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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
In Latin America there are endless traditions to attract luck in the New Year: Wearing red pants to call for love, giving lambs so that the ‘wool’ is not missing, sweeping the door of the house at the beginning of the 12 chimes, having lentils for dinner. that there is abundance, eat 12 grapes for each wish that we want to see fulfilled, etc. However, according to the British psychologist Richard Weisman , luck as such does not exist, what exists is lucky people. He also states that there are people with an attitude in life that makes more good things happen to them, without chance having anything to do with it.
If you are one of those who think that your luck is born with you and is innate, you are wrong. Luck, whether good or bad, you create it yourself.
For that reason, I am going to teach you seven secret methods to attract good luck into your life that are much more effective than living the rest of your life with an amulet or a four-leaf clover.
Remember: your luck is no worse or better than anyone else’s, it depends on you and solely on you.
If you are all day lamenting about all the negative things that happen to you and you think that when you leave one another, the same or worse awaits you, then this thought will eventually become reality.
You will think that everything is going against you and you will be so tired of rolling in that loop of dead-end thoughts that in the end you will not fight to change things and improve your life because you think that this is your luck and there is nothing you can do to change it. But, you are wrong.
The way to keep moving forward is to get those negative thoughts out of your head because they are not real. If you do not put an end, you will end up believing them and will be unhappy forever.
A person who thinks they are unlucky tends not to identify and take advantage of good opportunities that suddenly arise.
For example, someone who plays many times is more likely to win the lottery than someone who plays once every three months. Or, someone is more likely to find work if they are actively looking for work.
What I want to tell you is that the more you take advantage of opportunities, the more likely you are that good things will happen to you.
Only those people who decide to experience new things and get out of their comfort zone will have a better chance of having good luck.
Thanks to this great step, you will be able to know yourself more, discover new skills that you did not know, new passions and you will learn to be a little happier doing what you like.
Fear can be a great obstacle that prevents you from launching into the unknown, but if we learn to overcome it, we will achieve things that we could never have imagined.
One of the reasons why there are “people with bad luck” is because they do not know how to make safe decisions and they do not get carried away by their instincts or hunches.
Instincts sometimes lead to the wrong paths, but according to scientific studies, 80% of the time they will know what is best for your personal and professional field
So listen to your instincts, let yourself be carried away by them and act decisively even if you have to leave your comfort zone and face adversity.
Things don’t go the way you want, but you still keep doing things the same way.
If what you want is to get new changes, the first step you should take is to change some habits : live in another city, meet new people, practice a new sport, take a risk in something, etc.
Do not expect to make big changes in a short time, you should start small, changing one or two small habits each week and when you adapt, continue making other bigger changes in your routine. You will see how in this way you get new opportunities.
Everything has a positive and a negative side, but our mind focuses more on the negative. Try to change this, always looking on the bright side of things. No matter how dark it is, value the positive and give thanks for it.
If you fail with your business, instead of thinking I have failed, shout out loud: I have learned from my mistakes and I will try again.
The people you interact with in your day-to-day life can also influence your good or bad luck.
Surrounding yourself with pessimistic and negative people will lower your self-esteem, suck your energy, and make you feel very small. You will not feel motivated by anything, nor will you have restlessness to overcome new challenges.
Identify these toxic people in your life and keep them as far away as possible if you want to have a full and peaceful life.
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How many times did you stop to have a look at a product just because the unique packaging captured your attention? When you needed to pick between two similar goods, did the design or look of them affect your choice?
While we try our best not to judge things solely based on looks, the reality is we care a great deal about first impressions. Especially today, a product’s packaging is equally as important as the product itself. No matter how great your product is, a lousy packaging layout will drag down your earnings.
Unique item packaging plays an essential part in the evolution of almost any business and its advertising strategy. A plain cardboard box can be changed into a communication method if designed efficiently. It can serve as a quiet salesman for your brand to entertain and engage its clients.
