of work you are in, the more time you spend on a field, the better you become at it. This is true of chefs, athletes, carpenters, software engineers, and search marketers.
You have the advantage of seeing more situations and knowing how to respond.
What do you do if your account’s CPC starts to spike or your rankings decline overnight?
With more on-the-job experience, you will have had the opportunity to go through these situations.
The longer you are in the game, the more opportunities you will have to go through that same situation multiple times and know how to ensure the optimal outcome.
Certifications
Many search marketing platforms offer a way to become certified in that skill, platform, or subject matter.
Earning and maintaining certifications is a great way to demonstrate that you have mastered the skill, at least academically.
While earning a certification doesn’t necessarily mean you understand how to apply those skills and knowledge to a real-world problem, I feel this is necessary to maintain for most search marketers.
The platforms and tools are evolving so quickly. Earning and maintaining certifications is one way to force yourself to validate that knowledge, so it doesn’t become stale.
You can provide these certifications to a potential employer or client to show you have done the hard work necessary to be certified in that field or tool.
Here are a few certification examples that are worth looking into:
This is the hardest to identify in an interview and yet the most important. Some people are just built to do a certain thing.
You could send LeBron James to the worst high school or college, training camp, and basketball strategy class, and he would still be LeBron James. He was built to play basketball at an elite level.
This is true for every other skill as well. You can’t teach talent.
In an interview, you can sometimes sense a person’s talent by the depth they answer your questions.
The details they provide give clues to how much a person has a grasp of that specific area.
Subject matter experts can see a problem before it happens and think through ways to tie business objectives to the strategies and tactics available in a specific platform.
Talent also has the widest amount of gray area to it. It’s not you are either talented or not talented. There is every permutation possible available.
You can also evolve and maximize your talent level with hard work and strong mentorship. I’ve seen people who aren’t as talented as some of their coworkers outwork and out-hustle their peers.
You can argue that this work ethic is a part of one’s talent, but even so, it’s a key element. You can use the tools available to you to improve your subject matter expertise. This means online resources and the network around you (or that you build).
Don’t forget that no one who is a subject matter expert did it by themselves. There are always support systems helping someone find the right resources, get the right opportunities, and push them to improve their craft.
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So, are you a subject matter expert?
You might ask yourself, “Am I a subject matter expert?” or “How can I identify a subject matter expert?”
I think you should consider the combination of the three areas – years of experience, certifications, and talent – in the context of what you are looking for and/or where you are in your career.
If you are just starting and looking to break into an area, you have to compensate for your lack of experience with certifications.
If you are more seasoned in your career and have let your certifications expire because of the experience you have, you can still call yourself a subject matter expert.
Not everyone needs someone who has a Google Ads certification, has been doing paid search for 10 years, and was dropped on this planet to optimize a keyword list.
Budgets and team structure don’t require all those areas in every circumstance. Sometimes just being certified is enough.
How to grow as an SME in search marketing
Subject matter experts evolve as they progress in their careers.
Ultimately, given the pace of change and innovation in search marketing, you must continue to stay a practicing professional, read the latest blogs, and test new platforms and betas.
Keeping those elements going and maintaining your subject matter expertise will be key to growing your search marketing career.
But before establishing a level of expertise and gaining technical proficiency in a domain, the challenge can be deciding which direction to take and what opportunities to pursue.
There’s also apprehension that if you are an SME in just one area, you can get typecast and stuck in that specific skill.
On the other hand, if you choose to grow broader, you will lose what got you to this point – subject matter expertise.
There is no right or answer to this decision. The image below is helpful as you think about these types of decisions.
We think a lot about those black lines, forgetting that it’s all still in our hands. pic.twitter.com/RSZ1d3W642
While it may seem to close some opportunities, many more are ahead of you.
Here are a few tips to help you navigate your search marketing career as a subject matter expert.
Define what subject matter expertise means based on the role.
Think through what motivates you day in and day out.
Identify what the business needs the most.
Don’t feel any pressure to conform.
Keep learning.
Define what subject matter expertise means based on the role
Subject matter expertise is relative to the role.
For example, explaining how PPC works can be considered subject matter expertise if you are talking to someone unfamiliar with paid search.
But, let’s say you are talking to someone who has been in paid search for even a few months. Then sharing such information is not subject matter expertise. This is important to grasp because you might lose perspective as your career evolves.
Since at one point, you could log into Google Ads and know exactly where all the levers and knobs are, but now the UI is different since you last logged in.
You suddenly don’t feel like an expert, but in exchange for losing touch with Google Ads base details, you have gained subject matter expertise into how paid search impacts total web traffic or merchandising.
This is important to wrap your head around when thinking about your career and your level of knowledge. There is too much to learn about any specific discipline to expect yourself to be a deep expert.
Think through what motivates you day in and day out
You probably already know the answer to this question.
You know if you love to get into spreadsheets or data visualization tools.
You know if you like to know a little about many topics, but go deep into one area.
You spend a lot of time at work. The more you like what you are doing, the better you will be at it. This is fairly cliche, but it is true.
Understanding your strengths and weaknesses and what motivates you is important on this subject matter expertise journey.
Identify what the business needs the most
Depending on the company that you are working in, the opportunities to grow will be a good indicator of the type of knowledge and skills needed.
For example, some companies will have a search department that includes SEO and PPC.
Others will separate PPC and any other type of paid media. Some will keep it all together as one “paid media department.”
The type of organizational structure gives good clues at the level of depth of skill in any one discipline that will be needed to advance your career.
Don’t feel any pressure to conform
I have had many conversations with team members who felt they needed to expand broader to grow their career.
However, once they did that, they felt unfulfilled in that role. They didn’t enjoy the subject matter expertise. They didn’t have an appreciation for what motivated them.
They were instead chasing something they think they wanted. This is not easy to avoid and, in some cases, might even be worth trying to better understand your interests.
Taking a risk and trying something new will teach you something. Even in failure, you will learn and grow.
Things are changing rapidly. Search marketing overall is still in its infancy.
It’s hard to remember that text ads had a fixed number of characters for headlines or bids were set manually. Things are constantly evolving.
So even if you are in a broad job encompassing many areas, you must still learn and evolve.
This can be through keeping base certifications current, sitting in on a webinar on a new topic, or just reading the newsletter from a publication like Search Engine Land.
These are all ways to keep up with what is happening in the space and refresh your subject matter expertise.
You don’t need to be able to actually tweak the dials to know they exist. Keep learning, and you will be rewarded with new opportunities and knowledge that will inform your future plans.
Subject matter expertise: What comes next?
Being an expert in anything is hard. Most people are just trying to keep up and know just a little more than the person they are talking to.
To grow and develop your career, be open to new opportunities and continue your quest for new information.
We are lucky to work in such a dynamic space that is rapidly growing and evolving.
This forces us all to learn and push the entire industry forward, whatever your subject matter expertise path may be.
Video marketing is not a “nice-to-have” marketing strategy anymore. It has become a digital marketing necessity for almost every business – from financial planners to physicians.
If you haven’t jumped into the video-making pool yet, now is the time to take that plunge.
Why?
People love to watch videos. No matter what type of business you have, videos can help you sell more products or services. And if you think that video marketing doesn’t fit your industry, it’s time to put your creative mind to work.
For example, if you’re a plumber and you post videos on simple plumbing hacks that people can use to solve their minor plumbing issues, what plumbing company do you think they will call when they have a big plumbing problem? Yup. You! (See how that works?)
And you’ll find that many YouTubers are die-hard fans. They’re watching all sorts of videos about how to jimmy a locked door, make the perfect smash burger, and everything in between.
You can find a video about how to do almost anything on YouTube. And if you look, you’ll find that most of these videos are tied to some type of business – like a locksmith or a burger joint.
So if you want people to watch your videos and take action – whether it’s to look at more videos on your YouTube channel or to go to a link that’s in your video’s description – you need to get people to your video.
That means you need to attract YouTube’s algorithm to your video.
Like Google’s algorithm, YouTube’s algorithm comprises hundreds of factors that determine a video’s ranking position.
But just like a search on Google, everything starts with words – keywords and keyword phrases.
To get your video found on YouTube, you need to master finding the right keywords to target for your video and then put those keywords strategically where they need to go.
How to do your YouTube keyword research
Keywords are an important ranking factor for YouTube videos.
Similar to Google’s search engine, YouTube wants to show people the most relevant videos according to the keywords or keyword phrasespeople are searching for.
When doing keyword research for YouTube, you want to find keywords that will drive traffic to your video – phrases that people are searching for frequently.
One of the best (and free) places to look for keywords is YouTube itself.
When you’re on YouTube and start a search, YouTube will offer up “search predictions.” These are keyword phrases that people on YouTube are actually searching for.
If you’re on a tight budget, this is a great way to find some keywords as a starting point! (It’s also a good way to get video content ideas.)
But if you’re serious about ranking your videos on YouTube, you should use paid keyword research tools (like Semrush, SE Ranking, Moz or others.)
These types of tools will give you more robust information about the keywords so you can be more strategic about the keywords you’re targeting.
Let’s take a look at SE Ranking as an example. This is a traditional SEO software tool, but we can still glean some great insights on what types of keywords we should focus on for our YouTube videos.
For instance, when we enter “how to unclog a kitchen sink” as a keyword phrase, we will get keyword ideas and semantically related keyword phrases.
When you click on View detailed report, you’ll see a ton of information about each of the keyword phrases.
Even though this info is related to Google search, you can still extrapolate it and use it for YouTube.
One important thing to look for in this view is videos that appear in the SERP features.
You can see live results or copy to the clipboard and paste the SERP results in a new window to see what types of videos appear in Google search results.
If videos show up on the first page of Google, then those are great keywords to target. (If you check out the videos on the SERPs, more than likely they are YouTubevideos.)
These are perfect keywords for optimizing your YouTube videos because you know that Google is already showing videos in search results.
Not only can you rank your videos on YouTube, but you also have a chance of getting your videos to show up on Google search results.
Now all you have to do is make your video better and more informative than your competitors and optimize your YouTube video options more strategically to (hopefully) take over theirspots in the Google SERPs.
Using traditional SEO tools can make your keyword research for YouTube life a lot easier.