There are many features to take into account when picking out the packaging of a product. It ought to protect what is inside, allow easy storage, display information concerning the merchandise and grab clients’ interest if displayed.
RELATED ARTICLE: COMMON SHIPPING MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
Packing’s main goal is to shield its contents from damage that could happen during transportation, storage, and handling. It also protects the product from humidity, heat, light, and other outside variables. This is the most important purpose of packaging.
Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to end up with an oversized package when compared to the size of the actual product. The amount of packaging waste can be shocking. It’s important to have a smart and well-designed package to be cost-effective. Although you want your unique packaging to look appealing it should still fit the fit-to-purpose layout.
Unique packaging acts as a significant part of the product brand and promotion. Special packaging may boost the product’s beauty and encourage individuals to purchase your product. Packing is essential for the product itself. However, it could do more for your brand’s product. If done right, it can stick out on the shelf, improve sales, supply relevant info regarding the merchandise, and fortify attention. Two-thirds of individuals say packing has an impact on their own purchasing choices.
Unique packaging may also tell an entire narrative concerning the company behind the product and the item’s ecological, social, and economic impacts. It’s a tool to convey the firm’s values and fantastic advantages that the product brings to the customer.
Sustainable packaging is necessary. The packaging’s unique design includes a vital role for specifying how simple it’s to divide the substances from one another and how simple the packaging would be to recycle and reuse. Earning more with less, saves funds but also leaves less sense for the user to deal with properly.
Consumers are conscious of the ecological impacts of their activities. They assess the carbon footprint of their packaging before purchasing a product. The labeling on the packaging that gives exact details regarding the product’s and packaging’s ecological influences and recyclability will surely catch the customer’s eye.
Most importantly, unique packaging plays a significant part in maintaining its contents’ and customer’s safety. Packaging should include essential details of this solution and its security. For example, for meal products, the packaging date, best earlier date, and a list of components have to be visible on the packing.
Also, never should a dangerous compound, odor, or taste move from the packaging materials to this food if it’s created by a virgin material or recycled substance. When it includes a hazardous substance, it needs to be apparent on the packaging so the customer knows. These pieces of advice add product security for the customer, which they will appreciate. So, BoxGenie is here to help you with your unique and custom packaging for your business’s products.
RELATED ARTICLE: TOP WAYS TO INCREASE ONLINE SALES
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Affiliate marketing remains one of the most successful ways to make money online. Therefore, it’s not surprising if you are looking to get started with affiliate marketing for your business. How do you do that, though? In the following article, we discuss some key tips that will help you get the affiliate marketing ball rolling.
The way the internet runs right now, there are a number of platforms you can use to make money through affiliate marketing. The most effective ways are either through a YouTube channel or with a blog. If you go the blog route, you will find that it is actually quite easy and cost-effective to get up and running.
RELATED ARTICLE: NOW IS THE TIME TO INVEST IN DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIES
You will also find a multitude of tutorials and guides online that will help you find your footing. Moreover, it will only cost a small amount of money every month to maintain your blog. Once you are up and running, you can then optimize your blog and the site you are posting it on for SEO purposes. Then you can try to push it up in the rankings.
Making videos through YouTube is also inexpensive. For example, it costs absolutely nothing to upload content to YouTube. Therefore, it will only cost you if you need to buy a camera specifically for posting on YouTube. Optimizing your videos is also simple enough. You can even include your affiliate links in the description, with mention of them in the videos.
When it comes to getting started with an affiliate marketing program, you will find that there are plenty of programs to pick from. To help you out somewhat, there are three kinds of affiliate programs to choose from:
How do you choose the right affiliate program for your business? This really depends on the niche you have chosen to focus on and your level of expertise. Are you looking to target customers? Then you are more likely to have greater success by aiming for the second type of affiliate program in the list above. This is because, although the individual commissions are lower than other options, there is a higher chance of sales.
On the other hand, if you are looking to serve in a B2B capacity, the better option would be to aim for the first category in the list above. This is a category where not as many units shift on average, but the commission is much higher. iAffiliate Management can help you out with things like deciding on the affiliate program that is best for your business and lots more.
Although we said it is easy to get started in blogging, vlogging, and affiliate marketing, that doesn’t mean it is easy to be successful at it. After all, you are facing some huge competition. The best way to increase your chances of success is by carefully choosing the niche your business will be focusing on. Find a topic that focuses tightly on something specifically. Take food, for instance. That as a topic is too big and varied a category to focus on. It is better to pick something specific from food, like grilling or barbecuing food.
When you keep the topics you cover tight, you can build up a more targeted and focused audience. This will lead to greater success with boosting your rankings in Google and other search engines.
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Google and other search engines love original and high-quality content, so we want to highlight this point. It doesn’t matter how good your products are, if you don’t write compelling and informative content that reaches out and grabs your customers’ attention, you won’t make sales.
After you have great content in place, what’s next? Well, it is just going to sit there with no one benefiting from it unless you direct people to it and encourage them to check it out. There are numerous ways you can get traffic, all with their own advantages. So get ready now to find ways to bring traffic to your site.
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Elon Musk’s company plans to introduce more and more fitness apps.
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The rivalry of the company of Elon Musk , Tesla with Apple could reach a “deal” or something similar. According to reports on Twitter, the car company will include Apple Music to its entertainment service.
In Tesla vehicles, there is a central screen that is almost a computer, which can carry out multiple tasks.Spotify is already available in the system to entertain the crew.
Image: Depositphotos
However, thanks to an image posted on twitter by a user, Green (a hacker who analyzes the tesla system updates), it can be seen that Apple Music is among the options but still does not work.
Looks like more media sources are coming soon. Though it’s not quite there yet.
The icon in UI is wrong, but the correct on is already populated. pic.twitter.com/dmavYUvuh7– green (@greentheonly) December 27, 2020
At the moment, there is still no official announcement regarding when the service will arrive to the vehicles. But Apple isn’t the only one about to be a part of Elon Musk’s board. Also in the crosshairs are Tidal, Amazon Music, and Audible , an audiobook service owned by Jeff Bezos’ company Amazon.
This is linked to the desire of tycoon Elon Musk to incorporate video games in Tesla cars in the future, and thus increase entertainment options. He has even said on his Twitter account “entertainment will be essential when cars drive themselves.”
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Are you a novice day trader? This guide provides you with everything you need to know about day trading. Internalize these insights and apply them during your sessions.
The retail trading arena is a huge market in the US, estimated at $4.9 trillion in 2020 according to IBISWorld. This industry powers thousands of companies (SMBs), both public and private. These in turn fuel economic growth in a capitalist economy. While the growth rate slowed appreciably in 2020, owing to the novel coronavirus, many peripheral industries have sprouted.
Foremost among them are retail stocks trading and institutional stocks trading. Thanks largely to the widespread democratization of online trading activity, it is possible to power up your PC, Mac, or mobile and trade stocks online like a pro.
We begin with a look at some of the common mishaps that novice day traders experience.
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The first problem is the fallacy of accessibility. Many novice traders wrongly assume that all that’s required to become a successful day trader is access to an online brokerage and a trading platform. Of course it is absolutely imperative to carefully select the right brokerage and trading platform. However, in and of itself, this decision will not necessarily yield profitable returns. The fallacy of accessibility wrongly assumes that by having access to a stocks trading platform, you automatically enjoy the attendant benefits such as profitability.