Use YouTube SEO tools to find the right keywords for your video optimization
If you want to find the right keywords for YouTube videos, try out some tools specifically created for YouTube marketing.
Keyword Search
You can discover keywords using Keyword Search’s “AI algorithm,” developed by a top YouTube marketing expert.
The tool:
Bases all its data directly on YouTube search results from the user’s perspective.
Scrapes and analyzes YouTube data to help you find the best keywords to use when optimizing your videos on YouTube.
And because your top-ranking rivals often know something you don’t, you can even conduct “Competitor Research” on their keywords, rankings, YouTube channels and videos.
This lets you better develop your video marketing content strategy and plan which keywords you’ll target.
You can also use the tool’s “Collections” feature to keep track of all your keywords, videos and the competitors you’re tracking.
At its most basic level, using Keyword Search is as easy as entering a keyword phrase in the search field:
You’ll then get a slew of keyword phrases to review and see the average monthly search volume on YouTube for each keyword.
As you’re analyzing the keyword results you get, if you see keywords with “trends,” click on the down arrow to see the trends in detail – the high and low points.
As you’re analyzing the keyword results you get, if you see keywords with “trends,” click on the down arrow to see the trends in detail – the high and low points.
If you spot a hot and trending topic over the past month (or now), get behind your camera, do a video, and optimize for those trending keyword phrases.
Creating and optimizing a video for a trending topic will boost the chances of your video getting searched for and found on YouTube!
To get some semantic keywords to target, Keyword Search also uses its algorithm to give you similar keywords.
These are additional words to consider optimizing your videos for. You can see:
How similar the word is to your original search query.
The average search volume.
Trends, if any.
Another handy feature is the “Find Placement Videos” feature. When you click on this button under a keyword, a new window opens up showing the top-ranked videos for that keyword phrase.
This information is invaluable because you can see:
The videos ranking for the keyword phrase.
The number of views each video received.
Their video titles and a partial description of the videos.
All this without having to go to YouTube.
As an extra special bonus, clicking on the title link opens a pop-up where you can watch the video.
Keyword Search is one of my favorite YouTube keyword research tools by far. But there are other YouTube-specific software tools you should also check out.
vidIQ and TubeBuddy
Both used in the YouTube platform, vidIQ and TubeBuddy have a free version and several paid options. Each tool has pros and cons, so if you can afford it, I recommend you use them both.
TubeBuddy and vidIQ are great for finding the keywords – and related keywords – you should use to optimize your YouTube videos.
When looking at your high-ranking competitors’ videos, both tools show you keyword information that will help you determine what keywords you should target for your video.
For example, in our “how to make the best smash burger” example, vidIQ shows us the “top related opportunities” keywords you should consider targeting.
And if you click “Show all 44 keywords” you will get even more details about:
The keywords you might want to work into your title, description and tags.
Which keywords might be too competitive to target.
(As you can see, trying to rank for the keyword “smash burger” by itself is just too competitive at a High Competition score of 77.)
TubeBuddy also shows you related keyword search phrases and tags for your video keyword optimization strategy.
In vidIQ’s Keyword Inspector, you can:
Enter keyword phrases you want to evaluate and see related keywords, the score, search volume, competition, and the top ten trending videos.
Search up to five keywords at a time.
When determining which keywords to target, look for the high-scoring keywords.
In the example below, “Edit My Google Business Profile” had the highest score of 70/100:
To test out this keyword strategy, I used that keyword phrase in the title of my recent Google Business Profile YouTube video:
Within three days, my Google Business Profile video ranked third for the keywords “how to edit my google business profile.” Boom!
TubeBuddy also has a Keyword Explorer feature. When you start typing your keyword, TubeBuddy shows possible keywords you may be targeting.
Just continue entering your keyword phrase or select the one you’re interested in from the dropdown.
In TubeBuddy’s Summary page, ignore the overall score and focus more on the Score Analysis, Interest Over Time and Related Searches sections.
Let’s delve into TubeBuddy a little deeper.
When you look at YouTube search results for “How to Find Keywords for YouTube Videos,” you can see that there’s only one exact match in the top search results – and that happens to be Brian Dean’s video.
Clicking on Dean’s video, you can see TubeBuddy’s analysis of the video – which is quite extensive.
From this, you can see what his video is doing from a YouTube optimization perspective and what he’s missing so you can try and improve yours.
VidIQ also provides an extremely comprehensive analysis of the video.
By using TubeBuddy or vidIQ (or both), you can:
Find awesome keywords.
Evaluate your competitors and their weaknesses.
Capitalize on those flaws to make your video optimization stronger.
These tools go way beyond just keyword research, which will give your YouTube videos and channel a great advantage.
Where to put your keywords on YouTube for ultimate optimization
Once you find about 2-6 targeted keywords (and a few semantic keywords that complement those targeted keywords), it’s time to put those keywords to work in your video marketing.
Let’s talk about where you should strategically put your keyword phrases on YouTube.
Put keywords in your video’s title on YouTube
Your video’s YouTube title gives YouTube’s algorithm, users and search engines a “first impression” of your video and tells everyone what your video is about.
A well-optimized video title will make YouTube’s algorithm happy and attract more traffic, which can turn into more views.
When optimizing your title, include the most important keywords people are searching for as close to the front of your title as possible – this helps your video get ranked and suggested.
The keywords you most want to rank for should be included within the first 60 characters of your title. (Your title can be up to 100 characters, so the closer you put your keywords to the front of the title, the better.)
When writing your title, be as concise as possible. Five words or less is best.
If possible, use words in your title that connects the video to other videos in the same category.
Also, having a title that is catchy, compelling, and accurately represents the contents of your video can also help attract searchers. (No bait and switch, please.)
Strategically work keywords into your video’s description
With so many videos on the same topic, it’s often hard for your video to stand out.
Your video’s description is one way to make your video jump out among the crowd – andhelp your video rank.
Write a short – but detailed – description of what the video is about, what the watcher will learn and how your video is different or stands out from the other videos on the subject.
When it comes to keywords, putting the right keywords in your description will help your video get more views and visibility.
Remember that partial descriptions can also appear in search results, so be sure to put your keywords as close to the beginning of the description as possible.
That means:
The main keywords you’re targeting should be within the first 200 characters of your description.
The most importantkeywords should be in the first 25 words of the description because partial descriptions can appear in search results.
(Your video description can have 5,000 characters total. But if it is too long, it probably won’t be read in its entirety anyway.)
Throughout your description, it’s key to include partial matches of your targeted keywords in the description, too.
So write a description that is an overview of your video writing naturally using related and similar keywords to your targeted keywords.
That means breaking the words up, using semantic – or similar – keywords and using them individually in addition to the main target keywords you’re aiming for.
YouTube (and Google) use your text descriptions to determine the content of your video.
So if you don’t include a description, the search engines (and viewers) won’t know what your video is about. This will negatively impact your rankings.
In the description, you can also link to other related content you have (i.e., website, blog, social media channels, etc.). Remember to include your full URL (including the https:// or http://).
And if you’re at a loss for what to write, you can get a jumping-off point by using vidIQ’s AI Description Generator Feature.
Hashtag it!
Many people like to search with hashtags. So for those people, adding appropriate hashtags in your description helps them find your videos when searching for specific hashtags.
Add a few appropriate hashtags to your description.
When you start typing in the hashtags, YouTube will show you the number of videos and channels that use each hashtag. That way, you can scope out your hashtag competition.
Ironically, no matter where you put hashtags in your description, the hashtags you entered show up directly under your video.
Keywords in tags: Do tags matter?
Tags can help categorize your video by keywords or phrases, but they’re primarily meant to help correct common spelling mistakes or synonyms (i.e., Google Business Profile vs. GBP or U-Haul vs. UHaul.)
Other than that, tags play a negligible role in helping people find your videos, according to YouTube. (Still, you want to include tags when optimizing your YouTube videos!)
YouTube allows you to include Tags to help categorize your video by keywords, but it limits the number of tags you can include. (There is a character limit of 500 characters.)
When you’re using tags, you should include your most important exacttarget keyword(or keyword phrase) as the first tag. That lets YouTube know what keyword phrase is the most important one.
It’s also recommended that you include partial matches of your target keyword as tags.
You’ll also want to include multiword tags (i.e., long-tail keywords) that relate to your video’s topic.
You should also use single-word and broad-term tags that relate to your video’s broader topic.
(Note: Do not use trademarks or copyrighted material unless you have explicit permission from the owner to use it.)
YouTube is effective at semantically understanding your tags – so you don’t need to go overboard.
One great way to get tag ideas is to look at the top-ranking YouTube videos that directly compete with your video. However, YouTube hides the video tags, which makes it more difficult to “spy” on your competitors and see their keyword/tag secret sauce.
Luckily, vidIQ and TubeBuddy lets you see the tags competitors are using to get their videos to rank high.
Get your video keyword and optimization strategy in place
By having a YouTube keyword research and optimization strategy in place, you can increase the chances of your videos showing up in YouTube’s search results.
Play your cards right, and you might even reach the top of Google search results.
Video marketing will continue to grow. Mastering YouTube’s ranking algorithm is a great way to kick your efforts into high gear.
Ever since Elon Musk took over as CEO of Twitter, there have been a lot of changes to the platform.
Some people love it. Others are not so sure. Many marketers have even said their goodbyes to Twitter.
As far as brands are concerned, many have left the platform or temporarily paused ads due to increased hate speech, safety concerns, and Musk’s overall lax approach to content moderation, account suspensions, and other issues.
Here’s a rundown of all the changes that have happened so far. Whether you’re a fan or not, it’s worth keeping up with what’s happening with Twitter 2.0.
Twitter stops policing Covid misinformation (Wall Street Journal) Twitter is loosening moderation guidelines and has stopped enforcing policies aimed at stopping Covid misinformation.
Apple has “mostly” stopped Twitter ads (Mac Rumors) “Apple has cut back on its Twitter advertising, according to Twitter CEO Elon Musk. In a tweet, Musk said that Apple has “mostly stopped” its Twitter ads, asking if Apple hates “free speech.”
In January, Elon Musk started investing in Twitter, securing a 9.2% stake, making him the largest shareholder in the company.