Careful selection of a stocks trading platform is one of the most important decisions you can make as a trader. This is especially true if you’re a novice trader. However, the viability of the trading platform only becomes evident once you have conducted a critical assessment of its components. Among the many features, functions, and resources necessary in a top-tier day trading platform are:
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If you consider day trading seriously, it is critical that you understand precisely how to pick your stocks, time your trades, and call them correctly. When it comes to traditional stocks trading, the rationale behind the trade relies on stock appreciation for profit-earning potential. Conversely, in day trading, it is possible to profit off stock movements regardless of rising or falling prices. However, you as the day trader must pick the right direction. Many novice traders fall into the price appreciation trap. That is, they falsely believe that price appreciation is the only way to make money as a day trader.
You can learn to profit from stock price movements, irrespective of bullish or bearish trends. The trend is your friend in stocks trading. If prices are falling, it is possible to adopt a bearish perspective on that stock and collect on the way down.
By the same token, it is possible to profit off appreciating stocks since the future price may be greater than the present price. In this case, the difference is the profit. But traders can easily profit from downward markets and plunging prices, too. They do this by adopting winning strategies. In a bear market, which is a market that declines by 20% or more from previous highs, you can short-sell.
This advanced trading strategy requires borrowing the underlying equity from the broker and selling it at the prevailing market price. For example, if the share costs $5 right now and will be $4 in the future, short-selling the option is a good idea. This is because the $1 per share is your profit.
On the other hand, if perchance the share price appreciates the $6, and you short sold that option, you would be in the red to the tune of $1 per share. Obviously, then, short-selling is inherently risky. There are no safeguards in terms of price movements. Nonetheless, this form of derivatives trading is widely employed at a large number of trading brokerages. Short-selling is typically conducted with the CFDs (contracts for difference) market and spread betting activity. In short, what many novice traders don’t understand is that you don’t need to own the underlying asset to short-sell it.
In terms of where to trade penny stocks, it’s best to pick a brokerage with a fully supported trading platform. The virtual trading realm is festooned with world-class trading platforms and brokers. For example, these include E*TRADE, StocksToTrade, Interactive Brokers, Charles Schwab, Fidelity, and scores of others. Pick one that best satisfies your trading requirements, budget, and portfolio preferences.
There are two key ingredients necessary for trading penny stocks: volatility and liquidity. It comes as no surprise to seasoned professionals that these two core components are largely available during the morning trading sessions, Monday through Friday. As a rule, you can expect the highest levels of volatility and liquidity during the opening session of trading, and then again during the closing session of the day.
Penny stocks tend to get a massive boost from press releases, financial statements, company news, and market-related phenomena. When this news breaks, you can expect wide-ranging movements in pricing.
Besides timing your trades to coincide with the busiest periods of day-to-day trading activity, another important component of day trading penny stocks is the number of trades you manage per day. A novice trader is foolhardy to take on too many trades. Instead, start small and grow incrementally.
Much the same thinking goes into the profits generated from your trades. As your knowledge of the financial markets grows, and your understanding of penny stocks trading develops, you can incrementally increase the number of trades you conduct each day to coincide with your skills, abilities, and preferences.
All forms of trading activity are inherently risky, some more so than others. Penny stocks trading is extremely volatile. Therefore, traders, especially novice traders, are cautioned against allocating too much weight in their financial portfolio toward this category. It is sensible to limit your exposure to risk in penny stocks to less than 10% of your overall financial portfolio. This number may be adjusted based on your appetite for risk and your understanding of the financial markets. The old axiom, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” holds true for penny stocks trading. (As an aside, it is true for other forms of trading, too.)
Risk management is best conducted by way of strategic decision-making processes. Since it is impossible to manually monitor dozens of trades simultaneously, you will likely be using tools and resources to assist you. These include stocks screeners, pre-set take profit and stop loss orders, and more. Nonetheless, the markets have an uncanny ability to confound traders at the best of times. They rise and fall at their leisure, and many traders desperately try to play catch up and ride the wave before it breaks.
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That’s why it is important to set trailing stop loss percentages and trailing stop loss orders to mitigate risk on the downside. On the upside, set yourself a target—say 10-20%—and allow the trade to close out once your profit mark has been hit. It’s entirely possible for a stock to keep on rising well beyond your set figure. However, if a sudden reversal takes place, it may miss your safety point on the way down, and you could be out of luck!
So keep the tips we offer here in mind as you trade. As you gain experience as a day trader you will also gain confidence. In time, you’ll begin to reap the rewards of carefully applying the techniques you are learning now.
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Besides providing quality products and services businesses have to make sure they accommodate the needs of their customers. Equally important is how your business is viewed by the public. This goes hand in hand with how you invest in the comfort of your customers. One of the best ways to do this is to provide a clean environment and full bathroom amenities such as baby changing stations.
It means not only accommodating your clients but also their children and possibly your staff’s children. This is where baby changing stations come in to play. Especially for public restrooms in restaurants, businesses, and shops.
Whether you need to install a baby changing station in your customer’s restroom or for employees who bring children to work, find the best ones here.
Top Pick: The body of this horizontal diaper changing station is made from injection-molded polypropylene. And the bed surface contains microban antimicrobial that helps in reducing odor-causing bacteria. It complies with ADA standards for accessible design and the 2009 ICC A117.1 standards.
It is 23.5 x 35.18 x 22 inches and weighs 27.5 pounds. The steel chassis and steel hinges offer greater resistance and wear, and it can support up to 200 pounds.
Koala Kare KB20000 Horizontal Baby Changing Station
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Runner Up: The ECR4Kids is made from antibacterial high-density polyethylene providing both strength and durability. Built to accommodate infants and toddlers of up to 3.5 years it has a concave shape and concave adjustable child-safety strap to keep kids comfortable and safe.
It is 35.5 x 19 x 4 inches and weighs around 21 pounds, with a weight capacity of 250 lbs. The space-saving design comes with a concealed pneumatic cylinder that ensures slow, safe, controlled opening and closing. It comes with two diaper bag/purse hooks that hold up to 25 lbs. each, two built-in sanitary paper liner dispensers and 500-count disposable liners.
ECR4Kids Wall-Mounted Baby Changing Station with 500 Disposable Liners
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Best Value: The Rubbermaid baby changing table is made with polypropylene. It is designed to not absorb moisture and prevent the spread of germs with antimicrobial protection. And it meets the EN, ADA, and ASTM safety standards.
The changing station comes with easy-to-reach hooks, a built-in shelf and liner storage, and is available in horizontal and vertical orientations. It features a concealed pneumatic cylinder and oversized hinge and shock absorbers for one-handed opening. It is33.25 x 21.5 inches and weighs 19.75 lbs.
Rubbermaid Commercial Horizontal Baby Changing Station
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This is a fold-down diaper station made with antimicrobial coated polypropylene. It features dual liner holders to accommodate up to 100 film liners and it is outfitted with two side hooks, allowing users to hang a diaper bag and another item.
It is 19.68 x 34.25 x 20.31 inches, weighs 24 lbs., supports up to 220lbs, and meets ADA, FDA, and ASTM global safety standards.
Alpine Industries Wall Mounted Baby Changing Station – Horizontal Fold Down Diaper Changing Table
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Continental’s baby changing station features a contemporary, easy to clean, concave surface to comfortably accommodate infants with adjustable safety straps. Made with polyethylene that inhibits bacterial growth it comes with dual liner dispensers that can hold approximately 50 liners for protection. And pneumatic shocks enable one-hand opening and closing.
When open, the station measures x 34-1/4 x 18 inches (Height x Width x Depth) and it measures 4” (Depth) when closed. It weighs 16.2 lbs. and it can hold up to 250 lbs.
Continental 8252-H White Horizontal Baby Changing Station
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TCBunny is made from polypropylene with a horizontal changing station designed for infants and toddlers up to 3.5 years old. For added convenience, the unit comes with a built-in shelf and two accessory holders to keep all necessary items safely out of a child’s reach.