Musk reached an acquisition deal with Twitter in April but raised concerns over spam accounts on the platform, claiming Twitter had not provided him with an accurate estimate of their number.
Also, in April, Twitter announced that Musk would join the company’s board of directors. Shortly after, Musk said he would not be joining the board after all.
By mid-April, Musk offers to buy Twitter at $54.20 per share, valuing the company at about $43 billion, according to a securities filing.
Twitter adopts a poison pill provision to prevent the Musk acquisition but then accepts Musk’s offer to acquire the company and values the deal at $44 billion.
In May, when Musk said the deal was on “temporary hold” over bot concerns. Musk posted a Reuters report about a public filing from Twitter earlier in May that said fake accounts made up less than 5% of users on the platform. Musk then says he wants “details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts represent less than 5% of users.” Two hours later, Musk says he’s “still committed” to the deal.
Fast forward to July, Musk moves to terminate his acquisition of Twitter, pointing to the issue of fake accounts. Twitter sues Musk to force him to complete the deal.
By October, after a months-long effort to terminate the deal, Musk proposes to complete the deal at the original offer price of $54.20 a share at a total cost of roughly $44 billion.
At the end of October, Musk closed a deal to acquire Twitter on the final day before the trial would have moved forward. Additionally, many of Twitter’s top executives were fired, including CEO Parag Agrawal, chief financial officer Ned Segal, chief legal officer Vijaya Gadde and general counsel Sam Edgett, according to a source.
Musk said that he would forgo any significant content moderation or account reinstatement decisions until after forming a new committee devoted to the issues. “Twitter will be forming a content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints,” Musk tweeted. “No major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes.”
In November, Twitter began massive layoffs, cutting its staff of 7,500 to nearly half.
If you’re still on the fence about whether or not video ads are a good idea for your brand, you shouldn’t be. Coming into 2023, it’s more important than ever to consider all platforms and ad types; and video advertising should be at the top of that list. Here are three reasons why you should be creating video ads for your brand.
Video ads are more engaging than traditional ads
Video ads reach a larger audience than traditional ads
Video is an effective way to communicate your brand message
But creating a good video ad is easier said than done. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out the top 10 most-watched YouTube ads from 2022. From funny commercials to moving stories, these campaigns definitely left an impression.
Why we care. Video ads are more relevant than ever. Bottom line- if you’re not creating videos, you’re missing out on more than just views.
Amazon Super Bowl LVI Ad with Scarlett Johansson, Colin Jost (U.S.)
69 million views
Telecom Egypt Ramadan 2022 Announcement (Egypt)
65 million views
Clash of Clans: Clan Capital (U.S.)
52 million views
Apple: MacBook Air (U.S.)
41 million views
Hyundai Worldwide: Goal of the Century x BTS (U.S.)
40 million views
Imagine Your Korea (Korea)
102 million views
HBO Max: “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts” trailer (U.S.)
27 million views
Netflix: “All of Us Are Dead” trailer (U.S.)
22 million views
Chevrolet Brasil: Zé & Zê – Feita Pra Mim (Brazil)
21 million views
Squarespace: Sally’s Seashells Super Bowl ad (U.S.)
Interview with Entrepreneur and CEO Adam Von Gootkin
On the home business podcast, we love business start-up stories. Our listeners love to hear profiles of other entrepreneurs. Over the years we have covered many different types of entrepreneurs: Mom Preneurs, Dad-preneurs, crypto-preneurs, zoom-preneurs. But a Gin-Preneur? We didn’t know that the drink known as Gin was still even around!
But Adam Von Gootkin, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Highclere Castle Spirits, proves otherwise. Adam as carved out an impressive market niche in spirits and, in particular, the booming gin industry. Richard “Capt’n’” Henderson interviews Adam to talk about how you can breathe new start-up success into an old and stale traditional market (www.HighclereCastleGin.com)
Subjects discussed in podcast include:
• Adam Von Gootkin’s start-up and entrepreneur’s journey
• The great grandfather who ran a Prohibition-era speakeasy on the Connecticut River!
• Opportunities in the gin and spirits market that Adam targeted as an extension of existing products
• Building “cachet” and “panache” in a company’s image to create an attractive brand
• What types of marketing produced the high levels of growth that Adam achieved?
• Expanding his product’s reach
• Hurdles overcome in building an innovative business
• Adam’s book: Living Proof: Onyx Moonshine’s Journey to Revive the American Spirit
• What does the future hold for Adam’s burgeoning gin and cigar and global portfolio of distinctly authentic brands?
Subscribe to Home Business TV (https://tinyurl.com/ya4vs6qe). Home-Based Business Start-Up Guide (https://homebusinessmag.com/home-based-business-start-up-guide);
The 2022 holiday season is now upon us! As 2023 quickly approaches, business owners and startups are finding time for peaceful moments with friends and loved ones. It is so essential to take a breather, regroup, plan ahead, and rest up before a new year. Live with a present moment awareness and soak up the cherished times with those you care about. This will lead to physical and mental wellbeing, and continued positive growth. To assist you on your holiday gift search, we have put together an extensive guide featuring some truly top-notch products. Peruse snazzy tech, lifestyle products, food, beverages, and wellness products. Happy Holidays and good health to you all!
Designed to own any room, the Epson EpiqVision Flex CO-FH02 Smart Streaming Portable Projector allows versatile projection for remote work, home entertainment and beyond. Equipped with 3,000 lumens and Best-in-Class Color Brightness, the CO-FH02 delivers a full HD 1080p picture up to 300 inches – four times larger than a 75-inch flat panel. With its compact design, built-in bass reflex speaker and integrated Android TV, users can easily stream all their favorite channels virtually anywhere in various lighting environments. They can stream channels including Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, YouTube and more, straight from the box. The CO-FH02 even supports Chromecast, making it easy to wirelessly cast content directly from a smartphone, tablet or computer, and other popular Android and Apple® Devices. With advanced 3-chip 3LCD technology, the projectors deliver detailed, high-quality visuals in a variety of lighting situations. The projectors easily fit into satchels or backpacks for on-the-go viewing virtually anywhere.
The Epson EpiqVision® Flex CO-FH02 Smart Portable Projector (MSRP $629.99) is available now through the Epson online store and select retailers. The model offers a standard one-year limited warranty, full-unit replacement and free technical phone support for the life of the product. Visit https://epson.com/usa.
Haymaker Headphones
Photo Credit: Haymaker
The Haymaker delivers Bluetooth capability, a touch screen interface and active noise cancelling technology in a lightweight, durable frame with a carbon fiber-inspired finish. The premium design is perfect for travelers, audiophiles, fitness junkies, gamers and more! Haymaker Headphones will be an exciting gift for a friend or loved one.
With a sleek, black carbon fiber finish, The Haymaker is the definition of premium. It features two magnetic interchangeable memory foam speaker pad sets – one leather set and one perforated cloth set for both music and gaming. Multicolor synchronous RGB LED lights (eight color options total) line the earphone housing and the headband which is both stretchable and foldable. Haymaker Headphones are equipped with dual mode adaptive noise canceling and touch sensor interfaces to control music, calls and lighting. They are compatible with smart devices and desktop computers via Bluetooth to control music transmission and play, telephone reception and buzz off.
An LED indicator (red/blue double-color LED lighting) on the headphone frame also indicates Bluetooth connectivity, power charge status and low voltage. Additional accessories include a 3.5mm auxiliary cord, universal micro-USB-C cord, carrying case, PC gaming controller adaptor, additional set of memory foam speaker pads and a quick-start guide. The Haymaker is available now at The-Haymaker.com for $329.95. Visit https://www.the-haymaker.com/.
Midea U
Photo Credit: Midea
Midea U is the world’s first U-shaped inverter window air conditioner. The Midea U boasts an innovative design, simple installation and smart connectivity and is currently the best-selling Window AC with the Works With Alexa certification.
The compact U-shaped design of Midea U enables consumers to normally open and close the window after installation. The exclusive design also blocks the operating noise and compressor sound, creating ultra-quiet operation as low as 42 dB, which is almost as quiet as a library and up to nine times quieter than traditional window AC units.
Midea U is the first window AC unit to obtain the ENERGY STAR Most Efficient 2020 certification. It provides cooling up to 12,000 BTU/h with a record-breaking low estimated yearly energy cost as low as $58, which is more than 35 percent less than similar models already on the market. This is possible due to its patented Inverter Quattro technology, which enables it to do more with considerably less electricity than traditional window AC units. The Midea U was also named Wirecutter’s Best Air Conditioner, hailed as the quietest and most energy-efficient window AC ever tested.
A typical AC unit remote has numerous features, and Midea set out to provide users with the ability to unlock many features with natural conversational voice commands through an Alexa smart device. When connected, the Midea U will respond to voice commands like “Alexa, turn on the air conditioner” or “Alexa, change the temperature to 68 degrees” among others.
With Wi-Fi, users can also operate the Midea U via the Midea Air smartphone app, which is available for iOS and Android devices.
In addition to its innovative design and Alexa connectivity, the Midea U offers several other advanced features. Midea U has a stronger airflow than traditional units, cooling spaces in only seconds of being powered on and allowing users to feel the cold air blowing up to 20 feet away. It also offers added home security, deploying an anti-theft mechanism while closed. This feature locks the Midea U to the window frame while another lock prevents it from being raised from the outside. Midea U also comes with an additional window sash lock that can be installed for extra security.
The Midea U is available in three cooling capacities from 8,000 to 12,000 BTU/h, ideal for cooling rooms up to 550 square feet and can only be purchased on Amazon. Delight your friends and family during the holidays with this innovation. More information can be found on their website. Visit https://www.midea.com/us.
Holiday Bakery Boxes from BakeMeAWish.com
Photo Credit: BakeMeAWish.com
The new decadent bakery boxes include a wonderful selection of cookies and brownies from the Wonderland Bakery Box, the Supreme Cookie Tower, which has enough cookies to share with Santa, and their delicious, best combo size Yuletide Bakery Box. With guaranteed next-day delivery, you can make sure everyone’s holiday season is merry and bright! In keeping with their seasonal good-will efforts, 5% of sales support Bake Me A Wish! Cares.