Furthermore, the one-hand open and close design allows for easy access to the changing platform, while the concealed pneumatic cylinder and hinge structure provide controlled, smooth opening and closing of the table. It is 33.25 x 21.5 x 4 inches, weighs 24.6 lbs., and meets ASTM, ADA, FDA, and EN safety standards.
TCBunny Wall-Mounted Baby Changing Station Horizontal Diaper Changing Table with Safety Straps White
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Modundry’s wall-mounted baby changing station comes with a smooth and comfortable concave surface and an adjustable safety strap to keep children safely in place. The 900 design helps save space and coupled with a concealed pneumatic cylinder ensures slow, safe, controlled opening and closing.
It is 32.76 x 23.15 x 5.43 inches, weighs 24 lbs., has weight capacity of 250 lbs, and has two diaper bag hooks that can hold up to 25 pounds.
Modundry Fold-Down Baby Changing Diaper Station – Horizontal Wall Mounted, Sturdy & Durable with Safety Straps for Commercial Bathrooms
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There are quite a few types of baby changing units you can put in public locations, that come with a range of features. Before you start buying a changing station, consider these two very important factors, safety and space.
Safety
The safety of toddlers during diaper changes is of utmost importance. And the baby station you install must reflect that. Make sure that your changing station is as safe as possible. And it all starts by buying a strong baby station made with solid materials and has safety certifications on par with industry standards.
After you purchase it, the next safety measure you should take is proper installation. If you are not a handy person, have a professional install it for you. This will help you avoid many complications later.
Space
The first step is to see if your baby changing station you choose fits in your bathroom. Baby changing stations come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can range in complexity in terms of their design (vertical Vs. horizontal), do they fold down or not.
Your changing station will need to provide enough room in front for users to comfortably change their baby. Equally important is to locate your baby changing station in a place where it will not obstruct traffic, get in the way of or damage other washroom equipment.
Having a baby changing station is one more way to better serve the needs of your customers. If you are going to make the station available, buy the best one your budget allows so your customers feel secure with the most important thing in their life, their child.
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People’s health needs can change with age. But many wellness brands today focus mainly on young adults. Luckily, Vitality Beyond 50 is there to provide guidance specifically geared toward women in a different age group. Read more about the company below in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.
Provides nutritional guidance for women over 50.
Founder Kristine Bahr told Small Business Trends, “I am an Integrative Functional Medicine nutritionist. I help women over 50 regain their energy and vitality with a personalized treatment plan including nutritional services and supplements.”
Bringing scientific testing and experience to clients.
Bahr says, “I have 20 years of experience as an Integrative Functional Medicine Nutritionist. I do scientific testing to determine the root cause of any illness.”
By niching down another venture.
Bahr explains, “Vitality Beyond 50 is an offshoot of my present business, Cutting Edge Wellness.”
Seeing results with clients.
Bahr says, “In my business history, I have helped thousands of clients, all ages achieve optimal health.”
She adds, “The best gifts I have received are women having babies after being they were infertile. It is a joy to my heart.”
Setting up in a new area.
Bahr says, “The biggest risk is when I moved from the Berkshires to Boston. I had to develop my business in a new location.”
Exploring new areas and continuing to serve clients, just in new ways.
Bahr explains, “I would travel more (excluding COVID restrictions) and write a book.”
“It is a time of Great Awakening. A time for waking up to who you are, not who others think you are.” Abraham Hicks
* * * * *
Image: Vitality Beyond 50, Kristine Bahr
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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
These days many countries have started their vaccination campaigns against COVID-19 . I am happy. First, because many lives will be saved. Second, because at last we have something that can return us to the longed for normality. And third, because humanity has shown that, when it wants, it can cooperate to overcome great challenges.