Also included in the holiday lineup are favorites like cheerfully-decorated JUMBO Holiday Cupcakes to the festively-fashioned cookies like the snowman and candy cane cookies in the Gingerbread Snack Box to the beautiful red, white and green colored “Happy Holidays” Cake. BakeMeAWish.com has the perfect gourmet options for any holiday celebration. “We’re thrilled to introduce so many festive new gifts for the upcoming holiday season,” says Joseph Dornoff, President of BakeMeAWish.com. “The holidays are a joyous time to celebrate with loved ones, and we’re glad our gifts can add to that cheer.” Visit https://www.bakemeawish.com/.
Eastern Standard Provisions “The More the Merrier” Holiday Gift Box
Photo Credit: Linda Deacon, Eastern Standard Provisions
If you’re looking to win the holiday gift-giving season, “The More the Merrier” Holiday Gift Box is the way to do it. This is a gift they’ll be talking about for years to come and the gift by which all others will be compared.
“The More the Merrier” Holiday Gift Box is a deluxe combination filled with both sweet and savory offerings including their artisanal soft pretzels, Liège Belgian waffles, their gourmet flavored salts, sugars and sprinkles, and artfully crafted mustards. It combines all the sentiments of this festive season into one delicious box and features the widest array of their products you can get in one single gift box including their exclusive Serving Board. It’s the perfect gift to give for the person who loves to celebrate anything and everything this season. It includes: (3) Wheelhouse Signature Soft Pretzels, (6) Turnbuckle Soft Pretzel Sticks, (1) Bag One-Timer Soft Pretzel Bites, (3) Classic Liège Belgian Waffles, (1) Dark Chocolate Fudge Sauce (4 oz. Jar), (1) Maui Onion Mustard (4 oz. Jar), (1) Holiday Sprinkles, (1) Three Cheese Pretzel Salt, (1) Classic Pretzel Salt, (1) Eastern Standard Provisions Serving Board, (1) Eastern Standard Provisions Butter Brush, (1) “Happy Holidays” sticker on the outside of the box. “The More the Merrier” Holiday Gift Box is $99.99. Visit https://esprovisions.com/.
Austere Power 4-Outlet
Photo Credit: Austere
Austere, a leading manufacturer of premium A/V accessories, cables, and Clean & Protect, is introducing a new line of full-featured, low-profile 4-outlet surge protectors. Designed to fit discreetly in the tightest of spaces, near furniture, or behind wall-mounted TVs, Austere’s new VII Series ($129.99), V Series ($99.99), and III Series ($79.99) sit flush with the wall for an elegant and unobtrusive appearance.
Austere believes how a product looks is just as important as what it does. The company’s aDesign philosophy elevates function through purposeful engineering and minimalistic design. With the same proven technologies that define the Austere brand, the new models feature durable, fireproof enclosures finished with a distinctive linear texture and Flameless MOV protection which gives you peace of mind that powerful surges will not result in a dangerous fire. Austere’s signature three blue LED lights ensure power, proper grounding, and surge protection.
Austere surge protection regulates the power coming from the outside powerline which guarantees devices will not burn out from a high voltage spike that can be harmful to your equipment. Each unit features Austere’s OverCurrent protection preventing circuit overload which could cause devices to short-circuit or create dangerous temperatures that may lead to a fire. They are priced at $79.99-$129.99. Visit https://austere.com/.
ZVOX AV52 Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headphones
Photo Credit: ZVOX
Everyone needs some peace and quiet during the busy holidays. Noise cancelling headphones by ZVOX can help with just that! Two years ago, ZVOX introduced the first noise cancelling headphones with dialogue clarifying technology. The AV50s were hugely successful, and now they are announcing a new and improved version — the ZVOX AV52 Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headphones. They have a noise cancelling microphone that reduces ambient sounds during call or video conferences. They have improved noise cancellation which blocks 15% more ambient noise reduction. Its rechargeable battery system lasts for 24 hours or more in noise cancelling mode; this is 3x longer than the AV50.
Your go-getter friend will be extremely comfortable while wearing these headphones. You can wear AV52 headphones for hours without fatigue. They connect wirelessly via Bluetooth or with the supplied cord. A compact carrycase is included. AccuVoice technology gives a boost to voices while reducing unwanted noise. Therefore, the wearer will understand dialogue clearly, without having to turn up the volume. If you are thinking of gifting a friend these amazing headphones and want to check out further products, visit https://zvox.com/.
Ekrin B37S
Photo Credit: Ekrin Athletics
Ekrin Athletics has designed their percussive therapy devices to provide a powerful, efficient, and quiet approach to pain relief, athletic performance and recovery, and increased range of motion. Ekrin Athletics’ percussive therapy overrides the pain signals to the brain, increases blood flow in the tissue, and releases tension through a combination of 56 lbs. of force and frequency of 3200 revolutions per minute.
Up to 2 minutes is all you need to take your athletic performance to the next level. Glide the Ekrin B37S along each muscle group post workout to help breakdown fascia and lactic acid for fast, natural recovery. It has 6 attachments. Each attachment is specifically designed with its shape and impact level in mind to give the proper treatment for each area. Its Reactive Force Sensor enables the user to execute precise control over their treatment. The blue light from the Reactive Force Sensor conveniently displays the amount of pressure applied to the massage. At speeds 1-3, the B37S delivers 30% more force than the B37. Added power at lower speeds allows for greater percussive treatment. The B37S delivers power and performance trusted by the pros. From meticulously designed ergonomics to industry leading battery life, every detail is engineered for those serious about whole-body wellness. Ekrin B37S will be a superb gift for your athletic friend and will help soothe their muscles, leading to improved performance.
Photo Credit: Ekrin Athletics
Ekrin Athletics was founded by Dan Kozak and Elise Williams in 2019. As former collegiate athletes, they strive to bring their knowledge and experience in maintaining a fit and healthy body to others. Ekrin Athletics collaborates with pro and collegiate athletes, and trainers to help design products that meet their high standard of performance. Today, Ekrin Athletics is managed by a small but dedicated team to bring muscle recovery products to athletes everywhere. Visit https://ekrinathletics.com/.
Soli Pillow
Photo Credit: Soli
The Soli Pillow is a unique memory foam pillow with soft speakers built into it so you can listen to white noise, music, podcasts, or audio books while you sleep and block out external noises keeping you awake at night. The Soli Pillow is designed to provide ideal head and neck support and incredible comfort in any position, side or back, so you can relax and fall asleep in a peaceful oasis. The embedded soft silicone headphones conform gently to your head with zero pressure or discomfort and deliver hifi sound over your ears. Play time is 10 hours, standby time is 100 hours, and charging time is 2 hours.
The Soli Pillow is the first and only product of its kind, with multiple patents pending in the United States and abroad. Their team designed and sourced every component from scratch, searching for the best materials and the most skilled manufacturers to bring their idea to life. Visit https://solipillow.com/.
Soli True Wireless ANC EarBuds
Photo Credit: Soli
The perfect companion to the EarBliss Pillow, the Soli True Wireless Earbuds are light and comfortable, designed for all-night comfort. The EarBuds feature ANC (active noise cancellation) technology and Bluetooth 5.2, making them ideal for music, movies or video games. Cycle between ANC on, ANC off, and Transparency modes by simply touching either earbud for 2 seconds. ENC (Environmental Noise Cancellation) makes phone calls clearer by filtering out environmental noise. Three pairs of small, medium, and large interchangeable ear canal silicone adaptors are included for a perfect, custom, comfortable fit. Visit https://solipillow.com/.
Level Lock – Touch Edition
Photo Credit: Level
Level, the company redefining the smart home experience, has created secure and aesthetic-forward smart locks. Level Lock – Touch Edition is the smallest and most advanced smart lock ever. Access your home effortlessly with a touch of a finger, key card, app, voice, or regular key. Level Lock – Touch Edition has an adjustable backset that fits both 2 ⅜” and 2 ¾” profiles. It has 4 colorways: Satin Nickel, Satin Chrome, Polished Brass, Matte Black. It is available with a matching OMNIA lever set. Level Lock – Touch Edition is $299. Visit https://level.co/.
SpunkyJunky’s Classic Bowl
Photo Credit: SpunkyJunky
SpunkyJunky has the perfect gift for pet lovers who also love home decor. SpunkyJunky offers high-quality ceramic bowls that meet dogs’ health requirements while making a stylish addition to your home. SpunkyJunky’s bowls are made from eco-friendly, safe and durable materials, and come in a variety of sizes and styles that are specifically designed to promote healthy eating habits for dogs of all breeds and sizes.
With top ratings on Amazon, SpunkyJunky’s Classic Bowl is durable enough to resist damage from chewing, while the Functional Slanted Bowl is ergonomically designed to minimize the strain on shoulders and throat. The newly released Galaxy Bowl is manually glazed, making each product as unique as your pet. All bowls feature a unique non-slip bamboo stand that minimizes spilling, keeping your floor spotless. SpunkyJunky’s Classic Bowl has a retail price that starts at $27.99 (depends on size and style). Visit https://www.spunkyjunky.com/.
KEEP>GOING GoKit
Photo Credit: KEEP>GOING First Aid
KEEP>GOING First Aid has the perfect gift for the active family. For families, a well-stocked first aid kit is absolutely essential, as every parent knows that nothing derails a family adventure more quickly than an unexpected scrape or tumble. Unfortunately, most commercial first aid kits are simply too bulky to be easily carried along on any given trip.
KEEP>GOING First Aid designed their premium first aid kits with the needs of active families directly in mind. Unlike anything else on the market, the KEEP>GOING GoKit contains 130 pieces, deftly packed into a portable, highly organized, and visually appealing pouch. It is convenient to carry and includes everything needed to treat everything from small scrapes to more significant injuries, including splints, antiseptic wipes, tick removers, and much more. KEEP>GOING GoKit has a retail price of $49.99. Visit https://www.keepgoingfirstaid.com/.