We should be optimistic. But half of my friends and family are fearful or mistrustful. Some tell me they don’t want to be among the first to receive treatment. Others, who will not be vaccinated under any circumstances. We are faced with a paradox: having already the cure, there are those who fear it as much or more than the disease itself.
Maybe you know people like that in your environment. For what it’s worth, it’s a worldwide phenomenon. In September, the Pew Research Center found that 49% of the US population was unwilling to get the vaccine right away. And in Spain, the Sociological Research Center calculated that the proportion of these people grew from 40.3%, in September, to 47%, in November.
The truth is that in many democratic countries vaccination is not compulsory, so for the campaign to be effective, people must want to be vaccinated. And the less we take to convince ourselves, the faster we will achieve “herd immunity” . So what can we do to combat fear and rejection from these people?
The answer to the question has to do with an already classic theory and with social storytelling. In the 1950s, the sociologist Everett M. Rogers studied the agricultural industry in the United States and discovered that there were innovations that local producers adopted more quickly than others. In 1962, he published a theory that went around the world: that of the “Diffusion of Innovations .”
It goes more or less like this: whenever an innovation appears in a society of well-communicated people, five attitudes can be expected that will manifest themselves successively and over time. These are:
Rogers estimated the percentage of the population for each attitude (see graph below) and subsequent studies showed that the same pattern was common in settings, industries, and countries around the world.
Theory of Diffusion of Innovations by Rogers (1962) and critical leap by Moore (1991) / De Plc.gif: Original creator Vvdberg at nl.wikipedia. Derivative work: Osado – Plc.gif, CC BY-SA 3.0
Nowadays, academics from economics, sociology, or marketing accept the model and apply it to demographic and market studies. Popular culture has accepted it too, as a famous video by Simon Sinek shows .
As a theory, it has not been definitively proven or refuted. In fact, it has been proven that it cannot be applied to certain systems and that it is not enough to explain how some commercial products succeed (the iPhone, for example) and others fail ( the DeLorean , for example). But in 1991, Geoffrey Moore backed up the idea by developing an explanation of why it doesn’t always work and how to overcome the limitation.
I believe that Rogers theory is applicable to the case of vaccines. And that summarizes why almost half of the people in many countries say that they do not want to be the first: it is because they are part of the “late majority” and the “laggards” that, as the previous graph shows, account for 50% of people.
In democratic countries, where (I insist) getting vaccinated is not mandatory, Rogers’ model predicts that 2.5% of the population will naturally feel “pioneer” and will volunteer within hours of starting the vaccination campaign. They are people who will ask their doctor where they can be treated, even before the first doses arrive in the country. They will do it because they are brave, or because they feel responsible for themselves and others. There will also be those who like to be up to date with everything.
But when the pioneers show that they are still healthy and that the vaccine did not harm them, the “first followers” will arrive. They will not have to be called: they will also volunteer themselves, or ask everywhere when it is their turn. They will line up quite long and offer money (or time) to be vaccinated. And when they do, another 13.5% more of the population will be added to the list of those vaccinated.
This is where the Rogers theory (and the vaccination campaign) comes into play. Earlier I mentioned Geoffrey Moore. He discovered that the success or failure of disruptive innovations (the vaccine is) is determined at a critical point: that of the leap from the “first followers” to the “early majority.”
If the latter accept the innovation, then the vaccine will reach 50% of the population and success will be practically certain. But if not, failure will inevitably follow. Well, what makes the early majority adopt innovation?
Very simple: storytelling! In other words, the story that the “first followers” will tell others about how the experience was for them. That will make the early majorities believe (or not) that the vaccine works.
So forget what the politician or the TV news says. If your brother and friend who have already been vaccinated tell you that the medicine works, you will go to get vaccinated. Because you will see that it works for them and you will not want to be different.
The other way around: if your vaccinated friend tells you that the treatment is not working for him, or that he was treated poorly, or that the substance caused him serious pain, you will not accept the medicine. As simple (and complex) as this: the story of someone you trust can save your life or keep you in quarantine for many months .