A Bar Above’s 10 pc Craft Mixology Set
Photo Credit: A Bar Above
A Bar Above has the perfect set of gifts for the cocktail lover. A Bar Above is a premium barware brand that has developed professional-grade bar tools for cocktail lovers of all levels of interest and experience. Co-founded by a mixology expert with over fifteen years of industry experience, A Bar Above offers wallet-friendly, durable, and ergonomic cocktail tools.
With top ratings on Amazon, A Bar Above’s 10 pc Craft Mixology Set has all of the tools necessary to turn a home bar of any size into a fully stocked cocktail emporium. You can’t go wrong with a classic stainless steel cocktail kit. With a mixing glass, julep strainer that fits the glass perfectly, bell jigger with measuring marks every ¼ oz, and bar mixing spoon, your Manhattans will be the talk of the town! Get Glitzy in Gold: Channel your inner Gatsby with this gold 10-piece cocktail set, and mix your Martinis in style. Use the included cocktail picks to show off your garnishes and really make your drinks shine at your next holiday party. A Bar Above’s 10 pc Craft Mixology Set has a retail price of $99.98. Visit https://abarabove.com/.
Oral-B iO
Photo Credit: Oral-B
The most-awarded toothbrush of 2020, Oral-B iO strikes the right balance between effectiveness and experience and reimagines how a brush performs, cleans and feels. Oral-B iO is the result of six years of dedicated research with dental professionals to ensure people have the best possible oral health outcomes at home. Before Oral-B iO, it was only possible to get a dental professional clean feel two times a year, but now you can get a professional clean feel at home, every day!
The brush offers a unique blend of innovative features, such as a linear magnetic drive and redesigned brush head, to deliver superior oral health. The iconic round brush head shape now has a redesigned Ultimate Clean Brush Head featuring twisted and reinforced bristles, plus micro-vibrations, to deliver a sensational brushing experience. Moreover, the Oral-B iO’s Smart Pressure Sensor provides positive feedback when users are brushing with just the right amount of pressure. The brush also pairs with the Oral-B app to provide real-time individual tracking and feedback thanks to an AI platform powered by thousands of recorded brushing sessions. With a simple and intuitive user interface, AI Brushing Recognition technology recognizes where you are brushing and guides users to ensure 100% coverage. Finally, each iO brush comes with Smart Display with personalized brushing modes that provides timing, coaching and motivation throughout the cleaning process. Visit https://oralb.com/.
Primula 3-in-1 Flavor It Pitcher Set
Chill, steep, and infuse all with the Flavor It Pitcher! Create delicious beverage recipes using the interchangeable cores to serve and enjoy with family and friends. This is a great gift for the hosts and hostesses in your life! It holds 2.9 Qt, and includes Tea, Infusion, and Chill Core. Whether you’re brewing hot or cold coffee or tea, infusing fresh fruit flavors into water, infusing mint or lavender into lemonade, or chilling mojitos for entertaining – Flavor It is an eco-friendly alternative to infused bottled beverages. The pitcher, tea infuser, flavor infuser, lid, and top are dishwasher safe. The BPA free Tritan pitcher is odor and stain resistant, and was masterfully designed with a perfect pour spout, a leak proof and keep-fresh airtight lid, and a soft touch inset silicone handle. Flavor It Pitcher is $35.99. Visit https://primulaproducts.com/.
Primula Discovery Stainless Steel Bottle, 40 Oz
With the new year around the corner, the Primula Discovery Stainless Steel Bottle makes a great gift for those whose goal it is to stay more hydrated! The Discovery water bottle is made without BPA and is constructed of high quality stainless steel so you can enjoy your beverages in a healthy way without flavors transferring from the bottle into your drink. Its double wall vacuum sealed insulated design can keep drinks icy cold for up to 24 hours or hot for up to 8 hours. The screw on lid is leak proof, so you can place this bottle in a gym bag, purse, in a car cup holder and more without worrying about your beverage leaking everywhere. The Discovery also features a rugged powder coated finish, which will maintain its beautiful look for years to come. Primula Discovery Stainless Steel Bottle is $17.32. Visit https://primulaproducts.com/.
Ecolution Micro-Pop Popcorn Popper, With 3-in-1 Lid
The Micro-Pop Popcorn Popper is an award winning and best selling snack gadget! It offers a healthier alternative to bagged popcorn by putting you in control of what goes into your popcorn. The Micro-Pop features a temperature safe borosilicate glass bowl that is safe to use. The multifunctional lid works to measure out kernels, melt butter, and cover the top while heating in the microwave. Once you have your snack popped, it’s time to mix and
match toppings to make your perfect popcorn combo! The Micro-Pop comes in Snack Size (1.5 Qt) and Share Size (3 Qt). The price is $15.99. Visit https://ecolutionhome.com/.
BakeIns 3 Piece Cookie Sheet Set
You’ll use these versatile baking sheets for much more than cookies. BakeIns 3 Piece Cookie Sheet Set is ideal for everything from roasted vegetables and hot hors d’oeuvres to your favorite frozen foods. It features effortless non-stick that prevents your foods from getting stuck to the surface. Heavy-duty carbon steel bakes and browns evenly. This multipurpose sheet pan set is built to perform and last. Extra durable construction offers even heat distribution. These cookie and baking sheets are dishwasher safe and easy to clean. BakeIns 3 Piece Cookie Sheet Set is $24.99. Visit https://ecolutionhome.com/.
Capresso Cafe TS
Touchscreen espresso machine that easily creates barista quality espresso and delicious coffee specialties. This compact machine features a 15-bar stainless-steel lined ThermoBlock system, which heats the water immediately prior to brewing. The intuitive touchscreen interface comes with four preset features for brewing espresso (single or double), steamed milk for flawlessly layered latte, a light layer of foam for a delightful cappuccino, or hot water for an Americano or tea. The illuminated touchscreen also includes an on/off button, with 30-minute auto-off to save energy. Capresso Cafe TS is $199. Visit capresso.com and Amazon.
CDN Folding Thermocouple Thermometer (TCT572)
This quick, precise and handy thermocouple thermometer features a highly durable design that is water resistant, shatterproof, and is manufactured with BioCote technology. With its 1.5 mm reduced tip, large digital readout and easy-to-press buttons, this NSF Certified thermometer has rapid response for accurate temperature measurements in a wide range from -58 to +572°F/-50 to +300°C. It is perfect for thin cuts of meat, fish or poultry. Simply flip down the rapid-response thermocouple probe and insert it into food as thin as 1/8 inch.The display can be backlit for low light conditions. CDN Folding Thermocouple Thermometer (TCT572) is $79.99. Visit Amazon.
Tramontina BBQ Tools
Prepare and serve your grilled masterpieces with ease, using Tramontina Churrasco Spatula and Barbecue Tongs. Their long, wooden handles make it easy and safe for you to handle meats and vegetables, while the stainless steel construction offers extended durability for even the busiest grillmaster. After your grilled favorites have been enjoyed, Tramontina’s Churrasco stainless steel grill brush is strong enough to remove food residue from your grill so it is ready for the next barbecue. Price is $39.99 on Amazon.
Tramontina Gourmet Tri-Ply Clad Stainless Steel Grill Pan
Tramontina Gourmet Tri-Ply Clad Stainless Steel Grill Pan features a large cooking surface for steaks, veggies and more, perfect for indoor grilling. It is made of premium 18/10 stainless steel, an aluminum core and a layer of magnetic stainless steel, for even heat distribution. It works on all cooktops, including induction, and is oven safe to 500°F. Tramontina Gourmet Tri-Ply Clad Stainless Steel Grill Pan is $54.95. Visit wayfair.com and Amazon.
PatPat “Go-Neat” Series
Photo Credit: PatPat
Children’s e-commerce apparel brand PatPat is launching a new eco-friendly, sustainable and affordable product “Go-Neat” series, which is both water repellent and oil resistant. The whole family can match for the holidays! You can also delight another family with a gift of these clothing items.
PatPat.com/PatPat app, your one-stop shop for affordable, quality kids clothing, launched its special Barbie collection in September. The new line features four fun themes to match the dreamer, animal lover, rock star, or sporty girl in the family. Take a sneak peek at these already launched styles: Cotton Ruffle Long-Sleeve Romper Set – Go glam with this 3 piece onesie featuring vintage Barbie vibes; Unicorn Long-Sleeve Tee and Leggings Set – Spread a little magic with this vibrant and oh-so-soft outfit; Embroidered Pullover – Say it in style with this simply chic sweatshirt; Leopard Print Pullover & Pants Set – Embrace her wild side while giving her style that extra touch with this adorable cold weather set. Pricing starts at $10.99. Visit https://us.patpat.com/.
Willamette Valley Pie Company
Photo Credit: Willamette Valley Pie Company
Willamette Valley Pie Company, LLC. is one of the original all-natural pie companies. With nearly 100 years of family farming history in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, vertically integrating in 2001 to make delicious pies and desserts was an obvious next step for the company. Made with non-GMO, local and sustainably sourced ingredients, Willamette Valley Pie Co. now offers 9-inch fruit and cream pies, 5-inch mini pies, as well as a variety of hand pies, cobblers, crisps, and IQF frozen fruit.
Their new product line includes the first 100% all-butter crust pies in the market, featuring fan favorites like the Dutch Caramel Apple Pie, Triple Chocolate Cream and scratch made Key Lime Pies incorporate farm fresh ingredients you would use at home. Willamette Valley Pie Co. continues to be committed to bringing families and communities together around the table and through their fundraising program. For more information about Willamette Valley Pie Co., visit https://www.wvpie.com/, or @wvpie on Instagram and @WVPIECO on Facebook.
Bushwick Kitchen Bees Knees Honey Gift Set
Photo Credit: Bushwick Kitchen
This is the ultimate gift set for every honey fan! All three of these Honey flavors (Spicy, Meyer Lemon and Salted) are beautifully packaged with a BK dish towel. A unique QR code will take you to a collection of recipes. Use it on: biscuits, pizza, ice cream, cheese plates, fried chicken, and more!
Bushwick Kitchen offers a variety of gourmet condiments and ingredients for every dining occasion. Perfect for charcuterie boards and a variety of beverages and dishes (from breakfast to dessert), they offer culinary gift sets for all palates. Bushwick Kitchen is a sauce company that’s here to serve up finger-licking, flavor-addicting sauces and condiments for every kitchen creative and foodie looking to elevate their meals or share a unique culinary gift to inspire friends and family. Visit https://bushwickkitchen.com/.
Woolloomooloo
Photo Credit: Woolloomooloo
Show off your holiday spirit and add some color to your style this season with color coordinating shoes from Woolloomooloo. At Woolloomooloo, they spin the finest Aussie Merino wool, to digitally knit the world’s premium wool sneakers. Sustainable materials drive design to build shoes that are better for your feet and the planet.
A misconception about wool is that it’s only appropriate for colder climates. However, wool absorbs 25% more moisture than synthetic fibers and wicks it away from the skin, making it twice as cool in warm environments. During chillier months, the natural crimps in the fiber cause it to trap heat and insulate the skin to keep your feet warm, even if worn sockless. Wool has been used in footwear for years, but it’s usually filtered or boiled. They use knitting machines for all their uppers to give them their stylish texture and durability while retaining the natural elasticity and breathability that gets lost from boiling the threads.
As a hygroscopic fiber, wool readily absorbs moisture (up to 35% of its own weight) to keep your feet dry and prevent the build-up of sweat and bacteria. Therefore, Woolloomooloo shoes are odor resistant and machine washable. Woolloomooloo’s merino wool is not only more comfortable and durable than synthetic fibers, but it’s also biodegradable and better for the environment. Synthetic textiles contribute to massive emissions of greenhouse gasses, pollutants, and micro-plastics that contaminate our oceans and atmosphere.
Photo Credit: Woolloomooloo
Featured above are the Cheviot with Tangerine merino wool. The Cheviot brings a micro-knitted Australian Merino wool upper treatment to give a cleaner and sleeker look. The Cheviot can take you from subway stop, to work, and out to happy hour with ease. Comfort doesn’t mean underdressed, in their eyes the Cheviot can do it all. Price is $150.00. Visit https://www.woolloomoolooshoe.com/.
Wood Underwear
Photo Credit: Wood Underwear
Wood Underwear is a premium men’s underwear & lounge and is the only men’s underwear brand founded & operated by a female, Terresa Zimmerman. They are currently celebrating their 10-year anniversary.
Their Tailored Lounge Pant, which is featured above, may be the most comfortable lounge pant you will ever put on. It’s also very fashionable! As you begin to define your work locations, whether full-time WFH, hybrid or in the office, the trend is to up the level of dressing. Yes, even at home. That trend for more finished looks definitely carries over into lounge and hangout wear. Wood’s latest pants in a tailored fit is just the ticket. They have deep pockets, are drawstring pants, and are super soft. They have a cotton/lenzing blend. This fabric is ultra-comfortable and provides high performance, which will be the perfect gift for your busy entrepreneurial friend. Their price is $89.
Another great gift option is their Hoodie, which is also $89. It has long sleeves, a hood and a tailored design which gives this solid hoodie an original hoodie twist. Built from Wood’s premium cotton modal blend fabric, incredibly soft and super functional, it is your winning ticket to comfort and warmth. It can be worn out and about or worn while hanging out at home. It is available in several trendy colors, carving itself a place of choice in gift boxes under the tree. Visit https://www.woodunderwear.com/.
Voglia Swimwear
Photo Credit: Voglia Swimwear
Voglia Swimwear, is a female owned business founded by Ashley-Victoria Smith. Meaning “wish” in Italian, Voglia Swimwear wishes for a “cleaner, healthier, better world and that starts by cleaning up our oceans, beaches, waterways and saving marine life. Our capsule collection, Spaced Out, is made in Italy from regenerated materials found in our oceans aka illegal fishing nets; surprisingly creating a softer nylon like material, but better.”
Founder Ashley-Victoria Smith says, “I always say, you can stay asleep and dream or you can bring your dreams to life, so I am bringing my dream to life.” Her brand’s mission? “I am an advocate on minimal to zero waste and do my hardest to live a sustainable lifestyle – you can’t have a sustainable brand and not live the lifestyle – I want to educate our consumers on our 70 tons of fashion waste a year and encourage them to reduce & reuse while introducing them to other sustainable and eco-friendly brands.” 10% of all sales benefit The Role Foundation.
They have a new athleisure & activewear collection. Some great options are their Yoga Pants, which are $65. They are carefully crafted with high-tech breathable fabric to move with your body while perfectly flattering your figure. Their Cropped Hoodie is $65. It’s a super soft hoodie, a relaxed fit with long sleeves. This hoodie is the perfect after workout gear or everyday comfy style. They also have Biker Shorts which are $45. With a comfortable waistband that lies flat against your skin, their sleek and stylish biker shorts are for more than just cycling. Visit https://www.vogliaswim.com/ to see their amazing clothing line.
I Am Eido Jewelry
Photo Credit: I Am Eido Jewelry
I Am Eido, founded in sunny Miami, Florida, in 2015, believes in purposeful living. Their mission is to “craft the narrative around the Essence of Humanity through a range of luxury and timeless pieces that exude a sense of Grace, and serve as catalysts for conversations and vehicles to address global issues.” I Am Eido Jewelry has a Buy 1 – Give 1 model that allows each person that purchases their product the ability to plant a seed of empowerment and an emblem of dignity to many women and girls around the world who otherwise are unable to afford a luxury that is often taken for granted.
The Obirin Iyanu necklace, featured above, is inspired by the graceful essence of humanity and features a timeless artistic coin with the image of a woman that is wearing a turban on her head. The turban hints at the crown of her mind, which allows her to remain graceful in her essence throughout time and against all odds. This necklace will be a stunning gift for your loved one. Price is $160. Visit https://iameido.com/.
Cozy Earth Plush Lounge Socks
Photo Credit: Cozy Earth
Cozy Earth Plush Lounge Socks are ultra-lightweight and extra-warm. The Plush Lounge Socks three-pack offers a variety of solid neutrals with a textural ribbed design allowing you to put your best foot forward every day. These everyday socks are perfect all year round. They have enhanced durability and are built to last without pilling. These socks will surely be a great gift for any individual looking to keep their feet warm and cozy in every season! Visit https://cozyearth.com/.
Cozy Earth Bamboo Joggers
Photo Credit: Cozy Earth
Cozy Earth Bamboo Joggers are made with 70% viscose from bamboo, 26% acrylic, and 4% spandex. They have breathable and moisture-wicking fabric that feels degrees cooler than cotton. Their enhanced weave prevents pilling and helps their products last longer. With their flattering fit and phone-friendly side pockets, these super soft joggers will be your softest all-season staple wardrobe whether you’re staying in or stepping out. Cozy Earth team pride themselves on the responsible production of all their products. Visit https://cozyearth.com/.
The Anywhere 25L Duffel by Pakt
Photo Credit: Pakt
The Anywhere 25L Duffel is packed with features. This small but mighty bag makes an incredible family organizer, compact overnight bag, personal item for flights, or your go-to for everyday use. It has multiple exterior pockets for easy access to tech, chargers, travel docs, and snacks. Its interior laptop compartment fits up to 16” devices, 12” pocket for e-readers or iPad. The Anywhere 25L Duffel has a luggage strap to secure on the handles of your rolling luggage. Its durable water-resistant materials are made from recycled single-use plastic. The Anywhere 25L Duffel is $210. Visit https://paktbags.com/.
Eli & Elm Side-Sleeper Pillow
Photo Credit: Eli & Elm
We’ve found a simple solution for better sleep while also nixing your neck & back pain — the Eli & Elm Side-Sleeper Pillow! With the unique U-shape design, these luxury pillows will conform to your head to provide proper support and alleviate neck pain. Created specifically for side sleepers, you can also customize your pillow’s firmness with the removable latex and polyester filling. It has latex noodle fill that supports optimal airflow for a cooler pillow, and has a smooth cotton cover that is designed to dissipate heat. It is made from premium sourced materials, is OEKO-TEX certified, measures 17” x 29”, and has over 1,400 positive reviews. Prices start at $99. Visit https://eliandelm.com/.
Riemot Snow Boots
Photo Credit: Riemot
Cold weather shouldn’t stop you from enjoying nature and exploring this winter. But it’s only fun to adventure if you have footwear to keep your feet warm and dry, and with good traction to bite into slippery terrain. Riemot is an innovative travel goods brand that specializes in ultra-affordable hiking boots, and sneakers with a focus on natural, recycled, and bio-based materials.
The Riemot Snow Boots have waterproof PU material, moisture-proof and anti-wear. Rain, snow, or any other liquids are not easy to penetrate into the shoes, and the water resistance is very high. They are lined with soft lamb wool and 3M Thinsulate insulating inner material and removable 3M Thinsulate footbed to keep the feet warm all day long in winter. The slip-resistant TPR sole provides excellent grip on snow and rough surfaces. There are Men’s and Women’s sizing and styles. Price is $49.99. Visit https://www.riemot.com/.
Vellabox 6-Month Candle Subscription
Photo Credit: Vellabox
Vellabox is the #1 artisan candle subscription featuring a different US candle maker and surprise gift in every box. Their most popular subscription is the Ignis box aka a different 100% soy wax 8 oz candle and $10+ lifestyle gift value you can receive or gift. This box starts at $22 with free U.S.shipping. Looking for holiday presents? Curated to the recipient’s scent preferences and personalized with a gift note, this is the gift for the candle lover / the light in your life! There is a curated Spotify playlist in every box to listen to as you burn your candle. It comes already prewrapped in a reusable canvas bag! Visit https://www.vellabox.com/.
Nebula Snacks
Photo Credit: Lauren Listor: LaurelCreative
On a mission to eliminate added sugars from Earth’s snacks, Nebula Snacks is a new startup making zero sugar, dairy free chocolate that’s keto & diabetic diet friendly. Instead of using sugar alcohols like most zero sugar products, they use monk fruit and allulose bringing ‘outta this world delicious’ taste up there with premium chocolate.
Added sugars are sugars or syrups added during the processing or preparation of foods. While the American Heart Association recommends 6% of our daily caloric intake come from added sugars, adults consume ~77g of sugar daily. Worse, American children average 81g of sugar consumption daily.