When getting vaccinated is a voluntary option and it is necessary for people to quickly convince themselves to do so, it is essential to build stories that give confidence. Especially to motivate the “pioneers” and the “first followers” to try.
But then, in the interest of all, we must facilitate communication between these two groups and those who have misgivings. And, in this, I think that we all play a critical role: political authorities, scientists, media and producers of the vaccine. But also you and me, as citizens.
When the authorities, the scientific community and the media spread the success stories and normalize the image of the vaccine, they do a great job. Manufacturers who report favorable and certified results for their products do well too. In Spain, the percentage of people who say they would not take the vaccine decreased to 28% in December. And that is a success.
But you and I also have a role. You should know that every time you share a joke, a cartoon or a meme about the vaccine on your social networks, or that you send cynical comments without having the slightest idea of what you are saying, you contribute to making the “precocious majority” feel less confident and it takes longer to get vaccinated. You are helping the virus to last.
You should also know that there are political groups, lobbies and ideological currents that, from absolute ignorance, slander or seek conspiracy theories where there is none. Their interests are evil and they pursue power and influence, if not evil for evil’s sake.
Better ignore them. Better still if you don’t give them any space in your conversations. Rather listen to your doctor first.
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Instagram for realtors can be a powerful tool on both the national and local levels. Keep reading to learn how to get started and what’s working now!
One reason Instagram is such a great platform for realtors is because of the photos. People love beautiful photos and looking for their dream home. Also, there is less distraction when compared to Facebook and Pinterest.
Be sure to have real estate agent or realtor in your title. If you are new in the real estate world, most people don’t know you. The title area is the ONLY searchable area in your Instagram profile.
For the bio portion, ditch the cutesy look and describe who you are and who you help. Maybe your speciality is million dollar homes, or maybe you dominate a certain area in your town or city.
List if you are strictly a residential focused agent or if you help people find commercial properties too.
Hashtags are a string of words or a word behind the pound sign (#). Users often add these in without any research. Which is fine, but if you are using Instagram as a business tool, there is a strategy to it.
You want to target hashtags that are relevant to your niche and ones that you actually have a shot at ranking in. So if you have a smaller account you do not want to go after hashtags that are in the high hundred thousands + .
Be mindful of what your audience is searching. Chances are they are not searching for #homes. They may be looking for a certain style of home in a certain location. Both of these will be much less competitive than just using a generic term like homes.
Instagram allows you to use up to 30 hashtags, and you should plan on using all of those. Choose a mix between local hashtags and others relevant to the industry.
You can put these under your caption or in the first comment. Either way, they are being used for the same purpose and there’s not a right or wrong way.
Do not use more than 30. That violates terms of service and could lead your account to getting shadowbanned. That means that you will not be able to use it and it could hurt your rankings in the future.
Photos in your newsfeed has to be one minute or less. If you plan on giving homeowner tips or maybe a virtual tour of an open house, you will want to do this on IGTV instead. You can still add this to your profile but it will redirect them.
Instagram recently released a feature that is similar to Tik Tok called reels. These are 15 or 30-second clips (depending on what they allow on your account) that is relevant to your niche. You can still use hashtags, which we highly recommend. Add some music and even get a little silly for more views. The purpose of using reels is to reach more people and gain more followers. With this being a new feature, Instagram is focusing heavily on these right now.
In order to save your content to those small circles (aka highlights) under your profile, it first has to be published. As a real estate agent here are some ideas on what you should save. These are great to use as quick references for your followers. Any time you get the same questions asked multiple times you should save it as a highlight bubble.
Using Instagram as a realtor has tons of benefits and can be a great tool to have in your toolbox when used correctly. Wondering what type of content you should be posting? Check out 55 Social Media Posts for Real Estate Agents!
Looking to run some Facebook Ads? How To Run Facebook Ads for Real Estate Agents
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