Added sugars are not an essential macro-nutrient, meaning our bodies do not need them to function, yet they are packed into our snacks and beverages due to their sweet death grip on our taste buds and cheap cost to our largest snack manufacturers today. In fact, they are one of the primary drivers of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Nebula Snacks is an Austin, Texas CPG startup selling better-for-human snacks we can enjoy, without the ingredients that weigh us down. Their first batch of chocolate is now available as they look for customer feedback on how to improve the recipe and crowd source their new flavors. Visit https://nebulasnacks.com/.
Etude Winery 2018 Estate Heirloom Pinot Noir
Photo Credit: Etude Winery
Etude Winery, a leading Pinot Noir producer in Napa Valley, can be an integral part of quality time with loved ones, holiday meals, special gifts, and cozy sipping on winter nights. This elegant wine exemplifies the iconic, superb flavors that make Etude a leader in Pinot Noir. Dark black cherry, red raspberry and cola spice are delicately interwoven with lavender and rosemary, which will impress those the gift receivers toast alongside. While this is a structured wine with depth and balance, Etude Winery 2018 Estate Heirloom Pinot Noir is not overpowering, so it can be paired with a variety of holiday dishes, like a simple appetizer of tomato bruschetta or a heartier main course like roast beef. Etude Winery 2018 Estate Heirloom Pinot Noir is $95. Visit https://www.etudewines.com/.
Usual Wines Mixed Pack Box
Photo Credit: Usual Wines
Usual Wines are naturally made from the best Californian grapes without any artificial process or ingredients (just grapes and sunshine) — single-serve wines in chic packaging. From the dry, sparkling Brut to the bright, fruity Red, gifting the Mixed Pack Box gives your favorite wine lover the full Sonoma, California wine experience. Usual Wines Mixed Pack Box is $48 for a pack of 6, $96 for a pack of 12, and $192 for a pack of 24. Visit https://usualwines.com/.
Moonglow Jewelry
Moonglow Jewelry has unique jewelry for special moments! The pieces can be customized to reflect a special moment in your life based on the phase of the moon. They also offer pieces based on people’s astrology signs! The pieces also glow in the dark and range from necklaces, tie clips to key chains. There are so many amazing Moonglow Jewelry options to choose from this holiday season. Prices range from $28..00 – $199.00. Visit https://www.moonglow.com/.
Nickel’s Nutrition
Photo Credit: Nickel’s Nutrition
Nickel’s Nutrition natural, plant-based supplements were launched by Black owner and pharmacist, Jarvis Francis. “After years of working as a licensed, practicing pharmacist, I decided to pair my education and expertise with my passion to help people at scale proactively achieve their optimal wellness, health and fitness. With Nickel’s Nutrition, we’re doing that by providing premium, plant-based supplements as well as meal programs, customized fitness plans and growing a supportive wellness community.” – Jarvis Francis, Founder & CEO.
Olson House is the vision of Teresa Olson, a Milwaukee-based interior designer, former “record store girl” and storyteller. The e-commerce site (and brick-and-mortar store) is a tribute to her family and Scandinavian heritage, both from her fiercely Norwegian grandfather on her father’s side and from her Finnish immigrant grandmother on her mother’s side, featuring locally crafted furniture, home décor and artwork.
The Oiva mug will be a snazzy gift for the coffee or tea drinker! It is made of brown stoneware, which is dishwasher, oven, microwave and freezer proof. The mug features the Tiiliskivi pattern made with a relief technique. The Tiiliskivi (brick) pattern was designed by Marimekko’s founder Armi Ratia. The pattern reflects her belief in the simple beauty of everyday life. It measures 4 dl, has Terra/Blue color, and measures: 4” tall 4” diameter. Marimekko Tiiliskivi Mug is $33. Visit https://olson-house.com/.
Sugarwish Full Wine Bottle Offerings
Photo Credit: Sugarwish
This holiday, Sugarwish is taking the guesswork out of corporate and colleague gifting with their *NEW* full wine bottle offerings! All product descriptions on the site include the country, region, year, and food pairings, along with additional details about the wine so you can ensure your giftees get *exactly* what they want. The recipient is instantly alerted that they have been gifted a Sugarwish via email, text, socials, or Slack, and is directed to curate their ultimate gift experience at their leisure. Pricing: Small: 1 Premium Bottle ($34), Medium: 1 Ultra Premium Bottle ($45), Large: 2 Premium Bottles ($56), and X-Large: 2 Ultra Premium Bottles ($78). Visit https://sugarwish.com/us/index122022.
TBJ Gourmet Bacon Jam
Photo Credit: TBJ Gourmet Bacon Jam
Bacon lovers will rejoice this holiday season when you gift them TBJ Gourmet Bacon Jam, a magical spread made with real bacon, brown sugar, and caramelized onions to create a delicious spread, dip, and marinade all in one. Each jar contains enough sweet ‘n’ savory flavor to transform even the simplest snack into a feast! TBJ Gourmet Bacon Jam comes in a variety of mouth-watering flavors, including The Boar’s Reserve 3 Pack: Maple Bacon Jam, Habanero Bacon Jam, Bacon and Fig Jam. Price: $35.00 for the set.
Also available from TBJ Gourmet … They’ve got the cure for bacon fever! TBJ Gourmet Emergency Bacon Kit includes a 9 oz jar of Classic Bacon Jam and a jar of Smoked Bacon Salt and Maple Sugar Rub! Perfect for everything from burgers to veggies! It is made in the USA. All-natural ingredients and ethically sourced. Available at www.tbjgourmet.com and Amazon. Price is $38.00 for the kit. Visit https://tbjgourmet.com/.
Molly Bz Cookies
Photo Credit: Molly Bz Cookies
We believe you’ve never had cookies like Molly Bz cookies before! These oversize gourmet cookies are infused with tasty alcohol extracts (without the alcohol). Indulge in a variety of imaginative and explosive flavor combinations such as maple buttercream meets real smokey bacon and whiskey flavoring! Coffee your jam? How about chocolate and ground espresso mixed with rum flavoring? And don’t get us started on our white chocolate, earl gray tea, lemon buttercream, and vanilla extract.
Molly Bz has a variety of scrumptious flavors to choose from; there is truly something for everyone to love! All Molly Bz cookies are made exclusively with Ghirardelli® chocolate. Cookies come individually wrapped in adorable gift boxes that look like little ovens. Perfect for gift giving for family, friends, co-workers, corporate gifts, stocking stuffers, and more. Available in half-dozen and full-dozen as well as 3 packs. Made with no fillers. Women-owned. Made in the USA. Priced from $12.59 (3-pack box); $23.99 (6/half-dozen box); and $45.99 (12/Dozen box). Available at Amazon. Visit https://mollybz.com/.
Holy Pals
Photo Credit: Holy Pals
Holy Pals is a brand new line of holiday pajamas featuring sizes newborn to adult. Priced starting at $29, the pajamas are extremely high quality but priced affordably. The prints are not only adorable, but teach kids about the reason behind Christmas. Additionally, 10% of every pair sold go towards sending pajamas to Littlest Lamb Orphanage in Egypt and other children’s organizations. They are made of 100% premium, ethically sourced cotton that is soft, breathable & durable. Sizes for newborn, toddler, big kids up to size 14, women & men. Holy Pals pajamas are priced from $29-$59. Visit https://holypals.com/.
Mary on the Mantel Bundle
Photo Credit: Be a Heart
The Mary on the Mantel Bundle will be a wonderful holiday gift. It includes the Mary on the Mantel Activity Kit. This contains a beautiful book that explains the concept of Mary on the Mantel, a caregiver guide, 60 acts of kindness cards, and a map of the Holy Land. It also includes the Motherhood Set: a pregnant belly attachment, ring sling, and infant Jesus (please note that all infant Jesus dolls have medium skin tone). It also includes a Mary doll. Mary on the Mantel Bundle is $91.97. Visit https://beaheart.com/.
Honeysticks Ultimate Fun Bath Set
Photo Credit: Honeysticks
Honeysticks Ultimate Bath Fun Set is the perfect, ready-to-gift set for children of all ages. It includes two of their best-selling products, Honeysticks Bath Crayons and Bath Drops. Honeysticks is a family-owned business on a mission to provide children with the safest possible arts and craft products while being gentle on the planet. Honeysticks was developed in 2007 to provide children with a safer alternative to the traditional crayon which is made from petroleum derived wax and chemical printing pigments. The ingredients are natural and food grade, creating possibly the safest product on the market. They are eco-conscious to their core – all their products are packaged with recycled, recyclable, and biodegradable materials. Honeysticks Ultimate Fun Bath Set is $39.99. Visit https://honeysticks.com/.
Sproutlings First Grasp Crayons
Photo Credit: Sproutlings
Sproutlings First Grasp Crayons are the perfect first crayon for toddlers.Unique easy to grip triangle shape, are made of natural soy and beeswax blend, have safe food-grade pigments for color, are 100% home compostable and have plastic-free packaging. They come in 8 colors. Crayon dimensions are 2.24 x 0.7 inches. Sproutlings First Grasp Crayons are $5.97.
Sproutlings Natural Crayons are larger, traditional shaped crayons that are 30% bigger than most comparable products, which makes them perfect for little hands grasp development. Formulated with a natural soy and beeswax blend and safe food grade pigments, these crayons deliver a smooth drawing experience and hours of bright, creative coloring. Along with safety, Sproutlings are committed to sustainability and making products that are gentle on the planet. The crayons are proudly handmade in New Zealand with plastic-free packaging that is 100% home compostable and sourced from certified responsible forests. Visit https://sproutlings.co/.
Doctor Plotka’s Travel Toothbrush and All-Natural Fluoride Free Whitening Toothpaste
Photo Credit: Mouthwatchers
Different travelers require different things from their toothbrushes, but Mouthwatchers has everything you need. It’s no-fuss foldable feature is guaranteed to give you an extra level of cleanliness, so you can easily throw it in your carry-on, purse, or gym bag, and go! PRO TIP: Need a stocking stuffer item that isn’t candy or socks? Doctor Plotka’s Travel Toothbrush and All-Natural Fluoride Free Whitening Toothpaste will soon become their favorite packing staples. You’ll thank us later!
Manual Travel Toothbrush has a foldable design that is great for easy packing. Silver-infused bristles naturally eliminate 99% of bacteria, viruses, and fungi from your toothbrush within 6 hours after use. Flossing bristles reach deep into grooves, under the gum line, and between teeth to break up plaque and brush away food residue before it gets a grip on your teeth. Bristles made of high-quality polyester are more resilient and can last longer than a typical nylon brush. There are better results and no cross-contamination. Manual Travel Toothbrush starts at $5.99.
All-Natural Fluoride Free Whitening Toothpaste is another great gift option. Silica and Hydroxyapatite re-mineralizes teeth which lowers the risk of erosion and restores your teeth to their natural whiteness. Organic Propolis, a natural honeybee product known for its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, reduces the risk of cavities, gum sensitivity, and plaque build-up. Mineral-rich Thermal Spring Water, sourced from France, is known for its anti-inflammatory benefits which can soothe irritation. Organic mint gives your mouth and breath long-lasting freshness. 100% of ingredients are sourced from natural origins. This tube is fully recyclable and made with 44% post-consumer recycled materials. It was developed by renowned Boston-area Dentist, Dr. Ronlad Plotka with proven results. All-Natural Fluoride Free Whitening Toothpaste is $6.99.
Pick up all products on Amazon.com. You can also find Doctor Plotka’s toothbrushes at Sprouts Farmers Market, Wholefoods Market. Visit https://www.mouthwatchers.com/.
Women’s Camellia ORIGINAL Crew Socks
The first and original Heat Holders® Crew sock! Keep feet warm on the coldest of days and pull on this pair of solid color crew length Heat Holders® for women, the warmest thermal sock. Thick, chunky and with a massive tog rating of 2.34, Heat Holders® are made from a specially developed heavy bulk yarn which has extreme thermal qualities. With long pile cushioning, these thermal socks will help keep feet fully comfortable and supported. The inside of each sock has been intensively brushed that not only feels sensationally soft but also traps warm air close to the skin keeping your feet warmer for longer. Heat Holders® thermal socks are also designed and built to be non-binding. Women’s Camellia ORIGINAL Crew Socks are $17.99. Visit https://www.heatholders.com/.
19 Crimes “Martha’s Chard”
Photo Credit: 19 Crimes
19 Crimes tells the true story of rulebreakers who beat the odds and overcome adversity to become folk heroes. This spirit lives on today through innovators like Martha Stewart. Martha’s Chard offers notes of bright citrus fruit with a firm acidic core keeping the savory notes from dominating the fruit for a crisp, refreshing finish. 19 Crimes “Martha’s Chard” is $12. Visit https://19crimes.com/.
19 Crimes Snoop Dogg Cali Red Blend
Photo Credit: 19 Crimes
19 Crimes is defiant by nature and bold in character and is proud to partner with entertainment icon, Snoop Dogg. Snoop Dogg’s Cali Red Blend offers a blend of Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, and Merlot, creating aromas of vanilla and hazelnut accented with distant, smoky, American oak. This blend is full and dense on the palate with strong flavors of black and blue fruit and finishes on a slightly sweet note. Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart have created the perfect gifts to keep the vibes ‘young, wild & free’ at this year’s holiday gatherings. 19 Crimes Snoop Dogg Cali Red Blend is $12. Visit https://19crimes.com/.
Cakebread Cellars Treasured Classics
Photo Credit: Cakebread Cellars
Family has been at the heart of Cakebread Cellars’ tradition since Jack and Dolores Cakebread founded the winery in 1972. The holidays are all about celebrating our loved ones and spending time with family, which is why Cakebread Cellars puts extra thought behind each holiday wine collection, offering curated selections of bottles sure to impress whether enjoyed now or tucked away into the cellar for holidays to come.
Indulge in their collection of Treasured Classics, the wines that put Cakebread Cellars on the map and earned their loyal fanbase: Napa Chardonnay (2021) and Napa Cabernet Sauvignon (2019). The price is $128. Visit https://www.cakebread.com/.
Mersecco Blanc de Blancs
Photo Credit: Mermosa
Mermosa’s Mersecco is a classic wine with a bubbly personality – a brightly carbonated Blanc de Blancs with golden hues, fruit-forward notes of ripe pear and a crisp, dry finish. The perfect sparkler for holiday cocktails, Mersecco Blanc de Blancs is a blend of Oregon Pinot Gris, Riesling and Chardonnay (13% Alcohol by Volume). Awarded 90 points by Wine Enthusiast.
Florida’s first Black woman-owned wine brand, Mermosa, is inspired by an epic tale of the founder’s ancestors, Celestine, a Black Haitian woman, and Philippe Noisette, a white French gardener. They married in the late 1700s and blazed a trail of love and devotion that included Philippe claiming ownership of his wife and children to keep them out of the slave trade in Antebellum South Carolina.
Philippe’s great success as a gardener led him to introduce the Noisette Rose, a flower bold and enduring like his beautiful Celestine. Upon his death in 1835, Philippe made sure that all of his money went to Celestine and their children. It could have led them out of the South to freedom, but Celestine took matters into her own hands and negotiated freedom. Her audacious spirit and their eternal love is infused in every sip of Mermosa.
Mermosa produces proprietary sparkling wines from premium grapes grown primarily in Coastal Oregon and Washington State. Bottles retail for $14.99. Mermosa is a Better for You beverage option; each light, refreshing sip is fat free and is low in sugar, calories and carbs, and contains low alcohol by volume. The brand welcomes everyone to the party at the beach, on a boat, having brunch or getting together with friends and family. Visit https://mermosa.com/.
Stags’ Leap Winery 2018 The Leap Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Photo Credit: Stags’ Leap Winery
Stags’ Leap Winery 2018 The Leap Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic Stags Leap District Cabernet. This vintage offers dark and alluring notes of black berry fruit, combined with a rich and mouth-enveloping texture. Bringing forth blackcurrant, cassis, dark raspberry, and black cherry aromas on the nose, along with delicate notes of allspice, cedar, and espresso, this Cabernet Sauvignon showcases an elegant depth and graceful structure of velvety rich tannins with a long, lingering fresh finish. Stags’ Leap Winery 2018 The Leap Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is $120.Visit https://www.stagsleap.com/.
ABERFELDY 12 Year Old
Photo Credit: ABERFELDY
ABERFELDY 12 Year Old is a smooth, sweet dram that features a unique honeyed sweetness paired with notes of spiced vanilla, fudge and pineapple. It has ABV 40% and is 750 ml. ABERFELDY 12 Year Old is $60. Visit https://www.aberfeldy.com/us/en/.
Craigellachie 13 Armagnac Cask Finish
Photo Credit: Craigellachie
Launching August, Craigellachie initially matured for 13 years in American oak, in a combination of refill and rechar Bourbon barrels, the whisky was then transferred to Armagnac casks from the Bas Region, renowned for producing the best Armagnac. Tastes of baked apples dusted with cinnamon and notes of caramel shortcake are offset by signature syrupy pineapples and fiery bonfire night aromas. It has ABV 46% and is 750 ml. Craigellachie 13 Armagnac Cask Finish is $64.99. Visit https://www.craigellachie.com/.
Royal Brackla 12 Years Old
Photo Credit: Royal Brackla
Matured in American Oak; combination of first-fill, refill and rechar. Finished in Oloroso sherry casks. Rich and exuberant — the full bodied spice of Oloroso, and the bright summer breeze of Royal Brackla elegantly combine as a smooth and inviting dram — ripe peaches, black cherries, chocolate covered almonds and muscovado sugar. It has ABV 46% and is 750 ml. Royal Brackla 12 Years Old is $70.99. Visit https://www.royalbrackla.com/.
ABERFELDY 18 Year Old Limited Edition finished in Tuscan Red Wine Cask
Photo Credit: ABERFELDY
ABERFELDY Red Wine Cask Limited Edition series is a passion project of Malt Master Stephanie Macleod, with a focus on unique cask finishes that compliment and elevate the signature character of ABERFELDY. Stephanie uses her exceptional skills in sensory analyses to observe the maturation and flavor development in each cask until achieving the desired flavors, at which time the whisky is deemed ready to be bottled. This is the fourth cask finish in this award-winning series. ABERFELDY 18 Year Old Limited Edition is infused with heavy notes of cherry frangipane and vanilla spice with flavors of sliced green peppers and limes and finishing with soft oak. Visit https://www.aberfeldy.com/us/en/.
Bank HSBC have announced the closure of 114 branches across the UK from April 2023. The bank said the number of customers using its branches has fallen dramatically since the pandemic in 2020.
HSBC have also said they will try to save as many jobs as possible. Around 100 people will lose their jobs, with the remaining staff from the stores being moved to different stores instead. The company has said the remaining 327 across the UK will be updated.
A worker’s union have accused the bank of abandoning customers. HSBC is just one of many banks to close physical branches nationwide. Thousands of bank branches have been closed by lenders over the last few years. With the number of people banking online increasing significantly, banks close stores to cut costs.
Other bank closures
Lloyds Banking Group owns Halifax and Bank of Scotland and has closed more than 850 branches. There are plans to close 70 more in 2023. Natwest, which owns RBS and Ulster Bank, has closed 1,200 branches, and Barclays has shrunk the most of all individual banks, closing 960 branches in total.
The speed at which banking branches are being closed is a huge concern for many, particularly those customers who may be weary of online banking, or unable to manage this themselves. Physical banks provide reassurance for many.
27 ‘shared banking hubs’ are set to be built across the UK. However, these are still just a promise, with only two being opened so far. Evidently, the rate at which shared banking hubs are opening cannot keep up with the speed at which hundreds of bank branches are being axed across the country.
Shared banking hubs help businesses and vulnerable individuals to deposit and withdraw cash, no matter which bank they belong to.
These closures are not the first for HSBC. Back in March of this year, the company announced the closure of 69 branches this autumn. It said some HSBC branches only serve up to 250 customers weekly. Similarly, 90% of transactions are now completed digitally.
Which HSBC branches will be closing?
April: Abergavenny, Alton, Bexhill on Sea, Blandford Forum, Bristol Downend, Cromer, Leominster, Market Bosworth, Shaftesbury, St Austell, St Ives
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